Janell Rhiannon
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Saving Tatum by Micalea Smeltzer

1/7/2015

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Saving Tatum is a New Adult novel about a young woman, Tatum, who has been closed off from herself and truly living because of her brother's untimely death. The object of her anger and love is Jude, a womanizing sexy man. He is not without his own personal tragedies. Together these two make a fantastic couple to follow as they learn things about each other and love and forgiveness. They are both closed in their own way to love and deep matters of the heart. Micalea unravels their hearts on the page. It was truly a page turner (or slider, if you're on your eBook). 

I picked this book up because I love guys in beanies. I don't know why I love this look, but if a guy can pull it off...well, it's just sexy. And I also needed a good, solid romantic read to help me manage these chilly winter days. I'm a little late jumping on the Micalea fan-band-wagon, but I am so GLAD I did! She can tell a story. 
Here are some of my favorite lines, highlighted in the Kindle:
JUDE: Don't you know, falling is the best part of flying.
TATUM: I'm pretty sure I wanted to lick him in that moment. Could you get drunk off sugar?...Yep, you could definitely get drunk on sugar.
JUDE: I like this side of you...the real one.
JUDE: You were f-ing made for me...You're mine, do you understand me?
TATUM: I found that Jude made me want to be honest. I didn't want to hide myself from him. I wanted to give it all to him.

Micalea really did a great job setting the characters up. She laid the solid ground work to build the perfect tension and wow, I fell in love with both Tatum and Jude. Well done and I am ready for more. 
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micalea smeltzer

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my music selection for Tatum and Jude

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Brethren Beginnings Volume 1  by deena remiel

9/21/2014

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Here is a book with edgy angels, intrigue and basic bad-assery. In Remiel's world, angels come to earth to help and protect humans from themselves. The archangel Gabriel swoops to earth as a suave and sophisticated human. He sets up a private investigation business, Seeker Investigations, and within hours has his first clients. He has to free a dozen young prostitutes from their scumbag pimp. 

He guards those in need of protection with a furious determination. Wielding a lethal sword, Gabriel dispenses a quick and heavenly justice. His Brethren companion, Nathanael, provides a similar service, but his heart is tormented because he actually enjoys killing the bad guys. He has a difficult choice to make...continue or turn.
I enjoyed this book for the sheer fun of the characters and the good/bad angels :)

andy whitfield as gabriel

If you want to get an idea about the gritty level of Remiel's world building, I've included a clip montage of my favorite late actor, Andy Whitfield of Spartacus fame. He played Gabriel in the movie titled Gabriel... 

deena remiel

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Find Deena at her blog Deena Remiel's Place
Twitter @deenaremiel
Facebook
Amazon Author Page
BUY her books at:
Amazon and B & N
She responds to your messages and tweets:) 



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Easy by Tammara webber

9/7/2014

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Where to start with Easy? It's not easy. First, I love the cover couple. I bought it because I liked the way the guy was looking at the girl. I flipped the book over and read the synopsis. I thought, "I hope this has grit. Looks gritty." I'd never heard of Tammara Webber (TW) before, so she was a brand new author for me. I was in Target, supposedly buying mundane things like toilet paper and Muscle Milk and true to form blowing my budget buying books. Go figure. Yes, I've seen this couple on another book, but that's fine. This guy IS Lucas for me. (Stay tuned for a surprise). So, I guess I'll dig into the story and what I loved about Tammara Webber's book. I loved that she had a distinct voice for Lucas and Jacqueline. I loved that she created a New Adult world that wasn't whiny. I loved that she created such a believable and tortured soul in Lucas, because I love that. It reminded me of one of my favorite books, Wuthering Heights. Damn, I love Heathcliff so hard. Especially Tom Hardy as the tortured Heathcliff. Tom just pulled that angst right out of his jackson and put it on film for us to agonize over. And TW does a similarly fine job with her two characters. I actually want them to be real people walking around on a college campus somewhere. 

The story. Where do I begin? TW weaves her story around the almost rape of Jacqueline. That's how Lucas jumps onto Jacqueline's radar...he saves her from her attacker. TW captures Jacqueline's anxiety as she tries to move forward with school and finds herself falling for her "savior." Complicating matters is the fact that Lucas is hiding a couple of things that could make or break their future. If that's not enough, the attacker is still out there, and is someone Jackie knows (oops! I mean Jacqueline. She hates when people call her Jackie.) These two have to navigate through Starbucks and college and some pretty gritty stuff to make a go of it. TW told their story well. I was happy with her resolution of such complex characters and a potentially life altering experience. Didn't touch on WHY Lucas is so tortured, but you'll see. It's harsh. It upset me for him. It made me love him.  
I don't want to go through the plot...you can read the book yourself. You won't be disappointed if you like NA Romance. TW's clear voice, great pace, twists and turns...and OH MY, I almost forgot...the sexy scenes. There are some of those. 

the surprise...you're welcome

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Tammara Webber

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Stalk this author at these places :)
Official Website: tammarawebber.com
facebook.com/tammarawebberauthor
twitter.com/tammarawebber
instagram.com/tammarawebber


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Revelation by Randi Cooley Wilson

7/19/2014

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I found Revelation by Randi Cooley Wilson quite by accident. I was looking to write a blog about #gargoyle books and I came across hers. So, I investigated. I found her book on Amazon. I tweeted her. She was kind enough to tweet back. Then, I downloaded Revelation to my iPhone Kindle app and off I went. I was doing so much reading, I had to read upside down to unkink my neck. No joke. She was nervous because we both love gargoyles, so it was fun tweeting her my progress as I read. Well, I have to say I loved this book. It has everything in it your paranormal heart could desire: gargoyles, angels, faeries, an assortment of demons and of course gargoyles, wait I said that already. There were so many things I liked about Revelation, so lets start with the main guy, Asher. Holy cow. Holy moly. Holy hotness. 

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This is what I saw when I read about Asher. Conflicted. Intense. Indigo eyes, she said. Jeans and white T-shirt, she said. Tattooed with a---- (you'll have to read that yourself). 
But, I digress. Let's get to the center of the story. The focus is on Eve, an orphan raised by her maternal aunt, who has just begun college as a communications major stuck in a boring architecture class, where she meets Asher St. Michael (Mr. Indigo Eyes). He's infuriating. She's tenacious. His lips are more interesting than the professor's boring lecture on medieval building design. It doesn't take too long for Eve to realize something is up between her terrifyingly real nightmares and her inexplicable draw to Asher. She faces off with demon dogs and a bent gargoyle, all of whom are agents of Lucifer. Eve discovers she has a special place among humans and the paranormal creatures she encounters. Her ability to fulfill her destiny, or not,  will affect everyone around her. 

Bottom line, Randi has created fantastic characters and a great paranormal world.This is a wonderful new adult/young adult read. It was fast. Easy to get into. And can I say...THAT ENDING!! What?! I'm on to book two because I need to know what happens. I enjoyed this book until my neck hurt, so how could I give it less than 5 stars? Available @ Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble. 




Randi Cooley Wilson

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Follow these links to find Randi at these places:
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads 
Randi's Webpage

Song for Eve and Asher...you know I love Boyce Avenue :)
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Hot topic...reluctant to be angelic...

6/21/2014

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Reluctant Angel has been sitting in my TBR Kindle stack for a while (too long in fact!) and I decided it was time to start devouring all those downloads. I clicked on the book cover and off I went. In two days, I read this scintillating novella by Chastity Bush (writing as Anna Snow). Holy cow this was a "hot topic" to say the least.  

Killian Sams is a fire-cracker of an angel. She fights. She curses. She is a force to be reckoned with. She's just landed on Earth to face off with the Destroyer, a monster-demon with shape-shifting abilities and a voracious appetite for human souls which he consumes for power. And, she must save a lost soul along the way. She agrees to the angelic mission for one reason: to get a second chance at being human. If she fails? She'll be obliterated for all time...no soul, no angelic form, nothing.
Chase Crawford lost the love of his life. He finds solace in his mercenary work...saving others...but not himself. Chase doesn't even recognize that he's in need of saving, until he meets Killian in the wildness of the jungle. At first he thinks this petite woman needs him to rescue her, but soon discovers she can defend herself quite well, all on her own.

What Killian and Chase are unprepared for is the battle of their passions. She is forbidden to love a human and he thought his heart was dead. Try as they might, they are drawn closer together by circumstance and lust...or love? They steamed up the screen on my iPhone Kindle app...

This is a novella length read. Fast paced. Lots of witty conversation. Steamy love scenes. Perfect for a summer day by the pool or beach retreat. Download with a quick click @Amazon.com. 

Find ANNA SNOW at these links:
WEB http://www.annasnow.info/
TWEETS https://twitter.com/annasnow_author

When I think of Killian...

When I think of Chase...

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Beneath the beautiful...

8/6/2013

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....this really was a fun book to read....I read this eNovella in two days. Kassandra Kush did a great job snagging my attention with the opening scene. In The Things We Can’t Change, we are introduced to Zeke and Evie. Ezekiel, nice Biblical name, is a tough, trying to stay on the straight and narrow, almost reformed graffiti artist. Evie is a country club prep, daughter of a doctor trying to strike a balance a between her sanity, safety and her abusive boyfriend. Both of these characters struggle with their inner demons, while trying to navigate high school and family life.

Short version: Evie is abused emotionally and then raped by her popular boyfriend. We are witness, as readers, to Evie’s pain and confusion. (It’s rather intense, but not inappropriate for upper teen readers.) Zeke discovers the truth, encourages Evie to be brave for her own self, but when she is unable to or unwilling to, Zeke doesn’t understand. He thinks she should be able to just walk away from the abuser, like he did from graffiti. But in the end, it all comes crashing down around them both.

I really liked the character of Zeke. There was something about the way Kush caught the essence of a misunderstood young man.” I loved how he looked after his little sister. I thought Zeke’s layers as the protagonist were well written, and there was honesty about his character that came through the story. So much so, that I can image Zeke hanging out around any corner on a high school campus. Evie, although the “maiden in distress in need of rescue”, was not as likable in my opinion, but her story was central to helping Zeke manifest bravery he didn’t know he had. Kush did a bang up job presenting a story based on tough real life situations.

After I read this, I thought about who Evie and Zeke are in the real world...he is the bad boy, tatted, troubled, and afraid he is unlovable. Evie is the spoiled little rich girl, who should have had it all, and lives with the fact she doesn't believe she's lovable either. Classic. We all run around shielding ourselves from our fears, hiding truths we can't face, refuse to face. So, I found a little music video that reminded me of this story. I will definitely be watching for part two. Bring it on Miss Kush!

And then, Kassandra Kush just applied the brakes on her keyboard and left us HANGING! And I mean hanging, literally...so...don’t expect any resolutions in book one. Curses!!! Part two is due out    

You can find Kassandra on Facebook (I did) 
https://www.facebook.com/KassandraKushAuthor?filter=2

and in my fav place Twitter world (because you know I can't tweet just one):
https://twitter.com/KassandraKush

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here's her teaser for part two...and yes..YOU ARE TEASING US! No fair. There. I said it. 

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    Janell Rhiannon
    Author

    "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."
    -Henry David Thoreau

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  • Homeric Chronicles
  • Greek Mythology Retold Podcast
  • Janell Rhiannon
  • Winging it...a blog
  • Myrmidon Group