A Life Through Books

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Book Cover Contemporary

Blue Lines Cover Reveal

Blue Lines Cover Reveal
8:35 AM0 Comments

Blue Lines - Cover Reveal
Toni Aleo
Contemporary Sports Romance
Date to be Published: August 13, 2013
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Synopsis: 

Opposites do more than just attract in Toni Aleo’s latest Nashville Assassins novel about a very bad boy and the good girl he can’t resist.

The instant Piper Allen sees Erik Titov, she wants him—wants his rock-hard body, sure, but the strength and mystery that lies behind that superstar hockey jock demeanor, too. So when he sidles up to her at a bar and slinks his arm around her waist, she’s lost. What follows is the wildest night of her life . . . followed by inevitable heartbreak the next morning. And then, a few weeks later, a very big surprise: two blue lines on a pregnancy test.

Only a check to the head could make Erik fall for a nice girl like Piper. But since their crazy-sexy night together, he’s been trying to forget about her alluring body by falling into bed with every woman in Nashville, and it’s not working. So when Piper shows up at his house with a baby-bomb to drop, it doesn’t take much for Erik to suggest the nuclear option: marriage. While it’s supposed to be all for show, the second they say “I do,” the ice between them starts to melt into sizzling steam.

About the Author:

My name is Toni Aleo!
I am a wife, mother, and hopeless romantic.
I have been told I have anger issues, but I think it's cause of my intense love for hockey!
I am the biggest Shea Weber fan ever, and can be found during hockey season with my nose pressed against the Bridgestone Arena's glass, watching my Nashville Predators play!
When my nose isn't pressed against the glass, I enjoy going to my husband and son's hockey games, my daughters dance competition, hanging with my best friends, taking pictures, and reading the latest romance novel.
I love things that sparkle, I love the color pink, and did I mention I love hockey?

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Get the first 3 books in the series:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble
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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Blog Tour Book Review

Blog Tour: Whispered Truth by M.M. Hall

Blog Tour: Whispered Truth by M.M. Hall
7:49 AM1 Comments

Historical Mystery
Date Published: 3/31/13

In 1911, England hovers on the cusp of change. A new king waits to be crowned. Women and the poor are fighting for their rights. Political turmoil rages throughout Europe. And a promising young artist lies dead in the heart of London.

 Just another tragic death in a city filled with untimely demises. Or so thinks Hargreaves, the gifted, but troubled, Detective Inspector called in to investigate. Haunted by the tragedy of his own past, he is unprepared for the onslaught of long-buried memories and powerful emotions the case brings. Making his task even more difficult is the troubling presence of Daisy Cartwright, a wealthy widow closely connected to the victim, and a woman he feels inexplicably drawn to.

 Untangling the tightly woven threads connecting the victim and the suspects, Hargreaves soon reaches a conclusion, only to have that theory shattered by the revelation that everything he has been led to believe is a lie. Groping through the silence and secrets, he uncovers a cold-blooded killer, and a connection to his own past that leaves him reeling.


 My Review:

I so loved this book. Historical, which I really like. I'm not a history buff, but I feel like by reading Historical Novels I really learn more than I did in school. ; ) 

I really liked Hargreaves. He has some demons in his past and they affect his day to day life, but he works past them. His investigation is made that much more difficult when he realizes he has an odd connection to a Widow who is wrapped up in the case. 

 I like the fact that the reader is right along with him in connecting the dots and coming to a conclusion. When that all falls apart, things only get more interesting. 

 Suspenseful with well developed plot and characters, I definitely recommend this to fans of Mystery and/or Historical Novels. 

M M Hall is the author of Whispered Truth, the first novel in the Inspector Hargreaves series. She also writes as Molly M Hall, and is the author ofReckoning, the first installment in the Dark Prophecy series. She currently lives just outside of Denver where she's at work on her next novel.
She pursued a degree in English Literature at Columbia College and worked in the corporate world for several years before turning to writing full time.
When not reading or writing she can be found listening to music, playing piano, exercising, working on her very inadequate French, or looking for inspiring landscapes to photograph.

Contact Links
Twitter - @mollymhallbooks
Website - mollymhall.com

LINKS TO BUY
Amazon


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Monday, April 22, 2013

Blog Tour Book Review

Blog Tour: Jacobs Project by Samuel J. M. King

Blog Tour: Jacobs Project by Samuel J. M. King
3:30 PM0 Comments


Sci-Fi
Collection of Short Stories 
 Jacobs Project and The First Angry 'Man' (a total of 15,000 words)

The mid 22nd century. It is in many respects a world we would recognize. Like our own,  it’s a world with instantaneous, worldwide communications, computers of ever increasing  sophistication and permanent human occupancy of outer space. But it is also a very different  world—a world where the riddle of “artificial intelligence” has been solved and our intelligent  creations live amongst us… And that’s the problem. Technology’s ability to create these marvels has outpaced society’s ability to cope with them.  Imbued with all of the characteristics that make us human, they are none-the-less not human,  and… they are sold in stores to anybody with the means to pay. The ramifications are obvious,  yet for some reason they weren’t seen in advance, and as SYMBIOSIS unfolds, that failure leads  to tragic consequences.


My Review:
These are quick reads that make up a series. I actually got to read the first two in the series, Jacobs Project and First Angry Man. 

I liked how straight to the point these books were. There was really no dragging it out, you get right in to the heart of things and Samuel King definitely keeps you flipping the pages. 

Have you ever been interested in AI's? If so, this is a perfect quick read for you! Be warned, you will want to go get more from the series after reading these though! 

EXCERPT

23 June 2047
Office of Dr. Irwin C. Jacobs, Chairman
MIT Cybernetics Dept.

Irwin Jacobs, renowned cyberneticist, waited impatiently for neurologist Tom Wilson's
answer. "Well?"
Tall and impeccably dressed, Wilson shook his head emphatically. "They'll absolutely tear
you to pieces, Irwin."
"They'll have to catch me first."
The neurologist cast a dubious glance at his squat, balding and rumpled friend. "Well, that
should take all of three seconds," he said, laughing.
"Never mind. What I want to know is whether you'll join me or not. You're the best brain
man in the business, and I could sure use your help. It'll be one hell of a journey."
"Oh, I'm sure it will be—straight into professional obscurity. I just don't understand why
you're going down this path. It's not as if no one has ever experimented with neural arrays
before."
"Ah, but no one else has seen their full potential," Jacobs countered. "Annnd, no one else
has ever built an organic array."
"Right, and there's a very good reason for that. Nobody knows how. And even if you solve
that problem you've still got to interface the damn thing with your electronics. Another near
impossible task. So, I'll ask you again, why go there?"
"You of all people should know, unless you've got a line on hardware that can match the
networking and switching capacity of the brain. Throw in the ability to create new pathways by
rewiring itself, and I'd say you're on to some piece of hardware."
"You're insane."
Jacobs laughed. "Maybe."
"Maybe? You've spent your entire career establishing yourself as the go to guy in AI and
cybernetics. You're throwing it all away."
"What I've spent my entire career doing is failing, forty years of it. Forty years of
developing increasingly complex systems. Forty years of designing algorithms so elegant they're
virtual works of art but ultimately take me farther and farther from where I want to go. The
simple fact is, no matter how sophisticated we make the computers and the programs that run
them, they're still incapable of doing what a six year old child can do… think."
"By think, you mean self aware?"
Jacobs hesitated. His friend's question sounded very much like an indictment. "So?"
"So, nobody serious has thought about doing that for quite a while now, and you know it.
It's no longer the Holy Grail of AI."
"Well, it's still my Holy Grail. It's the reason I went into this field." He lowered his voice and
added, "I really want to do this, Tom. I always have, ever since I was a kid. Getting older hasn't
changed that."

Virtual Book Tour April 22- April 26

April 22 -  Reading Addiction Blog Tours - Meet and Greet
April 22 - Author Ever Leigh - Review
April 23 - Texas Book Nook - Review
April 24 - Faerie Tale Books - Review
April 25 - My Reading Addiction - Review
April 26 - RABT Reviews - Review





Samuel J.M. King was born in Boston, Massachusetts, grew up on the “South Shore” and
attended high school in historic Plymouth. Tired of school at the tender age of seventeen,
he joined the Marine Corps and after basic training, spent the next eighteen months—you
guessed it!—going to school. A stint at the Naval Communications Training Center in Pensacola,
Florida was followed by nine months at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California
studying Russian. He spent the remainder of his four-year enlistment in Japan.

After receiving an honorable discharge, he attended a computer programming school and
spent a number of years in computer applications, first as a programmer and then as a systems
analyst, designer and project leader. Later, he traded in his application’s hat for a more
technical role, becoming a field software support specialist for Digital Equipment Corporation,
the largest of the late, great mini-computer companies. After moving to New Hampshire, he
studied Computer Engineering Technology at the New Hampshire Technical Institute and went
on to design and program computerized industrial control systems for companies across New
England.

Having written a prodigious amount of technical documentation, he began to write fiction in
2002. In addition to Symbiosis, he has written a screenplay, as well as several other novellas
and short stories. He currently resides with his wife Donna in the heart of New Hampshire’s
“Lakes Region” where he is working on the final novel of the Symbiosis series: East of the Sun
and West of the Moon.


BUY LINKS 



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Sunday, April 21, 2013

Blog Tour Book Review

Blog Tour: The Queen's Pawn by RJ Hore

Blog Tour: The Queen's Pawn by RJ Hore
6:16 AM0 Comments

Medival Fantasy
Date Published: 4/1/13

An impoverished scholar and farm youth Harrow, becomes involved with a magician and is forced to assist in the escape of Queen Reginee and Princess Desire-Rose from the burning capital city. Pretending to be a famous duke, Harrow reluctantly agrees to escort the sensuous queen and her very annoying daughter to the castle of the queen’s brother. They have to leave in a hurry and are pursued by a large band of the rebels who captured the city. All the fleeing refugees have are the clothes on their backs and a small squad of untrained guards for protection.
Black wizardry is afoot, sundry dangerous creatures hide in the underbrush, and villains, monstrous and common, seductive and evil, lurk all along the way. If that were not enough for the young man to worry about, the queen’s amorous chambermaid and bodyguard, Mathilde, a smallish giantess, just wants to get Harrow alone. Oh yes, and he can’t stand Desiree-Rose.
They do eventually reach the castle of the queen’s younger brother, but unfortunately they do not find the sort of welcome they were hoping for. Harrow would really like to leave all this strife behind and escape back to his former life on the family farm, but that does not appear to be his destiny.

My Review:
What a magical world RJ Hore has created! There is never a dull moment in this story. The entire story is constantly moving and kept my attention.

 I at times did want a bit more connection to the characters, I feel like the description and detail about the world gave me great insight into where they were and what the atmosphere was like, but sometimes the characters themselves needed to give a little more.

 Overall a wonderful journey. 
BUY LINKS 



A reader of genre fiction since a very early age, got down to serious attempts at writing over thirty years ago, although employment kept getting in the way.
I did write a considerable amount of non-fiction during my business career, enough to be listed as a professional writer by the Canadian Authors Association.
Hobbies include trying to keep on the good side of my wife, keeping track of my children and grandchildren, and wrestling the blasted cat off of the keyboard. In my diminishing spare time I sail on Lake Winnipeg and try not to get lost.
My writing history includes:
Winning first prize in a National Canadian Authors short story contest (a romantic ghost story) and having that published in an anthology, and a modern vampire tale published in another anthology.
A current member of several writing organizations, for many years I was in charge of the judging for a national Canadian history book contest, and chaired a writer’s workshop in Winnipeg that self-published an anthology, including three of my pieces: a sci fi piece, an attempt at an epic poem, and a true tale of how I almost drowned my brother and his wife in a storm the first year I owned a sailboat.
I currently review science fiction and fantasy genre novels and anthologies for an on-line magazine aimed primarily at school libraries. I have done somewhere over 60 reviews so far and also co-authored a history: “The Rotary Club of Winnipeg-100 Years of Service”.
Through BURST Books, writing as R.J.Hore, I have a medieval fantasy tale of murder and intrigue entitled “The Dark Lady” that came out in February 2012 and a fantasy detective story in December 2012 called “Housetrap”. Housetrap is the first in a series of novellas under the The Housetrap Chronicles. Three others in the series are already scheduled for publication: “Dial M for Mudder” in July 2013, “The House on Hollow Hill” in September 2013, and “Hounds of Basalt Ville” in November 2013. I have another medieval novella “Knight’s Bridge” in March 2013, and a full length novel, again a medieval fantasy, “The Queen’s Pawn,” in April 2013.
I also have a large stack of completed manuscripts in various stages ranging from a “What If” — the North Americans discovered Europe first, set in 1215AD – to a contemporary bickering married couple swept away to an alternative universe, and a futuristic tale of a lady archeologist set in outer space. Working on sequels for “The Dark Lady.”
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Friday, April 19, 2013

Blog Tour Book Review

Blog Tour: Heroes and Hearts by Noemi Betancourt

Blog Tour: Heroes and Hearts by Noemi Betancourt
10:32 AM 2 Comments


Fantasy Romance
Date Published: November 24, 2012_by BookRix GmbH & Co. KG
 (Book 2 is set to release on May 3rd, at the end of the tour)


Isabel Kendra prides herself on being a strong independent woman.  She doesn’t fawn over men, doesn’t swoon and would rather take care of things herself than ask for help.  She has no use for heroes.  So when a dark stranger tells her of a kidnapped child who needs her help she approaches the situation in her usual practical manner.  Of course, with coming across her long lost father and gods and sorceresses who are constantly trying to kill her, Isabel soon realizes she’s out of her element.  Enter the dashing Prince Alaric for whom rescuing the damsel in distress is second nature, only this time the damsel doesn’t want to be rescued!
Together the two must thwart the evil forces that threaten their lives and their worlds while struggling against their own blistering attraction for each other. Can Isabel balance her aversion to the prince’s habit of coming to her rescue with the realization that sometimes it is all right to accept help from a man? Can Alaric handle himself around a woman capable of rescuing herself and learn to be simply the man who loves her?

The Crystal Palace Chronicles Part Two will be released at the end of the tour

My Review: 
Noemi Bentacourt has created a Romantic Fantasy full of action. This one definitely kept my attention, I devoured it in only 2 sittings. (Had to go pick up the kids from school ).

 I love the fact that Isabel travels to a new world and she doesn't start off there. The detail was so well done, I felt like I was experiencing everything through her. 

 The development of the Romance was steady and believable, which I absolutely loved! I am definitely a fan of these two together. I like that each of them are used to things one way and are having to learn how to go outside their element. 

 Can't wait for the next book, which is out in just 2 more weeks! 



Noemi Betancourt has been a lifelong fan of Fantasy, ever since her father introduced her to the works of Tolkien, Baum, and C.S. Lewis as a child. An avid reader, she has since developed her writing style over the years, and after becoming enamored with the Romance genre, Noemi began to blend a guilty pleasure with an old love. Her first novelette, Heroes and Hearts, is the first of many books and stories in which she interlaces the Fantasy and Romance genres.

Noemi lives in a seaside bungalow on Florida’s Sun Coast, indulging in her other passions: cooking, caring for her gallant husband (a disabled vet from the British Isles), and the three fur-babies who rescued them.
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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Blog Tour Book Review

Blog Tour: Pain and Gain by Marc Schiller

Blog Tour: Pain and Gain by Marc Schiller
7:25 AM0 Comments



Memoir/True Crime
Date Published: 1/25/13

‘Pain and Gain – The Untold True Story’ is a gripping memoir that tells the true story behind the Paramount film Pain and Gain. Written by the real Sun Gym Gang victim, Marc Schiller, ‘Pain and Gain – The Untold True Story’ will take readers on an adrenaline rush with a shocking ending.

This is the untold true story of one citizen’s pointless torture and month-long captivity. The story, formerly mistold if not utterly overlooked, has been made into a feature film. Even as a dark comedy, there is little amusement to be found in human suffering. The sick and twisted minds of Mr. Schiller’s captors would be fodder for the Darwin Awards if the results were not so alarmingly inhumane. Physical, mental and emotional torture, as well as sensory deprivation and starvation, the prisoner of war like conditions differed only in the fact that Mr. Schiller was completely alone during his extended stay at the warehouse he refers to as Hotel Hell. An early victim of identity theft in the years following Hurricane Andrew in Miami, Mr. Schiller chronicles his story in tortuous detail. His humiliation, pain and suffering at the hands of these perverted social misfits is a shocking revelation. 
What is it like to be imprisoned in near dungeon-like conditions? All this mayhem on American soil toward the end of the last millennium. 
Greed, lust for power and the desire to inflict pain and misery were the apparent motivating forces behind this gruesome incident. 
Truly a harrowing tale and one that you won’t soon forget.

BUY LINKS 



My Review:
This really goes to show there are two sides to every story. You see the trailer for the movie and the last thing you think about is the victim. To be able to read this memoir of his experience really does put things in perspective.

 I the trailer for the movie it seems like it is a comedy of sorts with the stupidity of the criminals, and from March Schiller's own experience, I can see where that came from. These guys really had to have been the most inept criminals out there, but the suffering they were able to bring out was no laughing matter.

 The fact that March Schiller was able to recount his experiences during this horrific time is commendable. The execution with which he has done it is spot on. He really manages to connect the reader to his trauma.

 Definitely an Inspirational book!  

Marc Schiller was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina immigrating to Brooklyn, NY with his parents when he was seven years old. An early entrepreneur, he started several small businesses by the age of nine. He attended high school in Brooklyn, participating in sports and was member of the school’s track team.

 Marc received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a MBA from Benedictine University. Marc has had a long and diversified career both as a professional and entrepreneur. His professional career has spanned the U.S. as well as internationally. On an entrepreneurial level, Marc Schiller has launched several successful businesses including two accounting practices both in Miami and Houston, a delicatessen in Miami and an options and stock trading company.

 Marc Schiller currently works as an accounting and tax resolution specialist for a national tax resolution company. He has two grown children: his son graduated from the University of Colorado-Boulder with a degree in economics and his daughter currently attends Loyola Marymount University in California.

 ‘Pain and Gain – The Untold True Story’ is Marc Schiller’s first literary publication.
Twitter  @painandgainbook
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Monday, April 15, 2013

Blog Tour Paranormal

PROMO Blitz: The Order of the Black Swan by Victoria Danann

PROMO Blitz: The Order of the Black Swan by Victoria Danann
5:00 AM0 Comments


The Order of the Black Swan
By Victoria Danann

Paranormal Romance / Fantasy
Date to be Published: 2/14/2013

Synopsis:

Synopsis:  Discover a world of adult fantasy where modern day knights of a secret society 
interact with an alien, a witch, a demon, a psychic, a berserker, a most unusual vampire, 
werewolves, elves, and fae. Fairytales intersect adventure, romance, and emotion proving 
that true love can find you in the strangest places, even when you're least expecting it, 
even when you're far, far from home.
This is a compilation of the first three installments of the Black Swan serial saga

Victoria Danann
 http://www.VictoriaDanann.com

BUY LINKS
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | iTUNES | SMASHWORDS
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