March 2016 - A Life Through Books

Monday, March 28, 2016

Pre-Release: Never Trust a Skinny Cupcake Baker by @denaehaggerty read an #excerpt and enter the #giveaway
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Cozy Mystery
Date Published: April 11, 2016

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A cozy mystery with a heap of laughs, a generous portion of romance, and just a smidgeon of suspense.

Callie’s life is rather awesome. She owns a successful bakery and teaches German literature at the local university. There’s just one tiny problem. She has no self-confidence when it comes to her body. And then there’s the little matter of her being accused of murdering her pole dancing instructor. There’s no way Callie’s going to risk losing her teaching position and thus she embarks, with her best baker bud Anna, on a journey to discover the real killer. Between stripper auditions and a detective who insists Callie is the woman of his dreams, it’s a roller coast adventure. Cupcakes not included.

EXCERPT

I take a deep breath and walk into the club. It’s dark and smoky. No surprise there. The floors are covered in shag carpeting, the walls are painted a red so deep it looks black, and the chairs are red velour. Is strip club a euphemism for whore house? To the right is a shiny, black bar. Straight ahead is a stage in an M-shape with three stripper poles. Of course there are stripper poles. Dolly worked here after all.

“You next?” A man shouts, and I nearly jump out of my shoes. I look to my left to see two men in shiny suits sitting at a table in the middle of the room. “Come on, doll, are you the next dancer?”

“Dancer?”

The man rolls his eyes and talks to the man next to him. “Not the brightest one of the bunch is she?” He turns back to me. “Come on, sweetheart.” He looks me up and down, and I feel the sudden need to shower with bleach. “You’ve got the body for it. Show us what you can do.”

I’ve got the body for it? Have we landed on planet opposite? I’m still trying to figure out how to respond when Anna grabs my hand. “Where are the dressing rooms? She needs to change.”

The man points to a door on the right side of the stage behind the bar. “Hurry up. We ain’t got all day!”

Anna pulls me to the door. I stumble behind her unsure if I should follow her or get the heck out of Dodge. She pushes through the door and looks around before spotting a room filled with racks of clothing. She lets my hand go and starts pawing through the outfits.

“Anna, stop!” I say when my brain finally catches up. “I can’t go up there and dance. Let’s just get out of here and come back another time.”

I don’t even get a chance to stand up from the chair before Anna’s on me. Her tiny body boxes me in the chair. “I don’t want to hear it! You heard the man. You’ve got the perfect body for this because you’re… let’s say it together… sexy!” She turns back to the rack of clothes. “Besides, while you’re up there doing your thing, I can snoop around.” She pulls out an outfit and hands it to me.

I don’t have a choice but to take the hanger as she shoves it in my hand. There’s not enough fabric here. She’s got to be kidding me. “I can’t wear this,” I protest.

Anna’s having none of it. “You will wear it, and you will go up on that stage and totally rock! In the meantime, I’ll be doing some investigating so we can save your job. You know the one that you spent the last 10 years studying and preparing for?”

I want to scream and shout and fight her, but I don’t really see what other option we have. I suppose we can sneak out the back door, but then we’d have to come back at some point as this is our only lead. Mr. Creepy #1 and Mr. Creepy #2 might not recognize me – a chubby girl with boring brown hair. But a tiny pixie with bright pink hair? I shake my head and put on the darn outfit.





About the Author


I grew up reading everything I could get my hands on from my mom's Harlequin romances to Nancy Drew to Little Women. When I wasn't flipping pages in a library book, I was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing, or drafting stories which have thankfully been destroyed. College and a stint in the U.S. Army came along, robbing me of free time to write and read, although I did manage every once in a while to sneak a book into my rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear. A few years into my legal career, I was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done. I quit my job and sat down to write a manuscript, which I promptly hid in the attic after returning to the law. Another job change, this time from lawyer to B&B owner and I was again fed up and ready to scream I quit, which is incredibly difficult when you own the business. Thus, I shut the B&B during the week and in the off-season and started writing. Several books later I find myself in Istanbul writing full-time.

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$15 Amazon gift card


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Sunday, March 27, 2016

Blog Tour: Sophie and the Cowboy by @MystiParker #review
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Erotic Romance
Date Published: February 1, 2016

Clint has been running a ranch by himself since his father’s death. It’s backbreaking work. He needs something to loosen up his sore, tense muscles before his wedding, though massages aren’t the manliest thing he’s ever done. Thanks to a gift card he got at the bachelor party, he decides to give it a shot. He doesn’t know what to expect, but once he meets Sophie, he realizes she’s a lot more than meets the eye. What she gives him is no ordinary massage, but a hefty dose of reality and a full-body feast of pleasures he never knew existed.

Review

I really enjoyed the fact that Mysti Parker has taken an Erotica novel and brought it to a point where it is a legitimate novel. Meaning, usually when you find a Erotica with this premise, its sex, sex, and sex and not much else. This one really delivers on the actual storyline, character building, and even a wrapped up moral at the end. I was pleasantly surprised. Not to say that there wasn't plenty of hot sex, because she definitely delivers there as well. 


Mysti Parker is a wife, mother, and shameless chocoholic. While her first love is romance, including award-winning historical and fantasy romances, she enjoys writing flash fiction (the weirder the better) and children's stories. She resides in KY with her husband, three children and too many pets.
  
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Book #2 In the Series

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Blog Tour: Two Brothers: Species by @sofiadianagabel #interview #giveaway
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YA Sc- Fi


The third and final book in the Ramtalan Triology brings Argus and Tai Dachel to a critical juncture in their lives. Struggling to maintain some sort of normalcy, the boys soon discover that they’ll never be the same and those around them, including Argus’s girlfriend Lola, are in danger from the Invaders and the government agency AURA. With enhanced abilities, Argus has to come to grips with being different from his brother, and being an enemy to the Ramtalans he thought were his friends. When hyper-intelligent, powerful Argustine Lenox and his sister, Galena, threaten to cleanse the Earth of humans and New Breeds, Argus and Tai have a difficult decision to make. Which side do they join? The Invaders accept him, while the Settler Ramtalans consider him dangerous. As if that’s not enough, Argus is on the brink of adulthood and must choose what sort of man he wants to be; defiant, compassionate, strong or all three. Nothing will matter though if he can’t save the Earth.




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Interview


What is the hardest part of writing your books?

The hardest part is finding the time! Being a single mother, I’ve always had my children around 24/7, so between family and work, finding those wonderful moments when I can sit by myself and write isn’t easy. But, when I do have some time, I make the most of it and write, write, write. I’ve also learned to write pretty much anywhere, no matter what distractions are around.

What songs are most played on your Ipod?

When I’m writing, my music depends on the story. If I’m writing an action scene, I love to listen to Muse or the Kongos, very fast and action-packed music. But if I’m writing romance, I prefer something soothing like Enya or classical music, mostly Mozart. But, I also love U2 and when nothing else seems to work, I play U2 songs one after the other.

Do you have critique partners or beta readers?

I belong to a critique group that is unbelievable. We are fiction writers and we all understand that critique comes from love, so there are no hurt feelings. I need my group for their input and suggestions and don’t understand how anyone could perfect their writing without critique.

What book are you reading now?

Well, sadly, no fiction at the moment because I’m a graduate student, so most of my writing is from textbooks, articles or literature searches. But, I’m looking forward to J.K. Rowling’s newest Harry Potter book in a few months!

How did you start your writing career?

I’ve been writing (silly stuff) since I was a child. It was my escape to avoid being noticed or bullied. I came from Australia and as a child, I had a very strong accent. Kids love to mock and tease anyone who’s different, so I was a target. By keeping my head down and in a notebook, most people left me alone. This instilled a love of writing and I haven’t stopped. I really started studying the craft seriously about six years ago though and can’t imagine not writing.


Two Brothers: Species is the third book in the Ramtalan Trilogy, a YA sci-fi adventure. The story is about two teenage boys, Argus and Tai, who know they’re different, but don’t realize just how much until their guardian, Aunt Celeste, drops the bomb and explains exactly what makes them unique; special abilities from being New Breeds, half-human, half-alien. As teens, and being homeschooled until their senior year of high school, Argus and Tai want to fit in and make friends. But, with hostile aliens and a secret government agency after them, their lives certainly aren’t normal. The third book continues the story of Argus and Tai, stepping up the danger to them and the ones they love. 



Born in Sydney, Australia, I moved with my family to the United States when I was only four. Home wasn’t settled for a long time and included living in Toronto, Canada; Henrietta and Buffalo, New York; Northridge, Southern California; a short stint back in Sydney, Australia; Reno, Nevada; Dallas, Texas; Daytona Beach, Florida, with an eventual semi-settled life in Ojai and Ventura, Southern California as a single parent to my three daughters.
Perhaps the unsettled partial nomadic lifestyle is the reason I love to travel. Moving around and travelling to different countries are adventures which serve as potential settings and plots for stories. I’m a multi-genre fiction writer, with degrees in environmental science and archaeology, and coursework in creative writing and criminal justice. This has all helped in developing stories
When not glued to my desk writing or researching, I love spending time with my family and hairless Sphynx cats. Writing is a true passion, born from a love of the written word and how those words can transport the reader to different places or worlds and deliver them back to reality, safe and sound.

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Twitter: @sofiadianagabel


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Friday, March 25, 2016

Blog Tour: Checkmate by @bcwhoward #review #giveaway
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Mystery
Date Published: February 16, 2016


Checkmate is the fourth standalone novel in the Harry Starke series of mysteries.

Angela Hartwell lay dead in the shallow waters beside the golf course. There was not a mark on her, yet she had been strangled. How could that be?
Once again, it’s up to Harry Starke to find out. The investigation takes him into a world he’s very familiar with, a world of affluence, privilege, and corruption.
To solve the mystery, he must deal with three murders, a beautiful used car dealer, her lovely twin sisters, and a crooked banker.  Not to mention Burke and Hare, two crazy repo men who will stop at nothing to protect their employer’s interests. There's also the matter of an ingenious, sadistic killer. But nothing is ever quite what it seems....
Harry Starke is a hard-boiled private detective, an ex-cop, a tough guy from the right side of the tracks with finely tuned senses, good instincts, and friends in high places. He’s single, successful, well educated, and yes, he will hurt you if he needs to.


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Review

Ready to be shocked and completely wrong about something? That is how this novel was for me. It is a mystery and you are trying to put the pieces together throughout the entire novel. Just when you think you have it all right, boom, you're wrong. 

I love it when an author can completely surprise me.

The Characters were very well developed and I liked the plot and pacing as well. 


About the Author

Blair Howard is from a small town in England, near Stratford-upon-Avon, on the edge of the English Cotswolds. He is Kentucky Colonel, an honor bestowed upon him in 2008 by the then Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Steven L. Beshear. Until 2015, he wrote sweeping historical epics, and is the author of five historical novels. In July of 2015 he decided to try his hand at writing mystery novels, thus we have Harry Starke. The first in the series, Harry Starke, was released in mid-September 2015. The second novel, Two for the Money, was released October 19 the same year, Hill House, in mid-December 2015, and Checkmate in February 2016, and there are more to come.
Blair is the author of more than 40 books and more than 4,500 magazine, newspaper, and web articles. His work has appeared in many national and international publications, including Delta's Sky Magazine, PHOTOgraphic magazine, The Mail on Sunday, The Walking Magazine, Petersen's Hunting Magazine, The Boston Herald, The Detroit Free-Press, The Anchorage Times and many more.

Twitter: @bcwhoward






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Week Blitz: Back in My Life by @Mariecrauthor
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Romance / Erotica
Date Published: February 27, 2016

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Back in my Life is a story set in the beautiful cities of New York and Chicago. This story is not the typical and simple "boy meets girl, boy and girl get marry story." This story is a powerful story that shows how real and unselfish love truly looks like. The love between Ruby and Clyde is an amazing and genuine love that survived everything that came in between them—even the most painful experiences that destiny had planned for them.

During a college internship at a prestigious New York magazine, Ruby Sparks (a journalist graduate student from Chicago) meets Clyde Holt, (a fellow intern and a creative photography student from a London based college) whom from day one became Ruby's obsession and the new reason for her existence. After developing strong feelings for her emotionally unavailable friend, Ruby finds herself trapped in a whirlpool of emotions while trying to earn her friend's love. What Ruby doesn't know is that while she is looking for true love, Clyde's presence in her life came with a different purpose.



About the Author


I have been writing for pleasure for the past couple of years, but this is the first time I do a book tour so I am very excited for it. Writing is my passion, and I enjoy using real-life stories as the basis for my novels, but giving them a little twist to make them more melodramatic and breath-taking. I am also the author of Pamela's Confessions and Confesiones del Alma. I currently live in Florida with my husband and three children.

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Monday, March 21, 2016

blog Tour: Wealth and Privilege by @JeanetteAWatts #giveaway #review
9:28 AM1 Comments

                

Historic Fiction
2013 / 2015



Book One (Wealth & Privilege)
Boy meets girl, falls in love at first sight. Oops, she's already married. Bad planning. She becomes a friend and a muse, helps him find his voice. He knows that no one gets to capture their own muse, but he can dream, can't he...?




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Review

Jeanette Watts has done a great job in giving us a Historical Romance novel that has all of the elements I look for with a couple of things that set it apart from others like it. I enjoyed the fact that the heroine was independent and a bit hard headed about what she thought her future was going to look like. It was different in the fact that she was already married and that I don't see a lot in Historical Romance. 

Historical Romance writers always blow me away with their authenticity and Jeanette Watts is no different. You can tell she did her homework and knows what she is talking about. The era feels real! 

This was a real feel good Historical Romance. I enjoyed it! 



Jeanette Watts is a dance instructor and performer of many different kinds of dance, a costumer, a former television producer, and a big softie who can't learn to say no when people need help with their festivals. It makes it really difficult for her to get time to write.

Twitter: @JeanetteAWatts    


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Saturday, March 19, 2016

Blog Tour: A Gentleman's Surrender by @mariel_grey read a #review and enter the #giveaway
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Historical Romance
Date Published: January 1, 2016


Call her a romantic—or a fool, Lady Monique Cathdon is determined to marry for love. After watching her parents tolerate an arranged betrothal, life seems too short to be wasted on keeping up appearances.

After all, what’s the point of having a heart if one refuses to follow it?

With a smile the devil himself might be proud of, James Stanton is not what her mother would call “a matrimonial prospect”. Still, there’s something about the young man that sends Lady Monique’s heart thumping around her chest, and silences her voice of reason.

Unfortunately for Lady Monique, the stakes are high, and young ladies of the ton make for very poor gamblers. Especially when James Stanton is on the hunt for revenge, and won’t let an innocent woman—or his own passionate desires—get in the way of righting past wrongs.

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Review

To start with, Gorgeous Cover. I absolutely love the cover model and dress. 

Oh Boy, I'm a sucker for Historical Romance. There is something so fun about being transported back in time and feeling like your living in a different era if an author can execute it well, its an even better escape than reading Contemporary. 


Mariel Grey has penned a wonderful Historical Romance. I really did love so many of the aspects separately and as a whole.


I just really felt like I got a great escape with this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it! 




From the moment she could put pen to paper, Mariel Grey knew she wanted to be a writer. Like all good adventures however, it didn’t happen overnight; it was after several decades of working in litigation that the desire to create dramatic worlds and characters became too great to ignore. Her first foray into historical romance, Surrender of Trust, explored the grime and glamour of regency horse racing, following the determined but impoverished Lucy Goodwin and upright Lord Chalifour. Her second novel, A Gentleman’s Surrender, released January 1, 2016 introduces the innocent Lady Monique and tortured Mr. Stanton, both struggling to find love in a world filled with deceit.
Though entirely at home in the ballrooms and street alleys of London past, Mariel Grey’s is currently working on  a contemporary story set in Florida, a landscape dear to the author’s heart. When she isn’t conjuring words on her computer screen, Grey can be found on the water fishing, snorkeling, and enjoying the incredible natural beauty of her home.
Mariel has a wonderful husband (the hero of her own romantic story) as well as a mischievous cat (who seems happy to play the role of villain). In addition to being a dutiful wife and animal wrangler, Mariel is a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Ancient City Romance Authors chapter.

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Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Blog Tour: Dominic's Nemesis #review
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Paranormal / Gothic Romance
Date Published: 11/9/2015


When Tortured Souls Collide…
In an unforgiving society where the hint of madness is all the damning proof men need, Dominic Ambrosi struggles to live a peaceful life, away from prying eyes, and damning innuendo.  Gifted with uncanny abilities, yet also cursed with the taint of madness, Dominic must walk a fine line.  After the horror of his past, his fractured soul is safe only in solitude…until one day, his refuge is irrevocably breached by an ethereal beauty haunted by demons of her own.  He is torn between protecting himself and his brothers from exposure and persecution and following the desires of his heart…


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Review 
I liked how the title really fit the novel, just not in the way I thought it would. Dominic is a very complicated character and he was someone I enjoyed getting into the head of. He is cursed and deals with a lot and the ups and downs that come with that are a bit hearbreaking. 

The setting was very well done in this novel. I felt like I was in this eerie place with him.

I loved that there was a bit of redemption in the novel and the use of Love to help combat the darkness. 


D. Alyce Domain. Is a long-time lover of creative fiction.  She learned to read with Dr. Seuss, grew up reading Sweet Valley High, James Howe, and Lois Duncan, and graduated to category romance with Harlequin and Silhouette in her teen years.  Ms. Domain started out writing fan-fiction after her favorite fictional characters met with death and cancellation on network television.  Inspired by the entertaining, multi-layered storylines created by so many female romance, young adult and television writers, she began to experiment with her own characters.  Coupled with her own unique brand of genre-bending romantic fiction, Ms. Domain was able to create a whole new world within the pages of her books.
Ms. Domain was born and raised in Houston, Texas, the youngest daughter of Charles and Eunice Domain.  She has one older sister.  She earned a BS in Biochemistry and a MS in Biomedical Sciences.  She worked in Patient-Based Biological Research before switching careers and opening her own fashion boutique, The Aesthetic Domain.  In addition to fashion apparel and accessories, she sells her own original jewelry creations and runs the Boutique & Blog website, which is based in Houston, Texas.  Ms. Domain also has avid interests in inspirational music, art/entertainment, and history.




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