Showing posts with label action. Show all posts
Showing posts with label action. Show all posts

Tuesday, 27 October 2015

Blitz w/ Giveaway & Excerpt: TROLL by Ashley Harris



Seductive teens & trolls meet #Gameofthrones! 

Get ready for a rollicking action and adventure story set in a magical world where a creature emerges from thousands of miles underground, seeking revenge, treasure, and a key that once belonged to an old enemy. Fans of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and The Vampire Diaries  by J. L. Smith will be enchanted by this new YA novel selected by Kindle Scout readers for publication!

Follow the blitz and enter to win great prizes! 



Visit all the blogs participating in the blitz for more chances to win! 

October 26th
Brooke Blogs Author Interview 
My Midnight Fantasies Spotlight + Excerpt
Reading In Wonderland Spotlight + Excerpt
T&L Book Reviews Review + Guest Post

October 27th
Deal Sharing Aunt Author Interview
Opinionated Cupcakes Spotlight + Excerpt
Just Books & Rainne's Ramblings Author Interview

October 28th
Nicole's Book Musings Spotlight + Excerpt
Mama Reads Hazel Sleeps Review + Guest Post
Becky on Books Spotlight + Excerpt
Kindle and Me Review + Guest Post
Book Briefs Review

October 29th
Oh My Growing TBR Spotlight + Excerpt
Jeri's Book Attic Review
Evermore Books Spotlight + Excerpt
One Book Two Review

October 30th
Crystal's Chaotic Confessions Spotlight + Excerpt
Mikky's World Of Books Spotlight + Excerpt
Happily Ever Chapter Spotlight + Excerpt
Kayl's Krazy Obsession Author Interview
Miranda's Book Blog Author Interview


About Troll: 

Title: Troll
Author: Ashley C. Harris
Author Location: FL, United States
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Fantasy
Release Date: October 6, 2015
Words: 319 pages
Publisher: Kindle Press
Format: Digital eBook
AISN: B013VAU5KA

Synopsis:  At the age of sixteen, Abby is undergoing major household changes. Her mom is getting ready to remarry and her new step-brother is driving her insane. She is just trying to keep herself busy with school and her part-time job when a most deliciously handsome stranger moves to her little seaside town and won't leave her alone.
New arrival Wilhelm is unlike any other student at Abby’s school. His emerald eyes and tattooed body don’t truly reveal what he really is: a creature emerged from thousands of miles underground, seeking revenge, treasure, and a key that once belonged to an old enemy – a key Abby wears suspended from a chain around her neck. Why she has it is a mystery that Wilhelm will need to solve, and fast, in order to defeat a powerful mortal adversary.
As an attraction between Abby and Wilhelm develops, more creatures like Wilhelm are drawn from beneath the ground to Abby’s town; wreaking havoc as they offer Abby’s classmates the fulfillment of their deepest desires. Will Abby and her new family survive as a game of magical warfare is unleashed? Her ability to reverse Wilhelm’s bargain depends on it.

Available at Amazon.

Excerpt
Seconds went by and he found nothing, except a distraction. It wasn’t the human’s heartbeat drumming steadily on the second floor that he found unnerving, most likely it was the fact that she was reading a rhyme aloud – that wasn’t a human thing as much as it was a trolls’: “A kiss was made,” he heard her voice whisper, trying to ignore it. “A rose was dropped.” He looked up when she said the word rose. “A heart was snapped in half. The love of your life has left you in a world that’s dark and black.”
He moved toward the sound. Perhaps she was really one of his kind in disguise, here to spy on him.
“Thunder sounds, the sky turns gray, there is nothing recognizable at all. The love of your life has left you in a world that’s sad and small.” The words made him think about Helena, his Helena, kissing Klaus, while he had her fully under his control. It was sickened him and pissed him off.
He crept down the bookcase where a girl was reading from a book out loud, unaware of his presence. She was definitely not a troll, he concluded when he got a good look at her, growing bored. “But then the sun comes out. A rainbow appears. An angel has come to tell you, your hope is stronger than fear.”
“Are you sure that’s what an angel would say?” he asked.
Her blue, puppy-like eyes shot up, her body nearly jumping out of its skin from being startled. “Where did you come from?” she squeaked as she looked around, her heartbeat doubling.
“About five shelves over,” he answered as he looked her up and down. She was a tiny, petite thing compared to himself, with light brown hair and blushed fair skin that made her blue eyes pop. She also had four freckles on one cheek and three on the other. This human was both plain looking but also strangely captivating compared to others in the building.
“Oh, I see, and were you standing there the entire time?” she asked, her free hand going to her hip, as she tried to stand up straighter, trying to seem tall and authoritative. He could see she was irritated at being disturbed, and that was the most entertaining thing of all.
“Yes, is that a problem?” he asked with a smile.
“Yes!”
“I’m sorry … I thought you worked here. I was just looking for some help,” he lied. Did she think he wouldn’t notice the fact that she was standing next to a filing cart and wearing a library badge that read: Abigail? That, and the feelings of servitude and obligation that he could smell all over her. 
“Oh, I – I do,” she said, as if this had just occurred to her. She was unable to wipe the annoyance and unease off her face, as she looked down his arm, judging him because of his numerous tattoos. Humans...so sadly sheltered. “How can I help you?”
He didn’t answer. This irritated her more.
“The college used book section is downstairs, and so is the art and tattoo section,” she suggested, trying to guess his reason for pestering her.
“Do I really look old enough to be in college to you?” he asked, half insulted because college years for humans were death years for his kind.
“Yes,” she said honestly as she took in his tall, six-foot-five frame. “You look at least twenty.”
“Nope, time to get your eye’s checked maybe?” he asked, stepping closer, letting her guess his age; this seemed like a game she didn’t want to play.
“Well you’re definitely a least eighteen,” she replied as she turned part of her body away from him, her eyes back to her books; as if being eighteen put him in a different category than her. “You’d have to be to get a tattoo, now is—”
“Or maybe I had really cool parents,” he cut her off. “And I’m seventeen. That was an enchanting poem you read by the way. Who was it by?”
He took another step closer as she took a step back, nearly colliding into a bookshelf. “Amber Paris.” She handed him the book she’d read from and appeared much more comfortable when he was looking at it and not her. He examined it with only partial interest. “She got it published when she was fifteen.” she seemed to know all about the subject.
“Well, that explains why it’s so good, then. People always come up with their best work when they’re young. I bet at twelve her poems were even better.”
Each word he spoke was like a hook, spinning magic to pull her in to him even as she wanted to get away. “Where are you from, exactly?” she asked as she noticed what he was wearing; heavy jeans instead of the more typically Floridian surfer shorts, and a thick dark green shirt that went down to his elbows, only showing off half of his tattoos. Probably weird attire for the hottest months of Florida, but as a troll he craved warmth and hated the cold. “Are you from up north?”
“No, not at all,” he said, offering no other explanation. “So, why read a poem aloud? What about you does it relates to?” he asked with a grin, it was a pretty personal question and yet she’d have to tell him. Soon his powers if he kept talking to her would be able to push Abby to do all sorts of things... for a short time anyway, until a price was paid.
He read over the beginning lines of the poem again. “A kiss was made, a rose was dropped.” The words tripped him up, making him think about Rosabel’s last feelings before she died. Feelings that held a deep meaning for him, letting him know that even though she had never been able to claim him as an inheritor, she still had cared about him more than any other treasure.
His eyes could have almost teared up just thinking about his murdered mother. Trolls could be insanely emotional – good thing for him he was better at shielding how he felt than most. He turned his face away, getting a hold of himself, as the little human rambled, her voice a comforting distraction.
“I don’t think it relates to me. I just write poetry so my teacher asked me to look over another writer’s work.”
“Because maybe you want to be like this writer, famous and well liked?” he stated to test if her interest in the author was shallow, sensing what she didn’t even know was one of her most hidden desires. Humans could be so naive about their own ambitions, but these were easily recognized by trolls. This one clearly had no idea what her body and mind were capable of yearning for.
“No,” she lied, as if insulted. “That’s crazy. I’ve never wanted that; it’s just an assignment.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, as her hidden wants started calling to him – they tasted satisfying too. Her craving for freedom, he could use that to trap her, and then trap all the humans here. He’d have some real fun after a day of anger and sorrow as he played with these fools until they broke.
Leave her alone! a small boy’s voice suddenly screamed into his ear. He turned around, startled, only to find no one behind him.
“Are you okay?” he heard Abby ask him. His face must have looked haunted. That’s when he sensed where the book that he had been searching for was. 
“Yes.” Finding the book and his key were far more important than this girl or having a little fun. He looked back in Abby’s direction, now needing to get rid of her. She looked nervous and still confused by his presence, still not knowing why she was continuing to talk to him. He decided in that moment to show her the kind of mercy and kindness his mother Rosabel should have received. Besides, he really didn’t feel like killing anyone innocent so the knights couldn’t find them later. 
Before she could move, he reached out and gripped her shoulder, sending heat through her body, making her look deep into his eyes. “If you ever see me or anything like me again, anyone that has markings like this…,” he lifted his sleeve so she could take in his entire arm. His tattoos on it came to life and moved hypnotically, numbing her senses and making her go into a trance. “… you probably shouldn’t trust us. You should be smart and stay away from anyone like myself that you ever come in contact with.”
And with those words, he had given her a precious gift he hadn’t given any other human in a very long time. If any more trolls came along she’d stay out of their way now, wanting nothing to do with them. He watched her walk off in a beautiful daze. She’d certainly stay away from him if he changed his mind in the next few moments and decided to pursue her after all. Trolls often did change their minds about most things. He imagined her lips would have tasted pretty good, for a human anyway. Her body would have most likely felt nice …
Please leave her alone! he heard the boy scream again, the voice coming from his head. He was hearing a past memory, one that was too dangerous for him to think about. He ran his fingers along the book spines one more time. They led him right to the familiar texture he had been looking for. To the very storybook a young knight had checked out and carried in his backpack years before Wilhelm had found him.

About Ashley C. Harris


Author and film director Ashley C. Harris resides in Florida. Ashley was first recognized for her edgy writing and unique film work when she wrote and directed the teenage film "Lines". Lines was the first feature film in the world captured using only Mac Laptops. 


In 2013 she teamed up with Barclay Publicity to release the first in a new young adult novel series, "Shock Me". Ashley then went on to author eight other titles, in multiple genres, as she also worked behind-the-scenes on a morning news show that aired on ABC. In 2014, four of Ashley's books landed on the Amazon's Best Selling Top-Ten-List. In 2015, she received her first publishing deal for "Troll", a KindleScout novel winner. 

When Ashley is not dreaming up new manuscripts and working on film sets, she loves spending time with her family, obsessing about biblical mysteries, and watching lots of Doctor Who. Keep an eye out for her newest releases!

Connect with Ashley at: Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Tumblr | Instagram






Tuesday, 27 January 2015

Viper Game by Christine Feehan - Review by Kimmy

Well hi there,

How have you all been?

I have been good.  Working away.  I'm off this week on holidays though.  Spending time with my recuperating husband.  I did plan to read...alot....well lets say that isn't going to plan at the moment lol.  Anywho, here is my latest review.  I do hope you enjoy!

Viper Game by Christine Feehan

*** Disclaimer ***
I received a free copy through (add info here) in exchange for an honest review.

Rating:


Synopsis:

GhostWalker Wyatt Fontenot knows the price he paid for the secret military experiments that gave him his special catlike abilities. After all, he left his home a healer and came back a killer. While Wyatt and his GhostWalker brother Gator may have known exactly the sort of game they were getting into, Wyatt never anticipated where it would lead - or to whom.

The swamps hold many mysteries, but few are as sinuously seductive as Le Poivre de Cayenne. The woman the locals call Pepper is every bit as enigmatic as the three little girls she's desperately trying to protect. From what, Wyatt is soon to discover. Right now Pepper needs a man like Wyatt. Passionately. But her secrets are about to take them both deeper into the bayou than either imagined-where desire is the deadliest poison of all.

Review

Christine Feehan is a new author to me.  The lovely Poppy from Little Brown Books approached me before the end of 2014, offering me the opportunity to read and review this book.  I loved the mysterious cover and the sound of the synopsis, after accepting, Poppy kindly sent me a copy to review before todays release date.

Reading this book, I didn't feel like I needed to have read any of the other series.  Although now I do want to read the rest to get to know more about the other characters mentioned throughout the book, in particular Wyatt's brother Gator.  I would have loved to have seen him in this book.  Anyways, yet more books added to my TBR lol.

I found the authors writing style enjoyable.  Christine creates an amazing world full of unique interesting characters.  Each character so detailed, you find yourself easily picturing and connecting with them.  The relationship between Wyatt, his brothers and Nonny is wonderful and I absolutely loved the little girls.  A story filled with suspense, danger, a lot of passion and much more.

Unfortunately for me, there was a little bit too much passion.  I found myself skimming quickly over it at times as I do feel it did have an impact on the pace of the story and took away from the plot.  Hence my rating.

My rating was also affected by Peppers numerous moments of insecurities.  Every woman has them.  However Pepper sometimes got a little carried away with hers.  Frequent eye rolling moments from me.  Sometimes I just wanted to grab her, give her a slap and say "Get over yourself woman and look at the bigger picture!"

However saying that, Pepper and Wyatt's relationship was intense.  They are connected on so many levels through everything they have been through.  Remove some of the foreplay etc and add in something deeper and it would have made a more enjoyable read for me.

Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this book and I would have enjoyed it more if there wasn't so much sex.  I do recommend you give it a read however.  I'm sure you will enjoy it also.

Useful Links


Monday, 27 October 2014

Dead End Deal by Allen Wyler Spotlight and guest post

Hello cupcakes,

Today we have an exciting spotlight and guest post. Please Join Kimmy and I in saying welcome and thank you to Allen Wyler for joining us today :).

Rinny



 The first of a series of stand-alone medical thrillers.

Synopsis

World renowned neurosurgeon Jon Ritter is on the verge of a medical breakthrough that will change the world. His groundbreaking surgical treatment, using transplanted non-human stem cells, is set to eradicate the scourge of Alzheimer’s disease and give hope to millions. But when the procedure is slated for testing, it all comes to an abrupt and terrifying halt. Ritter’s colleague is gunned down and Ritter himself is threatened by a radical anti-abortion group that not only claims responsibility, but promises more of the same.

Faced with a dangerous reality but determined to succeed, Ritter turns to his long-time colleague, corporate biotech CEO Richard Stillman, for help. Together, they conspire to conduct a clandestine clinical trial in Seoul, Korea. But the danger is more determined, and more lethal, than Ritter could have imagined.


After successful surgical trials, Ritter and his allies are thrown into a horrifying nightmare scenario: The trial patients have been murdered and Ritter is the number one suspect. Aided by his beautiful lab assistant, Yeonhee, Ritter flees the country, now the target of an international manhunt involving Interpol, the FBI, zealous fanatics and a coldly efficient assassin named Fiest.

Guest Post

Thanks for asking me to talk about Dead End Deal, a thriller that takes place in both Seattle and Seoul, South Korea.

WHAT IS YOUR WRITING RITUAL? WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT AND HOW HAS BEING SURGEON SHAPED IT?

For me writing is a difficult process that takes discipline. First thing I do every morning is pour a cup of coffee and sit down in front of my computer, the door to the room shut, the blinds drawn. No distractions. Then I get to work. One to four hours every day, no exceptions. Each day I set a goal and don’t quit until I reach that goal. If it takes the whole four hours, fine. If it takes only two hours, even better. But the point is I work at it daily. So what does this have to do with being a surgeon? Well, surviving neurosurgical training took a great deal of motivation and self-discipline. It taught me that I could succeed at a task if I gave it 100% effort. As far as how my career might flavor my writing, I think being a neurosurgeon given me a wealth of experience on which to base some pretty interesting stories.

WHAT WAS THE RESEARCH BEHIND DEAD END DEAL?

This is a blitz-pace thriller about a Seattle neurosurgeon who, while in Korea, is framed for a murder. Now hunted by police he must evade a professional hit man while trying to find a way back to the United States. I figure it’s Three Days of The Condor meets Michael Crichton.

I got the idea for the story when I was a guest lecturer at a medical school in Seoul, South Korea. I was staying at the Walker Hill Sheraton hotel across the Han River from the hospital. So all the scenes (hotel, downtown Seoul, and the Korean hospital) were from notes and snapshots I took while there. (I always travel with a small point and shoot camera in my pocket). The brief description of the surgical procedure comes from my own experience.

My neurosurgeon protagonist, Jon Ritter, escapes via a route I personally took when figuring out how he might return to the United States without a passport. Again, the scenes were written with the help of snapshots. So, the short answer to the question is that all the research for the story came from personal experience. By the way, I find digital photography a great help when writing. I view a relevant snapshot on the screen as I write. This help me accurately describe what I’m seeing.


WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF WRITING A MEDICAL THRILLER?

People who read medical thrillers are usually interested in medical details, just as readers of legal thrillers find law interesting. What is difficult is adding sufficient medical detail to satisfy a reader without making descriptions or facts boring. This is one reason I try to move my stories along at a fast clip. Thrillers are intended to thrill, not lecture. Fast pace, good plot, interesting characters are the elements that should be in a medical thriller.

WHAT MADE YOU TAKE THE PATH FROM NEUROSURGEON TO AUTHOR AND WHAT WERE YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES?

Writing always interested me. Even in grade school I read like a fiend. So it seemed like a good idea to major in English instead of the traditional chemistry or zoology when I was taking my pre-med courses. This caused me considerable grief because it was difficult to get in all my required credits. But I figured once I got into medical school I’d never have another shot at the literature courses. And that’s exactly what happened —medical school and post graduate training consumed all my time. Then one Saturday, after starting practice, I came home from making rounds at the hospital and decided to start writing. Just like that. I began a novel that ended up to be really awful. Then I wrote another one, which was better but still not ready for prime time. At that point I started trolling for an agent and finally secured one, but could not sell my work. Years later, I got the call I’d been waiting for. It was quite a thrill. I guess, in the end, my biggest challenge was finding enough time to devote to writing. For me the writing process is difficult and requires a ton of work. I now enjoy the luxury of having sufficient time to work on my craft. It’s a dream come true.

HOW DOES ALZHEIMERS RANK AS ONE OF THE MOST PRESSING DISEASES IN THE 21ST CENTURY?  WHY AND IF IT GOES UNCHECKED HOW WILL IT IMPACT OUR SOCIETY? (IS THERE ANY PROGRESS ON FINDING A CURE?)

Chances are you know someone among who either has Alzheimer’s Disease or is directly connected—by relation or care—to someone who has it.  As of this year an estimated 5.4 million Americans are living with AD. That translates to roughly one in eight older Americans.  That’s a staggering number, but yet in the public consciousness, AD isn’t as widely considered (“top of mind”) as the dangerous killer that it is; not like say, cancer or heart failure.  (AD is the sixth leading cause of death in the US).

The fact is, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease are becoming more prevalent as the average life span of individuals increase and the more common health care problems ARE better treated. It’s predicted that by 2020, thanks to drugs like Lipitor, mortality from heart disease and stroke will be way down, making Alzheimer’s the leading cause of death in our time.  The personal consequences to individuals or families is devastating, but the general consequence to society as a whole is great as well.  That’s because AD patients often live a long time, their care is very expensive and will become a major health issue (both in cost and quality of life) that our society will have to bear.

There is hope in some novel drugs to treat AD. Because the disease results from the build up of Amyloid in nerve cells, a promising approach is to block the production of this protein. In addition, there is intriguing research into the concept of surgically implanting stem cells into especially damaged brain areas.  This possible cure is a central element that I used in the plot for my new novel, Dead End Deal.


Cures and treatments for diseases like AD are very expensive to develop, (millions upon tens of millions of dollars of R&D) with the resulting payoff even greater (billions of dollars of revenue for the “drug” or the “procedure”) often creating entire new branches of medicine, with thousands upon thousands of new jobs.  This high risk / high reward fact of life for medical researchers and practitioners like me is a natural stage for heroes, villains and high-stakes drama.  I try to capture that in my Thrillers, but the true high-stakes drama on the medical treatment/development stage is much more exciting than any fiction; the heroes are by far much more worthy of praise (though they often go unnoticed).  I like to see my books as homage to them, at least in some small way.


Purchase Links


Dead End Deal,  along with Allen Wyler's other e-books (Dead Ringer, Dead Wrong, Deadly Errors) are on a promo offer at $0.99, through the entire month of October.


About the Author



Allen Wyler is a renowned neurosurgeon who earned an international reputation for pioneering surgical techniques to record brain activity.  He has served on the faculties of both the University of Washington and the University of Tennessee, and in 1992 was recruited by the prestigious Swedish Medical Center to develop a neuroscience institute.

In 2002, he left active practice to become Medical Director for a startup med-tech company (that went public in 2006) and he now chairs the Institutional Review Board of a major medical center in the Pacific Northwest.

Leveraging a love for thrillers since the early 70’s, Wyler devoted himself to fiction writing in earnest, eventually serving as Vice President of the International Thriller Writers organization for several years. After publishing his first two medical thrillers Deadly Errors (2005) and Dead Head (2007), he officially retired from medicine to devote himself to writing full time.

He and his wife, Lily, divide their time between Seattle and the San Juan Islands.



Tuesday, 29 July 2014

Rinny's Teaser Tuesday #8






Welcome to this weeks Teaser Tuesday! 

Aloha, Rinny here, Lets see if these random sentences are enough to tempt you into buying this book. This one is released in paperback on the 31st July 2014. 



Bones of the Lost by Kathy Reichs (#16)


                                                                                                                  






First pick - Page 1 : Heart pounding, I crawled toward the brick angling down to form the edge of the recess. Craned out.


Second pick - Page 181 : He pulled an envelope from the back pocket of his jeans, removed two papers, and laid them on the table. I glanced at each.


Third pick - Page 397 : His face was a halloween mask, eyes shadowy recesses, cheeks hollow, jaws stubble-dark.

Review will hopefully be up this week.

What are you currently reading? tease us back in the comments.