From Sweet and Lovely To Dark and Creepy, There’s A Story For Everyone Here – Review DARK MATTERS by T. Joseph Browder

Posted on January 23, 2013 by fundinmental

.Since I posted this, T. Joseph Browder has made a book trailer that you may want to check out. While you are here, read my review and, if interested, you can pick up the book at the end of the post.

Dark Matters by T. Joseph Browder

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These 7 short stories take a ride on the wild side. They are dark, creepy, and end of the world scary, except for the first one, which I think T. Joseph put in just to mess with us.

TOBY

Stock Image Saint Bernard dog My father got me a Saint Bernard, Toby, when he was a puppy. He saved my life when I was only eight years old. Little did I know, that when he passed away, it would not be the last time I saw him.

A touching and uplifting story for the paranormal lovers. Just because someone is gone, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t looking out for you.

A personal note from the author:

“Toby is my personal favorite, possibly because most of it, right down to the boy falling off the roof, being punctured through the leg, and being saved by the dog, is true. And yes, I did bury him at the base of a lightning split elm in the back yard.”

ROUGE

When Jessie crashed his truck and rolled over the cliff, he thought the worst thing he would have to worry about was the freezing cold weather. Think again Jesse. You may wonder, what does a bear have to do with a car accident?

What goes around comes around and sometimes it is worse than you can imagine.This was my favorite story of the book. I guess it is probably because I love any kind of horror story that includes a creature of a critter of some kind.

HAMMERFALL

He heard a voice, but didn’t hear it clearly. Where was he? It was the Livestar operator. She said no one could respond at this time because of Hammerfall, an asteroid. Everyone had disregarded the Mayan prophecies. would they pay the price now?

Well, you’ll have to read the story to find that out. What do you think would be the end result? Would there be anyone left? Would you want to be one of them or be taken out in the first BIG BANG?

THE VISITOR

Lucas had a run in with Nicholai before, thus his ill-health. Lucas’ plan to destroy him was so out of the ordinary, that he felt Nicholai would never see it coming.

Just goes to show how far some people will go to see justice served.

THE CONTRACT

He hired me to kill him. I thought he was out of his mind, but when I heard the price, I jumped on it. I wasted no time, I shot him on the spot. Uh-0h. I should have waited until he told me the details.

I sure didn’t see the ending coming on this one.

AFTER HAMMERFALL

What do you think would be left? How many humans would survive? How many plants? How many animals? And what would they be like?

EDUCATOR

I was beaten nearly to death, stomped on, then shot in the face. No one knew why it happened. I kept secret, that I no longer needed the cane. I did not want people to know what I was really capable of, because I had a mission to fulfill.

How far would you go to seek revenge for the death of a loved one?

4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others

It’s funny how many of the books I review have trees on their covers, in some shape or form. This cover is beautiful and fits in with the season. It brings back many memories, of when I lived in the wintry, northern states.

The stories were well written and flowed smoothly, making them very easy to read. Pick it up at lunch time, while waiting at the doctor’s or dentist’s office, anywhere you are when you have 10, 15, maybe even 20 minutes. Depends on how fast you read.

The characters are easy to love, hate or feel like they got what was coming to them.

The first story is a “make me feel good”, lovely story. I think T. Joseph Broder did that to set us up for what was to come, because he quickly moves on to things that are not so pleasant, in fact they are down right horrific..

I always find short stories very hard to review. I want to get across how interesting and unexpected so many of the stories are without giving away the good stuff. So how do you do that? I hope I did it well enough to peak your interest and wonder, “What in the hell is she talking about?” ^_^ Then pick up your copy to find out.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

T. Joseph Browder After an extremely interesting childhood rich with the writings of Poe, King, Koontz, and many others, I left the real world in 1995 and lived for thirteen years in a timeless, soulless void. While there, I spent countless hours reading and studying Philosophy, Psychology, Parapsychology, and, oddly enough, Business. Ultimately, I returned to the real world (with virtually no identity or personal history and no official history whatsoever) and set about the business of making a life for myself from scratch, the pitfalls and hurdles of which, in this post 9/11 world, could fill an entire book.

I now live in Ellinwood, KS, with my wife and four granddaughters (the comedy and drama of that would fill an entire series of books) and published my first book, a short story collection of horror, science-fiction, and suspense, in April, 2012. I am currently working on a novel that defies genre classification with the greatest editor in the world.

T. Joseph Browder invites you to listen to a recent podcast review:

“I got a great one in a podcast from The Library Police starting at the nineteen minute mark:

http://www.thelibrarypolice.com/episode-94-misery-porn.html

but that’s a lot to listen to, to get to that particular review. It boosted my ego, though.”

To see what’s happening in the mind of T Joseph Browder, follow the links below:

Goodreads

Twitter

To pick up a copy of the book from Amazon, simply click on the cover below.

GIVEAWAY

taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos T. Joseph Browder is offering for the Giveaway, 10 (ten) ebooks. International. Easy entry as always, just leave your email address and answer the question:

I know there are a lot people who love short stories. Are you one of them and why?

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.

CLOSED. WINNERS are: Pragya – Alana Perumal – Emma Meade – Joseph – Lada Ray – Lee (JaxGrampy) – Dia Palaez – Marianne – Vickie Evans and Cecilia.

Congratulations and thank you everyone for stopping by and commenting.

Fanged Mania #10 – Giveaway and Review of Charmeine: The Light-Bearer Series, Book I by Emily Guido

Posted on January 18, 2013 by fundinmental

To join in, copy and paste these rules and the above banner into your Fanged Mania post and add your link to this week’s Fanged Mania post at Elisabeth Wheatley’s Blog. Fanged Mania is a Friday meme counting down to the release of Fanged Princess and displaying all things vampire and awesome. Fanged Mania posts can be a review of a vampire book, a quote from the latest Vampire Diaries episode, a showcase of a cool vampire book’s cover, or whatever you like so long as it is vampire related. Don’t forget, participants will be entered in the drawing to win a fanged-abulous prize pack!

The prize pack I mentioned includes Vampire Diaries and Breaking Dawn posters as well as a paperback copy of Erica Steven’s Captured (my review here) and the complete collection of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter stories by Jennifer Malone Wright, in paperback, too! =D

Oh, and the contest is international. And the more Fanged Mania posts you have, the more entries you get! So what are you waiting for? Hop on the bandwagon!

As Tabbruis held Charmeine, he asked her if she thought the Prophecy would be revealed today.

Charmeine – Angel of Harmony

Tabbruis – Angel of Self Determination

Charmeine (The Light-Bearer, #1)

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Tabbruis had fed from the stag and was ready for a hot shower. He hopped in his Dodge Charger SRT8 and drove to the hotel.

After his shower, he looked in the mirror and saw her. She appeared in the steam, a vision to behold. He knew it wasn’t real, but he couldn’t forget her.

For some reason, he felt an urgent need to go to New York City. He always stayed at the Ritz Carlton, in the Penthouse Suite. He loved it there and Ferrell always took such good care of his needs and wants. He was alone, but he liked his luxuries and some of the things he required were above and beyond the normal.

Charleen was a school teacher and Shane, her best friend, called to tell her he had to cancel their Billy Joel concert date. Ferrell, his boss, had a super job for him that was too good to pass up. Charleen ended up going to the concert by herself.

In the orphanage, Charleen and Shane had become like brother and sister.They were drawn to each other, but never had the desire to take it further.

While Shane drove Tabbruis around, they listened to a Billy Joel CD.All Tab could think about was her. He listened to the CD and felt as if he was being called to the concert.

Charleen watched the concert, until a feeling of fear overcame her. She felt she was in great danger and knew she had to get away. Tabbruis had felt it too and was heading towards her. He came upon her, lying on the ground with a Blood Hunter standing over her.

Charleen saw Tabbruis was losing the fight. She reached out to him. Before he lost consciousness, he saw her face and a brilliant white light.

Tabbruis had one friend, Dimitri. They were both Blood Drinkers and Dimitri had helped him when he had lost everything. He had told him about himself and the others, the Blood Hunters and the Light Bearers. The Light-Bearers are the good of God, God’s Angels. Dimitri also told him about The Prophecy – a special Light- Bearer, along with her mate, a Blood Hunter, and her family, would bring justice and harmony to Earth.

Tabbruis was in a desperate situation. It was time to call Dimitri for help.

3 STARS – Would Recommend To Others

**********************************I am not surprised that the story started out slow, I feel it is just setting the foundation for the series. The first three books were meant to be one BIG BOOK. So don’t be discouraged, you really need to read on********************************

The cover is pretty and caught my eye. I love brilliant, saturated colors.

I love hot cars, so any time I can slip one, especially a super cool one, into my post, I do. ^_^ I felt if Tabbrius drove such a hot car, he had to be hot, too. ^_^

I had heard and seen so much about this series, I felt I had to read it for myself. I am not a huge romance fan, so I wasn’t sure if I would like the book. I really want more to the story than love and happiness. I like a lot of action and as I read along, the story began to pick up the pace. By the time I reached the end of the book, I was ready for more. A love story, but so much more. You can feel the love oozing out of the pages, the sexual tension builds until …………

Emily Guido’s writing will draw you deeper into Charmeine’s and Tabbruis’ lives as they discover their true purpose. Is it Fate? Is it Destiny? Have their lives already been written?

What would you do, if in the blink of an eye, everything you believed in was no more?

Do you believe in angels? If you believe in good, there must be bad.

As Emily described the fight, I could picture it. I love it , when the writing is so descriptive, I can picture the scenes. The story unrolls like a movie in my mind. When Emily says she pictures the characters and scenes in her mind, I can definitely relate, as the scenes played out in my head because of her deep and thorough descriptions.

Emily wants you to know that Charmeine is just the tip of the iceberg in the series….to really get to the lip-smacking gravy part, you really need to read Charmeine, Mactus and Accendo, which were one book. That is why, for the giveaway, if you already have Charmeine and Mactus (which were free on Amazon, which is how I got mine), Emily will replace your win with Accendo.

By the time I got to the end of Charmeine, I was ready for Mactus. Some people look at a big book and won’t even pick it up. It seems all the publishers want authors to make two books instead of one, but I can get into long books. So the series are good because it’s like a really long book and I can get so into the story, that when I’m done and the last page is read, it is such a let down, that I almost go into a depression from such a deep feeling of loss. It’s kind of silly really, it’s just a book, and the characters are not real, but I have always been emotionally involved in my reading. I love traveling into new worlds and meeting new people through the characters in books.

I picked up this book on a FREE day on Amazon and I am very glad I did. I see many hours of traveling through time with Charmeine and Tabbruis.

A Couple Of My Favorite Quotes

“Semper tuus ero……I am forever yours”

“You quiet me and stir my passion all at the same time.”

ALERT*****ALERT******ALERT******ALERT******ALERT******ALERT*****ALERT

Emily Guido has her first book signing coming up February 2 at the Book Expo in the Birmingham Library in Birmingham, Alabama.

Emily will also be at the County College of Morris in Randolph, New Jersey on March 4 in the college bookstore.

How exciting for her. If you are in the area, you too, can be a part of it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Guido is a very new Young Adult, Paranormal Romance Author. She was inspired to start writing “The Light-Bearer Series” because one day she got an idea of two light and dark characters who have an epic romance. A week later, Emily had over a 100,000 words written. When she writes, she pictures the characters in her head going through vivid descriptions of each scene. She has written five novels, “Charmeine” “Mactus” “Accendo” “Seditious” and “Ransom” The sixth novel in “The Light-Bearer Series,” is entitled “Conundrum” and will be released in 2013.

Notes to Reviewers and Readers:
First, the Blood-Hunter race or Elders have been on Earth for thousands of years. Because of this, they do not use contractions like I’m, don’t or can’t. They communicate in a more refined way because of their age.

Second, there are several OLD editions out in circulation of my books. Please leave a review on the current edition. Please feel free to contact me, Emily, at guido.emily@gmail.com to check the edition you have is the recent edition.

To Find Emily, Follow The Links

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Emily Guido – Author FACEBOOK Page

To order any of the books, simply click on the cover.

GIVEAWAY

taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos Emily Guido is generously offering 5 ebooks (PDF, MOBI, Epub and HTML) of Charmeine for the Giveaway. If you already have Charmeine and Mactus, Emily will give you Accendo instead.

International. Easy entry as always, just leave your email address and answer the question:

Who is your favorite hunk or hunkess in a book, movie………?

Giveaway will run from 1/18 – 2/1/2013.

CLOSED. WINNERS are — Lacey G – emaginette – Jenny – Kylie – Pragya.

To see all my Giveaways, click HERE.

I hope you will tweet this out and share it with your friends, family and followers.

You don’t want to miss more of my posts, so take a moment to become one of my followers. ^_^

I am going to be featuring Emily Guido’s Light-Bearer Series until the story is told, so be sure and stay tuned for more wonderful adventures of Charmeine and Tabbrius.

Review of The Heidelberg Effect by Susan Kiernan-Lewis

Posted on January 17, 2013 by fundinmental

. The Heidelberg Effect (Tempus fugitives trilogy, #1)

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Ella was sitting in the coffee shop, studying the German language on her Ipod, when Rowan approached her. Even though she was immediately attracted to him, she thought, I’m moving to Heidelberg, Germany soon and I don’t need any complications.

Rowan was hard to ignore. He wore a cowboy hat and was tall, dark and handsome. He worked as a US Marshall, but was on medical leave and staying with his parents until he recovered from an injury. Then he would go back to Dothan, Alabama.

The next time she saw him, he was rescuing her from two robbers, who were going to kidnap her from the coffee shop . He asked her to dinner. How could she say no? He had just saved her. After dinner, they went back to her, packed up and almost empty, apartment and she told him about her move. She was really glad when he said, “Maybe we’d better not waste any more time.”

They went to Waffle House for breakfast. As they ate, they both thought about the other. Rowan felt he had found the perfect woman, but she was leaving. Ella felt the same way about him, but she was very independent and was going anyway. She said they could Skype, write and visit, but right now she wanted to be back in bed with him. They spent two wonderful days together and now they were at Atlanta airport and she was leaving him.

Heidelberg was everything Ella thought it would be. She missed Rowan, but as the days passed, she was busy with everything new and tired after work, so sometimes she didn’t even call him.

Ella called her dad and he mentioned there could be some of her mom’s family still in Germany. Why would he mention it now, after all this time? Should she look them up? Was her dad hinting that something wasn’t right about her mom’s death?

Ella did some research and found a couple leads to people who might be able to help her. She decided to let Hugo, her co-worker, drive her to check them out. She would end up regretting that decision.

At the first place, the woman slammed the door in her face. She hit the jackpot at the second. She met her aunt who was also named Ella. She had been separated from the family at an early age. She told Ella what she knew about the past and her grandfather, Rudolph Vogel. Ella didn’t know he was known as the butcher of Auschwitz. He had been hung by the allies at the Nuremberg Trials in 1945.

Hugo had seemed very interested, was he too interested? Ella began to wonder, what was Hugo’s job? How could she have worked with him this long, even went out with him once, and didn’t even know what he did?

Tuesday started out as a typical day, until she arrived at work. Why was Heidi acting so strange? Why was everyone looking at her?

It had been a month since Ella had spoken to Rowan. She felt desperate to talk with him. She decided it was time to go home, but her route was one she could never have foreseen.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others

Susan always tells a good story and they are well written, easy to read and flow smoothly.

Atlanta is familiar to me and I always like when places I know and love are mentioned in a book. It draws me further into the story. Waffle House – what can I say about Waffle House? If you’ve ever been in the south, you know it’s an icon. The best breakfast you will ever eat, especially after a night on the town.

The cover caught my attention immediately. I love a rough and tough female heroine. And she was. Ella was very independent and not one to avoid doing what she felt was necessary, even at the risk of her own life. Rowan fell hard for Ella. It was the strength of his feelings that would reunite them. When they re-met, my eyes watered and I smiled, even though I knew it had to happen.

I was reading along, about her caught in the storm, but what came next brought my reading to a screeching halt. I was puzzled. What? What’s happening? I was so caught up in the story, I forgot where it was going. I was waiting for someone to jump out and get her, instead she walks into………

I suspected Hugo of being a bad guy. He was, but not quite the way I thought he would be. He was vindictive and didn’t like being snubbed by Ella.

When Ella went back in time, the story really picked up. I was already into it, now I didn’t want to put it down. I was trying to write it in my mind and make it go where I wanted it to go. I kept thinking, you can guess where it ends, Sherry, don’t worry. It was a great ride getting there, with a loop and a twist here and there.

My Favorite Quotes

“fucking poster child for love-sick puppies”

“What a wild ride life is with you Rowan.”

“You do know we can’t solve all of history’s problems, right? God I’m going to miss this shit back in Dothan.”

That put a big smile on my face, as I thought, where will they travel to next.

The Cairo Effect, 2nd book in the Tempest Fugitives Time Travel Series, is scheduled for release in the spring 2013.

I received this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

For my review of Finding Infinity by Susan Kiernan Lewis, go HERE.

To purchase, simply click on the cover.

For my review of Murder in Provence, go HERE.

To purchase, simply click on the cover.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Best-selling author Susan Kiernan-Lewis is an Air Force Brat who has traveled the world and racked up over 40 addresses in her life (and she’s not finished yet.) Her fascination with world travel explains why nearly all her books are set outside of the US. Her apocalyptic women’s suspense, FREE FALLING, is based in Ireland and was a semi-finalist for Best Indie Book of 2012. Her Maggie Newberry Mysteries (which take place in France) have won multiple awards. Presently living in Atlanta, Susan writes in several genres including mystery, romantic suspense and women’s fiction. Professionally, Susan is an advertising copywriter and video editor. Contact her at sanmarcopress@icloud.com and follow her at her website: susankiernanlewis.com.

To find Susan, go to the links below:

Website

Goodreads

Susan has more than twenty books published, so I will only show you a few, but you can click on any of the covers to go to Amazon.

Heidelberg (anecdotes.typepad.com)
Stealing Heaven!! (fuonlyknew.wordpress.com)
Blood is Heavier #First Giveaway and Review in 2013 (fuonlyknew.wordpress.com)

Giveaway-Guest Post-Review of The Beach by Jaye Frances

Posted on January 10, 2013 by fundinmental

I just want to take a moment to thank Jaye Frances for coming by to share her book, The Beach, with us. Take it away, Jaye.

Guest Post

Thank you, Sherry, for featuring me today with my sci-fi supernatural tale, The Beach. In the following excerpt, the main character, Alan, is at home in his beachside bungalow, examining an unusual oddity that he found on the shore. Little does he know that he is about to have one of those fateful encounters in the form of a stranger who offers to turn Alan’s deepest desire into reality.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT

Alan picked it up carefully and brought it close to one eye, peering into the elaborate maze of cavities and compartments.

“There is nothing inside.” The voice was deep and sure and it came from behind.

Surprised, Alan twisted around on one foot, dropping the honeycombed remains of his juju bottle. It bounced off the floor and flipped up on one end, apparently able to right itself under its own power.

“There was, though not any longer,” the intruder added. “What was once there is now here, standing before you.”

Alan’s first thought was that he’d caught one of the kids from the beach slipping into the house, probably trying to steal something. But this was no kid. And while he knew most of the local panhandlers, this guy didn’t resemble any of them.

“What are you doing in my house?” Alan barked. “You can’t just come in here and sneak up on me like that.”

The stranger’s mouth broadened into a wide smile. “Oh, I beg to differ. I can do exactly that. Actually, there is very little I cannot do.”

His accent was dripping with a British lilt. Maybe Australian. His clothes—neatly-pressed khakis, a pale blue button-down shirt, and brown calfskin loafers—were yuppie-casual yet tailored to precisely fit his six-foot frame. His grooming was impeccable, with neatly trimmed sandy-blonde hair, a clean shave, and movie star teeth. Alan estimated the man to be about thirty-five.

“You need to get out of here before I call the cops. You hear me?”

“Why certainly I hear you. Although it’s a wonder I can still hear anything with all that racket going on. I assumed I was being summoned to a situation of utmost urgency, so I came as quickly as the ether would allow.”

“The what?”

“The ether.”

Alan shrugged his shoulders, his rising irritation pushing him closer to picking up the phone and calling the sheriff.

“The ether seals,” the intruder said. “The inscribed stonework that allows my coming and going. The helix is always in motion, sometimes offering the risk and reward of opportunity, other times simply foretelling an unchangeable future.”

Alan knew that some of the “artistic” types occasionally wandered up from as far south as Key West, and a few of them could be eccentric as hell. He decided his best approach was to stay calm and try to get this guy out of his house before he could do any real damage.

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

“Oh, contraire,” the stranger answered. “I am from here . . . and there. In fact, I cannot think of a single place I haven’t been. Places on and off this little sphere on which you live.” He paused, his expression frozen in a flash of blank absence, as if in that fleeting instant he was somewhere else, distracted by another conversation. Then in a moment too short to measure, his attention returned, his features fully animated. “And I suppose you still call this part of your planet, oh, let me see, what was that word?” He pronounced it phonetically, in broken syllables. “Ah . . . mare . . . eee . . . ka.”

“America,” Alan repeated. “We say, America.”

“Yes, yes, that’s it!”

Alan nodded slightly in placation. “So what do you want?” It sounded demanding, and Alan immediately changed his tone, concerned the strange man might be harboring violent tendencies. “I mean, how can I help you?”

“I don’t think you can. That is, I’ve never received help from anyone before. Never needed it. I appreciate the offer. Certainly do. I’m going to take note of it. Make sure you get full credit during the . . . negotiations.”

Here’s a brief synopsis:

Alan loves the beach. More than a weekend respite, it is his home, his refuge, his sanctuary. And for most of the year, he strolls the sand in blissful solitude, letting nature—and no one else—touch him. But spring has given way to summer, and soon, the annual invasion of vacationers and tourists will subdivide the beach with blankets, umbrellas, and chairs, depriving Alan of his privacy and seclusion—the fundamental touchstones of his life.

Resigned to endure another seasonal onslaught of beach-goers, Alan believes there is nothing he can do but prepare for the worst.

But fate has other plans.

Delivered to him on the crest of a rogue wave, the strange object appears to have no purpose, no practical use—until Alan accidentally discovers what waits inside. Now he must attempt to unravel an ageless mystery, unaware that the final outcome will change his life, and the beach, forever.

In the companion novella Short Time, you’ll meet a respectable but bored middle-class executive, who exchanges his future for six months of excess and extravagance, only to find out the price he must pay for his hedonistic indulgence is beyond anything he could have imagined.

My Review

Alan loved the beach (his beach), but when summer came, the tourists came with it. He thought the beach belonged to him and hated having to share it.

As he walked, he turned to look back at his bungalow. He had worked hard to be able to buy this slice of Heaven. He preferred his own company and talked to the ocean as if it was a trusted friend.

He had reached the granite rock outcrop, which continually amazed him. He would walk the beach until he reached the rock, then look over his domain. A storm was approaching and he didn’t have time to make it back to the bungalow, so he hid behind his the rock, seeking protection from the wind.

When the water swirled around his feet, something bumped his leg. He held the object and asked the air around him, “How much longer is this going to last?”, and the storm abated. He thought nothing of it.

As he examined the object, he thought it was a prism, because of the beautiful lights reflecting from it. He couldn’t see how to open it, so he grabbed a hammer and nail and struck it. He was stunned with the result.

A man spoke from behind him. He dropped the “bottle” and turned.

Alan’s adventure began.

4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others

The moral of the story, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

I was first drawn to the book because of the gorgeous cover. I love the beach, sand and water, so I will stop and browse whenever I see a cover with them on it.

The writing makes this an easy read, with the story flowing smoothly as the plot unravels.

I felt for the guy, because I love the beach and hate sharing it too. But, who died and made him God?

The ending was so creepy, it sent chills running up and down my spine and the hairs on the back of my neck tingling, but I smiled too. lol When you read it, you will know, that in itself could be considered creepy.

Could you imagine wading on the oceans edge and looking down, only to see……………

There is a bonus novella at the end of the book. What price are you willing to pay, in exchange for having all your heart desires right now?

I received this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jaye Frances is the author of The Kure, a paranormal-occult romance novel, The Possibilities of Amy, a coming-of-age romance, The Cruise-All That Glitters, a humorous adult satire on romance about a bachelor taking his first cruise vacation, The Beach, a sci-fi fantasy about a man who is given the opportunity to receive his ultimate wish and lives to regret it, and Love Travels Forever, a collection of poignant short stories and essays. She is also a featured columnist for the NUSA SUN magazine. Born in the Midwest, Jaye readily admits that her life’s destination has been the result of an open mind and a curiosity about all things irreverent. When she’s not consumed by her writing, Jaye enjoys cooking, traveling to all places tropical and “beachy” and taking pictures—lots of pictures—many of which find their way to her website. Jaye lives on the central gulf coast of Florida, sharing her home with one husband, six computers, four cameras, and several hundred pairs of shoes. For more information, visit her website at http://www.jayefrances.com, Jaye’s Blog at http://blog.jayefrances.com and her fan page at http://www.facebook.com/jayefrancesau…

~~~~~~~~~~~.

GIVEAWAY

taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos

Jaye is offering 1 (one) ebook for the Giveaway. International. Easy entry as always. Just leave your email address and answer the question:

I love covers. Sometimes I’ll pick up the book just because of the cover. What do you think of the cover of The Beach?

Closed. Winner is Holly Letson. Congratulations Holly.

Giveaway will run from 1/10 – 1/24/2013.

To grab a copy of The Beach or any of Jaye Frances’ books, simply click on the cover

below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

Giveaway/Review of Faithful Shadow by Kevin J. Howard

Posted on January 9, 2013 by fundinmental

I absolutely adore monsters; whether it’s Jaws, Godzilla or the creature from underground in Yellowstone National Park.

Faithful Shadow

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Alex and Emily went to Yellowstone camping, even though there was a major fire going on. Little did they know, it would end so badly for them.

Since his son’s death, Joe was angry at the park and was nipping at the bottle to get through the day. He and Andy responded to a call about vandalism at the cabins at Old Faithful Inn. Blood filled the cabin, but the scene didn’t make any sense. They chalked it up to a bear attacking a bird. (Yeah, right) They left, but both of them were thinking of the missing hikers.

It was tradition for the Foster family to work at the park and Kelly was angry that the fire was happening while she was there. She was from Mobile, Alabama. A true Southern Belle, blonde-haired and blue-eyed with sparkling white teeth. A real Hottie.

A group of the young employees were going to the hot pots to party. They had some marijuana, booze and sleeping bags. Kelly had to stay behind. It was her night to close the ice cream shop.

When Richard came to meet her, she told him about being watched by someone. Of course, he went to check it out and was pulled into the woods. I sat here shouting, don’t go in the woods. It’s one of those things, you know he’s going to do it and the monster is going to get him. lol

But he was just pranking her, a practical joke.

In the morning, at the hot pots, Doug and Rowena were gone. Everyone knew they didn’t like each other and they sure wouldn’t go off together.

Dale was working on the fire at the west line, but he told A firefighter surveys the damage. Cameron they were to go to Old Faithful Inn. When he turned around to find out what was taking Cameron so long, he was just gone, vanished. The crew searched for more than an hour and found no clue.

Dale couldn’t just let it go, so he went back to see if he could find Cameron. He had fallen into a sinkhole. When Dale called to him, he responded. Bob went down to get him. As they pulled Cameron out, Bob looked around. He looked down and saw thousands and thousands of bones, human and animal, large and small. He practically crawled out of the hole on his own. Bob had never been so terrified in his life, wondering what was down there with him. What created all those bones?

Dale watched Bob and Cameron walk away. There was something really odd about Cameron. His coat looked funny, like it wasn’t fitting properly. He had slapped at himself and yelled about the dark. Bob thought Cameron felt very heavy and he had a rotting stench radiating from him. The smell was so rank, he thought he would vomit.

Natasha was cleaning rooms, most of them were empty because of the fire. She came to Cameron’s room. He didn’t look right and when she looked closer, she knew why. She could feel something watching her, but it couldn’t be Cameron. As she looked around, she saw two green eyes peering at her from the closet.

More people are missing. Joe is forced to deal with it. Will his drinking be the death of him and by failing to do his job, others? He knew, whatever it was, wasn’t human. It was all connected. It rode up from the hole – piggybacked on Cameron. Joe is given a purpose. It is his job to protect everyone in the park. He is determined to do it. It is his park and he will deal with the creature. Stew, Richard, Kelly and Sonia were just as determined to help.

How do you kill a shadow? How many would be left standing?

4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others

An awesome cover. I love the colors and the flames, with the eeriness of the water and the mountains in the background. Get a shiver just looking at it, wondering what is to come.

I love that it started being creepy from the get-go. Kept my undivided attention throughout the book. The plot and writing were very entertaining and engrossing. A debut novel that will leave you wanting more.

The characters were well-developed and their personalities made you either like them or not. I felt sorry for Joe and really hoped he would turn himself around and be the hero. Of course, you will have to read it for yourself to find out. lol

Remember the fears of childhood? I remember the monster under my bed. I couldn’t let anything hang over the edge of the bed, because it might get me. I had to stay completely covered. I just knew it was under there, waiting for me to put my feet down.

Amazing how the monster comes back, when you are sitting in the dark, getting creeped out by the critters running rampant in the book you’re reading. Every creak and noise of the house has you looking over your shoulder, wondering…………

I received this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kevin J. Howard was born in Mission Viejo, California, moved to Seattle at the age of twenty-one, and now lives in Puyallup. He hand wrote his first novel in the fifth grade and has been writing ever since. His first published novel, Faithful Shadow, is a return to the classic horror novel. Since writing Faithful Shadow he has completed four additional horror novels that will soon be published. In 2012, he won an award in the Las Vegas International Film Festival for his screenplay, Identical Opposites. Kevin looks to release his next horror novel in December of 2012.

Recent Honors:

I was just awarded the title of Scariest Author for 2012 after a month long round of voting via the Outskirts Press Face Book page. I would like to thank everyone that voted for such a warm response.

http://selfpublishingnews.com/2012/11/07/the-2012-outskirts-press-scariest-author-has-been-chosen/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook

To stalk Kevin, follow the links below:

Website

Goodreads

Amazon

GIVEAWAY

taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos Kevin is offering 3 ebooks for the Giveaway. International. Easy entry as always, just leave your email address and answer the question:

What is your favorite monster?

Closed. Winners are Pragya – Melanie – Lacey. All winners have been notified.

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, click HERE.

Please tweet it out and share it with your friends, family and followers, not required.

It is always appreciated if you follow me by email, but not required.

To order the books, simply click on the cover below

That’s Not My Shadow (fuonlyknew.wordpress.com)
Release Day – Precipice: The Beginning (fuonlyknew.wordpress.com)
Biodiversity: Yellowstone bison get more room to roam (summitcountyvoice.com)
Park Service recommends removal of female bison from northern Yellowstone herd (missoulian.com)
Park Service wants female bison removed from northern Yellowstone herd (billingsgazette.com)

FANGED MANIA # 8 – Review of The Rise: The Alexa Montgomery Saga, Book III by H. D. Gordon

Posted on January 4, 2013 by fundinmental

Oh, and the contest is international. And the more Fanged Mania posts you have, the more entries you get! So what are you waiting for? Hop on the bandwagon!

My Review of The Rise by H. D. Gordon

Her writing is so damn good, I don’t know if I’ll survive it.

. The Rise (The Alexa Montgomery Saga, #3)

Add to Goodreads

The Prophecy says one will come along who will raise an army and free the enslaved. Alexa Montgomery was to be the one.

Spoiler Alert: The Rise: The Alexa Montgomery Saga, Book III

Alexa’s mother admonished her for leaving Nelly behind when she came to rescue her from prison. It was Nelly they were really after and I had left her alone at Two Rivers.

The only purpose I had in life was to protect her. I am a Sun Warrior, one of a kind. My monster within loves to kill – actually revels in it and I would do whatever it takes to keep Nelly safe.

Nelly is one of a kind too, a vampire and a searcher She is able to search others thoughts. But the real reason they would kill her, she is half Lamia. She is considered a danger to everyone.

The King was responsible for the fate of the villagers in Two Rivers. He kept them drugged and ignorant of the fate awaiting them. He was using them as a blood factory. The depth of the King’s evil was black and ugly. The King had arranged for my mother to be imprisoned and I wanted him dead.

Everyone thought the Prophecy meant me, but I knew it meant Nelly. The Prophecy said Nelly would save the King’s captives, but die in the process.

Nelly was called in to see the King. She knew she was in trouble. He is a highly skilled searcher. She is barely able to control herself. She couldn’t give away she was as powerful a searcher as he was. That would mean her death.

Nelly was surprised when he asked about Alexa. Was this about her? He told her Alexa’s crimes were treason and murder. Before Nelly could stop herself, she spit on his shoes. She felt such a red-hot anger, she lost all control. Alexa was not a traitor.

As the King grabbed Nelly’s hand to search her, she turned her powers loose. The King was thrown from her. As she searched him she saw a vision. She saw him dead. Alexa’s sword had slain him and Alexa lay dead beside him.

She screamed and her power threw everyone against the walls.

The Queen finally got her attention and said to put the King asleep, like the others, or they wouldn’t be able to escape.

Alexa and Kayden were racing to get back to Nelly. They had to stop for gas and when they got out to pump it, Kayden pulled something from his pocket and told Alexa Happy Birthday. It was the most beautiful ring Alexa had ever seen.

” “I – I belong to you.” Alexa said to him, her beautiful lion. Even her monster was quiet.”

Nelly gathered, with her mind, the few she could take, as they made their escape. When the Lamia attacked and killed Daniel, she lost all control. Her rage could not be held back. It flowed out to the Lamia, killing them all and she absorbed their energy.

The van for their escape was near, but Nelly directed them away from it. Even though it was night, she saw the sun and went towards it. Something was calling to her, but she didn’t know what.

“Stop” Alexa yelled at Kayden, but she didn’t know why.

She was being drawn to Nelly. They had a bond that demanded they find each other.

When she saw them standing in the road, she realized Tommy was holding Nelly. Alexa knew what she needed, so she proceeded to cut her arm and offered it to the unconscious Nelly. With no warning Nelly attacked her.

Alexa didn’t think things could get any worse. But she was so very wrong.

5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

H. D. Gordon is creating new covers as I write this review. I already liked them, now I think they are even more amazing, bringing together the entire series.

I raced through the pages, beginning to end. Alexa’s story kept getting better and better. I was waiting, holding my breath, for what would happen next.

It was a punch to the gut when Nelly killed and fled. Not sweet Nelly. I thought she was going to be the heroine.

Alexa had been pushed to her limits. She was distraught. She would do whatever it took to save Nelly but she was paralyzed by her loss. Her love was selfless.

Amazing descriptions of the supernatural characters and their environment. I love this series so much, I cannot find the words to describe how I feel as I read along.

I raced through the last pages, not realizing I was coming to the end. What’s going to happen. No, it can’t be. WTF.

I sat there with my mouth hanging open, thinking, now what. My heart fell. Then, I thought, okay. There’s one more book and I have to go get it. NOW!!!

I received this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

To see my Review of Blood Warrior, go HERE.

To see my Review of Half Black Soul, go HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

H. D. Gordon is the author of The Alexa Montgomery Saga. Blood Warrior, the first book of the Alexa series was her debut novel and has held a spot in the top 100 fantasy bestsellers for over a month. Half Black Soul is the second book in this series and H. D. plans to complete Alexa’s tales by the end of 2012. In June of 2012, Joe, a fantasy novel about a young clairvoyant, was released as well. H. D. is a lifelong reader and writer, a true lover of words. When she is not reading or writing she is raising her two daughters, playing a little guitar, and spending time with her family. She is twenty-three years old and lives in the northeastern United States.

To follow H. D. Gordon, use the links below:

Blog

Author Facebook Page

Twitter

Goodreads Author Page

H.D.Gordon Facebook page

Webpage

Goodreads Fan Club

To buy any of her books, simply click on the cover.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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WINNER!!! of the Stitch Giveaway

Posted on January 3, 2013 by fundinmental

My favorite time of any giveaway is announcing the winners. So without further ado, the winner of the Stitch by Samantha Durante Giveaway is:

Kari

Thanks to all of you for the wonderful comments. I hope you will continue to follow fundinmental.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

To see my Review, go HERE.

WINNERS!!! of the Natalie’s Revenge Giveaway (fundinmental.wordpress.com)
WINNERS!!! of the taylor dean Giveaway. (fundinmental.wordpress.com)
WINNERS!!!!! of The Steel Deal Giveaway (fundinmental.wordpress.com)
Winners!!!!! (fundinmental.wordpress.com)
WINNERS!!!! of Shadow of the Oak by Eric Kent Edstrom (fundinmental.wordpress.com)
WINNERS!!! of Cupid’s Christmas (fundinmental.wordpress.com)
Giveaway/Review of Stitch (Trilogy, #1) by Samantha Durante (fundinmental.wordpress.com)

WINNERS!!! of the Natalie’s Revenge Giveaway

Posted on December 28, 2012 by fundinmental

My favorite time of any giveaway is announcing the winners. So without further ado, the winners of the Natalie’s Revenge by Susan Fleet Giveaway are:

Laura Thomas

Emily Guido

Thanks to all of you for the wonderful comments. I hope you will continue to follow fundinmental.

To see my Review, go HERE.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look below or on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

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Fanged Mania #7 – Review of the middle aisle by taylor dean

Posted on December 28, 2012 by fundinmental

Oh, and the contest is international. And the more Fanged Mania posts you have, the more entries you get! So what are you waiting for? Hop on the bandwagon!

Review of the middle aisle by taylor dean

“Riveting conclusion” is so appropriate. I know sometimes the second book can be a letdown, but this knocked my socks off. I was racing through the pages, unable to put it down. Incredibly written. Psychologically and emotionally draining.

. The Middle Aisle (Lancaster House)

Zoe had moved into the Victorian House determined to renovate it and sell it. What she found instead, was a love so strong, that even the supernatural barriers in front of her and Andre could not keep her from his arms.

Spoiler Alert: This is the conclusion of the lancaster house series.

To see the Review for lancaster house, Book I, go HERE.

Dr. Channing woke Zoe with a full tray of breakfast. Since being pregnant, she ate more than ever. She hated being bedridden, but loved her little package.

She admitted to Dr. Channing that Andre had been a figment of her imagination.

Dr. Channing wanted her to tell her story from the time she had escaped from the hospital. She told the doctor that she knew Andre would be waiting for her. She told him, that as she raced toward the closed front door of the house, it opened by itself. She jumped into Andre’s arms and poof – she vanished into thin air.

The house had been rented, while Zoe spent six months in Serenity Hills Psychiatric Hospital. The renters corroborated her story.

As Andre held her, they watched Dr. Channing walk through the house. Andre swore he would never leave her again. When the Dr. left, he wished them happiness. Why would he do that, if he believed Andre wasn’t real?

As they kissed, Zoe tried to crawl inside Andre’s skin. There was still a barrier between them. She desperately wanted to be one with him.

Dr. Channing asked the neighbors if he could put up a camera, aimed at Zoe’s house. He wanted to prove to Zoe there was no Andre. He felt she was playing him. And what about Dr. Channing? Wasn’t something wrong with him? Was he overly obsessed with Zoe?

Andre said he wanted to take her down the middle aisle – get married. He was changing because of her love, his curse was lifting. Zoe was so in love with Andre, she didn’t want to live without him. Was he really turning human? Would they be able to connect and lift the barrier between them?

Does she really believe the baby is Andre’s?

5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

Was he a ghost? A vampire? Was he even real? The story will have you so engrossed, that it won’t matter what Andre really is. He will win you over.

I felt it was such a tragic love story, that I wanted to cry with Zoe, as she strived to create a real life with Andre. Their love was so great, I could only hope that it would break all the barriers that the supernatural had imposed on them. I loved the characters, and even Dr. Channing won me over in the end.

The psychological thrill ride had me questioning everything. The plot was so unique and unforeseen, that I was constantly surprised.

The ending left me stunned, I smiled as the tears ran down my face. It was one of the best endings of any book I have read and left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling that lingered long after I had finished the book.

I received this book in return for an unbiased and honest review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Taylor Dean

Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding that she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it’s paranormal, contemporary, or suspense-you’ll find all sub-genres of romance in her line-up.

To find out what Taylor Dean is up to, follow the links below:

Website

Goodreads

To order any of the books below, simply click on the cover.

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

To keep updated on the latest happenings here on fundinmental, follow by email.

Holiday Greetings From Eric Kent Edstrom

Posted on December 23, 2012 by fundinmental

Happy holidays everyone!

Puppy picks up kitten in stocking to say - Merry Xmas - animated Pictures, Images and Photos

I’m currently visiting my parents in the frigid, Wisconsin Northwoods. Fortunately, as I write this I’m ensconced in a cushy sofa, and the heat in the cabin is cranked.

I’m so excited to announce that Starkiller, the third and final book in The Undermountain Saga is available as an ebook from Amazon, Smashwords and Kobo. Still waiting for Barnes and Noble and Apple to get their acts together. The paperback version will be available soon.

Please consider picking up a copy, and if the spirit moves, you tell someone you know about how great the series is!!!

I’m also thrilled to announce that The Undermountain Omnibus is available too. Currently it’s only at Amazon. It’s a bargain bundle that includes all three ebooks in one volume. Did you know you can give Kindle books as gifts?

Now it’s time for me to get back to writing. I have some cool projects in the works for next year.

Happy holidays and have a great 2013!

Eric

This is such an amazing series, I cannot say enough about it. I just received Starkiller and can hardly wait to start it. The covers are so beautiful and this collection would be a wonderful addition to anyone’s book collection.

Happy Holidays,

Sherry