Friday, October 31, 2014

Sweet Song of the Siren and Other Stories - William Peskett Review



Book: Sweet Song of the Siren and Other Stories
Author: William Peskett

Book Synopsis:
In his third collection of short stories, Thailand-based author William Peskett introduces us to a murderer who sees himself carved in stone, a writer whose dead wife returns to him through time, a robot community waiting for their saviour, a man who falls in love with part of his own body, a woman dying slowly of dementia and a troupe of wise-cracking monkeys’

Humour and melancholy, comfort and suspense, this collection possesses all of these qualities, sometimes within the same story. Most are set in Thailand and provide insights into the lives of the varied populations of that exotic land; others could have happened anywhere. But what marks them out is the diversity of the storylines, the quality of the writing, and engagement with interesting characters who have something to say.

Book Review:
I found these stories to be very unique. At times I found myself going through the stories yearning to reach the end and to know how they would end. Some of these stories seemed like things that could happen in real life, and others were fantasy that would be interesting if they did happen. It's a mash of different kinds of short stories so you won't get bored, some of them being so interesting I wished they were longer. 

Favorite Quotes:

we don’t always see what we want to see; it’s often what we fear.’

You losers couldn’t shout “help” in English if your dicks were on fire.’

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Book Review: Pieces of Paisley by Leigh Ann Lunsford

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 Paisley Hull fell in love at sixteen; the forever kind of love: unexpected, passionate, consuming - her first. She never thought she could walk away from that kind of passion. Ignoring her heart, guided by her head, she never looked back. Blindsided by the beauty of a tiny, hazel-eyed vixen, Jake Grant fell head over heels in love, vowing to keep her protected and not let his past taint her. He may have been overzealous in his attempts to show her how much he cherished her but he never thought she would walk away without a fight. Nine years later, a now divorced Jake has a chance encounter with an engaged Paisley just a few short weeks before she is set to walk down the aisle. Wondering if they gave up too easily, the two embark on a journey through the jagged edges of their past. Can they overcome the obstacles to finally become one or is it too late for their second chance?


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My Rating:


Favorite Quotes:


“She holds up her finger signaling for me to give her a minute, and I am about to put my foot so far up her ass she will speak Skecher.” 

“I am not going out and seeing every couple in love and happy because I would want to take dull spoons and dig their eyes out.”

“Those words make me want to jump on him and do naughty things, but walking is really not overrated, and if I did what I wanted I wouldn’t be able to walk tomorrow, and it is family night.  I don’t think my step-dad would appreciate me walking in the house bow-legged with a boyfriend who just got off deployment and is hornier than a four-balled tomcat.”

 

My Review:



Near the beginning of the story, I realized the main character is 16 years old – what?!?  I almost stopped reading as I don’t do YA, but I reminded myself that this is a Leigh Ann Lunsford book, and I loved Leigh Ann Lunsford’s previous works… so I kept reading.  Wow, good thing I did - this is her best work ever!  While reading – I cursed Leigh Ann Lunsford with a clenched fist – she wrecked me.  Her writing is sneaky, emotionally intense, irreverent, real-life, steamy, heartbreaking, thrilling, enthralling, and highly addictive.  She pulled me in and I was under her spell from the beginning.  Her magic caused me to feel the highs and lows of all the characters to a profound degree.  This story was hard to put down and even harder to quit… even when not reading, I continued to mull the story and the dynamic between the characters, as it stayed with me.  And while I don’t do YA and don’t have a full appreciation for angst, I readily admit that I loved this book.  I finished it and have since started another, but find myself still thinking about Paisley, and sighing.  I send both curses and kisses to Leigh Ann Lunsford, she has ruined me.   I will pray to the book gods and will make offerings of my precious kindle chargers if it means that she will keep writing. 

Empress DJ 

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  aboutLA
Leigh Ann Lunsford is a stay at home mom turned author. She writes Romance/New Adult and loves her happily ever after in all books and movies. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs in Fleming Island, Florida. When she isn’t writing or reading you can find her stuck in front of really bad reality shows or watching Sons of Anarchy. Leigh Ann has a filthy mouth and a huge amount of sarcasm that knows no end. She hopes to give the voices in her head an outlet with many more novels to come.


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TWITER: @AuthorLeigh
  
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Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Book Review, Giveaway: Forgiving Gia by Gina Whitney



Title: Forgiving Gia

Author: Gina Whitney

Genre: Erotic Romance, Rocker

Synopsis

Abel Gunner is a rock-star with legendary skills both in and out of the bedroom. He swore he wouldn't fall for another woman after being schemed and manipulated by an ex-lover. He kept that vow until he met Gia Mastro. The Dom inside of him awoke the moment he set eyes upon the submissive beauty. His dark soul hungered for her submission and affection. The deep connection they share leaves him desperate for something he never expected – her love. Her pain brings him the pleasure he craves. Her smile calms the beast that rages within him. Gia loves Abel more than life itself, but Abel is disillusioned by love and wrecks Gia in the process. Her life hangs in the balance. His life depends on forgiving her. This couple must face many truths. Is love enough to overcome the damage that dwells within? Gia’s experiences with love have been nil until meeting the infamous bad-boy rocker, Abel Gunner. Swept up in a mind-bending, Dom/submissive love affair, she’s forced to make decisions that both help and hurt their relationship. They both have to face their demons before they can embrace a future together. In the end, they’re faced with two choices: Fight for their love, or die with their demons.

Sam's Review:
I've been waiting for this book since I read the final word of book 1 Saving Abel. Gina Whitney did NOT disappoint me. From the very beginning she had my heart hammering, I had to reread the first couple of pages just to be sure I had read it correctly. The love between Abel and Gia was back and more wonderful than ever, but with love comes drama that had me on the edge of my seat. Praying for everything to turn out okay. Let's not forget about how sexy this book is ;) like I said no disappointment. With two big plot twists that threw me off completely I was more than happy to devour the book in a few hours. The only thing I would had liked more was in the beginning to maybe talk a little more about Abel's time away from Gia, bring that to light a little more. I give this book a sexy SIX stars! Wait? I can't do that? You sure? Aright then FIVE (SIX). :P


Favorite Quotes:
"Do you feel this, Beauty? This beats for you... Only you. I am the thrill that runs down your spine... The taste on your sweet lips that's divine. When you're thinking of sin, I want to be the one on your mind."

"Chains of steel with rust with time. Chains of the heart will only grow stronger."

"Love fucks you right in the face. Then follows it up with a lunch to the balls."

"Few hours ago, I thought I knew the ending of today. But you get a new chance every second you take a breath."

"You're an addiction. My fucking addiction.



All in All:
This book was absolutely, completely and totally amazing. I don't know how I would go on in my life not having read these books but I'm so glad I won't have to find out. Gina has created some real sexy rock and roll magic to earn her 5 perfect stars (I still want 6). 

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MeetTheAuthor

I grew up reading Judy Blume, and Nancy Drew books. I was raised in the town of North Valley Stream, New York(Long Island), and attended community college for fashion design. At 19 years old I opened a boutique. Recently, I published my second novel Beautiful Lies(erotica). Saving Abel(Erotic-Rock-Romance) will be my third and will be published June 30th. When I'm not writing, you can find me with friends and family. I live in Massapequa, NY with my two beautiful boys PJ and Drew, and our Mastiff Hercules. Reading has always been a passion and obsession. You can usually find me typing furiously while shouting obscenities over my latest WIP. My guilty pleasures are: a good laugh, being snarky, espresso, Pistachio ice-cream, alternative music, sunflower seeds, I.P.A's, twizzlers, and above all steamy swooning angst filled novels. I'm pathologically obsessed with True Blood(Eric ;), Games of Thrones, White Queen, Vampire Diaries, Resurrection, and The Originals. If you'd like to chat. Hit me up on Facebook or twitter.

 





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Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Damascena: The Tale of Roses and Rumi - Holly Lynn Payn Review


Book: Damascena: The Tale of Roses and Rumi
Author: Holly Lynn Payn
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal 

Book synopsis:
Holly Payne's spellbinding tale brings the unparalleled poet, Mevlana Rumi, to life, and transports readers to the enchanting world of 13th century Persia. Simply but elegantly told, the story unravels the mystery surrounding a legendary orphaned girl, who discovers her gift of turning roses into oil. Named after the flowering rosa damascena, the girl reluctantly assumes the role of a living saint for the miracles she performs-longing for the only one that matters: finding her mother. Deeply wounded by the separation since birth, Damascena undergoes a riveting transformation when she meets Rumi and finally discovers the secret of the rose. Imbued with rich historical research and inspired by the devastating disappearance of Rumi's most lauded spiritual companion, Shams of Tabriz, Holly Payne has courageously opened herself to receive Rumi's teachings and offer a timeless love story. 

Book Review:
Holly has crafted a story that drips with the beauty of the rose. With every turn of the page of the story I found myself being pulled more and more into the story, delving into the world held within the pages. This is the story of a saint, a girl, from her journey to birth until she has completed her task of the divine as she discovers the secret of the rose. 
I'll admit a first, I had a difficult time pulling myself into the book. It was slow going at the start, though I thought the story was intriguing I couldn't progress into the story as quickly as I wanted. And maybe that was point, to go slow and digest the story at the beginning, to take it all in and really think about it all. As I delved deeper into the story, I found myself reading more and more, consuming the words as though they were as the sun was for Shams. I was suddenly reading with great speed and excitement, needing to know what happened next. I found myself pausing at their riddles, and finding myself thinking of them when I placed the book down, contemplating their meaning and thinking how it spoke to me about my own life no matter how long ago those words may had been said. 
My heart pounded at some parts as I read this book, at many parts of this work actually. I held my breath at some points, finding myself softly praying that what I had read wasn't true, that so much hardship hadn't befallen onto a girl who was born with the gift to turn roses into oil. It was as though I had traveled the journey with Damascena, was with her from the beginning of her birth, her reluctance to accept the gift she possessed to the final moments where she had finally accomplished almost all she needed to do in the world and was about to embrace her final task. 
All in all, I found this book to be extremely fascinating and at times utterly spell binding, give it a review of 4 out of 5 stars. 

Favorite quotes:

"“I’m no miracle worker. You can’t turn shit into wine!”

“Beauty is cunning, that is why the truth can often be very ugly.”

If you could see the ugliest leper with the eyes of love, his beauty would out-dazzle the starlit sea.

She wanted to spit on the stones they walked on. And she told him. “What good will that do? You will only have wet stones.” 
“Yes. Better for them to slip.”
“But it is you who might end up slipping and falling.


Purchase the book:
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/lng8mvp   
Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/mjfvfqz
Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/nwcv66

Connect with Holly:
Website: http://hollylynnpayne.com/
Blog: http://hollylynnpayne.com/blog
Twitter: @HollyLynnPayne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hollylynnpayne

New Release, Giveaway: Broken Creek by Abbie St. Claire



Book: Broken Creek
Author: Abbie St Claire
Genre: Contemporary Romance


Synopsis

A woman whose past holds her hostage…
A man who can’t let the past go…
A favor that brings them together again…
Pro fisherman, Stephan Hart let the best thing in his life get away. When Wrenn Cunningham ended their relationship, she was broken. He was shattered.
At age 17, Wrenn suffers a tragic event at the hands of her father in the barn on their property. When he dies, he takes their secret to his grave. To others, Wrenn’s small-town life in Arkansas might appear boring, but in reality, it’s far from easy. The daily physical and financial struggle to help her mother keep their ranch after her father’s untimely death begins to take a toll. Receiving a nursing school scholarship to a North Texas University means a chance to move away from her tiny existence and start over. It means a chance to leave her secret behind.

If only life was that simple… Nightmares find you no matter where you are.


Author Bio

I’ve spent many years crafting stories in my brain. Finally, after the encouragement from those that love and support me the most, I put my first story out by self-publishing in 2013.
That first milestone created a writing monster in me that couldn’t be stopped and filled a void I cannot explain. Each story is a true gift from my heart and a sacrifice from my soul, since I find it difficult to let the characters go.
At home in Texas, my husband and I share our life with children that mean the world to us and include a couple of fur babies. When we aren’t busy watching sports and betting on the game, we are entertaining with friends.
I do have a writing cave, but honestly, most of my work comes from the kitchen, the heartbeat of any home. Since noise doesn’t disturb me too much when writing, I can write and keep the pulse on the family at the same time. And… Possibly enjoy my favorite, sinful treat… Cookie dough!
The writer-reader world is my lifeline. I’m addicted and each time I get a message from a reader, I’m thrilled. There’s quite a few stories planned for the next several months. I’m hoping the readers fall in love with my next series, The Creek Series. A story that is guaranteed to bring out all the emotions.

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Other Books in the Series:

Forgiveness Creek

Pre-Order (releases 11th November

Redemption Creek 

Pre Order (releases 25th November)

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