Empi Baryeh's Blog, page 26

Happy Valentine's Day #SexySnippet from Most Eligible Bachelor #ValentineRomance

Happy Sunday!
It's the month of love, so I decided that for the rest of the month, I'd share snippets from my debut novel, Most Eligible Bachelor, a romance kindled on Valentine's Day. Until the end of the month, I'll share snippets leading up the the first kiss (I love first kisses

#BookRelease: The God Machine by Ken Newman @newkman61

 ¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•` ★OUT TODAY!
THE GOD MACHINE He was a writer, not a fighter, but now he was in a fight for his life…

In 2014, nineteen-year-old budding novelist, Kieran Nash, finds himself inexplicably transported to the desert world of Adeaa, where he meets an equally bewildered squad of German paratroopers, plucked from a 1944 Italian battle-field. Putting differences aside for the sake of survival, Kieran and the war hardened German Fallschirmjäger—led by the ever-resourceful Captain Zimmer—set out across the dangerous new world to find a way home, unaware they were key players in a plan that affected the future of two worlds.

BUY LINKS
AMAZON US | BLACK OPAL BOOKS


Author Bio: Ken Newman has loved stories of the supernatural since listening to his grandmother's folk tales of witches, angels, haints, and catawamps when he was a child. Author of the paranormal thrillers Forsaken, Bedeviled, and The Witch Tattoo, his fiction reflects his Tennessee roots and his love for all things-that-go-bump-in-the-night.

Mixing folklore and modern themes, with just right sprinkle of romance, Ken's novels create a twisted universe of supernatural creatures and larger-than-life heroes where nothing is as it seems. He has now added to his science fiction resume of The Ark and Dead Ends with his newest novel, The God Machine. It is pure escapism at its best.

When not writing, he enjoys sculpting, cheesy monster movies, and building the occasional trebuchet.

A member of the International Thriller Writers Association, Ken lives in East Tennessee with his wife Christian and their three daughters.

Contact Ken via his Website  and Twitter @newkman61.

Desperate Measures #BookRelease #boxset #99cents

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#BookReview: Fashion Victim by Suz DeMello

THE BLURB

Hot isn't a hot enough word to describe corporate raider Fletcher Wolf, but since he's suing couturier Cara Fletcher for, oh, a gazillion dollars, she figures she shouldn't hit on him…at least not too hard. On top of that, she wonders if he's responsible for the harassment and vandalism that's plaguing her, irritants that escalate into crimes when her workshop is trashed to the tune of a hundred thousand dollars. The economic damage enables him to seize her company, bringing him into her life on a daily basis. When her Manhattan loft home is torched and her assistant murdered, Cara realizes that the man she wants is the only man who can keep her safe.


The story starts off with a bang with the heroine, Cara Fletcher, being sued by the hero, Fletcher Wolf. They meet in the courthouse, the their mutual attraction sets the page on fire.

I fell for Fletcher the moment he appears in the book, particularly after he makes a big idiot of himself soon after he is introduced. Romance heroines making fools of themselves is kind of standard, but when the hero makes an epic fool of himself, then you know things will get interesting.

And they do. Fletcher thrusts himself into Cara's life, when disaster strikes and she is on the verge on bankruptcy. Their attraction is sizzling. As first kisses go, this story had one of the best I've read in a while.

Fletcher is unwavering in his desire to get personal with Cara, but Cara has personal issues she must deal with in addition to her life being in danger. I found it a little hard to buy Fletcher's 'I've always been in love with you' angle as there was no background given. Part of the problem, IMO, was that the story is told in first person. I may be biased, because first person POV is usually not my preference in romance, and it came to bare glaringly when I started missing Fletcher's POV.

As I mentioned in my second paragraph, I fell for Fletcher from the first moment, and I would have liked the cover to be more representative of him and Cara. The runway may fit the title, but the story is about Fletch and Cara and the cover should have shown that.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review*

Kindle vs Book: 5 reasons to choose e-books #ebookvsprintbook

Confession. I'm one of those people - you know, those who sniff new books for that unparalleled 'new book' smell (and if they made 'new book' scented car fresheners, I'd totally buy it). Whenever I'm travelling for a conference or something, I grab a few paperbacks, but therein lies the problem. 
When travelling, especially by air, there are serious luggage weight considerations. If you intend to do some shopping where you're going, then you want to take as little baggage with you as possible.So I took the plunge and bought my first kindle about 5 years ago (my Christmas gift to myself). 
I recently met a man on a plane who confessed he's a die-hard fan of print books and a firm subscriber to the eReaders-are-just-not-the-same school. We got talking about books versus kindle and at the end of the journey he said I just may have convinced him to try an e-reader.
So I thought it would be fun to challenge myself (and some of you) by sharing a few points in praise of e-readers to help those on the fence make an informed (ahem) decision. Since I own a kindle, my post may have points that aren't relevant to other e-readers.
PROS1. Many books on one deviceThis is for me one the of the biggest selling points of e-readers. Whether you're travelling or just going about your everyday business, having access to thousands of books without the accompanying weight makes life easier - especially if you're one of those readers who like to read two or more books concurrently. 
2. Cost
Due to lower production costs, e-books tend to be cheaper - some less than half the price of their print versions. i.e. more books for the same amount of money. If your mama raised you right, you know a good deal when you see one

3. Highlighting
If you're like me, you hold printed material in too much regard to mar their beauty with pencil marks or highlighters (let's not even get started on those who underline with ink) *shudders*. With the e-book, you can highlight and remove highlights to your merry heart's content. Bonus:you can finally get rid of the little notebook you've been noting those phrases you like.

4. No need for a new device
The kindle apps for PC, Android and mac etc. means you don't need to spend extra money for an extra device or agonise over where to carry yet another electronic device.

5. Saving the trees
The growing concerns about elimate change and saving the planet, this is a point to consider. If 90% of readers migrated completely to e-books, imagine the number of trees we could save!


CONS6. No New Book SmellThis is the most obvious one. Any book lover will raise this issue. A kindle doesn't have the heady new books smell that read-a-holics love. So if you simply can't live without it, then you should stick with print books. Although, knowing Amazon, there's probably a kindle with a 'new book smell' button in the works. Plus, see the last point... 
7. Limited Space
The space on an e-reader isn't unlimited, unfortunately, and if you're as prolific a reader and shopper as some people I know, then you'll have to get rid of some books at time goes on. The counter argument is, of course that, may sites like Amazon have cloud storage where you can hide your hoarding habit.
8. Saving the trees
While a massive switch to e-readers might save the trees, there is the ever increasing problem of electronic waste. E-readers don't last forever. What do you do when the old one reaches the end of its usefulness. If certain parts of the world, there are no recycle programmes. So while you might win the battle (saving the trees), we might still be losing the war (saving the planet).

I'd love to read your Kindle vs Book pros and cons list, so please leave me a comment.

...man, you're whipped #SexySnippet from Expecting Ty's Baby #amwritingromance

Hi. I decided to do a sexy snippet today as well. I debated continuing from where I left of last week, but decided to rather share a snippet from Book 1, Chancing Faith, where I first introduced Ty Webber, the hero of Expecting Ty's Baby, because this is the scene where I realised Ty was going to be hero of book 2.

The sound of teasing laughter snapped Thane out of his semi-trance. He’d momentarily forgotten Ty was in the office.

“She’s the one, isn’t she?” Ty laughed again. “Man, you’re whipped.”

Thane ignored the gibe as he poured himself a fresh cup of coffee. 

“At least she likes you, too. I’ve never seen two people practically strip each other naked with their eyes,” Ty mocked.  

I hope you enjoyed the snippet. Leave me a comment.






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Book Review: Thorns and Roses by Amaka Azie

THORNS AND ROSES
BlurbIfeoma and her sisters escaped an emotionally abusive father to start a new life in Lagos. She is determined to never let another man have control over her, even if that means never falling in love. That is until she meets Chuma, a wealthy and domineering man who is exactly the kind of man she is determined to stay away from but somehow can’t seem to keep away from. An unlikely relationship develops, taking them from joy to a devastating loss and finally to betrayal. Ifeoma must decide, but she is torn between her painful past and a chance at a future with Chuma… Chuma is a cutthroat obsessive financial mogul whose sole purpose in life is to make his family name great. And he is determined to let nothing distract him from achieving his goal. But when he meets Ifeoma, an elusive, hardworking chef, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to her. They embark on a turbulent journey of friendship and love, which is eventually shattered by tragedy. Chuma wants to heal the rift that has grown between them and will go to any lengths to do so. However, he encounters secrets from her past...

My ReviewThorns and Roses is two stories in one; the first part introduces us to the heroine, Ifeoma (Iffy), and the hero, Chuma, in a Cinderella-ish themed story. Iffy comes from a poor and troubled background to start a new life in a big city with her sisters. Coming from a culture where sons are valued more than daughters, Iffy and her sisters have always grown up being reminded they are not good enough. Life's hardships have enabled Iffy to become a strong, independent woman, but no one survives such issues without a few scars and Iffy is no different. Chuma on the other hand comes from a wealthy family and has always had a life of privilege. They meet at Iffy's restaurant and attraction brews between them. Chuma's uncompromising nature helps him to draw Iffy out of her shell and accept herself and love. A couple of scenes got me teary-eyed. This part ends with a the couple getting married.The second part of the story, jumps five years into the future at a time where a tragic event and past demons have brought the couple to the verge of divorce. This part sees Iffy having to confront her past in order to move forward with her life, and Chuma having to swallow the humble pill as he tries hard to win his wife's heart back.
I enjoyed the story in general. Iffy and Chuma are well-matched in personality and their romance is spicy. The story takes place in Nigeria, and I feel it is true to the African culture, highlighting both the positive and negative in a realistic way.
My biggest problem with the story was getting the HEA about halfway through the story, and then turning the page and finding myself five years in the future. I felt like I had to trudge through backstories just to get to the real end of the story, and this took away all the magic from the beginning. I would have enjoyed the story a lot more if the author had found a way of working the heavy-duty post-HEA stuff into the pre-HEA part. I get that some of the issues may have had to be cut out in my proposed scenario, but IMO the tension is always higher when the hero and  heroine aren't already married and either party can just walk away from the relationship.
I give 3.5 out of 5 stars! 

...so this is what that feels like #SexySnippet from Expecting Ty's Baby #amwritingromance

Hi folks. I'm thrilled to share my first ever #SexySnippets post. The rules are simple. Participating authors are to post seven sentences from a work in progress, or published book.

I've decided to share a snippet from my just completed story, currently titled Expecting Ty's Baby, the sequel to Chancing Faith.
Here goes:





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10 Things I Didn't Know About #Motherhood

I've been a mum for at least 3 years now, and I often still stare at my kids in amazement of who they are, and the fact that they are mine! Watching them grow is one of the most truly amazing things to witness. Every parent says it, but it doesn't get real until you're watching your child grow. Whether it's when they try to run past you, while trying to get away from you (cos they don't want to brush their teeth), or they are singing a song in baby talk in the right tune, or figuring out how to arrange legos. Your child's achievements will surprise and delight you even when you've read all the parenting books.

I've made a few rather interesting discoveries, since becoming a mum and I thought I'd share some here.

1) Sleep? What sleep? To be fair, they do tell you about this, but you don't really know until you've experienced it. When babies first arrive, their schedules are pretty clear. They eat, sleep and poo. They eat often (and poo just as much especially if you're breastfeeding) so you never get more than a few hours of sleep at a time. And you have to do other things in between, like clean and sterilise the feeding bottles, keep the house clean for your baby's sake, do the laundry (I was warned not to buy too many things for my baby for the first three months as they'll outgrow them too quickly, so that meant the few we owned needed to be washed often so there were always clean clothes to wear). Then you think it will be better when they grow up. Well, not for another couple of years. My kids are both toddlers now and they don't sleep when I need them to sleep. They are at a stage where they're walking and talking (babbling in the case of the younger one) and feeling more confident about discovering the world around them (in other words, you can't take your eyes off them for more than a few seconds). Now imagine yourself bone tired and nodding off while your little typhoon is running around 'exploring'; you can't keep your eyes open and you can't afford to fall asleep.

2) Poo is a legitimate topic of conversation Yes. As soon as you become a parent, you're consumed with monitoring your baby's stool for frequency, consistency, colour etc. They have a whole chart for logging feeding, and diaper changes. If your baby isn't pooing enough, or the colour and consistency are off, you're worried. And for good reason, there's a lot you can tell about your baby's well-being from his or her poo. So you know you're a parent when you call home from work to find out if your baby has (finally) pooed, what colour it is and whether is was soft or hard. If you have the stomach for it, here's an article complete with photos about baby poo.
3) Babies don't sleep like babies You've heard the expression "sleeping like a baby", which is to say you slept deeply and soundly. Don't be fooled! Babies do NOT sleep like that. Babies are an enigma. At least mine are. It is entirely true that a baby can sleep through a racket, but just sneeze and see if your baby doesn't wake up. I dare you! 



4) You'll talk to your significant other through your kid. This is my biggest surprise. "(insert baby's name) tell daddy that he needs to learn how to feed you." Yea, I'd heard couples do this, but I never thought I'd fall for it. It's a psychological ploy, I think. When you are both tired, sometimes it's the fact that your baby needs you that gives you the energy to get up and keep doing. So you use that. Avoid it at all costs. As much as it works, I think this behaviour will lead the couple the wrong way eventually. You need to be able to talk directly to your partner about what you want without using the child.

5) YOU are the parent (not your mum). I remember one night when my daughter was about a month old and she was crying. We were spending the night at my parents' so my mum was in the room with us. My daughter was well-fed, diaper changed etc. and we couldn't figure out what was wrong. This was in August, which is the coolest month of the year, but it's like 18C/64F so still summer temperatures by some other standards. Anyway, for some reason I kind of wondered it she might be feeling cold, so I got a light blanket and wrapped her in it. Within seconds, she was quiet and snoozing in my arms. I never felt more accomplished in my life as I did that moment,  because in the company of a veteran mum, I was the one who figured out what was wrong with my baby. And it hit me that I'm the mum.
6) You'll make mistakes. It probably goes without saying that if you're new to the job, you'll make a few mistakes even with all the parenting books and websites out there. Experience is the best teacher in this case. It is important to forgive yourself when you do make those mistakes and take measure to avoid similar mistakes in the future. I'm talking small  mistakes. With big mistakes, try to learn from other people's experiences so you don't have to learn from your own :-)
You'll be one of those mums...You know those parents who talk about their kids ALL.THE.TIME? Yea, that would be you! I liked baby stories way before I had any kids, so in some ways, I knew I'd talk about mine, but I was not prepared for the level of the temptation to throw in a 'my kids this' or 'mine that' in conversation. Sometimes, you can't help it - one parent says something about their kid and it reminds you of something about yours, so you share as well. Sometimes someone asks and you give one detail too many, but this is all because you love your kids and you think they are amazing. I try to make a conscious effort to not overdo it. I don't know if I'm succeeding.  Maybe I should write a book (does anyone remember that book, When Daddy Was a Little Boy?)

Kids don't do clean and neat
We've seen the photos of toys strewn on the floor in many homes with kids, so the fact that homes with kids are messy isn't a surprise. My big surprise was that kids aren't just prone to make a mess - they LIKE the mess. You pack all the toys into a box and IMMEDIATELY the kids come to upend the box, scattering the toys all over, not because they want to play. Oh no! My kids do this and simply walk off with a my-job-here's-done smile. They are  now at an age when I can teach them to pick up after themselves (guess who's going to have the last laugh)
You're automatically an expert 
When I was pregnant with my first, I was out shopping and a nervous dad-to-be asked my advice in selecting a brand of wipes. Now I had no firsthand knowledge about baby stuff, but I had enough secondary experience from watching and listening to my sisters to answer his question, then I hightailed it out of the aisle before he asked me a question that would force me to admit my novice-hood (novicity?

Book Review: Closer Than A Brother by Nkem Ivara

CLOSER THAN A BROTHER

The Blurb
Daye Thompson didn’t know when it happened, but while playing the role of the-big-brother-she-never-had to beautiful Samantha Egbuson, he falls in love with her. Confessing his true feelings could signal the end of their lifetime friendship. Can he risk losing her altogether?
She may have fallen for her best friend, Daye but can Samantha trust him with her heart when she's had such rotten luck with men she trusted in the past?

Closer than a Brother is a sweet romance about best friends who fall in love. I don't know about you, but I have always liked this plotline; after all, the hero and heroine are already friends, sometimes finishing off each others' sentences.

This is the case with Daye and Samantha who have not only been friends for years, but have also survived various disastrous relationships. A tragic incident from Samantha's past seems to be the only thing they haven't been able to work through--that and the fact that they are in love with each other. 

Closer than a Brother is an easy read and the pacing is good for the length of the story. The cover is fun and fits the story perfectly. 

I admit - even though I love sweet romance, I'd have liked a little more spice in this book. There was also one thing I was hoping for, which would have given the story a bit of a dark twist, and would tested Daye and Sam's love and friendship (and their characters) in a way that would have added a little extra oomph to the story. However, the direction Ms Ivara took is strong enough to make up for it.

I give 3.5 out of 5  stars!

*I received an eARC copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it*