Tanya Contois's Blog, page 17

Review of Deserving of his Diamonds by Melanie Milburne

REVIEW

Deserving of his Diamonds by Melanie Milburne displays a range of emotions through her writing. I felt everything that the characters Emilio and Gisele were feeling and any author who has the ability to make me tear up only to have me laughing out loud moments later is truly talented. The pace of this book was just right giving the length of the novel. While I enjoyed the entire novel immensely my favorite part by far was easily the ending because all romance novels should have a happily ever after.

His not-so-perfect fiancee...Emilio Andreoni's goal is perfection: a corporate king and Italy's most eligible bachelor, he craves only one more thing to complete his phenomenally successful life - the perfect woman! Once he thought that woman was shy Gisele Carter - until her scandalous goings-on became headline news and he called off their seemingly perfect engagement. But now Emilio is faced with proof of Gisele's innocence! He's determined to win back the only woman who ever truly satisfied him, but first he must persuade Gisele she's worthy of wearing his diamonds again...Don't miss this first instalment in Melanie Milburne's The Outrageous Sisters duet!

http://www.amazon.com/Deserving-His-Diamonds-Harlequin-Presents/dp/0373130864/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1348401539&sr=8-5&keywords=melanie+milburne

Review of Judging a Book by Its Lover by Lauren Leto

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REVIEW

Lauren Leto's Judging a Book by Its Lover is a very humorous and light hearted book that focuses on book lovers. The author goes into great detail about why we love the books we do and what to expect from fans of a slew of well known authors. My favorite parts of this book were the parts where Lauren Leto shared memories of her childhood as well as her high school years. They struck a chord with me because I was not much different during my high school years. I also loved the chapter about why the term "book worm" should changed to "book cat" because each reason given made perfect sense to me. While there were a few parts I disagreed with I still found myself laughing to myself.


Want to impress the hot stranger at the bar who asks for your take on Infinite Jest? Dying to shut up the blowhard in front of you who’s pontificating on Cormac McCarthy’s “recurring road narratives”? Having difficulty keeping Francine Prose and Annie Proulx straight?

For all those overwhelmed readers who need to get a firm grip on the relentless onslaught of must-read books to stay on top of the inevitable conversations that swirl around them, Lauren Leto’s Judging a Book by Its Lover is manna from literary heaven! A hilarious send-up of—and inspired homage to—the passionate and peculiar world of book culture, this guide to literary debate leaves no reader or author unscathed, at once adoring and skewering everyone from Jonathan Franzen to Ayn Rand to Dostoyevsky and the people who read them.

http://www.amazon.com/Judging-Book-Its-Lover-Everywhere/dp/0062070142/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348392331&sr=1-1&keywords=Lauren+Leto

Review of "Above the Universe Below" by Elias Barton

Synopsis (from the author):
   Being the grim reaper of another world is only part of Carder’s life.  In our world he’s a shut-in, leaving home only to dash to his hospital job removing the corneas of deceased donors.  Still, Carder has long ushered weird creatures to the afterlife and honored them in bleak, individual paintings.  That’s Carder’s existence – and he’s content. 
Haika changes that.  A bored, beautiful art gallery-owner, she stumbles into Carder by chance and quickly becomes obsessed with his art.  As they forge a quirky-but-electric relationship, Carder is reluctantly pulled into Haika’s social world of wealth and status. Carder is tested further when his teenage niece visits, rebelling against her ultra-conservative upbringing.  Just when Carder’s prospects for a more normal life are about to become real, his hidden past catches up to the present.
Above the Universe Below examines methods of self-preservation, the multifaceted meaning of family, squandered potential and whether an outsider can open up while maintaining a sense of self.  It also shows young people that no matter how much they feel their life has fallen to pieces, they can build something from it worth living for.
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   Above the world below is remote, but not alien. Deliberate, but not dreamlike: more like watching a movie version of a dream at three o'clock in the morning because there is nothing else on except infomercials.
   It's written without an active voice, instead in present passive voice that speaks not like a story dropping from living lips, but more like a recording from  a drive-through mascot.
   The remoteness may be intentional, given the title and that the the character performs alien duties in a non-realm. Artists or morticians may feel an affinity to the books strange similes "...his expressions vacillate between brooding contemplation and a serial killer grin..."
   The difficulty I've often seen in describing the alien is that it often lacks emotional immediacy to those without the exact vision. One cannot feel what one does not know.
   The plot itself, while not confusingly convoluted, does offer slow, eventual intrigues. It's an art exhibition behind glass, or perhaps a grouping of detailed dissection illustrations in a biology textbook.

Review of Phoenix by Melissa Starr

Phoenix by Melissa Starr has a steady pace and well developed characters. The plot of Phoenix is very original and has lots of twists that keep the story exciting. My favorite character was definitely Chloe because of how fearless she was through the book. She reminded me a bit of classic teenage detective Nancy Drew. There are mild paranormal elements to the story which I liked however I was expecting Phoenix to focus more on the mythology of the Phoenix.


Melissa Starr is a small town, country gal from deep in southern Oklahoma. Born in Altus and raised in Frederick, it only seemed right to put down roots there with her own family; a husband, two sons and two daughters. She resides and writes from her home in Frederick where she spends her free time attending her children’s various sporting activities and just enjoying being a mom. Melissa is also a freelance photographer who enjoys camping and riding ATV’s when the weather permits and snapping a million and one pictures of her family and friends against much protest. *Smiles*

Website: http://melissastarr.webstarts.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Melissa-Starr/451202625383

Follow me on Twitter~ https://twitter.com/#!/MelissaStarr13

Figment~ http://figment.com/users/238938-Melissa-Starr

Word Press~ http://melissa13starr.wordpress.com/

Good Reads~ http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6151213.Melissa_Starr

 BUY LINKS FIRE & ICE~

http://www.fireandiceya.com/authors/m...

AMAZON KINDLE~

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00870LW0C/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d3_g351_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0ZYT4FY7RX1WMXGB8D03&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

BARNES & NOBLE~

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/phoen...

Elora Rae Gannon believes her life is over. On her sixteenth birthday she receives news that she is a mythical monster of hellish proportions and if that's not bad enough, she receives this information in the form of a letter from her dead mother who also informs her that she must become part of an elite secret society of others like herself or die. Sucky birthday, huh? And just when she thinks she's got it all figured out, her new-found family in the Elite forces her to break ties with her human BFF shortly before her BFF just up and vanishes.

With her world in utter upheaval, Elora makes the move to a new school- Marlind Prep, with full intentions of finding out exactly what is going on behind the scenes and why her best friend has vanished- all while trying to figure out how to successfully make out with her boyfriend without sucking the very life out of him! 

Publisher: Fire & Ice Imprint of Melange Books LLC

Release Date: May 27th, 2012

Genre: YA Paranormal/Fantasy Romance

Giveaway: 3 ecopies of Phoenix.

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EXCERPTS~ Phoenix Book 1
The world through Elora Gannon's eyes... A life for a life I vow...by embrace of fire and spirit, I conquer death. High is the price of immortality, a life for a life I vow... There’s just something about waking up on your sixteenth birthday to find that you are the equivalent to everything your worst nightmares are made of. And that’s exactly what happened to me.

My name is Elora Rae Gannon. I’ve been raised in a home that has frequently been hosed down by testosterone since birth. My mother Avril died during childbirth, my childbirth leaving me to be raised by my single father Sam Gannon. I believe I’m somewhat getting off the subject, so let me start again. I woke on November 17th to find that my mother had belonged to a unique club or society of people, if you will, known as the Phoenix Elite. No big deal, right? Wrong. As with any other secret society the Elite have their secrets. Secrets that would set me apart from my fellow students at Frederick High School and my best friend of nine years, Chloe Salas. Chloe despised the small group of Elite in our school and with good reason for the most part.

 Most of them were serious snots with the talent and looks to back it up. But what she despised the most was the secrets. Chloe had been doing research on the Elite for over three years and wanted to expose them in a newspaper article that she hoped would catapult her career into stardom before she ever set foot on college campus. But there was one little problem, I, her BFF, was the Elite’s new inductee. I wish I could say I had a choice in the matter but the truth is…Phoenix is in my blood. You see- Phoenixes aren’t entirely human and humans for the most part don’t know it. Supposedly we came from an ancient Egyptian bloodline of Gods.

The Ennead or something like that, sons and daughters of Amun Re and that wasn’t even the half of it. I was pulled from school the Monday following my birthday by my crush and fellow Phoenix, Ezra Denton and taken to Elite headquarters where I was given the choice to join the Elite or die. Yeah, you heard right, D-I-E. I wish I’d chosen death over the monster I was becoming. Little did I know that in exactly one year’s time I would have to choose again between life and death and every year after.

 After taking the Oath which solidified me as a Phoenix the spirit of Amun Re matured in my body and with it I was given a thirst. An abhorred thirst which made me the monster I am today. Everything I’d ever read growing up of vampires, werewolves and the like made me feel like the devil in comparison. The Phoenixes steal lives. Like the mythological Phoenix which lived off of air alone, we live off of the air in humans’ lungs. Their very life force. And the real kicker is that our taking of life will only prolong our own for one more year.

The logical choice, you would think, would be to let our own life force die out. One by one rid the Earth of our kind, right? But it’s not that easy. When nearing the day when you must renew, it’s like drowning. Your lungs burn like molten fire and nothing but taking life can stifle that pain. Few have been strong enough to let themselves die and save the life of those we’re supposed to protect. See, we haven’t always been monsters. It started before the first Egyptian Dynasty when a half human half god named Set or Seth took his cousin Osiris’s wife, Aset, and impregnated her with his son whom he called Isaac.

Isaac was the first of his kind, a creature called the Ruhk. The Ruhk had wings the color of coagulated blood and eyes so black they rivaled night itself. Before Seth’s life was finally taken because of his betrayal, he spoke a curse into existence. His son Isaac would fall into a deep sleep upon his sixteenth birthday and would only awaken to avenge him when the strongest of Aset’s descendants was born into the Phoenix world. Then he would rule Aset and the Elite with the lowly humans planted firmly under his feet.

Apparently I am that descendant. And now my best friend is missing for sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong, I’m moving to a new school specifically for Phoenix kind four hours from my father, the only family I’ve ever known and I can’t even make out with my new boyfriend for fear of sucking out his life! My life is in utter upheaval and I’d do anything to get it back on track. Even face down a god- and I had a feeling that’s exactly what I was going to have to do. But not before my best friend would throw our relationship in the trash and emotionally handicap me before I could say apocalypse!

EXCERPT 1

A black, cloth was pulled over my head and I was flung effortlessly over someone’s shoulder in a fireman’s carry. I could tell my captor was jogging as I felt the jarring of his shoulder in my gut, I thought I might puke at any second and would’ve if I thought it’d stop my captor in his tracks, but I doubted it. I swallowed against the bile, juice and Pop Tart churning in my gut and tried to take a deep breath. He stopped abruptly and thrust me into the seat of a vehicle.

 Front or back seat, I wasn’t sure but the door closed behind me with a thud and that’s when I realized my hands were bound. I was so distracted and terrified I’d never even felt my captor bind me. Zip cord, I could feel the hard plastic cutting into my skin. I struggled to sit up but couldn’t see anything but the tiny fibers of my black hood. The light outside did very little in the way of penetrating the material. “Where are you taking me?” I spat to whoever was listening. A slight shadow of movement caught my eye. “In due time, Elora. You are in no danger.” “I’ve been bound and abducted but I’m in no danger? I don’t know what tree you fell out of but where I come from it's called kidnapping and it carries a prison sentence in all fifty states!”

The man (I could tell my captor was a he, by his deep voice.) sighed and chuckled to himself as he made a left turn suddenly causing me to slide toward him. Okay, front seat. I tried to focus on how many turns he was making, left or right and how far he drove on each stretch of road but it was pointless, he was clearly trying to throw me off. “Who are you?” I managed to sit up and turned my head in the direction I believed him to be seated. “I am a senior at Frederick High and a Phoenix but you already knew that, didn’t you?” “So, people do have reason to fear Phoenixes.” I breathed only a small sigh of relief that my abductor was a Phoenix. “Tell me, do all of the Phoenixes partake in the kidnapping of innocents?”

My nerves were beginning to settle a bit now that I knew I wasn’t a victim of some deranged nutcase. At least he didn’t sound like a deranged nut. But I guessed insanity was no respecter of persons- was it? “You are quite a handful aren’t you? I believe you were informed that you would be taking the Oath today, don’t play dumb Miss Gannon. You’ve been told who and what you are. And with that knowledge come secrets and the whereabouts of our headquarters will be kept secret from you until you’ve taken the vows.” “It’s not like I was told I’d be kidnapped!” I growled. “And what happens if I refuse?” “You will die.” A sick feeling washed over me and now I really did feel like vomiting. Maybe my captors really were deranged.

“Now the Phoenixes are involved in murder? Kidnapping and murder. Terrific, sucky birthday to this-” “Don’t be stupid. We won’t kill you.” Memory of his voice surfaced but I couldn’t place- “Who then?” I was afraid to find out. My breathing became shallow and I could feel myself beginning to hyperventilate. “Are you okay?” The car slowed. “No,” I croaked. “I feel sick. And it’s hard for me to breathe under this- stupid- THING!” I panted as I tried to slow my breathing. It wasn’t working. “It’s- not- everyday that a- person- finds out that they,” I took a deep breath, in, out, in, out, and began to gain control but now tears were welling in my eyes.

 “They must choose- to become a freak or die-” I finished. The dang dam broke and I began to sob. The car came to a stop. The man turned to me and slid his hands beneath the hood covering my head and lifted it just above my nose and held it firmly against my eyes. I could feel his hot breath on my face and a tingle rose within my core. His voice was so freaking familiar…my heart thrummed. I wasn’t scared anymore, just angry. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be fine,” he whispered soothingly. “Calm down.” He brushed away the tears that trailed both sides of my cheeks with his thumbs. I immediately felt better for some reason as a strange feeling come over me. “Are you ever going to tell me who you are?” I sucked in another breath and shivered. The air around me smelled of leather and woodsy-type cologne mingled with the salt from my tears.

 I’d smelled that scent before, minus the salt. I blew out noisily waiting for his response. I knew I must look a mess, probably had snot streaming from my nose so I sniffed hard. Nope, not yet. “You know me,” he whispered again. His breath swept my flushed face causing me to shiver, but not from the cold this time. Then the familiar voice owner pressed his lips tenderly against mine. I stopped shaking instantly. How did he do that? A dozen faces flashed before my eyes but only one felt right. Ezra Denton, the most amazing, most perfect guy in Frederick High School or maybe any school for that matter. He was a five foot eight track and baseball star with steely-gray eyes which at times appeared almost silver with messy, burnt chestnut locks, which most days he wore in an unkempt, faux hawk.

He was also a senior and teacher’s aide to Ms. Batton in my first hour choir class. I’d only drooled over him for the past three years, but he had really come into his own in the last year and no one and I mean no one could compare in looks or talent to him as far as I was concerned. A lot of guys went through that awkward stage where you were unsure of how good looking they would be when they were fully matured, but not Ezra. He had always maintained a strong, well-defined frame, great skin and oozed self-confidence. His lips were soft and warm and I suddenly liked the idea of being taken captive by this Phoenix. He pulled back far too soon for my taste; instinctively I felt my body inchworm closer to his. “Ezra?” “I told you, you knew me,” he breathed, then gently tugged the cloth down over my face again and pulled the car back onto the road.

I drew my knees to my chest unsure of how to respond to what just happened. I had just been kidnapped and then happily un-kidnapped by the same extraordinary man who had been the center of many of my day dreams and night dreams for years, yet, I was still bound and didn’t know where I was being taken. And suddenly I didn’t care as long as I was with Ezra. A life for a life I vow...by embrace of fire and spirit, I conquer death. High is the price of immortality, a life for a life I vow.

Review of Cutaway by Liz Borino

Cutaway by Liz Borino is the sequel to Action and it was yet another amazing book by this author. The protaganist in Cutaway certainly kept things interesting as did the character Josh and Steve's mother. The way Steve and Zack's relationship changes through the story was great. I really enjoyed how Liz Borino switched up their roles because it showed a whole different side to both Zack and Steve. The pace was perfect as always and Liz Borino continues to do a wonderful job of raising awareness of same sex couples which I am a strong supporter of.

Stacey Rourke's The Gryphon Series to date by Julie Newberry

Ebook: The ConduitAuthor : Stacey RourkeFiction, Paranormal,This review may contain spoilersI was given this for review by the authorSummary: All 18-year-old Celeste Garrett wants is to head off to college and make those fun, yet ill-advised, choices college kids are known for. And maybe to spend some time with the hot cameraman she just met. Instead, because of a pact her ancestors made in the 17th century with a mythical creature, she has to save the world.While normal kids are slamming energy drinks and cramming for exams, Celeste will get her adrenaline rush fighting a fire breathing dragon. She wants to meet friends in the quad to exchange lecture notes, but first she must exchange blows with a shapeshifting demon on the rooftop. Life isn’t always fair for a superhero, but at least she doesn’t have to do it alone. With her brother and sister as sidekicks, they alternate between saving lives and getting on each others’ nerves. Together the trio encounters unspeakable odds, mystical forces and comes face-to-face with an image that will haunt them forever—their grandmother in a leopard print bikini.The ReviewI really, really enjoyed this book, I could not put it down, literally, I got so engrossed in the world Stacey created, it took me no time at all to read it and finish, I was slightly disheartened to finish this book and not believe I couldn’t fly, I so wanted to be Kendall, I would love to have the flight ability she got in this book, Stacey’s writing had me spellbound from the beginning, there was comical interludes which always adds to a book, Celeste is our heroine who finds out she is to become the Conduit for the Gryphon, a being from centuries earlier, The dynamics between Celeste and her brother Gabe and their sister Kendall, was amazing, it took me back to when I was younger with my brother and sister, the bickering between each other and then the coming together when it was really needed, to become a team, just like a proper family should be, I loved Gran, she was so outgoing and funny, she took everything in her stride, nothing fazes Gran, I love the training that they had to do, it builds you up for the big fight, which was awesome. I can’t wait to start Embrace, The second in the Gryphon series, Stacey will have you hooked from the start, I highly recommend this one, 5/5
Ebook: Embrace The Gryphon Series, Book 2 Author : Stacey RourkeFiction, Paranormal,This review may contain spoilersI was given this by the author for reviewSummary: Whether she likes it or not, eighteen year old Celeste Garrett has come to terms with being the Chosen One. She knew having a “normal life” would be tricky, between intense training sessions and epic demonic battles, but she didn’t know at what cost it would come. That is, until a dear friend is harmed by the malicious forces hunting her. Now, she’d like nothing more than to retreat into a hermit lifestyle to prevent anyone else from getting hurt. But startling revelations, amazing new abilities, and mortifying moments in front of insanely hot guys won’t allow time for that. Soon, Celeste finds herself surrounded by darkness and wondering who she can trust—if anyone..The ReviewI loved the family dynamic in the first book of the series, The Conduit, in this book we meet them again Celeste, Gabe and Keni, and it’s no surprise but  well I have to say it again, I loved it in this one too, The siblings got on so much better in this book, which goes to show, they matured abit with all the responsibility they have taken under their wings, We had all the same characters in Embrace as the first one, as well as some new ones, talking of which I loved “The Glee club” right up until near the end, The way they would pop up now and again, kept you on yours toes, I want Caleb, I want to take him home with me, Rowan Mmmm another I could take home with me, Gabe and Keni managed to have ordinary lives with boy friends/girlfriends but poor Celeste, just could not have a normal life, at least for a while, she feels separated from everyone around her, they get on with their lives, but for Celeste, things will never be the same again,  This book was intricately weaved, so you never knew who was good and who was bad, with twists and turns in the plot that had me on the edge of my seat, It was so hard to work out until near the end, I Love a good plot line and this definitely had one, infact it had a few, The baddy in this was wicked crazy, definitely a worthwhile villain, I would love to see a little novella with keni’s life with Henry and Gabe’s life with ?  I can’t say too much, spoilers and all that. I can’t wait for book 3, dying to know what or who, made Celeste scream, I hate cliffhangers, they really make me wanna go and find the author and stand over them until the book is finished, Please hurry up Stacey, I need my fix, I would highly recommend this book to anyone after a great story, 5.5/5 I know it only goes up to 5 but this deserves way more, We want book 3, We want book 3.


Ebook: The Sidekick Chronicles (The Gryphon Series book 2.5)Author:Stacey RourkeFiction, Paranormal,This review may contain spoilersI was given this by the author for an honest reviewSummary: Celeste isn't the only member of the Garrett family whose life changed when destiny called. Every sidekick has their tale and in this Gryphon Series short the spotlight is turned on Kendall, Grams and even Gabe. Get an inside look at the hilarious stress that goes along with being a...sidekick. Sidekicks...ya can't live with 'em and you'd probably die horribly without 'em.The ReviewI loved this, it was exactly the same as the other two in the series, I know this is only a novella, but Stacey had put the same amount of love into it as her novels in this series, the same comebacks, the same sibling love was there, I loved the new character in this one, A fart demon, yep I said it a fart demon, that has to be the best name ever for a demon.In this one, we spend some time with other members of the Garrett family, which is wonderful, we get to find out some of the anxieties and what they love in this one, we spend time with Keni and Gabe (Swoon, love Gabe) and grams, she is so hip, I would love a gran like her. I am so excited for 9th November, Book 3 is going to be so awesome, highly recommend this one, just like the rest of the series, a joy to read, 6/5I want to say a special Thankyou to Stacey for dedicating this one to her Condu-nuts, we love you for it, Thankyou so much.

Buy Links
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=stacey+rourke
Amazon.co.uk
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=stacey+rourke
Smashwords
www.smashwords.com/books/search?query...
Barnes & Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/stacey-rourke?keyword=stacey+rourke&store=allproducts

Interview with Heather Hildenbrand, author of Cold Blood

  1. If someone looked at your browsing history right now, what kind of things would we find.  Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon are prob my top three sites. I know that without even looking. This question made me curious so I checked my search history. I’ve recently googled the following: Zooey Deschanel (because I love New Girl, her TV show), Huffington Post (a photo caption contest they are running of a pic of Obama pointing accusingly at a beer bucket), the Mortal Instruments movie cast list/site, and the trailer for Breaking Dawn, Part 2. I know, interesting stuff, huh. 2. If you could write about any subject that is near and dear to your heart, what would it be and why?  Hot guys. Um, I think the reason is self-explanatory. Hehe. Okay, serious answer? Death. Grief. Coping. Hope. ß these words make up the core of my life for the past 9 months. You may have heard that I lost my son in December. He was born with a heart defect that we knew nothing about until after delivery. He lived for five days before he went to Heaven and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through, and it taught me the most about living. I wrote Whisper shortly after. It’s a YA paranormal romance but it also talks a lot about hope through loss.  3. Do you have a favorite song, album, or playlist to write to?  Yes. The list differs with each book because I like to feel like the music goes with the story. For Blood Bond I had Coldplay, Florence + The Machine, Linkin Park, Plain White T’s, The Black Keys, and Train.  4. What was the first thing you did after the debut of the first book you wrote?  Drank. ßLiquid courage was needed as I awaited the reviews and responses. I was scared to death! Oh and I danced around my house like a lunatic. This is my signature move when something epic happens. My kids love it/think I’m crazy.
Optional questions :)
Favorite Meal:  spaghetti. Chips and salsa. Taco bell. ß all things that aren’t healthy, I know. Which means I don’t have them often. Favorite Drink (alcoholic/non-alcoholic)  Blue Moon beer or Duplin wine. Hmm. And Pina Coladas in summer. I drank a lot of those by the pool when I vacationed in the Dominican last month. Perfect poolside drink! Oh, non-alcoholic? Hmm. I drink mostly water. Every once in a while, I have a Dr. Pepper.  Sweet or Salty snacks?  Both at the same time. The ultimate is popcorn and M&M’s. OR wal-mart trail mix. Gets me every time.All time favorite movie  Newsies. Christian Bale’s breakout role. I love, love, love that movie. I can quote most of it by heart. Especially all of the songs. And Little Rascals and Sandlot. I can quote a lot of those, too. Best book to movie adaption  Harry Potter. All of them. Worst book to movie adaption  I’m pretty nervous about Mortal Instruments, but I can’t say for sure yet. Then again, that’s one of my fav series ever so I’m going to be very opinionated about this one.  Heather Hildenbrand was born and raised in a small town in northern Virginia where she was homeschooled through high school. She now lives in coastal VA, a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean, with her husband and two adorable children. She works from home, part time, as a property manager and when she's not furiously pounding at the keyboard, or staring off into space whilst plotting a new story, she's helping her husband with DIY projects in their home (he woodworks - she paints) or she's lying on the beach, soaking in those delicious, pre-cancerous rays.
Heather loves Mexican food, hates socks with sandals, and if her house was on fire, the one thing she'd grab is her DVR player.

You can find out more about her and her books at www.heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com

Or stalk her here:

FacebookFacebook Fan Page
Heather is a co-founder of Accendo Press, a publishing group she operates with fellow authors: Angeline Kace and Jennifer Sommersby. Accendo (a-CH-endo), A Latin word, means “to kindle, illuminate, inflame, or set fire.” This is something Accendo strives to do inside a reader’s imagination with every title released. For a complete list of titles and author bios, visit www.accendopress.com.

The Spy Lover by Kiana Davenport - Excerpt

Welcome to our stop of The Spy Lover by Kiana Davenport. Here you will find information about the book, author and an excerpt.

Kiana Davenport’s latest novel is a powerful epic about the American Civil War, which extends this beloved writer’s vision to an entirely new level. Based on her family history, it is at once an historical novel, a haunting love story, and a brilliant expose on the treatment of minorities during the Civil War.  Meticulously researched, it is finally a story of human sacrifice and personal redemption.  A magnificent novel that crosses all genres, THE SPY LOVER (Thomas & Mercer; August 28; $14.95) is a work of astonishing beauty that promises to become a classic.      
Johnny Tom, a Chinese immigrant, and his beautiful Creek Indian wife, and daughter, Era, live in Shisan, a Chinese settlement along the Mississippi River. Their life is simple and idyllic, until Confederate soldiers invade the town, kidnap the men and force them into service, fighting for the South and slavery. At the first opportunity, many Chinese soldiers defect to the Union Army. In revenge, the Confederates return to Shisan to rape and torture their wives and daughters. Defiled and half-mad, Era sets out to find her father and is plunged into the full savagery and horror of the War.  Lured by Union officials to pose as a nurse while spying on the Confederate army, she falls in love with a wounded Confederate cavalryman, and her loyalties become divided between her beloved father in the North, and the gallant soldier who sustains her in the South.
THE SPY LOVER is ostensibly a novel about the abiding love between a man and a woman, between a father and daughter, and the love of a man for his country. Ultimately, it is a meditation on the ethical choice, on honoring one’s moral obligation.  

"I never planned to write an historical novel, or a love story, or a spy thriller, or a story about how brave Chinese soldiers were used as throw-aways in the Civil War. I simply set out to tell the story of my ancestors, who fought on opposingsides of that War."
- Kiana Davenport

Points of Interest:
          U.S. Civil War Research – Kiana’s research for THE SPY LOVER was exhaustive.  For five years she studied correspondences and documents and traveled to the battlefields of the Civil War, discovering facts that she hoped would fascinate her readers.  She learned about Southern women collecting urine from which to distill niter for making gunpowder. And she learned how women planted and harvested poppies, then scored and gathered from poppy-pods the sap known as opium.  She read books on spy-codes used in the War, what spies were paid, and how they were executed when caught by the enemy.  She lived and breathed the Civil War, letting it engulf her as she wrote her novel.
       Kiana’s Heritage – Kiana’s ancestor, Warren Rowan Davenport, was a cavalryman who rode for the Confederacy in the Civil War with a famous unit known as the Prattville Dragoons, of Prattville, Alabama. Her research on Warren Davenport entailed reading over forty books on the War, then basing her fictional character, Warren Petticomb, on her Southern ancestor. Johnny Tom is based on another of Kiana’s ancestors, John Tommy Kam, who emigrated from Canton, China, to Hawaii and finally to the East coast of the U.S. While Kiana had access to tattered correspondences and documents from Warren Davenport, she had little but word-of-mouth stories from her Chinese uncle about his ancestor, John Tommy Kam. Eventually, she uncovered articles about Chinese soldiers who had fought valiantly in the Civil War, including two articles about John Tommy Kam.  Finally, she discovered his war records, and the grounds at Gettysburg where he is buried with his comrades, the Excelsior Brigade of New York State.
·    Multicultural Themes - THE SPY LOVER is the story of Chinese soldiers who fought valiantly for a country that, afterwards, refused them American citizenship. It also unveils the gross mistreatment of Native Americans, African Americans, “mix-bloods” and other minorities who served honorably in the American Civil War. Importantly, it is also the tragic story of Native American women - mothers and daughters - kidnapped and raped by slave-owners who used them as breeders of a more “superior” kind of slave.   

MORE PRAISE FOR KIANA DAVENPORT
“Torrid, yet intelligent…her writing compares with Toni Morrison.”— Glamour on Shark Dialogues
"The strengths of this novel are many.  Davenport is a superb storyteller!”— The Seattle Times on Song of the Exile
“Davenport mines the depths of emotion…Readers who enjoy a Doctor Shivago-like saga will appreciate the broad scope of this novel”¾ Library Journal on House of Many Gods
“Complex, resonant … handles the sweep of history and the nuance of the personal equally well.”— San Francisco Chronicle on Shark Dialogues


Kiana Davenportis descended from a full-blooded Native Hawaiian mother, and a Caucasian father from Talladega, Alabama. Her father, Braxton Bragg Davenport, was a sailor in the U.S. Navy, stationed at Pearl Harbor, when he fell in love with her mother, Emma Kealoha Awaawa Kanoho Houghtailing. On her mother's side, Kiana traces her ancestry back to the first Polynesian settlers to the Hawaiian Islands who arrived almost two thousand years ago from Tahiti and the Tuamotu's. On her father's side, she traces her ancestry to John Davenport, the puritan clergyman who co-founded the American colony of New Haven, Connecticut in 1638.Kiana is the author of the internationally best-selling novels, Shark Dialogues, Song Of The Exile, and House Of Many Gods. She is also the author of the collections, House Of Skin Prize-Winning Stories, and Cannibal Nights, Pacific Stories Volume II. Both have been Kindle bestsellers. She has just published her third collection, Opium Dreams, Pacific Stories, Volume III.A graduate of the University of Hawaii, Kiana has been a Bunting Fellow at Harvard University, a Visiting Writer at Wesleyan University, and a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant. Her short stories have won numerous O. Henry Awards, Pushcart Prizes, and the Best American Short Story Award, 2000. Her novels and short stories have been translated into twenty-one languages. She lives in New York City and Hawaii.
Excerpt
Each night his dreams begin with rice, the taste and texture of each grain aligned to parallel his hunger. But some nights his dreams are seized by Laughter and by Rain, two women so merged in his past they run together like mercury. In his sleep, he calls out to them in words that make no sense in English. At first light, he sits up and rests his weary head against his arm’s hard cradle. Dawn lends a greenish cast to his sallow face, and in the cold his lips lo“My honorable and cherished Raindance,            To continue with my story…We fought hard at Kernstown in Shenandoah Valley. Ah, but even so, they bested us. Speed of our defeat astounding, hundreds our soldiers turn and ran. Now prisoners, we are dead weary, dog hungry. Much death before and after dark.             Still I slaughter many enemy, make many children orphans. For this my dreams are haunted. In battle I run over dead like logs. Run over many faces. White, red, even Russian, French. See many hundreds stomachs burst. Strange skins of many hues, but intestines all same color!…”            Now and then, while Johnny writes, he pauses, searching for a word.            “We die for clean water. Here is only sewage. So, are forced to drink our ruin. At first men turn away, disgusted. I tell them is old Chinese custom in famine and drought. They watch silent when I drink my ruin. When I not die, they drink their ruin too.            Most uncomfortable news. Chinese boy from Kentucky in our brigade, caught as spy for Rebels. Soldiers pour gasoline down his throat, then light match and stick up nose. He explode, float down in little rags. Even so, I wonder, would they do such thing to Rebel spy with white skin?…”            He stops writing and flexes his hand, softly repeating what he has written, trying to memorize each word. Then he begins the hard part—deleting in his mind what is not essential. He scribbles in his palm again, frowning with concentration.            “How I will remember everything? Am living so many lives my brain become a stone sinking to forgetful depths. Will you believe such tales I write? Will our daughter? Is fitting for young girl to know such things?…”            His daughter is sixteen now, or eighteen. The war has done strange things to his mind. Is she still beautiful? he wonders. Does she still have special love for books? And does she read to Raindance?            He moans softly, recalling his wife’s scent, honeysuckle, wildcat hide, the glow of her copper-colored breasts. Then he returns to his writing, fingernail busy scratching at his palm, practicing words whose spelling gives him trouble. Urine. Ruin. ***Captain Jenson from his regiment approaches, a young man so weary and gaunt his head seems too large for his frame. “How are you keeping, Private Tom?”            Johnny jumps to his feet and salutes. “OK, sir! Everything OK.”            “At ease, man. I want to commend you for keeping up morale, cheering the boys with your stories. And I don’t want you thinking on that Chinese boy, Elijah Low. He was a spy and got what he deserved.”            He straightens up, tightening a filthy bandage made into an arm-sling. “I’ve watched you on the battlefield. You’re one of the bravest men in our regiment. I’m proud to have you serving under me.”            Embarrassed, Johnny nods repeatedly and smiles.            Jenson hesitates, then offers something hidden in his fist. “Take it. I’m tired of seeing you whittle with that hunk of stone.”            Johnny stares at a small, bone-handled object with a button at one end. When he presses it, the blade snaps out like a small, slender fish caught in a sheaf of sunlight. He strokes the blade, remembering a similar knife he had given his daughter because it was delicate like her. He folds the blade and slips the knife into his shoe.            For weeks, he spies on the captain while he forages for roots with other prisoners, and while he lectures them to keep their courage up. He spies on Jenson when he defecates, and squats beside him while he sleeps, feeling forever attached to this young man because he has given Johnny something infinitely more precious than a knife: the faint hope of acceptance, of acknowledgment that he is human and brave, and therefore significant.             He has observed the confidence of Americans: that of accepting their lives completely, never wishing they were anyone else, or that they were born anywhere else, or raised in any other way. Just now, they may be wounded and starving, but they are secure in a way a Chinese could never be. Captain Jenson’s pride in Johnny fills him with confidence, the sense that he is becoming more like them, that he is becoming, incontrovertibly, one of them. And so his spirits lift.            He presses on through months of near starvation, of whippings by prison guards, of gangrene and typhus that take more than half the prisoners. He presses on because he believes this time will pass. America is so large and generous it will never abandon or betray him. He has offered up his life for it, and one day it will reward him by welcoming him as a citizen. He moves through each day with burgeoning pride, almost with arrogance, as if his feet had turned to dragon claws.            But on the day of his release, lined up with fellow prisoners awaiting the exchange, Johnny sees crows darting overhead in a floating and shifting calligraphy. Hearing their garrulous and raucous cries, he looks up again and sees they have formed the Chinese character for death.
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Her Demonic Angel – Win a $75, $50 or $25 Amazon Gift Card in my fantastic giveaway!

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my review of Acidalia, The beginning of Kallos from Khelsey Jackson by Julie Newberry

Ebook: Acidalia The Beginning of KallosAuthor: Khelsey JacksonFiction, Paranormal, This review may contain spoilersI was given this novella for an honest review from the authorSummary: When Acidalia knows her end is near, she is forced to say goodbye to her life as well as Sean and Ian Hunter. Her final wish is they be there for one another after she is gone..The ReviewI was so moved by this short novella, I balled for ages afterwards, I Love a story to have a happy ending normally but I am so in awe of how Khelsey has written this novella, that it is one of my favourites for this year, it may be short but it sure did pack a lot in, I am really looking forward to reading Kallos, it is next on my list, I bumped it up as I need to read how the boys get on after such a traumatic loss and whether they find their true soul mate, I love how Khelsey has written the characters in this novella, she made me feel really sorry for them, yet have hope in my heart that everything would turn out OK, I will be recommending this one to all my friends, 5/5
Buy linksAmazon.comhttp://www.amazon.com/Acidalia-The-Beginning-Kallos-ebook/dp/B009AYNV76/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1347743432&sr=1-1&keywords=acidalia