Monday, October 3, 2016

Book Review: The Fine Art of Deception by Alyssa Richards

The Fine Art of Deception is a paranormal story about Adeline, or Addie, who has the ability to read objects and 'see' their history. This makes her perfect for the job of art evaluator. She gets a job at her family's old firm and is drawn into a plot involving forgeries, murder, and the stolen art from the famous Gardner heist. Addie is also haunted by her past lives with her soul mate, Jack, and by real ghosts.

Blake is an art gallery owner who is secretly working with the FBI to catch the thieves and uses Addie to help him in his quest.

I don't want to give too much away although some of the plot points remain unresolved for the next book in the series to solve. I found the beginning of the story slow and Addie kind of whiney, but I persevered and found that the book got much better though there were still too many plot holes to make this much of a mystery.

I didn't understand what the ghosts had to do with the story. They could have been left out, especially Frank, as they didn't really add to the story. I also didn't understand why Addie had been out of work and not having sex for seven years (since her fiance cheated on her). Maybe a couple of years, but she needed to get over it. Of course, she's apparently wealthy since there is detailed descriptions of her designer clothes, etc., but considering her angst over her last job, I would have thought she would have worked harder to find a new job before seven years went by.

Of course, when she and Blake finally get together, the sex is explosive. There is one more 'twist' before the end where Blake decides he knows what's better for Addie, but otherwise the story was fairly predictable. Still, the writing was good and I enjoyed the descriptions of the art world enough that I grabbed the second book. I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

Sunday, October 2, 2016

New FREE Regency Romance Short Story from Jerusha Moors

The Handkerchief

Jane Ratcliffe and Charles Montgomery grew up together, best friends until an incident occurred that shamed Jane and ruined their friendship. Will the Midsummer Ball change that and give them a second chance at love?
Get it free at any of these locations: Download Here!  or Here!



Book Tour, Review & Giveaway: Vampire Addiction by Eva Pohler


Teen Fantasy / YA Paranormal
Date Published: 12/27/2014
Publisher: Green Press / Eva Pohler


Some call them “tramps.” In Greek, they are called vrykolakas, or “vryks,” which sometimes gets translated to “freaks.” They are the vampires of Athens, created centuries ago by the Maenads. They live in caves beneath the acropolis, without economic resources and according to rules imposed on them by the Olympians. They are forbidden from turning humans into vampires, which happens when all of the blood is drained; however, they are allowed to drink from a willing mortal. Some mortals are willing because a vampire bite will infect the body for six hours, and, during that time, the mortal has the powers of flight, invisibility, strength, speed, x-ray vision, and mind control. Such great power can become irresistible, though dangerous and addicting to mortals.
As seventeen-year-old Gertie, studying abroad from New York, uncovers the unfathomable secrets of this ancient city, she unwittingly becomes a catalyst in an uprising led by Dionysus, the god of wine and lord of the vampires.

Review
Vampire Addiction is advertised as a combination of Rick Riordan and Twilight for young teens and I'd have to agree. I enjoy both vampire stories and mythology, but this was written for a much younger audience as myself; therefore, I didn't enjoy it as much as I suspect its target audience does.
The author uses some of the oldest vampire myths and intermixes them with Greek mythology in a way that is refreshing and interesting. The book is well written, but I found a few plot holes and some of the action is incongruous. The rules seem to change as needed: a vampire can't enter until invited and then there's exceptions; a vampire can only take an ounce of blood from a human per month and then there's more exceptions. I suspect that teenagers are more caught up in the love triangle and the action though and that's fine; Vampire Addiction wasn't my cup of tea.



Eva Pohler is the Amazon bestselling author of The Mystery Book Collection and four series for young adults: The Gatekeeper's SagaThe Gatekeeper’s Saga Spin-Off SeriesThe Purgatorium Series, and The Vampires of Athens. Her books have been described as "thrilling" and "addictive." A Kirkus reviewer said of The Gatekeeper's Sons that it was "sure to thrill Hunger Games fans."


A reader herself, Eva writes in multiple genres, but all of her stories blur the line between reality and fantasy, truth and delusion, and draw from Eva's personal philosophy that a reader must be lured and abducted into complete captivity in order to enjoy the reading experience.


To learn more about Eva, visit her website at http://www.evapohler.com.


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Saturday, October 1, 2016

Huge Giveaway!




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Thursday, September 29, 2016

Book Tour, Giveaway, and Review: In the Garden Room by Tanya Ely



Historical Suspense, Gothic
Date Published: July 18, 2016
Publisher: Blunder Woman Productions

It is Chicago. 1910. Eleven-year-old Lillian March looks over her mother’s dead body with a sense of relief.
As a poor woman, her mother, Cora, never had any real choices or happiness with her life. Cora and Lillian flee to the bustling city of Chicago, where she is certain she will have the life of opulence she deserves.
Cora and Lillian face deep hardships in turn-of-the-century Chicago as Cora’s mind continues its downward spiral. With no money and no hope for income, Cora sells Lillian to The Garden Room, a brothel, where young girls and desperate women are kept like flowers in a jar.
John March comes looking for his daughter and his wife in an attempt to rescue them, but even if he finds them alive, is rescue really possible?
IN THE GARDEN ROOM is an exploration of madness, desire and two women’s choices in a time when they weren’t really allowed to choose.

 Review
In the Garden Room is a dark historical story of life around the turn of the 20th century. The story mostly alternates points of view between Cora, a wife and mother, and her daughter, Lillian.
Cora has never been satisfied with her life. Her husband, John, is a fisherman and she must work as a servant for her richer neighbors. Lillian lives a fairly carefree life going to school and studying to be a scientist one day. 
Cora is enticed into running away to Chicago by a man visiting her small town, mostly because he wants Lillian though she doesn't realized it. Lillian is forced into a new world where she works for pennies at a meatpacking plant to support her mother who dreams of a better life, but does nothing to achieve it. Eventually, Cora is so desperate that she sells Lillian to work in a brothel, the Garden Room. 
Meanwhile, John has come after his family, hoping to save them before it's too late.
This is an excellent read. The story is heartbreaking and engrossing. The choices made and how they impact the lives around them make for a fine, though sad, story. In the Garden Room is gritty, sad, loving, and hopeful.


Tanya Eby is a writer and an award-winning audiobook narrator. She has published a variety of novels from romantic comedies to mysteries to dark historical pieces. While her writing crosses genres they all share quirky characters and complicated relationships. Visit her at tanyaeby.com or follow her on Twitter @Blunder_Woman.


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Website: www.tanyaeby.com


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Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Book Review: The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

The Butterfly Garden is a psychological thriller that makes you keep reading late into the night. The story starts with two FBI men interviewing a victim though there is some doubt that she possibly participated in the atrocities of the Butterfly Garden. Victor and Eddison play the good cop, bad cop routine in an effort to elicit Maya's story which she tells in a series of flashbacks over two days.
Maya also gives them a lot of detail about her life before the Garden.
While it is sometimes difficult to keep track of the girls - there are a great number of them in the Garden as well as in an apartment share from earlier in Maya's life - each story is poignant, horrific, and well-told.
The Butterfly Garden is a giant greenhouse filled with lovely plants on an estate somewhere in Maryland. The Gardener is an older man who abducts the girls, tattoos elaborate butterfly wings on their backs, then rapes them repeatedly. His older son is more violent and tortures the girls as well. The Gardener is totally delusional, believing that he is saving these girls, his butterflies, but also believes that a butterflies life is short. Once a girl dies, he embalms her body in resin and displays it as part of his collection.
The concept here is enthralling and while there are a number of inconsistencies (why couldn't twenty or so girls overcome one old man to get out), I could gloss over them as I read, hoping they would be resolved eventually. I was hovering between a 4-5 star for this book until the last few pages.
The ending just ruined this book. It was not believable to me and such a huge disappointment. The inconsistencies were never explained either. Still, the author tells a good story; I just wish she had a better twist at the end.


Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Book Review: Darkmage by M.L. Spencer

Darkmage is a dark fantasy, richly written, and filled with fascinating characters. The action starts
almost immediately and takes the reader on a journey through a detailed and nuanced world.
Darien Lauchlin is an acolyte, called back to Aerysius, the city of the mages after a stint on the frontier guarding against the enemy in the Dark Lands. It is his time to rise up to the level of mage, an occurrence marked treason from within and the destruction of Aerysius as the Well of Tears is opened and chaos reigns supreme.
Darien has incredible powers but is bound by his oath as a mage not to unleash his magic despite the temptation to do so. Accompanied by the priestess of Death, Naia, and his new acolyte, Kyel Archer, Darien sets out to save his world without losing himself at the same time.
The detailed world-building is amazing. It is very easy for the reader to picture each scene in the various lands they travel through. The characters are diverse and always engaging. There is great poignancy in the romance between Naia and Darien, as well as his lost love, Merien, who was sacrificed to open the Well of Tears. The pressures on Darien are immense, but his responses are believable as well as his befuddled acolyte, Kyel.
I can't wait to read Darkstorm and the other coming books in the Rhenwars Saga. If you like dark fantasy, this is a book you want to read.