Tuesday, July 31, 2012

REVIEW: Always Been Mine by Elizabeth Reyes

Title: Always Been Mine (Moreno Brothers #2)
Author: Elizabeth Reyes
Date Published: 5/26/11


Synopsis:
Contemporary Romantic suspense: Contains adult content


After one heartache too many, Valerie Zuniga vows to never let Alex Moreno hurt her again. A year later, she is forced to reunite with him at a party where one unexpected sizzling kiss tells her she’s far from over him. No way will she allow herself to get sucked back into that torment. She’ll resist him even if that means using the one thing that’ll stop Alex dead in his tracks: another man. 


Alex is coming off one of the worst years of his life. He spent so much time wallowing in self-pity, he never realized how much he’d missed Valerie. That is, until that kiss. Now, he’s determined to get her back one way or another, and no other man will stand in his way. Especially after discovering that Valerie may be in danger, a danger he blames himself for.




My Rating:



My Review:

One one hand I love that we got to know these characters in the first book, but on the other I almost wish we could have had a little more mystery to their romance. I feel like maybe a little too much of their story took place in the first book.


That being said, this story was a great one about wanting what you can't have. Alex has been a major player in the past and even though he enjoyed his time with Valerie, he always made sure it stayed light and a non-commitment. 


Valerie always put off the vibe that she was a "just have fun" kind of girl. But in reality every single time a guy left her, she felt it. 


Their journey to happily ever after is not exactly an easy one. They have to get over the wrongs they have done to each other while trying to make sure they remain unharmed. There is some great suspense added to this one, which adds a different theme to the story. 


We are set up for book #3 in this one as well. Again, maybe a little too much, but I will still read it! 

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Blog Tour - Hacienda Moon PROMO

Reading Addiction Blog Tours


Gothic Romance
Date Published: July 28

Synopsis: 
A Pathseekers Novel
Love, obsession, and betrayal, the most powerful
human emotions, are spun together in this gothic
novel. Tandie Harrison is a police medium who has just
suffered a divorce after losing both her psychic visions
and her daughter in a car accident. When she leaves
New York City to start a new life near her hometown,
she moves into the alluring plantation house, Chelby
Rose, and falls for its enigmatic caretaker, Eric
Fontalvo. Their burgeoning affair ignites a century
old curse, ensnaring them in a web of danger, deceit,
and intrigue. Soon Tandie learns that in placid Bolivia,
the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously
connected.

Hacienda Moon is a seductive tale of one woman’s
journey to confront the demons of her past and find the
courage to face her future. It is a mesmerizing novel
that explores the deepest depths of human nature, and
the characters will hold and haunt you long after you
have read the final chapter.


KaSonndra Leigh was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. She now lives
in the City of Alchemy and Medicine, North Carolina. She likes to
write about people doing fantastical things in magical worlds. Her two
sons have made her promise to write a boy book next.

She holds the MFA in creative writing, and loves to play CLUE,
Monopoly (the Indiana Jones version), and Pandora's Box (good writer's
block therapy). She lives in an L-shaped house with a garden dedicated
to her grandmother. It has a secret library complete with fairies,
Venetian plastered walls, and a desk made out of clear blue glass.
Twitter: @kasonndraleigh




EXCERPT

Crowds, noise, loudspeakers, coffee smells: words that described Raleigh-Durham’s airport. There wasn’t much difference between New York’s JFK and North Carolina’s RDU. The noise and crowds were all the same in these places. An airport was still just another way of transporting someone from one life-changing situation to the next. And Tandie’s journey was about to begin again in a small town located about twenty minutes away from where she grew up.
Waiting at the conveyor carousel, she picked up her two bags and headed toward the rental-car section. With her head pounding from jet lag, Tandie took the keys from the woman behind the counter and mentally reviewed her driving route. Turning, she collided with a set of broad shoulders. Her handbag fell to the floor, scattering the contents.
Ready to offer a chunk of her tired mind, she opened her mouth to complain, but stopped right away. Her victim was a man. This wasn’t just any man, though. He stood just under six-feet-tall, and had gorgeous dark hair flopping over a ridiculously handsome face. Dressed in a dark-blue shirt and gray cargo pants, the man knelt down right away to help pick up Tandie’s things.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said, collecting Tandie’s items, which included tampons and sanitary napkins of all things to drop.
Their eyes met and locked on one another. His hazel-green ones took in her features with one glance. Her stomach flipped as if she were a young girl flirting with a cute guy. And something hitched in her chest, teasing her with a vague memory.
His muscular frame made him seem as if he could crush Tandie’s dainty little bag with one good squeeze. His strong facial features, full lips, and dark olive skin made him look Hispanic.
Damn he’s sexy!
Tandie concentrated on returning her things to the bag. If she were quick, then maybe he wouldn’t see her embarrassing stuff. Too late. He’d already picked up her little green Always bag and placed it back in the satchel without even flinching.
Cringe and die, won’t you?
“I’m such an ox,” he said in a deep voice.
“You’re not the clumsy one. I should really watch where I’m going,” Tandie said, still too embarrassed to look at his face. She was aware of him staring at her, even though she couldn’t figure out why he was doing it. Tandie’s face flushed. Even her golden-brown skin must’ve turned crimson.
Standing up quickly, she stepped on the edge of her pants and stumbled backward. Her unintentional hero caught her with ease, steadying her body. What else would she add to her klutz list? She’d probably do something stupid like slip up and grab his crotch by accident next.
“Thanks. Again, I’m really sorry,” Tandie said and moved around him.
“Wait. Can I carry your bags for you? It’s the least I can do,” he said in a voice to match his looks.
“No. I’ll be fine, thanks,” Tandie said, walking toward the rental-car garage. Behind her, she felt him watching as she scurried away. 



Thursday, July 26, 2012

REVIEW: The Lifeguard by Deborah Blumenthal

Title: The Lifeguard
Author: Deborah Blumenthal
Date Published: 3/1/12


Synopsis:
It's an unsettled summer for Sirena. Back in Texas, her family's splitting apart, but here in Rhode Island, at the cottage of her aunt, it's a different world. There are long days at the beach and intriguing encounters with Pilot, the lifeguard with shamanic skills. Sirena explores her obsession with Pilot and discovers his mysterious--almost magical--gifts.


My Rating:


My Review:

So I guess this could be categorized in the paranormal genre, but it really reads more like a YA Contemporary Romance. The gifts Pilot has are not as much paranormal as mystical, and the focus of the story is on the development of his relationship with Sirena and not the Mystical gifts.


That being said, I really did enjoy this story. This story is in no way a typical YA book. There are a lot of elements that makes it stand out from others and that is a VERY good thing! 


The characters are so easy to connect with and you fall a little in love with all of them by the time it is over. Sirena's relationship with Antonio was on of my favorites. I just think that Antonio is that grandparent you want to have. 


The relationship between Sirena and Pilot was believable and utterly sweet. 


I think there is just generally a new depth to the emotions I got as a reader from this book. I look forward to reading more by Deborah Blumenthal in the future. 

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Author Spotlight: Alexia Purdy



Today's Featured Author is Alexia Purdy, Author of Ever-Shade.



Alexia Purdy resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. She spends every free moment writing or playing with her 4 rambunctious kids. She devours books daily; especially paranormal urban fantasies, and finds genre books to be irresistible. Alexia has been writing since she can remember, and loves creating paranormal urban fantasy and poetry. She also enjoys watching movies, dancing, singing loudly in the car, and Italian food. She is also the author of Reign of Blood, a dark post-apocalyptic vampire hunter series, and is currently working on the third book of the Dark Faerie Tale Series: Ever Winter. 





Is There a Message in Your Novel That You 
Want Readers to Grasp?
I think the message I did try to convey in Ever Shade was 
that you should believe in yourself, no matter what or who 
puts you down. Keep at it, get back up if you fall. No better 
way to go through life than getting back up.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in 
your writing?
Plotting and typing. I hate typing and I hate plotting. I never did 
outlines until my fourth book. I was a fly by the seat of my pants
 kind of gal. This backfired a few times when I’d get stuck. I am 
trying outlines this round of stories. I hope it helps. 

How many books have you written and which is your
 favorite?
I have completed 3 novels, 1 poetry collection and am 
working on 3 more novels. So far my favorite has got to 
be Ever Fire. I had fun writing it, it came to me easier than 
my other stories. I do hope when it comes out July 9th that 
everyone enjoys it as much as I enjoyed coming up with 
the storyline.

If You had the chance to cast your main character from 
Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
Hmmm. For the Dark Faerie Tale Series, for Shade I would 
cast Natalie Portman for the lead, For the two main 
Characters Dylan and Soap (Rylan), I would pick 
Kit Harington for Dylan though he might be a tad short. 
And  for Soap, I’d pick Alex Pettyfer. Not really sure who 
else could play them, I don’t watch a lot of movies lately 
and all the actors I like are a bit too old now for the roles. 

When did you begin writing? 
I have been writing since I can remember. I seriously wrote 
a lot in high school and stopped for a long time until around 2010, 
I started it up again, figured it was time to fulfill my lifelong 
dream to be a writer.

How long did it take to complete your first book?
It took me six months to write Ever Shade and a whole 
other three months to edit, format and complete it. It was self-published 
for four months and then was pulled off for sale when it got picked up 
by a publisher. It finally was rereleased 8 months after I 
originally published it. It was a long road but well worth it.

Did you have an author who inspired you to become 
a writer?
I have a few. I credit Cassandra Clare, Alice Hoffman, 
Holly Black and Margaret Mitchell or giving me what I c
all my spark to write. Their stories are awesome and live 
on with me still


What is your favorite part of the writing process? 
I think my favorite part of the writing process is getting 
feedback from readers. They rock and their opinions 
matter to me. 

Describe your latest book in 4 words.
Ever Fire: Magic, Adventure, Love, Suspense

Can you share a little bit about your current work or 
what is in the future for your writing?
I am releasing Ever Fire July 9th, it is a continuation of Ever Shade,
 right where it left off. It follows Shade through familiarizing herself 
with her magic even more, finding out family secrets and enduring
 heartache and challenges that would kill most people, but it makes 
her stronger than ever.



Twitter: @AlexiaPurdy





Find my REVIEW of EverShade HERE

Links to Purchase: 







Tuesday, July 24, 2012

REVIEW: Night Marchers by Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckles


Title: Night Marchers
Author: Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckles
Date Published: 10/14/11

Synopsis:
An all new Young Adult paranormal series that will have you averting your eyes for years to come!


“NEVER, EVER lock eyes with a Night Marcher!” Everyone in Hawaii has heard this warning, except for seventeen-year-old Emma Townsend that is. For most Hawaiians know that looking into the eyes of Night Marcher can strike a curse that will end in death or eternal servitude.


Even though her father, who is a paranormal investigator, solely raised Emma, she has little experience in the realm of the supernatural. When she is forced to move with her father to Hawaii, only months before her graduation, Emma finds that her world as she knows it, is shaken when she starts seeing the unexplainable: fire balls in the distance, beating drums in the middle of nowhere and strangers who vanish into thin air. Then one day when she has a run in with a procession of Night Marchers, ancient Hawaiian spirits wandering from their burial grounds to their locations of battles past, Emma has no choice but to believe that the unbelievable does exist.


Now Emma must go on the run with the help of a mysterious stranger, as they seek out how to free Emma from the curse of a Night Marcher, who will stop at nothing to get her soul.

My Rating: 3.5 *'s

My Review:

I really did end up liking this book a lot, so just bear with me here. ; ) 

I'm not sure what it was, because there was quite a bit going on, but the story seemed to start off a little slow for me, or maybe it just took me a little while to get into it? I can't really say which as I dont really know myself. 

Emma's character meets the boy next door or the boy in the guest house I guess you could say and everything seems rosy for her. I really liked Tristan as a person but somehow his relationship with Emma just didn't do it for me. He had major baggage and ends up taking off, I wont spoil the what or why here, but his feelings for Emma come on way too strong way too fast. 

Then the story takes a turn when Emma is swept into the world of the Night Marchers and a mysterious boy, Kai, becomes her protector. She finds a connection with Kai that is so strong and unbelievable, but she is confused about her own feelings. Add to this Kai's evil twin brother wanting her soul, and you have a recipe for disaster. I'm definitely team Kai in this one. 

The last 1/3rd of this story really did it for me. Huge cliffhanger, lots of action, romance (hesitant on Emma's part, but its there and more believable to me) and I can't wait to see what happens. I already have book #2 and am ready to get into it! 

Monday, July 23, 2012

Blog Tour: Lori L. Clark

Today's Blog Tour is Presented by Reading Addiction Blog Tours

Photobucket

There will be a Review/Giveaway/Excerpt, but first let's meet the Author! 


1. I’m an only child.
2. I love dogs!
3. I was born in Iowa City, Iowa and lived in Iowa my whole life until January 2007, when I moved to the STL area.
4. I worked as a professional psychic reader for 2 years.
5. I’m a Pisces Sun, Leo Moon with Aquarius rising.
6. I’ve written 3 books and am in the process of writing my 4th.
7. I don’t look or act my age!
8. I’ve been married twice and divorced twice.
9. I love 80′s hair band music.
10. I’m a claims payment analyst for Fortune 500 Magazine’s #16 “Top 100 places in America to work.”

Twitter: @clarklori



Title: Tyler Falls
Author: Lori L. Clark
Date Published: 5/25/12

Synopsis:
Tyler has suffered from manic depression for as long as he can remember. Through medication and therapy, he manages to keep his life together. But when his parents are murdered, he decides he's had enough of living as a broken person with a broken life. So, in thirty days, he plans to stick the barrel of his Ruger SP101 into his mouth and pull the trigger.

Emma Perez's brother, Ethan Giovanni, sits in a mental institution for the murder of Dr. and Mrs. Falls. Deemed mentally incompetent and unfit to stand trial, Ethan has one weekly visitor -- Emma. She doesn't deny his guilt, he's her brother and she loves him spite of the fact he's paranoid schizophrenic.

They say when you cross paths with someone more than once, it's fate -- you're destined to meet. Tyler doesn't know Emma is Ethan's sister, and Emma doesn't know Tyler's story either. When Tyler learns who Emma's brother is, the world he's rebuilt around her begins to crumble all over again and it leaves both of them wondering why fate has such a cruel sense of humor.




My Rating: 3.5 *'s


My Review:
There is one thing to say about this story and that is that if you like a good Love Story than this is the book for you. The Romance in this book is just what I like from a YA Contemporary Romance novel. 

That being said, I wanted more from Tyler's character. I connected with him in the romance aspect, but not as much in the actual theme that this book was written about. I wanted the events he went through and his emotions to have me in tears, but I just didn't get that. 

Lori L. Clark's writing flows smoothly and seemed to be true to that of teenagers. She didn't shy away from including aspects that happen in real life that some authors keep away from. 

I really did enjoy this story and look forward to reading more from her in the future! 



EXCERPT - 1st Chapter

Tyler
My name is Tyler Jacob Falls and I have exactly thirty days to live. 
The special school I attend -- not short bus special -- and my shrink Dr. Dynerbaugh think talking about my problems will be great therapy, part of my healing process. She wants me to open up and share my thoughts and feelings more. Dr. Dynerbaugh even gave me a journal to write in, but I don't plan on using it. I've got news for her; there are more pages in that empty journal than I have days left. 
I'm seventeen and live with my aunt and uncle on Loon Island. I've lived here since April last year. No, my parents didn't get a divorce or kick me out. Dealing with that would be a piece of cake compared to what really happened.     
My parents were murdered -- on Valentine's Day. 
That night, when I pulled into the drive after dropping Livi off, (Livi is Olivia Barnett -- only the hottest chick at Fort Jupiter High School. Yeah, I didn't always have the big "L" on my forehead like I do now), the front door to our house stood wide open. It being February in Fort Jupiter with a foot of fresh snow covering the front lawn, I knew there was no way in hell the front door should be open like that. We had a running joke in our family about my mom being like the Energy Nazi and she would flip out about someone's lack of procedure. 
My gut told me something was bad wrong so I pulled out my cell phone, just as a precaution, and inched closer to the front door. When I walked in, that bastard Ethan Giovanni was wiping the blood from the knife he'd just slit my parent's throats with. He wore a sick, twisted grin on his face. I had about two seconds to dial 911 before he spotted me. 
For someone who just offed two people in cold blood on their living room floor; he showed no more emotion than if he'd just squashed a freaking cockroach.
He had pure evil in his eyes. It's those eyes that will haunt my dreams every night for the rest of my remaining life -- when I actually sleep. Giovanni tried to make me victim number three, and the last thing I remember about that night was the distant echo of sirens. 
He tried to run, but they caught up with him about three blocks from our house. But before running like the pussy he is, he stabbed me four times. I spent the next six weeks breathing through the pain of a punctured lung and took my meals through a tube attached to needle in my arm. 
My mom and dad were buried while I lay in a semi-comatose state due to all the drugs they kept pumped into my body in the ICU at Fort Jupiter Memorial Hospital. When they said I had healed enough to leave the hospital, I went to live with my aunt and uncle -- Nicole and Kyle Falls -- on Loon Island.    
There are Three-hundred-forty-two residents on Loon Island -- forty two normal people and three hundred crazy people. 
Those numbers are subject to change, depending on what kind of day I'm having, to forty-one Normals and three-hundred-one Crazies. 
My Aunt Nicole gets on my case for calling the residents of the nuthouse Crazies. I should probably clarify something. Loon Island was named for the bird and not because of the lunatics who live here. Oh and the Loon Island Psychiatric Hospital is not the loony bin or even the insane asylum. I wouldn't want to offend one of the nutcases or their families by being politically incorrect. (Sarcasm.) 
Ethan Giovanni. His face and name are two things that will go out with me when I pull the trigger. There wasn't a trial because they said he's not competent enough. He's insane. Gee, ya think?! 
How ironic is it that we both live here on Loon Island? He's one of the Crazies I told you about. He's in the maximum security part of the nuthouse -- supposedly on suicide watch twenty-four/seven. If you ask me, they should give him a rope and save the tax payer's money. Some people can't be rehabilitated. I mean what's he going to do? Find God? Give me a friggin' break. Scum like Ethan Giovanni don't deserve to live. 
We're supposed to take the ferry to the mainland today. It's Monday, May 25. Memorial Day. Aunt Nicole wants to take me to the cemetery where my mom and dad are buried. It will be a day of firsts for me. The first day I've been off the island in over a year and the first time I've been to the grave site. Ever. I wonder if they'll bury me next to them.
Aunt Nicole knocks on my locked door and I tell her I'm coming. Since she knows I keep the door locked she doesn't bother trying to open it. 
It's not that I don't trust my aunt. On second thought... it kind of is. I don't trust anybody. She works for the hospital sometimes. Her and my uncle both work there. Most of the Normals on the Island either work at the hospital or live with someone who does. She's a Criminologist who studies the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in people and in society. I've seen the way she watches me like I'm one of her patients and I know she's just waiting for me to snap.
My Uncle Kyle's a warden at the big house. Kyle's badass -- for an old man. He's not old like ancient or anything, just older than me. He works out every day and I know he could kick some serious ass without blinking an eye. I know he'd kick mine in a heartbeat if I were to cross the line. Oh and just for the record... I'm no scrawny assed wimp.
I've heard people say never trust anyone over thirty. I have a different set of rules about trust. Don't trust anyone old enough to focus on you with their eyes or manipulate you with a smile. So, except for newborn babies and really old people, there aren't too many people able to earn my trust. 
I work out in Uncle Kyle's basement gym late at night when no one's around to spy on me. Now, it's a matter of survival -- in case they lock me up in the nuthouse again and not because I'm trying to turn some hot chick's head. Dr. Dynerbaugh -- Dr. Dinnerbell as I like to think of her -- says it's good to exercise at least thirty minutes each day. It's supposed to help with my depression. She should practice what she preaches. She's not depressed, she's just fat.











Reading Addiction Blog Tours


This is the last stop on this tour. Visit the others to see Reviews, more giveaways, interviews, and more:

July 16 - Paranormal Wastelands - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
July 17 - The eBook Reviewers - Excerpt/PROMO
July 18 - Journey with Books - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
July 19 - A Dream Within a Dream - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
July 19 - Nick's Book Blog - Review/Giveaway/Interview/Excerpt
July 20 - The Life and Lies of an Inanimate Object - PROMO/Excerpt
July 21 - Gothic Angel Book Reviews - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
July 22 - Taking it One Page at a Time - Review/Interview/Excerpt
July 22 - Firestar Books - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
July 23 - TE Garden of Books - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
July 23 - Sweeping the USA - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt


GIVEAWAY