REVIEW & GIVEAWAY - ANTIQUE CHARMING

Antique Charming Giveaway! Win a pdf. of Antique Charming and special edition of "Antique Charming" solid parfume created by Dark Beauty Boutique! Click HERE to get to the form!

Author: Natalie-Nicole Bates
Pages: 3,800 words
Publisher: Natalie-Nicole Bates
Published: September, 2011
Form: E-book (e-copy provided by publisher for an honest review)
Genre: Paranormal / Romance
Books to go Now: Buy / $1.99

Having bought the old Nichols Funeral home, Lizzie Morton has every plan to transform it to its old glory. Every week since she bought the place and begun to live in the flat in the home’s upstairs she’s awoken to a knock on the door, but with no one there when she opens the door. Except tonight, a man stand’s in the door way, demanding this is his home – wishing to be kind Lizzie lets him in for the night. Something is odd about the man, and it isn’t until she finds an old picture of the Funeral Home that things begun to make sense and take a turn to the unfamiliar.

I loved this little story! It was only 5 pages long, but it managed to be eerie and raise questions and have a little romantic flair in it.

I am actually hoping Bates is going to write more on this as I have questions that need answering and I’d absolutely love to know more about both main characters!

I enjoyed it!

Want to know more about Antique Charming and the woman who wrote it?

Antique Charming
By Natalie-Nicole Bates

The night he came home…forever. Third-generation funeral director Lizzie Morton is about to have her dream realized. She has purchased the long abandoned Nichols Funeral Home and its upstairs flat, determined to restore the funeral home to its once former glory.
But a late night visitor, Adam Nichols, claims the funeral home still belongs to his family. Lizzie scoffs at his odd behaviour and outlandish claims, but when a vintage photograph appears, she soon realizes, to her horror, that Adam Nichols did once own the funeral home - more than one hundred years ago - and now she has allowed this entity to pass into her home.

http://www.bookstogonow.com/antiquecharming.html
Amazon Kindle: Buy for $3.44

Book Trailer

Excerpt:

     She heard it again.
     The same time as last Friday night.
     Three taps at her front door.
     Lizzie muted the television, tossed the blanket off of her body and scurried out of bed. She slipped her robe over her shoulders and tied it securely, determined to find out who in the world would knock at her door at three in the morning. By the time she had reached the door the week previous, no one was there. The street had been dark and still.
     It had to be a mistake. She had only recently closed sale on the long abandoned funeral home, determined to restore it to its once former glory. She had only been living in the upstairs flat for a few weeks.
     As she hurried down the staircase, each step beneath her feet creaked in protest. There was no one visible through the peephole. She unchained the door and opened it just enough to peek around it.
     No one was there, just like the previous week.
     The street was dark and quiet. Not even the whisper of a wind could be detected. Only the cold dampness of the October night raised a chill on her skin.
     Who was playing this weekly joke on her? Could it be the ghosts of some departed soul who had passed through the halls of Nichols Funeral Home sometime during the past century? A small smile crossed her lips as she prepared to close and lock the door. She was a third generation Funeral Director. Did she now believe in ghosts?
     Before the door could close, a hand poked into the slight space and seized her wrist. A cry rose in her throat and she jerked backward, but the hand held tight and the door flung open.
     The man emerged, shrouded in darkness. He was an ethereal creature, tall, and dressed in anonymous black. Only a streetlight glowed behind him.
     “I’m home,” he announced.

About the Author:

Natalie Nicole-Bates is a book reviewer and author.
Her short paranormal romance, Antique Charming, was published by Books To Go Now Publishing in October 2011 and her contemporary romance, Change of Address, is scheduled to be published by Secret Cravings in January 2012.
Her passions in life include books and hockey along with Victorian and Edwardian era photography. Natalie contributes her uncharacteristic love of hockey to being born in Russia.
She currently resides in the UK where she is working on her next book and adding to her collection of 19th century post-mortem photos.

Visit Natalie online at http://natalienicolebates.blogspot.com

Rating :

NANOWRIMO DAY #1

NaNoWriMo has begun! The National Novel Writing Month gathers around us nutjobs who go crazy and type 1667 words per day for 30 days straight to bound out 50 000 words novel in a month. Or let’s say we aim for 1667 per day, but somedays it just doesn’t happen and somedays we go well overboard ( over board is good! ).

It is day one and I’m ahead, I suppose everyone still has so much energy on day one that it’s easy to get out plenty of words, my tally so far today is 4,800 words! But I’m pretty sure I’m going to spend the whole evening writing, even though I have atleast one Jane Perry Novella to finish today ( 70 pages ) – it really would be helpful if I had a hand held electronic reader.

So what’s going on in my novel? Trissa grudginly agreed entered a party in the sticks for one hour only, and noticed that her friend Lacey had soon ditched her, she gets into trouble and Dodge steps in to derail the guy, they end up chatting for a while, things get bit heated and she escapes only to find herself in more trouble.

I won’t be revealing much, but I love writing a bad guy who sub-consciously is becoming a better man by just be hanging around his girl.

I can’t recall where I picked up the name Dodge, but it suits him perfect! And I love it, I wanna name all my leading men Dodge now!

Here is a little taste of "BURN": ( from rough draft, contains typos, you have been warned ;) )

    ‘Looking for me?’ A tall guy stepped in front of her and the cooler. His long hair hung greasily around his eyes, his breath was a tell-tale sign of few too many drinks of whisky. His intoxicated grin didn’t tell her promises of dental hygiene. Oh lord. She wanted to roll her eyes.
    ‘Just looking for a cold one.’ She said, with an icy smile reserved for men like him.
She tried to side step him, but he locked his beefy hand around her upper arm, her eyes locked on his. Her heart thudding against her ribcage, unlike Lacey she wasn’t biker valium.
    Before she managed to open her mouth to tell the guy to let go another guy stepped from behind her and shoved the grease head’s shoulder hard enough for him to loosen his grab on her arm, she back stepped as the other guy moved his broad shoulders slightly in front of her.
    ‘What’s up, Bud?’ He said his voice cool and little rough, his southern accent nice and gritty.
    Grease head, Bud, eyed the other man who was same height as him, but more slim built, not the mass and fat that Bud was. ‘Just chatting the new girl up.’ He grinned at her, and she fought a shudder. The other guy never took his eyes off Bud, probably a smart thing, as he addressed her.
    ‘Was Bud here bothering you?’ His accent was growing on her, she liked the roughness of it.
    ‘I just want another beer.’ She tried to be diplomatic.
    ‘And I though she like another Bud to swallow.’ Bud snorted out a rough chuckle. She felt like vomiting a little and back stepped again.
    ‘Show some respect, buddy.’ The other guy said, this time his voice was as cold as steel, it carried a warning in it.
    ‘What?’ He yelled and shoved her bodyguard, who took hold of his arm and held it up in front of him.
    ‘You wanna knuckle up, huh?’ She couldn’t see his face but the set of his broad shoulders had changed, almost like he readied his body to fight. Shit, she just wanted a drink.
    Bud seemed to do the math, and shrugged. ‘It’s just a chick.’ He got back his arm and slumped off.
    She watched her savior's shoulders loosen, he rolled them a little, like getting the tension off, before turning to face her. When he did though she was struck, the guy was about as scary as Bud had been, though this guy was clean, built with muscle, his eyes were like steel: dark gray, he had a eight-a-clock shadow, his almost beard following narrowly the line of his jaw and forming almost a goatee, he had a straight nose that had taken some damage but still looked good, his eyes were near covered under the black baseball cap, his seductive mouth grew into a wicked smirk.
    ‘You look even better on the front.’ He spoke roughly, his southern country accent aphrodisiac to her ears. He sipped his beer, the movement stretched his black, grey print t-shirt he had on top of a dirty white long sleeve, and she swallowed.
    ‘Thanks.’ She frowned, she hadn’t just…
    He chuckled, and she swore her tummy did a little twist that traveled down towards her… right, the beer, get the beer. She ducked past him, and found the cooler, she fished out a Coors instead of another Bud and turned to sigh at the whole situation and look for Lacey, but stopped appruptly, running into her steel eyed guy.
    ‘What’s your name?’ He said, as he didn’t make a move to separate their bodies she took a step back and nearly stumbled into the cooler.

IT'S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING? #6

Hello and welcome to another fun addition of It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well! You never know where that next “must read” book will come from! This is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey!

Last week was bit of a bust I got sick and couldn't even focus on reading proberly for three days - but then the weekend was good again, finished two books and got to visit Finland's biggest Book Fair! I got to meet my favourite Finnish writer Kaari Utrio and got my picture taken with her, I was so nervous my hands shook. :) Meeting one's idol is always like that. ;) ( The photo is at the bottom, it's not a very good one though )

"200 Follower" Giveaway closes after TODAY! ( Answer a question & pick your favorite - International )

Books I have read & reviewed last week...
( Okay week )

 

 

 

My 4.5 STAR Review
 

Books that I am reading right now... 

 ( and will most likely finish this week )

 

Books that are coming up next...

( these will be read this week )

 

That's it for me this week!

What are you reading right now? Don't be afraid to leave a comment. ;)

 

P.S: My photo with my favourite Finnish author, I've been reading her Epic Historical Romances... it feels like forever. :) ( The photo's not a very good one though )

REVIEW - HOW TO MARRY A FINNISH GIRL

"All the secrets about Finland and the Finns are finally revealed in HOW TO MARRY A FINNISH GIRL: Everything You Wanted to Know about Finland that Finns Won’t Tell You. Simply buying this book guarantees that you will: Make Out with Your First Finnish Girl in 24 Hours (or less!) ...and more!"

Author: Phil Schwarzmann
Pages: 164 pages
Publisher: Gummerus
Published: September, 2011
Form: Hardback
Genre: Lad-Lit / Culture Clichés / Comedy
Akateeminen Kirjakauppa: Buy / €22.00
Suomalainen Kirjakauppa: Buy / €24.95
( Amazon orders and ebook editions coming very soon! Join the Facebook Page to get notified when it’s available )

Right after "The 30-Day Guarantee" comes a small chapter "Don't let Finns read this book!" and I can see why, some might, and have, hated this book - though those people seems to lack a sense of humor, as I found this Hilarious! Seriously if you can't laugh at yourself and the idiosyncrasies of your countrymen then you are in deep shit.

Talking about absolutely everything that is a cliché in Finland, this book is something that even I cringe at at times ( probably as somethings hit close to home ;) ).

"How do you tell if a Finn is an extrovert? He looks at your shoes, not his own!"

Ummm, guilty. So there's truths there too, but the way they're told is so funny you end up being proud to be a Finn after reading the book, of course I can be bit bias as I got an American to follow me to Finland. ;)

"Congratulations. You met a cute Finnish girl on the internet. She's convinced you that Finland is heaven on earth and you should move there. Since you're not doing much with your life at the moment, and your not going to get a girl of this caliber in your hometown, you figure "screw it", why not migrate?"

And it strokes the ego a little, when Schwarzmann says the girls in Finland are beautiful and worth coming to Finland for, to endure the horrid weather, silent treatment, tiny apartments ( in the beginning called "love nests" ), endless nights during winter and the current borderline racist government party ( True Finns ).

Yes, Finland is cold and the winters are long, but he also gives great examples on what’s great about Finland, like every year you get mandatory 5 weeks of holiday, of which most people Have-To take 4 in July and one in the middle of winter.

Of course there is the learning of the most difficult language in world, Finnish... ( my husband has been here close to 7 years now and well-- it still doesn't look good ) but Schwarzmann gives few good tips about that also!

"Taking Classes: ...But if you single, you're in luck as ALL Finnish teachers are female - desparate, broke, females who LOVE foreign men. Why else would they teach Finnish to foreigners? They get men right off the boat, they are like chefs going to the market at 5AM for the freshest fish."


"Hire a Tutor: Your chances of sleeping with her are almost guaranteed. Unfortunately, they're rarely that cute."

So, why does Schwarzmann ( I got to stop using his last name now, I keep friggin' misspelling it like there is no tomorrow! It's Phil from now on... ) figure foreign men want to get Finnish girls?
Well apparently we're smart, beautiful and easy, umm... Most women in Finland are 8's, Finland has less amount of 10's than Sweden, but Sweden has less 8's... got it? I know, it gets bit confusing, I believe there is like math involved. Finnish women are easy to live with as we don't come with the daddy-clinging that Swedish women come with and Finnish women are independent even when it comes to paying for the check on a date.

"Finnish guys split the check, even on the first date! In any other culture, that's like saying to your date, "Well I guess I'm not getting lucky tonight. Bye!" But in Finland this is perfectly normal. ... She'll try and pay for her half, but resist the urge. Let her pick up the tab after she's slept with you."

Wait a minute! How come this sounds familiar??? Actually every tip this book gives about dating a Finnish girl is what my husband used. ;) Finnish guys just weren't as attentive of women, and open and flirty as my American was, how can you not love that?

I could go on and on how great this books is, and erm, how accurate in that cliché kinda way, but I suppose I'll just have to stop and let you go get your copy - and do get one even if you are a Finn, I haven't laughed throughout a book in ages! Last book that I read that was almost as funny as this was Brett Sills' novel "My Sweet Saga" where an American travels to Sweden pretending to be an astronaut.

If you have anything at all to do with Finland: in-laws, Nokia connections, considering following your sweetheart to Finland, moving back to Finland from wherever your parent's moved to, or if you came to spend a summer here once - this book is for You. Or for someone like me, a Finn way too curious about what others think of Finland...

Okay last quote, here are some pick-up lines to use on Finnish girls to get them to burst out laughing:

"Put your tongue on my flagpole and see if it sticks."

"No, that's not a Nokia Communicator in my pocket."

A great tongue-in-cheek look at how a foreigner can survive in Finland and not stick out like sore thumb, with great practical tips: like how much to drink on the public holidays, how to catch a finnish girl, how to dress and speak finnish, how to not get trapped in Finland and where to live ( I live in the finnish "ghetto", that eguals like the nicest part of Detroit ) and the crude, smooth talking accent of a stand-up comedian, spiced with the author's tweets about Finland! Like...

@philschwarzmann - Can't wait to read some Wikileaks cables between Finland and the United States. "TOP SECRET: It's friggin' cold here, send us home. -Bruce"

 Right, stopping now - go get this book.

Rating :

Wondering why only 4.5 stars? Well it loses ½ star for being to glorifying of the Swedes. :) No, I didn't just prove any author right...

P.S: I had the pleasure to be in the audience for the interview with Phil and Roman Schatz as they talked about Finnish Women, yesterday at the Helsinki Book Fair ( that was one hours of constant giggles, hence why I bought the book ). Got to meet him shortly afterwards as Phil's a friend of my husband's, and they both are American who moved to Finland due to a girl. Also he got married to his girlfriend last night! Congrast!

Here are some photos:

 

P.P.S: It does not snow in Finland on October... except on freak insidents. :)

REVIEW - KISS OF A DEMON KING

"With each smoldering encounter, their shared hunger only increases. If they can defeat the sinister enemy that stands between them, will Sabine make the ultimate sacrifice for her demon?"

Author: Kresley Cole
Pages: 417 pages
Publisher: Pocket Star
Published: January, 2009
Form: Paperback
Series: Immortals After Dark #6
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Amazon: Buy / $7.99
Book Depository: Buy / €5.20
Excerpt: Prologue and Chapters 1, 2, 3 & 4

Rydstrom is a dethroned King of the Fire Demons, he and his brother who cost him the kingdom have been trying to find a way to defeat Omort the Deathless for 700 years. With the Sword that can finally kill Omort in the brothers sight they set off to fetch it, but before they can even embark, a woman appears in front of Rydstrom on a deserted road and seduces him to follow her.

Sabine, hasn't had an easy life, and growing up in her stepbrothers corrupt and disgusting invaded castle has left her, a Sorceress, wicked, evil and selfish. Her destiny is to receive the child of The Demon King to open The Well of Souls in the middle of the castle to help either evil or good to win in the coming Accession ( a Lore doomsday of sorts ). As she lures Rydstrom into his old castle, now corrupt by evil and death, through a portal, she drugs him as he refuses to buy into her Illusion and sleep with her, and shackles him into a bed in his old dungeons.

As Rydstrom discovers where he is, and who she is, he's enraged, promising to destroy her and Omort for this - and she sets out to seduce him, tease him until he proclaims her his mate and Queen and then she'll sleep with him to get his heir.  Rydstrom learns that prefers sex a little differently than he thought, instead of being kind and gentle like he has been with other women he’s tried, Sabine brings out his dominant features. As Rydstrom realizes she's his mate, confusion sets in, who on earth would give him an evil mate, related to his archenemy, he doesn't want her - but he sure as hell won't let her go. She's his, no matter the shackles, the evil tendencies, her cruelty and the fact that she's making him insane.

“She may be an evil bitch, but she is my evil bitch. And I'll have no other.”

Now, wow, haven't read a plot like this, ever. A Queen of Illusions kidnaps a demon, bounds him into her bed, seduces him to the brink of insanity and then refuses to sleep with him until her makes her his Queen so that their child can be the legal heir of the Castle.

This is one seriously hot read! Even two weeks later I get butterflies in my tummy recalling some of the shackled scenes. ;) So if you are at all squeamish about sex this book isn't for you. But if you like a little play on dominance, and one angry horny demon then, there you go.

I personally would have liked this story a bit sweeter, and the beginning was bit hard to swallow at times, as I like my heroines brave, strong and good, so rooting for Sabine was very hard at first. And it isn't until towards the end of the book when her compassion is shown that she really grows on you and it's all good and she becomes a truly great character, a quasi-evil but kind "queen" who destined to bring the women fire demons out of the meek and ignorant middle-ages.

When a group of young females had asked her what one should name her horse, she'd answered, "I like the sound of Fellatio."
When Rydstrom had confronted Sabine about it, she'd said, "Do you know how priceless it was to hear that demoness sigh, 'I love my Fellatio'? Even gold can't buy moments like that!”

Rydstrom I have loved since Wicked Deeds On A Winter's Night ( #3 ) he's honorable, a king, gracious but can hack down incubi like there’s no tomorrow, he's determent to get his crown back and even though Sabine is quite wicked he still sees some good in her even though she masks her tell-tale expressions with Illusions in the beginning.

Now I cannot help but to mention few things! I bet Cole used some Finnish in this book! Like the castle is Called Tornin ( Torni = Tower in Finnish ) and Rydstrom is practically a Finnish last name ( Rydström )! Go Finnish language. ;D If I ever have the chance to talk to her that's def gonna be in my guestions. ;)

If you like the Immortals After Dark series then do not miss this! And if you haven't read IAF series but you want to read this one then definitely read Dark Desires After Dusk first ( trust it's no chore ;) ) as these two books are like one book all wrapped up together.

Rating :

GIVEAWAY WINNER OF "ROOKIE OF THE YEAR"!

Congratulation to two winners today!

Megan from Book Brats has won "Rookie of the Year", Caridad Piñeiro's newest novel!

Martha from Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf has won the "The Lost" T-Shirt!

Personal emails are on their way! 

Happy for the winners, but want to win something as well, well there is still 4 days left on the "200 Follower" Giveaway, come by!

Thank you to Bewitching Book Tours, Caridad Piñeiro and her publisher for this awesome giveaway!

PERSONAL BUSINESS - NANOWRIMO!

the hair color is "iced truffle", cool name ;)

Hi! This is probably the first time, or let's see most likely the second time I blog something bit more personal!
Do not Panic!
Okay, so what am I gonna talk about, two things NaNoWriMo, as in National Novel Writing Month ( as in write 50 000 words in 31 days! ) I'm also talking about writing my novel.

Okay, so most of us who read enjoy to write as well - I know I do. I have this slightly sordid history with my writing, as in I can't seem to manage to finish a book and edit it! I have close to hundred started novels, that ran out of steam, or more properly I did. I have finished, wait for it... only two novels. Yeah, pretty sad right?

Well the two that have managed to get all done and even edited once are Turholma and The Egyptian Sorceress. First is a Finnish Historical 1200's novel that also travels around Europe. The Egyptian Sorceress is about Reincarnation, Archeology and Atlantis - and both of these are action romances, though the Finnish one is the only one with sex in it. I'm babbling, sorry - MY POINT IS that I have to start finishing these and actually doing something with them, like try and get published. Which brings me to NaNoWriMo. (Oh the pictures? I took some photos for a possible "Author photo", it's part of what Write-A-Thon is telling me to do to get in the right mind set to write a book, clever right? ;) )

I did NaNo in 2009 which is when I finished Turholma, and I wish to do the same next month, as in November. What is slightly friggin' me out is the fact that I have a full time job, full time Book Blog and I'm suppose to squeeze in 2-3 hours of writing daily... can you say, uh-oh.

Still, I am very determent to make this work, for NaNoWriMo this year I'm writing a Suspense Romance! Here is what I posted on NaNoWriMo about it:

Synopsis

Agreeing to go to a bonfire party in the sticks full of bikers and hillbillies to pacify her friend Lacey, Trissa soon finds herself alone and in trouble, before things get to escalate from bad to worse someone inteferes and she's in more trouble than she could have imagined. Not only is her savior dangerous, but he's complitely focused on her which makes her nervous.

Dodge isn't a nice guy and everyone knows it, he brawls, steals and has zero persent respect for the law - but he's loyal and honest and when he promises something he keeps it, even if its keeping and eye on the gorgeous brunette. But when someone turns out dead everyone's eyes are on him and getting the woman to see him as something else than a murderer is going to be a challenge. But challenges haven't stopped him before, and he wants her - all of her.

Excerpt

Bud seemed to do the math, and shrugged. ‘It’s just a chick.’ He got back his arm and slumped off.
She watched her saviors shoulders loosen, he rolled them a little, like getting the tension off, before turning to face her. When he did though she was struck, he guy was about as scary as Bud had been, though this guy was clean, built with muscle, his eyes were like steel: dark gray, he had a eight-a- clock shadow his almost beard following narrowly the line of his jaw and forming almost a goatee, he had a straight nose that had taken some damage but still looked good, his eyes were near covered under the black basic baseball cap, his seductive mouth grew into a wicked smirk.
‘You look even better on the front.’ He spoke roughly, his southern country accent aphrodisiac to her ears. He sipped his beer, the movement stretched his black, grey print t-shirt he had on top of a dirty white long sleeve, and she swallowed.
‘Thanks.’ She frowned, she hadn’t just…
He chuckled, and she swore her tummy did a little twist that traveled down towards her… right the beer, get the beer. She ducked past him, and found the cooler, she fished out a Coors instead of another Bud and turned to sigh at the whole situation and look for Lacey, but stopped swiftly running into her steel eyed guy.
‘What’s your name?’ He said as he didn’t make a move to separate their bodies, so she took a step back nearly stumbling into the cooler.

*

I've done tons of background work for it already, I have The Story Bible ready as well as The Project Journal full of info and quotes - which means I'm better prepared than ever before! Maybe that's the trick?

I can do this! If you are participating in NaNoWriMo, let me know or come "buddy" me here.

Waiting till November 1st!

P.S: Founds myself some sweet ass Cowboy Boots! Now I just have to go fetch'em!

DIRTY LITTLE SECRET - SHAPE SHIFTING

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

Every Thursday we get to know other bloggers and our readers more intimately by asking them a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets. We hope that you will all join us!

This weeks question :

"If you could shape-shift into anything, what would it be?"

The Answer : I'd change into a Dragon! Not a big one mind you, but something like 8 foot high would be cool - I'd have black oily color scales that reflected some color and purple under belly, long talons, wicked wings, razor sharp tale, good ol' fangs and ability to breath fire. Oh yes, that'd be friggin' cool. ;) Now nobody messes with a Dragon. ;)

 

Ofcourse this gives open way for a nickname like dragon lady... but I can always eat those guys. :) 

What about you? What would you shape shift into?

ANOTHER FIRST! PRINT FOR A REVIEW

I've enormously enjoyed getting to do some Firsts with this blog! My first review ( Dark Lover by J.R. Ward ), my first Author Interview ( Nadine Rose Larter, the author of Coffee at Little Angels ), my first Giveaway ( J.D. Thompson's Blood and Stone ), my first guest blog ( "How one goes about making an arrogant "upper-class" man lovable?" by A. Lightbourne ) and now my first Print Copy of a review book!

Write-A-Thon: Write your book in 26 days (and live to tell about it)

Here is little more about it! My review is coming up on November 11th!

Sure there's been a huge amount of e-books ( 53 so far! ) but this is the first bound book I've gotten home to read!

I though I'd share yet another first with you, and next week there will be a another fist as well, where I'm interviewed for another blog. :D
I love interviewing authors, but this was a lot of fun as well! it's going to be on Dark Franny's Thoughs aka Mind Reader on Thursday November 3rd!

TEASER TUESDAYS - YOU DON'T LOOK THAT GOOD!?

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers:

    ❝ She lifted her chin to look at him in the eye. "Do you actually look like that, or is that another illusion?"
        He pulled her to him. "Do I feel like an illusion?"
        No. He felt real, very much like a man.
        In the pale, clear, desert blue of his eyes, she watched his hair-trigger control tighten. He was seeking for an excuse to snap. ❞

~ p.32, “The Goblin King” by Shona Husk

FROM RUSSIA WITH BLOOD

From Russia with Blood

By Michael J Lee

400 year old vampire Ian Redd joined British Intelligence during the Cold War. But after the Berlin Wall came down they decided they no longer needed his services. He was retired... almost permanently.

Ian escaped and has lived the quiet life in a small town until a professional hit team arrived at his doorstep. Who sent them? That’s a question that will lead Ian into the arms of a beautiful woman named Larissa Barton and into the most dangerous operation of his unlife.

Larissa Barton’s life has barely begun and it’s already gone off the tracks. She’s back in her hometown working as a barista. But things change when Ian Redd enters her life. Dark, mysterious and gorgeous, Ian is her only protection her from the people and creatures who suddenly want her dead. With Ian by her side Larissa plunges into a world of magic, werewolves, vampires, spies and assassins and discovers her own secret past.

"One part James Bond, one part Dracula, and a whole lot of action and adventure. From Russia with Blood kicks ass!" - Vivi Anna, award winning author of the Valorian Chronicles

Excerpt of "From Russia with Blood":

Instantly he was right next to her. One hand gripped her shoulder and yanked her backward. His other hand held something that flashed brightly. There was a loud echoing sound.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Gunfire. He’s got a gun!

Larissa stumbled away from Ian. She saw the speeding auto tear down the center of the road. It swerved toward her as she ran.

There was a dark alley immediately behind her. She sprinted into it. It looked narrow. She didn’t think a car could follow. She hoped it couldn’t.

She was ten steps down the alley when she heard a huge crash behind her. She felt it too and half stumbled for a few steps. Larissa whipped her head around and saw the car with its hood crumpled around the corner of the alley. The headlights were flickering and the horn blared.

She slowed a little bit. The car horn stopped blaring. The driver’s side door opened with a crunch and a large man in a dark suit kicked his way out. He staggered into the mouth of the alley clutching his forehead. Larissa saw blood oozing from a cut on his scalp. Then she saw the gun in his other hand. The man raised it at her.

She stood frozen. Was this it? The moment her dreams had warned her about?

Pop! Pop! Pop!

It was the same sound as before. Sharp and loud like fireworks on the Fourth of July. The man hadn’t fired. He stumbled and then fell awkwardly to the ground. She’d never seen a dead body before but she knew that man was dead. He lay in such a twisted manner there could be no doubt.
A shadow approached the alley.

Larissa tore herself from the spot and ran.

She looked back once and saw a tall figure enter the alley. She was on the verge of recognizing him when she smacked into something large and heavy.

Two burly men had jumped out of the shadows and she had run right into their arms. She screamed with all her might as they lifted her off the ground. She kicked and flailed around.

“Is this her?” asked one man in a rough voice.

“Who cares. Shut her up!” came the answer.

A hand like sandpaper clamped down over her mouth and smothered her screams. She saw the black metal of a gun barrel. It hovered above her forehead. She bit down hard on the hand but it wouldn’t let go, even as her teeth tore through the skin.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the tall figure streaking down the alley toward them. It was Ian. He was moving faster than any man she’d ever seen. It didn’t seem real. She’d been to the Central Park Zoo once. There she’d seen a snow leopard dash across its enclosure. It moved so fast and so fluid, like lightning. That was what it was like watching Ian move. There was nothing human about it.

Her attackers dropped her. She fell on her butt as Ian collided with the two of them like a train. There was a flurry of blows. One dropped to the ground. He crumpled like the man at the mouth of the alley and Larissa knew he was dead.

She backed away from the fight. Broken glass and other bits of debris scraped and cut her hands and rear end but she barely noticed. She was too busy watching the fight. What little fight there was.

Ian seized the other man. The brute was nearly twice his size but Ian held him tight and forced him to his knees. They were standing over a sodium lamp and by its pale light she saw the fangs gleaming inside Ian’s mouth.

 Released on October 24th!

You can read my review of  "From Russia With Blood" on November 10th as part of a Virtual Book Tour!

About the Author:

Micheal J. Lee was born in the Midwest and has spent time out on the East Coast and in LA.

He learned the craft of screenwriting the hard way, as a barely paid reader. That’s how he got a good feel for writing form and the craft of storytelling. His approach to a story is a lot like Bruce Lee's approach to fighting, absorb what is useful.

Lee published his first paranormal romance, My Frankenstein, recently. It's been an adventure – and now he’s on to book 2, From Russia with Blood.

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IT'S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING? #5

Hello and welcome to another fun addition of It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well! You never know where that next “must read” book will come from! This is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey!

Last week was so hectic I can't recall almost anything of it, except the books I read! ;) Did do a great Interview with Caridad Piñeiro though!

"Rookie of The Year"  Giveaway open till 27th of October ( International )

 "The Lost T-Shirt"  Giveaway open till 27th of October ( US Only )

"200 Follower" Giveaway open till 31st of October ( Answer a question & pick your favorite - International )

Books I have read & reviewed last week...
( Good week! )

 My Review

 Review coming up on Nov 3rd

 My Review (coming up today)

 My Review

 My Review

Books that I am reading right now... 

( and will most likely finish this week )

The Goblin King wants a willing Queen, but will he get one?

Broken and nearly dead from his time in prison, Amon is saved by an Aeveren healer named Althea...

Books that are coming up next...

( these will be read this week )

The modern "Red Ridinghood" story in the amazing "Royal House of Shadows" series!

 22 page Paranormal Novella on a Funeral Home...

That's it for me this week!

What are you reading right now? Don't be afraid to leave a comment. ;)