August 2013 - A Life Through Books

Friday, August 30, 2013

Blog Tour Book Review

Blog Tour: How NOT to Commit Murder by Robin Storey

Blog Tour: How NOT to Commit Murder by Robin Storey
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Comedy Crime
Date Published: April 14, 2013

CAREER conman Reuben Littlejohn is determined to go straight this time after his release from prison, with the help of his new wife and her wealthy family.
But he hadn't counted on stumbling across a plot to kill his parole officer Lucy, with whom he is madly in lust.  The instigator, nefarious criminal Frank Cornell, blackmails Reuben into becoming his accomplice. The only way he can save Lucy is to pretend to go along with Frank's Operation Luce End, while making sure it doesn't succeed.  Never have his skills in lying and cheating been so vital!
But if Reuben's plan fails, it's his life at stake as well as Lucy's. Add to the mix a wife who’s trying to mould him into a pillar of respectability and in-laws who think he’s a lost cause, and Reuben soon discovers that going straight can be murder.

My Review:
What a clever story with a wonderful balance of mystery and suspense and light-hearted comedy and fun.

 Robin Storey has created a novel in which the main character shows growth. For me that is always something I look for in my favorite main characters. I liked flawed characters and if they can overcome things, it really speaks to me. 

 This was a quick read for me. I felt like the words and plot just flowed long effortlessly. I found myself flipping page after page, laughing, and guessing the whole time.



Robin Storey is a freelance and creative writer from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. She’s published a number of short stories and comedy crime How Not To Commit Murder is her first novel. Her comedy romance novel Perfect Sex will be published on Amazon in August 2013.
Robin enjoys bushwalking and relaxing at the beach and would love to have the time to do more of both. She also loves travelling and is planning her next big adventure – doing the Camino Frances pilgrimage across Spain. She’s also an avid reader (of course) and her favourite authors include Colin Bateman, Christopher Brookmyre, Nick Earls and Nick Hornby.
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Blog Tour Dystopian

PROMO: John Smith by Roland Hughes

PROMO: John Smith by Roland Hughes
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Dystopian / Sy Fy
Date Published: 5/3/2013



What if the Mayans got the start of the end correct because they had survived it once before? What if our written history was just as accurate as the old tale about three blind men describing an elephant? What if classic science fiction writing and television shows each got a piece of it correct, would you know which ones? If your eyes can only see a tiny portion of a collage do you know it is a collage?

Fans of Babylon 5, Star Trek TNG, Battle Star Galactica (the new one) and classic science fiction writing will enjoy the bountiful Easter Egg hunt contained within. When you were a child you learned to connect paper clips or thread beads together to make a necklace. Sit back and watch the beads you’ve had all your life form the picture you could not see. Consider for one second the possibility of the story, then hang onto your mind with both hands while you take the ride.




Roland Hughes is the president of Logikal Solutions, a business applications consulting firm
specializing in VMS platforms. Hughes serves as a lead consultant with over two decades of
experience using computers and operating systems originally created by Digital Equipment
Corporation (now owned by Hewlett-Packard).

With a degree in Computer Information Systems, the author's experience is focused on OpenVMS
systems across a variety of diverse industries including heavy equipment manufacturing, pharma-
ceuticals, stock exchanges, tax accounting, and hardware value-added resellers, to name a few. Working throughout these industries 
has strengthened the author's unique skill set and given him a broad perspective on the role and value of OpenVMS in industry.

Mr. Hughes' technical skill sets include the following tools that enable him to master and improve OpenVMS applications: DEC/VAX
C, DEC/VAX C++, DEC BASIC, DCL, ACMS, MQ Series, DEC COBOL, RDB, POWERHOUSE, SQL, CMS/MMS, Oracle 8i, FORTRAN, FMS, and
Java, among others. Being fluent in so many technical languages enables Hughes to share his knowledge more easily with other
programmers. 


To read Roland's non-fiction books, please visit www.TheMinimumYouNeedtoKnow.com
To read Roland's blog, please visit logikalblog.com
Buy Links



Retail version available in the following formats from the following vendors:

Audio




EPUB



Paperback
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Thursday, August 29, 2013

Adventure Book Review

Book Review: Rhidauna

Book Review: Rhidauna
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Epic Fantasy Adventure


My Review:
This novel took a bit to get into. I think its hard when introducing a reader to a new world to not be bogged down by descriptions/detail and that is why it seemed so slow in the pacing to me.

Once it got going, I really did enjoy the world that Paul E. Horsman created. 

The characters were original and intriguing. The plot while slow moving, was one that came together in the end and made for a wonderful adventure in the Fantasy Realm. 
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Adventure Blog Tour

Blog Tour: Rhidauna by Paul E. Horsman

Blog Tour: Rhidauna by Paul E. Horsman
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Epic Fantasy Adventure
Date Published: 7/6/2013

The night before his Coming-of-Age, Ghyll and his two friends escaped their castle on a clandestine hunt that would forever change their lives.

They returned just in time to see their island castle destroyed by strange warriors from a dragonboat and flocks of burning birds. 

Ghyll’s birthday turned into a nightmare as they fled into the night.

This begins an epic journey to find out who is trying to kill them... and most importantly, why?

Fortunately, they can count on colorful new friends to assist, including a sometimes overly enthusiastic fire mage, an inexperienced paladin and a female beastmaster who is a ferocious mountain lion.

In a world filled with jealous priests, corrupt magistrates, bored aristocrats and power-hungry magicians, they try to survive dark wizards, murderous golems, and fire bird attacks.It soon becomes apparent that not one but several assassins are after them. Who are these members of an obscure, long-forgotten organization?And whose cold hand reaches across the boundaries of space and time to threaten weakened Rhidauna?

While the time is running the friends undertake a quest that leads them through a large part of Rhidauna. Following them, the reader is carried along on an exciting journey through a colorful world, whose people, culture and atmosphere are described with great attention to detail without the story losing momentum.

BUY LINKS



Lives in Roosendaal, The Netherlands.

I was born in Bussum, The Netherlands, in the year 1952. 

After many years in business, I ended up in 1995 in education. My school was specialized in Dutch language and integration courses for foreigners. Unhappily, due to changed legislation this beautiful work stopped in mid-2012. My age, five years from retirement, makes it nigh on impossible to find something else, so now I am building up a career as an independent author.

SF and Fantasy have fascinated me since my high school days, but apart from some juvenile trash, I never seriously tried to write anything. 

It was in 2007, I took the first steps in what is now the fantasy kingdom of Rhidauna. After several false starts and associated discouraged intervals, a spark began to grow and mid-2010, the first two parts of Shadow of the Revenaunt were more or less written. 

With the Revenaunt-series, I had in mind something in the way of days gone by. A heroic tale with sympathetic protagonists and black villains, in which good always triumphs in the end. Something to counterbalance the modern gritty style. 

In 2012 the first book, Rhidauna, was traditionally published in The Netherlands. The second book, Zihaen, followed in March 2013 and book three, Ordelanden, is scheduled for September in NL. Now I’m selfpublishing the international edition, well-translated and edited. The English version of Rhidauna appeared in July. Zihaen is being edited for later this year.

Next to the Revenaunt-series, I’m writing The Shardheld Saga, a trilogy, of which the first, Shardfall, appeared on Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, etc, in May 2013. The second book, Runemaster, is being edited and scheduled for September.


Twitter: @Graylorne
Website: http://www.paulhorsman-author.com
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Book Cover Contemporary Romance

Cover Reveal: Forever In Bloom

Cover Reveal: Forever In Bloom
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Forever In Bloom - Cover Reveal
Jennifer Domenico  
Contemporary Romance
Date to be Published: 9/16/2013

Synopsis: 

A love strong enough to survive even the toughest challenge…or is it?

From the moment he told her, Ava never doubted Enzo’s love for her. How could she? He spent every day of his life making sure she felt it. Through every trial, the couple has only come out stronger for it. She was confident that no matter what challenge life had in store, she and Enzo’s love would endure.

Just as Ava’s dreams for the future fall into place something happens that she never imagined. Still, she knows with Enzo by her side, happiness is always just around the corner. What Ava doesn’t know is a threat she thought was long gone is back and will stop at nothing to take everything that is precious  away from her.

A love, even as strong as theirs, can only be tested so much before it breaks. Can Enzo and Ava’s love survive their toughest challenge yet? Will Enzo’s love be enough to keep Ava safe or is she better off away from the only man she’s ever loved? Will they ever get the happily ever after they deserve?


Book three is the final installment of the Sunflower Trilogy.


EXCERPT

I close my eyes and try to calm my rattled nerves. I can’t believe the fucking nerve of this woman. I know I have to talk to Enzo and find out what he knows about this. I can’t imagine that he saw her and would keep that from me.

I dial his cell phone but my hands are shaky. I wait patiently for him to answer, knowing he had meetings at Girasole that morning, and wondering just what I’m going to say if he tells me he saw her.

“Ciao, amore,” Enzo answers, cheerfully.

“Enzo, Anna called me.” I don’t waste any time on pleasantries.

“What?!”

“Anna fucking called me and said she’s already been in contact with you. Tell me she’s lying.” 

 His sudden silence makes my heart sink. “Are you keeping secrets from me, Enzo?” I ask in utter disbelief.

“We need to talk about this when we both get home.”

“You saw her? You fucking saw her and didn’t tell me?!” I yell into the phone.

“Calm down, Ava.”

“Calm down?! Why the fuck haven’t I heard about it until now. Do you know how fucking humiliating this is to me to hear it from her?”

“Ava, stop swearing at me.”

“Don’t fucking tell me what to do!”

Enzo takes a deep breath. “Ava, this is something I wanted to discuss with you but I was waiting for the right time. I refuse to do this over the phone.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine how you’re going to explain this to me. She’s not even supposed to be anywhere near us. Why haven’t you had her arrested yet?”

“I said we’ll discuss it in person.”

“Well then you better stop whatever you are doing right now and meet me at the house.”

I slam down the phone, the only time I’ve ever hung up on my husband. My blood is fucking boiling right now. I know in my heart that I am not going to like what I hear. Suddenly his secretive behavior is starting to make a lot more sense.


 Jennifer Domenico

Author Bio

Jennifer Domenico is the author of The Sunflower Trilogy: Turn Towards the Sun, Turn Towards the Sun: After the Rain, and Turn Towards the Sun: Forever in Bloom. She is also the author of Have my Heart- A Novella, and Beautifully Twisted.
When not writing her next novel, she spends her time devouring the words of other great authors, watching home improvement shows or talent competitions, and sleeping whenever possible. 
She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her very Italian husband who provides her with endless material for her next Italian stallion character. She loves connecting with readers so stop by and say hello to her.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

|This Cover reveal is brought to you by Reading Addiction Book Tours

Reading Addiction Blog Tours
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Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Blog Tour Book Review

Blog Tour: The Wysard by Deborah J. Lightfoot

Blog Tour: The Wysard by Deborah J. Lightfoot
10:16 AM1 Comments


Young Adult/New Adult Literary Fantasy
Book #2 in the Waterspell Series

WATERSPELL Book 1: The Warlock
Drawn into the schemes of an angry wizard, Carin glimpses the place she once called home. It lies upon a shore that seems unreachable. To learn where she belongs and how to get there, the teenage traveler must decipher the words of an alien book, follow the clues in a bewitched poem, conjure a dragon from a pool of magic—and tread carefully around a seductive but volatile, emotionally scarred sorcerer who can’t seem to decide whether to love her or kill her. "Carin and Verek’s well-crafted relationship balances in a tense power struggle … intriguing premise and original characters … Fine fantasy." —KIRKUS

 WATERSPELL Book 2: The Wysard
After blundering into the last stronghold of magic, Carin discovers that she is right to fear the wizard Verek. He is using her to seal the ruptures in the void, and she may be nothing more to him than an expendable weapon. What will he do with her—or to her—when his world is again secure? Or has he erred in believing that the last bridge has been broken? The quest may not, in fact, be over … and Lord Verek may find himself not quite as willing to dispose of his fiery water-sylph, Carin, as he once believed himself to be.


My Review:
This is Young Adult in age, but Epic in Fantasy. Please note, this is a 2nd in a series and you should definitely read The Warlock first as this is a continuation of the story. You will definitely want to have this one on hand if you read book #1 though, because the first leaves you hanging. 

 Its not often that a sequel can overshadow a debut, but that is exactly what happened here. I think the fact that I was already introduced to the characters and world helped Deborah J. Lightfoot weave an even more exciting tale with this novel. 

 Imaginative, Exciting, plenty of action, and even an ending that will leave you satisfied. That doesn't always happen with books in the middle of the series (this is 2nd of 4).






Castles in the cornfield provided the setting for Deborah J. Lightfoot’s earliest flights of fancy. On her father’s farm in Texas, she grew up reading tales of adventure and reenacting them behind ramparts of sun-drenched grain. She left the farm to earn a degree in journalism and write award-winning books of history and biography. High on her Bucket List was the desire to try her hand at the genre she most admired. The result is WATERSPELL, a multi-layered fantasy trilogy about a girl and the wizard who suspects her of being so dangerous to his world, he believes he'll have to kill her ... which troubles him, since he's fallen in love with her. Waterspell Book 1: The Warlock; Book 2: The Wysard; and Book 3: The Wisewoman. 

 www.waterspell.net
www.facebook.com/Waterspell
www.goodreads.com/author/show/5372062.Deborah_J_Lightfoot 

BUY LINKS

E-BOOKS Now Available
Introductory Pricing




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No Problem
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PAPERBACKS Also on Sale
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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Blog Tour Book Review

Blog Tour: Awakening Colors by Rita K. Gupta

Blog Tour: Awakening Colors by Rita K. Gupta
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Paranormal Mystery
Date Published: 4/12/13

Awakening Colors will take you on a magical adventure!   
Read this fascinating story that weaves together current times with ancient mythologies. Set in modern day Toronto, this book is an exciting story of adventures that evolve across material worlds into illusions and beyond.
Using his powers to reach into the world of illusions, Arche Lasarre is able to change destinies.  The power of his manipulations threatens all three worlds: the material, the illusionary and the timeless.
Visions of constantly changing destinies and futures depicted in vibrant colors - this is what Pari sees.  Mystified and confused, Pari initially hides her visions from others. She dismisses them as hallucinations.
Guided by scrolls left to her by the spiritual master Chanakya, Pari needs to discover her powers and define her own destiny.  Will she be seduced by the lure of Arche's power of illusions?  Will she choose her own path?  What will Pari do?  
Find out now!


My Review:

This is one of those stories that has so many elements that you could get confused easily, however, Rita K. Gupta does a great job of reigning the reader in and keeping them focused. Anytime you are traveling into a new book world, you hope that an author can make you feel like you are part of it, and I think she was very successful in doing so.

 There is action, Paranormal Elements, and even mystery. Definitely a solid novel! 




Rooted to her land of birth, India, and tied to her adoptive country Canada where she has lived for the past 25 plus years, Ritu combines her experiences and beliefs to weave seamless stories that will awaken your imagination and change the way you view the world.
Ritu is committed to working closely with a set of beta readers and her editor to write and publish quality works of fiction.
Besides writing, she loves to read, garden, meditate and to walk. She currently lives in Woodbridge, Ontario with her husband.
Her first book Awakening Colors is available for purchase on Amazon and Kobo.
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Monday, August 26, 2013

Blog Tour Contemporary Romance

Blog Tour: Stepping Up To Love by Katie O'Boyle

Blog Tour: Stepping Up To Love by Katie O'Boyle
2:00 AM0 Comments

Contemporary Romance
Date Published: 8/7/2013
Soul Mate Publishing, Inc., NY

A lakeside porch in the Finger Lakes is the perfect spot for a quiet moment or a heart-to-heart with your special someone. Joel and Manda’s first heart-to-heart on the breakfast porch at the Manse Inn and Spa is anything but romantic. Joel the owner of the Manse is furious with his junior accountant for using one of the spa showers. If Manda didn’t have a desperate story and a spectacular body, Joel might not be feeding her breakfast and falling in love. Can Manda get sober, clean up her act, and open her heart to her rich, hunky boss?


Excerpt

Halfway through the shampoo, she heard him tap on the frosted glass door and slip some clothes onto the hook in the dressing area. “I owe you, Remy,” she said over the noise of the shower.
“Shhh!” he commanded. “I know nothing!” he declared and hummed his way back through the locker room.
The bubble of laughter that rose in Manda turned into a flood of tears. She let them flow and mix with the hundred-degree simulated rainwater pouring from the ceiling.
Finally warm, and thoroughly clean, shampooed, conditioned, citrus-scented, and far less achy than she’d been, Manda turned off the water and drew back the linen curtain dividing the shower stall from the dressing area, and screamed. Standing at the glass door was the big boss. Remy’s boss. Her boss's boss. She wasn’t sure, but Joel Cushman was probably everybody’s boss.
“Geez, Joel, I thought you were a pervert!” she yelled at him. I can’t believe I just called Mr. Cushman “Joel.” I am in so much trouble here.
“Manda? What—?” His voice cracked like an adolescent.
Manda stifled a laugh. His eyes were drinking in her body as though he couldn’t believe what she’d been hiding under her baggy clothes. Drink your fill now, Joel, because I am off men for life.
“I thought you were a criminal. What are you doing in the shower at seven fifteen in the morning? And stop batting that curtain around.”
Manda tried desperately to grab hold of the linen shower curtain, flapping this way and that in the current created by the open door. “Do you mind?” she scolded him.
Giving up on the curtain, she crossed her arms and turned her back on him. He probably likes that view, too. “Could you hand me a towel, please, or get out of here?” Why am I yelling at the boss? Seriously dumb, Manda.
He was silent now, which was worse. What is he doing, standing there, looking at me? Panic overtook anger, and she turned back to look at him.
He had dropped the admiring once-over, and she saw he was taking a second look at her purpling bruises. Silently, he handed her a towel from the top of the stack and looked her in the eye.
Manda wondered if he could read the shame and fear clouding her vision.

Joel cleared his throat and ordered, “In my office. Five minutes. Dressed.”  His jaw was hard as he turned on his heel. 

BUY LINK

Once upon a time, Katie O’Boyle was a stellar student and closet substance abuser at a picture-perfect small college. She credits loving friends, 12-step spirituality, and plenty of hard work for her transformation into tech-savvy college professor and passionate author of warm-hearted romance. Fall in love with her characters on the lakeside porches of the beautiful Finger Lakes in upstate New York. Lakeside Porches, Book One: Stepping Up To Love (Joel and Manda’s story); Book Two: Coming Home to Love (Justin and Gianessa’s story).
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Sunday, August 25, 2013

Blog Tour Book Review

Blog Tour: From Wall Street With Love by Leigh Boyer

Blog Tour: From Wall Street With Love by Leigh Boyer
8:25 AM0 Comments

Contemporary Fiction/Suspense
Date Published: 1/17/13

This novel is a scandalous tale of the bad behavior that goes on in the world of high finance. In the background, the nation's economic crisis is unveiling as the banks play a central role. It is told through the eyes of 30-something Leigh Boyer, who is thrilled when she is hired as Director of Corporate Citizenship at a major Wall Street firm, Metropolis (Metro) Financial. Leigh feels that she has finally "made it," successfully hiding a provincial inferiority complex by reinventing herself as a "real" New Yorker, replete with Jimmy Choo shoes, full-body aggression on the subway, and a Wall Street job where the everyday madness would shock her polite Midwestern family. Unfortunately, her dream job turns out to be a nightmare, as the Wall Street of Leigh's imaginings is eroded by one eye-opener after another. Leigh quickly learns that she is not alone in harboring secrets—the company is riddled with them. While she is responsible for portraying her employer as a good corporate citizen, in reality, Metro is anything but. Instead she finds herself dealing with infidelity scandals, embezzlement crimes, cad-like behavior, unethical financial schemes, and "accidental" customer deaths. Further complicating matters is her love affair with a hated New York Times business reporter, who publishes the exact secrets Metro is trying so hard to keep hidden. Leigh's escapist James Bond fantasies and a few hard-won allies help her bear the insanity that is business as usual at Metro.


My Review
Going into this book I had very little knowledge of Wall Street and the Finance World. It's always been a bit of a mystery to me. I found myself immersed in the finance world while reading this. It was a great mystery and even learning experience for me. Well thought out plot that flowed well. The characters were intriguing and compelling. Great read! 


BUY LINKS
Amazon



Leigh Boyer
Leigh Boyer is an accomplished professional with experience in the financial services domain.
She currently is Asia Pacific editor for Entrepreneur Today — a magazine dedicated to helping new entrepreneurs make their dreams become reality. She is the former Director of Metropolis Financial’s Office of Corporate Citizenship and oversaw a global commitment to fund financial education projects. Prior to that, she was accepted into the highly competitive internship program with McLean Investments in New York City.
She is the author of a critically acclaimed personal finance book, The Metropolis Money Guide.
Ms. Boyer received her Bachelor’s degree in Public Affairs from Stanford University and her Master’s in International Finance from the Sorbonne University in Paris, France. She currently resides in Hong Kong.
Her first novel, To Wall Street With Love, is available through Amazon.com and is based very loosely on her experiences working in finance.
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