Katie Hamstead's Blog, page 77

Review: The Artful by Wilbert Stanton

From Goodreads:

New York City, 2025: Everything is changed. The city that never sleeps is now a land of death and decay. A rampant virus has taken over and the survivors have become carriers, quarantined from the rest of the world.
Twist and Dodger grew up in the streets, the sewers and underground tunnels - their playground. They aren't heroes. They just like attention; and stealing meds from the rich and giving them to the poor is their golden ticket.
On their latest raid, they unknowingly steal a cure that puts them square between the ailing Emperor of Manhattan and the war hungry Governor of Brooklyn and forces them on a quest into the darkest shadows of their putrefying world.



My Review:
I've been dying to read this book since I saw the cover reveal. It definitely didn't disappoint. I loved Twist from the first page. While Dodger is exactly what you expect, an arrogant jerk, Twist is the exact opposite. I love that he hasn't been corrupted by the horrible world they live in, and still holds onto hope and compassion.
New York is a messed up place, and Dodger and Twist work hard to survive the best they can. Unfortunately for them, they get caught up in a game of life or death caused by the poor choices and greed of others. All throughout, the boys stay true to themselves, and most importantly, each other, even when things threaten to be torn apart.
I was a little disappointed by the end, until I saw it's book 1! Yay! I want book 2 now. I don't want to leave spoilers, but there's plenty left open and wanting to be resolved and uncovered

Cover Reveal: Lucas Mackenzie and the London Midnight Ghost Show by Steve Bryant and Giveaway #M9BFridayReveals

Welcome to the Cover Reveal forLucas Mackenzie and the London Midnight Ghost Show
by Steve Bryantpresented by Month9Books!Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Lucas Mackenzie has got the best job of any 10 year old boy. He travels from city-to-city as part of the London Midnight Ghost Show, scaring unsuspecting show-goers year round. Performing comes naturally to Lucas and the rest of the troupe, who’ve been doing it for as long as Lucas can remember.But there’s something Lucas doesn’t know.Like the rest of Luca’s friends, he’s dead. And for some reason, Lucas can’t remember his former life, his parents or friends. Did he go to school? Have a dog? Brothers and sisters?
If only he could recall his former life, maybe even reach out to his parents, haunt them.When a ghost hunter determines to shut the show down, Lucas realizes the life he has might soon be over. And without a connection to his family, he will have nothing. There’s little time and Lucas has much to do. Can he win the love of Columbine, the show's enchanting fifteen-year-old mystic? Can he outwit the forces of life and death that thwart his efforts to find his family?Keep the lights on! Lucas Mackenzie’s coming to town.

Title: Lucas Mackenzie and the London Midnight Ghost Show
Publication date: November 18, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Steve Bryant

Steve Bryant is a new novelist, but a veteran author of books of card tricks. He founded a 40+ page monthly internet magazine for magicians containing news, reviews, magic tricks, humor, and fiction; and he frequently contributes biographical cover articles to the country’s two leading magic journals (his most recent article was about the séance at Hollywood’s Magic Castle).

Connect with the Author: Website | Twi tter | Goodreads Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!(Winners will receive their book on release day)a Rafflecopter giveaway

What I Will be Reading in August

The votes are all in and tallied! I really enjoyed doing that, so I'll definitely do it again next month. But Anyway, to the winner! In August I will read and review...


This one won by quite a bit! Just so you all know, Fall For Me is written by my friend and fellow Aussie Owneder, and is the first in the series.

The winner of one of my ebooks was selected from the people who voted #1 for Fall For Me. I then very scientifically had my husband randomly choose a number when he had no idea what I was going on about. Team work. That's what marriage is all about!
And the winner of the ebook of their choice is:
K.A. Last


Your choices:
Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh (#1)
Kiya: Mother of a King (#2)
Kiya: Rise of a New Dynasty (#3)
Branded
Papina

This month I am reading The Artful, so keep an out of for a review on that.

Thanks for joining in!

Cover Reveal: The Other Lamb, by Katie Young

The Other Lamb, by Katie Young
Date of Publication:August 28th, 2014.
Cover Artist: Polina Sapershteyn (https://www.behance.net/PolinaS)
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Description:
Incarcerated on Earth as punishment for breeding with humans, the Watchers found a way to escape. Zach is living proof of that…even though someone has cut out his heart.
When Zach turns eighteen he develops an insatiable thirst for blood, but he tries to bury his fears and go on enjoying his birthday. His best friend Kim has scored them tickets to the hottest gig in town. But a charged encounter with his idol, the enigmatic rock star known as Grigory, leads to a revelation that shatters everything Zach thinks he knows about himself and the world, and places everyone dear to him in grave danger.Zach is a Naphil, the forbidden offspring of a mortal woman and a Watcher. When those who seek to destroy him snatch Kim, Zach is forced to embark on a journey of discovery spanning continents and ages. With the help of a mysterious stranger named Sam, Zach must unearth the truth about his parentage, find Kim, and discover who has stolen his heart…before he triggers the apocalypse.

About The Author:
Katie Young is a writer and occasional zombie movie ‘supporting artiste’. She also works in kids’ TV but wishes she were a rock star. She has various shorts available for download from Ether Books, and features in anthologies from Collaboration of the Dead Press, Angelic Knight Press, Indigo Mosaic, Song Stories Press, Static Movement and Fox Spirit Books. Her story, Atelic, was shortlisted for the 2010 Writers' & Artists' Year Book short fiction prize, and she is a regular contributor to the Are You Sitting Comfortably? story-telling events run by White Rabbit. Katie also writes TV reviews for The Cult Den. The Other Lamb is her first novel. She lives in South East London with her partner and a second-hand cat. She is not a natural redhead.Find Katie Young Online:
Website (http://katieyoungauthor.wordpress.com/) | Facebook(https://www.facebook.com/pages/Katie-...) | Twitter (https://twitter.com/Pinkwood) | Goodreads(https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...)

Release: Rescued by Larynn Ford

Fiercely independent and determined to be taken seriously in a man’s world, PI Rose Baxter will do whatever it takes to find the kids who are disappearing from the streets and bring them home safe, even teaming up with PI Marty Brown, a man hot enough to burn whatever part of her gets too close – her fingers, her sheets, her life, and her other nature’swhiskers.  But her other nature knows whiskers grow back and will accept nothing less than this man as her mate for life, a plan Marty’s all in on. Sparks fly when she refuses to be the little woman. Besides, those kids need her and their time’s running out. But, thrown together 24/7 can she fight it?

Amazon

To celebrate the release of her book, Larynn is giving away a copy of her book! Here's what she says about it: I'm so excited about my release day I'd like to give a book to one of the commenters today. I'll draw a name on July 19 and email the winner. I just need the email address with the comment.

Guest Post: Behind-The-Scenes: Bethany Averie & Greek Mythology

Choosing to write a trilogy with Greek mythological characters in it wasn’t really a hard decision on my part. The hardest part was the fact that I was writing characters who were 18. The last novel I wrote ( All’s Fair In Love & Lion —my fairy-tale Romance with paranormal elements) had characters in their 30s, so this novel was a whole new ballgame. Plus, it was the first time in a long time that I was writing third person past tense (my Romance, which released last year, was written first person/present tense). But I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could do it.Because I wasn’t sure what would happen with this idea, I decided to use a story I had already started. During a search of my unfinished manuscript files, I ran across the original draft of Divine Love I wrote (when it was a very different story) and remembered how much I liked the concept and ideas. It ended up not being quite as hard as I feared, too. The ideas began flowing, and off I went.Since I love Greek mythology, it was fun to refresh my memory on the Immortals (gods and goddesses) and stories. A lot of writers have their own take on mythology, and I think that’s one of the most fun things about it is how much room it has for people to form their own perspective on the characters and storylines. Divine Love was finished in about 6 months—the shortest I’d ever taken to write (Book Two actually took less time than that, but that’s another story, and that book doesn’t release until Fall this year). This trilogy is some of the most fun I’ve had writing in a long time. I’m pretty sure even after these books are all done I’ll continue to write younger characters. (I will note that one day I hope to get back to my Romances, but at the moment, the “coming of age” Young Adult/New Adult genre is a great place for me to be, so I’ll hang out here for a while at least).I hope people who read Divine Love enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I really love Jason and Laney and readers do, too.
Bethany Averie’s author bio:   Bethany Averie is the second-to-the-youngest of eight children. As a kid, she loved fairy tales, especially Cinderella and Beauty & The Beast. Bethany still loves fairy tales, Greek & Roman Mythology, and romance. She resides in the Lone Star State with her real life hero, and a shadow who calls her 'Mom'. When not writing, Bethany enjoys time with family and friends and dreaming up new worlds. You can reach Bethany on her website: http://bethanyaverie.wix.com/authorbe... and/or on her blog: Bethany at http://writebybethany.blogspot.com/ She can also be found on Twitter as @WriteByBethany and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BethanyAveri....
Immortal Dreams Book One: Divine Love blurb:   Laney Alberts should be enjoying her senior year of high school. Instead, she’s mourning the death of her beloved father—her hero. Even after a year without him, she still feels directionless.Things take a complete one-eighty when she literally walks into Jason Magnus, the hot, new guy at school. He’s different from anyone she has ever met, and intrigues her in ways she never guessed possible.But, there’s more to Jason than Laney realizes. Before she knows what’s happening, she’s thrown into the world of Immortals. To prevent a goddess bent on world domination from destroying both the human and Immortal worlds, Laney and Jason must embrace the Fates’ destiny for them.Human and Immortal collide in this, the first of the Immortal Dreams Trilogy. Bethany Averie Links: Author website  Facebook page  Twitter  Soul Mate Publishing Author Page   Amazon

Cover Reveal: The Misadventures of Hobart Hucklebuck: Magic and Mayhem, by Stan Swanson

Date of Publication:August 7th, 2014.
Cover Artist: Ricky Gunawan (http://ricky-gunawan.daportfolio.com/)
Goodreads
Description:
Things are not as they should be in Pennywhistle. Enchanted toasters are not toasting, enchanted sprinklers are not sprinkling and Hobart Hucklebuck’s origami messenger birds are suddenly attacking him.
Someone seems to be draining the power from all of the enchanted items in the village. But who could it be and why have they implicated Hobart’s grandfather?
“The Misadventures of Hobart Hucklebuck” follows Hobart and his friends, Specks Spacklethack and Rosie Rumpleskirt, as they try to solve this mystery and free Hobart’s grandfather from the Tower of Tribulation on Mumblemonk Mountain.
The trio’s investigation into the mysterious happenings on Druid Lane gets them into hot water more than once and ultimately brings them dangerously close to disaster not only for themselves, but the entire village of Pennywhistle.--
About The Author:
Stan Swanson is a Bram Stoker award finalist and author of eight books including Forever Zombie (a collection of short stories), Write of the Living Dead (a highly-praised writing guide written with Araminta Star Matthews and Rachel Lee) and Return of the Scream Queen (co-authored with Michael McCarty and Linnea Quigley). He is also editor/publisher for Dark Moon Books and Dark Moon Digest. Upcoming titles include Horror High School: Return of the Loving Dead (the first book in a young adult horror series co-written with Araminta Star Matthews), Dead Sparrows (a collection of apocalyptic poetry) and The Methlands (a horror novel co-written with award-winning author Joe McKinney).
Find Stan Swanson Online:Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads| Amazon

Reading Suggestions Needed!

I want to do a new thing. I have a kindle full of books, and I want a way to organize my reading of them. So, each month, I'd love for you, my followers, to make a suggestion for what I should read. About mid month, I will go into my kindle and tell you what I have and you can vote. I will then leave a review at the end of that month, and I will select a winner for an ecopy of their choice one of my novels! (Note: I will only read one a month due to needing to read submissions and write, so you know, limited time)

Let's start with August! What shall I read for August?

1. How To Date Dead Guys by Ann Noser
2. Heirs of War by Mara Valderran
Fall For Me by K.A. Last
Speak Easy by Melanie Marlow
The Making of Nebraska Brown by Louise Caiola


And I just noticed these areNew Adult books!In the comments, please leave your top three votes in order! Thank you! Oh, and you can say why if you like, in fact, I'd love to know why you picked your picks!

Cover Reveal: Life AD 2: M.I.A.: Missing in Atman by Michelle E. Reed and Giveaway #M9BFridayReveals

Welcome to the Cover Reveal forLife AD 2: M.I.A.: Missing in Atman
by Michelle E. Reedpresented by Month9Books!Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Dez is finally hitting her afterlife stride. She hasn’t missed a meeting or session in forty-two days, and she’s put the adventures and danger of her first days at Atman behind her. Life after death is becoming tolerable, yet nothing is quite what she’d hoped. Confusion over her feelings for Charlie, residual resentment over losing Hannah, and a continuous stream of unwanted assignments leave Dez restless and argumentative.In a missed encounter with Crosby, her prying gaze lands upon a single entry in the datebook on his unoccupied desk. These few, hastily scribbled words reveal an enormous secret he’s keeping from her. Possessed by a painful sense of betrayal, she once again sneaks off to Atman City, determined to find answers to an unresolved piece of her life.It begins as all their adventures do, but as light falls into darkness, a stop in an unfamiliar neighborhood sets forth a chaotic series of events. Dez will have to fight for her very existence, and will face painful, irreparable loss in an afterlife teeming with demons wielding ancient powers.In M.I.A.: Missing in Atman, the second book in the Atman City series, Michelle E. Reed continues the story of Dez Donnelly, pushing her to her limits and surprising readers at every twist and turn of the vast world that is Atman.Death was only the beginning.

Title: Life AD 2: M.I.A.: Missing in Atman
Publication date: December 16, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Michelle E. Reed

Michelle was born in a small Midwestern town, to which she has returned to raise her own family. Her imagination and love of literature were fueled by a childhood of late nights, hidden under the covers and reading by flashlight. She is a passionate adoption advocate who lives in Wisconsin with her husband, son, and their yellow lab, Sully.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | GoodreadsComplete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!(Winners will receive their book on release day)a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Spirits by RS McCoy

Oops! I should have posted this two days ago, but I've lost track with my emails. Better late than never, right?

Spirits Cover Reveal


Lark Davies sleeps in a gilded palace and eats the finest foods, but he would trade it all to change that one night. Haunted by the trauma of murders he couldn’t stop, Lark’s dreams become ravaged by images of the darkness he can’t escape. Robbed of sleep and slowly losing his sanity, the talented mind-reader knows he won’t last much longer.

As he strives to keep it together, his life only spirals out of control. Khea, the new queen of Nakbe–and his only light in the night–declares sacrifice to be a necessary component of the island culture, forcing Lark to assert his disapproval. For the first time, the unifying bond he shares with her isn’t enough to keep them together. Lark leaves the capital to defend his position against the crimes and earn the strength to prevent them.              With Avis at his side, Lark’s only hope to stand against the queen and avert a future of death lies in his unexplored ability to manipulate physical elements of the world. The two men search out the spirits that control water, fire, and wind, finding help in the unlikeliest places.


What reviewers are saying about Sparks:
I'm pretty much always on the lookout for a book that will take me into a new world, and finding a world that is as spellbinding as this one rarely happens. ~Paige, Book Blogger
I thoroughly enjoyed every page of it. I read it in pretty much 24 hours!!! I can't wait for her next one. ~Brandi, Goodreads Reviewer
A brilliant new fantasy concept, intelligent writing, and the author's innate story-telling ability combined to produce a tale that I could not get enough of. ~Kelly, Amazon Reviewer
Wow. And this is a debut novel? I am blown away at this book. I don't like fantasy books. I like contemporary much better, but this book was amazing. ~Alex, Book Blogger
McCoy draws from many different cultures to build her world and does a terrific job at it. Very clever indeed. Highly recommended. ~Fred, Amazon Reviewer


About RS McCoy
RS McCoy didn’t ever plan on being a writer. With a career teaching high school science, writing is the last thing she expected. But life never goes the way you think it will. While battling cancer, she picked up her laptop and let the words flow out. One year later, her first published fantasy novel has been released on Amazon and her second novel is in the works. She is a wife, mother of two, a scientist, baker, gardener, and life-long science fiction and fantasy addict.

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Buy Sparks on Amazon