Jessica E. Subject's Blog, page 209

Book Review: Indian Moon by Carolyn McCray

from Goodreads:

Quinton Spear just wanted to get in and, more importantly, out of his old stomping grounds quickly and quietly. Regina Togglehorn only wanted to keep her son from following in his father's unpredictable and violent footsteps. Yet, under an Indian Moon, they find what both feared had become an impossible, lost dream… Love

First Line:

Quinton Spear cursed his luck.

My Review

Quinton arrives in the small town of Crow's Landing with his co-worker to survey the land before his company decides whether or not to sign off on the deforestation project. But this process is just a formality as Quinton and the company he works for have already been paid off by the owner of the local mill, Mr. Togglehorn. Nothing they find will change the decision, or so Quinton believes until he meets Mr. Togglehorn's wife, Regina.

Regina has been married to her husband from the age of sixteen, when her parents received compensation for her hand in marriage. She has suffered his verbal and physical abuse for years and is left to deal with her two, polar-opposite teenage children while her husband is often out of town on business. But when a friend convinces her that joining the two guys visiting the town is completely harmless, she learns life and love can be different than what she has suffered through.

I found the characters and the situation in Indian Moon to be very realistic. Quinton's reluctance to start anything with the boss' wife and Regina's inexperience in relationships are portrayed very well. As with every other book I've read by Carolyn McCray, I found her descriptions in this novel to be exceptional. I never had to wonder what the setting or a person looked like.

Although this story is written in third person for Quinton and Regina's points-of-view, there were some areas throughout which made the story feel more omnipotent.

That did not distract from my enjoyment of this contemporary romance though. The characters were extremely well-developed without Ms. McCray throwing in a lot of back story. And she brought tears to my eyes at the end.

Indian Moon is another great story from Carolyn McCray and I look forward to reading more from her.

My Rating: 4 Aliens out of 5

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Indian Moon by Carolyn McCray is available from:

Amazon.com
Smashwords
& more

You can find Carolyn McCray here:

Website: http://carolynmccray.com/
Blog: http://writingnodrama.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/craftycmc
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4127933.Carolyn_McCray
Indie Book Collective: http://indiebookcollective.wordpress.com/

 

Celestial Seduction gets its first review!!

Book blogger Diana from Offbeat Vagabond posted the first review of Celestial Seduction.

My rating:

Read the review here.

Six Sentence Sunday #36: 06/26/11 – Did something happen between Faith and Gabe?

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Thank you to everyone who keeps coming back to read and comment on my excerpts every week. As always, I am open to constructive criticism.

This excerpt comes from a WIP called Acceptance (still in first draft). Continued from last week, Faith found out she spent the night with Gabe, but did they do anything?

Being in his arms felt so good, but there was one last question Faith needed answered before she could relax. "And did anything happen, between us?"

Gabe smiled and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "No, you were too drunk. The only reason I agreed to sleep in your bed was to make sure you didn't choke on your vomit while you were sleeping."

"How romantic."

There you go! That's it from Acceptance for now. Next week, I'll start sharing excerpts from Celestial Seduction which releases this Friday from Decadent Publishing.

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Visit http://www.sixsunday.com/ to find out who's participating in Six Sentence Sunday this week or follow the #sixsunday hashtag on twitter.

 

New release date for Celestial Seduction

Celestial Seduction has a new release day:

July 1st, 2011

My story which takes place in Canada will release on Canada Day! Woo-hoo!

Whether you're in Canada, the U.S., or anywhere else across Earth, Celestial Seduction makes a great beach read. You wouldn't be forced to choose between Romance or Science Fiction. And it's short enough that you would have time to read others from the 1 Night Stand series as well.

I'm finished, well….almost

Normally I would have a review of one of Decadent Publishing's 1 Night Stand series today. Unfortunately, I have been busy working on revisions and I've been putting off reading, blogging, twitter, facebook, and other writing projects. But now I'm done, almost. I just have one polishing round to go before I get back to other projects and promoting my upcoming release Celestial Seduction.

I hope all of your writing projects are going well! Have a great weekend!

WOW: Fins Are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme started by Breaking the Spine in which we spotlight soon-to-be released books that we can't wait to get our hands on!

Fins Are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs

Publication date: June 28, 2011 by Harper Collins, Inc.

Young Adult, Paranormal/Urban Fantasy

On Lily Sanderson's eighteenth birthday she'll become just a girl—still a mergirl, true, but signing the renunciation will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being-human thing once and for all.

Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer bond or not, she's almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, the waves start to get rough. Lily's father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily's former crush, Brody?

The seafoam on the raging surf comes when a merboy from Lily's past shows up—Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There's a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her own dreams?

Tera Lynn Childs's sequel to Forgive My Fins offers another tail-flicking romance with plenty of fun, sun, and underwater adventure.

I read Forgive My Fins after the cover caught my eye. I loved it as well as Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs. So, for me this is a must read.

What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?

Book Review: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

from Goodreads:

In the beginning they were a group of nine. Nine aliens who left their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorian. Nine aliens who scattered on Earth. Nine aliens who look like ordinary teenagers living ordinary lives, but who have extraordinary, paranormal skills. Nine aliens who might be sitting next to you now.

The Nine had to separate and go into hiding. The Mogadorian caught Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. All of them were killed. John Smith, of Paradise, Ohio, is Number Four. He knows that he is next.

I Am Number Four is the thrilling launch of a series about an exceptional group of teens as they struggle to outrun their past, discover their future—and live a normal life on Earth.

I AM NUMBER FOUR.

I AM NEXT.

First Line

In the beginning there were nine of us.

My Review

*I bought this ebook from Kobo.

I absolutely love to read books involving aliens hiding amongst humans on Earth. I first learned of this story from multiple book reviews on blogs I follow; some good and some bad.

I loved the concept of the story, but I must say I was a bit disappointed with the middle of the story. It didn't seem to sag, but there were several scenes that should have been expanded or used to show us more about how John felt about the situation he was in. It felt a bit emotionless.

The end though totally made up for everything the middle lacked. It was full of excitement, emotion and made the pages turn faster.

One thing that really bothered me was the mention of Pittacus Lore in the novel. Pittacus Lore is supposed to be the head elder from the planet Lorien, where John and Henri are from. As he is also the supposed author (it's really James Frey), it just doesn't make sense. He's only mentioned twice without any detail and could easily have been left out. There was no purpose to mention him at all.

Overall it was a good book and I am anxious to see the movie.

My Rating: 4 Aliens out of 5

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Information:

Hardcover, 440 pages

Published August 3, 2010 by HarperCollins

ISBN 0061969559 (ISBN13: 978-0061969553)

Book website: http://iamnumberfourfans.com/

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/IAmNumberFourFans

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore is available from:

Chapters/Indigo
Amazon.com
Amazon.ca
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
The Book Depository
Indie Bound
& more
Ebook versions also available for the Kobo, Nook, Kindle & more.

 

Six Sentence Sunday #35: 06/19/11 – Faith learns more of what happened

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Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful fathers out there and to the mothers who do double duty!

Oh, and if you're interested, Celestial Seduction releases July 8th. I'll finish this scene with Faith and Gabe up next week then switch to Celestial Seduction for my SSS excerpts.

Thank you to everyone who keeps coming back to read and comment on my excerpts every week. As always, I am open to constructive criticism.

This excerpt comes from a WIP called Acceptance (still in first draft). Continued from last week, Faith found out she was "friendly" at the bar. Now she learns the "rest of the story" or some more anyways.

"What happened after? I mean, how did you end up in my bed?"

Gabe laughed and squeezed her body a little tighter. "When Todd and I got you home, you wouldn't let me leave your side and insisted I sleep in your bed rather than the guest room."

"Really?'

Gabe nodded.

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Visit http://www.sixsunday.com/ to find out who's participating in Six Sentence Sunday this week or follow the #sixsunday hashtag on twitter.

 

Release Date for Celestial Seduction!!

Well, it's official. Celestial Seduction has a release date:

July 8th

So, I am planning all kinds of fun stuff on and around that date including giveaways.

Blurb:

At the end of his obligated commitment to the Space Service, Frey Berger decides to stay on Earth to further experience human emotions rather than return to Ginnun where his intended has already mated with another. Looking for real love and someone to accept him for what he is, Frey enlists in Madame Evangeline's popular dating service. Although he does not understand the concept of a one-night stand, he hopes to find his perfect mate.

Carrie Cooper's husband divorced her for someone who could provide him with children, leaving her with little self-confidence and no desire to let a man hurt her again. Her best friend convinces her to join a dating service, claiming Carrie needs to get laid, while not winding up with a broken heart since her date requires no commitment after the night is over.

Although several misunderstandings nearly derail them before the date has even begun, Carrie and Frey end up becoming closer than they ever believed possible. Still, Frey will need to convince Carrie that her perfect mate isn't human at all, and that one night can lead to a forever love.

Excerpt:

"Remember how I said I needed an open-minded partner?"

She nodded, her eyes catching a quick glance from his before returning to her stomach.

Just a couple more minutes and he'd be finished. He prepared to hold her down should she freak out when he told her he came from space. "I'm not exactly like you and most of the people on Earth. I'm….different."

"Like a demon or a guardian angel?"

He laughed. It sounded forced, but he needed to stay focused on healing Carrie rather than mating with her. "No, you're thinking paranormal. Try science fiction."

She began to squirm under him, but he didn't need to restrain her. "A….clone? Artificial intelligence?"

He finished healing her and lay down beside her. His thumb ran across her lips, wanting to taste them again, but knowing he probably wouldn't. "Try alien."

Her mouth curved into a smile. "Alien. I don't think so. You're missing the big head and eyes, the green skin, the willowy limbs."

He touched his fingertips to the side of her head. "Like this?" He flashed an image of the alien Earthlings always expected to arrive from space.

"Yeah, but how'd you do that?" Fear shone in her eyes.

Leaving the bed, he sat on one of the loveseats. The night was over. In a second, she'd dress as quickly as possible and rush out of the room. "I told you, I'm an alien from outer space." Perhaps he shouldn't have told her. He would spend the rest of the night alone.

Celestial Seduction will be available July 8th from Decadent Publishing and other ebook retailers.

Stay tuned for more details….

Book Review: Children of the Fog by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

from Goodreads:

YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS TO MAKE A DECISION:

Let A Kidnapper Take Your Child, Or Watch Your Son Die.

Choose!

Sadie O'Connell is a bestselling author and a proud mother. But her life is about to spiral out of control. After her six-year-old son Sam is kidnapped by a serial abductor, she nearly goes insane. But it isn't just the fear and grief that is ripping her apart. It's the guilt. Sadie is the only person who knows what the kidnapper looks like. And she can't tell a soul. For if she does, her son will be sent back to her in "little bloody pieces".

When Sadie's unfaithful husband stumbles across her drawing of the kidnapper, he sets into play a series of horrific events that sends her hurtling over the edge. Sadie's descent into alcoholism leads to strange apparitions and a face-to-face encounter with the monster who abducted her son–a man known only as…The Fog.

First Line

She was ready to die.

My Review

*I received this book from the author for review.

In 'Children of the Fog', we watch Sadie's already far from perfect life spiral further out of control after her son is abducted in front of her.

I must admit, this book does not fall into the genres I normally read, but I've read other books by Cheryl Kaye Tardif and really enjoyed them.

I found this book hard to get into due to the main character. She bugged me, mostly because she just did not fight hard enough for anything in her life. It was the prologue that kept me reading though and I'm glad I did.

I watched in the later half as Sadie grew as a person, even though she still had her faults; we all do. But there was one thing she never gave up on, one thing she fought for, and that made the story enjoyable for me.

I will continue to read more from Cheryl Kaye Tardif in the future.

My Rating: 4 Aliens out of 5

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Watch the book trailer:

Children of the Fog by Cheryl Kaye Tardif is available from:

Amazon.com Kindle Store
Smashwords (multi-format)

You can find Cheryl Kaye Tardif here:

Website: http://www.cherylktardif.com/
Blog: http://www.cherylktardif.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cherylktardif?ref=profile
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/cherylktardif
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/306733.Cheryl_Kaye_Tardif