Tuesday, July 7, 2015

AQUA by M.A. GEORGE-REVIEW

From Girls Heart Book Tours



Book Info-
Title- Aqua
By- M.A. George
Genre- YA Paranormal
Publication Date- April 16th, 2014




Blurb-
Meet Layla McKelland:  
Novelist (unpublished, but cut her some slack…seventeen is a bit early to despair),
Slightly neurotic introvert (Alright, let’s be honest…there’s no “slightly” about it),
International Woman of Mystery, and…
Okay, just scratch the bio.

The only real “mystery” in Layla’s life is why her father has never been on the scene.  Or why her mother drags Layla to a new coastal home every year.

Nothing about the latest hometown seems too newsworthy…until a routine day at the beach leaves Layla questioning whether she’s read one too many paranormal fantasy novels.  The plot thickens when a random guy claims to know things about her father—a bizarre claim he backs up with an equally impossible stunt.  And Layla soon finds herself on the wrong side of a mysterious attempted drowning…on her own kitchen floor.

When all is done, Layla will attest that fact is far stranger than fiction.  And nothing in real life is ever as transparent as it seems…Not even water.

Especially not water.


MY REVIEW

So this was a really interesting book. A very unique concept, something different.
It took a minute or two to get rolling, and I wasn’t sure it would go anywhere at first, it seemed obvious to me, the build up.  But suddenly the story developed in a way that began to really get my full attention and it simply grabbed me and I couldn’t put it down.
The story is super inventive, the idea of these unique people and how that came about was very interesting to read.  It was very visual, which I love, and I could see the characters easily...that earns points in my book.

The good news is when the young protagonist starts learning of this other world and her possible part in such a paranormal kind of thing, she actually didn’t react well at all.  She totally thought she might be losing her mind and did not simply open up to the idea immediately or nonchalantly and accept that this was her role..which seems to be the case in most stories of this ilk.  They never seem to freak out much...but this gal did.

And speaking of this gal, Layla...I gotta say, she is truly one of my favorite lead characters that I’ve read in a long while.  Absolutely loved her!  Her attitude, her insanely quick wit and humor, sarcasm, her questioning and her moxie...all of it...LOVED it!  Very current and believable.  Maybe a tad on the “adult” side sometimes with the dialog (not always something a teenager would say), but not enough to deter how much I loved her response to people and her situation.  Great, great character, well done M. A. George.

The only thing that brought this down a point for me was the ending.  I hate to say it because as I said, I really couldn’t put the book down and really enjoyed this character.  It just, for me, was this massive, thrilling build up with the battle and the taking of a character and the idea of why there was a conflict in the first place, it all seemed to go away and was “fixed” rather simply.  I was kinda like, huh...that’s it?  That’s all it took?

But I have to say, even with the small let down at the end...I would totally recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thrilling intrigue with an interesting paranormal twist.  It’s worth it to find such a well rounded and thought out character...and a different kind of “other world” for a change.
And ps.  Great Cover!

Links-

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About the Author-

M. A. George is part proud mother of two adorable children, part super top secret agent…Oops, probably just lost that job.

Writing is what keeps her up into the wee hours of the night.  Fortunately, she has a lot of energy (Read: caffeine is her friend).  She has a bit of an obsession with music (It does a fantastic job of tuning out rambunctious children while she attempts to focus).

She sincerely hopes people out there enjoy reading her work as much as she enjoys writing it.  And if anyone hears of work for a super top secret agent, she’s now available (Discretion guaranteed…).

Links-

Sunday, July 5, 2015

NOT EVERY GIRL - PROMOTION


This looks like a really good read…love the cover by the way.
There's a giveaway, make sure you add your name..and 
enjoy the tour!  Thx, TBS.




Not Every Girl
by Jane McGarry 
Release Date: 04/27/15
Clean Reads
275 pages

Summary from Goodreads:

Olivia Davenport’s plan is destined to fail.
She is going through with it anyway, of course. After all, it is the chance of a lifetime. The unreasonable rules of others should not stand in her way.

In her small kingdom of Stewartsland, Olivia trains with the squires and harbors a secret dream. She longs to become a knight under the command of the Master-of–Arms, who just happens to be her father. He has indulged her passion so far, but they both know a simple fact – girls may not attain knighthood. Dismayed by the constant discouragement of her ambitions, she makes an impetuous decision to disguise herself as a boy in order to sneak on a mission. The consequences are not at all what she anticipated.

When her deception is revealed, she is sent home in disgrace; however, an unexpected turn of events puts her at the center of a dangerous plot against the King. The ensuing adventure finds her grappling with mercenaries and outlaws, yet these pale in comparison to her newly awakened emotions. She finds not only her life at risk, but also her heart, when the aloof Prince Liam begins to affect her in ways she never thought possible. In the end, it is her courage and unique spirit which must guide her through the challenges she encounters both physical and emotional. 






"I came to offer the young lady one of my guards as
an escort home."
What?
That is not part of my plan! And besides, my father
could not seriously consider
sending me off into the woods with a strange man, r
oyal guard or not. It takes every ounce
of my restraint to not jump up and protest.
"That is gracious of you, Your Majesty," my father
answers. "However, I am
concerned about the propriety of that arrangement.
Not," he adds hastily, "that I would
expect anything less than the highest scruples from
one of your men."
Good. So Father has a grasp on the situation. Sendi
ng me back with any strange man
and no female chaperone is entirely inappropriate.
And there are no other women on the
trip. Too bad Puck isn't here; my father would trus
t him with me. Now, they will all have to
work out the only viable option—that I continue on t
he trip. I merely sit quietly and wait
for them to come to this inevitable conclusion.
"Well, I certainly understand your feelings. Especi
ally since the young lady in
question is your daughter," King William agrees. "I
am sure if I had a daughter of my own, I
would feel much the same way."
They discuss me as if I am not sitting right here,
as if I have no capacity for
thought—or hearing. I am actually quite capable of
taking care of myself and could get
home without help from any man, thank you anyway. N
ot that I will suggest this as an
option, of course.
Time drags into a prolonged silence. Birds chatter
in the trees, the river bubbles
happily by, the men are all packed and ready to go.
They stand in a huddled mass waiting
for instructions from their superiors. Come on guys
, surely one of you can figure out the
answer. My father must be aware of the only solutio
n, so why isn't he saying anything?
Perhaps he is waiting for the King to suggest it, s
o it appears he thought of the idea and can
take credit for it.
"If I may make a suggestion, Sir Jack..." Prince Liam
begins.
I am so happy someone is finally going to state the
obvious, I don't even care that it
is coming from his egotistical mouth. But then, he
decides to become the next person to
throw a wrench in my plans.
"Why don't I accompany the young lady home along wi
th one of the guards. I give
my word that everything will be handled with the ut
most discretion."
Excerpt

"I came to offer the young lady one of my guards as an escort home."
What?
That is not part of my plan! And besides, my father could not seriously consider sending me off into the woods with a strange man, royal guard or not. It takes every ounce of my restraint to not jump up and protest.
"That is gracious of you, Your Majesty," my father answers. "However, I am concerned about the propriety of that arrangement. Not," he adds hastily, "that I would expect anything less than the highest scruples from one of your men."
Good. So Father has a grasp on the situation. Sending me back with any strange man and no female chaperone is entirely inappropriate. And there are no other women on the trip. Too bad Puck isn't here; my father would trust him with me. Now, they will all have to work out the only viable option—that I continue on the trip. I merely sit quietly and wait for them to come to this inevitable conclusion.
"Well, I certainly understand your feelings. Especially since the young lady in question is your daughter," King William agrees. "I am sure if I had a daughter of my own, I would feel much the same way."
They discuss me as if I am not sitting right here, as if I have no capacity for thought—or hearing. I am actually quite capable of taking care of myself and could get home without help from any man, thank you anyway. Not that I will suggest this as an option, of course.
Time drags into a prolonged silence. Birds chatter in the trees, the river bubbles happily by, the men are all packed and ready to go. They stand in a huddled mass waiting for instructions from their superiors. Come on guys, surely one of you can figure out the answer. My father must be aware of the only solution, so why isn't he saying anything? Perhaps he is waiting for the King to suggest it, so it appears he thought of the idea and can take credit for it.
"If I may make a suggestion, Sir Jack…" Prince Liam begins.
I am so happy someone is finally going to state the obvious, I don't even care that it is coming from his egotistical mouth. But then, he decides to become the next person to throw a wrench in my plans.

"Why don't I accompany the young lady home along with one of the guards. I give my word that everything will be handled with the utmost discretion."

"I came to offer the young lady one of my guards as
an escort home."
What?
That is not part of y plan! And besides, my father
could not seriously consider
sending me off into the woods with a strange man, r
oyal guard or not. It takes every ounce
of my restraint to not jump up and protest.
"That is gracious of you, Your Majesty," my father
answers. "However, I am
concerned about the propriety of that arrangement.
Not," he adds hastily, "that I would
expect anything less than the highest scruples from
one of your men."
Good. So Father has a grasp on the situation. Sendi
ng me back with any strange man
and no female chaperone is entirely inappropriate.
And there are no other women on the
trip. Too bad Puck isn't here; my father would trus
t him with me. Now, they will all have to
work out the only viable option—that I continue on t
he trip. I merely sit quietly and wait
for them to come to this inevitable conclusion.
"Well, I certainly understand your feelings. Especi
ally since the young lady in
question is your daughter," King William agrees. "I
am sure if I had a daughter of my own, I
would feel much the same way."
They discuss me as if I am not sitting right here,
as if I have no capacity for
thought—or hearing. I am actually quite capable of
taking care of myself and could get
home without help from any man, thank you anyway. N
ot that I will suggest this as an
option, of course.
Time drags into a prolonged silence. Birds chatter
in the trees, the river bubbles
happily by, the men are all packed and ready to go.
They stand in a huddled mass waiting
for instructions from their superiors. Come on guys
, surely one of you can figure out the
answer. My father must be aware of the only solutio
n, so why isn't he saying anything?
Perhaps he is waiting for the King to suggest it, s
o it appears he thought of the idea and can
take credit for it.
"If I may make a suggestion, Sir Jack..." Prince Liam
begins.
I am so happy someone is finally going to state the
obvious, I don't even care that it
is coming from his egotistical mouth. But then, he
decides to become the next person to
throw a wrench in my plans.
"Why don't I accompany the young lady home along wi
th one of the guards. I give
my word that everything will be handled with the ut

most discretion."

Buy Links:
AmazonBarnes & NobleKobo BooksSmashwords

About the Author
Reading was always a big part of my life. Creating my own stories developed out of this love. Finally, I decided to try my hand at writing a novel and that was when Not Every Girl was conceived.

I live in New Jersey with my husband, two sons and an extremely spoiled cat. When I am not running around with my family or writing, I can be found curled up with a good book and said cat. It is my belief that a good book, a loyal pet and anything made of chocolate can brighten just about any day.

Author Links:
WebsiteGoodreadsTwitterFacebook


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Book Tour Organized by:


Monday, June 29, 2015

REVIEW-AEGIS INCURSION

As promised, my review of Aegis Incursion.





Okay, so I did not read the first book. I was told this could be read as a stand alone book, and they weren't kidding. Absolutely no mis-step in getting into the story whatsoever.

Wow! What an incredibly imaginative story…very scientific in theory, I'm wondering if the author has some kind of background in physics or something? If not, she surly did her research, just the little nanomites alone are something else. And then of course there's all the supernatural excitement included, so this makes for a really fun read.

The book is fast paced and a challenge to put down once you get rolling, very easy to follow along with the story, no confusions, yay. Very visual, super action packed! The main characters, the kids, are wonderfully crafted individuals, great distinctive personalities…they are believable and enjoyable to picture…even if they are modern day super-heros! Like I said, I believed their stories…very well done.

The one thing that bugged me, and this is me being me, is in the beginning the author would use the term, "the five" incessantly…literally, several times in a paragraph. Even when it was obvious that no one else was involved in the scene but the teens, she would say  "the five". Instead of saying, "they all walked outside", it was always, the five walked outside, the five sat down, the five looked at each other. It really annoyed me for a while, then it seemed to diminish as the story went on..thank goodness. So unless I'm unaware of the fact that they are known as  "the Five",  like the X-Men or something, and I missed this "title"..then of course I apologize and take it all back…otherwise it just bugged me for a while…and if I'm being totally honest, a couple of the  "other-worldy" names were very difficult to pronounce and sometimes slowed me down when I was on a roll, attempting to figure out how to hear their names in my head. However, this did not bother to the detriment of the story in the least.

Needless to say, I'm absolutely eager to get to the next installment to see where our heroes end up…oh! and it looks like I'll go back and read the first book in the series to get the actual background of the story…however, that's just for something else to read, not because it's necessary to enjoy this book. Well done SS Segran!

Thursday, June 18, 2015

BOOK ONE ON AMAZON KINDLE COUNTDOWN DEAL!

For the next seven days, book one, in kindle ebook version, of Benjamin McTish and the Door Through the Grandfather Tree will only be .99 cents!  Yes, you read that correctly…so go ahead and click on the link to get your special deal of the first book in the Benjamin McTish Series.  And pass on this special to your friends, especially ones with kids…this is a terrific upper middle grade/ young adult series.  And if you're so inclined…all reviews welcomed!  Thx for your wonderful support…June


AEGIS INCURSION by S.S. Segram


Today we're promoting a new book from author S.S. Segran, 
the second in the Aegis League Series, Aegis Incursion.  
Brought to us by Goddess Fish Promotions.  
I'm almost finished reading this book and had hoped to 
be on time with my review for this promo, but alas it 
simply couldn't happen.  However, please come back next 
week when I post my review…and let me just say this…
I didn't read the first book and am having no issue 
whatsoever following in on this story…it's a 
"can't put it down" type of read…so there, a hint as 
to where my review will be heading.  In the meantime
 there is a giveaway with today's tour of a $25. Amazon/BN 
giftcard, so be sure and add your name to the hat for a chance 
to win!  Thx for participating in today's promo.  
Please leave us a comment so that we know you were
 here..thx, June
PS. this just in from the author…for a limited time
she is inviting anyone who'd like a FREE copy of the 
next book, Aegis Evolution, to sign up using this link,
how awesome is that!



BLURB:

*** #1 AMAZON HOT NEW RELEASE (YA/Teen)*** WORLDS COLLIDE . HEROES ARISE ***
Great as a Standalone or as an Explosive Sequel to #1 Amazon Kindle Bestseller, AEGIS RISING.


On a bright July morning in 1948, a B-29 Superfortress flying a top-secret research mission over Nevada crashes into the calm waters of Lake Mead and sinks, remaining lost for half a century.

It has been nearly a year since five friends - Jag, Kody, Mariah, Tegan and Aari - mysteriously reappeared in a small town in Yukon several weeks after their small plane went down in Northern Canada. All were found in good health but with no recollection of what happened to them after the crash.

A baffling contagion is spreading across the bread-basket of North America destroying vital crops. As this dark shadow marches across the globe, widespread famine and riots bring desperate nations to the brink of war.

These seemingly unrelated events set the stage for a battle between the forces of darkness and those destined to become the 'bearers of light'. From ravaged fields in the Great Plains to clandestine installations around the world, the Aegis League must race against time to save humanity.


“Unique and compelling! With non-stop action, adventure and intrigue, Aegis Incursion will appeal to fans of Maze Runner, Percy Jackson and Hunger Games.” ~Michael Beas - Bestselling Author of 'Strump: A World of Shadows' ~

“S.S.Segran brings us a worthy sequel to her best-selling debut novel, Aegis Rising. Relentless action and gravity defying twists and turns hold the reader in a tight grip till the last page.” ~ Honore Gbedze ”" The SAGE Foundation ~

"RECOMMENDED! A good sequel stands alone as a strong work without the accomplishments of its predecessors, but a great sequel inspires readers to go back and relive a book they've already read, and that is precisely what this book accomplishes."
~ The US Review of Books ~

"FIVE STARS! A great book to dive into and a fantastic follow up to the first... One of the best things author S.S. Segran has done here is that the book can be read as a stand-alone. Highly recommended!" 
~ Readers' Favorite Reviews ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT
…A sound in the distance snapped him out of his daydream. It was a low rumbling, like thunder, but that was impossible—the sky was still bright and cloudless. As the sound gradually became louder, Elwood was able to pinpoint the location and slowly looked toward the east. He squinted against the sun, then gasped when he saw a shimmering silhouette emerge from the glare…

…The aircraft thundered right over Elwood’s head, so near that the vortex of air created by the plane’s passing churned the water violently, capsizing the canoe and pitching him into the lake. He struggled and attempted to cry out, only to choke on water. He floundered back up to the surface and sputtered and spat as he tried to regain his bearings.

Catching sight of the plane as it boomed overhead, he watched, agape, as the aircraft hit the surface of the lake on its belly. The massive propellers struck the water, violently tearing three of the four engines away from the wings…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:


S.S.Segran spent a good chunk of her childhood exploring the enchanted forest of a million tales in the mystical land of books. In her early teens, she began crafting intriguing new worlds and conjuring up characters who came alive with the flick of her wand... err... pen. With the publication of her first novel in the Aegis League Series during her senior year of high school, she was surprised by the abundance of time that magically appeared right after graduation. She plans to use this newfound resource to expand the arc of the series. Her future plans include studying Cognitive Science at university and helping youths in developing countries realize their potential through her non-profit organization, Aegis League (www.aegisleague.org)

When not devouring a book or writing one, S.S.Segran can be found standing behind the cauldron of life, stirring a potion made up of chores, parkour, gaming, drawing, horseback riding and—having recently jumped off a perfectly fine airplane at fifteen thousand feet – perhaps skydiving.

WEBSITE: www.sssegran.com
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/SegranBooks
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/aegisnovel
AMAZON PAGE: http://www.amazon.com/Aegis-Incursion-Action-Adventure-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B00V56524W/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0R3B52T86N85KNNK5XFW
AUTHOR PHOTO

~~~~~~~~~~~~~



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NIGHTMARE BY DESIGN


Nightmare by Design
Fractured Fairy Tales # 0.5 (Standalone Series)
By- Allana Kephart & Melissa Simmons
Cover Designed by: Designed by Starla
Expected Publication Date- ?

For thousands of years, The Council has watched over the magical community. Consisting of Venators, Vigilum and Concilium, each group is dedicated to the task of keeping the human race oblivious to the magical beings all around them. The rules are simple--keep your abilities to yourself, or pay the ultimate price.

Upon her twenty-first birthday, Leana Hunter will claim her birthright, taking her place with the other Vigilum within The Council--no matter how much she detests the idea. Though this is not a life she wants, she already knows too much and she will be eliminated if she refuses to follow through on her duties.

Madalien MacElroy's family has already fallen prey to the dark side of The Council. Her parents were murdered in the privacy of their own home, leaving Maddie as the legal guardian of her thirteen year-old sister, Maura.

What Leana and Maddie don't know is that they're on opposing sides of a brewing war. When secrets are revealed and betrayals unfold, will the girls’ friendship survive? Or will duty overtake their bond?



Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Benjamin Gets His Own Blog!

The McTish Series finally has it's own blog.  No lists of anything, or busy sidebars…strictly Benjamin McTish and nothing more.  A good way to keep up with the Series!  It was time…enjoy!  And spread the word…thx!