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Sunday, April 12, 2015

The Contradiction of Solitude by A. Meredith Walters Review







You may notice me, but you will never know me.
I prefer it that way.
I am the daughter of a monster.
Born from blood and lies.
Dead before I have truly lived.
But Elian tells me that I'm different. 
He tells me that I'm beautiful.
That I'm an enigma wrapped in irresistibly complicated skin.
Elian says that he loves me.
These words terrify me.
I can't trust love.
Or hope.
Or truth.
Because I fear the beast inside.
It threatens to drown Elian and his sweet, unconditional love.
It's a beast that will destroy everything.

*This is a psychological thriller and very different than my previous books*


AMAZON US * AMAZON UK * AMAZON AU * AMAZON CA * B&N





The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary and Paranormal romance including The Find You in the Dark and Bad Rep series as well as the upcoming stand alone romance, Reclaiming the Sand, and a dark new adult series for Gallery Books.

A. Meredith spent ten years as a counselor for at risk teens and children. First working at a Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program and then later a program for children with severe emotional and mental health issues. Her former clients and their stories continue to influence every aspect of her writing.

When not writing (or being tortured with all manner of beauty products at the hand of her very imaginative and extremely girly daughter), she is eating chocolate, watching reality television that could rot your brain and reading a smutty novel or two.

A. Meredith is represented by Michelle Johnson with the Inklings Literary Agency.












REVIEW


The Contradiction of Solitude

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is not a romance at all. So when I say it has dark themes, I don't mean sexually. This novel deals more with the darkness of a soul. Before reading it, I was told these facts so I definitely want to convey the point. This story is not a love story.

I can't give many details of the actual plot without ruining it so I'm sorry if my points seem vague. I love psychology. So many aspects of it are present here. The book is a psychological thriller. Psychology is used on the reader, and some of the characters suffer from psychological disorders. Because of the fact that the story involves a serial killer, bloody murder scenes do play a part. The narrative switches between two characters points of view. It is mostly told in present tense with some flashbacks.

Much of the first is build up. I think the author really wants to put the reader in a certain state of mind. There's so much introspection from the characters that I started to feel like the storyline was just spinning it's wheels. I was ready to move to the action. That is the only fault that I have, and it's just a personal issue. If the story wouldn't have moved at a slower pace during some parts, it may have given the rest less impact.

As for when things start happening, I was super into it. Whether you are surprised by the direction the story takes or not, you will still feel the effects. Excellent storytelling, marvelous. This book definitely put the fear into me. I think I'll never leave my house again. It's too dangerous out there in the world.

If you're looking for a feel good read, this probably isn't for you. If you want to try something different to get your blood pumping, something quite chilling and twisted, you may have just found it.
***copy given in exchange for an honest review***
toni






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Saturday, April 11, 2015

Fated by Bey Deckard Review










Title: Fated: Blood and Redemption
Author: Bey Deckard
Cover Artist: Bey Deckard
Release Date: April 11th, 2015 (pre-order avail from March 25th)
Word Count: 117 000+
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25019473-fated




Blurb:

With the captain’s mind in shambles, Jon and Tom set out to find the passage home through the black mountain range, hoping to find a cure for Baltsaros’s madness. However, when the men are forced to part ways, darkness takes root in the schism created; fate, lust, and vengeance become obsessions threatening to tear apart the fragile bonds holding the three together. 

Following on the heels of Sacrificed, Fated takes the pirates on a quest to find those responsible for the captain’s bloody beginnings. But can they survive what awaits them where past and present meet?




Excerpt:

Jon rubbed his face, bleary and tense, and looked over at the man lying beside him on the bed. He was startled to see that he was awake. Tiny pinpricks of light were reflected in Baltsaros’s dark eyes as he watched Jon silently.
“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” whispered Jon.
A deep crease appeared between Baltsaros’s brows. After a moment, he shook his head slowly.
“Are you in pain?” Jon said, turning onto his side. Another headshake. “Thirsty? No?” He sighed and reached out to check the man’s forehead for fever. He felt powerless and frustrated in the face of Baltsaros’s suffering.
At his touch, Baltsaros’s brow smoothed out, and he reached up to place his fingers against the back of Jon’s hand.
Jon smiled at the contact, but his heart sank at the dry heat that burned beneath his palm—he was getting worse. “We’ll get home to Madierus as soon as we can… I’m sure Abetha will be able to help you somehow.”
“Yes. It will be all right,” Baltsaros rasped, encircling Jon’s wrist with his long fingers.
Jon nodded quickly, made suddenly uneasy by the glittering gaze of the sick man. It was as if the only signs of life in his face were the coal-black eyes that watched him without expression. Baltsaros pulled Jon’s hand away from his forehead and pressed a soft kiss to the inside of his wrist before letting go. His lips were hot and parched, and Jon felt another pang of concern.
“Come here,” whispered Baltsaros. “I want to hold you in my arms. It will make me feel better like nothing else can.”
Something felt… off. However, Jon brushed aside the feeling and moved closer to him, placing his head on the man’s shoulder. Gingerly, he curled his arm around Baltsaros’s waist, bracing himself and trying not to put too much weight on the man beneath him. The position would quickly get uncomfortable, but he didn’t want to hurt him. A little sacrifice.
Baltsaros’s fingers came up to stroke his cheek, his jaw, down the bridge of his nose; when his fingertips brushed Jon’s bottom lip, Jon let out a little sigh.
“You’re such a soft creature,” murmured Baltsaros.
Jon frowned, none too happy to be called “soft”. He was not the weak thing he had once been. However, he forced himself to let the words run off of him like droplets down a duck’s glossy back. It was meant as a compliment, a way for Baltsaros to say how much he liked touching Jon. Nothing more. It should make him happy.
Then why do I feel like running?
The thought had barely touched his mind before Baltsaros’s hand closed over his mouth, his thumb and forefinger painfully pinching Jon’s nose shut as he rolled over on top of him. He froze for half an instant before he tried to push the man off, but Baltsaros wrapped his other hand around Jon’s throat and squeezed. Panic flooded Jon’s brain as he fought to free himself. For a man who was so wounded, Baltsaros bore down distressingly hard on Jon as he crushed his windpipe, slowly robbing him of breath. Nothing Jon did shifted his iron grip—not his nails clawing into flesh nor his feet battering at Baltsaros’s shins as he struggled desperately. It was like Baltsaros was made of senseless clay. A deadly golem.
“Min haeken,” murmured Baltsaros. “Stop struggling. Give in, my soft little thing. Give up. Hush now, Jon. It will only be a moment longer. Give in. That’s it, my love… You don’t need to suffer life any longer. Let me take this pain from you. I will never be able to hurt you again… Trust me, Jon. Trust me…” His voice continued to coo and whisper in Jon’s ear as he fought for his life. His vision swam with amorphous shapes that fled down a narrowing tunnel of darkness. With his last surge of strength, Jon reached up and beat against the headboard with his fist, nerveless to the carved figures that dug into his knuckles with every strike. 
There was a strange, warm feeling in Jon’s chest, and the world went crazy with bright colours right before the blackness overtook him.



Fated: Blood and Redemption from bey.d on 8tracks Radio.
Guest Post:

The End

I’ve got a confession to make:

I dislike endings. Why, you ask? For various reasons.

One is that denouements often drive me to skim because all the energy of the story falls flat as the characters are given happy endings and things that don’t need to be explained are explained. I’m actually not a big fan of HEAs. Blame it on the fact that I’m Canadian and most of my favourite Canadian movies have either abrupt or sort of bittersweet/unresolved endings—the kind where sometimes the characters are happy enough, but only time will tell how long before that changes. Sound a little bleak? Yeah maybe. I just don’t find many HEAs to be realistic enough for me to really enjoy them. Don’t get me wrong… I do have a soft spot for some HEAs that are done well and not drawn out too much, but many don’t fall under that category. Some of my favourite books have endings that I don’t like. It’s really an “it’s me, not you” thing… Hell, I even avoid goodbyes if I can.

Then there’s the fact that I don’t agree or just plain don’t like some endings and would have ended them differently should I have been the writer (or director). I have friends who make fun of the fact that I rewatch/reread so many things without sticking through to the end. I don’t need those endings… the ones in my head are better.

That being said, I know that some people really like endings and denouements and HEAs.

So… then we come my books. I don’t mind so much ending the books themselves—I think I’ve done an ok job of that so far—but ending the trilogy? I have to say that it made me a little nervous. I needed to get it right. I really didn’t want to screw the pooch with Fated.

I’ve also known exactly how it was going to end since the very beginning. It was just a matter of getting there and writing it down… and I really dragged my heels because it meant that I had to say goodbye to the characters. It’s the end of the trilogy, after all.

But then someone asked me a question: does it have to be the end?

As it turns out… no.

Is it the end of the trilogy? Yes. But, no… I am definitely not done with the world of Baal’s Heart.







Author Info: 

Born and raised in a small coastal town in northern Québec, Bey spent his early summers on his uncle’s boat and running wild on the beaches of the surrounding islands, lighting fires and building huts out of driftwood and fishermen’s nets. As an adult, he eventually made his way to university and earned a degree in Art History with a strong focus on Anthropology. Primarily a portrait painter and graphic artist, Bey sat down one day and decided to write about the two things that he felt most passionate about: sex and the sea.

Bey currently lives in the wilds of Montréal with his best buddy, a spotty pit bull named Murphy.


Author Links:

Fated: Blood and Redemption (Baal's Heart, #3)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was super excited to dig into this story but very sad knowing it was the final from this trio. Fated alternates between past and present times, continuing the plot while closing some gaps. This installment, like the ones before it, is almost impossible to categorize. The main characters are pirates. It feels sort of historical fantasy; yet, with some of the gadgets like the lights, it almost has hints of steampunk. The mysticism, eroticism and BDSM-lite are still present as well. Adventure and action are major themes. Naturally, it has darkish elements and obviously the true and imperfect love between three men. ♂♂♂

We ended with Baltsaros sick in Sacrificed. It's a peculiar illness affecting body and especially mind. He's basically nutso. Of course Jon and Tom are on a mission to save him, but his being somewhat out of commission, does allow for growth between Tom and Jon. Also the previously untold beginning between Tom and Baltsaros is filled in. I didn't even realize how badly I wanted their history until I was reading it. As if I could love Tom anymore, seeing how playful and strong he is after all he's endured in life gave me a case of the feels. ♡

Fated has lots of characters besides the three leads. There are several men, and one thing I've noticed in this author's writing is that he's great with female characters too. It's not just in the world of M/M fiction that novels are sometimes lacking good female roles. So it's kind of extra special since this is a gay story to have likable feminine personalities. Instead of boring and whiny, they're fun and bold.

It wouldn't be a Baal's Heart tale without loads of conflict, warfare and pain. The crew has to battle the elements, each other's attitudes, inner demons, sins from their pasts and plenty of unfriendlies. ☠

I knew given the previous books that the sex would be hot, but this author paints a masterpiece with his words. Each sex scene carries it's own unique lustiness. My reading was extremely intense—like, I was so wound up, I had to take a break during one scene.

The ending was perfect. I don't want to discuss, but I just want to say that anything different would not have fit.

My final conclusion is that I want a spot on Baal's Heart. I don't actually want to do any manual labor or endure any hardships—I just want to hang out in the captain's quarters and watch the show. ;)
***copy given in exchange for an honest review***
toni






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Friday, April 10, 2015

My Zombie Boyfriend by T. Strange Book Review





Author Name: T. Strange
Book Name: My Zombie Boyfriend
Release Date: April 15, 2015
Pages or Words: 64,000 words
Categories: Humor, Romance, Horror, Contemporary, M/M Romance, Urban Fantasy, New Adult, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Paranormal
Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: B. S. Clay

Blurb:


Edward Grey is a medical student by day, necromancer by night. He lives alone with the first zombie he ever raised, his childhood cat, Boo. Edward’s life is simple: studying medicine, training his necromantic powers with his mentor, Mariel, and having weekly dinners with his parents. When he finds a very attractive corpse in a park and brings it home to reanimate, he accidentally creates a sassy, free-willed zombie who believes Edward is the one who murdered him.


With no memory of his former life, Edward names the zombie Kit and tries to win his trust. Kit slowly adjusts to his new un-life with Edward’s help, though he’s still suspicious of Edward’s role in his death and is convinced that Edward is hiding his former identity. Edward is very attracted to Kit, but understands why Kit doesn’t trust him. As they become closer to one another, Kit turns to Edward for comfort and love. The fragile trust they’ve built together will be tested when Kit unexpectedly regains his memory and seeks revenge on his murderers.



Excerpt:
Kit took one look at the concoction and raised his eyebrows in disbelief and disgust. “What is that supposed to be?”
“It’s your food. Mmm! Delicious, brains! Zombies love brains!” I could see right away that I had gone too far.
“I am not a dog or a child, Edward. And I don’t appreciate your stereotyping.”
Oh, great. I had offended a zombie. What a schmuck. “I’m sorry, Kit. Won’t you at least try it?”
“Is that a slice of brain?”
“…yes. Technically. It’s not human!”
“Oh, it’s a brain, but it’s not human. That makes it all better. What’s in the rest of it?”
“The rest of the cow?” No, this was not going at all well. I pleaded. I cajoled. I begged.
He poured it down the sink.









About the author:
My Zombie Boyfriend is T. Strange’s first full-length novel, though she has published several shorter works with Torquere Press. When not writing, T. enjoys gardening, spending time with her horse, and, of course, reading. T. lives in Canada with her wife, surrounded by pets.


Where to find the author:




Tour Date & Stops: April 10, 2015


Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘My Zombie Boyfriend’ by T. Strange









REVIEW


My Zombie Boyfriend

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story took me totally by surprise. Something about it piqued my interest so I wanted to give it a shot. Of course, I hoped to enjoy it, but I had no idea how much I would love it. My Zombie Boyfriend is so different from most of what I read. It's the perfect mix of muted comedy/horror.

I've read a lot of zombie books, but none have ever given this same spin. The undead character is just as normal as the rest of us weird humans, so identifiable. In most zombie books, these creatures are soulless bodies reanimated because of a biblical-ish apocalypse or incurable virus that takes over the world. Edward is a boring medical student, necromancer on the side, who feels the urge to bring Kit back after finding him dead.

Edward tries to just proceed with life as usual with the exception of a new roommate. Kit is so wonderful. He's eccentric, outgoing, very full of life, completely opposite of what a reader would expect. I really got a kick out of how nothing that happens is that big of a deal to anyone in the story. All the characters just roll with whatever for the most part.

There is lots of humor, some cuteness, gore, creepiness—so many clashing themes that somehow mesh perfectly together. I'm very pleased to have come across this story. I couldn't put it down. In my opinion, it feels fun and easygoing while underlining acceptance of everyone. Questioning isn't really it's thing, it's c'est la vie, laissez faire. The author's writing style is particularly entertaining to me; so, I will definitely be looking for more books from her.


***copy given in exchange for an honest review***
toni






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