Shelves of Books Blog: April 2013

Monday, 29 April 2013

The Forgotten Ones IS LIVE!!!!

The Forgotten Ones

The Danaan Trilogy

Book One

is now available exclusively on Amazon!

Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

About Laura Howard

Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

Connect with Laura:

Blog | Twitter | Facebook |

Review #121: Happily Never After- Missy Fleming

Summary: There's no such thing as happy endings.

Savannah, Georgia is rumored to be the most haunted place in America. Quinn Roberts knows it is. She's felt the presence of spirits her entire life, investigating and photographing them with her best friend. Only none of those encounters ever turned violent, until now. The menacing darkness feeding off her stepmother has promised she won't live to see her eighteenth birthday.

After a chance meeting Quinn reluctantly allows actor Jason Preston into her life, which has complications of its own. She's not used to letting people get close. Falling for him while fighting for her life, and her family's legacy, only complicates things more. Jason shows her exactly what she stands to lose, especially when she's being attacked by the mysterious entity. Each attack is more violent and terrifying than the last.

With Jason's help, she dives into the Roberts' family history, searching for a link between a woman who went missing a hundred and fifty years ago and what's happening now. What they find is a brutal murder and that the ghost doesn't just want to hurt Quinn, it wants revenge.

It wants her life.

Title: Happily Never After
Author: Missy Fleming
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Review: I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I friggin loved this book! Missy Fleming has started something amazing and I really hope that she can finish it as strongly. I love that she used Cinderella as the bones of the story but made it her own by involving ghosts. It really blew my mind. By adding ghosts it took the book up a notch. It was amazing the way that Missy was able to make the story modern and appealing to readers. Ghosts freak me out because I believe that they are the most real of the paranormal creatures, so to me this novel had the horror element as well.

I loved the characters that Missy Fleming created. Quinn was a dark Cinderella and the famous Jason Preston was her Prince Charming. I liked Quinn's quick wit and her critical thinking of how to try to get rid of the evil spirits and also how to help the good ones. Jason's character was a little corny but only because he was the famous guy who fell for a small town girl. I just hope that it is genuine. Catherine was quite the evil villain and I can't wait to see what happens next after that stunt she pulled at the end of the book.

Heck yes, I will be continuing on with this series. I need to find out what happens with Quinn and how she will deal with the situation she has found herself in. I would recommend this book to fairytale lovers and ghost junkies.

About the Author

My name is Missy Fleming and I live in beautiful Bozeman, Montana. I am a Young Adult author and an extremely amatur photographer. Come follow me as I blog and post pictures from the places I visit. You'll learn more about me, my books, and my life in general!

Blog Tour Promo and Excerpts: The Edge of Darkness- Melissa Andrea

Title: At the Edge of Darkness

Author: Melissa Andrea

Genre:

Page Length:

Tour Dates: April 26 - May 10

Synopsis:

After a tragic accident, Araya Noel is left with a constant reminder that nothing is forever.Instead of dwelling over her loss, she plays the hand she's been dealt without complaint. In a world as black as hers, there's no room for bitterness, no time for regret. Sheltered from the outside world, Araya has become suffocated by a life she has no control over. Until Rhyland Dare comes crashing into her life.

You don’t know true darkness until you've felt the light…

Like a firecracker, showering her with colorful sparks of freedom, Ryland quickly sweeps Araya away from her dark existence. For the first time since the accident, living in darkness is no longer something Araya wants to do willingly. Unleashed by the shadows of her reminder, being with Rhyland, Araya touches light. Together they will learn what it’s like to be alive for the first time. At the edge of darkness, a ray of light, will dare them both to HOPE. 

DARE them to LOVE.
DARE them to LIVE.

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5816255.Melissa_Andrea https://www.facebook.com/m.andrea.author?fref=ts

Excerpt 1

“I’m afraid I’m going to have this hanging on my conscious all day now.” he teased.

“That only seems fair.”

“Yes it does, but I have a better suggestion.” his voice slid over my skin like silk.

“Better for whom?”

“Go out with me.”

His proposal stunned me for a second and then I found my voice.

“So better for you?”

“I like to think of it as a mutual enjoyment.”

“I fail to see how.”

He shifted, and his breath hit my face in warm puffs. “Go out with me and I’ll show you.”

Excerpt 2

“I’ve never met anyone like you before Araya. The way you view life and love; you’re not angry with anything that’s happened to you.”

I turned my head toward him, and a smile tilted the corner of my lips. “Yeah, I’m kind of amazing that way.” I teased.

He rolled over, bracing his arms on either side of my head, and we stared at each other upside down. His thumbs swept across my cheeks and his fingers caressed the sides of my neck up to my jaw. Tilting my neck back, he kissed my chin, and the dip below my bottom lip. He brushed his lips back and forth over mine, but the touch was so light, I couldn’t even be completely sure it had happened.

“Yes, you are.” He whispered.

Excerpt 3

His fingers wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling me hard against his body. I knew what he was attempting to do, but his plan was backfiring. My body sighed at the contact, and every curve molded against him; desperate to feel all of him.

“If I feel you beneath me, I won’t be able to stop Araya. I want you too damn much! I want you, all of you. I want to be buried so deep inside of you, you won’t know where I end and you begin.” His breath showered my lips with warmth.

“I won’t want you to stop Ryland. I need you, all of you, now and forever.”

“And the rest?”

His eyes move over my face, flushing my skin with the intensity of his gaze. The rhythm of my heart increased, because I know what he wants me to say.

“Say it.” He growls against my lips.

Book Trailer:

Author Bio:

Melissa started reading in high school when she found her mom's romance book collection and has been hooked on books every since. She became a complete book-a-holic, starting her own collection and improving her reading skills. Most of the time she could finish a book walking around the store, while her mom shopped. She wrote her first short story in high school for a competition in her writing class. It was a child's book called 'Arnold' - it was about an ant who believed he could do anything. Oh by the way, she won! She has written many stories since then, but this will be her first YA paranormal/fantasy and the first book she will have published. She lived in Mesa, Arizona with her husband of six years, and her 3 beautiful daughters. They are her biggest fans and they inspire her everyday. She enjoys spending time with her family, weekend dates with her mom & taking vacations. Hawaii anyone?

Author Links

Website: http://melissaandrea-justlikethat.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/m.andrea.author

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5816255.Melissa_Andrea

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/melissa_andrea

Sunday, 28 April 2013

Blog Tour and Review: Sliding Beneath the Surface- Doug Dillon

Summary:

In old St. Augustine, Florida, fifteen-year-old Jeff Golden’s recurring dream of being stabbed in the chest and bleeding all over his bed is driving him crazy. It’s causing him to lose sleep and giving him severe headaches. When his psychically gifted friend Carla and an ornery Native American shaman named Lobo try to help, Jeff is inundated with terrifying paranormal experiences.

Reaching out of Florida’s distant past, something increasingly entangles Jeff in tentacles of danger that threaten his sanity and eventually his life. But the harder he tries to understand, the deeper he gets. When comprehension finally dawns though, time has almost run out. Lobo does his best to prepare Jeff for what he must face in order to survive but it may be too little and too late.

It’s at this point that both Jeff and Carla find themselves swept headlong into an alternative reality from which they may never return. If they don’t quickly and fully adapt to this situation, all hope is lost. From Lobo they know how it might be possible to change what is happening but the question is, can they? Repeatedly, Lobo has told both teens, “You create your own reality whether in this world or in another.” If acted upon properly, that advice just might save their lives and end suffering on an even wider scale.

My review: I have had this book on my kindle for awhile now just waiting for when I had time to finally pick it up and read it. I did really enjoy this book. I haven't ever read anything quite like it. I'm having a really hard time putting it into words right now. It's like a paranormal, time- travel, ghost, historical fiction bundle of awesome. It's a book that really makes you ponder what the author has said. Could what happens in the book actually happen? Doug Dillon did such a detailed job I'm really starting to wonder. By reading this novel I could really tell how much research the author must of had to do to get everything just perfect. Plus I really liked reading about all of the history.

Jeff was a great main charcater to read about. I just wished that we had learned more about his past. Also I hope we can meet his dad in one of the books. And maybe his deadbeat mom will make an appearance. Carla was also fun to read about, but I want to meet her grandmother. Then there is Lobo. He was the most intriguing charcater by far. He was full of mystery but at the same time held all of the answers.

I will be continuing on with this trilogy. It was well written and held my interest, I would recommend it to readers young and old. I feel like both would gain from reading this story.

Buy Links:

Click to Buy E-book:

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The Book Depository : Australia , Brazil , New Zealand , Hong Kong , Ireland , India , Philippines , South Africa

Click to Buy Print Book:

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The Book Depository : Australia , Brazil , New Zealand , Hong Kong , Ireland , India , Philippines , South Africa

Author Links:

Blog: http ://dougdillon .com /news /

Web Page: http ://dougdillon .com

Twitter: https ://twitter .com /Doug __Dillon

Facebook: http ://www .facebook .com /TheStAugustineTrilogy

Central: http ://www .amazon .com /-/e /B 005 ZEJTJ 4

Goodreads' Author page:http ://www .goodreads .com /author /show /580090.Doug _Dillon

Amazon Book:http ://www .amazon .com /Sliding -Beneath -Surface -Augustine -ebook

Saturday, 27 April 2013

Cover Reveal: Today Only- Derinda Love

Title: Today Only

Author: D. Love

Genre: NA Contemporary

Expected Release: Some time in May 2013

In life, there are times you are granted a miracle. It may not be the one you wanted exactly, but it will be the one you need. It will prepare you for the next step in your journey and help you learn to accept the life you are given, even if that life can be heartbreaking.

Add it to your To-Be-Read list on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17853119-today-only

ABOUT D LOVE

Derinda lives in Maine. Her biggest passion is for her family and friends. She adores loving others as if it is the biggest gift life can offer. She is a read-a-holic, loves chocolate, cowboys and everyone on her Young Adult & Teen Readers Facebook page. Her dream is to travel to Australia one day.

Her debut novel ‘Today’ Only will be released some time in May.

Blog * Twitter * Goodreads

Friday, 26 April 2013

Blog Tour: Unsinkable- Nicole Bradshaw

Fifteen years ago, Laurel Handfield was a single woman living in a tiny one bedroom in the suburbs of Philadelphia. She worked a monotonous nine-to-five handling copy equipment leases. One day she decided to get back to what she loved most—writing. She decided to write a novel. But what would it be about?

A month later, she went on vacation to the Bahamas. In true Stella fashion (See Terry McMillian-How Stella Got Her Groove Back) she met a Bahamian. The rest is history, as they say. She came back from vacation, quit her job several months later and moved to Maryland to live with her sister while she wrote her first novel based loosely on how she and her husband first met. She has since moved to the Bahamas where she has lived for thirteen years with her husband, three children and Abigail, the family hamster. She writes full-time.

Her first upper middle grade novel, Unsinkable, will be released May 21, 2013 by Simon & Schuster/Strebor Books. Unsinkable gives the day-by-day account of the only black family aboard the doomed Titanic. The prequel novella, A Bond Broken, is an ebook that will be released April 16th for the anniversary of the sinking. Both novels were written in her penname, Nicole Bradshaw. Her first picture book, Cassi da Conch, will be released by Xist Publishing in 2014.

When she’s not writing, she’s sipping piña coladas on the beach. (seriously) For more information check out www.writernicole.com and

Both novels are available on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.

Product Details

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Publisher: Strebor Books Sold by: Amazon Digital Svcs ASIN: B00APJ7K68 Release Date: April 16, 2013

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Publisher: S &S Strebor Books Paperback: 320 pages ISBN-10: 1593094833 Release Date: May 21, 2013

Unsinkable Description

Fifteen-year-old Corinne LaRoche’s life changes one evening when she returns home and witnesses her father being harassed by racist French policemen. That’s it! Her frustrated father decides the family is leaving France and moving back to Canada.

After boarding the beautiful Titanic, Corinne meets Christopher, the Captain’s nephew. Coming from a wealthy British family, Christopher is privileged in every way. He matches perfectly with Sophia, the daughter of a dear family friend he plans to wed.

Unsinkable is the tale of how two teens from seemingly different worlds come together amidst a tragedy that changed thousands of lives forever. They could have never imagined their impending fate as well as the family secrets revealed four days before the sinking. This novel gives a day-by-day account of the doomed voyage as told from a minority perspective.

A Bond Broken Description (Prequel e-novella to Unsinkable)

Corinne’s big sister, Astrid, has always looked out for her, even if Astrid believes Corinne has favor with their parents. But Astrid has a secret. She confides to her younger sister her plans to leave the tiny town of Cherbourg, France to become the first colored fashion designer in New York City. She’ll finally be on her own and rid of the family’s strict rules.

When their father loses his job, Astrid is commanded to leave school in order to assist the family financially. Trying to help, Corinne reveals Astrid’s secret but only makes the situation worse. Astrid feels betrayed by her younger sister and promises revenge. She seizes the perfect opportunity with Corinne’s blossoming friendship with a boy from class.

The sisters become mortal enemies and vow to hate one another until the day they die. That day may come sooner than they think. On April 10th, 1912, the family boards the beautiful Titanic on a voyage that will change their lives forever.

A Bond Broken is the prequel novella to the novel Unsinkable, which tells the fictitious story of the only black family on the doomed ship, the Titanic.

Fact Sheet for Nicole Bradshaw

•Born and raised in Malvern, PA but has lived in Silver Springs, MD and currently resides in the Bahamas.

•First taste of writing began when she and her older sister used to create plays from Archie comics.

•Wrote a parenting column for The Bahama Buy and Sell, a local newspaper.•Penname Nicole Bradshaw is her middle name and her mother’s maiden name. •Chose a penname to differentiate her adult novels from her children’s novels. •Currently writes children’s stories for an ipad app. •Unsinkable came about one day when she was watching the popular movie, Titanic.

•She wondered if there were any minorities on the ship. After the movie, she googled it and found out about the LaRoche family. From there, she created Unsinkable.

Review #120: Once Upon A Zombie Apocalypse, Jade- Jennifer Malone Wright

Summary: ***Mature audience ONLY. This series includes graphic language and violence.***

****This book is NOT intended for a young adult audience****

Chemical Warfare has turned most of the world’s population into flesh eating Zombies. These are the accounts of two survivors.

Kylee and Jade are on their way from one author convention to another. After saying goodbye to all their friends, they never dreamed the plane would land with them fighting for their lives.

Jade Warwick has been preparing for the end of the world for years, but she never thought the world would end with zombies. The only thing salvaging her almost lost sanity is the fact that she is with her best friend, Kylee.

With their first mission being to find their families, will the girls manage to save their families while trying to save each other?

***Once Upon A Zombie Apocalypse or (OUAZA) as the fans call it, is a short story episodic saga written by K.B. Miller and Jennifer Malone Wright. The first episode is from both Jade and Kylee's perspective and is two separate novella's. The same story, but from two different characters. It is done this way with the first episode only, so that you can meet our girls and really get to know and love them like we do.Each following episode is written solely by one of the authors and available through their links.

Novella 1. KB. Miller and Jennifer Malone Wright

Novella 2. Jennifer Malone Wright

Novella 3. K.B. Miller

Novella 4. Jennifer Malone Wright

Novella 5. K.B Miller

and so on...

Title: Once Upon A Zombie Apocalypse, Jade

Author: Jennifer Malone Wright

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Review: I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

So be honest it was a lot harder to write a review for this book because I read it second lol. I already knew what was going to happen. The books are the same but told from different perspectives.i still friggin laughed my ass of at all the funny parts. But this one also showed parts that we didn't get to see in Kylee. One huge part in particular. I did really enjoy how you could pick up either book and read in whatever order you wanted. Also with this style or writing you learn new things about the story and characters. I can't wait to continue on with the series. All readers who love zombies or post apocalyptic stories should read these books.

About this author

Jennifer Malone Wright is best known for her short story series, The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter. Other works include the follow up to The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter series called The Arcadia Falls Chronicles and her vampire novel called The Birth of Jaiden. Jennifer also co-authors a series called Once Upon A Zombie Apocalypse as well as another project which hasn’t been announced yet.

She resides in the beautiful mountains of northern Idaho with her husband and five children where she practices preparing for the zombie apocalypse. Just kidding!

But seriously, between the craziness of taking care of her children, Jennifer has little time left for herself. The time she does have left, usually leading far into the night, is spent working on her beloved fiction or chatting with her equally crazy friends.

Jennifer also loves coffee, has a passionate affair with red bull, wishes the sushi were better where she lives and dances while she cleans.

Thursday, 25 April 2013

#119: Willow- Amy Richie

Summary: “Being a werewolf is harder than it looks. Everyone thinks it’s just morph at the full moon, kill, morph back. That’s not true. It’s a lot harder than that. Especially if you are seventeen years old.”

Willow has the worst luck. First she has to deal with her narcissistic foster mother, Bella; then of course there’s her horrid little sister Ivy; not to mention the pack of werewolves that belong to Bella. Now, they have to move and start a new school - again.

Just when Willow thinks things can’t get any worse, Blake shows up from a council she never knew existed to name her leader of a pack she never knew existed. How was she supposed to teach a bunch of teenagers how to be wolves when she herself hated everything about her life?

Title: Willow

Author: Amy Richie

Pages: 276

Rating: 5/5Stars

Review: I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I love werewolves!!! They are so hot and sexy! Think of Alcide from True Blood, yum yum :) Willow gives there reader another perspective on pack life, the pack is lead by a feale alpha. I don't think that I have read another book like that. Even though it was about big, bad wolves, Willow was a cute and fun read. I also enjoyed all the SHOCKERS!!! Although I did find one of them predictable but still surprising at the same time. Like your reading it and you make a prediction and you know it is right but you don't want it to be true. There were also a few random romances and one serious one that I can't wait to see where it ends up. This book just had that"it" factor for me, I just wanted to read until I was finished.

I loved these charcters. I felt like they are had extreme chemistry adn were very comfortable with each other. They all fought and bugged each other like siblings but would also die for each other. You could really see Willoe mature a lot but I know she still haves a lot to learn to go from a good leader to a great one. Those boys, good thing they are hot because sometimes they aren't very smart lol. I can't wait to follow up one everything in the next book.

"Fern" is going to be so intense! Will good prevail or will evil dominate? That is the question. And I can't wait to find out the answer. I would recommend this book to paranoraml lovers and werewolf fans.

About this author

I wear many hats. Author, mother, cook, housekeeper, laundry do-er, sister, daughter. I enjoy writing, it allows me to escape the realities of life: bills, day job, baths, supper, dieting, cleaning the litter box.

My writing is usually romantic in nature with a bit of humor and a bit of surprise. My books range from Vampires who fall in and out of love so many times I had to make it a series to christian stories of finding out what is important in life.

I have always loved writing. During my high school days I wrote one book. It was a vampire love story. It took me so long to write it that I began to think of the characters as real people. I still do that today.

On a personal note: I have three wonderful children - Gavin, Arabelle, and Elijah, two not so wonderful cats, and two rats. We all live in a small town in northern Ohio. There is more corn here than vampires or werewolves, at least that I know of.

Wednesday, 24 April 2013

Review #118: Once Upon A Zombie Apocalypse, Kylee- K.B. Miller

Summary: ***Mature audience ONLY. This series includes graphic language and violence.***

****This book is NOT intended for a young adult audience****

Kylee

Chemical Warfare has turned most of the world’s population into flesh eating Zombies. These are the accounts of two survivors.

Kylee and Jade are on their way from one author convention to another. After saying goodbye to all their friends, they never dreamed the plane would land with them fighting for their lives.

Kylee Mahafferty lived a life of luxury, jet setting to big cities around the globe, high dollar shopping sprees, and downing copious amounts of her favorite fu-fu-non-fat lattes'. But, that life's suddenly been replaced by one with a simple objective, survival. Kylee's best friend, Jade is the only thing holding together the slippery tendrils of her unraveling mind.

With their first mission being to find their families, will the girls manage to save their families while trying to save each other?

Novella 1. KB. Miller and Jennifer Malone Wright

Novella 2. Jennifer Malone Wright

Novella 3. K.B. Miller

Novella 4. Jennifer Malone Wright

Novella 5. K.B Miller

and so on...

Title: Once Upon A Zombie Apocalypse, Kylee

Author: K.B. Miller

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Review: I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! This book was the SHIT!!! I definitely was laughing my ass off. Hey K.B. was a certain character based on you by chance? LOL. I mean cotton candy vodka was not a dead giveaway or anything :) best part of the whole story was when Kylee went flying over the airplane seat haha. Oh and a certain famous signing teen who may have possibably had "beaver fever" HAHAHAHAHA!!! Although I did find Kylee to be the more reserved charcter, Jade was more brave. Jade also had the whole survival/ killing zombies down pact, almost like she may practice in her basement when she isn't writing? But anywho, enough rambling, everyone NEEDS to read this short story. IT IS EPIC!!! I can't wait to dig my teeth into Jade, no pun intended ;)

About this author

Okay, so I'm supposed to tell you about me...

Seriously, if I wrote a book about myself it would take you 10 minutes to read and you would be bored stiff after the first 2! LOL

I'm a full-time writer, wife, and mother. Which basically means there's always a surplus of pencils lost somewhere in my hair, I usually have some place to be(I'm always late), I have a bad habit of calling family and friends random character's names (from my books), I talk to myself because no one else listens to me, and I can throw together a mean dinner for 8 with only 10 minutes notice and four ingredients in the pantry, LOL.

If you can't find me on the sidelines of my sons' football games, online, cooking, cleaning, shopping, at the local coffee joint or on the phone wandering aimlessly throughout my house then I've probably hidden myself in my "bat-cave" to write.

I have a positive attitude, and absolute fun-loving approach to life. That makes it easy for the voices in my head to take over on a regular basis providing endless hours of entertainment for my pleasure, and hopefully yours.

Random facts about me:

~My favorite color is pink

~I have a Bishon Frise puppy named Cullen Edward

~My favorite music is hip-hop

~I have a severe addiction to coffee. So much so, that those in my inner circle refuse to speak to me before caffeine O'clock! True Story

Enjoy the ride.

~K.B. xoxo