Julie A. Rainey's Blog, page 8

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Author Spotlight - Aron Joice

Description:
Managrail has been at peace for one hundred years, but things are about to change. After a near-fatal fall, Prince Simian and his sister, Lila, find themselves lost in an unknown land, forced to embark on a dangerous journey. Far away, another brother and sister return home, only to find their village of Dirth plundered and their family murdered. Two brother and sisters, different in every way, are brought together by tragedy. As the queen’s champion leads a search for the heirs, a colorful cast of allies joins them. Can the powers of the enchanted Light Bringers help them escape from ancient beasts that hunger for the taste of human flesh, and save their lands and people from the dark powers of an evil sorceress? Love-ambivalence-betrayal. Who will live and who is to be trusted?

Where to Buy:
Amazon


Author Website:
Aron Joice

Author Spotlight - Michael Formichelli

Description:
It is the 25th century C.E.

Cylus Keltan wants nothing more than to stay out of the poisoned bed of greed and politics, but as the last heir to a financial empire spanning hundreds of star systems no one wants to let him be alone. When a close friend throws himself from a mile-high window, Cylus is forced back into the world he swore never to return to. With the help of the cyborg investigator, Nero Graves, he uncovers a plot to cripple the government and deploy an alien super plague with the potential to kill billions known only as "Siren." Can they discover the link between his friend's death and Siren before it's too late?

Blood Siren Book One is the first of a series.


Where to Buy:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Author Website:
Facebook

Reviews:
Blood Siren has a fast pace and very well thought out plot line. The characters are very authentic. I especially like The character Nero, and look forward to seeing him in additional work from Michael Formicelli.
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If you like Heinlein or Vernor Vinge you will probably like this new author.

He not only has a great narrative to tell, but also he has obviously spent a lot of time contemplating interstellar travel, transhumanism, artificial beings and other future technologies. So if you're a fan of harder science fiction you won't be disappointed.

This book is very well written, the characters are well done and the story is compelling.
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Blood Siren is a captivating read. The story is well researched, the characters feel like real people, people you can understand and relate to. This really helps pull you into the universe of the story. By the end of the book I was anxious to get to part 2 and continue on with the story!

Author Spotlight - Kodai Okieda

Description:
A solar system in turmoil.           

The mistakes and conflicts of the early twenty-first century peak in a clash of ideology and mechanized steel that spans across the planets of the inner sphere of Sol.
           A contention of worlds ensues as the Earth Federal Republic and Solar Empire battle for solar supremacy.
           On one side, caught within the currents of war, is a band of young spacemarines, the Sledgehammers, who quickly find themselves embroiled in a plot that transcends the politics of the struggle around them. A dark and ancient secret looms throughout Sol in a myriad of alien artifacts that are the intense focus of one man’s mad ambition.
           On the other side, a revolutionary puts his own plan into motion as the would-be liberator of his people. Taking advantage of the conflagration, Alphonse Zhukov and his conspirators risk everything to free their proletarian brethren from the iron grip of the Solar Empire.
           Both sides quickly find themselves immersed in a storm of lies, betrayal, love, and romance as plans within plans and schemes within schemes forge their individual goals into a common cause.
            At the eye of the tempest is an alien warship that holds the key to finding the Goddess Device and unraveling the Stygian Conspiracy that surrounds it.

Where to Buy:
Amazon

Author Website:
Nexus Arcana

Reviews:
Prometheus Unbound

Author Spotlight - Lovely Whitmore

Description:
Latrease Wilson falls for an older man who doesn't want the same things in life. He's not ready to settle down. A traumatizing event causes her to develop a rare type of Amnesia, forcing her to lose sight of who she is and the people around her.

Randy Jackson, a child psychiatrist, is the older man she's been dating and comes to her rescue only to discover she doesn't remember him. Even more surprising, he learns that Latrease is pregnant.

The only choice he has is to take her home and begin helping her recover, while hoping her lost memories aren't gone forever.

During which Randy battles his own emotions and discovers his feelings for her are deeper than he'd been willing to admit.

Where to Buy:
Amazon

Reviews:
Enjoyed! It was short but sweet. Different storyline, pregnant woman who has lost her memory, doesn't realize the father of her child and the man she loves is none other than the kind man who she thinks is her doctor. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
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It's All Coming Back To Me Now is a touching love story. This book is very well written and well worded. It tells a a gripping story that makes it very hard to stop reading as soon as you start. It's All Coming Back To Me Now also consists of characters who feel very real, which helps connect with them on an emotional level. People say it is short, but it is not as short as a lot of books that I see on Kindle.

I would certainly recommend It's All Coming Back To Me Now to anybody who has any interest in this genre.
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It is one of my favorite story, Lovely. Great work. In my real life, i had a "story" similiar to this if you can imagine, and this is the most exciting thing which won't me let this book down. I read it in one breath i could say. I am sure that more people around the world that share in some way story experiance. Man feelings is very strong, and when it is real it have to fight with all. Amnesia is anti-love thing, most awful thing that can stay between people... Read it to see on one side, complications and misfortunes that could try do destroy love and on other side hard fight and desire with appetite to bring it back! The story is very interesting, one of the most interesting i read. I recommend to all people, it's a must have! 5 stars from me!
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To read more reviews, click here.

Random Thought - Trains of Thought

So there you are, plugging away at your latest novel, the world you've imagined being vividly detailed on the computer screen before you and then it happens, the phone rings or someone calls your name or there's a knock at the door.

Your train of thought has just derailed and crashed into a heap of twisted metal that you now have to go back to and try to salvage what you can of your world.

It has happened countless times to me, in fact I should have smoke spewing out of my ears for as many trains of thought that have crashed inside my head. Usually what happens to me is the TV that I can usually tune out, says something so off the wall it breaks into my brain. The perils of having my computer next to the family TV.

So I'm curious if this situation happens to anyone else and if so, what do you do to get back on track?

Author Spotlight - Sharon Mamolo

Sharon Mamolo
I'm a coffee addict, tattoo loving, Spanish talking, Red Bull drinking, trashy romance reading Puerto Rican girl. Currently stuck ( though not complaining one bit ) in southeast Louisiana.

Author Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter: @se_mamolo

Description:
Bethany Boudreaux is tired of being a damn peasant. Her mother, a born again human who rejects her witch bloodline, has kept Beth secluded and ignorant for most of her life. Beth wants to eat, preferably twice a day. She’d like a grand home, with a fully stocked bar. She’s tired of eking out an existence while the rich freaks get all the breaks. She’ll do anything to claim what is, by law, hers. She needs help, lots of it, because paperwork can be a bitch.

When Beth learns Lord Aleksander is coming to visit her club, she grabs a stiff drink and waits. The dark elf of Losalfar is the perfect solution to her current legal problems. He’s obscenely rich, a top member of the hierarchy, about to inherit region two, including New Orleans, but most importantly to her … he’s a man. Men are so easy, regardless of race. With his help, she can attain the privileges and powers only those with a title are born with. All she needs to do to gain his assistance is agree to three measly conditions.

Where to Buy:
Amazon
Smashwords

Reviews:
To read reviews, click here.
Description:
Bethany Boudreaux doesn’t regret becoming a Lady. She adores the toys all her newfound money can buy. She likes watching the fear in others when she enters a room. When she thinks about her boys, the two most powerful bachelors in the country, she becomes giddy enough to kill. Life is definitely good, until a chance encounter.

Now Beth is desperately trying to help others in difficult circumstances. Beth has a plan and patiently waits for the right moment to make her move. It wouldn’t be so hard, a piece of cake really, if her boys cooperated … no questions asked. Yet her boys are becoming difficult and her determination to get what she wants grows to the point of urgency. Failure is something she isn’t use to and she’ll obtain their cooperation, at any price.

Where to Buy:
Amazon
Smashwords



Reviews:
To read reviews, click here.

Description:
Bethany Boudreaux is in exile. Self-imposed exile but that is not the point. The realm stops for no one and it is business as usual for the rest of the Lords and Ladies of the Realm. When Caius, werewolf representative for region one, comes to Beth with a problem, she jumps at the chance to escape the boring desert dunes of Vegas. Anything had to be better than endless hours of sitting around watching strippers, watching but not touching.

Her trip into the Tennessee Mountains brings more than a much-needed diversion. She lands in a centuries old battle she hadn’t known existed. A battle in which her boys are accused of all kinds of dastardly deeds. She is determined to find the truth. For in the truth she may finally find peace and a fleeting chance of love. But is she willing to pay the price?

Where to Buy:
Amazon
Smashwords


Reviews:
To read reviews, click here.

Author Spotlight - Scott Taylor

Description:
Orphi is a homeless teenager with an extraordinary talent that he hides from the world. When the life of his young friend Smudge hangs in the balance, he unveils his power and quickly realises that life will never be the same again.

Where to Buy:
Amazon
Amazon UK
Lulu

Author Website:
Scott Taylor

Reviews:
We follow the adventures of Orphi, a young man who has a gift, or superpower. Through the challenges of difficult teen years, we see his growth as a character, and finally the point where he must take action to save others.

The story felt warm and inviting, and made for a great read. The character is easy to identify with, even when he's from such a different upbringing than myself. I enjoyed the way he grew over time, took to crimefighting, and the tentative, cautious interaction between some of the characters fit together so well it just made sense.

The story is written in British English, yet as an American reader I felt the humor, tense situations, and the FEEL of the story came through extremely well. In a word, enjoyable. I believe it would be a great story for kids, and yet, as someone who is 41, I found it a wonderful read myself.

It sounds like there are more adventures planned, and I hope Mr. Taylor continues the book as a series.

I received a copy of this e-book for review purposes. I'm a fellow author, and definitely believe this book is worth a read.
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I absolutely loved this book, and loved how easy it was for me to build a relationship with the imaginary characters; I really felt for them, and empathised with what they were going through.

I was constantly excited by the twists throughout the book and the unexpected things that Orphi got up to. I can tell the book is aimed at teens but still found myself engrossed as much as i would be by any 'adult' book.

I actually felt like something was being taken away from me when i had to stop reading and couldn't wait to pick the book back up. I would definitely recommend Orphi and the Shadowpaths to anyone looking for a great book to get stuck into.

Author Spotlight - Silvano Martina

*This title is in Italian*

Description:
A delicate illustrated story that emerges from the oral tradition of the northwestern Piedmont, Italy, when wolves and foxes came down from the mountains to the colorful folk tales of the elders and charming, then as now, children capable of dreaming.

Excerpt:
"...view a farmhouse in the distance the fox stopped and said to the wolf - Now we go on quietly, and when we get closer to the farm, you'll be hiding behind a bush, I will draw near to the stable and I will look into the window: if you see me log in then you will too.
And they did. The fox reached the silent barn, looked furtive and when he saw the farmer, milking over ... "

Where to Buy:
Amazon
Amazon UK
Createspace
About the Author:
Silvano Martina, born in the outskirts of Turin, Italy, in 1969, teaches art at a middle school. Architect, sculptor, has published some researches and essays on architecture.

Author Spotlight - Grace Brannigan

Grace Brannigan

Author Website
Author Blog
Author Page at Amazon
Author Page at Smashwords
Facebook
Twitter: @GBranniganWritr
Description:
Christie's on the run, from loss, family secrets, and her own pain. She finds Garrett and Hannah, two souls determined to go it alone, until they realize all they really need is each other to heal.

Where to Buy:
Amazon

Description:
Leading a reclusive life after the fire that subsequently scarred her face and robbed her of a promising rodeo career, Anna is on the verge of bankruptcy. When the man she once loved shows up on her doorstep, buried anger and betrayal surface for both she and Tyler.

Can they go back to the love they once knew....do they even want to go back?

Where to Buy:
Amazon
Smashwords
Description:
Jacie is afraid she's lost her edge. Following an aerial stunt gone wrong and then her fiancé running out on her, she's determined to restore her pride and her life.
Needing time away from well-meaning family, she accepts a skydiving job at Timber Falls. When she meets resort owner Sloan, the sparks fly. He is a man who will tempt her and possibly change her forever.

Where to Buy:
Amazon
Smashwords