Monday, November 30, 2015

Book Blast: The Scarlett Legacy by K.N. Lee



The Scarlett Legacy
Woodland Creek Shifters
By- K.N. Lee
Genre- YA Paranormal Romance/Fantasy

Woodland Creek Series.
30 Authors. 30 Shifter Stories.

Wizards. Shifters. Murderers.
Welcome to Woodland Creek where one family of wizards gives new meaning to organized crime.

Evie Scarlett wanted two things: marry Parker Drake and leave Woodland Creek.
But when Hugh Prince, a dangerous crime boss, is mysteriously murdered while awaiting trial for her father's murder, all eyes turn to the Scarlett family.

The arrival of Hugh's youngest son, Avalon brings a century-old feud to a dangerous climax. This vengeful wizard gives Evie's older brother a choice: die or give Evie to him.

When Evie's plans for escape are broken by familial duty, she must find a way to protect those she loves and win back her freedom. What she finds is an ancient power that she never knew she had.

A power that might change everything she thought she knew about her family.






Thursday, November 26, 2015

Fandom Life





****WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD****

Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Firefly
Supernatural
Charmed 
How I met Your Mother
Angel

****WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD****


I hope you all forgive me for what I expect to be a long and rambling post. I was in the process of ordering past seasons of Supernatural on DVD, when I got to wondering about how long the show was going to keep going. That lead me into thinking about other shows I've enjoyed and sort of TV shows in general, and how they tend to end up. The whole thing got so heavy in my head, I felt the need to write it down. That's a writer's brain for you. Once we latch on to something we can't let it go until it's down on paper. And I have a lot of work to do, so I can't have this cluttering up my brain. 



Here's how I see it. Most TV shows tend to end in one of three ways; with an ending that disappoints the fans, canceled before they even get an ending, or dragged on until they're in the dirt. I want to talk about these three things, and my brain being what is I'll probably wander off into other tangents along the way. I have not seen every TV show out there, obviously. In fact, I don't watch a great deal of television, I have shows I like and shows I love and neither list is all that long. So, this is all completely based off my own personal opinion. I'm not stating facts here, people. I expect that if anybody actually reads this, most of you will likely disagree with what I have to say. You should feel free to disagree in the comments section. I'd love for this to evolve into an actual discussion. I appreciate opposing opinions, but if you get nasty you can expect to be deleted. 



Disappointing the fans: How I Met Your Mother. From things I read, I know I'm not the only fan of HIMYM who was pretty ticked off with the ending. Here we spent 8 Seasons anticipating Ted meeting "The Mother" only to have her killed off with very little screen time. Now, a lot of people loved the ending. It was certainly a surprise and a twist to have Ted end up with Robin after all. But it felt false to me. 



Canceled: Firefly. I know Firefly didn't have good ratings when it first aired. But since then it has certainly gained a solid fanbase who don't appreciate it having ended after only one season. Yes, we did get a movie that sort of tied things up. Yes, I did love the movie. But it was not really an ending to the series. Too many things were left up in the air (for example, we all know Inara was dying in the series and that was not addressed in the movie) for it to feel completely satisfactory to me. 



Dragged Into The Dirt: Here, I expect, is where I'll get the most dissension. Charmed. I really liked Charmed. But, for me, the series lasted entirely too long. It started its downhill descent after Prue died and suddenly the whole concept of the "Charmed Ones" was dismantled by the fact that the circle of their power could simply be recreated by another sister. But its descent really picked up speed after Wyatt was born. Whatever it was about the story that originally drew me in, was lost. And here is where I'm going to kind of wander off on a tangent, so bear with me. 



I've seen lots of TV shows who introduce the "baby" character and it rarely works. To me, this has always felt like a gasp of desperation. The "baby" character is a way to revitalize a flagging story line. This is not always an actual baby. Sometimes it's merely a new character introduced in order to breathe new life into a series. Most of the time, it's the sounding of the death bell.


Now, an instance where I believe the "baby" character worked, is the introduction of Castiel into the Supernatural universe. I know there are plenty of fans who do not care at all for the way Supernatural progressed after Season Four. I, personally, am highly enamored of the whole angels and demons, war in Heaven, story line. Of course, I'm also hopelessly in love with Cas, so I may be a bit prejudiced. My greatest fear for Supernatural is that they will keep pushing until the story is ground into dust. Some fans think that has already happened. I haven't seen Season 10 or 11 yet, so I can't say whether or not I agree.  



The "baby" character did have a detrimental effect on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Like many others, I'm not highly fond of Dawn. A lot of people think the series should have ended with Buffy sacrificing her life for Dawn after the portal was opened. I even think, I'm not positive about this, that this was originally meant to be the ending. Personally, I enjoyed the following seasons of Buffy and despite being extremely unhappy with Spike's beautifully heroic death, I was well satisfied with the series finale. That being said, I do believe they came dangerously close to ruining the show. I'm glad they ended it when they did. I think one more season would have been enough to run the series into the ground. 



Another series that seemed to do all right with the "baby" character was Angel. I don't think Connor's birth, odd as it was, hurt the show. However, I am not a big Angel fan. I liked the show well enough, but I've by no means seen every episode. So I don't feel as if I can debate this one too far. I do know the show was canceled and there seems to be a difference of opinion among fans as to the final episode. Personally, I kind of liked it, but again, not a fan, so I'm not emotionally invested in the series as I am in some of the others I've mentioned. 



If anybody has hung around all the way to the end of this thing, I hope I didn't bore you too badly. I would love it if you would leave a comment below about one of the shows mentioned above, or about your own personal picks for the three categories I mentioned. How do you feel about the "baby" character? What are your thoughts on your favorite TV shows? Whatever. I like to talk fandoms. You got ships? Let's talk about those too. But keep it civil, please. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. 


Wednesday, November 25, 2015

New Release: The Lover's Surrender by J.C. Reed


Title: The Lover’s Surrender
Author: J.C. Reed
Genre: Mature New Adult/Adult Contemporary Romance
Hosted by: Lady Amber's Tours


Blurb: 

LOVE…sometimes it’s good. Sometimes it’s bad. And sometimes it’s dangerous.

Brooke Stewart, a realtor in New York, is sure of one of thing. She should never fully trust someone who has secrets. Especially when said bad boy is the sexiest man walking on earth. She is running away and has no intention of ever returning to him. But when a friend is killed and the one man she thought she would never meet again is accused of murder, she knows the story doesn’t add up.
Dangerously sexy and arrogant millionaire Jett Mayfield knows his secrets are not doing him any favors. However, when they serve to save Brooke’s life, he has no intention of revealing them. When problems spiral out of control and his life is turned upside down, he knows he needs her more than ever. He needs her more than he knows. But will he be strong enough to do what needs to be done?

In a world where truth shatters and danger is closing in on them, where love is their only sanctuary, will they be able to find each other or is it time to let each other go?




J.C. Reed is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of SURRENDER YOUR LOVE and CONQUER YOUR LOVE. She writes steamy contemporary fiction with a touch of mystery. When she's not typing away on her keyboard, forgetting the world around her, she dreams of returning to the beautiful mountains of Wyoming. You can also find her chatting on Facebook with her readers or spending time with her children.

Author Links: Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorJCReed
Buy Links:




Tuesday, November 24, 2015

New Release: Cold In The Shadows by Toni Anderson



Cold In The Shadows is the fifth book in the bestselling, award-winning COLD JUSTICE SERIES by Toni Anderson.




Cold In The Shadows
BOOK INFORMATION:
Release Date: Nov 24th, 2015
ISBN-Print: 9780993908996
ISBN-digital: 9780993908989

BLURB:

CIA Officer Patrick Killion is on a secret mission to hunt down the ruthless female assassin hired to kill the Vice President of the United States. The trail leads him to the Colombian rainforest and an earnest biologist, Audrey Lockhart, whose work on poison dart frogs gives her access to one of the deadliest substances on earth—the same substance used to murder the VP. 

When Audrey is attacked by the local drug cartel, Killion steps in and hustles her out of harm’s way, determined to find out what she knows. His interrogation skills falter somewhere between saving her life and nursing her back to health as he realizes she’s innocent, and he ends up falling for her. Audrey has a hard time overlooking the fact that Killion kidnapped her, but if she wants to get her life back and track down the bad guys, she has to trust him. Then someone changes the rules of their cat and mouse game and now they’re the ones being hunted—by a cold-blooded killer who is much closer than they think. 





COLD JUSTICE SERIES:

The bestselling, award-winning Cold Justice Series centers around agents from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit-4 (crimes against adults), and spin-off characters from the books. Each book stands alone with a different hero and heroine being the focus of the story. Characters crossover so readers might get the best experience by starting at the beginning!

Books from this series have won the New England Readers' Choice Award, the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, the Heart of Excellence, the Aspen Gold Reader's Choice Awards, and Book Buyers Best Award for Romantic Suspense. 





MUSIC PLAYLIST





BUY LINKS:











ALSO AVAILABLE IN AUDIOBOOK 





BIO
New York Times and USA Today international bestselling author, Toni Anderson, writes dark, gritty Romantic Suspense novels that have hit the Amazon and Nook Top 10, and iBooks Top 50. Her novels have won many awards. 

A former Marine Biologist from Britain, she inexplicably ended up in the geographical center of North America, about as far from the ocean as it is possible to get. She now lives in the Canadian prairies with her Irish husband and two children and spends most of her time complaining about the weather. 

Toni has no explanation for her oft-times dark imagination, and only hopes the romance makes up for it. She's addicted to reading, dogs, tea, and chocolate. 

If you want to know when Toni's next book will be out, visit her website (http://www.toniandersonauthor.com) and sign up for her newsletter. If you want to read other fascinating stories about life in a city that, during winter, is sometimes colder than Mars, friend her on Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/toniannanderson). 


Toni donates 15% of her royalties from EDGE OF SURVIVAL to diabetes research--to find out why, read the book!


 SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:







According to Patrick Killion’s favorite data analyst at the Agency, he was a half-inch short of being the perfect romance hero. As long as the inch she was talking about was his height and not his dick, he didn’t give a rat’s ass.
Today, at a measly five foot eleven and a half inches, he towered above the locals. His height, combined with his sun-bleached blond hair, meant he definitely did not blend in with the Colombian population. He didn’t bother to try.
The CIA dealt in threat assessment and probability levels, manipulation and human intel. Lockhart’s appearance, expertise, hidden Cayman Island bank account, and the fact she was in the right place at the right time for Vice President Ted Burger’s murder, made her his number one suspect. So, despite FBI ASAC Lincoln Frazer telling him to back off yesterday, he was still following her. He couldn’t walk away.
Last night he’d shaken the tree to see what fell out.
He ignored the twinge to his conscience. He’d been a little rough. He hadn’t wanted to risk her getting the drop on him. He had given her a get-out-of-jail-free pass and probably saved her life—that should count for something.
Except she hadn’t behaved as she should have. She hadn’t called her employer. She hadn’t grabbed a bag and run. Instead she’d reported the assault to the local cops and had gone in to work today. Maybe she’d been busy destroying evidence or delaying until the last possible moment before she made a mad dash for some small private airfield. Maybe she was overconfident about her abilities. Or maybe she was innocent.
It was the last “maybe” that bothered him.
As he stood in line for a ticket to the ecological park, a pretty redhead in a strappy top and high-heels eyed his neon orange T-shirt and red plaid shorts with a distasteful grimace. He’d committed a class-A felony and the fashion police were about to convict.
“Airline lost my luggage.” Killion raised his palms in a pitiful shrug, putting enough misery into his travel-worn appearance that the woman’s expression immediately shifted from disgust to empathy.
“That blows. How long ago?”
“Two days now. They swear they’ll get it to me sometime today—”
She gave a disbelieving snort. “Yeah, they once lost my luggage on a trip to Mexico and by the time it arrived I was getting on the plane home. Worse, they refused to reimburse all the clothes I needed to buy…”
Off she went, and he was in. Phase one of this mission accomplished. He walked into the conservatory as part of a group of American tourists, rather than as a single white guytraveling alone. They milled loosely about, looking at Lepidoptera specimens that fluttered about like giant-sized pieces of confetti.
A family of seven—five women who all looked like they’d rather be at the mall, an older man, and a teen who read every piece of information like he was cramming for a test. Killion stayed close to the stacked redhead because he looked like the kind of guy who’d stay close to a stacked redhead, but he also chatted to the others in the group, gleaning information. They were down from Florida, visiting family over Christmas. The Americans had arrived in a large minivan with an armed driver, but the driver stayed with the vehicle so they weren’t too worried about security. In this country, staying in one spot for any length of time meant you attracted attention—and not the, “Oh my, don’t you have pretty eyes” kind of attention.
It wasn’t a good thing.
Hot sun bore down on the forest canopy that shaded the ecological park. The small interpretive center affiliated with the Amazon Research Institute attracted local schools as well as the occasional tourist, but it was Monday, January 5 and schools were closed until after Epiphany. The place was deserted except for this little band of intrepid explorers. The ground steamed and sweat beaded on his skin as his adopted people wandered slowly from enclosure to enclosure. A rivulet of perspiration soaked into his shirt.
A huge yellow butterfly drifted over his head and landed on a piece of cut fruit on the feeder tray. The redhead barely contained her squeal of excitement and took twenty pictures with her little point-and-shoot. Killion’s point-and-shoot dug into his spine and held fourteen rounds. Their group finally headed into the amphibian enclosure where decaying damp earth mixed with traces of ammonia, and the musk of rotten leaves.
Welcome to the jungle.
His new friend grabbed his arm, pointed. “Aren’t they cute!” A minuscule, neon-yellow frog was stuck on the side of a glass tank.
“They may look cute”—said a familiar voice with just the barest hint of a Kentucky twang—“but one golden poison dart frog contains enough toxin to kill ten-to-twenty grown men.” Dr. Lockhart wore spectacles on a string around her neck and reminded him of the class nerd—the one all the guys had secretly lusted after but had been too intimidated to ask out on a date. The professor had unusual violet-blue eyes that showed clear signs of a sleepless night. He would have felt guilty, but more than one person had told him he was a heartless bastard who didn’t have a conscience. A sociopath by any other name.
He didn’t give a shit, so they were probably right. Hell, she should be thanking him. Being tied up and threatened sure beat the hell out of a trip to a Black Camp or a lifetime in prison—and those were the more civilized options.
Audrey Lockhart wore ubiquitous jeans over Birkenstocks and a tight white tank top that molded her breasts in a way that left little to Killion’s undeniably vivid imagination, all topped off with a thin purple shirt that she left open. She wasn’t carrying a weapon—unless she had a frog in her pocket. “I’m Dr. Lockhart, I study anurans and my specialty is the family Dendrobatidae—poison dart frogs.”
For all intents and purposes she appeared to be exactly what she said. A scientist, dedicated to her research. He rarely trusted appearances. That’s what data analysts, surveillance, and background checks were for—not to mention interrogation.
“I thought captive ones weren’t poisonous?” Killion pointed to a little guy about an inch long that was sitting at a precarious angle on a large green leaf. The creatures didn’t look real—they looked like miniature plastic toys. They certainly didn’t look like the deadliest creatures on the planet. He placed his hand lightly on the redhead’s back, and she sank against him, proving her taste in men was as terrible as his taste in clothes.
The professor’s eyes ran over him and his new squeeze, then away, dismissing him as just another tourist.
She didn’t recognize him from last night. There was no obvious guile in her gaze. No deception.
“You’re right in that individuals bred in captivity have no toxicity, but these specimens were pulled straight from the nearby rainforest where they are endemic and, trust me, you wouldn’t survive a close encounter.” Her voice was husky, sexy enough to raise his awareness of her as a female rather than a target.
He’d always had a thing for voices. And nerds.
She continued, growing more serious, “It takes years for them to lose their toxicity, and even touching a paper-towel that has been in contact with the skin of these particular individuals can kill you. They are extremely dangerous.”
“Death by frog.” His smirk didn’t reach his eyes. “Bet that ain’t pretty.”
The redhead laughed. The professor did not.
“We’re very careful how we handle them.” She looked stern now, like she was the teacher and he was the naughty schoolboy. And there was his vivid imagination going nuts again.
“Have you ever seen someone die after touching one?” asked his new friend.
“Thankfully, no.” The professor’s gaze was open and sincere.
What did he expect? Skull and crossbones instead of pupils? He’d been with the Company long enough to spot an operative with one quick glance, but this woman was an enigma. Either she was an incredible actress, or he was way off base in his assessment of the facts. Hell, maybe she was just another enviro-nut trying to save the planet—or, in this case, frogs.
“Do they taste like chicken?” he joked.
Those violet-blue eyes flashed. “I don’t know,” she bit out. “Would you like to try one?”
Ouch.
Her fiery response was hot as hell, but obviously she didn’t appreciate his sense of humor—he’d been told it was an acquired taste. He didn’t look away, instead used the opportunity to study her carefully. Her gaze was determined, but he could see fear at the edges—from the scare he gave her last night? Or did she live in constant fear, waiting for her time between the crosshairs? He didn’t figure being an assassin was particularly good for your long-term health. Someone, somewhere was always trying to tie up loose ends.


MEET THE COLD CREW


Monday, November 23, 2015

Waterworld by Max Allan Collins


3 STARS

Blurb

In a future world of global warming that has covered all land masses with water, a single man learns of the possibility of dry land and challenges the remaining human survivors to help in the search. Original. Movie tie-in.


Book Tour: Seeking Redemption by Madhu Vajpayee




Book Blurb:

Story of a girl Meera, who is unwittingly drawn into a conflict from where she finds it difficult to emerge unscathed. It's her journey from being a simple, medical graduate belonging to a middle class family to the uncharted territories of corruption and caste based politics. Her path is crossed by the two men, both compelling yet completely contrasting characters, who are forever going to change her life. If it is Aman who can challenge her ideals and defy her resolves, and makes her the person she finally becomes, it is Abhay's sublime love which enables her to go through the vicissitudes of life. It's also the story of her loss as well as triumph against her own demons to find her true self.





Buy a Copy from Amazon

About the Author:

Dr.Madhu Vajpayee- the writer was born somewhere in those hospital corridors where she has spent the last two decades of her life. Witnessing life at such close quarters pushed her to capture its enigma in her words and slowly it became her passion. After writing several scientific papers and chapters in books, this book is her first step in literary world.  
Having done her graduation, MBBS from King Georges Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow she went ahead to pursue her post-graduation, MD from AIIMS, New Delhi. She was a consultant at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi having been associated with management of patients living with HIV/AIDS. She is now settled in Melbourne, Australia with her family, where she is devoting most of her time to writing, the passion that she couldn’t pursue earlier because of the demands of medical profession and commitment it requires.
When not creating stories, Madhu enjoys reading and travelling.

Reviews for the Book:

It was a perfect book and can motivate one. ~ Nidhi Author on Goodreads

Wonder full book.Clearly highlights the current problems faced in India as a result of reservation! ~ Nikhil Dave on Goodreads

It is one of the amazing fiction I have read in the near past. Highly recommended. Cocktail of Corruption, politics and love. ~ Akshay_Tripathi on Amazon

What Madhu does well with this story is to highlight many factors that need change. She brings out facets like reservation. She talks about the more rigid mindset of an Indian family ~ Vinay Leo @ Booworm's Musings

Contact the Author:




Check out the Tour Stops:

Sunday, November 22, 2015

The Stand by Stephen King


5 STARS

Blurb

This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death. And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides -- or are chosen.