Lisa Rayns's Blog, page 16

Alpha Mine Review

In the shadows of the night, there exists a band of warriors--a group of vampires, known as the Alpha Council. Their formidable leader, Stephan von Haas, has vowed to protect not only his kind but the humans existing alongside them. His duty comes before all else--until a sassy blonde saunters into his life.

When a sensual, dark-haired stranger walks into Katrina Spencer's life, he stirs her deepest desires and sweeps her into a world beyond her wildest dreams. But when Katrina is targeted by Stephan's enemies, reality shifts into something violent and deadly, as she is thrust into a realm where vampires stalk the shadows and vengeance is coming for her.

Together they will confront an extraordinary destiny of peril, passion, and dark pleasures. But when one horrid mistake brings retribution, their love may pay the price.

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Now for my review...
Alpha Mine by Brenda Sparks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dynamic!

I call this story dynamic for three main reasons: the suspense, the love story, and the characters which the author masterfully pulled together. I thought the drama in this book was original and well-constructed. Pitting very competent vampires against each other created a strong and believable conflict that kept me on the edge of my seat.

The love story was hot, romantic, impossible, heartbreaking, sweet, everything it should be. I definitely rooted for this couple to end up together.

My big thing - I can’t say enough about the characters in this book. They LIT UP the pages in a fresh, fun way. And it wasn’t only the three main characters, but the two main villains were just as enjoyable to read about. A wonderful story by a great author. Suspense abound, romance reigns on this fun and delightful journey. I recommend it to any vampire lover!


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Snarkology Paranormal Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on the first annual Snarkology Paranormal Blog Hop!

Halloween is my favorite holiday, and it's not ONLY the little chocolate candy bars with nuts that lures me. It's the paranormal creatures said to come out on All Hallows Eve!

(...Okay, and the little chocolate candy bars with nuts)

Vampires and witches, specifically, have always intrigued me which is probably why my Wanted: Vampire Trilogy came to be.

For the hop, I'm giving away PDF copies of Wanted: Vampire - Free Blood (Book 1) and Wanted: Vampire - Bad Blood (Book 2) to one commentor. 

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment with this this statement - "A vampire and a witch walk into a bar on Halloween and ..." Then finish the sentence with your own Halloween story. Short or long, the more creative comment, the better! 

(Winner will be drawn randomly on Nov 1st)
 
Check out the short book trailers




Thanks so much for stopping by! Hop On!

You can also enter to win the grand prize here!

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Tough Love Book Tour

Tough LoveJanessa knows she should run in the other direction when Brendan enters her life. Her squeaky-clean upbringing is in direct opposition to his piercings, a myriad of tattoos and the rumors that surround him. But she doesn’t run. Love, betrayal and lies become the foundation of their lives, but one heartbreaking confession makes Janessa question everything. After a devastating diagnosis, Janessa’s world crumbles around her. When she can no longer ignore the reality of who Brendan really is, she must choose between those who love her and the only one she has ever loved.  

Only $.99! Purchase Amazon / B&N

Marcie Bridges has always wanted to be a writer, from the time she started keeping a diary in seventh grade. Since then, she has earned a master’s degree in education from Cumberland University while teaching some wonderful children with special needs in Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky.While she will always bleed scarlet and gray (GO BUCKS!), she now lives south of Cincinnati with her husband and daughter. When Marcie isn’t writing, she can be found reading, watching her favorite TV shows, listening to music, or browsing her favorite websites.

Follow Marcie Bridges Facebook Author Page:  Twitter: @marcie_ann Blog  / Pinterest Personal /   Google Plus

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Stern Desire Book Blast

by Leah ShayHer love can heal him; his love can set her free.

The moment Kyra walked into billionaire Jared Stern’s hospital room and introduced herself as his nurse he knew that this paragon of loveliness was what he needed to mend his damaged soul. Jared knew he had to have her. They shared an instant mutual attraction. Drawn together by some irresistible force they stirred emotions in each other that neither had felt in years.

But, Jared’s dark inescapable secrets plagued him, and they were a constant reminder why he was not right for her. Kyra’s trust in men had been severely destroyed and for years she felt nothing but mistrust and anger towards them. Jared’s mysterious nature reminded Kyra why she had built a fortress around her heart protecting herself from men like him.

Reluctantly, Kyra gave way to Jared’s relentless pursuits. Will she jeopardized her career knowing that anything other than a nurse-patient relationship could be risky and lead to her losing her job or even her license? Will Jared’s secrets smother their hot steamy love affair, or will he do the unthinkable to trap Kyra into the relationship?

One thing about secrets they rarely stay in the dark.
Buy on Amazon | SmashwordsAbout the author: Leah Shay grew up on a small beautiful carefree island in the Caribbean. With the warm blue Caribbean Sea as her backyard she loved to walk the white sandy beach and got loss in the stories unfolding in her head. She had always been an avid reader and spent all her free time nose-deep in a book, or telling stories to enthused listeners.

She loves reading, dancing, traveling, and music. As a child she would read anything she could get her hands on. Her local library was her favorite place, and looked forward to every weekend her mom would take her there. Her dream was to become a teacher, but fate led her down another fulfilling career path. She is currently a part-time registered nurse with a whole lot of stories to tell.

To relieve her cluttered mind of the many stories floating around in her head she finally decided to put them down on paper, hence the first book in the Stern Desire series was born.

Currently she lives in Miami, Florida with her husband and two children. She just can’t be away from year round summer and beautiful beaches.
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Haunted U Book Tour

Ezzie Lovegreen lives in a world where witches and ghosts are real. That doesn’t mean she’s not surprised when she’s suddenly being haunted by one at school. With the help of her best friend Stella, her boyfriend Beau, and her grandmother Winifred, Ezzie must find out what happened to the ghost and set her free. Secrets will be revealed that could change Ezzie’s life forever. Will Ezzie be strong enough to face the challenges set in her path?  
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Watch the Book Trailer About Jessica Gibson

Jessica Gibson is a recovering bookaholic, she’s down from four books a week to a more reasonable one. It was that love of words and creativity that made her dream about writing her first book. That dream was hidden for years, always put on the back burner, filed away in the “someday” section, until her husband Matt gave her the kick in the pants she needed to actually get off her butt and write. Jessica and Matt live in Southern California and have a serious addiction to reality tv shows like Pawn Stars and American Restoration. They have one son and hope to add to the family in the near future.

Follow the Book Tour Enter to win one of two paperback and swag packs from Hayson Publishing.
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Mirror Deep Review

Mirror Deep by Joss Landry
DANGER AND ROMANCE…Roll like thunder in Kat Bonner’s world, when a known felon comes to the ranch to drop a bomb about her past. Kat turns to Pierce for help, the same Pierce who bucks her every chance he gets … and whose feverish investigation lands them in trouble with the law and directly in the path of a serial killer. 

Mystery deepens, fraught with wrong turns, bumbling detectives, old murders, and Kat’s doppelganger no one ever sees but her, just as she never sees the change in Pierce’s feelings toward her brewing, mounting, until she can no longer deny them.
Buy on Amazon | Paperback | Kobo | B&N | EBookPie | ScribdFollow Joss Landry: Website | Blog | FaceBook Page | Twitter | Pinterest | LinkedIn | 

The author is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card for two readers.
Follow the Book Tour and Enter to win here.


And now for my review...


Mirror Deep by Joss Landry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great mystery/romance with a touch of paranormal! It’s pretty obvious from the first chapter that the author loves horses, and she did a wonderful job of mixing that love into the story. It’s well-plotted with some great twists and turns that will keep you guessing. The characters are interesting and well-developed. Kat, especially, is a likeable, fun, and strong heroine who’s traveling a rough road. And it’s a good thing she is so strong because she runs into some major surprises.

The romance buff that I am, the love story was my favorite part. The mystery and suspense alone were intriguing and well-timed, but with two men thrown into the mix, it’s hard to put down. Her relationship with Pierce starts off rocky, then develops and grows in a natural way. I’m used to reading steamy romances, but the cleaner love story in this book is very enjoyable. Mirror deep is a fantastic read!


View all my reviews

Adela Arthur Book Blast

Adela Arthur and the Creator's Clockby Judyann McColeThis book 1 of 5 for The Chronicle of A
Genre: Fantasy
To Who Ever This May Concern; I wish I could tell you the contents of this book were purely fictional. That I, Adela Arthur, was just a normal sixteen year old from Portland and that dragons, giants, elves and mermaids were just myths. I wish these were legends shared from crazy old grandparents to crazy old grandparents around campfires. After all, that is what I used to believe.I never would have thought they lived on the other side of our mirrors in a world called Cielieu. But they do…I never would have thought there were humans, better known as Volsin that lived among them with the ability to create light from a single thought. But there are…I never would have thought I was one of them… But I am… I am the last Arthur and I was brought to the human world after a Volsin, filled with greed, began to strip the light from our kind.The human world was supposed to be a safe haven… but he’s found us and the only way to stop him is to go back to Cielieu and begin training as a student in the Elpida Castle of Light.Like I said I wish the contents of this book were purely fictional and not my life…
Adela Arthur is now on amazon on Paperback | Kindle About the Author: JUDYANN MCCOLE was a senior in high school when she started working on Adela Arthur and the Creator’s Clock during her history class. It started off as short story for a group of young kids she babysat for and grew into an adventure she herself wanted to go on. She is currently attending college in Virginia. Where she hopes to finish the next adventure in Adela Arthur’s life. She begin writing when she was in middle school most of it was just simple poetry but she was inspired by Maya Angelou and even a little of Dr. Seuss.
Follow Judyann:Website | Blog | Author FaceBook | FaceBook | Twitter | GoodreadsThe author is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift card Fill out the form below to enter 
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The Unholy Book Tour

The Unholy, a novel by Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D. Distributed by Ingram
(Sunstone Press)“A young curandera, a medicine woman, intent on uncovering the secrets of her past is forced into a life-and-death battle against an evil Archbishop. Set in the mystic land of Aztlan, the Unholy is a novel of destiny as healer and slayer. native lore of dreams and visions, shape changing, and natural magic work to spin a neo-gothic web in which sadness and mystery lure the unsuspecting into a twilight realm of discovery and decision.”

Have you ever thought that something other than yourself has a hold of your mind? Meet Claire, a young curandera, in the mystic land of Aztlan who struggles to overcome the forces of evil and claim her inner inheritance.
The Unholy is a riveting novel about the dark side of religion, cultural prejudice throughout the Southwest, realms of mystic happenings, folk healers, native shamans, and signs from the spirit world. It is a psychological thriller, supernatural journey, and neo-gothic horror.
The Unholy lures the reader into a twilight realm that pits two old worlds against each other — the indigenous medicine ways versus institutional religion. Natural magic and the dark side of religion each play a role as healer confronts slayer.
“Paul DeBlassie III has brought us a richly imagined supernatural thriller set in the high mountain desert of Aztlan, where Claire Sanchez, an herbalist and medicine woman, has come to reclaim her healing heritage and uncover the secrets of her mother’s death. The book digs deep into legend, folklore, and the author’s own imagination to paint a stirring picture of a traditional curanderismo pitted against the oppressive forces of institutional religious power. Make sure you have lots of time; once you start reading this book, it will be hard to put down.”
-—Stephan V. Beyer, author of Singing to the Plants: A Guide to Mestizo Shamanism in the Upper Amazon“The Unholy, an excellent novel by Paul DeBlassie III, keeps the reader engaged throughout in mystery, suspense, and church politics. In addition to vividly depicting the beautiful landscape and culture of New Mexico, it exposes and strengthens the traditional work of the medicine women of the Southwest. I am looking forward to Dr. DeBlassie’s next book.”
—Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, author of Curandero: A Life In Mexican Folk Healing, professor, and university administrator
Buy Amazon | B&N and all major booksellers  
About the author:Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D., is a psychologist and writer living in Albuquerque who has treated survivors of the dark side of religion for more than 30 years. His professional consultation practice — SoulCare — is devoted to the tending of the soul. Dr. DeBlassie writes psychological thrillers with an emphasis on the dark side of the human psyche. The mestizo myth of Aztlan, its surreal beauty and natural magic, provides the setting for the dark phantasmagoric narrative in his fiction. He is a member of the Depth Psychology Alliance, the Transpersonal Psychology Association and the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy.
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Midshipman Guest Post

Midshipman Henry Gallant In Space by H. Peter AlessoGenre: Science Fiction (sub: adventure/space opera/military)As the last star fighter in squadron 111, Midshipman Henry Gallant is on his way from Jupiter to Mars. With the United Planets' fleet on the verge of annihilation, he can expect no help as he passes through the asteroid belt and threatening aliens. With so much uncertainty about the aliens’ capabilities and intentions, analyzing the captured computer equipment in Gallant’s possession could prove crucial. The fate of Earth could rest on the abilities of Midshipman Henry Gallant. Unfortunately, it is his abilities that have been much in doubt during his tour of duty. In an era of genetic engineering, he is the only Natural (non-genetically enhanced) officer left in the fleet. His classmates and superior officers have all expressed their concern that he will not be up to the demands of the space service. Only bright and attractive junior officer Kelsey Mitchel has shown any sympathy for him. Now as his navigator on the last fighter in squadron 111, her life as well as a good many others, depends of Henry Gallant.
Buy on Amazon | B&N | Smashwords | iTunesAbout the author: As a scientist and author specializing in technology innovation, H. Peter Alesso has over twenty years research experience at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). As Engineering Group Leader at LLNL he led a team of computer scientists and engineers in innovative applications across a wide range of supercomputers, workstations and networks. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a B.S. and served in the U.S. Navy on nuclear submarines before completing an M.S. and an advanced Engineering Degree at M.I.T. He has published several software titles and numerous scientific journal and conference articles, and he is the author/co-author of six books.
Follow Peter on: Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Literary AddictsFollow the Book Tour

And now for the guest post...

Thank you for allowing me to discuss some of my ideas about writing in relationship to my book, Midshipman Henry Gallant In Space.
I love words.
That wasn’t always been the case. My first infatuation was with numbers, in all its manifold forms from algebra to topology. However, with maturity came insight into the elegance and efficacy of words for expression beyond algorithms.
Words elucidate the ideas of great thinkers and leaders from Aristotle to Lincoln.  Consider the brief collage, “All men are created equal?” Can you doubt the inspiration of these words? Words shroud us with the emotions of others and bring nature’s kaleidoscopic scenery into view. They let us share experiences both past and present.
Our past is a tapestry, rich with dramatic experiences. Our thoughts and memories are arranged around such experiences. As memories bring the past flowing into the present, we gather words into stories that capture the drama and excitement of real and imaginary events. As such, they help us understand our place in the world.
In 1949, Joseph Campbell wrote The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and argued that myths, spanning all time and all cultures, contain the same basic elements, or ‘archetypes.’
Campbell thought that stories formed a grand pattern he called the ‘hero's journey.’ The journey begins with the hero hearing a plea for help. When he finally responds, he crosses a threshold into a new realm where he faces great challenges and matures under the tutelage of a mentor. Finally, he becomes the master; committed to changing the world. This story archetype has thrived from the Odyssey, to Star Wars.
The ‘hero's journey’ is a theater of human behavior; anecdotal but illuminating. In Midshipman Henry Gallant, I present a young man’s heroic journey. He doesn’t travel it along. He has friends, mentors, rivals, and enemies, and one more essential element, romance.
There is beauty in expressing your thoughts. Find your words. Tell your story.
Regards,
H. Peter Alesso
www.hpeteralesso.com

Shardfall Excerpt

ShardfallMuus is only a thrall, a chattel without rights, but he knows the small, blue shard he picked up belongs to him alone. Kjelle, heir to the Lord of a rich mininghold, is strong, and covetous of his thrall's tantalizing find. The one's greed causes an avalanche that leaves both young men marooned on an icy mountain slope. The other's commonsense saves their lives from cold and starvation. Now the antagonists are bound together on a danger-laden journey to a lost and burning land, where Muus needs to connect the skyshard to the Kalmanir, the standing stone that is the world’s fount of all magic. The Kalmanir's time is almost up and it urgently needs to be replenished before the magic of Gods and men runs out. The two antagonists have to learn to trust each other, for all around them, enemies abound. Rebels threaten both the kingdom and Kjelle's holding, and a tribe of mad idolaters is trying to recall the banned primordial Old Gods. Even more imminent is Muus' danger, for it comes from nearby, from the shard itself. Muus is the only one person in the world who can wield the powerful skyshard. Will he succeed with Kjelle's help to reach the standing stone before the world's magic dies? Shardfall is an epic, non-gritty journey through a wild, snowy land. Each of the four main characters, Muus, Kjelle, the young wisewoman Birthe with her baby son Buí and the naive Tuuri, who serves the enemy, will have to overcome not only the dangers of their journey, but also their own shortcomings
Buy on Amazon | Amazon.UK | Smashwords | B&NFollow the Book Tour here!
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And now for the excerpt...
SHARDFALL
A sharp kick in the ribs awakened him. Tuuri tensed, dagger in hand, and stared up at the young man before him. ‘Fynni,’ said he, recognizing the other’s face markings on both cheeks. ‘You shocked me out of my skin.’
The other laughed. ‘You frighten easily, Fynnikin.’
That sounded like an insult.
Tuuri rose and put away his knife. ‘I expected you, only not in the middle of the night.’
The young man showed his teeth. It wasn’t a smile. ‘I expected you awake, not sleeping.’
Tuuri frowned at the hostility in his voice. ‘How are you named, brother?’
The young man stared at him, his thin face twisted into a sneer. ‘I’ll tell you once, Fynnikin. I am Vulf, Tarkynn of the Yenchinnii. I am no brother of yours.’
Tuuri felt the blood drain from his face. His throat constricted and he swallowed. ‘I... I am Tuuri Little Dagger, Jarl Rannar’s messenger.’ He squared his shoulders. ‘I carry orders for you.’
Vulf turned his head away. ‘Later. We’re on a raid. Join us.’ His face was bleak. ‘It’ll show you our Fynni ways.’
Tuuri knew it wasn’t a request. He rose, shook the snow from his cloak and went to get his horse. The enormity of Vulf’s rejection had made Tuuri numb. Shame clutched at his heart and he felt like weeping. With difficulty he kept his voice under control. ‘What kind of a raid? I’m not heavily armed.’
‘Don’t be afraid,’ said Vulf ‘It’s punishment against a spy’s family. There’s no danger involved, Fynnikin.’Tuuri bit his lip. That wasn’t what he’d meant. ‘Lead the way, Tarkynn.’