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Monday, December 30, 2013

The Woodlands (The Woodlands #1) and The Wall (The Woodlands #2) by Lauren Nicolle Taylor Review ~Kami


       The Woodlands (The Woodlands #1)


by



16-year-old Rosa lives in a dystopian society similar to The Hunger Games. There is a cruel dictator and horrible peace keepers who kill and torture any outspoken people including children who speak up against the status quo or break the rules. Rosa is different because she isn't afraid. Rosa's stepfather is cruel yet she still talks back to him. Rosa is forced out of her home. Rosa meets Joseph. There is more cruelty at the testing facility that Rosa and Joseph go to. Themes of class structures and race relations are explored. The superiors want a perfect race blended from all races. Someone with blue eyes and dark skin. This story made me feel scared and unsettled for Rosa. There are times when Rosa is happy and I just knew something bad was going to happen to her. I was so nervous for her while reading this book. She is beaten and experimented on and I just wanted her to escape so bad and find love and happiness. The writing is really good. The story is interesting. The pacing is good. 4 stars.





       The Wall (The Woodlands #2)






Yes, death would be easier. But living is what I have to do.” Joseph is in a coma and Rosa has a baby to take care of. I wasn't liking this book as much as the first one. The writing is still good and so is the pacing but I just don't like where Rosa finds herself. I like her even though she is so prickly. I want her to be happy. I don't like that she is in pain or abused. I liked the parts where Rosa and Joseph grow closer but most of the time Rosa is still grouchy and unhappy. 4 stars. 

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Real Ugly (Hard Rock Roots #1) by C.M. Stunich Review ~Kami


Real Ugly (Hard Rock Roots #1)

Saturday, December 21, 2013

HEARTKEEPER by B.T. Lyons spotlight ~Kami


 

HEARTKEEPER by B.T. Lyons
Book One in the Heartkeeper Saga
 
“People of the Field, of the Cave, of the Forest, and of the Mountain, and all the places and habitats in between, our race is able to gather here tonight because in time past we found that we were not the warden of the Earth, but the Earth was our warden, our sustainer, our parent...”

Mankind has survived the near-collapse of life as they knew it, now living in harmony with the world around them.  Adain, a young Tenderfoot of this Future Earth, is about to take part in his Heart Chase – the search for a companion animal spirit that will act as his companion and conscience for the rest of his life.  Success in the Heart Chase and surviving the subsequent Trials over the year ensures his place amongst the People as an adult, but failure means his certain death...
...and his whole future lies on the Heart of a mouse.

Heartkeeper is the first book in the “Heartkeeper Saga”, an epic adventure of friendship, challenges, and danger as humans struggle to regain their foothold in a new world that is no longer theirs to control.  Can they survive in balance with the Earth, or will the Earth decide they no longer belong?

HEARTBOUND by B.T. Lyons
Book One in the Heartkeeper Saga
(Middle Grade- YA everyone) 
It's a new year, a new batch of Tenderfeet, and a new Heart Chase... but it is not the joyous occasion it has been for generations.

Shan, a Tenderfoot from devastated Sunperch Village, wants nothing to do with Hearts, the Heart Chase, or the Trials.  All he wants is for the surviving children of his home to be safe... and he's willing to do anything to protect them.

Cill, now the youngest Heartsworn ever chosen by the People, is thrust headlong into a side of his People's culture that is changing daily, where the answers to life's challenges are never easy and what is “right” is not as obvious as it once seemed.

New alliances will be forged, an entire way of living will be questioned, and the mystery of the Hearts and the Guardians deepens in Heartbound, Book Two of the Heartkeeper Saga. 


Interesting Facts:
One thing that makes this cover extremely exciting is that the artwork was created by the author herself! (To see more of her art, check out her art page on her website.) 

The novella of Heartkeeper was featured in Clean Teen Publishing's break through anthology, Wonderstruck and has received numerous outstanding reviews. When B.T. Lyons accepted our invitation to submit a full length novel for this fantastical story, we were so pleased. All of us at CTP are super excited to have such a talented artist and writer on our team!



Excerpt from Heartkeeper by B.T. Lyons:



The Covenant was formed between the Land and the Humans to ensure that never again would our people exploit the plants, the animals, the soil, or the waters of Earth. By this agreement we are bound to protect as we are protected, to provide as we are provided for, and to respect, in order to be respected in return. Tonight we gather for one of the greatest binding aspects of the Covenant—the Heart Chase, where our young people are tested to see if they will uphold the Covenant in their adulthood. Guardians! Witness—we have gathered our young of thirteen years, the Tenderfeet of our People, to uphold their end of the bargain. Have the spirits gathered to uphold theirs?” All eyes turned to the dark woods where, slowly, small, faint lights began to gather with a warm, ethereal glow. They hovered, some weaving slightly between the leaves as if seeking a better viewing spot. Before long there were dozens, then hundreds, of individual heatless flames waiting at the edge of the forest.





Grandma Fael nodded, and bowed to the invisible Guardians. She turned back to the crowd, and spread her arms toward the now nervous Tenderfeet, who dug their toes in the thick summer grass and grasped their glass jars tight. “Gather around, children,” she said, speaking to them rather than the crowd. “Come, and I will tell you what will befall you tonight as you take your first step to adulthood.”





Adain and the other young people slowly stepped forward, and sat at Grandma Fael’s feet as was expected. There were around one hundred Tenderfeet, of all shapes, sizes, and colors, male and female, all thirteen years of age. But at this moment none felt as if they were on the verge of adulthood. They were scared, frightened children, relying on an adored adult to save their lives, which were very much in jeopardy for the next year.





“Tonight, children,” Grandma Fael said gently, looking over the assembled gathering, “is the last time I will be able to rightly call you ‘children’. Tonight you will go into the woods, and you will find, chase, and capture your Heart. It is the spirit of an animal who has given their life at some time for the good of humans; animals who lay down their life so we might eat, or make shelter, or make clothing or tools, or for our protection. There are animals there from all ages of time where humans and animals have lived together, from the great mammoth, to the first horses, to the cattle that lived in crowded feedlots and knew no freedom until their slaughter for our food set their spirits free. As part of the Covenant, you will go into the woods, and capture one of these Hearts, and care for it for a year. And during that year you will learn from it, as it will learn from you, and together you will grow in understanding of the relationship between the Land, the animals, and the Humans.





“But, as you are well aware, not all of you will survive this night. You go without light into the dark forest, where some of you will fail simply due to the hazards of the woods. And there are other


dangers. The gold Hearts that you see waiting for you are the spirits of the beasts that wish to rejoin with humans, to work with them, learn from them, and grow into greater beings. Out there are also Hearts that grow an angry red; these Hearts are animals who resent the actions that Man has taken against them, and they will try to harm you. Some will try to trick you into thinking that they are strong, powerful Hearts that even with their anger, will make a strong ally through life if you can only tame it. Do not fall for these tricks, for they never, ever come to good. Others will lead you to injury, or perhaps even death.





“And finally, there are the black Hearts. These are the spirits of those who were killed for no reason. They were abused, beaten, hunted for fun and sport, and suffered with no benefit in their passing. They want nothing else but to see you die. In the darkness of the forest, they will be very difficult for you to spot, but believe me, they can see you just fine. Most of them are probably sated from feeding on the Failed from this morning’s ceremony, but there may still be some about, because they know that you will be out in the woods seeking. You will be in grave danger out there.”





Adain swallowed heavily, his stomach dancing with excitement and fear. The Heart Chase was what every child looked forward to their entire life, and dreaded. Now that the moment was upon him, he didn’t know if he should be happy... or try to slink away and hide behind his mother.

Meet the author:

B.T. Lyons was born in 1973, growing up in Boylston, Massachusetts, and lived her early life working on the family goat farm and learning wilderness survival skills in the surrounding woodlands.  She is a jack-of-all-trades, having worked as everything from a zookeeper to bookstore manager, to a horror theme park actress, to a radio personality, to a builder of utility trucks. In a current fit of happy mid-life crisis, she is a history major at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD.

She shares her home with her husband and her thirteen-year-old daughter, as well as a rat terrier, a Pomeranian, a ball python, and a rotating guest list of foster animals from the local humane society. B.T. is a rabid video game addict, and also enjoys drawing and creating various Neolithic-style handcrafts as her other hobbies. Her role models include Jim Henson, Jackie Chan, Hiyao Miyazaki, and Bill Cosby, and she is inspired by authors such as Richard Adams, Tad Williams, and Ray Bradbury.

Connect with B.T. Lyons: 

The ELE Series spotlight ~Kami


The ELE Series

by Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels

Available Now Through: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBookStore and Smashwords

Millions have already died, and thousands more are perishing daily. As a last ditch effort to preserve the human race, the government implements Project ELE. With the earth heating at rapid speeds, all remaining survivors are forced to turn to F.E.M.A. shelters to wait out ELE's wrath.

Fifteen-year-old Willow Mosby's life, as she knows it, ends the moment she walks through the shelter's door. Willow has to quickly adapt to the new challenges that shelter life demands, which includes making new friends and working a full time job.

Soon after making an interesting discovery, Willow and her friends start exhibiting strange abilities. Seeking answers, they embark on a mission to find out what these new abilities mean and whether they are a gift or a curse.

This new adventure can send her world crashing down around her. The question is: Can Willow survive the fall?

From the best selling authors of Night Marchers comes a new apocalyptic series with a paranormal twist.


Excerpt from Project ELE:


When five o'clock rolls around I gladly hand my tablet over to Alec to download my delivery signatures. We are the last two in the office so I sit on top of his desk next to him as he finishes the last of his work. I watch him typing furiously on the keyboard. I don't pay attention to the words being entered on the screen, instead I take the time to study him in a way that you can't do when someone's looking at you. Well, at least not without totally creeping him out.



His hair is so dark that it nearly looks black on most days. Today, when I look at it just the right way I can see the deep brown and chestnut colors that stand out underneath the light. I also notice that his eyebrows furrow in and his eyes squint ever so slightly when he's concentrating. It's endearing.



I inch myself closer so I can see more of his eyes. The deep emerald green that he once had is now completely replaced with the most unique shade of navy blue that I've ever seen. It starts out dark, almost black around the outer part of his eye and then fades into a lighter, yet still navy shade of blue as it leads into his pupils. Both of his eyes are completely changed and I wonder why only one of mine has changed.



Alec turns and catches me staring. He doesn't say anything though. He shuts the computer off and stands up from his chair. He leans in to where I'm sitting on his desk and studies me.



"What are you doing?" I know I'm blushing and it's possible that I should feel self-conscious, but nothing about Alec's stare makes me feel unsure of myself. If anything the look that he's giving me makes me feel beautiful and more confident.



"I figured if you got to study me for an uninterrupted five minutes then I should get to do the same to you." He smiles.



"Oh, you saw that?" I push some of my hair behind my ear.



He nods his head but continues to appraise me.



My body feels warm and flush and the butterflies are dancing around again in my stomach. The silence is killing me so I decide to break it. "So, what exactly are you studying?"



"Hmm, an exquisite specimen really." He says in his best official scientific voice.

I crack a smile at his corniness.

"Yes, her teeth are perfectly white. Her unruly waves have a color that is quite unique, it reminds me of a mix between caramel and toasted coconut."

I giggle. "I'm sure it doesn't taste as good as either of those."

He pushes his hand through my hair and continues. "Her eyes are almond shaped and one is the most beautiful brown I've ever seen."

I put my hand up to my left eye knowing that it must look horrible and freakish.

He pulls my hand away and sets it gently on my lap. He pushes my bangs aside and says, "And the other one is the most amazing mixture of colors that she seems to think is odd but I think it's stunning." He kisses me on my cheek then finishes. "I will conclude my findings with one final appraising statement. Willow Mosby, you are the most breathtakingly beautiful creature that I've ever set eyes on." 


Where can readers check us out?

Blog: http://nightmarchersseries.blogspot.com/
Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/nightmarchers
Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/eleseries
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5308881.Rebecca_Gober
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5308882.Courtney_Nuckels
Twitter: MidniteBeckie and NuckelsC
http://www.eleseries.com
http://www.nightmarchersbook.com
Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpSSFWmJDNY

About Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels:


Rebecca and Courtney are downhome country girls powered by chocolate and other random late night cravings. Coined in southern twang they bring new meaning to the word y'all. BFI's since the 6th grade, with a knack for getting into sticky situations, has resulted in countless ideas to write about for years to come.

Double Star by Cindy Saunders spotlight ~Kami


Double Star by Cindy Saunders
(YA- Paranormal Fantasy- Available Now)

She fell into his world, unaware of the key she carried and the doors it opened; a world where darkness waited to be set free ... The wait is over
 Do You Believe?

Get it today on Amazon!

When Cepheus, a dark god, forces seventeen-year-old Ally Ashworth off an isolated overlook, she has no idea she's falling into his world, or that the necklace she’s wearing is actually a key - one with the power to ignite the next world war. But she’s carried beyond his reach and into the one place where he’s powerless ... the forest of Gilgamesh.

Ally’s never been Miss Popularity, but her outsider status takes on new meaning when she’s rescued by Liam Cheveyo and his peculiar friends. After seeing them shape-shift into their freaky humanimal counterparts, Ally smacks hard into a few truths: magic really does exist and, although getting here took no effort, finding her way back might be impossible. Feelings between her and Liam begin to grow along with the realization that, in this world, she’s stronger, better ... until she’s caught in a trap set by the creepy spider-boy Cepheus sends to retrieve her.  But Ally’s not going down without a fight, not after learning the horrible truth about the passageways.

The survival of both worlds depends on it.

Excerpt from Double Star: 

Where she was going didn’t matter. Where she was, she didn’t know. In this run for her life, her focus was to simply get someplace else.  Above, the limbs of the great pines held the stars hostage. The only light came from the two moons in the sky. Despite her silent pleas they continued to fall, barely visible through the thick cover of the forest. She knew the darkness concealed many secrets and, from that fact, there was no escape.

Snap. The sound from behind stopped her heart. She dared to turn around. Two glowing rubies, only feet away, rode up and down as the creature advanced on four legs.

Beware the red eyes. The boy’s whisper broke through. They are the eyes of death for you and the ones you love. They will not rest until yours are closed forever. His image played in her head for only a millisecond, but it filled her with courage. Her heart picked up pace and, with arms out at her sides, hands moving in frantic rhythm, she managed to stay on her feet.

She sensed each passing second could be her last when she heard the creature’s rhythmic breathing roll up from her heels. Just then, the red moon revealed an abrupt end to the forest a short distance ahead. In a few steps, her fate would be in the hands of gravity. Trust! That was her grappling hook as she threw herself over the edge and tumbled into the darkness below.

The beast followed down the steep embankment and stopped a few feet away. She got to her feet and allowed the wolf-like creature another step. Its red eyes stared up at her. The head dropped between its shoulders. Its weight shifted to its hindquarters. The muscles of hunter and prey simultaneously tensed. The animal growled and exposed a set of long, yellow teeth. Saliva fell in strings from razor-sharp incisors. Unable to move, she watched as it lunged, jaws open wide. She put her hands in front of her and took a step back. Her left foot fell upon air, and then ... she plummeted into emptiness.

About Cindy Saunders:


CINDY SAUNDERS was born in Lowell, MA. She moved to RI almost twenty-five years ago and now considers the Ocean State her home. She graduated from Bryant College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance. When she’s not reading, writing, spending time with her two teenage children (how did that happen?) or working, Cindy tracks down one of her favorite local bands and enjoys a glass of wine. She completed her first novel, Double Star, a YA fantasy, in October 2012 and is currently working on the second book in the series.

Double Star is her first novel.


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doublestarbook

Published by:




Thursday, December 19, 2013

Modogamous by Karen E. Martin review ~Kami


       Modogamous

by











This is a light hearted romantic romp of a book. It is fast paced, well written and laugh out loud funny. It is a very cute, little contemporary romance. Kate and Mitch are friends and then things heat up. Kate has a roomie and a funny little dog that annoys her, funny friends and an unsatisfying career. “Earlier this year, Roomie said she was giving up on men and becoming modogamous—in other words, monogamous with a dog.” This book is a very fun and entertaining rom com. It does have a standard romance novel plot (boy and girl are friends and boy loves girl but can't seem to get her) but the humor and cleverness of the writing kept my interest. 4 stars.


Tuesday, December 17, 2013

BRINK OF DISTINCTION SERIES by Jon Messenger Spotlight ~Kami


BRINK OF DISTINCTION SERIES


Adult Sci-Fi Series Published Through Crimson Tree Publishing

Burden of Sisyphus

Between the alien Alliance and the Terran Empire, a neutral zone stretches between the galaxies, a demilitarized zone that was established 150 years previous, following the Great War. 
The peace accord granted a semblance of peace to the universe. The peace, however, is a facade, and it is the responsibility of Michael Vance and his covert operations team to maintain that illusion.

Recently, the Alliance lost contact with one of their outposts near the neutral zone. Surveillance scans show an abandoned city and no signs of life. The Alliance does what it always does: send in the best. But an unexpected betrayal leaves Vance and his team stranded. Worse, the city that was supposed to be dead is quite alive. And the monsters that now roam its streets are slaughtering his team, one at a time.






Fall of Icarus

The Terran Empire has broken the Taisa Accord and invaded Alliance space in this exciting second novel in the Brink of Distinction series.  Survivors of the Empire's first assault, Yen Xiao and Adam Decker swore vengeance against the Terrans.  Joining forces with the enigmatic Keryn Riddell, the three warriors must find a way to destroy the Terran fleet.  But the Terrans have a secret weapon: a biological agent sold to them by an renegade smuggler.  Now it's a race against the clock to capture the smuggler before the Terrans decimate the Alliance homeworlds.

When everything they do proves to be not enough to stop the Empire's violent invasion, the Alliance takes the fight directly to the Empire by invading Earth!  But Earth may not be the biggest threat to the safety of the Alliance.  The biggest danger may be one of their own.



The final confrontation between the Alien Alliance and the Terran Empire begins in this exciting conclusion to the Brink of Distinction trilogy.

One-by-one, the brilliant suns of Alliance space are disappearing, left cold and lifeless after exposure to the Terran biological epidemic.  Trapped on one of the sunless worlds, Keryn Riddell, the ruthless Wyndgaart warrior, fights against both a frozen landscape and her Terran captors.

As Keryn fights for her life, the psychic Yen Xiao leads the Alliance fleet in pursuit of the Terran Destroyers threatening the Alliance homeworlds.  Yearning for leadership of the fleet, Yen begins to wonder just how far he’ll go for the power he craves.

Excerpt from Burden of Sisyphus

Private Hicks’ body screamed in protest as he tried to stand.  His muscles ached and his lungs burned in the planet’s thin, dust-filled air.  Under his dark armor sweat soaked through his uniform.  Raising his head, he saw the looming plateau.  Nuzzled within the wedge of the plateau’s façade there was the Terran’s dark, stone, defensive wall.  Relief flooded through him.  Being able to see the bristling antiaircraft weapon platforms mounted atop the wall meant his destination was finally within reach.
Scrambling to his feet, despite resistant muscles, he ran the rest of the way to the wall.  He didn’t dare hope to make it that far without being spotted by his enemies but the reprieve gave him time to close the final twenty meters to the outpost.  Legs cramping, he limped the rest of the way to the wall.  Ignoring the large, arched vehicle entrance, whose heavy doors led straight to the courtyard between the wall and the building set into the plateau, he staggered to the reinforced personnel entrance to one side.  Shuffling past a set of thick windows he watched Terran soldiers within the wall move toward the door.
Sliding in the red sand he stopped in front of the door and pounded it with his open hand.  “Open the door!” he yelled, his voice raspy and dry.
When nothing happened he banged again, glancing over his shoulder in fear and frustration.
“Open the damn door!” he screamed, as much as his raw throat allowed, hitting the door repeatedly.
Finally, hesitantly, it opened.
A blast of cool air struck him as he was pulled into the comforting darkness.  The room was cast in deep shadows and he was momentarily blinded in the dim lighting.  He shivered as someone helped him to the far side of the narrow room, the cool air a stark contrast to the scorching heat outside.  Sliding down against the wall, he exhaled a loud, raspy breath.
“Hicks,” the closest soldier said.
His head swam with exhaustion.
“What happened out there?”
He peered through the gloom, barely able to make out the man’s rank and name.  “Alliance mercenaries.  They hit us while we were on patrol.”
A third soldier pushed past the others and bent over Hicks, who saw the officer epaulettes on his shoulder.  “Where’s the rest of your team, Private?”
He shook his head.  “They’re all dead, Sir.”
“All of them?” the lieutenant asked in disbelief.  “How did one group of Alliance mercenaries take out an entire patrol?”
A soft sound echoed through the room before Hicks could reply.  The thumping reverberated softly as he clambered to his feet.  Slowly, the others heard it and the room fell to hushed silence.  It was a series of soft thumps as if something struck the compound’s outer wall repeatedly.
“What the hell is that noise?” Lieutenant Hill asked, looking toward the thick, outer walls.
The sound continued unabated.
“Sir, I’ve got a visual,” a private said, watching from the window.
The lieutenant rushed to the window, pulling free the binoculars on his hip.  In the distance, a single massive form stood at the crest of the hill.  Thick, dark fur covered its body which ended in an elongated snout.  Sharp horns jutted from its temples, curving wickedly forward.
Lowering his binoculars, the lieutenant turned toward the rest of the soldiers.  “It looks like the Alliance found our outpost!  Let’s move, people!”  As he walked back to the middle of the room the soldiers exploded into action.
“On your feet, soldiers!” Lieutenant Hill yelled over the din of muttered conversation.  “Grab some ammo and find a wall to stand behind.”  Turning back toward the sturdy window he glared across the red field.  “If they want to bring their fight here, they won’t even know what hit them.”
“How true,” Hicks rasped, as a barbed tail erupted from under the back of his shirt.  Lashing out, the tail struck the base of Lieutenant Hill’s neck and erupted from his throat, nearly decapitating the officer.
Hicks extended his left hand, the fingers elongated into razor-sharp points, which he drove into a nearby soldier’s abdomen.  The soldier stared in disbelief, as the skin on Hicks’ face melted like wax, first running down toward his chin before being absorbed into his oily-black skin.  The face disappeared, leaving behind a featureless black oval.  Slowly, the rest of his skin melted away until all that remained was thick, black hide.
The creature that impersonated Hicks swished its spiked tail back and forth and turned toward the three remaining soldiers in the room.  Eyes wide with fright, one swung his rifle toward the creature and squeezed the trigger.
The window exploded inward as the first round tore through the thick glass and struck the soldier’s temple.  His scalp peeled away on the far side of his head as the high-velocity round passed through and struck the far wall, spraying the back of the room with blood.

About Jon Messenger



Jon Messenger (Born 1979 in London, England) serves as an United States Army Major in the Medical Service Corps. Since graduating from the University of Southern California in 2002, writing Science Fiction has remained his passion, a passion that has continued through two deployments to Iraq, a humanitarian relief mission to Haiti, and an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. Jon wrote the "Brink of Distinction" trilogy, of which "Burden of Sisyphus" is the first book, while serving a 16-month deployment in Baghdad, Iraq.

Jon's books include Wind Warrior which was published through Clean Teen Publishing and quickly hit the best selling lists of Amazon. Jon Messenger has won a readers choice award as well as the Clean Teen Publishing writing contest for his Novella of Wind Warrior, which is also featured in Wonderstruck. Messenger's sci-fi series, Brink of Distinction, was picked up by Clean Teen Publishing's adult imprint: Crimson Tree Publishing in the Fall of 2013.