I love anything to do with water, so when I was given the opportunity to dive into Atlantis Rising by Alyssa Day, I was all in. Do you believe in the lost city? How about Poisedon?
Woo Hoo! Alyssa Day has certainly caught my attention with an empathic Riley Dawson and a hot group of Poseidon’s warriors that are on a treasure hunt, of sorts. I know I’m all tingly and ready to go. lol
Her grief called to him. It would not be denied. He must got to her.
The mental telepathic dialogue had me cracking up, so I put a smile on my face and prepared myself for a fun, sexy read. I mean, she’s an empath and he’s a high prince, the first of Poseidon’s warriors, so what could possibly go wrong.
“You’re not going to drink my blood or rip my arms off, are you? Because my day has really sucked, and I’m so not up for that,” she said…
Barrabas, a powerful vampire, felt the disturbance caused by their meeting. Oh man, so cool. Water warriors and blood sucking Vampires. What more could I want? I am hooked and happy.
Everything Conlan does is for Atlantis, so denying his overwhelming desire for Riley, who is not only a forbidden human, but also an empath, literally brought him to his knees. Conlan and his warriors were tasked with protecting the humans from shapeshifters and vampires, and were clearly from the Land of Hunk.
I am feeling upbeat, having fun, sharing Conlan and Riley’s internal dialogue and lovin ‘ every minute of it. And now we find out why they are above ground…Poseidon’s Trident has been stolen. Conlan could lose his kingdom if they don’t recover it.
“You’re not a vampire, because you’ve got a heartbeat,” she said. “Are you a shapeshifter? What kind of furry are you going to get?” He laughed. “I’m not going to turn furry, brave one. I am nothing you know.”
Conlan knows that empaths don’t exist, yet here’s Riley. He also knows that the soul meld doesn’t exist, yet how to explain the sparks between them.
Well, Alyssa, you drew me in, kept me riveted to the pages, worrying and fretting, laughing and smiling, never letting me go. The action kept the story flowing as I devoured the words. The world created was full of wonder and I am so happy to have been able to visit Atlantis and meet all these fabulous characters that escaped from the mind of Alyssa Day.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Atlantis Rising by Alyssa Day.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Eleven thousand years ago, before the seas swallowed the Atlanteans,
Poseidon assigned a few chosen warriors to act as sentinels for humans
in the new world. There was only one rule-desiring them was forbidden.
But rules were made to be broken…
When she calls… Riley
Dawson is more than a dedicated Virginia Beach social worker. She’s
blessed with a mind link that only Atlanteans have been able to access
for thousands of years. Being an “empath” may explain her wistful
connection to the roiling waves of the ocean, the sanctuary it provides,
and the sexual urges that seem to emanate from fathoms below…
He will come. Conlan,
the High Prince of Atlantis, has surfaced on a mission to retrieve
Poseidon’s stolen trident. Yet something else has possessed Conlan: the
intimate emotions-and desires-of a human. Irresistibly drawn to the
uncanny beauty, Conlan soon shares more than his mind. But in the midst
of a battle to reclaim Poseidon’s power, how long can a forbidden love
last between two different souls from two different worlds?
ABOUT ALYSSA DAY
Alyssa Day is the pen name (and dark and tortured alter ego) of RITA award-winning author Alesia Holliday. She is a multiple finalist in the prestigious RITA awards for excellence in romance fiction and has won several awards for her novels.
ATLANTIS RISING was the first of Alyssa’s Warriors of Poseidon novels for Berkley Publishing, and was featured on the cover of the March, 2007, issue of Romantic Times BOOKClub magazine! Additionally, it rocked the bestseller lists, hitting the Waldenbooks, Borders, Barnes and Noble, Bookscan, and the prestigious USA Today bestseller lists! ATLANTIS AWAKENING came along several months together and did the same thing – only better!! And then her anthology SHIFTER, with authors Angela Knight, Lora Leigh, and Virginia Kantra, spent three weeks on the prestigious New York Times bestseller list!
Her publisher was thrilled, her family was thrilled (they could eat!), her dogs were thrilled (bacon!!). Now she’s happily writing her fingers off, deep in the world of Atlantis, the Warriors of Poseidon, and a new exciting group of allies (??), the Fae.
Alyssa has long been an avid fan of all things Atlantis, supernatural, and in any way pertaining to lost civilizations. When she was six, she told her mother that she would discover Atlantis one day—and now she has!
In 2006, Alyssa (writing as Alesia) was awarded the Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award. The RITA is the highest award of excellence in the genre of romance fiction. If we can get this new website on track, you’ll see a picture on your right of Alyssa with her agent and editor the night she won the RITA® award.
On a plane from London to Boston, Ted and Lily meet. Does this sounds familiar? Even so, Peter Swanson gives it his own special twist that kept me reading, cover to cover.
Ted’s a rich businessman and Lily works is a free spirit. But you don’t want to cross her.
They begin a game of truth and it gets way out of hand. Just the kind of games I love reading about.
The circle of treachery went round and round, piece by piece. Things didn’t go as planned, but do they ever? The betrayals and vengeance was shared by all.
I knew what would happen…sorta…
Playing judge, jury and executioner can bring bad Karma to you.
The pacing of the mystery kept me reading, unable to put the book down. It plays with my head as I try to keep everything straight and figure out who’s going to do what to who. Do they really think they’ll get away with it? Will they get away with it? Who is they? Can a bad person be good? LOL Full circle.
The writing is fantastic. I read the book cover to cover in one sitting. I didn’t find all the answers until the very last page. Way to go Peter!
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A devious tale of psychological suspense involving sex, deception, and an accidental encounter that leads to murder. Fans of Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train will love this modern reimagining of Patricia Highsmith’s classic Strangers on a Train from the author of the acclaimed The Girl with a Clock for a Heart—which the Washington Post said “should be a contender for crime fiction’s best first novel of 2014.”
On a night flight from London to Boston, Ted Severson meets the stunning and mysterious Lily Kintner. Sharing one too many martinis, the strangers begin to play a game of truth, revealing very intimate details about themselves. Ted talks about his marriage that’s going stale and his wife Miranda, who he’s sure is cheating on him. Ted and his wife were a mismatch from the start—he the rich businessman, she the artistic free spirit—a contrast that once inflamed their passion, but has now become a cliché.
But their game turns a little darker when Ted jokes that he could kill Miranda for what she’s done. Lily, without missing a beat, says calmly, “I’d like to help.” After all, some people are the kind worth killing, like a lying, stinking, cheating spouse. . . .
Back in Boston, Ted and Lily’s twisted bond grows stronger as they begin to plot Miranda’s demise. But there are a few things about Lily’s past that she hasn’t shared with Ted, namely her experience in the art and craft of murder, a journey that began in her very precocious youth.
Suddenly these co-conspirators are embroiled in a chilling game of cat-and-mouse, one they both cannot survive . . . with a shrewd and very determined detective on their tail.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter Swanson is the author of The Kind Worth Killing, and has degrees from Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College. He lives with his wife in Somerville, Massachusetts, where he is at work on his next novel.
On Tour with Prism Book Tours Book Tour Launch for Stuck By Samantha Durante Note from the Author I am *so* thrilled to be kicking off the Stuck (Stitch Trilogy, Book 3) tour! We’ve got lots of awesome stops planned with exclusive Stitch Trilogy content you won’t find anywhere else, plus a big giveaway to celebrate the arrival of the long-awaited conclusion of the series! I’d be so honored if you would follow along with Prism Tours and share in the excitement! In case you’re new to the series, here’s a short (fan-produced!) trailer to whet your appetite:
Hi Sherry! Thank you so much for having me back at Fundimental and for all of your support with the series! Your enthusiasm for the Stitch Trilogy has meant *so* much to me, and I hope your readers will love it just as much!
1. What made you decide to be a writer?
I don’t know if it was a *decision* so much as a compulsion! I’ve always loved to write, ever since I was a kid. I got away from it for a few years in college and afterwards, but even as a software engineer, I managed to“sneak” writing into my job. So when it came time for a major life change (moving back across the country to be near my family), I knew it was a good time to see if I could shift gears and get back to doing what I’d always loved.
2. Tell us how you choose your covers.
A LOT goes into choosing covers for my books – my cover designer must groan whenever my name pops up in his inbox. 🙂 The Stitch Trilogy has been particularly challenging since it spans the genres of dystopian sci-fi and paranormal romance, and (in Book 1 especially) has some major twists that completely change the direction of the story. So it was hard to find a design that incorporated all that, plus hinted at major plot points and introduced the characters, and created a theme that would still be relevant for the remaining books in the series. (In fact, I have a whole guest post devoted to this topic which you can find at another stop on this tour!) In the end, though, I think we managed it –readers have been very vocal about their love for the covers!
3. How do you choose names for your characters and do you have a favorite?
The names for my characters tend to just “come to me” – I can’t really explain it. It’s almost like apart of the character and not something I “choose.” But I do also try to be deliberate about looking up the meanings of the names to make sure they fit who that character is. I think my favorite would have to be Alessa,the protagonist in the Stitch Trilogy. (In fact, I’ve had loved ones tell me to just stop pretending like it isn’t my favorite and go ahead and give it to one of my children, lol.) I just think it’s such a pretty name and not very common, so it feels sort of futuristic and appropriate for science fiction. Also, the meaning is “defender of the people” which I think is pretty fitting for a heroine!
4. If the series were ever made into a movie, who would the actors/actresses be?
Ooohh, this is another one that I could (and, in fact, did) write an entire post about (in another guest post for this tour!). 🙂 My favorites for Alessa and Isaac are Emmy Rossum and Alex Pettyfer, who I chose specifically because they look like those characters (obviously) but they also aren’t household names, so they could really become Alessa and Isaac, if I was ever so lucky to see Stitch on the big screen. But it’s so hard to pick!! These characters all originated in my head, so no one is really perfect for the role, and I’m always open to suggestions! Who do you see when you picture these characters??
5. Do you have a favorite author? What are you reading now?
I have several favorite authors, but the one I’ve been most loving in recent years is Diana Gabaldon and her Outlander books. Her character building is just so, so good; I love all of her main characters and am so invested in everything that happens to them. I just can’t put those books down, and I wish they would go on forever and ever and ever. I’m also (like half the population of planet Earth) a HUGE Game of Thrones fan, so I am eagerly awaiting GRRM’s next release!
6. Tell us something personal about yourself.
Even though much of my series revolves around the characters’ grief, I actually did not have much personal experience in that department when I wrote the first two books of the trilogy. And then, shortly after I published Shudder in 2013, I lost my first child, Alana, at birth to a cord accident, just two days before her due date. Needless to say, I have since become intimately acquainted with grief and all of its ravages and quirks. (And reading back, I’m surprised at how well managed to capture the experience of grief in Books 1 & 2 – I have to chalk that up to reading what had been written about it from other, more talented writers!) So that enormous loss and learning to live with the absence of one of the people I love most in this world has really changed my perspective as a human being and given me a deeper level of insight into my writing. My hope is that that really shines through in Book 3 and resonates with readers who have experienced losses of their own. :’-)
Thanks for joining us!! Samantha
Stuck (Stitch Trilogy #3) By Samantha Durante YA Dystopian, SciFi Paperback & ebook, 306 Pages December 15, 2018
MY REVIEW
I remember when I first saw Stitch, Book I of the Stitch Trilogy by Samantha Durante. I had to have it! I fell in love with the story and the characters and have patiently waited as each book became available, then devoured it.
The Engineers manufactured world is the total opposite of the dystopian world of poverty and desolation the rebels live in. Myself, I love rooting for the underdog and the rebels need my help. Here I come guys.
I love that Alessa and Isaac act together, but what about Joe? I think he will be playing a very important part in the story, I just won’t be able to tell you about it. LOL
“Poor bugger got stuck.”
And the monsters were born!
Extermination, extinction, a virus, the end of the world, a man-made apocalypse, secrets, unlikely allies, and a very special girl.
This is one of those books that gets my motor running into overdrive. The elite feel they are the be all end all and to hell with everybody else. OMG! I knew the evil bastards would do something, but I didn’t see that coming. Could it be true?
The writing of the trilogy took place over a five year time span. I think it would have been better if I went back and read the series from the beginning and I will be doing that some time. I have a feeling it will change my rating.
That being said, once the previous books began to come to mind, I was able to bring myself up to date. The story became intense and I was happy to add Alex and Deion to my group of friends. I found it easy to get lost in their world, their struggles, their regrets, loss, hope and love. the writing made the story unfold as if I was watching it on the big screen.
As Samantha Durante brings the trilogy to a close, it brought tears to my eyes. I felt happy with the characters endings. BUT, man oh man, Joe…well, I saw that , and Lizzie, oh Lizzie…I can’t tell you any more without ruining it for you.
If you love having your emotions ramped up to a fever pitch, if you love white knuckled reading, if you love apocalyptic/dystopian novels and are looking for an original storyline, you may want to grab the Stitch trilogy.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Stuck by Samantha Durante.
4 Stars
ABOUT THE BOOK
3, 2, 1… BOOM.
Things are finally looking up for the Resistance. Sure, Alessa is still processing the revelation that the best friend she’d presumed dead is miraculously alive, though far from well… And her boyfriend is being manipulated under threat of blackmail. But her quest for justice against those behind the systematic extermination of the world population is so close to victory she can taste it.
And then in a matter of seconds, everything Alessa believes in is shaken to the core. Months of preparation are obliterated. The people she cares for most are lost.
But Alessa is still standing. And Paragon must pay.
The odds are grim, but unexpected allies surface in the most unlikely of places: A new pair of citizens still under the colony’s rule who notice something amiss in the latest drama. An old adversary who realizes the error of her ways. And a veritable army of inhuman power and terrible strength, with an insatiable thirst for vengeance. The trustworthiness of each of these factions is yet to be proven, but without many other options, Alessa may have to take what she can get. Especially since the Engineers, never to be outdone, also have a few more tricks up their sleeves…
The long-awaited final installment in the riveting Stitch Trilogy, Stuck will have readers gripping their seats as Alessa and a handful of intrepid survivors usher their harrowing journey to a close, risking everything as they endeavor – once and for all – to set things right.
Samantha lives in Westchester County, New York with four of the five
loves of her life – her husband, son, younger daughter, and cat – and
carries her fifth love, her stillborn daughter, in her heart. An avid
reader herself, Samantha’s dream is to bring the same delight to readers
that other authors have brought to her life. In addition to penning
novels and writing candidly about grief, she is also a sometimes
freelance writer/consultant – though more often than not these days
she’s on full-time mom duty! A former software engineer, Samantha said
goodbye to the corporate world in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial
dreams and lifelong love of writing. Learn more at www.samanthadurante.com.
– 1 First Place Winner will receive: Signed Print Copies of All 3 Books in the Trilogy, a Limited-Edition Stitch Scarf, Bookmarks, and a $15 Amazon Gift Card
– 3 Second Place Winners will receive: eBook Copies of All 3 Books in the Trilogy for You *and* a Friend, plus a $5 Amazon Gift Card
– Open internationally
– Ends December 27th
I have been reading Anthony Renfro’s horror stories for some time now. I am always eager to get my hands on a new one, all while trying to catch up on the backlog of his work that I haven’t read yet. Just keep ’em coming Anthony.
God vs Devil. Good vs Evil. Is man inherently good? Do we just stray occasionally, only to come back to our true selves?
Anthony Renfro has a way with words, showing me the haunted house. You know, the one the neighborhood kids talked about, daring each other to spend the night alone.
Satan fights to claim Tom’s soul. What would you do if you met Satan face to face?
One day Satan approached God and said he’s mine.
God said he’s mine.
Now, we will see what choices Tom makes. Satan will dog his every step to drag him down to Hell. He pops up here, there, leaving his messages.
tom is not a shining example of being a husband or father, but he’s not a serial killer wither. He had become a Ghost Buster, along the lines of Ghost Whisperer. He could see and talk to the dead, helping them to move on.
About halfway through, Anthony lets the shit hit the fan. Will this be the final push for the devil to win his prize?
“,,,I’ve gone on for so many years without it, and now, at one of my worst times, it seems to be the strongest it has ever been in my life.”
“…faith is a healer. It is during the dark times when we lean on it the most, even though it is just as strong during the good times.”
When The Devil Calls is different from his usual horror stories, though anything with Satan in it is filled with horror. It may even leave you questioning your own choices in life.
4 Stars
Bonus #I – Wasteland Delivery Driver – Wow What a fabulous start. If that’s a sample chapter, I want the book.
Bonus #2 – The Man From The Road- Curiosity creates a nightmare and the blood flows…4 Stars
Bonus #3 – Demon Energy – Sometimes, even when you win, you lose. 4 Stars.
GOODREADS BLURB
What would you do if the devil came calling?
Tom is a ghost hunter and a good one at that. He is a man without morals, without laws, a one man do-it-yourself kind of guy. Then the devil shows up, and Tom finds he is now face to face with pure evil. This sends Tom on a journey that will bring him into contact with all of those he has loved and lost throughout the years. He will reconnect with his ex wives, his kids, and himself. He will explore a side of himself that he never thought existed while the devil tries to regain the soul he is losing. In the end Tom must face down the devil or succumb to a fiery eternal damnation. Win or lose. Tom has no choice but to fight.
Bonus Short Story: The Man from the Road
A man suddenly appears on a road. He’s lost, confused, no clue as to how he got there. He starts to walk and stops suddenly. There’s a bonfire in a field nearby. He sees people dancing around this fire. They are performing some kind of ritual. He turns to flee, but he’s captured. No chance of escape. He hopes he is only dreaming, because all of this seems a bit too real.
Bonus Short Story: Demon Energy
A short story about 1 man possessed and tormented by a 1000 demons who must fight for a soul he is starting to lose. Will he ever find salvation or is his body now an eternal host of hell?
ABOUT ANTHONY RENFRO
Anthony Renfro lives in Apex, North
Carolina. He is a reader, writer, runner, husband, father, and stay at
home dad – one of the toughest jobs anyone could ever do. He was born in
Bristol, Tennessee, and is a graduate of UNC-Greensboro.
You can find him at many spots on the
web, but if you really need to find his center in the social media storm
it would be at his blog.
Now reach out, just beyond the light,
right into that big black space, and let him take your hand on a journey
into cold dark places. You will be scared, and you may even be
terrified, but in the end you might just find you liked the ride.
I have enjoyed Pamela Fagan Hutchin’s writing before, and as soon as I read about the frogs, LOL, I new I made the right choice in reading Puppalicious and Beyond. I love critters and the fun cover, but I wasn’t prepared for all the wonderful, comical stories inside. From St Croix in the Virgin Islands, to Houston, Texas, I laughed and marveled at Pamela’s sense of humor. She shares her family, with their eclectic personalities. Oh man, the creepy crawlies in the Virgin Islands, I shivered thinking of them, in the house, crawling on me…OH NO! The guard dog…so sweet. Lots of love and fun with sadness and loss, but isn’t that the way of life?
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Puppalicious And Beyond Life Outside The Center Of The Universe
Award winner in Narrative Nonfiction in the USA Best Books Contest
Available in print and ebook forms from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, SkipJack Publishing, and Smashwords.
Where
the Red Fern Grows meets Wuthering Heights: A collection of
inter-related fiction and narrative non-fiction stories about the
amazing relationship of people to nonhumans that captures our collective
imagination.
***
Do you rank Where The Red Fern Grows along with Wuthering Heights amongst your favorite books of all time? All Creatures Great and Small with Pet Sematary? If so, chances are you get it: there’s something magical about giving literary immortality and voice to the nonhumans that capture our collective imagination. If these are the stories that glue you to the page, then Puppalicious and Beyond: Life Outside The Center Of The Universe is the book for you. Set in the Caribbean and Texas, it tells the sometimes true and sometimes fictional tales of the magnificent and interrelated creatures – natural and supernatural — that passed through the author’s life, bringing her delight, fright, and every emotion in between.
ABOUT PAMELA FAGA HUTCHINS
I like big butts and I cannot lie: horse butts that is. As in draft cross horses, which I ride with my hunky husband way up in the frozen north of Snowheresville, WY and deep in the heart of Nowheresville, TX. I am a wannabe barrel racer afraid of going fast, an eater of ribeye, and the author of the USA Today bestselling What Doesn’t Kill You world of romantic mysteries.
{By the way, to get free exclusives, first looks, and special deals with my newsletter, go to https://bit.ly/pamelaNL.}
When
I’m not writing or riding, I’m passionate about hiking, always with a
couple of rescue dogs (and an occasional goat and donkey), bear spray, a
mountain lion knife, and my Judge. NO ANIMALS HAVE BEEN HARMED IN THE
MAKING OF THIS LIFE ADVENTURE (but don’t sneak up on me).
I like big butts and I cannot
lie: horse butts that is. As in draft cross horses, which I ride with my
hunky husband way up in the frozen north of Snowheresville, WY and deep
in the heart of Nowheresville, TX. I am a wannabe barrel racer afraid
of going fast, an eater of ribeye, and the author of the USA Today
bestselling What Doesn’t Kill You world of romantic mysteries.
I’ve
made some lists and won some awards, yada yada. 2018 USA Today
Bestseller. 2018 #1 Amazon Bestseller. 2018 Top 50 Amazon Author
(Romantic Mystery, Romantic Suspense). The 2017 Silver Falchion for Best
Adult Mystery WINNER (Fighting for Anna), the 2016 and 2015 WINNERS for
USA Best Books Fiction: Cross Genre (Hell to Pay, Heaven to Betsy), and
others. With downloads of nearly 2,000,000 for the What Doesn’t Kill
You world, readers seem to enjoy my smart, sassy female sleuths—I think
they have exceptionally good taste. {insert silly grin here} Lots of
them follow my podcast, too, where I fangirl my favorite authors and
interview them for your listening pleasure.
If after all that you still want to learn more about my books, my podcast, or me, then God Bless Ya, and do drop in on my website, http://pamelafaganhutchins.com.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
