What happens after you die? Thereafter by Terri Bruce – Giveaway

Posted on May 1, 2014 by fundinmental

I was supposed to have a review ready for the tour, but due to a family emergency, I have not finished reading Thereafter by Terri Bruce.

Please keep your eyes open for the review in the very near future.

Thereafter (Afterlife Book 2) by Terri Bruce

Genre: Contemporary fantasy/paranormal

Publisher: Mictlan Press

Date of Publication: May 1, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-9913036-2-5 (print) / ISBN: 978-0-9913036-3-2 (ebook)

Number of pages: 318

Word Count: 99,000

Cover Artist: Artwork by Shelby Robinson; cover layout by Jennifer Stolzer

Book Description

When recently-deceased Irene Dunphy decided to “follow the light,” she thought she’d end up in Heaven or Hell and her journey would be over.

Boy, was she wrong.

She soon finds that “the other side” isn’t a final destination but a kind of purgatory where billions of spirits are stuck, with no way to move forward or back. Even worse, deranged phantoms known as “Hungry Ghosts” stalk the dead, intent on destroying them. The only way out is for Irene to forget her life on earth—including the boy who risked everything to help her cross over—which she’s not about to do.

As Irene desperately searches for an alternative, help unexpectedly comes in the unlikeliest of forms: a twelfth-century Spanish knight and a nineteenth-century American cowboy. Even more surprising, one offers a chance for redemption; the other, love. Unfortunately, she won’t be able to have either if she can’t find a way to escape the hellish limbo where they’re all trapped.

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Author’s Note

I am THRILLED beyond all measure to finally be able to bring you Thereafter, and I want to thank all the fans who have waited (more or less patiently) an extra year for this book to finally come out. Thereafter would not have been possible without your support—thank you all! I hope you love this beautiful new cover as much as I do, and I hope you find Thereafter to be worth the wait.

Excerpt

Her hand touched a rock, one of the flat beach stones she’d seen on graves. She picked it up, laying it flat in her palm. She didn’t remember picking this up. In fact, she had been careful not to take any. It had seemed disrespectful and too much like stealing to remove them, and while she’d seen a few here—both loose and piled in cairns—she hadn’t picked any of them up. There had been no point. What would she do with a rock?

No wonder her bag was so heavy.

She tossed the rock over her shoulder and heard it hit the ground with a satisfying thud some distance away. It felt good to be rid of something, to make a decision and be sure it was the right one.

She surveyed the pile again and then grabbed a small handful of paper animals. She picked one up between a finger and thumb. It was a horse. Irene had been in Chinatown during Chinese Ghost Festival, a holiday in which the living left offerings for the dead. These offerings included paper replicas of things people thought the dead would need in the afterlife—money, clothes, television sets, and even animals. Irene had admired the precise and delicate folds of the Origami figures and had picked some up to admire them more closely. Without thinking, she had dropped them into her bag and apparently been carrying them ever since.

Well, even Jonah couldn’t argue with her on this—there was no way she was going to need a paper horse on her journey through the afterlife. Plus, these didn’t hold any sentimental value. She cast the horse onto a nearby fire and watched as the paper curled and blackened in the low-burning flames.

The fire leapt and seemed to glow blue for a moment. Irene tensed—what was happening?

Thick black smoke began to rise slowly from the flames, spiraling upward in a thickening column. The smoke grew denser and then elongated sideways. Irene leapt to her feet and backed away, her heart pounding. Something was forming in the fire.

The smoke was taking shape now; there was purpose and design in its movements. She could see a long, horizontal back, four legs, a neck, and finally a head and a tail. The smoke swirled with a final flourish and then shuddered into the solidity of a smoke-colored horse. The animal blinked passively. Then it violently shook its head, blew out a breath, and delicately picked its way forward out of the fire. It immediately put its head down and began to lip the ground, looking for food.

Irene stared stupidly at it. “Are you shitting me?”

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About the Author

Terri Bruce has been making up adventure stories for as long as she can remember. Like Anne Shirley, she prefers to make people cry rather than laugh, but is happy if she can do either. She produces fantasy and adventure stories from a haunted house in New England where she lives with her husband and three cats.

Website/Blog / Goodreads Profile / Facebook Fan Page

Twitter / Amazon Author Page

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Would You Like A Glimpse of the Afterlife? Review of Hereafter by Terri Bruce

To get your copy of Hereafter or learn more about Terri Bruce, click on the cover below.

Get you Amazon copy of Thereafter by clicking on the cover below.

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GIVEAWAY

2 $50 Amazon gift cards

5 signed paperback copies of Thereafter (U.S./Canada Only)

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

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Cover Reveal for an exciting new Mia Rushton novel by Tara Neideffer – Haunted Skies

Posted on April 30, 2014 by fundinmental

I’m really excited to share Tara Neideffer’s wonderful news.

She is working on the next novel in the Mia Rushton series and would like to share the cover with you for Under Haunted Skies. I will be happy to keep you informed of the relesase date in the near future.

I love the eerie, painterly effect of the cover. I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up as I shout at Mia, “Don’t go into the house!” I know she will and I can hardly wait to read this exciting haunted story by Tara Neideffer.

Cover links to Goodreads

Tattoo artist, Mia Rushton, feels like she’s finally getting her life under control. She’s embracing this new ability that she has, more customers are gravitating towards her at Irish Ink and she has finally let a great guy into her life. But Mia’s life never stays under control for long and she soon realizes that opening herself up to the things that lurk on the other side is a blessing in disguise.

When her friend, Roxy Kelley, gets out of rehab, both Mia and Jake are excited to have her back in their life, but they aren’t prepared to deal with the entity that Roxy has brought with her. Knowing she can help, Mia can’t stand by and let Roxy deal with it all on her own, but completely opening herself up to this entity leaves her with a haunting of her own and sends her on a mission to put an end to the ghost story that has now dug its claws into her life.

Tracing the entities past back to a popular, real haunted house, Mia finds herself in the middle of one of the most terrifying hauntings she has ever known. Will she find a way to escape the house’s grasp or will she find herself as a permanent resident?

*No Cliffhanger*

**Due to sexual content and language, this novel is intended for audiences ages 18+**

My 5 Star Review for When The Dead Whisper

My 5 Star Review for Deadly Road

To grab your copy of the books or learn more about Tara Neideffer, click on the cover below.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

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Blitz Tour for The Cowboy and the Vampire by Hays & McFall

Posted on March 21, 2014 by fundinmental

The title of The Cowboy and the Vampire by Hays and McFall had me chuckling to myself. That made me feel like I had to participate in this tour for a vampire story of a different kind.

Let ‘er buck!

The Cowboy and the Vampire Reboot

The phrase “you can’t judge a book by its cover” is a lie. It’s a damn lie. People do it all the time. Art is truth.

To mark the upcoming May 2014 release of the third book in The Cowboy and the Vampire Collection, the series was treated to a gothic western makeover, with artwork commissioned exclusively for the series.

“We wanted to give readers something special and the new covers get right to the heart of the series,” said co-author Hays. “Go on and judge the books by these covers! They bring together the paranormal and the western elements perfectly, setting a dark tone with just a hint of the humor.”

“Each time you look at the images, you see something a bit different, even more of the opposites-attract romantic theme pops, and the overtones of simmering passion,” said co-author McFall.

Get caught up on the love between Tucker and Lizzie now before the release of book three.

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A Very Unusual Romance

The Cowboy and the Vampire

Book 1

Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall

“Deliciously dark.” – Booklist

Welcome to LonePine, Wyoming, where the best of the American west faces off against the rise of the undead. It’s a love story for the ages.

Worlds collide when a broke cowboy and a glamorous big city reporter fall lipstick over boot heels in love. But she carries a 2,000-year-old secret in her veins that will test their unusual romance.

Saddle up for a hilarious, existential gallop through the dying west with an army of ancient bloodsuckers in hot pursuit.

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Blood and Whiskey

The Cowboy and the Vampire

Book 2

Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall

“Strong writing, funny characters … riveting.” – Kirkus Reviews

Welcome back to LonePine, Wyoming. It’s like any other slowly dying town in the modern American West. Except it’s suddenly lousy with vampires.

Cultures clash as the vampire illuminati ride into town to settle ancient scores, test loyalties and thrash out a new world order. Can the fragile relationship between a cowboy and a vampire survive lust, betrayal and country music?

Grab the reins and hold on tight as Tucker and Lizzie stampede through rural America and across the vampire afterlife, desperate to protect their unlikely love.

A Tangled Publishing History

The first book of this series, A Very Unusual Romance, was published in 1999, long before the vampire craze. With comparisons to Anne Rice and Zane Grey, the book gained a devoted following with initial sales of more than 10,000 print units. Fast forward a decade, and the publisher (Llewellyn) brought out the book as a second edition in 2010, aiming to capitalize on the Twilight mega-hit. Meanwhile, the authors wrote the second book in the series — Blood and Whiskey — bringing it out under their own imprint (Pumpjack Press, 2012). In 2013, they gained the rights back for the original book, and now, with book three poised for publication in May 2014, the restored Cowboy and Vampire series has been redesigned with exclusive art and is coming out for the first time in 15 years as a complete collection. Yippi-ki-yay!

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Between the two of them, Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall have worked in writing jobs ranging from cowboy-poet to energy journalist to restaurant reviewer to university press officer. After they met, their writing career took center stage when they wrote the first book in The Cowboy and the Vampire Collection as a test for marriage. They passed. Clark and Kathleen now live in Portland, Oregon.

Connect with the authors:

Website / Facebook / Twitter

@cowboyvampire (instagram)

About the artist

When asked about his biggest artistic influences, Aaron Perkins says there are too many to name, but when pressed mentions Gustav Klimt, Modigliani and the full-on art deco and nouveau movements, abstraction expressionism and surrealism. Aaron is also a big fan of concert poster art. That heady and diverse collection of inspiration shows up in The Cowboy and Vampire Collection covers.

Connect with the artist

An interview with the artist here

His website: www.aaronperkins.com

Grab your copies of The Cowboy and the Vampires Books I and II by clicking on the covers below.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

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Friday 56 #8 – She sees things – A Time of Demons by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Posted on March 7, 2014 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find any sentence, or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

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A Time of Demons by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Demons, psychics, tarot cards, a clown in a carnival, apocalyptic events, what more can you ask for?

Kathryn Meyer Griffith is a prolific writer and I am slooooowly going through her book list, ticking them off one at a time. Click on the covers below to check out her wide selection of books, such as Dinosaur Lake, Spooky Short Stories, Vampire Blood and Human No Longer.

(56% on Kindle)

“The fire took the whole building,” she’d told him. “Burnt it down to the ground. There’s nothing left.”

“We’re being eyeballed again. I can feel it.”

“Then the sooner we get out of the area the better.”

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BLURB

Since Cassandra Graystone was a child and her family perished in a fire she knows and sees things other people don’t…when someone will die or that a demon lurks beneath a human skin. She sees phantoms. Yet she craves a simple life singing out with her musician brother, Johnny, and caring for her elderly aunt and uncle; to be with her friends, Sarah, a psychic, and Walter, a clown in a carnival circuit. But when Sarah sees apocalyptic events in her tarot cards and demons are everywhere, Cassandra fears she’s going insane or something terrifying is happening in the world. Rayner, an ancient blood demon, lodges next door. He becomes obsessed with her. Never having felt pity or affection for a human before he believes he loves her, would die to protect her. The demon realm gathers for the final confrontation between us, Rayner warns. The apocalypse comes. You and your friends must prepare. Cassandra flees that knowledge until an angelic being, Manasseh, appears. Your powers will grow. You must fight for humanity’s survival after the first wave is taken. Seek out others like you. Persuade them to join the battle. Only these can see and challenge the demons until the end when all eyes see them. She doesn’t want her life to change; doesn’t want to be a nomad who battles demons. Doesn’t want to be anyone’s protector. Until a tornado flattens Sarah’s house. Johnny’s apartment. There are monsters maiming and killing everywhere. Demons persecute her and those she loves, burn down her home and force her family and friends onto the road, as everywhere cataclysmic weather and signs of the end days make things hellish for humans. Cassandra and her friends can no longer deny their destinies. They must fight…or see the remnants of humanity engulfed in flames.

You can get your copy of A Time of Demons or learn more about Kathryn Meyer Griffith by clicking on a cover below.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

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Book Blast Giveaway – Struck by Clarissa Johal

Posted on February 24, 2014 by fundinmental

I fell in love with this awesome cover and had to find out what’s inside the pages.

If I’m Struck by lightning, I wonder if this will happen to me.

STRUCK by Clarissa Johal

BLURB

The shadows hadn’t been waiting.

The shadows had been invited.

After a painful breakup, Gwynneth Reese moves in with her best friend and takes a job at a retirement home. She grows especially close to one resident, who dies alone the night of a terrific storm. On the way home from paying her last respects, Gwynneth is caught in another storm and is struck by lightning. She wakes in the hospital with a vague memory of being rescued by a mysterious stranger. Following her release from the hospital, the stranger visits her at will and offers Gwynneth a gift–one that will stay the hands of death. Gwynneth is uncertain whether Julian is a savior or something more sinister… for as he shares more and more of this gift, his price becomes more and more deadly.

Buy Links for STRUCK

Amazon / Musa Publishing / Barnes and Noble

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EXCERPT

A bolt of blue-white lightning snaked from the sky and hit the ground in front of her. The thunderclap that shattered the air was deafening. Gwynneth slammed on her brakes and skidded. It was a slow skid, or it seemed to be. Spinning around and around in a circle, she felt like she was watching herself from afar. Time felt like it was slowing. Oddly enough, she found herself wondering if there would be white or red flowers on Hannah’s casket. Or maybe none at all.

Gwynneth’s face smacked against the steering wheel. Reality hit her along with the pain. She had forgotten to wear her seatbelt. She pressed her fingers lightly to her throbbing temple and winced. “Shit!” Thankfully, she was in one piece. Gwynneth opened the car door. Lightning lit the area and bathed her senses in a flash of blue-white. Icy rain hit her skin. Stupid! You left your jacket back at the funeral home. She ran around the car and checked all the tires. The back one was flat, and on top of that, her car was quite obviously stuck in a ditch. “Great.” She had no spare tire, she knew that for sure. She also had no idea which way led back to the retirement home. Her headlights cast a weak glow through the rain. Soaked to the skin and shivering, Gwynneth peered into the darkness. A muddy road meandered across saturated fields and off into nothingness.

She sloshed back to her car and quickly turned the engine off. She certainly didn’t need a dead battery on top of a flat tire. “Okay, Gwen,” she said aloud, “you need to figure out what to do.” Rain ran in rivulets down her face and her tie-dyed T-shirt stuck to her like a second skin. I’m a soggy, shivering rainbow. She started to walk and cursed the fact that her cell phone wasn’t charged. Seth was always bugging her about that. “Suck it up, Gwen. It rains in Oregon too.” The inky blackness was disconcerting. Lightning intermittently illuminated the area like the flash of a camera. A snapshot of a road to nowhere. Gwynneth hoped that she was at least walking in the right direction. Her teeth were chattering so hard she was in danger of biting her own tongue. Thunder rolled up her spine and along her scalp like probing fingers.

Her thoughts wandered back to Hannah. A diary. I wonder what she wrote about? She wouldn’t read it, of course, it was private. I’m sure she just wants me to throw it away so her children don’t either. A pang of loss sliced through the cold and Gwynneth shook it off. They had spent countless hours chatting and Hannah never mentioned a diary. She bit her lip. If she could only turn back time, Gwynneth would have told her how much their time together had meant. Hannah had always encouraged her to start painting again, but also understood why Gwynneth couldn’t.

A loud ‘crack’ sounded and an iridescent white light surrounded her. Two things registered: a searing pain that ripped down her back and the ground which seemed to be pulled away from her at an alarming speed.

Blackness.

Pain shot through the back of Gwynneth’s head as she opened her eyes. Somebody was standing over her. She tried to focus on the face, but it hurt too much. A cool hand slid across her forehead. She opened her eyes again.

Pale, almost white eyes. High cheekbones, aquiline nose, and a well-shaped mouth. Long, white hair. Ageless. Beautiful, like a Michelangelo. All of those details registered with clarity before agony ripped through her body. She arched her back and cried out. The man murmured something into her ear which she couldn’t understand. She could feel the vibration of his voice and his breath on her neck as he gathered her in his arms. She opened her eyes and saw lightning fork to the ground silently behind him. She blacked out again.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Clarissa Johal has worked as a veterinary assistant, zoo-keeper aide and vegetarian chef. Writing has always been her passion. When she’s not listening to the ghosts in her head, she’s dancing or taking photographs of gargoyles. She shares her life with her husband, two daughters and every stray animal that darkens the doorstep. One day, she expects that a wayward troll will wander into her yard, but that hasn’t happened yet.

Stalk Clarissa

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Amazon Author Page

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To get your copy of Struck or to learn more about Clarissa Johal, click the cover below.

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GIVEAWAY

Clarissa will be awarding an ecopy of STRUCK to three (3) randomly drawn commenters during the tour.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found by clicking on the image below:

Cougar Shifters – Cover Reveal – Andromeda’s Fall by Abigail Owen

Posted on February 18, 2014 by fundinmental

Cougar shifters. How cool is that? I don’t think I’ve read a book like this and I am curious to know what or if there are differences between cougars and weres. What do you think?

Andromeda’s Fall

by Abigail Owen

Mae I Design Publication

Date: February 25, 2014Series: Shadowcat Nation, Book OneGenre: Adult Paranormal Romance (18+)

Andie Reynolds is being hunted. After witnessing her mother’s violent death at the hands of a pack of wolf shifters, Andie has devoted her life to protecting her community of cougar shifters from a similar fate. But now, a greater threat lies within her own dare, and she must run. If she stays, Kyle Carstairs will try to force their Mating, seeking the added power their union would provide.

Andie would rather chew off her own foot than end up with Kyle. Though, knowing him, she won’t live long either way. Andie’s only hope of survival is to Mate the Alpha of the Keller Dare with which she is seeking asylum. But before she can get to him, Andie must first go through A.J., one of the Alpha’s Protectors. The incredibly frustrating shifter insists on challenging her story, her skills, her trust… and her heart.

Andie is running out of options and out of time. But risking the life of someone she loves – just to save herself – goes against every instinct she has.

EXCERPT

Andie crouched low, obscured from view in the underbrush, and watched the compound with a quiet patience born of experience. If her calculations were correct, the next patrol of guards would pass by within the minute. Her posture and expression didn’t shift an inch when, moments later, she was proven correct. As soon as the patrol passed out of sight, Andie moved, swift and silent as a shadow. She sprinted across the well-cut lawn, ignoring the pain radiating throughout her body, and was up and over the wall, using her momentum and the corners formed by a turn in the wall surrounding the installation. She dropped to the ground on the other side with a barely audible thud.

Andie found herself on the back side of a well-manicured garden. She stayed completely still, crouched low to the ground once more, and took her time observing her location. Ahead, about the length of a football field, she could see light from the main building in the complex. The glow spilled from a pair of glass doors and across the trees and plants, creating patches of dark and light.

A plan in mind, Andie moved again, using the pools of darkness and groupings of plants for cover. She didn’t go for the doors. They were too obvious and were likely wired for the alarm system and required some kind of code to get in and out. But on the second floor, one of the windows was wide open, allowing the cool nighttime breeze in. With agile grace, Andie swung herself up into the branches of a large tree. She took care to only use her right arm, which slowed her down a bit. As quickly as she could without rustling the leaves, she made her way up to the branch closest to that open window. And she stopped again. And observed.

Andie didn’t move for close to thirty minutes as she watched. And then, without any warning, she leapt, putting all the power of her feline form into the action. She didn’t shift exactly – she was trying to avoid that right now since it would be seen as a direct threat – but she used the might of the beast inside her to clear the distance to the window. She sailed through the opening and immediately tucked and rolled as she hit the ground. She found her feet and returned to her crouch.

Using her cat’s hearing, she waited. Someone might have heard the sound of her landing. Her injured left arm was messing with her usual finesse. At the same time as she listened, she also turned in a slow circle, checking that room she was in was empty. Many minutes later, satisfied that she was alone and that no one was coming for her… yet… Andie moved to the door of the room she currently occupied. Cracking it open a hair, she looked down the hallway.

She tensed to open the door all the way and then froze in place when a deep, male voice sounded from directly behind her, “Stop where you are.”

Dammit, Andie thought. How the hell did he find me?

About the Author

Award-winning author, Abigail Owen was born in Greeley, Colorado and raised in Austin, Texas. She now resides in Northern California with her husband and two adorable children who are the center of her universe.

Abigail grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. A fourth generation graduate of Texas A&M University, she attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by obtaining a degree in English Rhetoric/Technical Writing. However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos GIVEAWAY

$20 Amazon Gift Card

ebook of Here Kitty Kitty

2 (two) International winners

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Ends February 25, 2014

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look below or on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

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Friday 56 #6 Birthmarked by Maria Violante

Posted on February 14, 2014 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find any sentence, or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

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Birthmarked (The Markers, Book I) by Maria Violante

A (birthmarked) truck driving woman and the monsters she is destined to fight.

“You don’t even know who you are, do you?”

“That’s it. Get out of here, now!”

My head was spinning. How had the mood shifted so abruptly?

“Now!”

“But-“

He flailed again and jabbed at me once with the sword. Seeing the point headed right for me, I scurried out……………..

(56% on Kindle)

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BLURB

Charlie Kale knows life isn’t easy. But for the first time, this truck driver might have finally found her little piece of happiness. She’s got it all—her big rig, friends, a great mentor, and a man about to join her on the road.

That is, until the good things in Charlie’s life all fall apart, and she finds herself at the mercy of a sexy but mysterious gunman who claims to be a member of a secret order dedicated to fighting the supernatural monsters that filter over into our world.

She’s given a choice—join up or die, and while the gunman might be insane, Charlie’s hell-bent on not dying.

Too bad it looks like that might not be an option.

(56% on Kindle)

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To get your copy of Birthmarked, or learn more about Maria Violante, click on the cover below.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look below or on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

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Do you believe in the boogeyman? – When The Dead Whisper by Tara Neideffer – Review & Giveaway

Posted on February 4, 2014 by fundinmental

“Every little girl thinks there’s a Boogeyman in her room at night don’t they?”

When The Dead Whisper by Tara Neideffer is a riveting ghost story that left me screaming for more.

The whispers, “the rope ties us all.”

The whispers, “find the truth.”

The whispers, “….It’s time for you to see.”

The whispers, “It’s time to end this.”

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When The Dead Whisper immediately brought to mind the Ghost Whisperer. I love ghosts and a novel that has the main character able to see and talk to them is on the top of my to read list. I am ambivalent about ghosts. How about you? Do you believe?

A feeling of expectation and angst followed me throughout the book. I was on pins and needles, walking carefully through the pages. Waiting, waiting. Knowing it’s coming.

Knowing he’s coming? Is there a serial killer on the loose? In Danvers?

The writing was intense and at times humorous, lending the story a sense of reality and allowing the characters to seem as if they could be your next door neighbor. Tara Neideffer describes the ghost in such detail, I can see her standing in the doorway, beseeching me to help her.

I felt it was a great touch and I couldn’t help but laugh at Tara’s description of Mia and Ryan coming into her messed up apartment. Ryan thought there had been an intruder.

“Anyway, right there is the burglar.” It was Cyprus, her black cat.

When The Dead Whisper centers around a tattoo shop, Irish Ink. Tara creates some quirky and unique characters.

Mia is a beer drinking, regular every day girl, who just happens to be a tattoo artist. Oh, and ghosts talk to her.

Ryan’s persistence – coming to her work place, asking her out for months, wearing her down, should get the girl. He was growing on me and I began to root for him, wanting Mia to choose him. But…..I kept having doubts about Ryan and Tara’s writing kept me guessing. Is he good or bad?

Mia could choose between two guys, but I was kept unsure and guessing. It’s him, no it’s him, no it’s him.

Mia kept seeing the letter L. I was reading along, a bit on edge, but when she goes to Leslie’s Designs the shit really hits the fan. I was so terrified for her that I was racing through the pages having to know that she will be okay. Of course she will, it’s a novel and she’s the main character. I thought the L represented one thing, but it was another. I love it when I cannot figure the answers to my questions until they are sitting right in front of me and Tara does that extremely well. When it comes together, I feel such a sense of relief, as if I have been holding my breath.

The only thing I didn’t like about When The Dead Whispers – it ended.

5 Stars – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

I received When The Dead Whisper from Tara Neideffer in return for an honest and unbiased review. I had read Deadly Road (see review link below), Tara Neideffer’s debut novel, and was blown away, so I was more than happy to read another piece of her work. I am now a huge fan of Tara’s and the Mia Rushton Series. I can hardly wait to get my hands on the next one, which is being written as we speak.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tara Neideffer loves everything that has to do with the paranormal. She grew up reading Stephen King novels and watching horror novels. Deadly Road is her first paranormal novel. She is currently working on her next novel which will be a paranormal series.

In her free time she likes to spend time with her husband, daughter and step-son and sometimes go ghost hunting.

To find Tara Neideffer, you don’t need paranormal abilities, just look below.

Blog / Facebook / Goodreads

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GIVEAWAY

Tara Neideffer is offering 3 (three) ebooks for international readers. Entry is easy. Leave your email and answer the question:

“Do you believe in the boogeyman?”

Giveaway ends February 18, 2014.

To get your copy of a Tara Neideffer novel, click on the cover below.

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One Fateful Mistake and………….5 STAR Review of Deadly Road by Tara Neideffer

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To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

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Launch, ARC Review & Giveaway I Am Forever by Wynne Channing

Posted on January 31, 2014 by fundinmental

Wynne Channing’s sequel to What Kills Me, I Am Forever, is now available.

I have a lot to share, but it is all so good, I can’t help myself.

The covers are beautiful but the story inside………

An ancient prophecy warns of a girl destined to cause the extinction of the vampire race.

Thus, Axelia’s story began.

ABOUT I AM FOREVER

Axelia fought an army of vampires and survived. Once fated as the destroyer of the vampire race, she is now welcomed into the immortal empire and revered as a god.

But instead of relishing her victory, she faces a dangerous new world and an empire at war. Axelia is thrust into the position of supreme vampire and caught in the crossfire of battle. To make matters worse, her role alienates Lucas, the one vampire that she trusts.

Her power spawns evil enemies. And they know how to get to her — by hurting those whom she loves most.

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MY REVIEW FOR I AM FOREVER BY WYNNE CHANNING

I am a Super Vampire. So, why am I locked up with Lucas in an empty room, while the Empress and her cronies decide our fate?

They can’t kill me or they all die.

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Spoiler Alert: I Am Forever is the sequel to What Kills Me. I will do my best to give little or nothing away, because I feel this book is even better than the first and I would like you to experience it for yourself.

The covers for Wynne’s books are beautiful. I love the colors and the effect of shattered glass. It’s an indication of what is to come as Axelia continues her battle to stay alive and retain her freedom.

Wynne writes in such vivid detail, I can breathe in the heavy scent of the botanical garden through the thick humid air. I can feel the moisture beading on my skin and dripping down my back. It is easy to relate to the excellent description, when you live in a Gulf state, as I do.

Her description of the doctor looking like Ernie from Sesame Street had me laughing out loud.

Wynne describes how vampires date by comparing it to Lady and the Tramp eating spaghetti. I bet that is a visual that will take you a while to erase from your mind.

Ever since the accident that made her a vampire, the Sacriva’s prophecy has ruled her life:

A human girl will be reborn a vampire. She will shed the blood of all those who walk in darkness. She will be the first. She will mean the death of all Vampires.

Axelia – not only was she super powerful, she was also immune to the sun. She didn’t need to breathe, but her senses were heightened and she would do it just to enjoy the smells. She had been a seventeen year old high school student, until two weeks ago. Now she is a God, but she would give her life for Lucas.

Lucas – incredibly brave. He made Axelia feel safe, having saved her life more than once. He stuck to her like glue and would die for her.

Wynne keeps me on the fence about Uther. Is he good? Is he bad? Is he trustworthy and naive or just evil? You will have to read for yourself to find out.

But the Empress, I know what she is. My question is – does Axelia?

I was disappointed in Axelia’s actions with the Empress, but I kept saying to myself, “She is seventeen years old and has only been a Vampire for two weeks.” How would I react? Or you?

Axelia’s story kept getting better. Wynne manages to have me laughing, even as heads are flying – I mean that literally. The war continues in I Am Forever and I stand by Axelia as I try to tell her to watch out for……..She only wants to have a life and I want that for her.

4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others

I received the ARC of I Am Forever from Wynne Channing, in return for an honest and unbiased review.

For the book trailer of I Am Forever and an interview with Wynne Channing, check the links below:

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi_uyHAyuOs

Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cCX3LShTic

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MY REVIEW

ABOUT WHAT KILLS ME

An ancient prophecy warns of a girl destined to cause the extinction of the vampire race.

So when 17-year-old Axelia falls into a sacred well filled with blood and emerges a vampire, the immortal empire believes she is this legendary destroyer. Hunted by soldiers and mercenaries, Axelia and her reluctant ally, the vampire bladesmith Lucas, must battle to survive.

How will she convince the empire that she is just an innocent teenager-turned bloodsucker and not a creature of destruction? And if she cannot, can a vampire who is afraid of bugs summon the courage to fight a nation of immortals?

Buy What Kills Me

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Image of Wynne Channing Wynne Channing is a national newspaper reporter and award-winning young adult novelist. Wynne loves telling stories and as a journalist, she has interviewed everyone from Daniel Radcliffe and Hugh Jackman to the president of the Maldives and Duchess Sarah Ferguson. The closest she has come to interviewing a vampire is sitting down with True Blood‘s Alexander Skarsgard (he didn’t bite). She briefly considered calling her debut novel “Well” so then everyone would say: “Well written by Wynne Channing.”

Stalk Wynne Channing, if you dare!

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Google+ | Pinterest |YouTube |Amazon Author Page

To get your copy of What Kills Me or I Am Forever, by Wynne Channing, click on a cover below.

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GIVEAWAY

Wynne’s giving three readers each a prize pack (a signed What Kills Me bookmark, a notepad and a rhinestone butterfly necklace). Enter here for your chance to win:

A Rafflecopter giveaway!

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look below or on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

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Review for Cursed by S J Harper

Posted on October 31, 2013 by fundinmental

Cursed

Book One in the Fallen Siren Series

Release Date October 1, 2013

Meet FBI Agents Emma Monroe and Zack Armstrong.

She’s cursed. He’s damned. Together, they make one hell of a team. Emma Monroe is a Siren, cursed by the gods and bound to earth to atone for an ancient failure. She’s had many names and many lives, but only one mission: redemption. Now that she works missing persons cases for the FBI, it could be just a rescue away. Unless her new partner leads her astray.

Special Agent Zack Armstrong just transferred into the San Diego Field Office. He’s a werewolf, doing his best to beat back the demons from his dark and dangerous past. As a former Black Ops sniper, he’s taken enough lives. Now he’s doing penance by saving them.

Emma and Zack’s very first case draws them deep into the realm of the paranormal and forces them to use their own supernatural abilities. But that leaves each of them vulnerable, and there are lines partners should not cross. As secrets are revealed and more women go missing, one thing becomes clear: as they race to save the victims, Emma and Zack risk losing themselves.

BUY LINKS

Amazon ; / Barnes & Noble

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My Review

Emma and Zack are both seeking a form of redemption for their past.

Emma is a siren, a seductress, cursed for a past failure. She uses the power of glamour to hide her true self from others. She can compel people to tell the truth. She uses her magic like a profiler uses his intuition and S J Harper’s writing makes it so believable. Emma specializes in finding missing persons.

Zack is a werewolf and a Special Agent trying to make up for the lives he took in his former life.

When they team up, their skills reach a higher level.

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By the second page I was laughing and loving the writing style.

“….good romp with a guy just because he goes furry a few days every month.”

Cursed runs the gamut of magical creatures in the supernatural world – werewolves, vampires, Gods, devils, demons, shapeshifters…..

Cursed is a story, where the supernatural and reality exist side by side. The writing is so believable that I got lost as I teamed up with Emma and Zack to find out what was happening to the missing women.

I love a good mystery. Toss in some romance to round out the story and I am hooked.

The details of how they go about collecting information is just like watching the crime shows – Criminal Minds, CSI and NCIS – checking phone records, emails, even Facebook. Patience is a key necessity for an investigator and it pays well to have an extra little something for interrogation, like magic.

I loved the blend of reality and supernatural.

The characters are easy to relate to. We all have personal problems and Emma and Zack are no exceptions, theirs just had an extra supernatural element. There are hate crimes and politics. They read like current events.

“…what kind of bad guy would break into someone’s house to fix breakfast?”

“Wait. I know this one….a cereal killer?”

“What are you? Agents of the FBI’s X-files Bureau?”

4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others

I was given a first edition paperback for a review for the tour. I am looking forward to reading more books in the Fallen Siren Series.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

S.J. Harper is the pen name for the writing team of Samantha Sommersby and Jeanne C. Stein, two friends who met at Comic-Con in San Diego and quickly bonded over a mutual love of good wine, edgy urban fantasy, and everything Joss Whedon.

Samantha Sommersby left what she used to call her “real life” day job in the psychiatric field to pursue writing full-time in 2007. She is the author of more than ten novels and novellas including the critically acclaimed Forbidden series. She currently lives with her husband and cocker spaniel, Buck, in a century old Southern California Craftsman. Sam happily spends her days immersed in a world where vampires, werewolves, and demons are real, myths and legends are revered, magic is possible, and love still conquers all.

Jeanne Stein is the national bestselling author of The Anna Strong Vampire Chronicles. She also has numerous short story credits, including most recently the novella, Blood Debt, from the New York Times bestselling anthology, Hexed. Her series has been picked up in three foreign countries and her short stories published in collections here in the US and the UK. She lives in Denver, CO where she finds gardening a challenge more daunting than navigating the world of mythical creatures.

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AUTHOR LINKS

S.J. Harper

Website ; / Goodreads ; / Facebook

Samantha Sommersby

Facebook ; / Twitter

Jeanne Stein

Facebook ; / Twitter

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To learn more about S J Harper, or pick up your copy of Cursed, click on the cover below.