Archives for September 2014

A Hundred Pieces of Me by Lucy Dillon

September 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment

ME
A Hundred Pieces of Me by Lucy Dillon
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (516 pgs)
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

Letters from the only man she’s ever loved.

A keepsake of the father she never knew.

Or just a beautiful glass vase that catches the light, even on a grey day.

If you had the chance to make a fresh start, what would you keep from your old life? What would you give away?

Gina Bellamy is starting again, after a difficult few years she’d rather forget. But the belongings she’s treasured for so long just don’t seem to fit who she is now.
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So Gina makes a resolution. She’ll keep just a hundred special items – the rest can go.

But that means coming to terms with her past and learning to embrace the future, whatever it might bring . . .

A Hundred Pieces of Me is a book that you hope won’t ever come to an end because it’s a delight to read. However, when you do reach the final word you begin reflecting back on what you’ve just read.

It’s not only a wonderful story, but it forces you to reflect on your own life and what choices you’d make if you could only keep one hundred items.

Ms. Dillon pulls you into the story immediately and you connect with Gina as she begins her journey to rebuild her life. The author also does a wonderful job playing on all your emotions. I think there’s a little bit of Gina in all of us, and that’s what makes you read on.

The dialogue is very natural sounding and despite the book’s 500 plus pages, time flies by as you read more. In fact, you want to read just a little more at each setting to see what Gina selects as her hundred pieces and what background and story is connected with it.

What I also liked about this book was the backstory unfolded slowly and intermingled with each chapter about the hundred pieces. I felt it gave more insight into Gina’s character and why she was choosing a particular item.

One of the endorsements on the back of the book mentioned that it’s a book that you want to read one more chapter before you turn in for the night and that’s exactly what happened to me.  This is the first book I’ve read by Lucy Dillion, but it definitely won’t be the last.

With summer reading season ahead, I’d highly recommend you add this book to your list.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Unwanted Earl by Ruth J. Hartman

September 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment

EARL
The Unwanted Earl by Ruth J. Hartman
The Love Bird Series Book 2
Publisher: esKape Press
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (221 pgs)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Edelweiss

Amelia Talbot has been issued a death sentence. At least it feels that way. The thought of marrying a man old enough to be her grandfather sends her into a panic. So much so that she sets off on a desperate search to find another man to marry her—quickly.

Conrad Croome, the Fifth Earl of Lofton, knows all too well that blackmail isn’t the way to form a marriage. How ironic that one Amelia Talbot uses a Croome family secret he’d thought long buried to force him to marry her.

Is Conrad doomed to a life of marriage based on an exposed secret, or could Amelia learn to love an unwanted earl?

Could you build a relationship on blackmail? A story of redemption and second chances, The Unwanted Earl tells a love story that definitely isn’t run-of-the-mill.

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He wants to change for the better. He’s realized his faults and knows that he has a long road ahead of him before he can be a better man. What really won me over to his side however was his mother.

Lady Lofton is a superb antagonist. She’s controlling, uncaring, cold, and belittling. Due to her own great dislike for the outdoors, she denied her son a proper childhood, as well as teaching him rudeness and cruelty. Yet even she received one short scene in which I felt genuinely sorry for her and life she had created for herself.

The heroine, Amelia, is the exact opposite of Conrad. She loves the outdoors, she loves crowds and parties, she loves to talk, and is lively and spirited. The contrast between the two leads was the backbone of the book and often amusing.

However the story does for the most part lack much conflict. As we see the story from both Amelia’s and Conrad’s point of view, we are never in any real doubt of their feelings for each other. The biggest rift in their relationship originates from a misunderstanding that was cleared up in the very next chapter. I couldn’t help but feel that the fact their engagement began because Amelia blackmailed him into it, should have greater impact on the story and the way the two interacted.

I also felt a little jolted from the story when there was the occasional event that felt historically inaccurate, usually the actions and attitudes of the servants, who often behaved far more freely than would likely have been allowed in that era.

The book does have some excellent humor though. Conrad’s various run-ins with nature and animals were always highly amusing. Lady’s Lofton’s standoffs with Amelia’s own high maintenance mother were another highlight of the book.

Despite being the second book in a series, The Unwanted Earl can definitely be read as a standalone novel. A few incidents are referenced from the previous book, but are explained sufficiently that a new reader doesn’t feel left out of the loop and the book is self-contained for all important purposes.

It’s a sweet and unique love story that kept me interested even when the plot felt occasionally thin, with well-rounded characters that made me care about the outcome. If you’re in the mood for a nice, low-key romance, you couldn’t go wrong with The Unwanted Earl.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

After Me by Joyce Scarbrough

September 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment

AFTER
After Me by Joyce Scarbrough
Publisher: Buzz Books USA
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (290 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

After she’s murdered by a sexual predator, 18-year-old Jada Gayle must stay among the living until she finds and stops the Internet stalker who killed her. When the Afterlife Admissions Office assigns the now “transdead” Jada to a foster home back among the living, she assumes the identity of a newly-dead homeless teen and is expected to simply fit in as she hunts down her killer.

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While Jada deals with all this unwanted teenaged angst, the man who murdered her is closing in on more foolish girls. Jada thinks she has plenty of time to handle her predicament until the night she gets a terrifying message: I HAVE YOUR FRIEND.

Some deaths leave behind loose ends. Now that Jada’s been given the chance to tidy a few of hers up, will she be able to do it?

Jada’s snide approach to the afterlife is quite funny. What really made me like her, though, was how she responded to everything that happened after she was murdered. Not only did it fit her personality to a tee, it blended in incredibly well with how some people react to the type of trauma that she’s just endured. Her character development was superb, especially considering how subtle it is in the first few chapters of this novel. While I don’t know if the author has any intention of fulfilling my wish, this is the kind of book that is absolutely begging for a sequel. I loved getting to know Jada and would be thrilled to catch up with her again very soon.

People in Jada’s position are given special powers to help them complete their missions. Most of her newfound abilities are things that her new friends and foster family wouldn’t notice under normal circumstances, but there are a few things about her that I would have liked to see explained in more detail due to how easy it would be to accidentally reveal them. The powers themselves make a great deal of sense given the nature of her assignment, but it was occasionally hard to believe that Jada was so good at keeping others from noticing the logical consequences of her having them.

The premise of this tale was so unique that as soon as I noticed it I had to know what happens next. Ms. Scarbrough snagged my attention so thoroughly that I actually stayed up past my bedtime for several nights in a row to power through just one more chapter. What really earned this story such a high rating, though, was how the author acknowledged certain tropes in young adult fiction without succumbing to them. It’s hard to dig more deeply into this topic without bumping up against spoilers, but I was impressed by her consistently creative approach to the plot. This was my first introduction to Ms. Scarbrough work, and I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing what she’ll do next!

After Me is a must-read for adults and teens alike. I, for one, will be rereading it again soon.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Uncover Me by A. M. Hartnett

September 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment

ME
Uncover Me by A. M. Hartnett
Publisher: Mischief: An Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (176 pgs)
Other: BDSM, M/F, Anal Play, Fetish, Toys, Spanking, Voyeurism
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Thistledown

There’s a heart inside every fantasy.

The photos are becoming a compulsion for Carrie. As soon as she wakes up, she feels the need to engage with the readers of her erotic website, Dirty Pictures. No matter how hard she tries to focus on her real life the need is always there. The high is knowing that men desire her.

One day a comment on her erotic website makes Carrie go cold: one of her readers, Brendan, has recognised a landmark in the window of one of her pictures. Brendan knows where to find her and has sent a tantalising private message. His invitation to play was so tempting in no time at all, in a variety of settings, their sensual adventures become wild. Her sexual and emotional reawakening reaches peaks she never imagined possible.

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Carrie is a girl with a blog and a secret.

Breaking up is hard to do. Carrie is suffering from a betrayal that left her reeling. Empty and heartbroken, she finds an outlet in a new blog—one where she takes pictures of herself in sexually explicit situations. No face. She is Maggie, a woman who is fearless and sensual, her body posing in very hot and intimate settings and situations. What starts off as an experiment quickly changes into a pulse pounding obsession that can’t be quenched. Her phone is her addiction of choice and the camera speaks the words she can’t say.

Brendan is a successful businessman and sees Carrie’s blog. Known to him as Maggie, he is captivated by her sexy photos and connects with her online. After he recognizes her building in a photo, he asks to meet her and the story really takes off.

Brendan and Carrie are two firecrackers lighting up the night with their mutual needs and passions. To be seen and to watch. Toys, spanking, sweaty sex scenes that made me want ice water and a host of scenarios kept me turning the pages. Hot. Hot. Hot. The story develops quickly with some interplay between Carrie and her sister and it adds dimension to the character I found refreshing.

Carrie wanted Brendan just for fun. If she kept him at a distance, he can’t hurt her. When he steps over the line and tries to draw her into his private life, things spiral out of control quickly. What started out as a physical “relationship” just got more complicated. Is Carrie able to forget the past and learn how to love? You’ll have to read this luscious tale and find out.

I loved this book for the unique scenarios it presented. The author draws you into each scene and you can feel what it’s like to be that girl taking pictures and posting them online for the world to see. It’s sexy and hot and amazing all at once. When Brendan finds her, you feel the uncertainty and fear—will my job find out? Will he stalk me? It’s all there. So is the heat when they connect. It’s electric and I couldn’t stop reading. Kudos to A. M. Hartnett. I am now a convert awaiting your next novel.

Blogging will never be the same again. Bring on the cameras.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Silent Partner by Stan Schatt – Spotlight and Giveaway

September 1, 2014 By 7 Comments


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Stan will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Silent Partner is a paranormal mystery, a police procedure novel with a female detective that will remind you of Harry Bosch, a ghost story that suggests what lies beyond death, and a comic look at a tabloid where the “truth” is whatever sells.

Enjoy an excerpt:

“Duh. Of course I am, but I’m also the one who tripped you. Give me some credit for that. I think it’s like a hundred years of bad karma if you let the person you’re protecting get killed.”

“You’re protecting me? How come you didn’t keep me from being shot?”

“Give me a break. I told you that I’m new to this. The bullet only nicked your butt; so don’t make a federal case out of it. If I hadn’t tripped you,
you’d be paralyzed. You should be grateful to me.”

Josh felt a cold shiver run up his spine.

“Then you’re dead?”

“We don’t refer to it that way. We like to say that we’ve moved to another plane.”

“How come I can see you?”

Andy smiled thinly.

“You Harrells have a gift. Everyone has a guardian angel, but only certain people can see us. It’s easier in a way for us if you can’t see us.”

“You’ll keep anything bad from happening to me?”

“There’s such a thing as free will, my dear. I can only help you so much.

If it’s your time, then it’s lights out. Now that you’re thirty, things are going to get a lot harder.”

“What do you mean?”

Josh had a sinking feeling in his stomach, and it wasn’t the alcohol.

“A lot of things are going to change for you now. As I said, you Harrells are gifted, although some of your relatives thought of it as a curse.”

“I don’t believe this. You mean my father really did see someone? He wasn’t crazy?”

“Of course he saw someone. I hope you don’t throw your full glass of whiskey at me the way he threw his at his guardian.”

“How could you possibly know that?”

“You’re asking too many questions. Just take my word that everything’s relative, including time.”

“What do you want?”


About the Author:

Stan Schatt grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and now resides in Carlsbad, California. He has written thirty-five books on a wide variety of subjects ranging from fiction to technology. He is co-author of Journey to a Different Dimension, an Amazon bestseller. He also authored Egypt Rising, a YA novel focusing on a teen’s experience in Egypt at the time of the Egyptian revolution of 2011. This novel contains paranormal elements including a secret buried under the Sphinx. The paranormal mystery Silent Partner is Schatt’s latest novel.

He has led several careers including futurist and executive for many of the world’s leading technology market research firms, police department administrator, autopsy assistant, software trainer, Telecommunications Department Chairman, and English professor. He taught at Tokyo University as a Fulbright exchange professor. His non-fiction includes books on such diverse topics as strategies for changing careers for a green industry job, studies of Michael Connelly and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., network and data communications technology, telecommunications, computer programming.

http://www.pen-l.com/SilentPartner.html

http://www.stanschatt.com

http://www.twitter.com/stanschatt

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