Review - One Voice Too Many by Paul Martin Midden

One Voice Too Many by Paul Martin Midden

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Blurb From Goodreads

Do we really know each other? Jeremy Walker seemed like a decent human being: hardworking, independent, intelligent. But he has a past that he can not quite shake and a terrible secret that only he knew. Despite a history of rocky relationships, he was determined to make a success of his relationship with Macy, an attractive woman who was similarly smart and independent. Will he succeed? The obstacles loom large.

My Review

The book starts really well, easy to follow and well written. Jeremy gets out of his car, walks and walks and walks until he stops at a diner, orders food and then just breaks. Whilst Jeremy lands in hospital the book jumps back to when he first meets Macy and even goes back to his previous relationship and family life.

We slowly learn the other side of Jeremy and how he "copes" and functions everyday and how his family see his behaviour. The book for me dragged in some places and then spelled out every thing else so you didn't have to think about anything as it was all laid out for you in minute detail.

Jeremy is socially awkward although he hides it well, as we follow his story we see his coping strategies and how it unravels and effects those around him. I think maybe if your into psychology and studying human behaviour you will really like this book but I went into it thinking it was a thriller and just felt it was a really long and drawn behaviour study with a story around those observations of Jeremy and his wife.

In the last quarter I thought something big was going to kick off but again it was more about behaviour and interaction than the big finale I thought was coming. Sadly this is a 2/5 for me. Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy, I would read this author again as the writing was smooth and easy to read it was just the focus and little actual content I had issue with.

This book is available on amazon for anyone wishing to read it.

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Review - I Am Scrooge, A Zombie Story For Christmas by Adam Roberts

I am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas by Adam Roberts

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Blurb From Goodreads

The legendary Ebenezeer Scrooge sits in his house counting money. The boards that he has nailed up over the doors and the windows shudder and shake under the blows from the endless zombie hordes that crowd the streets hungering for his flesh and his miserly braaaaiiiiiinns! Just how did the happiest day of the year slip into a welter of blood, innards, and shambling, ravenous undead on the snowy streets of old London town? Will the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future be able to stop the world from drowning under a top-hatted and crinolined zombie horde? Was Tiny Tim's illness something infinitely more sinister than mere rickets and consumption? Can Scrooge be persuaded to go back to his evil ways, travel back to Christmas past, and destroy the brain stem of the tiny, irritatingly cheery Patient Zero?

My Review

Well it is an odd little story to say the least. At 153 pages it is a tad too long, I feel it started out decent and got a few smirks if not giggles but then it just went off into madness. The story follows loosely the original Christmas Carol (with the character Scrooge, Marley and the 3 ghosts) and then comes the zombies.

It isn't meant to be taken serious and I would think written for a laugh so don't pick it up with any real expectations however it does go quickly down a bizarre road. From meeting some big names ie Jack The Ripper and Dickens, to time travel and a new explanation about what Christmas really is about and how zombies fit into it all.

It has the gore for the hardcore zombie fans who expect nothing less but to be honest, other than that I wouldn't go into it looking for anything more as it offers little else. A promising start that quickly goes downhill, for me it was more so with the second ghost and his horrific murder of the english language. Sadly another 2/5 for me.

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Author Interview with David A. Koop

Contact Information:

Author’s Name: David A. Koop - pronounced “Cope”

Website Address: www.somedaygroup.com

Blog Address: www.somedaygroup.com/category/blog/

--
What is the title of your book? Cancer It’s a Good Thing I Got It!
The Life Story of a Very Lucky Man

What is your book about?
My book is about my life… my childhood and
growing up, my adventures as a young man, my varied and successful business
careers, my love for my son and my family… all the things that made me
the kind of man who could successfully battle and survive a terminal cancer
diagnosis. The book tells of my duel with cancer from diagnosis, through surgery,
chemotherapy, and my ultimate recovery and ongoing war with chronic pain and
other side effects of having survived. Throughout the book, I share my personal
philosophies on life, success, and the one true thing that matters in this life… our
personal relationships. I also include tips for those going through cancer or other
serious illnesses and for those who care for them.



Why did you decide to write it? I looked death square in the face when my
doctors told me I had less than 9 months to live and should “get my affairs in
order.” I know, first hand, that the “someday” we all dream of doing this or that,
may never come. I wrote the book to encourage people who are fighting cancer
or other serious illnesses to be positive and focus on something to live for. For
those who have been fortunate enough not to face serious illness, I wrote the
book to encourage them to recognize that someday may never come. TODAY
is someday! Live your dreams, now. Tell your family you love them, now. Heal
old wounds, now. When our time is up, all we get to take with us is a heart full
of memories of those most dear to us. No one on their death bed looks up and
says, “GOD just one more day please, just one more day in the office and I can
finish that Thompson report.” No, they ask to have more time with their family
and friends.



How did you get your book published? I worked with an editor in Colorado. He
has worked for decades in the book industry, including writing books for Readers
Digest. The first draft I sent him came back lacking the praise I was sure I would
receive. He pointed out what were some flaws in my story line. The book had
holes in it based on me subconsciously assuming that the readers would know
what I know. They weren’t there… how could they? So, rule number one, tell the
whole story. It took the original draft and two more total rewrites to get to the
book I have today.

Getting the email from my publisher that my book had made it onto the Top 10
Bestseller list was a huge boost of encouragement and the royalty checks are nice
too. The biggest lift comes from the reader’s; people who don’t know me, people
who have read my book and feel compelled to share how it has helped them or
touched them... that is the best part of all. As a writer, I have no idea what people
are going to think, but when they share their true heartfelt feelings it is just
wonderful.



What types of readers will be interested in your book? My book is for more
than just someone suffering from a serious illness or adversity. It is of interest to
friends, family members, caregivers, and medical personnel (one reader actually
reads passages from my book to his staff at staff meetings!). It is also for anyone
who is looking for inspiration to transform their own life. I ran away at 15. Never
graduated from High School, yet I became a very successful business person and
even served as an adjunct professor of law at Denver University College of Law.
In this way, my story appeals to people in the business world as well.



What is special about your book? What differentiates it from other books
in the same category? My book is written in a conversational style. As if we
were sitting in my family room sharing a glass of wine. It is a deeply moving and
personal account of my life, my love for my son and my unfailing ability to believe
in something greater than myself. Readers will come away ready to create the life
they have been dreaming of.

Do you plan to publish more? Yes. I am working on the next book now, having
completed the first several chapters. It is based on the workshops that my wife
Carrie and I teach. With years of gender studies and as PAX licensees, we work
with men and women to help them create meaningful and lasting relationships at
work and home.

Review - Double Dead by Chuck Wendig

Double Dead by Chuck Wendig

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Blurb From Goodreads

Coburn’s been dead now for close to a century, but seeing as how he’s a vampire and all, it doesn’t much bother him. Or at least it didn’t, not until he awoke from a forced five-year slumber to discover that most of human civilization was now dead—but not dead like him, oh no.

See, Coburn likes blood. The rest of the walking dead, they like brains. He’s smart. Them, not so much. But they outnumber him by about a million to one. And the clotted blood of the walking dead cannot sustain him. Now he’s starving. And nocturnal. And more pissed-off than a bee-stung rattlesnake. The vampire not only has to find human survivors (with their sweet, sweet blood), but now he has to transition from predator to protector—after all, a man has to look after his food supply.

My Review

Aw I so wanted to love this book, the idea is pure brilliance however the story just didn't cut it for me (to be fair I had huge expectations). Some of it is really good to be honest for example we get to know how the disease started and spread and I love that and find it is usually lacking in zombie books (and movies). All questions that were raised throughout the book is answered which is another huge must for me.

However there was so much I disliked, for this to be a fair and honest review I had to give a two star rating. The vampire is a poor show compared to what we have viewed over the years, he gets his butt handed to him more often than not. His attitude really sucks for the most part (I did start to warm to him near the very end) and some of the dialogue seemed just a bit over the top although some of it was funny. That said the things I didn't like my o/h thought was quite funny (I read it out to him) so I definately think that whilst I thought the book was ok some readers will love it.

The other characters are varied and have some good traits but again there was noone who stood out for me or stayed with me, well maybe creampuff :D The way it ended I think there will be more to the series, will I get it? Yes I think so and hope that Coburn is more endearing and a better vampire than our first meeting. The writing of the book is very easy to follow and barring the swearing (which doesn't bother me but sometimes it just seemed over the top and there for the sake of it) I quite enjoyed the authors style of writing. 2/5 for me this time but I am very picky so if your a zombie and or vampire fan give it a try

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Review - Cancer It's A Good Thing I Got It! by David A. Koop

Cancer - It's a Good Thing I Got It!: The Life Story of a Very Lucky Man by David A Koop

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Blurb From Goodreads


David Koop Conquered the World of Business.

He Wasn't About to Let Cancer Put Him Under.

David Koop had it all-a storied business career, beautiful son, and prospects as far as the eye could see. Then a surprise cancer diagnosis turned his life upside down. It was osteo sarcoma-a form of bone cancer-and it was growing on his spine. Doctors told him to get his affairs in order.

More than three years later, Koop continues to beat the odds. Cancer: It's a Good Thing I Got It! is his eye-opening account of a remarkable journey through hospitals, treatments, friendships and emotions as he struggles to maintain a positive attitude and will to live. In this frank and uncensored look at one man's battle with cancer, Koop reflects on his life before and after the diagnosis. The surprising conclusion will leave you awed at the strength of the human spirit: far from a death sentence, the medical woes unleash a powerful self-assessment that leads Koop to a whole new sense of purpose-and the love he has sought all his life.

Full of humor and occasional grief, this memoir of a life still in progress will move you to make changes for the better. You'll come away inspired to live your life to the fullest and embrace the gift of personal relationships. And you'll find hope for meeting the unexpected challenges that can strike when you least expect.

My Review

When I first got this book I looked at the title and felt really uncomfortable, I mean it is cancer and they are saying it is a good thing! It also stirred up a lot of notice and comments as I carried it about and took it with me to read by just about everyone who saw it. Since reading the book and hearing Davids story I totally understand it's title and would say to everyone don't judge or dismiss it until you have read it.

The story is in short chapters and reads just like diary entries or like conversations with the author, it is very well done and really easy to follow. Any big words or procedures are explained so well that whether you have any medical knowledge or not you will be able to follow it with ease. Almost the first half of the book deals with the initial telling of the diagnosis and what lead it and his life up until that point, relationships, jobs etc. There is also quotes at the start of every new chapter which are also in themselves quite moving.

In the actual content some people might feel it is hard going as this is a truly honest account of what he went through from before, during and after his diagnosis. It is a open and both heart breaking and warming story of one man and his family dealing with something most of us hope to never have to encounter. From physical complications after treatments to the mental anguish of trying to cope after being told you are going to die. Trying to live with and beat the odds and breaking to the news to his family.

This book stirs up a host of emotions, sadness, joy, grief, laughter, hope, inspiration to name just a few. I feel this would be a quick read for most as it is hard to put down (it took me so long as work and Christmas has gotten in the way) but I could have easily read this in on sitting had time permitted.

I think this book would be a great read for anyone, whether you have been touched by cancer, feeling down or just want an uplifting (true) story then this is a book for you. I really enjoyed it so it is a 4/5 for me.

I would like to thank David for introducing me to his book and sending me a copy and sharing his journey with me. You can also find David here http://www.somedaygroup.com/ for updates on how he is doing.

You can purchase the book via Amazon.co.uk for £18.95 paperback or for the kindle £7.15

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Review - Coffee At Little Angels by Nadine Rose Larter

Coffee at Little Angels by Nadine Rose Larter

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Blurb From Goodreads

Phillip, Sarah, Kaitlyn, Caleb, Maxine, Grant, Melanie and Josh grew up in a small town where they spent their high school years together as an inseparable clique. But high school has ended, and they are all living their own “grown up” lives, each under the impression that their group has basically come to an end. When Phillip dies in a hit and run accident, Kaitlyn summons the others to all come back home, forcing a reunion that no one is particularly interested in partaking in.

Coffee at Little Angels follows how each character deals with the death of a childhood friend while at the same time dealing with their own ignored demons after years of separation. Events unfold as the group tries to rekindle the friendship they once shared to honour the memory of a friend they will never see again.

My review

Sadly this book just didn't do it for me. At the beginning I thought we were going to get a ghost account of how things were after Phillip is killed. However he is only in it very briefly at the start (a few small appearances and again at the end). I thought it was going to have him walking us through it as the story went on).

I didn't form any interest in any of the characters and had to keep going back to reread the chapter to remember what it was about. I was constantly mixing Melanie and Maxine up too and the characters seemed more caught up in their own nonsense than the fact that their friend had died.

The story itself (once you remove the whose who issue) is really easy to read I just found it a bit confusing and annoying that they were mostly self involved and poor old Phillip who is the reason they all get back togerther is pretty much not the focus.

If you like a story that is not too serious and don't mind it jumping around a bit then this is for you. I did like that the chapters were quite short as they went from person to person so I could put it down and pick it up every 5 or 10 minutes rather than being locked into big chapters.

Sadly I just didn't gel or connect with this book at all but would like to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to try this book, 2/5 for me this time.

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Competitions winners are..........................

For the printed copies of the author giveaway

vivian walton

Mark Bridger

Mark Rewhorn

Rachel Craig

Vanessa Rozee

For the ebook copies

Valerie Hartley
laura stewart
Patricia Avery
kelly koya
jennyb

For the black Kindle cover the winner is Maci234 and the white kindle cover is
Brit86. Maci234 I don't seem to have anyway to contact you, please message me your details so I can post the cover to you. If I haven't heard from you in a few days I will pick another winner, thank you.

Thank you so much to everyone who took part and apologies as I was meant to announce the winners on Saturday but it has just been so hectic with the run up to Christmas. I have sent the details on to the author for the Confessions Of A Corporate Slut and I will get the Kindle covers out as soon as I can.

Please remember Decembers pre-loved giveaway is still open so if you haven't already you can still enter for it.

Wish I Was Here for me is...................

is a wee feature from Janice Horton for in time with her new book

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Reaching-for-the-Stars-ebook/dp/B006ICFIZG/ref=sr_1_cc_3?s=jewelry&ie=UTF8&qid=1323876507&sr=1-3-catcorr

Places to find Janice

www.janicehortonwriter.blogspot.com
A www.loveahappyending.com author
Follow me on Twitter @JaniceHorton
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/nbaWed


So where am I wishing I was today? VEGAS BABY

If you need a why well it's hot, the slushes from the Cocacola stores are awesome. The shows are second to none and we went there for a wedding and Honeymoon. I have been to Vegas twice I hope to go back in the new year.

Review - All I Want For Christmas Is You by Lisa Mondello

All I Want for Christmas is You by Lisa Mondello

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Blurb from Amazon



Sometimes fate needs a little hand…

Santa Claus is going to have a rough season... Lauren Alexander is raising her daughter alone. Abandoned by her family for her decision to keep her daughter Kristen, she has done a pretty good job for the last six years. Or she thought she had. That's why she is crushed when little Kristen gives up her wish for a toy or goodie and instead asks Santa for a present for her mother. She wants Santa to bring a Daddy. Delivering Daddies isn't Santa's bag.

But this Santa has a plan...

Kyle Preston knows what it is like to be abandoned too. Luckily he found the support of loving adoptive parents and has turned himself into one of the most successful Real Estate developers in town.

Building a house is easy. Building someone's trust is a whole other story. But with a little helping hand, a little Christmas magic can make all the difference in the world.



My Review



Lauren Alexander and Kyle Preston are the main characters in this story. Lauren is devoted to her 6 year old daughter and always puts her first. After being badly hurt she lets noone get close to her and certainly not a man.



Kyle Preston is a family oriented man, successful but a man with a past and his own baggage. After a chance encounter their paths cross and eventually a friendship blooms. Lauren is distrustful and wants Kyle to keep his distance but there is something about Lauren that Kyle can’t seem to let go.



What a lovely wee story! I just loved Kristen after the first chapter (it isn’t really about her but I just had to mention it and once you read it you will see why). The story is very easy to read, well written and nothing too challenging. I felt like I was reading a modern day mills and boons book (that is a compliment I used to love those books). There is one or two steamy scenes but nothing too risky or outrageous. A great wee feel good book and just perfect for this time of year so for me it’s 4/5 this time. This book is currently free for the Kindle on Amazon.co.uk and if your doing a December Christmas read it is perfect to snap up or if you just fancy a wee pick me up.



Thank you to the author for giving me the chance to read this book and introducing me to her work, I would definitely read more by this author.





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Review - Counter Camouflage by Bojan Miladinovic

Counter Camouflage : Serbian urban story by Bojan Miladinovic

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Blurb From Goodreads

Incapacitating a home alarm makes you a skillful thief. Creating an alarm which can be incapacitated by special remote and installing it- makes you skillful and a very impudent thief. Branko's team for alarm installment becomes greedy, so, to avoid the jaws of the law, Branko takes the advice his old professor once gave him:" Sometimes when you don't know how to avoid danger camouflage yourself, perhaps the danger will avoid you." A few years later, he meets a girl who is crazy about medieval jewelry. Wishing to fascinate her, he tries to buy her a copy of medieval ring. However, he figures out pretty quickly that the only convincing copy is - the original. Once a thief - always a thief. Branko steals the ring from the museum, presenting it as a prefect copy. Once again, he tries to use the old trick the professor taught him, but this time he is forced to - counter camouflage

My Review

The blurb for the story drew me in as it sounds really good and to be fair there was parts of the story I did like. However, I found the issues and errors made through the story being translated really made some of it hard to follow or really annoying to read. There are some good turns of phrase that weren't lost during translation (although they are very few and far between) however one of my favourites was "you don't have to say anything I saw it in your eyes". This is in relation to the relationship with Olja and Branko who are our main characters.

I think maybe reading this story in the language it was written would make the whole story and reading experience very different but for me it was a struggle and that largely is down to how it has been translated which I feel is not the authors fault but whoever did the translating. My other issue is that some chapters you wouldn't be sure who the interaction was between until a few paragraphs or pages in which also took from the enjoyment. Maybe it would have helped it the chapters or page breaks had inserts for who was speaking or use their names in the dialogue more.

I have never read a novel set in Serbia before so found anything about the culture or laws really fascinating however I think there could have been a bit more for those of us who know nothing about it. For example there is a part in the book mentioned about a tradition on a day in March that women are not treated as equals, I would have liked to have known why even if just a few more lines.

I really enjoyed reading about the Griffon Vultures, again this was something I had never heard of before and the book does have a few interesting wee stories slipped in like this that kept me going.

The language was a huge issue for me which really affected how I enjoyed the book so sadly it is a 2/5 for me. I want to thank the author for giving me the chance to read their book and introducing me to their work and my first experience reading in Serbia.

This book is available on Amazon for £0.86 or on the authors site for free http://www.myspace.com/countercamouflage



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Kindle Cover giveaway

At almost 200 followers AND it is almost Christmas I am having one more giveaway (please check the competitions tab for all ongoing competitions). I have two kindle covers to giveaway, the oldest version of the kindle (the 1st one out with the keyboard) the cover is white. The new Kindle 4 the cover is black (that's the one Amazon is selling at the moment for £89). Please see the picture below.

These are brand new and can be given as a gift or kept yourself, they are in their original wrappings.

If you want to win just leave a comment on this post and leave your blog url, if you don't have a blog just leave me a way to contact you (if you don't want to leave your email on a public site please email me with kindle giveaway as the title) and state which cover you want to win. I will let this competition run until Friday the 16th, and post them out as quickly as possible. If your in the UK you should get it in time for Christmas, if your overseas delivery time will vary.

Good luck and feel free to share

Review - We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Blurb From Goodreads

A stunning examination of how tragedy affects a town, a marriage, and a family, for readers of Rosellen Brown's Before and After and Jane Hamilton's A Map of the World.

That neither nature nor nurture bears exclusive responsibility for a child's character is self-evident. But such generalizations provide cold comfort when it's your own son who's just opened fire on his fellow students and whose class photograph--with its unseemly grin--is blown up on the national news.

The question of who's to blame for teenage atrocity tortures our narrator, Eva Khatchadourian. Two years ago, her son, Kevin, murdered seven of his fellow high-school students, a cafeteria worker, and a popular algebra teacher. Because he was only fifteen at the time of the killings, he received a lenient sentence and is now in a prison for young offenders in upstate New York.

Telling the story of Kevin's upbringing, Eva addresses herself to her estranged husband through a series of letters. Fearing that her own shortcomings may have shaped what her son has become, she confesses to a deep, long-standing ambivalence about both motherhood in general and Kevin in particular. How much is her fault?

We Need to Talk About Kevin offers no pat explanations for why so many white, well-to-do adolescents--whether in Pearl, Paducah, Springfield, or Littleton--have gone nihilistically off the rails while growing up in suburban comfort. Instead, Lionel Shriver tells a compelling, absorbing, and resonant story while framing these horrifying tableaux of teenage carnage as metaphors for the larger tragedy--the tragedy of a country where everything works, nobody starves, and anything can be bought but a sense of purpose.

My review

This was my second time reading this book, I re read it after watching the movie because I had some questions.

The story, whilst I have given a 5 star rating and I do think it is a great story it takes an age to get started (it is needed to see the whole picture) but it is hard going at first. The book is made up of letters from Eva to her husband Franklin (instead of chapters).

Eva takes us through her life before Kevin, her relationship with Franklin and how she percieves things as they happened. Events don't always go in order as they happened, it reads like her diary rather than letters but it works really really well.

This book will stay with you, it is a fantastic read so when you pick it up and its long and drawn DON'T give up on it. It is a really long start and slow but once it gets going you won't be able to put it down and if you have kids you will be thankful they turned out as perfect as they did (compared to Kevin).

Great book which is still weird as it is so slow paced but honestly it is a great read and I would recommend it to anyone, 5/5 for me.

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Author Interview & Giveaway with Jacqueline Gum, Confessions Of A Corporate Slut

Welcome Jacqueline and thank you for taking the time to answer some questions and this awesome giveaway (5 printed copies UK only, and 5 e-books international, see below the interview for the giveaway details).

How did you get started with writing?

[jacquelinegum] I started as a child with the good old fashioned lock and key diary. I felt like I had so many important things to say…. to myself! Laugh! Because I stuttered, writing was often was a way for me to “speak”. I wrote notes to my parents and my brother, and loved to correspond with letters to my cousins, too.



What is your book about?

[jacquelinegum] The premise deals with a successful woman who sells her business and applies her business acumen in an effort to help her husband and his business. But being a professional woman, she tackles the duties of a corporate wife as she would any career…balls out and fully invested! Laugh! To her, it was a lateral move.



Who would you say the book is aimed at?

[jacquelinegum] Almost any age group of women. For younger women, I think it might be more a cautionary tale. For women who came into their own in the 70’s and 80’s and shared a lot of these experiences, it seems to provide some affirmation that they weren’t the only ones. I’ve had women approach me who said they were embarrassed after the demise of their marriage, and this book enlightened them in knowing there is a whole herd of us out here! There’s comfort in that, somehow. In my mind, you can only get to that peaceful place when you admit complicity and take responsibility for your part. After all, who built that world for him and became a part of it? I’ve had men attend a few of my book club meetings to tell me that they really liked the work, and even a VP of FedX said that he loved it!
What inspired this book?

[jacquelinegum] My own marriage and a few like marriages. The era of women and their role in marriage was confusing during the 70’s and 80’s.Most women had very traditional role models in their mothers and grandmothers, yet were being encouraged…baited, really, do get out there and do it without men at all! Roberta, like many, tried to piece together some hybrid of those philosophies. I wanted to highlight that difference, so it’s a retrospective view. Though, I think some women are still falling into that trap.



Did anyone inspire you for you characters?

[jacquelinegum] Hillary Clinton, Silva Spitzer, myself, and a few close women friends who shared their stories with me.



Do you have another novel on the go? (if not what would you write about next?)

[jacquelinegum] Yes, I am in the last editorial stages of a book, working title, Bull Justice. The first few chapters can be found on my website:www.jacquelinegum.com, as well as some published short stories, and the very beginnings of my third novel, The Flame Dame Chronicles



Where can your fans find you?[jacquelinegum] www.jacquelinegum.com. And, I’d love to be found!

My review of this book is here http://www.alwaysreading.net/2011/07/review-confessions-of-corporate-slut-by.html

Printed copies (for UK entries) Please use the contact form below, the author needs your name, address and telephone number as per Amazon delivery requiremets. For the e-books again please use the form below with you email address and name. The author will gift the cost of the book for download. Please respect the author and giveaway by getting the book gifted (I know we all respect the ARCs we get but some people have abused this gift service before, I know none of my readers would do this but must put it out there anyway, thanks).

This competition will run until Saturday the 17th of December when I will announce the winners, good luck.


Fill in this form with the above information and which copy you would like to win. Click here to contact me

Review - Shadows And Fire by Jennifer Fales

Shadows and Fire by Jennifer Fales

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Publisher Outskirts Press, Inc
Pages - 108

Blurb from the back cover

"In the parallel future, mankind has created its own worst nightmare - a hybrid species of supernatural beings that demands a high toll in return for peace. Follow the adventure of a tortured man seeking redemption and a brother and sister, the unwilling product of both worlds, torn apart, determined to reunite with one another. And remember that nothing is what it seems under the dome."



My review

To be honest I was so close to giving this book a two for a few reasons. There are so many characters it is hard to remember who is who and what their part is and they were very fleeting and we only had a few pages for most of them. The main characters are the twins Lilith and Laydon, Father Augustin and the bad guys Aamon and Maltha (although there is more to Maltha than I first thought).

The chapters are very short which in a book so small they would be but I do like small chapters. The idea of the hybrids I really liked too, half human and half whatever animal has been spliced with human.

My main problem with the story is there isn't enough of it (yeah yeah I know good author always leaves you wanting more) but I think for the whole story to come together we need more. I feel and will have to confirm this with the author that this is just the start of a series in which case I would have waited and put them all together. Or the next one should be the prequel so we can get a better understanding of the hybrids and how they came to be so different and powerful.

That is a lot of complaining for a 3 star rating right? However the way she has wrote certain parts of it is so well done and she paints quite a picture than you can visualise some of the scenes in beautiful detail. And the basic idea is so unusual that I think anything below a 3 would be quite unfair. So for me 3/5 this time, I would read this author again as I like the writing style but I definately need more background and information on the origins and characters. A very quick read at just 108 pages and I feel we could definately have done with more and it would have added to the value of the story.

Thank you to the author for introducing me to her work and sending me a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine, I was not paid or influenced in anyway for this review.

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Review - Blood Hunt by Christopher Buecheler

Blood Hunt by Christopher Buecheler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Blurb From Goodreads

He killed her lover, and for that crime and many others, Two Majors cut off the vampire Abraham's head, reduced his remains to ashes, and scattered them to the winds. Now each night she wanders New York, freed from the chains of heroin addiction but longing still for Theroen's kiss, the taste of blood on his lips, the echo of his thoughts in her ears. There are other vampires out there; she knows it, and so she hunts.

Tori Perrault spent a dozen years living in the woods, stalking her prey in the dark and killing without mercy. Now, she too has returned to humanity, and struggles to come to terms with all that has happened. Her parents' love smothers her and life seems empty. She spends her nights in the bottle, and in the company of strange men. She doesn't know that she is watched, until the fragile life she has rebuilt is torn from her and she is dropped suddenly into a world she never knew existed.

Rhes Thompson and Sarah Taylor have never met a vampire, and never want to. All they want is to help their friend Two, who falls further away from them with each passing day. They have all but given up when they are thrust into a world of madness, death, and vampire politics beyond their understanding. They must abandon their concern for Two, and worry instead about saving their own lives.

Blood Hunt is the ambitious sequel to the popular Urban Fantasy novel The Blood That Bonds. Nearly twice as long as the first novel, Blood Hunt weaves together the stories of Two, Tori, Rhes and Sarah, along with a large cast of characters both old and new, as they attempt to navigate their way through the difficulties they face.

My Review

Since I finished The Blood That Bonds I couldn't wait for this book to find out where Two and Tori's advetures went. We start off with Tori and how she is re-adjusting to life after all she has been through and back living with her parents. Something happens that noone could have seen coming and changes the path of Tori's and those around hers life.

Two is miserable with what her life has become, Tori is miles away with her parents and she can't face her friends or her existance as a human. Two finds herself in a bottle constantly and walks the streets trying to find a vampire, any vampire to try and reclaim some kind of vampire life she had before it was all taken from her.

A friend had read this book and said she didn't think it was anywhere near as good as the first so I was apprehensive. However I was up most of last night tearing through it following the girls stories. I think it is because it is so very different from the first installment. The first one was so fast and delved us into a world we knew nothing about, everything was on the edge of your seat. This time we get a look at the bigger picture, hear more about the vampires and strains that exist and the introduction of The Children Of The Sun.

I really ejoyed it, it was great to get more depth on the vampire history and how the story unravels now it has these new twists. There is still violence, fighting, sex(some of it graphic but you should be used to it by now), blood and love and twists and turns throughout the book, it is just different paced from the 1st one but it still works really well.

What didn't I like? Well I can't say too much as I don't do spoiler reviews however some of Twos character in this book annoyed me as she came across as quite selfish at times with no regard for her friends. I would have liked to have read a lot more about Tori aswell, however I know with book number 3 I will get that and I'm just disappointed I will have to wait but as I have said before it is a good author they say who keeps their audience wanting more.

It is a thicker book than the first one and I got through it in just over a day as I couldn't put it down, the things I liked far out weighed the small things I didn't so it is a 4/5 for me and apologies my review has became so long!

This book is available for the kindle for £1.99 (the first book is free for the kindle ((the blood that bonds)) and in paperback from Christophers website http://www.iiamtrilogy.com/bloodhunt/

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Winner of Author Giveaway - Paradox:The Angels Are Here is.....

As always names are put onto pieces of paper and one is picked at random from a container.

Marybelle (no web address given) - well done, I have sent you an email and you will be hearing from the author shortly.

Thank you to everyone who took part, Decembers pre-loved giveaway is now open and the kindle cover(s) competition will bu up shortly.

Review - The Blood That Bonds by Christopher Buecheler (x2)

The Blood That Bonds by Christopher Buecheler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Blurb from Goodreads

Two is trapped: hooked on heroin, held as property, forced to sell her body to feed the addiction. Time brings her ever closer to what seems an inevitable death and Two waits, uncaring, longing only for the next fix.

That’s when Theroen arrives, beckoning to his Ferrari and grinning his inscrutable grin. He is handsome. Confident. Eager to help lift her out of the life that’s grinding her down.

The only problem? Theroen is a vampire.

His blood can cure her addiction, grant her powers she has never had, change her forever into something greater than she was. But when he sinks his teeth into her neck, Theroen also thrusts Two into a world of danger, violence, madness and despair. The powerful, twisted elder Abraham will use her arrival to shatter the uneasy peace that exists in his mansion, bringing an end to the dark game he has been playing for centuries.

My Review

This is my second time reading this (I wanted a recap as I am going to read the second installment) and it was just as good as the first time if not better.

Two is a prostitute kept in her profession by her vicious pimp Darren and her addiction of heroin. Along comes a client who will completely change her life and living as she knows it. What follows is a tale of love, blood, frienship, sex and distruction.

The story is very different from most of the vampire tales I have read in the way the vampires are with each other, how they turn, how it lasts, the families interactions and how they "bond" with each other. It is a story of love, a very unlikely friendship, retribution, revenge and mostly one young girls journey through what can only be called an unbelieveable rollercoaster.

The story has a great pace, the writing is very easy reading and the story is very simple to follow. There are a few good twists in it and the only thing I would caution readers o is some of the scenes are a bit graphic but most vampire/gore lovers know to expect some aspect of this in this type of book. I loved it both times so it is another 5/5 for me.

*This book is free as an ebook on Amazon or you can buy a print copy there too*




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Decembers Pre-loved giveaway is If I Should Die Before I Wake by Michelle Morris

Book condition is great, the spine has no creases and isn't broken. There are a few indent marks on the cover and the back cover has a little residue from a previous sticker and a borders sticker on the bottom of the back cover.

From what I remember this book is not for the faint hearted.

This will run until the last day of the month in December and due to New Year will post out a little later when normal postal services resume. Good luck and feel free to share the link.

Blurb From Goodreads

Carla spends a summer night sitting by her father's bed, his gun on her knees. When he wakens she will get retribution for the childhood he has stolen from her and her mind, which he has destroyed. As she realizes the full horror of her life and despair, she relives the years of loneliness, self-disgust and pain she has endured. Exploring the troubled mind of a brutalized teenager and the violent, abusive intimacy of a daughter and her father, "If I Should Die Before I Wake" depicts Carla's disintegrating world with an unforgettable intensity. Michelle Morris has written a literary classic about the fundamental taboo of our society, incest.

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My review can be found here http://www.alwaysreading.net/2011/09/review-if-i-should-die-before-i-wake-by.html

Novembers Pre-loved Giveaway winner is.............

Lindsay from http://thelittlereaderlibrary.blogspot.com/

Congrats Lindsay and well done, thanks to everyone who took part and please keep an eye out for Decembers Pre-loved giveaway AND an additional kindle cover giveaway (both the older model with the keyboard and the new one).

Lindsay please message me your name and address and I will get it to you in the next few days.