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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Book Review and Kindle Giveaway Link: Exodus (The Samsara Chronicles Book 7)

This is brightly entertaining as the chosen get to climb shimmering steps to cross through a rainbow arch away from the dark evil.

Exodus (The Samsara Chronicles Book 7)
by Diana Kemp and Gabriella Bradley

  • File Size: 141 KB
  • Print Length: 66 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: eXtasy Books (May 25, 2012)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B0086FRWJI
Genre: Science Fiction
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0


Book Description
Publication Date: May 25, 2012
Sheltered at the Emerald lake beyond the reach of the dark forces, Aislinn and Dylan transition into their roles as the celestial portal opens.

Besieged by the Eletarii, humanity struggles in its final hour. Legions assemble by the lake where they descend into the basest depravity wait while Aislinn and Dylan prepare to open the gate at midnight, a portal through which only a chosen few will pass.


Review:
Reading these books one at a time, about one a week made me think of a weekly TV serial. This week's story compares well to a Buck Rogers' episode with twisted evil aliens and corrupted humans chasing after the robed and beautiful, beings symbolizing good.

Aislinn is brought the final talisman be an eagle and opens the celestial portal. She and Dylan stand and watch the transformation as a rainbow sphere forms a glittering bridge and the mountain opens to a crystal chamber. A shimmering stairway leads up to an arch where Aislinn and Dylan will welcome the chosen ones who will pass through the portal to safety. The masses of people straining to enter are greeted by a majestic, god-like figure, Altithronous.

As the chosen joyously travel the stairs to pass through the arch, the damned flail and trample each other trying desperately to reach the stairs. Some tumble on the burning shores while others fall into the now churning lake, creating a “floating armada of skeletons.”

Aislinn and Dylan are the last to pass through the gates and move into the mystical, beautiful realm of Nirvana.  In the midst of joy, and as they recover their memories of their lives before earth, they learn that Aislinn’s royal parents have been betrayed and kidnapped. Aislinn and Dylan, more than mortals now, will be tasked with the mission to save her parents.

A lot of what is happening, the plan to re-inhabit the earth after the elementals are finally conquered, and the roles they have to play, are explained by narrative. Although this is more “telling” than showing, it is done with enough intensity and creativity that it works all right in the story. The new world they have entered  really has a rather fantastical feel to it.  I am ready for Aislinn and Dylan to face more dangers in the next adventure.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quotes:
Aislinn just before opening the portal:
"Everything humanity has experienced has led to this moment, to these objects I hold in my hand. Location 222.
Explaining why the goodness of the Nirvana ancestors on earth had been lost to corruption:
“The potential for enlightenment is always there,” Altithronus said. “It is only when one no longer listens to the heart, to the wisdom of the ages, that darkness sets in.” Location 502.
Aislinn commenting on their next mission:
“But our past on this world will become our future. We’ll face all the tasks before us, no matter how daunting.”  Location 772.
I received this eBook from the authors as part of a Pump Up Your Book Tour.

~ ~ ~ KINDLE FIRE GIVEAWAY ~ ~ ~

Pump Up Your Book and The Samsara Chronicles are teaming up to give you a chance to win a Kindle Fire!

Kindle Fire


Here’s how it works:

Each person will enter this giveaway by liking, following, subscribing and tweeting about this giveaway through the Rafflecopter form placed on blogs throughout the tour.  If your blog isn’t set up to accept the form, we offer another way for you to participate by having people comment on your blog then directing them to where they can fill out the form to gain more entries.
This Kindle Fire promotion will run from June 1 – August 31. Winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter, contacted by email and announced on September 1, 2012.
Each blogger who participates in The Samsara Chronicles virtual book tour is eligible to enter and win.
Visit each blog stop below to gain more entries as the Rafflecopter widget will be placed on each blog for the duration of the tour.
If you would like to participate, email Dorothy at thewriterslife(at)gmail.com. Last day to sign up is July 27. What a great way to not only win this fabulous prize, but to gain followers and comments too! Good luck everyone!

Click on the graphic below to find out how you can win!

[If the picture link doesn't work, go to this page].




~ ~ ~WIN $50 GIFT CERTIFICATE ~ ~ ~

One lucky person who comments the most on The Samsara Chronicles’ blog stops will receive a $50 gift certificate. The blog host who receives the most comments through the tour will also receive a $50 gift certificate!


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Pump Up Your Book

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Book Review: Queen in Exile by Donna Hatch

This is a fine fantasy romance: a damsel in distress, an evil enemy, a knight to the rescue, a bit of magic and conflicted, sweet love.
Queen in Exile
by Donna Hatch
File Size: 472 KB
Print Length: 373 pages
Publisher: Walnut Springs Press (January 1, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B004WF4Q3G
Genre:  Fantasy Romance
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0


Book Description
Publication Date: January 1, 2011
Rumors of War hang over Princess Jeniah's peaceful country of Arden, a land that shuns both magic and warfare. Following a lifelong dream, Jeniah forms a telepahtic bond with a revered creature called a chayim, who is prophesied to save her kingdom. But when a Darborian knight comes upon Jeniah with her chayim, he sees only a vicious monster about to devour a maiden, and he slays the beast.

Devastated by the loss of her chayim, and fearing that her own magic is evil, Jeniah doubts her destiny. When an enemy invades Arden City, they slaughter the people, storm the castle, and execute the entire royal family except the princess. Rescued by the knight who slew her chayim, Jeniah is now heir to the throne of Arden and the only hope for freeing her people from tyranny.

On the run and hunted by enemy soldiers, Jeniah must place her life and the fate of her kingdom in the hands of this trained killer. Torn between embracing her destiny as queen af Arden, and her love for a mere knight, she must ultimately rely on her magic to save herself and her people from death and tyranny.


Review:
Jeniah is the beautiful, almost ethereal, princess of Arden, a country that embraces peace. Although magic is shunned in her land, Jeniah has a hidden talent of ‘blending’ with her landscape. She is frightened by her own skills until one day she comes upon a chayim in the woods. This is a sacred creature and bonding with one is meant to be powerful and good magic. Just as Jeniah begins the bonding a dark knight swoops in and slays the mystical being.

After years without war the Arden army is limited and defenses are weak.  Now the kingdom must prepare for war. The King brings in a famous Sauraii warrior, Kai, from another realm to train his men. Kai is a fierce warrior and a man of honor. Kai may be fearless in battle but he has suffered the lose of love in the past so he fears loving and losing again.  He is sorry that he did not know the chayim was a good creature and he is sorry he frightened the young woman and brought sadness to her.

Treachery brings an early attack on the castle and many, including the royal family, are slaughtered. Kai feels he has failed to protect the kingdom but he battles his way to Jeniah and gets her out.  Jeniah holds up through the hardships of loss and harsh travel to Kai’s homeland where she can regroup before returning to free her people. Before her plans are put into effect she is kidnaped and dragged back to Arden to face the enemy.

Can Kai rescue Jeniah before she is sacrificed by the evil king?  Can Jeniah reach her power through the chayim to help herself and her people? Can they trust a new ally to help defeat the enemy army?  Enjoy the book to discover these answers.

The writing is fluid and the story has good action and pacing. The hero and heroine are strong characters who have duties and issues that create conflicts to overcome. The attraction and romance between them is conflicted and sweetly magical in its persistence. The Chayim is an interesting creature that enhances the magical aspect of the story.  Donna Hatch has written a creative tale of excitement with danger, repressed love and magical elements. It is engaging reading and I will look for more of her work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Chayim's description of Jeniah:
Though this female was small, she had great power, great potential. She possessed duty, courage, and valor uncommon to humans. Location 1888.
Kai's recognition of Jeniah's power:
Somehow, she had touched the broken pieces of his heart and made them feel again.
He could not slay these demons. Location 2342.
I received this book for review for the publisher, Walnut Springs Press.
The book will be added to my ARC and New Author challenge lists.

Monday, July 16, 2012

MBS No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop July 17 - 22, 2012

WELCOME TO MBS NO STRINGS ATTACHED GIVEAWAY HOP!
This hop was organized by the fabulous Kathy at I Am A Reader Not A Write.
The hop runs from July 17th through July 22nd.

This hop is for all the people who hate jumping through hoops to enter giveaways.
Most of my giveaways have some type of entry requirement. This one is an easy peasy entry!
The only requirement to enter is to leave your name and a way to contact you if you win. No extras so all entries are equal!

Once again I see this giveaway as a THANK YOU to all of you who visit and support my blog and the publishers and authors who share their books through my reviews.  Thanks for visiting!!

My Giveaway is for ANYONE who can get books from Amazon, Indie Presses, OR Book Depository. OR if Book Depository doesn't ship to you then I will do a PayPal or other gift card for that winner.  So hopefully this really does include EVERYONE.


Funny thing I seemed to still want some control even though there are no hoops. I am exercising that control through Giveaway Package #2. :-)  (Does this make me a control freak??)

There will be two winners: 
#1 $15.00 towards books at The Book Depository or Books from a vendor of the winner's choice.

#2 Winner may choose any book of their choice from my 2012 reading list (107 books listed to date). Value not to exceed $20.00. (This is to recognize support for the publishers and authors who contribute to MBS reading.) Choice to be made upon announcement of winner.

Since books can be ordered from Book Depository with no shipping, the same rule applies at Amazon, B&N or other vendors so the winner must plan the choice(s) to include shipping. The books can be any format: ebook, hardback, paperback or even audio for a total value of #1 $15.00 or #2 $20.00.

EASY ENTRY! JUST ENTER USING THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM!
Giveaway ends Midnight Eastern on July 22.  Winners to be chosen through the Rafflecopter system.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out more great giveaways at these blogs!

Audiobook Review: No One Left to Tell by Karen Rose

This is romantic suspense just as I like it: sharp characters, tricky, twisty mystery and sensual romance that faces obstacles.  Karen Rose needs to be on my list of authors to collect for romantic suspense!

No One Left to Tell
by Karen Rose
read by Marguerite Gavin

  • Listening Length: 18 hours and 49 minutes
  • Program Type: Audiobook
  • Version: Unabridged
  • Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Also available in other formats at Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and other distributors.

Genre: Romantic Suspense
My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: June 5, 2012
The addictive Karen Rose serves up her most relentless thriller yet.

A woman is dead and her fiancé is serving a life sentence for a murder he didn't commit. Now PI Paige Holden holds the only piece of evidence that could see him freed, and she cannot take it to the police. With the help of disarming state attorney Grayson Smith, Paige is determined to avenge the murdered woman and set an innocent man free. But Paige has only scratched the surface of a cover-up far deadlier than she could ever imagine. A string of mysterious deaths of women with a shared past sets Paige on the trail of a ruthless killer. The problem is, the killer's on her trail too.


Review:
Paige Holden brought herself back from a physical attack a year earlier.  She is strong and feisty and not about to let anything or anyone hold her down. As a fledgling PI, Paige has barely begun investigating accusations of the wrongful incarceration of a man when the man’s wife crashes a car in front of her.  The woman passes a thumb drive of information and tells Paige that police were chasing her just before the sniper’s final bullet whizzes past Paige’s head.  That gets this book off to a running start that doesn’t slow down until the end.

Paige is afraid to take the information to the police but knows that holding it can be trouble.  That happened to her boss, Clay, who has had his own run ins with local cops.  Paige decides to take the information to the state attorney who prosecuted the innocent man. Although she isn’t positive she can trust Grayson Smith, she takes the plunge after he rescues her from an attacker.

It is quickly clear that someone is trying to stop Paige and Grayson from investigating the case any further. The framed man in prison is only the tip of the iceberg as Paige and Grayson discover a trail of dead bodies.  Paige and Grayson begin to see a pattern as they connect deaths over many years to a charity program sponsored by a wealthy and influential family. Which of the family members might be desperate enough to protect the family by killing witnesses until there is ‘no one left to tell’? And which law officials are part of the corruption?

This is fast paced action, full of blackmail, corruption and murders, not to mention attacks and near-misses for the heroine and hero. The clues build on each other creating a twisting mystery pointing at several suspects. When the perpetrators are revealed the confessions seem almost too easy but they work and all the details are neatly and satisfactorily wrapped up.

I liked both Paige and Grayson as strong and wounded characters.  Paige had her past to hide but Grayson has his own secrets keeping him at arms length. Their attraction pulls them together forcing them to face their personal demons. The family members and friends add good character background.

I realized early on that I recognized the narrator from other audio books. At first I wasn’t sure if I liked her voice for all of the characters but I soon appreciated her ability to express the emotions of the scenes whether fear, reluctance, anger or passion.  Further along I felt that the narration enhanced the excitement and intensity of this great suspense read.  This was a longer listen but I didn't find it dragging or boring in any spots. I like how chapters and sections are identified by place and time.

If you enjoy solid romantic suspense I don't think you can go wrong with this book or this author.
Audiobook Jukebox
I received this from Blackstone Audio through Audiobook Jukebox. Thank you for a great listen!

This book takes place in Baltimore, Maryland for my Where Are You Reading Challenge. I will also include it with my Audio Challenge List.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Mailbox Monday July 16, 2012

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.
FOR JULY: the Mailbox Monday Tour host is Mrs Q: Book Addict.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs.  This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) but is now hosted at Mailbox Monday and through various blog hosts.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. 


My book garden continues to grow! How about yours?

Review Titles
I received these three ebooks from Thomas Nelson for review with giveaways July/August.
The Scent of Rain 
by Kristin Billerbeck


I received one more of the win this week from the Coffee Anniversary Extravaganza hosted by Coffeetime and The Romance Studio. I will be selecting some more books this week. 

Publisher Prizes (To go along with the ereaders)

Week 1 - received 7  in bold  
Week 2 - received 2 in gold
Week 4 - received 3 in green 
Week 5 - received 1 more contact in burgundy

Soul Mate Publishing –  $25 gift certificate - received, need to select
J. Taylor Publishing
– 9 books recieved
Ellora’s Cave -    5 eBooks of the Winner’s Choice  - notice received
, need to select
The Wild Rose Press - $25 gift certificate - received and 7 books selected
Books for a Buck – Gift Certificate for $11.97 - received, need to select
eXtasy Books - $5.00 gift certificate
Eternal Press/Damnation Books- ???
Untreed Reads - $15.00 gift certificate
Torquere Press - $15 gift certificate - received, need to select
Liquid Silver – 2 books
Changeling Press – Free books for a month at ChangelingPress.com (2 books a week for 4 weeks)
Total E-Bound – ???
Champagne Books – Gift Certificate
Carnal Passions – Gift Certificate
BURST - Gift Certificate
JMS Books - $25 gift certificate - 3 Selections recieved
Inspired Romance Novels – 3 books, winners choice - 3 Selections received
Red Rose Publishing - $25 gift certificate - received, need to select

Loose Id – $10 gift certificate to each - received, need to select
Beachwalk Press – 3 books received

Gypsy Shadow Publishing – 50% off for the winners - discount received
Black Velvet Seduction – 3 eBooks (winner’s choice)  



Purchased
No purchases this week.

Free
See above under Wins Plus +
I did download some free Kindle books one night last week.

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