{Book Tour} The Pact by Graeme Brown Book Review

Title: The Pact

Author: Graeme Brown

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Publisher: BURST (May 4 2013)

Buy Links: Kobo | Kindle | Other Formats

Synopsis:

Enter the world of Will Lesterall, a boy who’s grown up in the safety of his father’s castle.

Tales of the outside world ruled by warring kings and creatures of nightmare have never seemed a threat, yet on the night celebrating the two hundredth year of the sacred Pact that has kept Fort Lesterall safe, a secret intrigue ripens, and in the course of a few hours Will is confronted with a choice greater than he can comprehend.

Join an unlikely hero as destiny pulls him into the middle of an ancient conflict between fallen gods and ambitious women, one that demands blood, both holy and wicked, and the power of an ancient fire bound in steel. As swords clash below a watching wood, hope and betrayal war as fiercely as fear and valor.

Whether he lives or dies, Will Lesterall will never be the same.

Author Bio:

Graeme Brown is has been enchanted by the epic fantasy genre since he was a child, and consequently he started creating his own world with its stories at the age of thirteen. Influenced by writers like J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, and George R. R. Martin, he has finally brought the first of those stories to life with his debut title, a short story called The Pact—48 pages that will whisk you away to a dark, medieval fantasy world with gritty realism. When he’s not writing, he can be found exploring number theory problems or writing computer programs, training for a marathon, or unwinding in a yoga hot room. He has also explored other facets of art, both as a hobby and a profession, including vector graphics, pen and ink, classical piano, and web design. Despite being a full time student and a junior editor for Champagne Books, he makes sure to do a little writing every day. He is presently busy with the first of many sequels to The Pact, A Thousand Roads.

For more about Graeme, visit his website: http://www.graemebrownart.com/the_pact.html

Author links:

Website: http://www.graemebrownart.com/the_pact.html

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GraemeBrownWpg

Blog: http://www.fantasywritingjourney.wordpress.com

My review:

This book can be read in one sitting. It is a dark fantasy in ancient times.  The author wrote this really well I felt that I knew the main character Will Lesterall  personally by the end of it. I felt that he was a normal lad rather than a svelte handsome man that always seems to be the hero in most books, it made  refreshing change. In the beginning I had trouble getting to grips with the plot due to the book only being 46 pages there was a lot to know about in a short amount of time but it got easier to digest as the book progressed. 

A great start to the series. 

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By:: Judy Serrano

Publisher:: Black Rose Writing 
Pages:: 264 
Price:: $17.95
ISBN:: 978-1612962177
Type:: Suspense/Thriller with a Twist
Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble


About the Book::

Daphne Foster is a substitute teacher stuck in an English class, waiting for that dreaded parent-teacher conference. With much preparation and anxiety, she encounters the unforgettable Charlie Cross. His charm and good looks, win her over but rumors of his involvement with organized crime make his continued disappearances disturbing.

In walks Heathcliff Vanderpool, creating a love triangle of unusual sorts. Unknown to Daphne, Heathcliff and Charlie are old friends: Older than she could have imagined. With Charlie away on business, Daphne and Heathcliff discover a passion between them lying beneath the surface. As their souls link, pulling away from Charlie becomes next to impossible. Will his involvement in organized crime consume them both before she’s able to get free? When you become “linked,” the choice may not be your own.

My Thoughts::
Charlie is a man that has lived many, many years - However he is not a man. Charlie is a Vampire that is sweet charming and is in love with Daphne a substitute teacher that is teaching English  He is a organized crime boss and she knows it but she is falling for the man at first. When Charlie leaves for a business trip, she meets Heathcliff and starts to fall in love with him more then Charlie. She does not know that the two guys because they are both from another world. Charlie being a vampire and Heathcliff being a werewolf they have crossed paths before in their life times. With Charlie loving Daphne, will he let her go so she can be with Heathcliff or will he fight for her? You have to check out link to find out what happens next. 

 

Author Bio:Judy Serrano graduated from Texas A&M University, Commerce with a BA in English. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Dallas Area Romance Authors. She is a substitute teacher at the local school district and writes for various on-line publications. She is the author of Easter’s Lilly, Brother Number Three, Relatively Close andMemoirs of a Mobster, which are romantic thrillers and part of The Easter’s Lilly Series.

Judy currently resides in Texas with her husband, four children (all boys) and five dogs. She is also a singer/songwriter in her spare time.

Author web links:

WEBSITE: www.JudySerrano.com
BLOG : www.JudySerranoAuthor.com
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/#!/authorjserrano
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/JudySerranoAuthor?ref=ts
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4792103.Judy_Serrano

FTC:: This post was written for CM Booktours, who provided the complimentary product in exchange for my honest review.

Legacy of a Dreamer :: Book Tour :: Review

Legacy of a Dreamer 

Series #1

by Allie Jean

Publisher::
Pages:: 170
Price:: $17.99
ISBN:: 978-1612130408
Type:: YA

About the Book::

Chantal Breelan is a ward of the state, living under the care of a woman who is cold and heartless. Her past is a mystery, and her future is even more uncertain. She can’t recall why she had been taken from her parents and so she’s left with nothing but an empty hole where her childhood should have been. When she awakens from her nightmares, she’s left with terrible, violent images, as well as a boy whose face is oddly familiar, yet can’t be placed.

Scared and alone, Chantal begins to confide in an imaginary friend – a shadow in the shape of a man who stands in the corner of her room. She is comforted when she believes he listens to her.

On her eighteenth birthday, Chantal is forced to leave her foster home. She moves to New York City, but the start of her new life doesn’t begin as smoothly as she’d hoped. In this environment, she faces a whole new set of challenges.

One night at a subway station, Chantal meets a young boy who runs away from her, and she’s compelled to follow him down into the tunnels. But this Rabbit Hole reveals a world where reality is a nightmare. Her dreams are clues to her future, and her life becomes twisted and dangerous when she learns that things that go bump in the night are not just in fairy tales and childhood stories.

Author Bio:

Allie Jean was born with an overactive imagination. She spent her childhood inventing stories and telling tales. Her mind never shut down, even while she slept. Vivid dreams containing extensive, elaborate plot lines of good overcoming evil villains captured her nightly visions, lingering into her waking hours and filling the pages of her well-loved bounded diaries. She was encouraged by her parents, even at a young age, to write down her tales, and it has remained a somewhat secret hobby. As a busy wife, mother and critical care nurse, Allie’s love of storytelling has been reborn through the adventures of her unforgettable characters.

Author Links:

Website: http://Alliejean.net

About.Me: http://about.me/allie.jean
TWCS: http://ph.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/authors/detail/35
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoralliejean

G+ https://plus.google.com/101294245386992637315/posts

Twitter: @AllieJeanDS

My Thoughts::

The Legacy of a Dreamer is about a young girls journey of finding out about herself and what she does not know. Chantal has been a foster care child since a young age, having nightmares for as long as she can remember. Chantal finds comfort in her long time friend that stands in the shadows that is a imaginary friend she has with her always. This imaginary friend that she has never came out of the shadows until she moved all the way to New York right before her 18th birthday. Chantal found out what the darkness holds and who she really is. As well as what the shadows that are around her.

Chantal find that her guardian-angle-imaginary-friend also can come out of the shadows and come to her aid when she misses the train and is in the face of danger. With Chantal being a very strong woman she finds her counter part Mathias a warrior that comes to her aid with feeling pure and is real. This is not something that comes along very often for him and is unsure what to do about them.

FTC:: This post was written for CM Books, who provided the complimentary product in exchange for my honest review.

Chief Complaint Brain Tumor :: Book Tour :: Review

Chief Complaint Brain Tumor

By:: John Kerastas

Publisher:: Sunstone Press
Pages:: 136
Price:: $16.95
ISBN:: 978-0865349087
Type:: Non- Fiction

About the Book::

At 57 years old, I thought I was the poster child for fifty-year old healthiness: I competed in triathlons, rode in 100 mile biking events and ate a healthy diet chock full of organic vegetables. Then I discovered that I had a brain tumor the size of my wife’s fist.

My memoir chronicles the first year I spent addressing tumor-related health issues: preparing for my first operation, discovering a dangerous skull infection, having the infected portion of my skull surgically removed, learning about my substantial vision and cognitive losses, undergoing rehab and radiation treatments, and learning to live with my “new normal.” And, as best I can tell, the phrase “new normal” is the medical community’s code words for “You’re alive, so quit bitchin’.”

As my health changed, so did my sense of humor. My humor started out superficially light-hearted prior to the first operation; transmogrified into gallows humor after several subsequent operations; and leveled out as somewhat wry-ish after radiation and rehab.

Topics I write about in the book include:

How not to tell everybody you have a brain tumor

Why it’s a lot of work to die in this country

Why I had difficulties in naming my tumor

How I negotiated bathroom visits with “Nurse Don’t-Bother-Me”

Why I could prove that I was the “dumbest guy in the room”

Why someone compared the back of my head to a diseased goat

How I flunked a job interview with myself

This is a book for anybody interested in memoirs about people dealing with personal crises, for patients trudging through rehab, for caretakers helping victims of serious illnesses, or for anybody looking for an unexpected chuckle from an unlikely subject.

Author Bio:

I’ve worked at a global advertising agency, at several technology start-up companies and as a free-lance writer. Currently I spend most of my time blogging, speaking and writing about brain health, brain tumors and rehab. I speak to hospital rehab groups, stroke and aphasia groups, and last summer spoke at the American Brain Tumor Association’s annual “Patient and Caregiver” conference.

My charity and non-profit efforts includes work through the Taproot Foundation on behalf of Apna Ghar (a Chicago-based non-profit providing domestic violence services to immigrant communities). I also go on Appalachia Service project trips through my church, participate in Early Response Teams that follow first responders into disaster areas, and teach and certify Early Response Teams through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (e.g.UMCOR).

Authors Links:

Website: http://www.chief-complaint.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChiefComplaintBrainTumor

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16249650-chief-complaint

Review Thoughts::

How would it be if you found out that you had a Brain Tumor? I am sure for most that this would be  terrifying time in a persons life to find this out. This is a heart felt book and true account of a mans diagnosis, surgery and recovery from benign brain tumor that left him partially blind. 

Kerastas talks about the symptoms he had that led him to seek out a doctor for his care. As he is a talking to the doctors he still has his fun sassiness even as he describes his reaction to hearing about the fist-size brain tumor. To create a lighter side he names is tumor The Blob. Kerastas also talks about the hospital staff that he encounters.

With Kerastas dealing with his health issues he is also having to deal with his long time friend and dog is also affected with his own health issues. He is able to intertwin his story as well as the story of his dog to make you feel the struggle that his is dealing with all at once.

While the book ends Kerastas struggles will not be with the effects of the tumor. I leaves you with a sense of hope that we have of getting better and not be sick. Not everyone ones journey is the same if you have a tumor and this is just one mans account of what is happening to him.

FTC:: This post was written for CMBooks, who provided the complimentary product in exchange for my honest review.

(Book Tour) Epsilon A. R Book Review

Title: Epsilon A.R
Author: Zackery Alexander Humphreys
Genre: Sci-Fi

Buy Links:
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1612961649/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d2_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-4&pf_rd_r=0F5EP63TP56TBXB61S4G&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470939031&pf_rd_i=507846
Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/epsilon-ar-zackery-alexander-humphreys/1114171830?ean=9781612961644

Book Description:
Hundreds of years into the future mankind has gone under-ground to relocate to Epsilon; a beautiful city run by a strong, secretive government that keeps its citizens in check by subtle manipulation and strict schedules. No one questions the city's authority and no one is unhappy. ALN-896, an average man who is just trying to live a normal life, begins to have dreams; something strange and rare in Epsilon. In his dreams a man named Harry dies. ALN-896 shrugs this off as if nothing has happened. It was only a dream. The next day, however, he is suddenly arrested and sent to prison for killing Harry. Now inside prison, ALN-896 begins to learn about what the government of Epsilon has been doing and he plans on escaping. Not only from prison, but from Epsilon. This one decision turns him against everything he has ever known and forces him to face against centuries of lies. To escape means to live, but what will it cost?

Author Bio:
Zackery Humphreys is 21 years old and is currently attending the University of California, Santa Barbara studying Theater Acting. He has been writing for about seven years, mostly concentrating on poetry and novels. He has a love for books and for storytelling. Now, through his writing, he is hoping to bring those two worlds together.

Author Links:
Blog: http://www.zackeryhumphreys.blogspot.com
Facebook: (Author Page) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zackery-Alexander-Humphreys/370275879738503
(Book Page): http://www.facebook.com/EpsilonAR
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Zhumphreys

My Thoughts:

This is a book I would like to see made as a movie, it had everything I enjoy from a book and a lot more. I liked Alan’s character, although at the start he was exactly the same as everybody else in Epsilon. He started being really likable in the prison, claiming his innocence but the after lots of epic dreams he starts doubting his innocence. I was glad the woman in the pink polka dot dress was explained and she wasn’t just a person that died in a fire.
The book was intense especially when the gruesome games of death at the prison happened and the prison officers would think nothing of killing a prisoner just because they could.

Fantastic book, well written and a joy to read.

4 stars out of 5

Don't Panic - Book Review

Book Description: 
Samantha Branson is having severe anxiety attacks. Her heart beats unusually fast, her breath quickens and her hands sweat. Every detail screams in her head that she is the center of unwanted attention. Everyone can hear her thoughts, her heart and her breathing. The silence of the classroom is so loud that focus is impossible. After an attack lands her in the wrong bathroom, Sam meets Eli who offers to provide help. Faced with the return of her possessive ex-boyfriend and the blossoming of a new romance, Sam must find the strength inside herself to face her anxieties head on.

 Review: 
Don't Panic is Lindsay Paige's most true to life book she has written, written about her own experiences I was hooked. Samantha suffered from severe panic attacks and anxiety. Every time she was in class she seemed to get them and they were occurring more.
Because she hated being center of attention she would run out of class which was putting a toll on her education. Eli happens to see Samantha darting into the bathroom and because he knows what is wrong with her because he too has gone through it he wants to help Samantha.
 I liked that Eli helped Samantha with getting through her attacks and pushing her to go to therapy to get real help where she was able to talk no holds barred. I also loved how their relationship developed.

 It was a brilliant book and well written.
5 Stars!

Author Bio:

Lindsay Paige is a young adult romance author from North Carolina. Most of what Lindsay writes are her daydreams in lavish details. (Please excuse that fact when you read one of her future works about a girl who sleeps around.;)) When not writing, she is working to finish her first year of college.

Lindsay loves to read, listen to music, watch and play tennis, along with watching her favorite hockey team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Lindsay is a big fan of Sidney Crosby (87) and buys Penguins merchandise whenever she can.

Lindsay loves to be around her family and best friends. One summer after viewing a video of Nicholas Sparks' house, Lindsay's mother made the comment that she should write a bestselling novel since she "reads so much", that way they could have a beautiful house as well. Lindsay took her comment to heart. She began working on Sweetness. A year later, the novel was complete.

Many of the aspects of the characters in Sweetness were inspired by Lindsay's own struggles, such as a recovering alcoholic father and the anxiety Emily suffers because of her past.