The Assassin's Blade

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Integral back story into the humanization of the legend that is Celaena Sardothien. These 5 novellas delve into some of the adventures before the Throne of Glass Book 1 and before Endovian mines.
I loved being able to get to know Sam on a more intimate novel. I previously read Books 1 and 2, and it helped explain SO much of the thoughts and feelings that Celaena has had and dealt with. If you didn't hate Arobynn before with slight references you will be hard pressed not to after this and yelling at Celaena to connect the dots!

My 2 favorites were 0.3 The Silent Assassins and 0.4 the Underworld. If you are into the Throne of Glass or thinking about getting started, I HIGHLY recommend this book. the order of the books DO matter and should be read in their designated order for maximum enjoyment. as they build upon and reference points within other stories at time. You will have an even more intense love for Celaena and the intricate world that Sarah J. Maas has so brilliantly created. 5 stars as a combined novella book for me.

My reviews of each individual short stories:

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (Throne of Glass, #0.1) by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord is a delightful short story that occurs before we first encounter Celaena in Throne of Glass. It gives the reader a bit of a backstory for her when she worked in the Assassin's guild and let's us get to know the character of Sam. It was a nice short story and my main complaint is that it ended too quickly. I loved the way that we got to see how Celaena's character shows through even at the height of her cockiness. 4 stars

The Assassin and the Healer (Throne of Glass, #0.2) by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Assasin and the Healer was another great gem to this collection.  It was a fairly short installment that showed the readers a possible character that could pop up later in the series with the Healer.  (I have not read past Crown of Midnight as of yet).  It was a great woman empowering and having Celaena teach self defense.  Very short but sweet.  4 Stars

The Assassin and the Desert (Throne of Glass, #0.3) by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
 
The Assassin and the Desert really stood out to me after reading the first two novellas.  My favorite one so far!  The trials and determination that come through on Celaena were inspiring.  It was nice to see a softer side of her with Ansel and to get to know more about the beautiful horses.  I loved the Silent Assassins and the constant comparison with her own guild.  In another life Celaena would have easily led a very happy life among them.  The fighting movements were spectacularly written. 5 stars!

The Assassin and the Underworld (Throne of Glass, #0.4)  by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Assassin and the Underworld truly opened up the past of Celaena, explanations for many of her emotions abound. I just felt sick about where it was heading and can't believe Celaena hasn't yet figured out who her final betrayer is. I don't want to give up any juicy details, suffice to say that this was a splendid read. 5 stars! 

The Assassin and the Empire (Throne of Glass, #0.5)  by Sarah J. Maas  
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book disgusted me. In a beautifully written way. it disgusted me in the despicable actions and decisions that can be made from greedy human nature. Celaena still shone brilliantly throughout it. And she makes you want to stand with her and by her side and fight for her. Don't miss out! 

View all my reviews

Hell On Heels

Hell On Heels by J.A. Coffey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 3 in the Southern Seduction Series and finalizes out the trilogy of the main 6 characters of Coffey's story and I must say that she has "nailed" it again... Slight pun intended.

Jess & Matteo will forever be my reigning couple, but the passion between Stan and Caroline was steaming up my kindle... Although I loved the men in the other books, I felt an affinity to Stan the most. Having learned to harbor somewhat of feelings of disgust for the pain he caused Jess and his rumored affairs, Coffey did an amazing job of humanizing him.

Stan seemed the most complex of all of the men and his character was well developed and his internal battle of emotions came across the page beautifully. Caroline is second only to Jess for me, and I loved her fiery personality. This book had more humor than the others and I enjoyed the ride immensely.

Another entertaining and delightful read from the Southern Seduction series, I hope to revisit these characters again in the future. Don't miss out on an easy 5 star read.

View all my reviews

Can we change our personal ethical beliefs?

What happens if we were not taught to be what others deem to be ethical in our youth? Is it too late or can we change?

I think that we are constantly changing in tweaking our minds, sometimes in large ways, usually in small ways.  As we grow and experience new things, and acquire new information, we are able to process this in our minds.  Once the new information has been analyzed we can decide (subconsciously or not), whether or not it is something that we wish to align with our values or ethics.  Surviving a horrific car accident with a drunk driver or being hit by a drunk driver may alter your ethical view of the situation.  You may look at drunk driving, road safety rules and even car safety rules in a new way, or you may hold onto the same ethics.  If you find yourself or someone close to you in an abusive relationship, you may have a new look at the situation.  If you are raped and have to look at possible pro-choice options, it may change your views again.  As someone in a hostile or wartime environment, the experiences you are immersed in are always evolving your ethical view of the world.  We are given a basic ethical blueprint as children, but each layer of life expounds upon and at times changes the ethical values that we hold dear. 

I know that I personally have a strong ethical view of different things to do with women; specifically topics such as abuse, alcoholism, codependence, lack of standing up for oneself, parenting values, marriage, etc.  Living with certain experiences within my own families and of those of close relatives shapes my ethical values of basic things.  I saw a lot of people doing things or not doing things when they should be that felt wrong to the core of my being.  Witnessing this and living through first-hand accounts largely shaped my basic core of ethical values.  However, someone experiencing the exact same things may have come up with completely different ethical values.  While my father is a recovering alcoholic, he did go to treatment and remained in remission for decades, I attended AA meetings with him and learned a lot about the disease that he fought, this helped me know the dilemma in an intimate way.  I could have instead become desensitized to this issue if handled or viewed from another way and not have seen alcoholism as an issue, but rather as a way of life.  There are very few things in our society that do not, in one way or another, include alcohol.  Does that make me anti-alcohol, no, but it could have for someone else.  Our personal ethical beliefs are comprised of the totality of our personal experiences, knowledge and our perception of such.

Is This What I Want?

Is This What I Want? Was written by Patricia Mann and is the sequel to Is This All There Is? 


Is This What I Want takes place 4 months after the end of Is This All There Is and Beth is still in a self-discovery process.  While the first book was more of a PG-13 rated, I would definitely classify the sequel as saucier.  In self-discovery Beth certainly is exploring many different parts of herself. 


Beth’s married and personal lives are explored after she has experienced the range of emotions that come after an affair.  I love that as a reader we got a more intimate look into the mind of Rick (Beth’s husband).  It gave more depth to the story to know his reactions and thoughts to similar events.


Reading the book I mostly just was feeling bad for the low self-confidence that Beth was battling and how she was feeling the need to redefine herself in potentially destructive ways.  I commend Rick for his ability to put love before hurt and for Beth to be honest and open and willing to work on something as they learned to grow together as a couple.


Sometimes it was painful to read through some of Beth’s experiences and wanting to have her learn things that weren’t always by experiencing “the hard way.”  I enjoyed also seeing the introspection of the lives of some of the married friends within Beth’s lives and how she was justifying behavior according to the friend whose advice matched more with her inner desires.


I give this book 4/5 stars.  Overall it was still very eye opening to go through the hard parts of a marriage with Beth and Rick.  I didn’t feel quite as connected to Beth as I did in the first book, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the honesty and realism of the story.  If you enjoy reading chick lit, fiction, relationship, woman empowering, romance, etc., then this book is for you.


*I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Possession of my Soul

Possession Of My Soul is written by Kia Carrington-Russell and is the first book in the Three Immortal Blades Series. The story revolves around the main character Karla, who is an unassuming teenage girl who finds herself thrust amidst a war, where each side of the fight remains unclear in their true intentions.

Karla as a character is relatable. She isn’t annoying in a way that some main characters can be. She finds herself coming into her own with womanhood as well as new-found abilities. My main complaint about her, was that I don’t think that any of her love interests were believably built up. I wanted there to be more of a background to the emotions. There is a lot of thrust upon emotions in terms of those who acquire her fancy. Otherwise, I enjoyed getting to see her find herself and find ways to stand up to adversity and find a strength she never knew she was capable of.

The story itself is an interesting take on fantasy. There are a lot of typical factors, but shown in a new light. There are Starkorfs who are essentially vampires, but almost in a zombie type of fashion if they are not of very pure blood. There was not any real detail about the actual way that one would become a Starkorf, or if it is merely something that one is born into. If so, it would be interesting to know more details about how actual procreation worked, if it was any different than humans, those sorts of aspects. Given that this is the first book of the series, it would be good to see if that was explained in more detail in later books.

I did enjoy the ancillary characters and getting to know them. They did seem as if to be from a distance as a reader. The connection with their emotions wasn’t quite there. Truly reading this book felt like it was going to be a 3 star type of book about 75% of the way in. Kia definitely pulls it out for the last part of the book which caused me to up my rating to 4 stars. She definitely ends in a blaze of glory and leaves her ready to read more of the story.

Overall I give this book 4/5 stars. Kia has potential as an author as she hones her writing skills. I hope to see more of a connection into the feelings of the characters of a world that she does a great job describing. I love a lot of the new twists on unique abilities and would love to read an entire book about the elementals as well as some background about a particular wolf creature. If you are into fantasy, paranormal, young adult, fiction, woman empowering, romance, etc, you may very well find yourself interested in this book.

*I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Lobster Kings

The Lobster Kings is written by Alexi Zentner is a fictional semi-fantastical story about Loosewood Island located between Canada and the US.  The book revolves around the history of the Kings family.

Cordelia Kings is the daughter of Woody Kings, and comes from a long line of Kings which can trace their ancestry back to the original Lobster fisher of the islands Brumfit Kings three hundred years earlier.  Cordelia’s only wish is to follow in her father’s footsteps, living on the sea which calls to her and fishing for lobster. 

The Kings live with both a gift and a curse.  Brumfit was promised by the sea to always have the bounty of the sea and never want for lobsters.  In return the sea will claim the first born son of every Kings family.  With so much of her history wrapped up in myth, Cordelia never quite knows the line between truth and fiction.  Woody, her father believes every tale of their family ancestry wholeheartedly.  He delights in telling them to his family. 

The story begins with Cordelia as a pre-teen and the oldest of three girls when her little brother is born.  Instantly Cordelia as her father’s favorite feels a jealousy in having to share her father, the sea and her inheritance with her little brother who does not feel the call to the sea as she does. 

The Lobster Kings is a tumultuous tale of both the beauty and the tragedy which is being a part of the sea.  There is a roller coaster of emotions as we follow through the story with Cordelia as a young girl and as she enters into adulthood and is finding he own as a hardworking 30 year old with her own lobster boat. Cordelia's challenges range from her fight for inheritance of the sea to keeping meth out of her town.

My only complaint was that in the beginning of the book, I wasn’t sure that the narration was still following Cordelia in youth between chapters.  However, as the story went on, I found myself so vested into the characters that I felt joy and sorrow with them and even had tears in my eyes in several places.

I give this book 5/5 stars.  I loved the connection of grandiose description in relation to the Brumfitt paintings.  I love the way that myth was interwoven with life in a way that it couldn’t be true…  and yet…  it just might be.   I also loved the way that Zentner created realistic characters, realistic struggle and real growth in the story.  I highly recommend this story for anyone interested in the sea, fishing, woman empowering, mythology, fantasy, fiction, adventure, suspense, family, etc.

*I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

Girl Spins A Blade

Girl Spins a Blade is written by Jacques Antoine and is the 4th book in the Emily Kane short story series.  It was originally published under the title: The High Road to the Mountain Gods.  It featured (surprise) Emily Kane, who is looking for spiritual renewal among the Buddhists of Nepal. 

This book was my first introduction to Emily Kane.  I was able to enjoy this book, however I definitely prefer NOT to start in the middle of the series, as there were some passages that talked about previous events that I had no knowledge of .  Otherwise, this book did a great job as stand-alone read.  It started out with great momentum and my biggest confusion was picking up in the middle of the story at the beginning, but it caught me up quickly and I was able to enjoy the rest of the novel. 

This is a short story that I would love to see combined with the other short stories into a complete anthology of Emily Kane.  Jacques definitely has a skill for writing and he does a great job of bringing Emily and the ancillary characters to life.  The scenes are described in detail, when needed, and I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the statues and temples at Katmandu. I did find myself craving more detail about the atmosphere within the Buddhist temple.  I am not sure if this was done intentionally to  leave an air of wonder or if it was left off.  Either way it didn't detract from the scene. 

Being that it is a short story, it definitely moved quickly a covered a lot of ground.  It would be awesome to see such a great story expounded upon into a full on novel.  Once you have written multiple short stories about the same character I would love to see it all put together.

Emily definitely stands up as an empowered female character.  I don't really understand where she got her training or mind control (I assume this was explained in previous books), but it is nice to see her take responsibility for Sonam.  She is supposedly possessing goddess-like qualities, and one may even reside in here.  There was some mention of a grandmother (that I think must have come from one of the previous stories).

I loved the detail that was put into cultural aspects as well as dress of the Nepalese culture.  Although it was hard to gauge the amount of time that was spanned throughout the book, it was great to see Emily taken in by the people and even have one of them want to arrange a marriage for her.  Given the way that her violent spirit seemed to find a shared interest, it would have been nice to get to know this new beau better as a character. 
 
Overall I give this book 4/5 stars.  IT was well written and an interesting and unique story.  Although you can still enjoy it on it's own, I would highly suggest getting the blanks filled in by reading the previous 3 short stories.  It was only 47 pages long, so it is great for a quality short story read.  I would love to read the previous stories and any that come after this one as the author has created a character I enjoy reading about.  Great for anyone who enjoys reading Asian, Eastern, Nepalese, fiction, woman empowering, fantasy, martial arts, Buddhism, spirituality, etc books. 

Liar Liar

Liar Liar is written by J. A. Coffey and Julianne Floyd and is the first book in the Sexy Southerners Series.  It is about a fraud examiner named Jessica Barlow...  Jessica also happens to be single and has dabbled in a dating site or two.  On her first solo case, she is tasked with investigating the fraud of the exact same dating site that she is currently registered with.

I just have to say that this was one of the most fun and entertaining reads that I have encountered in a long time.  It is definitely ranking up there as one of my top guilty pleasure books.  The flow of the book was fantastic, the dialogue and descriptions were titillating.  The view point of an outsider looking in as opposed to in-character narration worked superbly for this book. 

The main character Jessica sat very well with me as I could see myself in her many times over as someone having used dating sites with mediocre luck and worse luck with the men that I have dated in the past.  I also loved that the getaway resort was in Montana, as I myself am from Montana.  The headquarters are in Texas and I currently reside in Texas.  There were just so many uncanny similarities that made this book closer to me.  Matteo was definitely a wonderful sexy addition as the supporting character of this book. 

Coffey was very in tune with her writing of any teasing or sex scenes, but there was one in particular that stood out to me.  I must commend her on writing one of the most descriptive, steamiest foreplay scenes that I have ever encountered in my entire adult reading time.  Even had the whole book been crap it would have been worth it just for the picnic scene alone after whitewater rafting.  However, don't let that make you think that this book is ALL about sex.  It is not, it is about finding the ability to trust someone enough to be open enough to them to be able to experience such highs with someone else, and to find the ability to heal after mass destruction of one's heart. 

The characters were well described and personified and it was easy to relate to them as actual people (especially for me).  There may have been a couple of slightly cheesy moments when Matteo (Matt) is pouring it on a little think in his descriptions of Jessica, but the book was so damn good that it was easy to overlook and you didn't even care, you just went with it.  This is the sign of truly amazing writing skill.  Some people just have this ability to make a story flow even if not every little detail is perfect.  That is the TRUE art of story telling.

I give this book and obvious 5/5 stars as it has high re-readability value and is also the first in a series, which I cannot wait to read the next book.  The book that I was gifted had an except from the beginning of the next book and I already read it twice and need to get into it ASAP!  This book is definitely for MATURE audiences and if you are not comfortable with sex scenes than you are first of all missing out, and second of all may want to shy away from this one.  It is a book full of romance, woman empowerment, fiction, sex, and chick lit (I still don't really get what that really pertains to, but it sounds good here, so I am going to go with it.)  Although female readers may be more attracted to this one, my male readers could learn a thing or two from a few parts of the book. 

*I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Graeme Ing: Interview

I was given the opportunity to interview author Graeme Ing after reading his enjoyable book Necromancer.
You can see my review here: Necromancer Review

Please take this time to get to know Graeme a bit more and then also check out Necromancer as well as his other books:

How did you get into writing?

I began scribbling stories as a teen (a long time ago!) and even typing screenplays on a manual typewriter. I think it stemmed from my immersion into fantasy and sci-fi as a kid. I blame...er thank... my mother for that. As my career and life took over (like it does), I found little time to write, but returned to my lifelong dream of becoming an author about 8 or 9 years ago. With so many ideas, worlds and characters whizzing around my head, I'm not going to stop now.

What made you choose the topic of necromancy for your book?

Magic and creatures from beyond the grave are a solid staple of fantasy. To me, necromancy is a sinister subject that conjures images of decrepit sorcerers in dark cellars poring over ancient spellbooks to summon nasty creatures. I wanted to turn that trope on its head. I wanted necromancers to be protecting people from undead and spirits. I wanted a young hero, and I wanted to thrust a female into a male-dominated profession. That was the premise that drew me to writing this book. Necromancers can be heroes, right?

What was the religious background that you incorporated into the lives of your characters?

Like most books in the fantasy genre, I drew upon a "pagan" pantheon of Gods, but chose to leave it open as to whether such Gods had real power in the physical world. Like ancient times on Earth, each God or Goddess represented a sphere of life such as justice, nature, storms, or in the case of Lak (referred to many times in the book), God of the underworld and demons. In the city in the book, the temples to all the Gods are clustered in the mighty Temple Plaza, and I envisioned it likely that the populace would worship multiple Gods rather than a single one, or perhaps only Belaya, who is the mother of the Gods. I chose not to make religion a significant factor in the book, but more a backdrop. I was trying not to make any religious statements.

Is there an author that stands out to you as inspiration?  If so, what was it about this author that gave you inspiration?

Anne McCaffrey has inspired me more than any single author. I'm still incredibly impressed with the depth of her characters, her incredible imagination and how she wove in romance and tension without the need for indulgent sex or excessive violence. I found myself deeply engrossed in every character she wrote. If you've read The Harper hall trilogy and had your emotions ripped apart by the struggle of Menolly, then you know exactly what I mean. She's one of the rare authors that could make me actually cry because she wrote emotional drama so well.

Will there be another book to carry out the adventures of the characters remaining from Necromancer?

For sure! Not immediately. I have 3 or 4 other books that need writing first, but I definitely want to tell more about Maldren and Ayla's adventures together. I already have an outline for another book set in the city of Malkandrah, involving a daring swordswoman forced into a series of deadly actions to save her young daughter. Phyxia will make an appearance in that too.

What is your favorite target audience to write for?

That's a great question. Women I think. Traditionally, females in fantasy and sci-fi have had a bad rap, serving as victims or eye candy. Ayla (and Lissa from my first book "Ocean of Dust", and Majara from my upcoming romantic adventure) are free-spirited and adventurous female characters that I love to write about.

Do you have any advice that you would give to any aspiring authors out there?

Doubts and fears are a fact of life for an author, so don't let them deter you. Keep writing what you enjoy. Be bold, be creative, and keep pushing yourself to strengthen your writing craft. Despite recent successes in the Indie field, this isn't a get rich quick scheme. Writing involves long hours grappling with plot and character, building a reputation with readers one book at a time. Keep writing, even when you feel like you are writing junk. Keep writing. Keep editing. The satisfaction that comes when a reader enjoys your story is worth every hour at the keyboard. Chase your dream. Never give up.

Excerpt from Necromancer (Sinister):

She glanced at me then the ground below, but only clung tighter. A man appeared at the window, his teeth bared. Four scratches on his cheek oozed red. White drool speckled his trimmed beard. He clawed at her. She scrunched her eyes shut and wailed.

With a crack, the casement tore free, and she plummeted into my arms. We tumbled to the ground and the smoke surrounded us like a pack of wild animals.

I rolled to my feet, helped her up, and dragged her down the street, holding my breath as long as I could. She coughed and choked, resisting my pull. Murder flared in her eyes. I slapped her.

“Trust me. Hold your breath and stay with me.” I yanked her forward.

I shouldn’t have spoken. Smoke surged down my throat and I gagged.

Rage ignited inside me. I wanted to tear out her rabid eyes. My arm squeezed hers until she cried out, and I knew that I could break it with a twist, could snap her entire frail body. My gaze fixed on her pale, sweat-soaked throat. It invited me to choke the life from her, watch her struggle and finally go limp. My pulse quickened. Anger flooded my veins. Then my hands were around her throat, squeezing, crushing. She coughed and drooled thick, white saliva. Her blue eyes locked with mine but she put up no resistance. A smile twitched on her lips as my thumbs dug deeper. Ah, the sweet moment of superiority. How would it feel to kill? Delicious. It washed the tight pain from my head.

Something flickered deep within me. This was wrong.

Buy Links:

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Paperback

Barnes and Noble

iTunes

Kobo

About the Author:

Graeme Ing engineers original fantasy worlds, both YA and adult, but hang around, and you’ll likely read tales of romance, sci-fi, paranormal, cyberpunk, steampunk or any blend of the above.

Born in England in 1965, Graeme moved to San Diego, California in 1996 and lives there still. His career as a software engineer and development manager spans 30 years, mostly in the computer games industry. He is also an armchair mountaineer, astronomer, mapmaker, pilot and general geek. He and his wife, Tamara, share their house with more cats than he can count.

Connect With The Author:

Website

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Google+

Goodreads

Amazon Author Page

Enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card! This giveaway will run the length of the tour. Open internationally. Enter through Rafflecopter.

Necromancer

The Necromancer is written by Graeme Ing and features a man by the name of Maldren that is from the detested guild of necromancers.  He proudly wears his robes of office and valiantly works to save the people from things they don’t even know exist.  In his attempt to obtain a title of Master from his guild he is given an apprentice to train.  This apprentice happens to be a girl, which is rare in a mainly male field of work. 

Necromancer hits the ground running and although it is action packed, Graeme introducing many new elements in a world of his creation.  He has a different religious structure and throws around different names in curses (such as Kristach) that have no bearing on a new reader.  A prologue would be a welcome addition to give the reader a frame of reference and some background information.

When an unknown terror is threatening the lives of people in his city, Maldren must go deep into the underground below the city to try to the source.  It seems left up to him to fight this darkness with a young apprentice by his side. 

Graeme did a superb job of creating monstrous terrors of the dark.  These creatures were very imaginative and worked as great extensions of the villainous elements of the book.  The created world of Necromancer is a pleasure to visit and the suspense and secrets make for an enjoyable read.

I enjoyed getting to know Maldren and his apprentice Ayla.  Ayla was spunky and brave and a great woman-empowering character.  Out of everyone in the book, I would have to say that I was most intrigued by the character of Phyxia and wished there was more of her in the novel. 

Overall I give this book 4/5 stars.  It was definitely an entertaining story and I loved getting to know each character and element of the story.  My main complaint is the lack of explanation for basic elements that make up the story that could provide the reader with a better background of the information.  I feel that the religious makeup could be more in depth.  Usually a slight explanation of the religion behind the story and where someone stands is an additional way to understand a character’s motives and way of thinking as they go about their journey from both the hero and the villain aspects.  If you enjoy fantasy, paranormal, dark fantasy, fiction, woman-empowering, mystery, suspense, horror, or thrillers you will definitely enjoy this book.

*I received this book for  free in exchange for a fair and honest review
 

EXCERPT  - (Underworld creature)

“This is dangerous,” I whispered. “I know what I’m doing.”

Did I? I handed her the lightstick and crept forward, nudging loose stones with my boot to clear the way, never taking my eyes from the archway. The room was filled with heaps of rubble. The spectral rope snaked behind a huge fragment of a fallen buttress lodged against one wall.

Come out, come out, wherever you are.
I drew a sizable ball of magic from my core and blasted a massive Dispel into the room, bathing the entire area in a purple flash.
The grak leaped onto the ceiling, sending rubble clattering in all directions. It scuttled toward me, upside down, hundreds of barbs along its ten legs clinging to the bare stone ceiling. A razor-ridged carapace protected an abdomen the size of a barrel, yet the thing stretched eight feet in length, counting its forked, bony tail and oversize head. Two spheres of flylike eyes reflected a distorted version of my look of horror. Saw-toothed pincers clacked repeatedly and its antennae quivered, probing the air in front of it.

I stumbled backward, my heart thumping in my ears.

Kristach. I’d hoped it’d be smaller.

Please take the time to also check out my interview with the talented author of this novel: Graeme Ing.

Graeme Ing Interview

Buy Links:

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Paperback

Barnes and Noble

iTunes

Kobo

About the Author:

Graeme Ing engineers original fantasy worlds, both YA and adult, but hang around, and you’ll likely read tales of romance, sci-fi, paranormal, cyberpunk, steampunk or any blend of the above.

Born in England in 1965, Graeme moved to San Diego, California in 1996 and lives there still. His career as a software engineer and development manager spans 30 years, mostly in the computer games industry. He is also an armchair mountaineer, astronomer, mapmaker, pilot and general geek. He and his wife, Tamara, share their house with more cats than he can count.

Connect With The Author:

Website

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Google+

Goodreads

Amazon Author Page

Enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card! This giveaway will run the length of the tour. Open internationally. Enter through Rafflecopter.

Alexxxa

 *I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review

Alexxxa is written by D. T. Dyllin and features a woman named Alexa James.  As the name easily slides off the tongue it is easy to believe that it is the name of a porn star.
Alexa James is a porn star that has been in the industry for many years and is taking a break as she is starting to feel burnt out from the one thing that she loves and feels most fulfilled by.  Finishing her last shot before taking her vacation she encounter David Jonez, a man who wants to follow her with his crew to do a documentary inside of the Porn Industry.

While on vacation Alexa finds herself questioning everything she knows about herself and her life, as she contemplates her future.  Alexa's character displays many stereotypical "porn star" attributes, in her self confidence and insecurity, yes she is so much more than that.


 David has had a crush on Alexa since high school and has found the perfect opportunity to get close to her by using his film documentary.  Half of him hopes to rid her from his system, and the other half still remains completely infatuated with her.

Dyllin did an amazing job portraying many different aspects of the porn industry with realism and by writing a romance novel that was not your average every day read.  Although this book is erotica with some hot and heavy moments, the story had true substance and was able to leave the cheesy porno music behind.

Alexxxa is written in such a way that you will find yourself rooting for and caring for Alexa as she is trying to do what makes her happy in life and learning how to be the best version of herself.  There are many sensitive issues within this book, and Dyllin does a superb job of speaking up for the rights of women in the porn industry on multiple occasions.

I love the way that Alexxxa is written from the vastly different perspectives of Alexa and David as the story is told.  It gives a wonderful representation of the entirety of what is going on with a wider angle of view.  Dyllin's characters are easy to connect with and described in a way that you can see them come to life before your eyes.

Alexxxa receives a deserving 5/5 stars.  It was a fun and entertaining read.  It had it's hot moments, and also took a realistic approach on the feelings in love, even if some of it felt rushed.  In way the rushing was fitting given the character of Alexa who approaches issues in an all or nothing fashion.  The book did leave me with one major question in regards to Alexa's ex, but otherwise I felt that it had suitable closure.  This book is great for anyone into romance, feminism, erotica, fiction, woman empowering, porn, etc.  If you are shy about adult themes or porn, don't let it shy you away from a story worth the read; that is just one piece of the puzzle.

About the Author:

D.T. Dyllin is a Bestselling Romance Author who writes in both New Adult and Adult genres. She is a member of the RWA (Romance Writers of America) and also her local chapter, the MCRW (Music City Romance Writers).

 D.T. was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Black & Gold for life, baby!) She now lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and two spoiled GSDs.

Purchase Information:

Title: AleXXXa

Author: D.T. Dyllin

Series: Standalone

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Tik Tok Press

Cover artist: Lindsay Tiry

Release Date: July 20, 2014

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Alexxxa-D-T-Dyllin-ebook/dp/B00LZDHLJY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405968232&sr=8-1&keywords=alexxxa

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1119977107?ean=2940149798001

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/alexxxa

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-alexxxa-1576887-149.html

Fire Country

I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Fire Country is Book 1 in the Country Saga and written by the talent David Estes.  Fire Country is a book based around a girl named Siena who lives in Fire Country, which is essentially a desert type terrain that stays hot for the majority of the year.

This book was truly phenomenal.  David has created a unique world, realistic characters, a new governing body and even a fitting language for the setting.  Fire Country is a breath of fresh air after all of the unfinished products I seem to have read recently.  There was amazing flow, I didn't have to worry about constant interruptions with typos and grammar issues, and it was easy to get lost in this world as I was rooting for Siena and wanting her to rise above her social status and find a way to find true happiness in life. 

Fire Country happens in a somewhat post apocalyptic world where the population is much less than it was and the life expectancy is much lower with the average person dying at age 30.  As someone who turned 30 this year, I found this crazy to think about that this could be my last year.  Due to these circumstances, the fire people have rules enacted that involve girls turning 16 to become bearers for the tribe.  Once a quarter every girl at the age of 16 must attend a "call" ceremony.  This means that she will be paired with a randomly selected man over the age of 18 to become his "bearer" and to bear his children.  Once having a child she will be expected to bear another child ever three years after, until the household is full.  A normal full household has 3 "bearers" and nine children.  Siena is a "scrawny" girl prone to daydreams and has no interest in becoming a bearer, and not having any choice in who her call will be.  Unfortunately for her, her father is in high-level leadership in the tribe.  Through her slight rebellions she comes to discover unimaginable secrets, and just when you think the scandal of the tribe is enough for the book, there is a new and crazy turn of events. 

David has made such a brilliant story with Fire Country and each character comes to life from Siena to her family and friends and even the ancillary characters.  Even when in a depression I couldn't help but chuckle at Siena's dry and witty humor and her sometimes conversations with Perry.  Siena shows the world that even a skinny young girl can stand up against what she feels is wrong and find herself in the process.

I give this book 5/5 stars, and cannot wait to read book two in the saga.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys getting lost in a story.  Within these pages you will find intrigue, hope, rebellion, betrayal, love, independence and growth.  This book is more than fiction, it is entertainment at its finest.  Don't wait to pick this one up.

Rise of the Trinity

I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.  

Rise of the Trinity is written by Claudia Cullen and is based around a prophecy of triplet sisters that will stand as the only force to defeat “the destroyer.”  Slightly cliché, I know, but this book is worth the chance.

Claudia has done a great job of personalizing each sister in vastly different ways, Sinhade, Jessale, and Liana were all separated at birth to fulfill different obligations for their queen mother.  The world building and storytelling is definitely commendable.  Claudia has definitely created the great first to a book series (a Trilogy would only be right with the Trinity after all).  ;)

Although the girls are reaching their 15^th birthday and rite of passage, Claudia superbly captures the older age of time in the book when the youth were burdened with adulthood life and decisions even before this age.  Each girl is mentally broken in a unique way, and each has vastly different strengths.  On their 15^th birthday their father bestows upon them their birthright gift which opens up a whole new world for each of them.

Initially I loved Jessale the most, even though she is the most broken, but by the end of the book, I couldn’t help but champion Liana for her spark and independence.  Although the good vs evil fight has been; and will continue to be written about, a thousand times over, Claudia was able to make this story uniquely her own.  This book stands out from others in its genre.  

With all of that being said, I have to point out some glaring deficiencies.  TYPOS!  They are so distracting, and in this case it was mostly to do with character names.  There is an ancillary character named Enoch, whose name is spelled Enoch, Enock and Inoch all within the span of about 3-5 pages.  I also found there was sister name swapping several times.  I’m not sure if this had to do with another sister originally carrying out an action and in edit the sister’s role was changed, but the name was mistakenly left, or what was the case.  Luckily it was easy to keep reading and figure out which person was meant, but it did break up the flow of the writing.  

Overall I give this book 4/5 stars.  Despite the typos, it was an engaging story and was easy to get into.  The book hits the ground running and keeps the pace for the majority of the story.  This initial book in the series is like a huge set up for the main events to come.  I will definitely be reading on to the second book when given the opportunity.  If you are into fantasy, fiction, young adult, prophecy, light and dark, spirituality, and anything in between, you will enjoy this book.