Category: Blog Tours

  • Legally Undead by Margo Bond Collins

     photo FRBTBadgeTemplate800_zps4e8966be.png
    Brought to you by the fabulous Wendy Ewurum and Fabulosity Reads Book Tours, this urban fantasy is about a bride to be who loses her groom by the … tooth of a vampire. And, in true scorned-bride form, she turns into a vampire slayer. Who’d blame her?

    Legally Undead, available May 27

    from World Weaver Press

    Book Blurb

    A reluctant vampire hunter, stalking New York City as only a scorned bride can.

    Elle Dupree has her life all figured out: first a wedding, then her Ph.D., then swank faculty parties where she’ll serve wine and cheese and introduce people to her husband the lawyer.

    But those plans disintegrate when she walks in on a vampire sucking the blood from her fiancé Greg. Horrified, she screams and runs–not away from the vampire, but toward it, brandishing a wooden letter opener.

    As she slams the improvised stake into the vampire’s heart, a team of black-clad men bursts into the apartment. Turning around to face them, Elle discovers that Greg’s body is gone—and her perfect life falls apart.

    About the Author

    Margo Bond Collins is the author of a number of novels, including Waking Up Dead, Fairy, Texas, and Legally Undead (forthcoming in 2014). She lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, and several spoiled pets. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters.

     

    Connect with Margo

    Pinterest

    Website

    Google+

    Amazon

    Amazon Author Page:

    GoodreadsAuthor Page:

    Facebook Author Page

    Twitter @MargoBondCollin

    Email: MargoBondCollins@gmail.com

    Be sure to add Legally Undead to your Goodreads bookshelves:

    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18366353-legally-undead

     

  • The Power of Six by Nicholas Rossis (Cover Reveal)

    Nicholas C. Rossis is an epic fantasy/sci-fi author. He has released two books in his “Pearseus” epic fantasy series: “Year 18: The Schism” and “The Rise of the Prince” which became an Amazon bestseller. Now, he’s treating his fans with six science fiction short stories that will whet our appetite for “Mad Water” the third book in the Pearseus series. “The Power of Six” will be available on Amazon on May 15. Don’t miss out on reading “Simulation Over”; an exciting complete story right from this anthology in MM Jaye’s friends write

     

    The Power of Six

    The Power of Six is an anthology of six short science fiction stories, originally written between July 2009 and March 2012.  Shortly afterwards, I started work on my first novel, Pearseus.  Although the stories seem to be concerned with various themes, there are certain passions that run through them, almost obsessively.  What is the nature of reality?  Is there more to the world than we can see?

    The first story, “Simulation Over”, is based on a dream I had, and deals with Descartes’ age-old question; how far can we trust our senses?  With technology progressing rapidly, the time can’t be far off when it will be practically impossible to tell apart sensory fact from simulation.  How will we be able to tell fantasy and reality apart?  The story was published by magazine 9 on October 17th, 2009.

    The second story, “For the Last Time”, is lighter in nature.  Another common theme, explored in depth in Pearseus, is that of the choices we make and their consequences.  The main character here makes one mistake after another.  As a result, he keeps getting in deeper and deeper trouble, until he realizes how happy he was before all this.  As the saying goes, “I’d like to be who I was before I became who I am”.

    The inspiration for the third story, “The Hand of God”, came while playing Starcraft™ (and getting pounded time after time in that final level).  It deals with that old question of the nature of reality – digital and corporeal.  What do the game characters do when we stop playing?

    The fourth story, “I Come in Peace” (from the common sci-fi first contact words) deals with a tortuous question: how far would man go to alleviate his loneliness?  In particular, a man experiencing what is possibly the worst kind of loneliness; that someone feels when surrounded by people?

    This story explores this basic human emotion – the need for companionship.  It won the SF competition titled Invasion and was published by Cube Publishing in the anthology of the same name.  Readers of Pearseus will certainly recognise here the birth of the Orbs.

    The fifth story, “A Fresh Start”, is, again, about choices – and a favourite question: if we were free to go anywhere in time and space, where would we choose to go?  And, once there, would we repeat the same mistakes, or make new ones?  What does a man really need to be happy?

    The sixth story, “The Sentry”, was inspired by Philip K. Dick’s first story, Roog.  Science fiction fans will surely recognize this nod to the old master.

    One common characteristic of all stories is a disdain for names, both for characters and places.  This is because of my conviction that names inevitably restrict the reader’s imagination.  We all carry deep in our psyche an image for all names and places and this will necessarily carry on to the story, limiting the possible projections we can perform.  I’d rather leave the canvas completely blank, so that readers can colour it any way they like.

    About the Author

    Nicholas Rossis was born in 1970 in Athens. Greece. He got his BSc in Engineering from the Technical Institute of Pireaus in 1995, before moving to Edinburgh, Scotland, where he received his PhD in Digital Architecture from the University of Edinburgh.

    In 1995 he founded Istomedia, a web design company that has created some 450 websites todate. He also taught various publishing courses at Napier University between 1997 and 2000.

    In 2000, he moved back to Greece where he has continued working as web designer and teaching design and publishing at various colleges and universities. He has written a score of children’s books, through Niditales, his ongoing collaboration with illustrator Dimitris Fousekis. He has also had numerous SF short stories published in Greek magazines and in Invasion, a SF anthology. Finally, he has written Pearseus, a SF novel.

    Nicholas lives in a forest outside Athens with his lovely wife Electra, beautiful dog and two remarkably silly cats.

    Author Links

    Bloghttp://nicholasrossis.me
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nicholas_Rossis
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicholasCRossis
    Site: http://www.nicholasrossis.com
    Pearseus Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Pearseus
    LinkedIn: http://gr.linkedin.com/pub/nicholas-rossis/0/b7b/122/ 
    Google+ http://google.com/+NicholasRossis

  • Choices by Sheila Bliss

    This guest post is brought to you by Fabulosity Reads Book Tours and the fabulous Wendy Ewurum!

    1 (1)

    CHOICES –  Guest Post by Sheila Bliss

    There were so many things I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to be a TV news anchorwoman, a fashion designer, a news journalist, a nurse, a teacher and a psychologist. That’s quite a variety. I wanted to make sure I had all the bases covered. I was also a voracious reader. My entire family was. Memories as a kid always involved a family member reading a book. My dad, my mom, and my older sisters. The best vacations also involved sharing our responses to whatever book one of us was reading at the time. My family instilled in me a huge love for reading. It was also my escape. My childhood was lonely at times and broken. Reading allowed me to escape the loneliness and I found solace reading about people who experienced a similar pain between the pages of a book. The words breathed life into these imaginary people that I wanted to be friends with, that I wanted for family. It also sparked a deep desire to create those same feelings of connection, relief and escapism for another person. Ultimately, I wanted to create and help people in the process. Teaching called the most to me at the time of college major declaration, though. My fear of failure was strong, so strong I allowed it to overshadow my desire. So, I went with door number two or six if you count all my other options. I could still be creative and I loved working with children, especially children in impoverished areas. Although if you talked to my family they would swear I became a teacher just so I could boss people around. In the fourteen years I taught, I felt restless, I still felt a deep yearning to explore something different. I’m a goal oriented person. I like challenges and I wanted to challenge myself to something bigger. I wasn’t getting any younger and I wanted to write.

    I always wrote something, really bad poetry, random thoughts, character names, gratitude journals, quotes, lesson plans, wish lists and ideas for novels. I started my very first scrapbook when Princess Diana and Prince Charles were married in 1981 at the age of thirteen. I cut out pictures and wrote my own bubble quotes for each picture. I was so proud of myself. I kept going from there, writing diary entries, taking creative writing classes whenever I could in high school and college, keeping journals that were cathartic and therapeutic during some dark days in my early twenties when I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder that was incredibly exhausting and as equally painful. I took a break from teaching sixth grade in West Philadelphia so I could figure out how to tackle this auto-immune disease, went back to school to procure my master’s degree and started my family. When my oldest who is now sixteen, was ready to begin school I went back to school with her and started teaching Kindergarten. I’ve been there ever since. I love teaching. I love Kindergartners. They are my absolute favorite, but my yearning and restlessness was increasing and suddenly my reading choices were changing as well. My girls started talking about this book Twilight. I had no idea what they were talking about and I insisted that I read it first before they did. I was hooked, but what interested me more than anything was Stephenie Meyer’s personal story about how she started. She inspired me to sit in my girl cave, as my husband has affectionately dubbed it, and write something more than lesson plans. She gave me the courage to put my ideas that gnawed at my brain on my computer screen and actually save it and then have the nerve to label it. It was reading Jamie McGuire’s personal story that gave me the balls to self-publish it. I never met Jamie. She wouldn’t know me from Eve, but her story, her advice she posts on her blog, inspired me to not be afraid. She held my hand even though she didn’t know it or me. For the first time in my life, I was truly going to live by my own personal mantra, feel the fear, but do it anyway. It was time for mommy to practice what she preached to her little people at home. It was time to go big or go home. The clock was ticking and it wasn’t the female one, it was the life one that kept chiming through the night, through the fog of my dreams.

    I started Choices in 2009. It’s taken me five years from beginning to the end product you’ve purchased on Amazon. I wrote during the summer months, during holidays, weekends, days off and sometimes these characters hijacked my sleep and I wrote all night and then taught all day. I’ve had some major bumps in the road, some huge failures and some huge successes writing this book. Some people are shocked at the subject matter because I’m a Kindergartner teacher, but honestly that’s not all I am. I am a creator. I wanted to write something outside my realm of knowledge. Some of my friends were shocked and couldn’t understand why I didn’t write a children’s book…um, because I didn’t want to. I wanted to write something real, something edgy, something dark, yet promising, hopeful. I wanted to write a big romance, but not a typical romance that’s sweet and neat. I wanted to write something gritty and real. I wanted to write a story about a strong woman who’s had some strong situations that forced her to feel out of control and her response to it. I wanted to write about a character that was forced to really examine her life. I wanted to write a story that forced this character to ask herself the question no one wants to ask themselves, am I happy or am I lying to myself and believing the lie? Am I just going through the motions? I wanted to write a story about how a woman doesn’t have to sacrifice everything about herself in order to save someone who isn’t interested in saving themselves. When is enough? When do you draw the line in the sand and say I need to take care of me now. Life is hard. Life gives you cards you don’t want. Life is unfair. Life is real. Life isn’t pretty sometimes, but it does give you choices. So, therefore, I give you Choices.

    Choices-SheilaBliss-600x900

    Book Blurb

    One never truly knows what goes on behind closed doors in a marriage. On the surface Laurel Brittingham’s life is idyllic but when you dive below the sparkling facade and submerge yourself within the murky, slimy sand at the bottom, life is never as it appears.

    Laurel is a devoted, loving and loyal wife and mother. She married her high school sweetheart and created three new young lives during her marriage to Paul, all the while denying and avoiding the role his demons played in their marriage. Laurel’s only saving support system, other than her three children is her rewarding career as a nurse and her three gal pals that she cherishes beyond words. Addictions, anger and emotional abuse are the cornerstone of her marriage until one day life presents an interesting choice.

    Laurel wasn’t looking for him, she wasn’t seeking him out. Laurel was loyal; for better or worse, weren’t just vows they were a way of life. Fate or destiny introduced a much younger man into her life; a much younger man who was also the son of a good friend. Brandon turned her world and her heart inside out and upside down. Their love was undeniable and soul mending.

    Unfortunately, everything has a price. Their relationship unravels a web of lies, betrayal, abduction and deceit. What Laurel doesn’t know is how close to home this ugly web of lies comes. Laurel begins to travel down a path of shocking truths with twists and surprises she never fathomed, even saving a soul she never thought possible. She’s forced to make choices that will affect her family, her friends, and her happiness, but more importantly may destroy the very life she holds dearest.

     

    About Sheila Bliss

    This independent author enjoys writing books about circumstances that shape a person’s life and that life is all about the choices we make.

    She hopes that you enjoy reading her first novel Choices as much as she’s enjoyed writing it!

     

    Get in touch

    https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSheilaBliss

    https://twitter.com/authorbliss

    http://authorsheilabliss.blogspot.com/

    Buy Link

    AMAZON

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

  • V-Card by Alicia Michaels

    If you enjoy reading New Adult romances but want to do without the interminable angst, don’t miss “V-Card”, Book 1 in Alicia Michaels’ Sharing Spaces series. The excerpt made me laugh out loud! Also, check out the giveaway below:

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    V-Card, Sharing Spaces Book 1

    by Alicia Michaels

    New Adult, Romance, Comedy

    April 20th, 2014

    Author’s Website | GoodReads

    Jennifer Nolan has been unlucky when it comes to love; even more unfortunate when it comes to sex. In fact, the twenty year-old college junior is about to enter her senior year still carrying her v-card. All she wants is to be with that special someone without it resulting in a trip to the emergency room, runaway office supplies, or being scarred for life by someone’s weird fetishes. With several botched attempts under her belt, she begins to fear she’ll end up a lonely spinster or a crazy cat lady.

    With only 60 days until her 21st birthday, Jennifer is determined to lose her virginity once and for all. Little does she know that her mission will lead her down a path toward love. She never expects that her mission will lead her to a discovery of what true womanhood is, and where true and lasting love begins.

    Excerpt

    My mission? To lose my stupid virginity by my twenty-first birthday … which is in two months. I can’t very well go into the next phase of adulthood with my v-card. How can I honestly call myself a ‘woman’ if I fidget, wheeze, and just about have a heart attack at even the thought of intimacy? Any guy I date is going to wonder what the hell is wrong with me.

    So, it’s happening. I’m not sure when, or with who—since I’m not dating anybody—but I’m determined not to see twenty-one without shedding that one last thing keeping me at girl-status.

    Drastic, much? I don’t think so. Maybe if you knew some of my history, you wouldn’t either. First, there was Jeremy …

    My first attempt was as seventeen years old, senior year. It was like something out of a cheesy movie, making out in the back of a car after Homecoming at Lookout Point. Okay, so the place isn’t called Lookout Point, but The Ridge is a cliff overlooking my small Texas hometown and people do go there to make out. Me and Jeremy had been dating for six months—a lifetime in TDT. That’s Teenage Dating Time, by the way.

    Anyway, things were getting pretty hot and heavy. The windows were steamed up and we had collapsed on to the backseat in a tangle of writhing arms and legs. Jeremy had me topless and was pretty much in teenage-dude heaven. I mean, I don’t want to brag or anything, but I’ve got some pretty nice boobs. Not too big or anything; average size, but almost the perfect shape and symmetry. Although, with the lack of finesse Jeremy showed in handling them, I doubt he would have cared if one was three sizes bigger than the other, or if my nipples were two different colors.

    That familiar tingle of horny teenage hormones was tearing me up inside, turning me into a panting, thoughtless animal. I guess that natural high was what made me bold enough to attempt my first B.J. I mean, how hard could it be? It’s not exactly rocket science.

    At least, I didn’t think it was. Apparently there is a science to it, especially when you wear braces. In my enthusiasm, I might have gone in a little too hard. I slipped, my face landed in his lap, and I almost unmanned him. To be fair, the wound was superficial, but there was so much blood you’d have thought someone was stabbed to death in the back of that car.

    After dropping Jeremy off at the emergency room, I pretty much ended our relationship by ignoring him until graduation. He didn’t seem to mind. After I mutilated his man-parts, I doubt he would have felt safe getting in the sack with me without some major life insurance.

    Let’s see, my next attempt came during my first semester of college, just a few months after my eighteenth birthday. Somehow, I managed to catch the eye of a teacher’s aide. He was a graduate student working on his Master’s in Education. While he was officially considered ‘faculty’, the age gap wasn’t that much and he was too gorgeous for me to be put off with teacher vibes. Slender with long legs and broad shoulders, ginger colored hair and green eyes peeking out from behind sleek, rectangular glasses. Alistair: even his name was sexy.

    We traded a lot of smoldering looks across the classroom. Those looks turned into short conversations in passing. Some flirtations where our hands touched as we exchanged papers. One of those hand-touching exchanges led to me being propelled into an empty classroom.

    Once again, the moment played out like something from a film. Alistair grabbed my ass and pulled me up against him, his lips crashing down over mine in a seductive move that left me swooning like an idiot. We tore at each other’s clothes, and as soon as he had my pants off, he lifted me and threw me onto a desk.

    And right onto a stapler.

    You’re probably thinking the two staples I took to my left butt cheek would have been enough to end it, but apparently I’m a glutton for punishment.

    “I’m okay, really,” I told him, pulling him in for a kiss.

    “Yeah?” he asked, his smile crooked and sexy as he swept the contents of the desk aside to avoid any more injuries. “I’ve wanted this forever,” he said, his mouth tracing a path from my neck and down to places that made my toes curl. My only response was a whimper, as I allowed him to lay me back, struck dumb by his sex appeal as he rested his weight over mine on the desk.

    This resulted in another trip to the E.R.

    Who’d have thought those classroom desks were so flimsy? It splintered as if it were made of matchsticks, dropping me to the floor, where I cracked the back of my head open on the tiles. A concussion and a few staples were enough to dampen that encounter. Luckily, Alistair did a good job covering up what we’d been about to do and no one was the wiser. When no one questioned his story about how he’d perched on top of the desk I’d been leaning against, causing it to collapse, we were in the clear. I probably could have had a chance with Alistair after that if I’d wanted it. Especially if the longing looks he threw my way were any indication. However, by then I was so freaked out about sex, I just couldn’t bring myself to allow him to get me alone. At the end of the semester, he graduated and I never saw him again.

    After that, I decided my first time was going to have to be more vanilla to avoid injury. Good ole missionary position, laying on a bed sex … that was the way to do it. My braces were long gone and office supplies couldn’t impale me.

    The chance came my sophomore year when I met Geoff, a moody, brooding art student. He was sexy in a less obvious way. Thin, long, and tall, with an ethereal face framed by inky black hair. He drew pictures of me and called me his muse. He was a total weirdo, but in an artsy sort of way. At least, I thought it was only in the artsy sort of way. He had me fooled for about four months and I thought I we were on our way to a long lasting relationship. That was before he got me half naked in his room and proceeded to try to tie me to the bed with a set of very scary looking leather straps. I don’t think I even bothered to get dressed before I ran, screaming for the hills.

    After that I pretty much gave up. There have been a few guys I was interested in, and even a couple of great first dates and kisses. Just a month ago, I went on a date with a guy from my Sociology class. He was cute, funny—and, most importantly—normal. Just the kind of guy I wouldn’t mind giving my virginity to. Unfortunately, when our kisses started to turn in to something more, the twitching and wheezing started and I panicked. If I’m not careful I’m going to develop a reputation for this crap.

    No, actually, I’m not.

    I’m not, because I’m determined to just power through and do it.

    The countdown is on.

    60 days.

    Oh God, I think I’m going to barf.


    Author Bio
     I began my writing career as an author of Fantasy and Science Fiction. My first books include The Lost Kingdom of Fallada Series and The Boinics Series.

    An army wife and a mother of three, my days are never dull and I never lack for anything to do. I love to cook, sew, and of course, read.

    I’m a believer in the written word and I love transporting people to different settings and allowing them to make friends with my characters.

    Links

    Website: http://www.fantasybyalicia.com

    V-Card Website: http://www.vcard-aliciamichaels.com

    Twitter: http://twitter.com/fantasybyalicia

    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fantasybyalicia

    GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6469080.Alicia_Michaels

    Amazon: http://amzn.com/e/B009CVNFXM

  • A fantastic (literally and figuratively) novel FREE on Amazon!

    Now, that’s the kind of alert for book lovers that I love to share! “The Necklace of Goddess Athena”, a fantasy novel that I’ve read and 5-starred, is FREE on Amazon on April 17-18. Enjoy a family adventure of Greek myths and time travel that the Fantasy & Sci-fi Network has described as a “Rare Gem”. The ebook has reached Amazon’s #1 in Mythology and #2 in Fairy Tales. It has also made the shortlist in the Fantasy category for the “50 best self-published books worth reading” from Indie Author Land!

    And if that’s not enough to convince you that we’re talking about an amazing author, know this: “The Lady of the Pier: The Ebb“, Effrosyni’s upcoming paranormal summer romance, set in Brighton in the ’30s and in Corfu in the ’80s, has cleared Round 2 in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award contest and is now a quarter-finalist! I’m not surprised, as I had the honor to beta read the manuscript, and I know first-hand that it was well deserved. But until that’s published, don’t miss out on Effrosyni’s debut novel!

    Book blurb

    Efimios is an ancient Greek and an unsung hero of Athens. He has saved the city countless times by undertaking time-travelling missions as instructed by Goddess Athena herself. Now an elderly man, he sends his son Phevos and his adopted daughter Daphne on a time-travelling quest to modern-day Athens. Mysterious as always, he only advises his children to look out for the signs without offering any explanations. Mystified, yet eager to obey their father’s will, Phevos and Daphne settle down in this new world, having been offered assistance by two orphaned siblings: Ksenia and Manos. New friendships and romantic love change their lives while their father’s covert purpose is gradually revealed. As the youngsters continue to unravel the secrets of their family past, inevitably they get caught up in the ongoing conflict between two Gods, one of which becomes their protector and the other, their worst nemesis. Who will prevail when the rival Gods meet again and will the mortal bystanders survive to tell the tale?

    An excerpt follows, but for your reading pleasure, I suggest you read it on my new complementary excerpts’ blog MM Jaye’s friends write

     

    Book Excerpt

    First, there was this tremendous roar.

    Everything around them shook with force and then, a blinding light surrounded them as they were taken through a cyclone of ear-piercing sounds. Phevos held the hand of his sister Daphne inside the forceful vortex of Time.

    Neither of them knew where they were headed as they swirled frightened beyond description, their bodies surrendered to the powerful whirlwind. Their eyes were tightly shut to the blinding flashes of light and a sound that resembled a sweeping tornado tortured their ears. In the twenty years of his life, Phevos could never have imagined the intensity of the experience.

    Although still captured in this unprecedented storm of light and sound, he managed to recall random pieces from his father’s stories. Efimios, his father and teacher, had described to him hundreds of times his experience of the Passage through Time but Phevos never expected there would come a day that he would experience it himself and at that, in such a different way.

    Suddenly, he realized in panic that his sister’s hand had slipped away from his. He started calling out her name but through the roar he couldn’t even hear himself speak.

    All at once, there was darkness and a soothing silence and next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground.

    A strong buzz still sounded in his ears. It took a few moments to fade as he opened his eyes and tried to gather his wits. His body felt numb at first but he managed to sit up somehow and look around him. The ground felt wet under him and the air smelt of grass.

    The moon shone high above on a starry sky with a velvet light that was ample, allowing him to inspect his surroundings quite easily. He was in an orchard.

    There were trees, plants and bushes all around him.

    Panicking, he realized that he was alone.

    Connect With The Author

    Blog: http://www.effrosinimoss.wordpress.com

    FB Book page: https://www.facebook.com/Necklaceathena

    FB Author page https://www.facebook.com/authoreffrosyni

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/frostiemoss

    Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7362780.Effrosyni_Moschoudi

    Google + : https://plus.google.com/+EffrosyniMoschoudi

    LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/effrosyni-moschoudi/82/347/a01


    Buy Links

    Amazon (US): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I5GXHCO

    Amazon (UK): https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00I5GXHCO

    Blog Tour By Badge 600

     

     

     

  • March Book Frenzy by Fabulosity Reads presents Jackie Weger

    Writing comes easy to me … after I’ve mulled my subject over for a week. In that respect, I have much growing to do. Blog posts are no different, but the time between deciding to write and publishing this one was less than twenty-four hours, and it involved reading an entire book!

    I signed up for the March Book Frenzy Blog Hop with eNovel Authors at Work organized by Fabulosity Reads which required of bloggers to choose a book cover among the eight titles listed in the Hop Catalog and write a short piece about it. Reading the blurbs, the book that appealed to me mostly was “Flaps Down – The Reluctant Hero” by Jackie Weger. Its cover, however, did not help me with the “branding” angle I had in mind, so I chose Donna Fasano’s Merry-Go-Round and presented it here.

    But Jackie Weger’s blurb stayed with me for entirely subjective reasons: give me a grumpy reclusive hero who finds himself doing a one-eighty because of a woman, and I’ll drop (almost) anything to read his story. So, I spared the mind-boggling amount of 99 cents and bought the book. I might have somewhat eased my conscience, but with my TBR list looking more and more like the Tower of Pisa, I knew I wasn’t going to read it soon. Well, my three-year-old daughter decided otherwise. She had a rough night yesterday with labored breathing and a hard cough, and, around midnight, I gave up hope of falling asleep needing to keep an eye on her. So I picked up my iPad from my night stand intending to browse a book on self-publishing, but what I ended up not resisting was to peak inside “Flaps Down: A Reluctant Hero”…and by 3.30am I had finished it!

    My instinct had been right. I loved it. So, after checking with lovely Wendy Ewurum from Fabulosity Reads, I’m posting my review. But first check out the blurb:

    Parnell Stillman, ace pilot, is man to the bone in a lackadaisical kind of way. He has the ability to fly through anything except solid mountain. Flying is his high road until one sleet-filled morning—it isn’t. Mischance forces his plane down in a frozen wilderness. He can survive, but his live cargo is another matter–an annoying social worker and five orphans—the most irksome freight he’s ever hauled in his life.

    Rebecca Hollis is determined to force the obnoxious, disagreeable, self-centered pilot to do whatever is necessary to insure the survival and rescue of the orphans… Even if it means making the noble gesture of keeping her mouth shut—or other womanly things.

    But the pilot isn’t having it. He’d rather dance with a grizzly or wrestle a puma than give his heart over to a sly, wily do-gooder. He lives alone because people are not to be trusted—especially women. Furthermore, he has no intention of being a hero. No way. No how. No time. Heroics are not his thing.

    Rebecca has other ideas—lots of them! All artful and disingenuous—one of which is bound to work…she hopes.

    ————————————-

    This story worked in so many ways! First of all, there is a whole lot of adventure; and not the glossed-over, let’s-stir-things-up kind of adventure, but the real deal. The descent of the plane and its inevitable force landing are goose flesh inducing, and the ordeal of surviving in the middle of nowhere through continuous snow blizzards was portrayed in such an authentic and detailed way, I often forgot I was reading a romance. The characters are also refreshingly real and well-layered: Parnell is not only grumpy, he’s a downright misogynist. His stomach hurts when he says something nice to a woman, so he never bothers, especially when she stirs his well-concealed vulnerability. His banter with Holly is witty, surprising and never actually stops even when they admit how they feel about each other. Holly knows how to put this obnoxious lout in his place, but tries with all her might not to cross him too much, as he is their best chance at survival. Touching him though shuts her up completely. But the characters that really shine are the kids: Jonesy, who thinks no one will ever want to adopt him because he is pudgy, Yanse with his imaginary friend who’s a horse, Santee, who’s one quarter Sioux and keeps running away called by nature, Nicholas who can only see shadows but is very cool about it, and Molly who wears corrective shoes, and constantly threatens with tears:”Don’t fuss with me; I’m only five.” Between them who keep bringing Parnell to his wits’ end, and Holly who keeps bringing him to his knees, it’s a wonder he keeps functioning. But not only he functions, he turns into a hero that warms everyone hearts.

    Even Ms Weger’s choice of using everyone’s POV interchangeably (a “subjective omniscient” to throw in the literary term) which is not common in romance, works perfectly, as everyone is in everyone’s presence all the time. Jackie Weger’s writing is stellar. I read the most unexpected turns of phrase with a “dated” feel which, nevertheless, didn’t feel out of place as well as some very original bodily cues. “Oh,” she replied, presenting an arabesque of indifference. Nice!

    All in all, I’m so glad my conscience was nagging me and I revisited this title. I’ll surely check out other titles of this wonderful author.

    You can download “Flaps Down: The Reluctant Hero” while it’s still on a countdown deal from Amazon.

    Read a delightful interview with the main character, Parnell Stillman, here.

    Read more about Jackie Weger on her blog

    Remember to visit the other participating writers’ blogs

    at eNovel Authors at Work here:

    Donna Fasano

    Joanne Hill

    Dianne Greenlay

    Abby L. Vandiver

    Lorrie Farrely

    Mary Smith

    Carmen Desousa

    Fabulosity Reads Book Tours

    8 AUTHORS OVER 4 DAYS

    GENRES: Romance, Historical Fiction

    Tour Link:  March Book Frenzy

    FIND FREE AND DEEPLY DISCOUNTED KINDLE 

    COUNT DOWN DEALS ON THE HOP CATALOGUE.

    GIVEAWAYS

    Check out the prizes the authors are sponsoring:

    FOR READERS

    $35, $25 and $20

    PLUS

    2 featured e Books from each author.

    Giveaway Link: March Book Frenzy (Readers)

    PARTCIPATING BLOGGERS ONLY

    2 X $20

    in cash via paypal or gift card via Amazon (your choice)

    Giveaway Link (Bloggers ONLY): Bloggers Giveaway

  • March Book Frenzy Hop presents Donna Fasano

     

    8 great authors – 8 amazing books

    Participating in this exciting Hop organized by Fabulosity Reads and the super energetic Wendy Ewurum, required choosing one of the eight covers of the Hop Catalog and describe why this stood out: I chose to present Donna Fasano’s Merry-Go-Round.

    …an utterly charming romantic comedy…told with humor and honesty…” ~Karen McQuestion, Author of A Scattered Life, Easily Amused, and The Long Way Home

    Being six months away from publishing my first contemporary romance (I decided to write an accompanying novellette. When? That’s a different story), I’m in search of the perfect concept for the covers of my Aegean Lovers series. I don’t know much, but I do know that branding is as important as professional quality when choosing a cover for your book. In the case of romance, I’ve noticed that the type of cover often denotes the degree of sensuality: the headless naked torso is a sure sign that the romance contains explicit sex scenes; the portrait of a girl or a cuddly couple outdoors usually covers a “sweet” romantic story, and cute illustrations in pastels tend to point to a chick-lit novel.

    In terms of branding, the cover of Donna Fasano’s Merry-Go-Round just couldn’t go wrong. A beautiful girl who’s obviously a successful professional, has a quiet relaxing moment at the office, her thoughts taking her to a happy place which may well be a merry-go-round…or stepping off it: beautiful, comforting, the romance reader instantly feels she (or he…why not?) will have fun reading the book. Isn’t that a key to success?

    Book Blurb

    When Lauren divorces her husband, she has one thought on her mind…stepping off the merry-go-round. However, her life quickly turns into a three-ring circus: her hypochondriac father moves in, her ex is using her shower when she’s not home, and her perky assistant is pushing her out into the fearsome dating world. She also has to decide if the vintage merry-go-round she’s awarded in the divorce settlement is a blessing or a bane. As if Lauren’s personal life isn’t chaotic enough, this slightly jaded attorney is overrun with a cast of quirky characters who can’t stay on the right side of the law. What’s a woman to do? She can allow life to spin her in circles forever. Or she can reach out and grab the brass ring. 

    That’s where you can find and download Merry-Go-Round:

    Amazon Kindle US Amazon Kindle UK
    Barnes & Noble Nook
    Kobo Book Store
    iTunes iBook Store
    Also available in Paperback

    And in Audio

    Make sure you check out the other authors’ books in the HOP CATALOG and through their author sites:

    Jackie Weger

    Joanne Hill

    Dianne Greenlay

    Abby L. Vandiver

    Lorrie Farrelly

    Mary Smith

    Carmen Desousa

    Fabulosity Reads Book Tours

    8 AUTHORS OVER 4 DAYS

    GENRES: Romance, Historical Fiction

    Tour Link:  March Book Frenzy

    FIND FREE AND DEEPLY DISCOUNTED KINDLE 

    COUNT DOWN DEALS ON THE HOP CATALOGUE.

    GIVEAWAYS

    Check out the prizes the authors are sponsoring:

    FOR READERS

    $35, $25 and $20

    PLUS

    2 featured e Books from each author.

    Giveaway Link: March Book Frenzy (Readers)

    PARTCIPATING BLOGGERS ONLY

    2 X $20

    in cash via paypal or gift card via Amazon (your choice)

    Giveaway Link (Bloggers ONLY): Bloggers Giveaway