The Stuff of Stars Review Tour

Blurb:

Book 2 of The Seekers series continues the story started in the critically-acclaimed, multiple award-winning The Children of Darkness.

Against all odds, Orah and Nathaniel have found the keep and revealed the truth about the darkness, initiating what they hoped would be a new age of enlightenment. But the people were more set in their ways than anticipated, and a faction of vicars whispered in their ears, urging a return to traditional ways.

Desperate to keep their movement alive, Orah and Nathaniel cross the ocean to seek the living descendants of the keepmasters’ kin. Those they find on the distant shore are both more and less advanced than expected.

The seekers become caught between the two sides, and face the challenge of bringing them together to make a better world. The prize: a chance to bring home miracles and a more promising future for their people. But if they fail this time, they risk not a stoning but losing themselves in the twilight of a never-ending dream.

Excerpt:

A flutter unsettled my stomach, different from hunger. What if these aren’t the visionaries we’d come all this way to find?

Perhaps merely my exhaustion at the end of a long day, overshadowed by the gloom of impending night.

A rush of feathers churned the air as a flock of blackbirds startled and took flight, a foreboding cloud darkening the already dim sky. They squawked and swirled and flew off toward the distant cliffs, as if the fortress that loomed higher up was their resting place. In an instant the sky had cleared and all was silent again.

With the birds announcing our approach, the dwellings came alive.

…

More people poured out to greet us, dozens of them. Mostly children, they swarmed, a few reaching out to touch our clothing, and others waving their black boxes at us. I heard the familiar questions from the younger ones. “Who are these strangers? Where are they from?” And the same phrase repeated—the dreamers.

In this way, they swept Nathaniel and I along, until suddenly all conversation stopped. We’d reached the archway, the entrance to the city.

Kara stepped in front and held up a hand.

“Wait here.” She gestured to the stone statues with the glowing eyes. “The guards won’t let you through. Not yet. I’ll ask the mentor to grant you access.”

She ran through the archway, dodged among the hovels, and vanished into the dome.

We waited before the silent crowd, shuffling our tired feet and eyeing the guards. Moments later, Kara reemerged, smiling and relieved. She turned sideways and waved us through.

I grasped Nathaniel’s hand, and together we stepped into this new world.

Then, as we strolled through the gate of the city, basking in the glow, the wall of light surrounding it shimmered one last time, rippled and winked out as if it had never existed.

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October 3: Long and Short Reviews

October 10: Books,Dreams,Life
October 17: The Avid Reader
October 17: The Reading Addict
October 24: Lilac Reviews

October 24: Sharing Links and Wisdom 

Author Bio and Links:

The urge to write first struck when working on a newsletter at a youth encampment in the woods of northern Maine. It may have been the night when lightning flashed at sunset followed by northern lights rippling after dark. Or maybe it was the newsletter's editor, a girl with eyes the color of the ocean. But he was inspired to write about the blurry line between reality and the fantastic.

Using two fingers and lots of white-out, he religiously typed five pages a day throughout college and well into his twenties. Then life intervened. He paused to raise two sons and pursue a career, in the process becoming a well-known entrepreneur in the software industry, founding several successful companies. When he found time again to daydream, the urge to write returned.

David and his wife split their time between Cape Cod, Florida and anywhere else that catches their fancy. He no longer limits himself to five pages a day and is thankful every keystroke for the invention of the word processor.

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Lyrical Press Historical Romances - Within a Captain's Fate and Veiled in Blue

Blurbs:

WITHIN A CAPTAIN’S FATE by Lisa Olech

Wherever the tides take you . . .

Guided by the winds of fate, Henry ‘Ric’ Robbins arrives on a hot June day in Port Royal. But the moment he sets foot on what should be a pirate’s paradise, he’s driven to steal a woman destined for slavery, survives the worst natural disaster to ever hit the isle of Jamaica, and answers the call to be captain of the Scarlet Night.

Jocelyn Beauchamp’s life is one of privilege—until she is rudely thrown into the hands of pirates. Freed from the chains of her cloistered society, Jocelyn is drawn to her newfound life at sea—reckless, thrilling, and utterly unpredictable. And the man who saved her life not once, but twice—why not do it all over again?

VEILED IN BLUE by Lynne Connolly

It is up to the Emperors of London to protect the throne—without risking their hearts…

Governess Eve Merton would have fallen into serious trouble on her walk home if a handsome stranger had not stopped to help her. But when Mr. Vernon gives her a lift on his horse, he makes no secret of his attraction. As a well brought-up young lady, Eve does her best not to notice, but when he sets about courting her, she knows she’s in trouble. For she has a secret: she is the daughter of a deposed king, which means not only is she without a dowry, but also that her life is in danger…

Little does Eve know that Mr. Vernon has secrets of his own. In truth, his name is Julius, Lord Winterton, and he’s well aware that Eve is the offspring of the Old Pretender. In order to save his sister, he must convince Eve to wed—though he wants nothing to do with love. But as the two grow closer and an attempt is made on Eve’s life, Julius may realize that fighting his heart’s true desire is a battle most pleasurably surrendered…

Excerpt from Veiled In Blue:

He swung from the saddle and reached for her. The horse was too weary to take advantage of his lightened load and stood patiently while Mr. Vernon slid his hands around her waist and lifted her effortlessly to the ground. He did not release her immediately.

Eve held the empty basket like a shield, the only protection she had against more intimate contact.

He smiled down at her.  He was half a foot taller than her, if not  more. “Do you think you can take your own weight, or should I carry you to your door?”

“Sir!” Scandalized, she opened her eyes wider while heat rushed to her cheeks. The notion of all the residents of the green watching while he picked her up was unthinkable. Or almost. The small part remaining was her romantic self, the part she ruthlessly crushed. It lingered this time to whisper, What if I let him? in the dark recesses of her mind.

Showing nothing but polite gratitude, she thanked him kindly. “I daresay you will be away in a few days, so I doubt we will meet again. So allow me to thank you now. I am deeply grateful for your help, sir.”

Now, looking directly at him, she sensed danger lurking in the clean-cut features. This man had a wild edge, well concealed but there. Intelligence gleamed in his eyes, together with the wry humor he had displayed during their journey. For one reckless moment, she thought he might tighten his hold, force her to drop the basket, and kiss her. His lips were full, eminently kissable. Not that she had much experience.  

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October 17: Welcome to My World of Dreams
October 18: EskieMama Reads
October 19: Louise Lyndon Romance Author Hear Me Roar
October 20: Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess
October 21: Sharing Links and Wisdom
October 24: Queen of All She Reads
October 25: Fabulous and Brunette
October 26: The Avid Reader
October 27: T's Stuff
October 28: Long and Short Reviews

Author Bio and Links:

Lisa A. Olech is an artist/writer living in her dream house nestled among the lakes in New England. She loves getting lost in a steamy book, finding the perfect pair of sexy shoes, and hearing the laughter of her men. Being an estrogen island in a sea of testosterone makes her queen. She believes in ghosts, silver linings, the power of a man in a tuxedo, and happy endings.

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Lynne Connolly

I was born in Leicester, England, and lived in our cobbler’s shop with my parents and sister. It was an old house and most definitely haunted, but I didn’t find out until I left that my great uncle had hung himself in the living room! But I think our ghost might have been older than that. It was built on the site of the old Roman cemetery, and the land had been constantly inhabited, being in the centre of town. Then, when the council bought the house from us to build a road, my grandfather retired and my father went and worked for the Post Office. My mother was a sample machinist; that is, she worked with designers on the prototypes (models or samples) of garments. So I was very well dressed! We bought a relatively modern house in the country, and my mother was blissfully happy. It’s all very well living in a large old house, but it’s a dreadful task to keep it clean and warm!

My mother's side of the family are Romany gypsies, although sadly we haven't any of the old trailers that are so astonishingly beautiful. I was taught to read the Tarot cards, and I usually use two packs; the Rider pack for simple readings and the Crowley Thoth pack for the complex stuff. I've always had an interest in the paranormal and it's been a delight to be able to put some of this into my novels.

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The After War Book Blast

Blurb:

Two years have passed since mankind faced extinction.

Brain Rhodes and his cousin, Steven, are leaving the protection of their underground bunker for the first time, after a cataclysmic war and unrelenting disease ravaged the earth.

On the other side of the North American continent, young Simon Kalispell is leaving the safety and seclusion of his cabin deep in the woods, traveling with his aging canine companion, Winston.

For individual reasons, these men are traveling east, where the fragmented lives of a small number of survivors will soon be decided by the choices of a corrupt few.

Simon Kalispell and Brian Rhodes are not yet aware, but the strength that resides inside them will soon be tested, and destiny will call for their fates to be forever intertwined.

Excerpt:

Brian looked down the entry chute to Steven at the bottom. He knew that five minutes ago, the only thought going through Steven’s mind had been the complete and utter fear of facing whatever unknown nature of humanity might remain outside that bunker door. Now his cousin looked panicked as the filtered light reflected the sheen of sweat on his forehead, his body tensed, as if the all-encompassing blackness in that room was squeezing him toward the exit. Steven’s eyes darted over his shoulder in the direction of the one piece of equipment they had not shut down entirely—the walk-in freezer. The red, glowing light from the switch illuminated the far wall. Steven seemed frozen, transfixed.

Not the time to be thinking about what’s in there, Brian thought.

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In addition to the commenter prize, the author is also raffling off five signed copies of THE EXPERIMENT OF DREAMS (drawing will be October 21) here. 

Don't forget to visit the other stops on the tour.

Author Bio and Links:

Brandon Zenner is an American fiction writer and an Amazon best selling author. His short fiction has been published in both print and online publications, the first being submitted when he was 19 years old. THE EXPERIMENT OF DREAMS, his debut eBook thriller, has reached Amazon's best seller list many times. His second novel, WHISKEY DEVILS, was released in early 2016. THE AFTER WAR, a dystopian thriller, is available now as a pre-order, at 80% off the final sale price. You can follow the author on his Amazon page, or through his email list on his website. All email subscribers will receive his futuristic short story, HELIX ILLUMINATED, for free as a thank you. His genres of choice are thrillers, crime, dystopian, and science fiction.

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The After War is on sale for 99c during the tour.

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The Black Werewolves Series Blurb Blitz

Blurb:

Enter the world where myth becomes reality, where long forgotten gods walk the earth, and where love forms bonds that cannot be broken even in the raging winds of battle.

Box set contains: The Dark Ones, The 24hourlies, Chased (novella)

Excerpt:

“You're saying someone practiced?” Rose's growled under her breath as she studied the photographs on her mother's desk.

They both stood motionless in the spacious living room that offered the most breathtaking view over Central Park. But it wasn't the view that held their attention. Rose picked a photograph out of the several that were scattered across the sleek mahogany surface. Piles of small bodies lay on the tiled bathhouse floor, left there as they fell, an expression of sheer horror permanently embedded in their faces.

“How come –” she stopped mid-sentence. Of course this information hadn't reached them; the immortals kept everything very close quarter even when it came to the most unimportant events. Something like this would naturally cause an even bigger lockdown. To advertise their weaknesses meant nothing but the slowly approaching chill of death.

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Author Bio and Links:

Gaja J. Kos is the international bestselling author of the urban fantasy series BLACK WEREWOLVES and the erotic paranormal romance novellas DROWNED. She is also a bilingual poet with 12 published poetry collections.

Gaja resides in Celje, Slovenia, with her husband and two Chinese Crested dogs.

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The Moonlight Market NBtM

Blurb:

College senior Cory Long tracked his missing sister to the magical Moonlight Market to bring her home. Instead, he found a disorienting world of performers and hawkers, bizarre sights and sounds, and one very familiar showman, Sanderson Beets. Like a drowning man, he latched onto Sanderson, trusting him to navigate the twists and turns of the Market as unerringly as he had steered Cory to passion in their furtive trysts on campus.

But Sanderson was tired of being the quickie in the alley.

Sanderson Beets had escaped the Moonlight Market to attend college, hoping to settle into a normal life, maybe meet someone and fall in love. To obtain that new life he made a dangerous bargain. And when the sinister woman known as the Weaver of Dreams is involved, second chances always come with strings attached…and sacrifices. Sanderson’s debt has come due, and the only payment he has to offer is Cory, and their chance at a relationship.

Excerpt:

“Cory?”

He swiveled to see Sanderson leaning out of the main office of the Center. “Is there something I can help you with?”

Cory felt tongue-tied for a moment. He stepped back, and the pins on the corkboard stabbed into his spine. Sanderson would be here. Of course he would—he was a center volunteer. Here to witness Cory at his most vulnerable. That was pretty much the only time they interacted. Ever since the Meet and Greet and the abortive drink at the bar, Cory had gone out of his way to avoid seeing Sanderson. There was only so much self-loathing and want Cory could stomach in himself. And he didn’t want it on display to someone as nice as Sanderson had been to him.

But he remembered their first time and the flyer Sanderson had ripped to give him his number. Could it be the same one Cory was looking for?

“Hi…um, I was looking for a flyer I thought I saw up here.” He pointed to the bulletin board. “It was yellow?”

Sanderson gave the board a once-over and shook his head. “Looks like someone snatched it. I know the one you’re talking about. I’ve got more.”

Sanderson jogged back to the desk, and Cory trailed after him. He bent down to his backpack, affording Cory another eyeful of muscular ass. The barest strip of pale skin showed between the hem of Sanderson’s T-shirt and the belted waist of his jeans. Below it, his hips rounded into a tempting curve. Cory clenched his fist, pushing back the yearning to crowd close behind Sanderson, push him to his knees, and let his fingers delve under the denim to grasp that curve as he—

Danger in the Moonlight

When I think of Halloween, inevitably I think of the huge golden harvest moon overhead. That full moon means ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties are roaming the shadows just beyond my vision. But you know, my fear of the dark might go back even farther, maybe as far back as recorded history. Some researchers think our instinctual fear of the dark and hyper-awareness of the full moon are linked to a time thousands of years ago when our ancestors lived with the lions on the savannas of Africa.

Unlike most animals, humans never evolved to have good night vision. We're fairly helpless with no moon to guide us. But we still enjoy the night life and are generally active until about 10:00 p.m. at night. So, on moonless nights or nights with little moonlight, humans with their poor eyesight were easy prey for animals like lions who can see much better in the dark.

As to why we sometimes dread the coming of the full moon? The full moon rises about an hour after sunset. Humans expecting to be able to see in the brightness of the full moon are still active during that hour despite the fact that it's very dark. Humans are future-thinking animals. We anticipate moonlight to guide us, even if it's not there yet. Animal attacks during the full moon within that dark hour, between sunset and the full moon rise, are more numerous than at any other time of the month.

Is it any wonder our ancestors came to dread the full moon? It appeared to them (and to us) as if all bad things came with that bright disc in the sky. And since they didn't pass down the genes for good night vision, they passed down the instinctive fear of the full moon instead. It looks like a fear of the darkness, and the creatures that roam within it, is genetically coded into our DNA.

That’s why when I wrote THE MOONLIGHT MARKET, I wanted a place where shadows might grow long, taking on shapes both sinister and menacing. And the perfect place to put it was under that bright full moon and its false sense of safety.

Stay safe this Halloween and keep to the lighted paths. Who knows what might be lurking in the shadows!

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Author Bio and Links:

Aidee Ladnier, an award-winning author of speculative fiction, began writing at twelve years old but took a hiatus to be a magician’s assistant, ride in hot air balloons, produce independent movies, collect interesting shoes, and amass a secret file with the CIA. A lover of genre fiction, it has been a lifelong dream of Aidee's to write both romance and erotica with a little science-fiction, fantasy, mystery, or the paranormal thrown in to add a zing.

You can find her on her blog or on her favorite social media sites:

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Pale Rider: Zombies vs. Dinosaurs Book Blast

Blurb:

Two worlds collide in this action novelette. Zombies have destroyed civilization. Gasoline fuel is no longer an option, but humanity must find a way to survive. In response to trying to restore our way of life, we engineer franken-monsters. Because of their small brains and massive sizes, these beasts make quick work of farming and clearing land. These large creatures are immune to the zombie virus and perform excellently in loud conditions. They are easy to train. They behave like war horses, prone to help charge in and defend our livelihood.

Excerpt:

Avant was massaging his temples when the plan was thunderously shattered by a panicked dinosaur. Clearing land rarely went to plan, but it was rare that it went off course so soon.

The vegetation deeper in the forest was the first sign of trouble. The commotion started with cracking trees as a large animal thumped out of the nearby forest. As if being saddled in a giant rodeo, the brontosaurus kicked and bucked with its back legs. The beast kept jumping from left to right as if something were riding it. Our simple plan gave way to my bellowing commands between the bleating roar of the long-necked dinosaur.

“Re-group point! Re-group point!” I yelled to my crew, pointing down the fence line. This order would cause a lot of noise, but a quiet operation was no longer an option. We also had to continue the plan. Solomon was still preparing for our sweep, though I couldn’t imagine a better crier than a loud, pained dinosaur. Were there ants on its back? No. Those were zombies. The brontosaurus must have been foolish to stop for vegetation or bed down nearby.

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Author Bio and Links:

James was born in Montana, raised with three brothers, and provided trouble for two parents. In his 20's he fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. He then moved out to Seattle after college and started a life. In 2014, he started to write full time.

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Pale Rider is currently available for free on Amazon

Review: To the Highest Bidder by Caitlin Ricci

The Intergalactic Star Pilot Academy has accepted Thierry Leroux into the elite class of sky year 2231. But the academy comes with a hefty price tag, and there's no way he, a poor Sythe orphan, has the credits the academy requires. Thierry’s brother, Corbin, a high-class companion, suggests Thierry sell his virginity for the cost of tuition. It seems like a ridiculous idea, but it may be Thierry’s only shot, so Thierry asks Corbin to arrange a meeting on the pleasure planet of Wish.

On Wish, Thierry meets Corbin's boss, Monroe, and they agree to auction off Thierry’s virginity. Thierry is grateful to the masked buyer he knows only as “Dragonfly,” and Dragonfly is gentle, making Thierry’s first time a good memory. When Dragonfly requests to see him again, and pay for the pleasure, Thierry returns to Wish. But in this game, falling in love is dangerous for the heart, and Thierry might not like the man behind the mask.

Dreamspinner Press     |     Amazon     |     Goodreads

My Review:

3.5 stars

I enjoyed reading To the Highest Bidder. It was an entertaining, fun, and smexy read. It also started as an insta-love story but then developed into a greater romance.

                                           

First off, Thierry and Dragonfly fell in love instantly, which I thought was a bit weird. Making sure someone has a good first time does not mean you should fall in love with him. Everything just felt rushed and made Thierry seem immature (which he is) and Dragonfly a bit creepy at times (which he is). There are time skips that we don’t see, so their relationship could have been growing in that time, but it was just a little weird to me because it didn’t blend as well.

However, while it was insta-love between the characters at first, I liked how the author ended up resolving their relationship in a realistic and well-thought out way. First, the reveal of who Dragonfly was worked well for me.

set up the end half of the book and really forced Thierry to grow up and realize that relationships are not easy. One of the characters basically calls Thierry out on the fact that he was immature and how he said he was in love yet when that love was tested, he didn’t react well. Although, I do understand why he reacted the way he did, I thought it was great to see that things weren’t going to just wrap up in a neat bow.

This is also where the hot sex takes a backseat, the plot becomes much more prevalent, and most of the angst comes in. While there were still smexy times, I loved the new plot developments, as they all helped (forced) the characters to grow up and evolve. Like I said, Thierry had to mature and learn to work for his relationship while Dragonfly had to learn to be a bit less cynical and jaded (even if it takes practically the entire rest of the book for this to happen). And while there were times where the angst between Thierry and the revealed Dragonfly became a bit repetitive and dragged on, I think it still worked for the overall story.

My only other big issues with this novel were a few conflicting details I noticed, which were annoying, and the time skips. As I mentioned before, there are time skips throughout the novel, some only a few weeks or a month, others half a year to a decade. Time skips are iffy to me because while they can help drive the plot along, they can also hurt the character development in a story. And while a few of the time skips worked (i.e. the giant one between the final chapter and the epilogue), I didn’t like many of the time skips as I felt I missed out on a lot of relationship and character development. I also would have liked to see more of Thierry as a pilot, since that was the reason behind why he started all of this in the first place, but aside from seeing him do some homework and schoolwork, we didn’t get to see much flying.

Aside from those issues, I enjoyed this story. It was fun and entertaining and the plot ended up really surprising me at the end since I wasn’t expecting it to expand much beyond where I thought it was going. Also, Corbin was a fun older brother and a great secondary character, and I loved how supportive he was to Thierry. So overall, I recommend giving this story a shot.