Pages

April 23, 2016

Book Review : The Creepshow by Adria J. Cimino


Book: The CreepShow.
Genre:Women's Fiction
Date Published: April 11, 2016 
Copy : e-Book.

About The Book 

Wanda Julienne was the perfect employee. Until she had a baby. 
Wanda, a thirtysomething single mother, returns to her job at an international financial services firm after maternity leave and finds her world turned upside down. The colleague who filled in for her made disastrous errors that should have cost him his position. Instead, management pressures Wanda to repair the damage overnight and take on new assignments that are a sure recipe for failure. Add in a dose of sexual harassment and Wanda, who can’t afford to lose her job, feels trapped. 
Slowly, she discovers that other colleagues have experienced similar treatment, but no one wants to talk about it.
At home, the situation isn’t much brighter. Wanda struggles to balance her baby’s needs and her tough work schedule. Her best friend, Galina, and the ex-boyfriend Wanda never thought would return try their best to offer support, but the attention only suffocates her.   
Wanda turns her back and isolates herself, submerged in a downward spiral, until Galina suggests a way out—but the exit won’t be without drastic consequences.


Excerpt

Three days passed before Louis finally waved Wanda inside his office when she approached. Louis ran a hand through the dark hair that fell over his brow and looked up at Wanda through crystal blue eyes that had attitude. He was about Wanda’s age and moderately attractive, yet he saw himself as extremely attractive. That was written all over his face, especially when dealing with women. He had been transferred from New York to the Paris office more than a year ago. At first, Wanda had rolled her eyes at his comments, even laughing at his “I’ll fuck anyone to get ahead” manner, but after a while she simply avoided him. His behavior had always been borderline—although worse outside the office. But she didn’t want to think about that. 
She placed her fund reports on the desk, the data facing Louis.
“Thomas should be fired,” she said, voice low, confidence high. “This is outrageous. I gave him specific instructions, and he did the opposite.”
Louis smiled with what appeared to be feigned sheepishness and shrugged.
“Babe, when you’re gone for four months, you can’t expect everything to remain frozen. Things evolve.”
She flinched. Wanda always flinched when Louis called her “babe,” but considering the importance of this conversation, it seemed even more inappropriate than usual.
“In this case, they didn’t evolve in the right direction. And I was on maternity leave! I didn’t just pop off for a four-month vacation.”
Louis stood up and walked around the desk. She refused to step back even though this felt too close for comfort.
“Whatever the reason for the absence, sweetheart, it was an absence.”
“It was a normal absence.” Wanda’s voice trembled with anger. Control, control, this is all about control, she reminded herself.
“How about if we discuss this tonight, maybe over a drink?” His lips curved into a smile, and his eyes seemed to undress her. “It’s been too long.”
Wanda thought back to her only social experience with Louis, the memory she hadn’t wanted to stir up: a cocktail hour at a neighborhood bar when she and Max were dating. She’d run into Louis there, and Max had called to cancel after an emergency at the hospital. So they’d had a couple of drinks. But when Louis’ hand had ended up wandering up her skirt, her hand had ended up slapping him across the face. The next day at work, business had continued as usual, and Wanda convinced herself to forget about it. He had been drunk. And it had been the first and last such situation.
“Well, what do you say, babe?” he asked, running a finger down her cheek.
She remained frozen to the spot, shocked at his audacity, then took a hasty step back. She hated being on the defensive.
“This is a business matter, Louis, and should be dealt with here in the office,” she said, her eyes locking with his.
“I heard you weren’t seeing—what is it, Mark?—any more.”
“It’s Max, but that isn’t anyone’s business, Louis.”
“So you’re still saying no to me, sweetheart?” He wore the arrogant smile Wanda knew well.
“Would it make a difference if I said ‘yes’?”
“Perhaps. I have power with the powers that be.”
Wanda felt as if she’d been hit in the stomach. She wanted to lash out at him, to threaten him, to tell him he wouldn’t get away with using her fund performance as a sexual bargaining chip. Instead, she took a deep breath and ordered herself to remain calm, to show indifference.
“Let me say it again: This is a professional matter, and I plan on dealing with it professionally. In the office.”
“OK, I’m fine with that.”
But it was clear that nothing was fine at all. Wanda’s mind was racing. Had Louis set this up from the start, or was he simply taking advantage of an opportunity? In any case, she didn’t understand his loyalty to Thomas. He should be punished regardless of whether Wanda was able to salvage the funds.
“Why are you protecting Thomas?” she hissed. “He betrayed me, and he betrayed our clients.”
“You only think about business, don’t you?” He shook his head and returned to the other side of the desk, where he lounged back in his chair. “This isn’t about protecting anyone. It’s about being reasonable.” Wanda shivered at the chill in his voice, but she didn’t waver.
“Being reasonable is handling our clients’ money properly. And in this case, that did not happen.”
“Well, now that you’re back, Wanda, you’ll manage to get things in order.” All of a sudden, he was businesslike too. Would he have been if she had accepted his advances? Of course not. He’d practically said it himself. She narrowed her eyes and continued as if her boss’ outrageous behavior had never happened. She would put it behind her with the barroom memory. But she couldn’t put fund performance behind her.
“I can’t make any promises, Louis. Did you see these numbers? I know the markets, but I’m not a magician.”
“Well maybe you’d better brush up on your tricks.” He grinned, as if delighted to see her squirm.
“What do you mean?”


“Wanda, you’re experienced enough to be able to iron out this type of problem pretty quickly.”

Wanda didn’t like the forceful tone of his voice, the implication that she’d better find a solution or else. She especially didn’t like this attitude in light of the unpredictable nature of the markets. There weren’t guarantees, and Louis knew that as well as she did. So why did he seem adamant about holding her responsible for Thomas’ mistakes? Was it punishment for rejecting him?
“When do you expect the funds to return to positive?” she asked. She willed her voice to remain steady and her eyes to remain unafraid, and each obeyed.
“At the end of the quarter.”
Not showing an ounce of emotion, she nodded, gathered her papers and left.

Review

The book perfectly summarizes a life of a woman working in a corporate world, the situation that women face when they try to achieve their goal. The book perfectly describes the life of a ambitious women Wanda working in Whilt, a finance firm and her journey in the company where everyone wants their own good and to achieve it they can go to any extreme. Wanda who is the senior fund manager at Whilt, when returns to work after a maternity leave she’s taken aback when there is an investigation going around at Whilt as a co worker committed suicide. After a certain unfolding of events she discovers how ignorant she was before when she was a free bird and had no responsibility. Wanda is the women that we see every day or the women that you are. Her struggle for justice and to do what’s right is an inspiration to many of us, although just a fictional character she influences you to live your life the way you and it and without being judged by the gender , coz if you are willing to fly high in your career you don’t always have to be a man. She suppresses the people who try to take her down and helps herself through the struggles of her personal and professional life with the support of her friend Galina and Max, the love of her life.

The story is gripping as hell, it kept me hooked me hooked.  A must read for all the people who love Women Fiction. And yes there wouldn’t be many. I have never come across someone who loves women fiction but this book will surely make you want to read more of this genre.

Rating :3.5/5 *



About the Author:

Adria J. Cimino is the author of Amazon Best-Selling novel Paris, Rue des Martyrs and Close to Destiny, as well as The Creepshow and A Perfumer’s Secret (out in Spring 2016). She also co-founded boutique publishing house Velvet Morning Press. Prior to jumping into the publishing world full time, she spent more than a decade as a journalist at news organizations including The AP and Bloomberg News. Adria is a member of Tall Poppy Writers, which unites bright authors with smart readers. Adria writes about her real-life adventures at AdriaJCimino.com and on Twitter @Adria_in_Paris. She lives in Paris with her husband Didier and daughter Phèdre. When she isn’t writing, you can find Adria at her neighborhood café watching the world go by.
Contact the Author:


Buy The Book:


Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway



April 19, 2016

Book Blast- Gratitude Journals


Journals


Gratitude Journals by MK McClintock WHAT TALENTS HAVE YOU BEEN blessed with? What challenges have you faced and overcome? Who has impacted your life in a positive way, no matter how large or small the good deed? How did you feel when someone gave you a helping hand? When we focus on the positive things in our lives, we are replacing negative energy with positive affirmations. To put it simply, gratitude means being grateful for everything you have and are, every single day. This journal is a powerful instrument that provides a simple, yet effective foundation for your personal declarations of gratitude and thanksgiving. Discover your voice, your dreams, and the profound moments of your life with daily expressions of appreciation. 100% of all author royalties from the Africa Collection gratitude journals goes to the Africa Heartwood Project. Learn more about them at www.africaheartwoodproject.org.


  gratitude journals


  amazon

    MK Mcclintock

Author MK McClintock MK McClintock, an award-winning author and life-long seeker and adventurer, is inspired by the good works of mankind and believes that within every person is a better version of themselves waiting to be discovered. She lives a quiet life in the Rocky Mountains.


Blast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 5/2/16 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Blitz-When Lucifer Met Calamity




Contemporary Romance/Comedy
Date Published: April 18, 2016

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

Lucifer - At eighteen months out of law school, six months on the job, and four weeks before his BAR exam, Luce has arrived. He’d been playing by other people’s rules all his life and now, poised on the brink of success, he will not let anyone stand in his way…especially not the junior-partner jerk at the office giving him and his assistant a hard time. On his way to give the creep a piece of his mind, he bumps into the infamous ‘Calamity Jones’…

Calamity – is tired of enduring her boss’s unwanted sexual innuendos.  When his fingers start to roam, Calam decides she’s had enough. It’s time to fight fire with fire.  So she devises an ingenious, if risky plan, to get Perkins off her back, keep her Job, and strike a blow for his numerous other victims around the office…only, things don’t go exactly as planned.

All Hell Breaks ‘Luce’ – After finding the loopy ingénue jack-knifed atop the archival files, Lucifer knows something is up. Calamity knows the jig is up. So, she comes clean. Turns out, they both have the same problem…Perkins. But, sparks fly when they decide to team up to bring down the boss. The Hitch? He’s a straight arrow…She’s a loose cannon. Can they work together to achieve a common goal?  Or will they both lose in the end?



EXCERPT

Calam awoke with a headache and a confused void where her mind used to be.  Propping herself up on her elbows, she squinted in the morning light as she eyeballed her surroundings.  After a full minute and several pan-scans of the room Calam hunched her shoulders.  She had no clue where she was.  Geez, was it possible to be hung-over without actually getting drunk the night before?  The question was second only to her wild curiosity as to whose bed she occupied.  Good Lawd, had she been roofied or what?  A quick glance to her chest.  Nope.  She still had her clothes on…or someone’s clothes, anyway.  Something furry moved against her leg, and she jerked away and nearly screamed…until she heard an annoyed meow.  Sasha stretched in a deep yawn at the foot of the bed.

Sasha…Luce’s pervy pet.  Her mind cranked back up like a long-dead stalled car.  She was in Luce’s apartment, in his palatial king-sized bed, wearing his spice-scented t-shirt that dangled down around her knees when she eventually stumbled from the bed onto her feet.  Luce, ever the gentleman, slept on the convertible couch in the front room.  Had Calamity been in the exact same position but under different circumstances, she’d be ecstatic.  But, her impending arrest cast a wee pall over her euphoria.  Still, she preened with wicked satisfaction at having spent the night in his bedroom...Satan’s Lair, she dubbed, as an impish smile twitched at her lips.  Hmm, might as well have a quick lookie-loo…the chance may not arise again, she reasoned.

Luce’s private domain dripped with personality as compared to the more Spartan décor of the rest of his apartment.  Several framed family snapshots littered the nightstand along with a cordless telephone and touch sensitive lamp, which shockingly emitted a warm crimson glow when she brushed it with her fingertips.  Two impressionistic prints adorned the walls.  Each depicted vague anthropomorphic forms cavorting about against a pastel-blended background.  They reminded her of something naughty she once glimpsed when she’d accidentally flipped to the Spice Channel on her pay-per-view.

The corner off the edge of the bed housed a dark mahogany desk topped with a matching bookshelf that ran up the wall.  The books she discovered beneath one of the pillows and under the edge of the bed outed Luce as a late-night reader.  Hmm, The Count of Monte Cristo.  He likes the classics.  Her eyes bucked as she skimmed across Master: An Erotic Novel of the Count of Monte Cristo riding shotgun next to Dumas’ version.  Likewise, she spied Phantom of the Opera paired with its erotic twin.  Skimming further…Pride, Prejudice and Zombies?  The titles were endless.  Fascinated, she pulled Robin Hood: Unmasqued After Dark from the shelf and flipped through the pages.  Good night!  Is this what he reads?!  Classic literature corrupted as modern erotica and horror tales?  The thought curled her toes.  So, Lucifer wasn’t quite the choir boy he pretended.  There might be hope for them yet, she mused. 

         Shaking off her fantasies, Calamity put the book down and ran a hand through her hair and grimaced.  It had, of course, gone into kinky snarls during the night.  There wasn’t time for a wash and press even if she had a hot-comb or flat iron with her, which she didn’t.  She’d have to French braid it if she didn’t want to mirror Leo the Lion when she took her mug shot.  First things first, though.  She padded to the living room on bare feet to sneak a peek at the object of her affection.

         He lay atop the covers, one solid sinewy arm flung out over the empty side of the bed while the other was bent at the elbow and pillowed behind his head.  His torso was a study in Italian sculpture.  Smooth tawny-gold chest as broad as the Atlantic tapered downward into a rippling six-pack of muscles.  Her gaze wondered lower.  The suggestive spiral of coarse dark hairs disappeared beneath the drawstring pajama bottoms.  Oy!  Calam stepped closer so that she cast the sunlight from the window in a shadow over his face.  Lashes like paint-brush bristles fluttered open.  Curious inky slits regarded her…with groggy interest, she noted.

         “Yeah, I’m not a morning person either.”  She admitted.

         “Hmmm, come ‘ere.”

         Before she could respond, his hand shot out from behind his head and Calamity found herself sprawled torso to torso atop him, enveloped in a loose embrace.  She popped herself up on her elbows to spy two intense pools of ink impaling her…unable to resist, her gaze drifted downward to his mouth.

         “Did you sleep well?”  His voice reverberated deeper than his usual baritone.          

         Lusty thoughts a’jumble in her brain, Calamity could only nod.  Have mercy!  He might think her a presumptuous tart but at the moment, the sensual lure of his lips was too powerful to ignore.  Calam shimmed up to close the distance between them before she lost her nerve.  His bottomless-pit black orbs stalked her, seeming to guess her intent…but he made no move to help or to hinder.  So she brushed his mouth with a light, lingering kiss, giving him the choice to put an end to it if he wanted.

         A deep rumble in his chest vibrated through her, stoking the fires of her confidence.  She smiled against his mouth when she felt his lips part, inviting her in.  Encouraged, Calam deepened the kiss.  For the sake of balance, she flattened her palms on either side of his head.

         Meanwhile, Luce lost a hand in the kinky tufts of her hair.  The other roamed up and down her t-shirted back.  Heaven help him, but her small warm form felt sinful atop his body.  The knowledge that she wore his shirt, and judging by her simmering body heat, nothing underneath, intrigued him all the more.  The soft feminine feel of her ignited his lower regions and sent them into a slow burn.  He derived an almost perverse pleasure from letting her set the pace of their interlude.  That this woman, whom he out-weighed by at least a hundred pounds, could produce such a quicksilver reaction in him with a chaste little smooch amazed him, hooked him, cementing his fascination with her.

         She caught his lower lip between her teeth, teasing at first but then with purpose, she inched away…upward, pulling him along for the ride.  He knew what she wanted and complied, rising to follow her into a sitting position.  Her rear slid snugly into his lap.  Her bent knees rested on either side of his hips, while her hands crept around his neck.

         Unable to curb his appetite for her, Luce slid his hands down to her compact yet delectably curved bottom, tilting her closer, molding her against his body.  He wanted her to feel him…see her expression, gauge her reaction to the telltale––He felt her tense, and chuckled as she broke off their playful-turned-explosive kiss.  She squirmed against his blossoming ‘affection’.  Ah hell…he grimaced as a pleasurable pain ripped through him.

         “Shorty, uh...” He pulled back a ways.  Inky black eyes met her chocolate brown orbs… checking for approval or revulsion.  She broke off first.

         “I only meant to kiss you.”  She explained in a squeaky voice strangled with… embarrassment, he guessed.  “I’m…eh, sorry.”

         “Don’t be.  I’m not.”  Luce grinned despite himself.  Damn, did the woman know how adorable she was?  “Although, it’s probably better if you get up now.”

         “Oh!  Of course, my bad.”  She clumsily disentangled herself from him and got off the bed.  He watched her meander over to the kitchen, fidgety, with his t-shirt dangling teasingly off one shoulder.

         “I could fix us something to eat while you take a shower?  I mean, if you don’t mind my invading your kitchen.”

         Luce stood, heading toward the bedroom.  A cold shower, he thought.  “Yeah, sure, make yourself at home.”





About the Author


D. Alyce Domain. Is a long-time lover of creative fiction.  She learned to read with Dr. Seuss, grew up reading Sweet Valley High, James Howe, and Lois Duncan, and graduated to category romance with Harlequin and Silhouette in her teen years.  Ms. Domain started out writing fan-fiction after her favorite fictional characters met with death and cancellation on network television.  Inspired by the entertaining, multi-layered storylines created by so many female romance, young adult and television writers, she began to experiment with her own characters.  Coupled with her own unique brand of genre-bending romantic fiction, Ms. Domain was able to create a whole new world within the pages of her books.

Ms. Domain was born and raised in Houston, Texas, the youngest daughter of Charles and Eunice Domain.  She has one older sister.  She earned a BS in Biochemistry and a MS in Biomedical Sciences.  She worked in Patient-Based Biological Research before switching careers and opening her own fashion boutique, The Aesthetic Domain.  In addition to fashion apparel and accessories, she sells her own original jewelry creations and runs the Boutique & Blog website, which is based in Houston, Texas.  Ms. Domain also has avid interests in inspirational music, art/entertainment, and history.



Contact Links




Purchase Links

 photo readingaddictionbutton_zps58fd99d6.png

April 17, 2016

Book Review: THE LAST OF THE FIREDRAKES ( The Avalonia Chronicles)



Book : The last of the Firedrakes
Genre : Fantasy
ISBN : 1940014700
Pages: 410
Type : Review Copy.
Literary Awards: USA Best Book Award
Publisher: Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Summary
16-year-old Aurora Darlington is an orphan. Mistreated by her adopted family and bullied at school, she dreams of running away and being free. But when she is kidnapped and dragged through a portal into a magical world, suddenly her old life doesn’t seem so bad.
Avalonia is a dangerous land ruled by powerful mages and a cruel, selfish queen who will do anything to control all seven kingdoms—including killing anyone who stands in her way.
Thrust headlong into this new, magical world, Aurora’s arrival sets plans in motion that threaten to destroy all she holds dear.
With the help of a young fae, a magical pegasus, and a handsome mage, Aurora journeys across Avalonia to learn the truth about her past and unleash the power within herself. Kingdoms collide as a complicated web of political intrigue and ancient magic lead Aurora to unravel a shocking secret that will change her life forever.
 


Excerpt

For a second that felt like a lifetime, everything stopped; I felt like I was floating in nothingness. Then I blinked, and, when I finally opened my eyes and focused again through the tears, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
I found myself standing at the mouth of a small cave situated on a hill and overlooking a quiet, moonlit valley. On my left, a dark forest stretched out as far as the eye could see, treetops glistening silver in the light of the full moon. The hills around us undulated into wildflower-filled meadows that lay sleeping in the dewy night.
Far down in the valley, I could see a little village, its lights twinkling in the distance. To my right, a waterfall splashed playfully into a small river that ran down into a lake, next to which the little village was built. The moon here was fuller and larger than I had ever seen it, and the night sky was awash with a fantastic array of glittering stars.
Had I passed through the tapestry? Where was I?
I looked around, disbelief clouding my judgment. I was still trying to get my bearings after that strange moment when I had been inside the tapestry and nowhere at the same time. It gave me a funny feeling, as though I had been lifted out of my own consciousness and then put back into my body.
A warm breeze brushed past my face and played with my hair. Gonewere the cloudy grey mist and the cold, nipping wind of the English countryside. I drew in a sharp breath—the air was crisp and clear, sweet smelling, and fresh. The moonlit valley was filled with fruit trees, wildflowers, and rolling meadows.
“How did we come here? Where are we?” I asked, still confused.
“You really are ignorant,” said Oblek, glancing at me. “I take it your uncle didn’t tell you anything?”
I shook my head and looked down. Oblek had tied my hands with a rope he had with him while I was still dazed and looking around. It was humiliating, and the rough ropes cut into my wrists, rubbing them raw every time he pulled me forward.
I had to find some way out of this. And, at the moment, the only thing I could do was discover more about where I was. Then, when I got an opportunity, I could escape and find my way back up to the cave on the hill, where we had arrived out of the tapestry.
But then what?
Christopher was probably dead, and Aunt Arianna would doubtless blame me for everything since I had disappeared at the same time. I had no idea what to do. I didn’t really want to go back, and, now that my adoptive parents were dead, I had nothing to return to.
I was starting to panic. I had nowhere to go, and my mind was imagining an array of horrible outcomes of my kidnapping. My palms had become sweaty, and my racing heart was thundering in my chest as I half-walked and half-ran, desperately trying to keep up with Oblek’s giant strides.
“Why are you doing this?” I pleaded with my kidnapper.
But Lord Oblek said nothing. He didn’t even look at me. He just kept walking ahead and dragging me along behind him, with no more explanations as to what he was planning to do with me.
I was terrified, and I had no idea if I was going to survive this. But I tried to be brave. Maybe I could talk my way out of this?
“You do know that this is called kidnapping?” I said, trying to reason with Oblek.
He didn’t bother to answer.
“What will happen to me now?” I squeaked, my voice breaking, as I tried not to cry.
“Queen Morgana will decide what is to be done with you,” said Oblek, finally.
Queen Morgana! The woman from my dream? It was not possible that this, too, was a coincidence. It must be the same Morgana, the one who had tried to kill my real mother.
Who the hell was she?
Suddenly all of this seemed extremely scary. I hoped that I was still dreaming and that there was no way I had actually traveled through a magical tapestry into some strange land. It all seemed very exciting in books. But actually being kidnapped and then hauled around like an animal, traveling deep into a land I knew nothing about, was not my idea of fun.

I had to get away from this horrible man, and fast.

Review

The book is about a girl named Aurora who is an orphan staying with her uncle, aunt and their not so humble daughter Cornelia. Aurora’s life takes an unexpected turn when her uncle decides to sell her away to some eerie person called Lord Oblek. Within a flash she is into a magical world of Fae and Mages. Against her will she has to put up with oblek to stay alive and find out why she was captured by him. In a chain of events she discovers her real self while always landing in some sort of trouble, but is always rescued by the mystery man of the kingdom “The Black Wolf”. Through her journey she finds a good friend in Kalen, the little fae and Rafe, the black wolf himself.

Then there is Pegasus, the beautiful flying horse with whom she can talk to through her mind. Later Aurora joins the School of Magic at Evolon, which helps her in way to have a purpose for her life and teaches her great use of her abilities. She discovers various things which help her to a lead in her life. All this while her life is still in danger as Morgana wants to kill her once and for all. Into the other world she realizes things aren’t always simple sometimes you have to take adverse steps to achieve your goal and emerge as a victor.

The Book is beautifully written, it kept me hooked from start to end. The lead of the book, Aurora is a character with a hell lot of courage as she puts up with her aunt and her egoistic cousin after the death of her birth parents and adoptive parents, even when she is into other world the courage that she shows is immense and her determination to give justice to her parent’s lives is to look for. She is stubborn at times doing stuff that she has been warned not to. Risking her life because she cared for the people around her.  Her transformation from an ordinary girl to a warrior and a princess is amazing.

The author has given complete justification to every character and the writing is straightforward and to the point. Not once you find that any character is pulled into the story for no reason. The description of the events happening in her life, the magic everything is described beautifully. The detailing of every event is too good. Even the food has been described so beautifully and so are the magical strikes. The description of the surrounding in the book is so amazing that you actually feel that you’re in the seven kingdoms of Avalonia. Not once the book goes out of line. The ending of the book is abrupt, but then you never know what is in store for the reader’s until the next book comes out.

Final verdict: If you love reading fantasy you’ll definitely love the book. And if you haven’t tried reading fantasy books give this book a try, I am sure you won’t be disappointed.

Note: Do not compare this book with Harry Potter, Read it with an open mind. Since both the books are very different and beautiful in their own way.

Rating :4/5 *

About the Author

For Farah Oomerbhoy, writing is a passion and reading her solace. She is a firm believer in the fantastic and magical, and often dreams of living in Narnia, Neverland, or the Enchanted Forest.
When she was pregnant with her first child ten years ago, a story popped into her head she could not ignore. “I was at my grandmother’s house, and as I looked at the image of a beautiful forest with a castle in the distance on a tapestry hanging on the wall, I imagined myself being whisked away into another world,” she said. It was at that moment the world of Avalonia, with its powerful mages and fae and the evil Queen Morgana, was born. Farah Oomerbhoy’s debut novel, The Last of the Firedrakes, was released in the summer of 2015.

Farah lives with her husband and three children in their family home in Mumbai, India. She has a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Mumbai. Her first novel is The Last of the Firedrakes, Book 1 of the Avalonia Chronicles.






Follow the Author:
https://twitter.com/FarahOomerbhoy

This book review is in association with:

b00k r3vi3w Tours

Book Blitz: Reign & Revolution



Reign & Revolution
Janine A. Southard
(Hive Queen Saga, #3)
Publication date: April 12th 2016
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
The Hive Queen Saga’s Thrilling Conclusion!
Rhiannon and her Hive have mastered space travel. Sort of. At least, they’re better at it. They’ve outsmarted kidnappers, survived severe oxygen deprivation, and heisted back their own ship engine from would-be thieves.
Since joining up, they’ve traveled further and further away from their home planet. But out on Yin He Garden Station (in Chinese-owned territory), home catches up at a physics symposium.
When Alan’s former research advisor makes an offer that’ll bring them home as respected members of society, Rhiannon knows she has to accept. But home isn’t exactly as she left it, and a hostile space fleet stands between her aging ship and her new/old life. Should she be running towards the fleet, or scurrying back into international space as fast as her craft can go?









Previous books in the series:

17379469 Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000446_00062]
EXCERPT:
If Rhiannon had known how much time she’d spend in her ship’s airlock, she might have decorated. As it was, the place was small and bare aside from the bright spacesuits of its current occupants. Grey metal covered the walls and the un-adorned floors. A spoked wheel—in the same grey metal—blended into the door that would open the ship to the outside.
The vestibule barely had enough space for her Hive to cram inside.
Would the wheel be hot or cold to the touch? Rhiannon would never know, only coming here when she was already kitted up. Hands slick in her spacesuit’s recycled air.
The staging room where she’d donned her red crackle-painted suit—I still wish I knew whether the paint was supposed to look like this—was barely better. Banks of grey metal lockers held full-body suits that might protect a wearer from the void.
For the moment, she left off her hood-like helmet. If someone asks, I’ll say it’s to save oxygen. Her nose would itch the second she couldn’t touch it, made worse by the sweat-scent of everyone who’d ever worn the red gear. Her fingers and toes were already clammy in their rubber casings. She’d spritzed the inside with perfume to combat the rankness, and she hoped to find herself ensconced in a cocoon that was still human-humid, yes, but also vital with amber notes, like a thick waft from a nightclub. This next outing would prove the idea’s worth.
All five of her Devoted readied themselves beside her. Gavin flexed his knees to check his black suit’s range of motion. Luciano had chosen the bright yellow rubber that made him look like a deformed chicken, not that she’d tell him that. Victor wore a grey suit that matched the rest of his clothes, and Alan poked at his pad with a blue-coated finger.
Mel, of course, had chosen to go au natural—aside from his regular vest—since his metal body held up well in vacuum. He wouldn’t have been able to fit all his limbs into a human-shaped spacesuit anyway.


Author Bio:

Janine A. Southard is the IPPY award-winning author of Queen & Commander (and other books in The Hive Queen Saga). She lives in Seattle, WA, where she writes speculative fiction novels, novellas, and short stories... and reads them aloud to her cat.
All Janine’s books so far have been possible because of crowdsourced funds via Kickstarter. She owes great thanks to her many patrons of the arts who love a good science fiction adventure and believe in her ability to make that happen.
Get a free piece of fiction when you sign up for Janine A. Southard's newsletter (http://bit.ly/jasnews). The newsletter will keep you current on things like her latest release dates (and fun news like when her next Kickstarter project is coming). Usually, this is once a month or so, but sometimes goes longer or shorter. Your address will never be shared, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Plus: free ebook! (Rotating freebies mean I can’t tell you what the work is right this second.)
You can hang out with Janine online where she’s crazy about twitter (@jani_s) and periodically updates her website with free fiction and novel inspirations (www.janinesouthard.com)



Hosted by:

XBTBanner1

April 14, 2016



Competing with the Star
Krysten Lindsay Hager
(The Star Series, #2)
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: March 22nd 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Hadley Daniels’s life seems perfect…
Before the beginning of sophomore year of high school, Hadley and her family move to a beautiful beach town, where she makes amazing new friends and lands the boyfriend of her dreams-Nick Jenkins. He’s the kind of guy every girl swoons over, and it isn’t long until Hadley discovers some are still swooning.
A famous ex-girlfriend makes matters more complicated…
After some time dating, Hadley and Nick form a deep bond. But insecurity sets in when Hadley discovers her boyfriend once had a huge crush on her friend-who just happens to be the beautiful former teen TV star, Simone Hendrickson.
The past is the past-or so they say…
Hadley confronts Nick, who confesses about his history with Simone. Though he claims to only have eyes for Hadley now, it’s hard to believe-especially when she’s blindsided with the news that Nick and Simone kissed after school.
Now Hadley must determine who is telling the truth. Love, betrayal, friendship…who needs soap opera drama when you’re busy competing with a star?



EXCERPT:
Then the most beautiful sound in the world came along—the final bell. I grabbed my bag and rushed out the door to my locker, where I ran into Reagan O’Hara, Nick’s gorgeous ex-girlfriend. “Watch where you’re going, spaz,” she said, glaring at me. “Exactly where are you in such a hurry to get to anyway? I can’t imagine that you’d have plans.”
I could have said, “Off to meet my boyfriend, you know, the guy you used to badmouth me to,” but no, I took the high road and said, “Excuse me,” and kept going.
“Whatever, loser,” she said. My shoulders tensed. As I tried to ignore her and tell myself it was just jealousy, I couldn’t pretend that her words didn’t hurt. I had been considered kind of a loser at my old school in Goodacre. I had had one super close best friend who I did everything with, Lexi Irvin, and when she moved to Dallas, it was as if I had been abandoned. So yeah, I had felt like a complete loser in Goodacre, but now I was here in Grand Haven, with new friends and a new positive outlook on life. I had a new best friend, Charlotte Lidstrom, and had become friends with former teen TV star Simone Hendrickson and her best friend, Asia Milanowski.
It could be intimidating hanging out with Simone since she was popular, pretty, and famous. Sometimes I felt invisible next to her, and unfortunately, hanging with Simone sometimes meant spending time with people like Reagan or Simone’s other friends, Pilar Ito and Morgan Kemp. Morgan was the ultimate mean girl. I swear, even if she told me she loved my outfit and was hooked up to a lie detector test saying she was telling the truth, I still wouldn’t want to risk it and I’d go home and change. But today I was not going to worry about Morgan, Reagan, or any of that. I was just going to focus on my first date with Nick.
Until I rounded the corner and ran into Simone, who was waiting for me at my locker with Morgan and Pilar.
“Hey, Hadley,” Simone said. “Wanted to return your lucky bracelet. Let’s hope it helped me pass my math test.”
She handed me my heart and natural stone charm bracelet and I slid it on my wrist. Morgan looked down at my hands and made a face.
“Why are you wearing such dark nail polish?” she asked me.
My face got warm. “I thought the color was pretty when I saw it in the store. I’ve never seen this shade of purple with so much blue in it.”
“Guys aren’t into weird nail polish colors,” Morgan said as she fluffed her long curly blonde hair with her red polished fingers.
Great, so even my nail polish was wrong. Could I do anything right?
“Here comes Nick,” Pilar said, and the girls all got quiet.
“Hey, guys,” he said, coming up and nodding at them. I started to curl my fingers under so he wouldn’t notice my dark polish—the color that up until a few minutes ago I thought was unique and beautiful was now making me feel like a little oddball.
“Cool color,” Nick said.
“Huh?”
“I like the blue. It’s very you,” he said, and then he reached over and intertwined his fingers with mine. Take that, you dark nail polish haters.
“So are we all heading over to Scoops together?” he asked.
Simone played with a strand of her long blonde hair, but didn’t say a thing.
“Yup, we thought we’d go over with you guys,” Morgan said, smiling up at him with her gleaming white teeth.
Wait, what? No, not cool. This was our first date and I knew I’d feel awkward talking to him around a group—a group judging me on what I said, did, and apparently even the colors I wore.


Author Bio:


Krysten Lindsay Hager is a book addict who has worked as a journalist and humor essayist. She is the author of the LANDRY's TRUE COLORS SERIES and the STAR SERIES. TRUE COLORS was her debut novel and the first book in the LANDRY'S TRUE COLORS series. BEST FRIENDS...FOREVER? (Book 2) was #1 in Amazon's hot new releases in teen & young adult values and virtues fiction and #1 in Amazon's hot new release in children's books on values. Landry in Like (Book 3) was #3 in Amazon's Hot New Releases for Girls & Women. Her work has been featured in USA Today, The Flint Journal, the Grand Haven Tribune, the Bellbrook Times, and on the talk show Living Dayton. Check out her YA novel, NEXT DOOR TO A STAR (book 1 in the STAR SERIES) and COMPETING WITH THE STAR: Book 2 in the STAR SERIES. You can follow her at: http://www.krystenlindsay.com.



GIVEAWAY!

Hosted by:
XBTBanner1

BLITZ for Dark Memories by Linda Hope Lee (Adult Romantic Suspense)


On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

Book Tour Grand Finale for
Dark Memories
By Linda Hope Lee

We hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter of Dark Memories and its reviews! If you missed any, go back and check them out...

Launch - Introduction to Dark Memories

When writing a new story, I often begin with a setting. Such was the case with Dark Memories. I live in the Pacific Northwest, and one year I took a trip to our country’s opposite corner, where I visited Vermont. I had never been there before but had heard how beautiful the countryside is, and it did not disappoint.

Bookworm Nation - Review

"This hooked me right from the start. . . . I liked Deborah and Milo and how they have to work together to solve the mystery and learn to forgive along the way. I thought the mystery was well done, I like trying to figure out who the bad guy is and being surprised in the end."


Deborah did not want to share Carla Cassidy’s fate. The young woman’s tragic death was the reason Deborah left Fairfield four years ago. Now she was back, intending to once again make the small town her home. The cruel note told her someone didn’t want her to return.


His deep voice rang with friendliness, and if Deborah’s instincts were on target, his gaze held more than a hint of male interest. Despite her annoyance with the car breakdown, she experienced a tingle of excitement.

Bookworm Lisa - Excerpt

Understanding glimmered in his dark eyes. “Okay, I get it. You’re afraid to go off with a stranger, right?

Don’t blame you. Can’t be too careful these days. But, let me introduce myself, and then we won’t be strangers anymore.


"The author definitely tries to give you a sense that everyone is guilty so you don't know who it really is but suspect everyone. There are a lot of people to suspect with possible motives. . . . This book was clean and I really appreciate that."


As Deborah listened to Milo talk about his farm and horses, she leaned back and relaxed against the cool leather. She even allowed herself to daydream a little. He seemed such a congenial person, not to say handsome and appealing. Perhaps they could forge a friendship. She doubted there was a Mrs. Jordan. If a wife existed, surely he would have mentioned her by now.

EskieMama Reads - Excerpt

The gesture meant he obviously expected more. But as far as Deborah was concerned, she had already revealed enough. Of course, if they continued their association, he would eventually learn more. But not now. Not when they’d just met. She set her mug and empty plate on the coffee table. “This has been really pleasant, but I should be going.”


Dark Memories
Dark Memories
by Linda Hope Lee
Adult Romantic Suspense
Paperback & ebook, 210 Pages
March 25th 2016 by The Wild Rose Press, Inc

Held responsible for a student's tragic death, teacher Deborah Kent was fired from an exclusive girls' school in Fairfield, Vermont and left town in disgrace. Now, she’s back in Fairfield with the intention of operating a bed and breakfast from her guardian's Victorian home. When threatening notes indicate someone isn’t happy with her return, Deborah suspects her student’s death was no accident. The man she turns to is the one least likely to help.

Horse breeder Milo Jordan has long harbored anger toward the woman he blames for his younger sister's death. Too many questions have gone unanswered, but now Deborah appears to hold the key to the truth. Can he put aside his anger, and his growing attraction, and work with her to solve the puzzle of the deadly event?

Linda Hope Lee

Linda Hope Lee writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and mysteries. She enjoys traveling especially to small towns in search of story ideas. She's also an artist, specializing in watercolor, pen and ink, and colored pencil. Photography provides inspiration for both her writing and her art. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, where many of her stories are set.

Other Books by the Author

Eva's DeadlineHer Summer Crush (Return to Willow Beach)Treasures of the Heart
Finding Sara (The Red Rock, Colorado, #1)Loving Rose (The Red Rock, Colorado, # 2)

Tour Giveaway

$50 Amazon eGift Card
3 copies of Dark Memories (print if US, ebook if international)
Open internationally
Ends April 16th

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Grab Our Button!