Thursday, June 28, 2012

Blog tour: Heart of Mine by Michelle Beattie

This book promotion is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day to promote:
Heart of Mine by Michelle Beattie!

 Michelle Beattie has been writing for 15 years.   Her first pirate novel sold to the Berkley Publishing Group in 2007 and hit the shelves in December 2008 under the title, What a Pirate Desires. 

Wanting to build a readership, Berkley encouraged Michelle to turn the book into a series and 6 months later she signed a two-book contract.  Her second novel, Romancing the Pirate was released in 2009 and the third book, A Pirate's Possession was released in December 2010.
Her books have received wonderful praise from publisher's weekly, Romantic Times and several on-line review sites as well as have been published in several languages.


Heart of Mine
By Michelle Beattie
To avoid a forced marriage, Laura Gibbs has little choice but to go along with her controlling father's plan to deceive the man she's secretly loved for years.  Scared and alone, she lies next to a drugged and sleeping Jake knowing fully well the position she's putting him in.
Jake Evans has been burned in the past and has learned the hard way that nobody is interested in him, only his money.  So when he wakes to find Laura in his bed, he's convinced that she's yet another in a long line of women who only wants his share of his recently inherited gold mine.   A fact soon confirmed when her father storms in the room and demands Jake make an honest woman out of Laura, lest he be charged with rape and hanged.  A bitter Jake agrees, but vows that money-grubbing Hugh will never see a cent of his money.
 As Laura gains freedom from her oppressing father, she also gains courage.   Determined to make a real marriage with Jake, she refuses her father's demand that she steal from her husband and instead concentrates her efforts on showing Jake the woman she truly is. 
 Despite Laura's deceptions, Jake can't deny his attraction to her.  With the physical attraction sizzling between them, Jake begins to believe he's finally found the woman for him.
 But there's trouble brewing.  Hugh, neck-deep in gambling debts with no money in sight, seeks drastic measures that won't only risk Laura and Jake's marriage; it'll risk her very life.

Click HERE to get your own copy!

Moira Rogers Day!

Welcome to The Wormhole!
I declared yesterday to be Moira Rogers Day!
Do you ever have those days where you watch only Sean Connery movies?
Same thing - only books!
I had the day off and devoted a large portion of it to the couch and Moira Rogers books.
This is what I got read:

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Blog Tour: Spirit of Rebellion by Debbie Peterson (author giveaway too!)

This virtual book tour is presente by Bewitching Book Tours.
Click HERE to see the entire tour schedule.
Welcome to The Wormhole!
It is with great pleasure that I promote:
Debbie Peterson and Spirit of Rebellion.
 
Debbie Peterson, author of “Shadow of the Witte Wieven,” is introducing, “Spirit of the Rebellion,” through The Wild Rose Press. This paranormal romance centers on a murdered civil war captain, falsely accused of treason, and a beautiful Norse historian determined to clear his name. She invites you to come along on this incredible adventure, filled with mystery and romance.
 
Debbie has always had a soft spot for fairy tales, the joy of falling in love, and happily ever after endings. She incorporates these aspects into all of the paranormal stories she writes.
 
When she is not busy conjuring her latest novel, she spends time with the beloved members of her very large family. She also pursues her interests in family history and all things ancient and historic.
 
You can connect with her:
 
Spirit of Rebellion
By Deborah K Peterson

Blurb: Souls touch and emotions flare when a historian and an embittered spirit form an unlikely alliance to investigate the centuries-old riddle surrounding his death…

Ready for a fresh chapter in her life, Shae Lynn Montgomery accepts a job translating a cache of Civil War documents from Wisconsin’s famous Norwegian regiment. The assignment takes her to Chickamauga’s haunted Starling Plantation and face-to-face with a handsome captain—its angry ghost in residence.

Tristan Jordahl, falsely accused of treason, has no use for the living—not even the lovely translator invading his home. Despite Tristan’s best efforts to frighten her, Shae Lynn refuses to leave, and reluctantly, Tristan enlists her help to clear his name.

But as they grow closer to the truth—and to each other—an evil spirit makes it clear he will do anything to stop them. Can a love that transcends time overcome all obstacles?

Link to booktrailer: http://youtu.be/l-eiGN33Kp4

Giveaway~ 3 copies of Spirit of Rebellion!
Click HERE to enter!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

One Day Book Blitz! Eversworn by Hailey Edwards

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
Click HERE to see the entire tour schedule.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my stop on the Blitz!

Steal the salt. Bind the grimoire. Escape the male.
Daughters of Askara, Book 3
When an exchange of stolen goods in the Feriana marketplace turns sour, Isabeau stumbles from the encounter bruised and laden with new orders to complete an even larger heist. With her child’s life at stake, there’s no room for error—or allies.
Armed with a lethal book of spells, she strikes a dangerous bargain with Roland Bernhard. Steal a shipment of salt from the Feriana colony, and she’ll have her freedom—and her daughter. It’s all she’s ever wanted. At least it was…until she runs into Dillon Preston.
Dillon is out of commission after a mine explosion, and itching for a distraction. He gets it when the female who saved his leg arrives at the colony with nothing but flimsy excuses and even flimsier attire. She’s after something, but is it him—or the salt?
Trapped in a desperate bid to gain true freedom, Isabeau is willing to sacrifice her life for her daughter’s, but Dillon has other plans. He wants a package deal, and he’s not willing to lose either female, even if it means the future king of Sere’s head will roll.
Warning: This title contains a heroine desperate to save her daughter and a hero determined to make them a family. It also includes wings, horns and other assorted appendages.
Author Bio
Hailey is a wife turned mother turned writer, who loves her husband, her daughter and alone time with her computer. Whenever southern living strikes her as too ordinary, she can be found squinting at her monitor as she writes her next happily-ever-after or with her nose glued to her Kindle’s screen. Wings and/or cupcakes are usually involved…
She loves to hear from readers. Drop her a line here.
You can also swing by her blog or subscribe to her newsletter for all her latest news.
Author Links

Blog Tour: Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin (Author Givewaway too!)


A Vampire Novel with Actual Bite!



As the modern world establishes itself and pushes the supernatural into the shadows, the supernatural fights back.



The Darkening Dream is a chilling new dark fantasy novel by Andy Gavin, creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter. The book has received rave reviews and is on sale for only 99 cents on Amazon Kindle from June 25th-29th! Download your copy here.



In addition, Andy is doing a big giveaway, including a $100 gift certificate to Amazon, signed copies of his books, video games, posters, and more!







Tweet, like, follow, share, blog and grab a copy of his book to enter.

Get your 99 cent copy of The Darkening Dream today on Amazon only.



Long-time readers of dark historical fantasy (Tim Powers, Guy Gavriel Kay, Katherine Kurtz) will appreciate the weaving together of mythology, occult, and religion, while younger readers and fans of HBO dramas (True Blood, Carnivàle) or urban fantasy (Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher) will be drawn to the twisted imagination, graphic action, and romantic tension.



About The Darkening Dream



Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs.



1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand.



With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal?



No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be her very soul.



The Reviews Are In



"A vampire novel with actual bite." ~The Kirkus Reviews



"A gorgeously creepy, strangely humorous, and sincerely terrifying tale." ~Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)



"Mr. Gavin has brought something refreshingly new to a genre now suffused with poorly-concealed bodice-rippers which have more in common with Fabio than Bram Stoker: depth. His big baddies are scary, not romantic interests, and the added religious lore is complex and engaging. Don't expect another Twilight -- the story can get downright creepy, so be prepared for a return to the old horror sensibilities of supernatural fiction." ~Amazon Review



"With Mr. Gavin's video-game pedigree, I was expecting something aimed squarely at the 18-25 year old fanboy contingent; what I got in The Darkening Dream was something wholly unexpected: A period novel with a female protagonist, a crash-course on Judaism in the colonial years, and multi-layered series of plot arcs featuring a crazy cast of natural and supernatural characters populating turn of the century America." ~Amazon Review



"…A perfect blend of mystery, magic and myth. A grown-up Grimm's fairy tale... emphasis on grim."  ~Amazon Review

Read the first two sample chapters here.



Get your 99 cent copy of The Darkening Dream today on Amazon only.



About the Author






Andy Gavin is an unstoppable storyteller who studied for his Ph.D. at M.I.T. and founded video game developer Naughty Dog, Inc. at the age of fifteen, serving as co-president for two decades. There he created, produced, and directed over a dozen video games, including the award winning and best selling Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter franchises, selling over 40 million units worldwide. He sleeps little, reads novels and histories, watches media obsessively, travels, and of course, writes. Find out more here.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Blog Tour: Spartacus: The Gladiator by Ben Kane

This virtual book tour is presented by Teddy Rose of  Premier Virtual Author Book Tours.
Click HERE to see the entire tour schedule.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature Ben Kane and his book
Spartacus: The Gladiator.

Ben Kane was born in Kenya and raised there and in Ireland. He qualified as a veterinary surgeon from University College Dublin, and worked in Ireland and the UK for several years. After that he travelled the world extensively, indulging his passion for seeing the world and learning more about ancient history. He drove around the USA in a camper van, trekked the Inca trail and took a ship to Antarctica. Seven continents and more than 65 countries later, he decided to settle down, for a while at least.
While working in Northumberland in 2001/2, his love of ancient history was fueled by visits to Hadrian’s Wall. He naïvely decided to write bestselling Roman novels, a plan which came to fruition after several years of working full time at two jobs – being a vet and writing. Retrospectively, this was an unsurprising development, because since his childhood, Ben has been fascinated by Rome, and particularly, its armies. He now lives in North Somerset with his wife and family, where he has sensibly given up veterinary medicine to write full time.
To find out more about Ben and his books visit: www.benkane.net
You can also find him on Twitter: @benkaneauthor and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/benkanebooks



Spartacus: The Gladiator:
Long the stuff of legends, Spartacus is known to most modern readers through the classic Kubrick film version of Howard Fast’s novel. Now bestselling historical novelist Ben Kane returns to the source material and presents a lively and compelling new vision of the man who was Spartacus—Roman army auxillary, slave, gladiator and ultimately the leader of an army of slaves who nearly brought Rome to its knees. Ben Kane’s brilliant novel begins in the Thracian village to which Spartacus has returned after escaping from life as an auxiliary in the R oman army. Jealous of his attachment to Ariadne, a Dionysian priestess, the Thracian king betrays Spartacus to the Romans who take him, along with Ariadne, into captivity and to the school of gladiators at Capua. Against the background of the unbelievable brutality of gladiatorial life, Spartacus and Crixus the Gaul plan the audacious overthrow of their Roman masters. They escape and flee to Vesuvius, where they recruit and train an army of escaped slaves that will have to face the conquerors of the known world, the most successful deadly army in all of history in a battle that will set in motion the legend that is Spartacus.

My Thoughts:
     I was thrilled when the opportunity to read and review this book arose.  Spartacus has always been one of my favorite movies (Kirk Douglas - need I say more) and this is the first book I have read about Spartacus and my first Ben Kane read as well.
     I have to begin with - Wow!  Ben Kane does a fantastic job of telling this story.  The book reads like a movie playing on the pages, which seem to all but turn themselves.  This was a thrilling, graphic, violent, gritty tale and Ben Kane has done a fine job of bringing it to life for his readers.  
     The characters in this book are carefully created and vividly described.  As I read, I found myself curious, outraged, shocked, saddened, hopeful, and cheering many times throughout the book.  These are characters that you easily become emotionally attached to.
     Ben Kane has brought life in 74 BC to his book with a wonderful mix of historical fact and fiction, making this book hard to put down.  My only complaint is the language.  I find it hard to believe that with his careful attention to names, places, weapons and such that he found it necessary to include rude, 21 century, cursing.  I didn't find the use of the profanity to in any way augment the story or the characters.  I am not implying that there is never a place for such language, only stating that I found the use of it in this book to actually detract from the story.  It just doesn't fit.
     One the whole - a wonderful read.  If you enjoy historical fiction this is a must read.
     
You can buy a copy of this book by clicking HERE.