Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

VIRTUAL TOUR [Excerpt & My Review + Giveaway] Dead Scary by Sally Gould



Dead Scary
by Sally Gould

BLURB:

Adam is an ordinary boy, except for one thing. He can see and talk with ghosts. When his family moves into what seems like the home of his dreams, Adam finds out it isn't his dream home after all. Edward Lawrence, a bossy ghost who was Adam's age when he died, regards the home as his own and he doesn't want to share it with an annoying boy who can see him. After Edward fails to convince Adam to get his family to move out, he seeks powerful help from the earthbound spirit world to get rid of them. However, Adam has an ally in the earthbound spirit world as well as knowing a handful of tricks to get rid of ghosts. Adam just has to get rid of Edward before the Council of Earthbound Spirits authorizes Warrior Spirits to get rid of Adam and his family. But will Adam succeed in time?






Links to purchase Dead Scary



Dead Scary is a fast, fun and entertaining read. What happens when your parents make it big and you get the home of your dreams and then there's s ghost named Eddie in there to ruin it all for you? Yep! That's what happen to Adam. They both wanted each other to move out. 

If you love ghost stories and a little group of bad ghosts with an angel thrown in and if you are under 13 then this is a great book for you. Considering that this was a middle to lower YA book I enjoyed the heck out of it!! 4 Stars!! 




As if he could read my mind, he leant forward and said to me, 'Adam, already I can see that it'd be difficult for me to put up with someone who can see me in my own home. I'll give you and your family time to find another house to move into. You can stay here for now ... as long as you follow my Rules.'

I began to argue but Dad called out from the other end of the house. 'Adam, come and help!'

'Not in a million years,' I said to the ghost of Edward Lawrence before I turned my back on him and left the room.

As I headed down the hallway, I realized the home from heaven had been too good to be true. I'd have to get rid of this stubborn ghost all by myself. But an uneasy feeling swept through me. I'd never got rid of a ghost, because Grandpa George had always been there to do it for me. At least Grandpa George had left me with the things I'd need. Still, I felt unsure. Never could I remember Grandpa George getting rid of a ghost like him. One who was so confident and sure of himself, like a person who knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it. A chill went up my spine as I noticed Emily on the grass out the back. She was squealing at the top of her voice while she ran around in circles taking in all that space.



AUTHOR

Sally Gould loved books from a young age, but never considered writing them. While she was busy getting up to the mischief that teenagers get up to, she forgot about books all together. Then total insanity took hold and she became a corporate lawyer. Fortunately, she had two sons and they inspired her to write stories for children. Of course, her oldest son is responsible, logical, studious, considerate, grateful and even makes his bed. The youngest one is only interested in having fun - lots of it. And, except for his teachers, he makes everyone laugh. Their antics have inspired many of Sally's stories. Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia with her family and two dogs - Pebbles, who is sensible, and Jade, who just wants to have fun.





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GIVEAWAY

Sally Gould will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Additionally, Goddess Fish Productions will be awarding a $5 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn host.


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Wednesday, August 19, 2015

BLOG TOUR [My Review + Giveaway] The Summer the World Ended by Matthew S. Cox



The Summer the World Ended 
by Matthew S. Cox 
Published by: Curiosity Quills Press
Publication date: June 29th 2015
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult

Synopsis:

As far as Riley McCullough is concerned, her best friend getting ‘dragged’ off to Puerto Vallarta for the first two weeks of summervacation was the end of the world―at least until the bombs fell.
Life in suburban New Jersey with her mother has been comfortable, not to mention boring, to an introverted fourteen year old. As if her friend’s surprise trip wasn’t bad enough, her expectations for the ‘best summer ever’ disintegrate when she gets sent across the country to stay with a father she hasn’t seen in six years. Adjusting to a tiny, desert town where everyone stares at them like they don’t belong proves difficult, and leaves her feeling more isolated than ever. To make matters worse, her secretive father won’t tell the truth about why he left―or what he’s hiding.
Her luck takes an unexpected turn for the better when she meets a boy who shares her interest in video games and contempt for small town boredom. In him, she finds a kindred spirit who might just make the middle of nowhere tolerable.
Happiness is short lived; fleeing nuclear Armageddon, she takes shelter with her dad in an underground bunker he’d spent years preparing. After fourteen days without sun, Riley must overcome the sorrow of losing everything to save the one person she cares about most.




This book was AMAZING!!I was completely drawn in from the first chapter on. Have you ever watched a series on Netflix and before you know it you have watched 7 seasons? Yep that’s exactly what happened. Before I knew it I was at the end. As disappointed as I was that it was the end, Cox did an awesome job with this book and tied it all together. And oh my gosh where did he get the idea for this book?  it was a brilliant one. All of the twists and turns and the utterly amazing plot will keep you asking questions. Another thing how can a guy write a female part so well?

Riley was a 14 yr old expecting to have the best summer ever. She loved video games and playing online with others. She does all the things a typical teen does. I loved the video element because I have a 14yr old son and I knew all the games and the slang they were using. Yep, I am well versed in gaming language LOL! When one night her life changed forever and she was thrown into a town and a life with her dad that she hadn’t seen in years. Her dad was somewhat of an end of the word prepper. Riley handles everything that is thrown at her like a trooper and after it all lands on her feet a very well adjusted teenager. We find out things are not always as they seem. I hate to give away too much because you will love this book. The ending is quite the surprise and not at all what you are expecting.

I can’t brag on this book enough and the great job Cox did. I’m looking forward to seeing more from him. Check this book out you won’t be disappointed!!

5 Stars!!!


AUTHOR BIO:

Born in a little town known as South Amboy NJ in 1973, Matthew has been creating science fiction and fantasy worlds for most of his reasoning life. Somewhere between fifteen to eighteen of them spent developing the world in which Division Zero, Virtual Immortality, and The Awakened Series take place. He has several other projects in the works as well as a collaborative science fiction endeavor with author Tony Healey.

Hobbies and Interests:

Matthew is an avid gamer, a recovered WoW addict, Gamemaster for two custom systems (Chronicles of Eldrinaath [Fantasy] and Divergent Fates [Sci Fi], and a fan of anime, British humour (<- deliberate), and intellectual science fiction that questions the nature of reality, life, and what happens after it.

He is also fond of cats.


Author links:





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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

REVIEW TOUR [My Review + Trailer] They Call Me Alexandra Gastone by T.A. Maclagan

They Call Me Alexandra Gastone
by T.A. Maclagan

When your life is a lie, how do you know what’s real?

Alexandra Gastone has a simple plan: graduate high school, get into Princeton, work for the CIA, and serve her great nation.

She was told the plan back when her name was Milena Rokva, back before the real Alexandra and her family were killed in a car crash.

Milena was trained to be a sleeper agent by Perun, a clandestine organization from her true homeland of Olissa. There, Milena learned everything she needed to infiltrate the life of CIA analyst Albert Gastone, Alexandra’s grandfather, and the ranks of America’s top intelligence agency.

For seven years, “Alexandra” has been on standby and life’s been good. Grandpa Albert loves her, and her strategically chosen boyfriend, Grant, is amazing.
But things are about to change. Perun no longer needs her at the CIA in five years’ time. They need her active now.

Between her cover as a high school girl—juggling a homecoming dance, history reports, and an increasingly suspicious boyfriend—and her mission in this high-stakes spy game, the boundaries of her two lives are beginning to blur.

Will she stay true to the country she barely remembers, or has her loyalty shattered along with her identity?
Praise for They Call Me Alexandra Gastone:

“An intricate, debut spy thriller…readers will keep turning pages, and the surprise ending will have them anxiously awaiting a sequel.” —Booklist

“…the intersection of action, espionage, and drama makes for solid…entertainment: readers will gladly sit back and watch Alexandra navigate the obstacle course that comes with playing her role too well. It’s a strong debut for New Zealand author Maclagan.” —Publisher’s Weekly

“Death-threats, global takeover, double-agents, hidden files and a blown cover—by the time you get to the shocking conclusion of this cliff-hanger, you won’t know who to trust…” —Girls’ Life

“A solid debut that has both heart and smarts. Clever, solidly paced, and power-packed with a killer voice. They Call Me Alexandra Gastone is a blast to read. A perfect balance of mystery, romance, and betrayal. Bring on the sequel!” — Lindsay Cummings, author of The Murder Complex

“They Call Me Alexandra Gastone is a politically savvy, thrilling escapade of a girl who’s given up her whole life to serve her nation. But as her iron grip on her cover starts to loosen and her trust falters in the mission, the secrets unfold quick as gunfire. I couldn’t put They Call Me Alexandra Gastone down—Maclagan’s clever, never-what-they-seem characters and authentic tradecraft tidbits lured me in, while Alexandra’s resourcefulness against overwhelming odds kept me constantly guessing.”-Lindsay Smith, author of Sekret and Skandal


I really don't usually go for the whole spy novel thing. I usually stick to supernatural/ horror but after watching a few "spy" shows on TV I thought I would give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised. It was slow going at the beginning but as a reader you have to remember you need a little back story to set up the book. And once it got going I was looking forward to every time I could get back to it. 


It had some great characters and Alexandra the main character was my favorite. She was trained as a sleeper agent and sent to live in a CIA agents home posing as his granddaughter.  She became very fond of Albert and grew to love him and her boyfriend. All heck broke lose when she was activated. Lots of information came to light on both sides and she had to decide which side she was on. She struggled with the loyalty to her country and the love that she had for Albert and her friends. It has a great twist in the end that you will totally love. Once this book got going it was non stop. If you like YA spy/suspense books you will love this. And even if you don't usually read these like me, you might be pleasantly surprised as I was. 

5 Stars!! 





T.A. Maclagan is a Kansas girl by birth but now lives in the bush-clad hills of Wellington, New Zealand with her Kiwi husband, son and four pampered cats. With a bachelor’s degree in biology and a Ph.D. in anthropology, she’s studied poison dart frogs in the rainforests of Costa Rica, howler monkeys in Panama and the very exotic and always elusive American farmer. It was as she was writing her ‘just the facts’ dissertation that T.A. felt the call to pursue something more imaginative and discovered a passion for creative writing. They Call Me Alexandra Gastone is her first novel.




You can find her online at:
Website: www.tamaclagan.com 



Friday, July 24, 2015

BLOG TOUR [My Review + Giveaway] Haunted Echoes by Emma Bloom


Haunted Echoes
by Emma Bloom 
Release Date: 07/20/15

Summary from Goodreads:
Freak!

Oddball!

Crazy!

Loser!

The world sees Abby as unsavory, making her feel isolated. But she most certainly isn’t alone. Everywhere she turns she hears disembodied voices, sees things move as if by unseen hands. Bullies constantly torment her, threatening what remains of her sanity. Her mother is too busy trying to fix her craziness to see what is truly happening.

Abby is tired of the world around her, and wants nothing more than to escape. When her life spirals out of control, she is invited to Hildebranch Academy, a school for spirited kids like her. Can Abby learn to live a normal life?


Buy Links:





Let me just tell you I HATE BULLIES. I am a teacher and cannot stand and will never stand for bullies. When I started this book my heart just broke for Abby. And along with the bullying she deals with spirits bombarding her all the time. She never gets a moment to just be normal. And her mom... well, she isn’t much of a help. Having to support herself and Abby since her dad died has taken all of her time and effort. Until one event happens and a doctor comes through for Abby and tells her about a special school where there are others just like her and that she wasn’t crazy. Abby learns how to deal with the voices and in the end the bullies get exactly what they deserved

I really enjoyed the story and Abby was my favorite. I was so happy when in the end, her life finally was coming together. The author did a great job helping the reader to experience what Abby was going through; the good and the bad. And when her mom finally stood up for her with the bullies I couldn’t help but smile. I highly recommend this book.

5 Stars




About the Author
Author Emma Bloom, that’s me! I was born in southern Illinois and am the youngest in my family. From an early age I found a great love for reading and dreamed of one day creating books that would capture the minds of young readers. I am an avid lover of all things paranormal, even though I admit I’m the first to duck and cover in a haunted house.

Author Links:

GIVEAWAY:

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Friday, June 12, 2015

BOOK TOUR [My Review + Giveaway] Secret of the Sevens by Lynn Lindquist


Secret of the Sevens
Release Date: 06/2015
Flux Publishing

Summary from Goodreads:
Everyone at Singer, a boarding school for underprivileged kids, knows the urban legend of the Society of Seven. Decades ago, the original members of the secret guild for elite students murdered the school's founder and then perished in the fire they lit to hide the evidence. Or so the story goes.

Talan Michaels doesn't care about Singer's past. He's too focused on his future and the fact that he'll be homeless after he graduates in May. To take his mind off it, he accepts a mysterious invitation to join a group calling itself the Sevens. 

He expects pranks, parties, and perks. Instead, he finds himself neck-deep in a conspiracy involving secret passages and cryptic riddles about the school's history. Even worse, he's now tangled in web of lies someone will kill to keep hidden.




Secret of the Sevens was an amazing book! I fell in love with it as I got deeper and deeper in the book and hated when I had to put it down. The Singer boarding school was for kids from unfortunate backgrounds. And in this book the board was on the verge of changing everything that the founders wanted. Then in steps the new Sevens Society with the power to stop everything and keep it like it was meant to be.

The main characters in Secret of the Sevens where written where we can identify with them. Talan the main character started out like a real pain in the butt. He was that one jock in high school that got all the girls and just used them to get what he wanted. But by the end he had totally redeemed himself with me. He really came through for his friends and his school.

I always enjoy a good mystery and this one was so much fun. There were secret societies,  puzzle messages, and trying to figure out who was really "bad" and who was "good" was very surprising. If you want a mystery that keeps you guessing then you need to read this.

5 Stars!!



Buy Links:

About the Author

Lynn Lindquist lives in a suburb of Chicago with two overly-social sons and a mutt named Slugger who wisely hides under the bed most days. The hordes of teenagers that regularly frequent her house (think Panama City Beach during spring break) provide fodder for her young adult novels and growing anxiety disorder. Ever since her sons broke the Guinness Record for Largest-Rager-Thrown-While-a-Parent-Was-Out-for-the-Night, she enjoys spending her free time at home entertaining friends, cooking, reading, and writing. Thankfully, her favorite things in life are her sons, words, and kids, so she wouldn’t have it any other way.  She is represented by Katherine Boyle at Veritas Literary Agency.   


Author Links:
 photo iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png  photo icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png  photo icontwitter-32x32_zpsae13e2b2.png

GIVEAWAY:
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Book Tour Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours

Thursday, June 11, 2015

BLOG TOUR [My Review + Giveaway] An Absence of Light by Meradeth Houston


An Absence of Light
by Meradeth Houston
Published by: Evernight Teen
Publication date: October 31st 2014
Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Synopsis:
Leah’s always seen the shadow creatures. She thought she was immune to their evil—until now.

She’s walked into a massacre, stolen a BMW, and is running from the law for a crime she didn’t commit. Nineteen-year-old Leah’s life just went from mildly abnormal to totally crazy at lightning speed. But no one will believe that the shadow creatures are framing her for the murder, because she’s the only one that can see them. At least that’s what she thought.

When Leah stumbled across a group who share her ability, she discovers they have something she doesn’t: a way to fight back. When the group offers to teach her how to kill the shadow creatures, Leah jumps at the chance. But something is brewing with the creatures. They’re tracking down the hunters like there’s no tomorrow. Leah suspects that maybe there won’t be, and it’s up to her to make sure tomorrow comes. Because she’ll do anything to stop the shadows, including risking her life—and the life of the one she loves—to keep the world from being lost to darkness forever.


GOODREADS | AMAZON | B&N


First of all, I need to tell you what a wonderful author Meradeth Houston is. Every time I am contacted to read one of her books I jump at it and I have NEVER been disappointed. AN ABSENCE OF LIGHT was no different.

Leah, the main character, had been harassed by shadow creatures her entire life. Then one day she came home to her family massacred and she knew it was the creatures. She ran for her life and ended up in a town where fate brings her to meet other people who can see the same creatures and they were called Shadow Hunters. They would seek out the shadows and kill or capture them. The more they hunted the worse the situation with the shadow creatures became.

Meradeth got my attention from the first page. The shadow creatures were very intriguing and I couldn’t put the book down because I wanted to find out what they were. And by the way they were not at all what I thought they were. This paranormal book was unlike any I have read at all. I totally enjoyed this book and maybe?, hopefully?, we will see more about these shadow creatures.

5 Stars 

for AN ABSENCE OF LIGHT and for Meradeth!!




AUTHOR BIO:

Meradeth’s never been a big fan of talking about herself, but if you really want to know, here are some random tidbits about her:

>She’s a Northern California girl. And now is braving the cold winters in Montana.
>When she’s not writing, she’s sequencing dead people’s DNA. For fun!
>She’s also an anthropology professor and loves getting people interested in studying humans.
>If she could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because she’s terrified of heights.

Visit Meradeth on her WEBSITE, TWITTER, FACEBOOK & GOODREADS!!



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Friday, May 22, 2015

BLOG TOUR [My Review + Giveaway] After Life Lessons Book Two Laila Blake and L.C. Spoering



After Life Lessons
Book Two
Laila Blake and L.C. Spoering

Genre: post apocalyptic

Publisher: Lilt Literary

Date of Publication: April 28, 2015

Number of pages: 350
Word Count: 95.000

Cover Artist: Laila Blake

Book Description:

Years after the end of the world, the scattered survivors have begun to reconcile with their fate and are starting to build communities from the rubble. Life has been kind to Aaron and Emily, and maybe it is that infusion of hope that leads them on a winter trip to search for Aaron’s family. But the world outside their little haven has grown harsher, the conditions rough and dangerous.

Not everybody they meet on their journey allowed the grim realities to harden their hearts, however. Malachi and Kenzie - an easy-going drifter with a bum leg and amnesia, and a teenage girl who has lost everyone and everything - are on an ill-conceived mission to Mexico, while Iago and his band of nomads work to forge trading connections between the small settlements of the south.

All of them will discover new nightmares on the road, far surpassing the threat of the last rotting zombies still roaming the countryside. And now they must come together to fight for peace and justice in the world they trying to rebuild.

Warning: This novel contains language some might find offensive, some gore and situations of a sexual nature. Reader's discretion is advised.


In After Life Lessons 2 we pick up with the story of Emily, Aaron, and their family where we left them last time. Also three new groups of survivors enter into the story. The chapters alternate between the different groups to give an interesting view on all of their separate journeys, while they are actually being drawn all together. Even though this book is told from multiple characters the authors did an awesome job of tying the entire story together.

 I really enjoyed getting to know Emily and Aaron better and experiencing this story with all of the new different personalities and traits that came with each person as they had to survive this post apocalyptic world. Now the thing they had to fear the most was men, it was no longer the fear of zombies.

When I was asked to review this 2nd book I thought ok, I’ll give this one a try and I’m so glad I did. In my opinion, this one was so much better than the first. I found myself not wanting to put it down. Do you ever have those books, you know the kind you start reading and not realize how drawn in you become until you stop and take a breath? Well that’s how this one was for me. I totally enjoyed it. So if you read the first and can’t make up your minds to read this one, just do it. You will really like it.


5 stars!!


About the Authors:

Laila Blake is an author, linguist and translator. She writes character-driven love stories and blogs about writing, feminism and society. Her work has been featured in numerous anthologies. Keeping a balance between her different interests, Laila Blake’s body of work encompasses literary erotica, romance, and various fields in speculative fiction (dystopian/post-apocalypse, fantasy, paranormal romance and urban fantasy) and she adores finding ways to mix and match.

A self-proclaimed nerd, she lives in Cologne/Germany with her cat Liene, harbors a deep fondness for obscure folk singers and plays the guitar badly. She loves photography, science documentaries and classic literature as well as a number of popular TV-Shows.







 L.C. Spoering has a degree in English writing from University of Colorado, and a lesser degree in sarcasm earned from the days of yore on AOL. A storyteller since she started talking, she now spends her days writing, reading and contemplating the universe through various pop culture lenses.




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