Pledged Tour: Book Trailer

This is my third post for the Pledged Book Tour. Today I will be providing three exceprts. Be sure to check out the author's blog for more information about Pledged and the book tour. Look for future posts from me about Pledged, including a review. Pledged is available through Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble.

Book Trailer:

Sins of the Father Available for Free on Amazon

Sins of the Father is available for free on Amazon until 12:59pm Pacific Time. Get it here.

Name: Sins of the Father

Genre: Supernatural Thriller

Summary: A minister losing touch with his faith…

A severely autistic child with no past, no present and no real future…

An evil older than time itself…

When the boy Lucian is thrown into Aaron’s life with nowhere else to go all hell breaks loose and Aaron confronts things he never actually imagined could really exist in an effort to save one small, tortured child.

Interview with Maria Violante, Author of Hunting in Hell

Today I will be interviewing Maria Violante, author of Hunting in Hell.

What are your favorite book(s)? 

I really love the "His Dark Materials" series by Philip Pullman.  That's one that I reread every few years, and I can never get over how amazing it is.  Lately, I've also been getting into S. M. Stirling's "Emberverse" series.  Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series quite literally changed my life and was definitely one of the inspirations for the De la Roca Chronicles.

Who is your favorite author?

You realize this is an impossible question, right?  Um.  I love Chuck Palahniuk.  If I could find a way to translate his work into Urban Fantasy -- Jeez.  My head is just spinning.  I'm a really eclectic reader, though, so if you pointed out a genre, I'd have somebody that I liked.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

De La Roca and her ilk were inspired by a lot of Celtic and Norse mythology--especially Alsvior, which is one of the horses that draws the chariot of the sun across the sky, and Bluot, which is the name of a medieval festival of blood, (among some other things).  I'm half Korean, and I tend to mine my own culture for interesting tidbits (sorry mom).  I'm a pretty intrepid traveler, too, and a lot of that finds its way into my work.

Hunting the Five actually started as a short story, and the reception to it was so good that I went back and expanded it into a book--and then, of course, it needed a sequel, Honor in Hell, and now I'm working on the third book in the series, which is tentatively titled "Seven Sacrifices".

Where is your favorite place to do your writing?

Currently, I do all of my writing from the passenger seat of a 2011 International Prostar.  Our semi-truck is also our home, so I don't really have a lot of location options as far as writing goes.

What was the hardest part of writing supernatural/fantasy fiction?

You really have to plot ahead--maybe a lot more than in some other kinds of work.  When you're writing the first book of the series, decisions you make about the environment or the magic structure, etc., echo all of the way down the line to other books in the series.  I made that mistake with Hunting the Five, partially because I didn't forsee it as a series in the first place.  When I got around to writing Honor in Hell, I realized I had written myself into a corner, and I had to go back and change a lot of stuff in the first book in order to make it all fit.

I like the cover of Hunting in Hell. How you decide upon that cover?

Hunting in Hell's cover was done by Caytlin Vilbrandt, who is the artist of the Walking On Broken Glass webcomic (http://brokenglass.greyinkstudios.com/).  I actually met her at a twitter party *blush of shame* hosted by Tristan Tarwater, the author of Thieves at Heart and Self-Made Scoundrel.  I liked her work so much that I asked her to do the cover, and she accepted.  I didn't have the clearest idea of what I wanted, and Caytlin was just great.  There was a lot of back and forth until we got to that cover, but it's a real work of art--I eventually had it made into a bunch of posters as one of the kickstarter prizes.

Tell us about your new novel.

Hunting in Hell is actually a two-book volume that I created for a Kickstarter to fund the audiobook edition of Hunting the Five.  It actually contains the first two books of the De la Roca Chronicles--Hunting the Five and Honor in Hell.  After the Kickstarter funded successfully and backers got their books, I got a lot of feedback saying that the books were better together than when read separately, so I decided to keep them that way.

Basically, the books follow the struggle of the demon mercenary De la Roca.  She's spent the last three centuries as a hit-woman for an angel who then offers her the chance at freedom in exchange for a few last jobs, and while it sounds like a dream come true, it turns out that there's a lot she didn't know about hell and her angel, and none of it is good.

Buy the two book set at Amazon.

About the author. 

I just turned twenty-six (oh my god, really?).  I write full-time from the road, my driver on my left and my chihuahua on my lap (or feet, head, wherever he chooses to put himself--they're like cats, I swear).  The De La Roca chronicles is my first fantasy series; I've also got an anthology of short horror stories and a secret evil first novel that spends its time hiding on my hard drive and trying not to be remembered.  I'm the webmistress at mariaviolante.com, where I review books, discuss writing, and generally try not to be insane.   You can follow me on twitter @violanteauthor.

Guest Post by Allen Wyler, Author of Dead Ringer

Allen Wyler, author of Dead Ringer contributes a guest post about how his medical expertise influences his writing and how much of his actual experiences are in Dead Ringer and his other books.

I pretty much meld my own experiences into each of the various stories. For example, I was on the committee charged with choosing which electronic medical record system the hospital where I worked. As I sat through another butt-numbing committee meeting my mind began to wander and I thought: what would happen if a software bug intermittently mixed up information between patient charts, causing critical errors in treatment. The idea caught on and became the seed from which the story DEADLY ERRORS germinated.

The idea behind DEAD END DEAL came when I was a guest lecturer at a medical school in Seoul, South Korea. I ended up getting lost in the downtown area and wondered what it would be like to be trapped in a foreign city without a passport. I spiced up the story line by also making the main character sought by police for a murder he didn’t commit. As you can see, I let my imagination get carried away at times.

DEAD RINGER came from another trip to Asia. As an invited guest to the Hong Kong Neurosurgical Society, one of my jobs was to demonstrate a tricky surgery on a cadaver head. I was presented with a stainless steel surgical tray with a surgical towel covering a cantaloupe sized mass (the head). As I removed the towel and looked at the face, I wondered what it would be like to come face to face in this type situation with someone you knew.

In DEAD WRONG (to be released shortly) I was sitting in my office the Friday afternoon before the Labor Day weekend. The office was empty because the staff had wanted to jump-start the three day weekend. Sitting back in the chair, staring at the pile of work still on my desk I wondered… what would it be like for a person to appear in the doorway holding a gun and threaten my life? What would I do? Would I escape? This is exactly the way this story begins.

DEAD HEAD is a story about keeping a detached head alive for the information contained in the brain. The concept for the story was given to me by my editor at Tor/Forge. This is probably the only one of my books in which I have no personal experience. I mean… go figure.

Many people find the field of neurosurgery and brain function interesting, so I try to incorporate some technical information to the reader without it becoming a boring lecture with the technical details given to the reader in an easily understandable dialog that doesn’t detract from the fast pace so necessary for a good thriller. And pace is one of the factors that distinguishes a thriller from a mystery.

Thanks for the chance to guest blog. Readers should feel free to contact me through my website at www.allenwyler.com

About the Author:

A Seattle native, Wyler’s parents died early, leaving him on his own by the time he entered college. He supported himself with various jobs including being a fry cook at a drive-in and a professional musician playing drums for various local blues and jazz groups. In his first year of medical school, he knew he wanted to specialize in neurosurgery. Upon graduating from residency he started on the faculty of the University of Washington and then the University of Tennessee where he developed an international reputation for pioneering surgical techniques to record brain activity. In 1992 the prestigious Swedish Medical Center recruited him back to Seattle to develop a neuroscience institute.

Wyler’s love of thrillers began in 1974 on his way to Cincinnati to take the oral boards in neurosurgery. At SeaTac airport he picked up a copy of William Goldman’s Marathon Man to read on the flight. He became so engrossed he stayed up all night to finish it before stoking up on coffee and meeting with the examiners. He aced the exam.

Wyler develops plots from actual events in his practice. While serving on a committee charged with selecting the medical center’s new computerized medical record system he wondered what might happen if the software had a random bug. From this came the story line for Deadly Errors, his 2005 thriller that has been subsequently translated into several foreign languages, including Russian. Crime Spree Magazine wrote:
“There is a grand tradition of medical thrillers in the suspense field - hardly surprising since medicine is one place where life's rubber really meets the road. A new entry, Deadly Errors, by a new author, Allen Wyler, is right up there with the best.”

Much of the background for Dead Head, a story about keeping a detached head alive for the information in the brain, was derived from Wyler’s own research on recording the brain’s electrical activity. As Adam Woog (Seattle Times) wrote:
“Wyler's premise is deliriously over-the-top… (You'll notice I'm avoiding any cracks about how fiction writing ain't brain surgery.) But the story barrels right along, and, as Wyler points out in an afterword, the science of maintaining a disembodied head is already chillingly close to reality.”

Wyler’s third thriller, DEAD END DEAL, originated a few years ago, he was a guest lecturer at a medical center in Seoul, South Korea. He wondered what it would be like to be trapped in a foreign country hunted by police because of being framed for a murder.

In 2002 he left active practice to become Medical Director for a start-up medical technology company, Northstar Neuroscience, which went public (NSTR) in 2006. At the end of 2007 he retired to devote full time to writing.

He and his wife divide their time between their downtown Seattle condo and home in the San Juan Islands.

You can buy Allen's books through his blog.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Book Journey. This meme lets you show fellow readers what you have read, what you are reading, and what you will be reading.

I haven't been reading much recently.

Recently Read:

Currently Reading:

To Read:

Elizabeth, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth

Elizabeth I by Anne Somerset

Summary: Glitteringly detailed and engagingly written, the magisterial Elizabeth I brings to vivid life the golden age of sixteenth-century England and the uniquely fascinating monarch who presided over it. A woman of intellect and presence, Elizabeth was the object of extravagant adoration by her contemporaries. She firmly believed in the divine providence of her sovereignty and exercised supreme authority over the intrigue-laden Tudor court and Elizabethan England at large. Brilliant, mercurial, seductive, and maddening, an inspiration to artists and adventurers and the subject of vicious speculation over her choice not to marry, Elizabeth became the most powerful ruler of her time. Anne Somerset has immortalized her in this splendidly illuminating account.

Review: An incredibly detailed and very thorough though quite dry about Elizabeth I.

This book certainly spares no details and as a result, is a very large book. Elizabeth I is one of those books that you could do some serious damage with. Fun fact: you could probably kill someone with some of my English textbooks. Despite being a fan of all things Tudor, this book took me a while to read. It wasn't the length that bothered me although the detail might have just a little fine. I know a book like this won't be light reading, but it was surprisingly dry. 

After reading this book, I know a great deal about Elizabeth I and I honestly can't say I'm a big fan. She was effective at getting people to see past or ignore her sex and also was a master at diversion. She was very intelligent and was very charismatic. She knew her mind and what she wanted to do even though she wasn't able to do so. Elizabeth I also had a few faults including loving flattery too much. She would get mad when people did not compliment her enough or the proper way. She also got too into her favorites, especially Dudley. 

Rating:






Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those that are fans of the Tudors and Elizabeth I.

Interview with Kyra Gregory, Author of Ordinary

Today I will be interviewing Kyra Gregory, author of Ordinary.  

What are your favorite book(s)?

I've always been a big fan of the Blood books by Tanya Huff. From childhood I've adored Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka on the Shore, both by Murakami Haruki. Most recently I've been in love with The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and plenty of manga (Japanese comic books), particularly anything by Yuki Kaori.

Who is your favorite author?

Probably Khaled Hosseini. I've read both of his published works, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, and I really admire how he can tackle difficult subjects but gives so much attention to feelings. The way he writes gives people insight into the lives of people that are different but also very much the same because we can relate to those characters feelings.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

The things that inspire me are almost difficult to put my finger on because they can be anything which evoke a real feeling out of me. I could look at a moment in a film or in a book and wonder how I would have handled that situation, what I would have felt and how my feelings would have influenced my decision. A lot of my stories are very much character-driven which I find enjoyable because everyone is so unique and different combinations of people, their feelings and their choices, make for completely different stories. Music that I find touching or sets a mood becomes my companion while writing.

Anything that makes me feel something can inspire me and, more often than not, it's something that I think isn't talked about enough. I can listen to someone or even see a situation in which I realise that not enough people know that these things happen. Something that needs to be talked about or needs some light shone on it is something that is just asking to be written by me.

Where is your favorite place to do your writing?

I'll usually choose my setting depending on what I'm writing. Since I often write late into the night after a long day I typically do my writing at a desk in my bedroom which I set up to fit the mood of the scene or story I'm writing. This includes the right music, the correct lighting, any items that fit my story and any research that I need on hand. This is the ideal place for me to write because I can always tailor it to my needs and pace around if I need to without fear of bothering people.

What was the hardest part of writing your novels?

I deal with a lot of heavy topics in my writing, topics that I have to do plenty of research on before I feel I can feel confident enough to write about them. My novella, Despair & Decision, was one of those cases where research was emotionally draining. I feel like it's two sides of the same coin, actually. It was the hardest part of the planning process but it made me increasingly aware of how important it was for me to portray it effectively. It became my job to find a balance and, however difficult it was, those feelings helped me to create something that I don't think I could have created had it not been so difficult.

What has been your experience with self publishing?

Honestly I'm still getting into it slowly. I've been learning through trial-and-error which makes it very exciting. I got into self-publishing because I wanted to be able to control all aspects of my projects; however difficult that is sometimes I'm so happy to be able to do it. Along the way some people have supported me and some have treated me like I'm foolish; I knew that would happen and I prepared myself for it. I'm very thankful for the people who have supported me, especially new readers who took a chance on me. I want to continue working hard at self-publishing to keep being able to do what I love and also to thank those who have supported me.

Tell us about your new novel.

Ordinary, released on 29^th July, was written after a conversation with a friend. He began wondering if some people really knew that gay people were just like everyone else. He went on to say things like 'they should know that we're still human, you know? That we have jobs, social lives, friends, family and that our relationships are still just like theirs.' It was interesting to me because it was true that I had always read novels and manga that clearly defined the parts in which gay couples were different but very few ever portrayed how similar they were.

Ordinary follows a young man, Michael, as he goes through life simply trying to be happy and who has always seen his life just like everyone else's. With highs and lows in his health and relationships he tries his best to deal with everything, however much some feedback will deter him.

My next novel will be out in early September and I'm truly proud of it as I really got the opportunity to tackle something that I hadn't before. Please look forward to more details.

About the Author

Kyra Gregory is a young author from the tiny island of Malta. In those rare moments when she isn't writing or even thinking about writing she's furthering her education. Writing novels from a very young age she began self-publishing in June 2011.

Find Kyra on Twitter and follow her blog. Buy her books on Amazon. 

Trouble at the Hotel Baba Ghanoush Tour: Giveaway (Adult Content)

Warning: Adult Content!

Title: Trouble at the Hotel Baba Ghanoush

Author: T. C. Archer

Genre: Science fiction, Erotica

Publisher: Loose Id

Ebook

Words: 35,000

Purchase:

ARe | Amazon | Fictionwise | B&N (Nook)

Book Description

"Enforcer Fontana Marks is on vacation undercover until she has to testify against the Track Cartel for crimes against the Galactic Coalition. But the cartel is hiding something, and Fontana intends to find out what--then make them pay for murdering Jenny, the young scientist Fontana failed to protect on a previous assignment.

The last thing Fontana intends to do while vacationing incognito on the fantasy resort Sagitariun is follow the advice of her superior. "Rest, recuperate, and find a man."

But how can a woman resist a blond, blue-eyed, chisel-jawed, great-assed man streaking naked in public when he's obviously running from someone? And why can't she to get rid of the damned trench coat she stole to rescue him?"

Excerpt:

The man shifted, and the loose-fitting white shirt went taut across his broad shoulders. Memory of his tanned skin and steel muscle hit like a thunderbolt, and Fontana’s stomach did a flip.

He grinned, a sure sign he knew he was being viewed through a one-way door. Desire rippled through her on a slow, sure wave that promised heart-stopping pleasure. She’d known good-looking men. Ray, her last serious relationship five years ago, had been gorgeous. She’d been mad for him, but the man standing outside her door had a quality about him that made her want to snuggle up against him and fall asleep.

Fontana snorted. Her body would disagree. Right now that part of her throbbed with an insistent desire to bed him—hard. Maybe then the flutter in her heart would have a say, and she’d fall asleep wrapped in his arms. That would be a welcome change to the sleepless nights she’d spent since Jenny’s death. It would be a temporary fix, but she could use at least one good night’s rest.

She sighed. First she’d better deal with the damned raincoat and find out how the naked man had escaped the shock troopers. Then there was the little matter of how he’d found out where she was staying.

Fontana rose and smoothed the form-fitting blouse and poly-cotton slacks she wore. “Open door,” she said, and the door dematerialized.

His stare slid down her body, and her nipples tightened to a delicious discomfort—and one he couldn’t miss under the millipore fabric of her top.

“Well, Mr. Long John.”

His blue eyes returned to her face. “Long John?”

She stepped aside and motioned him in. “Last time I saw you, your long johnson was standing at attention.”

He entered, and the door rematerialized behind him. “Give him a minute, and he’ll be at your command again.”

“What are you doing here?”

He wrapped an arm around her waist. “You said to look you up.”

She spun out of his grasp and backed up. “How did you find me?”

“Spacer Jack’s is brimming with information.”

He was right. She’d figured that out the first time she’d walked in. Even a benign resort like Club Sagitariun had a dark side. Proof stood right in front of her in all its masculine glory. No. All his masculine glory had been long, hard, and ready to go in the alley. Damn shock troopers. Ten more minutes and she would have had a quick hard ride on his steel rod.

He continued to advance.

She retreated. “Where’s my raincoat?”

He grasped her hand. “What do you need with a man’s raincoat?”

“The owner is looking for it.”

“Forget about him.” He stepped closer.

“Can’t.”

“I came to thank you for the coat. Let me buy you breakfast.”

Some offer—and not what she had in mind for jump-starting a morning that had begun four hours ago for her.

“It’s not my coat,” she said.

“We’ll find the owner and thank him—later. We have some unfinished business.”

Heat radiated from his body. Her pulse sped up. The smile at the corners of his mouth deepened. Her calves made contact with the bed. He stepped closer, grasped her hand, and pressed her palm over his heart.

Fontana ignored the warmth spreading through her and locked gazes with him. “What did those shock troopers want?”

He shrugged. “Never found out.”

“They never caught you.”

“I had to elude them so I could be here.”

That had a certain logic she liked.

His fingers gently tightened over the hand still pressed against his heart. “You’ve got my heart beating like crazy.”

She noted the hard muscle of his chest, under which only a regular heartbeat thumped, and pulled her hand away. “It’s not nice to lie.”

“I’m hurt.”

She wanted to laugh. He actually did look hurt.

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten all that we’ve shared,” he said.

Now she did laugh. Fontana was startled at the unexpected relief she felt. She hadn’t laughed since setting foot on Rigil IV. He cut off her thoughts by pulling her against him. His mouth crashed down onto hers. The hard ridge of his arousal dug into her stomach. She could almost believe she had a special effect on him. Almost. But that erection was just a little too ready—a little too eager—to belong to anyone but a working man.

About the Author:

T. C. Archer is comprised of award winning authors Evan Trevane and Shawn M. Casey. They live in the Northeast.

Evan puts his Ph.D. to good use by writing about alternate realities, and Shawn channels the mythology and philosophy she studied during her wasted youth into writing about exotic places and times.

Find the Author:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | 

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Prince from the Shadows Giveaway

A Prince from the Shadows by J. Curtis Mace

Summary: A reluctant prince determined to be a better man than his father, the king, has ever been, Jeodyn spent his last year alone in the wild studying the banned art of manipulating the Myst, an act of rebellion but more in remembrance of the old ways. Now, everything he learned and everything he’s ever known about himself will be tested, when he’s called to do what his father should but never will: defend their family.

Noirlok, Lord of the ShadowLands and Father of the Night’s rebellion, knows no man will stand between him and his revenge. He'll either have the love he defeated the heavens and waited an age of the world to reclaim, or he'll destroy the House responsible. Since overcoming a mortal death and taking charge of the dark legion known as Shadorym, he has vowed to see the Blood of Vallyn pay for taking that love, and his life, from him.

When Jeodyn's sister, Jynn, disappears, the fight to defend what they all have at stake begins.

Enter for a chance to win unpublished character art or an ebook copy of A Prince from the Shadows.

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Book Journey. This meme lets you show fellow readers what you have read, what you are reading, and what you will be reading.

Recently Read:

Currently Reading:

To Read:

Review Copy Cleanup - Books Read Thus Far

My goal for Review Copy Cleanup is to read 8 books. Those 8 books are:

1. Wolves Among Men by Penelope Sweet

2. Delicate Wedding by Joseph Kranak

3. Lead Me Not Into Temptation by Miriam Kalb - Up Next

4. Forge Stones by Vasileios Kalabakas

5. Dream Magic: Awakenings by Dawn Harshaw

6. Agents of Light by Sherwin Pineda

7. Incarnation by Emma Cornwell - Currently Reading

8. Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks

Flight Tour: Giveaway

Title: Flight

Series: The Crescent Chronicles, #1

Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

Genre: Mature YA/New Adult Paranormal Romance,

Publisher: self-published

Ebook

Words: 55,000

Purchase:

Not yet released, to be released on August 16^th

Book Description:

Sometimes you just have to take flight.

A summer in New Orleans is exactly what Allie needs before starting college. Accepting her dad’s invitation to work at his hotel offers an escape from her ex-boyfriend and the chance to spend the summer with her best friend. Meeting a guy is the last thing on her mind—until she sees Levi.

Unable to resist the infuriating yet alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that might just save her.

Excerpt:

Closing my eyes, I tried to block it all out. Convinced I was about to die, I was only partly aware of his arms around me.

“You said you wanted an adventure,” he said quietly, teasingly, as he tightened his hold.

My stomach dropped out as an intense and complete feeling of weightlessness engulfed me. The wind stung my face as memories flooded my mind. I thought of my parents, of all the things I wanted to tell them but never did, my friends from home, and the experiences I longed for. Quickly my thoughts changed to more recent memories, to Levi.

“Open your eyes,” he whispered, somehow knowing my eyes were clenched shut.

Against my better judgment, I listened. The scream died in my throat as we hurtled toward the water that had seemed so beautiful from the roof above.

About the Author:

Alyssa Rose Ivy lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write.

Find the Author:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Legion of Nothing Tour: Review and Giveaway

The Legion of Nothing: Rebirth by Jim Zoetewey

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review. 

Summary: Nick Klein’s grandfather was the Rocket.

For three decades, the Rocket and his team were the Heroes League—a team of superheroes who fought criminals in the years after World War II.

But Nick and his friends have inherited more than their grandparents' costumes and underground headquarters... they've inherited the League's enemies and unfinished business.

In the 1960's, Red Lightening betrayed everyone, creating an army of supervillains and years of chaos. The League never found out why.

Now, Nick and the New Heroes League will have no choice but to confront their past.

Review: A delightful tale of superheroes, their grandchildren, and the same old evil.

I am not the biggest fan of the traditional superheroes including Spiderman, Superman, and the Flash. I always liked Batman the best. But I always liked X-Men though. So in short, I think like non-traditional superheroes the best so I think that is why I enjoy superhero fiction. I think part of it is the ingenuity that is needed to create a plethora of superheroes and supervillians. 

I liked the fact that the teenagers in the story were the grandchildren of superheroes. It is an advantage because they have a good deal of equipment, a ready headquarters, and people who they turn to for advice and help. Unfortunately, if they decide to take up costumes and become superheroes, they have a lot to live up to which is a big disadvantage. I also get the feeling that superheroes were best in the 50s and 60s and that they can be redundant and unwanted in today's age. 

It was certainly an interesting experience being in the head of a teenage boy. Nick's pretty obvious with some of his observations and some of his observations did not need to be made. All in all though, I enjoyed being in Nick's head and found myself giggling a number of times. I can see Nick as the leader of his group even though he may not want the job. 

The story was good although a lot of it was standard high school fare, but that does make sense since they are teenagers. It was pretty dramatic and interesting to see how superheroes were accepted by society. They even had superheroes working for the federal government. Also, telepaths are cool. I was glad to see justice done even though there was a lot of destruction on the way. I am excited for the next book.

Rating:

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to fans of superhero fiction.

About the Author:

Jim Zoetewey grew up in Holland, Michigan, near where L Frank Baum wrote The Wizard of Oz and other books in that series. Admittedly, Baum moved away more than sixty years before Jim was even born, but it's still kind of cool. He's a web developer, a religion and sociology major, and the author of the superhero series The Legion of Nothing. He's also not sure why he's writing this in the third person, but he's never seen an author bio written in first person and doesn't want to rock the boat.

Links and Where to Buy the Book:

Be sure to visit the Legion of Nothing's facebook page, 1889's facebook page, the LON page on 1889.ca, and buy the book on Amazon. 

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

True Love and a Wedding

Delicate Wedding by Joseph A Kranak

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review.

Summary: With his younger son's wedding approaching, in New York City, Frederick Adelson decides to try and persuade his dissolute and detached older son, Elias, to join the family at the wedding after a long separation. Frederick sends two old friends of Elias, who ineffectively try to work on Elias while the rest of the family prepares for the upcoming celebration. But upon arrive at Elias' settled home in Amsterdam, they find much going on and standing in the way of Frederick's goal.

Review: A story of true love, weddings, and a family reunited.

This book is rather sweet and is full romance and true love (The Princess Bride keeps running through my head). I would not classify this as a romance book, but love, both for spouses and family, plays a big role. I think all the love, so much true love, was a bit much for me. I'm a bit of a cynic and the relationships felt a tad too perfect. Despite that, there was no mistaking the love that Frederick held for his son, Elias, and how hurt that he was that he might not be at his brother's wedding. 

Elias was a very interesting character. I am not sure what he did or how he was able to support himself in Amsterdam nor did I ever learn much about his past. I always felt a little out of the loop when it came to Elias. He was a confusing character, but I could tell that he was a passionate person and felt his emotions very strongly. I wasn't sure what his relationship was with the two women in his life. The ending was sweet and I'm glad that the book ended that way. 

Rating:






Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those that enjoy romance, weddings, or family fiction.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Book Journey. This meme lets you show fellow readers what you have read, what you are reading, and what you will be reading.

Recently Read:

Currently Reading:

To Read:

A Mish Mash of Ideas

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

Summary: Anderson Lake is a company man, AgriGen's Calorie Man in Thailand. Under cover as a factory manager, Anderson combs Bangkok's street markets in search of foodstuffs thought to be extinct, hoping to reap the bounty of history's lost calories. There, he encounters Emiko... 

Emiko is the Windup Girl, a strange and beautiful creature. One of the New People, Emiko is not human; instead, she is an engineered being, creche-grown and programmed to satisfy the decadent whims of a Kyoto businessman, but now abandoned to the streets of Bangkok. Regarded as soulless beings by some, devils by others, New People are slaves, soldiers, and toys of the rich in a chilling near future in which calorie companies rule the world, the oil age has passed, and the side effects of bio-engineered plagues run rampant across the globe. 

What Happens when calories become currency? What happens when bio-terrorism becomes a tool for corporate profits, when said bio-terrorism's genetic drift forces mankind to the cusp of post-human evolution? Award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi delivers one of the most highly acclaimed science fiction novels of the twenty-first century.

Review: A disappointing attempt at a dystopian novel that seems like it's trying too hard.

Biopunk, which is defined by Wikipedia as: a subgenre of cyberpunk fiction that focuses on the near-future unintended consequences of the biotechnology revolution following the discovery of recombinant DNA. Biopunk stories explore the struggles of individuals or groups, often the product of human experimentation, against a backdrop of totalitarian governments and megacorporations which misuse biotechnologies as means of social control and profiteering. That sounds totally awesome to me and something I would love to read. It also describes The Windup Girl exactly. Unfortunately, the book falls short of being enjoyable. 

It felt like the author was trying to squeeze too much into one novel. Also, while I admit that I do not know Asia, it felt like the east in the book was not an accurate representation of the country, culture, or the people. It was interesting to see how the world was after gas became rare and how people dealt with those challenges, including finding alternate energy sources. I can understand the reason for developing the New People, but I can't fathom a reason for making them with stutter-stop motion, as its described, unless it was a way to make them easily identifiable.

Rating:

Recommendation: I would recommend this to big fans of biopunk and those that really enjoyed dystopian fiction. 

A Humane Werewolf Story

Wolves among Men by Penlelope Sweet

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review. Review based on an old edition of the book.

Summary: Ethan Harlow is an unsuspecting 26-year old who has strived to live a normal life caring for his younger sister after their parents passed away. Thrown in to an extraordinary situation Ethan runs for his life in an attempt to escape the nightmarish world he is thrust into after a close encounter with an ancient creature of myth. But things go wrong after his sister insists on following him deeper into a world not meant to be seen by human eyes.

Unknowingly Ethan breaks a treaty, a pact between the two sides of wolves meant to keep human kind safe and protect the creatures that choose to live peacefully at their side. After his sister is kidnapped by the other side in an attempt to sway him, Ethan must make a choice. Will he run for his life or stay and fight at the side of the wolves that have become like a family to him.

Review: An enjoyable werewolf story with likable characters although it suffers from spelling and grammar errors. 

I am always wary of werewolf stories. I know they are quite popular right now along with vampires. While I do so love vampires, werewolves not so much. They use the idea of mates way too often. I am of the opinion that the idea of mates is just an excuse to bring two people together without developing romance between the two characters. Luckily, this book did not use mates in any way, shape, or form and instead focused on relationships and friendships between the characters. 

I know it sounds like an oxymoron, but the werewolves, at least the good ones, were very human. I really enjoyed the idea of the werewolves either staying sane or becoming feral. I like to think that it depended on if the person was good or bad. I really liked Ethan's relationship with his sister. It showed his humanity and what drove him. Although there were a number of spelling and grammatical errors, I still enjoyed the story even though for some, the errors might be too numerous. The book ended on a cliffhanger and I am eager to see what happens. I want to know who wins the battle, what a broken treaty means for humanity, and are there other supernatural creatures besides werewolves. 

Rating:






Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those that enjoy supernatural stories and werewolf fiction.