Cover Reveal: Denied by Kinley Baker

I'm happy to share Kinley Baker's shiny new cover for her book Denied. It's the second book in her Shadowed Love series.

 

 BLURB:

When invaders brutally massacred the women and children of the Varner, Caleb witnessed loss and destruction on a scale few can comprehend. As the leader of a race on the brink of extinction, his only hope for survival is gaining acceptance into the Shadow Shifter Kingdom. Struggling with new customs, he meets Tabitha, a woman who challenges his limits.

Refused the right to join the king’s guard because of her gender, Tabitha must be stronger than the men to prove she deserves to be the first accepted female Warrior in the kingdom. She believes Caleb will help improve her abilities, until she learns her goals conflict with the foundation of his culture.

When the realm is attacked, Tabitha and Caleb must come together not only to fight, but to find the strength to win against an evil with the potential to destroy everything they revere most--including each other.

Add DENIED as To-Read on GoodReads!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13646204-denied

www.kinleybaker.com

http://authorkinleybaker.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/kinleybaker

www.facebook.com/kinleybaker

http://www.goodreads.com/kinleybaker

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kinley-Baker/196649877015210


BIO:


Kinley Baker is the author of the fantasy romance novel, Ruined. She read her first romance at the age of thirteen and immediately fell in love with the hero and the genre. She lives with her husband and her dog, Joker, in the Pacific Northwest. As a firm supporter of all supernatural lifestyles, she writes fantasy romance, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy. You can find Kinley at www.kinleybaker.com

Dirty Little Secret (9)

Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by Under The Covers.

The rules are simple:

1. Be a follower of Under the Covers.
2. Create a post in your blog taking the meme image and copy instructions.
3. Answer the weekly question.

For more information and for signing up, go to the Under The Covers blog.


This week's question:


If you could read one book again for the first time, which one would you pick and why?


Harry Potter and Queen Of The Damned by Anne Rice. Harry Potter because it was an amazing book, one that taught me that reading was fun and cool.

Queen Of The Damned because it was my favorite book of the series The Vampire Chronicles. Well, so far at least, because I haven't gotten around finishing it. But out of the 6 books I read, this one was my favorite :)


What about you?

Book Review: Dead End Deal by Allen Wyler

Author: Allen Wyler

Source: review copy offered by publisher (check it out here)

My Rating: 3.5 cups

Blurb: (from Goodreads)

World renowned neurosurgeon Jon Ritter is on the verge of a medical breakthrough that will change the world. His groundbreaking surgical treatment, using transplanted non-human stem cells, is set to eradicate the scourge of Alzheimer’s disease and give hope to millions. But when the procedure is slated for testing, it all comes to an abrupt and terrifying halt. Ritter’s colleague is gunned down and Ritter himself is threatened by a radical anti-abortion group that not only claims responsibility, but promises more of the same.
Faced with a dangerous reality but determined to succeed, Ritter turns to his long-time colleague, corporate biotech CEO Richard Stillman, for help. Together, they conspire to conduct a clandestine clinical trial in Seoul, Korea. But the danger is more determined, and more lethal, than Ritter could have imagined.
After successful surgical trials, Ritter and his allies are thrown into a horrifying nightmare scenario: The trial patients have been murdered and Ritter is the number one suspect. Aided by his beautiful lab assistant, Yeonhee, Ritter flees the country, now the target of an international manhunt involving Interpol, the FBI, zealous fanatics and a coldly efficient assassin named Fiest.

What worked for me:

• Medical thriller -  I liked the idea of a neurosurgeon finding the cure for Alzheimer's disease. And the idea of using stem cells was brilliant. It was a new, fresh idea. I also enjoyed the fact that the reader gets to learn some history on stem cells. My knowledge on that subject is limited, so it was very interesting finding out more about the subject.
• Multiple POVs - Like I said in the past, multiple characters and their POV make me see the big picture and to see the plots in a lot more detail than usually. So I loved that every major character in this boom got to "share" his side of the story.
• Pacing - This book is really fast-paced. I didn't get bored reading it, there wasn't a moment where the plot stopped developing or where the action wasn't moving forward. It's not too fast that you lose some important detail, it's just the right kind of fast, if that makes sense. 

What didn't work for me:

• Because there were multiple POVs, you know from the very start who, why, when and how is trying to intimidate Jon Ritter. That made the suspense sort of fade for me. It made me anticipate more than I felt comfortable. I would've wanted more mystery surrounding the person who tried to make Jon Ritter not continue with his research. 

I liked this book and I'm sure I would've liked it even more had it not been for the fact that we find out from the very start who is doing what. Even so, the story was great and it kept me reading and it kept me wanting to know how the book ended. So if you're a thriller fan, you should check this book out :)

Guest Post and Giveaway: Allie Jean

Please welcome Allie Jean, the author of Legacy Of A Dreamer (read my review here).

Legacy of a Dreamer was spawned from an idea I've had in my head since I was very little. I must have been somewhat disturbed as a child, because I'd have horrible, violent nightmares that had so much vivid detail to them, it felt like I was stuck in a horror film. No, I didn't have any major trauma when I was young, but my mother attributes my unnatrual fear and creative imagination to Michael Jackson, oddly enough.

When I was three years old, my parents allowed me to watch Thriller for the first time, and let me tell you, I still remember the spine curdling fear I'd experienced when his eyes turned yellow at the end, followed by that horribly creepy laugh. Lord, I thought the devil himself was going to pop out of the that TV and come get me. My mother laughs to this day, retelling the look in my eyes when the music video had finished. She could tell right away that allowing me to watch that may have not been the best idea.

And yes, that is when the nightmares began. It was also around that time that I had an imaginary friend who was a werewolf, but I digress.

The premise of my book is about a girl who suffers from debilitating, terrifying nightmares since she was very young. She doesn't remember much about her past, only having a small recollection of being dragged away from her childhood home only to be put into foster care. She attributes the nightmares to something that happened in her past, something so terrifying, her mind has chosen her sleeping hours to play it out in the most twisted ways.

Giveaway Time!!

I have one ebook copy of Legacy Of A Dreamer to give away. All you have to do is fill out the form below. Comments are welcome, but you have to fill the form to enter the contest.You have until Thursday (May 31)* to enter. I will announce the lucky winner on Friday, June 1st. Be sure to check back here to see if you won. I will be emailing the winner as soon as possible to let him/her know how to claim the prize.

This giveaway is open internationally!

NOTE! Winner must respond to my email in 72 hours, or a new winner will be chosen.

Please read the Giveaway/Contest Policy before entering.

*UPDATE: due to personal reasons, I extended the period of this giveaway. 

About the Author
Allie Jean was born with an overactive imagination. At a very early age, a child, her days were spent inventing stories, directing her sisters in made-up plays or telling elaborate ghost stories. Her mind never took breaks, or shutdown, even when she slept. When her eyes shut at night, she would have vivid dreams complete with extensive, elaborate plot lines, and good overcoming evil villains.

She was encouraged by her parents, even at a young age, to write down her tales, and it has remained a somewhat secret hobby. It became a means to escape from the drama of real life into one of the many worlds she created.

Now, living in California with her husband of ten years, her love of storytelling had taken a back seat with the arrival of their four children. Though, she always found time to write down her thoughts on whatever was handy, including a stray diaper or two while rocking a sleeping child in the middle of the night when her character's begged for attention as well.

As a busy wife, mother and working full-time outside the home, somehow she has been able to write down her relentless character's story. Her once secret hobby and private world, is now released for other's to enjoy. Nothing would make Allie happier that to continue writing and spend more time at home with her family on a more full-time basis.

Blog Tour Book Review: The Legacy Of A Dreamer by Allie Jean

Author: Allie Jean

Series: The Legacy #1

My Rating: 4 cups

Blurb: (from Goodreads)

Chantal Breelan is a ward of the state, living under the care of a woman who is cold and heartless. Her past is a mystery, and her future is even more uncertain. She can’t recall why she had been taken from her parents and so she’s left with nothing but an empty hole where her childhood should have been. When she awakens from her nightmares, she’s left with terrible, violent images, as well as a boy whose face is oddly familiar, yet can’t be placed.
Scared and alone, Chantal begins to confide in an imaginary friend – a shadow in the shape of a man who stands in the corner of her room. She is comforted when she believes he listens to her.
On her eighteenth birthday, Chantal is forced to leave her foster home. She moves to New York City, but the start of her new life doesn’t begin as smoothly as she’d hoped. In this environment, she faces a whole new set of challenges.
One night at a subway station, Chantal meets a young boy who runs away from her, and she’s compelled to follow him down into the tunnels. But this Rabbit Hole reveals a world where reality is a nightmare. Her dreams are clues to her future, and her life becomes twisted and dangerous when she learns that things that go bump in the night are not just in fairy tales and childhood stories.

When I started reading this book I didn't know what to expect. I haven't read many books with characters tormented by awful nightmares before. And the nightmares were awful.

Speaking of nightmares, one of the things I loved about this book was how they were presented. They were very detailed and for me that was new. When I read dream sequences they are rarely this detailed and this vivid. Also, I know for sure that if I had dreams like that, I'd be scared of falling asleep.

Chantal surprised me. A lot I might say. At first I had a very different opinion of who and what she was and why she was like that. I certainly didn't expect her to be related to the fallen angels. But I liked her from the very start. Maybe because she seemed like she needed a break, a new life, a fresh start. And how cool was it that she had an imaginary (well, not actually, but you'll see ;) ) friend made of a shadow? The last time I heard of something similar was in Peter Pan and I liked that idea so much. Also, she named him Nick, which is one of my favorite names :D

Speaking of Nick. I liked him. I thought he was such a sweetheart. He's the knight in shining armor type of guy and I'm so glad that Chantal gets to meet him. After her childhood, she really needed him. He's a warrior also, one that would give his own life to protect Chantal. And he loves her.

The one thing that I loved above all else were the evil creatures in this book and I hope we get to see more in the upcoming books. You know how much I love sexy vampires, but it's been a while since they've been portrayed like the evil creatures they were first knows as. I think it's probably the first time since I read that in a book.

This book is filled with suspense and, while it starts a little slow, once the action starts, it doesn't stop until the very end. There's also a little bit of horror, a little romance, some funny moments. So I say read it.

Now to wait for the second book :)

Book Review: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Author: Wendy Higgins

Series: The Sweet Trilogy #1

My Rating: 5 cups

Blurb: (from Goodreads)

What if there were teens whose lives depended on being bad influences?
This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels in Sweet Evil.
Tenderhearted Southern girl, Anna Whitt, was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage, and her will-power is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.
Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

To quote Anna, wowza! You know, when I decided to read this book yesterday I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did, nor did I expect to read it this fast. But I did. Boy, did I love this book.

First of all, angels and demons, how can that be a bad plot? Right? I mean, it's nice to see other creatures getting attention. Plus, demons are HOTT. Yes, it needed that extra T :P I liked the mythology and how it was  used. I liked the idea of guardian angels and whisperers and demon lords (or Dukes) and all that. And while you might think it's cliché that a half-angel, half-demon girl falls for the demon boy, it's such a good story, it doesn't even bother you. Or it didn't bother me.

Speaking of love stories, if I had to pick the best love story I've read so far this year, this would be the one. I loved Kaidan so much. He was a smart-ass some of the times, a jerk a few times, but I realized he REALLY liked Anna and he cared for her. I do hope they end up together, because they have such a sweet connection.  Also, Kaidan was hot :D

I liked Anna. She is an easy girl to like and I was sad and angry for her a few times. There was this one scene where I literally wanted to jump into the scene and punch a guy. Not Kaidan, another guy. Kaidan was good with her ;)

Oh, I hope we see more of Anna's father. I liked him a lot. And the way he bonded with Anna and how he cared for her was really special and it's one of those rare father-daughter relationships, one that I haven't found very often in books. So I was glad to see that in a book. I do hope the relationship between them will grow stronger and stronger.

You basically have anything you can think of in this book: humor, suspense, drama, romance, the usual teenage angst, fantasy, you name it. The only thing I can think of that would've made this book even better would be if we had gotten to see things from Kaidan's perspective. Since it's told in 1st person from Anna's view, we don't exactly get to see what Kaidan really thinks or feels. You know I prefer multiple POVs, so maybe that's why I wanted Kaidan's POV also. Other than that, the book was great and I highly recommend it to anyone. Seriously. Go read it! I'm now going to bite my nails for the second book in this trilogy :)