Thursday, April 7, 2016
Review: Rex Rising (Elei's Chronicles #1) by Chrystalla Thoma @Chrystallathoma
Rex
Rising (Elei's
Chronicles #1)
Published
August 11th 2011
In
a world where parasites create new human races, Elei leads a peaceful life —
until a mysterious attack on his boss sends him fleeing with a bullet in his
side. Pursued for a secret he does not possess and with the fleet at his heels,
he has but one thought: to stay alive.
His pursuers aren’t inclined to sit down and talk, although that’s not the end of Elei’s troubles. The two powerful parasites inhabiting his body, at a balance until now, choose this moment to bring him down, leaving Elei with no choice but to trust in people he hardly knows. It won’t be long before he realizes he must find out this deadly secret — a secret that might change the fate of his world and everything he has ever known — or die trying.
His pursuers aren’t inclined to sit down and talk, although that’s not the end of Elei’s troubles. The two powerful parasites inhabiting his body, at a balance until now, choose this moment to bring him down, leaving Elei with no choice but to trust in people he hardly knows. It won’t be long before he realizes he must find out this deadly secret — a secret that might change the fate of his world and everything he has ever known — or die trying.
My
Review:
Rex
Rising is about Elei who was infected with two parasites when he was a little
boy. He grew up with these two parasites fighting each other inside of him each
wanting to control the other. Elei is a very lucky person to have survived the
parasites inside of him because to most they are deadly. After the rough life
that he has lived Elei finally got him a break. He got a job driving an aircar.
Elei was happy with his new job and his boss for a while until one day his boss
is killed and after witnessing her death Elei flees the scene with a bullet in
his side, running for his life. Whoever killed his boss is now chasing after
Elei. They want something from Elei that he knows nothing about. He has no clue
what it is they want.
About
the Author:
Greek
Cypriot with a penchant for dark myths and good food. I have proven my tendency
to settle down anywhere but at home by having lived and studied in France,
England, Germany and Costa Rica, before returning to Cyprus two years ago.
I like to write about fantastical creatures, crazy adventures, and family
bonds. I live in Cyprus with my husband and my vast herds of books. I write
fantasy and science fiction, and my short stories can be found in Alienskin
magazine, Lorelei Signal, the Shine Journal, Encounters Magazine, and Bards and
Sages ezine i.a. I am also an author of MuseItUp Publishing, and my YA Urban
Fantasy novella Dioscuri - retelling of the classic Greek myth of the same name
- has been now released.
I am currently working on a few novels, including a vampire novel set in
Cyprus, an epic fantasy trilogy, and a YA science fiction series.
Book Blitz + #Giveaway: Steamsworn (The Steamborn Series #3) Eric R. Asher @ericrasher @XpressoReads @XpressoTours #XpressoBookTours
Steamsworn
Eric R. Asher
(The Steamborn Series #3)
Publication date: April 5th 2016
Genres: Steampunk, Young Adult
The world dies in war only to be reborn. It is the way of things, and always will be.
Forged in the Deadlands crucible, and armed with the knowledge of their true enemy, Jacob, Alice, and their allies bring the fight back to Ancora. They’ll liberate their homeland, or die trying.
The wounds cut deep in their darkest hour, but in the end, vengeance will light their path.
Previous books in the series:
EXCERPT:
“Whoa,” she said, jumping away from the burst of heat and flame. “That went up a little faster than I expected.” She reached the edge of the rack with her toe and forced it beneath the boiler.
“Scythe Beetles!”
Jacob swung the air cannon off his back and racked the slide.
“Jacob, Alice!” Samuel’s voice rang with authority. “Fall back with Smith. If you need to use the cannon, use it at the last second. You don’t want to injure a Scythe Beetle. You want to kill it.”
Drakkar’s arm snapped out to the side, and his sword unfolded with a rapid series of clicks.
There was a calamity behind the Cave Guardian, and it grew louder with every second. Jacob and Alice scrambled off the railcar. Jacob paused and then ran to the pump to turn it off. The last thing they needed was wet fuel bars.
Alice made it to Smith ten steps before Jacob did. Samuel and Drakkar set up a loose line between the railcar and a steeper section of the shattered wall.
Smith spoke into his transmitter. “Mary! Get the chaingun down here now!”
Her static-laced reply came back in an incoherent burst.
“Chaingun! Now!”
Mary cursed and began shouting orders before she stopped transmitting.
Drakkar had the best view of the corridor, and everyone tensed when he said, “Here they come.”
The iron gate in the stone hall collapsed at the first impact. The metal rattled and screeched as it was twisted and trampled. The creatures were not very fast, but once they were moving, nothing seemed to stop them.
They ran on three-toed claws, the spikes on their legs tearing through stone and rending metal as they crashed onto the platform. Jacob watched in awe and horror as the front most beetle paused, and its back split open. A pair of leathery wings extended from beneath the carapace and gleamed in the rising moonlight.
Author Bio:
Eric is a former bookseller, guitarist, and comic seller currently living in Saint Louis, Missouri. A lifelong enthusiast of books, music, toys, and games, he discovered a love for the written word after being dragged to the library by his parents at a young age. When he is not writing, you can usually find him reading, gaming, or buried beneath a small avalanche of Transformers.
GIVEAWAY!
Hosted by:
Book Blast + #Giveaway: Deep by Skye Warren @skye_warren @GoddessFish
Deep
by Skye Warren
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
BLURB:
Dark.
Powerful. Dangerous.
Philip Murphy has all of Chicago under his thumb. Except me.
We met in a perfect storm of violence and lust. He saved me and then disappeared from my life. Now I pretend I never knew that kind of darkness. I focus on midterms and campus parties, as if they can wipe the slate clean.
Then he turns up outside my dorm room--wounded and barely conscious. He's the head of a criminal empire, a powerful man, but he needs me now. There are traitors in his midst.
I can help him, but I can't fall for him.
Not again.
Philip Murphy has all of Chicago under his thumb. Except me.
We met in a perfect storm of violence and lust. He saved me and then disappeared from my life. Now I pretend I never knew that kind of darkness. I focus on midterms and campus parties, as if they can wipe the slate clean.
Then he turns up outside my dorm room--wounded and barely conscious. He's the head of a criminal empire, a powerful man, but he needs me now. There are traitors in his midst.
I can help him, but I can't fall for him.
Not again.
Links for DEEP:
Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ iBooks
~ Nook ~ Kobo
~ Google Play ~ All Romance
And you can purchase Deep in PRINT:
EXCERPT:
The sound came again, louder. A
shiver ran through me. It was coming from outside the room, but not from either
side. It was coming from the door.
I crept over and looked out the
peephole. An empty hallway bulged in the distorted lens.
Now I was doubting myself. Had I
actually heard something? Maybe it had come from the dorm room across the hall.
When I first moved here, it had been shortly after my “ordeal,” as my adoptive
mother called it. I had jumped at every sound, both real and imagined, more
traumatized by my brush with danger than I’d wanted to admit.
My gaze snapped to my phone.
I could call my adoptive mother
right now, but I knew she wouldn’t want to be bothered. I could call the
building management, but I knew what would happen. The same thing that had
happened last time I called them. They’d send my floor advisor to check on me.
If there was anything scary in this hallway, she’d have to face it first.
And if there wasn’t anything scary,
if it was my imagination again, the PTSD I didn’t want to acknowledge, well
then everyone would know how fucked up I was inside.
No, I had to be overreacting. This
was nothing. There was no one in the hallway. And even if there was, it would
be some drunk guy, passed out on the wrong floor.
I’m a normal college student, I
reminded myself. I’m not afraid of anything.
Both of those things were lies, I
was neither normal nor brave, but at least I could send a drunk frat boy on his
way.
I opened the door a crack. Nothing.
Relief filled me, and I opened the
door wider.
A body slid inside, slumped over
without the door to support him. A short scream escaped me before I caught
myself.
He was wearing a three-piece suit
stained with blood, his expression slack, eyes glassy with pain and delirium.
Philip.
Oh God, he was hurt. Really badly
hurt if he couldn’t stand up. Horribly hurt if he’d ever have come to me of all
people. I didn’t have time to process the shock of it, of seeing him again. I
had to get him out of sight. If he’d been injured like this, someone was after
him. Someone would want to finish the job.
“Come inside,” I whispered urgently,
pulling his arm.
All that earned me was a weak groan.
Panic beat in my chest. Was he
losing consciousness? Was he dying?
I managed to sling his heavy arm
over my shoulders, staggering under even that much weight. Christ. Awake he was
pure packed power. Half-conscious and injured, he was like a pile of steel
bars—unmovable and unwieldy.
“I’ll never forgive you if you die
on my doorstep,” I said.
Something like a grunt escaped
him—it might have been a laugh. Either way, he surged up, tapping into some
deep well of energy or survival instinct. His effort and all my strength pushed
us through the doorway and into my dorm room. It had seemed small before. Now
it seemed tiny as we bumped into walls and staggered to the bed.
I wanted to lay him down gently,
careful with his wounds, but in the end we both fell under his weight, tangled
on the bed in a heap of exhausted limbs. With a coarse shove I managed to get
him on his back so I could shut the door.
The hallway was just as empty as
when I’d found him. There was a little smear of blood on the doorjamb. It
turned a mottled brown when I wiped it with my shirt.
That would have to be good enough
for now.
I just hoped no one had followed
him. I just hoped no one found him.
And I really hoped no one found me.
AUTHOR BIO:
Skye Warren is the New York Times
bestselling author of dark romance such as Wanderlust and Prisoner. Praised as
a “true mistress of dark erotica”, her books have been featured in Jezebel,
Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes
her home in Texas with her loving family, four dogs, and one evil cat.
Giveaway:
$15 Amazon or B/N GC
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better
your chances of winning.
Book Blitz + #Giveaway: When We Were Us by Tawdra Kandle @tawdra @XpressoReads @XpressoTours #XpressoBookTours
When We Were Us
Tawdra Kandle
Publication date: April 7th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
The Trio. That’s who we’ve been since birth: Nate, Leo . . . and me, Quinn, the token girl. Our mothers met in a prenatal class and became best friends, which meant that the three of us hit every milestone together, from the first day of school to the very first kiss. And beyond.
I’ve always been caught in the middle between the two boys. I’ve been in love with Leo since I was eight, even though he doesn’t see me as anything but his pal. And I know that Nate’s hung up on me. I see the look in his eyes. I wish I could say I felt the same, but I don’t. It’s getting harder and harder to keep him in the friend zone, though.
Things between the three of us aren’t easy anymore. Leo’s popular, the football team’s star receiver, and the object of every girl’s fantasy. I know he doesn’t mean to leave us behind, but now Nate and I are just people he used to know.
What used to be so simple is suddenly messy and complicated. Leo is all I’ve ever wanted, but even if I had the chance to be with him, how would Nate would handle it?
When that chance does come along . . . in the most unexpected way . . . I’m helpless to resist Leo. What was always meant to be is finally happening . . . but will it come at the risk of losing both my friends?
***This is Book #1 of a trilogy, and it does include an unresolved ending. ***
EXCERPT:
He caught me watching him, and one side of his mouth quirked up. “Want some, Mia? You know I don’t have cooties.”
I was glad the dark hid my flushed face. “No, thanks.”
“Ah, yeah. That’s right. I forgot you’re too good to drink with us, huh?” He tipped the bottle back again and then held it out to Sarah, who took a pull without hesitation. “So why’d you bother coming tonight if you’re not really going to enjoy yourself?”
“I . . . I thought it would be fun. And Jake wanted to come.” I shifted in my seat. “I can have a good time without getting drunk. Or high. Or . . .” I looked up at the deck, where the grope-fest continued. “Um, without doing . . . things.”
Leo smirked. “Cool. Good for you. But if you’re going to sit around and judge everyone who does want to do . . . things, maybe you should just go the fuck home.”
“Hey.” Jake’s tone wasn’t aggressive, just chiding. “Chill, Taylor.”
A tic jumped in Leo’s cheek, and his eyes narrowed. “What’s the matter, Donavan? You want to be her big bodyguard? Her boyfriend? Believe me, dude. I’m the last guy you need to protect her from.” His gaze slid back to me. “Or am I?” He took another drink, and it occurred to me that he’d probably had quite a few.
My stomach clenched at Leo’s random aggression. This was the first time we’d been together or spoken since I’d left him in the alley outside the diner. Clearly neither of us had forgotten that. The tension in the air fairly crackled, and I wasn’t sure who was going to break the awkward silence.
“Why do you call her Mia?” It was Sarah who spoke. She only sounded curious, not at all defensive or suspicious. I was pathetically grateful to her for shifting the focus as I held my breath, waiting to see if Leo would answer. “Is it Spanish?”
I saw his throat bob as he swallowed before he spoke. “No. Her name—her real name—is Amelia Quinn. After her great-grandmother. When we were little, sometimes her mom would call her that—Amelia Quinn. I wanted to say it, too, but I couldn’t pronounce Amelia. So I called her Mia. Mia Quinn.”
His voice was husky and sent a thrill down my spine. When I glanced up, his eyes were on my face again, boring into me until I couldn’t breathe. I shivered and then without thinking about it, I licked my lips.
Instantly Leo’s stare was fastened on my mouth. His own lips parted, and his chest seemed to rise and fall a little faster. I was dizzy with wanting him, and at the same time, I felt like an idiot. Here I was with another guy—while he was sitting with another girl. And yet the pull between us was undeniable. I was dying to crawl over to him, slither up his body, press my boobs into his chest and kiss him until we forgot our own names. I’d never known want that way—real, tangible need—and I fought back tears, because Leo had made it abundantly clear that he didn’t want me the same way.
Author Bio:
Tawdra Kandle writes romance, in just about all its forms. She loves unlikely pairings, strong women, sexy guys, hot love scenes and just enough conflict to make it interesting. Her books run from YA paranormal romance (THE KING SERIES), through NA paranormal and contemporary romance (THE SERENDIPITY DUET, PERFECT DISH DUO, THE ONE TRILOGY) to adult contemporary and paramystery romance (CRYSTAL COVE BOOKS and RECIPE FOR DEATH SERIES). She lives in central Florida with a husband, kids, sweet pup and too many cats. And yeah, she rocks purple hair.
GIVEAWAY!
Hosted by:
%20by%20Willow%20Thorne.jpg)
