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Showing posts from 2012

Last Kiss IN Venice

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 Title: Last Kiss in Venice Author: Martin Chu Shui Series: Legend of the White Snake Book: 1 About the Book: (Goodreads) Beside a bridge over a canal in Venice, Charlie is spellbound not only by Caitlin’s absolute beauty but also by what seems like a mythical bond between them. The more he knows about her, the more mysterious she becomes. As they finally admit their love to each other in Paris, then move to settle down in Australia together, it looks like the start of Happily Ever After. But neither of them realizes that this is just the start of a heart-wrenching journey. After a lifetime of searching, Caitlin finally finds her true love, settles down in the beautiful rolling countryside of outback Australia, and starts to raise a family, but her enemy is never far away. She loves Charlie deeply and is certain he is her soul mate, but she knows she can never reveal her secret; he must never know who she really is, and that is her downfall. Information in the hands of her

The Great Gatsby

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Guest post brought to you by Tasha Haight. October 16, 2012 The Impossibility of the American Dream in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby             During their lifetime, most people strive to achieve the American Dream.   Each individual's idea of this dream is varied slightly, although most have a common ground where wealth, romance, and freedom is wanted. However, as one gets closer to achieving one's American Dream, more is desired.   F. Scott Fitzgerald shows this impossibility of the American Dream through Jay Gatsby's obsession with money and love in The Great Gatsby .             Money is a major part of the American Dream. The famous saying "Money cannot buy happiness", is not entirely true, and some people would even say that money does buy happiness; "Attainment of the gold was to be attainment of the golden moment" (Stern).   Being economically independent is something that is viewed as part of the American Dream

Tony Viardo (Astor+Blue Editions) Guest Post

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This guest post is brought to you by Tony Viardo!! Astor +Blue Editions has put its entire first season's list of e-book titles on a holiday promotional sale  for $0.99 or $1.99. http://astorandblue.com/catalog/ .   The sale will continue through January 7, 2013. Digital Publishing: The Grinch Who Stole Christmas? So how many articles have we read about E-books and Digital Publishing this year? For anyone who generally follows the book world (rabid booklover, book-blogger, industry pro or casual reader), we’re literally inundated with the amazing numbers—“E-book sales up 125% (again) over the 175% they were up from last year’s 225% increase!”—and equally amazing technological announcements—“Next Fall, the new ZimWittyZoomDitty tablet not only updates your Facebook and Goodreads friends whenever you snort in disgust … it cooks dinner for you at the same time!” This leads many to take at least casual stock of what’s going on/going to happen to the “Publishing World

Grow Your Marriage Blog Tour Guest Post!

This guest post was brought to you by Jerry Cook!!  We have been fed, clothed, and nurtured by our parents for 18 years, and for some of us, it’s much longer than that. It’s natural to feel a connection or a sense of dependency on our parents, even into our adulthood. While it’s a great idea to stay emotionally close to your parents, you do not want to get “so” close that it disrupts your marriage. We may even feel close enough to ask our parents for advice.  It’s not wrong to ask a parent for advice---it’s actually a good thing, so long as your spouse is okay with it. If your parents or in-laws are offering advice where they should not, the biological child should be the first to say something to those parents. If the biological child will not, the son/daughter-in-law may need to or else the cycle will continue and likely intensify, and that spouse needs the support from their spouse when doing so. Chances are good your parents and in-laws will respect you, at least in the long

Mark of The Princess - FREE for Christmas!

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A gift to you, from B.C. Morin - the author of Mark of the Princess, the first book in The Kingdom Chronicles! Right now it's just free on December 25, so be sure to get it today and Merry Christmas! Book Description (amazon) Publication Date:   February 1, 2012 The feisty and determined faerie Princess Alannah is many things, but she never thought she would be the key to her people’s destruction. Kidnapped for a power she does not yet possess, Alannah finds herself in the clutches of the most malevolent sorcerer of her time. Maligo. Alannah escapes her prison with help from the handsome and stalwart warrior faerie, Brennus. Now she must cross mountains and forests fraught with rogue faeries, vicious Fae-hating trolls, dangerous shape-shifters, and more to reach the only ones that can help her control her incoming powers. The Elder Faeries. With Brennus by her side, Alannah is determined to reach the Elder Faeries and save her people. Maligo is just as determined she never

Talented Giveaway! (Ebook copies - International!)

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Sophie Davis and her publishers are willing to give away three (3) ebook copies (online or reading device versions) of Talented, the 1st book in the Talented Saga! This giveaway is open to all international and local people! What to Win: An E-Book Version of Talented  How to Win: Follow PrincessReviews Leave a Comment on this Post ( WITH YOUR EMAIL  SO WE KNOW HOW TO CONTACT YOU!!!) Who Can Enter: PrincessReviews Followers Requirements to Enter: Follow PrincessReviews When To Enter: Now until January 2nd, 2013 About the Book (GOODREADS): Talented  (Talented #1) by   Sophie Davis   (Goodreads Author)   4.25    ·      rating details    ·    80 ratings    ·    60  reviews If you always knew what people were really thinking, would you consider it a gift or a curse? Talia Lyons is Talented. Born after a nuclear spill, she is part of a new generation that possesses special abilities; Talia can read the minds of others and manipulate their thoughts. Whether Morphe

Talented Giveaway! (Print copies - US Only)

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Sophie Davis and her publishers are willing to give away two (2) print copies (actual books, not ebooks) of Talented, the 1st book in the Talented Saga! Unfortunately, these are only available to residents of the USA, for shipping purposes. What to Win: An Actual Book of Talented  How to Win: Follow PrincessReviews Leave a Comment on this Post ( WITH YOUR EMAIL SO WE KNOW HOW TO CONTACT YOU!!!) Who Can Enter: United States Residents Requirements to Enter: Follow PrincessReviews Have a USA Shipping Address When To Enter: Now until January 2nd, 2013 About the Book (GOODREADS): Talented  (Talented #1) by   Sophie Davis   (Goodreads Author)   4.25    ·      rating details    ·    80 ratings    ·    60  reviews If you always knew what people were really thinking, would you consider it a gift or a curse? Talia Lyons is Talented. Born after a nuclear spill, she is part of a new generation that possesses special abilities; Talia can read the minds of others and ma

Book Review: Phantom Dreams

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Phantom Dreams by T. K. Harris begins in the mind of a serial killer, then the FBI agent tracking him, and finally the woman who dreams about the killings. Kathy Gilliam is a twenty-nine-year-old single, work-a-holic, with an ailing father. She lives alone and up until recently has nightmares she can't remember. However as the stress over her father's declining health and an important account looming at work begin to exhaust her, her nightmares become more frequent and more vivid. At the urging of her primary physician Kathy seeks the help of a psychiatrist who advises her to keep a notebook beside her bed to write down the dreams. Several sketches later, Kathy realizes that the faces from her dreams match those of murder victims of the Coast-to-Coast killer that are splashed across the news. Feeling that she is losing her mind, she tries to ignore it. But Kathy eventually finds herself at the local police station telling her story. However, instead of bei

The Man in the Box, FREE Today!

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This is a great read. Pick up your copy today! Free Today through Wednesday, December 5th on  Amazon Kindle The Man in the Box by Andrew Toy Work provided Robbie Lake the perfect escape from his family. But his life is turned upside down when he is unexpectedly fired. When he finds a new way of escape through a cardboard box, everything changes. The imaginary world of his childhood has evolved in his absence and is now more savage and hostile than even he could have dreamed. Robbie is drawn in by the excitement of his secret world, but will the cost of abandoning his family prove too high? Facebook Goodreads WHERE TO BUY Amazon BN Blackwyrm See my review  here .

Book Review: More Than What I See

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More Than What I See by Alisha Smith is about Grace Joy Smith, and she is constantly in trouble. She does not intentionally go out to do bad things, but she does make mistakes. Throughout the book, she is called to attention on mistakes by her parents, her principal and her aunt. But at church, Apostle has a message from God just for Grace about love and forgiveness. My review as a reader: This is a quick read with a good message. Although this was only a snippet of Grace's everyday life, I could see how she felt like such a "horrible" person in the face of the frustrations of her authority figures. This being from Grace's point of view, she may have perceived that her mom or dad were angrier than they actually felt, which made Grace feel worse. Sometimes children do feel this way when they are corrected. The illustrations are clean pencil drawings which present Grace's and the other characters' facial expressions well. My review as a writer: *possible

Beyond the Grave Book Review

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Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson is the fourth installment in The 39 Clues book series. In this installment, Amy and Dan Cahill are in Cairo trying to find the next clue. They are being pursued by Irina Spinsky, their Russian cousin and a number of other Cahill cousins. The children are constantly on the move, taking flights to various places in Egypt. They are also getting messages left for them by their deceased grandmother Grace. This book, as like every other in the series, is written by a different author. I could really tell the difference in the writing. There is more emotional development in the characters, and not just the Cahill children. Irina Spinsky also seems to be fighting that "weakness" called emotion. Amy and Dan are fighting each other while trying to hold on to the loving image of their grandmother in the face of the "evil" they find out about the Ekat branch of the Cahills. It is especially hard since they still don't know their branch

JF Jenkins Guest Post

This guest post was brought to you by JF Jenkins and Astraea Press. Just Keep Writing Writer's block is one of the hardest things to get through. Everyone has their different tricks and techniques, and it's probably the most common question I get asked. Other writers and non-writers are desperate to know. Here's a small list of things I do every time I hit that block. 1)       I ask myself why I am hitting the block. Is it because I don't know what's happening next in the story, or simply because I'm bored with what I'm writing? Because sometimes a writer does get bored of a scene, particularly when it's an uninteresting piece of explanation rather than action or drama. 2)       Once I figure out why I'm blocked, I lay down and take a nap. Okay, half the time I don't actually sleep. Sometimes I use the nap as an excuse to have a quiet place where I can think and visualize my story. 3)       If that doesn't do the trick, th

The Man in the Box Book Review

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The Man in the Box by Andrew Toy is about Robbie Lake, a middle-aged man who finds a box that sends him to a fantasy world that he created as a child. When Robbie is fired from his job of 11 years, he is at a loss of what to do next. This comes on the heels of yet another blowout with his teenaged daughter and another cold shoulder encounter with his distant young son. Robbie doesn't know his family and they're not quick to welcome him either after he's fired due to layoffs. Only his wife Rosalynn keeps everything together for him and the family. When Robbie discovers this "magical" box, he enters a world called Reveloin where he is the long lost "god" that everyone has been waiting for. He is strong and fast and cunning--opposite to how he feels in the real world. Robbie only needs to sit on his throne in Reveloin to take power and reign supreme; if only he didn't have to come back to reality do mundane tasks like apply for jobs and pick the

Book Review: PRINCESS KANDAKE: Warrior By Choice...Appointed to Rule

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Princess Kandake: Warrior By Choice...Appointed to Rule  by Stephanie Jefferson follows the story of Princess Kandake, one of four of King Amani's children. In a kingdom rich with culture, wealth and peace, girls can grow up to be artisans, warriors and even queen. Kandake desires to be a warrior and worries that Great Mother will not choose her to be Prime Warrior to the kingdom of Nubia. What she fears most comes to fruition when Great Mother not only doesn't name her Prime Warrior, but she instead names her the next Queen of Nubia. How can she be what she's been called to be while being who she was meant to be? Princess Kandake is full of rich sights, aromas and sounds. It skillfully captures the feel of the Nile and the kingdom of Nubia and her people. It is a very peaceful and loving kingdom. Everything and everyone acts with respect and discipline above everything else even in the face of adversity and death. Princess Kandake's family is loving