Month: December 2013

Battling with CRYSTAL FIRE–Review and Giveaway

crystal fire banner copy

Hi there, and welcome to my stop on the CRYSTAL FIRE Blog Tour sponsored by YA Bound Blog Tours. For other stops on the tour click here. Today’s book is best-selling novelist Jordan Dane’s sequel to the YA paranormal adventure INDIGO AWAKENING.

crystal fireSummary from Goodreads:
Because of what you are, the Believers will hunt you down.

A storm is brewing on the streets of LA, one that has intensified since a tragic and deadly confrontation claimed an innocent life.

While Gabriel Stewart trains his army of teen psychics to stop Alexander Reese–the obsessed leader of the Believers–the fanatical church becomes more bent on the annihilation of all Indigo and Crystal children. They’re silencing the voices of the telepathic hive, one soul at a time, with frightening experiments cruelly executed on vulnerable minds.

When the Believers torture a mysterious homeless boy, Oliver Blue, they brainwash him into betraying his own. The boy becomes a deadly pawn to take Gabriel down. As the fires of chaos burn around him, Gabe is running out of time. He’ll need to confront his past–and the man who made him–before the hope of peace for the future is silenced forever.

My Review:
Wow. This book is intense. So many themes. So many controversial themes, I should say.

First, a bit of world-building. The setting is contemporary L.A., but this society is heavily influenced by the Church of Spiritual Freedom–an international religious congregation that not only believes psychics aren’t human, and are sure these psychic, or Indigo, children are too dangerous to be allowed to survive. Unfortunately there are a lot of Indigo kids, and they are being rounded up–either for extermination or experimentation.

We open with Caila enlisting the help of Oliver–a powerful but reclusive Indigo–to find their mutual friend Zack. He’s been taken by the Church, and Caila feels responsible. She and Oliver are themselves kidnapped and subjected to horrors at the hands of Church physician-scientist Dr. Fiona. While there Oliver’s powers grow. So much so that he’s able to remotely mind-link with Gabriel Stewart.

Gabe’s so powerful he’s passed into Crystal status and can utilize other Indigo’s powers. As the son of the director of the Church, Gabe is appalled by his father’s edict to hunt down the Indigos. It’s nothing new for that callous man–he did have Gabe’s mother murdered, after all. Gabe cobbles together as many Indigos as he can to build an army against the Church’s henchmen.

When his friend Rafael is taken by the Church, Gabe’s Indigo army seeks to set him free. Aided by Oliver and Caila, Gabe and his fellow psychics discover even more horrific happenings in the Church’s top-secret Zone 8 laboratory. The risks are high, but the payoff is higher. Especially when the showdown pits Gabe against his father.

The world of CRYSTAL FIRE is fantastic without being unrealistic. The kids are compassionate and make good heroes. While I always object to a “Mad Scientist” trope–because, um, I’m a scientist–the story is compelling and will appeal to fans of YA dystopian fiction. There are some hints of romance, but nothing to blush over, so it’s safe for the kiddos… A great read. It’s all wrapped up neatly, but there are certainly elements that can be used to build a third book in this series.

Interested? You can can find CRYSTAL FIRE at Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository and Kobo.

jordan daneAbout this Author:
Bestselling, critically-acclaimed author Jordan Dane’s gritty romantic thrillers are ripped from the headlines with vivid settings, intrigue, and dark humor. Publishers Weekly compared her intense novels to Lisa Jackson, Lisa Gardner, and Tami Hoag, naming her debut novel NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM as Best Books of 2008. She also pens young-adult novels for Harlequin Teen. Formerly an energy sales manager, she now writes full time. Jordan and her husband share their Texas residence with two lucky rescue dogs.

You can find Jordan on her website, Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, blogging at ADR3NALIN3 or her personal blog, or eavesdropping on teen conversations at her local mall so she can get the right flava for her dialogue.

***GIVEAWAY***
Click the Rafflecopter link below to win
one of 10 print copies of CRYSTAL FIRE (US/CAN only)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best of luck, and as always–keep reading my friends.

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Looking for MEN AND MARTINIS? Got them! Review and Giveaway

Men and Martinis-tour banner copy

Hi there and welcome to my stop on the MEN AND MARTINIS blog tour sponsored by YA Bound Blog Tours. For other stops on the tour click here. Today’s book is a sassy New Adult romance by Delancey Stewart.

men and martinisSummary from Goodreads:
Candace Kanie wins at every game she plays. From the boardroom to the bar, she’s confident, clever, perhaps just a tad overbearing. It’s not easy for a girl like Candace to admit that love may be the one game she can’t win…at least not until she’s willing to change her strategy. In Men and Martinis, Candace Kanie will learn that sometimes to be at the top of your game, you have to hit rock bottom.

Men and Martinis is the first release in Delancey Stewart’s series “Girlfriends of Gotham” – a voyeuristic voyage through the lives of a group of twenty-something girls who dance, date, and drink their way through Manhattan during the days of the dot com boom. During an era when the up-and-comers in New York were partying like Studio 54 had never died, this group of friends discovers that the city is theirs for the taking; and they find their often-hilarious way through the forces that work to redefine the way they know themselves and each other.

My review:
This New Adult adventure follows the lives of two young gals tackling New York’s business landscape in their own way. Natalie is befuddled. She only knows she needs to get away from the watchful eyes of her family in San Diego. So she drives herself across the country and shares an apartment with a complete stranger. She lucks into a fantastic marketing job that she has no knowledge or skill to actually do, yet she gives it her all.

At a business party she crosses paths with the brash, take-no-prisoners, chic Candace “Don’t call me Candy” Kanie and they hit it off. Candace is a investment manager–and she will accept nothing less than her exact ideal job, mate, or life.

This dual-viewpoint tale is endearing. We see the internal vulnerabilities of two competent women both swimming for the surface in shark-infested seas. Despite all effort, Candace can’t seem to land the man she wants–nor seal the crucial investment her firm needs to get it’s financial footing. Lacking experience, Natalie is mired in too much work she cannot possibly handle–and a relationship that is going nowhere. Her attraction to a co-worker causes too much friction, and a new executive hired to train her is not helping matters.

Ultimately, we get a great look at the world of fledgling adults attempting to make a “success” of themselves. I really enjoyed the pacing and felt the characters were well-drawn and admirable. For those who clamor about too sexy New Adult, they have nothing to flinch at here. All the smexytimes takes place behind closed doors.

 Interested? You can find MEN AND MARTINIS at Goodreads, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.

delancey stewartAbout the Author
I’m not big on labels, but there are a few that fit me (not necessarily in this order. Or maybe in this order):
– wine drinker (and wine geek)
– mother of small boys
– military spouse
– writer
– chocolate eater

I’ve written the Wine Country Romance Series, which ties my love of wine to my love of falling in love… and the Girlfriends of Gotham series, which begins publishing with Swoon Romance in December 2013.

I also love short stories, and my themed collection (all set in the same NYC brownstone across the span of a century) published in 2012. You can catch ups with Delancey on her blog, Goodreads, Facebook and twitter.

***GIVEAWAY***
Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win:
4 – ebooks of Men and Martinis + $10 iTunes gift card (INT)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! And, as always, keep reading my friends!

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Could Love FIX YOU? Review and Giveaway

Fix-You-Banner

Hi there, and welcome to my stop on the FIX YOU blog tour sponsored by AToMR Book Tours. For other stops on the tour click here. Today’s book is an adult contemporary romance from Beck Anderson.

FixYou_CoverBook Description:
When Kelly Reynolds’s husband died, he left her—the awkward, cautious one—to raise their two young boys. She’s pieced herself back together, barely. Now she takes refuge in her routine: running her kids around and running the trails near her Idaho home.

Two years after her husband’s death, a chance encounter on a run brings Andrew into her life. But Andrew is Andy Pettigrew, the Andy Pettigrew, famous actor. Kelly hates risk, and a love affair with Andrew is certainly tempting fate. She doesn’t fit into his Hollywood world. She doesn’t own a pair of Louboutins, and she couldn’t walk five paces in them if she did. Andrew oozes cool. She reeks of dork.

But despite this, they click. It may be inexplicable, but it works. However, it’s also becoming clear that Andrew struggles with the pressures of his fame. Kelly’s hold on a so-called normal life is already tenuous, and as much as she might want to indulge the fantasy, she doesn’t know how either of them is supposed to cope with stalkerazzi and tweet-happy fans with camera phones. She and Andrew both have secrets that seem impossible to keep.

Beck Anderson’s witty, engaging writing yields an emotional tale of love, loss, and all the little things that make up a life. In the end, what is it that really holds us together? Kelly must decide if love can fix two people who might be broken beyond repair.

My Review:

Sometimes we live life; sometimes we just survive it–and Kelly Reynolds is surviving her life. Losing her husband was a nightmare she can’t escape–and her dreams are often tortured by her guilt for moving on–or not moving on enough. See, Kelly was always cautious. Her life has been played by the rules and she figures she lost the game already. Kelly can only pull herself out of bed to take care of her two boys, Hunter and Beau. But even they know she’s dead inside.

Cue the intervention. A quick trip to Indio has Kelly moving. Or, at least running. She’s taking her daily jog when realization strikes: today is the second anniversary of her husband’s death.  Overcome, she nearly collapses in tears and is assisted by a tall stranger. He dashes off so quickly he leaves behind his jacket. Kelly’s attempt to return it opens the next chapter of her life.

The stranger is movie star Andrew Pettigrew, another lonely soul surviving life. Meeting Kelly–a grounded, caring mother–is somewhat of an epiphany for him. He meets her the next day and they chat. Then they go for a run and chat some more. Kelly keeps all of this so down low it’s practically down under–a trait Andrew seems to like. He takes her number in the event he ever stops in Boise.

What do you know. A couple months later he does stop. Pops in unexpectedly. Kelly and her sons put him up for the weekend. A weekend filled with discovery. And a bit of guilt. But mostly there is something Kelly hasn’t felt in good long time: hope.

Their strange romance is kept super-down-under-low in order to foster the image of a fake romance between Andrew and his newest co-star, a Hollywood device that seems to increase ticket sales. It’s nerve-wracking for both Andrew and Kelly bringing along some unexpected baggage–Andrew’s alcoholism.

Though Kelly and Andrew share a strong love, Kelly knows she’s broken, and can’t imagine how she can help Andrew through his disease. She’d kicked her husband out years ago for alcoholism and they’d reconciled shortly before he died. This new facet with Andrew is deja vu of the Worst Kind. But maybe together they can find a way…

This book hit me hard. Maybe it’s because I’ve recently lost my father and an uncle, but a story about moving on after losing a loved one is always going to touch its readers. The romance is so super-down-low we only get Fade To Black scenes–no super steamy interludes, but that’s okay here, I think. Keeping the focus on working through grief and learning to trust in another love is amenable to a quiet love affair. At times I wanted to shake Kelly and give her a Cher-Snap-Out-Of-It smack, but she manages to right the ship and find the best course in time.

Interested? You can find FIX YOU at Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

beck anderson press releaseAbout this author:
Beck Anderson believes in the power of perfectly imperfect women and in the healing power of love. Her new novel, Fix You, grew out of those beliefs and the time to write afforded by the worst Thanksgiving blizzard she’s ever witnessed in West Yellowstone.

For Beck, the path to published novelist has taken lots of twists and turns, including a degree in anthropology, a stint as a ticket seller at a ski resort, a much-loved career as a high school English teacher, and a long tenure as a member of the best writing group ever, hands down.

Beck balances (clumsily at best) writing novels and screenplays, working full-time as an educator, mothering two pre-teen males, loving one post-40 husband, and making time to walk the foothills of Boise, Idaho, with Stefano DiMera Delfino Anderson, the suavest Chihuahua north of the border. You can find Beck on her website, Facebook and twitter.

****GIVEAWAY****
Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance at winning
(7) eBook copies of Fix You provided by Omnific Publishing – International
(1) $25 USD Gift Card to Omnific Publishing (to purchase any of their titles) – International
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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