Blog Tour: Killing Sound by Paul Southern- Review

Book: Killing Sound
Author: Paul Southern
Pages: 317
Publisher: Chicken House
Received paperback for an honest review via publisher
Rating: ✪✪✪ .5

Blurb:

Jodie is cursed with a terrible gift. She just doesn't know it yet. When she stumbles across one of her dead father's old papers on sound waves in the attic, it sets her on a terrifying journey to find out more, leading her across the streets of London to the dark, untrodden tunnels of the Underground, where she is forced to face the truth. Her worst nightmare is about to become real. Worse, she can hear it coming.

Review

Killing Sound by Paul Southern was out of my book comfort zone. It is not my usual type of read, far from it, with it's eerie premise and strange happenings. I wasn't sure what I was going to think of Killing Sound.

The book started of really interesting and I was hooked. The premise of the story is unique and it has a creepy atmosphere that gradually intensified as the story continued. I really liked Paul Southern's style of writing, it was so full of detail and I could imagine myself feeling and seeing everything Jodi was experiencing . It was his writing that kept me turning the pages and not giving up on the book as it got stranger and stranger.

The ending of the book was quite intense, I don't think I was expecting it to end the way it did and the reasons behind why things where happening in the book took me by surprise and I have to admit I was a little confused.

I have mixed feelings overall about Killing Sound. On the one hand I couldn't put it down thus the 3.5* rating but then on the other hand it played with mind and creeped me out and I don't know if I liked that or not also I was a little confused about what happened. I was still questioning what really happened when I had finished it. I think this quote from Killing Sound sums up my thoughts on the book perfectly:

"The human brain was so complicated and yet so beautiful. Each piece has a function, everything fitted somewhere, yet the little pieces couldn't explain the whole." The Killing Sound by Paul Southern

 

Killing Sound by Paul Southern out now in paperback and eBook (£7.99, Chicken House). Find out more at Double Cluck

 

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Review: With Brave Wings She Flies by Devin O'Branagan

Book: With Brave Wings She Flies
Series: Wings Series
Author: Devin O'Branagan
Pages: 34
Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy
Received Ebook for honest review via author
Rating: ✪✪✪

Blurb:

With Brave Wings She Flies is an edgy short story about a demon and a feminine manifestation of the Archangel Michael who wager for a young mother's soul. An inspirational tale of love and courage. Available in both print and eBook editions.

Review:

I love Devin O' Branagan's Glory series and was excited to read something else from her. With Brave Wings She Flies is a great short that has the potential to be an awesome series of shorts or a full length book. The story revolves around the Archangel Michael who in Ms O'Branagan's short is a female manifestation which is unique and makes the story more interesting. The relationship between the Archangel Michael and Lucifer is great and I can't wait to read more about their relationship, I think it will be funny, explosive and also loving.

With Brave Wings She Flies is an exciting start of a potential compelling series. You should check it out ASAP!

Amazon US * Amazon UK * Goodreads

Devin's Website * Twitter * Facebook

Blog Tour: Predator by Janice Gable Bashman- Guest Post & #Giveaway

 

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The Creation of Predator By Janice Gable Bashman

 

Predator came to me after I researched and wrote about werewolves in Wanted Undead or Alive (a non-fiction book I co-wrote with Jonathan Maberry). I only had the title for my novel at the time and the idea that it would involve werewolves. Then author Carla Neggers posted photos from her research trips to Ireland on her Facebook page and hooked me on Ireland. I started researching Irish bogs and discovered bog bodies—bodies found in the bogs (many murdered). What’s fascinating about bog bodies is that the properties of the bog preserve the flesh so the body, other than being stained from the peat, looks almost like it did when the person died. The skin is dried out and you can see bones through the flesh—it’s pretty amazing.

So, I tapped into the Benandanti mythology (an actual folkloric belief that certain families of Italy and Livonia were werewolves who fought against evil), gave it a new twist, and combined it with a modern scientific approach to mutation and the science of transgenics. Predator starts off in an Irish bog and continues in the United States. The title I had originally envisioned was perfect because wolves are predatory creatures that must hunt to survive, werewolves take this to the extreme, and the rogue soldiers in the novel become unstoppable killing machines.

The first thing I did was create a synopsis of the book—a working narrative to guide the story. Then I created an extensive outline followed by a character list. Once those were completed, I used a Post-it to represent each chapter and wrote a brief description, chapter number, and main characters for the chapter on the Post-it. The Post-its were then placed sequentially onto a tri-fold science fair display board that stands on the floor of my office. This process gave me a visual feel for the novel and enabled me to see its structure all at once.

My next step was to write character sketches: age, height, weight, hair color, what each character likes to eat, do for fun, listen to music-wise, etc. Then I wrote pages and pages of free thought in each character’s voice, as if they were telling someone about themselves. The characters continued to develop and change as the book progressed and throughout the revision process.

It took me about a year and a half to write Predator from start to finish. The first draft took about six weeks (I write first drafts on my laptop while sitting in an easy chair in the room in my house that I call the library); the rest was editing and rewriting (on the desktop computer in my office). I was sidetracked along the way when my mom became seriously ill, so the book took longer than I had expected.

There was a lot of research involved. I had to make sure all the science was plausible within the plot of the book. Creating super soldiers had to have a scientific base that made sense. Fortunately, I found a world-famous geneticist who was as excited by the science in the book as I was. He helped me figure out how to create the werewolves using modern-day science and how the process can go horrible wrong. Making sure readers understood that science amid the high pace and high action was important. I gave readers only the information they needed and not a bit more so that the science didn’t drag down the story.

Once the book was sold my publisher gave me additional suggestions for revision. They made sense to me, so I made those changes in addition to some other ideas I had at the time. These revisions made the book stronger. I had a lot of fun writing Predator. I hope your readers enjoy it too.

 

 

 

Title: Predator

Publication date: September 16, 2014

Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.

Author: Janice Gable Bashman

 

“Predator is a fast-paced, creepy page-turner! Bashman had me at the opening sentence and she’s still got me. I want more!”

 

Nancy Holder, New York Times Bestselling Author, The Rules

 

The hunt is on!

 

Sixteen-year-old Bree Sunderland must inject herself with an untested version of her father’s gene therapy to become a werewolf in order to stop a corrupt group of mercenaries from creating a team of unstoppable lycanthrope soldiers.

 

When Bree went with her scientist father to Ireland, she thought it would be a vacation to study bog bodies. She never expected to fall in love with a mysterious young Irishman and certainly never expected to become the kind of monster her father said only existed in nightmares. Dr. Sunderland discovers that lycanthropy was not a supernatural curse but rather a genetic mutation. When they return home, her dad continues his research, but the military wants to turn that research into a bio weapons program and rogue soldiers want to steal the research to turn themselves into unstoppable killing machines.

 

Bree’s boyfriend Liam surprises her with a visit to the United States, but there are darker surprises in store for both of them. As evil forces hunt those she loves, Bree must become an even more dangerous hunter to save them all.

 

Predator gives the werewolf legend a couple of new spins by introducing the Benandanti (an actual folkloric belief that certain families of Italy and Livonia were werewolves who fought against evil), as well as a modern scientific approach to mutation and the science of transgenics.

 

Goodreads *  Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Chapters Indigo! * TBD * iBooks

 

Author: Janice Gable Bashman

 

 

Janice Gable Bashman is the Bram Stoker nominated author of Wanted Undead or Alive and Predator. She is managing editor of the The Big Thrill (International Thriller Writers’ ezine).  Janice lives with her family in the Philadelphia area, where she at work on her next novel. Visit her at janicegablebashman.com.

 

Author Links:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Blog Tour: Shadows Fall Away by Kit Forbes- Interview & #Giveaway

 

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Interview with author Kit Forbes

 
 

Describe the concept of Shadows Fall Away in one sentence!
 

A twenty-first century juvenile delinquent finds himself in polite Victorian society and hopes unmasking a famous killer is the ticket home.
 

Why Jack the ripper as the main concept of the book?

 

Partly because it’s one of the world’s most famous “whodunits”. Partly because I love books and movies giving new spins on who “Jack” was. Partly because I’ve always wished I could take a visit to late Victorian England.
 

Describe the main protagonist Mark in 140 characters or less.
 

Snarky underachiever with a good heart who knows how to stay just this side of a felony and plays a mean guitar.
 

Why should we pick up Shadows Fall Away?
 

Because your readers want the amusement of watching me in a gif faint and fall on my face should Shadows Fall Away make the top of some bestseller list?
 

No? I suppose that’s a good, because I did the falling on my face thing last summer. It hurt.

 

Silliness aside, I always try to write the kind of books I would like to read with the types of realistic characters I want to root for and think about after their current story is finished.
 

 

 

 

Shadows Fall Away by Kit Forbes

Publication Date: September 23, 2014

Publisher: Month9Books

 

 Mark Stewart is one incident away from becoming a juvenile delinquent, and his parents have had enough. They ship Mark off to London England to stay with his eccentric aunt Agatha who is obsessed with all things Jack the Ripper. After a strange twist of luck, Mark is struck by lightning, and he wakes to find himself in 1888 Victorian London.

 

His interest in a string of murders Scotland Yard has yet to solve make him a likely suspect. After all, why would a young boy like Mark know so much about the murders? Could he be the ripper they’ve been searching for? Convinced the only way to get back home is to solve the murders, Mark dives headfirst into uncovering the truth.

 

Mark’s only distraction comes in the form of the beautiful Genie Trembly, a girl who is totally out of his league and who may have already caught the attention of the infamous ripper. To save her, he’ll endanger both their lives, and risk being trapped in the past forever.

 

Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo  * Chapters Indigo! * TBD

 

Author: Kit Forbes

 

Kit Forbes has been a lover of books, history, and all things paranormal for as long as she can remember. She lives in Western Pennsylvania with her youngest daughter and an assortment of cats who give new meaning to the world bizarre.

Author Links:  Website  | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

 

 

 

 

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My journey with the Sookie Stackhouse Series

My all time favorite book series EVER is the Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris! Just recently I have finished reading the series for the 3rd time and I still love it!!! I wanted to make this post to share with you my thoughts on the series. There will be spoilers so if you haven't read the series yet please beware! Also if you haven't read the series yet, what have you been doing!

 

List of the Sookie Stackhouse Series in chronological order:

 

Dead Until Dark

Living Dead in Dallas

Club Dead

Dead to the World

Dead as a doornail

Definitely Dead

All Together Dead

From Dead to Worse

Dead and Gone

Dead in the Family

Dead Reckoning

Deadlocked

Dead Ever After

 

I read the first book in the series Dead Until Dark back in 2009 and instantly fell in love with the series. From the characters, to the setting, to the theme it ticked all the boxes for the sort of book I love. Reading the Sookie Stackhouse series made me fall in love with the setting, I now love to pick up books set in southern states, from New Orleans to Virginia to Texas.

 

Once I had devoured Dead Until Dark I read every book that was published in the series at the time and continued to love it. As the books continued I loved seeing more of Eric. Eric is one of my favorite characters in the series and I rooted for him and Sookie from the beginning. When we got to book four Dead to the World my excitement level grow. I think Dead to the World is my favorite book in the series. That shower scene has stuck with me for ages!! I think it is probably my favorite scene of the whole series and that is saying a lot, being that there is 13 books!  As the books continued they just got more amazing, and the introduction of other types of creatures was great, from shape shifters, to werewolves to fairies the Sookie Stackhouse Series has it all!

 

When it got to the final book in the series Dead Ever After, many people were going crazy with the speculation of what was going to happen. How was Ms Harris going to end the series? I was hoping the series would end the way I wanted which was Eric and Sookie together, but it didn't happen, as everyone who has read the books knows. A lot of people decided that because it didn't end the way they wanted, that the series automatically was terrible. I head people saying "What was Ms Harris thinking?" " Dead Ever after has such a silly ending.. it doesn't make sense!" After I had calmed down (I was like what is happening here) I realized that the series ended in the most perfect way for, Sookie the character, after reading the last book again I stand by my word that even though many had an issue with it (I did at the beginning) it now feels right!

 

I don't think another series is going to overtake my love for the Sookie Stackhouse Series. I know I will read it many times over the years and continue to fall in love with it again and again!

 

 "I am Sookie Stackhouse, I belong here." Dead Ever After (Sookie Stackhouse #13) by Charlaine Harris

 

Have you read the Sookie Stackhouse series? What is your thoughts on the series?

 



Kiss Of Death by Kelly Hashway: Download it now for FREE!

One of my favorite book series is the Touch of Death Series by Kelly Hashway. I want as many people to read the series and fall in love with it as much as I have. So what better way than to be able to download a prequel to the series for FREE! Grab Kiss of Death NOW!

 

http://www.kellyhashway.com

 

Kiss of Death: Young Adult Paranormal Prequel Novella to the Touch of Death Series. This book is told from Alex's POV.

Want to know Alex's story and what he was like before he met Jodi? Now you can. Download it FREE here.

 

If you download the book and love it why not spread the word by tweeting about. Share the book love!

 

RT Download Kiss of Death by @kellyhashway for FREE and fall in love with Alex & Jodi #YA #PNR http://www.spencerhillpress.com/featured_books/kissofdeath.pdf

Six Tales of First Loves, Extraordinary Heroines and Daring Adventures for 99c

 

 

 

 

Buy Links: 

 

AMAZON * Smashwords * Amazon UK

 

 

Discover a great new book with Book Bundles. 99c for a limited time on iBooks. http://tw.apple.com/bookbundles

 

After Twilight: Six Tales of First Loves, Extraordinary Heroines and Daring Adventures is a YA multi-author boxed set comprised of authors: Julia Crane, Sophie Davis, Lizzy Ford, Ella James, Tara West, and Morgan Wylie.

 

This special Limited-Edition boxed set includes not only six FULL-LENGTH novels, but also four brand new, NEVER-BEFORE RELEASED companion stories. The cover was beautifully done by Eden Crane Designs.

After Twilight includes:

Freak of Nature (IFICS #1) by Julia Crane, plus a special short story prequel

 

Talented (Talented Saga #1) by Sophie Davis, plus Condemned (A Short Story Prequel )

 

Cursed (Voodoo Nights #1) by Lizzy Ford

 

Here (Here Trilogy #1) by Ella James

 

Sophie’s Secret Crush (Whispers Book 5) by Tara West, plus Krysta’s Cursed Cat (A Short Story)

 

Silent Orchids (The Age of Alandria: Book One) by Morgan Wylie, plus The Rise of the Paladin (A Short Story Prequel)

 

#Review: Wicked Appetite (Lizzy & Diesel #1) by Janet Evanovich

Book: Wicked Appetite
Series: Lizzy & Diesel #1
Author: Janet Evanovich
Pages: 313
Publisher: Headline
Adult read
Borrowed book from library
Rating: ✪✪✪✪✪
 
Blurb:
 
Narrator 'Lizzy' Tucker is pastry chef in Salem. In June, evil 'Wulf' burns his brand on her hand. His tempting cousin Diesel smells like "fresh-baked Christmas cookies", protects her 24/7 with rude monkey Carl and ninja Cat, after Wulf kills Stephen's guard. Lizzy and Stephen can detect stones for Seven Deadly Sins, and start with Gluttony.
 
Review

Why have I never read a Janet Evanovich book before??!! I loved Wicked Appetite and read it in a day, I literally couldn't put it down.

I loved the storyline it was interesting, fun and funny. The whole mystery of the seven deadly sins stones was so fun and seeing the results of the stone when it was near Lizzy the lead protagonist was so funny.

Wicked Appetite had really quirky characters which I loved. I loved Diesel and Lizzy the male and female lead (I so want them to get together even if they lose their unmentionable talents). Janet Evanovitch knows how to add that little bit of romance to make you cheer the characters on and want them to be together. I also loved Carl the monkey, he is such an awesome little monkey. And I really liked,  Glo , Lizzys friend she was so funny with her magic antics.
 
I really enjoyed this book is was a nice, fun, quirky read and I can't wait to read more of the series!
 

Blog Tour: Into the fire by Ashelyn Drake- Guest Post & #Giveaway

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Guest post by author Ashelyn Drake

 

 Who would play the characters if a movie was made of Into the fire?

If Into the Fire was made into a movie, I’d probably be so excited that I wouldn’t care who they cast, but here’s what my dream cast would look like.

Cara Tillman: Dove Cameron

 

Cara is the main character and she’s a phoenix—or she’ll be a full-fledged phoenix in one month when she goes through her rebirth. She has blonde hair with fiery red streaks. She’s emotional, loves the water, and drinks her tea in the least amount of sips as possible. I think Dove Cameron is capable of playing just about any character and I could definitely see her portraying the many sides of Cara.

Logan Schmidt: Spencer Boldman

 

Logan comes across as a tough New Yorker, but he has a soft side. He’s always wearing the leather jacket his mother gave him before she died, and he has a soft spot for Cara. He’s a bit of a player and is at odds with how much moving to Ashlan Falls is changing him. Thanks to my daughter making me watch TV shows with her, I’ve seen Spencer Boldman in both TV series and movies. He looks the part of Logan and can definitely portray that attitude Logan comes to Ashlan Falls with.

Rachel (Cara’s best friend): Maia Mitchell

 

Let me just say how much I love Rachel. She’s the best friend who has your back and isn’t afraid to confront your new love interest and threaten his man parts. Maia Mitchell strikes me as that girl so I think she’d make a great Rachel.

While there are a lot of other characters in Into the Fire, I never like to envision my entire dream cast. I’ll just cross my fingers that the book gets made into a movie and see who gets picked for each role. ;)

 

*I do not own the above images*

 

 

Title: Into the Fire

Publication date: September 9, 2014

Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.

Author: Ashelyn Drake

 

 

Seventeen-year-old Cara Tillman’s life is a perfectly normal one until Logan Schmidt moves to Ashlan Falls. Cara is inexplicably drawn to him, but she’s not exactly complaining. Logan’s like no boy she’s ever met, and he brings out a side of Cara that she isn’t used to. As the two get closer, everything is nearly perfect, and Cara looks forward to the future.

 

But Cara isn’t a normal girl. She’s a member of a small group of people descended from the mythical phoenix bird, and her time is running out. Rebirth is nearing, which means she’ll forget her life up to this point—she’ll forget Logan and everything they mean to one another.. But that may be the least of Cara’s problems.

 

A phoenix hunter is on the loose, and he’s determined to put an end to the lives of people like Cara and her family, once and for all.

 

Goodreads *  Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Chapters Indigo! *  TBD * iBooks

 

Author: Ashelyn Drake

 

Ashelyn Drake is a New Adult and Young Adult romance author. While it’s rare for her not to have either a book in hand or her fingers flying across a laptop, she also enjoys spending time with her family. She believes you are never too old to enjoy a good swing set and there’s never a bad time for some dark chocolate. She is represented by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary Agency.

 

 

Author Links:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

 

 

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