#BookReview : Somnium (Halos #1)

            

Paranormal Romance

By Keri Lake

4.5 Stars

A work assignment in Kittery, Maine should be routine for Allie Lynch; nothing more than to prove herself as a brilliant engineer. Instead she finds herself torn between two men: a gorgeous military guard, Colton Briggs, and her devilishly handsome colleague, Drew Costa. To resist temptation, Allie does the only thing she can: she throws herself into her work.

But fate has other plans for Allie. Women are going missing all around her, Allie is struck with a series of life-threatening mishaps, and she becomes the obsession of a local deranged psychopath.
Thrust into a dark world that she can hardly fathom, Allie must fight for her very survival, open her mind to new realities – and open her heart to the possibility of love. Because both of these men are trouble – but one is a greater danger than she could ever imagine ...

My Review:

Couldn't wait to get this book in the mail from Amazon, but they took 3 - THREE - weeks to get it to me. That's a whole different story, though.

I loved this book from the very beginning. Ms. Lake took her time setting the stage: Dark, rainy, ominous. I knew heavy, bad things lay ahead. While some might complain of this making for a slow start, it hooked me with a capital 'H'. I couldn't wait to find out what happened on the next page. And the next. And the next. Could NOT put this book down!

 

Yummies:  This whole book was yummy. Setting, characters, plot, secrets, hotties, palatable fear - quite a list, huh???

Yuckies:  Allie is a bundle of raging hormones, a smidge over-the-top IMO. I've never read a book with a female so intent upon getting what she wants from the man she's desperate for.  Did it take away from the book? Not really. Just a surprising element for me. 

Recommend: Need you ask? I enjoyed this so much that I begged the MC, Allie, to sit down with me. I had a few things I wanted to know.

On Thursday I'll be posting my interview with her so be sure to stop by!

Nab a copy of Somnium!

Amazon

Barnes & Nobel



#BookReview : Tidal Whispers

Paranormal / Fantasy Anthology

Overall rating 4.5 Stars

Heart's Desire by Julie Reece  4.5 Stars

This short story is very moving - loneliness, loss, & love. Ms. Reece portrays them beautifully - brings them alive - so we can experience them with Tessa, the MC.

I don't know about you, but I've always had a dream world I escaped to. A few actually.  Tessa wakes from her favorite one to a gut wrenching reality that easily gained my empathy. I longed for her to re-find Cam, just knowing he would ease her heartache. And *spoiler alert!* he does.

Warm fuzzies, folks.

The Sweetest Song by Claire Gillian  4 Stars

I loved Disney's The Little Mermaid, and this story reminded me of it.  A voice lost, a love found, The Sweetest Song was just that - sweet.

Otis, the male interest in this story was precious. A great character, fleshed out & believable for so short a story. He heads to his doom for love which any fairy tale / fantasy needs IMO. The 'happily ever after' comes about by two gods, Poseidon and Aphrodite, who act like a couple of modern childish brats. That threw me a smidge. I always imagined the gods to be prim & proper - ancient, lofty, condescending beings.

Overall, a great little story I enjoyed submerging myself in.



Pearl of Pau'maa by Kelly Said  4 Stars

While the whole anthology is fantasy in some way, Ms. Said is by far the most imaginative IMO. While all the stories are of love, this one has that magical element attached - a pearl - which brings the two characters together in dark, watery depths.

I had one major issue with this lovely story, though. Although fantasy, all stories still need that believability factor. One scene lacked that for me. Harmon, the male interest, rescues the lovely lady, Miki, from drowning. Moments later he leaves her treading water to dive down & retrieve her lobster trap. While down there he holds a long conversation w/ his brother, another merman, giving no thought to the weakened woman the pearl led him to. I just felt he'd be anxious to leave her side, or should have taken her to shore first seeing as how she doesn't have a tail, but two human legs. Dunno. Could just be me.

A wonderful little story, though, one NOT to be skipped.

The Undergarden by Jocelyn Adams  5 Stars

This was by far my favorite story in the anthology. Ms. Adams drew me in and hooked my empathy from the get-go. She created two characters whose story affected me long after I finished reading. LOVE that.

Rarely do stories brim my eyes with unshed tears, but this one did. More than once. I felt Nixie's loneliness, enjoyed her innocence which was portrayed beautifully and consistently.  Her journey through life is touching - heart aching, yet warming. Surprisingly, it didn't feel rushed in the least bit.

This story, while fantasy like the rest, far outshone them with that magical feel - that dream-like quality that moved my emotions.

So do I recommend this anthology? Without a doubt. Add it to your Goodreads list HERE. Purchase your copy from Amazon or Barnes & Nobel.  You'll thank me later!!





#CoverReveal : The Moon Dwellers

YA Dystopian Novel

By David Estes

Release Date: June 30th

In a desperate attempt to escape destruction decades earlier, humankind was forced underground, into the depths of the earth, creating a new society called the Tri-Realms.

 After her parents and sister are abducted by the Enforcers, seventeen-year-old Adele, a member of the middle-class moon dwellers, is unjustly sentenced to life in prison for her parents' crimes of treason.

Against all odds, Adele must escape from the Pen and find her family, while being hunted by a deranged, killing machine named Rivet, who works for the President. She is helped by two other inmates, Tawni and Cole, each of whom have dark secrets that are better left undiscovered. Other than her friends, the only thing she has going for her is a wicked roundhouse kick and two fists that have been well-trained for combat by her father.

 At the other end of the social spectrum is Tristan, the son of the President and a sun dweller. His mother is gone. He hates his father. Backed by only his servant and best friend, Roc, he leaves his lavish lifestyle in the Sun Realm, seeking to make something good out of his troubled life. When a war breaks out within the Tri-Realms, Tristan is thrust into the middle of a conflict that seems to mysteriously follow Adele as she seeks to find her family and uncover her parents true past.

So whatcha think??? I'm not a huge YA fan, but there's nothing better than a female MC who can kick some serious @$$. I'm in. Are you?
Two ebook copies of The Moon Dwellers are up for grabs on his blog tour! Check out the links below for your chance to win!! 



June 18http://passionatebookdivas.com/
Cover Excerpy and Link to all blogs in the tour
June 19http://www.moosubi.blogspot.mx/
Review and Giveaway
June 20http://mybookboyfriend.blogspot.mx/?zx=a3d2d1dd853486e7
Character Guest post
June 21http://shutupandreadgroup.blogspot.mx/
Guest Post
June 22http://raebethmcgeeswriting.blogspot.mx/
Excerpt
June 23http://k-booksxo.blogspot.com/
Review and Giveaway
June 24http://tana-someofmyfavoritebooks.blogspot.ca/
Author Interview and Giveaway
June 25http://doctorsnotes-shy.blogspot.mx/
Excerpt
June 26
http://www.passionatebookdivas.com/
Review and Giveaway
June 27http://www.readingangel.com/
Guest Post
June 28
http://magluvsya03.wordpress.com/
Character Guest post
June 29
http://darkobsessionchronicles.blogspot.mx/
Author Interview, and closing post

David Estes was born in El Paso, Texas but moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was very young. He grew up in Pittsburgh and then went to Penn State for college. Eventually moved to Sydney, Australia where he met his wife. A reader all his life, he began writing novels for the children’s and YA markets in 2010. He´s a writer with OCD, a love of dancing and singing (but only when no one is looking or listening), a mad-skilled ping-pong player, and prefers writing at the swimming pool to writing at a table.

You can stalk David and his books at his Blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

#writetip of the week:

While complaining / discussing the pros & cons of networking this week, a fellow forumite had this to say,

"Using twitter isn't required to be successful in *any* business. Neither is blogging. The best way to sell books is to write them, and write them well."

Thank you, says I, for refocusing my wandering - networking - mind on what's important. Time for me to pick back up my old fashioned pencil & get to work red pen & get back to editing - my favorite thing to complain about. hehehe

That is all.  Happy writing!!!