Reading, Writing, and What Not: September 2015

Monday, September 14, 2015

Book Review - Unauthorized, By Lisa Ladew (And a blog update)

So things have gotten a bit crazy with my real life job. It has been causing me to have long days and work overtime. Due to that for a while we are pulling back on the book tours and the reviews some. I have some books now that I need to get reviews out on, they were already finished prior to the craziness. For a while we will be cutting out tours to two a month, and we will be trying to get a couple cover reveals in there as well. I am just too swamped with the work thing and I am finding that I am not enjoying my reading as much because I have to hurry through the books to get a review out.

I am going get one book review out of the way right now. I have a few more to do from books I have previously read. I am hoping that we can get back on the review and tour track in a couple months, but with my job and the tiredness I feel when I get home, I will have to see how things are going.

Without any more issues....

Book Title: Unauthorized Affair
Author: Lisa Ladew
Publishing Date: November 10, 2014
Page/Word Count: 220 pages

BLURB:

This is a free romantic suspense book, the beginning of a romantic suspense series, although this book with this couple reads as a standalone.

Twenty-six year old Jen Mansko finds out the hard way that she's too trusting. Her apartment ransacked, her bank account emptied, and her heart broken, Jen has had enough and high-tails it to the only place she can think of where she will be welcomed – her brother's house.

Anxious for a fresh start, Jen does something completely out of character and decides to become a cop. Soon, the athletic beauty with the striking-pink locks captures the attention of Sergeant Hunter Foley. When she is vetted for an undercover assignment, Jen dares another feat and quickly wins the approval of the powers that be.

Once embedded in the covert operation, yet another unlikely suitor is drawn to her. With two men on opposite sides of the law vying for her attention, Jen is forced to make a choice or risk having all she's worked so hard for ripped away from her.

This is a spin-off of the Edge of the Heat Series. The characters from the Edge of the Heat will weave lightly in and out of the Unauthorized series.

This is a standalone novel, however, there is a cliffhanger at the end that involves the H/h of the next book.

Heat level: moderate. suspense or thriller level: moderate. Some swearing. 18+

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Pros: Great characters, loved the story
Cons: I want more Coleton
Overall rating: Highly Recommended

Impressions: Great ideas, story flowed, characters are well developed

Review:

So I got this book as a free one from Amazon. I am so glad I grabbed it. I loved the whole idea and the characters were just right. You could tell that the author knew her characters well enough when she was writing. I have found that there are times when an author will have a series going and make a spin off that just doesn't work right. Not this time. This book is great!

I love that Jen is going through personal changes in this book. She is trusting and a bit naive but that all changes as you go. Don't get me wrong, it's not a massive character change. It's something little here and there for her. She grows through out the book and I love that. I think that she is a great lead female.

Let me just say, I want my own undercover cop now. Hunter is strong, and he has a good head on his shoulders. He keeps himself from getting involved with Jen, knowing it is wrong for him to do anything with her while they are working. He is a great male lead and plays off Jen wonderfully.

I am very excited to read the next one, and I was excited that the second book is on Kindle Unlimited. I have already picked it up and will be reading it soon!

Stars: 4 out of 5

Amazon Link: Buy it here

Goodreads Link: Clink Here

Twitter Link: @LisaLadewAuthor

Webpage: Author's Page

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Book Review - Stepping Stones, By Kacey Vanderkarr - BOOK TOUR

Stepping Stones (The Stone Series, #1)

by: KaceyVanderkarr

Release Date: 08/25/15

Urban Fey Press

Summary from Goodreads:

Onnaleigh Moore is part of a plan—and it isn’t hers. When her brother dies in a car accident, Onna is desperate to preserve the tatters of her family. Any hope of finding normalcy vanishes when her mother runs off and her dad turns to booze to numb his pain. Onna’s grief is crippling, but the boy who showed up just when she needed him is helping her cope.
Everett’s presence is comforting, though he knows things—Onna’s name just before they met, where she lives, and sometimes he comments on thoughts she doesn’t say aloud. Sh:e pegs him for a stalker, or maybe psychic, but the truth is deadlier than she imagines. As their feelings for one another deepen, Everett confesses a horrifying secret: Onna’s brother is only the beginning of the plan, and some fates are worse than death.

Add to Goodreads

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Review:

I am all about books that make me feel. This definitely did that for me. There were times when I could not stop the feels. Oh the feels, the feels. I think that when a book can make you feel and takes you through so many different emotions it is a good book. This falls into that category.

Onnaleigh, Onna, has been through so much. I think that if any one of us had been through as much as she has we would have fallen apart and never gotten the pieces put back together. She didn't do that though. Instead, she moved through each of her situations with the right actions. Sometimes I found her choices to be hard ones. I love that she knew what she needed to do to get herself where she needed to be, even if she had to push others away to do so.

This is one of the those books that makes you think, "Really, does she have to deal with so much all at once?" But as you go you see that it is all part of something else, something that I was not planning on. The supernatural aspect of this book is very intriguing and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Pros: Great Story, excellent characters

Cons: The feels were too much at times

Overall rating: Excellent book!

Impressions: Very emotional book, great ideas, great characters

Stars: 4 out of 5

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About the Author

Kacey Vanderkarr is a young adult author. She dabbles in fantasy, romance, and sci-fi, complete with faeries, alternate realities, and the occasional plasma gun. She’s known to be annoyingly optimistic and listen to music at the highest decibel. When she’s not writing, she coaches winterguard and works as a sonographer. Kacey lives in Michigan, with her husband, son, and crazy cats. Along with her novels, Reflection Pond and Antithesis, Kacey's short fiction can be found in Sucker Literary Vol 3, and the upcoming Spark Vol 7, Ember: A Journal of Luminous Things, and Out of the Green: Tales from Fairyland.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

Cover Reveal Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

Book Review - The Memory of Mermaids, By Spencer Dryden - BOOK TOUR

Book Tour time again!!

The Memory of Mermaids by Spencer Dryden

Tour Dates: August 31 – September 4

TITLE: The Memory of Mermaids

SERIES TITLE AND NUMBER: N/A

PUBLISHER: Fireborn Publishing

RELEASE DATE: August 21, 2015

GENRE: Fantasy,

TAGS: Romance, Action/Adventure, Comedy/Humor

HEAT LEVEL (1 being no sexual content, 5 being erotica): 2

PAIRING: Male/Female Mermaid

LENGTH: Novella

BLURB:

After he rescues a mermaid from a sea monster, Max Weiss falls into a world of pirate treasure, dolphin whisperers,murderous mobsters and a forbidden love.Troubles multiply in the already-troubled life of Max Weiss after he rescues a mermaid from the clutches of a seamonster. Drawn by the allure of the enchanting mermaid, Azzaria, Max agrees to help her find her lost mermaid sister. Max is pulled into a world of missing drug money, pirate treasure, murderous mobsters, dolphin whisperers and a forbidden love.

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Review:

This was not something I would normally read. I am glad I read it though. It was a great book, and quick to read. It kept me engaged though, and that is a big thing. So many books are just so hard to get into.

I loved Max. I prefer the characters that have had to deal with the bad as well as the good. I think that it makes them easy to relate to when reading. We all want to be able to say, that could be me, if we lived in worlds with sea monsters and mermaids.

I think that I was bit put off by mermaid sex, but that is just me. It was well written, but I guess I pictured it differently in my head. Then again, I am not really sure what I was picturing in my head. That being said, I think that the main characters didn't bring the same emotions to other things that they brought to their sex life. I think that they were not as compatible as they should have been.

Pros: Great characters, great story

Cons: I wish it was longer, more fleshed out

Overall rating: I would recommend this one.

Impressions: Needs more fleshing out, make it longer, weird mermaid sex not to my taste.

Stars: 4 out of 5

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AUTHOR BIO:

Spencer Dryden is a new writer, but an old guy on the threshold of draining any reserves left in Medicare andSocial Security.In real life he is a handyman, an at-home dad, inventor and web videographer living a quiet life in the frozentundra of Minnesota (USA). Like all writers he has a cat but they don't get along well.

He can be found at the usual writer hangouts:

Facebook |Twitter |Goodreads

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Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Book Review - Cross Keys, By Ally Shields - BOOK TOUR

I am beginning to think that there are times I bite off more then I can chew, but it's all part of being an adult.

Book tour, here we go....

Description:

When the first wanderer—a common elf who isn’t authorized to use the portal—is spotted on the streets of New Orleans, the king assigns Kameo Ryndel to capture the elf and bring him home to Elvenrude. But before she can intervene, he's shot and his body stolen by the gunmen. Just as puzzling is the appearance at the scene of Seth Lormarc, an Elite elf from a rival guild and heir to the centuries-old feud between their two families.

Seth is in New Orleans at the behest of his grandfather to find out who was behind the portal breach that could expose their existence to the world of men. His best lead is the intriguing Kam Ryndel. When he stakes out her apartment and finds her sneaking out in the middle of the night, dressed in black and leaping to the top of the nearest building, he realizes she's more than a beautiful woman. That kind of feat requires magic. Ancient magic.

As their paths cross and draw them deeper into a mysterious conspiracy, attraction sparks between them, but there’s little time for romance. The portal breach is tied to an illegal smuggling operation that has come to the attention of the human CIA. And the stakes are raised when Kam and Seth discover a band of rebels deep inside Elvenrude that offers nothing except violence and destruction of their world.

Review:

Let me just say that I love any story that brings elves into my world again. I love when an author tries to work with them. I just wish that each author would give us a back ground. This book is no exception, I want more history, more about how we got to where we are today in the book. I just like knowing how people got to be the way they are in the books I read.

Kameo was a great character and I can't wait to see what comes next for her. I just wish we had a better love interest for her. I want my main characters to have a strong, good love interest. I know that there are bad boys, but they aren't the ones who leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. I am all about a good "bad" boy, but I got this feeling that Caleb is just not that kind of bad boy. I think that he will end up being a bad love interest.

I can't wait to see what will happen with the series. I think that since it is elves, we have so much we see being done. I know there are books out there with elves, but really no many that have the main story built off of them. They are just a part of a whole, not the central theme.

I think that Ally has got a great start to a series and she did it so well! It was not rushed and the build up of the love interest side was better then most books. I just hate when an author has her characters fall in love in like three pages, or 24 hours. (Which ever comes first.) I can't wait to see what she does next!

Pros: Elves! Smooth Story, great ideas

Cons: Some characters just didn't do it for me.

Overall rating: Definitely recommend it!

Impressions: Strong story, good ideas, ELVES!!!

Stars: 4 out of 5 stars

Excerpt:

Caleb nodded absently at the departing couple, then returned his gaze to Kam. “I’m serious. It’s time you became more involved with trade matters. In fact,” he paused, “you have several decisions you should be making. When are you coming home?”

“I’m here now.” She clamped down on a spark of anger. Why did every conversation with him lead into demands about the future?

“You know that isn’t what I meant.”

She stiffened. “It’s too soon for any long-term decisions. I like where we are now.” A storm was gathering in his eyes, and she took steps to head off a fight. The King's Harvest Ball was hardly the time or place. She tilted her head and looked at him. “Are you about ready to leave?” A diversion was in order before she lost her temper and said something she’d regret. “I have to be back in the city by early morning, and I can think of better things we could be doing.”

“More than ready.” His smile held a provocative edge. “Shall we start our round of goodbyes?”

“I’m going to visit the ladies’ room, then I’ll catch up with you.”

“Don’t be long.”

She ducked her head and hurried away, anxious to get out of sight before he realized just how annoyed she was. She shoved the door open into the hallway a little harder than was necessary and ran into a solid body. She stumbled, throwing out her arms for balance.

“Oh, I’m so sor—” Strong hands caught her, and she looked up into Seth Lormarc’s glittering green eyes. “You!”

His eyes widened in surprise. “Do I know you?”

A spark of unexpected awareness ran up her arms, and she tried to shake off his grasp. He held tight until she was steady. “No, but I know who you are.” She looked pointedly at his hands. “Take your hands off me.”

“No problem.” He released her and stepped back, a smile parting his lips. “Are you always so charming?”

She frowned at him, ready to give a sharp retort, then hesitated, realizing how rude she’d been. “You’re quite right. Mother would be appalled at my manners. Thank you for your assistance. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Certainly.” He moved to one side.

Her throat suddenly dry, Kam hurried past and down the hall. Insufferable Lormarcs. She entered the powder room and took a deep breath. The mirror revealed her heated cheeks, and she dipped a handkerchief in the water basin to cool her face. Why had she reacted so strongly, been so impolite? Was it the lazy smile he’d made little attempt to hide or just her anger at Caleb spilling over onto the first male she saw?

Bio:

Ally Shields grew up in the Midwest along the Mississippi River and currently resides near Des Moines. Writing has always been a part of her life, but in 2009, after a career in law and juvenile justice, she turned to full-time fiction writing. Her first urban fantasy novel, Awakening the Fire (Guardian Witch Book One) was published in 2012 and the seven book series was completed in 2015. She loves to travel in the US and abroad and incorporates many of those settings into her books. Ms. Shields can be contacted through her website or twitter (@ShieldsAlly).

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