Review: Mutiny: M.E.R. Series #1 by Jacqueline Gardner

Mutiny: M.E.R. #1 by Jacqueline Gardner

*I received this book in exchange for participation in the blog tour and an honest review.

Amazon Product Description:
Eric's life aboard a top secret stealth submarine as a member of the government’s M.E.R. program has been about discipline, cunning and survival. As both a soldier and a natural born regenerator, he can heal from any wound, but to stay alive he must accept a vein-burning serum that prevents his DNA from over-mutating. In exchange Eric must follow his Chief Commander’s every order. And never ask questions, no matter the assignment. 

When he goes ashore on his first solo mission he runs into a complication he didn't expect; Mariella, the target’s daughter. She’s about to change everything.


My thoughts:
I liked that the story alternated between Eric and Mariella, although Eric was my favorite.  I thought that Mariella was a bit on the whiny, spoiled side.  With one girl and one boy main character, this book holds an all-around appeal for the YA reader.


The characters captured me.  The author has created a host of different characters, each with an interesting personality and real enough to get emotionally invested in.  There is one for everyone: one ones in charge, the bad boy, the geeky boy, the rule follower, just gettin' byer, girl and of course the one who is out there to make it all tricky.


I found the idea of regenerators fascinating.  The submarine and the fact that the regenerators are a specially trained, top secret group of teens gave it a bit of an X-Men feel.  The story holds a mystery that keeps you turning the pages hoping to learn more.  

I was thrilled by the discoveries at the end of the story and can't wait to get my hands on book 2.

Archer's Lady by Moira Rogers

Check out their website by clicking HERE.

The picture is for all of us who love this series - and for those who haven't read these books yet...

An excerpt from Archer's Lady!

Chapter One

It was a crying shame Grace had rediscovered affection just in time for it to be the death of her.

Her mare whinnied nervously, and Grace hurried to stroke a soothing hand down the horse’s neck. No wonder the poor thing was confused. For the third morning running, she’d crept into the stables before dawn and trudged in silence through the laborious task of preparing saddle, tack and bags, only to lose her resolve somewhere between mounting and sneaking away.

If she had a lick of self-preservation, she’d have fled Crystal Springs as soon as word came. The town was dying, and one bloodhound wasn’t going to change that. Not when the accursed Guild had taken their time dispatching someone to deal with the vampires whittling the population into nothingness. A smart woman would have taken everything that wasn’t nailed down and fled—weeks ago.

And here she was, stroking Phoebe’s mane as sunlight crept up the far wall of the stable.

She couldn’t leave the people. Not the old men fighting because the young ones were already gone, not the children who were wide-eyed and scared in ways that twisted in her gut, and not Diana. Not the first friend she’d had in years, the woman who’d accepted her…even though she’d seen through all of Grace’s pretty, careful lies.

No, Grace wasn’t going to leave Crystal Springs, and it was time to admit it to herself. Smoothing her hand down Phoebe’s back, she reached for the heavy packs, but tensed when hay crackled behind her.

“Your mount won’t be happy with that much weight.”

A stranger’s voice. Low, a little rough. The bloodhound, arriving on schedule, then—or a ghoul sent out by his vampire master to pick off anyone who trusted the dawn.

She turned and knew at once that the man standing before her was no ghoul. Tall and craggy, he looked like a man accustomed to hard living. He wore scuffed leathers and a battered hat pulled down low enough to show only an equally battered nose. His square jaw was covered in a day’s worth of beard, and it made his mirthless smile even more imposing.

A bloodhound, in all his arrogant glory...

You can read my review HERE.

You can get your own copy of this fantastic book 

Bloodhounds Book 3 - Archer's Lady HERE.

Bloodhounds Book 1 - Wilder's Mate - click HERE to buy it.

Bloodhounds Book 2 - Hunter's Prey - click HERE to buy it.

Blog Tour: Destiny of Shaitan by Laxmi Hariharan (Author Giveaway too)

Today I am hosting Laxmi Hariharan in celebration of her new release The Destiny of Shaitan.  Check out the guest post below and make sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post for a chance to win either a $15 Amazon Gift Card or Autographed Paperback of The Destiny of Shaitan.

My secret: How I gave birth to Tiina by Laxmi Hariharan

The unerring precision of being caught in that act by him sends goose pimples up her arms. She plays it out in her mind, examining it from different angles.

These were the first lines I wrote for The Destiny of Shaitan. It was 2004. Wanderlust had led me to Hong Kong, where I lived in a tiny four-hundred-square-feet apartment (I kid you not! If you have seen pictures of the high-rises smothering the Hong Kong skyline, well I share a secret—they are all apartment blocks. I lived on the eighteenth floor of one such tower.) “Eighteen—lucky number,” the landlord had reassured me, as apparently, was the street address—Eight Hollywood Road. The belief in numerology runs deep in the Orient, with local businessmen shelling out millions of dollars for a car license plate which bears the number Eight.

But I digress, for I am here to share my secret with you.

One afternoon I was walking down Hollywood Road, wearing my favourite pair of thin cotton cut-off trousers, and a baby-T-shirt. In that eighty-degrees-heat the less one wore the better, and I had learnt very quickly that even wearing jeans felt claustrophobic in that climate. Cotton was best, to keep the skin ventilated. Rain had started pattering down, and a slight breeze rising from the sea crept up, enveloping me in its cooling embrace before fading away. I raised my eyes in delight and put out my hand to catch the drops of calm in the palm of my hand. “Thank you, one above!” My phone rang just then, startling me out of my dialogue with the greater force of nature.

“Enjoying your walk?” It was the man I had met last night at the salsa bar. Hong Kong—believe it or not—is a salsa hotspot, and most nights I managed to make it to the gym and then onto a salsa class to give myself over to the rhythm of my heart and the pure enjoyment of becoming one with the music. I was a novice and he was obviously a seasoned dancer. I was flattered by his attentions, and for the rest of the evening we twirled, sashayed and swayed together.

Seemed he was in the bus that had just gone by and seen me. “I saw you talking to yourself” he told me that night. I blushed, wondering why it felt like he had caught me in the act of making love to myself. Perhaps because at that very moment I had been one with the universe, in a very private place, wearing my heart on my sleeve and he had seen a vulnerable side to me that I had kept to myself so far?

There are no coincidences. So what was this? All it had been was an emotional exchange, yet the attraction felt wrong, it felt as if coming from a wellspring of hope which I had not known existed within me.

A gaze, lust. A touch, sizzle. A beat of music, caress. A drop in time, like the rain which chattered down while I had looked up and floated away. Why did it feel so wrong, as if I was cheating on my boyfriend of that time? When all I had done was look into his eyes and felt a connection?

About Laxmi Hariharan: I am a writer, technophile & dare I say, a futurist, with a penchant for chai and growing eye-catching flowers. Wanderlust drove me out of my home country India and I travelled across Asia, living in Singapore and Hong Kong before coming home to London. I am inspired by Indian mythology; I draw strength from the stories my grandmother narrated to me as a child. It is in acknowledging my roots that I found my voice. When not writing I love walking in the woods with my soulmate, and indulging my inner geek.

I would love to connect with you on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or my website.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Destiny of Shaitan by Laxmi Hariharan

Amazon Product Description:
Epic fantasy kindle bestseller, "The Destiny of Shaitan is mind-blowing, dark, humorous, and clever. It took me on a powerful journey inwards, which was a surprise, as I'm not generally drawn to Sci-Fi or Fantasy. I love the scene where the planet is covered with water and Yudi rescues Tiina. It's core message is unity. I believe it will appeal to people across all ages." - Sonia Ducie Dip.CSN.AIN, Numerologist, Author of eleven Numerology books.

Inspired by Indian mythology and partially set in a futuristic Bombay, The Destiny of Shaitan is a coming of age story, painted against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic world. 

When Tiina accompanies Yudi on a mission to save the universe from the ruthless Shaitan, she seeks more than the end of the tyrant; she seeks herself. Driven by greed and fear for his own survival, Shaitan bulldozes his way through the galaxy, destroying everything in his path.  Tiina wants Yudi to destroy Shaitan, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Shaitan being killed by his son. But she finds that Yudi is hesitant to do so. The final showdown between Tiina, Yudi, and Shaitan has unexpected consequences, for Shaitan will do anything in his power to win the fight.  The stakes are high and the combatants determined. Will Shaitan's ultimate destiny be fulfilled?

You can buy a copy of your own by clicking HERE.

Happy Fourth of July - Let Freedom Ring!

Happy 4th of July!

In appreciation and memory of all those in the armed forces.

Past ~ Present ~ Future

Thank you for your willingness to fight for the freedom of this amazing country.

In loving memory of Val Woolums.

Review: Archer's Lady by Moira Rogers

Archer's Lady by Moira Rogers

She's looking for redemption. He doesn't believe in it.

Bloodhounds, Book 3

Accused of betraying the Bloodhound Guild, Archer’s only chance to regain the trust of his fellow hounds is to earn it—one dangerous job at a time. Crystal Springs may be the worst yet. The town has been deserted by all but the poor and the desperate, yet the vampires stalking the edges of the settlement haven’t closed in for the kill. Question is, why?

Grace Linwood, professional liar, has been hiding under the guise of a border schoolteacher for so long, she’s almost fallen for her own con. The frontier was supposed to be her chance at a respectable life, but now the cowardly part of her wants to flee. When Archer catches her considering a run for safety, she knows it’s only a matter of time before he sees through her charade.

They become reluctant allies in the quest to uncover the mysteries of Crystal Springs, but every unraveled knot ties them closer together. They both know their pasts are too shattered to hope for a future—until their investigation uncovers a secret. One that could make betraying the Guild their only path to redemption.

Warning: Contains a partly reformed con-artist heroine with a bruised heart and a mostly retired bank-robbing hero with a weary soul.

My thoughts:

     This might be my favorite Bloodhounds story yet.  I have fallen for all the Bloodhounds and was thrilled that Archer got his own story - and of course that he finds the perfect girl for him was inevitable.  
     My favorite thing about this story is that so many of the characters are re-building themselves in their small border town.  It was fun to see people being valued for what they were offering instead of being judged by the baggage they brought with them.  Perhaps that feeling comes from living in a small town as well as being a firm believer in second chances.
     Archer is a great character.  He is strong and brave, rough and tough but also has that almost hidden desire to be more than what he is. He has a sordid past that he doesn't want to share. 
     Grace is running: from the past, from herself.  But Grace can't run from Crystal Springs where she has found acceptance and a chance to be someone she feels good about being. 
     They find each other - and together hope to save the town and maybe themselves at the same time.  
     It's a fabulous story filled with characters that you instantly love, living in a town being consumed by fear, vampires and their ghouls, fighting to not just survive but thrive.  Don't miss this one! 

****it's on sale today! Click here to buy your own!

Review: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross:


Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade—the dangerous device Jasper stole from him…for the life of the girl Jasper loves.

One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens.

From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens with supernatural abilities is on Jasper's elusive trail. And they're about to discover how far they'll go for friendship.

More than ever, Finley Jayne will rely on powerful English duke Griffin King to balance her dark magic with her good side. Yet Griffin is at war with himself over his secret attraction to Finley…and will risk his life and reputation to save her. Sam, more machine than man, finds his moody heart tested by Irish lass Emily—whose own special abilities are no match for the darkness she discovers on the streets.

Now, to help those she's come to care for so deeply, Finley Jayne must infiltrate a criminal gang. Only problem is, she might like the dark side a little too much….



My Thoughts:
I truly enjoy Steampunk.  I am fairly new to the genre, but then I believe that the genre itself too is fairly new.  I started reading Steampunk when a friend recommended Soulless, I have been hooked since.
 I read The Girl in the Steel Corset and fell in love with the characters, so I was thrilled to see another book.  I am hoping this is one of many more to come in this series.
Kady Cross has an imaginative mind and the creativity and talent to bring that imagination to life.  She has created wonderful characters and set them in a world that is both strange and thrilling.  Her characters vary in personality and combine to bring the reader a fascinating story.  The story reads fast - adventure on every page.  
Griffin is the glue that holds his hap-hazard family together, they may not all always like each other, but they all always love him.  Because of that, they find themselves on an adventure to save Jasper.  
The underlying question? What would you do for love?
Can Jasper save Mei?  Can Finley help save Jasper without losing herself? Can they all work together to save them all?  
Entertaining, clever, fast-paced, wonderfully written.