Monday 30 December 2013

New Release & Giveaway ~ Harper's Wish ~ Krista Ames




Title:  Harper’s Wish
Author:  Krista Ames
Publisher:  Roane Publishing
Release Date:  December 20, 2013
Key Words:  Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Sweet, Novella

~ Blurb ~ 
Christmas is supposed to be a joyous time of year, but for Harper Donaldson it’s just another day. Orphaned at an early age, she doesn’t have a single good memory of Christmas.

But, when a Santa’s Mailbox mysteriously appears in the lobby of the post office where she works as postmistress, Harper wonders what it could hurt to send her own letter to Santa.

Could he bring her the family she’d always wanted?

Book Links:




~ Review ~ 

This novella is the perfect feel good holiday story.  It’s a quick read, and there’s no surprise where things are going to end up, but it’s the discovery that’s the fun part.  Harper really hasn’t had it easy, and whilst reading I became drawn to her and really wanted things to work out for the best.  No spoilers, so all I’m saying is I wish Santa bought me this for Christmas and I’ll definitely be checking out the Montana Series.       


Author Bio:
Born and raised in Northern Indiana, Krista now resides in Northern Lower Michigan.  She is married to a very supportive man who allows her to follow her true passion of writing and never complains when she is pirated away on her computer for hours.  He is excellent at bouncing ideas around with and even helps the occasional writers block.  He’s also a terrific “in house” editor.  Krista is also a mother of 4 ornery children who keep her plenty busy.  With an addition of 2 beautiful chocolate lab sisters and a playful kitty, there is never a dull or spare moment in her household.  

Krista has always loved to read and would often sit up for hours into the night not able to put down a book until she was finished.  She still reads when she can but her main focus is creating her own stories to share with the world.  

She loves to communicate with her readers so please feel free to drop her a line anytime.

Links:



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Sunday 29 December 2013

Review ~ Viking Fire ~ Andrea R. Cooper

Title: Viking Fire
Author: Andrea R. Cooper 
Genre: Historical Romance

~ Blurb ~

856 CE, Ireland is a land of myth, magic, and blood. Viking raiders have fought the Irish for over half a century. Rival Irish clans promise only betrayal and carnage.

Kaireen, daughter of Laird Liannon, is suddenly forced into an arranged marriage with her sworn enemy, a Viking. She refuses to submit. With no mention of love, only land and the protection of her clan, she endeavors to get her betrothed banished from her country. Will love find its way around her stubborn heart?

Bram, the Viking, finds himself without future or inheritance as a younger son in his family. A marriage to the Laird’s daughter would grant him land if he swears fidelity and if his men will fight along with the Liannons against any foe—Irish or Viking. However, the Laird’s feisty daughter only holds animosity for him and his kind. Is marriage worth the battle scars of such a relentless opponent?

With the blame for a rival laird’s death treacherously set against the Liannons, Kaireen and Bram must find a way to lay aside their differences as an unforeseen darkness sends death snapping at their heels.


~ Review ~ 

Historical romances always makes me think about how great it would have been to be born in another time, and long for true romance before all the modern day distractions came into play.  This story was no different and I loved reading Kaireen and Bram’s story as Bram has to prove himself to Kaireen. 

Kaireen was never going to submit quietly to an arranged marriage, to a Viking of all people, and her feistiness added an extra layer of interest to the story whilst Bram’s looks and humour was enough to win me over immediately.  I loved how he didn’t turn at the first obstacle and was willing to be patient.        

With the threat of war, there was never a dull moment as Kaireen and Bram were thrown together in life or death situations.  This story is fast paced with plenty of action leaving me no choice but to keep turning the pages late into the night. 

~ Book Links ~ 


~ Author Bio ~ 

Growing up in Houston, Texas, Andrea has always enjoyed creating characters and stories. But it wasn't until she was in her late twenties that she started writing novels.

What happened that ignited the writing flame in her fingers? Divorced, and disillusioned by love songs and stories. They exaggerate. She thought. Love and Romance are not like that in the real world. Then she met her husband and realized, yes love and romance are exactly like the songs and stories say. She is now a happy wife, and a mom to three kids (two boys and a girl).

Once she heard about a writer who never let her characters deviate from the script. If they did, she just killed them. How sad, she thought. For her one of the best parts of being a writer is letting the characters have a mind of their own and seeing where the story takes them.

She loves this quote from Robert Frost, which sums up her opinion on allowing the characters their freedom: "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader."
― Robert Frost

Andrea writes fantasy, paranormal and historical romance. When not writing or reading, one may find Andrea dancing in Zumba.

She believes in the power of change and counting each moment as a blessing. But most importantly, she believes in love.

Author's Links 
* Website * Facebook * Amazon * Goodreads

Saturday 28 December 2013

Introducing S.K. Whiteside

World of Guardians Boxed Set
World of the Guardians #1-4

Welcome to the world of days past where the fight for the fate of mankind began, and legends and myths were born.

The World of the Guardians Vol. I complete set consists of bestselling shorts by Author S.K. Whiteside. It introduces you to the characters from her debut novel “Inheritance”, their backstories, and their roles in the ultimate battle for mankind.

In “VEXED” we meet the leader of the Guardians, the Goddess Isis. The grieving lover of Osiris and betrayed by those closest to her the Goddess sets forth on a path to revenge that ultimately becomes the fight for the very people her husband was sworn to protect.

In Fallen we meet Malachi, a Guardian Angel who makes the mistake of falling for one of his charges. After giving up his place in heaven, Malachi finds that the one he loves had a secret of her own.

In Haunted we rejoin Malachi as he seeks vengeance against those that have hurt him only to find himself haunted by his lost love.

In Scribe we pick up from key points in “VEXED” but follow a parallel timeline to “Inheritance”. We meet Tari a descendant of the Scribe that helped Isis in VEXED. You also receive a sneak peek at “Inheritance”. It’s a bonus read of epic proportions!

Inheritance: World of the Guardians
World of the Guardians #5

“Talk about hell on earth…”

Sekhmet’s life was pretty good; you know for a goddess. Her job was simple – kill those that sought to go against the creator. It was a job she was good at but unfortunately got a little too carried away with when she almost single handedly wiped out mankind. For her penance she has spent the last thousand years serving as one of the Guardians; a group of immortals that protect mankind and led by the Goddess Isis – who kind of had her own anger issues.

The Azura, a league of immortal bad asses, are literally trying to bring hell on earth and with it, Set – the banished God and ruler of the Makhaut. For the first time in history and with the help of the Makhaut, they may actually pull it off. Even the Guardians are at a loss.

In the Hail Mary of all attempts to save the world Isis, now going by Isira, sends Sekhmet to New Orleans, to find and protect the “Key” but when it is determined that a traitor lies among the Guardians, Sekhmet, now going by the name of Syn, is forced to seek help in the most unlikely of places…her least favorite person and fellow Guardian…Malachi.

What’s a former Goddess to do?

Oh yeah, kick butt and take names.

~ Review ~  

These books have an interesting mix of paranormal and Egyptian mythology and should be read alongside each other to get the most from the story. I found them an enjoyable read, which has a bit of everything, including humour, romance, action and adventure.  Inheritance ended in a good place, but there are many questions left unanswered and you can tell there is much more to come from the story and characters.

The 4 shorts give more depth to the World of Guardians series, and can be read either before or after Inheritance. Easy to read, I loved getting to know another level to the characters esp. Malachi, the author really managed to portray his pain.
 


About the Author

S.K. Whiteside is a reader, writer, and lover of all things dark and mysterious. She is a Mythic Fiction writer of Contemporary Urban & Historical Fantasy and most of her stories have a background in Egyptian Mythology with a modern day adaptation and unique twist. As an author her art of "teasing" is precise and her character interaction draws you in and makes the story play out like a movie in your mind. This is a talent that now all authors have, nor will they ever have.

Her debut story, "Fallen", was released in part March 2012 as a teaser to "Morbid Seraphic" her annual anthology with Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing. Even though it was only part of the story "Fallen" reached Top Ten status on Amazon sparking interest in Morbid Seraphic which later reached #1 in Amazon for Anthologies. Her follow up short story release "VEXED" was released November 2012. "VEXED" has and continues to be an Amazon Top 100 best selling paid Kindle release in three different countries. It served as the prequel to her debut full novel release "Inheritance". "Inheritance" was released June 1, 2013 and within the first week became an Amazon Top 100 best selling Kindle release in three countries simultaneously and going as high as #2 in Canada for two weeks straight. To date (June 25, 2013) Inheritance (as well as Vexed) maintains Top 100 status in at least two countries each between Canada, Spain, The United Kingdom, and the US interchangeably. While her eBooks are presently only available in Kindle her paperbacks are available worldwide.

When she is not writing S.K. Whiteside is a full time Mental Health Therapist. She began writing in Academia but decided that writing about things on the "other side of the veil" was a lot more interesting. Living in the paranormal capital of the world makes it fairly easy for her to come up with characters, many of which are based on of real personas in her life that can't help but carry over into her writing. 

Links