Lizzy Ford's Blog, page 21
January 12, 2014
Review: Tempest: The Scribes of Medeisia Book II by R.K. Ryals
We must overcome and prevail …
King Raemon is slaughtering tattooed scribes and mages, forcing them into hiding. All marked and those associated with them are destroyed. The people are desperate. Months after challenging Raemon, the marked rebels of Medeisia must rise against their bloodthirsty king or chance being annihilated.
Sixteen year-old Drastona Consta-Mayria is the prophesied phoenix of peace, desperate to be a leader for her people despite her reservations. Following the lead of a scarred and forgotten prince, Drastona will embark on a journey with an unlikely band of rebels and a dragon across a cursed desert to bring down a king and save a kingdom.
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Jessica’s Review:
4 STARS!!!!
“And in that moment, I learned something. I learned sometimes moments aren’t always big ones. Sometimes moments aren’t loud or awe-inspiring. Sometimes, they’re just enough.” ~Stone
This line stuck with me long after I finished this book. I had a lot of mixed feelings with this book that I didn’t have with book 1. In Temptest, we meet another part of the prophesy, Prince Cadeyrn. He is a leader, brutally honest and powers of his own. The rest of Stone’s group are present as they begin to cross the Ardus, attempting to meet with King Freemont regarding Raemon.
There were parts of this book that were very unexpected and bothered me, which is why it’s 4 stars instead of 5. Sometimes in war, you have to have great loss before you can have great gain. I can’t say much without giving away big parts of the story. Be prepared for a roller coaster of emotions. Nothing is what you think or hope for after book 1.
About the Author
R.K. Ryals is the author of emotional and gripping young adult and new adult paranormal romance, contemporary romance, and fantasy. With a strong passion for charity and literacy, she works as a full time writer encouraging people to “share the love of reading one book at a time.” An avid animal lover and self-proclaimed coffee-holic, R.K. Ryals was born in Jackson, Mississippi and makes her home in the Southern U.S. with her husband, her three daughters, a rescue dog named Oscar the Grouch, A Shitzsu named Tinkerbell, an OCD cat, and a coffee pot she honestly couldn’t live without. Should she ever become the owner of a fire-breathing dragon (tame of course), her life would be complete.
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Review: Heartbeat by Faith Sullivan
Katie and Adam are afraid of love.
She carries the scars of a first kiss gone terribly wrong.
He uproots his life to flee the stinging betrayal of an ex.
When trust is no longer an option, all romance is suspect.
As a young paramedic, Adam rescues people for a living but cannot save himself. Katie, just out of high school, struggles with a tortured home life she cannot escape.
Everything changes when Katie hops into the front seat of Adam’s ambulance. Overwhelmed by what they are feeling, neither possess the confidence to make the first move. They walk away from each other, full of regret.
To find her, Adam risks his future. To be with him, Katie sacrifices her security.
Little do they know, what little time they do have, is being measured by a heartbeat that is slowly dying out.
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Jessica’s Review:
4 STARS!!!!
This story is told from Katie and Adam’s viewpoint. Even though you get snippets into how they both are feeling, the story does not repeat itself.
Katie is young and sick, living with a controlling, overbearing father and a meek grandmother. Life is not easy, Katie lives each day in fear and anger, knowing she is tolerated, but not loved. Adam recently moved across the country to recover from having his heart broken. Although he has family and friends, Adam feels lonely and like a piece of his life is missing. A chance accident brings them together and tragedy will keep them apart.
Although the story doesn’t feel rushed, the romance and devotion between Katie and Adam is intense. The connection they feel is instant, even before they have a second conversation. The ending explains why their relationship happens the way it does. I have book 2 and plan on starting it immediately, because I’m not fond of this ending. This ending is well written, it was just not the way I wanted things to go.
About the Author
I really hate talking about myself. My goal is to have the shortest author bio imaginable. I would much rather have a conversation with my readers.
Are you able to escape within my pages?
Does my writing make you feel something?
Are there characters that you can’t get out of your head?
Let me know!
Email me at faithsullivanwrites [at] hotmail [dot] com
Follow me on Twitter at @_FaithSullivan_
Read my blog at http://faithsullivanwrites.blogspot.com
January 8, 2014
Cover reveal: “Severed” by Lizzy Ford and Julia Crane
Introducing … “Severed,” the first episode in a New Adult Science Fiction series called the Starwalkers Serials by best selling authors Lizzy Ford and Julia Crane. “Severed” will be released February 1, with the second serial following two to three weeks after. Edgy, thrilling and exciting, the series depicts two sisters separated by war and space who are trying to fine one another again.
Cover by the phenomenal Eden Crane of Eden Crane Design.
Severed (#1, Starwalkers Serials)
Two sisters with special gifts and an unbreakable bond …
Cyena and Tyana were born to powerful parents who are among the ruling class on their planet. Their lives are pampered but isolated, constricted to the city walls in which they were born.
Fun loving with a rare but powerful mind power, Tyana is accustomed to being treated like a princess and using her influence to get anything she wants – including protecting her sister from the elders and students who look down on her. The opposite of Tyana in most ways, Cyena’s second-class mind skills make others view her as a blemish on the family bloodline. No one but her sister believes in her.
They don’t know that a war is brewing, until it erupts. A class war tears their perfect world a part, leaving them helpless, alone and worse –severed from one another.
Each girl will risk her life to find the other, and each will be challenged to hone her powers in order to survive environments unlike any they’ve ever experienced.
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January 6, 2014
New Release: “Broken World” by Lizzy Ford (writing as Chloe Adams)
I’m super happy to announce the release of the second Broken Beauty Novella, “Broken World!”
Available from: Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble!
A confrontation is brewing …
Mia realizes the aftermath of her rape is not over when she is rocked by another challenge, one that will put her publicly at odds with her father, a U.S. Senator who has made her the poster child for his re-election. But the public face he wants her to wear can’t be farther from who she is inside.
The latest rape victim is expected to die soon, and only Mia can identify the attackers. With pressure from the police to come forward, Mia is distraught when her father forbids her from speaking out.
She is surprised to discover new allies in her siblings, who break ranks with her father to support her. But even they have their own agenda.
Before Mia turns eighteen, she’ll face the ultimate choice: betraying her family or her conscience.
Available from: Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble!
January 5, 2014
The Tallent And Lowery Series by Amy Lignor – Week 4: The Charlatan’s Crown
Amy Lignor’s 4th book in the Tallent and Lowery Series is here! The adventures of Talleny & Lowery continue in “The Charlatan’s Crown.”
Fans across the globe jumped on board when the ‘best action/adventure tale since Indiana Jones’ arrived. In 13, the puzzle that no one could solve was revealed, and led everyone to race to their computers in order to discover how on earth this incredible author figured it all out…
In The Sapphire Storm, Leah Tallent & Gareth Lowery took on a new case – a spider web of evil and deceit that would have them piecing together a mystery that began in an old London college; an institution that harbored secrets of a fraudulent author the world still celebrates today, and connected that man to a strange shop in Cairo…exposing the real story of a legend that all knew but no one could ever solve…
In The Hero’s Companion, Tallent & Lowery were given seven days to figure out a puzzle of mammoth proportions in order to save the father Leah dearly loved. But as the web unfolded from Athens to Cleopatra’s Mines, more secrets erupted of a personal life Leah knew nothing about, and unveiled an evil man who wants nothing more than to destroy the Tallent & Lowery team in order to bring back an army that was the worst the world ever saw…
NOW, Tallent & Lowery are headed into a castle that serves tourists every day in order to make their way through a maze to find the parent Leah never even knew existed. She and Gareth will reveal secrets that were embedded in the Third Reich’s reign – secrets that date back to a time far before the evil Hitler had attempted to reign.
About Amy Lignor:
The daughter of a career librarian, Amy Lignor’s first love has always been books. She began her career in publishing as the Editor-in-Chief of Grey House Publishing. Working in the industry for twenty years, she is now the Owner/Operator of ‘The Write Companion’, an editorial house offering authors a range of services.
Appointed the Editor-in-Chief of a brand new traditional publisher–Hallowed Ink Press–Amy somehow finds the time to do it all while still putting out the most amazing series that has received every ‘Top Pick’ readers can think of!
Her popular YA Series: The Angel Chronicles (Until Next Time, Gilded Wings & A Privilege), introduced her to fans who now wait with bated breath for the next ‘Tallent & Lowery’ suspense/thriller to arrive.
Inducted into the International Thriller Writers Organization, Amy is also a writer/contributor for various magazines, companies, and review organizations; Authorlink, The Feathered Quill, Suspense Magazine and more.
www.tallentandlowery.blogspot.com
AMY’S SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Facebook Twitter Website GoodReads
Check Out Amy Lignor’s HIT YA Series at:
The Angel Chronicles website The Angel Chronicles Facebook page
January 4, 2014
Review: Finding Annie by Michael Matthews
Finding Annie…The latest novel by award winning author, Michael Matthews (Independent Publisher Book Award 2013, Silver Medal Winner for Best Regional E-Book – West “Getting There” A Gulf Islands Adventure) Victor Davis from Springfield, Oregon is about to discover that losing the love of your life is not the end of life but the beginning of something new. As much as he doesn’t feel like going on, he finds out that it is not that easy to give up. He sets out on a journey that takes him places he never imagined he would go and shows him a side of himself he never knew was there. Victor comes to realize that there just might be some truth to the old saying that “coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”
Jessica’s Review:
4 STARS!
When Victor’s wife is killed by a drunk driver, life as he knows it ends. Annie was his world, everything revolved around her. After a while, depression sets in. Vic quits his job and stays home, “sitting and thinking and drinking” and doubting God. One day a friend from many years ago stops by and gives Vic the kick in the pants needed. Vic makes a list, sells his house & buys a boat. His goal is “line item #4, Seek out the worst weather possible and find Annie”. One night, while Vic is on the ocean he sees an explosion. Without giving spoilers, this explosion changes Vic’s course. It turns out that perhaps death is not the only way to find Annie.
This was my first book by this author. This book touched my heart & I will be looking for more from him. I could feel Vic’s grief, his depression, his doubting. My favorite part of the book was the quote “It might have been a mutual need for something as simple as a touch or it might have been just the right moment in time.”
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January 2, 2014
Review: Deadly Crush by Ashley Stoyanoff
Dog Mountain is just like any other small town — peaceful and uneventful. Well, that is if peaceful means wolves howling all night, and uneventful means it’s overrun by pesky werewolves, then yes, Dog Mountain is just your average small town.
Jade Shaw has spent the last two years avoiding the pack. But when Aidan Collins moves to town, avoiding the dogs doesn’t seem possible. The pack wants him just as much as she does.
Determined to keep him out of the pack’s grasp, Jade does everything she can to gain his attention. Little does she know, Aidan is in deeper with the pack than she could have imagined, and competing for his attention is a deadly game, one she may not want to win.
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Cindy’s Review:
4 STARS!
Werewolves dominate the aptly named place called “Dog Mountain” and it seems that the people of the town generally accept this fact. But not everyone is happy about. Jade hates them, with a passion that to me, was filled with some misplace hostility. The “what if” plays an important part of this story for me. What if Jade didn’t hate the wolves? What if she accepted the fact that her best friend joined because he wanted to? What if her hatred was misplaced?
Aidan didn’t go looking to be a pack Alpha, he was just doing the right thing when he stopped Ray. Now he has a new home, a new “job” and maybe, a new love. Problem is, she isn’t pack. In a town where secrets seem to abound, what is going to happen when those secrets explode?
Ashley Stoyanoff brings a bit of a different were story to her readers and I enjoyed her spin on the shifter laws. I liked that Jade doesn’t just let herself fall for Aidan and that it is going to take an effort from both of them to see this through.
About the Author
Ashley Stoyanoff is an author of paranormal romance books for young adults, including The Soul’s Mark series and the Deadly Trilogy. She lives in Southern Ontario with her husband, Jordan, and two cats: Tanzy and Trinity.
In July 2012, Ashley published her first novel, The Soul’s Mark: FOUND, and shortly thereafter, she was honored with The Royal Dragonfly Book Award for both young adult and newbie fiction categories.
An avid reader, Ashley enjoys anything with a bit of romance and a paranormal twist. When she’s not writing or devouring her latest read, she can be found spending time with her family, watching cheesy chick flicks or buying far too many clothes.
Ashley loves hearing from her readers, so feel free to connect with her online.
Find the Author
Website: www.ashleystoyanoff.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AshleyStoyanoffTheSo…
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/ashley_stoyanoff
Review: A First Love Never Dies by Margaret Taylor
Janel Canton must be pregnant by the time Fleet Commander Pearson Acto catches up to her again and only one man will do for that. Her one true love, sexy Montana Sheriff Jake Reeves. But returning to Earth she finds he’s still mourning his dead wife and has become very comfortable in the small-town life. Will introducing him to reality of the Universe be enough for him to move on to a new life?
Sheriff Jake Reeves never thought the nerdy girl he and his cronies picked on in High School would someday become a star ship captain capable of holding her own in just about any situation. But when he meets up with Janel again at their 20 year reunion, that’s exactly what he finds! Gone is the nerdy little mouse that never fought back. In it’s place, is a rough and tumble, no holds barred, drop-dead gorgeous woman who he’s going to have one hell of a time not falling in love with…
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Linda’s Review:
4 STARS!
Love the cover….I’m not usually reaching for a sci-fi book, but that isn’t to say I don’t get into them when I do. Aside from some minor grammatical errors, this book grabbed my attention fairly quickly and I am ready for book 2.
I thought the author did a very good job pulling you into the story. Janel returns to Earth to attend her high school reunion. Unbeknownst to anyone there, she has spent the past 20 years traveling the universe. As far as everyone is concerned, that is not even possible and she cannot share that information with them. However, she does have an ulterior motive for going back and no, it isn’t just to see the people who made high school unbearable for her. Janel has a problem and to eliminate that problem, she needs to get pregnant and only one man will do…the one guy she crushed on throughout high school…the thing is, he never, ever looked at her twice, was actually part of the in crowd that made her life miserable back in the day, and could potentially already have a wife and family. Of course things don’t go as planned, and Jake and son end up on her ship on an adventure no one expected. We’ll learn how Janel ended up in space, what she has been doing, and her intentions toward Jake. To top it all off, she is a smuggler helping kidnapped women return home and if she is caught, she faces the death penalty…There were times when I did want to smack Jake, but then again, Janel wasn’t quite so innocent either….I waffled between understanding his view point, but also hers. Can she ask the man she has always loved to stay with her? Can she give it all up and return home? Will she be caught?
And then the ending…on the one hand, I couldn’t believe it…and yet, it made sense too and answered some of those questions…
About the Author
Margaret Taylor currently lives in San Antonio, TX and is scratching post for her six cats and one puppy. She is an avid writer, a novice photographer and enjoys all things paranormal and science fiction! Just ask her, she’ll tell you!
Her list of books include:
Wolf’s Paradox – Book 1 of The Layren Series
A First Love Never Dies – Book 1 of The Spi-Corp Series
Saving His Love – Book 2 of The Spi-Corp Series
All In The Name of Love – A stand alone Romantic Suspense
Love’s Prophecy – A stand alone Paranormal Adventure
She also has many other current projects in the works. If you visit her blog and ask nicely, she might be persuaded to post some tasty excerpts! *Bring Cookies as payment please!*
Find the Author
FB: www.facebook.com/AuthorMargaretTaylor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/AuthorM_Taylor
Blog: www.margarettaylorsthoughts.blogspot.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7126627.Margaret_Taylor
December 29, 2013
The Tallent And Lowery Series by Amy Lignor – Book 3: The Hero’s Companion
Lizzyland is pleased to help promote Amy Lignor’s “The Hero’s Companion”, her third book in “The Tallent And Lowery Series.” Congratulations, Amy!
With their second battle behind them, Leah Tallent and Gareth Lowery find themselves still knee-deep in hell. What should’ve ended with a celebration of passion wrapped in each other’s arms becomes a nightmare once more, as a mysterious man demands Leah to return home, or else her beloved father will be found at the bottom of the sea.
Scrambling to figure out what’s happened Tallent & Lowery walk in on a family that has literally gone insane: A mother filled with accusations, three sisters who wish them nothing but certain death, and a frightening story of a blood-red eye that leads to a puzzle with immense repercussions. The woman named Anippe who readers questioned in The Sapphire Storm is back, with an item in her possession that will have Tallent & Lowery heading out on an adventure based on pure emotion and ultimate fear – where victory may just depend on their willingness to sacrifice each other.
About Amy Lignor:
The daughter of a career librarian, Amy Lignor’s first love has always been books. She began her career in publishing as the Editor-in-Chief of Grey House Publishing. Working in the industry for twenty years, she is now the Owner/Operator of ‘The Write Companion’, an editorial house offering authors a range of services.
Appointed the Editor-in-Chief of a brand new traditional publisher–Hallowed Ink Press–Amy somehow finds the time to do it all while still putting out the most amazing series that has received every ‘Top Pick’ readers can think of!
Her popular YA Series: The Angel Chronicles (Until Next Time, Gilded Wings & A Privilege), introduced her to fans who now wait with bated breath for the next ‘Tallent & Lowery’ suspense/thriller to arrive.
Inducted into the International Thriller Writers Organization, Amy is also a writer/contributor for various magazines, companies, and review organizations; Authorlink, The Feathered Quill, Suspense Magazine and more.
www.tallentandlowery.blogspot.com
AMY’S SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Facebook Twitter Website GoodReads
Check Out Amy Lignor’s HIT YA Series at:
The Angel Chronicles website The Angel Chronicles Facebook page
December 28, 2013
Review: Fire and Shadow by T.G. Ayer
Normal people sneak out to a party and have fun. Maya Rao ends the evening by incinerating the guy who attacks her.
Nik Lucas, sexy, new in town and totally forbidden, happens to walk in on her. Normal guys would run for the hills. Nik knows a whole lot more than he’s telling.
Maya doesn’t believe the gods are real, doesn’t waste her time with mere mythology. But when gods, demons and hellhounds become the new normal and wielding fire becomes her new skill, she must decide what it is she really believes.
Can Maya accept that normal is something she will never be because it isn’t normal to be…
The Hand of Kali.
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Linda’s Review:
3.5 STARS
Short version of this review…I liked the story, but had a hard time liking Maya. As the main character, I expected more from her and she whined or was angry at everyone for 75% of the book.
Maya is a teenager of Indian descent. And yet, her life was not a typical Indian upbringing. Although her parents were strict, they were not overbearing. For one, her father was teaching her martial arts instead of how to be the obedient daughter and second, they did not enforce their religious beliefs on her. One day she may be expected to marry the appropriate boy, even one chosen for her, but in the meantime, she had more freedoms than her friend Ria.
Ria is the “typical” Indian daughter. Her father dictates her life and her mother is meek in his presence. He believes she is chattel and only good for marrying off advantageously. Joss on the other hand is not of Indian descent and one of my favorite characters. Her parents are distant, and just not there. Yet she is fun, outspoken, and loyal. Then there is Nik. Nik isn’t who he portrays himself to be, but then again, he couldn’t just tell Maya who he was.
After going to a party with Joss, Maya is drugged and almost abused by a boy who is possessed. After killing him, and helped by Nik to get Joss and herself home, she learns that her parents were not exactly honest with her about who and what she is. Once she learns this, she becomes angry and resentful of everyone. I can understand that at first, but after a while, I wanted her to own up to her fate and quit whining about “why me”. It takes almost the entire book before she gets close and even toward the end, she still has issues with believing her life is what it is. She has been gifted by a goddess she never believed in, she has a purpose she needs to fulfill…one she requested in a previous life. Perhaps she is too much of a product of her surroundings, times, etc. but who would not also see the potential good she could do?
She goes through some trials, nearly loses her best friends, and finally realizes that she is not normal and needs to deal with it with the help of Nik and others. She is still learning, but she is powerful and just needs to embrace that. By the end, I was definitely looking forward to reading the next book, it just took me 80% of the way before I got to see the potential in Maya.
About the Author
I have been a writer from the time I was old enough to recognise that reading was a doorway into my imagination. Poetry was my first foray into the art of the written word. Books were my best friends, my escape, my haven. I am essentially a recluse but this part of my personality is impossible to practise given I have two teenage daughters, who are actually my friends, my tea-makers, my confidantes… I am blessed with a husband who has left me for golf. It’s a fair trade as I have left him for writing. We are both passionate supporters of each others loves – it works wonderfully…
My heart is currently broken in two. One half resides in South Africa where my old roots still remain, and my heart still longs for the endless beaches and the smell of moist soil after a summer downpour. My love for Ma Afrika will never fade. The other half of me has been transplanted to the Land of the Long White Cloud. The land of the Taniwha, beautiful Maraes, and volcanoes. The land of green, pure beauty that truly inspires. And because I am so torn between these two lands – I shall forever remain crosseyed.
I love talking to my readers so email me if you have any questions or even if you just want to chat…
Email: tgayer@xtra.co.nz or tgayerauthor@gmail.com
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