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Nov 11, 2011

Book Review: Slave (Finding Ana #1) by Sherri Hayes

November 11, 2011 4 Comments

AuthorSherri Hayes
Category: Erotica
Publication date: Jul 28, 2011
Pages: 275
ISBN (paper): 978-1-61213-048-4
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-61213-049-1



Summary:


Stephan has lived the lifestyle of a Dominant for five years. After several rebellious teenage years, it gave him the stability and control he had been seeking after his parent’s death.

As president of a not-for-profit foundation, he knows what his future holds and what he wants out of life. All that changes when a simple lunch with his college friend and Mentor, Daren, leads him to buying a slave.

Thrust into a situation he never thought he’d be in, Stephan can’t walk away. He is compelled to help this girl in the only way he knows how.

Brianna knows only one thing, she is a slave. She has nothing. She is nothing.

Can Stephan help Brianna realize that she is much more than just a Slave?


My Thoughts:

Slave is the first installment in Finding Ana series and this is also the first book I've read from Ms. Sherri Hayes. I can say that I'm definitely happy to read an emotional and well written fiction. 

Before I accepted this book, I've read the other reviews  on Goodreads first. I read a lot and I became intrigued and fascinated by this book because of the reviews. 

This is not your typical BDSM themed romance because it's a lot deeper than that and frankly, in this book, there is no racy sex scenes. Ms. Sherri Hayes also covered, human trafficking, she wrote a very vivid example of human trafficking. She showed through this book that there are women out there who are abused and kept against their wills.

The build up of the romance between Brianna and Stephan is a little slow but it was written in an understandable and acceptable way because you cannot just magically heal a very broken woman and just pair her up. Honestly, I liked it that way because the author didn't force a romance into happening, she let it fall naturally. It is more realistic that way.

I loved how Ms. Sherri Hayes wrote the character of Brianna. I felt for her. It's very seldom when you read a book that could affect you and I could tell you with all honestly that this book did. The feelings of Brianna are very realistic and I really really liked getting into her head and into her heart. I felt her fear and her desperation to be saved. I also felt her confusion in how Stephan treated her.

And Stephan is the type of man you'd want for yourself. He never gave up on Brianna no matter how difficult their situation is. He loved her the best way he could even though he's hurting too. He made her feel safe with him. His patience on her and his perseverance to make her feel comfortable and safe with him made me love him even more.

This book is definitely a good read for me. Ms Sherri Hayes is a writer who has the talent in making her readers feel. She has the right instinct in affecting her readers. I feel that Slave is just an introduction of a great story and I am so excited to read the next book in this series!



About the Author:

[Sherri+Hayes.jpg]
Sherri Hayes is a country girl at heart. She lives outside a small town in Ohio with her husband and four cats. Her mother encouraged her love of books and fondly remembers childhood story times. Sherri satisfied her need to be creative through singing and performance throughout her high school years.

About three years ago, the urge to write started and she has not stopped since. It has become an outlet for her and is excited to be able to share the characters and stories that constantly float in her head.

Contact the Author:
Goodreads







Buying Links:

Nov 10, 2011

Blog Tour: Legacy:The Niteclif Evolutions by Denise Tompkins (Book Review and Giveaway)

November 10, 2011 7 Comments

 Hey my sweet readers! I've been MIA for the past few days but I am back! I'm back with a new blog tour. I'm featuring Legacy:The Niteclif Evolutions by Denise Tompkins. And now let's see what's this book is all about.


Legacy: The Niteclif Evolutions, Book 1 by Denise Tompkins 


Book Blurb:

When Fate makes you her bitch, accept it and adapt. Or die.

Looking back on the wish she made on Midsummer’s Eve, Maddy Niteclif should have been more specific. She only wanted to escape the shadowy nightmares that plagued her nights, not to be thrust into a completely altered reality.

If a strangely familiar, sexy dragon-shifter named Bahlin, who causes a never-to-be-mentioned-again fainting spell, isn’t enough to make her question her sanity, his insistence she’s the Niteclif ought to do the job. Prophesied super-sleuth of the supernatural world—a world that desperately needs her help—isn’t a job she’s remotely qualified for no matter what her family tree says.

Catapulted into a very different London ruled by dark mythology, mystery and murder, Maddy makes a few startling discoveries. Paranormal creatures exist. Getting shot really sucks. And her body responds remarkably well to dragon magic—in more ways than simple wound healing.

But in this kill-or-be-killed world, reality bites. And Maddy must choose to go back to what she knows…or stay and fight for the man she knows she can’t live without.

Warning: This book contains a shape-shifting dragon with a Scottish accent, modern and archaic weapons, global inter-species politics that make democracy seem mild, some very steamy sex underground, a severed head, murder, and…oh yeah…a woman caught in the middle of it all.

Time becomes irrelevant to the immortal.

But to one human woman, every second counts.



My Thoughts:

This is going to be a short review. I would like to keep this review short and direct to the point. I'm not going to discuss more about the plot just to keep all of you in suspense which I think is good.

All I will say is, I like the book. It's a good read. The characters are interesting. They are lovely to read and their complexity is so charming.

Maddy, the heroine of the story is nice but other times, she just frustrate me so much! Sometimes, her decisions annoys me but I guess it is a part of her character growth in the book.

Bahlin... I love Bahlin! I loved him the first time I read him in the book. He's the reason why I love this book... need I say more? The instant chemistry between Maddy and Bahlin is great! I loved reading their conversations and banters. It made me laugh out loud!

Although, I liked reading this book, there's just a tiny, little, small part it of I didn't enjoy, there's too much info that at times it gets confusing. I understand that those info are needed because the book is a Paranormal romance and some information needed to be explained but I just thought the author could impart those info in a way that the simple readers could understand without making it drag.

To sum it all up, I enjoyed reading this book despite that tiny glitch. The author's witty way of writing this book is awesome and uber entertaining! I  am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series! Ms. Denise Tompkins is definitely an author to watch out for.


More about the Author:


Author Website
Author Blog
Twitter
Goodreads
Facebook Page


Denise Tompkins lives in the heart of the South where the neighbors still know your name, all food forms are considered fry-able and bugs die only to be reincarnated in aggressive, blood-craving triplicate. Thrilled to finally live somewhere that can boast 3 ½ seasons (winter’s only noticeable because the trees are naked), her favorite season is definitely fall. It’s the time of year when the gardens are just about to pass into winter’s brief silence, and the leaves are out to prove that nature is the most brilliant artist of all.

Clearly, due to the enormous size of her picture, you can tell Denise isn’t as technologically savvy as she’d like to be. (Seriously. She’s not vain. She just couldn’t figure out how to shrink the picture any smaller.)

Denise is married to the love of her life. Both she and her husband are owned by two dogs and three opinionated parrots who keep her in stitches — literally and figuratively. One bird hates broccoli, one scared the pizza man to death upon delivery, and one bird loves to call out and invite stranger to “Come on in!” The birds thoroughly enjoy scolding the dogs. One dog, the mutt, has turned a deaf ear. The Bullmastiff, however, probably needs emotionally reconstructive therapy.

A life-long voracious reader, Denise has three favorite authors. Why three? Because favorite authors are like chips: a person can’t have just one. Her little house was so overrun with books last year that her darling husband bought her an e-reader out of self-preservation. He was (legitimately) afraid she might begin throwing out pots and pans to make room for more books, and he didn’t want to starve.

Along with reading, Denise loves travel, is obsessed with the British Isles, practices photography, enjoys cooking and looks forward to Christmas as an excuse to bake.

Her debut novel, Legacy, is the first book in The Niteclif Evolutions and will be available in both e-book and print from Samhain Publishing.





Buying Links:






Giveaway:



Nov 4, 2011

Blog Tour:Awakening by Scarlett Valentine Guest Post and $25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

November 04, 2011 23 Comments


Hey my adorable readers! I am here for another blog tour! Today we have the author of the book 'Awakening', she's no other than Ms. Scarlett Valentine. She's here to tell us more about herself and her journey to becoming a great author. So let's give her the space to say what she wants to share with us..



 Krishna from Journey with Books
Meeting Scarlett Valentine

Thanks for having me here today. I’ve really been looking forward to this. And thanks for letting me talk about my favorite subject— me!

I’m just kidding! I *really* don’t like talking about myself, but as an author, it’s part of introducing ourselves and our books to potential readers.

I’m Scarlett Valentine and I’m originally from Northern California. I don’t know at what point Ireland entered my mind. I just remember talking to my grandfather one day, telling him I wanted to learn Irish because I was going to Ireland one day and wanted to speak the language. I was heartbroken when he told me Irish was an extinct language, but something in the back of my mind said I was going to marry an Irishman and the only way that was going to happen was to go to Ireland.

So here I am, living in Ireland for nearly fifteen years, married to an Irishman, and while I discovered that the Irish language is not extinct, I still have only learned a cupla focal . . . a few words. I think I know naughty words in about five languages now!

I’ve been asked at what point did I knew I wanted to be a writer. Honestly, I don’t know. I think being a writer is as much part of a person as wanting to be a fireman, painter or stock car driver. Yes, there are skills one must learn for all those jobs, but the desire is inside us. It’s in our blood.

One of my earliest writing memories was getting picture books from the library. I’d bring them home and write stories to go with the pictures. By the fifth grade, I was writing little stories for extra credit. And sometime in junior high school I heard the Beatles song Paperback Writer and thought, ‘Yeah, that’s what I’m going to do.’ I remember writing a high school romance not long after. Years later I reread it and wondered just what the heck I’d been thinking LOL

I’ve read romance novels since I was about twelve. I thought they were adventure stories! And who wouldn’t with swashbuckling tales of the high sea and swarthy heroes? But it wasn’t until I was in my early twenties that I finally said, ‘Right! I’m going to try it.’ I bought a yellow legal pad, a box of pencils and a sharpener, and wrote the bones of my first book in longhand. I borrowed mom’s electric typewriter about midway through, typed up what I’d handwritten, and continued to finish the story. I was quite proud of myself. I still have that book, though it’s been retyped and saved on disc to follow me from one computer to the next. It was a great story, one I’d like to break out again someday and rewrite with all of the knowledge and skill I’ve learned over the years.

Once I’d typed THE END on my first book, I couldn’t wait to start the next, and so it went for a few years until I got up the nerve to share some of my writing. Encouraged, I started submitting.

Meanwhile, my ‘day jobs’ have been varied over my life. I’ve done a little of everything, or so it seems: I pumped gasoline in my family’s service station and rebuilt a car motor or two; I received a diploma in pet nutrition, worked in the pet business and ran a canine obedience business; I worked in specialty hotels; and I even worked for Clint Eastwood (true story!). While I loved all the jobs I’ve had in my life, none of them led to a writing career until I moved to Ireland.

I’m a bit trigger happy with a camera and I’m an avid castle huntress, and I love research. Put those things together and I started publishing articles for a travel site. I’ve learned so much about Irish history since I moved here, but writing those articles taught me even more. There’s something satisfying about being on a historical site, knowing what happened there, knowing about the people and walking in the same places they did, or being in the same rooms where they lived, or died. And one of the best things that came out of writing those articles, aside from honing my writing skills, was seeing a story develop in my head with every new fact I gleaned from the internet and text books. Fun stuff.

I also started reviewing books around 1995. It, too, helped me develop as a writer. Writing the dreaded synopsis is a lot like writing a review. A review includes a very succinct breakdown of the book—the hero and heroine, their conflict and hint of the resolution. That’s basically what a synopsis is, and when I get frustrated trying to write one, I always make myself sit back and remember what I learned reviewing. I don’t review as much as I used to, but occasionally if I find an exceptional read, I’ll write up a review and put it on my blog. It helps me stay in practice for both reviewing and the dreaded synopsis.

My personal path to publishing seems to have been fraught with inexperience, timing and, Okay, I’ll admit it . . . laziness. (I really dislike the submission process—I just want to write!) Even though I was publishing travel articles, I was still unsuccessful in fiction.

Then a friend asked me to contribute a couple romantic short stories to a new publisher who was compiling an anthology for charity. I’d never written short stories before and gave it a go. The publisher loved them. I ended up writing a handful of short stories for a few romance anthologies, and because they were so well received with readers, my publisher then asked to submit a novel length romance, which I did. It was published the following year. It also received great feedback.

I’ve attempted writing erotica before, but the story always got in the way. But as I read more erotica I realized the story didn’t have to suffer just because there was more sex than in a romance novel. So I did some research and wrote Awakening. To my surprise, when it was completed, I was invited to submit to another publisher who accepted it right away. Normally, a book goes from acceptance to publication in twelve to eighteen months so I was very surprised when Awakening was slated for publication within three months! I shouldn’t have been surprised though. Tirgearr Publishing published one of my romance short stories last year and they turned it around quickly. I just didn’t expect this soon.

I’m very grateful to have had so many great writing experiences in my life. My ‘voice’ has grown with each new lesson I’ve learned along the way. I’ve met some wonderful people on my writing journey and made some lifelong friends. And I’m hoping I’ve met a few more of them here today.

Thanks for letting me prattle along!

~ Scarlett
“What’s a little bondage between friends?”
Available now – Awakening, book one of The ABCs of S-E-X: Love by the Letter series



Krishna says:

Thanks Ms. Scarlett for being here today. Thank you for sharing your journey to being the author that you are right now. I don't know about the readers of my blog, but I really enjoyed reading your post. It's fascinating and amazing how your hard work and love for writing paid off in the end. And now, you're full fledged author! And not just an author but a great one! I hope your post inspired a lot of writers/authors who wants their books to be published.



BOOK BLURB:

Ysbail of Ellesmere is a pawn in her guardian's war. For decades there has been unrest between the marcher lords and Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd, King of Gwynedd. The most recent war had been the bloodiest she could remember in her eighteen years. Madog ap Maredudd, Prince of Powys, and his allies lost untold numbers of men at the hands of Owain's soldiers. When a settlement of truce is presented to Madog, it's at Ysbail's expense. She is to marry Bedwyr ap Owain, one of King Owain’s bastard sons, and his most notorious henchman. If all the rumors and stories she's heard are true, she knows her marriage will be rife with horror and fear.

Since proving himself worthy with his sword, Bedwyr fights at his king's side. He's shed oceans of blood and sent untold numbers of men to their graves. He's become what his name foretold—the grave-knower. He's afraid of nothing, least of all death. All men fear him, including those who fight at his side, and sometimes even his own king. Terror of him lives within women's hearts; only the bravest of whores accept him into their beds. And children weave their own tales of the monster they hear him to be, embellishing the details to their own gruesome degrees.

When King Owain informs Bedwyr that he's to marry Ysbail of Ellesmere as part of a peace settlement with Madog, Bedwyr is furious. A man such as Bedwyr can only survive on the battlefield. For without love, hatred will send a man like him to the edge of insanity. Then push him over. But when Bedwyr sees Ysbail for the first time, blood-thirst turns to blood-lust, and he vows to show her that she should have no fear of him.

More About the Author:

Scarlett Valentine is the alter ego of award-winning romance author, Kemberlee Shortland. Together they write Erotomance -- Erotic Romance.

Originally from Northern California, Scarlett has spent the last fourteen years living in Ireland. She's traveled extensively through Ireland and Wales. When she's not writing, she can often be found castle hunting.

Scarlett's stories cross subgenres to explore hetero, gay and bisexual relationships in a series of stories that include time periods from historicals and contemporaries, futuristics and science fiction, paranormal and suspense, and more.

Awakening is the first book in The ABCs of S-E-X: Love by the Letter series and is available 2 November 2011 though Highland Press.



GIVEAWAY:

Good News my loves.. Ms. Scarlett Valentine is giving away $25 Amazon Gift Card and plus she will occasionally give surprise prizes to other lucky commenters on the tour! For more chances of winning just follow this tour. The more you comment, the more chances you'll have. You can check out more about this in here.

Follow the tour in here:


Thanks everyone!  Happy reading!

Nov 3, 2011

Blog Tour: Antique Charming by Natalie-Nicole Bates Review and Giveaway

November 03, 2011 0 Comments




Antique Charming
By Natalie-Nicole Bates 




BOOK BLURB:



The night he came home…forever

Third-generation funeral director Lizzie Morton is about to have her dream realized. She has purchased the long abandoned Nichols Funeral Home and its upstairs flat, determined to restore the funeral home to its once former glory.

But a late night visitor, Adam Nichols, claims the funeral home still belongs to his family. Lizzie scoffs at his odd behaviour and outlandish claims, but when a vintage photograph appears, she soon realizes, to her horror, that Adam Nichols did once own the funeral home—more than one hundred years ago—and now she has allowed this entity to pass into her home.


Book Trailer on YouTube http://youtu.be/Z1U7hlZ0koQ 

Book Excerpt:
    She heard it again.     The same time as last Friday night.     Three taps at her front door.     Lizzie muted the television, tossed the blanket off of her body and scurried out of bed. She slipped her robe over her shoulders and tied it securely, determined to find out who in the world would knock at her door at three in the morning. By the time she had reached the door the week previous, no one was there. The street had been dark and still.     It had to be a mistake. She had only recently closed sale on the long abandoned funeral home, determined to restore it to its once former glory. She had only been living in the upstairs flat for a few weeks.     As she hurried down the staircase, each step beneath her feet creaked in protest. There was no one visible through the peephole. She unchained the door and opened it just enough to peek around it.     No one was there, just like the previous week.     The street was dark and quiet. Not even the whisper of a wind could be detected. Only the cold dampness of the October night raised a chill on her skin.     Who was playing this weekly joke on her? Could it be the ghosts of some departed soul who had passed through the halls of Nichols Funeral Home sometime during the past century? A small smile crossed her lips as she prepared to close and lock the door. She was a third generation Funeral Director. Did she now believe in ghosts?     Before the door could close, a hand poked into the slight space and seized her wrist. A cry rose in her throat and she jerked backward, but the hand held tight and the door flung open.     The man emerged, shrouded in darkness. He was an ethereal creature, tall, and dressed in anonymous black. Only a streetlight glowed behind him.     “I’m home,” he announced. 




My Thoughts:

Antique Charming is a short story that you can definitely finish in one seating. It wouldn't eat a lot of your time to read it. It has a little bit of everything, it has a little bit of romance, mystery and horror. It was a nice read but I wish the author made it a little longer to answer a few questions left. It has the making of a good fiction. The flow of words are just right and one would probably imagine hearing an ominous background music while reading it. I would definitely read it again if the author ever decides to write a sequel  of this one!


This is an awesome and perfect read for the Halloween!






About the Author:


Natalie-Nicole Bates is a book reviewer and author.
Her short paranormal romance, Antique Charming, was published by Books To Go Now Publishing in October 2011 and her contemporary romance, Change of Address, is scheduled to be published by Secret Cravings in January 2012.
Her passions in life include books and hockey along with Victorian and Edwardian era photography. Natalie contributes her uncharacteristic love of hockey to being born in Russia.
She currently resides in the UK where she is working on her next book and adding to her collection of 19th century post-mortem photos.


Visit Natalie online at http://natalienicolebates.blogspot.com/




Buying Links:

http://www.bookstogonow.com/antiquecharming.html
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Amazon Kindle



Giveaway:

Natalie will be giving three lucky readers a PDF version of Antique Charming as well as a limited edition Antique Charming solid perfume created by Dark Beauty Boutique especially for the release of Antique Charming.

This contest is open throughout the tour- winners to be chosen at the end of the tour.

Just fill up this form for the chance to win these exciting prizes




Cover Reveal: Take Me in the Night by R.L. Kenderson

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