GIVEAWAY! Win one of two ebooks offered by Jennifer Hampton!

Enter to WIN one of the following ebooks in the Beautiful Sins series by Jennifer Hampton

Beautiful Sins: Leigha Lowery

Official Blurb:
Enter the world of Leigha Lowery as she travels to the Dark Coast, where Vampire, Werewolves, Witches, and other creatures of the night that have decided to make the Dark Coast their home. The Dark Coast is made up of the states surrounding the Pacific Coastline infected by a military experiment gone Awry. The states are ruled by constant cloud cover. Welcome to the Dark Coast. 






Beautiful Sins: Olivia Lowery

Official Blurb:

My name is Olivia Lowery. I’m a wealthy socialite residing outside of the Dark Coast, on the Upper East Side no less. I’m beautiful, I’m privileged and I can have just about any guy that I want. That is… until the morning of my sixteenth birthday. That’s when I discovered something different about myself. 

To enter, just leave a comment on this post with your email! Two winners will be chosen (using random selection), one for each book. I will mail the winner the code to get the book free of cost from Smashwords.com! 

(If you would ONLY like to be considered for one specific book, please include the title in your comment).

(giveaway ends April 21, 2011, so enter today!)

Teaser Tuesdays!

 This is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Here are the rules-- Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's my truly random teaser (e.g., I opened to the page I happened to be reading and picked the only paragraph on the page that was exactly two sentences long): 

"The Incubus turned his great scaly head toward her, but said nothing. His drool hit the floor and hissed, raising steam." 

page 60, "The Gods of Dream" by Daniel Arenson

I'm sponsoring "Paper Woman" for Blog Tour de Force!

I'm sponsoring Suzanne Adair's book, "The Paper Woman," during the week-long Blog Tour de Force. This is going to be loads of fun, with lots of prizes for YOU, dear reader, to win! This book's feature day is Thursday, April 21. On that day, I'll be posting my review of her book, "Paper Woman" (available on Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble), and you'll have the chance to win BIG!

What could you win, you ask? Well, first of all, if you visit the author's website on April 21st, you'll get to download a FREE copy of "Paper Woman." It's your chance to get the book that won the Patrick D. Smith Literature Award, in addition to collecting quite a number of 5-star reviews! If the free book wasn't enough, you'll also be eligible to win other prizes, such as the author's "Historic Haversack" full of gifts .... and even a Kindle! All you need to do is visit the author's website on Thursday, April 21st, and follow a few instructions. Check out this post for more details!

REVIEW: "Take the Monkeys and Run" by Karen Cantwell

Barbara Marr is just your average suburban mom who thinks of life in terms of movies. She's just going through the daily grind that includes raising her three daughters and wondering why her husband just left her. Wildlife is common in the aptly-named neighborhood of Rustic Woods, but screeching monkeys in the trees? Not so typical. So when loud noises in the middle of the night seem to be coming from the vacant house Barb calls the "House of Many Bones," Barb gets out of bed to investigate. She hears howls and screams, and finds her trees overrun with monkeys. Eager to have something to get her mind off her own misery, she begins an investigation. She pulls in her best friend, Roz, and an ex-boyfriend, Colt, pulls himself in. That's about the time that things get just a little out of hand. Barb finds herself thrown into a thrilling cinematic adventure of her own, complete with the Mafia, guns, stake-outs, and dead body parts, and she belatedly realizes there's no director around to yell "cut!"

The first in the Barbara Marr Murder Mystery series, this book by Karen Cantwell is a hoot. Barb is zany, outlandish, and doesn't always make the best choices, so she's a lot of fun to follow. She says and does things we all think about sometimes. She's a typical mom with three girls and a bit -ok, more than a bit- of a movie fetish. Barb sees things in terms of how characters in a movie would react, which adds some nice color commentary. I found this tact to be a clever way to tie the storyline in with Barb's character, and it really helps you get a more developed picture of what Barb is like. It also leaves a lot of potential for future storylines. The wacky premise and kooky cast of characters is reminiscent of those found in books written by Jennifer Crusie and Jane Heller. If you prefer realistic mysteries, then this may not be your best choice. This book is pure fun and silliness, and what I consider to be complete "brain candy." I know, for me, indulging in brain candy is a really relaxing and entertaining way to spend some free time.

Along the line of these types of stories, the writing style is a bit quirky, with some interesting grammar constructs. In a story of this genre, this informal and offbeat writing doesn't seem out of place. The storyline gets a little more outlandish on each new page turned. The sometimes eccentric secondary characters add color to the story, and the descriptions of each character allow you to really picture them. There is some predictability to the plot, and some of the male characters, in particular, seem cliche, but it's all in line with the genre of the story. The ending is satisfying in the way that is typical of this type of book, and it prepares you to read the next story in the series.

Overall, a zany and fun adventure in which to immerse yourself!

4 /5 stars

Available at Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble

ALSO:

A collection of shorts, "The Chronicles of Marr-nia" showcases Barbara Marr in some family adventures. Zany and fun, this is a good companion to "Take the Monkeys and Run." I could especially relate to the motherhood aspect of the stories, and I will fully admit that I've been known to "Hulk-out," too. This collection may be a good bet if you'd like to get to know Barb before deciding if her murder mystery series is right for you. It's a great introduction to the characters and the type of writing you'll see in the full-length novel. There are also a few bonus stories at the end that follow a completely different type of writing style, and it gives the reader a sense of the author's other capabilities as a writer.

Available at Amazon

REVIEW: "Qi" by Elizabeth A. Svigar

Sam is the best archer in all of Salem. With her latest win, she and her sister, Abby, herself a gifted fencer, have the chance to train for the Olympics at magical Xenith. Prestigious and affluent, this training camp in Fletching provides an opportunity of a lifetime. As an added bonus, Sam and her sister will get to spend a lot more time with their mother, who lives in the area, and Eli, an old friend with whom Sam is excited to rekindle a friendship. It's a dream come true. But dreams don't always turn out the way we expect. Sometimes our dreams turn into nightmares. How will this one end?

Written for a young adult audience, "Qi" is fanciful and engaging. I found Sam's character to be realistic, with real flaws and strengths, and I liked her. The rest of the characters were a little less developed, and not quite as engaging. The adults, in particular, were less complex and compelling than the children in the story. The adults are, in fact, secondary characters, which really serves to highlight the strength of the younger characters in the story. Nicely written, in fluid prose for this age level, this novel is quite appropriate for the middle grade or younger young adult set. The author sets the scenes with descriptive language that allows the reader to picture the events and characters.

The storyline is immediately engaging, and I was eager to find out more about Fletching and the Liffey family. A mysterious stranger is introduced right in the first few pages, and this infuses a nugget of expectation, which pulled me in further. Although the book is titled "Qi," I felt like not quite enough was done with this concept, and I would have loved for it to have come up a bit more than it did. When the magic doll, Will, was presented in the story, it became more clear what type of a fantasy story this was. Although this doll played a major role, I feel like I didn't really get a good sense of him. He seemed to be such an integral part of what goes on in Fletching, but, in his introduction, we find that he's been locked up for years. I wondered if he was the only creation of his sort, and how he might have come to be.

I found the ending of the book to be a little less engaging than the first half of the book had been. The ending seemed a little less relatable and almost like a different type of story than I had been expecting. It's hard to define exactly what I felt, but I found myself thinking "what??" on several occasions during the climatic scenes of the book. I like the way the ending wasn't completely tied into a neat package with a pretty little bow, but I was confused by just how much was left open to the imagination. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the book is titled "Book One of the Baba Yaga," so it seems there is much more to come in later installments. I hope that's the case, because one of the things I wanted most probed was the triangle between Dr. Dante and Sam's parents. I also wanted more about Jonah and his experiences, and what was in store for both Abby and Sam. There is a lot left to discover, and I look forward to seeing where this story leads.

Engaging and fun, this was a really nice start to a series that has the potential to be an exciting fantasy adventure for younger readers.

3.5 /5 stars

Available at Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble

REVIEW: "Wrecker" by Dave Conifer

Jane and Steve need some work done on their house. Conveniently, Steve hears about someone who can not only do the work, but will do it really inexpensively. Serendipity! Or is it? Rob is a little rough around the edges, and Jane isn't so sure about this situation. Struggling through a rough patch in her marriage, however, she soon warms up to Rob and they become friends, sort of. He's a tragic, mysterious figure, and Jane finds herself intrigued by his past. Before long, however, Jane starts to realize just who Rob is and what he's all about, and his secrets include something she could have never have imagined. If she's going to make it through this situation intact, her strength and determination will be called upon like never before. If Jane thinks her life is bad now, she'll be amazed at just how bad it can get.

This novel by Dave Conifer started off as a bit "Nicholas Spark-ish" but turned into a thriller as the writing process evolved (the author talks about that here). I enjoyed this book. There were some neat connections that tied the story together and made for an exciting plot. These connections result in a satisfying, if a little unrealistic, ending. The final twist is definitely unexpected, and I'm not sure how I felt about it. I found it interesting, and it just added that much more to the ending, but the way it was written made it seem a little outlandish. I think it would have gone over better had the reveal been a little more subtle.

I really liked the character of Jane. I found her believable and interesting, and the most developed character in the book. I found Steve a little more cliche. His reactions seemed more over-the-top than the story called for, and he was almost a caricature of a busy, disinterested husband. Rob's character had a lot of potential, but he confused me at times. I realize he may not have been "all there" mentally, but I never quite got the whole "I'm doing it for her" train of thought. It seemed such a big part of his motivation, but I felt that particular thread didn't have a lot of closure. From the emphasis on that, I thought it might have played a bigger role down the line. The relationship between Jane and Rob was fascinating, and it was fun to follow the path it took throughout the story.

The writing was stylistically very simple, which made for a fast read. The story was engaging and interesting, with several twists and turns along the way. I found sections of dialogue to be somewhat unrealistic and trite at times, however. Some of the information presented through dialogue may have been better shown through actions, or by taking a step inside the characters' heads. Although the plot itself has a lot of depth, I felt the writing lacked some of that depth. The story dragged here and there, but it never dragged to the point where I wanted to put the book down. I was definitely interested from beginning to end. Towards the ending, the shifts between scenes and characters were quicker, and that was in line with the upcoming climax.

All in all, an interesting and fun read!

3.5 /5 stars

Available at Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble

REVIEW: "The Ark of Adams" by Jack Kane

Official Blurb: Dr. Timothy Adams' invention was supposed to save mankind. Arcadia was to be his crowning achievement. Through life extension technologies and Virtual Reality fueled immersion, a land of plenty has been born; a shelter from a dawning New Ice Age and refuge from collapsing global economic markets. But, the shadowy government agency that so generously funded his efforts has other plans.


Additional information: The Ark Of Adams is a story about noble intention gone awry. Consider one Dr. Timothy Adams. In a near distant future beset by the turmoil of global warming and economic failures, he creates an innovative virtual reality application which, when combined with extropian immersion technologies, yields a land of plenty. With the promise of a viable solution to the world’s problems at hand, his deal with a shadowy government agency appears of a reasonable means to an end.

Meet Senator Elaine Noel, Citizen 472. Assigned to the colony of Arcadia for data integrity strategies, her true identity since lost to system corruption; today, she serves as a lowly backup technician, known as Nikki Allen. But, today is not an ordinary day. 

Today, she will be interrogated by intelligence agents, stripped of her system profile, and imprisoned. Today, she will become a fugitive and find herself drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse amidst the hacker underground. 

Yet when tragedy strikes Limmerick; this imperfect world, facing its final moments, will look to her as their leader in a fight to be waged for the ultimate control of all that remains.  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


I started this book with very high hopes. An Earth on the brink of collapse, unable to sustain its population, a brilliant scientist who develops a solution using the tenets of virtual reality..., a very compelling premise. I think the concept is solid and has a lot of potential, but I was unable to get past the lack of punctuation (particularly a lack of commas), the typos (including its always being spelled its'), and what I consider to be awkward phrasing in order to finish the book. I started and stopped this book several times over the past few days, but was unable to get past the writing style. I'm sure there's a gem of a story in there, I just couldn't unlock it. I wanted to love it, but really couldn't read it. As such, I will decline to give this book a star rating. 


I am including a few of the sentences I found in the first 70 pages. I include them because it's indicative of the writing within, and the writing may be perfectly in line with what some are looking for in a novel. Just because I found the writing to be an impediment doesn't mean all readers will find the same.


--"She climbed out of bed slowly, her waking coordination making her slippers slide onto her feet more difficultly than normal."


--"Upon reaching the next oasis, she repeated the process while taking the time to again dowse the top of her head with the water before filling the canteen that she carried."


--" 'You knew I was coming and were going to not let me in?' she inquired at his nerve."  


--"She hung her head taking in his points. They were inciting but true and at that moment she knew that she really did need help and that she indeed did not have many options." 


Neat concept with lots of potential, but the writing style got in my way. Your mileage may vary!

Available at Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble

GIVEAWAY: FREE EBOOKS! 50 people will WIN!

I recently reviewed "Sugar & Spice" by Saffina Desforges. The author has generously offered the first 50 responders a FREE copy of this book from Smashwords!!


No contest to win, just a FREE book to read! To get your copy of the book I called "riveting and thought-provoking," just leave a comment on this post with your email OR email me at gracekrispy AT yahoo dot com with your email address. You will receive a return email with a Smashwords coupon code for 100% off the book. The coupon can be used to download a FREE copy in the format of your choice.


(This offer is only good for the first 50 respondents, I will not keep any email addresses and you will NOT be contacted by me after receiving your coupon code. Believe me, I don't have that kind of time!) 

REVIEW: "Hard Day's Knight" by John G. Hartness

Jimmy Black is just your average guy. He wakes every evening, drinks a bag of blood for breakfast, and then heads to work with his partner, Greg. Oh, wait, that's not average? Oh, right- Jimmy Black is a private detective who just happens to be a vampire. Hired one night by a boy who complains of having been cursed by a classmate, Jimmy soon finds that there's a little more to the story than meets the eye. A little something-something evil, that is. In between being attacked by the Children of the Corn, visiting a fallen angel at his strip club, and engaging with a coven of witches, Jimmy still manages to hang out with his friends and fall in love. Now that takes talent.

This first novel in the "Black Knight" series by John Hartness, "Hard Day's Knight" is a humorous, tongue-in-cheek look at the underworld. Gorgeous vampires with perfect teeth and sparkly skin? Not in this book. Jimmy and Greg are dorky and, unfortunately, joining the undead didn't improve upon their looks at all. Never knew a vampire could be a little chunky? Well, now you do. Sometimes clever, sometimes just plain silly, this book never fails to entertain. Jimmy's got sarcasm oozing from his pores, and it makes for a fun ride along the way. I've read my share of vampire books. Prior to about a year ago, I think I could have counted how many of those books I'd read on one finger. Now... well, let's just say I haven't enough fingers to count them all. This book does what some of my favorite books in this genre have done- injects a good dose of comedy. A vampire who sparkles, broods, and lurks in dark alleys? Par for the course. A vampire who trips over his own feet and can't seem to get a date? Much more fun. 

Although the characters were distinctive and interesting, the character development was a bit shallow. It may be perfect for entertaining the reader in this type of book, but I'd love to have found out a little more about Phil, Lilith and, especially, Mike. The storyline gives a bit of backstory and hints as to some shared past experiences, but I wanted something more. Additionally, this book could use just one more editing pass to catch a few more errors. There weren't enough to detract, but enough to notice.

A fun and entertaining read, this book has something to offer those who enjoy vampires done in a comical way.

4 /5 stars

Available at Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble

REVIEW: "Sugar & Spice" by Saffina Desforges

It's every parent's worst nightmare. A missing child, with no leads. A child's body found in the water. A community turned upside down in fear for their young. Claire, mother of a murdered girl, is determined to find answers. Why are some men sexually attracted to young girls? Does sexual attract equal the propensity to kill? As Claire struggles to find closure by investigating these questions, she finds herself further drawn into an insidious underworld. Will she ever find the answer she's most desperate to find-- who killed her daughter?

This novel by Saffina Desforges is immediately gripping. The topic is a terrifying train wreck; I was appalled, yet unable to look away. The author does a fantastic job presenting this controversial topic in a way that forces the reader to confront her own feelings and understanding of what is appropriate when it comes to sexual urges. The general feel is almost sympathetic towards pedophiles at times, but not necessarily sympathetic towards those who act on those urges, and that's an important distinction. Getting into the mind of several different pedophiles is not comfortable or easy, but the author smoothly compels the reader to take another perspective, if only for a moment, and confront what is appalling. Initially a bit slow for me, the story really picked up, and the 546 pages (on my sony) went by quickly. I was unable and unwilling to put the book down in the last several hundred pages. The characterization is beautifully done, and even the most loathsome characters manage to be somewhat sympathetic, if only as you pity them. There are some compelling ideas presented, soundly intertwined with the storyline. There are several storylines presented throughout the story, coming together at various points in the book. In retrospect, it seemed a bit disjointed, but felt fitting while engaged in the book.

With such a fluid writing style and compelling plot, I wanted to be drawn in through to the end. The frequent chapter breaks were too distracting to allow that. I wondered at one point if the chapter breaks were put in at regular intervals to ensure the chapters were the same length. Many of the chapters almost seemed placed to purposefully break the flow, which was confusing and disconcerting. A conversation would end abruptly because of a chapter break, but then continue in the next chapter as if nothing had happened. It gave me a "wait, did anyone else see that break?" type of feeling.  I'd rather have seen the chapter breaks when the setting or characters changed, or when a major plot event was revealed. Additionally, there were some typos in the form of missing punctuation and incorrect word substitutions (e.g., you for your). For the number of pages, the typos were not overly excessive, but they were noticeable and sometimes required a second read of a sentence or phrase. Finally, I'm still not sure what I think of the ending. I had made a guess halfway through the book that turned out to have some merit, but the actual conclusion was unexpected. I loved that I didn't figure it all out, but the ending almost seemed a bit of a mockery of the rest of the story. It didn't help that a character at the end shared an historical perspective of pedophilia that was eerily reminiscent to that shared by an earlier character. It seemed less a thought-provoking perspective and more like propaganda at that point.

Still, all in all, this was a riveting and thought-provoking book that made it difficult to turn away until the last page was turned.

4 /5 stars

Available at Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble

**The author has indicated that the typos I noted should be fixed in the final copy.