Saturday, August 10, 2013

Release Day: Rory by Ciye Cho

 
 
Its a special day as Rory by Ciye Cho is finally released in digital format.  You may recall my review post back in July, and I hope you have anxiously been waiting for the release of this book!!

Here is a little information for you:

Title: Rory
Author: Ciye Cho
Release date: August 10th, 2013
Website: http://www.ciyecho.com/rory
Where to Purchase:
Cover:
Synopsis: "Far beyond heaven, earth and hell is a city known as Palladino, a place ruled by ghosts and filled with demons, magic, and all sorts of darkly beautiful things. A city where no one can ever escape.

Eighteen-year-old Rory is a cake decorator who makes stunning confections. But no amount of frosting or miracles can save her when a demon kidnaps her—and carries her to Palladino. Here, Rory ends up in a deadly charm school where young women are forced to become companions for the Ghost Lords. And for her to survive, Rory must become everything that she isn’t: graceful, elegant... and perfect.

But nothing is what it seems in Palladino. Not the magic. Not the ghosts. And definitely not Martin Marius, the bizarre Ghost Lord-slash-inventor who is drawn to Rory. For amid a thousand machines and a hundred cats, Martin holds a secret that could change everything. A secret that could either free Rory... or destroy her."
 
 
 
 
About the Author:(from Goodreads)

Ciye Cho lives in Australia and works as a graphic designer. He writes YA novels in his free time--and his head is often lost in the clouds or some place far from reality...


Twitter: @CiyeCho

Other Works: Florence (Florence Waverley Series #1), Luminaire (Florence Waverley Series #2), and Shiewo: A Fantasy Flight to Adventure(Shiewo's Odyssey, #1)      


Friday, August 9, 2013

Bedtime Story: I am a Dump Truck

 
Synopsis: "A board book shaped like a dump truck!

I am a dump truck.
See me dump the dirt.

The backhoe digs up the dirt, the bulldozer pushes the dirt, the front loader lifts the dirt, and the dump truck carries the dirt. Little truck drivers will love learning the names of their favorite vehicles and seeing them in action!

A book and toy in one!"


My Review: A clever little book to spark Munchkin's interest. I love how it is truck shaped (as does hubby who drives it up to Munchkin before reading). It is also great that the equipment is all labeled with correct names (not simplified) and show what the purpose of each of them does on the job site. This is a great book for little boys, especially once they start playing with the tonka and toy trucks.
 
My Rating: We enjoyed this book and I think it is one Munchkin will enjoy even more as he gets a little older.  I give it a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag!
 
Good Night! Sweet Dreams!

From the Review Pile #14

 
 
 
From the Review Pile is a meme hosted by Stepping Out of the Page every Thursday.
The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review (or if you don't receive review books, any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.


I know that a lot of you have a huge pile of books that you want to read/review, but it understandably takes a while to get around to reading them all - here you can give a book (or two!) some of the publicity that it deserves, even if you haven't read it yet!
 

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Synopsis: "Move over Stephen King and Dean Koontz...this spine-chilling suspense thriller will keep you gripped from the first page to the last:

When love turns to obsession, murder and mayhem is not far behind…

For widower Jack Soul, a chance meeting with a beautiful and exotic redhead dancer seems like a chance for a new start…a new life, a new love. But he soon discovers that there is much more to Angel Heart than stunning looks and an insatiable sexual appetite. When she decides that he is The One – the man she is destined to love for ever – his fate becomes inextricably and devastatingly entwined with hers.

Jack learns she not only has a secret life that will shock him to the core, but that her actions are driven by a dark past that shapes a twisted future. Soon he finds himself on a dangerous path where death and desire intersect, and where his very life depends on his ability to deal with terrors beyond his worst nightmares…
"

 

Thursday, August 8, 2013

After Dark Review of Faceless by Dustin Sanchez

I have added After Dark Reviews to my blog as a way of notifying you of a review of a book with Adult themes and scenes. From now on I will keep my reviews of all books I read that have explicit scenes in them for late night posts for those of you who prefer to avoid them or easy to find for those of you who seek them out ;)
 
 
 
Synopsis: "Faceless contains three "arcs" to its story.

Arc 1: NightCard, a private genetic engineering agency, has been creating experiments with a multitude of astounding abilities. Experiment 1343, or “Faceless” as he calls himself, is one of them. He was genetically designed with the ability to rip his face off and morph it into anyone he can imagine. His hyper-reflexes, along with diverse martial arts training, make him the perfect spy. Craving freedom he escapes to Paris in search for the woman he met and fell in love with as a child. NightCard sends the Four Kings, their best assassins, with orders to bring him back dead or alive, and they may be closer than he thinks. The girl he met as a child was treated for a psychotic break. Her unbelievable story about a man who could tear off his face had her parents believing she was crazy. She grew to be a beautiful artist, and her collection of art features a faceless man dancing with a woman. Spade, one of NightCard's Four Kings is a lover, as well as a fighter with a habit of spending too much time with too many women. He has been searching for something to quench his hunger. Spade befriends a man that's in desperate need of help getting the girl of his dreams, not realizing it's the very man he is supposed to be hunting.

Arc 2: years before the events of arc 1, Joan Saint, the former caretaker of Faceless, is forced into NightCard's Gene Coliseum. The Gene Coliseum forces experiments to fight each other the in bone breaking fights to weed out the weak while the rich and corrupt watch on for sport. A captured man named Fractal, with the ability to split himself off into multiple copies, plans his escape back to the life he used to know. Inside the Coliseum he faces telepaths, assassins, and a young Faceless.

(Mild Spoiler Warning)

Arc 3: Faceless meets with Fractal in an attempt to charge the NightCard base Fati, where they will try and take something and someone they both sorely need. Fractal has his team the Living, and together with Faceless, they are in for the fight of their lives, one of which may not return.

Faceless includes an array of characters, all uniquely brought to life with unconventional powers. Featured within are bone-shattering fights, erotic love scenes, and a romance story that will touch the heart and remind us what love really is."



My Review: This one was a little different for me, it stepped a little further into the Sci-Fi world than I am normally comfortable with, but the concept really caught my eye. I really was intrigued by the world that Dustin created and the unique characters (I love the card theme throughout). I kind of feel that this should have been made into three books. The first arc was very well developed and I loved the storyline, however as we went into the second and third arcs I felt as though things began to jump around and become too rushed. It feels as though with a little more work the second arc could be a novella, introducing new characters and giving their backgrounds and then the third arc could be a second book in the series. All that said the storyline is very interesting and the twists in the ending are shocking.
 
My Rating: For being out of my genre comfort zone Faceless captured my interest. I really enjoyed the characters that Mr. Sanchez created. I think the book could use a little editing and developing for some minor typos and filling out of the story.  I give it a rating of Two Paws.
 
 
Note: Faceless is appearing in our After Dark reviews for language, violence and sex scenes.
 
Faceless was sent to me by the author for an honest review.
 
You can obtain your own print copy of Faceless on Amazon or digital copy on Barnes & Noble.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

So Wednesday is my official writing update day. I have so many story projects going on and I need a push to get some done. So I will be trying to post each Wednesday about how my writing adventures are going (and I may need a swift kick in the pants by you guys sometimes).





Current Active Project:

Princess Bs - 34,317 words

A story about a woman, recently divorced and returned to her home town to figure out what is next. She encounters an old friend and spends a weekend with him and his daughters. Feelings that are long since buried are rising up again, but are her recent loss and his current life going to stand in the way of their happily ever after?


Tamlyn Marie's Grace -

Think Cinderella only with a matchmaker ;)



Other Works in Progress:

The New Old Home - 17,193 words

Everyone dreams of winning the lottery, but what would you do with that money? That is the question presented to Natalie, when she is at the lowest point in her life, she is presented with an opportunity to make any normal person's dreams come true, but all those winnings can't give her what she wants most.


Night Rider - 17,229

Alice is a recent high school graduate who is a very accomplished competitive rider in Hunter/Jumper, Dressage, and Western/Rodeo. Her parents had arranged for her to attend a private college on the east coast geared specifically to equine professions. However, Alice wants to focus on her studies in English Literature. When she arrives at the college she hides her riding abilities, but can she keep her talent and love of horses hidden?



The Last Mountains - 13,468 (handwritten) = 15,766 (typed)

A equine shapeshifting family is being hunted to near extinction and the young new leader must go against all her lessons and approach the elite council for aide. Will they help her? How will she keep her family's traditions and values alive, let alone her herd?


Other Ideas Plotting:

Bloodsoar's Story
A pegasus struggles through life, ejected from the herd, near capture by humans.

The Assassin's Assassin
A student learns what the school is really teaching and sets out to destroy those who support the program.

Angel Story
Angels battle out an age old feud in a parallel world

All in the Company
A business that keeps to itself, employees marry employees and live on company property. Lissandra is ordered to marry Cody but both are always on business and don't know one another.

 
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Gah! How do these months keep slipping away without me getting any writing done?! Again I have failed to get Tamlyn Marie's Grace typed up or any additional writing done on Princess Bs!  I swear I am moving at least Tamlyn Marie to the top of my to do list (after of course my house chores and Munchkin's First Birthday!!!).

I hope you are all being more motivated than me and accomplishing your goals!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Review of Before the Fairytale: The Girl with No Name

 
Synopsis: "Banished from her village, a young shape shifter sets out on a journey to find her place in the world...

The first of four "Before the Fairytale" stories, "The Girl With No Name" is told in a deceptively simple storybook style with the flavor of an original Grimm's fable, but don't expect your typical once upon a time scenario. This is a coming of age tale humorously interwoven with social commentary."


My Review: So when the author requested I review this book, I wasn't so sure, the cover didn't do much for me but the name kind of caught my eye and I figured it was a Middle Grade so it wouldn't take much time to read. Boy was I pleasantly surprised! I fell in love with The Girl. It was such a unique story, it moved along nicely and the pages kept turning. I really couldn't put it down and kept reading at work until it was finished. Not much really was happening and you kept waiting for a big event but you never really felt disappointed, just kept the curiosity up. I really would like to know where this series of stories are going and will continue to read them.
 
My Rating: I really couldn't put this one down and being a MG book it was a short read.  I am really excited to read the rest of the Before the Fairytale Stories.  I give this one a rating of Four Paws and a Stump Wag!
 
 
The author requested my review of The Girl with No Name.
 
You can find out more about the story on Goodreads.
 
You can also download your own digital copy on Amazon.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Cover Reveal: If Only We by Jessica Sankiewicz

So I don't normally participate in cover reveals but this one is special! Jessica is a dear friend of mine and this is her debut novel, so exciting for her and for me to see her succeed!  I hope you will all add this to your TBR piles and anxiously await its release!
 
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If Only We
 
Synopsis: They say all it takes is one wrong move and you lose the game. One false step and you’re trapped. One slip-up in your choice of words and you ruin a friendship forever. That is what they say. They say I lost.

I do not believe them.

At the end of the summer after graduation, Adrienne wonders what happened to cause her life to be in ruins. She isn’t getting along with her mom, her stepsister isn’t talking to her, and, to top it off, the boy she’s been in love with doesn’t want anything to do with her. She believes the turning point was a choice she made at graduation. When she wakes up the next day, she has been transported back three months to that moment, the one where everything started to fall apart.

Adrienne realizes she has been given a second chance--and this time she doesn’t want to mess anything up. Reliving the entire summer, though, turns out to be a lot harder than she thought. As the same days and weeks go by, she starts to see how simple decisions can make a huge impact on the world around her. Despite knowing some of what lies ahead, there are some things she didn’t anticipate. She thought she knew what mistake led her to where she ended up the first time. She was wrong.

And by the time summer is over, she discovers what was really at stake.
 
 
Ready for the gorgeous cover?!
 
 
You can add If Only We to your wish and to be read list and track its release date on Goodreads.
 
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About the Author, Jessica Sankiewicz
 



Jessica is the 28 year old author of IF ONLY WE, a YA contemporary coming out in October 2013. You can often find her either reading or marathon watching TV on DVD, her favorites being Castle and Veronica Mars. She frequently mismatches her clothes and giggles uncontrollably. She knows almost every Billy Joel song by heart. She collects books and toys, and she has an intense love of cats and lemurs. Currently in the midst of her quarter-life-crisis, she is still takin' names and getting very close to reaching an epiphany.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Monday Reading List




Its Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Shelia at Book Journey. Share what books you have finished in the last week, are currently reading and what might be coming up next!




Reviews Posted Last Week:
Links will take you to my review
 
Tower by Jade Varden
Wyoming Tough by Diana Palmer
Hera, Queen of the Gods by T.D. Thomas
My Truck is Stuck (Bedtime Story)

Books Finished Last Week:
Reviews will be posted at a later date

Whose Baby Am I?
Hera, Queen of the Gods
Lords of Deliverance Compendium
Before the Fairytale: The Girl with No Name
 
Currently Reading:

Dark Chatter by Andrew Branch - Kindle - 17%
The Tale of the Taconic Mountains by Mike Romeling - Nook - On Page 32 of 389
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen - PB - on Page 40 of 383
The Rockin Chair by Steven Manchester - Kindle - 46%


 Books to be Read Soon:
 
Faceless by Dustin Sanchez (Requested Review)
Lethal Rider by Larissa Ione (Series Challenge)
Wyoming Fierce by Diana Palmer (Audio Challenge)

 

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Wow! Another great reading week! I am so excited with how much reading I am getting done, and maybe getting caught up on my requested reviews (again I apologize to everyone who is still waiting, I am reading as quickly as I can and still give each book its due attention).

Maybe once I get a little more caught up on my reading I can take a couple of evenings after Munchkin goes to bed to work on some of my crafts. My muse has been screaming in my ear and I made the mistake of following her to Hobby Lobby this week!

I hope you are enjoying some great reads!