Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 50

#Review: QUEEN OF MY HART by Emily Royal

 

  3 of 5 stars

The opening chapter of this book was riveting. Dexter had been planning his revenge against his enemy for years and he was in the perfect position to win his prize--his enemy's daughter, Elizabeth. It seems Elizabeth wants the same thing although she hides it from her father, but when her father tricks Dexter into marrying the wrong daughter, Dexter is angry beyond words. He was now stuck with the timid bastard daughter. Margaret has endured a terrible childhood and has a terrifying secret that she hopes never comes to light. When her father marries her off to Dexter, she's terrified of him and soon realizes he was tricked into their marriage and doesn't care for her. Can these two tortured souls find happiness together?

I wanted to like this book, but there are things that almost had me stopping especially the whipping of a poor servant girl for daring to go swimming with Margaret. Dexter's tough exterior seemed over the top in some chapters and then all of a sudden he's falling in love with Margaret. There didn't seem to be any defining moment that would bring about that especially since he'd banished her to the country the day after the wedding. While I wasn't especially enamored with Dexter, I found the epilogue heartwarming and I'm glad I finished the story. 

I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.

 

 

Interview with Lauren Sevier, SONGS OF AUTUMN

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

Songs Of Autumn is the first book in a romantic YA Fantasy series that explores themes of climate crisis, tragedy and rebirth, and women’s empowerment. In this series the Kingdom of Aegis is in peril. Magick, a non-renewable resource that fuels all the natural processes of the world (changing the seasons, turning the tides, helping the sun to rise and set, etc.) is rapidly running out. The only way to save the world is if Liz agrees to die in a blood sacrifice to bring Magick back to the realm. The only problem is… Liz is seventeen, and not ready to die yet. This series is her journey to defy her fate and wrest her future from the cruel grip of destiny while discovering what’s really important in life. 

Do you have a favorite character?

Absolutely! Though, I probably shouldn’t show favoritism as they tend to get jealous of one another easily. I think my favorite character might actually be Finn. He’s a very innocent character, but well-rounded and realistic. He cares deeply about other people and is quite sensitive to others, even if he doesn’t always pick up on social cues on time. He’s also a little younger than Mat so there’s a younger brother-type relationship he has with Mat which I find endlessly endearing. Mostly because Finn allows Mat to be overbearing at times because he knows that Mat thrives in situations he feels like he can control. Not because Finn actually needs someone fussing over him all the time. He’s not a neurotypical person, neither am I, and I think that makes me feel closer to him than some of the other characters I’ve written.

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?

Gods, yes! Gareth. Freaking. Black. He is the absolute bane of my existence and probably one of the most beloved characters in my novel. I would say a good 70-80% of readers have professed that he’s their favorite. Gareth was supposed to be a nemesis of sorts for Mat in his perspective and then fade into the backstory as the main conflict overtook the individual storylines… however, this did not happen. Gareth is what I like to refer to as a ‘magnet character’ because he’s enigmatic, mysterious, and has depth. The problem with magnet characters is that they can pull focus from other plotlines and characters that are important to the overall novel. After consulting with MANY professionals over many drafts, they all said the same thing… develop him, make him a bigger part of the plot, and give him some spotlight. So it changed the direction of the novel for sure, and the series as a whole. However, I have to admit that while writing him has been increasingly difficult, his character challenges me in new and unexpected ways and that’s exciting to me. I’m hoping I can keep him in check for the rest of the series and he doesn’t completely derail anything else. LOL!

Briefly describe your journey in writing your first or latest book.

Writing Songs Of Autumn has been a whirlwind. I wrote with a co-author for a period of ten years before we both decided to pursue solo projects and dissolve the partnership. At that point in my life, I’d never written anything significant on my own. Imposter syndrome set in and I felt incredibly discouraged in my writing journey. In fact, I’d pretty much given up on my author career entirely. For a few years I did nothing. Completely convinced I had nothing of value to say and not enough talent to write it anyway. That is, until my son was born. It was a long road to a family for us, and being a new mother I was filled with optimism and a ferver to make the world a better place for him. I figured that started with me. I wanted to show him, by example, that with enough hard work and perseverance anyone could go after their dreams. So, when he was 3 months old between feedings and my full-time job I sat down and I wrote Songs Of Autumn. I knew immediately there was something special about this book and made a decision to see it through until publication. And that’s exactly what I did.

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?

I was offered a traditional publishing contract for Songs Of Autumn in the early days of development. I think that’s important to note as most people tend to think self-publishing as a lack of ability to get a traditional publishing contract. The truth of the matter was that I wanted to have a level of creative control over several aspects of publishing that are usually reserved for indie authors. Cover development, brand packaging, marketing, building a reader community. When I think of what success looks like to me, I don’t see major motion pictures and merchandising opportunities (although I certainly wouldn’t turn those down). Instead, what makes sense to me is that my success be defined by my availability to my readers and building a community of people who are engaged by the characters I wrote and the world that I created. That enjoyment, those connections, are what are the most important to me. It became obvious to me at a certain point that self-publishing Songs Of Autumn would be the best way to achieve that. At least, for me personally.

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?

I have a carefully curated playlist that I write to. I’ve talked about this briefly before but I work full-time in Cardiology and speaking with a colleague of mine he told me about a clinical study that found certain songs in a playlist actually were proven to increase exercise performance. These songs had a downbeat of 120bpm which encouraged patients to run harder in cardio exercises. I kind of use this same geeky approach. I don’t have the exact numbers of bpms of the songs I choose or anything, but I tend to choose songs with an exaggerated downbeat that I can type to. Like Kaleo’s ‘Way Down We Go’. Because I work full-time, am a mom, and a youtube content creator; I find that I have to do a lot of time blocking and have drafting ‘seasons’. Times during the year that are less busy socially or with work that I can focus on drafting my novels. Other times during the year are when I schedule brainstorming, outlining, marketing, collaboration projects, etc. It’s not a perfect process, but it’s kept me sane so far! 

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?
Yes! Thank you for asking! My books are available platform wide, meaning anywhere books are sold. Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and a litany of online retailers including ibooks, kobo, etc.  If there isn’t a listing you can always request the title from the store and they can order it for you, as I know some smaller chains and independent bookstores don’t carry unfamiliar titles unless requested. It’s even going to be available through some libraries through their online services for e-books. :)
17. What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?

Yes and no. Yes, because it’s hard to manage a lot of tasks for my writing career since I also work full-time and travel for work. But, as far as marketing one book and writing another, I actually find those two activities tend to balance each other very well. Marketing is very editorial, detail-oriented, specific. It can get overwhelming for someone like me who is neurodiverse and has issues with hyper-focusing that can cause a lot of anxiety. So writing while marketing a book to launch actually really helps me. Writing for me has always been a cathartic outlet, so all those anxieties and overwhelming feelings can get poured into a creative endeavor and it helps me stay productive at both tasks. At least for now, but I’m hoping in the coming years to balance my work/home/life in a way that I don’t get overwhelmed quite as often.

What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?

 Take breaks. It’s the advice I give all writers, whether they self or traditionally publish. I will say it until I’m blue in the face. Writing is a creative activity and you can’t draw on a well that’s empty. So take breaks. Long breaks. Short breaks. Walks in the park. A trip to the coffee shop (socially distant, of course). A trip out of town. Refill your creative well so it doesn’t run dry. Your mental health, your physical health, your emotional health… they’re more important than the deadlines. Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way to prioritize myself and in the process have been able to create some of my best work yet.

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?

I have a ton of things I like to do and learn about. I guess that’s my main passion; learning. Everything from conversational ASL, historically accurate 17th century costume design, collecting antique teacups and saucers, reading (obviously), gardening, zero waste alternatives, and so many more things. My passions change often, but I have so much fun learning about new things and it really helps keep the research for my novels fun and engaging. I’m just glad my husband puts up with all of my newest interests. He’s really such a good sport. 

 

 

BLURB:

 

Lauren Sevier lives a simple life in small town Walker, Louisiana with her family and two mischievous dogs. She’s a proud firefighter wife and mother to her miracle son, born through IVF after an eight-year battle with infertility. She works full-time for a non-profit hospital in Cardiology caring for the elderly and low-income families all over the state of Louisiana in satellite and outreach clinics. Writing and being in the service of helping others are her two passions in life.

 

She started writing song lyrics and poems on the front porch swing of her family home nestled amidst a 200-year-old pecan tree orchard that was once part of a Civil War plantation. She’s inspired the most by Shakespeare, the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen, and JK Rowling. Her background in Theatre introduced her to classic British literature, playwrights, and poets from a very young age. This helped her to understand story concepts, dramatization, and character development the way Shakespeare once did, as an actor.

 

Now her biggest inspiration for writing is her son who, like all children, learns by example. Lauren is determined to set a specific example for him; to live simply, work hard, and to never stop chasing her dreams. Because, one day, you just might catch them.

 

 

Links to Socials/Book

 

UBL: https://books2read.com/u/3LDDkJ

 

Website: www.laurensevier.com

 

Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/laurensevier

 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/laurensevier

 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/laurensevier

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorlaurensevier

 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49204479-songs-of-autumn

 

Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Songs-Autumn-Book-1-ebook/dp/B082MRDZXN

 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/songs-of-autumn-lauren-sevier/1136242243

 

 

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#Review: THE PRINCESS KNIGHT by G.A. Aiken

5 of 5 stars
I couldn't wait for this book to become available and "The Princess Knight" does not disappoint. War Monk Gemma Smythe has broken with her order to return home and support her sister Keeley, the Blacksmith Queen. With her younger sister Beatrice on the other throne, Gemma must convince her order that they should throw their support behind Keeley. Problem is, many in the War Monk Order believe Gemma is a traitor and want her executed immediately. War is raging throughout the lands as a third contender Cyrus, the brother in law to Beatrice, is making a bid for the crown of all lands as well. Gemma has her work cut out for her, but can she first survive the call for her execution?
I absolutely loved this book. It was serious and then had so many laugh out loud moments. Gemma is such a complicated character, but her love of family shines through loud and clear. I especially loved Quinn and his siblings. The Amichai centaur warriors were fierce and devoted to Gemma and Keeley and added so much to the plot. There were so many moments that had unique twists and turns throughout the book. Some of the larger questions were resolved, but Beatrice vs Keeley and Gemma will be the final battle to come in book 3. This book will be published in November and I'm already waiting for the final book in this amazing trilogy. Highly Recommended.
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.

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#Review: A SCANDALOUS BARGAIN by Darcy Burke

 

3 of 5 stars

 

Thomas Devereaux, Lord Rockbourne, regrets ever marrying his wife, but when she suffers a fatal accident, he's suddenly on the Bow Street's radar. It seems his mother-in-law is making claims that Tom killed his wife. The more Bow Street investigates, the more things point to Tom's guilt. His only witness, Beatrix Linley, cannot come forward if she doesn't want to have her reputation in tatters. How could she explain that she was in the tree outside the Rockbourne home spying on her the duke, her father who abandoned her years ago?

 

I liked Thomas who by trying to do the honorable thing in protecting his dead wife's reputation finds himself the number one suspect in a murder investigation. He was the perfect flawed hero. I wasn't so enthralled with Beatrix. She has a habit--both conscious and unconscious--of stealing items from events she attends. While this is mentioned a number of times, once Thomas declares his love, it seems to disappear. I'm not sure that could happen so quickly. Also, throughout the book, the penknife is mentioned and when it's finally revealed it was stolen by Beatrix and pawned, it almost seems like an after thought and nothing else is mentioned about it.

 

I found it easy to put the book down a number of times and it took me almost a week to finish it. While I usually adore Ms. Burke's books, this one just wasn't as riveting as some of her other books.

 

I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.

 

 

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#Review: TWELFTH KNIGHT'S BRIDE by E Elizabeth Watson

 

  4 of 5 stars 

Lady Aileana Grant never thought she'd get caught as she stole a few vegetables from a traveling MacDonald crew, but Laird James MacDonald chases down the lad or so he thinks back to the castle. When he learns the identity of the thief he demands her in marriage as recompense. A deal is made that Aileana was handfasted to James for a fortnight only at which time she'd be returned to her clan unharmed. Neither James or Aileana could ever foresee what two weeks in each other's company can do.

This is the first book I've read by Ms. Watson and I really enjoyed it. The bits of history she interweaves in the story is interesting and makes the book more engrossing. I really liked James--he was so honorable and lived up to his part of the bargain at great personal loss for him. When Aileana jumped into action to help wounded soldiers when the MacDonald stronghold is attacked won her the approval of the clan. Both James and Aileana grow and learn to disregard previously held beliefs against the other's clan. With a few twists and turns  this book winds down to a happily ever after ending.

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.

#Excerpt: GRAVES’ ANATOMY by Jace Anderson & Adam Gierasch

Graves’ Anatomy
Jace Anderson & Adam Gierasch
Publication date: November 17th 2020
Genres: New Adult, Urban Fantasy

Tattoo artist Luna Graves’ life turns upside down when her estranged father dies and she learns it’s her destiny to be a doctor…to monsters.

Destiny? Fairy tale endings? Things that go bump in the night? Luna Graves doesn’t believe in any of them. Her father took off when she was three, and she’s worked hard to become one of the best young tattoo artists in Los Angeles. Of course, there was that mysterious exchange she had when she was 12 with Heath Guillaumet, who might not have been human…naw, that was just her imagination.

When her estranged father dies, Luna discovers that he led a secret life as an uphir, a doctor to the shadowkind — what we would call monsters. Now that he’s gone, she has to take his place — or be killed by the powerful Council. Thrust into a world she doesn’t know, the stubborn Luna refuses to give up on her original dreams. Soon Heath Guillaumet will return to unleash a disease last battled by the Knights Templar…the Black Death.

Goodreads / Amazon

BOOK TRAILER:

—

EXCERPT:

The ornate padlock dangled from Luna Graves’ neck, suspended by a silver ball chain. It was a beautiful piece, really, so she usually didn’t have to explain why she wore it. The truth was, Luna didn’t know why she had held on to it for the past dozen years, and she’d started wearing it to justify keeping it for so long. If anything it reminded her to listen when a little tingle rose up in her stomach, to pay attention to that little flinch of fear.

Most people wouldn’t think of Luna as scared. Here she was in her element, the tattoo parlor, leaning over hulking Tony Ramirez with his three-quarter sleeves of horror movie creatures. But Luna knew it didn’t take courage to deal with Tony. Talk to him for two minutes and you’d realize that, behind the all-black clothing and hardcore punk T-shirts, he was just a sweet guy who liked make-believe monsters.

Monsters. Luna didn’t believe in them – of course she didn’t. Over the years she’d pushed the memory of that strange man Heath down into the recesses of her mind and scrubbed it clean of those elements that didn’t make sense. If the needle-sharp teeth entered her consciousness – a fleeting thought as she sketched one of Tony’s new designs, maybe, or a half-formed nightmare – she dismissed them. Her scared twelve-year-old mind had seen things that weren’t there. End of story.

Luna’s arms told a different tale: like Tony’s, they were covered with deliberately macabre designs. A Lovecraftian being, all tentacles and scales in bright colors of emerald green, purple and burnt orange, was splashed across Luna’s right shoulder. One long tentacle snaked all the way down her arm to encircle her wrist, where a needle-toothed, looming vampire peered out from a rocky precipice. Bats circled a harvest moon on her elbow, and a rugged scaly creature emerged from a lake on her forearm. The theme continued on her left arm, where two bristling hellhounds bounded down her triceps, nearly colliding with the ghoulish hag with backwards feet on her lower arm.

The designs were beautiful, haunting, each one a Luna original…and each one taken from her nightmares. Creatures had started peppering Luna’s dreams after her encounter with the strange man in the alley. She’d wake up panting with fear, her eyes probing the darkness, seeing flashes of monstrous faces at her window. Her parents would tell her they were just dreams, but they didn’t feel like Luna’s other ones. She felt that she could reach out and touch these creatures. Drawing them was the only thing that allowed her to go back to sleep; it was as if getting them on paper got them out of her head, if only temporarily. Getting them on paper also transformed them from terrifying to beautiful – under the influence of her pens, paints and pastels, the monsters that tormented her during the night became as spectacular as strutting peacocks.

“Ow!” Tony whimpered. Luna flipped her hair – naturally blond but currently dyed with streaks of aqua-blue that set off her pale green eyes – over her shoulder. She was dressed for work in old overalls and a tank top that showcased her ink-splashed tawny arms; just a bit of lipstick and mascara adorned her face.

“Deep breaths in and out,” she instructed, adjusting the position of the tattoo gun. “Focus on your breathing, not the pain.”

Tony was her last appointment of the day. It had been a busy Saturday at Tattoo du Monde, and Luna had spent most of the day inking standard flash on bewildered tourists. (Tattoo du Monde was located on Hollywood Boulevard just west of Highland, flanked by not one but two smoke shops, and as such was frequented by tourists confused as to why Jennifer Lawrence and Ryan Gosling weren’t getting pizza across the street.) Working on Tony was a treat – it was the first original design she’d done all day – even if he loathed needles just a little less than he loved tattoos.

Tattoos had been Luna’s calling since she got her first ink at sixteen, much to her mother Ramona’s chagrin. She and her best friend Jess had ventured east into trendy Silverlake, exploring dusty record shops and secondhand clothing stores, when Luna had spotted Mizayaki Tattoo, its windows filled with colorful custom flash. Even though the art was beautiful, Luna already knew that she wanted to use one of her own drawings as the basis for her tattoo. She had flipped her notebook open to a detailed drawing of an orange demon. “I want this.”

For the next hour she had gritted her teeth, listening to the steady buzz of the tattoo gun and regretting every extra stroke she’d put in her drawing. The demon had been a frequent visitor to Luna’s dreamscapes, but it took her three weeks to realize that once the devilish imp resided on her body it no longer visited her at night. After the hellhounds took up residence on her right arm, they disappeared from her dreams as well. The logical part of Luna’s brain knew there couldn’t be a correlation between the two and that there had to be another explanation for her newly uninterrupted nights of sleep…but deep down she believed that by permanently fixing the horrific creatures on her body she’d pulled them out of her dreams. In the space of eighteen months, her body had become host to her most frequent tormentors and Luna slept better that she had since she was a little girl.

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#Review: THE BACHELOR EARL by Darcy Burke

  4 of 5 stars
Edmund Holt, Earl of Satterfield, has been in love with his best friend's wife, Eugenie. With her husband being gone for more than 5 years, Edmund feels the time is right to tell Genie how he feels. Genie loved her husband and mourned him deeply, but it was now time to move on. Her best friend Edmund has always been there to support her, but could there be more to his feelings?

This was a cute second-chance romance. The house party was a unique way to bring unmarried couples together. I loved Edmund. He was so loyal and supportive and I was glad that he finally had his chance for true love. It's a quick read to a happily ever after ending.

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own. 

 

#NEW Release: GOLD by Maureen A. Miller

 

Blurb:

From USA TODAY bestselling author, Maureen A. Miller, comes this standalone romantic thriller in Alaska.

It was the middle of January in Southeastern Alaska. Sara Eckert anticipated at least another two months of vacancy in her remote bed & breakfast. Until he showed up. A man not interested in hiking, fishing, or hunting. So, why was he there?

Two miners have gone missing. Their disappearance has been ruled accidental. To the firm that sent them to Alaska, that answer is unacceptable. Luke Reis has been dispatched to learn more. Gaining access to the remote wilderness isn't so simple, though. He'll have to enlist the owner of the Marmot Hideaway to help get him started.

As Luke and Sara dig deeper into the disappearance of the miners, they edge closer to passion. But the abandoned network of underground mines may stake the ultimate claim…their lives.

Buy link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GHYLNH4

#Review: THE FORMIDABLE EARL by Sophie Barnes

2 of 5 stars  

Simon Nugent, the Earl of Fielding, decides to throw off his prim and proper reputation and visits a brothel where he finds Ida Strong, the daughter of a traitor, hiding. Now that she's been discovered, Ida has to run, but as soon as she leaves there's an attack on her life. Simon follows her and stops the attack. He feels responsible for outing her and agrees to hide her while trying to uncover who set her father up to be accused as a spy. Ida doesn't trust Simon, but has little choice but to accept his help. The closer these two get to the truth, the more her life is in danger. Can they uncover the real criminal before Ida is killed?

 

I thought the premise of this book was good, but I felt like I'd been dropped into the middle of it. I've only read one other book in the series about Carlton Guthrie but it was more than a year ago and I don't remember if Ida was mentioned there or not. In any case, I thought Ida's character was strong especially with everything she'd been through. I wasn't a fan of Simon though. What really puzzled me was how did all of London hear about Ida the next day after Simon discovers her in the brothel. Who told the papers? Even though Simon was helping to uncover the real criminal, I didn't warm up to him. One minute he vowed to protect Ida and then the next he's sleeping with her. As they get closer to the truth, he decides to bring her to a ball. What? He's supposed to hiding her and then Ida accuses two men at the ball. This whole scene was just too silly for words. So much for sleuth. Unfortunately, this was not one of my favorites.

 

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.

 

 

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#Review: TEN DAYS WITH A DUKE by Erica Ridley

 

5 of 5 days 

I've read all the books in this series and with each new one, it's my new favorite, but "Ten Days with a Duke' is my absolute favorite. I adored Eli. He was so honorable and even when he had to tell Olive of his deception, he didn't let her run away. He was determined to make sure she understood his motives and his subsequent actions. I felt bad for Olive and all she endured at the hands of Eli's father. The solution and the ending of the book was absolutely delightful. I would definitely recommend all the stories in this series.

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.