September 14, 2014 by Caroline Barker

To Hear the Rest More Clearly by Anne V. Pyterek SPOTLIGHT

Genre: Literary Fiction, Magical Realism

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. (ADULT CONTENT)

Author Bio

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 Post:

Why I Write

What I Write

You know how seemingly unrelated things can come together and create something new and unexpected? Well, that’s the story of my life. There were a lot of disparate seeming (at the time) elements that came together for me in the long process of finding my voice. Luckily, I didn’t realize how much I was taking on when I started writing To Hear The Rest More Clearly. All I knew was how high my skirt was blown up over the idea of writing a book about a young woman who finds her voice. The thought never occurred that writing it would be how I found my own. I thought I already had a voice!

Ha ha! That’s pretty funny, considering how stifled I felt. Which maybe explains why it took ten whole years…? But it’s really not funny at all. Silencing women has been the status quo for some 6,000 years now. I felt strongly compelled to push through that, both for myself and for my readers. We need real heroines—super heroines who know how to save themselves. Helpless females obsessed with submitting to a man make me sick. They say we write the books we most want to read. Well, I wanted a heroine who learns how to see through all the artificial conditioning of male dominated society; a heroine who follows her own path, no matter how weird it may seem.

I’ve always preferred the company of other animals and wanted, somehow, to give them a voice, too. That’s a lot easier said than done. Ultimately, it was a combination of being an avid reader of Thoreau and my magnificent home births that got me tuned so completely in to the sense of Wildness and the Wisdom of The Body. Wildness is not a place, it is a state of mine. Another word for it might be authenticity. It’s a state of mind that does not allow for anything fake. And I experienced this authenticity more and more over the time I spent writing this book.

It was better than therapy. It brought my life into focus for me. It made me have these odd resolution experiences. Over and over I would have these realizations, “Oh! That’s why I had to do that thing back then. I needed it for this!” This happened a lot. It was pretty gratifying to realize my strange learning process actually was single-minded, after all. I had spent so many years beating myself up for being “too flighty” and having no direction. I did have a direction! It just didn’t follow any well-worn paths! So the more I applied myself to the process of becoming who I felt I was meant to be, by writing the story I most needed to read, the more I became who I already was. This is one of the things my protagonist Calliope learns as well. (She gets it from me. Obviously.)

I’ve learned a lot about myself by writing the first three books in this series. Now that I’m working on the fourth, my realizations are more along the lines of “This is who I’ve always been. Why did I allow so much to get in the way of this? I worked so hard to strip away all the lies, and I’m glad. But they were never part of me in the first place. How did they get there? And why did I have to make it so hard for myself?” I feel embarrassed for having been so easily distracted, for having wasted so much time. I struggled enormously over stuff that was never true. But it’s a Zen thing: you have to fill yourself up with information in order to be able to let it all go. Which would be great if I were a Buddhist. But I’m not. These days, I’m quite good at not beating myself up. I’m proud of un-learning that. And I know, it is because of my writing that I’ve been able to recover to this degree. It’s the most perfect therapy anybody could ever devise. I plan on writing for the rest of my life.

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

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1qrqkRr

PURCHASE LINK: Smashwords

September 13, 2014 by Caroline Barker

The Voice in My Ear by Ken Newman SPOTLIGHT

We are proud to bring to your attention a great new urban fantasy novel, The Voice in My Ear. The Voice in My Ear is a twisted supernatural adventure, full of romance, action, and humour.

Author: Ken Newman

Publisher: Sunbury Press, Inc

Published Date: August 18th 2014

Layla is the kind of girl who can get under a guy’s skin…literally.

Mere moments from a gruesome death, Zack Cole makes a deal with a mysterious stranger. To live, Zack reluctantly becomes the guardian of Layla, an exotic woman struggling under a terrible curse.

The spirit of a 4,000-year-old witch, Layla exists as a living tattoo, unable to survive without a willing host. Despite a rocky start, Layla discovers an intimacy and passion with the cocky, womanizing Zack that transcends her dreadful curse. Determined that Zack will be hers, Layla uses her vast power to help him solve the mysteries surrounding his attempted murder, unaware that Zack is the target of a vicious band of outcasts on a deadly mission for God.

A Reader’s Review Blog will be posting a review of The Voice in My Ear at a later date. But if you’re already tempted here are the Amazon links:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Author contact links:

www.newkman.com

Twitter: @newkman61

Facebook.com/newkman61

September 6, 2014 by Caroline Barker

BLOG Tour The Endangered by S.L. Eaves with full Prologue and Author Bio

Title: The Endangered

Author: S.L. Eaves

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publication Date: September 4 2014

Publisher: Zharmae; Imprint is Luthando Coeur

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22458720-the-endangered

Blurb: S&D Industries is a prominent pharmaceutical company based in New York. It has, for many years, appeared to exist only for the benefit of humanity, and this year’s chief product seems no different. The company’s CEO, whom we know only as Striden, announces the imminent delivery of a powerful flu vaccine. The true purposes of S&D are anything but philanthropic, however. The newly-engineered drug does not protect against flu. It turns people into werewolves.

The only group which stands a chance of resisting this change is a population of vampires. The foremost of them, who go by the name of The Endangered, are determined to turn back the mass werewolf infestation. Among them are an ambitious rebel named Catch and Lori, Catch’s newly-turned protege. Catch has brought this treacherous world to Lori’s doorstep and both their worlds are turned upside-down in the process. Secrets are exposed, alliances are formed. Blood is spilled as the vampires must do everything in their power to preserve both their own kind and that of their food supply.

Author bio

S.L. Eaves is a graduate student at Drexel University, pursuing her MBA in Marketing. She received her undergraduate degree in Film from University of Pittsburgh. While attending Pitt, she took a number of writing courses and earned a certificate in Professional Writing.

Originally from West Chester, PA, she has lived in Pittsburgh and Minneapolis before returning to the Philadelphia area, where she currently resides.

Her professional background is in marketing, primarily in media and publishing industries. She enjoys being in an environment that promotes creativity and challenges her to apply her film and writing skills to generate innovative marketing campaigns.

Outside of writing, she’s an avid sports fan and concert goer who enjoys running and biking in her free time and readily confesses to being bit of a film and television junkie. When home, she’s never without a book in arm’s reach.

The Endangered is her debut novel and is slated to be the first in a new series from Zharmae Publishing Press, with the sequel scheduled for 2015.

Author links:

Author page on Fb: https://www.facebook.com/SLEavesAuthor

Book’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheEndangeredBk

Author pg on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/SLEaves

The book on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22458720-the-endangered

Read the full Prologue:

“Drive faster.”
80…85…90. The pedal vibrates under my foot.
“I’m pushing a hundred. These winding roads make it hard.”
Crina climbs over the front seats and settles into shotgun. She’d been taking care of Xan, who was unconscious in the back.
“How’s he doing?”
“He took one hell of a blow to the head, but he’ll be okay.”
I turn up the radio to drown out the sound of the police sirens behind us. My eyes keep darting to the rearview.
There were two of them back there. At least.
They’d caught our trail while we were tearing through the city. You could say we had a police escort out of Los Angeles.
“How far till Mexico?” Crina was wiping blood off her hands.
“Far. Dunno. At this rate we’re not gonna make it.”
“Where the hell are we anyway?”
“Somewhere mountainous,” I respond dryly.
“You shouldn’t be driving. You lost a lot of blood.”
“Well right now that’s the least of our problems.”
I’d hotwired an old 90s roadster while Crina was hoisting an unconscious Xan through the hatchback. An easy steal, but the old beast of a transmission was fighting me on every turn. It was a miracle we’d made it out of the city at all.
Headlights glimpse the guardrail. We hit a sharp curve, catch some stones in the tires and skid through the gravel for a spell. I grip the wheel tightly, downshifting. Crina claws the dash. Xan remains sprawled across the backseat. We fishtail, then straighten out.
I shift gears and keep my focus on the road ahead.
The speedometer climbs back over 80 mph. Crina shoots me a nervous glance.
“Just keeping the cops on their toes.”
“They’ll be sending out backup and lots of it…likely include a chopper. We aren’t going to make it much farther in this car. We gotta bail.”
“Yeah…”
I hate when she’s right.
Crina rolls down her window.
“We should’ve stolen a convertible.”
I grin. “Next time.”
“There’s a ravine nearby. I smell the water.”
There was a valley down to our left, a fitting host for water. And our escape.
“Something to aim for. What about Xan?”
An over-confident Crina is halfway out the window; she ducks back in.
“Can’t toss him. Gotta pull him from the wreckage.”
My stomach churns. Not what I wanted to hear. Cops are still in tight pursuit. They would not be relenting anytime soon. Someone blew apart several blocks of downtown LA, and we presently carried the titles of Suspect One, Two, and Three.
Our options are limited at best. There is a tight bend up ahead.
“Get ready to bail.”
My foot slams the accelerator. Crina climbs most of the way out the window, bracing her feet on the door handle.
“See you at the bottom,” I promise Xan under my breath.
The road curves sharply to the right.
We do not.
The car runs out of road and we eject mid dive over the rocky and tree-filled terrain. From my own airborne position, I watch as the car clips the tops of a few trees and nosedives into the jagged landscape below. Its short-lived plummet is followed by a dramatic landing as it bounces into tree trunks, flips over laterally and eventually rolls to a stop.
I have similar luck.
My feet strike the ground, but I don’t stick the landing. Hurling forward over some rocks, I bounce along the mountainside until a tree brings me to an abrupt halt. Still conscious, I lie at its trunk watching the world spin.
Ouch.
Stumbling, I force my feet to keep me vertical. My head is spinning. I stagger toward the light supplied by flames now emanating from the pile of metal and gasoline that used to be a car. My eyes start to focus as I near the overturned vehicle.
“Xan,” I cough, holding my rib cage.
Had that fall not jolted him awake? Lucky bastard.
I look around. No sign of Crina.
Hastily, I pry back the driver’s side door and am relieved to see Xan inside, still unconscious. The fall had tossed him onto the footwell of the back, but he seems no worse for wear.
Folding the driver’s seat forward, I climb in and slip my arms under his shoulders. Grasping his underarms, I slide him out from the burning car. Crina catches me as I fall backwards under his deadweight. She pulls us both to safety, beating out my pant leg, which had caught fire in the process.
We take shelter in some dense underbrush. From there we can see the police cars up the hillside. They are parked, headlights beaming out across the night sky, illuminating the treetops. I spot the silhouette of an officer as he crosses the front of a car. None of them appear to be making their way downhill. Perhaps they are waiting for a fire truck or a medical unit.
“How are you doing?”
“Okay. Caught ahold of a tree branch mid-flight. Made for an easy descent. You?”
I feel my sides, which are covered in blood. Some of the earlier wounds have healed, but the fresh ones still carry some sting.
“Had a kinda rough landing. Cracked a few ribs.”
Xan begins to stir.
“Xan!” we both exclaim.
“What happened?” His voice is hoarse and weak. I bend down to hug him.
“Lori!” He wraps his arms around me and stays clenched as I straighten up. I grimace at his weight on my half-eaten shoulder. Crina takes his arms from my neck and helps him to his feet.
“You sure you can stand okay?” she asks. He is looking around, a dazed expression on his face.
“Where are we?”
“Somewhere outside LA,” I mutter, bracing myself against a tree. I look over at the car a few yards up the hillside. Cops are shining flashlights around, but they don’t quite have the range. The car is now completely engulfed in flames.
“We have to keep moving,” Crina states. “I lost my comm a ways back.”
“I have mine.” I pop it out of my ear. Surprised it’s still intact. I tap the button, stick it back in. Not even static.
“Nothing.”
“Damn.”

We continue downhill. Crina had been right about the water. We trudge along the crooked path cut by the river, crossing when it narrows. It isn’t long before we are out of range of the sirens.
The silence manages to feel both refreshing and disconcerting.
Crina leads the way, hacking through the foliage. Xan and I stumble along behind. A good hour passes with none of us speaking. I feel dizzy, nauseous, exhausted.
Eventually we reach a clearing.
“Break time,” I proclaim, dropping flat on my back and letting the soft earth break my fall. Crina and Xan join me.
We lie there taking in the beautiful, crystal clear night sky. And a full moon, apparently, illuminating the field around us.
“Full moon tonight. With everything else going on I’d completely forgotten.”
“So had I,” Crina sighs. “Ironic now, I suppose.”
“Where are the others?” Xan asks absently.
“That’s a good question.”
I reach into Xan’s cargo pocket, fishing around.
“Feeling frisky?” he jokes. I remove my hand, displaying the cigarettes and Zippo he’d been holding for me.
“Oh, right,” he laughs as I wink at him.
I light one and briefly feel human as the smoke fills my lungs. Some vices are worth clinging to if only for the memories.
Crina reaches across and slides one from the pack. She normally complains about the smell. I don’t comment. Just flip open the lighter. I give them back to Xan, who hasn’t moved since our collapse.
“And yet you still managed to start a fire.” Xan plays with my Zippo. He takes a cig from the pack, now resting on his stomach, and cranes his neck to light it.
After a moment, Crina props up onto her elbows.
“Does this mean it’s over?”
“I don’t know.” I close my eyes and picture the bomb detonating.
She cranes her neck for a better glimpse of the moon.
Xan groans. “My head is splitting.”
I reach out and run my fingers through his hair.
“My head…is full of static. The comm!”
I sit up with a jolt, hand on my earpiece.
Static comes over my comm, followed by a faint voice. I can’t make it out. My ears are still ringing from the blast. I hand the comm to Crina.
“Thought I heard a transmission. See if you have any luck.”
Crina holds the piece to her ear, pushing the button in.
“Hello. Anyone hear me? Hello.”
I close my eyes, relaxing on the moist earth. The blades of grass prick my skin. It is a warm night. A perfect night.
It is not enough.
I had heard a voice over the comm. A voice that sounded like Catch’s.

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

PARTICIPATING BLOGS:

September 5, 2014 by Caroline Barker

Soul Rebel by C.J. Pinard REVIEW

Blurb: When 21-year-old Nolan Bishop meets a seductive woman named Eva at a dark club in downtown Shreveport, Louisiana, little does he know his soul will be gone as soon as she is. Realizing she’s taken something from him, he finds out he has a very limited time to destroy her before he turns into something sinister and inhuman. In a race against all that is holy, Nolan has to find Eva and get his soul back while trying not to fall in love with Charity, the twin sister of the succubus who took his soul – all in 7 days.

Review

Wow! What a read! I have to say Soul Rebel is probably my favourite C.J. Pinard novel to date. From beginning to end there is action, suspense and romance. Not to mention some great characters in Nolan, Eva and Charity.

From the beginning Nolan’s character drew me in. He is a real gentleman, polite and kind, with the ability to fall in love wholly and easily with the girl that pulls at his heart strings. However, after being left broken hearted early in the novel, C.J. Pinard has created a vulnerable, lovable victim of love that many females would find hard to resist! And with many reads these days focusing on lead female victims-come-heroes (at least the books I have been reading!), it was interesting to see a fallen guy be the main focus.

To make matters worse, whilst Nolan is coming to terms with being single again, he then has to deal with his disbelief that a redhead woman whom he met in a nightclub, Eva, is actually a female vampire, a succubus, who stole his soul after a passionate kiss! Little does he realise to begin with that he only has 7 days before he turns into a vampire himself unless he can get his soul back.

What will it take to make Nolan believe what Eva is? Although reluctant to believe, despite a warning, Nolan soon realises he has a mission on his hands. It probably feels to Nolan like he has been kicked when he’s already down. The reader really feels for this guy and constantly roots for him to find his feet and take back what is his.

Soul Rebel is so much more than a regular paranormal story with a vampire bite and then the human turning. I love the idea of souls being taken. It gives the novel more edge and heaps more darkness. And, to add to the tension is the time frame in which Nolan has before he turns – just 7 days. That’s 7 days for Nolan to realise and believe what has happened to him as well as try to get his soul returned.

Extra suspense is also included when Charity, Eva’s human twin sister, turns up in Nolan’s life. Charity has the same sexual attraction as Eva, and over time as they search for Eva together, Nolan and Charity begin to grow closer and have feelings for each other. Not only does this cause confusion with Nolan, after all she is the enemy’s sister and he’s already been given grief twice by females, but it also causes conflict within Charity.

Charity knows her sister has done wrong, but it’s the only way Eva survives (from taking good souls). Charity knows Eva needs to meet her end in order for Nolan to have his soul back but can she stand the thought of Nolan killing her sister?

As well as the thrill of the drama and adventure there is also a great moody and gothic atmosphere during some scenes, especially the evening scenes and when Eva is mentioned due to where she is living. Eva lives out of town in a Victorian style mansion and its Victorian style and when Nolan and Charity are trying to find her and take her by surprise there are some eerie moments and the reader can feel the fear and intensity as these scenes are written at a steady pace with the reader having no idea what the outcome will be.

Soul Rebel is definitely one for any paranormal fan to read. Due to the pace throughout it makes for a fairly quick read and yet has so much to offer. The reader can feel how Nolan becomes stronger throughout the novel. It is so gradual which makes it all the more real. The reader is certainly taken on a ride of all emotions of despair, anger and love. There is nothing obvious with this story. There are constant surprises throughout this novel. And fans of C.J. Pinard may enjoy a small overlap with her Enchanted Immortals series! I’ll say no more. But I would love to be reading a sequel in the not too distant future!

A copy of Soul Rebel was provided by the author, C.J. Pinard in return for an honest and fair review.

Soul Rebel is available on Amazon US and Amazon UK.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

September 2, 2014 by Caroline Barker

Desired (True Alpha #1) (short story) by Alisa Woods REVIEW

A VERY HOT AND INTENSE READ!

RELEASED TODAY, September 2nd 2014, I am proud to present the first of six New Adult paranormal romance short stories in the TRUE ALPHA series. The first episode, DESIRED, is 80 pages or 20,000 words.

Blurb: Shifters live in the shadows of Seattle, just under the skin of the alpha male, dot-com entrepreneurs who are building a new Silicon Valley in the Emerald City.

Mia is just a college girl trying to earn her business degree and dig out of the poverty she was born into—being a shifter is something she hides, hoping her secret won’t sabotage her dreams.

Lucas is a broken alpha, a wolf who lost his mate, his pack, and almost himself—he wasn’t looking to rescue a girl or start a pack war. But now he has to keep her safe or it won’t just be her life, but his whole family at risk… only his inner wolf can’t seem to keep its paws off a girl who has secrets of her own.

REVIEW

Desired (True Alpha #1) is a fantastic opening to a series. From the very first scene I was hooked as it was full of action and attraction between the two main characters, Mia and Lucas. Mia is about to be attacked by a pack of wolves and she is very much in fear of what they will do to her.

The violence and sexual tension rises dramatically and yet Mia still longs to hide the fact that she is a shifter herself. However, the tension, fear and heightened levels of emotion are bringing her to the edge, to the point where the wolf inside her could turn loose at any time!

This scene alone is gripping and intense. The reader will not be able to put this short story down! And then comes Lucas……

With Mia needing protection from the Red Pack and Lucas finding himself being the one protecting her, the intensity reminded me a little of the introduction to J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood, Dark Lover, with Wrath and Beth. Albeit, shifter instead of vamp!

Bear in mind that this is just the first scene! The sexual attraction and tension continues between these two characters when Mia begins her work experience the following week and the company is owned by the pack in which Lucas belongs.

Working so closely causes conflict within Lucas. He wants Mia just about as bad as you can possibly imagine and yet the only one for him, his mate, has been deceased for some time and he never believed that he would feel these feelings again. Maybe he even feels like he is betraying his mate? His reactions confuse Mia at times and can bring a little fear. At the same time she tries to conceal her inner wolf and yet her feelings are just as strong as Lucas’.

You find your heart pounding and blood boiling during the scenes of protection and the intensity of Lucas sets you on fire. It warms you at the same time as making your hairs stand on end as you feel the temptation and fear from Mia.

Desired is a fantastic way to start a series and gain some pretty hardcore fans. There is a brilliant storyline and amount of description packed into a full short story. It wraps up perfectly but leaving the reader wanting more. I cannot wait for the second episode!!

A copy of Desired (True Alpha #1) was provided by the author, Alisa Woods, for the purpose of an honest and fair review.

Desired (True Alpha #1) by Alisa Woods is available at Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

August 31, 2014 by Caroline Barker

Blog Tour & Giveaway Romantic Suspense BROSLIN BRIDE (Broslin Creek series) by NY Times Best-Selling author, Dana Marton

Last chance to win an e-book of your choice from the Broslin Bride series by New York Times Best-Selling Author, Dana Marton!! A fantastic way to begin the series or carry on with your collection! Read on for the details and good luck with entering. Caroline and Tina 🙂

areadersreviewblog

NY Times Best-Selling author, Dana Marton, has recently released her fifth book of her romantic suspense Broslin Creek series, BROSLIN BRIDE, and she is now launching her first book blog tour of the UK. Not only do we have the pleasure in sharing with you the cover and blurb for this fantastic novel, but we are also lucky to share with you an excerpt, author info, a GIVEAWAY (scroll to the end for info on this), links and much more…..

BROSLIN BRIDE BLURB: Luanne Mayfair might have killed her boss a little. Fine, a lot. Pretty much all the way. Okay, it sounds bad when you say it like that. But he was a sleazebag. Honest. The maids at the Mushroom Mile Motel that Earl Cosgrove managed often prayed for lightning to strike the lecherous bastard. Alas, God had seen fit to send Luanne instead.

Excerpt: Luanne Mayfair might have killed her…

View original post 1,095 more words

August 24, 2014 by Caroline Barker

REVIEW After Wimbledon by Jennifer Gilby Roberts

After Wimbledon is a light, refreshing romance mixed with a dash of quirky and fun instances. Lucy Bennett’s career and love life could be falling down around her or she could be starting a new life with the man of her dreams. She has the whole duration of the Tennis World Championships to find out how she really feels towards her tennis career and her current boyfriend. But how will it all end?

The story follows British tennis player, Lucy Bennett, as she considers this year to be her last professional year at Wimbledon. She feels that she has reached as far as she can at the age of 28. She begins thinking of her future and longs to settle down and have a family of her own. The only problem Lucy faces is that her current boyfriend, American tennis ace Joe Harker, doesn’t share her desires but preferring to stay in the game. Oh, and her parents (especially her mother) feels that she will be throwing her career away far too early and her mum possibly longs to relive her own tennis dreams through her daughter!

I’m sure many of us have felt the need to go down our own path, even when against our parents’ wishes. At this point you tend to question whether what you are doing is right or wrong and at times there is a lingering pang of guilt. But you must do what feels right for you and this is exactly where Lucy is at.

As After Wimbledon focuses mostly on Lucy, the reader can understand her actions and empathise with her emotions, thus making Lucy a realistic and likeable character. Lucy is like any of us with her indecisiveness and at times she does ‘put her foot in it’ and has the potential to cause a scene. However, she also has guts and after much deliberation at times she does begin to stand up to those around her. Needless to say that I do love Lucy’s character!

To mash Lucy’s thoughts around even more are the unexpected encounters she has with Joe’s tennis rival, New Zealander Sam Pennington. Sam is the No. 1 and hopes to win it for England this time round. Lucy has always had a crush on him and admired him from afar and so when she meets him by chance at her parents’ tennis club they begin talking and Lucy lets slip some of her thoughts. Sam is patient, caring and honourable as well as being a great listener. After accidentally meeting up with Sam a number of times it becomes clear that these two certainly have chemistry, but then Lucy also has Joe!

Joe had initially dismissed Lucy’s idea of settling down, not really believing it. As time goes on he realises she meant it and his attitude towards her becomes increasingly arrogant and threatening, especially when he sees her support for Sam – with Sam playing for Britain and all, as well as a closeness between Lucy and Sam is reported in the media. Is Joe’s reaction an insight into his true nature or is he jealous and hopes to keep Lucy for himself?!

There is a great build up of momentum and suspense during both Lucy’s love life and action on the courts. Not being a huge tennis follower I was surprised how Roberts had written the on court scenes in a manner that was so easy to follow and gave the reader the chance to feel the excitement and tension. There were also intimate moments that were quite descriptive, making it feel more real, although towards the end I found myself wanting more deeper scenes like there previously had been.

With action on the courts, two boyfriends to choose from, pressure from the media, helping her parents sort out their lives and finally deciding whether or not to stay in professional tennis Lucy really has her mind buzzing! But which way will she finally go? With many more years still left she could make the most of her career before retiring from tennis! And is it worth losing the man she’s had for years to settle with someone new when it may not work out? She would surely be alone then. And so After Wimbledon explores Lucy’s options and maybe you can decide whether or not she chooses the right one!!

A copy of After Wimbledon was provided by the author in return for an honest and fair review.

To read an author post (with links to the author) and an extract from After Wimbledon please click here. (Please take note that the giveaway mentioned is now closed.)

After Wimbledon is available at Amazon UK and Amazon US. (Prices currently at 99p and $1.65 – bargain!! But please be aware prices are subject to change.)

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

August 22, 2014 by Caroline Barker

Caroline’s Current Reads Aug/Sept ’14

Hi readers, it’s been a while but after catching up with some reading and reviewing I thought it was about time to give a mention to some fantastic books I am going to be reading over the next month or so. As always, with me (I’m sure most of you guys are used to me by now) I have a mix of genres to entertain you with, ranging from chick-lit romances to paranormals and from horrors to thrillers. Many of these will have a little romance in too!! Keep on scrolling for the blurbs and links if you cannot wait to check them out first!!

After Wimbledon by Jennifer Gilby Roberts (chick-lit, romantic comedy)

Blurb: A British chick lit / romantic comedy novel about tennis, romance, family and having the guts to move on to a new phase of your life.

After 12 years on the pro. tennis tour and four years with her sort-of boyfriend, Lucy Bennett has had enough. She wants real life… and real love.

Her life, her decision. Right? Well, no one else seems to think so. With opinions on all sides, Lucy’s head is spinning. And she’s stumbling right into the arms of long-term crush and fellow player Sam. Shame her boyfriend – his arch-rival – would sooner smash a racquet over their heads than agree to a simple change of partners.

As the Wimbledon Championships play out, Lucy fights for her life on and off the courts. The question is: what will she be left with after Wimbledon?

Available at Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Desired (True Alpha #1) (short story) by Alisa Woods (paranormal romance)

Blurb: Shifters live in the shadows of Seattle, just under the skin of the alpha male, dot-com entrepreneurs who are building a new Silicon Valley in the Emerald City.

Mia is just a college girl trying to earn her business degree and dig out of the poverty she was born into—being a shifter is something she hides, hoping her secret won’t sabotage her dreams.

DUE FOR RELEASE ON 2ND SEPTEMBER 2014!!

Soul Rebel by C.J. Pinard (paranormal romance)

Available at Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Here Lies Love by Dan Thompson (new adult, sci-fi, dystopian)

Blurb: Would death be less painful than life?

When she is sold by her father, Abbey discovers that nightmares can occur when you’re awake. Trapped inside a wooden cage, Abbey is forced to listen to the horrors and atrocities above; time ticking down until it is her turn. But Abbey isn’t prepared to become a victim; she will escape.

Although, what Abbey isn’t prepared for, is how harsh and unfair the world can be. With the sun turning its back on humanity long ago, life gives no opportunity. The only thing Abbey can do is learn to survive. To exist. And that means stealing any opportunity that comes her way. Haunted by the unpleasant memories bestowed upon her only nurtures Abbey’s paranoia, until she realises that to truly live in the world, she must confront the person who was responsible for her misfortune – her father.

Here Lies Love is a New Adult tale of actuality, of facing up to the fact that love comes in many guises. Can Abbey find the one glimmer of hope or will she be overcome with the darkness of revenge?

Available at Amazon UK and Amazon US.

After the Haze by Gary Richardson (horror)

Blurb: The haze ravaged everything. Human life as we know it is over. Those who survived the haze awoke to find themselves in a new nightmare, as the dead returned with the insatiable desire to hunt down and feed on the remaining humans. Yvonne thought she had escaped her nightmare. Safely aboard the HMS Lancaster, Martin, Mike and herself believed they had found salvation with their military saviours. Things change when a devastating realisation is made. Humans no longer control the Earth. With this in mind, Yvonne has no choice but to assist in the operation to take back control of the UK and bring together all the survivors, but she soon learns that there are bigger threats to mankind than the living dead…

Available at Amazon UK and Amazon US.

The Cabinetmaker by Alan Jones (crime thriller)

Blurb: The Cabinetmaker, Alan Jones’ first novel, tells of one man’s fight for justice when the law fails him. Set in Glasgow from the late nineteen-seventies through to the current day, a cabinetmaker’s only son is brutally murdered by a gang of thugs, who walk free after a bungled prosecution.

It’s young Glasgow detective John McDaid’s first murder case. He forms an unlikely friendship with the cabinetmaker, united by a determination to see the killers punished, their passion for amateur football, and by John’s introduction to a lifelong obsession with fine furniture.

This is the story of their friendship, the cabinetmaker’s quest for justice, and the detective’s search for the truth.

This unusual crime thriller contains some Glasgow slang and a moderate amount of strong language.

Available at Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Amethyst’s Incredible Journey by Lisa Bland (fantasy)

Blurb: Amethyst is a witch with extremely evil and powerful parents. Amethyst is terrified that if she doesn’t stop her parents soon it will be too late, and they will gain control of Golden Dragon City and the Fountain of Magic. Amethyst knows that she’s only got until her next birthday to stop them.

Available at Amazon UK and Amazon US.

I hope you enjoy my mixed bag of goody books as I will enjoy reviewing them! Have a fantastic weekend, guys!

Caroline 🙂

August 21, 2014 by Caroline Barker

The Medea Complex by Rachel Florence Roberts REVIEW

****BASED ON A TRUE STORY***

1885. Anne Stanbury – Committed to a lunatic asylum, having been deemed insane and therefore unfit to stand trial for the crime of which she is indicted. But is all as it seems?

Edgar Stanbury – the grieving husband and father who is torn between helping his confined wife recover her sanity, and seeking revenge on the woman who ruined his life.

Dr George Savage – the well respected psychiatrist, and chief medical officer of Bethlem Royal Hospital. Ultimately, he holds Anne’s future wholly in his hands.

The Medea Complex tells the story of a misunderstood woman suffering from insanity in an era when mental illnesses’ were all too often misdiagnosed and mistreated. A deep and riveting psychological thriller set within an historical context, packed full of twists and turns, The Medea Complex explores the nature of the human psyche: what possesses us, drives us, and how love, passion, and hope for the future can drive us to insanity.

REVIEW

Set in the nineteenth century, based on a true story and real life characters of the time, The Medea Complex covers genres from an historical psychological thriller leading to an historical mystery thriller. The story holds a fascinating rawness and realistic storyline, following a new mother and her mental state since the birth of her child, how she reacts and copes to treatments and the people surrounding her and leaves the reader wondering if her husband remained in love with her or sought revenge for the situation she has left him in.

After killing her young infant son, Lady Anne Stanbury is committed to Bethlehem Hospital, deemed insane and therefore escapes the legal procedure of being sentenced (if found guilty). Anne is confused and believes she is being held for ransom by criminals as she cannot remember anything in regard to her husband and deceased child. And during this time the reader has an insight into how Anne is treated at the hospital by it’s members of staff.

The story opens up very dark, moody and a little depressing considering the main focus on a woman unable to cope with her young to the point she ends his life and ultimately is losing her mind. And yet, the author has made it so gripping and intense that it draws the reader in, making it such a pleasure to read. It is informative of the time, well-researched and yet written for a reader to follow the characters and storyline with ease, leaving a desire to read more.

Another area that intrigued me was the way in which the author tells the story from many perspectives; Lady Anne, Doctor George Savage, Edgar Stanbury (Anne’s husband), Lord Damsbridge (Anne’s father) and Beatrix Fortier (Anne’s maid and companion). This allows the reader to understand and perhaps empathise with the characters, their mindset and their actions.

Once the reader is aware of the situation that Lady Anne Stanbury is in the story goes on to focus on the many conflicts that all of the characters battle. Initially we are aware that Anne has conflicting memories and confusion of where she is, why she is there and what she remembers before entering the Bethlehem Hospital.

Doctor Savage is trying his best to carry out his work on the hope of curing Anne, whilst using the occasional method that Lord Damsbridge, Anne’s father, doesn’t approve of for his daughter. However, Lord Damsbridge funds the hospital thousands of pounds and wants his daughter treated in a specific manner. He can be a little threatening towards Doctor Savage, leaving the doctor the option to either follow or disobey his orders.

I love this maze of objectives and emotion that Rachel Florence Roberts has weaved into the story. It makes the story in many ways have more than one central character, bringing the reader close to all of them and trying to work out constantly what choices they will make and how they will execute their plans.

As the story unfolds past the first few chapters the reader begins to realise that Lady Anne’s husband, Edgar Stanbury was from a poor background. He has married into nobility and yet with no son and Anne in hospital he has no hold of Asquith Manor or the wealth that Lord Damsbridge could pass onto the male heir of Anne’s. To stay, Edgar needs Anne cured and another son to be born to claim the lifestyle for himself. Edgar also battles his confusion of whether he loves or hates his wife. Does he blame her tremendously for their sons death and long for revenge or does he love her and hopes for a better future with her?

Last but certainly not least is Beatrix who doesn’t take kindly to Edgar. The staff feel that he wants them fired and that his presence is purely for financial gain due to his background but as Asquith Manor is not his home yet she feels safe for now and uses her time to look out for Lady Anne.

In the latter half of the novel it becomes more an historical thriller/mystery, as opposed to psychological, with the reader constantly guessing what has taken place, who was involved, whether sanity had a role to play or not and there are many twists with nothing left unanswered at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this read regardless of its dark subject matter. It certainly opens eyes to all standpoints involved. And I cannot emphasize enough just how well-researched, understood and written about this era is in this story. It is a real stand-out and will not leave your mind in a hurry.

A copy of The Medea Complex was provided by the author in return for an honest and fair review.

The Medea Complex is available on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

August 19, 2014 by Caroline Barker

Blog Tour & Giveaway Romantic Suspense BROSLIN BRIDE (Broslin Creek series) by NY Times Best-Selling author, Dana Marton

Excerpt: Luanne Mayfair might have killed her boss a little. Fine, a lot. Pretty much all the way. God, that sounded bad. But he was a sleazebag. Honest. The maids at the Mushroom Mile Motel that Earl Cosgrove managed often prayed for lightning to strike the lecherous bastard. Alas, God had seen fit to send Luanne instead.

Now you’ve gone and done it, she thought the morning after as she stood on the sidewalk in front of the fifties ranch home she rented in her hometown of Broslin, PA. She squinted against the early summer sun. Her red 1989 Mustang sitting by the curb had come from the used-car lot with its share of nicks and dents. But the damage to the front was new.

Gone and done it.

She’d done a horrible, terrible, despicable thing. Guilt and regret made her knees wobble. Whatever the punishment was, she deserved it.

Except, she couldn’t go to prison. She had her four-year-old twin sisters to take care of. She was Mia and Daisy’s sole guardian.

Luanne drew air in big, gulping breaths to wrestle down the shock and nausea. Get moving. One foot in front of the other. She couldn’t stand there and stare all morning. She had to find a way to get away with murder.

Dana Marton Author Bio:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Dana Marton has thrilled and entertained millions of readers around the globe with her fast-paced stories about strong women and honorable men who fight side by side for justice and survival.

Kirkus Reviews calls her writing “compelling and honest.” RT Book Review Magazine said, “Marton knows what makes a hero…her characters are sure to become reader favorites.” Her writing has been acclaimed by critics, called, “gripping,” “intense and chilling,” “full of action,” “a thrilling adventure,” and wholeheartedly recommended to readers. Dana is the winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence, the Readers’ Choice Award, and Best Intrigue, among other awards. Her book, TALL, DARK, AND LETHAL was nominated for the prestigious Rita Award. DEATHSCAPE reached the #1 spot on Amazon’s Romantic Suspense Bestseller list.

Dana has a Master’s degree in Writing Popular Fiction, and is continuously studying the art and craft of writing, attending several workshops, seminars and conferences each year. Her number one goal is to bring the best books she possibly can to her readers.

Keeping in touch with readers is Dana’s favorite part of being an author. Please connect with her via her web site (www.danamarton.com) or her Facebook page (www.facebook.com/danamarton).

Having lived around the world, Dana currently creates her compelling stories in a small and lovely little town in Pennsylvania. The fictional town of her bestselling Broslin Creek series is based on her real life home where she fights her addictions to reading, garage sales, coffee and chocolate. If you know a good twelve-step program to help her with any of that, she’d be interested in hearing about it!

Links:

Website: https://danamarton.com/ sign up for her newsletter and get a FREE novella!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanaMarton

Twitter: @DanaMarton

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/danamarton

As Broslin Bride is the fifth book of the Broslin Creek series we thought it only best to give you the blurbs of the previous four novels of the series:

Deathwatch (Broslin Creek #1): As the only person who can identify the most notorious hit man in the country, Kat Bridges is running for her life.
Murphy Dolan is in the Army Reserves, returning from his 2nd tour of duty, only to find a stranger hiding in his house. She’s scared spitless. He’s completely burned-out on violence. Neither of them has any trust left to give.
If the best of the FBI couldn’t protect her from the country’s most notorious assassin, does a burned-out small town cop have a prayer?

Deathscape (Broslin Creek #2): After a near-death experience, artist Ashley Price is compelled to paint visions of the dead, and fears she’s gone crazy. Then she paints a man buried alive and, recognizing the surroundings, she rushes to save him.
Instead of being grateful to her for rescuing him, Detective Jack Sullivan accuses her of being in league with a serial killer. He swears he will put her behind bars. Except, the more time he spends with her, the more he falls under her spell. Can he trust her, or is he walking into another deadly trap?

Deathtrap (Broslin Creek #3): She’d been “the sick girl” for most of her life. She refused to go straight to “the weird girl”. Heart-transplant recipient Sophie Curtis has been in her own antiseptic bubble for so long, she just might not be able to venture out into the real world again. Her spooky body memories are scary enough, but then she finds herself in the cross hairs of a killer.
“Love was blind, people said. But lust was blind, deaf and reckless.” Ethan Bing hadn’t been a great romantic before he became a cop. Whatever shred of optimism he had left after becoming Broslin Chief of Police had been seared out of him by the unsolved murder of his wife two years before. A new case brings the killer within reach just as Sophie pops into his life. She gets through his defenses like no other before, but soon it becomes clear that she’s been selected as the killer’s next victim.

Deathblow (Broslin Creek #4): Former small-town football hero turned cop, Joe Kessler never met a linebacker, perp, or a woman he couldn’t handle. Then a troubled single mom walks into his life, and the only place this hot jock will ever see ‘easy’ again is in the dictionary.
Hiding out in Broslin, PA was working pretty well for Wendy Belle until Cop Casanova took her under his protection. Now she’ll either lose her life to one man, or her heart to another.

Books 1-3 of the Broslin Creek series (Deathwatch, Deathscape and Deathtrap) as shown above are in a boxed set which is due to go on sale for only 99c between August 22nd and August 26th!!! Don’t miss out!! Plus Book One, Deathwatch, is usually FREE on most sites!!!

AND we are also hosting a GIVEAWAY where one lucky winner can win an e-book of one of the novels from the Broslin Creek series that the winner gets to choose!! To have a chance to win all we ask is that you add your name to the comments below and/or on our post on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AReadersReview!! The CLOSING DATE for entries is AUGUST 31ST 2014!!

Good luck, guys!

Caroline and Tina 🙂