Myths and Magic: An Epic Fantasy and Speculative Fiction Boxed Set @_TerriBruce

Posted on January 12, 2018 by fundinmental

Myths and Magic has16 Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels by 16 New York Times, USA Today, and Award-winning and Break Out Authors!

With there being 16 stories by 16 authors, it will take me some time to work my way through them all, so I wanted to give you a taste of what is in store for you.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW FOR IRENE BY TERRI BRUCE

Irene and the Witch – Afterlife Book 3.5

Irene is dead, stuck in Purgatory, trying to return to Earth as a guardian angel.

Her traveling companion, Andras, is a 12th century Spanish knight, dead since 1911. Most of the time he is invisible. It takes tremendous effort for him to appear in ghostly form. Makes me think of when Bobby was a ghost in the Supernatural TV show.

They have a psychic link.

Are there things worse than death? You betcha.

Ya want to know what it’s like being in a crystal ball? Ask Irene. Even dead, her impatient recklessness has her in trouble.

Can a ghost burn, feel pain, be tortured, die again?

Irene worked through her fear, knowing they would all die if she didn’t persevere, push through, overcome.

I have been loving this series ever since I read Hereafter. I knew it would be a different kind of ghost story and Terri Bruce’s imagination and creativity have taken me into a world both wondrous and frightening, and I am so happy I am only here as a visitor.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Irene, which is included in the Myths and Magic: An Epic Fantasy and Speculative Fiction Boxed Set. I will be reviewing more of the books, so keep in touch and we’ll talk more.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

16 Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels by 16 New York Times, USA Today, and Award-winning and Break Out Authors!

There is adventure out there … if you’re brave enough to risk it.

Explore worlds of darkness, danger, and magic in sixteen exclusive fantasy and science fiction novels, available for a limited time. There are tough choices to be made and dastardly villains to outwit in this breath-taking collection that will have you at the edge of your seat.

Plucky heroes and devastating anti-heroes face off against demons, spirits, shifters, witches, and more in this limited-edition arrangement that features a satisfying combination of epic fantasy, science fiction, romance, urban fantasy, sword and sorcery, and more!

This killer deal won’t last forever, so grab your copy today!

ABOUT TERRI BRUCE

Terri Bruce has been making up adventure stories for as long as she can remember and won her first writing award when she was twelve. Like Anne Shirley, she prefers to make people cry rather than laugh, but is happy if she can do either. She produces fantasy and adventure stories from a haunted house in New England where she lives with her husband and three cats. Her second novel, Thereafter (Afterlife #2), will be released May 1, 2014.

Website/Blog / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

MY REVIEWS FOR TERRI BRUCE

Hereafter

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Magical Realism – Blood and Ashes by Marilyn Peake @marilynpeake

Posted on January 9, 2018 by fundinmental

Marilyn Peake’s latest release, Blood and Ashes, is a fabulous paranormal/supernatural, fantasy novel with a touch of realism, except for the magical part…

I love the colorful color and the red makes it pop off the pages. Very pretty and spills some of the secrets inside.

Cover by Phatpuppy.com

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

Miracles and magic are happening from the opening pages, and Kaelin’s acting like it’s an every day occurrence in these desperate times.

The financial situation the characters find themselves in, makes me think of current events, with businesses closing, people being deported, people losing everything, and those with hope struggling to survive.

When Kaelin found the baby, I really woke up, became hooked and knew I would have trouble putting the book down, even long enough for a bathroom break.

Her mother has a heart so big, so open and giving, I wish more for her. No one deserves a break more than she does. Some characters…and people…amaze me with their ability to give, and the depths of love that is freely given.

First an abandoned baby, then a kitty with itty bitty legs, Kaelin takes them home and makes them her own.

And Devin, the new guy across the hall. What’s up with him? Why doesn’t she question his sudden appearances? Almost as if he knows something. I know he’s going to be special.

Kaelin has friends, people looking out for her and her family, like Mrs Santiago, who owns the grocery store and Gwendolyn Griffin, a healer who offers to work with her to develop her healing abilities. If you ever want candy, be sure and visit Mrs Santiago’s store.

Kaelin is very resourceful, and even though she dumpster dives for additional food for the family, you would never know it by her attitude. She knows where to find apples and blueberries, ripe for the picking. She has a green thumb, and her touch can be like Miracle Gro.

She does everything she can to make it to college, wanting a better life for them all. But, even though she is accepted, due to cutbacks of the governmental kind, there is no money available to help her. She chooses an alternative, Gwendolyn Griffin’s traditional healing of the witchy kind.

I can see the kids with bags of Halloween costumes, as they are tossed willy nilly, while they each choose the perfect costume. Kaelin goes to the thrift store and creates a mish mash costume that makes her beauty bloom.

The book is divided into three parts.

Part I is Kaelin’s story that takes place in the human world.

Part II is Liliana’s Story that takes place in the fairie world. Liliana is a fairy that crosses into the human world. A romance goes wrong. But the world is not what it appears to be.

Part III brings them all together, exposing secrets and Kaelin’s true calling.

Human, Seelie, Unseelie, good fairies, bad fairies…Magic, danger, romance, love and loss.

Blood and Ashes is written for the young at heart, with easy reading and a quick pace. I love the imaginative world and characters Marilyn Peake has created. Such a great story. I found myself smiling at the simplest things. Her ability to spin a tale keeps her high on my reading list…no matter what genre she writes in.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

With blood and magic, civilization rises from the ash.

Worlds are falling apart in two realms: human and faerie. After the factories close and her father dies of alcoholism, Kaelin helps her family survive by foraging for food. Her world is thrown into chaos as she comes to realize she has incredible power as both blood and hedge witch. When a handsome stranger enters her life, it’s clear that he’s not from her neck of the woods. Although he and his family appear perfect in so many ways, they desperately need her help.

Blood and Ashes is a Paranormal Romance novel with some adult content.

ABOUT MARILYN PEAKE

From Goodreads:

Marilyn Peake is the author of both novels and short stories. Her publications have received excellent reviews. Marilyn’s one of the contributing authors in BOOK: THE SEQUEL, published by The Perseus Books Group, with one of her entries included in serialization at THE DAILY BEAST. In addition, Marilyn has served as Editor of a number of anthologies. Her short stories have been published in seven anthologies and on the literary blog, GLASS CASES.

Awards: Silver Award, two Honorable Mentions and eight Finalist placements in the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards, two Winner and two Finalist placements in the EPPIE Awards, Winner of the Dream Realm Awards, and eight Top Ten Finisher Awards in the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll.

Stalk Marilyn Peake: Website / Twitter / Facebook

MY REVIEWS FOR MARILYN PEAKE

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The Undead Walk Among US in Cloak of Deceit by Gwen Mitchell @Gwen_Mitchell

Posted on January 4, 2018 by fundinmental

I received Cloak of Deceit from Gwen Mitchell some time ago and it got lost in the review pile. This year, I aim to catch up on every review owed, regardless of how long it has been.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

Alex Moore is a college senior and her whole life had been planned out. Until now.

Her boyfriend broke the rules of the vampire society when he created her and now she is not only a vampire, she is a psychic and has telekinetic powers. The voices inside her head are the hive, a group of psychics called Gregori. But she is more than that.

She is an impossibility. She is a Gregori, a sworn enemy of the Undead, even though she is one of the Undead also.

I went through the painful, horrifying transformation with her. I heard the voices calling. I ran with her, though it was only in our minds.

Whether she was a violation of the law or a walking bull’s eye, it didn’t matter. Either way she was in deep danger. They all want her dead.

There would be no escape. Without Julian, a Knight of the Cloak, a sexy Undead enforcer, she didn’t stand a chance. Would he stand beside her?

When she talked of drinking the blood and the thickness coating her throat, it almost made me gag.

Tomato juice + cow’s blood = newbie cocktail

I enjoyed this vampire romance novel. Gwen Mitchell did an excellent job with descriptions and details of the fights and emotions of the characters. I loved and hated them and what more can I ask for.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Cloak of Deceit by Gwen Mitchell.

3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

When her latest bad-boy lover accidentally turns her into a vampire, college senior Alex Moore discovers her latent telekinetic ability. Psychic powers mark her as one of the Grigori, the sworn enemies of the Undead. No one has ever been both. Caught in the middle of a war she doesn’t understand, Alex’s only hope for survival is a Knight of the Cloak – a sexy Undead enforcer named Julian. But will he give up his rank and cast aside old loyalties to save her? Can she harness her psychic powers and her Undead instincts while being hunted by both sides? And given her track record, can Alex really trust any man she’s that attracted to?

New Adult Urban Fantasy Romance
Rated 17+ for language and sexual situations.

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Need a Laugh? Check out My Big Fat Demon Slayer Wedding by Angie Fox @AngieFoxauthor

Posted on December 30, 2017 by fundinmental

I was looking for something easy to read and all I had to do is sit back and enjoy. Well, My Big Fat Demon Slayer Wedding by Angie Fox was just the ticket.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW

Outrageously funny band of biker ~~bitches~~ witches help Lizzie battle the evil Earl and plan her wedding kept me laughing, because of its cast of quirky characters with magical spells that don’t always work the way they should and creatures that cover the supernatural world.

I picked this up on an Amazon free day and I’m glad it didn’t get buried in my Kindle.

3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Lizzie Brown is about to have the destination wedding of her dreams. But as this former preschool teacher knows, being a demon slayer makes everything more complicated. The vengeful Earl of Hell is still on her tail. And now it seems that one of the guests at the eccentric, seaside mansion is possessed and trying to kill her. Maybe she should just elope.

The groom, studly shape-shifting griffin Dimitri Kallinikos, vows to protect her at all costs. Yet even he is acting suspiciously. And minions of the devil are popping up everywhere. Now Lizzie must protect her socialite mother, her Greek in-laws and her grandmother’s gang of biker witches – all of whom are convinced they know what’s best for her, and her big day. As the wedding draws closer, Lizzie has to learn who is behind the attacks – and fast – or risk losing everyone she loves.

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Do You Believe – Karma by Donna Augustine @donnaugustine

Posted on December 27, 2017 by fundinmental

Just looking at the cover for Karma by Donna Augustine made me want it.

When I wrote the review, the book was free, but be sure and check for the “0”.

Also, the series is available in a boxset for $5.99.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

Just looking at the wickedly cool cover for Karma by Donna Augustine, I knew I wanted to read it. I was hooked from the very beginning.

She fights Fate tooth and nail. She is a transfer and a problem for him. I love her and her feisty attitude. I don’t blame her for being ticked off, being forced to do a job she didn’t sign up for.

“Don’t break her.” I laughed out loud when I read it.

The fabulous, quirky characters have supernatural agendas, working to keep the world running in the natural order of things. So, come on in and meet, Karma, Lady Luck, Fate, Murphy’s Law, The Jinxes…

In this wildly funny story, the star is a feisty, hard headed girl who thinks she chooses her own path, but does she? Is our destiny already written or do we have free will?

I couldn’t put it down and read it start to finish in one sitting.

Oh no. There isn’t a cliffhanger, but there is no end. I hate that, but I loved the book.

I picked this up as an Amazon freebie.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

People say karma’s a…well, you know. Personally, I don’t think I’m that bad. It’s not like I wanted this job. I wasn’t even in my right mind when I accepted the position.

Now, I’m surrounded by crazy coworkers like Lady Luck, who’s a bit of a tramp, and Murphy’s Law, who’s a bumbling oaf. But the worst is Fate. He’s got a problem with transfers like myself, and I have to see him constantly. It’s unavoidable. We’re hunting the same man—my murderer.

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Friday 56 #149 – Yesterday’s Sun by Amanda Brooke @AmandaBrookeAB

Posted on December 22, 2017 by fundinmental

.
The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

~~~

Yesterday’s Sun by Amanda Brooke is a lovely paranormal/supernatural romance story that I gave a 4 star rating on Goodreads. Holly has a choice to make, herself or her child.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY 56

Libby started to wriggle in his arms so Tom pulled the half-finished bottle from her mouth. His face softened slightly as he looked at his daughter and he smiled at her before lifting her onto his shoulder and patting her back. The painted smile disappeared and a look of pain returned to his eyes. “I’m not ready for you to leave me, Hol. I’m not ready to accept that you’re never going to walk back into the room. All your things are exactly as you left them; everything is there, ready for you to come home. Come home, Holly, please just come home.”

(Pages 56 in paperback published in 2013)

GOODREADS BLURB

How could you ever choose between your own life and the life of your child?

Newly-weds Holly and Tom have just moved into an old manor house in the picturesque English countryside. When Holly discovers a moondial in the overgrown garden and its strange crystal mechanism, little does she suspect that it will change her life forever. For the moondial has a curse.

Each full moon, Holly can see into the future – a future which holds Tom cradling their baby daughter, Libby, and mourning Holly’s death in childbirth…

Holly realises the moondial is offering her a desperate choice: give Tom the baby he has always wanted and sacrifice her own life; or save herself and erase the life of the daughter she has fallen in love with.

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Giveaway – Piercing the Veil by Guy Riessen @GuyRiessen @SDSXXTours

Posted on December 16, 2017 by fundinmental

Piercing the Veil

by Guy Riessen

Genre: Horror, Supernatural Occult Thriller

What do flesh-eating cell phones, brain-enhancing tacos, and a real live
dead foot have in common?

They’re all tools in the destruction of our world, and a weapons-grade team
of heavily-armed Miskatonic University nerds may be humanity’s last hope.

Something is ripping holes in the Veil of energy that separates our world from
that of the ancient evils writhing just beyond what we think is
reality. Time is running out for Professors Derrick LeStrand, Howard
Strauss and their team of researchers as they race to hunt down a
mysterious Frenchman who wields Necromantic Death Magic unlike
anything they’ve seen before.

Tearing open psychological wounds from Derrick’s past, the cabalistic
sorcerer is gathering ancient icons of power to pierce the Veil and
bring down the only thing shielding mankind from the relentless
horrors beyond.

If they fail, the only questions that will remain are who will live in
servitude to the Great Old Ones and who will die…and who will
supply Derrick with tacos?

Set against the backdrop of a world where H.P. Lovecraft was not a
fiction writer, but a Sweep, a special operative trained to protect
the collective sanity of the human race with misinformative blends of
fact and fiction … where the Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual is
little more than a slightly skewed Audubon Field Guide, and the
monster movies you grew up with are more documentary than not.

It’s Nerdthulhu Lethal Weapon cranked to eleven.

**Release sale- only .99 cents!!**

Goodreads * Amazon

Guy Riessen is an American author of contemporary dark fiction spanning
the science fiction, horror, fantasy and crime genres. Born in South
Dakota, he grew up in the Southern California beach town of
Huntington Beach. He moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, graduated
with a degree in English from UC Berkeley, and has been living in the
wild lands north of San Francisco ever since. After nearly two
decades of creating artwork in the visual effects industry for
feature films, he returned to his first passion: writing speculative fiction.

He’s been published on Under the Bed, Near to the Knuckle and Shotgun
Honey, and in the anthologies Urban Temples of Cthulhu, Dreams of the
Miskatonic and It’s All Trumped Up.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Giveaway & Review – Mermaid Fins, Winds & Rolling Pins by Erin Johnson @EJohnsonWrites @dollycas

Posted on December 15, 2017 by fundinmental

I am so excited to be a part of the wonderful tour for Mermaid Fins, Winds & Rolling Pins, A Cozy Witch Mystery, by Erin Johnson. This is a bit different from my usual cozy reading and I loved every minute of it.

Mermaid Fins, Winds & Rolling Pins: A Cozy Witch Mystery
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Self Published (November 21, 2017)
Paperback: 286 pages
Paperback: 286 pages
Kindle ASIN: B077CHVX8N
MY REVIEW

I love mermaids and cozy mysteries, so to get my hands on Mermaid Fins, Winds & Rolling Pins by Erin Johnson was quite the treat.

Imogene is a Swallow. No, it is not an erotic thing, but a magical power and hunky Hank, the Prince is teaching her how to use it.

A trip to the Mermaid Kingdom and a murder will have Imogene, Hank and her band of merry bakers working the investigation.

I love all the magical creatures, some new to me, and we even have some rambunctious pirates. I love Iggy, but ya gotta be careful because ya might get burned.

How would you like to be able to swallow a sea bubble, grow fins and gills, changing into a mermaid and swimming the ocean blue? Oh man, I sure would.

The fabulous world building leads to an adventure I am so glad I didn’t miss. This light, humorous mystery is full of characters to laugh with, love with, and fear for. Even in this world of beauty, someone must die to create an undersea mystery of a fresh kind.

This is Book III, but I had no trouble following the mystery, and even though not all questions will be answered, this particular mystery is solved and it left me wanting to read more. I call that…a job well done.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Mermaid Fins, Winds & Rolling Pins by Erin Johnson.

4 Stars

BLURB

Murder at a Mermaid Nightclub

The enchanted village of Bijou Mer’s on high alert, with the villainous Horace on the loose. Imogen’s excited to escape the tension with a trip to the underwater Mermaid Kingdom to bake for the young mermaid queen’s engagement to the pirate king.

But when the mermaids turn out to be less French Riviera and more Jersey shore, the bakers are wrapped up in their world of clubbing in sea caves and fighting off seals for the best tanning spots, and are embroiled in a pirate smuggling scandal. It gets worse when a member of the mermaid court is found dead in a fishing net, and one of Imogen and Maple’s baked goods seems to be the murder weapon.

Imogen tries to fish out the real murderer to clear their names, while struggling with her romantic feelings for Hank. At the same time, she’s working with him to learn to control her magic and investigate Horace’s riddle and her own mysterious past.

As the mermaid court’s freewheeling lifestyle rubs off on the bakers, the gang lets loose and passions rise to the surface. But with a giant octopus crawling the ocean floor, the mermaid court filled with simmering secrets and scandals, and the ever present threat of the Badlands Army, Imogen must solve the murder before she ends up fish food herself.

About the Author

A native of Tempe, Arizona, Erin spends her time crafting mysterious, magical, romance-filled stories that’ll hopefully make you laugh. In between, she’s traveling, napping with her dogs, eating with her friends and family, and teaching Pilates (to allow her to eat more).

Website: www.erinjohnsonwrites.com.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/EJohnsonWrites. Twitter: @EJohnsonWrites

Purchase Link – Amazon Kindle Amazon Paperback

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Tour Participants

December 6 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY

December 7 – Deal Sharing Aunt – REVIEW*

December 8 – Readeropolis – INTERVIEW, GIVEAWAY

December 9 – Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY

December 10 – Sapphyria’s Books – REVIEW

December 11 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW*, GIVEAWAY

December 12 – Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY

December 13 – Valerie’s Musings – REVIEW, INTERVIEW

December 14 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

December 15 – fundinmental – REVIEW*

December 16 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

December 17 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – REVIEW*, GIVEAWAY

December 18 – Bookworm Cafe – REVIEW*

December 19 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY

December 20 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW*

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Friday 56 #148 – One Bite With a Stranger by Christine Warren @ChrstineWarren

Posted on December 15, 2017 by fundinmental

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

~~~

I enjoyed One Bit With A Stranger by Christine Warren and gave it a 3 star rating on Goodreads. This is the first book in The Others series and I enjoyed it so much, I also read Big Bad Wolf, the second book in the series, and Wolf at the Door. I won these books from Laura at fuonlyknew and boy oh boy are they ever sizzling…

Amazon / Goodreads

MY 56

He stared into her eyes, his thumb smoothing the skin of her vulnerable throat while his other hand began to rub the furrow between her thighs with firm, steady pressure. She felt like a toy, positioned for his pleasure, dominated and controlled beneath his hands and his eyes and his breathtaking presence.

(Pages 56 in paperback published in 2008)

GOODREADS BLURB

When Regina’s friends insist on setting her up a “Fantasy Fix” to help her get over her cheating ex, she dreams up some kinky out-of-this-world encounters that they could never possibly bring to life. But the next thing Regina knows, her friends have got her laced into a shiny black corset, tight leather pants, and a sexy pair of stilettos. It’s time for some downtown vampire-fantasy fun. . . .

The Vampire Ball in Manhattan’s East Village isn’t really Dmitri Vidâme’s idea of a good time, but as a member of the Council that governs the Others, he has to keep an eye on all the young vamps who prey on the pretenders. After he feasts his dark eyes on fiery Regina at the bar, he knows that he must have her. But for the first time Dmitri meets a woman who is more than a match for his indomitable will. And he may be the fantasy Regina hoped for… until she—and her feisty friends—discover her sexy new lover’s bloodsucking secret…