Wednesday's Featured Author is Montgomery Mahaffrey

They were fated to collide, Ella Bandita and the Wanderer. This complex fable about a predatory seductress and an adventurer frozen in grief explores the darkness of the human heart and the allure of erotic obsession over love. The story begins when an outcast young woman tries to kill herself. Yet a sorcerer intervenes with a last chance to change her destiny. But she must be his lover and give him her heart to transform into the immortal Ella Bandita. All his life, the Wanderer hears stories about Ella Bandita, the ruthless thief of hearts. But he never believes she lives and doesn't recognize her when they meet. Driven by lust, he follows Ella Bandita into a battle of wills that threatens to destroy him. The Wanderer wants nothing more than to avenge himself on a woman he loathes, the vagabond seductress who stole his heart.

 

 

About the Author:

 

In an old 1985 Four-Runner dubbed “the Brown Beast,” Montgomery Mahaffey grabbed her first collection of stories and headed to Alaska on a whirlwind book tour that took her through more than just Alaska’s cities. Behind all of the festivals, coffee shops, and bookstores were the living, breathing beings that formed and informed the entire experience. Mahaffey is a storyteller by birth, given over to the trade through a long line of family, and true to the story-teller tradition, she found that she was given a story for each story she told. She collected the stories of the people she spoke to, and it was in those subtly discovered relationships that the real journey blossomed. It was no longer simply a book tour. It was a bonafied spiritual adventure. She wrote with a feverish intensity to produce a longer version of the story she had told across the wintery landscape, the tale of Ella Bandita and the Wanderer.

Ella’s character is powerfully committed to unearthing those things hidden within the human heart. She draws these out in each interaction, in the way that telling a story, or even listening to one, can awaken buried thoughts and reactions. The expansion of the tale continues to unearth and unfold even after publication. In a sense, the story of Ella Bandita and the Wanderer is never fully completed, for each of its readers will bring it to new life, just as it will play a part in shaping their life to come.

Mahaffey’s other works, Preacher Man and the Golden Pedestal and Why Roses Have Thorns are two children’s books set in the magically infused landscape that has become Mahaffey’s signature. With their seamless flow in and out of the spectacular, told with direct expression, Mahaffey’s novels are suitable for a wide range of readers.

In 2005 she was given the Individual Artist Project Award from the Rasmuson Foundation. She lives in Portland, Oregon, though her heart has traveled through many places to get there. She is currently at work on her next novel.

 

 

 

              

 

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Monday's Review of Half Blood By Author Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals--well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hey Guys! Please note: I don't send out ARCs for review. If you're interested in reviewing a book of mine before release date, please contact the appropriate publisher. I also do NOT check my Goodreads email.

To email me, please use the below addy. 
jenniferlarmentrout@live.com

# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia. 

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true. 

Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don't Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen. 

Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins

                  

Review of Half Blood

Rating: 4 stars

www.reviewoffantasy.com

I read some other reviews regarding this book and the amount of people that suggested it was like Vampire Academy, had me curious. Yes it was but it was also unique in its own way.

Alex the main character is a fighter, on the run with her mother, she’s a half blood protector of the pure’s, but when she runs into trouble with daimons her mother is killed and she’s saved by the pure’s one being Aiden. Wow is hot. J

I loved Alex’s dry sense of humour her smart mouth and her drive. She’s like a disobedient child when someone says go left she will go right. But it’s fun to read, as she trained by Aiden who is forbidden to the likes of her. Half bloods and pure’s are not allowed to be together, and it’s tough as they train the feelings she has for Aiden grow stronger.

She also has some awful people to deal with like Lea who’s nothing but a bitch, but Alex ends up breaking her nose and I loved it. It was so deserving to hell with the consequences. Then there’s Lucian her step-father who is the worst parent of all.

But Alex is also surround by some really cool people like Caleb her best friend who ISN’T in love with her, and I appreciated this so much in the book. Majority of male best friends are in love with the MC. So this was a breath of fresh air.

The love story between Aiden and Alex is electric but for me I loved Seth the Apollyon, he was rude yet cool, sounded gorgeous but towards the end of the book we got to see a nice side of him. (well kind of). :)

Overall really enjoyed this story it was non-stop action in every department and I love a MC with a sarcastic mouth.

Tuesday's Featured Author is Jessica Page Author of The Agency

HARPER ANDREWS, is a mind reader who has no idea how or why she is the way she is. After being saved by Agent Reid Doyle from a vampire attack she is introduced to a secret world guarded and protected by the Supernatural Enforcement and Control Agency (SECA). A world where vampires, werewolves and mages are normal and humans are at the bottom of the food chain. Things are not perfect but she finds herself thriving and feeling at home for the first time in her life.

AGENT REID DOYLE, is a vampire who likes his solitude so the last thing he wanted when he saved Harper was to have to spend more time with her. The fact that he's attracted to her is inconvenient and he resents having to be responsible for someone else. Losing another loved one is out of the question and he intends to avoid it at all cost.

Both Harper and Reid can't seem to turn off their attraction for one another and love, sex and blood has a way of complicating things quickly in their world. They need to stay focused and find out who's responsible for the vampire caused human murders with additional internal and external threats working against them. Choices will be made to protect the things and people they love, choices that will change everything, including each other.

About the Author:

I'm an avid reader (and dreamer) who hails from northern Ontario Canada with my fur babies and husband and I hope to give you an escape for a little while with my stories (that's really all I can ask for).Adult Fiction
The Agency (Book 1 of The Agency Hunger Series) is available for purchase:
- Amazon US
http://www.amazon.com/Agency-Hunger-1...
- Amazon Canada
http://www.amazon.ca/Agency-Hunger-Bo...
- Amazon UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Agency-1-Hung...
- Smashwords
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
*This novel is a paranormal romance and is a work of adult fiction which has adult content.

               

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Monday's Review of Hidden By Author M.Lathan

Blurb:

Sixteen-year-old Leah Grant has given up on being normal. She’d settle for stopping the voices in her head, intrusive visions of the future, and better odds of making it to her seventeenth birthday.

That’s the thing about pretending to be human in a world where magic used to exist – at any moment, her cover could be blown and she’ll be burned to death like the rest of the witches.

Everything changes when she loses control of her powers and flees the orphanage she grew up in. She desperately wants to be invisible but finds her face plastered on every news channel as humans panic over the possible resurgence of her kind. And now the hunters won’t give up until they find her.

Making friends for the first time in her life and falling in love with one of them drives her to discover why she is unlike any being she’s ever met – human or otherwise. The dangerous powers inside of her that would repel Nathan, her new, handsome reason for living, are priceless to some. The locked up forever kind of priceless. And to others, they are too dangerous to allow her to live.

Let’s hope she can stay hidden.

About the Author:

M. Lathan is a young adult fiction author. She lives in San Antonio with her husband and mini-schnauzer. She enjoys writing and has a B.S. in Psych and a Masters in Counseling. Her passion is a blend of her two interests – creating new worlds and stocking them with crazy people. She enjoys reading anything with interesting characters and writing in front of a window while asking rhetorical questions … like her idol Carrie Bradshaw.

           

Review of Hidden

Rating 3 stars

www.reviewoffantasy.com

Leah is a loner, her mind is brainwashed into believing that witches are evil and anyone with supernatural abilities should die. She avoids people in order to keep her magic hidden. Being bullied in the orphanage for humans, she tries to keep her awful thoughts of killing her bullies from becoming a reality. But when she nearly flips Sophia who’s a witch takes her away and brings her to a house full of supernatural. Her social skills are zero, so she struggles to trust and befriend the other youth in the house. The house she finds out is actually hers. Sophia had more than one reasons to take her from the orphanage.

As Leah comes out of herself she soon falls for Nathan and he teaches her all about their kind, and that they aren’t evil and neither is she. He educates her all about hunters, who they must avoid at all costs. But with Leah’s picture on the news channel hiding soon becomes a problem  and with her old world being replaced with a new one, she becomes guarded in other ways, now she’s not hiding her abilities from the humans, she hides them from her friends questioning if she is really a witch after all.

Watching Leah become a stronger and fun person was brilliant, she was definitely depressed in the orphanage and watching her overcome all she believed to be true was great. The love story between her and Nathan was gentle and Kind and I loved reading about the two of them. But when Leah reveals something about herself and Nathan turns his back on her, for me I didn’t care if he gave her the stars, moon and sun, I just couldn’t like him for the remainder of the story. I cringed every time he was near and wanted so badly for Leah to kill him, because that’s what he deserved not forgiveness. For me when Nathan walks away from Leah my heart wasn’t in the story I was too angry, even though so much more about her parents, and what she really is, is revealed, I just couldn’t stomach Nathan for one more moment.

But that is my opinion maybe others will feel differently about this book.

Wednesday's Featured Author is Angela Norton Tyler Author of Queen Mother

 

Blurb:  Queen Mother is the life adventure of Nala, an orphaned African whose search for romance and relevance takes her from slavery and the Middle Passage to motherhood and fantasy.

*

SHE RUNS.

Nala, a young African woman orphaned half her life, has been treated more like servant than a beloved member of her uncle’s family. Nala dreams of true love and a life free from her cousin Shazila’s constant demands and bullying. After a magical night of romance with Prince Adomi, the future King of Shaziland, Nala becomes pregnant. When she hears of a prophesy foretelling that either she or Shazila will be Queen Mother, Nala knows that she is the Chosen One. The problem? Adomi intends to marry Shazila. Determined to tell Adomi that she is carrying his child and that he has chosen the wrong bride, Nala sneaks away from her village.

SHE WALKS.

Nala falls into the clutches of Red Beard, a brutal slave catcher who subjects her to nights of degradation and days of non-stop walking. After a harrowing, months-long journey, Red Beard eventually sells Nala onto a slave ship headed to America via the Middle Passage. Knowing that she will never reach Adomi, Nala jumps ship.

SHE LIVES.

Nala arrives at The Kingdom, a paradise beneath the ocean populated by others who chose to die rather than live through the horrors of slavery. Nala’s child, Matai, is born and lauded as King. Wise friends arrive to teach Matai The Seven Lessons. These lessons will prepare Matai to someday leave The Kingdom and begin his own epic journey.

Will Nala allow Matai to leave The Kingdom so that he can save his ancestral home and assume his rightful place as King of Shantiland?

This adventure written by African American author Angela Norton Tyler blends historical fiction with a touch of fantasy.

Adults and teens will fall in love with Nala, Matai and will benefit from the life lessons taught by the wise teachers of The Kingdom.

About the Author:

 Angela Norton Tyler is a former a literacy coordinator, teacher and educational consultant. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Wellesley College (MA) and a Master’s degree in Children’s Literature from Hollins University (VA). As a child, Angela was fascinated by isolated groups such as the Amish, leper colonies and cults and was drawn to magical worlds such as Oz. As an adult, Angela has chosen to create dystopian worlds through writing and story-telling. A mother of two, Angela lives in northern California where she is usually trying to find time to write- or read- a book.

               

 

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Mondays Review: Storm by Author Brigid Kemmerer

Blurb:

Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her, Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys—all the ones she doesn't want. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water—just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They’re powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Secrets are hard to keep when your life’s at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who’s hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

The storm is coming . .

About the Author:

Brigid Kemmerer finds the time to write somewhere between caring for her family and working at her day job, but sometimes she ends up mothering her coworkers and managing her family. Storm: The Elemental Series is her first novel.

I love friends on Goodreads, so don't hesitate to hit me up with a friend request! I don't review a lot of books out of respect for other authors, but I will have discussions about books, and I love hearing what other people have to say. That said, please note that I ignore all random book recommendations and event invites. Nothing personal, but that system has turned into a spam generator, and it's impossible to suss out what's real and what's being sent to everyone and their brother. If you really think I should read a book (and I love genuine recommendations), message me! I'd love to hear from you!

Last thing: As a reader, I love Goodreads, and I will do my best to preserve the integrity of this site. As an author, I welcome all reviews, whether positive or negative. I will NEVER criticize nor contradict a reviewer on Goodreads or on any other site, nor will I enlist the help of friends or colleagues to do so.

In fact, here's how I feel about the whole Goodreads Bullying situation:http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...(less)

           

Review of Storm

Rating: 4 stars

www.reviewoffantasy.com

The story is mostly told through Becca’s eyes – she was an okay character for me. I found in some situations she was way too dramatic and in others she didn’t blink an eye lid. At times she was funny but not enough for me to really care for her. Like I said she was just okay.

Quinn her best friend was great I loved her one liners and her sarcastic sense of humour – she made the story better.

Okay so what made this story so great for me were four brothers.

Gab and Nick who are twins, Michael the eldest but also their guardian and Chris the love interest where what kept me reading. I just loved the four brothers and of course their gifts. My favourite would be Gabriel and I would love to read a book from his perspective his gift was fire which causes him to have a serious temper and a smart mouth, he isn’t nice to Becca and I didn’t mind as I understood his reasons. Nick his twin controlled air which was so cool if Gab ever got too carried away or lost his temper, Nick was the one to step in and calm him down.

Michael their oldest brother acted like an ass but I didn’t blame him he was trying to be their father/brother/friend and trying to protect them. I felt sorry for him and Gab gave him a really tough time.

Chris was interesting in a moody kind of way but he wasn’t the only love interest in Becca’s life we also had hunter who I knew from the start wasn’t what he seemed. I thought maybe he had an earth or spirit affinity with his knowledge of stones and his love for his dog.

Overall it was interesting and I can’t wait to read Spark (Gab’s story ) :)

Wednesday's Featured Author is Mia Fox Author of Released

 

Blurb: The discovery of an ancient bottle unleashes a Genie - and the wrath of the Demon Gypsies chasing her...

When Suzette (“Suki”) is released from her bottle by two teen girls, she is more than a bit surprised that a Genie of her calibre is beholden to two average high school students. After dealing with dignitaries and noblemen, however, she believes this will be a welcome break.

Until she discovers the teens’ hidden powers and that one will come to possess the Amulet of Pollox, a necklace that contains the secrets from some of the greatest minds throughout history. Unfortunately, she’s not the only one who notices. The Amulet draws the attention of the two powerful and vengeful Demon Gypsies who have pursued Suki through time and will stop at nothing to snatch the girls and the Amulet.

Suddenly, Suki is not just helping the girls navigate high school crushes, she’s safeguarding them from danger unlike anything they’ve ever known. To make matters more complicated, she must also fight her attraction to James - her protector through the ages - whose sudden arrival threatens her resolve and her heart.

A time-traveling Genie and her unrequited love...

Demon Gypsies with an insatiable quest for power...

And the teen girls whose existence threatens them all.

This is the world of “Released,” book one of The Romani Realms series by Mia Fox, a Young Adult trilogy featuring elements of paranormal romance and steampunk.

 FREE AN AMAZON

About the Author:

Mia Fox is a Los Angeles-based novelist who writes contemporary fiction, chick lit, and young adult/new adult focusing on paranormal romances.

She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from U.S.C. Her first novel, “Alert the Media,” is based on her previous professional life working as an entertainment publicist. Today, she is happy to leave that world behind her, preferring that any drama in her life is only that which she creates for her characters.

 

               

 

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