Review - A Chalice of Wind by Cate Tiernan

A Chalice of Wind by Cate Tiernan
Released: May 29, 2008
Publisher: Paw Prints
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 250 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: 3/5

After seventeen-year-old Thais Allard loses her widowed father in a tragic car accident, she is forced to leave the only home she’s ever known to live with a total stranger in New Orleans.New Orleans greets Thais with many secrets and mysteries.

Took me a bit to get into the story. It just wasn't appealing to me at first but once Thais moves to New Orleans and begins sharing opinions on her weird new guardian my interest peaked.

Things were hard enough on the poor girl as it was what with losing her father and being orphaned, to thinking she would be able to live with her elderly next door neighbor, and then being whisked off across the states with a guardian she had never heard of, but then once she tries to settle into her new home not only is her guardian and her friends creepy as all get out but she goes to school only to bump into somebody that was her mirror image right down to an identical birthmark!

Oh my gosh I would totally be freaking! Pass the Xanax I am about to flip out would be more like it! I could almost feel the sizzle when the two girls bumped into one another! The story just took off from there for me and had quite a few twists later that I enjoyed as Thais and Clio get to know one another and demand answers.

Review - The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
Released: September 1, 2011
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 304 pages
Format: Hardback
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5

In an America devastated by war and plague, the only way to survive is to keep moving.

Loved this story! Read it in almost one sitting it was so good. Stephen is a young teen who has never really known what normal was because every since he was born his family has been on the move never taking up roots anyplace because of a horrid war and plague of influenza not to mention being salvagers (folks who piddle thru places looking for things to trade) and having to always look over your shoulder for thieves and slavers.

Stephen was drilled to not trust other people and to survive at any means possible so it was really hard on him when tragedy strikes his family and he is forced to rely on strangers for help.

I hope I never have to live like Stephen did but the author makes the scenes so real I could almost imagine I was hiding or running right alongside him. I felt so much compassion for him and desperately wanted him to see another world than the one his stronghanded grandfather had instilled into him. There is good and bad in all of us and not everybody has hidden agendas when they offer a helping hand. Sometimes you just have to trust folks and hope for the best.

Review/Giveaway - Kept by Shawntelle Madison

Kept by Shawntelle Madison
Released: November 27, 2012
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 320 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Author/Edelweiss
Rating: 4/5
Author Site: Shawntelle Madison

Fresh from defending her pack in battle, Natalya Stravinsky, a whip-smart werewolf with a lovable neurotic streak, wants a little rest and relaxation. Once an outcast, she's now eager to rejoin the ranks of her New Jersey pack, and has even gotten a handle on her obsessive urge to hoard holiday ornaments. Yet Nat barely has time to revel in her progress before the next crisis comes howling at her door.

Kept pretty much picks up where Coveted leaves off with Natalya still struggling and in therapy with her OCD and trying to regain her place inside the pack again but as if that's not enough on her plate her father goes missing and Nat is basically the only one who can make things right but she wont be able to get any help from another werewolf. Instead as in Coveted she will have to rely on her therapy group of misceallaneous friends for help and support.

I really am enjoying this series because on one hand Nat makes me so sick with her OCD problem holding her back but on the other hand it makes her feel more like a real person but it's not that I am against her it's because I so much want her to gain her rightful place back with her family and to enjoy life as she deserves to. What I am sick of is how even her own family treats her sometimes...thank God she has Aggie for a friend because Aggie is all about the backbone and speaks her mind freely let me tell you!

Then we have the love interests. I am torn between Nick the wizard and Thorn the Alpha. Both are easily compatable for her or for me....LOL Thorn however is tangled up with that tramp Erica who so does NOT deserve him but we'll not go there.....

You could probably read Kept just fine as a stand alone but I must advise you to go back and read Coveted first you wont regret it! This is a remarkable series by a new voice in the shapeshifter genre.

**********GIVEAWAY**********
Shawntelle has offered one lucky reader of this blog a copy of her new book Kept! Just follow directions on the Rafflecopter to win and be sure to leave an email address on the "freebie" entry so if you win I can get your shipping info to Shawntelle so she can send you your prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Scott Moon

Michael Prim does what any good cop would do upon discovering a soul reaving sorcerer is hunting on his beat, he goes to war, until hell hounds and the other worldly Rashfellen warriors come after him. Then it is time to get a little help from his friends, namely a tough as nails veteran and a zombie like prostitute who holds a soul trapped in a magical jar. And when that fails, there is his most hated enemy, the gang member who murdered his partner but now holds the power to kill Travass Isegurad and unravel the mystery of the Sionk.

Fame or fortune, which would you prefer? by Scott Moon

Fame is probably a lot more work than it is worth. I have always enjoyed music and played in rock bands since high school and thus had some good friends who really enjoyed being the center of attention. These natural performers were always on stage. My best friend in high school definitely had world-class musical talent and probably still does; we have not talked for years. Once, in a music store, he played Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata on the piano, and everyone in the place stopped to listen. He put us in a trance—and this was primarily a store for heavy metal guitarists.

The amazing thing about this story is that the piano was not his primary instrument. At parties he would do handstands and back flips, making boisterous jokes, and do amazing tricks. He could use is abdominal muscles to move a quarter up and down his torso. On the other hand, I dreamed of being the center of attention, but hated it when it happened. The only exceptions being activities like jumping over bonfires or “skiing” behind a pick-up truck by holding the bumper and praying my rocker cowboy boots didn’t catch an imperfection in the pavement.

One of the tricks I use when I edit is to read my work in progress out loud, sometimes into a digital recorder, and imagine that I am captivating my audience. When the words work aloud and during silent reading, I start to think there is some magic happening. I have done this for years. Recently, I went to my first meeting of the Kansas Writers Association and volunteered to read. It went fairly well, though I was self-conscious because of some violence and profanity in the scene I chose to read, which is what happens when you change your mind about which chapter you will read at the last minute. Despite several compliments, I nearly imploded with self-conscious depression during the drive home. I am now more careful what I wish for.

If I had to pick between fame and fortune, the latter would win. Now, I have no experience with fortune in the sense of life-changing wealth, so this could be a mistake. But I am willing to take that chance. I think having the respect of the most important people in your life makes you fortunate. Possessing the monetary fortune necessary to write fulltime would make me ridiculously happy, much than fame. People often become famous for negative reasons. Famous people have to work to maintain their fame and remain the center of attention. It would be easier to build a “platform” as a famous author, but I have always hoped the stories would sell themselves.

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Genre – Contemporary Fantasy

Rating – R

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Jo Briggs Feature/Interview

A modern take on the classic Pride & Prejudice premise.

Model, Elle Benedict is young, beautiful and headstrong. When she overhears billionaire, William Dexter insulting her integrity, it leaves her deep attraction to him in tatters.

As William stumbles over himself to repair the damage, he pursues her intensely, and begins to draw her into his private world. They embark on a relationship, consumed by love and desire, awakening feelings neither had experienced before.

But not everything is perfect. Jealousy and misunderstandings allow a so-called friend to seek out the cracks in their relationship and use them to manipulate and interfere, intent on ruining a little boy’s life before he has even drawn a breath.

Seven years of euphoria to the depths of a dark abyss of pain awaits them.

Their journey is a carefully woven story thread of murder, paternity, jealous lovers and family members, and misunderstandings.

Can their love be rekindled?

***Author Interview***
Skittles or M&Ms? M&Ms

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects? Yes, two projects at the moment. One is a stand-alone romance called Half Truth Whole Lie that is still only halfway through its first draft. The other is a trilogy about a Rock Star called Broken Strings, which is complete in rough form. Both I hope to have out during 2013.

If you could have any superpower what would you choose? Supersonic flying

If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would you choose? Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, JFK, Queen Victoria and Jane Austen

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Any Ben & Jerrys

Night owl, or early bird? Early Bird

One food you would never eat? Parsnips

What was your favorite book when you were a child/teen? The Outsiders by S E Hinton

Is there a song you could list as the theme song for your book or any of your characters? Love the way you lie by Rihanna and Eminem

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? New York

You have won one million dollars what is the first thing that you would buy? A new Audi R8

What TV show/movie/book do you watch/read that you’d be embarrassed to admit? Made in Chelsea, which is a reality show in the UK about the lives of some posh 20-somethings and the bizarre things they do and say.

What’s your favorite season/weather? Summer sun

What is your guilty pleasure? Chocolate

What is your dream cast for your book? Clive Own as William & Natalie Portman as Elle

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors? To take all bad reviews with a pinch of salt, skim them for things you can improve on, ignore any pointless remarks, but above all do not let it stop you from continuing to write. And never ever respond to the nasty ones.

What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year? Argo

Favorite music? Coldplay, Muse, U2

Favorite Candy? Flake

If you were a bird, which one would you be? Penguin

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Genre – Contemporary Romance

Rating – R

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Connect with Jo Briggs on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.jebriggs.co.uk/