Bewitching Blog Tour: Pride's Run - Cat Kalen - Interview/Giveaway

Synopsis:

Seventeen year old Pride is a tracker—a werewolf with a hunger for blood. Taught to trick and to lure, she is the perfect killing machine.
Kept leashed in the cellar by a master who is as ruthless as he is powerful, Pride dreams of freedom, of living a normal life, but escape from the compound is near impossible and disobedience comes with a price.
When she learns her master intends to breed her she knows she has to run.
But Pride soon learns that if she is to survive in the wild, she must trust in the boy who promises her freedom, the same boy she was sent to hunt.
With life and death hanging in the balance the two find themselves on the run from the Paranormal Task Force—officers who shoot first and ask questions later—as well as her master’s handlers.
Can Pride flee the man who has held her captive since birth and find sanctuary in the arms of a boy who has captured her heart? Or will her master find her first?

Buy Links

Amazon  

Smashwords

All Romance Ebooks 

See Review HERE

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INTERVIEW

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First of all, I want to thank author Cat Kalen, for taking the time to interview with me. Cat, I’m sure your schedule is very hectic, and I’m very excited to interview you today! Welcome to Fictional Candy, my little home on the internet! I hope you enjoy your time here, and hopefully you will visit us again!
Thanks you so much for having me. I’m excited to be here!

First, Cat, I loved Pride’s Run. I thought it was a really good story showcasing a shifter point of view that we don’t see often (that of a teenage girl). Was Pride inspired by anyone in particular?
I’m so thrilled that you loved Pride’s Run! Pride wasn’t inspired by anyone in particular, but when the idea came to write a dark werewolf story with tortured characters kept in captivity, I knew Pride had to be a very special girl if she wanted to thrive and survive in the scary environment I placed her in.
Pride is a young girl that was born into captivity, and she longs for a life outside the wall. Personally, I feel Pride is a character that is a really great positive role model for younger fans. How do you think younger girls will feel about her?
I’m so glad you feel that way. I adore Pride in so many ways and was hoping to make her an inspiration for young girls (and for adult readers who love YA!). I wanted Pride to be a character everyone could relate to, admire, look up to and gain courage and strength from. Pride comes up against numerous obstacles and while she doesn’t always make the right choices, she always faces each challenge with strength and courage because her inner drive to help and protect those she cares about keeps her going.

”Pride Unleashed” is going to be released in February, is that going to be the last we see of Pride?
No, I just finished Pride Unleashed and in the end of the book she has a few big decisions to make, and then there is a plot twist that just begs for a third story! I have a few other commitments but I’m hoping to write Pride’s Pursuit very soon! Great, I will definitely keep an eye out for that one!

And in my research, I learned that you have two teenage children. How do they feel about Pride?
First, I think they are sick of hearing me talk about her like she is one of my own kids. J Seriously though my 17 year old daughter loved it and when I needed to work out a plot issue she was always there to brainstorm with me. She’s really looking forward to Pride Unleashed and she will be one of the first readers, because she always spots my mistakes! My 18 year old son hasn’t read it. He is a first year university student and is so busy. He has a copy and he keeps telling me he’ll read it as soon as he can, but after listening for me talk about Pride for the last year, there will be no surprises for him.

And in this story we learned bits and pieces about Pride’s family. Are there any plans for a book about her mother?
Hmmmm, let me just say this. Her family will become very important in the second story. Lots of surprises in store for you all!

Ok, now for the juicy stuff...Team Logan or Team Stone? (and, Why, of course!)
In Pride’s Unleashed, the tension between the three really heat up because in order to survive the two feuding alphas have to work together. I think readers will be surprised by her choice in the end of Pride Unleashed, which is why we need the third story!
Ok, maybe now its time for some easy questions! Hope you are ready!

Do you have any rituals or things you like to do, eat, listen to, while writing?
I absolutely cannot have any music playing when I write. I need quiet! No rituals, really. I get up write for a few hours, work out, eat, then back at the desk until the kids come home looking for food!
If you could have your favorite meal with any other author, alive or dead, what would the meal and the author be?
 Oh my goodness. I thought you said these were the easy questions. LOL. I LOVE sooo many authors and would love to sit down with quite a few but I think if I had the chance to have a meal with any author it would be Lori Foster. She is one the most generous authors I’ve ever known and I got my start through her when she held a contest for aspiring writers. As for what we would eat? Hmmm….I’m going to say, chicken Caesar salad! Great choices! I think I would have a terrible time trying to narrow that down also.

Pride’s Run is about werewolves, which so many of us adore. If possible, would you become a werewolf?
Nope! I’d hate to hunt wild animals on shift night! And shifting is just too painful. I’m a wimp.
And what is your favorite snack or treat?
Now this one is easy. Chocolate Brownies. Yumm 

You can never go wrong with brownies :)

If you won the lottery, what would be the first “fun” thing you would do?
I’d go on a cruise to Hawaii. It’s something I’ve never done and long to do!
And lastly, do you have a favorite music group/band/singer?
I really don’t. I’m not much into music and listen to what my kids call ‘bubble gum’ music on the radio. You know, the oldies.
That is about it for today. Thank you again, Cat, for taking the time for me. I wish you the best of luck with both Pride books, and with the rest of your book tour here with Bewitching Blog Tours. I can’t wait to read Pride Unleashed in February!
Thanks so much for having me. Have a great day!

Thanks, and you too!

Author Bio:

Cat Kalen is a multi published author in the romance genre under two pen names, Cat is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and watermelon. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. Cat can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.
A maritime native and former financial officer, Cat has lived all over Canada but has finally settled down in her childhood hometown with her family.

Links

www.catkalen.com

www.yabeyond.com

Twitter: @catkalen

Facebook

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GIVEAWAY
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Enter your information on the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win a copy of Pride's Run!
Winner will be chosen on January 30, 2012.

If you have any questions, please email liz@fictionalcandy.com
Open internationally to anyone age 13 and older, void where prohibited. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification or a new winner will be chosen.

If Rafflecopter does not load, please refresh.  If it still does not load, please email me or comment below and I will check into it.

Pride's Run - Cat Kalen

Title: Pride's Run
Author: Cat Kalen

Format: Ebook provided by author for Book Tour Review

From Goodreads:
Seventeen year old Pride is a tracker—a werewolf with a hunger for blood. Taught to trick and to lure, she is the perfect killing machine. 

Kept leashed in the cellar by a master who is as ruthless as he is powerful, Pride dreams of freedom, of living a normal life, but escape from the compound is near impossible and disobedience comes with a price.

When she learns her master intends to breed her she knows she has to run.

Pride soon learns if she is to survive in the wild, she must trust in the boy who promises her freedom, the same boy she was sent to hunt.

With life and death hanging in the balance the two find themselves on the run from the Paranormal Task Force—officers who shoot first and ask questions later—as well as her master’s handlers.
Can Pride flee the man who has held her captive since birth and find sanctuary in the arms of a boy who has captured her heart? Or will her master find her first? 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I really enjoyed this story.  It was refreshing to get a wolf shifter story from a completely different point of view - a teenage girl.  

Pride is a young girl, an orphan, who lives in captivity.  She is forced to track and hunt for her master, while given only the basic necessities in life.  Failure to follow the rules is a painful price.  But there isn't a moment that she isn't planning, watching, and waiting for her chance to escape. 

And there are a couple things that stand in her way.  One, she has a tracking gps chip, two, there is a government group called the Paranormal Task Force that hunts her kind and will not hesitate to kill her if they find her.  So when she sees the opportunity to escape, she does.  But suddenly she has a "partner in crime"  - Logan, the subject of her latest assignment from her master. 

I really thought the two of them made a great pair as they  made their escape.  He was an alpha, seemingly knowledgeable about what was happening and the best course of action.  She was a young girl, wise beyond her years, full of fire and a strong sense of whats wrong and right.  

There was a lot of action in this story, and the scenery was perfect.  I really loved the scenes where they were in wolf form.  As I've said in the past, I love shifter books because its like getting two stories in one.  And the way the author wrote from the wolf's point of view in Pride's Run really made me feel like I was seeing things as a wolf.

And we can't forget Stone, the alpha wolf at the compound whom Pride is sure hates her.  Stone seems like a Grade A Jerk for the most part.  And I really loved the little twist that his character brings to the story.  

All in all I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves wolf shifter stories.  It has a lot of action, some romance, and a lot of promise for a great series!  The sequel, Pride Unleashed, comes out in February 2012.  

Author Bio: 

Cat Kalen is a multi published author in the romance genre under two pen names, Cat is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and watermelon. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. Cat can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love. 
A maritime native and former financial officer, Cat has lived all over Canada but has finally settled down in her childhood hometown with her family. 

Links

www.catkalen.com

www.yabeyond.com

Twitter: @catkalen

Facebook

Kiss of Death Book Tour: Falling To Pieces, Vannetta Chapman Guest Post/Giveaway

Today I have the great pleasure of welcoming author Vannetta Chapman to my site, as she speaks about Amish murder mysteries.  Yep, you heard me!  So sit back with your favorite drink, see what she has to say.  And enter for your chance to win a copy of Falling to Pieces after her post!

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Falling to Pieces: A Quilt Shop Murder (A Shipshewana Amish Mystery)

By Vannetta Chapman

In this first book of a three-book series, author Vannetta Chapman brings a fresh twist to the popular Amish fiction genre. She blends the familiar components consumers love in Amish books---faith, community, simplicity, family---with an innovative who-done-it plot that keeps readers guessing right up to the last stitch in the quilt.When two women---one Amish, one English---each with different motives, join forces to organize a successful on-line quilt auction, neither expects nor wants a friendship. As different as night and day, Deborah and Callie are uneasy partners who simply want to make the best of a temporary situation. But a murder, a surprising prime suspect, a stubborn detective, and the town's reaction throw the two women together, and they form an unlikely alliance to solve a mystery and catch a killer.Set in the well-known Amish community of Shipshewana, Falling to Pieces will attract both devoted fans of the rapidly-growing Amish fiction genre, as well as those who are captivated by the Amish way of life.

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By Vannetta Chapman

When I say I write Amish murder mysteries I receive the ODDEST reactions. It would be fun to make a collage of folks' expressions. Responses vary from "You kill Amish people?" to "There's a market for that?" The answer to the first is SOMETIMES, and the answer to the second is OH YEAH, THERE IS.

I love writing romantic suspense, or in this case cozy mysteries, for several reasons. When you add mystery to a story line it definitely picks up the pace. It also taps into our biggest fears--losing someone we love, defending our family, spending time behind bars? Oh my. No wonder crime shows rates among the most watched. When you transfer that to a novel though, you dive deep, you experience what the victims suffer, and you sometimes have a glimpse into the mind of a murderer. (Creepy, I know.)

Amish fiction is popular because it takes us away from technology, deadlines, and the fast-paced world we live in. But even in that pastoral setting passion, greed, and revenge can exist. Even among plain people you can have misunderstandings that lead to tragedy. And sometimes it's not the event itself, but the aftermath that we're interested in. It's catching the bad guy (or girl) and rebuilding our lives, knitting our community back together that counts, and moving on that becomes the story we want to read.

Amish murder mysteries. Give them a try!

Find out more about Vannetta on her website at www.vannettachapman.com .

Vannetta Chapman is the author of inspirational Amish fiction novels. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace of Albion, Pennsylvania. Her first three-book series, set in Shipshewana, Indiana, blends the best components of Amish fiction with a great who-done-it twist.

Find Vannetta Chapman on Facebook

Vannetta is one of the many talented authors who belong to the Romance Writers of America’s Kiss of Death chapter. At Kiss of Death we believe that every great romance should include suspense. Whether a spy thriller in Regency times, a paranormal romance with a revenge-seeking zombie, or a traditional serial killer after the heroine, romance relies on suspense, leading the reader through the trials of the heroine and hero to see if they will get their happily ever after ending. If you can call your writing suspenseful, then the Kiss of Death has something for you! Find out more and join at http://www.rwamysterysuspense.org and follow us on Twitter at @RWAKissofDeath.

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GIVEAWAY

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Giveaway is open to US ONLY, age 16 and older

Contest runs 1-23-12 to 1-27-12

Prize is ONE Print copy of Falling To Pieces: A Quilt Shop Murder Mystery, by Vannetta Chapman

Winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification, or a new winner will be chosen. 

Entry is by Rafflecopter Only.  If Rafflecopter does not load, please refresh this page.  If there is a problem after that, please contact me at liz@fictionalcandy.com

Rae of Hope - WJ May

Title: Rae of Hope (The Chronicles of Kerrigan)
Author: WJ May

Format: Ebook provided by author for review

From Goodreads:
How hard do you have to shake a family tree to find out the truth of the past?
Fifteen-year-old Rae Kerrigan has never questioned her family’s history. That is until she accepted a scholarship to pGuilder Boarding School in England. Guilder is a very unique, gifted school. Rae has no idea what she is getting herself into or that her family’s past is going to come back and taunt her. She learns she is part of an unparalleled group of individuals who become marked with a unique tattoo (tatù) on their sixteenth birthday. The tatù enables them to have supernatural powers particular to the shape of their marking. Both her parents were marked though Rae never knew, as they passed away when she was young and never told her. Learning about her family’s past, her evil father and sacrificial mother, Rae needs to decide if there is a ray of hope for her own life.

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Rae is a 15 year old girl who has been through a lot in her life.  At the young age of six she became an orphan in a horrific way and went to live with her aunt and uncle.  Then the whisked her away to the United States to live for the past 10 years.   Now she is almost 16 and they’ve suddenly sent her back to Britain to go to the Guilder Boarding School.

Right away she begins to meet new people, including Molly, her new roommate.  I have a feeling that everyone who reads this book is going to fall in love with Molly.  I tried to not like her, really, I did.  Initially she seemed like she was all up in Rae’s face and very nosey.  But it’s not long until you realize the girl has a heart of gold that is the size of Texas.  She is bubbly and fun, and she has a flair for style.  Molly’s joy is infectious, and her smile contagious.  And as sickly as that may sound {insert snicker here} it is completely true.  The girl could carry her own book, I’m sure!  It’s not long before Molly drops the bomb that she doesn’t realize is a bomb.  She is going to have super powers.  Everyone at Guilder will, or already does.

And that includes Rae.

What?!!?  Yeah, Rae is in a whole new world now.  But it’s proven to her quickly and she doesn’t take much time to realize this is the truth.  So then we get to meet more people, and the powers they have.  There really are some very interesting ones in the group, and I can only say that yes, I was very jealous.  I wish I were Rae!! To find out you are part of an elite group of people, and it’s not just because you are cool, it’s because you have actual real super powers?  Heck yes!!

Ok, sorry, fan moment there.

As it turns out, everyone knows about Rae.  They know her whole story.  This was getting so frustrating for me.  Like I wanted to scream at some of them “just tell me her the story!!”  Especially Devon.  Friend?  Enemy in disguise?  Love interest??  Oh, it’s so hard to tell.  I have to be honest; he wasn’t my favorite of the boys for the entire story.  I flipped like a giddy little school girl.  I was interested in Andy, Riley, Devon… even Julian was a possible champion to my Rae’s heart in my eyes.  My favorite for most of the story was Andy, he was totally flirty and aggressive, just like his wolf shifter power.

Then there was one scene… something from the past finds its way to Rae.  The scene is so full of electricity.  You’re happy, you’re sad, you feel for Rae and all that she has lost.  As a mother to a young girl it really had an impact on me.  This is just one point of many that show this book is not just some superficial YA read, there are real emotions and the author did a fantastic job of conveying everything.

I just loved Rae and her story.  She is young, feisty, and full of heart.  She’s flawed, and more beautiful for it.  The girl isn’t perfect, oh no.  She makes her fair share of mistakes.  But she will grab you right from the start and take you on this journey with her.  And you’ll be wise to go.

The sequel comes out in August, 2012.  I will definitely be waiting in line for that one.

So readers, I hope you rush right out and get this book.  You won’t be disappointed.  Bonus on top of it all, the author – WJ May, is just as sweet and nice as can be.  Why don’t you come back in a few days and see what we have for you then!  I guarantee you won’t want to miss it!

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Available for purchase at:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords

Stalk the author:
Wanitamay
Facebook Fan Page


Stalk Rae on Facebook!
Rae Kerrigan

Bewitching Blog Tours: Demons of Infernum - Rosalie Lario

Title: Blood of the Demon

Demons of Infernum, #1

Author: Rosalie Lario

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Length: 254 pages

Release Date: August 2011

ePub ISBN: 978-1-937044-14-5

Print ISBN: 978-1-937044-15-2

http://www.entangledpublishing.com/blood-of-the-demon/

DEMONS OF INFERNUM - Book One by Rosalie Lario

Keegan lives to exact revenge on the evil demon who sired and abused him. When his father devises a plan to bring on the apocalypse, he and his three half-brothers, interdimensional bounty hunters for the Elden Council, are charged with capturing and delivering their father for punishment.

Art gallery owner Brynn Meyers has no idea that her ability to read memories embedded in objects and drain people of their life force means she has demon ancestry. Unfortunately for Brynn, she’s also the key to raising an ancient zombie army, which puts her on every demon’s Most Wanted List.

And no one wants her more than Keegan’s father.

Keegan must protect Brynn from his father by any means necessary, but he’ll have to learn to harness the other half of his genetics—the far deadlier, uncontrollable half—when he starts to fall for the one woman standing between him and the vengeance he so desperately seeks. The one woman he’ll never be able to resist.

“This thrilling new series mixes danger with demons and romance with rocket-paced action! I can’t wait for the next one.” ~ Alyssa Day, New York Times bestselling author

“BLOOD OF THE DEMON grabs hold of you from page one and doesn’t let go. It’s a wild and hot paranormal ride readers will love.” ~ National bestselling author Cynthia Eden

“The hot and wild fusion of demon, dragon, and desire had me burning through the pages!” ~ Jessa Slade, author of Vowed in Shadows

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EXCERPT

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Excerpt for Blood of the Demon (Book 1):

Wait a second... his face.

“Your nose, it’s healing.” She stumbled toward him, surveying him, then his brothers. Taeg’s and Dagan’s wounds weren’t disappearing, but Ronin... “You, too, your wounds are healing. How is—how is that possible?”

“Brynn, go back into the room,” Keegan ordered.

Keegan and Ronin could heal themselves? Amazing. No wonder they were so badass.

The large gash down the center of Keegan’s nose closed itself. Other than a few stray droplets of blood, his nose seemed untouched. She took another step toward him, but her foot collided with a hard object. She’d run into one of the downed men. She lifted her gaze back to Keegan.

Wait!

Doing a double take, she stumbled backward to get a closer look at the figure of the man at her feet. No, he wasn’t a man. Not a man!

His characteristics were definitely male and his body mostly human, save the gray pallor of his skin. But his face—it was all wrong. Five eyes instead of two. Rhinoceros-like horn instead of a nose. Ridged spikes covered his forehead. His nauseating stench burned her nostrils, like a horrid mixture of wet dog and burning asphalt.

Warm hands gripped her arms, and someone shook her. “Brynn.

Brynn.”

She looked into Keegan’s face. His lips moved, but she couldn’t hear him over the loud, shrill sound of an alarm.

He shook her harder. “Brynn, stop screaming!”

She realized with a start that he was right. Shutting her mouth abruptly, she moved her gaze back to the thing on the floor. She couldn’t help it.

“Look at me,” Keegan said, his voice harsh.

She focused on his eyes, his lips, his nose—his fully healed nose. When she found her voice again, she sputtered, “What the fuck is that thing?”

Another figure on the floor moaned and stirred. Taeg strode over and kicked him, and he stopped moving. But even from here, it was obvious he wasn’t human.

“What are they?” she whispered.

Keegan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he reopened them, they blazed with the intensity of some unspoken emotion. Almost like he felt sorry for her. But when he spoke, all he said was, “Demons.”

“Demons?” She laughed. Then laughed some more. In some distant part of her brain, she recognized she bordered on hysteria. “Demons?”

Keegan just stared at her.

“Are you kidding me? Demons?”

“You freely accept people with special abilities,” Ronin said as he moved next to Keegan and pinned her with his gaze. “Is it too much of a stretch to believe that demons might also exist?”

“Yeah, but... ” What were they going to tell her next, that aliens were real, too? “But I have special abilities.”

Dagan coughed. “You also have dem—”

“Dagan,” Keegan snarled, followed by a string of foreign words. Dagan yelled back before whirling around and stomping out the front door.

She concentrated on reading Keegan’s expression. “You actually expect me to believe those were demons?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

She took several deep, calming breaths. “How? How do you know all this? How can you tell me with such certainty that these are demons?”

He exchanged a serious, telling glance with Ronin before answering her. “Because, Brynn... I am one.”

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Shameless Giveaway/Hop

This hop is hosted by -Jen (Red Hot Books), Brie (Romance Around the Corner) & Michelle (Michelle's Book Blog)

I'm going to make this super easy.  Fill out the Rafflecopter.  Winner will be chosen on January 28, 2012. 

First prize: 

$15 Gift Card - Online book retailer of your choice that allows e-gift cards (i.e. Amazon, B&N, allromance.com etc) OR $15 in books from The Book Depository

Second Prize

$10 Gift Card - Online book retailer of your choice that allows e-gift cards (i.e. Amazon, B&N, allromance.com etc) OR $10 in books from The Book Depository

Cross Post Review - Anna @ Readit Blogit - Prime Time by Jane Wenham

A big thanks to Liz here at Fictional Candy for letting me cross post my review on her fantastic website!

I'm Anna and I run Readit..Blogit.. I was only just sent Prime Time to review but once I picked this book up I couldnt put it down you'll see why!

Prime Time by Jane Wenham-Jones

Source: Review copy from Lucy Felthouse
Links: Goodreads, Amazon

|SYNOPSIS|

A British romantic comedy by Jane Wenham-Jones, author of 'Perfect Alibis'.

Laura Meredith never imagined herself appearing on TV– she’s too old, too flabby, too downright hormonal, and much too busy holding things together for her son, Stanley, after husband, Daniel, left her for a younger, thinner replacement.

But best friend Charlotte is a determined woman and when Laura is persuaded on to a daytime show to talk about her PMT, everything changes. Suddenly there’s a camera crew tracking her every move and Laura finds herself an unlikely star. Wined, dined, and pampered, she begins to see the charms of a younger partner herself. But as things hot up between her and gorgeous TV director, Cal, they’re going downhill elsewhere. While Laura’s caught up in a heady whirlwind of beauty treatments, makeovers and glamorous film locations, Charlotte’s husband, Roger, is concealing a guilty secret, Stanley’s got problems at school, work’s piling up, and when Laura turns detective to protect Charlotte’s marriage, things go horribly wrong.

The champagne’s flowing as Laura’s prime time TV debut looks set to be a hit. But in every month, there’s a Day Ten

 'Summery from Goodreads' 

|My take|

 Fantastic, I've never read anything by Jane Wenham-Jones but I definitely will be looking to read another book of hers! Humour within the book had me chuckling more than once and who doesnt love a good laugh after a long day at work! Me for sure, there is nothing better than coming home grabbing my jim jams and curling up with a coffee and my kindle..

I found it easy to engage with the characters and although Laura has her faults I found myself wanting everything to work out for her! The rest of the characters were totally down to earth and I really felt I could connect and relate to them, they totally just rounded off the book nicely! Another thing not too many characters sometimes a book can have loads and I just get confused it's all too much for my head lol!

I liked the humour within and the fact that Jane still included some serious real life issues that we can all relate to in one way or another.

Overall I couldn't put this book down or should I say my kindle, gotta love ebooks of all kinds!  I found myself just starting and then finishing and wishing there was more. Grab this book and give it a try you seriously won't regret it!!

 I give this book 4/5

Happy reading

Anna =)

Amador Lockdown Excerpt/Giveaway

Today I am lucky enough to be able to share an excerpt with you from Amador Lockdown.  I'm particularly excited about this excerpt because it was part of one of my favorite parts of the book!  So please, take a read.  And enter the giveaway at the end! 

And a great big Thank You! to Coral Russell for providing me with the excerpt and the giveaway! 

Read my review HERE

Title: Amador Lockdown
Author: Coral Russell

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EXCERPT

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Three shadows glided down the alley between the Amador Hotel and an office complex. The sound of sneakers skidding to a halt reverberated between the walls of the buildings. At the back corner of the hotel, the shadows bunched up and paused.  

“Okay, smart ass, the place is locked up. Now how do we get in?” Nelson whispered.

Julio’s plans weren’t that specific. He and Xavier had been two galans during Dalia’s quinceanera. She’d come to school a couple of weeks later waving around a picture of the Honor Court on the balcony, with a black shadow hovering behind her. That night, Julio started looking up information about the Amador Hotel, and ran across the news articles on the LC ComicCon and the Restore the Amador fundraiser. The news chalked it up to electrical problems in an old building, but Julio thought something else might be happening.

“The news said some windows were broken. Look,” he said, pointing down the back of the building. “It looks like two windows are boarded up. If we can get a corner loose, we’re in.”

A large, paved parking lot spread out behind the building. The closest lights were the streetlamps at the other end of the parking lot. Julio paused to make sure no cars were traveling around at three in the morning. “Go, go, go!”

They ran to the first window. “Xavier, you keep a lookout. Nelson, help me get the window open.” They both yanked at a corner of the plywood. It didn’t budge. “We should’ve brought a hammer,” Xavier whispered.

Nelson reared back and kicked at the board. The board didn’t budge, but the sound echoed out over the parking lot. “Dude, what the hell are you doing?” Xavier whispered.

“You can’t kick it in,” Julio said, as he grabbed Nelson’s arm and pulled him toward the next window. “This board looks warped. Try this corner.”

Xavier stood to the side as Julio and Nelson dug their fingers up under the corner of the board and yanked. A small squeal of metal answered their effort. “Otra vez…again. This time, brace your foot against the wall,” Julio instructed.

Nelson did what Julio asked. Julio nodded, and then both boys yanked again. The board gave a loud crack, but didn’t appear to move much. Julio knelt down to inspect the corner. It was loose, and when he pulled upward on the corner, a nice-sized gap appeared under his fingers. “We can squeeze in,” he said, standing up.

Nelson, the biggest of the three, turned around and knelt with his back to the wall under the window. He grunted as he squeezed first his head, and then his torso, up behind the board. He felt hands pushing his legs. “Hey,” he yelled, “cut it out!”

“There’s a car coming!” Xavier said.

“Oh, shit.” Nelson braced his palms against the top of the windowsill and shoved. When the backs of his knees cleared the windowsill, he let himself tumble backwards onto the floor.

Julio’s head appeared a second later and, as soon as Nelson could get a hold under his arms, he yanked him clear of the window. 

Xavier stuck his head inside. “Pull me in!”

Nelson grabbed Xavier’s arms and pulled until his feet and knees went thunk on the carpet.

“Owwwww! God damn it!” Xavier rolled over and clutched his leg.

“What?”

“Something cut my leg.”

“Where?” Julio asked, flicking on his flashlight.

Xavier rolled his blue jeans halfway up his calf. “Here.” A red line, oozing pinpricks of blood, started at his ankle, and then disappeared further up his calf underneath his blue jeans.

Nelson thumped him on the back, and then grabbed him under his armpits and lifted him to his feet. “I’ve had worse cuts on my eyeball.” 

“Shut up! That fucking hurt.”

“Quiet,” Julio hissed. They all froze, listening for sounds of an approaching car or the whoop-whoop of a siren. “I don’t think they saw us.”

There was a ‘click,’ and then a small beam of light shone out from the flashlight in Xavier’s hand. 

“My leg hurts,” Xavier complained.

“Pussy,” Nelson said, as he poked Xavier in the ribs.

“Shut the fuck up!”

“Seriously?” Julio motioned toward the doorway with his beam of light. “Let’s do this.” 

“Hey, where’s my flashlight?” Nelson asked.

“I thought ??? told you to bring one,” Julio said.

“No,” Nelson said.

Julio and Xavier exchanged a look.

“Here, take mine.” Julio handed his flashlight to Nelson.

They made their way slowly through the back rooms to the main hall. They stopped, and bobbed their lights up and down on the staircase. “This is where we were when that picture was taken.”

“Okay,” Nelson said. “Now what?”

“Xavier, why don’t you sit down on the steps while we go upstairs and have a look around?” Julio suggested.

“We should stay together.” Xavier’s voice wavered in the gloom.

“I thought your leg hurt?” Nelson asked.

“It does, Nelson, but we should stay together…just in case.”

“In case of what? A strong breeze ruffles your hair?”

“Julio, why did you invite this pendejo?”

“Nelson,” Julio said. “Come on, I thought you wanted to check this out.”

“Check out what? This ghost crap? I don’t believe in it. I just thought breaking into this place would be cool.”

“Okay, fine. Nelson, you stay down here. Xavier, come on.”

“We should stay….”

“Xavier, just come on!”

Julio followed Xavier up the staircase, and turned left at the landing to walk up the small staircase leading to the hotel rooms. Xavier flicked the light back and forth. “There’s a room back here.”

As Xavier played his light around, Julio said, “There’s nothing here. Let’s check the other rooms.” 

They walked down the hall, and paused before each wooden door. The doorknobs felt slick under Julio’s hand. They poked their head into room after room. 

“It’s just a big, empty building,” Xavier said, disappointed, after Julio shut the door on the fourth room.

“Oh, shit, I almost forgot,” Julio said, tugging something out of his pocket.

“What?” 

“This.” Julio held up a slim, gray, plastic stick with a rainbow of small light bulbs at the top. “It’s a K2 meter. You know, like the one ghost hunters use on TV. They say ghosts give off an electromagnetic field. No lights, no ghosts. Lights, there may be ghosts.”

“Damn, bro, isn’t that expensive?”

“I bought it second-hand. It’s so old I have to stick a penny in here just to keep the thing on.” Julio pointed to a penny jammed a quarter of the way in at the top of the on/off button. He opened the door to a room. “I’m going to walk in the room, and you stay here. Hopefully this baby will light up.”

“What do the different lights mean?”

“It starts out green; then, as they get closer, the colors change to yellow and orange. If the ghost is right on top of you, it’s red. It will stay on red as long as the ghost is near.”

Julio walked around the perimeter of the small room, keeping the K2 meter pointed in front of himself. He reached Xavier. “Nothing. Let’s try the next room.”

“Hey, guys!” Nelson called out from below.

Julio and Xavier walked to the wooden railing and leaned over. “What?” answered Julio.

“This is boring. There’s nothing here except some old furniture.”

“Nelson, you can leave if you want. Thanks for helping us get in. We’ll catch up with you later.”

“Nah,” his voice faded as he walked out of sight underneath them. “I got nothing better to do... which is sad.”

“We’re almost done up here.” Julio opened the next door, and Xavier shone the light on another empty room. The rooms were not much bigger than a closet. He took slow, measured steps around the perimeter of the room, holding the K2 meter out slightly ahead of him. He was walking back toward the doorway when they heard a hard thud from downstairs. 

The light left the room as Xavier lit up the railing. “What was that?” 

Julio followed the wall the rest of the way to the door, and then stepped out into the hallway. “Nelson,” he called out. He watched Xavier’s beam of light flit back and forth along the main hall below. They heard another hard thud. Nelson’s flashlight rolled out into view from underneath the landing. A second later, Nelson fell hard on his backside to the right of the light. Xavier jogged toward the stairs, his leg apparently feeling much better.

Julio leaned over the railing. “Nelson, you all right?”

*** *** *** *** *** *** 

Author Bio

Coral Russell won the 2003 McCaleb Peace Initiative which produced the non-fiction articles Peace on the Peninsula about South Korean's view on reunification. You can also find various articles written by her on Technorati and BlogCritics. After winning a fiction writing contest (a fluke), she caught the fiction bug. An encounter with something paranormal on a local ghost tour inspired her to start writing the ghost hunter series.

Her titles include Peace on the Peninsula, Twelve Worlds, Playing with Fire, The DIY Guide to Social Media Marketing and eBook Publishing, and Amador Lockdown.

Ms. Russell runs the blog alchemyofscrawl at alchemyofscrawl.wordpress.comStop by for the latest in Indie book reviews, news, and resources. You can stalk the author on Twitter ,  Facebook, Goodreads, and Google+

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GIVEAWAY

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Giveaway is open internationally to anyone age 13 and older.  Giveaway is for one copy of Amador Lockdown, for Kindle or Nook (mobi or epub)

Contest will run from 1-18-12 12:01 until 1-24-12 12:01, EST.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification or a new winner will be chosen. 

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