C.M. McCoy's Blog, page 8

Review + Giveaway: PRETTY LOST DOLLS by Ker Dukey and K Webster (18+ Erotic Horror)

PRETTY LITTLE DOLLS (2-book series) by Ker Dukey & K. Webster Genre: 18+ Adult Erotic Horror Publisher: Amazon Digital Services (28 Feb 2017) Format: Kindle edition Summary These are 18+ dark novels with adult themes Benny loves his pretty little dolls. As long as they do exactly as they’re told. He keeps them perfect by brushing their hair and gives them pretty dresses to wear. He likes to toy with them late at night. One so timid but the other likes to fight. When his favorite doll runs away… despite the other doll promising to stay, his heart becomes broken and he can’t help but cry. He wants her back home or his pretty little doll must die. Have you ever had to make a decision that haunts you every single day for the rest of your life…the life you stole back? I have. I ran for my survival, rocks and twigs cutting into the soles of my feet, my lungs burning and screaming for rest, every muscle tensed and fighting along with me for existence. I left her. I ran, ran, ran—from Benny and his lone, pretty little doll—until I couldn’t remember where to find them again. About the Authors When she’s not lost in the world of characters Ker Dukey loves spending time with her family. She’s a mum and that comes first in her life but when she does get down time she loves attending music concerts or reading events with her younger sister. website | facebook | twitter | goodreads K Webster is the author of dozens of romance books in many different genres including contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance, and erotic romance. When not spending time with her husband of twelve years and two adorable children, she’s active on social media connecting with her readers. website | goodreads Wendy’s Review Fantastic, edge-of-your seat duet! PRETTY LITTLE DOLLS by K. Webster and Ker Dukey, is a 2-part serial, and the books cannot be read as a standalone books. The first book in the series is PRETTY STOLEN DOLLS followed by PRETTY LOST DOLLS. I received the first book in this series for free and decided to give it a try. It was so exciting, I couldn’t put it down. But the cliffhanger ending left me with no choice but to buy the second part of this serial so that I could see the ending. I am so glad I chose to read this series! Book 1 begins when Jade is 14 years old and shopping with her little sister Macy. Charmed by a doll salesman, the girls accept a ride home from him and end up in the clutches of a madman who locks them away and tortures them for four years. When Jade escapes without her little sister and can’t find her way back to the cabin where she left her little sister, she makes it her life mission to find her sister and bring the madman to justice. However, no amount of police work uncovers their location and she grows increasingly disheartened. Soon she discovers grisly crime scenes, and it becomes apparent that her captor is back and looking for her. Book 2 delves into her loving relationship with a man she adores and the price she and her family are forced to pay for her escape when she was younger. There was a powerful conclusion to this story and an equally powerful start. It jumps into the meat of the plot immediately and doesn’t let up until the very end. My heart was pounding for Jade and Dillon from page one. The authors had no mercy on their readers! Fortunately, I wasn’t looking for any. Having said that, this book is horror and is not for the faint of heart. If you have any triggers, this book is not for you. There is consensual and non-consensual sex, grisly violence, and explicit language. This book would appeal to readers of Pepper Winters, A. A. Dark, and CJ Roberts. This was a 4-star read for me. I plan to purchase this series in paperback in the hopes of meeting the authors and having the books autographed. I recommend readers buy both books in the series to get a complete story. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a dark read. This book earns 4 North of Normal stars!   Format: Kindle edition. $2.99 each New Giveaway $20 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal Cash Note: CM McCoy’s Contest Policy applies. Rafflecopter terms and conditions also apply. No Purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited. a Rafflecopter giveaway Other Current Giveaways Win over $100 in bookish prizes in these current giveaways. But hurry! Some are ending soon! Note: CM McCoy’s Contest Policy applies. Rafflecopter terms and conditions also apply. No Purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited. $25 Amazon Gift Card: https://www.nightowlreviews.com/V5/Bl... $20 PayPal Cash or Amazon Gift Card: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/giveaway-... $20 Amazon Gift Card: http://www.yabookscentral.com/blog/sp... $10 in Books (Amazon or Book Depository): http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/review-gi... $10 Amazon Gift Card: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/guest-pos... BEAUTIFUL BROKEN GIRLS in hardcover: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/2832-2/ Sterling Silver / CZ “Follow Your Heart” Necklace: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/cover-rev... Sterling Silver Wishbone Pendant Necklace: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/first-pag... Recent release/Top Rated Book from CM McCoy’s library: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/giveaway-... Signed Paperback of EERIE (Goodreads Giveaway): https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/en... CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber (Hardcover): https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ_BtVulr... Butterfly Journal: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/review-gi... Choice of book by Lauren Oliver: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/review-gi... TEMPEST IN A TEAPOT by Amanda Cooper in paperback: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/2845-2/

Today’s Top-Rated Kindle Freebies!

Review + Giveaway: THE GRIM STEEPER by Amanda Cooper (Cozy Mystery)

[image error]THE GRIM STEEPER (A Teapot Collector Mystery Book #3) by Amanda Cooper Genre: Adult Cozy Mystery Publisher: Berkley (2 Feb 2016) Format: Paperback, on sale on Amazon $7.19 Summary from Amazon The national bestselling author of Shadow of a Spout invites readers back to the Finger Lakes town of Gracious Grove for more tea and murder… Mid-October in the charming Finger Lakes town of Gracious Grove means it’s time for the annual Fall Fling Townwide Tea Party. The highlight of the festivities is a roaming tea-tasting, which includes a stop at Auntie Rose’s Victorian Tea House. Sophie Taylor would like to share her enjoyment of the event with her sort-of boyfriend, English teacher Jason Murphy, but Jason’s dean has accused him of falsifying grades to help an athlete at the local college. Steamed and stressed, Jason shows up the night of the party with bags under his eyes. But the dean shows up under Sophie’s Japanese Maple later that night, murdered, and now Jason is suspected of far worse than fudging grade reports. It’s up to Sophie, her Nana, and their friends the Silver Spouts to pore over the clues to find out who really decided to teach the dean a lesson. About the Author Amanda Cooper is the pen name of nationally bestselling mystery author Victoria Hamilton, who also writes the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series and the Merry Muffin Mysteries. Amanda has always loved traditional mysteries like those of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, and credits her mother with introducing her to the genre at the tender age of twelve. She now loves the rollicking comedic mysteries of Joan Hess and M. C. Beaton. Amanda enjoys reading, writing and all kinds of crafts, specifically cross stitching, watercolor painting (at which she is terrible!), crocheting and collecting vintage kitchen tools, cookbooks, and cat figurines. Like Sophie in the Teapot Collector Mysteries she collects teapots and teacups, too! One of her greatest joys is to hear from readers who enjoy her books about their own collections, crafts and interests! website | twitter | facebook | Review by Lisa Kept me guessing till the end! THE GRIM STEEPER is an adult amateur sleuth/cozy mystery and #3 in A TEAPOT COLLECTOR MYSTERY books by Amanda Cooper. It can be read as a stand-alone. Seriously, I could not put this book down. Sophie returns to Gracious Grove to help her grandma at her tea house, Auntie Rose’s Victorian Tea House. During the town-wide Fall fling, the body of the local college dean turns up outside the tea house, and Sophie’s boyfriend is the prime suspect. Sophie and her friends must find out who the real killer is. I loved how the characters were written and the description of the town and the places there. There was even a recipe and tea tips included in the book. I’m looking forward to the rest of this series, and honestly, I love all the books I’ve read from this author. Cozy mystery lovers will enjoy this charming book. 4 North of Normal Stars! Format: Paperback: $7.19 (currently on sale) on Amazon Giveaway Tempest in a Teapot (A Teapot Collector Mystery Book #1) by Amanda Cooper in paperback a Rafflecopter giveaway Giveaway Round-up Win over $100 in bookish prizes in these current giveaways. But hurry! Some are ending soon! Note: CM McCoy’s Contest Policy applies. Rafflecopter terms and conditions also apply. No Purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited. $25 Amazon Gift Card: https://www.nightowlreviews.com/V5/Bl... $20 PayPal Cash or Amazon Gift Card: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/giveaway-... $20 Amazon Gift Card: http://www.yabookscentral.com/blog/sp... $10 in Books (Amazon or Book Depository): http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/review-gi... $10 Amazon Gift Card: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/guest-pos... BEAUTIFUL BROKEN GIRLS in hardcover: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/2832-2/ Sterling Silver / CZ “Follow Your Heart” Necklace: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/cover-rev... Sterling Silver Wishbone Pendant Necklace: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/first-pag... Recent release/Top Rated Book from CM McCoy’s library: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/giveaway-... Signed Paperback of EERIE (Goodreads Giveaway): https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/en... CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber (Hardcover): https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ_BtVulr... Butterfly Journal: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/review-gi... Choice of book by Lauren Oliver: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/review-gi...

Review + Giveaway: PANIC by Lauren Oliver (YA Friendship Fiction)

[image error]PANIC by Lauren Oliver Genre: Ages 14+. YA Fiction (girls and friendship) Publisher: HarperCollins (4 March 2014) Format: Kindle edition, on sale on Amazon $7.49 Summary from Amazon From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes an extraordinary novel of fear, friendship, courage, and hope that Kirkus Reviews says “will have readers up until the wee hours,” School Library Journal raves is “fast-paced and captivating,” and E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars, calls “a thrill a minute.” Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a poor town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do. Heather never thought she would compete in panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought. Dodge has never been afraid of panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game; he’s sure of it. But what he doesn’t know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for. For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most. About the Author Lauren Oliver is the New York Times bestselling author of the YA novels Replica, Vanishing Girls, Panic, and the Delirium trilogy: Delirium, Pandemonium, and Requiem, which have been translated into more than thirty languages. Lauren is also the author of novels for middle grade readers: The Spindlers; Liesl & Po, which was an E. B. White Read Aloud Award nominee; and the Curiosity House series, co-written with H. C. Chester. She has also written one novel for adults, Rooms. A graduate of the University of Chicago and NYU’s MFA program, Lauren Oliver is also the cofounder of content development company Paper Lantern Lit. website | twitter | facebook | goodreads Review by Wendy This was everything I could want from a YA book! Panic by Lauren Oliver, a standalone YA novel about girls and friendship. I chose this book after reading the excerpt. I am a fan of Hunger Games and decided a YA book about a game like this sounded intriguing. In the small town of Carp, there wasn’t much for high school students to do. For years, the seniors have been participating in a game called Panic as a source of adventure. The game involves a series of challenges the participants must perform in order to win. The prize is money collected throughout the school year by the students. This book is written in third person but divides its focus between Dodge, an outcast from the wrong side of town looking for retribution for an injustice; and Heather, a mixed-up, misplaced girl who has no idea which direction her life is headed. Each of these teens has a different reason for playing the game. What starts as adventure, quickly turns to a game so dangerous it will change their lives forever. This book was exciting, funny, heart breaking, suspenseful, brave, heart-warming, and hopeful. It provided the right amount of teen angst without sounding whiny. The pace of the story allowed it to be full-of action. But it also took breaks for touching dialogue that provided insight into the individual personalities. These characters were wonderfully written. They had realistic teen responses to some very adult life problems. I was expecting a very different ending based on the atmosphere presented by the author. However, I was extremely pleased.

Review + Giveaway: BEAUTIFUL BROKEN GIRLS by Kim Savage

[image error]BEAUTIFUL BROKEN GIRLS by Kim Savage Genre: Grade 10 and up. YA Dark Mystery Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) / Macmillan (February 21, 2017) Format: hardcover, on sale on Amazon $10.58 Summary from Amazon Remember the places you touched me. Mira and Francesca Cillo were beautiful, overprotected by their father, and, frankly, odd. To the neighborhood boys they seemed untouchable. But one boy, Ben, touched seven parts of Mira: her palm, hair, chest, cheek, lips, throat, and heart. After the sisters drown themselves in the quarry lake, a post-mortem letter from Mira arrives in Ben’s mailbox. The letter sends Ben on a quest to find notes in the places where they touched. Note by note, Ben discovers the mystical secret at the heart of Mira and Francesca’s strange world, and he discovers that some things are better left untouched. About the Author Kim Savage is the author of the critically acclaimed novels AFTER THE WOODS and BEAUTIFUL BROKEN GIRLS. A former reporter with a Master’s degree in Journalism, Kim lives north of Boston near the real Middlesex Fells Reservation of After the Woods, and she grew up near a quarry town a lot like the one in Beautiful Broken Girls. Kim and her husband have three children, each of whom beg to appear in her books. They shouldn’t. You can follow Kim on Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Twitter, and visit her at kimsavage.me. website | twitter | facebook | pinterest | goodreads Review by eKelly A dark and surprising treat! BEAUTIFUL BROKEN GIRLS by Kim Savage is a dark YA stand-alone mystery with some elements of suspense and fantasy. Kim Savage is a new author to me. I first saw this book as a recommendation to other readers on one of the various Facebook book groups. The title and cover definitely intrigued me, and since I wanted to be surprised, I went into this book without reading the blurb or any reviews. I am so glad I made that decision! Teenage sisters, Mia and Francesca Cillo, are beautiful, odd, and over protected by their widowed father. To the teenage boys, the girl’s traits make them seem alluring and untouchable like sirens. A boy named Ben Lattanzi however got to touch seven parts of Mia; her palm, hair, chest, cheek, lips, throat, and heart.  After the sisters kill themselves by purposely drowning in the quarry lake, Ben receives a letter in the mail from Mia wherein she invites him to understand why the girls committed suicide. This sets Ben on a quest to the seven places he touched her. In each of those seven places, she has left him a message. The book opens with one of the best lines I’ve ever read: When they found Mia Cillo at the bottom of the quarry lake, her fingers were shot through the loose weave of her sister Francesca’s sweater at the neck. It completely drew me in and told me everything I needed to know about the premise. This story is told in dual POV, from Ben and Mia.  It made it really interesting because from Ben’s perspective you get both his present-day quest plus his memories of the girls. From Mia’s perspective you get obviously the past and the disturbing things in her and her sister’s lives that led up to their suicide. I read this book in two days, devouring the “Who done it?” mystery steeped in Christian stigmata. I badly wanted to blame the girls’ suicide on someone else, and Ben’s perspective provided plenty of blame. There really is no happy ending to this story, though it is satisfying in that the mystery is very nicely tied up, and the circumstances which drove the girls to their suicide are clear. Though I enjoyed this story as a whole, there were a few aspects that fell short for me. There were a few instances of dialogue that left me scratching my head, wondering who exactly the POV-character was speaking to and that became confusing. There was so many characters, from friends to co-workers, parents, bosses, and even a spiritual advisor, that I think the author could have done a better job at making it clearer to the reader who it was Mia and Ben were engaging with. The second problem for me was an unconnected element of the story. Ben was abused when he was a younger child. This abuse is brought up many times in the story but never really described, and in the end it really didn’t connect well with the main story line. I kept thinking the story would dig into his abuse and somehow Ben’s horrible experience was going to connect with the sisters. Ben being abused as a child could have been left out of this book altogether, and it would have had no impact on the story. That made it feel sort of gratuitous and unnecessary. This book is so unique that I can’t really compare it to anything I’ve ever read. I think this book will appeal to both adult and YA fans of strange mysteries and suspense. This novel earns 4 North of Normal Stars! Format: Hardcover: $10.58 (currently on sale) on Amazon Giveaway Win BEAUTIFUL BROKEN GIRLS in hardcover! a Rafflecopter giveaway Giveaway Round-up Win over $100 in bookish prizes in these current giveaways. But hurry! Some are ending soon! Note: CM McCoy’s Contest Policy applies. Rafflecopter terms and conditions also apply. No Purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited. $25 Amazon Gift Card: https://www.nightowlreviews.com/V5/Bl... $20 PayPal Cash or Amazon Gift Card: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/giveaway-... $20 Amazon Gift Card: http://www.yabookscentral.com/blog/sp... $10 in Books (Amazon or Book Depository): http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/review-gi... $10 Amazon Gift Card: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/guest-pos... Sterling Silver / CZ “Follow Your Heart” Necklace: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/cover-rev... Sterling Silver Wishbone Pendant Necklace: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/first-pag... Recent release/Top Rated Book from CM McCoy’s library: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/giveaway-... Signed Paperback of EERIE by CM McCoy: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/inside-ed... Signed Paperback of EERIE (Goodreads Giveaway): https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/en... Irish Trinity Knot Wall Art: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/first-pag... CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber (Hardcover): https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ_BtVulr... Butterfly Journal: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/review-gi...

Review + Giveaway: THE BONE WITCH by Rin Chupeco (teen high fantasy)

[image error]THE BONE WITCH by Rin Chupeco Genre: Gr 7 and above Teen/Yong Adult high fantasy / witches and wizards Publisher: Soucebooks Fire / Macmillan (Jan 2017) Format: eBook (arc) via NetGalley Summary from Amazon An Amazon Best Book of the Month! A Publishers Weekly Most Anticipated Young Adult Book of Spring 2017! In the captivating start to a new, darkly lyrical fantasy series for readers of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir, Tea can raise the dead, but resurrection comes at a price… Let me be clear: I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, though he may claim otherwise. If there’s anything I’ve learned from him in the years since, it’s that the dead hide truths as well as the living. When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training. In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha―one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice. Memoirs of a Geisha meets The Name of the Wind in this brilliant new fantasy series by Rin Chupeco! About the Author Despite an unsettling resemblance to Japanese revenants, Rin always maintains her sense of hummus. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, she keeps four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. She is represented by Rebecca Podos of the Helen Rees Agency. website | twitter | goodreads Review by Frog A vividly descriptive high fantasy THE BONE WITCH by Ren Chupeco is a YA high fantasy (witches) novel with a cliffhanger that promises a sequel. The eye-catching cover and the ironic opening line of the blurb piqued my curiosity and excited my inner nerd. I requested and received an advance copy eBook from the publisher via NetGalley for review. In a world of witches, Tea is a teenager who accidentally raises her brother from the dead and thereby discovers she is a highly revered yet highly feared necromancer, who holds the power to save her kingdom from demons at the slow expense of her own life. The opening line of Chapter One is the opening line of the blurb, and in my opinion, the best line in this book: Let me be clear: I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, though he may claim otherwise. That line! I loved it! And I had high hopes, VERY high hopes of an enchanting, engaging tale, but that one fantastic line proved to be not only an empty promise of an ironically humorous sister-dead-brother dynamic, but sadly, it was also by far most interesting piece of this 400+-page book. It’s a great sales line, but the irony there is certainly not indicative of the pages that follow. Though the writing is beautiful, the alternating chapters of Tea’s past and present serve up a constantly interrupted tale that effectively sucks this story dry of adrenaline. Most disappointing was the utter lack of plot, the omission of Tea actually accomplishing (or not accomplishing) any sort of goal, and the endless reminders that Tea is a special sort of witch. Together, this formed a perfect storm of no-connection-whatsoever to Tea and threw my skim engine into high gear. Readers will easily know from the prologue (available as a free sample on Amazon–just click here) whether this is a tale they’ll love or not love. For ages 11 and up. This novel contains mild violence and language, and some romance, but no sex. The adrenaline, “edge-of-the-seat” factor is low, and readers who like a fast pace may find themselves skimming much of this book. Still, this book would no doubt appeal to fans of high fantasy who enjoy beautiful writing in a slow-paced, lyrical tale, told in alternating chapters of flashback and present time. I wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, I’m an adrenaline junkie, and this book put my brain to sleep. THE BONE WITCH earns 2 North of Normal stars. Format: Hardcover: $11.00 (currently on sale) on Amazon Giveaway Win a beautiful butterfly journal! a Rafflecopter giveaway Giveaway Round-up Win over $100 in bookish prizes in these current giveaways. But hurry! Some are ending soon! Note: CM McCoy’s Contest Policy applies. Rafflecopter terms and conditions also apply. No Purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited. $25 Amazon Gift Card: https://www.nightowlreviews.com/V5/Bl... $20 PayPal Cash or Amazon Gift Card: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/giveaway-... $20 Amazon Gift Card: http://www.yabookscentral.com/blog/sp... $10 in Books (Amazon or Book Depository): http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/review-gi... $10 Amazon Gift Card: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/guest-pos... Sterling Silver / CZ “Follow Your Heart” Necklace: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/cover-rev... Sterling Silver Wishbone Pendant Necklace: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/first-pag... Recent release/Top Rated Book from CM McCoy’s library: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/giveaway-... Signed Paperback of EERIE by CM McCoy: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/inside-ed... Signed Paperback of EERIE (Goodreads Giveaway): https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/en... Irish Trinity Knot Wall Art: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/first-pag... CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber (Hardcover): https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ_BtVulr... eBook UP IN A TREEHOUSE by KK Allen: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/review-gi...

Review + Giveaway: CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber

CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber Genre: Gr 8 and above YA fantasy Publisher: Flatiron Books / Macmillan (Jan 2017) Format: Hardcover on Amazon Summary from Amazon Instant New York Times bestseller * #1 IndieNext Pick * Entertainment Weekly Must List (Grade: A-) Whatever you’ve heard about Caraval, it doesn’t compare to the reality. It’s more than just a game or a performance. It’s the closest you’ll ever find to magic in this world . . . Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over. But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner. Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever. Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away. About the Author Stephanie Garber grew up in northern California, where she was often compared to Anne Shirley, Jo March, and other fictional characters with wild imaginations and stubborn streaks. When she’s not writing, Stephanie teaches creative writing, and dreams of her next adventure. website | twitter | facebook | instagram | goodreads Review by Wendy Stephanie Garber weaves a beautiful world into an exciting, romantic, and thrilling adventure! CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber is a YA/Fantasy standalone novel that has me hoping for a sequel

Giveaway: Instagram for Book Lovers – 3 Tips from an Expert (no, it’s not me)

[image error]I a little late to this whole “Instagram for book nerds” party, but I am loving these artsy book photos on these hashtags (click on them to check them out): #bookphotography #beautifulbooks #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookworm #booklover #booknerd #booksofinstagram #booknerdigans #booklove And from accounts like @bookbriefs, @stephscottya and @paperfury. If you’re new to Instagram and need some guidance in setting up an account, I put together a short guide with step-by-step instructions. Click here to download the .pdf file. And now for some tips I picked up from the Insta-Booksta-guru author Stephanie Scott (whose debut ALTERATIONS will be featured in a First Pages spotlight on this blog next week!): 1. Use natural light for your bookish photos. There’s really no substitute, and it’s as simple as moving your set next to a window on an overcast day. 2. Use all 30 hashtags to show off your work

First Pages + Giveaway: LESSONS IN GRAVITY by Megan Westfield (Contemporary Romance)

First Pages is a before-and-after series featuring an early draft of a book’s first page and a short commentary from the author describing how that draft evolved into its published form. I’ve read thousands of first pages, and I started this series to study how authors get it right. It takes a lot of courage for authors to share their first or early draft, so these are a real treat!

In this installment of the series, we look at LESSONS IN GRAVITY, a contemporary romance by debut author Megan Westfield (Oct 2016, Entangled: Embrace).

Summary

“Everything I want in a book… I can’t wait to recommend this to everyone I know!” – New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack

All eyes are on Josh Knox…

Fearless. Guarded. Cut-to-perfection. Daredevil rock climber. The best in the world.

This time he’s poised to scale Yosemite’s notoriously treacherous Sorcerer Spire, with Walkabout Media & Productions filming every move.

April Stephens’s dream to be a documentary filmmaker rests on her acing her internship with Walkabout, and that means getting the abrasive Josh to give her more than one-word answers in his interviews.

The problem is, with every step forward professionally, she and Josh are also taking a step forward personally, and after watching her stunt pilot father die in a fiery crash, a guy who risks his life for a living is the last person she should be falling for. Especially because in one month her internship will have them dangling three thousand feet in the air from the side of the Sorcerer. She’ll be filming. He’ll be climbing without a rope.

First Draft of First Page

April popped the lock with a nail file and ducked through the half-height door.  For the last time, she stepped onto the flat roof of her apartment building.  Slowly, she turned in a circle.

Beyond the Santa Monica shoreline, the ocean sparkled in the bright spring sunlight.  Downtown, the cluster of tall, gray buildings rose from the hazy remnants of the morning’s marine layer.  The high-rise condo that blocked the view to the west reflected a cloudless sky, and to the north, the arms of the green and tan Hollywood Hills cradled the city April had called home for nearly five years.

A quick glance at her watch told her that she had exactly thirty-five minutes left in the city.  Thirty-five minutes left before the Walkabout Films van was due to arrive and her internship would begin.

April walked across the roof and sat on the plastic milk crate she always used as a chair.  She kicked her feet up on the knee-high cement wall that circled the roof.  The building was only four stories tall, but the backside was on a hill and seemed more like eight.  Below, palm trees arced over the streets of Westwood like feisty fireworks atop wobbly straws.

Sometimes, when she was up on the roof, she felt as if her father was there with her.  The roof, with its height and wind, was almost like being back in the cockpit with him.  It was easy to imagine that if she said something aloud, he would hear her.  Not that she ever did.

Commentary from the author

I struggled so incredibly with the opener for LESSONS IN GRAVITY. All told, I’ve probably written ten completely different versions of it. I even added a  prologue to the book in the late phases of editing prior to publication, which, by the end, I’d decided not to use.

The root of the problem is that all the openers that I experimented with were too slow, which in turn was caused by me starting the story in the wrong place.  In the first draft, I started with April getting ready to leave her status quo in Los Angeles for the internship, and by the end, I’d cut about 10,000 words from beginning so that April was already in Yosemite at story start, ready to meet Josh before the end of Chapter One.

I’m a writer who could edit into oblivion and always find more to fix, so reading my final opener even now, my fingers itch to make more changes, but in the end, I’m happy that I’ve managed to give a sense of setting and hint at April’s background and the challenges ahead for her in about 275 words instead of a whopping 10,000 words!

Final Version of First Page

April had curled herself into a snail-tight ball deep within her sleeping bag, but still she shivered. Her air mattress had gone flat in the middle of the night, and the chill that wafted up from the ground was distinctly similar to the flow from a refrigerator door left ajar.

But the cold wasn’t the only reason she couldn’t sleep. At first, it had been the nighttime forest noises: the creaking branches, wild animal calls, and wind scraping across the top of the tent—it was like living inside a 1950s horror film. Then her mind switched over to the horror that had been real. Her father. The air show. His falling plane. The screams. The flames. And once the adrenaline from the memories kicked in, there was no way she could relax enough to fall asleep.

Making things worse, the same tight ball that helped with the cold and the mental images was also causing unbearable pain. When she drank a beer with her crewmates, Madigan and Theo, last night after the drive from the airport, she hadn’t realized how far away the bathroom was and just how much she would not want to leave her tent once she was zipped safely inside. If bladders could burst, hers was about to.

It took great effort to uncurl and inch to the top of the sleeping bag. The much colder air outside stung the tip of her nose and the whites of her eyes. She stared at the ceiling of the tent for a moment, planning her next move. Wait, she could see the ceiling. That meant dawn had arrived. The hellish night was finally over.

Review by Colleen (CM McCoy)

Shivers and urgency!

Opening this romance with a full-bladdered, tent-camping chill was brilliant. There’s this subtle humor juxtaposed with a heartbreaking burden of grief AND a good old-fashioned, morning-cold-of-tent-camping slap in the face. I love this main character already. With her, I’m shivering. I’m already on the edge of my seat. And most importantly, I’m hooked. Bring on the romance!

Megan Westfield has obviously been camping with a flat ground pad and describes the discomfort and bone-chill perfectly. More perfect is the her set-up of this MC for an epic romance, which is hidden in the white space: her heart is still hurting from her father’s death, she doesn’t really want to be here–in a tent, freezing her butt off–BUT right about now, she’d love some body heat, if you know what I mean

Review: A HARMLESS LITTLE GAME by Meli Raine (18+ Romantic Suspense)

A HARMLESS LITTLE GAME

by Meli Raine

Genre: 18+ Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Amazon / CreateSpace  (Oct 2016)

Format: Kindle edition on Amazon

* Recommended for readers aged 18+ due to content

Summary from Amazon

Four years ago I lost my virginity on live, streaming television. Too bad I wasn’t awake for it.

The video went viral. Of course it would. A Senator’s daughter on camera? Wouldn’t you click “share”? Besides, that’s what three of the four guys in the video did. Share.

They shared me.

But that fourth guy? The nondescript one in the background in the upper left corner of the screen, just sitting on the couch? The only one who did nothing? Not one single thing. That was my boyfriend, Drew. And that was the last time I saw him.

Until today, when my father—now on a path to the White House—hired him as head of security for my new team as I return home after four years of “recovering” in an undisclosed location that involved white lab coats, needles, pills and damage control.

You see, the other three guys never went to jail. Never had charges pressed. Never faced consequences. Until today.

Game on.

USA Today bestselling author Meli Raine writes romantic suspense with hot bikers, intense undercover DEA agents, bad boys turned good, and Special Ops heroes — and the women who love them.

Meli rode her first motorcycle when she was five years old, but she played in the ocean long before that. She lives in New England with her family.

Meli Raine writes romantic comedy as Julia Kent and is half of the paranormal romance duo Diana Seere.

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Review by Frog

The first third of a good book, mis-advertised as a novel.

A HARMLESS LITTLE GAME by Meli Raine is a New Adult romantic suspense and the first third of what I’d consider a novel. This book does not stand alone, and readers should know they must purchase the next two installments for the whole story.

An ad for this book came to me via a free-book email newsletter, and I was instantly drawn to the dark premise and the promise of a high-adrenaline revenge plot. After I checked out the writing sample on Amazon, I knew I’d fall in love with this book and one-clicked it without hesitation. I shoved all other TBR books out of the way so I could dive into this immediately, wide-eyed with excitement, because I suspected this book would become one of my favorites of all time.

Lindsay Bosworth is an early-twenties daughter of a California Senator. She’s also spent the past 4 years on a remote island, inside a mental institution, recovering from a brutal college gang rape that was broadcast online. Since the video showed her then-boyfriend sitting by, casually watching the assault as it happened, and since Lindsay’s three college “friends” told police Lindsay asked for a gang rape, no charges were pressed, and the whole of America believes she is just the dirtiest little vixen who got what she asked for: a drugged drink, broken ocular bones, torn ACL, and a romp so brutal it tore her insides, leaving her near death. With her father now plotting a run for the white house, his focus is of course PR (not his only child’s welfare) and how his team of media experts can spin Lindsay’s past exuberant behavior (because, everyone blames her–she asked for it). All Lindsay wants is to reclaim some sort of new normalcy and for at least her own father and mother to acknowledge she didn’t ask to be raped. But nobody cares–what’s done is done. Except now her attackers are back, taunting her with invitations to “play” with them again and setting her up for another front-page scandal. This time, though, their harmless little games involve severed brake lines. Lindsay can’t decide who to trust, and when her do-nothing-but-watch-the-rape boyfriend reappears in her life offering “protection” her whole world gets flipped, because deep down, even though he stood by and watched three men brutalize her, she still loves him.

Despite the implausibility of the premise, there is so much to love about this book: the dark story line, Raine’s writing, the adrenaline-soaked pages, the raw emotion and utter honesty from the main character–all those things are the stuff of magic and sucked me in so that I couldn’t put this book down. And then it ended.

But there was no revenge.

There was no second attack.

There was….nothing but an empty promise of a story that’s left unfinished and an invitation to pay to read the next “part” of the story, which would only cost me $2.99. And then another $2.99 to read the “final” part of the story. That’s messed up. I don’t want to have to keep paying to read “the rest of the book,” and authors who write these endless serials really need to be up front about it. As it stands, it feels like a scheme, a lie, false advertising. In the end, instead of loving this book, I just felt ripped off. Duped. And I don’t like that.

That said, there was so much I loved about this first third of a book, that I bought the first third of this book in paperback. The rest of the book wasn’t written nearly as well, and lacked the character depth of this first third. So what can I say about this experience? How about: The first third is 5-stars, but all you get is exposition and rising action. The second and third parts of this book aren’t nearly as great as the first.

I can’t recommend a partial book, but there’s enough stellar writing that this might appeal to over 18 readers of dark romance who love adrenaline, don’t mind an implausible premise, have deep pockets, and don’t mind paying for each new part of the story.

This partial book earns 2 North of Normal stars.

Format: Kindle edition: currently FREE on Amazon (the first third is free, anyway)

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