Happy Halloween

ARC Review: Dirty Deeds (Witches Anonymous, Step 7) by Misty Evans

Title: Dirty Deeds (Witches Anonymous, Step 7) Author:  Misty Evans Publisher/Publication Date: Beach Path Publishing, LLC; October 26, 2015 Format/Source: E-ARC, Publisher Genre: Paranormal Romance Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Goodreads Book Summary from Goodreads ***For fans of Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer! The seventh short story in the bestselling Witches Anonymous series! Stories in the series include: Witches Anonymous Jingle Hells, WA Step 2 Wicked Souls, WA Step 3 Dark Moon Lilith, WA Step 4 Dancing With the Devil, WA Step 5 Devil’s Due, WA Step 6 The trouble with being wicked is that it feels so damn good. Having worked so hard to get to Step 7 of Witches Anonymous, reformed witch Amy Atwood shouldn’t miss being wicked. But she does. She really does. The magic…the power…Lucifer. While practicing humility and working on her character, Amy's resolve is tested by a container of stolen cupcakes, her friend’s broken heart, and a devilishly fun stint in jail. Not to mention the torture of a Voodoo baby shower looming on the horizon. What’s a witch supposed to do? Can Amy keep her no-magic oath and still make everything right? Or will her dedication to being a good witch take a backseat to love, honor, and loyalty? My Thoughts Wow, Dirty Deeds by Misty Evans is ridiculously funny.  It's a paranormal romance with a creative spin on the characters, which included fallen angels, a guardian angel with loyalty issues, demons, vampires & the devil. Everyone had problems. The heroine, Amy Atwood, is a fallen angel who has been reincarnated as a witch. She’d sworn off magic and struggled with suppressing her abilities as she dealt with the competition. The love of her life is Lucifer aka the devil who was an interesting character that seemed somewhat out of character. His antics were entertaining and their dynamics were amusing.  I also loved the portrayal of their unborn child who was already taking tantrums to a whole new level. I’ve read several books by Misty Evans; however, this is the first book I’ve read from the Witches Anonymous series. As usual, I absolutely loved the storyline created by Evans and would definitely recommend Dirty Deeds. Rating 5/5 I received an E-Arc from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: Finding Forever by Linda Oaks

Title: Finding Forever Author: Linda Oaks Publisher/Publication Date:  Blue Tulip Publishing; October 29, 2015 Genre: Contemporary Romance Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Goodreads Finding Forever Synopsis  What if forever was never meant to be? Kara Thorn had always been the confident one until the fateful day her heart was shattered. She lost the one person she thought would never walk away…. Devon McGraw, the man who had promised her forever. When Kara returns to her hometown for a wedding, fate intervenes throwing her and Devon together once again. Their chemistry is stronger than ever before, but Devon is not the same guy that Kara fell in love with. The man he’d become had a past, and it was complicated.  He wanted a week, but Kara wants forever. Will Kara forgive Devon’s past or will her own ruin any chance of her finding forever? Finding Forever Excerpt Devon in faded jeans and a ratty T-shirt was a sight to behold, but give this man a pair of dark gray slacks and a white dress shirt… well, his beauty left me speechless. He stopped to stand in front of me. The top button on his shirt was left undone, hinting at the dark, crisp, chest hair that peeked through the v against the whiteness of the shirt, the tip edges of the red and orange tattooed flames caught my eye. Someone else might not have noticed, but I noticed everything about Devon. Shirtless, that tattoo spanned his right shoulder and ended along the thick curve of his neck.      His eyes dipped, slowly taking in my appearance from head to toe. My breath caught. “That shade of pink is the exact same color as your…”      My hand covered his mouth muffling the rest of his words before he could finish saying it out loud. His lips curved into a grin against my palm. My cheeks felt flushed, and feeling his warm breath against my skin made me want to whimper. “Please don’t say it,” I whispered, staring up at him with pleading eyes. I didn’t think I could take it. His icy eyes danced mischievously.      He nodded in reply to my request. His fingers curled around my wrist. He gently drew my hand aside. Beneath his fingertips, my pulse hammered. “I was going to say lipstick, Kara.” He smirked. I rolled my eyes at him. Sure, he was. He pulled me closer. My thoughts scattered. His broad hands settled at my waist, his fingers clutching my hips. “You look tempting,” he murmured, and I found myself mesmerized by those words and as helpless as a moth trapped in a spider’s silken web. Linda Oaks Bio Linda Oaks has always had a passion for books.  At the age of five, she was a book of the month club member.  Her love for books eventually led her to a love for writing. She resides in Eastern Kentucky with her husband, two children, three dogs and a pet rabbit named Dozer. She can be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  She can be also be reached by email at authorlindaoaks@gmail.com.  She loves connecting with her readers. Goodreads Author Page     Facebook Author  Page       Pinterest:     Wordpress Twitter     Instagram    Amazon Author Page Email: authorlindaoaks@gmail.com GIVEAWAY a Rafflecopter giveaway Blog Tour Schedule 30-Oct                 Have Words Will Scribble            Review Reading on the Rocks    Excerpt Those Crazy Book Chicks             Excerpt Smut Book Junkie Reviews          Excerpt What Is That Book About            Guest Post 31-Oct                 Bad Boy Book Addicts    Review Obsessed by Books        Excerpt Cupcakes and Vodka     Review Wicked Babes Blog Reviews        Review 1-Nov                  The Lovely Books            Review Rustys Reading               Excerpt The Lovely Books            Review Evermore Books             Excerpt 2-Nov                  Bookaholics Not-So-Anonymous            Review Adventures in Writing   Excerpt My Slanted Bookish Ramblings  Review Rambling Reads                            Playlist 3-Nov                  Lucky 13 Book Reviews and News            Review Pink Lace & Silver Buckles Book Blog       Excerpt Sassy Book Lovers          Dreamcast Reads All the Books        Review 4-Nov                  Connected by Books      Review For The Love of Fictional Worlds               Review Mama She's Crazy About Books               Review Ripe For Reader            Excerpt 5-Nov                  Typical Distractions        Review Winchester Book Review             Review Sexy Bibliophiles             Review The Phantom Paragrapher          Review

Review: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Title: Uprooted
Author: Naomi Novik
Publisher/Publication Date: Del Rey, May 19, 2015
Genre: Fantasy
Format/Source: Hardcover, Purchased

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood. The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her. But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose...

My Thoughts:

Going into Uprooted I had very high expectations. I’ve seen the hype and the glowing reviews, and ultimately I decided to give it a try because it seemed like my kind of book—you know something I would enjoy. And while I did like this book it had its faults.

Uprooted basically tells the story of Agnieszka. On the day of the choosing she is taken instead of her friend Kasia, who everyone expected to be chosen. Things don’t go that way of course, and Agnieszka is quickly pulled into the Dragon’s world of magic.

The characters were just alright. Agnieszka was clumsy and the amount of dirt, snags, and tears her clothes received as well as her general untidiness was often overemphasized and criticized by the Dragon. The Dragon spent the majority of the book as a cranky, insulting, emotionally distant wizard who lived in the tower. It was part of the reason why I didn’t necessarily buy into the romance between the two, because he was needlessly rude to her. While his character improved towards the end of the book, the romance was just there, present, but not really a focus of the story. Now, one of the things I really liked about Uprooted was the friendship between Agnieszka and Kasia, because it’s always nice to see the main character have female friendships.

Now, the highlight of this book for me was the concept. The Wood made usual outside dangers—snakes, spiders, pollen at the beginning of spring, lightning, falling trees, and so on—look like cheesecake in a basket studded with bows. It was often considered a living thing that stole people and corrupted them, but also thought and planned out its attacks. Often times these things were shown rather than told and it was pretty terrible how cunning the Woods turned out to be. It was the stuff of nightmares, which was pretty awesome. Needless to say, my favorite parts were when the characters were forced to deal with the Wood.

The plot moved along at a steady pace. There was a lot going on, and the action was pretty good. I did enjoy the ending and the resolution of the primary conflict that influenced the majority of the story. And overall, Uprooted was a pretty good story.

Rating 3/5

Release Day Launch: All Hallows Eve (A Krewe of Hunters Novella) by Heather Graham

We are so excited to bring you the Release Day Launch for ALL HALLOWS EVE by Heather Graham!! ALL HALLOWS EVE is a Krewe of Hunters Series Novella brought to you by 1001 Dark Nights. Grab your copy of this sexy novella today! About ALL HALLOWS EVE: A Krewe of Hunters Novella Salem was a place near and dear to Jenna Duffy and Samuel Hall—it was where they'd met on a strange and sinister case. They never dreamed that they'd be called back. That history could repeat itself in a most macabre and terrifying fashion. But, then again, it was Salem at Halloween. Seasoned Krewe members, they still find themselves facing the unspeakable horrors in a desperate race to save each other—and perhaps even their very souls.  Amazon eBook ** Amazon Paperback Excerpt Come to me. Please, come to me. The words seemed real to Elyssa Adair, like a whisper in her mind, as she looked up at the old mansion. The Mayberry Mortuary was decked out in a fantastic Halloween décor, customary each year starting October 1. It sat high on a jagged bluff near the waterfront in Salem, Massachusetts. Just driving toward it, at night, was like being in a horror movie. Dense trees lined the paved drive and it was surrounded by a graveyard. The old Colonial building, when captured beneath the moonlight, seemed to rise from the earth in true Gothic splendor. She shivered and looked around at her friends, wondering if the words had been spoken by one of them. Vickie Thornton and Barry Tyler sat in the backseat, laughing with one another and making scary faces. Nate Fox was driving, his dark eyes intent on the road. No one in the car had spoken to her. She gave herself a silent mental shake. She could have sworn she’d actually heard a whisper. Clear as day. Come to me. Strangely, she wasn’t afraid. She loved the artistry of Halloween—the fun of it—and few places in the world embraced the day like Salem. This was home and she loved Salem, despite the sad history of witch trials and executions. A lot of that was steeped in lure and myth, but the local Peabody Essex museum and other historic venues seemed to go out of their way to remind visitors of the horror that came from petty jealousy and irrational fear. “Boo,” Nate said, leaning toward her. She jumped with a start. She’d been deeply involved in her thoughts and the view of the old mansion. Nate, Vickie, and Barry all giggled at her surprise. “Do you have to do that,” she murmured. He frowned, his eyes back on the road. “Elyssa, we’ve done this every year since we were kids. So are you really scared now?” “Of course not,” she said, and tried to smile. She loved Nate. They were both just eighteen, but they’d been seeing one another since their freshman year. She was young, as everyone kept reminding her, but she knew that she would love him all of her life. Despite them being opposites.       She was a bookworm, born and raised in the East, red hair and green eyes. He was from South Dakota, a Western boy, whose mom had been from nearby Marblehead but whose dad had been a half Lakota Sioux. He was tall and dark with fabulous cheekbones and a keen sense of ethics and justice. He was their high school’s quarterback, and she was debate team captain. “Don’t be silly,” she said. “Last year, I played a zombie, remember?” And what a role. She’d arose from the embalming table and attacked one of her classmates who’d played the mortician, terrifying the audience. Nate grinned. “That you did. And what a lovely zombie you were.” Please. She heard the single word and realized no one in the car had spoken it. About Heather Graham New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books. Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children's charity. She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight. Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter Sign Up | ALL HALLOWS EVE on Goodreads