Monday, July 30, 2012

Seventh Star Press's Haunting Obsession Art Reveal and Announcement

Art Reveal and Announcement of Blog Tour for R.J. Sullivan’s New Paranormal Thriller, Haunting Obsession-Seventh Star Press Article of Release Announcement (July 30, 2012-Monday) 
The Haunting Obsession  Online Blog Tour will feature 22 events, beginning August 25th and running through September 15th. The tour will feature a number of activities, including reviews, interviews, podcasts, guest blog posts, and contests/giveaways.


There is a window open to get Haunting Obsession for limited hardcover at: http://www.seventhstarpress.com/pre-orders/

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Review of Brooklyn Story by Suzanne Corso


Overview
To me, some people lived in the real world and others lived in Brooklyn. . . .
It’s the summer of 1978, and Samantha Bonti is fifteen years old, half Jewish and half Italian, and hesitantly edging toward pure Brooklyn, even if her dreams of something more are bigger than the neighborhood girls’ teased hair. She lives in Bensonhurst with her mother, Joan, a woman abandoned and scarred in a ruinous marriage, poisoned with cynicism, and shackled by addictions; and with her Grandma Ruth, Samantha’s loudest and most opinionated source of encouragement. As flawed as they are, they are family.
Samantha’s best friend is Janice Caputo, a girl who understands, as well as Samantha does, this close-knit community of ancestors and traditions that stand like roadblocks, this insular overcrowded little world of controlling mobsters who mold their women like Jell-O; and of the wannabes, the charismatic young guys who are willing to engage in anything illegal to get a shot at playing with the big boys. Yet, Samantha has something Janice doesn’t—a desire to become a writer and to escape the destiny that is assumed for all of them in the outer reaches of Bensonhurst. And it’s to be had just across the Brooklyn Bridge.
Then comes Tony Kroon.
Older than Samantha, Tony is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, half-Sicilian, half-Dutch mobster wannabe. A Bensonhurst Adonis. Taken in by his adoring attention, and empathetic to Tony’s own struggles with identity, Samantha is falling in love, even when she’s warned never to ask imprudent questions of Tony’s life. Even when her family and friends warn her to stay away. Even when Samantha knows she’s too smart to fall this deep . . . but the last thing she wants is the first thing to happen. Unable to resist Tony’s seductive charms, Samantha soon finds herself swallowed up by dangerous circumstances that threaten to jeopardize more than her dreams. Grandma Ruth’s advice: Samantha had better write herself out this story and into a new one, fast.
Told from the adult perspective, this is a powerful, true-to-life novel of leaving the past to history and the future to fate—of restoring hope where there was none, and reaching for dreams in an inspiring promise of paradise called Manhattan.
Add this to Your Goodreads.com Shelf   

Recommended: Yes, you need to check it out!


About Brooklyn Story
Available as: Paperback $6.00 from Amazon.com,  E-book $9.99 from Amazon.com Kindle's Edition Paperback $15.00 from The Book Depository 
                                                  Recommended Ages: 17 and Up
                                                             Paperback: 320 pgs.
PublishedDecember 28th 2010 by Pocket (first published December 8th 2010)

For This Review: *Book Copy Provided by Publisher For Review *

Thursday, July 26, 2012

FIRST EVER BookPushalooza!

Welcome to the FIRST EVER BookPushalooza!

July 26th ONLY

9 Books, only .99.

With each purchase you get the chance to WIN while Helping Authors reach new heights in Amazon’s ranks.

It’s so easy a CAVEMAN could do it!

Review of Darkside (Darkside: Book 1) by Tom Becker


Overview
Dark alleys,
Dangerous tunnels,
Creatures of the night…
There's no place like home.

Jonathan Starling's home has been attacked, his dad is in an asylum, he's running for his life, and there's nowhere to hide.

Jonathan has stumbled upon London's greatest secret: Darkside.

Incredibly dangerous and unimaginably exciting, Darkside is the creepiest place Jonathan has ever seen. It's a world of nightmares and secrets, where fear and evil rule, and Jonathan has to find a way out....


Add this to Your Goodreads.com Shelf   

Recommended: Yes, you need to check it out!


About Darkside
Available as: Hardcover $9.69 from Amazon.com (And lower prices) / Paperback $8.00 from Amazon.com,  E-book $7.22 from Amazon.com Kindle's Edition , Paperback $12.01 from The Book Depository 
                                                  Recommended Ages: 12 and Up
                                                             Paperback: 256 pgs.
PublishedPublished (first published February 1st 2008)
For This Review: *Borrowed Book Copy from Public Library*



 If you like this review - Like It on Goodreads




Jonathan Starling often feels his father, Alain Starling, is keeping secrets from him especially concerning his mother's disappearance. What he doesn't yet know is that his suspicions are right. Alain in the past was involved with a place under the wrong side of the streets of London. A place rightfully named Darkside. Mostly given the reason that its inhabitants are all of London's worst type of people who include murderers, thiefs, and various other types of monsters actually sometimes literally. 

By chance of fate, Jonathan is stalked by a strange multi-color-haired girl by the name of Marianne with her helpers Hodge and Skeet. It becomes very apparent these two are from Darkside and obviously not the good guys. As Jonathan runs from this group he happens to find that Darkside has decent individuals in Raquella, a servant girl, and Carnegie , a rather aggressive wolfman. There is hope that Jonathan might yet escape capture yet what Jonathan hardly knows is that another individual is hunting for him just as much as he is.

Have got to give it to, Tom Becker, his series Darkside which so far have read not only Darkside but also Lifeblood (Darkside: Book 2) is so awe-inducing. He writes with a calling that is so enigmatic of a dangerous but tempting London. In Darkside (Darkside: Book 1) we meet Jonathan our main protagonist and other main characters that are apparent will feature in later novels. They do since as mentioned before have reached Lifeblood (Darkside: Book 2) and some of the same characters are present along with some new faces. There is a lot of mystery with Darkside and the action just as eclipsing.


Can't believe that don't hear more mention of these books in the Darkside series since it's Dark Fantasy but high caliber Dark Fantasy written beautifully. Not sure if it is perhaps that the reason that it is under Scholastic's publishing and someone might expect Young Adult or even little Children's reading but this can pass for good-quality reading for all ages. There are after all some adult characters that are in Darkside with a deep tug. Truly is beautiful Dark Fantasy to be discovered by any reader.
Overall: Amazing read!
Genre: Fantasy, Dark-Fantasy, Fiction, Vampires, Werewolves, Paranormal 



About the Author
Tom Becker's Website: 

Since Tom Becker learned to hold a pen, he wanted to become a writer. In fact, when he was 5 years old, he wrote in a notebook that it was his dream to be an author. Aged 25, Tom has realised that dream with publication of his first novel, Darkside in January 2007. 


Tom's early enthusiasm for books and reading was encouraged by his parents who were voracious readers. Their family home was cluttered with bookcases and piles of novels. Tom spent most of his childhood curled up in an armchair reading fantasy novels by Brian Jacques, and later graduated to grown-up novels by David Eddings and Guy Gavriel Kay.

Tom studied History at Oxford University and was struck by the otherworld-ly atmosphere of this academic institution. He used to spend long days studying and reading in the University library and always felt intrigued by the atmosphere there - perhaps that is why a library is such an important setting in Darkside.

Tom started writing Darkside in 2005, it took him three months to complete and he is now working on more books in the series. He drew inspiration from film noirs such as The Asphalt Jungle and The Big Sleep (hence the glasshouse scene in Darkside), and comicbook writers such as Alan Moore.

Aside from reading, Tom's big love in life is music. He is still reeling from the break-up of his two favourite bands, Rocket From the Crypt and Sleater-Kinney. Tom's other passions include supporting Everton Football Club and consisting on a diet of fry-ups and fish fingers!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Off-Site Giveaway Mention: Penguin Urban Fantasy NEW Release Giveaway!


                                       
See the Giveaway @- I SMELL SHEEP (that cool blog)

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Seventh Star Press's Open House!


Eight titles by six authors are up for free on Amazon Kindle, spanning Urban Fantasy, YA Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Horror, and more.

Seventh Star Press has created a convenient link page that has direct links to all 8 offered free e-book titles:

Monday, July 16, 2012

Review of Awful, Ohio by Jeff Neal



Overview

Every morning the sun rises, waking Awful, Ohio, overlooking all of its residents, guiding them towards another productive and profitable working day. The economy is strong and the money is abundant, all of which are offered to whomever produces and profits the most product. The masses rejoice daily over the informed opportunity, with the exception of Troy Slushy. 

Troy Slushy wakes every morning to the intrusion of the sun abruptly charging into his home, removing him from his enchanting dreams. The sun exposes his collection of worthless possessions, his depressed wife seeking salvation, his withering home struggling for support, and the life-decimating job that is undesirably forced upon him daily. This is Troy Slushy's existence in Awful, Ohio, and because of this exposure to this monotonous misery, Troy's enemy is the sun. 

Heavily sedated by a dream-enriched epiphany, Troy removes his concerns for the demands and priorities of Awful, Ohio, replacing them with the objective of permanently removing the sun from his existence. He gathers his wife and begins a quest to save them both from their sun-exposed lives of suffering in Awful, Ohio, concocting plans and blueprints of various sun-destroying methods. Unfortunately for Troy, this proves to be easier said than done. But luckily, Troy discovers that perseverance is much more eminent in accomplishing a goal than feasibility, as he is able to assemble a massive scheme to achieve perpetual darkness, but not without affecting Awful, Ohio and all of its production, profits, and population.
Add this to Your Goodreads.com Shelf   

Recommended: Yes, you need to check it out!


About Awful, Ohio
Available as: Paperback $10.00 from Amazon.com ,  E-book $3.00 from Amazon.com Kindle's Edition 
                                                  Recommended Ages: 15 and Up
                                                             Paperback: 256 pgs.
PublishedPublished 2011

For This Review: *Book Copy Provided For Review Purposes*

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Lend this Book Blogger Clarity and Reason (The Blood & Light Vampires #4) by Rue Volley on BookLending.com

Clarity and Reason (Blood and Light Vampire Series)As a book blogger read and review books and must continually immerse myself in books and going through all types of blogs. In the past came across a book tour of Rue Volley to promote her books in a six-book series that have grown to realize these books are amazing! Right now have read all three except the latest Clarity and Reason and wondering if anyone would be so kind as to perhaps if they had it available to lend because you bought it? Would be extremely grateful! Have been spending money in books a lot lately and don't have any at this time for it.






Just want to read and review it already. The book having left me wanting more.
If you have an account on BookLending.com then please do lend it to me.




Of course, have some books myself you could check out. I'll definitely lend them to you on Kindle. And if you have Clarity and Reason (The Blood & Light Vampires #4) by Rue Volley do help me. 


These are some of the books that have up on my BookLending Page
Angelkiller (The Angelkiller Triad)The Vampire's Warden, a Paranormal Romance (Undead in Brown County #1)
Oil and Water (Blood and Light Vampire Series)
Oil & Water (The Blood & Light Vampires #3) by Rue Volley
Crown of Vengeance (Fires in Eden)The Brotherhood of Dwarves

My BookLending.com name: Cassandra H.

Carnival Girl Online Book Tour: Guest Post on The Creation of Carnival Girl: Searching for God in the Aftermath of War

A Memoir
The only life little Sonja Francesco has ever known is traveling the carnival circuit and living with her five siblings in a tiny caravan home. The family never stays anywhere long enough for Sonja to make friends or develop roots. The only one in her family, Sonja always believed in God and wants to belong to a church. 

At fourteen, Sonja meets the Mormon missionaries and develops a strong testimony of the truth of the Gospel. But can she live the commandments while traveling with the carnival and running one of the attractions every Sunday? Will it be possible for her to leave her family’s life behind and live the life she has always dreamed of?

Add this to Your Goodreads.com Shelf   

Today is one of the various stops for Sonja's Carnival Girl Online Book Tour. Book & Movie Dimension has a guest post by Sonja Herbert on the creation of her memoir.

The Creation of Carnival Girl: Searching for God in the Aftermath of War 
By: Sonja Herbert

During the few times we carnival children attended school, I once received an A for a story about a Greek myth I had written, and on that day I decided to write about my mother’s life when I grew up. 
All through the time I raised my six children here in the U.S.A., this thought was with me, and when the younger ones were a bit older, I started on my mother’s story. As the story unfolded, I realized that it would not be complete unless I also told my own story, the story of my childhood and my life with my mother.
And that’s how Carnival Girl began. I originally called it Conversations with Margot (my mother’s first name), but since the novel I wrote about her life isn’t published yet, I decided to re-name the memoir and publish it first.
As I wrote the story and remembered the things that happened in my early life, old feelings also returned, and I had to confront the childish reactions of my younger self. Now, as a grown woman, I was able to see things I had not seen as a little girl, and when my memoir was finished, I had a new insight and understanding for my mother, who had suffered so much and still came out ahead.
My mother, Margot, is now ninety-one years old. She lives in Stuttgart, Germany, and is still going strong!

Thank you Mutti, for everything you have taught me!


About Sonja Herbert
Sonja HerbertSonja Herbert and her five siblings were raised in a caravan, traveling the carnival circuit from town to town in post-World War II Germany.

Sonja converted to the LDS Church, later married and immigrated to the United States, where she received a bachelor of arts degree at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah, and a master of arts degree from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She also raised six children, taught school and ESL, and is now a freelance writer.

Besides her childhood memoir, Sonja has also written many autobiographical stories, which have been published in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and other anthologies. A biographical novel about her half-Jewish mother’s experiences in Nazi Germany is almost finished.


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Just Recent Cover Reveal for Clockwork Princess (Book Three of the Infernal Devices) by Cassandra Clare

Tessa Grey looks extraordinary on the Clockwork Princess book cover



In Clockwork Princess, Tessa and her companions travel all over the world as they race to stop the clockwork army before it’s too late. As Jem’s health worsens alarmingly and his friends search desperately for a cure, can Tessa choose between the two boys she loves—even if it means never seeing the other one again?


Review of Concisus (The Verita series #2) by Tracy Rozzlyn

Concisus (The Verita Series, #2)
Overview
Against all odds Brett and Ryan found their way back to the base. But it’s not quite the homecoming they envisioned. Their friends are all love struck and Dr. Brant’s seems intent on making their life miserable.






Recommended: Yes, you need to check it out!

        Recommended Ages: 15 and Up
E-book: 219 pgs
Published: March 26th 2012

For This Review: *E-book Copy Provided by Author*

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Blogger to Blogger Interview with Sarah from Sarah's Reviews


BWS tips button
http://ssbookreviews.blogspot.com/

1. Sarah its nice of you to reach out to me as a blogger for an interview. Why did you become a book blogger? What's your blog's vision motto?

Originally, I started book blogging because I wanted to learn how to write book reviews, but my focus quickly shifted to content based reviews. My goal now, as a blogger, is to provide readers with short enjoyable reviews that mention if the book contains profanity, violence, gore, sexuality, etc. Some people take this information as encouragement, while others decide its not for them. My goal is simply to give them the information (in general terms so as not to ruin the story) and let them decide for themselves!

2. How long have you been blogging?

Almost 2 years! I started the end of July 2010

3. Was it hard to blog the first few days? How is it now?

Yes. With so much time necessary to reading the books before I can even begin to write the reviews, I'd say blogging was definitely hard both then and now. Although I like to think I'm better at it now. :-) 

Monday, July 9, 2012

Advance Reader's Review of Dragon Age, Volume 1 by David Gaider and Alexander Freed

Dragon Age, Volume 1
Hardcover: 80 pgs.  | Digital: 82 pgs.
Expected Publication:  July 25th 2012 by Dark Horse Comics
                   Writer: David Gaider , Alexander Freed      Art: Chad Hardin
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Available in print for the first time, Dragon Age: The Silent Grove is the perfect introduction to BioWare's dark fantasy universe In this essential, canonical story from David Gaider, lead writer of the games, King Alistair, accompanied only by rogues Isabela and Varric, embarks on a quest deep inside the borders of Antiva - a nation of assassins Together, they will encounter a prison break, dragons, the mysterious Witch of the Wilds, and one of the greatest secrets in the history of the world

Friday, July 6, 2012

Latest in Blog Visiting: June 2012

Coming a bit late with The Latest in Blog Visiting. Still managed to put together some blog places that made some impression and that came by to read.
These are some of the blogs that recommend which had on the whole good content.
The Favorite blogs, well, mostly book blogs of the month for this past June!

1. Addicted to Heroines blog: Once Burned by Jeanine Frost gets an advance reader review. Now this blogger is looking forward to buying a book copy of the Night Prince series.  And ,yes, its Urban Fantasy. Cat and Jamie at Addicted to Heroines, get to ask Rhiannon Frater a few questions. 

Posts visited @ Addicted to Heroines-Early Review and Giveaway-Once Burned (Night Prince #1) by Jeanine Frost

and

Interview and Giveaway with Rhiannon Frater


Thursday, July 5, 2012

Support the Cassidy Jones Adventures in Print

     Fourteen-year-old Cassidy Jones wakes up the morning after a minor accident in the laboratory of a world-renowned geneticist to discover that her body has undergone some bizarre physical changes. Her senses, strength, and speed have been radically enhanced.

After exploring her newfound abilities, Cassidy learns that the geneticist, Professor Serena Phillips, is missing and that foul play is suspected. Terrified that her physical changes and Professor Phillips' disappearance are somehow connected, Cassidy decides to keep her strange transformation a secret. That is, until she meets the professor's brilliant and mysterious fifteen-year-old son, Emery. An unlikely duo, they set out to find Emery's mother, who is key in explaining Cassidy's newly acquired superpowers.

Their lives are put at risk when they find themselves embroiled in a dangerous, action-packed adventure. Soon they are forced to confront a maniacal villain willing to do anything - including murder - to reach his own ambitious goals. 


Elise Stokes's Kickstarter fundraiser to bring Cassidy Jones and Vulcan's Gift to print and to keep Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula in print has been launched! She has a $1,000 goal in 13 days. Please help her by pre-ordering a paperback copy of either or both books today. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Review of Blackbirds (Miriam Black #1) by Chuck Wendig

Overview
Miriam Black knows when you will die.

Still in her early twenties, she's foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, suicides, and slow deaths by cancer. But when Miriam hitches a ride with truck driver Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days Louis will be gruesomely murdered while he calls her name.

Miriam has given up trying to save people; that only makes their deaths happen. But Louis will die because he met her, and she will be the next victim. No matter what she does she can't save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she'll have to try.

File Under: Urban Fantasy [ Touch Of Death | The Future Is Written | Free Way | Surviving ]
Add this to Your Goodreads.com Shelf   

Recommended: Yes, you need to check it out!


About Blackbirds
Available as: Mass Market Paperback $7.99 from Amazon.com ,  E-book $5.79 from Amazon.com Kindle's Edition , Paperback $12.74 from The Book Depository 
                                                  Recommended Ages: 15 and Up
                                                             Paperback: 358 pgs.
PublishedApril 24th 2012 by Angry Robot

For This Review: *Netgalley Advance Reader Review Copy, E-book 264 pgs.*

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