Sunday, March 29, 2015

Review: The Dream Walker by Michelle Murray

Title: The Dream Walker
Author: Michelle Murray

Series: Land of Mystica Series #1
Publication: August 16th 2014
Genre: Childrens ~ Fantasy
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository
Rating: 2/5

Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

 

Once upon Mystica there were six wizards, three light and three dark. One of the dark wizards, Midnight says a spell to trap the fellow wizards. The spell goes astray, trapping all the wizards including Midnight. One curious boy finds on of these stones and releases Midnight. Midnight is loose on Mystica, gathering an army and preparing for war. Miranda is an average college student until she starts having dreams of Mystica, she travels to Mystica following her dreams. Her dreams are leading her to find Lightning, a white wizard, and the only one that can stop Midnight. Follow Miranda through Mystica's Plains, Ice Caves, Forest of the Lost, and the Dragons Lair. Can Miranda find and release Lightning and save Mystica?


Although I've enjoyed fantasy books like these in the past, I think that The Dream Walker wasn't my cup of tea. The story was generally okay but there were too many spelling errors for my liking.

The overal story wasn't bad, I actually liked it and though it focuses mostly on Miranda, it had several points of view. But even so I lost interest pretty quickly mainly because of the way it was written and the spelling errors. I don't know if it will make any sense to anyone but I felt like it was rather told instead of written. I just didn't like the writing style, I guess. It was also a short book so it felt all a little rushed. It is good, though that it's a quick read.

And like I said before, there were quite a few mistakes with the spelling. I just expect more from a finished copy, you know. It was rather distracting to me. I also think that this is a children's or middle grade book (?) and though I've liked some books in those genres, I think this was a bit too young for me. There were not only young characters in it but I still felt that way.

So after taking everything in consideration I felt like I couldn't give it more than two stars. I like the story and magic aspects of the book but that were the only possitive things for me. That and it being a very quick read. 




       About the Author:

Michelle is a married working mother of two fine young men (her children). She lives in Wisconsin. When not writing, she enjoys reading especially science fiction/fantasy and classics.
Her favorite authors include Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Margaret Weiss, and Colleen Houck.
She also enjoys doing painting and crafts, and spending time with her family. She enjoys going for walks, and swimming. She has been known to jump in Lake Michigan with no life jacket!

She has been writing since high school. Michelle took a break from writing to concentrate on raising her children.

She has an app on her IPad that gives her a word of the day and poem of the day.




Saturday, March 28, 2015

Stacking The Shelves: March 28, 2015

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted @ Tynga's Reviews.



Won:
I won this awesome package on a Zili In The Sky Book Blog giveaway! 


Bought:
These are from the boekenfestijn (bookfest) in Mechelen (Belgium) where the books are super cheap. I don't think I have paid more than €3 a book for these.

The Edge of Always by J.A. Redmerski
Changeling by Philippa Gregory
King of Ithaca by Glyn Iliffe
Spartacus: Talons of an Empire by Robert Southworth


Bought:
Also from the bookfest! And the best thing is I'm going back to the one in Antwerp in May. Woohoo!

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason
Rises The Night by Colleen Gleason


Bought:
Endless Knight by Kresley Cole
Found this on sale for only $1.99 on Kindle so I grabbed it since I haven't had the chance to get my hands on it yet after reading the first book.

Bought:
Deep Blue Eternity by Natasha Boyd
I already read it for review but since it was only .99 on Kindle I bought it as well to support Natasha. You can find me review here!


Bought:
My Stepbrother the Dom by Arabella Quinn
Got it for .99!

Bought:
Papyrus: A Thriller by John Oehler
Yet another .99 kindle book. It's too hard to resist these, especially when it has something to do with Egypt. 


For Review:
The Dream Walker by Michelle Murray
Already read it and my review will come soon

Bought
On sale for 1.99!



For Review:
Captive, Mine by Natasha Knight & Trent Evans
So excited that I got this for review. Can't wait to jump in!






Leave me links to your hauls so I can stop by! :)



Thursday, March 26, 2015

Review: Deep Blue Eternity by Natasha Boyd

Title: Deep Blue Eternity
Author: Natasha Boyd
Publication: March 26th 2015 by NPRB

Genre: New Adult ~ Contemporary Romance
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Kobo
Rating: 5/5

Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

 

Livvy is on the run. And she’s escaped to the one place nobody will ever find her.

But the isolated cottage isn’t empty. Her refuge is home to a troubled stranger, Tom, there for reasons of his own.

In the intimacy of the abandoned cottage, and the remote wilderness of the island, the electrifying connection between them is impossible to ignore. Both running from their histories and shielding dark secrets, their pasts catch up with them and collide in an unimaginable way.

Deep emotions and powerful chemistry face a painful battle with the tangle of lies, and scars of the past. When the truth emerges, hearts will be shattered.

"A captivating, heart-wrenching, beautifully written story about those who scar us and those who help us heal. I could not put it down and am still thinking about it!" - Mia Sheridan, New York Times Bestselling author of Archer’s Voice

"Boyd skillfully navigates the scorching physical desire and personal insecurities of her protagonists, crafting a relationship that is tense, torrid and sure to keep the pages turning." ~ RT Book Reviews

“Fans of the Sea of Tranquility or Mia Sheridan will absolutely love this story.” ~ MissIngrid’s reviews.

“I can’t recall ever reading a novel that made me laugh, smile, cry… just, feel as much as this one did.” ~ Books over Bros Reviews


I've read two full books and one short story by Natasha Boyd, but let me tell you that without a doubt, Deep Blue Eternity is her best book so far. It was an absolutely a touching, amazing story that I'm so glad I got a chance to read.
To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect starting this book. I had a feeling it would be a great story but I hadn't expected to love it this much or be so touched by it. I shed some tears at the end and it really felt like my heart would burst out of my chest —stories like this are the best ever. 

I have to admit that Livvy didn't start out as a person that I liked. Sure, I was curious about her, about why she was running away from her home and what brought her to her grandmother's cottage but that was as far as it went. But slowly and surely she grew on me (partly because of her interaction with Tom) and she actually surprised me, because in the end I loved her as a character. Through the book you can see her change a lot, for better, and yeah... that took me by surprise. 

Which brings us to Tom. What can I say about the man except that I loved him. I haven't quite read about a character like him. He intrigued me so much. I knew there was some big bad secret he was hiding and it just made me more curious about him. And let me just tell you that this secret is huge and it pretty much killed me inside. But I still adore him.

This book deals what some tough topics. But I thought that Livvy and Tom's love, although it wasn't ever easy, was so beautiful that it helped chase away the darkness of the book, if that makes sense. 

The writing was also really beautiful and I adore Natasha Boyd for adding the Hans Christian Andersen elements in it. This totally doesn't have anything to do with the story but right before I was starting this book I felt this huge urge to read some of HCA's fairy tales, especially The Little Mermaid (the original one, not the Disney...) and well, it made me love this book even more. 

I think it's pretty clear that I thought Deep Blue Eternity was amazing, beyond amazing actually. I don't tend to like a lot of contemporary books easily but I this book is a real gem. It's definitely one of the best books I've read this year, if not thé best contemporary story. I would recommend it very, very highly!




       About the Author:

Natasha Boyd is a writer with a background in marketing and public relations. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and lives in the coastal Carolina Lowcountry, complete with Spanish moss, alligators and mosquitoes the size of tiny birds. She has a husband, two sons and a cat named Tuna. Eversea was her debut novel. Eversea was a finalist for Contemporary Romance in the 2013 Winter Rose Contest and won the 2014 Digital Book Award for Adult Fiction.

Natasha grew up in South Africa, Belgium and England. She now lives and writes full time in the USA.




Pre-Release Day Blitz: Deep by Kylie Scott

deep pre-release.jpg


Excerpt
His laughter, it didn’t really sound the smallest bit amused. “Christ. You’re done here.”
“Ah, no. I’m actually not. Now see, this is where we have a problem.” I folded my arms. Then unfolded them because like fuck I’d look defensive. He was the one in the wrong, not me. “You’re not prepared to take me, or my feelings, seriously. What you want is to hide away in Mr. Too Cool for Commitment land and just play with my affections when it suits you. Okay, I’ve accepted that. But none of that means it’s okay for you to come in here and act like you’re the boss of me. None of it.”
“That so?” he asked, leaning down so that we were almost nose to nose.
“That’s so, baby.” I play-punched him in the shoulder, which it should be noted, I barely came up to. Okay, so maybe the alcohol on a mostly empty stomach had made me slightly/lots braver/sillier. “So why don’t you take your little
caveman jealous tantrum bullshit somewhere else. See, I do this funny thing I like to refer to as whatever the fuck I want. Understand?”
He just stared.
“And as pretty as you are with your beard and your muscles, you are too damn tricky and . . . complicated and shit for me.”
“I am?”
“Yes, you are. Are you finally seeing my point here?”
“You bet.”
“Excellent. So take your hotness elsewhere, kind sir. I want no part of it!” Huh. I had so told him. Drunken bravado was the best.

deep teaser 8.jpg


deep pre-order now.jpg
Meet Ben and Lizzy on March 31st!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1In7cek

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1N8QEb1

Barnes & Noble:  http://bit.ly/1CT657M




deep.jpg

Blurb
Positive. With two little lines on a pregnancy test, everything in Lizzy Rollins' ordinary life is about to change forever. And all because of one big mistake in Vegas with Ben Nicholson, the irresistibly sexy bass player for Stage Dive. So what if Ben's the only man she's ever met who can make her feel completely safe, cherished, and out of control with desire at the same time? Lizzy knows the gorgeous rock star isn't looking for anything more permanent than a good time, no matter how much she wishes differently.

Ben knows Lizzy is off limits. Completely and utterly. She's his best friend's little sister now, and no matter how hot the chemistry is between them, no matter how sweet and sexy she is, he's not going to go there. But when Ben is forced to keep the one girl he's always had a weakness for out of trouble in Sin City, he quickly learns that what happens in Vegas, doesn't always stay there. Now he and Lizzie are connected in the deepest way possible...but will it lead to a connection of the heart?

deep teaser 6.jpg
Stage Dive Series Reading Order
Lick (Book One)
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1LQBlbE
Play (Book Two)
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1EDFuqc
Lead (Book Three)
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1N35Jgb
Deep (Book Four)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1In7cek

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1N8QEb1

Barnes & Noble:  http://bit.ly/1CT657M





About the Author:
kylie scott.jpg

Kylie is a long time fan of erotic love stories and B-grade horror films. She demands a happy ending and if blood and carnage occur along the way then all the better. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and one delightful husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet.

Kylie is represented by Amy Tannenbaum at the Jane Rotrosen Agency, New York.

Stalk Kylie Scott: 




Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Book Blitz: Deep Blue Eternity by Natasha Boyd + Giveaways (INT)


Welcome to my stop for the book blitz of Deep Blue Eternity by Natasha Boyd. I've already read the book and I absolutely loved it. It's one of my favorite books of 2015 so far. 
There are two giveaways below so dont hesitate to enter them!







Deep Blue Eternity by Natasha Boyd 
(Deep Blue Eternity #1) 
Publication date: March 26th 2015
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance


Livvy is on the run. And she’s escaped to the one place nobody will ever find her.

But the isolated cottage isn’t empty. Her refuge is home to a troubled stranger, Tom, there for reasons of his own.

In the intimacy of the abandoned cottage, and the remote wilderness of the island, the electrifying connection between them is impossible to ignore. Both running from their histories and shielding dark secrets, their pasts catch up with them and collide in an unimaginable way.

Deep emotions and powerful chemistry face a painful battle with the tangle of lies, and scars of the past. When the truth emerges, hearts will be shattered.

"A captivating, heart-wrenching, beautifully written story about those who scar us and those who help us heal. I could not put it down and am still thinking about it!" - Mia Sheridan, New York Times Bestselling author of Archer’s Voice

"Boyd skillfully navigates the scorching physical desire and personal insecurities of her protagonists, crafting a relationship that is tense, torrid and sure to keep the pages turning." ~ RT Book Reviews

“Fans of the Sea of Tranquility or Mia Sheridan will absolutely love this story.” ~ MissIngrid’s reviews. 

“I can’t recall ever reading a novel that made me laugh, smile, cry… just, feel as much as this one did.” ~ Books over Bros Reviews

Purchase:









About the Author:


Natasha Boyd is an internationally bestselling and award-winning author with a background in marketing and public relations.  Her debut novel Eversea was a finalist in the 2013 Winter Rose Contest for Contemporary Romance and won the 2014 Digital Book Award for Adult Fiction.  She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Georgia Romance Writers and Island Writer’s Network in coastal South Carolina where she has been a featured speaker on book marketing.  She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and lives with her husband, two sons and the cast of characters in her head. 





e-copy of Deep Blue Eternity (INT)
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Blitz-wide giveaway (INT)
$150 Amazon Gift Card
3 Signed Paperbacks of Deep Blue Eternity
5 Infinity/Anchor Karma Bracelets
a Rafflecopter giveaway