InD'tale Magazine

InD'tale Magazine reviews all genres with a romantic range embracing a soupçon to a heaping helping that will satisfy most appetites.

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The Sunday Post ~ 19th Edition

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

~ Recap the past week ~ Show what's upcoming ~ Share news ~ Display book hauls ~

Flip Back

• Sunday ~ The Sunday Post ~ 18th Edition
• Monday ~ Red Adept Blog Tour ~ Correlation by Mia Grace 

Page Forward

• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday ~ Maybe something? We'll see...
• Saturday ~ Saturday Shorts
• Sunday ~ The Sunday Post ~ 20th Edition 

AVR News Update

Hello and Happy Sunday! I have had a busy week with haircuts, dental appointments, dog nail trims, before Thanksgiving stuff, Thanksgiving stuff (and stuffing) and after Thanksgiving stuff. I didn't do my usual Friday Featured Spotlight or my Saturday Shorts. No time. It's been busy, but good. We saw Thor: The Dark World yesterday and we enjoyed it. Though I could sit and watch Chris Hemsworth just stand around for 2 hours and be happy. That Tom Hiddleston is pretty hot, too. Especially as Loki. Love long hair on him. *stares off into space* Huh? Oh, yeah. The house is almost decorated and it's looking pretty good. Smelling good, too with that Christmas tree smell. The van goes into the body shop tomorrow to replace the back hatch from where we were rear ended. I will have a rental and hopefully have the van back Thursday. Keep your fingers crossed that all goes smoothly. :)

I am officially on a Blogging Vacation. I will have some posts up, such as The Sunday Post and probably Saturday Shorts, maybe a few others sprinkled throughout December, but I am not going to be doing any tours this month and I am going to be taking it easy. I will be back full swing in January with a few new features such as Two for Tuesday that I will be alternating with my Time Turner Tuesday and possibly a Showcase Saturday (tentative day) alternating with Saturday Shorts. I may think up something else while I'm 'resting', but then again maybe not. Who knows what my brain will do? I certainly don't. *winks*

That's it for me. AVR News Update signing off. May all your books enthrall you.

Shelf Additions

From the library

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow & Rip Van Winkle

This is not what my copy looks like, so this isn't the link for my actual book. There is no ISBN in the book copyrighted 1967, large print by Washington Irving and illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher. I've searched and can't find it. I am defeated. lol

For Review

Paradise Rot

Often Overlooked 2

For 1/3/14 FFS

Entangled Ever After

Ghosts of the Falls 

One Thousand and One Nights

 From Here to Eternity

 Banshee Charmer

From Untreed Reads Fingerprints

Saint Nicked 

The Porridge Incident 

The Humpty Dumpty Tragedy 

The Birds

From NetGalley

Ghoul Goblin

Amazon Freebies

I did click an awful lot this week, but I've been too busy to link them here. However, I will add a few that I believe are still on sale. As always, be sure to check before one-clicking!

Christmas Kink, Five Festive Fantasies

Midnight Guests and Other Weird Stories

The Culled

Red Adept Blog Tour ~ Correlation

Title ~ Correlation

Author ~ Mia Grace

Publisher ~ Red Adept Publishing

Published ~ 23 October 2013

Genre ~ YA/Romance/Sci-Fi

*Book source ~ Many thanks to Red Adept for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating ~ 4 bites and a nibble out of 5

Hailey Kent’s 16^th birthday didn’t exactly go as planned. She had to postpone her official celebration because her older brother David was graduating from high school on the same day. She did get a special breakfast and the bike she coveted, but the rest of the day was all about David. She resented it until she was woken up in the middle of the night by her mother’s scream. An officer at the door said David had been severely injured in a car accident. Hailey’s resentment fades and just wishes David would wake from his coma. Spending time with her best friend Jenna and Jenna’s grandmother Susan Wells keeps Hailey sane during the weeks that follow. Until Hailey thinks she’s traveling back in time. Now, she really does believe she’s going insane. Time travel isn’t possible. Is it?

Wow. This book started off a bit slow as the foundation was laid, but once Susan’s story about Peter Wells was told to Jenna and Hailey the plot took off. The writing is excellent capturing Hailey’s life and feelings after David’s traumatic accident. What do you feel and how do you act when your best friend’s brother, the one you’ve been crushing on, is responsible for your brother’s injuries? Maybe even his life?

Jenna’s fascination with the old Wells house is what eventually sends Hailey into the past. Time travel is such a fun subject to weave into a story. It blows the mind and creates all sorts of possibilities. Hailey uses her trips to connect with Peter in the hope that she can change his destiny, but she never thought about what kinds of changes would happen if he actually believed her. One small change creates alternate ripples and what once was is no more. That’s the mind boggling part. I’m not sure if I’d want to change history if I could. There is just no way to know what kind of damage might be caused by trying to undo something bad and make it good. History is history for a reason. When Hailey meddles in the past it has repercussions she never even thought of and she’s lucky they weren’t too bad. If you want a wonderful YA contemporary with a little bit of romance and some time travel thrown in I recommend this one. It’ll leave you with a smile.

Amazon | B&N | Kobo 

a Rafflecopter giveaway.

The Sunday Post ~ 18th Edition

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

~ Recap the past week ~ Show what's upcoming ~ Share news ~ Display book hauls ~

Flip Back

• Sunday ~ The Sunday Post ~ 17th Edition
• Monday ~ Virtual Author Book Tour ~ Blood Drama by Christopher Meeks
• Wednesday ~ CCB Audiobook Tour ~ Lethal Circuit by Lars Guignard
• Friday ~ Friday Featured Spotlight ~ Untreed Reads & 3 Reviews
• Saturday ~ Saturday Shorts ~ 3 Reviews 

Page Forward

• Monday ~ Red Adept Blog Tour ~ Correlation by Mia Grace
• Saturday ~ Saturday Shorts
• Sunday ~ The Sunday Post ~ 19th Edition

AVR News Update

For once, this has been a fairly quiet week here. Yes, there have been a few kids sick, but nothing serious. The most exciting thing to happen was I won a book in a LibraryThing Giveaway that I didn't even enter. *fist pump* Score! I also rec'd in my mailbox a book for review from an author. My husband will be able to read that one before I do and he loves mysteries, so he's happy. I will figure out a way for him to guest review that, but since he does not like to write I may make it interview style. lol

I got very little read today (Saturday) since I was busy doing household chore-type stuff and then I went outside to engage in Battle II of Leafageddon. I and my loyal companion, That-Which-Blows-Leaves, were victorious though it took 3 hours of strenuous fighting. I am sore already. I do not want to think how I will feel tomorrow. I wish my mattress was one big hot water bottle. I have a feeling I'm gonna need it.

AVR News Update signing off. May all your books enthrall you. 

Shelf Additions

From the Library

What the Plus! Google+ for the Rest of Us

World War Z (audio)  ~ 

This is the movie tie-in and is narrated by the cast which should be interesting.

From NetGalley

Have Wormhole, Will Travel

For Review

 

Into the Future

From Red Adept Publishing

Thought I Knew You

Won from LibrayThing Giveaway even though I didn't enter

O.O

Lost Girl

Amazon Freebies

Link will take you to Amazon, but check price before clicking!

 

 

Heart of the Hunter

The Necromancer

The Beast Curse

Yellowstone Heart Song

The Biker

Man of Mystery

Saturday Shorts

Saturday Shorts

Saturday Shorts is a feature where I review 3-4 short stories that are 100 pages or less. Enjoy!

*Books source ~ Many thanks to the authors for providing review copies in exchange for honest reviews.

 Title ~ Rose of Skibbereen

Series ~ Rose of Skibbereen, #1

Author ~ John McDonnell

Publisher ~ John McDonnell

Published ~ 9 March 2013

Genre ~ Historical/Romance

My Rating ~ 4 bites and a nibble out of 5

In 1880 Rose Sullivan left her home in Skibbereen Ireland and sailed to America with her cousin Mary. Another cousin, Kate, had gone to America years ago and she made enough money to send home so that her family lived like royalty in the poverty stricken country. She wrote and told Kate and Mary that she could get them jobs as serving girls in the household where she works. So Rose and Mary left the only home they knew and crossed an ocean to America.

I thought it was a bit strange that the evening before Rose and Mary left there was a party to see them off. That wasn’t the strange part. It was called an American Wake. Why call it a wake? I guess because family, friends and neighbors figured the girls (or whoever the party was for) were never coming back. So, even though Rose plans to return in 10 years, they were given an American Wake. Fascinating.

This short story is part one in a series documenting Rose’s life after she leaves Ireland, docks in Philadelphia and ends up as a serving girl in a rich man’s home in Pittsburgh. At her party she meets a handsome mysterious 16-year-old boy/man named Sean McCarthy. They talk, he kisses her and then he walks away. Rose spends a lot of time thinking of him on her journey to America and even after though she’s so busy working she falls asleep exhausted. The ending is a cliffhanger as Rose’s life takes a serious turn. What is she going to do now? Very well-written and I’m looking forward to reading more about Rose’s story.

Title ~ Chasing Faeries

Series ~ Appletwist Garden, #1

Author ~ E.W. Saloka

Publisher ~ E.W. Saloka

Published ~ 29 March 2012

Genre ~ Fantasy/Middle Grade

My Rating ~ 4 bites and a nibble out of 5

Calla Rose stays with her Grandma Cordelia every summer and every summer is filled with gardening, baking, fun and stories of faeries. She has friends to play with and the summer of her tenth birthday a new family moves in nearby and Calla Rose and Dylan become friends. This summer, right before her tenth birthday, she discovers that her grandmother’s faeries are real, but she thinks her grandmother doesn’t believe her when Calla tells her she’s talked to the faeries and the enchanted creatures in the garden. However, Calla couldn’t be more wrong. Not only does her grandmother believe her, but she’s worried that Calla has discovered the faeries too soon. What is a grandmother to do?

This is a charming middle grade story about a 10-year-old precocious girl who has the best summers ever with her loving grandmother. Her grandmother loves to tell her stories about the faeries in the garden and one day Calla decides she wants to look for those faeries. She doesn’t see them for awhile, but then one morning, she does. And after that the creatures in the garden talk to her. Calla Rose is a delight to read and I wish my grandmother had been more like Calla’s. If you know a middle-grader who loves stories about faeries then this is the one to get. Be warned though, it does have a bit of a cliffhanger and I don’t see when the next book will be released.

Title ~ Stop, or I'll Shoot & Out on a Beam

Series ~ Cuffed 1

Author ~ Bill Howe and Suzanne Rorhus

Publisher ~ Quake

Published ~ 19 January 2012

Genre ~ Middle Grade/Humor

My Rating ~ 5 bites out of 5

Cuffed Vol. 1 includes two tales: Stop, or I’ll Shoot! and Out on a Beam. The stories are short, humorous and not made up. The names of the officers have been changed and some of the points may have been exaggerated a tad, but for the most part these are funny officer anecdotes suitable for all ages to read. I’m looking forward to reading Vols 2-6.

Stop, or I’ll Shoot!

Office Lance Yandell is on patrol when the call comes in that an alarm has sounded at a shoe store. Yandell responds and sees the broken glass. He waits for back up before going in. He’s never had to fire his weapon before. Will tonight be the night?

Out on a Beam

Officer Kim Brunetti is a seasoned officer. She’s not afraid of most things, but when she responds to a possible theft at a construction site, she realizes as she crosses a beam that she’s afraid of heights. Not just afraid. Petrified. Oh, what a pickle for the veteran to be in.

Friday Featured Spotlight ~ Untreed Reads & 3 Reviews

Founded in 2008, Untreed Reads is a digital-first publisher and ebook distributor with one of the largest distribution channels in the industry, supplying titles to over 200 retailers and 98 percent of libraries worldwide. With a catalog of works covering nearly every genre and the option for publishers to distribute their content through its network, Untreed Reads is a full-service location for authors and publishers.

*Books source ~ Many thanks to Untreed Reads for providing review copies in exchange for honest reviews.

Title ~ Big Red

Author ~ Lorraine Sears

Published ~ 9 November 2011

Genre ~ Fantasy

My Rating ~ 5 bites out of 5

When she was a baby Lindsay’s dad sold her to the Devil as a bride in exchange for his soul, so when Lindsay turns 21 and Big Red (her name for him) shows up and claims her as his she’s quite surprised. And not in a good way. All she wants is to live a normal life and all Big Red wants is for Lindsay to be happy. How on Earth (and in Hell) are they going to resolve this situation?

I love, love, love this story. Lindsay’s dilemma, Big Red’s dilemma and the evil that is her dad. Well-written with great characters, for such a short story I was completely sucked in from the beginning and then when it ended I just wanted it to go on and on. I will definitely be checking out more books by Lorraine Sears.

Title ~ Push of the Sky

Author ~ Camille Alexa

Published ~ 2 October 2012

Genre ~ Anthology/Fantasy

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

In this combination Fantasy/Sci-Fi anthology there are 29 short stories that are creative and interesting. Some of the stories I completely enjoyed, some were ok and some I didn’t understand, but they were all well-written. If I had to pick a favorite out of them, it would be tough since there were many that I couldn’t stop reading, but I’d say I enjoyed Matty Johnson and Echo’s stories the best. Matty is a colorful Texan traveling to Mars and Echo is the android unit assigned by her father to protect her. But it goes so much farther than that. Wonderful and imaginative!

Title ~ Jack of Hearts

Author ~ Robin F. Gainey

Published ~ 29 June 2012

Genre ~ Fantasy

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Shimoni is the noble dog of an Italian Conte and Contessa. Given to the Contessa as a present in happier times, Shimoni is now witness to the Conte’s affair and the Contessa’s discovery of it. He does not want to end up like his friend Greta and her woman who were reduced to poverty when she and her man divorced. So Shimoni is doing his doggy best to keep his Conte and Contessa together.

This story is told entirely from Shimoni’s point of view and confirms what I’ve always said, that dogs are highly intelligent and if they could talk we humans would find that out. Ok, I know this is fantasy and we’ll never know what goes through a dog’s head, but this story is so believable that I’m looking at my own dogs (and cats, for that matter) in a whole new (and possibly suspicious) light. What are they plotting, eh?

In any case, the writing is superb, the plot keeps me turning the pages to see how it’s resolved, the characters are fully fleshed out and the ending… What, you thought I would give away the ending? The only problem I had with this story is it seemed to be overly long. But I loved Shimoni, his daily ruminations and machinations and everyone he came into contact with was fuel for his story. If you ever wanted to experience what it is like to be a dog, then this is about as close as you’ll get. 

CBB Audiobook Tour & Giveaway ~ Lethal Circuit

Candace's Book Blog: Follow the tour & enter the GIVEAWAY

for 3 audiobooks & 3 ebooks (INT)

*Book source ~ Many thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Title ~ Lethal Circuit

Series ~ Michael Chase, #1

Author ~ Lars Guignard

Narrator ~ Ben Sullivan

Publisher ~ Fantastic Press

Published ~ 8 August 2013

Genre ~ Thriller

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Michael Chase is told his dad died in China, but months later he’s led to believe that his dad is alive. An experienced backpacker, he travels to Hong Kong under the guise of traveling the world’s backpacking trails in order to discover what has happened to his dad. However, he barely sets foot in Hong Kong before he’s running for his life, trusting people on blind faith and following the clues that put him on the path to finding an historical relic that could change the world. He finds out that, not only is his dad not the person Michael thought he was, but he’s been searching for this relic for decades. Michael’s world has been turned upside down, but he has no time to dwell on this surprising new reality. With agents of several factions on his trail, he has to stay a step ahead, find the relic and stay alive.

A true thriller the story unfolds quickly from the beginning and careens to the finish. Michael arrives in Hong Kong, all hell breaks loose and it’s a race to the end. It was fun riding along as Michael figured out the clues and with each one it brought him closer to finding out what happened to his dad. As with any good thriller (well, in my opinion anyway) the story is told from several viewpoints and I had to figure out who were the bad guys and who were the good. It also helped to ratchet up the tension as well as pull the pieces together. The story was an interesting one even if the relic was a bit farfetched. But then, who knows what secrets governments around the world have buried. While I did enjoy the multiple viewpoints, it was at times a bit confusing. There were times when I didn’t have a clue how anyone fit in this puzzle and instead of being intriguing it was frustrating. On the whole though, this is an excellent thriller.

Also, since I listened to the audiobook, I have to say that the narration was often irritating. While the voice was very pleasant to listen to, it was if parts were edited in and sounded completely different from the regular narration. If they had not been done in the middle of passages it might not have been as noticeable. As it is, I would be extremely hesitant to listen to another Fantasy Press audiobook. Though I would be more than happy to read Book 2 in the Michael Chase series, Blown Circuit.

Amazon | B&N | iTunes

Virtual Author Book Tour ~ Blood Drama

Title ~ Blood Drama

Author ~ Christopher Meeks

Publisher ~ White Whisker Books

Published ~ 20 June 2013

Genre ~ Suspense

*Book source ~ Many thanks to the author for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating ~ 4 bites and a nibble out of 5

Ian Nash has been dumped by his fiancé and dropped from the theater PhD program at Southern California University. At 29 years old he is broke and has no idea what he’s going to do. Stopping for coffee at a Carrie’s located inside a bank seemed like a good place to think and possibly submit a job application. Unfortunately, the bank is robbed and he’s taken hostage. Ian’s day just went from really crappy to unbelievably screwed. However, after 2 days he escapes. Now, it’s a race to use what he can remember to find the suspects before they find him and take him out of the equation. Permanently.

Christopher Meeks really knows how to put a reader right at the center of the action. The more I read from Ian’s viewpoint the more I realize he’s a loser yet I couldn’t help but like him. Aleece Medina is the FBI agent in charge of the robbery case and she’s a great character, strong yet vulnerable, intelligent and highly intuitive.  And boy, there towards the end, does she lay it on Ian. Finally, someone who forces him to reevaluate his life and how he deals with things. The piecing together of the clues is fascinating even if Ian butting his nose in is at times irritating. Though I do understand his viewpoint. It’s his life on the line and if the FBI is going to back burner the case then I can see how he would be motivated to find the robbery/murder suspects before they find him. I enjoyed reading the inner workings of the FBI and how they have to cooperate with other agencies in order to get results. Something people tend to forget. I also loved that this is told from Ian’s and Aleece’s viewpoints, so I really got a feel for them.

This would be a 5 biter for me if it weren’t for all the stuff Ian spouts about plays and theaters and philosophies. I’m sure others will find it awesome and see something insightful in the ramblings, but it’s just not my thing. Otherwise, this is a great suspense book. Figuring out and following the clues to catch all four suspects is something that Ian is surprisingly good at and something Aleece excels at doing.  I loved riding along as all the pieces fell into place.

The Sunday Post ~ 17th Edition

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

~ Recap the past week ~ Show what's upcoming ~ Share news ~ Display book hauls ~

Flip Back

• Sunday ~ The Sunday Post ~ 16th Edition
• Monday ~ Virtual Author Book Tour ~ With Friends Like These by L. Hunter Cassells
• Wednesday ~ Sweetmeats Press Selection

Page Forward

• Monday ~ Virtual Author Book Tour ~ Blood Drama by Christopher Meeks
• Wednesday ~ Walking on Wednesday with Audios ~ Lethal Circuit by Lars Guignard
• Friday ~ Friday Featured Spotlight ~ Untreed Reads & 3 Reviews 
• Saturday ~ Saturday  Shorts
• Sunday ~ The Sunday Post ~ 18th Edition

AVR News Update

The Saga of our Montana van continues. What would the news update be like without me reporting something to do with it, eh? A back tire sprung a slow leak and it took awhile for my husband to find it and plug it, the belt is squeaking something fierce and it shouldn't be and I've been back and forth with the insurance company about getting a rental when it goes in to be repaired from the damage done when we were rear ended. It's been a fun fun week. Not.

For good news, my kids brought home their quarter grades and they are doing very well. So...yay! They enjoyed listening to Poison Study, but instead of continuing with the Study series they first want to listen to the entire Dresden Files series. No hardship for me as that is one of my favorite series.

Also, my new job is with InD'tale Magazine. Yes, I review for them, but we now have a Critiquing Service for authors.  I could really use some extra cash. My husband works very hard, but when his hours were cut we lost a lot of OT income. Every little bit helps, so pass the word along, please. :)

This is AVR News Update signing off. May all your books enthrall you.

Shelf Additions

From the library 

I've read these and we've listened to Poison Study on audio, but my youngest son wanted to read them

 

Poison Study

Magic Study

Fire Study

Author Requests

Perfect Victim

Shadow of Eden

Stone Cold Dead

From NetGalley

Fine Young Gentlemen

A Vampire's Christmas Carol

From NetGalley

Invitation from Publisher

The Prisoner of the Riviera

For February 2014 issue of InD'tale Magazine

In Your Arms

Song for Sophia

Purchased from Audible

Fool Moon

Amazon Freebies

I did pick up a number of freebies this week, but I'm running behind. I'll see if I can make a post later in the week with just my freebies listed. Or maybe I'll just get them started in next week's draft. ;) However, here's some that were still free as of this posting.

Link will take you to Amazon. Please double check price before clicking your fast little finger.

 

 

The Grimm Diaries: Prequel Vols 1-6

Practical Duct Tape Projects

Alone and Afraid

Reckless for Cowboy

The Bane