Book Spotlight: The Jack of Souls

The Jack of Souls

by Stephen Merlino

Synopsis

Harric is an outcast rogue who must break a curse put on his fate, or die on his nineteenth birthday. To survive, he’ll need more than his usual tricks. He’ll need help. But on the kingdom’s lawless frontier, his only allies are other outcasts. 

One of these is Caris, a mysterious, horse-whispering runaway, intent upon becoming the Queen’s first female knight. The other is Sir Willard—ex-immortal, ex-champion, now addicted to pain-killing herbs and banished from court.

With their help, Harric might keep his curse at bay. But for how long?

And his companions bring troubles of their own: Caris bears the scars of a dark past that still hunts her; Willard is at war with the Old Ones, an order of insane immortal knights who once enslaved the kingdom.

Together, they must overcome fanatical armies, murderous sorcerers, and powerful supernatural foes.

Alone, Harric must face the temptation of forbidden magic that could break his curse, but cost him the only woman he’s ever loved.

“The first volume in Stephen Merlino's 'The Unseen Moon' series, "The Jack of Souls" is a terrific read from beginning to end and clearly establishes Merlino as a master of the fantasy action/adventure genre. Highly recommended for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections…” - Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Stephen Merlino lives in Seattle, WA, where he writes, plays, and teaches high school English. He lives with the world's most talented and desirable woman, two fabulous children, and three attack chickens.

Growing up in Seattle drove Stephen indoors for eight months of the year. Before the age of video games, that meant he read a lot. At the age of eleven he discovered the stories of J.R.R. Tolkein and fell in love with fantasy.

Summers and rare sunny days he spent with friends in wooded ravines or on the beaches of Puget Sound, building worlds in the sand, and fighting orcs and wizards with driftwood swords.

About the time a fifth reading of The Lord of the Rings failed to deliver the old magic, Stephen attended the University of Washington and fell in love with Chaucer and Shakespeare and all things English.

Sadly, the closest he got to England back then was The Unicorn Pub on University Way, which wasn't even run by an Englishman: it was run by a Scot named Angus. Still, he studied there, and as he sampled Angus's weird ales, and devoured the Unicorn's steak & kidney pie (with real offal!), he developed a passion for Scotland, too.

In college, he fell in love with writing, and when a kindly professor said of a story he'd written, "You should get that published!" Stephen took the encouragement literally, and spent the next years trying. The story remains unpublished, but the quest to develop it introduced Stephen to the world of agents (the story ultimately had two), and taught him much of craft and the value of what Jay Lake would call, "psychotic persistence."

Add to that his abiding love of nerds--those who, as Sarah Vowel defines it, "go too far and care too much about a subject"--and you have Stephen Merlino in a nutshell.

Stephen is the 2014 PNWA winner for Fantasy.

Book List: Essential Books

I was looking through my Bloglovin' queue earlier and came across this article about the 74 Essential Books for Your Personal Library: A List Curated by Female Creatives and I decided that I would add this list to my TBR book lists. I've read some of these books, and others I haven't crossed out even though I've read them because I want to read them again. Check back to see my progress!

Agatha Christie – The Mousetrap

Albertine Sarrazin – L’Astragale

Alice Walker – The Color Purple

Anaïs Nin – Little Birds

Angela Carter – Nights at the Circus

Angela Davis – Are Prisons Obselete?

Anita Desai – Clear Light of Day

Anne Carson – Autobiography of Red

Anne Frank – The Diary of a Young Girl

Anne Sexton – Live or Die

Arundhati Roy – The God of Small Things

Banana Yoshimoto – Kitchen

bell hooks – Ain’t I a Woman?

Beryl Bainbridge – Master Georgie

Beryl Markham – West with the Night

Buchi Emecheta – The Joys of Motherhood

Carson McCullers – The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Charlotte Bronte – Jane Eyre

Charlotte Roche – Feuchtgebiete

Chris Kraus – I Love Dick

Colette – Chéri

Daphne du Maurier – Rebecca

Doris Lessing – The Golden Notebook

Edith Wharton – Age of Innocence

Eileen Myles – Inferno

Elfriede Jelinek – Women as Lovers

Emily Bronte – Wuthering Heights

Flannery O’Connor – Complete Stories

Françoise Sagan – Bonjour Tristesse

George Eliot – Silas Marner

Gertrude Stein – The Making of Americans

Gwendolyn Brooks – To Disembark

Hannah Arendt – The Human Condition

Harper Lee – To Kill a Mockingbird

Hillary Mantel – Wolf Hall

Iris Murdoch – The Sea, The Sea

James Tiptree Jr. – Her Smoke Rose Up Forever

Jean Rhys – Wide Sargasso Sea

Jhumpa Lahiri – Interpreter of Maladies

Joan Didion – Slouching Towards Bethlehem

Joyce Carol Oats – A Bloodsmoore Romance

Jung Chang – Wild Swans

Kate Zambreno – Heroines

Kathy Acker – Blood and Guts in High School

Leonora Carrington – The Hearing Trumpet

Leslie Feinberg – Stone Butch Blues

Lorrie Moore – Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?

Louise Erdrich – The Beet Queen

Margaret Atwood – The Handmaid’s Tale

Marguerite Duras – Le ravissement de Lol V. Stein

Mary Shelley – Frankenstein

Mary Wollstonecraft – A Vindication of the Rights of Women

Maya Angelou – I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Michelle Cliff – Abeng

Miranda July – No One Belongs Here More Than You

Monique Wittig – Les Guérillères

Murasaki Shikibu – Genji Monogatari

Muriel Spark – The Driver’s Seat

Octavia Butler – Kindred

Rachel Carson – Silent Spring

Roxane Gay – An Untamed State

Sappho – Fragments

Sara Stridsberg – Darling River

Sei Shōnagon – The Pillow Book

Simone Weil – Gravity and Grace

Sylvia Plath – The Bell Jar

Theresa Hak Kyung Cha – Dictée

Toni Morrison – Beloved

Tove Jansson – Mumintroll series

Tsitsi Dangarembga – Nervous Conditions

Ursula K Le Guin – The Left Hand of Darkness

Virginia Woolf – The Waves

Willa Cather – The Song of the Lark

Zadie Smith – On Beauty

By Golly, an Announcement!

Hello everyone!

It's been awhile since I've taken some time to talk to you - reader to reader. I'm doing so tonight with the hope that you'll be interested in my newest venture. 

Ever since I was young, I've wanted to live my life around books. There was nothing better in my mind than to work in a book store or library. Over the years my dream took different shapes - thoughts of becoming a librarian, a writer, a psychologist who would then write a book etc etc. Eventually I resigned myself to simply read a lot and own a lot of books. 

I don't have the income to build and own a brick and mortar book store - as much as I would love that.

...but what I do have is a little internet savvy and that same love for books.

That brings me to my announcement. I have created an online book store (that currently houses a very little amount of books) called The Bookish Girl.

I have a some books listed as I am learning what it means to list items and figure out how much to sell them for. If you see something you like, please consider purchasing or go ahead and ask me a question. I gladly welcome any comments or suggestions as well!

I don't know what I want this to become...but I do know that I love books and I want others to love them too.

Review: Hyperbole and a Half

Hyperbole and a Half
by Allie Brosh

Synopsis

This is a book I wrote. Because I wrote it, I had to figure out what to put on the back cover to explain what it is. I tried to write a long, third-person summary that would imply how great the book is and also sound vaguely authoritative--like maybe someone who isn’t me wrote it--but I soon discovered that I’m not sneaky enough to pull it off convincingly. So I decided to just make a list of things that are in the book:

Pictures
Words
Stories about things that happened to me
Stories about things that happened to other people because of me
Eight billion dollars*
Stories about dogs
The secret to eternal happiness*

*These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated my sneakiness!

Review

This was a funny book. It really truly was. It had me giggling and at some points flat out loud-laughing to no one. The drawings are so simple, but the expressions fit so well with the overall story going on around it. It's a great book for those memories of bad moments growing up. Or weird moments. 

Basically, if you're weird, you're gonna like this book. 

I have to be honest, however. The book lost me toward the end of the book which is a shame because I think that's where the author was the most serious in the whole book. But the change in pace...it lost me. 

Verdict

Borrow it, read it, laugh. Move on. 

Review: The Rosie Project

The Rosie Project
by Graeme Simsion

Synopsis

The art of love is never a science: Meet Don Tillman, a brilliant yet socially inept professor of genetics, who’s decided it’s time he found a wife. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which Don approaches all things, he designs The Wife Project to find his perfect partner: a sixteen-page, scientifically valid survey to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, the late arrivers. 

Rosie Jarman possesses all these qualities. Don easily disqualifies her as a candidate for The Wife Project (even if she is “quite intelligent for a barmaid”). But Don is intrigued by Rosie’s own quest to identify her biological father. When an unlikely relationship develops as they collaborate on The Father Project, Don is forced to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that, despite your best scientific efforts, you don’t find love, it finds you.

Review

Ugh. Ugh. I wanted this book to be a person so I could hug it. I actually wanted the book to be Don Tillman because the beautiful fool just need some things explained to him! I loved a lot about this book - but most importantly, I loved that Don is in the Autism spectrum, the very subject he's trying to lecture on at the beginning of the book. Samsion is a fantastic author in that he is able to write the book in Don's voice - as confusing, logical, painful and loving as it was. The reader falls for Don...it just takes us a Don-moment to realize that we have. 

The book is about falling in love without knowing that you are. It's about learning to care about someone and choosing the confusing and mysterious road that love brings upon you.

Verdict

Read it. Read it now. Go. Why are you still reading this??

Book Blitz: Valentine's Day is Murder

Valentine's Day is Murder
by Carolyn Arnold

Synopsis

Jimmy finally takes a vacation--and a chance on love--only to be abducted. His female companion originally thinks he had cold feet about their relationship, but Sean and Sara know there’s more to it. Jimmy isn’t the type to just up and disappear, let alone leave a lady stranded.

Setting out on their private jet, Sean and Sara reach the tropical paradise of Ocho Rios, Jamaica with sightseeing as the last thing on their minds.

With a gold coin being their initial tie to Jimmy’s kidnapper, Sean and Sara even speculate about the involvement of pirates. Yet as the hours pass, and there’s no word from Jimmy’s captors, Sean and Sara will need to figure out the real motive before it’s too late.

With help from their friend, Adam, back in Albany, the pieces come together and not a moment too soon.

Strap in for an adventure that will take you to the beautiful island of Jamaica and have you wanting a piña colada.

About the Author

CAROLYN ARNOLD is the bestselling author of the Madison Knight series, the Brandon Fisher series, and the McKinley Mysteries. Her love for writing dates back to her teen years, but her passion was reignited in 2006 when a fellow employee said "tell me a story." Since then Carolyn has never looked back.

Her writing has since been compared to New York Times Bestsellers such as JD Robb, Mary Higgins Clark, Sue Grafton, Michael Connelly, Tess Gerritsen, and more.

Carolyn was born in 1976 in a rural town of Ontario, Canada, and she currently lives with her husband and two beagles in a city near Toronto.

For more information on the author visit https://carolynarnold.net/

Amazon – http://ow.ly/G4Yl6

Amazon UK – http://ow.ly/G4Ynv

Barnes & Noble – http://ow.ly/G4Ype

iTunes – http://ow.ly/G4Yqv

Kobo - http://ow.ly/G4YrU

Excerpt:

Chapter 4

Pineapples & Alibis

“There was no answer in her room. She may be out by the pool.” The front desk clerk lowered the phone’s receiver and gestured toward a wall of windows that faced a pool, and, beyond that, the sea.

“Thank you,” Sean said.

“No worries.” The clerk smiled and flipped some papers over that she had been working on when they had approached her to call up to Meredith’s room.

Tourists, clad in bathing suits in a spectrum of colors, dotted both the poolside and the beach. It had Sara wishing all she and Sean had to do was enjoy the scenery.

The sun was beating down, the warmth all-encompassing, but thankfully, the humidity wasn’t extreme. Sara still wished to slip out of her dress to reveal the bikini she wore underneath. The thought of the rays kissing her skin was almost too much to dismiss from her mind.

She scanned the horde of vacationers and spotted Meredith lying out on a lounge chair. She sat up as if she sensed Sara watching.

“There she is, Sean.” Sara nudged her head toward Meredith.

“She doesn’t look too upset, does she?”

Sara put a hand on Sean’s shoulder. “We’re not going to assume she’s behind this.”

He stayed put. “She’s not behind this and yet she’s new to his life and he’s never gone missing before.”

“We promised on the flight we would give her the benefit of the doubt, unless something came up to convince us of her involvement.”

“I’m starting to rethink that decision.”

“If Jimmy trusted her—”

“Yes, then we should too.”

“That’s right.” Sara pressed her lips, hoping she conveyed more conviction than she felt at times—this being one of those times.

Review: The Barter

The Barter
by Siobhan Adcock

Synopsis

A heart-stopping tale as provocative as is suspenseful, about two conflicted women, separated by one hundred years, and bound by an unthinkable sacrifice. 

The Barter is a ghost story and a love story, a riveting emotional tale that also explores motherhood and work and feminism. Set in Texas, in present day, and at the turn of the twentieth century, the novel follows two young mothers at the turning point of their lives.

Bridget has given up her career as an attorney to raise her daughter, joining a cadre of stay-at-home mothers seeking fulfillment in a quiet suburb. But for Bridget, some crucial part of the exchange is absent: Something she loves and needs. And now a terrifying presence has entered her home; only nobody but Bridget can feel it.

On a farm in 1902, a young city bride takes a farmer husband. The marriage bed will become both crucible and anvil as Rebecca first allows, then negates, the powerful erotic connection between them. She turns her back on John to give all her love to their child. Much will occur in this cold house, none of it good.

As Siobhan Adcock crosscuts these stories with mounting tension, each woman arrives at a terrible ordeal of her own making, tinged with love and fear and dread. What will they sacrifice to save their families—and themselves? Readers will slow down to enjoy the gorgeous language, then speed up to see what happens next in a plot that thrums with the weight of decision—and its explosive consequences.

Review

It seems that each of the books I have reviewed lately has surprised me! The Barter starts off slow and steady until you realize that you're almost done and...wow. I didn't know what to think of this book because, first of all, it's about motherhood. It doesn't talk about motherhood the way you would think, but before I even opened it, I was skeptical. I'm not a mother and I usually like books that I can relate to on some level. 

Once I started the story, however, I was sucked in. As much as this book is about motherhood, it's also a ghost story. I must say that I got pretty creeped out when I started the book. The detail in the writing is wonderful and I actually got chills on my skin. The story/author does a great job of giving the reader a parallel between the stories of Bridget and Rebecca. It is truly a captivating story.

Verdict

Anyone will appreciate this story - the creepiness isn't too bad either!

Review: Doon & Destined for Doon

Doon
by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon

Synopsis from Amazon:

Veronica doesn’t think she’s going crazy. But why can’t anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes?

When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months. But the Scottish countryside holds other plans. Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna’s great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation.

Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica’s daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they’ve longed for… or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.

Review

I had seen copies of Doon at the local bookstore and it always caught my eye. It caught my eye because it has a gorgeous cover. The green background and that fantastic dress? Yes, please! I still hadn't gotten around to buying it when, suddenly, I was given the opportunity to read it and it's sequel, Destined for Doon, for review. 

Technically, I was offered Destined for Doon to read for review when I joined the BookSparks blog tour - but I cannot start a story on anything but it's first volume. So, I asked if I could read Doon first and voila! So, many thanks to the publisher :)

Now, I was not expecting to get as enthralled as I was with this book. Scotland and its lore has never interested me, but I thought, let's give it a try. I am very glad that I did! The authors of this book do a great job of never letting the story slow down too much - there is action everywhere! Also, I loved how the characters are each given their "turn" to "talk" i.e. each chapter is based on a different character's POV. I very much enjoyed the characters, best friends, Veronica and Mackenna. I loved...LOVED that the book started off almost in the middle of what other books may consider the "main" story. I am completely aware of how much nonsense that sounds like, but hopefully you understand when you read it. 

The story is fully of mystery, friendship, fantasy...and romance. A mysterious boy who shows up when you need him, a friend by your side and an adventure into a gorgeous but unknown land? What is not to like?

Anyone who reads my blog knows that this is a spoiler-free zone. I don't want to ruin any book that you, dear reader, may want to pick up later on. Just know, that I read both Doon and Destined for Doon - and neither disappointed me. Both are gorgeous books giving us a glimpse into a world we can only dream of - and it's fantastic. 

So, read Doon and then read...

...you will NOT regret it.

Verdict

Do you really need more after that opus? :) These are honestly great books and I am not just saying that because I was asked to review them - I can't finish books I don't like!

Buy the book:

• Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/1lhJVUg
• Amazon Hardcover: http://amzn.to/1pL8F7k

About the authors:

Carey Corp lives in the metropolitan Midwest with her loveable yet out-of-control family. Carey wrote her first book at the age of seven, and currently begins each morning consuming copious amounts of coffee while weaving stories that capture her exhaustive imagination. She harbors a voracious passion (in no consistent order) for mohawks, Italy, musical theater, chocolate, and Jane Austen. Carey’s debut novel for teens, The Halo Chronicles: The Guardian, earned her national recognition as 2010 Golden Heart finalist for best young adult fiction and was recently featured at the 2012 RT Booklovers Convention in Chicago in YA Alley.

Lorie Langdon has over ten years of experience writing online and print advertising for a Fortune 500 company, and left her thriving corporate career to satisfy the voices in her head. Now as a full-time author and stay-at-home mom, she spends her summers editing poolside while dodging automatic water-gun fire, and the rest of the year tucked into her cozy office, Havanese puppy by her side, working to translate her effusive imagination into the written word and continue to build the young-adult-focused blog, HonestlyYA.

Connect with the authors:

Carey Corp:

• Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1qqj0BL
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/careycorp
• Website: http://www.doonseries.com/
• Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1pez6SL

Lorie Langdon:

• Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1nagUFl
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/LorieLangdon
• Website: http://www.lorielangdon.com/
• Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1AyddRT

Review: The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1)

The Kiss of Deception
by Mary E. Pearson

Synopsis

In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.

On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.

The Kiss of Deception is the first book in Mary E. Pearson's Remnant Chronicles.

Review

I started this book awhile ago and only just finished it yesterday. Why did it take me so long? I don't know! I really don't. I enjoyed the story and the same thing is happening to me with The Shining, which I'm also enjoying. I don't know what happens to me - I get 3/4s of the way through and then I just get distracted by all the other books and I start another one. 

Anyway, as I said - I really enjoyed this book! It was a mix of fantasy, romance and adventure. I was quite happy that the romance didn't overshadow everything else in the book. Also - it was really interesting how we read more than just Lia's point of view. We have chapters on Rafe, Kaden and even Pauline, Lia's friend. What I loved the most was not knowing who the prince and assassin were (you have to try and guess between Rafe and Kaden). I wanted so badly for a certain someone to be the prince (I'm not telling you who!) and I won't be telling you if I was right or not. 

BUT I was left wanting so much more :( I can't believe I have to wait for the second book - the end of this one left me completely NEEDING the next book. That's all I'm going to say. 

Verdict

Read it. If you're anything like me, however, you will get frustrated lol

Book Spotlight: To Hear the Rest More Clearly

To Hear The Rest More Clearly

by Anne Victoria Pyterek 

Synopsis

Calliope Braintree has a lot working against her, but the forces of Nature and Love conspire to make her an instrument in the liberation of her fellow humans and the Wildness they have suppressed and perverted.

Aided by the Muse of Epic Poetry, an urban coyote, and the Chicago River, Calliope saves herself from the ravages of abuse, self-loathing and sexual humiliation. It’s not easy for her to remember the plan she and Muse had made for this life, but memories do come, in confusing fits and starts. A homeless orphan, sure of nothing but her urge to write, she ignores the mind-numbing conventions of civilized society, preferring to listen to her Muse. She follows Coyote, who leads her away from the degrading and harsh brutality of her life, into a haven of safety. Calliope goes to live in a hidden pocket of Wildness alive in the city. Still in the world, she is no longer of it, and she’s glad.

River is a powerful entity, her world a parallel reality existing in the cracks of civilization’s façade. And, polluted and tormented as she is, River is still able to transform the toxins polluting Calliope’s mind, absorbing what is hideous and making it holy. This process climaxes in a Trickster-ized version of Revelations, after which Calliope’s life will never be the same again.

About the Author

Anne Victoria Pyterek is as much the product of her protagonist, Calliope Braintree, as she is her producer.  For in the ten year process of bringing Calliope into being, she ended up completely re-writing the story of her own life.

Very much a daughter of Daniel Burnham, Anne left the City of Big Shoulders—at Calliope’s request—driving off into the sunset in a big blue bus with her then 11 year old son, a managerie of animals and no income.  She did this for the adventure, the learning and to find out about Calliope’s childhood.  She and her son live in Colorado now, still in the bus, on 120 acres with a pack of semi-feral dogs, surrounded by coyotes.

Author Blog: Anne of Blue Bus Books (http://blue-bus-books.com/)

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1qrqkRr

Review: Art Schooled

Art Schooled
by Jamie Coe

Synopsis

Daniel Stope is a small-town guy with dreams of becoming an artist. His enrollment at art school and subsequent move to the city opens up a world of possibilities. Unsurprisingly, Daniel struggles with his newfound independence—the difficulties of big city dating and making new friends. Jamie Coe's tale is a visually powerful graphic novel that covers familiar ground with an enthralling approach.

Review

To say that I loved Jamie Coe's Art Schooled would be an understatement. This book was fantastic from start to finish and I found myself enjoying it on many different levels. The story itself was great because it is a kind of "coming of age" story told about someone who is moving to college. The newness and weirdness that is college - actually, with weirdness amplified because it is about going to art school! That was another aspect of the book I enjoyed because I had a minor in Drawing when I was doing my Psychology degree. Being a part of that culture, even for just a little while, is quite a trip. I found myself reminiscing about those days as I read Art Schooled. As much as we don't want to admit it, stereotypes do and will exist and Art Schooled showcases the most popular ones in the art school world. 

The other aspect I enjoyed was the art style itself. I am a big fan of R. Crumb and the work in the Harvey Pekar books, so I found myself really enjoying this style of illustration. Daniel is a likable character because he could be any of us - trying to figure it out with this new independent life. 

Verdict

Read it because it's awesome! There is some "nudity" in the book - but trust me when I say, this book describes the truth that is art school. It's a fantastic work and I look forward to seeing more of Coe's work. 

About the Author

Jamie Coe is a recent graduate from Central Saint Martins, London. He has worked on commissions for Foyles, illustrated political cartoons for the Gateway, and is the author of the short comic House of Freaks. He lives in London, England.

Bookish Thought of the Day: Scary Stories

So - I was just minding my business today when I was told that Annabelle from The Conjuring and Annabelle prequel movies was on campus. What??? That's pretty cool for the university that I work at - awesome! (pssst! If I get to see her, I'll update this post with a photo)

Of course, the talk quickly turned to horror movies and real life ghost stories which reminded me to search for "horror books" on Pinterest. Every year I get in the mood for scary stories around this time and even until after Halloween - but the holiday always seems to pass me by even though it is my favorite one. 

I refuse to let this Halloween pass me by! I am determined to not only read a bunch of scary books and stories, but also to watch a bunch of horror movies. I'll blog about them as I go. I've already been assigned some books to review which is no problem - I will do as promised - but from here until early November - my focus will be on all things horror! So hit me with your recommendations - film or book - and I will add them to my list. Once I compile a good looking list, I'll make sure to share. Let the scares begin!

Book Blitz! The Warrior

The Warrior (A Tainted Blood Novel) 
by LJ Halkett & RT Lucas

Genre - Urban Paranormal Romance
Dark Hollows Press Publication Date - 9/12/14 

There is a reason for everything and all actions have consequences. All Commander Xavier Raige wanted to do from the minute his world collided with Alicia Carberletti’s was to protect her.  Now, the biggest battle he has ever faced has just begun.  He needs to find a way back to Alicia and save her from the dark forces that are gathering against her and he won’t let the inconvenience of being dead keep him from her.

Lieutenant “Shuggie” MacAndrew, Ancient Scottish warrior vampire.  Mystery surrounds his past and puts his future in jeopardy.  Can he win the battle between his heart and head, or will he be defeated in his pursuit of the One?

Dr Teodora Valdez, skilled Surgeon/Scientist. She almost has it all until a dark secret resurfaces.  Can she heal the wounds or will she discover there is no cure for a broken heart?

The consequences of recent events unravel and battle for dominance in the mafia underworld intensifies.

Ambition…family…revenge…love... 

All become as tainted as the blood that ties them together.

About the Author

Both Scottish Authors are best friends and for years they have been developing these amazing and complex Characters.  Having suffered Strokes at a young age, within months of each other, they decided that life was too short and now was the time for Xavier and Alicia to be unleashed onto the waiting public. That was when the world of Tainted Blood and #XAli was born!

L J Halkett is 35 years of age, Mother, Wife and Housing Officer for Local Government.  She is a smart, sassy and superbly imaginative woman who devours books - especially in the paranormal genre!  She is the master at multi-tasking and she is always thinking ten steps ahead.  With her passion for creativity, she brings to life her imagination with vivid detail. Family is the cornerstone of LJ’s life, and her greatest achievement is her wonderful son.

Left Partially sighted after her Stroke, LJ has to write in what the Authors call ‘Nasa’ font and can only detect the colour red, which can be difficult when reading print on a daily basis - her determination is testament to her personality - as she says.... "Where's there's a will? There's a way!" 

Rhonda T. Lucas is 41 years of age, soon to be Divorced [Hurrah!] and had a very successful career in Recruitment and Business Development until it was cut short through illness.  Having worked in the Health Sector, Human Resources and Ministry of Defence, she has a myriad of experiences to draw from - and says that sometimes life can be stranger than Fiction!  Rhonda is an avid reader of the paranormal/romance genres but her first love will always be Science Fiction.  She says that she has far superior music taste to that of her Best Friend and Co-Author - and uses every available opportunity to tell her so! Rhonda lives alone with her #XavCat who faithfully lies by her computer whenever she wanders into the world of Tainted Blood.

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Or at their website: http://www.xali.net/www.darkhollowspress.com