Book Review: The Fear Principle by B.A. Chepaitis

This is a solidly entertaining, complex, suspenseful sci fi.

The Fear Principle (Jaguar Adams) by B.A. Chepaitis

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 510 KB
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Wildside Press (March 14, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004S81HK2

     Genre: Sci Fi
     My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Product Description
Dr. Jaguar Addams knows about fear. On a satellite prison called Planetoid Three, she establishes a telepathic link to her subjects. She confronts their demons. And makes them her own . . . They were known as the Killing Times, when serial murder reached epidemic proportions. Victims of hard-edged crime demanded hard-wired punishment, and the new prisons were born. Now one determined woman, a survivor of that dark age, tries to rehabilitate killers by tapping into the source of their obsessions: their worst fears. Her name is Jaguar Addams, and she is about to face the most challenging subject of her career. The ultimate assassin. A dangerously disturbed woman who will teach Jaguar the true meaning of fear.

Review: This is an interesting and engaging sci fi.

Dr. Jaguar Addams is a complex and intense person. She is a skilled empath who works on a prison planetoid. Her job is to confront the hardest of criminals and force them to face their deepest fear. The result is they deal with their issues and can be rehabilitated .... or sometimes they die. Jaguar has the highest success rate of the ‘teachers’ but she has to shield her techniques as some people are afraid of empaths.

Jaguar has an ongoing case with a con artist, Adrian. As she sets up a con to get to his deepest fears, a high level assassin arrives under custody. The assassin, Claire, is as cold as an ice wall. Even Jaguar’s supervisor, Alex, who is also an empath, cannot reach Claire’s thoughts. The governmental directives on handling Claire include finding out who hired her for the latest assassin.  Alex determines that the only one who might have a chance to discover Claire’s secrets is Jaguar.

Jaguar is a survivor from the horrible Killing Times on earth when people went berserk and started killing in masses.  Jaguar has never shared her history as a young child coming through the horrors of those years. But another co-worker, Nick, was a cop who helped get her off the streets.  Nick is slipping in his abilities. He is angry, on the edge and jealous of Jaguar’s successes. He wants to be part of her team to work with Claire but neither Alex or Jaguar trust him.

There is someone else, The Looker, who wants Claire eliminated before she can disclose her secrets.  The Looker is connected to a government agency that has hidden plans to use technology to replace the empaths and take control. There is a traitor on Planetoid Three who is feeding information to The Looker and helping him to undermine Jaguar.  Jaguar discovers clues to a plot and reports to Alex. When Alex goes to earth to investigate Jaguar has to break a few more rules to rescue him.

I liked the characters, even the cold Claire who ultimately shares childhood abuse stories with Jaguar. There is a bit of psychology jargon (or babble as I termed it in my head) entwined in the empath plotline and the criminal mindsets. This caused some confusion but I determined to read through that and enjoy the overall effect of the unique world and the fast paced suspense. When I completed this book I was curious how the relationship between Alex and Jaguar might change in the second story.

Caution - The story has some dark and twisted aspects involving abuse and murder.

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This book was provided by the author for an honest review in conjunction with Pump Up Your Book blog tour for book two of the Jaguar Addams series.   Check in tomorrow when I will post the review of The Fear of God: Jaguar Series.

Book Review: So You Want to Write a Guest Blog? by Jaime McDougall

This is a very informative resource tool for authors!

So You Want to Write a Guest Post: An Author's Guide to Promoting with Guest Blogging by Jaime McDougall.

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 210 KB
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0052F477U

     Genre:  How To/ Nonfiction
     My Rating:  4.5 of 5.0

Product Description
The publishing world keeps on changing and, now more than ever, it is important for authors to have a presence on the internet. But where do you start? So You Want to Write a Guest Post is an easy to follow guide that will help you connect to bloggers and to write guest posts that get potential readers interested in your book.

Review: I wish many authors would read this informative pamphlet and at $0.99 it is money well spent!
Jaime works with promotions at Pump Up Your Book so she has first hand experience to add to this work. Jaime approaches the Guest Post topic in an easy format with concise explanations, examples and suggestions.  I can say that as a reviewer (and publisher) I would love to see authors read and follow this informative guide.  I know from experience as a reviewer and as a small publisher, with new and backlist authors, that it is surprising how many authors have no clue what it takes to promote their book.  The publisher hopefully will give help in promoting but the larger burden these days falls on the author.  The bottom line of success may well be a result of the author's own efforts to promote their book.

This “How to” is short and easy to read but FULL of good advise. Here are some, but not all, of the items covered and my brief comments regarding the topics:
•    The Purpose of Guest Posting - Jaime briefly but assuredly expresses why authors should be concerned about Guest Posting.
•    Finding, Researching and Contacting Hosts - Jaime sets out something that should be basic but isn’t necessarily clear to authors... research the blog hosts you submit to. She provides tips where to research too.
•    When Contacting the Blogger - Jaime provides wonderful suggestions and samples to help make a professional contact with the right Blog hosts.
•    When Words Count: The Importance of Word Count in Your Post - I agreed strongly with Jaime’s suggestions in this section.  It is not all about word count but it does matter.
•    Selling Your Book Without Selling - As Jaime notes, the Guest Post is not to be just an ad for buying your book.  It is a tool to draw a reader in let them know about the author and the book and to direct and encourage the reader to buy the book. This is a time when courtesy and subtlety are nice.
•    FAQ: Is Using a Guest Post More Than Once Okay - Jaime discusses the pros and cons and some etiquette rules of this question in a unique way that I liked. I recently followed an Author Blog Tour which included a giveaway. I was a little surprised to see repeats of the same GP during the one tour.
•    What to Do After the Post is Live - Jaime provides input on what to do with your post including announcing your post and making contacts to encourage visits.
•    The Do and Don’t List - Jaime does a nice summary of the dos and dont’s for a quick guide and wrap up.
•    Guest Post Ideas - Jaime provides some topic examples and suggestions that could help an author begin to prepare guest posts or expand on their repertoire of posts.

This is a wonderful resource tool and I encourage authors to use it to help their promotional efforts be more efficient and effective.

I received the eBook from the author for an honest review.

Jaime asked me to add a footnote on this tour blog:  
'Thanks to the wonderful reviewers who have hosted me on this tour, I will be coming out with a revised edition in August with more content'. :)

Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Touch if You Dare by Stephanie Rowe

There is plenty of snarky humor in this full action read.

Touch If You Dare by Stephanie Rowe

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Original edition (July 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402241968
• ISBN-13: 978-1402241963

     Genre: Paranoraml
     My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Product Description
"Rowe is a paranormal star!"
-JR Ward, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Black Dagger Brotherhood Series

He's just about the hottest warrior she's ever seen...

Reina Fleming really appreciates a man who's on a mission-especially when he's a badass warrior doing his best to impress her. And Jarvis is charmed by the way Reina's magic touch can soothe his dark side.

But when Jarvis's attention puts her job, her home, and her family in danger, Reina has to decide whether love is worth the price...

Enter the nonstop, action-packed world of Stephanie Rowe's love stories-you'll never think of the manly arts in the same way again.

Review: I like this series even if there is some chaos.
Reina is a an assistant to Death and she is trying to be promoted to assassin so she can save her doomed sister, Natalie.  Reina has a plan to save Natalie by switching her bodies and souls at the moment of death with a disenfranchised angel who is immortal. Unfortunately, to be able to switch souls Reina has to kill on assignment to be promoted.  Instead, she gets fired when she can’t kill the werewolf she was sent to harvest.

Jarvis, the Guardian of Hate, is beginning to implode. If he dies all of the Hate he carries will be released to poison the earth and every living thing. Jarvis is seeking his brother, Cameron, the Guardian of Love, who can save him. But Cameron has been abducted by Death for Death’s new plan to help people die happy.

Jarvis needs Reina to help him get to Cameron.  Reina needs Jarvis, the warrior, to teach her to kill so she can save Natalie. Natalie is being irresistibly drawn to “The Godfather” who kills his lovers by orgasm. Augustus, one of Death’s Assassins, is trying to kill The Godfather and he has his scythe aimed at Reina too since she is getting in his way. Napoleaon is after Augustus who has taken Napoleon's true love, Angelica.

Jarvis’ buddies, Nigel and Blaine, are mostly around to back him up but they are busy taking turns nursing the last group of friends they rescued from Angelica’s torture chamber.  Add in a  vampire clan who need Jarvis to save their leader who has been stabbed by a woman from a fanatic group of women who kill the lethally dangerous men they love. Yes - it's convoluted.  I particularly liked the character of the Grim Reaper who ends up giving aid to Jarvis and Reina.

Jarvis is careful not to touch others since he contaminates them with hate.  But for some reason he is drawn to the sexy Reina and he is shocked to discover that not only can he touch her but instead of pain she brings him peace.  I really enjoyed their sensual and loving encounters. I liked how Jarvis wanted to protect Reina and Reina was willing to love him unconditionally.

The story is fast paced and full of action. It is very busy and a bit confusing with all the characters and different attacks from different foes. But when you wade through all the extra activity there is a beautiful connection for Jarvis and Reina. 

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Thank you to Sourcebooks for this book to read and review.
See my review of the first book in the Soulfire series: Kiss at Your Own Risk.

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY:
1. Visit the Author's Website and tell me something of interest you found there. This is required for entry.

2.  For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

3. For two entries, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.
(Four total entries possible.)

* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.

* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.

* Limit one win per household.

* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on August 5, 2011.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on AUGUST 6 and will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

It's Monday! What are you Reading July 25, 2011?

This meme starts at Book Journey!

What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I finished five books again this week. I posted six reviews in conjunction with three ARC Giveaways and a triple book Hachette Giveaway.  I posted the last two Blogoversary Spotlight Giveaways and the Grand Giveaway. There is a link to an interview with yours truly. And as usual, I posted the regular Friday Pick Giveaway; Saturday Sharing Beyond Books, and Sunday posts.

I did get to visit some last week but not as much as I would've liked.  These were last week's posts plus three Winner posts not listed.

•  It's Monday What are You Reading? July 18, 2011.

• MBS Blogoversary GRAND Giveaway. Ends 7/30.

• Book Review and ARC Giveaway: My Dangerous Pleasure by Carolyn Jewel; Paranormal Romance; my rating 4.5. Ends 7/29.

•  A Timely Interview of Me. 

• MBS Blogoversary Spotlight #23: Publisher Sourcebooks; Giveaway - eight books, eight winners, Open US and Canada. Ends 7/30.

• Book Review and ARC Giveaway: In the Heat of the Bite by Lydia Dare; Paranormal Romance; my rating 4.25.  Ends 8/5.

• MBS Blogoversary Spotlight #24: Publisher Hachette; Giveaway - 10 Books 2 winners each. Open US and Canada. Ends 7/30.

•  Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Cover Me by Catherine Mann;  Romancic Suspense; my rating 4.75.Ends 8/5.

•  Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway July 22, 2011.  Ends 7/28.

• Book Review Temptation of a Highland Scoundrel by Sue-Ellen Welfonder; Historical Romance; my rating 4.0.

• Book Review Tamed by a Highlander by Paula Quinn; Historical Romance; my rating 3.5.

• Forever Historical Romance Blog Tour Giveaway - Three Books, Three Winners. Open US and Canada. Ends 8/12.

• Book Review of Lady of Seduction by Laurel McKee; Historical Romance; my rating 4.25.

• Sharing Beyond Books #6 Comment Giveaway.  Open Worldwide. Ends 7/29.

•  Sunday Words of Encouragement July 24, 2011. 

Finished Reading: 

Print/Kindle:

 
Tamed by a Highlander 
By Paula Quinn

Review linked above

Plus Three Book Giveaway.

 

Print/Kindle

Lady of Seduction (Daughters of Erin)

by Laurel McKee

Review linked above

Plus Three Book Giveaway.

Audible:

Hidden Currents

• UNABRIDGED
• by Christine Feehan
• Narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan

Purchased at Audible sale.

A story with dark obsession and abuse 

plus the magic of telepathic witches. 

It seemed there was unnecessary repetition 
and unnecessary length and quantity of the bedroom scenes.

My Rating 3.75.

Print:

The Fear Principle (Jaguar Adams)

by B.A. Chepaitis

An engaging sci fi read.
Reviewing as part of Pump Up Your Book Promotion.
July 28.

Kindle:

So You Want to Write a Guest Post: An Author's Guide to Promoting with Guest Blogging by J.L. McDougall

An informative piece!

Blog Tour review on July 27.

Line Edits/Releases: 
Summer Prom Night Anthology 1st story:

Secrets in the Fog: Danny's First Love

by Ellen Spain

Danny Fennchar is a short and somewhat pudgy teen prodigy wearing broken glasses who looks forward to attending his high school Prom in a few weeks, and to attending college. There is a problem, at least to Danny. He is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and thinks his future plans are totally messed up. He doesn't have a date and in fact, being home schooled most of his life, never had a date except for his mother.. Danny is a shy and insecure 12th grader, until he meets Christine Dillon from his senior class, who is quite mature for her young age. Their romance blossoms.

Currently reading:

Print/Kindle:

The Fear of God: Jaguar Series

by B.A. Chepaitis

I will be starting this before the end of the week.   Reviewing as part of Pump Up Your Book Promotion for July 29.

Product Description

On Planetoid Three, Jaguar Addams enters the minds of criminals. She lives in the shadows of their fears . . . and chases them into the light. The followers of the Revelation Sect are preparing for the Second Coming. Stockpiles of weapons were found when federal agents stormed the home of the fanatical leader, Sardis Malocco. Now Jaguar must resort to using a virtual reality environment of Heaven to get to the root of Sardis's fear of God-before Revelation's zealots unleash their own apocalypse upon the world . . .

Print/Kindle:

Making Waves

by Tawna Fenske

Review and Author Q&A for August 2.

Reading for Sourcebooks.

Product Description
When Alex Bradshaw's unscrupulous boss kicks him to the curb after 20 faithful years as an executive with the world's largest shipping company, he sets out to reclaim his dignity and his pension. Assembling a team of fellow corporate castoffs, he sails to the Caribbean to intercept an illegal diamond shipment. None of them counted on quirky blonde stowaway Juli Flynn, who has a perplexing array of talents, a few big secrets, and an intoxicating romantic chemistry with Alex...

Audible:

One Tuesday Morning

• UNABRIDGED
• by Karen Kingsbury
• Narrated by Full Cast

Another Audible picked up at the $5.95 sale.
An interesting story premise. 
Sheila at Book Journey and I are going to post reviews together on this.

Product Description
A devoted fireman and a driven businessman: strangers with the same face. Only one will leave the Twin Towers alive, but will he ever find his way home?
On the morning of September 11, 2001, two men meet in a smoky stairwell of the World Trade Center. One is Eric Michaels, a driven financial manager from Los Angeles who has been busy climbing the corporate ladder, often at the expense of his wife and young son. The other is Jake Bryan, a New York City fireman devoted to his wife and daughter. In the midst of the crisis, Eric falls on the stairs and Jake stops to help him up. The two men freeze momentarily, stunned by the uncanny resemblance between them.
Later, after the building has crumbled to the ground, Eric awakes beneath a fire truck. He is burned and bloody and most of his clothes have been blown off. A fire captain rushes to his side, thinking he recognizes his friend Jake. By the time Jake's wife arrives at the hospital, Eric's face is bandaged and his memory gone.
In the months that follow, Eric struggles to relate to a wife and daughter he doesn't remember, while on the opposite coast Eric's real wife grieves and finds comfort from Eric's brother, a single man who has always adored her. The emotional suspense builds as Eric begins to have disturbing dreams and flashbacks, and questions grow in Jake's wife's mind.
The only way for Eric to find his way is by following the love of a special woman, and the footsteps of a man who no longer exists.

Audio:

  Working It Out: A Journey of Love, Loss, and Hope

by Abby Rike

Starting Disc 4 tomorrow. Wonderful faith.Reading For Hachette Review.

Product Description.
In 2006, Abby Rike lost the life she knew and loved when her husband and two young children were killed in a car accident. Devastated and numb, she shut down. For nearly three years she walked through life like a spectre, present in body only. As she descended, so did her health.
Fortunately, Abby was not alone. She had loving parents, supportive friends, and a faith that continued to sustain her. Little by little she found the courage to return to life. Joining The Biggest Loser proved a catalyst for the physical and emotional changes she needed to make. In fact, against all odds Abby gained strength, courage, wisdom, and continued her steadfast relationship with God. Instead of anger, she found herself slowly but steadily healing. She lost a hundred pounds but gained hope.
In this riveting book, Abby tells her story--from her joyous life before the accident to the unbearable pain that followed it and her eventual emergence as a woman reinvigorated by her faith in God. Today Abby's resilience and positivity are a testament to the power and importance of faith in the darkest hours.

Print:

A Gentleman Never Tells 

by Amelia Grey

I will be starting this before the end of the week. 

This is the last of my Sourcebook July review books.

Product Description
A stolen kiss from a stranger...

As if from a dream, Lady Gabrielle walked from the mist and into Viscount Brentwood's arms. Within moments, he's embroiled in more scandal than he ever thought possible...

Can sink even a perfect gentleman...

Beautiful, clever, and courageous, Lady Gabrielle needs Brent's help to get out of a seriously bad situation. But the more she gets to know him, the worse she feels about ruining his life...

Enter the unforgettable world of Amelia Grey's sparkling Regency London, where a single encounter may have devastating consequences for a gentleman and a lady...

Harlequin American Romance (a doctor story) - the survey has to be answered this week so I will finish this in a day or two.

Audio:

[The Vision and Beyond, prophecies fulfilled and still to comeby David Wilkerson was put on hold.]

Instead we are listening to:

The Screwtape Letters: First Ever Full-cast Dramatization of the Diabolical Classic (Radio Theatre) 

C.S. Lewis

We are enjoying listening to this in our young adult class. On part IV.

I am also listening to The Listener's Bible NIV 

read by Max McLean. I am at 2 Chronicles 8, Isaiah 10 and Romans 8.

Line Edits: Editing the first of eTreasures' summer YA novellas for release this week.
Finalizing the Sword of Virtue by Joy Brooks  for release soon.

I am finalizing edits/formatting on Life After the Undead by Pembroke Sinclair; then Soylent Red by Jamieson Wolf.

 

July 2011 Scheduled reviews:

July 27  So You Want to Write a Guest Post: An Author's Guide to Promoting with Guest Blogging 
by J.L. McDougall (Read; needs review for this week.)
Pump Up Your Book Promo
July 28 The Fear Principle (Jaguar Adams) by B.A. Chepaitis (Read; needs review for this week.)
July 29 The Fear of God: Jaguar Series by B.A. Chepaitis (Reading now.)

Unscheduled Review books: 
Sourcebooks 

Touch If You Dare by Stephanie Rowe (Read; needs review.)

A Gentleman Never Tells by Amelia Grey (Reading now.)

Others: This will go into August queue.
Quest for Magic by Jean Hart Stewart - August Release