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Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Giveaway and Book Review of Unbreakable

Book Review of Unbreakable
Sponsored by Enchanted Book Tours




Welcome to Books, Books, and More Books.  I am pleased to share this book with you.  Thank you for visiting and please come again.


About the Book

Title: Unbreakable
Author: Emma Scott
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Romantic Suspense

Alex Gardener has her life planned out, down to the smallest detail. She has a skyrocketing career as a litigation attorney, a close group of socialite friends, and is engaged to one of the most successful businessmen in Beverly Hills. Everything is just as she wants it: comfortable, predictable, secure…if lacking passion. Fire. 

Cory Bishop is a struggling working man, trying to make ends meet while fighting to keep custody his young daughter. He knows that working hard is the only way to achieve his goals, but lately it seems everything he wants hangs just out of reach. 

The bank robbery changes everything. 

Alex and Cory spend three harrowing days as hostages locked in a bank with fifty frightened people and six criminals who grow more desperate--and dangerous--by the hour. Alex and Cory find comfort and safety with each other and reveal their deepest hopes and fears and secrets, unknowingly building a bond forged out of desperation and fear, one that they can’t break, even once outside the bank’s walls. 

Their lives are turned upside down, irrevocably altered, and they seek to move on and put the robbery--and each other--behind them. 

But some bonds, once forged, cannot be broken.
Author Bio
Emma Scott lives and works in the California Bay Area with her patient husband and two feisty little girls. 


Links



Giveaway


Win a $15 amazon gift card.




Book Excerpts

 “Help us! Help him!” I screamed again, and could have wept with relief as officers started my way. “You’re going to be okay,” I told Cory. “You’re going to be just fine.”

                Cory’s response was to slump against me heavily, his head lolling to the side. His breath had quieted to the barest whisper.

                “No! Cory, wake up!”

                No response. His eyes were open halfway, glazed with pain, and his mouth worked silently as he struggled weakly to draw breath.

                Then I found myself in a sea of legs as S.W.A.T. and medical personnel surrounded us. They took Cory from my clutching arms and bent over him, working frantically. An officer knelt beside me and asked me questions but I hardly heard him. I just watched, horror twisting my heart, as an EMT opened Cory’s shirt and jabbed something into his chest. Blood spurted and Cory gasped, jolting upright, and then sinking back down, his breath deeper now.

                “Alex…”

                I shoved my way through and took his hand in my bloody ones, trying not to stare at the instrument—that looked like a pen casing—jutting from his right pectoral.

                “I’m here. I’m right here.”

                He smiled faintly and then winced in a soundless scream as they lifted him onto to a gurney. They raised the head so that he was partially upright, while another EMT bent him forward to staunch the wound in his back. Then we were moving. I jogged alongside into the morning sunshine for the first time in four days, and then into an ambulance.

It seemed the blood would never stop flowing. Blood from behind Cory, blood leaking around the tube in his chest. They put an oxygen mask over his mouth and that became stained red as he coughed.

I clutched his hand tightly, so tightly. “Please don’t go,” I whispered. “Please stay with me. Cory, please. Stay…”

He wheezed for breath. It sounded so labored and thick with blood. His dull gaze landed on our entwined hands and his lips curved up ever so slightly, a weak version of his crooked grin.

He held on.

Weakly, struggling, in agony, he held on, drawing upon the great reservoirs of love and bravery I knew he possessed. He held on for his little girl. For his father. 

And I liked to think that maybe, if only a little, he held on because I refused to let him go.


Review: 

            This story started off a little slow.  Actually a lot slow and I really didn’t like the main character very much.  She was a b…ch, but she got over it.  I liked how the author took a catastrophic event and used it to show growth with the heroine.  After about half of the book, it really picked up and I enjoyed the romance.

            I give this book 4 out of 5 clouds.


This product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.


Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Book Review of Lioness of Kell

Book Review of Lioness of Kell
      Sponsored by Enchanted Book Tours


Welcome to Books, Books, and More Books.  I am pleased to share this book with you.  Thank you for visiting and please come again.



About The Book

Title: Lioness of Kell
Author: Paul E. Horsman
Genre: Fantasy

The lioness Maud is at eighteen already a black powerhouse of brawn. When she is ordered to fetch a young thief from a pirate town, she thinks it an easy task. Until she and Jurgis the thief find themselves running for their lives.

Young warlock Basil sees his life threatened by a summons from the Warlockry Council, to prove his beauty. He knows his lame foot will betray him and escapes on the first ship out of town. On board he meets Yarwan, a handsome midshipman, who awakens feelings he never knew existed.

When the four young people meet, Basil learns of a spell that could repair his foot. Only the spell’s creator, the infamous Black Warlock, disappeared nearly a century ago. As the four decide to go looking for him, they start on a path leading to an old war and unsolved mysteries that will change their world. Or kill them.

Author Bio
Paul E. Horsman (1952) is a Dutch and International Fantasy Author. Born in the sleepy garden village of Bussum, The Netherlands, he now lives in Roosendaal, a town on the Dutch/Belgian border.
He has been a soldier, salesman, scoutmaster and from 1995 a teacher of Dutch As A Second Language to refugees from all over the globe.
Since 2012, he is a full-time writer of epic light fantasy adventures for both Y.A. and over. His works have been both trade published in The Netherlands, and self-published internationally.

His available titles are:
* The Shadow of the Revenaunt (Rhidauna, Zihaen, Ordelanden) trilogy
* The Shardheld Saga (Shardfall, Runemaster, Shardheld) series
* Lioness of Kell (standalone)

Links

Book Excerpts

EXCERPT 4 – FROM CHAPTER 16
‘Give up!’ Maud roared, climbing halfway up the quarterdeck ladder. She saw the enemy captain beside the wheel, a tall man in a gleaming breastplate and a plumed helmet. He brandished his sword and shouted endless commands into the melee. Maud fixed him with her eye and bellowed, ‘Give up, you can’t win!’

‘We’ll see about that!’ an unnaturally hollow voice answered, and a hooded figure walked to stand beside the captain. ‘Behold my power!’

He waved his hands and a greenish mist wafted over Maud, chilling her to the bone, and making her gag with its stink of death and spilled blood. It formed a sluggish fluid on the main deck, spreading into all corners of the ship, and every fallen combatant of either side touched by it rose and attacked the Jentakans.

Maud’s forces screamed in horror and turned to flee.

‘Hold!’ Maud cried in her loudest voice. ‘By Kallianura I command you, stay and fight!’
Her warriors obeyed, but their courage was gone and they reacted like automatons.

The hooded figure lifted his arms. ‘Despair! You will all join the dead! I’ll ...’

‘Forbidden!’

The one word cut through the bedlam, silencing all.

The hooded figure stiffened. ‘Who dares ...?’

A blinding flash turned all eyes to the redheaded boy with the dragon staff, standing at the foot of the smoke stack amidships. ‘I dare you, child!’

‘Basil!’ Jurgis cried. ‘Watch out!’

The Spellwarden raised his arms over the green and his voice was deep, laden with authority. ‘By the power of the Council, your magic is forbidden! Begone, foul spirits!’

A frightful black light sprang from his staff, spread out and like two spills of wine on a tabletop, it met the enemy’s green. There it stopped.

The hooded figure near the wheel laughed derisively. ‘You want to oppose my might, foolish boy?’

To and fro the green and the black rolled, but neither won a foot’s length. Then Basil lifted his left hand, waving a heavy silver branch as long as his arm, and cried something terrible that defied Maud’s hearing. The black light shooting from his staff turned to purple and so did the substance covering half of the deck. A heady smell of lilies wafted over the ship, a drowsy aroma that filled Maud with lethargy. The sweet purple spread, drinking up the green and returning blessed death to every fallen fighter. Finally, it reached the foot of the quarterdeck ladder and started upward.

With a yell of rage, the hooded figure clapped his hands. ‘This isn’t over!’ He jumped high up in the air, and something caught him. It carried him away from the ship, seaward into the blue sky. His last shout of rage and frustration rent the air. ‘I’ll be baaack!’


Review: 

            Fantasy story with intersting mythology.  This story brings together four or five people who are from different ethnic groups specific to the land where the story is set.  They get caught up in a centuries old war that is brought to them as they attempt to complete several tasks.

            I found myself caught up in the world and the people in the story.  I cannot wait to read more about these people and their adventures. 

            I give this story 4 out of 5 clouds.



This product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Book Review of A Thistle Beyond Time

Book Review of A Thistle Beyond Time
        Sponsored by Enchanted Book Tours



Welcome to Books, Books, and More Books.  I am pleased to share this book with you.  Thank you for visiting and please come again.


About the Book

Title: A Thistle Beyond Time

Author: Jennae Vale

Genre: Time Travel Romance

Cormac MacBayne wants a wife and the witch, Edna Campbell, has the perfect woman in mind.  The only problem is they’re separated by five hundred years and thousands of miles.

Fresh from a bad marriage, Jenna Sinclair has sworn off men – that is until a handsome highlander comes out of the fog and into her life.  He’s a mystery and possibly part of an elaborate practical joke concocted by her cousin.  Jenna’s had enough deception in her life.  Can she risk everything to be with a man who is so obviously lying to her?

Author Bio
Jennae was born and raised a New England girl, just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, where her imagination was always bigger than she was. Her large, extended Irish and Italian families were a great source of support, inspiration and humor.  Laughter, love and food were never hard to find in her home. Growing up surrounded by nostalgic, historical landmarks, fed her love of history and creative writing. 

She has worn many hats over the years.  From owning her own typing service and horse training/boarding facility, to operating an embroidery/t-shirt business, her entrepreneurial spirit was strong and thriving. Determined to do something she truly loved, her vivid imagination took over again and she decided to follow her literary dream of writing stories that tapped into her love of magnificent people and places. 

Jennae now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, where they've raised two beautiful and talented children.  Along the way they've gathered a menagerie of pets, including one dog, three cats and 4 chickens to make the family complete.  



Links

Book Excerpt
Jenna was running the vacuum cleaner when Dylan returned with Cormac. She didn’t hear them enter and when she finally did look up, she jumped, clutching her chest. “You scared me!” Her heart was racing in her chest.

“Sorry, cuz,” Dylan apologized, with a sheepish grin on his face.

Jenna looked around Dylan and an angry scowl lit across her features as she spied
Cormac.

“I thought I told you to take him to a shelter! What didn’t you understand about that?” She snapped.
 
“I couldn’t do that to him, Jenna. He’s from another country and he doesn’t know anyone here. He’s a good guy, really. We just spent the last hour having breakfast and getting to know each other.”

“Dylan, I know what you’re up to, so you can stop right now.” Letting go of the vacuum, Jenna crossed her arms over her chest.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dylan replied.

“I know this is all a practical joke. I don’t know how you pulled it off and I don’t know where you got this guy from, but I can’t believe you would do that to me. You know how upset I’ve been lately and when he appeared out of nowhere, well… I thought he was a serial killer or something.”

“I would never harm ye, lass.” Cormac said, as he peeked around from behind
Dylan.

“I know that now, but at the time I was pretty scared.”

“I apologize to ye. I didnae mean to scare ye.”

“It wasn’t a practical joke, Jenna. This guy, Cormac, is from Scotland and he was sent here by a witch. That’s the Edna he mentioned. Anyway, he’s not even from this time. He’s from the sixteenth century. Can you believe it?” Dylan asked excitedly.

“No. I can’t believe it and I don’t. Nice work trying to convince me of something completely impossible. Have you been taking acting classes lately, Dylan, ‘cause you’re pretty good. If I didn’t know you better, I might even believe you.”

“It’s true, Jenna. I’m not making it up. Tell her Cormac.”
“He’s telling the truth, lass. Edna sent me from the year 1514. She said ye were to be me wife.”

“Now don’t start that again. You both need to give it up. I don’t believe you. There’s no such thing as time travel. Period. The end.”

“Okay. I won’t mention it again, but we’re not lying and time travel is totally possible, you’ll see,” Dylan insisted.

 Review: 

This is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone story.  It is a fun tale of time travel, true love, and second chances.  It  reminds me a little of a movie I saw about a man who fell in love with a picture and traveled back in time to meet the girl and realized she was smiling at him in the picture he fell in love with.

I have enjoyed this whole series and cannot wait to read the next one, which I’m hoping will be Dylan’s story (you’ll have to read the book to find out what that is.)

I give this story 4.5 out of 5 clouds.


This product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.