Review - Two Moons of Sera (Volume 1) by Pavarti K Tyler

In a world where water and earth teem with life, Serafay is an anomaly. The result of genetic experiments on her mother’s water-borne line Serafay will have to face the very people responsible to discover who she really is. But is she the only one?

All the Fun of YA written for Adults!

This was an interesting and excitingly different story for me and I am loving it so far! The story opens with Nilafay (a water species that can also live on the land) running from The Erdlanders (land dwellers) because they want to do experiments on her. Anyhow she cant flee them and ends up in their captivity where she becomes pregnant with a hybrid of the two races. It gets a bit sad from there because once she is able to break away, her own species rejects her because her daughter is a hybrid so they wind up alone because she refuses to give up her child.

I enjoyed how Two Moons of Sera is told in small installments because it gave me little stopping points to take breathers and just pick back up. The author's writing flows and provides quite the descriptive story but yet leaves the door open for your own imagination to roam free as well. I have always been fascinated with mermaids or mer people so I guess that is another reason I fell in love with Two Moons of Sera even though they are not really mer folk it was still a wonderful story and I am anxious to continue reading it.

Buy Now @ Amazon Kindle
Genre – Fantasy Romance
Rating – PG13 to R
Connect with Pavarti Tyler on Twitter & Facebook

Guest Post - The Seventh Level by Joe Hefferon

"Do you feel a rage to achieve? Are you unsure how to begin? What are the secrets to building an extraordinary life? What are the best methods for generating ideas, formulating a plan and constructing your vision?

In The Seventh Level, Joe Hefferon guides you through a seven-step process distilled from an exploration of the world’s most ingenious minds—the architects of the great cathedrals and skyscrapers, the visionary galleries and awe-inspiring residences. Nearly every important moment of our lives is in some way connected to a built place, and now that place can be you.

Join forces with the architects to design the life you’ve always dreamed of. This is your pocket renaissance, the new era of you, the quest for that elusive seventh level."

What are the mistakes you see in beginner writers? by Joe Hefferon
I’m an expert at mistakes; I’ve made them all. I think one of the big mistakes beginners make is feeling a rush to publish. Particularly with books, I think the ease of digital, self-publishing has writers putting work out that isn’t properly edited and formatted. Consequently, their books don’t sell well. They get discouraged and stop writing. Sometimes they blame the industry or a lack of respect for indie authors who aren’t traditionally published.

Everyone makes mistakes. Typos, repeated words, shoddy grammar or more serious plot problems can be fixed prior to publication by using beta-readers and professional editors. Because of the economic downturn and the increase in e-book sales, there are some wonderful editors and designers who were laid off from a publishing firm and are now freelancing. Authors today have access to some of the best and brightest who, in the past, were only available to those fortunate enough to be published by a traditional firm.

New writers don’t get how important it is to establish a presence or a platform prior to publishing. One of the top reasons that readers buy books is because they know the author. There are many ways to begin to create a name for yourself that only cost you time, such as blogging, guest-posting on other blogs, working social media and other outlets. The great side benefit of this is it helps you be a better writer simply because you are writing more.

Because blog posts tend to be shorter, often only 500-750 words, you must learn to be concise and express your point in short order. It’s good practice. Some new writers think because they wrote one book that makes them a ‘novelist’ and they don’t concern themselves with other writing styles or platforms. I think that’s a mistake these days. Competition is tough and unless you’re John Updike or Joan Didion, you need to showcase your talents.

I don’t think new writers read nearly enough. I can’t remember who said it but I once heard that all great writers are great readers. New writers don’t realize how much they can learn about the craft of writing just from reading more. You have to read outside your genre.

Amateurs tend to over-write, use too many adjectives, misuse words because they sound good, over-attribute their dialogue, use unnecessarily florid language where simpler words would have more impact and other rookie mistakes. You have to read more and read more critically. If you like a particular book, deconstruct the parts you liked best. What is it about the sentence structure or style or language that touched you?

Above all new writers need to work on fundamentals. There is no substitute for professionalism. There’s a great indie fiction writer named Jake Needham. Not only does he tell a good story, but he’s a pro. His sentence structure, punctuation and grammar are spot on. I don’t like writing as a hobby – it should be a profession and a craft. It comes naturally for some, but for most of us, we need to work at it over a lifetime and I think we should.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Personal Development

Rating – PG

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Joe Hefferon on Twitter

Blog http://joehefferon.blogspot.com/

Book Feature/Giveaway - Ann Pearlman and Terri Giuliano Long

From the 19th to 21st of September, award-winning bestseller Terri Giuliano Long and Pulitzer prize nominee Ann Pearlman will be joining together to share their experiences of different publishing journeys.

In celebration of this great event, Ann and Terri are also giving away paperback copies of their novels, plus a Kindle Fire!

Amazon Kindle Link
At the heart of the seemingly perfect Tyler family stands sixteen-year-old Leah. Her proud parents are happily married, successful professionals. Her adoring younger sister is wise and responsible beyond her years. And Leah herself is a talented athlete with a bright collegiate future. But living out her father’s lost dreams, and living up to her sister’s worshipful expectations, is no easy task for a teenager. And when temptation enters her life in the form of drugs, desire, and a dangerously exciting boy, Leah’s world turns on a dime from idyllic to chaotic to nearly tragic.

As Leah’s conflicted emotions take their toll on those she loves–turning them against each other and pushing them to destructive extremes–In Leah’s Wake powerfully explores one of fiction’s most enduring themes: the struggle of teenagers coming of age, and coming to terms with the overwhelming feelings that rule them and the demanding world that challenges them. Terri Giuliano Long’s skillfully styled and insightfully informed debut novel captures the intensely personal tragedies, victories, and revelations each new generation faces during those tumultuous transitional years.

Recipient of multiple awards and honors, In Leah’s Wake is a compelling and satisfying reading experience with important truths to share–by a new author with the voice of a natural storyteller and an unfailingly keen understanding of the human condition…at every age.

Amazon Kindle Link
Ann Pearlman’s The Christmas Cookie Club enthralled readers everywhere with a heartwarming and touching story about the power of female friendship.

Now, in A Gift for My Sister, she once again explores the depth of the human heart, and this time it’s through the eyes of two sisters. Tara and Sky share a mother, but aside from that they seem to differ in almost every way. When a series of tragedies strikes, they must somehow come together in the face of heartbreak, dashed hopes, and demons of the past. The journey they embark on forces each woman to take a walk in the other’s shoes and examine what sisterhood really means to them. It’s a long road to understanding, and everyone who knows them hopes these two sisters can find a way back to each other.

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Guest Post - Freedom’s Sword by JR Tomlin

Before William Wallace, before Robert the Bruce, there was another Scottish hero…

In 1296, newly knighted by the King of the Scots, Andrew de Moray fights to defend his country against the forces of the ruthless invader, King Edward Longshanks of England. After a bloody defeat in battle, he is dragged in chains to an English dungeon.

Soon the young knight escapes. He returns to find Scotland under the heel of a conqueror and his betrothed sheltering in the hills of the Black Isle. Seizing his own castle from the English, he raises the banner of Scottish freedom. Now he must lead the north of Scotland to rebellion in hope of defeating the English army sent to crush them.

Guest Post
I write stories set in a distant time, when emotions ran high and survival was never certain. It was a period of war and stuggle, in which my characters are embroiled. In our world, you can a trip to anywhere in the world and be there within a day. I want my novels to take you ssomewhere you can't go, a fanished world of the past.

In order to do that I have to recreate a world I have never seen. I have to show you battles and struggles that are barely imaginable to us. I want to to experience the excitement, the pain and even the feeling of grief and of loss. I experienced that in Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom. He impressed me with the excitement and intensity of his battles and the believability of the world he brought to the reader. I am determined to bring this kind of experience to my own readers.

I write about the war between Scotland and England and Scotland’s War of Independence as factually c as I can manage. Yes, my novels have taken years of research because you can’t write about medieval Scotland, its people, its battles, its beauty, and its suffering without a huge fund of knowledge about it. Many of my readers are knowledgeable on this struggle for freedom. When I get it right they let me know.
If I get something wrong, they also let me know about that!

It probably surprises people to know that the internet has not made a great difference in this kind of research. While I can sometimes look up a minor point on the internet, most of the in-depth information I need has to be dug out of my extensive library. I have many chronicles that were written during the period such as John Barbour’s epic romantic poem, The Bruce, or Scalacronica: The Reins of Edward I, Edward II and Edward II as recorded by Sir Thomas Gray. However, many historians have written analyzing the
Scottish War of Independence and works such as GWW Barrow’s Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland are also essential reading. It isn’t quite true that I spend as much time on research as on writing, but it is a major endeavor. I visit most of the places I write about and they are also inspiring. Standing atop the Pass of Brandar and imagining Sir James Douglas leading his men through the dark to ambush his king’s enemies can only be stirring. However, my real inspiration is the people. They risked everything, including horrific execution, to fight for “Scotland’s king and law” as the great Robert Burns put it in his poem. They humble me to think about.

Most of the characters in my books were real people who lived, moved and died. My goal is to write about them in such a way that the reader knows them as well as they know their best friend. To do that, first I must not only know about them but care about them – and care about them deeply.

Freedom’s Sword is a prequel to A Kingdom’s Cost, Book 1 of The Black Douglas Trilogy.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Historical / War Fiction

Rating – PG

Connect with JR Tomlin on Twitter

Blog http://jeannetomlin.blogspot.com/

Book Feature/Guest Post - The Art of Change by Kelly Andria

When gallery owner Nellie, a giving yet neurotic New Yorker, brings together the mismatched cast of characters in the opening of Ryan Whittaker’s debut, a phallic show, little does she know that she is setting the scene for odd and unpredictable relationships, much like Shakespeare in Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The frenzied, magical mix-up is an outrageous farce with a deep moral message: there is a RIGHT place for everyone in this world and love and friendship cement us in it.

The Art of Change is a funny, smooth reading romance, which deals with bridging differences in gender, education, social milieu, in an insane but pragmatic, modern fairytale, set in New York City.

The twists of the plot are written without an ounce of cynicism but simply acknowledging that life is neither here nor there, neither black or white and all can be dealt with in real friendship and love.

A Tale of Two Authors
Also published in Athens Insider, September / October 2012 issue

When two friends Kelly Intzides and Vivian Andria, decided to co-write a book replete with colourful personalities and gender-bending, life-altering twists set in their beloved New York, not only did they end up with a very readable book but also with a whole new career

So how did the idea of writing a book together come about.? Says Andria, “Writing with another person is a matter of chemistry – you either have it or you don’t. And it certainly cannot be forced. We started this project in gest. We described characters to each other one night over wine and cheese, stretching the limits of our imagination like children. “What if a gallery owner wanted to cater an event? What is she didn’t choose the conventional hors d’oeuvres? What if a renowned art critic fell in love with a cook from Queens, who didn’t even know he was gay? What if his Ukrainian wife became the artist’s muse?”

Kelly pipes in, “We decided on a plot together and on where we wanted to the characters to go. One of us would write one chapter … then the other would rip it apart and to rewrite! We had a great time doing it.”

Says Vivian, “We assigned traits to our characters, from people who we know and love and we almost always agreed with each other. We didn’t want villains in the story. This was our world, our evening nights of fun and story exchange. We could create the utopia we wanted and support it throughout our plot. We crossed out each other’s lines, with no hurt feelings and added our own. We waited anxiously for each other to send back the corrected chapter. “Did Kelly take my last paragraph out? Did she find it boring and esoteric?” “Did Vivian like the dialogue or did she think it was easy comedy?” We laughed with the unexpected scenes: the Japanese couple that bought a work of art that didn’t fit in the house, Ceasar’s Palace in Vegas made from olives, cheese and toothpicks, Pino’s first awkward date with Monroe, Nellie keeping her cool in the chaos through meditation. Who doesn’t know people like that in New York City or who wouldn’t want to read about them?

While they furiously penned their lines while the rest of the family was firmly in bed, Kelly and Vivian called, chatted, skyped and emailed their thoughts to each other. What started as a fun project before Christmas in 2010, was a complete book by June 2011.

“ We only wanted to make people laugh and when one of us strayed to the darker side, usually Vivian who experiences guilt when situations become too light-hearted, Kelly would clap her hands and say “What did we agree on? This is supposed to make people laugh. Nobody cares about our sad life experiences, there are people in MUCH worse place than we are!”

So while the book was ready, a publisher was not. Quite like the actual creative process, their chance encounter with an Australian publisher who was holidaying on Poros led to more dinners and discussions and today the book is rated among the top 75 reads in gay literature.

And how do the authors perceive the book?“If this book can be compared to food, which we love to do, it’s your Sunday brunch with magazines and newspapers, loaded with soul food (carbs) and coffee. If the authors can be compared to cooks, it’s two friends in a small kitchen preparing a quick meal with fresh ingredients without a cookbook. We really threw out the rulebook on this one – no conventions. And we had fun doing it.”

For Greek Kelly who had lived in Manhattan for 28 years, the idea of the book spawned over dinner with friend and fellow-school mom American Vivian Andria, who had moved to Greece from the US when she was just four, and then back again after University, in 1995.

So how did the idea of writing a book together come about.? Says Andria, “Writing with another person is a matter of chemistry – you either have it or you don’t. And it certainly cannot be forced. We started this project in gest. We described characters to each other one night over wine and cheese, stretching the limits of our imagination like children. “What if a gallery owner wanted to cater an event? What is she didn’t choose the conventional hors d’oeuvres? What if a renowned art critic fell in love with a cook from Queens, who didn’t even know he was gay? What if his Ukrainian wife became the artist’s muse?”

Kelly pipes in, “We decided on a plot together and on where we wanted to the characters to go. One of us would write one chapter … then the other would rip it apart and to rewrite! We had a great time doing it.”

Says Vivian, “We assigned traits to our characters, from people who we know and love and we almost always agreed with each other. We didn’t want villains in the story. This was our world, our evening nights of fun and story exchange. We could create the utopia we wanted and support it throughout our plot. We crossed out each other’s lines, with no hurt feelings and added our own. We waited anxiously for each other to send back the corrected chapter. “Did Kelly take my last paragraph out? Did she find it boring and esoteric?” “Did Vivian like the dialogue or did she think it was easy comedy?” We laughed with the unexpected scenes: the Japanese couple that bought a work of art that didn’t fit in the house, Ceasar’s Palace in Vegas made from olives, cheese and toothpicks, Pino’s first awkward date with Monroe, Nellie keeping her cool in the chaos through meditation. Who doesn’t know people like that in New York City or who wouldn’t want to read about them?

While they furiously penned their lines while the rest of the family was firmly in bed, Kelly and Vivian called, chatted, skyped and emailed their thoughts to each other. What started as a fun project before Christmas in 2010, was a complete book by June 2011.

“ We only wanted to make people laugh and when one of us strayed to the darker side, usually Vivian who experiences guilt when situations become too light-hearted, Kelly would clap her hands and say “What did we agree on? This is supposed to make people laugh. Nobody cares about our sad life experiences, there are people in MUCH worse place than we are!”

So while the book was ready, a publisher was not. Quite like the actual creative process, their chance encounter with an Australian publisher who was holidaying on Poros led to more dinners and discussions and today the book is rated among the top 75 reads in gay literature.

And how do the authors perceive the book?“If this book can be compared to food, which we love to do, it’s your Sunday brunch with magazines and newspapers, loaded with soul food (carbs) and coffee. If the authors can be compared to cooks, it’s two friends in a small kitchen preparing a quick meal with fresh ingredients without a cookbook. We really threw out the rulebook on this one – no conventions. And we had fun doing it.”

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Romance / Literary Fiction

Rating – PG13

More details about the authors

Connect with Kelly Andria on Twitter & Facebook

Website http://kellyandria.com/

Review - Confessions of a Not-So-Dead Libido by Peggy Webb

Confessions of a Not-So-Dead Libido by Peggy Webb
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: November 1, 2006
Pages: 304
Age Group: Adult
Acquired: Bought
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5/5
Author Site: Peggy Webb

When longtime best friends, Patsy Leslie and Louise Jernigan decide to jump-start their not-so-dead libidos, quilting and bridge suddenly take a backseat to, well, more amorous pursuits. Local tongues wag, and Patsy's son and Louise's daughter—who happen to be married to each other—demand answers to the burning questions Who is this man and where's the rest of Mama's skirt?

This was just laugh out loud funny! I like reading in bed at night and my hubby had to keep shushing me so he could sleep because it kept me laughing so hard I'd be in tears.

Both the main characters, Patsy and Louise, were plum adorable in older woman fashion, both were pretty much set in their ways but still felt a little something was missing in their lives and they just refused to grow old so gracefully without getting out there just one more time and getting a bit wild, Patsy more so than Louise. LOL

They have been friends since grade school but they soon realize that maybe what they thought they were missing just wasn't worth the price of losing each other.

Review - Rocky Road Trip by Catherine Clark

Rocky Road Trip by Catherine Clark
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: June 10, 2008
Pages: 336 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: 1/5
Author Site: Catherine Clark

It was a zoo the day I left.

All I remember is pulling out of the driveway. I thought I was going to crumble into a hundred pieces.

I looked at Grant. He looked at me.

I sadly really really disliked this book. The one star actually is for the cute cover. I hate that I didn't like it because the synopsis made it sound soooo good and the cover is really cute but hence this is why one does not supposed to judge a book by it's cover.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the book has NO chapters but instead is divided up into long diary entries...long boring whiny diary entries that I grew sick of before I got into the book 50 pages but still I trudged on and listened to Courtney moan and groan about going away to college, hating her roomate, and sulking because Grant her boyfriend was having a wonderful time at his college without her. Heck I bet he sang Hallelujah on the day she left!

Review - Stranger With My Face by Lois Duncan

Stranger With My Face by Lois Duncan
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: April 19, 2011
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 235 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5
Author Site: Lois Duncan

Have you ever been haunted by the feeling that someone is spying on you, lurking around your house and yard, even entering your bedroom? Are your friends plotting against you when they say they've seen you do things you know you haven't done? What's going on -- and does Laurie really want to find out?

In one word - Freaky! I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this story! It was really scary in a neat way. I totally freaked when she was sitting in front of the mirror and her image smiled at her and she realized that she herself was NOT smiling! Ohhhh I love it when things like that happens in movies and it sent a chill over me while reading it here as well!

I despised Laurie's so called friends and boyfriend. I'm like all they had to do if they cared at all was ask her family if she had been home sick but instead they would rather doubt her. That's just not a friend to me which it more or less says she was only a member of their crowd on accounts of her popular boyfriend anyhow but still...

I was not overly excited about "part" of the ending but if I explain I will be spoiling it for anybody whose not read it so I will leave it at that.

Review - The Grand Finale by Janet Evanovich

The Grand Finale by Janet Evanovich
Publisher: Harper
Published: February 24, 2009
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 246 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: 3/5
Author Site: Janet Evanovich

Berry Knudson had a talent for disaster, but when she climbed a tree to rescue a kitten, she wasn't prepared for the scrumptious hunk undressing in a nearby window, or her dive downward that smashed Jake Sawyer's pizza and won his heart!

I love most anything by Janet because most of her books are light and fluff filled and The Grand Finale was no exception however I must say after the first chapter this particular story just got to fast for me. I think the romance should have taken a bit longer but then theres always the love at first sight angle...

Berry is a mess. I loved her character so much. She was just a comedy of tragic events waiting to happen and that poor man, Jake happens to get caught right up in the middle of her life of chaos and he falls madly in love with her but it takes Berry some convincing because she has her life headed and planned out just as she wants it and romance is not included in that!

I don't think I want Berry delivering any pizza's to me! LOL

Review - Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer

Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Published: June 26, 2012
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 352 pages
Format: Hardback
Source: FirstRead Win
Rating: 4/5
Author Site: Sarah Strohmeyer

Gigi, Bea, and Neerja are best friends and total overachievers. Even if they aren't the most popular girls in school, they aren't too worried.

OKay so the three main characters would probably beat me to death for calling this a cute story but it was! It really was Gigi, Bea, and Neerja! The girls have been besties since Kindergarten and are convinced that with good grades they will eventually get everthing in life they want but as life goes they soon found out how wrong they were.

They were actually not a blip on anybodies radar because they studied so much and did so little extra on the side like going to parties and assemblies or even bothering to eat lunch in the cafeteria that their other classmates barely knew them or knew they existed and this is when the girls realized their plans were not going as well as they had hoped.

I really loved the interactions between Mike and Gigi. They were my two favorite characters. They were just sooo sweet? I just totally fell in love with Mike even though he supposedly got Gigi in trouble for copying from her paper. (or did he?)

I think most any teen girl would enjoy reading about Gigi, Neerja, and Bea because highschool is tough and this story is a light fun read and who knows maybe in some odd about way their tales of love and education can benefit a struggling teenager. While it didn't benefit me or take away from my life one way or another it took me back in time and had me reminicing about some of my old highschool friends and wondering what if......

Review - Scored by Lauren McLaughlin

Scored by Lauren McLaughlin
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Published: October 25, 2011
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 240 pages
Format: Hardback
Source: Bought
Rating: 3/5
Author Site: Lauren McLaughlin

Set in the future when teenagers are monitored via camera and their recorded actions and confessions plugged into a computer program that determines their ability to succeed. All kids given a "score" that determines their future potential. This score has the ability to get kids into colleges, grant scholarships, or destroy all hope for the above.

I had a tough time with Scored. The subject matter was not so unbelievable and was actually pretty eerily where it looks like our future could be headed. Do I like it or believe it to be fair? No not at all but it's just the way things are and will be. I mean we're already "scored" in so many aspets of our lives.

But the actual problem I had with the book itself was I didn't like any of the characters and it just got a bit irritating having Imani and Diego debate who was right and wrong all the time. It just was to...political reading? I couldn't think of a better word for what I mean but it just became quite boring. Too much bickering and not enough action so to speak.

Imani was just one of the uppitiest (is that even a word?) people I have ever read and I could not stand her. She ditched a friend for falling in love and supposedly causing her score to drop, she was rude to her parents almost like she was above them (when I say rude I don't mean the usual teenager antics I mean like she came across all holier than though in my opinion), and she was so quick to conspire (backstab) against a classmate just to get a scholarship when she realized there was no way to raise her score. I'm like okay I get it. I can see why she did these things but was it really worth it? I can only speak for myself but I value my friends, family, and self respect more than having a high score or having to backstab to get what I want. She did somewhat redeem herself in the end but far to late to gain any respect in my eyes.

Guest - RW Peake - Challenges You face

What are the challenges you face as a writer in your genre?
by RW Peake
My audience is pretty educated, and is very discerning. Ancient Rome has been "done" to death, for the last 2 centuries in particular, and those who enjoy this genre have a higher awareness of events and characters than I think a lot of readers do. For example, there are a lot of people who love Tom Clancy, but have very, very little knowledge of the military or the intelligence services. But that's not true for those who are fans of Ancient Rome.

Also, the specific period in which I write, the Late Republic, at least from the perspective of my characters, suffer from a real lack of source material. This is a blade that cuts both ways; it allows me to take some creative license, but it also means that I'm likely to be questioned about some of the conclusions that I draw. That's why I went to the lengths to research as much as I did, from dressing up in the full kit of a Roman Legionary, whereupon I went tromping all over Big Bend National Park, to stabbing a (thankfully already dead) pig with a Roman sword, to get a better idea of the specific facts involved in being a Legionary in Caesar's army.

Buy Now @ Amazon
Genre - Historical Fiction
Rating - PG
More details about the author & the book

Connect with RW Peake on Twitter & Facebook
Website http://www.marchingwithcaesar.com/

Review - Fury by Anya Bast

Fury by Anya Bast
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 116 pages
Format: ebook
Source: Freebie
Rating: 3/5
Author Site: Anya Bast

Nikki is a cougar shifter living in a werewolf world. When she's promised as a mate to a wolf shifter named Merrick, the fur flies. Cats are solitary and proud. No way will she be tamed, not even if Merrick’s touch drives her insane with need.

Highly erotic so I don't recommend anybody under 18 to read this but oh boy it was really good. I quickly fell into the storyline and could not stop reading until done!

Nikki has been chosen by the Elders to be the queen but she doesn't feel as though she is qualified...she's not even a wolf! She's a cougar! It's up to Merrick to convince her that not only is she qualified to be his queen but has all the qualifications she needs to share his bed!

The only time I put this down was to quickly turn on my air conditioner! Oh my gawd Merrick....that's all I can say!

Review - Thirst by Claire Farrell

Thirst by Claire Farrell
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 154 pages
Format: Kindle
Source: Bought
Rating: 3/5
Author Site: Claire Farrell

Ava Delaney calls herself a hybrid - a living, breathing human who happens to have vampire poison running through her veins. The only thing greater than her thirst for human blood is her capacity for guilt. She does her best to avoid the human world, for everyone's sake.

The action starts out right away with Ava trying to save a human and ending up making him her slave by accident and not knowing how to get rid of him. Her troubles only maximize as she reaches out for help and everybody is trying to kill her for one reason or another!

This was a funny vampiric comedy of errors and my heart went out to poor Ava even as I was laughing my butt off at her predicaments. Here she is trying to help innocents and she seems to be the one who gets into trouble for it.

It does have some serious moments to where you'll be sitting on edge hoping for the best and although I can't exactly say whether the ending was happy or not it did set up part/book 2 very well!

Author Interview - Emlyn Chand

If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future?
Past. I’m too worried going to the future would ruin life for me. I mean, what if humanity’s destroyed itself? Then how do you keep living in your present time knowing doom and gloom is on its way? One ticket back in time please!

What is one book everyone should read?
My favorite book is A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, definitely. The novel has so many layers and entertains on so many levels. Also the characters in that novel seem more real than those from any other I’ve ever read. It’s just beautiful—that’s the only word for it. This one book everyone should attempt regardless of genre preference.

If you were a superhero what would your name be?
HyperSpeed—because that’s how I live my life. If I want to get something done, I get it done. Okay, I procrastinate *a little bit* on Facebook. Okay, a lot a bit, but I still do manage to get a crazy amount accomplished. I’ve been asked more than once whether (a) I have a clone army or (b) I ever sleep. HyperSpeed to the rescue. Zoooom!

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Chocolate, of course, but not just plain chocolate—chocolate with lots of chunky goodness mixed in like nuts, marshmallows, cookie pieces, cookie dough, anything nummy.

If you could meet one person who has died who would you choose?
Urm, how about one of my relatives from way back? I have no idea which one, but somebody who is super awesome and impressive and had a cool life, someone who can teach me about where I came from in the best possible light. Yeah, that would be totally cool.

Skittles or M&Ms?
M&Ms, 100%. And to take that further peanut M&Ms. I love the candy so much, I gave them an important role in Open Heart. No really, I did!

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.
If you’re looking for a YA read that tackles the real-life problems associated with being a teen (bulimia, bullying, parents – to name a few) and also has a compelling paranormal aspect, then look no further!

Give us a glimpse into a typical day in your day starting when you wake up till you lie down again.
I work anywhere from 13 to 17 hours per day, split between writing and running my book marketing business, Novel Publicity. Every day. This does not leave time for social interactions, family, taking care of my health, or any sort of leisure activity. Hey, didn’t TR say, “far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing?” I don’t mind having to give-up the other parts of my life to pursue my work, because I love it. I know I’ll eventually need to achieve a better balance, but for now, I’m content to push the pedal to the metal.

Finish the sentence- one book I wish I had written is....
Harry Potter, duh!

Favorite music?
Here’s an answer you never saw coming from a YA author: Frank Sinatra. I love Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, anything happy. They “make me smile in my heart.” I swear half of me is stuck at twelve years old and the other half is in its seventies—whatevs.

Emlyn Chand is the author of
Buy Now @ Amazon
Genre - Fantasy / Futuristic & Romance
Rating - PG13
Connect with Emlyn Chand on Twitter & Facebook
Website

Review - Rumor Has It by Jane B Mason

Rumor Has It by Jane B Mason
Released: January 1, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Age Group: Middlegrade
Pages: 160 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: 3/5

Audrey is fascinated by the new girl at school, Mailee. But she isn't sure how to get to know her -- Mailee is nice to everyone, but Audrey can't tell if she wants to be friends.

Audrey has been friends with Carmen since like forever but when a new girl arrives at school, Audrey goes out of her way to try to become friends with the new girl as far as making a "slam book" because she just has to know what the new girl thinks about her!

I really wanted to smack Audrey upside her head! You don't diss a friend like she did just to make a new friend. Besides what kind of example does that show the potential new friend that if another new person comes along you may do them the same way? Friends are fairly easy to find but a bestest friend is somebody you need to hang onto as Audrey finally learns!

Review - Blood Work by Kim Harrison

Blood Work by Kim Harrison
Released: July 12, 2011
Publisher: Del Rey
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 176 pages
Format: Hardback
Source: Bought
Rating: 3/5
Author Website: Kim Harrison

When Ivy met Rachel, the result wasn’t exactly love at first sight. Sparks flew as the living vampire and the stubborn witch learned what it meant to be partners.

This was one of the first graphic novels I have read and while I enjoyed the Hollows story I don't think I am going to be a big fan of graphic novels. I am not all that into comic strips or books either but I like to try new things is why I decided to read this and because I love The Hollows series!

As far as just zooming in on the actual story I loved it but in the graphic novels Rachel seems more dingy and Ivy appears far more sarcastic than in the actual books but again maybe it is just the difference from books versus graphics that I am not used to. I wont say I wont ever read another graphic novel but they surely are not at the top of my list!

Review - Pretty Little Devils by Nancy Holder

Pretty Little Devils by Nancy Holder
Released: September 3, 2009
Publisher: Razorbill
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 272 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5
Author Website: Nancy Holder

Watch out! These babysitters will stab you in the back.

Everything changes for Hazel Stone when she's noticed by Sylvia, queen bee of their high school's popular girls, the Pretty Little Devils. Sylvia invites Hazel to one of the group's famous soirees - held at the site of one of their babysitting jobs. Hazel couldn't be more thrilled! But what she doesn't know is that popularity comes with a price.

I could not put this book down! It had me guessing until the end who the culprit was because it literally could have been anybody! My initial guess at who it was was NOT who it was and that is all I am saying on that before I spill the beans but it basically has your usual clique of popular girls that everybody wants to be or in this story wants a piece of.

Sylvia was an awesome character...played her part to the hilt as the original queen biatch who tried to rule all her queens courts lives better known as the PLD's. She is just one of those characters that you love to hate and as much as I despised her I loved Hazel. She was sweet to an extent but she was determined not to succomb to Sylvia's rules like the others had no matter what and then things begin to get nasty as animals and students begin to pile up dead and it appears somebody has it out for the PLD Squad but WHO?

As good as it was there were still some moments that just didn't click for me or seem to fit like for instance there was this one dead animal whose owner/character just didn't have anything to do with the story. It just never got tied or gave motive to the killer for it's death but overall a wonderfully suspensful read!

Review - Winging It by Shel Delisle

Winging It by Shel Delisle
Released: March 22, 2012
Publisher: Something Else Publishing
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 300 pages
Format: E-Book
Source: Author
Rating: 3/5

She Just Wants to Fly.

When the time comes to pick a vocation, Angel-in-Training Grace Lightbourne asks The Big Kahuna for His permission to go straight to Earth on a mission as a Guardian Angel.

This was a light fun story that will have you laughing for sure at the predicaments Grace gets herself into. You wont be able to help yourself because Grace is one of the funniest characters I think I have read in a while.

She wants her wings so bad but doesn't really seem to want to put in the "work" or effort to earn them. She basically begs for an assignment on Earth working with "the humans" as a Guardian to get out of her remaining angel in training school years "up there" because she thinks it will be a piece of cake and she will get her wings quicker.

I enjoyed watching her grow and learn from her mistakes and realize no matter what you do you have rules to follow.

Buy Now @ Amazon Kindle
Genre - YA / Tween
Rating - PG13

Connect with Shel Delisle on Facebook
Blog http://sheldelisle.wordpress.com/