Wednesday, July 31, 2013

5 STARS | Everybody Falls by J.A. Hornbuckle + Excerpt

Title: Everybody Falls
Series: Wynter's Vicious #1
Author: J.A. Hornbuckle
Age Group: New Adult
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Music, Erotica
Publisher: J.A. Hornbuckle
Format: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B00DELS7HU
Published: June 13th, 2013
Source: Reading Addiction Book Tours
Events: Book Tour
Rating: ★★★★★






At 25, Jax Wynter lost his life.
As the youngest member of America's number one rock band, Wynter's Vicious, Jax lived a life with no rules or responsibilities. At least until his older brother, founding member and vocalist, died in a fiery car crash. Jobless, clueless and deemed unfit to handle his own affairs, Jax must sober up, man up and adjust to living as a 'normal person' in the 'real world'.

At 24, Lacey Emerson found hers.
Shuffled between her bi-polar mom and her former hippie grandmother, Lacey had no choice but to become responsible at a young age. Her chaotic childhood, though, gave her the skills and determination to succeed when she inherited her grandmother's bakery. Her life was finally normal, real but very, very boring.

All it took was a five-point face plant to turn both their lives upside down.

From the author of Pole Dance, Human Hieroglyphix I & II and Tap Dance, comes the new novel, "Everybody Falls", Book One of Wynter's Vicious Series. Set in the beautiful town of Auburn, California and filled with a cast of quirky characters, it’s a story about learning to live, learning to love and learning to hold on when your brand of 'normal' comes undone.

Sometimes you have to fall from grace before you can fall in love.
I absolutely LOVED Everybody Falls. I've really been getting into the who rocker thing in books, and I fell for Jax right away. There's just something about Jax that you can't help but love, as Lacey finds out firsthand. There are some really heartbreaking moments that just broke my heart. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this series goes next.
He'd become such a fixture of the morning scenery, the sounds of his feet on the asphalt keeping time to whatever was in his head. I had taken to putting on music that had a beat to match his cadence. Today, my MP3 in the store was playing Soundgarden's 'Black Days'.

The low volume of such a rock anthem was probably illegal in more than a few states.

In fact, the hard-driving rock anthems seemed to be my music of choice when I waited for him. There was something about the set of his shoulders, the tattoos that fully covered his arms spoke to me of deep pain when I watched him run, but I couldn't have told you why.

Normally, he'd run right by me with only a quick wave, which was more than alright by me.

Today, he'd stopped.

But, not by his own volition.

He tripped, wind-milling his way past me on the porch steps. Taking giant, wobbly steps trying to find his balance before failing, before falling.

Before doing a skidding face plant on the asphalt not ten feet away from me. Just there on the other side of the road, yet still on the asphalt. That cold, hard surface, sprinkled with the various pinecones from the beautiful tall, tall trees on the other side.

"Arrg," he shouted as his face had hit the ground.

I placed my new bright blue mug on the worn piece wooden step and made my way slowly to his still figure sprawled on the blacktop. I could see his back rising and falling with his breaths, so I figured he was, at least, alive after his dive. That would've been a horrible epitaph, 'Death by Pavement'.

Either that or a great name for a band.

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Even as a young girl, J.A. couldn't wait to read. In fact, her first real temper tantrum was at the end of first grade when she realized that unless the book or magazine included the words, "Dick", "Jane" or "Spot", she was still at a loss.

The thirst for the written word has never left her.

But after reading three crap books in a row on her Kindle (or Ken-doll, as she calls it) in July 2012, she decided she could do better. Armed with a few notes, she blithely wrote out the first draft of her first novel and found her first book was worse crap than the stories that had started the whole cycle. Taking the advice of another author, she studied and learned, re-wrote and re-edited. As of June 2013, she's published five books with another in progress.

J.A. has been fortunate to travel throughout the U.S. and overseas, though she's now calling the Phoenix, Arizona area home. Those travels, places and the people she's met help provide fuel for her books which is always why she includes the verbiage, 'Although, if you recognize yourself in any character represented …maybe we need to talk.' She calls it her rider to the disclaimer assuring readers that her characters are not based on any one particular person.

When asked to sum up what she wanted others to know about her, she simply says, "For those that have been with me on this life's journey…Thanks for the memories! And those that are still on their way…Where've you been? My heart's been waiting for you."


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2013 to my book blog, A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

Monday, July 29, 2013

4 STARS | Ablaze by Morgana Black

Title: Ablaze
Series: Fireside #1
Author: Morgana Black
Age Group: New Adult
Genres: Erotica, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Metamorphosis Books
Format: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B00B0JG626
Published: January 12th, 2013
Source: Indie Inker Promotions
Events: Book Tour
Rating: ★★★★






Cheyenne is planning the perfect weekend with her partner to be Collin. But when the weather turns ugly she finds herself trapped in a cabin with dangerously attractive Luke, one of her father’s ranch hands. When the power goes out Luke and Cheyenne make the decision to keep each other warm, in more ways than one.
What I liked the most about this short novella was that even for such a short read, the characters had quite a bit of depth to them. Though I wish that Ablaze was just a bit longer with more story development, I am really looking forward to seeing what happens next with Cheyenne and Luke.

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Morgana Black is a hair stylist by day and hottie writer by night. She walks her dogs in high heels and never leaves the house without red lipstick. She firmly believes in the power of Zen, and does Yoga freely in her backyard, in her favorite set of pumps.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2013 to my book blog, A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

5 STARS | Armored Hearts by Melissa Turner Lee & Pauline Creeden

Title: Armored Hearts
Series: Armored Hearts #1
Author: Melissa Turner Lee, Pauline Creeden
Age Group: Young Adult
Genres: Science Fiction, Steampunk, Fantasy, Romance, Historical, Paranormal
Publisher: AltWit Press
Format: PDF
ASIN: B00CL12T8M
Published: April 29th, 2013
Source: Reading Addiction Book Tours
Events: Book Tour
Rating: ★★★★★





When a crippled young lord rescues a girl falling from a tree, it reveals a secret about himself and his mother's side of the family that could put him at the center of a war with beings he thought only existed in fairy tales.

Tristan Gareth Smyth lived his entire life stuck at home at Waverly Park and left behind while his Grandfather makes trips to London, all because of his blasted wheelchair.

Then an American heiress falls in his lap, literally, and he must find a way to keep her at a distance to protect not only his secret, but everyone around him from an assassin sent to kill him.
I absolutely loved Armored Hearts. I was so caught up in the story that when I came to the end I was kind of disappointed and shocked that I had reached the end. AND...that was not a nice cliffhanger! I wanted to continue reading so much that I also picked up the prequel, Winter Fae. Armored Hearts is just so enthralling and I just couldn't stop reading. Just stunning!

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Melissa Turner Lee holds a BA in Communications with a concentration in Journalism from the University of South Carolina. She has studied fiction writing since 2008, attending various writing conferences and workshops, along with guidance from professional writing coaches. She resides in Spartanburg, SC with her husband and 3 sons.



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Pauline Creeden is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy. In her fiction, she creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2013 to my book blog, A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

Monday, July 22, 2013

5 STARS | Savage Smoke by Kay Dee Royal

Title: Savage Smoke
Series: Lycan International Investigation Agency (LIIA) #2
Author: Kay Dee Royal
Age Group: Adult
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal
Elements: Werewolves, Vampires, Shifters
Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing
Format: PDF
ASIN: B00DIGGBYW
Published: June 19th, 2013
Source: Bewitching Book Tours
Events: Book Tour
Rating: ★★★★★
Series Reviews: Staring Into the Eyes of Chance




Chance and his LIIA pack of agents search for rogue Lycan mastermind, Smoke, kidnapper of Lindsey and fifteen other human women he plans to use for procreating his own army.

Trevor, Chance’s right-hand Lycan, wants his mate back, but believes she’s fallen for her captor. Lindsey loves Trevor but believes he’s given up on her.

Will Trevor come around in time to rescue Lindsey and save her from shifting into Smoke’s pack, and will she even want back with Trevor after spending so long apart?
I am totally in love with this series! Savage Smoke brings us a resolution to Lindsey and Trevor's separation, and we also meet a number of new characters. To be honest, I was kind of disappointed with how things happened with Smoke, BUT I have a feeling this isn't the last we've seen of him. I mean, hundreds of years of hate can't just disappear. If we don't see Smoke again, then I'll be extremely disappointed. Two characters that we meet in Savage Smoke, Kodiak-weres Zander and Rynd, were really entertaining (in many ways *winks*). I'm really looking forward to seeing more of them in the next arc of the series. I was really happy with the little surprise that was awaiting Chance and Olivia. I just hope everything works out for them. And what's going to happen with Jase and the vampire Ria? I just really want the next book!

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Kay Dee Royal writes paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary erotic romance—maybe because it's also her favorite genres to read! She pens tales with wild, rugged heroes and strong, intelligent heroines. She'll give them both a few shadowy secrets, making her stories intriguing and fun. She resides in Southern Michigan with her family (her dogs, her cats, her caged husband... you get the idea). You can reach her at her blog and find the latest on her titles from her publisher, MuseItHot.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2013 to my book blog, A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.