Destiny Bewitched review

 Book Review of Destiny Bewitched sponsored by Bewitching Book Tours

Destiny Bewitched 

blurb: 

Deemed “trailer trash” by humans and the daughter of the most disgraceful family of witches and warlocks since the Puritan age, Samantha is used to fighting her own battles. When her younger sister is taken to the Underworld, Sam doesn't hesitate to rescue her. 

To survive the harsh land, she makes a deal with a demon — the most dangerous of creatures in the realm. 

Even with those lustrous horns, Geo is as hot as the hell she's stuck in. Fighting nasty beasts in a supernatural version of the gladiator games is easy compared to falling in love with a man who has no future to offer.

Excerpt 1
Finally, the piece she’d been fiddling with on the tape player clicked into place. She pressed play and turned up the volume. When music flowed from the small but effective speakers, she gave Geo an I-told-you-so look.
His wide eyes told her he’d probably never heard music come from a machine before. She recognized the song. I Put a Spell on You by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Somebody in the Underworld liked 70’s rock. Go figure.
“I love this song.” She placed the tape player on the bed and stood up, feeling a little reckless, a little free. Must be the wine.
The lead singer’s throaty voice and the heavy beat fit the dim room. The song was gritty and raw just like the Underworld. She looked at Geo, laid back in the chair all big and bad, strong and silent. He’d never looked so sexy.
Definitely the wine.
“Dance with me,” she commanded.
His brows lifted.
“Come on.” She grabbed his hand and tugged.
With a smirk, he let her pull him to his feet.
“Just put your hands here and here.” She guided his hands to her hip and shoulder but he yanked out of her grip.

“I know how to dance, woman,” he growled. Then he plopped both hands on her low back, just above her backside, and yanked her up against his body.

Author bio: 

I began my writing journey while I was stranded at the airport waiting for my delayed flight. I browsed the Border’s kiosk and grew frustrated that I couldn’t find the “it factor” — the perfect combination of alpha male-ness, ass-kickery, strong females, magic, and sex.

So I spent the next four hours on an airplane writing my first book on scraps of paper and an airsick bag (which thankfully I didn't need to use).

Now I spend too much time in my head, plotting evil villains and the hot men (and women) who ruthlessly kill them. I think far too much about fae politics, dragon power games, and how fast werewolves can change forms. But writing my paranormal romance series has given me a productive place to express those dark places in my mind.

I live in New England with my husband and two kids. Though I will go to my grave denying it, my husband insists I would be thrilled if he suddenly sprouted fangs.

Media: 

www.leiashaw.com

www.leiashaw.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/LeiaShaw

@LeiaShaw

Book Review:

Sam decides to save her sister by fighting in the Demon Games, but first she has to survive long enough to get there. Strangely she meets a demon named Geo who wants to help her.  Long story short, they fall in love because he doesn’t want to be a demon and she is a witch.  Of course there is a lot more to it than that, but you’ll have to read for yourself.

This is such a romantic book.  I loved that Geo was willing to give up everything for her.   The idea that love can conquer all isn’t a new one, but in Destiny Bewitched the author creates a charming, unique story that shows a different angle to the story.  I loved it.  It was well written with characters that brimmed with life, humor, angst and love.

I give this story 4 out of 5 clouds.

This product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.

The Mamacita Murders review

Book Review of The Mamacita Murders

Product Details

File Size: 358 KB

Print Length: 229 pages

Publisher: Justicia House (January 29, 2012)

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Language: English

ASIN: B0073GWF2K

Publication Date: January 29, 2012

Book Description

Assistant Prosecutor Gaby Ruiz investigates the sexual assault on Laura, a 17 year-old prostitute left for dead in a motel in a drug- and gang-ridden community. Did Clown, Laura's boyfriend, try to kill her when she wanted to leave the Lincoln Gang's prostitution ring or -- did a random assailant ransack Laura's room and assault her -- or did law enforement try to kill Laura to protect one of their own? The investigation twists from the backwoods in Tuckford County to the back rooms of law enforcement buildings all the way to the Walled City. Through pure determination, Gaby Ruiz does not let anything stop her search for justice and to secure her witness for trial.

Gabriela Ruiz is a Latina sex crimes prosecutor in Tuckford County and runs The Mamacita Club, a community outreach effort from her chrome Vintage Airstream motorhome. She travels with her friends around the county to reach at-risk women, sometimes through her angel powers. Women affected by drugs, gang and domestic violence, sex crimes, and broken homes -- they're all in The Mamacita Club. For Gaby, the law is rarely black or white -- it's more about determination, persistence, and finding closure for her victims. But it's always about justice. Gaby has spent all of her professional life seeking justice for others. But it is not until Laura goes missing, that Gaby is able to start searching for justice for herself and begin to fix her own guilt-ridden past for not protecting her mom from an abusive relationship -- this time to save her own life and seek closure over her own mother's death.

Author Information:

Debra is the granddaughter of a Mexican migrant farm worker and factory seamstress, was born and raised in Los Angeles, is the first to graduate college in her family, and grew up dancing Ballet Folklorico and Salsa. Debra followed a calling at eleven years old to be an attorney and voice for women, currently lives in Orange County, and appreciates international travel and culture.  She has been a county prosecutor in Riverside, California since 2004 and is assigned to the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit. Debra has prosecuted cases ranging from gang homicides and domestic violence to political corruption and major fraud. Debra co-founded Women Wonder Writers, a community outreach organization and co-created The Write of Your Life, a mentorship and writing program for at-risk young women throughout Riverside County. The Mamacita Murders is Debra's first novel and first in a series of legal thrillers and chick lit mysteries. To follow The Mamacita Murders and Gaby Ruiz' next call to action, visit www.DebraMaresNovels.com

Book Review:

One point of the “Mamacita Murders” is to teach victims of crimes or people who have turned to crime as a way of life, such as prostitutes, that there is another way of life out there.  Yes it is a legal thriller.  But the main character seeks to teach her ‘girls’ that there are other, better choices for their lives.  That was my favorite message of the story.  I love that someone is trying to help teach girls how to better their lives and is using the idea of pin-up girls to do it.  (not the main point of the story, but my favorite).

I don’t want to go into too much detail as I don’t want to give anything away, but this book is a must read.  The writing style is crisp and clean.  Having worked in the legal field and with many attorneys and legal personnel, I loved the inside knowledge.  The author kept the story moving at a brisk pace with humor, tears, suspense, and the strong desire to slap one or two characters.

I give this story 5 out of 5 clouds.

This product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.

The Syn-En review

Book Review of The Syn-En

Genre: SciFi with Romantic elements
Publisher: LandNa Publishing
Release Date: 4/27/12

Blurb:

A woman from the past. A cyborg with no future.
They have every reason to mistrust each other but one: survival.

When Nell Stafford passed out it was 2012. When she wakes up naked aboard a starship it's 2138, and she's surrounded by the Syn-En:
synthetically-enhanced soldiers with a grudge against humans like her. She
doesn't know where she is or what's happened, only that her life has been
destroyed and everyone she's ever known is dead.

Their leader Beijing York has just discovered his people's creators--humans--have betrayed them. They were promised freedom and equality in exchange for settling a newly discovered planet at the other side of a wormhole. But the Syn-En have outlived their usefulness.

The offer was a trick.

The wormhole has collapsed, and now both Nell and the Syn-En are trapped
far, far from Earth to face almost certain death.

Bei has lost his future, and Nell has lost her past.

But Nell gained something in her 120-year sleep; somehow, she knows
everything the Syn-En need to survive. Now she must convince Bei and his
people to trust her--as soon as she learns to trust the mysterious intelligence.

Excerpt 1:

Nell is in for a culture shock:
"Is that what you call it?" Nell planted two feet on his knees and shoved away from him. His hold on her breasts remained strong and her action tore at her chest. Pain overloaded her nervous system and static crackled inside her head. The only way she could escape would be if she gave herself a rather excruciating mastectomy. Panting through the sensation, Nell stopped struggling and hung limply between her captors. "Cause from where I stand, you're copping a feel."

Ignoring her sarcasm, the man focused on her chest. A burst of yellow light filled the room, highlighting the caduceus tattooed on his forehead. "You may feel a mild discomfort as the probes enter your skin."

Nell struggled to reconcile the caduceus with her current treatment. Why would a man with a medical insignia torture her? Unless he wasn't out to harm her. Hadn't the Grace Jones wannabe said Nell would get along with a bang? A stabbing pain flared up her chest, then a burning filled her veins
like an IV running too fast. Cold air stung her teeth as she inhaled.

"Mild! That hurts like an infected hangnail. Why didn't you give me some sort of local anesthetic to numb the area?"

"It would have reacted with the peroxides." His grip on her breasts loosened, but his attention didn't waver from the damaged skin. "I do not believe you would survive the explosion. You are quite fragile."

Nell snorted. Fragile people didn't survive the pandemic of 2010 or the North American invasion that followed. She was a survivor, yet somehow she sensed that someone had changed the rules, if not the game entirely. "That woman injected something in my breasts to make them explode?"
The doctor nodded. "A peroxide and a catalyst, that when mixed together create a very powerful bomb."

Nell pulled her legs closer to her body, wanting desperately to cover
herself or to fall asleep and wake up safe in her bed. "That's just
wrong."

Linda Andrews:

Linda Andrews lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, three children and a menagerie of domesticated animals. While she started writing a decade ago, she always used her stories to escape the redundancy of her day job as a scientist and never thought to actually combine her love of fiction and science. DOH! After that Homer Simpson moment, she allowed the two halves of her brain to talk to each other. The journeys she's embarked on since then are dark, twisted and occasionally violent, but never predictable.

Visit Linda's website at:

E-Mail: linda@lindaandrews.net

Website: http://www.lindaandrews.net/

         
Link to Tour on Main Site -  http://www.virtualbooktourcafe.com/3/post/2012/05/they-syn-en-solution-by-linda-andrews.html

Book Review:

This book is a fascinating mix of science fiction, fantasy, suspense, romance, and psychological implications.  I loved the concept that there could be synthetic abilities or components linked to people to make them somehow better or stronger to survive and help them fight and protect people.  What I also found sad but realistic is that those they helped turned against them in fear and relegated them to second class status.  There is truth in the saying that we fear that which we do not understand.

 

I found myself wanting to cry as Nell and Bei were pulled in so many directions, but I loved that they never gave up on each other and love.  This is a definite read for anyone who likes the sci-fi genre as it has some unique and interesting ideas.

I give this book 4 out of 5 clouds.

This product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.

Shadow of Kings Release Day Promo

 New Book Shadow of Kings Hosted by Bewitching Book Tours

Exciting news you heard here first.  This book now available.

SHADOWS OF KINGS
by Jack Whitsel
BLURB:

Steel and sorcery clash as the Harhn incursion sweeps through the Hugue. Mankind faces its greatest peril without the Order Knights of legend to defend them. Crusading deep in the frontier, the Order is unaware of the savage beasts threatening their homeland as the Hugue realms muster their armies for war.

Between a cunning Harhn sorcerer, and an alliance forged with the decadent Darkfey, the horde threatens to extinguish the domains of men. Only Lord Baudouin and Lady Lucia, a Dragon Maiden from the Order, stand in the enemy’s path. One must find the strength to unify the realms. The other must discover the strength within her, while coming to terms with the agendas of her Order. But only together will there be any hope to repel the onslaught, and preserve the future for a mysterious girl they do not know.

Chapter excerpt: http://twilighttimesbooks.com/ShadowsofKings_ch1.html

Author Bio:

Jack Whitsel is a native Californian, but has made Oregon his home since 1982. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Finance from Portland State University, but studies medieval history in his spare time.  His favorite genres are fantasy and historical fiction with a medieval emphasis. Shadows of Kings, the first novel of the Dragon Rising Series is the love child born of these two passions.

“I love the elements of fantasy when mixed with the gritty aspects of a medieval society,” states the author.

Website: http://www.jackwhitsel.com

Blog: http://jwhitsel.wordpress.com

Facebook fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shadows-of-Kings-Book-one-of-the-Dragon-Rising-Series/119975978113722

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackWhitsel

Purchase info:

Title: Shadows of Kings
Author: Jack Whitsel
Author web site: http://www.jackwhitsel.com
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
url: http://twilighttimesbooks.com/
Genre: Fantasy
Print ISBN: 978-1-60619-223-8
Format: trade paperback
Distributors: Brodart, Follett, Ingram

eBook ISBN: 978-1-60619-222-1
Format: ebook in pdf, ePub, Kindle, Mobi, PRC, etc.

Distributors: Amazon Kindle; Apple iBookstore; BN.com Nook; eReader; Fictionwise; Kobo Books; OmniLit; Sony eBookstore, etc.

Excerpt from SHADOWS OF KINGS

"Great Dragon, be with me. Let your strength be my own. Let your countenance…"
Her prayer was cut short by the sound of air whistling around her. Arrows rained upon the Harhn from a group of archers approaching from her left. The arrows slew all the Wargunds, but the sorcerer had deflected their lethal intent while catching some of them in midflight. With a force of will, he suspended the shafts momentarily before hurling them at Lucia. Five arrows were deflected by her magic, but one got through, striking her left shoulder. She cried out from the pain, instinctively favoring the wound with her right hand. The act did not dispel the magical shield erected around Narvauth, but its intensity had lessened. She refocused all her remaining strength at him, disregarding her own protection. The next attack was directed at the necromancer, but was easily deflected from the Harhn’s waning strength. The Horgund followed up with another attack directed at Lucia. Every hair rose on her body from the impending attack. When the lightning struck, it sucked all the air from her lungs and singed the cloak wrapped around her body. The assault knocked her to the ground and caused her muscles to mildly spasm. Seconds that felt like hours elapsed before she could catch her breath and regain her faculties. Once she willed herself into an upright position, the air escaped her lungs again. She clutched her throat, but her mortal hands gave no relief to the unseen grip squeezing her esophagus. Her head ached and spun. Rivulets of blood began to flow from her nose from the concentration she exerted to dispel the assault. The more she focused, the more the pounding in her skull intensified. The Horgund slowly advanced, his magically imbued grip still firmly around her throat. The spell would have crushed her throat by now if it were not for the energy she instinctively allocated before the assault. But her mind began to strain as unconsciousness tried to claim her. Lucia fell sideways, her lungs still desperately attempting to capture some of the night air. Then she heard a deep voice say, "It is done."
Air abruptly entered Lucia’s lungs, forcing a fit of gagging. Her eyes drifted to the necromancer. His staff was pointed at the Harhn sorcerer; the ruby at its head glowing with an infernal red glimmer.
The Horgund was paralyzed as Narvauth’s spell lifted him off the ground. The necromancer was uttering a new incantation that differed from the deep monotone chant used for awakening the dead. His mouth stretched open as if muscle and bone could not restrain his jaw. Lucia covered her nose and mouth as the stench of rotting flesh filled her nostrils beyond anything she had experienced while in the necromancer’s presence. A black fog poured from Narvauth’s mouth engulfing the Harhn in darkness. The shroud of death entered into every cavity, causing the Horgund to spasm and gurgle with unsettling shrieks. She still lay upon the ground, her eyes glued on the horror being unleashed upon their adversary. When she caught her breath and fully regained her senses, she realized the black fog was not fog at all. Her eyes widened in fright and awe as the swarm of insect-like apparitions invaded the Harhn’s body. When his struggling ceased, Narvauth released his grip, allowing the limp body to plummet to the ground.
Lucia rolled on her back and gave a quick prayer of thanks, enjoying the air flowing freely through her lungs despite the stench of decay that shared every inhale. She stared at the stars twinkling in the clear sky, and aside from being drenched with the smell of the graveyard, she felt at peace. She had fulfilled her role, lifting a heavy burden that sat so heavily upon her shoulders. But regardless of her moment of satisfaction, she knew there was more to do.
Lucia was startled when Narvauth approached. His skin was paler, almost glowing underneath the moonlight.
"My lady," he said, extending his bony hand to her.
She took it, surprised at the strength hoisting her from the ground. The gaping jaw that released the swarm from the abyss had returned to normal, but she could still feel the residue of his craft emanating from his person.
"Well?" she asked as she applied sorcery to the wound on her shoulder.
"The fullness of the spell has been cast and cannot be undone until I will it so…or negated by means far grander than my own, which is unlikely," Narvauth said with a near smug tone.
"It appears to be working," Lucia said, observing the host of knights as they charged into the panicked mob.
"Of course it’s working," he said, admiring his handiwork before turning to Lucia. "You did well, Viscountess. I trust you are all right?"
Lucia caught his eyes peering at her nose. She became self-conscious, wiping the blood away with her sleeve. "Yes…I’m fine. What now?"
"I shall have my share of ale before retiring for the evening. Then…I shall make for Verslund upon the dawn."
"But there is another Horde at Yalveth. There is still much to be done," she said.
"Indeed. But I must answer to my master just as you must answer those within the Order," he said calmly.
"But…the army needs you," she said, surprised how the words flowed so freely from her tongue. Just minutes before she had loathed his presence, but now she despaired from the thought of his absence.
The necromancer chuckled, his pale fingers moving a straying strand of hair from her face. "The army is in good hands, my lady. They have you."

Guest Blog by Jack Whitsel, author of SHADOWS OF KINGS

As my release date approached, I was bombarded by questions about I how I felt. I had always answered with the usual…I’m nervous, I’m excited, blah, blah, blah. But if truth be told, the emotion that overshadows them all is gratitude. Maybe it’s because this is my first novel, or perhaps I wasn’t expecting Shadows of Kings to get noticed as quickly as it did, despite my faith in its quality. But for whatever reason, I am consumed with gratitude – not only for being published, but for the many souls who have supported me during this journey. So this blog…instead of being about ME, is designed to help YOU- the aspiring writer. This article is an amalgamation of snippets from prior articles that focus on some of the philosophies and tricks of the trade I’ve embraced. So let’s get to work.

There is one notion I express to all aspiring authors I talk to: There is a story within all of us. Granted, having it come to life can be a little tricky, but the emphasis should be the DOING! What is DOING? Sitting down and committing yourself to putting thoughts on paper. The victory is building a routine that keeps you consistently in front of your notebook, laptop, typewriter, or 3-ring binder on a daily basis. If you're just beginning, start small, and don't punish yourself if you fall short of a goal. Just pick it up the following day and move forward.

Another key toward my writing is what I expressed earlier…gratitude. I've been humbled by the attention and interest so many have expressed. The process from scribbling my imagination on paper to having it committed to print is a long one. As exciting as the journey is, having Shadows of Kings go through the Publishing process while continuing to write can be an arduous affair. All of the wonderful sentiments from my supporters and fans have calmed the storm and revitalized my resolve. Remember to express your gratitude, for the universe will always pay it forward.

As you write, cast aside agents, critics, and publishers. But once finished, let your work be seen.  And don’t be derailed by rejection. In the end...we are our worst critics. It's somewhat akin to hearing a recorded sound of your own voice. We always cringe when we hear ourselves played back, but this is the sound that everyone around us hears. Think of your writing in that light. You will find the perception of others to be quite different from the "cringe" you are feeling.

With that said…I’m open to any questions you may have about the writing process or my novel in particular.

Oceans of Love,

Jack

This product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.