Showing posts with label 2012/02. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2012/02. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Tour Review: Dead Perfect by P.G. Shriver


Title: Dead Perfect
Author: P.G. Shriver
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Supernatural Fiction
Elements: Ghosts
Publisher:
CreateSpace
Format: PDF, 229 Pages
ISBN: 9781469970547
Release Date: February 13, 2012
Source: Tour Host {YA Novel Reader Book Tours} 
Rating: 5/5

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: MEL

My dreams never included falling in love. Graduating top of the class, going far away to college and starting a life in a place where my alcoholic mother could never find me were the top three goals on my list. Then the unexpected accident with Mother, after her regular doses of vodka, altered all of that. With her gone, my life and my perspective changed forever.

I decided to return to life and school. That's where I noticed him, my Adonis, roaming the halls, searching for someone. Was it me? Love at first sight? Really? Cautiously, I reasoned the feeling suddenly spawned as a rebound to recent loneliness, but reasoning didn't matter. Fantasies of him stole my thoughts. He was the hottest guy I had ever seen!

DAVIS

At the last drag race of the summer, where I would finally earn the title "County Champion" and a $3,000 purse to help pay my way through college, my best friend announces his proposal to Joanie. They were getting married, having a baby, and he was ecstatic about it! I was proud to get through high school, girls hungry to catch me, without losing it to any, just as I had planned. I would have time to date girls later, no reason to hurry! The county race outcome changed all of my plans.

Desperate to find Joanie so I could break free, I returned to my old school. The search led me to her, my Aphrodite, a familiar lost look in her soulful eyes. Fantasies of her forced reasoning from my mind. I had to meet her! But once fallen, could our love survive the truth about the final race and all of my ghostly secrets?

Review: 

Dead Perfect is a story about love, forgiveness, and the ability to let go of the past and move on to the future. For Mel, Davis, Donna, Joanie, and Franky, this story began with a car accident, though at different points in time. What happens after this terrible event is heartbreak, guilt, anger, love and ultimately, forgiveness.

I was a little confused in the first half of the book, but that quickly changed when the truth was revealed in the second half. Dead Perfect is emotionally charged and the story just pulls you in. I know that when a book makes me feel something so emotionally strong, like Dead Perfect did, that it is a must read. I was left misty-eyed at the end, and that's a little embarrassing when you're in a library computer lab where everyone can see you crying, LOL! But this is such a beautiful story and I'm glad that I chose to pick it up.

About this Author:

Born in California, and raised in Minnesota and Texas, P.G. spent her early years writing poetry and winning poetry contests, while escaping the drama in her own childhood by reading great books for children. Ever since her earliest days, she loved story telling. She wrote numerous short stories in High School and her early college years, continually trying to relive that first experience at the age of seven of seeing her name in print in the local newspaper.

P.G. sought her education at the University of Texas, where she studied English, literature, and Education. During the entire process of earning her BA and M.Ed, she never stopped writing and trying to be published.  It was during this time that her first children’s book No More Stinkbugs!  was accepted for publication by Castle Keep Press. Many of her stories develop from nature.

P.G. graduated college and began her career in education, another great world that offered real experiences to humor and delight through children’s books. She watched children interact, bringing to surface her own experiences as a child and yet more events to write about. While teaching, she discovered many great books for young people, such as The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, Maniac Magee, So. B. It and many more. She is a fan of Dean Koontz novels, too, and loves reading fantasy and paranormal books.

P.G. was married 20 years in March 2012 and has a bright, young daughter who has begun her own college career. She lives on a small farm in Texas with her family and animals. P.G. has experienced great love and loss throughout her life. Those her family has lost have dedications in her books.

P.G. has two young adult books published, Dead Perfect and The Gifted Ones: The Fairytale the first book in The Gifted Ones Trilogy. She also has several children’s books written under Gean Penny, her pseudonym.  P. G. has since dissolved her contract for her first book with Castle Keep Press and moved the title to her own imprint, Gean Penny Books.

Author Links:

Twitter

PART OF.... 

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Tour Review: Reflection by Jessica Roberts

Title: Reflection
Series: Reflection #1
Author: Jessica Roberts
Genre: New Adult Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: S/P
Format: PDF, 355 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-615-60117-5
Release Date: February 17, 2012
Source: Tour Host {YA Bound Book Tours}
Rating: 5/5

Tagline(s): Was six perfect months with the guy of my dreams, only a dream?

Summary: Bright, spunky Heather Robbins has escaped her small hometown and is anxiously beginning her freshman year of college. Rising above her rocky childhood, she’s found a place where good things are finally starting to happen: her own private apartment, refreshing college classes, and an intense attachment to a mysterious and rugged classmate, Nick Richards.

But when her dreamy college life turns out to be nothing more than a wonderful dream while resting in a coma, questions threaten.

Now, Heather must press forward to unlock the real past, and find the answers buried deep in her mind. What she unlocks instead is a roller coaster ride through flashbacks, embellished memories, and a whirlwind romance.

And when it’s all over and she comes face to face with the truth, will she lose everything she’s fallen in love with? 

Short Review: (Full review to come...) 

The mind is a powerful thing and we see just how powerful in Reflection. But we also see the strength and fragility of the human heart. Reflection starts with Before Heather's accident left her in a coma and After she wakes up, with everything that happened in between recounted.

Jessica Roberts has created a story that many could relate to and one so beautiful it breaks your heart. This is definitely a must read and I look forward to the sequel, Reaction in the Fall.

About this Author: 

JESSICA ROBERTS grew up in the San Francisco, California Bay Area where she spent most of her time playing sports alongside her six siblings. She was crowned Miss Teen California her senior year of high school, and went on to Brigham Young University where she graduated in Human Development. Her love of family, church, writing, athletics, and singing and dancing keeps her life busy and fulfilled. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and three children.

Author links:

Blog: http://www.jessicarobertsauthor.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @JRobertsAuthor

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Roberts/174139906035619


PART OF....

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Tour Review: Nocturnal by Chelsea M. Cameron

Title: Nocturnal
Series: Noctalis Chronicles #1
Author: Chelsea M. Cameron
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Supernatural Fiction
Elements: Vampires
Publisher: CreateSpace
Format:
ISBN: 9781478174219
Release Date: February 11, 2012
Source: Tour Host {SupaGurl Book Tours}
Rating: 

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Ava-Claire Sullivan's mother is dying. Perhaps it's no surprise, then, that her greatest solace comes from someone who's already dead.

Peter Hart saves her one night in a graveyard from an attacker just as strange as he is, and now Ava can't stop thinking about him. She wants to see him again – even after he warns her he's dangerous, and she begins to realize what he is. Her best friends don't know anything about death, but Peter does, intimately. He's waiting for her the next night she comes to the cemetery, and the next...

But their growing bond comes up against a promise Peter made a long time ago, a promise that could destroy them both. Now Ava has to decide just what she's willing to give up to hold onto the one thing that could last forever.

Review:

REVIEW WILL BE POSTED SOONER THAN LATER... SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.

About this Author:

Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA writer from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.

She has two books out now, Nocturnal and Nightmare, the first and second books in the Noctalis Chronicles about a girl with a dying mother who meets an immortal boy. The third book, Numb will be out this August, and the fourth in the winter. Her other book, Whisper, about a girl who is alive, a boy who isn't and the complications that go along with their relationship, released June 16 and is the first in a trilogy. Follow her on Twitter: @chel_c_cam, her blog, or on Facebook.

Author Links:

Blog: http://www.leftandwrite7.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @chel_c_cam
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chelsea-M-Cameron-Official-Author-Page/304422529610919
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5752359.Chelsea_M_Cameron

Nocturnal Night!‏

Join us for Nocturnal Night on August 30th 8pm EST / 7pm CST for a LIVE Video chat with Author of Nocturnal and Nightmare Chelsea Cameron.

We will be chatting about everything from her books, the writing process, to Edward v/s Jacob *grins* There will be some giveaways going on too. Don't have a webcam? No worries you can still totally join in with text chatting. You will be able to see everyone else. Shy? Don't be we are all eager to meet you!! Join us for a night of Awesome.

http://nocturnalnight.eventbrite.com/



You can preregister at the above link. Which would be amazing or you can just show up...

On that night be sure to enter the chat with this link *Will also be up on SupaGurl Books www.supagurlbooks.blogspot.com*




 Tour Hosted by SupaGurl Book Tours

Friday, August 17, 2012

Tour Review: His Heart for the Trusting by Lisa Mondello

Title: His Heart for the Trusting
Series: Texas Hearts #2  
Author: Lisa Mondello
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance Fiction
Publisher: Lisa Mondello
Format:
ISBN: 9781466004849
Release Date: February 15, 2012 
Source: Tour Host {Bewitching Book Tours}
Rating:

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: Ever since Mitch Broader set foot in Texas, he dreamed of owning his own ranch. Now that he’s bought a share in the Double T Ranch, he’s one step closer to the dream. Then his past greets him in the form of a baby basket, complete with infant and birth certificate naming him as the father. He can’t change diapers and work toward his dream at the same time.

When Sara Lightfoot, “Miss Hollywood” in Mitch’s eyes, rescues him with her particular knack for handling his precocious son, he hires her on the spot as a temporary nanny. No matter how much Sara’s dark eyes and warm heart make this bachelor think of making their arrangement permanent, she’s made it perfectly clear she has other plans that don’t include him or his dreams.

Sara Lightfoot never thought she’d return to her home on the reservation. Now she plans to reclaim the life she left by going back to the reservation as a Native American storyteller, teaching the Apache children stories of their culture. She didn’t expect Mitch Broader’s sexy smile or job offer as a live-in nanny to derail those plans. After all she’s been through to come home, can she open up her heart once again to love?




Amazon     Smashwords      BN     Kobo     iTunes


Review:

REVIEW WILL BE POSTED LATE. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.

 

EXCERPT His Heart for the Trusting 


Still dancing in circles, Midnight eyed Mitch, seemingly aware of his every move. Mitch turned his back to the mare and played with the bridle, as if ignoring the horse. Finally, Midnight stopped running and with cautious steps, she moved forward, stopping every so often and taking a side step, bobbing her head or giving a neigh, as if calling Mitch to pay attention. Eventually, she stepped up alongside him and gave him a quick nudge with her nose. Then another until she was settled alongside Mitch. 


Ever so softly, Mitch stroked her head and neck and front legs with long, easy strokes. He smiled his pleasure and crooned softly. 


Without even realizing how he'd done it, the bit was in Midnight's mouth and the bridle was around the mare’s head. Mitch let the reins fall and allowed Midnight to get use to the bit.


Such trust. 


“That's amazing,” Sara said quietly. 


“Not really,” Mitch said, glancing up at her as he kept his attention on the mare. She turned to him. Mitch was looking at her, his eyes filled with the same questions she’d seen in the kitchen. 


Then he said, “She still could bolt at any time.” 


Sara gripped the splintered rail. “But she hasn't. She came to you when she could have easily just kept running in circles.” 


“Trust isn't an easy thing for her. She still doesn't know what to think.” 


“She let you put the bridle on her. You didn't have to chase her. She came to you.” 


“I have to win her trust. And when I have it, I can't abuse it or she'll never give it up again.” 


Mitch carefully took the bridle off Midnight and took a few steps away. Midnight followed like a stray dog. 


“Does she trust you now? Enough to ride her?” 


Mitch shook his head. “We still need a little time together before she'll allow me put a saddle on her. Right now, she's letting me know her boundaries.” 


“She let you put a bridle on her as if she didn't even know you were doing it.” 


His face was bright with a smile. “Oh, she knew. But she's still making up her mind. She wants to trust me. I can tell. And maybe one day she will.” 


“Mitch?” 


He looked up at her again from across the corral. He was incredibly handsome. His dark hair was the color of mica in the fading light, and his eyes had turned from blue to a smoky gray. He stood tall, his weight shifted to one hip as he held the reins of the bridle. 


Such strength. 


Sara remembered all too well how it had felt earlier to be in Mitch's arms. Her heart still raced with the memory. 


“What if she's never ready to trust you?” 


Mitch's expression grew serious, pulling her into his gaze. He took a few steps closer, his boots kicking up dust from the ground as he walked. He stopped a good ten feet from where she was standing and said, “I can wait as long as it takes, Sara.” 



Texas Hearts series includes: 
HER HEART FOR THE ASKING 
HIS HEART FOR THE TRUSTING 
THE MORE I SEE 


About this Author:


Lisa Mondello (a.k.a. LA Mondello) has held many jobs in her life but being a published authors is the last job she'll ever have. She's not retiring! She blames the creation of the personal computer for her leap into writing novels. Otherwise, she'd still be penning stories with paper and pen. Her first book, All I Want for Christmas is You, was the winner of the Golden Quill contest for Best First Book and to date has had over 350,000 downloads worldwide.

She is currently the author of 14 novels under the name Lisa Mondello and LA Mondello.


You can find more information about Lisa Mondello at
http://www.lisamondello.blogspot.com or chat on Twitter at @LisaMondello http://www.facebook.com/lisa.mondello.1



 Texas Hearts Promotion Hosted by Bewitching Book Tours

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Tour Review: Her Heart for the Asking by Lisa Mondello

Title: Her Heart for the Asking
Series: Texas Hearts #1
Author: Lisa Mondello
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance Fiction
Publisher: Lisa Mondello
Format:
ISBN: 9781465908490  
Release Date: February 8, 2012 
Source: Tour Host {Bewitching Book Tours}
Rating:

Tagline(s): Promises made...secrets kept...

Summary: Mandy Morgan swore she’d never step foot in Texas again after Beau Gentry left her for life on the rodeo circuit eight years before. He once promised he'd love her forever. But he'd abandoned their love for the rodeo and she hadn't seen him since. Now she's back in Texas. Her uncle’s heart is failing and Mandy has to convince him that surgery will save his life. She never dreamed the first thing she’d see when she stepped off the plane would be her biggest nightmare...the one man she’d never stopped loving.

Beau Gentry had the fever for two things: the rodeo and Mandy Morgan. But for Beau, loving Mandy was complicated by his father’s vendetta against her uncle and a promise he'd made to an old friend. Hank Promise, Mandy's uncle, was more like a father to Beau than his old man had been. The hardest thing Beau had ever done was leave Mandy behind for the rodeo. He can still see the bitterness and hurt on her face. It has killed him all these years to think Mandy had forgotten him...maybe even in the arms of another man. But now they’re both back in Texas, and Beau's going to do all he can to win back her love.


Amazon         Barnes and Noble   Smashwords    Sony
KOBO               iTunes


Review:

REVIEW WILL BE POSTED LATE. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.


Excerpt HER HEART FOR THE ASKING 

 "What are you doing here?" Mandy Morgan asked, dropping her too-heavy overnight case on the sun-roasted tarmac. After a grueling forty-eight hour work stint and a five-hour flight from Philadelphia, she stood wilting under the brutal Texas sun, facing her biggest nightmare.

Beau Gentry.

She groaned inwardly, drinking Beau in with her eyes as if she hadn't had a drop of water in months. Eight years was more like it. If she were eight years smarter, she would be moving her aching feet as fast as she could in the opposite direction. But all she could do was stare at eyes so bright they rivaled the blazing sun. At lips so kissable she'd spent the better part of her adult life trying to wipe the memory clean from her mind.

She had expected Beau would have aged some. When she allowed herself to think about him at all, she reminded herself. The faint lines etched in the corners of his sleepy gray-blue eyes gave a hint of maturity, but most probably caused by long days in the cruel sun.

She fought the urge to take a closer look at his ruggedly handsome features, but failed. How could he have gotten better looking after being abused by every bronc-busting horse on the rodeo circuit? His angular jaw, strong and determined, was shaded with beard growth that was probably a day old, maybe more. Mandy suspected if Beau grew a full beard, it would grow in thick and be the smooth texture of his almost black head of hair. She forced aside past memories that gave her such knowledge with renewed irritation.

The man didn't even have the decency to have a crooked nose. What should have been bent and awkward from being broken a few too many times was instead long and straight, shaped perfectly between high cheek bones most women would swoon over, or kill to have themselves. But on Beau Gentry, it was just one thousand percent robust cowboy.

Damn him.

"I'm your ride out to the Double T," Beau said, gripping the edge of his white straw cowboy hat and tipping it in a cordial gesture.

She ground the heels of her low pumps into the soft tar to contain her growing irritation. Did he think she was an idiot? "No way."

"'Fraid so," he said, his expression slightly askew. "Hank didn't mention anything about you coming to get me when I spoke to him on the phone."

"I suspect he thought you would have found some excuse not to come if you knew I was picking you up."

"He would have been right. Why didn't one of the hands come get me?"

Settling his hand at the base of his neck, Beau replied, "You're looking at him. As of three weeks ago I am one of the ranch hands at the Double T."

Texas Hearts series includes: 
HER HEART FOR THE ASKING 
HIS HEART FOR THE TRUSTING 
THE MORE I SEE
 

About this Author:

Lisa Mondello (a.k.a. LA Mondello) has held many jobs in her life but being a published authors is the last job she'll ever have. She's not retiring! She blames the creation of the personal computer for her leap into writing novels. Otherwise, she'd still be penning stories with paper and pen. Her first book, All I Want for Christmas is You, was the winner of the Golden Quill contest for Best First Book and to date has had over 350,000 downloads worldwide.

She is currently the author of 14 novels under the name Lisa Mondello and LA Mondello.

You can find more information about Lisa Mondello at http://www.lisamondello.blogspot.com or chat on Twitter at @LisaMondello http://www.facebook.com/lisa.mondello.1


 Texas Hearts Promotion Hosted by Bewitching Book Tours

Monday, August 6, 2012

Tour Review: The Mayfair Moon by J.A. Redmerski (Guest Post)

Title: The Mayfair Moon
Series: Darkwoods Trilogy #1
Author: J.A. Redmerski
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Supernatural Fiction
Elements:
Publisher: J.A. Redmerski
Format:
ASIN:  
Release Date: February 6, 2012
Source: Tour Host {Bewitching Book Tours}
Rating: 

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: After a nightmarish encounter with a werewolf, seventeen-year-old Adria Dawson loses her sister, but gains the love of a mysterious young man and his legendary family.

Strange and tragic things begin to happen in the small town of Hallowell, Maine: residents come down with an unexplainable ‘illness’ and some disappear. In the midst of everything, Isaac Mayfair is adamant about keeping Adria safe, even from her sister whom he has warned her to stay away from.

As unspeakable secrets unfold all around Adria, impossible choices become hers to bear. Ultimately, no matter what path she takes, her life and the lives of those she loves will be in peril. As she learns about the werewolf world she also learns why her place in it will change the destinies of many.

Review: 

REVIEW WILL BE POSTED LATE. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.

About this Author: 

J.A. Redmerski is a  Contemporary Fantasy and YA writer - author of THE MAYFAIR MOON and DIRTY EDEN. She’s  a mother, werewolf & zombie fanatic, book addict and a happy hermit obsessed with the Universe. Oh, and AMC's "The Walking Dead".
Jessica started her first novel at the age of thirteen and has been writing something ever since. Generally, she loves characters in life and on paper. She pays attention to people, especially those whose personalities make them different from the rest of us: the drug addict roaming the Laundromat that talks to himself, the young, inattentive mother in the park with the meanest kid on the playground - (the entire cast of 'Swamp People') - characters fascinate Jessica and she hopes that it shows in her  literary work.

Some authors that inspire Jessica are Neil Gaiman, Cormac McCarthy, Max Brooks, Anne Rice, J.K. Rowling, Richard Matheson, William R. Forstchen, Carrie Ryan, Stephenie Meyer and Lisa Smedman.

Guest Post by J.A. Redmerski: 

Thanks to Indies

The best thing, to me, about the fierce rise in self-publishing has been more about finding such awesome authors and books out there that I probably never would have known otherwise. I don’t know why, but this has had more of an impact on me than self-publishing my own books has been. I’ve always been a writer, since about the age of thirteen. It’s always been my passion and it never mattered—or even occurred to me—that my writing sucked back then. I did it because I loved it and for no other reason. What I didn’t understand once upon a time was the fact that, well, let me quote Stephen King: “If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” Of course, this means you don’t have time to write properly.

The point is that I was never much of a reader. I mean, yes, I did read and I had favorite books and authors, but I never read obsessively, even though I wanted to. I would see people reading 2-3 books a week and I envied that. Why couldn’t I do that?! Because my reading material was limited to what the Literary Powers That Be felt we should be reading. And I got bored with it.

When self-publishing took off, that’s where my obsessive reading really began. I got on Goodreads and met all of these wonderful readers and writers and suddenly my world of books went beyond what the traditional publishing houses put out there for us. I realized that there is this world of books that never would have seen the light of an audience’s eyes were it not for self-publishing.

And I was a little disgusted. All I could think about were all of these fantastic authors who had been rejected over and over again by agents and the Big Six because their books just didn’t fit the cookie-cutter mold. And the more self-published books that I find, the more I feel I had been neglected, wronged, most of my life by traditional publishing by keeping all of these books and authors pressed under their heels so that I couldn’t see them. Now, honestly, I read more self-published books than I do traditionally published books. Not out of spite or some silly protest, but I truly find more interest in an Indie. I go searching for a good book to read and 9 times out 10 I usually end up reading an Indie.

It’s a shame that it took so long, but I’m glad that finally, after years and years of literary oppression and communism, that things have changed and that they continue to change. I’m glad that I’m the one making the decisions on the things that I am interested in reading , that I’m the one picking and choosing, and that those choices are now seemingly unlimited. And because of that, I’ve read more books in a month’s time than I’ve read in a year, two years even, in the past.

And you know what? I think I’m becoming a much better writer because of this.

Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t to say that I would never go the traditional publishing route later on if that became an option. I think that traditional publishing is being forced to change with the times and I think that’s a good thing.

So, I’d like to use this guest post not to promote myself, but to promote some Indie authors out there that I think deserve some recognition (even though a few that I’ll list really need no help from little ol’ me!).

Falling In Between by Devon Ashley
The Weight of Night by C.L. Stegall
Captive in the Dark by CJ Roberts
Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves
The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines
Angelfall by Susan Ee
Darkness Comes This Way by Pixie Lynn Whitfield
Screwing Up Time by C.M. Keller


Tour Hosted by Bewitching Book Tours

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Manga Review: Blue Exorcist Volume 6 by Kazue Kato

Title: Blue Exorcist Volume 6 
Japanese Title: Ao no Exorcist
Series: Blue Exorcist #6 
Manga-ka: Kazue Kato
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Graphic Novels, Older Teen Ages 16+
Publisher: Viz Media, Shonen Jump Advanced, Shueisha Inc.
Format: Paperback, 193 Pages
ISBN-13: 978-1-4215-4174-7 
Release Date: February 7, 2012
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 4/5

Tagline(s): Fight hellfire with hellfire!

Summary: The heads of the various Myodha temple families gather to discuss recent events surrounding the Eyes of the Impure King. Revelations at the meeting only deepen suspicion of Suguro's father, Tatsuma, and angry accusations follow. Tatsuma's silence on the matter isn't helping either. Amid all the swirling distrust, Rin tries to make sense of things but struggles to keep his flame in check. Then Rin receives a letter that may shed more light on the current situation--and the secret past!

Includes two bonus stories!

Review:

As accusations and suspicions are voiced, tensions run high as the heads of Myodha convene to uncover the traitor in their midst. Rin has a heart-to-heart with Konekomaru that has him even more dedicated to his training, because as long as Rin is seen as a threat, Konekomaru won't consider him a friend. The traitor is found, but the right eye is still stolen. Suguro has words with his father that are reminiscent of the last words Rin said to Father Fujimoto and this causes Rin to lose control when Suguro refuses to take them back. Shura subdues Rin and locks him up in solitary confinement. Now that the left and right eye are together, a new and potent poisonous gas can result. Suguro's father leaves a letter for Rin describing past events that lead up to where they are now. What happened in the past to cause the current events?

Rin's friends seem to be coming around to accepting him again once they actually that the time to really see Rin for who he is. I think what changes their minds about Rin is his straightforwardness, his kindness, and his conviction. Rin shows that he's not a mindless, raging, uncontrollable beast, but a person who never asked to be born the son of Satan. Rin can't help who he was born to, but he can choose who he's going to be.

I'm really excited to be learning about the past; Father Fujimoto's involvement with Rin's birth, the Koma Sword, and Suguro's father's involvement in it all. These are things that only three people knew about before Rin: Mephisto Pheles, Father Fujimoto, and Tatsuma Suguro.

Revelations abound in the next volume as past secrets are brought to light. How will these new details impact the present as Rin and his friends follow Suguro's father in pursuit of the left and right eyes of the Impure King?

About this Manga-ka:

Kazue Katō (加藤和恵, Katō Kazue), born on July 20th, 1980 in the district of Shinjuku, in Tokyo, is a Japanese mangaka, author of shōnen manga. She is mainly known to be author of Blue Exorcist. She also created Robot to Usakichi ( ロボとうさ吉 ), for which she received the price Osamu Tezuka Award.














PART OF....

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Manga Review: xxxHOLiC Volume 19 by CLAMP


Title: xxxHOLiC Volume 19 
Series: xxxHOLiC #19 
Manga-ka: CLAMP 
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Graphic Novels, Teen 13+ 
Publisher: Del Rey Manga, Kodansha USA, Random House 
Format: Trade Paperback Original, 180 Pages 
ISBN: 978-0-345-53126-1 
Release Date: February 21, 2012 
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library 
Rating: 3.5/5 

Tagline(s): FINAL VOLUME 

Summary: Kimihiro Watanuki has passed through many trails by fire. Once an indentured servant, he has matured and become the poised and skilled keeper of the shop that grants wishes. But Watanuki's final wish is for himself: to meet the witch Yûko one more time. With Yûko long vanished from our world, is it even possible? That question and others are answered now in the concluding volume of the bestselling manga xxxHOLiC!  

xxxHOLiC crosses over with Tsubasa, also by CLAMP. Don't miss it!  

Review: 

Everyone has something they desire. The shop that grants wishes is there to grant those desires--whether they be a blessing or a curse to the wisher. Not every wish has a pleasant outcome and it's up to the customer to heed the warnings and advise of the shopkeeper. 

The first story is about the five seasonal festivals, most importantly the Chrysanthemum Festival. This festival was created to eliminate bad luck. When "light" is strongest is when the worst disasters occur. The Ame-Warashi talks about what happens when those who go by the old calender (magical beings) get fed up when people change things according to the new calender without taking notice of the old. Eventually humans pay the price, sooner or later. 

Then Watanuki meets a young woman waiting under an umbrella. She says that "He...never seems to come. But he promised. He said, 'If it's under this umbrella,' and held my hand as he promised." Her wish is to be reunited with her young man. But a "Serpent's Eye" talisman that wards against voyeurism is preventing him from meeting her. The fact that they could only meet under the umbrella suggests they have a relationship they want no one to see. Watanuki quotes the saying "At night, from a distance, or under an umbrella," which are all the ways a woman looks more beautiful, but they are all ways in which you can't see them very well. 

In the third story we learn that Himawari is married and we see how beautiful Kohane has grown up to be. And Domeki is just Domeki. Domeki brings an artifact to Watanuki that his professor wanted him to look at and identify. Watanuki speaks to the spirit of the artifact and discovers that it is a Hei-Gushi. A Hei-Gushi is a decoration put on a house's main support beam to celebrate the completion of the framework of the house. It's used as a charm to ward off evil and help ensure the happiness of the family that will live in the house. 

And finally, in the last and final chapter of the xxxHOLiC series, Watanuki dreams of a butterfly. After the fourth night of dreaming of the butterfly, Watanuki sees Yûko for the first time. During the sixth night, Watanuki sees Yûko for the second time. This time she's holding a cage with a bird in it. She releases the bird and Watanuki says, "That's what it is. So that much time has passed since I inherited the shop." It was a dream Yûko had a long time ago and sent to Watanuki to tell him that he's strong enough and there is no need to hide himself away in the shop anymore. When asked if he'd like to forget about Yûko, Watanuki says no and commits to continuing as the keeper of the shop. So he can wait for Yûko. Domeki remarks that, "For him, even now, forgetting Yûko-san seems like it would be more painful than not forgetting." 

This finale to xxxHOLiC is more somber than most of the series finales by CLAMP. Because of this it didn't have as big of an impact on me like some of their more explosive or emotional finales. So I was just a teeny bit disappointed. 

Although I wasn't happy with the conclusion, it did make sense. When Yûko disappeared and Watanuki inherited the shop, it was revealed that Syaoran (Tsubasa) and Watanuki are the same person, but they were split when Syaoran made his wish. In order for Syaoran to move forward to look for Sakura, Watanuki had to remain in the shop to wait for Yûko. In the final chapter, Watanuki sees a dream Yûko left for him, showing the release of a bird, which is Watanuki's signature and symbolic of him, signifying that Watanuki is now strong enough to move forward on his own and leave the shop. Though he is now free, he chooses to remain as the shopkeeper and continue waiting for Yûko (talk about dedication!).

One thing about the conclusion that left me a little confused was when Watanuki mentioned that he's been the shopkeeper for more than a hundred years. Like I mentioned before, in order for Syaoran's time to move forward, Watanuki's needed to stop, so Watanuki still looks the way her did when he was in high school, while all his friends are growing older. What confused me about the more than a hundred years as shopkeeper part is that, how could that much time go by and all his friends still be alive? The only thing I could think of was that time moves differently in the shop than outside the shop. 

In a previous volume, Yûko had given to Domeki an egg-like item that he could use to protect Watanuki, and that he would know the right time to use it. He still has not used it and says, "I guess it still isn't the time to use this." I mean, what was the point of the egg-like object if it's not even going to be used? Yûko made it sound like something very important, and by the end of the series it's still not even been used. Talk about waste!

I really like the final line of the series, though. Domeki says, "For him, even now, forgetting Yûko-san seems like it would be more painful than not forgetting." And the final image is of a bird flying free, representing Watanuki's freedom to move forward if he chooses. For Watanuki's story, that is the perfect image to end the series with.

About this Manga-ka:


Ookawa Nanase 大川七瀬
[born: 2 May 1967; bloodtype: A]

Mokona Apapa もこなあぱぱ
[born: 16 Jun 1968, Oosaka-metropolis, Kyouto; bloodtype: A]

Nekoi Mick 猫井みっく
[born: 21 Jan 1969, Oosaka-metropolis, Kyouto; bloodtype: O]

Igarashi Satsuki 五十嵐さつき
[born: 8 Feb 1969, Oosaka-metropolis, Kyouto; bloodtype: A]

CLAMP originally began in 1989 as a twelve-member dōjinshi circle, but by 1990, the circle had diminished from twelve to seven. Of the remaining seven, Tamayo Akiyama, Sei Nanao, and Leeza Sei left the group during the production of the RG Veda manga. Other former members of CLAMP also included Soushi Hishika, O-Kyon, Kazue Nakamori, Yuzuru Inoue and Shinya Ōmi. Currently, there are four members in the group.

In 2004, CLAMP's 15th anniversary as a mangaka group, the members changed their names from Nanase Ohkawa, Mokona Apapa, Mick Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi to Ageha Ohkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Satsuki Igarashi (her name is pronounced the same, but written with different characters) respectively. The August 2004 issue of Newtype USA, a magazine specializing in events of the anime and manga subcultures, reported that the members of CLAMP simply wanted to try out new names. In a later interview with Ohkawa, it was revealed that initially Mokona wanted to drop her surname because it sounded too immature for her liking, while Nekoi disliked people commenting that her name was the same as Mick Jagger's. Ohkawa and Igarashi, wanting to go with the flow of Nekoi's and Mokona's name changes, changed their names as well.

In 2006, they made their first USA public debut at Anime Expo in Anaheim, California. They were well received at the convention, with 6,000 fans in attendance at their panel.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Tour Review: Awaited by Lynn Rush (Giveaway)

Title: Awaited
Series: Wasteland #2
Author: Lynn Rush
Genre: New Adult Fiction, Supernatural Fiction
Elements: Angels, Demons
Publisher: Crescent Moon Press
Format: ARC PDF, 271 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-937254-21-6
Release Date: February 2012
Source: Tour Host {Bewitching Book Tours}
Rating: 4.5/5

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: Russell Leonard is a centuries-old Guardian who’s lost faith in his purpose. So when he’s charged with procuring the first female Guardian in over two centuries, he can only hope it’s the red-headed beauty who’s been haunting his dreams for months. And if it is, he intends to claim her as his. But when he finds his dream woman, Annabelle is mute and bears no Guardian’s Mark.

He soon realizes she’s been tainted by an ancient evil. Russell must somehow release the secrets trapped within this delicate soul to help her tap into the only weapon powerful enough to silence a millennia-old demon—her voice.

Review: 

Russell takes center stage in Awaited. We met Russell in Wasteland as Beka's "brother" and protector. In Awaited, Russell and Durk are on a plane on their way to search for the first female Guardian in over 200 years. When their plane crashes, they are the only survivors besides a mysterious young woman. This woman turns out to be the one Russell has been dreaming about for the past three months.

Annabelle Slater is a 19-year-old mute heiress who was kidnapped and tortured by demons when she was a young girl. When she was freed, she came back different. Dark mood swings, violent outbursts, and disturbing artwork were among the changes Annabelle came back with. Most disturbing is that when these things happen, Annabelle's eyes go completely black, like a demon's. One of Annabelle's vision-paintings was of Russell that she had done six years earlier.

In Awaited, we see the soul-weariness of a centuries-old warrior who has lost his faith in his mission. But when Russell meets the woman of his dreams in person, he feels reawakened. There is a lot of talk in this book about how love is the most powerful thing in the world and we really see how love does give someone a strength they never had before.

Awaited is a much darker sequel to Wasteland, where faith is lost and sometimes love isn't enough. The demons are doing experiments to gain back the power the lost when the Guardians got David. But even with everything seemingly falling apart and being destroyed, there is an air of hopefulness as the story progresses.

With surprise revelations, steamy but sweet romance, and heart-stopping action, Lynn Rush brings us a world where darkness may abound, but  love and Light are an unbeatable power. I have a feeling that the next and final book in the Wasteland Trilogy will be Jessica and Durk's story...something to look forward to!

Book Trailer:

 
About this Author:  

Driven to write, Lynn Rush often sees her characters by closing her eyes watching their story unfold in her mind. Lynn Rush is a pen name that is a combination of two sources – Lynn, the first name of her mother-in-law, who passed away and Rush – since the author is a former inline speed skater and mountain biker. All of Rush’s books are dedicated to Lynn, her namesake.

Rush holds a degree in psychology from Southwest Minnesota State University and a master's degree from the University of Iowa. Originally from Minneapolis, Rush currently enjoys living in the Arizona sunshine by road biking nearly 100 miles per week with her husband of 15 years and jogging with her two loveable Shetland Sheep dogs.


Connected with Lynn online

Catch the Rush: www.LynnRush.com

~~~See you in the paranormal~~~

ADD AWAITED TO YOUR GOODREADS TBR LIST!  

MAIN EXCERPT on website: 
My feet finally found the water’s floor. I tugged the female from Durk’s grasp and hoisted her up into my arms.
The water had washed away the crimson stains, but left her lips thin and blue. Durk pressed his fingers to her neck. “No pulse.”
“Go. Find wood dry enough to burn. We need fire. I’ll start CPR.”
He bolted to his feet and darted away. I settled her on the damp foliage covered floor and ripped her buttoned blouse apart. I rested my ear to her chest. Nothing. Cheek to her mouth. Nothing.
I clamped my hands together and started counting out compressions. “Please. You can’t die. I just found you.”
Her chest caved beneath my weight with each push I offered to start her heart. Pumping it for her. She looked so cold. So small. So fragile. Darkness tainted her lips. I imagined they’d be full and bright red like in my dreams. Her glowing skin was now dull and lifeless.
Please. Michael.
There must have been a reason for me to be on this plane. This time. This date. This instance. Not to let me find someone I’d dreamt about, then to lose her.
I pinched her nose. With my other hand I cradled her neck and opened her mouth to mine. My lips formed a seal around hers, and I blew. Her chest raised. One more breath.
I turned my head, listening. Nothing.
I repeated it for another cycle. Durk returned holding an armful of branches. He ripped open his pack and pulled out a bag.
“Zip lock?”
“Jessica made an appearance at my room while packing.” He held it up. “I thought she’d lost her mind. Matches, magazine, and tiny foil blanket.”
“You didn’t say anything.”
“Told me not to.”
Durk went to work on the fire as I finished the second round of compressions. I leaned down to breathe for her again and paused an inch before contact with her lips. “Please,” I whispered and sealed her mouth with mine.
I breathed into her, then turned and drew in a gulp of air and let it flow into her. A gentle scent of sandalwood and sugar wrapped around me. Coiled me in warmth. The woman flinched beneath me.
Then coughed.
I tilted her to the side and water spewed from her mouth. A tremor rocked her little body. The crackle of a flame, and the scent of burning leaves filled the air. “There you go. Get it out.” I patted her back.
She flopped back and her eyes opened wide.
The same honey irises I’d seen a hundred times in my dreams stared at me. “Can you hear me?”
The lids hung heavy over her dilated eyes, then slid shut.
“No. No. Stay with me.” I patted her shoulder.
Durk joined me, kneeling beside her on the other side. I pressed my finger to her neck.
“She’s got to be in shock. Freezing. Get that fire going.” I peeled my shirt over my head as I stood. “Find all you can to get a small shelter formed around the fire.” I ripped at the belt securing my soggy pants to me. “I’ll warm her up.”
Wasn’t exactly how I’d dreamed I would first lay with a woman, but I’d be damned if I was going to let her die.
She was mine. 
GIVEAWAY: 
 a Rafflecopter giveaway

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE PREQUEL TO THE WASTELAND SERIES!


**Short Story**
Prelude to Darkness
Wasteland, # .5
Release Date May 2012

For a slave, hope is a dangerous thing… 

Margaret Rousseau dreams of freedom from a life of servitude. When a mysterious woman saunters into the servants’ tavern promising the impossible, Margaret dares to hope she could win the heart of the one man she has secretly coveted since she first wore a corset...

The Prince.

Margaret desperately grasps for the opportunity to change her bleak destiny by placing faith in a woman who is not as forthcoming as she seems. Blinded to the stranger’s dark motives, Margaret surrenders herself to gain her heart’s desires.

But her choice may bring forth a darkness that could destroy all she holds dear.



Tour Hosted by Bewitching Book Tours

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Review: Finding My Faith by Carly Fall

Title: Finding My Faith
Series: Six Saviors #1
Author: Carly Fall
Genre: Science Fiction, Supernatural Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Romance Fiction
Elements: Aliens, Psychic Abilities, Spirits
Publisher: Westward Publishing
Format: eBook, 214 Pages
ASIN: B007E25F72
Release Date: February 27, 2012
Source: Tour Host {Bewitching Book Tours}
Rating: 5/5

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: Growing up in a small Northern Arizona town, Faith Cloudfoot’s life was spent playing in the forests surrounding her house under the protective eyes of her father, and learning about the legends of her Native American heritage.

Yearning for more out of her life, she moves to Phoenix, Arizona at the age of twenty-three where she is kidnapped and almost killed.

Rayner has a special ability, one that weighs on him like a curse. He can see spirits trapped in between life and their final resting place. Because he can’t do much to help them, he studiously ignores them. He concentrates, instead, on working with his fellow warriors to right the wrongs caused by the evil criminals from his home planet.

When Rayner sees Faith in her spirit form while investigating a lead in Phoenix, his attraction to her is immediate, yet he follows his own personal code and ignores her cry for attention. When he realizes that she may be a stepping stone to getting him home to his own universe, he engages Faith and begins to use her as a means to an end: going home.

As the attraction grows stronger, Rayner finds himself breaking all sorts of self-set rules, as well as the code of ethics set by him and his fellow warriors. When Faith nears death, Rayner realizes that he must do everything in his power to save her, because if he doesn’t, he may just lose himself.

Review:

Being someone who has not had the pleasure to read the first book in this series, The Light Within Me, I was glad that the author provided some background information. Because of this, one doesn't have to have read the first book to understand Finding My Faith. In fact, I became really curious about Noah and Abby's story when they were introduced in this book, and I can't wait to go back and read their story for myself. Because I have not read The Light Within Me, I can base this review solely on Finding My Faith, since I have nothing to compare it to.

I loved how Finding My Faith has a mix of genres; there's a little bit of something for everyone: sci-fi action, supernatural abilities, and sweet romance. All of this is blended so well together that this book can't be put into just one genre.

It might seem kind of cheesy, but I really liked how Rayner and Faith always seemed to have everything in common. Not only are their backgrounds similar (each grew up in the forests of their respective homelands), but they also just so happen to like the same foods and TV shows. Their both spiritual people and love nature and the outdoors. And both are free-spirits; although Rayner lost that when he came to Earth, meeting Faith made him want to live again instead of just floating along.

I love legends and folklore, so I really like the legend of The Woman With Fire for Hair and the Red-Eyed Wolf Warrior. The legend states the a woman of the Navajo with flaming red hair and an man with glowing red eyes will produce a son that will be able to harness the earth's energy. This son will only be born when the Earth needs him most, it could be a few years or hundreds of years until he's born. Until then, The Woman With Fire for Hair and the Red-Eyed Wolf Warrior will not age, the Warrior will not lose his wolf spirit, and only after then son is born will they begin to age as humans do. This legend really works in Rayner and Faith's favor. Neither of them will age until their son is born, and who knows how long that will be. And Rayner won't lose his SR44 form (though the legends says wolf spirit, for Rayner it's his SR44 form).

I was kind of disappointed that we never got to see the Colonist's demise. With how hyped up Hudson ans Cohen were to hunt him down, I was looking forward to seeing his downfall. Everyone likes seeing the bad guy lose in the end, but we just don't see it in Finding My Faith. Also, the Colonists are portrayed as these vicious killers, but the Colonist in this book just wasn't. It was just disappointing reading about how they are trying to catch and kill this Colonist and we never get to see it when they finally do.

Other than my issue with how weak I found the Colonist to be, I really loved Finding My Faith. I can't wait to see what's next for the Six Saviors.

About this Author: 

Carly Fall lives in Arizona with her incredibly supportive husband, their son and their dog.
She enjoys the weather in Arizona, and when she isn't writing, you can find her spending time with her family, or lazily floating in the pool.

Carly has spent twenty years writing business materials, and Shackled to the Night was her first foray into fiction.

For more information on upcoming books as well as freebies and giveaways, visit her website at www.CarlyFall.com


Twitter: CarlyFall1


Tour Hosted by Bewitching Book Tours