Fresh Face Friday 7-29-11

Who: Angeline Kace

What: Descended by Blood

Brooke Keller is a high school junior who has never spent much time living in one place. She is finally in a town long enough to almost snag the boy of her dreams, until her life is threatened after killing a fanged man in his attempt to kidnap her. Brooke begins a dangerous journey in an effort to find out who is after her and how to stop them. Thrown into a world with powerful and prejudiced vampires, Brooke must tap into the side of her that she never knew existed at the risk of losing her life in order to save it. 

Cover: Hot & mysterious! And I'm not just making that up, it's the skin on my Kindle too :)

My Thoughts: First, Brooke sounds like a bad ass. I mean how can you kill a vampire and NOT be one? Second, the whole "tapping into a side she never knew about" thing always ends up with the character having some wicked awesome power!

Extra: Here's the AWESOME trailer for Descended by Blood

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My 5 Rules of Reading

Lately I've noticed that it takes quiet a large amount of skill, and a particular set of rules, to read a book correctly.

Correctly? You might be asking. Well, let me put it this way, to truly be able to understand the characters, their emotions, and all that jazz, takes a considerable amount of concentration.

I've come up with these 5 reading rules to help maximize your reading experience:

#1. Make sure you know what you're reading

I can NOT tell you how many times I've picked up a book thinking it was a different one, then have become extremely disappointed when the hunky shirtless werewolf I was looking forward too turns out to be a pre-pubescent vampire with a high pitched voice. Very annoying...

#2. Do not eat greasy snacks while reading

This results in pages becoming impossible to read due to the large amount of Cheetos residue blocking out sentences...it then leads to you thinking your favorite character is alive and breathing, when tragically they were smothered to death in their sleep >:[

#3. Don't compare your favorite character to your current ones

Though your favorite character would probably kick your current main characters ass, it's not fair that they're just receiving their spotlight and you're already plotting their demise. It's like throwing your new best friend into a crowd of zombies and expecting them to live....shame shame

#4. Don't let your mind wander......squirrel!

I am a prime example of how important this rule is......what to have for lunch today, sushi or burger.....oh, ok back to the rule...It's very important to make sure you aren't allowing that voice in your mind to distract you. Or the vampire assassins you're reading about will go from fighting samurai ninjas to arguing with teenage girls about who's asking them to prom.

#5. Take a breath between books

Some people can jump from book to book without so much as a blink, but the majority of reading addicts out there need at least a 5-10 minute break to take in the amount of awesomeness, or complete disappointment, that just entered their mind. During this brief break I suggest the following for properly clearing your mind:
- At least 50 jumping-jacks
- Shot of vodka with a Red Bull chaser, to restart your mind...if the book was a disappointment I suggest more vodka (for 21 and over only)
- 3 minute doodle session
These simple things will allow the haze to clear and I can almost, probably, guarantee the next book you start will be maybe be great! Right?


Now that you've read all the rules, make sure you let me know if they work for you.
If they don't then I would suggest professional help to get you thru your next novel adventure.

Happy Reading!!

Dark Matter Heart (A Cor Griffin: Bloodsuckers Novel - #1) - By Nathan Wrann

Author: Nathan Wrann

Release Date:

Website

Purchase Info: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

A new town.

A new school.

A new beginning.

Seventeen year-old Cordell Griffin and his mother move from Los Angeles to the Pacific Northwest to deal with his "allergies," and start a healthier new life. Cor has one goal: To blend in and be invisible. Unfortunately for him, no matter how far he goes, he can't run away from his secrets. Secrets about who he is. Secrets about why he's sick. And secrets about why so many people he meets end up dead, drained of blood.

 So, going into this book I was thinking that it might be a typical vampire read. Thankfully I was wrong.

Yes, Cor prefers to come out at night.

Yes, he has to drink blood to live.

But he's not 100% sure that he actually IS a vampire, and that's what I loved!

When mysterious murders start happening the day that Cor & his mom move into a small Pacific Northwest town, Cor's hopeful new beginning is squashed. All he wants to do is be invisible, not make friends, and graduate. 
On his first day of school he meets Taylor. He's the nerdy, future scientist type who instantly takes a liking to Cor. There's a companionship that they share, forging them together as the outcasts at school. This is fine with Cor, invisible is great in his book, but when Caitlyn catches his eye he can't help but feel the pull he feels towards her. Well, Caitlyn's jock boyfriend notices too and makes sure he makes his point.
 With threats, and a beating that should leave him like a vegetable, Cor can't seem to shake how drawn to her he is. But with evil lurking and striking the ones he's come into contact with, Cor must keep those close to him safe and bring the evil in his life to an end.

Cor was a great character, developed, interesting and completely down to earth. I enjoyed how vampireism is explained in this book. It's not about a huge race of vampires trying to take over, hell, Cor doesn't even truly know he's a vampire. He's unlike any vampire character that I've ever come across and it was refreshing. Throughout the book you learn more about Cor, his mom and what secrets there are in his life. As he seems to be discovering new and potentially scary things about who he really is, murders and accusations are popping up at every turn.
 Dark Matter Heart was great, I will definitely pick up the next book in the series just to see what is uncovered next. One thing is, I do wish the book was just a little bit longer. But Mr. Wrann left if wide open for more books to come in the series and I can't wait.


3.5/5

Artist Spotlight: Regina Wamba

Meet digital & cover artist, Regina Wamba!

Q: How long have you been doing photography & cover art?

A: I have been doing photography for probably like 8 years now, but recently been it’s been taking off in more than just a hobby doing models, families, seniors and weddings. Cover art and graphic design.. well I have been doing graphic design for 5 years, and cover art and digital art is something I taught myself in 2011, originally it stems from being a traditional artist with paints, charcoal, pastels, etc. I wanted to find something similar to painting and drawing, and found that with digital art, which now is turning into a passion doing cover art for authors! J

(A glimpse of Regina's work is pictured above)

Q: What cover artist do you look up to?

A: Too many to list.. but a few who are truly great artists are: Claudia McKinney, Audra Rosalie, Consuelo Parra

(Consuelo Parra's work)

Q: Usually how long is the process to create a cover?

A: Ooo.. well depends on how complex. I have spent days on a cover.. and some just a couple hours!

 

Q: If you could pick your top 3 authors to design a cover for, who would they be?

A: Lauren Kate, J.K. Rowling, and uhm.. soo sooo soo hard.. you or any other author! I love to read and put a picture to story.. so I guess I would love to help anyone!

Q: Top 3 Favorite Covers out there!

Well, Obviously I love the ones I’ve done. But I also love Firelight, Across the Universe, Revealers, and way too many more to list!

 

Lightening Round:

Cover: Hot Dude or Pretty Girl?

Pretty girl. Women are naturally much better at portraying emotion..

Morning: Coffee, Red bull or naturally perky?

Depends on the day. A good kick between coffee and Naturally Perky!

Movies: Laugh, Cry, or Scream?

Only one movie has ever made me scream.. and it was creepy. But mostly cry. I cry when people cry. Absurd.. I know. :/

Comic Hunks: Iron Man, Captain America, or Green Lantern

– Meh..Green lantern

Food: Diner, Picnic, or Drive Thru:

Kind of a romantic.. PICNIC

Hot Dudes: Jason Momoa (Khal Drago), Chris Pine (Capitan America), Alex Skarsgard (Eric Northman):

Alex Skarsgard. Nuff said.

To view more from Regina or inquire about her talented services visit any of these links:

Website

Facebook



The Damned Book Tour is almost here!

Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie's book tour for, Damned, the second book in the Crusade Series, is about to kick off! EEEEKK!

I am beyond excited, and honored, to be able to host a stop in this tour as well. So I have attached a few links and extras to share with you all so you can properly prepare for this amazing event!

Here's the tour poster! Pretty ain't it?

Now visit Nancy's website for all the juicy tide bits & a glimpse into chapter 1 of Damned.

I'm currently reading Crusade and LOVING it, so I can imagine what these two amazing authors have in store for book #2!

With that said, make sure you all come back here on August 24th! There will be an outrageous amount of awesomeness radiating from the blog page!

Fresh Face Friday 7-22-11

Who: K.A. Tucker

What: Anathema

Evangeline has spent her teenage years in obscurity. Her foster parents have the emotional aptitude of robots and her classmates barely acknowledge her existence. About to turn eighteen and feeling like a social pariah, she is desperate to connect with someone. Anyone.

When Evangeline meets Sofie after literally stumbling upon her café, she believes she’s found that connection. Willing to do anything to keep it, she accepts a job as Sofie’s assistant and drops everything to fly to Manhattan, where she is thrust into a luxurious world of Prada, diamonds, and limitless cash.

With such generosity and kindness, it’s easy for Evangeline to dismiss certain oddities . . . like Sofie’s erratic and sometimes violent behavior, and the monstrous guard dogs. She’s even willing to dismiss her vivid dreams of mob-style murders, beautiful homeless people living in caves, and white-eyed demons that haunt her each night as figments of her imagination—especially when one of those figments is the gorgeous Caden. When she wakes up with bite marks on her neck, the fairy tale quickly turns into a nightmare. She slowly unravels the mystery surrounding Sofie and friends, and the reality of the bites and the “dreams.” What she discovers is far more mysterious and terrible than anything she could have imagined.

In a world where everyone has motive to lie for personal gain, Evangeline must decide which deception is least likely to get her killed.

 

Cover: Fits the book perfectly! And it's purdy too, which always helps :)

My Thoughts: K.A. is truly an amazing author, and is secretly my gummy bear & Red Bull supplier, lol. But you really wanna know what I thought about the book? Then read my review here.

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Cover Whore...ohhhhhhh, pretty....

It's that time again peeps!

You know, where I sit here and do exactly what I'm not suppose to do, judge a book by it's cover....

Oh well, here I go:

Eventide - By Elle Jasper

Falling in line with the rest of the series, book #3 in the Dark Ink

Chronicles is gorgeous!

Hush, Hush (Graphic Novel) - By Becca Fitzpatrick

I must drool over this cover...just a little

Dark Matter Heart - By Nathan Wrann

Actually just finished this book, and what drew me to it was the cover.

The whole spray paint/wanted poster look is perfect for the vibe of the story.



Fresh Face Friday 7-15-11

Who: Nicholas Denmon

What: For Nothing: An Upstate New York Mafia Tale

Undercover cop Alex Vaughn goes deeper than ever into the organized crime family of Buffalo, NY. Motivated by justice and revenge, he seeks out the assassin that laid his friend Jack low.

Professional killer Rafael Rontego traverses the deadly politics of Buffalo’s mafia underbelly. In a city whose winter can be just as deadly as those wielding power, Rontego tries to stay ahead of the game.

Their two worlds collide in this epic thriller that takes the reader on a search for self, justice, and truth.

Cover: Really like the charcoal/water color visual is has. Very much reminds me of the 1930's-1940's, but since it's a Mafia story that's probably a good thing.

My Thoughts: With, For Nothing, currently sitting on my TBR list, I'm hoping that it'll be a breath of fresh air from my usual PNR, UF reads.

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Anathema (The Casual Enchantments - Book #1) - K.A. Tucker

Author: K.A Tucker

Series Name: The Casual Enchantment

Release Date: 5/27/2011

Purchase Info: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Evangeline has spent her teenage years in obscurity. Her foster parents have the emotional aptitude of robots and her classmates barely acknowledge her existence. About to turn eighteen and feeling like a social pariah, she is desperate to connect with someone. Anyone.

When Evangeline meets Sofie after literally stumbling upon her café, she believes she’s found that connection. Willing to do anything to keep it, she accepts a job as Sofie’s assistant and drops everything to fly to Manhattan, where she is thrust into a luxurious world of Prada, diamonds, and limitless cash.

With such generosity and kindness, it’s easy for Evangeline to dismiss certain oddities . . . like Sofie’s erratic and sometimes violent behavior, and the monstrous guard dogs. She’s even willing to dismiss her vivid dreams of mob-style murders, beautiful homeless people living in caves, and white-eyed demons that haunt her each night as figments of her imagination—especially when one of those figments is the gorgeous Caden. When she wakes up with bite marks on her neck, the fairy tale quickly turns into a nightmare. She slowly unravels the mystery surrounding Sofie and friends, and the reality of the bites and the “dreams.” What she discovers is far more mysterious and terrible than anything she could have imagined.

In a world where everyone has motive to lie for personal gain, Evangeline must decide which deception is least likely to get her killed.

When starting Anathema I hadn't read the synopsis in so long that it was like jumping into the dark. So when meeting Evangeline for the first time she seemed lost, but so would any other 17 year old in foster care with no friends. As she stumbled upon Sophie, literally, and instantly had a friendship, my mind was racing with "typical" directions that the book could go in.
No way in hell would I have ever imagined the worlds that K.A. created. Falling asleep every night in a lavish room Evageline dreams of a Dystopia world, but not your average one, this one is inhabited with nothing but vampires who have killed off the entire human race. They have no luxuries, are wearing tattered clothes and live in caves. Now imagine being the only human that they've seen in 700 years? Yeah, I'd be freakin' out! Evangeline on the other hand is convinced that Sophie's rich & powerful friends are playing an elaborate joke on her....oh but she's wrong. Her nightly escapade start becoming more and more real, as do her feelings for the swoon-worthy Caden.
Sophie finally has to reveal to Evangeline what's happening to her. Why she's being transported from world to world, why she's hearing voices, and most importantly why it's all so real. She finds herself scrambling to gain the answers that Sophie needs, all while questioning everyone & everything around her. Talk about a tall order to fill?? But sometimes there are things that motivate you, and if she fails, she dies....talk about motivation.

Writing this review is hard because I do NOT want to give away the great twists that K.A. has planted in the book! Just as soon as your mind starts thinking the plots going one way, it's flippin' around and running in the complete opposite direction. Her characters were so genuine and real that I felt all their emotions right away, and I even cried. (that's when you know it's good) This book was brilliant and I am already harassing K.A. for the next book in the series. So make sure you get your copy & indulge!

5/5

Fresh Face Friday 7-8-11

Who: Karsten Knight

What: Wildefire

Ashline Wilde never received an instruction manual on how to be a 16-year-old Polynesian volcano goddess. If she had, it might have contained helpful warnings such as:

• Dreaming about your (thankfully) mortal boyfriend may cause your bed to spontaneously combust
• Oven mitts should be worn at all times during heavy make-out sessions

Instead, Ash has to learn these life lessons the hard way as her dormant powers erupt at the most awkward times. In the wake of a hometown tragedy, Ash transfers to Blackwood Academy, a boarding school nestled in California’s redwoods, where a group of fellow gods-on-earth have mysteriously convened. As if sophomore year couldn’t get any worse, her storm goddess older sister, the wild and unpredictable Eve, resurfaces to haunt Ashline. With a war between the gods looming over Blackwood, Ash must master the fire smoldering within her before she clashes with her sister one final time, which leads us to life-lesson #3:

 

• When warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

 

Cover: GAW-GEOUS!! (that's the drawn version of gorgeous...it's on the dictionary, look it up) When I saw this cover I instantly fell into deep lust with it.

My Thoughts: With Karsten's witty mind and great imagination, I can only imagine how it will translate on paper coming from a 16 year old volcano Goddess!

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Extra: Just a side note, but you HAVE to watch his Vlogs....they are probably some of thee funniest ones I've ever seen.

Dragon Bound - By Thea Harrison

Author: Thea Harrison

Series Name: A Novel of the Elders

Release Date: 5/3/2011

Purchase Info: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound

A Fiery Temper is Not Easily Extinguished

Half-human and half-wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their Dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful–and passionate—of the Elder Races.

As the most feared and respected of the wyrkind, Dragos Cuelebre cannot believe someone had the audacity to steal from him, much less succeed. And when he catches the thief, Dragos spares her life, claiming her as his own to further explore the desire they’ve ignited in one another.

I swear this book is the magical love child that came from a brief fling between J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood & Kerrelyn Sparks' Love at Stake series!! (and I'm completely smitten with it)

First, I loved Pia right off the bat! You can just tell that there's something special about her. Her attitude & street smarts instantly had me rooting for her, that and I really just wanted to see her show up her ex-boyfriend. I am really, who blackmails their ex? Oh that's right, a dirt ball with a gambling problem, that's who!
After she steals from Dragos, an uber hot Wry-Dragon with a grumpy attitude, she flees for her life. Because as much fun as being torn limb from limb sounds, she's happy with where they are now. With the help of her sexy boss Quentin, she drops everything she knows and heads for an Elven demesne where she'll be safe. (Oh hunny, if only books worked that way!) Needless to say Dragos catches up to her and is determined to bring justice upon her...hehe...
As their apparent attraction turns into a red hot passion, Dragos must learn to keep Pia safe. Along with now trying to balance his life, work and guards, his enemies know that he's found something special, something that they will do just about anything to get their hands onto.

Absolutely flipping fantastic!! There's laugh out loud humor, that's a mix of my kind of name calling, with straight up sarcasm. Ms. Harrison did an excellent job of creating just the right balance of characters without it becoming overwhelming. Mixing magic, Fae and Wry, Dragon Bound blew my expectations out of the water! So now the bar for this series has been set, very high, and I'm hoping that Ms. Harrison can continue to write as superbly as she did in Dragon Bound!

5/5

Determined: Step #1

As I had said before, I want to start taking notes while I read. Just so I am able to stream line the review thought process a little better and remember some of the little things that I enjoyed.

Well here's a sneak peek of how it went with the last book I just finished, Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison......

 I read most of it at work and didn't have my note book so I wasn't able to take as many notes as I wanted, but these will still help me with the reviewing process!

Fresh Face Friday 7-1-11

Who: Jenn Bennett

What: Kindling the Moon

Being the spawn of two infamous occultists (and alleged murderers) isn’t easy, but freewheeling magician Arcadia “Cady” Bell knows how to make the best of a crummy situation. After hiding out for seven years, she’s carved an incognito niche for herself slinging drinks at the demon-friendly Tambuku Tiki Lounge.

But she receives an ultimatum when unexpected surveillance footage of her notorious parents surfaces: either prove their innocence or surrender herself. Unfortunately, the only witness to the crimes was an elusive Æthyric demon, and Cady has no idea how to find it. She teams up with Lon Butler, an enigmatic demonologist with a special talent for sex magick and an arcane library of priceless stolen grimoires. Their research soon escalates into a storm of conflict involving missing police evidence, the decadent Hellfire Club, a ruthless bounty hunter, and a powerful occult society that operates way outside the law. If Cady can’t clear her family name soon, she’ll be forced to sacrifice her own life . . . and no amount of running will save her this time.

Cover: LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! The artwork is by Tony Mauro and it has that edge of hotness with ass-kicking mixed in!


My Thoughts: There's just something about the synopsis that pulls me in. Maybe it's the fact that Lon is a Demonologist AND can do sex magick? I for one have NEVER heard of anything like that. Cady's world seems to want to tear her apart and I can't wait to see how her story unfolds!

Buzz: "...engaged me from page one" -- Author Anya Best

"...rocks like AC/DC on Saturday night" -- Author Ann Aguirre

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