VBT: The Chapels on the Hill - Virginia McCullough [ebook giveaway]
Spread the word and Join us today at BookChatter for the VBTour for The Chapels on the Hill a women's fiction novelby Virgina McCullough.
Teasers/excerpts and the author will be awarding the choice of a digital download of her fiction titles to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during this tour - do share your thoughts with us and increase your chances to win.
VBT: Permanent Spring Showers - Scott D. Southard [$10 giveaway]
Spread the word and Join today at http://goo.gl/GKjeaq for the #VBTour for Permanent Spring Showers, an outstanding, funny and extremely well written literary fiction novel by Scott D. Southard. Available now. Watch out for a full review tomorrow!
We will have #teasers, #reviews and the author will award A $10 Amazon/BN Gift Card to randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during this tour - do share your thoughts with us as increase your chances of winning!
VBT: The Far End of Happy - Kathryn Craft [books giveaway]
Spread the word and Join today at goo.gl/aEVZO1 for the #VBTour for The Far End of Happy a poignant and touching novel about three women facing a day full of tension and tragedy, based on author Kathryn Craft’s personal experience. Available now.
We will have #teasers, #reviews and the author will award two copies of her book to two randomly drawn winners via Rafflecopter during this tour - do share your thoughts with us!
VBT: The Soul Retrieval - Ann W. Jarvie [$75 giveaway + FREE book for ALL]
Spread the word and Join today at BooksChatter for the #VBTour for The Soul Retrieval by +Ann W. Jarvie , an #historical #suspense available now.
We will have #teasers, #reviews, the book will be available for #FREE on Amazon today and the author will award a $75 Amazon/BN Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during this tour - do share your thoughts with us as increase your chances of winning!
VBT: Summer's Family Affair - Cynthia Gail [$15 giveaway]
Spread the word and Join today at BooksChatter for the Virtual Book Tour for Summer's Family Affair by Cynthia Gail, a contemporary romance available now.
We will have teasers, and the author will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour - do share your thoughts with us as increase your chances of winning!
VBT: Vegas Miracle - Liz Crowe [Kindle Ultd. sub. giveaway]
Thank you for joining us on the Virtual Book Tour for Vegas Miracle (5 May 2015, Tri Destiny Publishing), a MMF Ménage Romance by Liz Crowe is re-releasing on May 5 with a fresh new look. Below you can read a PG, short but telling excerpt from this steamy book.
The author, Liz Crowe will award a six-month Kindle Unlimited subscription to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during this tour. Please do take part and comment on our post and follow the tour - the more comments you leave the higher your chances of being a winner.
Synopsis | Teaser | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops | Review
Synopsis
Ryan and Grace Sullivan have all the outward indications of a happy life: money, success, an undeniable physical attraction that quickly evolved from whirlwind relationship to marriage. But lately, Ryan's become moody and distant. As their relationship starts to crumble, Ryan discovers something about himself he can't admit just as Grace realizes the young man she encounters at an invitation only party, Henri Christophe, a celebrity chef with the most successful restaurant in Las Vegas, is her husband's lover. But Henri holds a secret himself. He wants to be more to both of them.
VBT: Way to Go - Mandy Colton [$25 giveaway]
Spread the word and Join today at BooksChatter for the Virtual Book Tour for WAY TO GO by Mandy Colton, a contemporary romance available now.
We will have teasers, and the author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour - do share your thoughts with us as increase your chances of winning!
Giveaway - today only!
Are you a Horror fan? Then don't miss the opportunity to win one of three e-copies of The Remedy! at https://goo.gl/k3kHcD [Giveaway by Hellnotes.com via Rafflecopter]
The Remedy is an intelligent, bloody and gripping read by Asher Ellis.
Find out more about it and read a Q&A with the author at goo.gl/AjGhAj
Trailer & Giveaway: The Far End of Happy - Kathryn Craft
The Far End of Happy is a powerful new novel based on author Kathryn Craft’s personal experience with a stand-off involving her husband. "Here Craft delivers 'real, raw emotion' (Library Journal) exploring a marriage unravelled by mental illness; and one man’s spiral towards a violent conclusion that tests the courage, love, and hope of the three women he leaves behind.
The sickness will kill you, but can you stomach The Remedy - Q&A with author Asher Ellis
In his début novel with Full Fathom Five Digital, Asher Ellis displays a disturbing knack for campy fun and backwoods gore. It’s Warm Bodies and The Strain meets Spring Breakers, and definitely not for the faint of heart.
"Straight-A student from the University of Vermont, Leigh Swanson, knew she should never have gotten in that car. A raucous, booze-filled weekend in Montreal sounded like a bad idea from that start. But, following the incessant nagging from her roommate, she finally gave in— against her better judgement. However, when a half-baked scheme to smuggle illegal substances across the border takes a turn for the worse, the gang finds themselves lost deep in the woods, terrorized by a contagious deadly fungus and hunted by a family of twisted, interbred cannibals. And these kids are about to discover that, sometimes, the only thing worse than the sickness itself is The Remedy."
Clockwork City: Hinges [Book One] - Meredith McClaren
Genre: Manga & Graphic Novels
Published 10 March 2015 by Diamond Book Distributors - Image Comics
Number of pages: 112
About the author
"HINGES is a fantasy webcomic, turned graphic novel, about a doll named Orio and her troubling companion Bauble. New to the city of Cobble, Orio must depend on help where ever she can find it, but her assigned familiar Bauble has other interests. And as the two explore the walls of their city, they find that they are not the only new arrivals. In a place that runs like clockwork, it only takes a little disruption to upend a city."
Hinges Book One: Clockwork City was first serialised on the author's blog, Hinges. This publication compiles the first book in the series, where some boards have been revised and improved.
This is one of those works that need to be read twice to be fully comprehended and appreciated. The artwork is beautiful, but as the author builds up the tension in the story, some boards are quite difficult to understand without knowing what you are meant to be seeing, which unfortunately makes this work rather confusing and difficult to understand to begin with.
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: A DCI Warren Jones Short Story [2.5] - Paul Gitsham
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Published 2 April 2015 by Carina UK
Number of pages: 96
My rating: ★ ★ ★ I liked it
"It all seems straightforward.
There’s been a tragic accident: the old man fell asleep in his chair, woke up in the dark, fell and hit his head on the mantelpiece. But the Crime Scene Manager isn't happy. There are just too many details that aren't quite right and Charles Michaelson’s accident becomes a suspicious death.
And, as DCI Warren Jones investigates, he and his team discover that all is not as it appears to be in the dead man’s caring family when his son-in-law disappears. Then they uncover some dark secrets in Michaelson’s past and a motive for murder."
"Blood Is Thicker Than Water" is a novella, just under 80 pages in length, featuring DCI Warren Jones, who comes across as a very thorough, just and compassionate human being.
This police procedural is set in the UK (Middlesbury, in Beds and Herts) and is narrated in the third person, in a clean and near clinical manner - the author's scientific mind does shine through in his writing.
Nine and a Half Weeks: A Memoir of a Love Affair - Elizabeth McNeill
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Published on 24 June 2014 by Harper Perennial (Reissue edition)
First Published in 1978
Number of pages: 160
My rating: ★ ★ It was OK
"An erotic novel which became a film starring Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger. It began as a casual affair and ended nine and a half weeks later in a shattering climax of bondage, humiliation and ecstasy. By day she was a successful career woman in Manhattan; by night, a trembling, erotic slave.
Elizabeth McNeill was an executive for a large corporation when she began an affair with a man she met casually. From the beginning, their sexual excitement escalates through domination and humiliation. As the affair progresses, woman and man play out ever more dangerous and more elaborate sado-masochistic variations. By the end, she has relinquished all control over her body and mind.
With a cool detachment that makes the experiences and sensations she describes all the more frightening in their intensity, Elizabeth McNeill beautifully unfolds her story and invites you to experience the mesmerizing, electrifying, and unforgettablly private world of Nine and a Half Weeks."
Why did I read this book?
The recent cinema release of "50 Shades of Grey" has sparked many debates, one of them being its derivative nature. In particular, two works stood out:
- "The Secretary" - a 2002 erotic romance movie which explores the BDSM relationship between an attorney, E. Edward Grey (James Spader) and his secretary (Maggie Gyllenhaal).
The similarities are utterly undeniable, from his name to his red office, from the spanking to controlling her diet, and, as a final bow, from his own negative feelings towards his BDSM preferences to their happy union. 
"Nine and a Half Weeks" - a 1978 memoir turned into a major flick in 1986. I was familiar with the film but not with the book, hence I just had to read it.
Once again the similarities are there: in the film the man's name is John Gray, he works in finance, and he is a kinky fu*k (riding crops, blind folds, restraints, etc.). He controls her eating, he bruises her, he washes her, he dresses her, he changes her tampons...
What did I think of it, and should you read it?
First of all this book is not an erotic romantic novel.
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The Curse Merchant: The Dark Choir [1] - J.P. Sloan
Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Published 14 September 2014 by Curiosity Quills Press
Number of pages: 256
About the author
"Dorian Lake spent years cornering the Baltimore hex-crafting market, using his skills at the hermetic arts to exact karmic justice for those whom the system has failed.
He keeps his magic clean and free of soul-corrupting Netherwork, thus avoiding both the karmic blow-back of his practice and the notice of the Presidium, a powerful cabal of practitioners that polices the esoteric arts in America. However, when an unscrupulous Netherworker interferes with both his business and his personal life, Dorian’s disarming charisma and hermetic savvy may not be enough to keep his soul out of jeopardy.
His rival, a soul monger named Neil Osterhaus, wouldn’t be such a problem were it not for Carmen, Dorian’s captivating ex-lover. After two years’ absence Carmen arrives at Dorian’s doorstep with a problem: she sold her soul to Osterhaus, and has only two weeks to buy it back. Hoping to win back Carmen’s affections, Dorian must find a replacement soul without tainting his own.
As Dorian descends into the shadows of Baltimore’s underworld, he must decide how low he is willing to stoop in order to save Carmen from eternal damnation… with the Presidium watching, waiting for him to cross the line."
The Dark Choir series follows the life of Dorian Lake, an hex and charms merchant who gets embroiled into the dark side of magic, despite his best efforts.
Please help pay for LouLou's spinal surgery
This is an off-topic post for a very serious cause... any help would be very gratefully appreciated. Beneficiary: LouLou's spinal surgery
Organizer: Flora Bellini & Ben Crowe
Fundraiser Details
LouLou is a very friendly, extremely chatty and sociable nine year old female tabby. LouLou, her brother Lucky and their friend Suze, who is 4 yrs old, where first fostered by us from 15 March 2014, when their home underwent major accessibility works. Unfortunately their human fell ill and passed away on 8 August 2014, and we promised her we would take care of her fur-babies.
In January 2015, LouLou was diagnosed with a tumor which affects her spinal cord, and which is progressively paralysing her hind legs, as well as making her more and more incontinent.
LouLou was visited by a specialist on Wed 18 March 2015 and underwent a series of examinations, including an MRI, blood works and an X-ray to her chest, which cost £2037 in total.
LouLou was found to be very healthy, and on Tue 24th March 2015 she will undergo spinal surgery to remove a growth (a possible meningioma) from her lumbar region, which, if all goes well, will allow her to regain mobility and live her life to the full.
This surgery and subsequent physiotherapy will cost a minimum of £5000 (£4500 for the surgery and around £120 per day hospitalisation costs).
This means that the total bill will be a minimum of £7000.
We could not deny LouLou this chance.
She is simply too full of life and determination for us not to support her.
Flora has rescued and looked after cats since she was a child, and spent most of her adult life sharing her house with 13 fur-babies; this is the very first time that veterinary care has been so elevated as having to ask for a helping hand.
Any help would be gratefully appreciated and will fully go towards the care of rescue animals, in this case LouLou, and will enable us to continue rescuing and fostering cats in need, such as LouLou - for example, since October 2013, as well as adopting LouLou, Lucky and Suze when their owner passed away, we have also rescued Fixy from Greece and Java and her soon to be born kittens from a life on the streets.
You can find out more information and full evidence of specialist visits and costs on LouLou's Facebook Page in the "Medical Bills & History" photo album.
Please remember that everything counts, and if you are unable to contribute financially, we would be very grateful if you could please spread the word to help us.
Thank you,
Flora & Ben
Kittens Can Kill: Pru Marlowe Pet Noir [5] - Clea Simon
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Published 3 March 2015 by Poisoned Pen Press
Number of pages: 295
My rating: ★ ★ ★ I liked it
"The dead don’t keep pets. So when animal behaviorist expert Pru Marlowe gets a call about a kitten, she doesn’t expect to find the cuddly creature playing beside the cooling body of prominent Beauville lawyer David Canaday. Heart attack? His three adult daughters angrily blame drug interactions, feline allergies—and each other. And begin to feud over their father, his considerable estate, and that cute ball of fluff. While the cause of death is pending, each sister has an axe to grind –with arguments that escalate when David’s partner reads out the will. Pru’s special sensory talents and sensitivity to animals that caused her to flee the cacophony of Manhattan for the quiet Berkshires add further problems. The local vet is overwhelmed with money running out. There’s that needy Sheltie and some invasive squirrels? But the dead man’s kitten, his former partner, and his troublesome family keep drawing “wild-girl” animal psychic Pru back in. Despite the wry observations of her trusty tabby Wallis, now the wrongfully accused kitten’s guardian, and the grudging compliance of her cop lover, this may be one time when Pru can’t solve the mystery or save the kitten she wants to believe is innocent.
A single witness knows the truth about that bright spring morning. How far can Pru investigate without risking her own hidden tale?"
Prior to even considering reading this book, ask yourself this question: "Can you cope with a jaded and nosy woman narrator who can talk to animals Dr Dolittle style and sense their traumas and presence á la "Sixth Sense"?
If the answer is no, as you think that is an absolutely ridiculous and annoying concept, you should really give this one a miss.
Also, if you are looking for a cosy novel, this isn't it.