Friday, October 31, 2014

Highlight - Stalking the Demon by Ciara Ballintyne




Title: Stalking the Demon

Author: Ciara Ballintyne

Series: The Seven Circles of Hell #2



Six months ago, the disgraced wizard, Alloran, sacrificed his hand to rescue the woman he loves from his traitorous friend, Ladanyon. Despite saving the city from a demon, his reputation remains tarnished, and the council of wizards has penalised him severely for the practise of banned magic.



Now he learns his desperate efforts to stop Ladanyon led more to damnation than salvation. Finding a solution compels him to breach his sanctions and venture into forbidden places at risk of his life and freedom.



Alloran must choose between saving himself and everything he holds dear.








Book #1








Chapter 1

Collapse

Alloran rushed through
the citadel halls heedless of the rich carpets crushed beneath his heavy boots.
Gisayne hung limply in his arms, and her black hair trailed over his elbow. A
few people watched him pass, but none offered assistance. Over the past six
months, Gisayne collapsed often enough to blunt the urgency and the panic. The
faces turning in his direction bore only mild curiosity, oblivious to the fact
that this time was different.
Her chest barely rose and
fell beneath the thin cream silk of her night gown and robe, and blue tinged
the edges of her bee-stung lips. Seven hells, was she dying? As he raced
onwards, he clutched her against him and her cold skin pressed against his.
With no left hand, he had no way to check for a pulse. A choked-back scream of
desperate frustration tightened his chest until it squeezed the breath out of
his lungs.
While juggling Gisayne,
he fumbled with the latch on the door to the citadel’s hospice. Damn his
missing hand to the first hell. When the door finally gave, he shouldered it
open and backed into a long room lined with starkly made beds. The few occupied
by sick or injured had curtains drawn for privacy. Breidmar, dressed in the
red-trimmed white robes of a citadel doctor, bustled over at their entrance.
Orange brows pinched with
concern over her violet eyes. ‘Again?’
‘She’s…’ The lump in his
throat choked him. He swallowed hard. ‘She’s hardly breathing.’
‘This way.’ Pointing to
an empty bed, Breidmar called out and strode to a door at the far end. Before
she crossed halfway back, an unfamiliar girl in acolyte’s white appeared in the
doorway.
Alloran placed Gisayne on
the bed with gentle care. Her slack body slid from his arms, her skin pale.
When he let her go, her eyelids fluttered but did not open. Nausea knotted his
gut. The last time she’d fainted, the recovery was quick. Now, she looked as if
death hovered over her, waiting for the moment to snip the thread of her life.
As Breidmar began
checking Gisayne’s vitals, she waved Alloran off. He hesitated. What would he
do except wait, patient, and idle while Breidmar tried again to determine what
illness affected her? She would try and fail, most likely.
‘Are you sure this is not
the falling sickness? It’s supposed to get worse with each successive bout.’
‘She’s not got the right
symptoms. No seizures,’ Breidmar responded in precise, clipped tones.
Alloran frowned. He
wasn’t an idiot. ‘Then what? These collapses are getting more frequent and more
severe! Seven hells take you, tell me. Whatever the illness, it can’t be
too complicated for me to understand.’
With her severe lips
curving down, she sniffed. ‘No amount of genius can assist you to comprehend a
malady I cannot explain. While you’ve made any number of miraculous discoveries,
you have no particular expertise in medical matters. Leave this to me.’
‘The title of doctor is
reserved only for those who have studied in the citadel, and yet you say
you don’t know? After all this time, you must have some notion.’ Wisps
of his black hair hung about his face, torn free of their bindings in his
haste. He pushed them back with a rough motion. When they slid back into
disarray, he tore the leather thong free and began tying his hair back with
short, sharp motions.
The doctor scowled at him.
At her nod, the acolyte whipped the curtain around the bed in a rattle of
rings. The cloth brushed Alloran’s nose; he jerked his head away.
A heartfelt sigh escaped
his lips before he retreated to a waiting area that comprised a group of
chairs. No, sitting still would be intolerable. He changed direction and paced
the length of the room, passing the rows of identical empty beds. His boots
echoed in the open space. Sterile and odourless air filled his nostrils.
Apparently, Breidmar
shared the sentiments of many people in the citadel. Some blamed him solely for
the demons that plagued the city of Ehsan six months earlier, and others
accused him of working with the renegade wizard, Ladanyon. Although Alloran
wasn’t subjected to a disciplinary hearing, the council’s public announcement
that they were banning him from all forms of magic involving the hells only
reinforced the blame.
Seven hells, the
councillors banned him because some
of them felt the same as the other citizens. Those residents who lost loved ones
in the battle against Ladanyon’s first-circle demon were the most damning.
Councillor Valgon’s wife died, and he made no bones about believing Alloran to
be a public menace. I just can’t prove it, was what he said.




Ciara Ballintyne was born in 1981 in Sydney, Australia, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, one masochistic cat, and one cat with a god complex. She holds degrees in law and accounting, and has been a practising financial services lawyer since 2004. She is both an idealist and a cynic.



She started reading epic fantasy at the age of nine, when she kidnapped Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings from her father. Another two years passed before she began her first attempts at the craft of writing. Confronting the Demon is her debut book.



She enjoys horse-riding, and speculation about taking over the world. If she could choose to be anything it would be a dragon, but instead she shares more in common with Dr. Gregory House of House. M.D.





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Thursday, October 30, 2014

Fade to Black by Sue Duff


In Fade to Black, Ian Black is guarded by the Weir, a race of magical beings who struggle to prevent the planet from self-destructing during a time that natural disasters are on the rise in frequency and intensity. In a desperate move, the Weir elders torture Ian to force his powers to arrive, prompting Ian to abandon his people to hide among humans. He soon uncovers, along with curious college student Rayne Bevan, a mysterious enemy behind the Weir’s raging civil war and Ian races to stop the lethal saboteur before launching Armageddon.

About Sue Duff:

Sue Duff has been writing since high school but never became serious about it until a skiing accident laid her up for an entire summer and she turned on the word processor to combat the boredom. A couple years later, her first urban fantasy novel, Fade to Black, was a finalist in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Writing Contest.

By day, she’s a dedicated speech-language therapist in an inner city school district. But her life as a writer is her true passion and the creative outlet keeps her sane.

Born in Chicago, she moved to Phoenix as a young child. She received her bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University and her master’s from the University of Denver.

Author Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
Virtual Tour Page

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Treat Yourself Giveaway


We’re just a couple of weeks away from Halloween and there’s one thing that’s on everyone’s mind… treats!
Welcome to the Treat Yourself Giveaway Hop, hosted by the Blogging Mamas Network! In this Hop, you’ll find lots of special treats to keep you entering giveaways until it’s time to go out and gather your own - so be sure to hop around to all the giveaways in the Hop Linky below and don’t miss the AMAZING Grand Prize Giveaway - from Step2!



My Giveaway consists of:
.A size Medium Dolphin Tale 2 T-shirt
.Professional Lemon and Lime Press
.10 foot Speed Cable Jump Rope
.Red Maxboost Phone Case
.16 Count Playtex Sport Regular
.One Year Subscription to Redbook Magazine (Not Pictured)


This giveaway will end on October 31th. It is open to US residents, 18+ only.

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DISCLOSURE

So Easy Being Green, Viva Veltoro, the Blogging Mamas Network, and the Treat Yourself participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.

Friday, October 10, 2014

I Ate a Cicada Today By Jeff Crossan


Book Description: Based on a song of outrageous rhymes, I Ate a Cicada Today is a humorous children's picture book illustrated in ink and watercolor with an accompanying CD. Each two-page spread features a verse about a different animal or insect including such fanciful scenarios as "I peppered a leopard today" and "I hid a giant squid today." The CD is a guitar/vocal performance of the song by author/illustrator Jeff Crossan, who interjects each verse with a short spoken aside to provide added comic punch to the zany lyrics.

My Thoughts: Our little boy enjoyed this more than our little girl but I myself found it funny and catchy and enjoyed listening to the CD that came inside with them. I think it would have been a bit better had the words rhymed more but still it was interesting and so beautifully illustrated that you'd want to read it again and again just to look at the pictures!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Adovia Sulfur Soap for Acne




PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
- Adovia sulfur soap, is highly enriched with minerals and sulfur from the Dead Sea.
- Your skin's natural moisture levels are balanced and optimized with Olive Oil, Dead Sea minerals and Aloe Vera extract.
- Sulfur has Antiseptic, Anti-Fungal and Antibacterial properties
- This soap thoroughly cleanses your face and body and leaves your skin gentle and smooth.
- Our sulfur soap has a 3% sulfur content.

My Thoughts: Like all other Adovia products I have tried, this Sulfur Soap for Acne is amazing. Adovia has awesome products and I haven't found anything yet that I haven't loved. I particularly enjoyed using this because it has almost no smell or scent to it at all. Very minimal if any at all. Don't get me wrong I like scented soaps and body washes ect... but not something I'm going to be using primarily for my face.

It was just a gentle tingly sensation when I used it on my face and it just made my skin feel so soft and cleaner. After several uses I can see a minimalization of some of the redness and it just feels so great!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Cover Reveal - Returning Home by Al Parks

Description: Clarissa wants nothing to do with her father – even in his death. But she can’t escape returning to Newport to settle her father's estate. The safe world she has established starts to crumble and secrets she has locked away threaten to be exposed. Meeting Griff, her father’s partner, provides the only peace and happiness in the darkness that suddenly surrounds her.

Griff has built his custom bike shop from nothing into a thriving success. After the sudden death of his silent partner, Griff finds himself in a fight to save his business from the grieving widow. But falling for his partner's headstrong daughter may cost Griff everything.

Brandi has become accustomed to certain amenities in her life - money and men. She refuses to allow the death of her philandering husband to inconvenience her comfortable lifestyle. Setting her sights set on her husband’s very young, very sexy partner, nothing will get in the way of what she wants - even if it means destroying Clarissa to get it.

About the Author: Born and raised in the Rocky Mountains, A.L. Parks has spent the last 25 years moving all over the United States. Married to the Navy - well a man in the Navy - Parks has lived in various places throughout the United States. She currently resides in the Washington D.C area, with her husband, four children, and one spoiled German Shepard.

2013 marked her debut in publishing. Her first novel, Strangers, released on her 45th birthday. She was amazed at how many people fell in love with a story about two people dealing with grief, and finding love again. Abby and Bryce were the perfect couple to introduce Parks as an up-and-coming author.

She released the first of the Return To Me series (an anticipated 4.5 book series) in December 2013. A wonderful Christmas romance, The Return introduced readers into the whirlwind romance of Eve and Jake, and proved that second chance romance can be even better than first love. Book two, Return To Newport, followed the struggles that come while on a journey to happily ever after.

Parks unique style of writing, along with her depth of characters and emotions, is carving out a niche in romance for those who crave love and romance a second time around. While many current novels focus on first love, Parks' novels seek to find happily ever after when first love has failed. They are a testament to second chances at true love that lasts forever.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ALParksAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/almparks2012

Website: http://www.alparksauthor.com/

Book review blog: http://www.shereadsnewadult.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5105090.A_L_Parks

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/anneparks5070/

Amazon author's page: http://www.amazon.com/A.L.-Parks/e/B00FUI0KWU/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Coconut Patties




Product Description: Anastasia Confections' Coconut Patties are delicious squares made of a smooth and creamy shredded coconut confectionery mix, dipped in a rich, dark chocolatey coating– the perfect blend of flavors. The 12 oz. box contains 9 Coconut Patties, individually wrapped to enhance and prolong freshness.

Made fresh daily in Anastasia’s state-of-the-art candy factory in Orlando, Florida, Coconut Patties are a souvenir favorite from the Sunshine State. In addition to classic original, flavors include key lime, pina colada, mango, almond, orange, and rum. The 12 oz. package has a suggested retail price of $5.99.

Featured on NBC’s TODAY Show and in Parade magazine, Anastasia Confection’s Coconut Patties are sold throughout Florida and by several major retailers across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. They are available in 8 oz, 12 oz, and 16 oz boxes and also offered in counter style 2-packs and single size. All coconut and taffy products are certified Kosher.

My Thoughts: Oh my gosh these are soooooo very good! I could have gobbled up the entire box by myself but had to refrain and share with the family. LOL They just totally melt in your mouth and are so tasty. One of my favorite features other than the taste is how they are not just all in an open container but each patty is individually wrapped. This makes for easy popping into bag lunches and such. They didn't last long around my house!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

6 Foot Extension Cables by Solid Cordz




Product Description: PREMIUM 6 Foot Extension Cords by Solid Cordz®
Solid Cordz® 6 foot extension cable is the solution to your electronics and power equipment reaching problems. This sturdy and long-lasting 72-inch length extension wire can give your room a clean and organized look. The cable is thicker than the usual which houses a 16 AWG wire. The cables are fully rated for 125 volt/13 Amp applications.

My Thoughts: I am very well satisfied with these extension cords! They are heavy duty, safe, and more bendable which allows them to stay in place better than your usual extension cords. I live in an older home with limited power outlets and they have come in handy extremely well in my computer room where my outlet is on one side of the room but my computer desk is on another and we all know most electronics don't have very long cords at all!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.