I have seen Tegon Maus’ books around and heard such good things that I had to find out for myself. I was not disappointed.
The story is about Enon, a Jonda and mind reader, and Elisabeth, kidnapped royalty.
Enon would either be a hero or a dead man. The fighting is fierce, but he makes a good showing, even managing to hook up with a woman who has his number. Their verbal banter is more often funny than hurtful.
Would betrayal take the king’s life? Isn’t there always someone hiding in the shadows wanting the kingdom?
The world created is fraught with danger and enemies at every turn. Will the frightened little man become an unwilling hero? Well, all I can say is the journey is long and arduous, and not all will return.
Tegon Maus can sure spin a tale, drawing me in, making me crave more.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Gift by Tegon Maus.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Transformed by a primitive magic beyond a civilized man’s understanding, I was given a horrible gift that no man should possess… It held me, twisted me, turning me at its bidding. I was enslaved by its power, compelled to devour the souls of the dead until I became the monster of my fears. I have seen things I wish never to see again. I have done things of which I wish never to speak. Yet I must if I am to find the answers to fulfill my hope. I have walked upon blue ribbons of molten stone to peer into the depth of a man’s soul. I watched as a promise made at birth brought my friend Enon to sacrifice everything to become whole again – all in an effort to save the life of his child. I have cried without shame for the loss of all I hold dear and for fear that the future will hold more than I can bear. I am Tucker Littlefield. Know all that I say now is true-spoken.
I won a copy of The Devil’s Daughter by Jill Cooper and I am so glad I did, because I would have missed this fabulous story filled with characters to die for, romance, demon, angels, and the great battle that was waged to save her soul and give her the freedom from Lucifer that she so desired.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
The beauty of an Angel. The Heart of the Devil. A war is about to be waged for her soul. Can love prove to be the one saving grace that Lucifer cannot master?
Reckless. Impetuous and arrogant. Amara is Lucifer’s daughter in every way. In the high court of hell, no one has captured more angels than she has. But she has never felt anything for them. Not until him.
The high counsel of Heaven sent their mightiest warrior, Cathal, to kill Amara and snuff out the danger she presents. But her beauty causes him pause. He senses the tremble. A flicker of goodness buried deep inside of her.
If Cathal can kindle the spark and allow that goodness to grow, he can save her from herself and from inheriting the flame of hell.
As the gladiator games for her hand in marriage heat up, can Amara find the strength to come out of the dark and stand in the light?
Since her father died, Kate Sweeting’s home life has been in the pits,
her well-being on life support. Her future looks desolate until she
and her mother, Cara, make another plan: abandon their shriveled
existence for more promising prospects on the coast, where Cara can
play small-town librarian-bachelorette and Kate can figure out what’s
up with that secretive Blake family from the beach.
Everyone is eerily captivated with Kate and her mother, and Cara is the first
to figure out why when the man of her dreams arrives all dripping and
devoted and closed-mouthed about what he intends. Kate is willing to
go along with their subterfuge for a while, but eventually makes a
charge for the water to learn what her mother is hiding. Gabe Blake
is there waiting for her…and so is someone considerably less
friendly. By the time Kate navigates her way home, everything will
have changed for her—what she feels, what she wants, and what
she’ll risk to be with the man she loves.
The sirens of Griffins Bay are in trouble, and the recent slew of royal
suicides looks to be the least of their worries.
For one, unless a blood relative of the queen shows up, no one’s around
to staff the monarchy. Well, except for a whack-job bureaucrat and he
seriously won’t do. Worse is the community unrest threatening siren
society, a problem caused by too many humans in the pool, which means
Simon and his off-limit girlfriend will have to run and hide if they
want to make more of their flirtation…
The solution doesn’t inspire confidence at first, but the Blakes have
everything at hand to set their world to rights – namely, a hidden
queen, a dead prince, and a facility for human manipulation. Once
they find their sea legs, they’ll restore order, distribute smart
phones, and drive that conniving bureaucrat to a grisly, satisfying
end.
Errin Stevens writes paranormal fiction and reads practically everything
she can get her hands on. She’s currently working through the Time
100 with all her rabid reader buddies at Carpe Librum, and will think
about posting reviews if she can get to it… Her first novel,
Updrift, debuted Nov. 2015; and the sequel, Breakwater, released Nov.
2016.
I am happy to be back with Vicki and Dylan in another exciting and dangerous adventure. I look forward to playing with the fishes and dodging bullets.
Due to Laurel’s death, the house and fish business…and the cover up…have become Vicki’s responsibility, but first, she needs to get through the wake.
The fish business is her cover. She’s really a remote viewer working for the CIA. Her job in this adventure, locate Brenda Carnegie, who is involved in an oil scam and some members of Congress are too. As she runs, they chase.
My question right now…where is Dylan? He broke Vicki’s heart. Will he return? Oh, come on, we all know he’s on his way back right now. LOL I am not going to tell you why he is absent, you will need to read the story to find out for yourself.
Since he’s been gone, she has asked her boss and pseudo father, Sam, to help her locate her lost siblings. I can see this coming together and I foresee many issues that will have to be explained.
It does make me wonder if we have a rogue element in the CIA and if there is more danger than I initially thought. I feel the clock is ticking and Vicki isn’t the only one running out of time. And romance…it is hot and heavy, but I have a feeling there will be a bump in the road that might turn into a crater she will fall into.
The plot is becoming more and more complicated, the pace is picking up as my need to know how this will end reaches an almost frantic level, gotta know, reading faster and faster, and I do so want a happy ever after ending…but how can that happen?
Lies, betrayal, corruption and greed. Action ratcheting up to a nail biting level as they fight for their lives. And then…
Assignment over…On to the next one.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Secrets of a Dangerous Woman by P M Terrell.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Dylan Maguire is back in his first assignment with the CIA: to interrogate recently captured Brenda Carnegie. When she escapes again, it’s obvious she had help from within the CIA’s own ranks. With Vicki Boyd’s help, she’s back in his custody and now he’s on a mission to find out why some in the highest levels of government want her killed while others will risk everything to help her. And when he finds out her true identity, his mission has just become very personal.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 21 books in four genres: contemporary suspense, historical adventure/suspense, computer how-to and non-fiction.
Prior to writing full-time, she founded two computer companies in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. Among her clients were the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Secret Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department of Defense. Her specialties were in white collar computer crimes and computer intelligence, themes that have carried forward to her contemporary suspense.
She has been a full-time author since 2002. Vicki’s Key was a top five finalist in the 2012 International Book Awards and 2012 USA Book Awards nominee, and The Pendulum Files was a national finalist for the Best Cover of the Year in 2014. The Tempest Murders was one of four finalists in the 2013 International Book Awards, cross-genre category.
Her historical suspense, River Passage, was a 2010 Best Fiction and Drama Winner. It was determined to be so historically accurate that a copy of the book resides at the Nashville Government Metropolitan Archives in Nashville, Tennessee.
She is also the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation, an organization committed to raising public awareness of the correlation between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She is the organizer and chairperson of Book ‘Em North Carolina, an annual event held in Lumberton, North Carolina, to raise funds to increase literacy and reduce crime. For more information on this event and the literacy campaigns funded by it, visit www.bookemnc.org. She is also the founder of The Novel Business, mentoring authors in the business end and selling of books.
She sits on the board of the Friends of the Robeson County Public Library. She has also served on the boards of Robeson County Arts Council, Crime Stoppers and Crime Solvers and became the first female president of the Chesterfield County-Colonial Heights Crime Solvers in Virginia.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
. 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.
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.