Heart of Steel - Release Day Spotlight and Review

Congratulations to Elizabeth Einspanier on the release today of HEART OF STEEL, a Science Fiction Romance. Elizabeth is giving away a $20 gift certificate to Steampunk Emporium. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

When reclusive cyborg Alistair Mechanus meets his captive, ER doctor Julia Parker, it is love at first sight--for him. While he eagerly drops his plans for World Conquest to woo her, ten years of solitude have left his social skills badly rusted. When his misguided act of kindness spirals out of control, however, Julia is forced to trust the mad genius with her life, and she discovers the vulnerable side under his armored plating. She has the skills he needs to unlock his forgotten past, but learning who he used to be may come at the cost of his remaining sanity.

MY REVIEW

Heart of Steel could be summarised as 'The Island of Dr Moreau meets 'Beauty and the Beast' except that this description seems a bit flippant for such an enjoyable story. Although I would class it as Science Fiction, and the description of medical and electronic procedures was written with confidence and an air of authenticity, there is also a 'Steampunk' feel, especially in the last chapter.

I was drawn into it from the start, and although I have to admit I initially felt a 'mad Scientist' called Dr Mechanus was a little like a 'comic strip' character, as the story progressed I realised there was far more to Alistair Mechanus than his desire for world domination.  It transpires that even this desire is actually more altruistic than manic. There are occasional references to Jules Verne and Star Trek and at times Julia seems to feel she's living in a dream world, and well she might, with a cybernetically enhanced and very jealous ex boyfriend on the rampage, various bio-electronic creatures and automatons, and  a charismatic, if seemingly deranged bionic genius who first takes her captive and then enlists her help.

Alistair Mechanus's deepening affection for Julia is touching, as is the gentle way he treats her, his thoughtful acts of courtesy seemingly at odds with his reclusive nature and macabre appearance. The story is fast moving and had me turning the pages, anxious to see whether Julia really could help him recover his memories of his past without sending him over the edge, while being reluctant for the story to finish.  I don't want to give too much away, sufficient to say that the end is satisfying and neatly ties up the loose ends.  I finished it, wanting more, which is not a bad thing. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a sweet romance spiced with plenty of action and intriguing Science Fiction elements.

Enjoy an excerpt:

She advanced cautiously, trying to get a look at the subject of his study in the next room. Before she could, however, the tall man in the hall with her spoke.

“Greetings, Julia,” he said in the baritone she’d heard from the speaker. She turned, and saw to her shock that a significant portion of the left half of his face, now revealed to her, was crafted of overlapping segments of unpolished metal, apparently riveted through the flesh and into the skull and jaw. His left eye was a mechanical lens that turned and focused in perfect coordination with its biological counterpart as he regarded her, its iris dilating as he offered her a welcoming smile. “I am, as you have probably guessed, Dr. Mechanus. I welcome you to my humble lair.” He sketched a bow to her, and she either heard or imagined the sound of countless motors whirring within him.

At first her thoughts were consumed by a single horrified thought—what the hell what the hell what the hell—repeated over and over again until her mind filled with what the hell from top to bottom and side to side. She felt light-headed, and braced herself against the edge of the observation window to avoid falling, but some persistently reasonable corner of her mind gently informed her that now simply was not a good time for her to faint or throw up.

Stay frosty, Julia, the voice advised her, in a familiar-sounding voice that Julia couldn’t immediately identify. Think of this like your first car crash in the ER. Sure, it looks horrible, but you can get through this. Just breathe. Get through this, and find out what’s happened to Jim. You’re okay.

PURCHASE ON AMAZON

About the Author:

Elizabeth Einspanier is the self-published author of the Weird Western novella Sheep’s Clothing and the upcoming S/F romance novel Heart of Steel. Her short stories have been published in Down in the Dirt and Dark Fire Fiction. She is a member of the St. Louis Writer’s Guild and an associate member of the Horror Writers of America. She lives in St. Louis, but frequently spends extended periods in worlds of her own creation.

Website: http://elizabetheinspanier.com
Blog: http://calliopeskiss.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeekGirlWriter
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ElizabethEinspanier/
Amazon Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/elizabetheinspanier

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Monarch - by Belle Whittington

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Monarch SERIES – Cicada Trilogy
AUTHOR – Belle Whittington
GENRE – Soft Sci-Fi, Paranormal, Romance, Action/Adventure, Aliens
PUBLICATION DATE – September 27, 2014 LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 494 Pages
COVER ARTIST – L B Whittington

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Blair Reynolds was born to rule. Worlds, that is. Destined to reign over an ancient intergalactic race, it may seem her fate is written in the stars. But she’s willing to risk it all for another chance to spend forever with her true love – even if it means traveling through time and space to the other side of the universe.

As far as Ash is concerned, Blair's happily-ever-after involves him, not the mere mortal with whom she seems so infatuated. She was bequeathed to him by her father, and Ash will go to any lengths to keep Blair and her true love apart.

And Ash isn’t the only one.

Deep in the jungles of Brazil, where tribal drums call to Blair and her true love, other forces carry out dangerous secret plans. However, Blair has secrets of her own … secrets so lethal she dares not even remember them. Secrets so painful they could ruin everything.

Because some secrets kill.

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US – AMAZON KINDLE CA – AMAZON KINDLE UK – AMAZON PAPERBACK – BARNES & NOBLES NOOK – BARNES & NOBLES PAPERBACK – SMASHWORDS – GOODREADS – SHELFARI

EXCERPT

I was no longer a bystander to this story. I was the story. Every secret interwoven through the tale I’m about to tell you belongs to me. And the summer I graduated from high school was the summer everything came together in a horrible clash of good versus evil.

Packing up and leaving my small, inconsequential, southeast Texas hometown meant leaving part of myself behind. I said goodbye to the human side of me when we piled into David’s truck and drove away from our home. And I waved farewell to any hope of ever returning as I watched our home slip into the shades of night.

Everything had been turned upside down, and deciding what was good and what was evil was like looking through sunglasses at night. It all washed together in a murky blend of darkness, shadows, and secrets.

My biggest secret of all was one for which I had no answer: which one was I – good or evil? I stuffed that secret deep behind my ribs and swallowed it down.

Some secrets are best kept in the darkness away from prying eyes and those who would seek to face them head-on. Some secrets kill.

AUTHOR BIO

Belle was raised in deep East Texas. She now resides somewhere north of Houston, Texas in a small inconsequential town with the smallest, most inconsequential name. There, in the shady reaches of the pines, elms, and oaks, she daydreams adventures and secrets she weaves throughout her stories. She’s the author of CICADA, FIREFLY, and MONARCH, a Young Adult/New Adult cross-over trilogy with excellent reviews. She studied literature and history at University of Houston where Beowulf, Shakespeare’s works, and the history of the Vikings were her favorite topics. Belle is positive her readers and fans are the best in the universe.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – WEBSITE – FACEBOOK – TWITTER – GOOGLE+ - PINTEREST – TUMBLR – GOODREADS – AUTHORGRAPH - BLOG - WATTPAD

Here's a link to where proposals to have my books made to movies: CLICK HERE

GIVEAWAY PRIZES

Signed Copy of Monarch Monarch Jar - Head here to see what they look like Electric Hum CD by Kyler England Signed Book Bag Chocolates from the Chocolate Vault

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Belle adds "The fabulous musician, Kyler England, has given me permission to use her song "When the World Stops Spinning" as the official theme song for Monarch."

http://kylerengland.com/

This tour was organized and hosted by

Rescue Me by Catherine Mann - Blog Tour and Giveaway

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This is my stop during the book blitz for Rescue Me by Catherine Mann. I'm so pleased to be taking part as rescues are very close to my heart, and I have my own rescued dog.

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This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 2 till 8 February, you can view the complete blitz schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours. So far this series contains 2 books: Shelter Me (Second Chance Ranch #1) and Rescue Me (Second Chance Ranch #2) Rescue Me (Second Chance Ranch #2) By Catherine Mann Genre: Contemporary Romance Age category: Adult Release Date: February 3, 2015

Blurb: A rescued dog returns the favor in the latest Second Chance Romance from USA Today bestselling author of Shelter Me.

Detective AJ Parker left undercover work in Atlanta to join a small-town Tennessee police force, hoping for an easier workload and the solitude of his cabin. But the scars left by AJ’s previous work are more difficult to escape than he thought… Mary Hannah Gallo works with the Second Chance Ranch Animal Rescue to train therapy dogs for traumatized patients. It isn’t easy, but her life is under control—until she meets the broodingly sensual AJ, who rattles her composure all the way to her toes. After an assignment confiscating dogs from a backyard breeder reveals a dangerous drug operation, AJ must work with sexy perfectionist Mary Hannah to train an abused rescue dog—a dog now named Holly. While Holly proves to these two very different people that opposites can, in fact, attract, she also knows more than a few explosive secrets that could heal—or divide—the entire town.

You can find Rescue Me on Goodreads You can buy Rescue Me here: - Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Kobo


 First book in the series: Shelter Me (Second Chance Ranch #1) By Catherine Mann Genre: Contemporary Romance Age category: Adult Release Date: August 5, 2014

Blurb: Nestled in the sunny fields of Tennessee lies the McDaniel family’s Second Chance Ranch Animal Rescue. Two new arrivals are on their way, but only one is the four-legged kind. Staff Sergeant Mike Kowalski wants only one thing after he gets home from Iraq: to sleep in a king-sized bed with clean sheets. But first, he has to hand off his fallen commander’s dog, Trooper, to his family without handing off his heart to Sierra… Sierra McDaniel needs a break. Her family life is crazy, and when she’s not mucking out kennels, she’s slogging through grad school. Sierra certainly doesn’t want another dog, especially one that reminds her of her father. And she definitely doesn’t want to see Mike with that charming smile of his… But Trooper has a mission of his own. Before too long Mike is moving to the ranch to lend a hand—and hoping for his own second chance with Sierra.

You can find Shelter Me on Goodreads You can buy Shelter Me here: - Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Kobo  

About the Author: USA Today bestseller Catherine Mann and RITA Award winner, Catherine writes contemporary romance for Berkley, Harlequin, Sourcebooks and Tule. With over sixty books in released in more than twenty countries, she has also celebrated six RITA finals, an RT Reviewer’s Award finalist, three Maggie Award of Excellence finals and a Bookseller’s Best win. A former theater school director and university instructor, she holds a Master’s degree in Theater from UNC-Greensboro and a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts: Theater (with minors in both English and Education) from the College of Charleston. Catherine and her flyboy husband live on the Florida coast where they brought up their 4 children – and still have 5 four-legged, furry “children” (aka pets). Catherine is an active volunteer with her local Humane Society, serving on their Board of Directors, fostering over 200 puppies, ill dogs, and dogs with service/working potential. She recently checked off a major item on her “bucket list” by completing her Florida State Animal Rescue Coalition and starting her own rescue with three friends - The Sunshine State Animal Rescue.

Catherine enjoys hearing from her readers and can be found online daily. To receive an autographed bookmark, send a SASE to: P.O. Box 6065, Navarre, FL 32566 You can find and contact Catherine here: - Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Pinterest Catherine Mann has begun an animal rescue of her own with three friends - Sunshine State Animal Rescue in the Florida Panhandle. Here's their facebook page if you want more info. They rescue from high kill shelters and do traditional adoptions as well as help identify potential service dogs and search and rescue dogs at shelters. There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of Rescue Me. This giveaway is US Only.These are the prizes you can win: - Two winners will get a $25 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble and an autographed copy of Shelter Me by Catherine Mann (US Only). For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Happy Monday everyone.  It's been a long time since I posted any of my work.  I'm busy putting the finishing touches to my third book in my 'Starquest' series so I thought I'd share a creepy excerpt from the first one.

 

Do you like the creepy eyes above ?  I thought I'd use them to illustrate this excerpt from 'Starquest.'  The heroine is exploring underground passages on a strange planet, and has separated from her companion, Dahll: 

Excerpt

As I rounded a bend in the passage, deep in my own thoughts, but with my blaster poised ready for trouble, a distant blood-curdling screech shattered the silence. I shrank back against the wall, holding my blaster in both hands, expecting at any moment some gigantic creature to materialise and launch itself at me. After a few minutes, when nothing had appeared, I continued cautiously along the passage, blaster still at the ready. I had only gone a few hundred yards when the tunnel divided without warning, forking obliquely to the right. I hesitated a moment, before continuing straight ahead. As I progressed along it, the passage began to narrow, and to my concern, the light faded out. Also, I noticed the ground had become very uneven and boulder strewn. I decided to go back and try the other branch of the passage. Then it came again, that shrill, wailing cry. I braced myself for another of those unearthly cries, as I activated my communicator.

 "Dahll," I said, anxiously. "Are you all right?"

 Dahll's voice held a note of surprise. "Yes, of course. I haven't come across anything interesting so far. What about you?"

"You didn't hear it then?"

 "Hear what?" "There was a strange sort of animal cry just now. It seemed to come from somewhere ahead of me."

 Dahll's small holographic image hovering above my communicator seemed to stiffen and his voice registered concern. "I haven't heard anything this side. You may be in danger, I think. You'd better come back. I'll meet you in the cavern."

 "No, Dahll. If there is a creature of some sort in the passage, I might lead it to you if I came back now, and then we'd both be in danger." The image was too small for me to see Dahll's expression clearly in the dim light of my wrist flare. I could imagine it, though, in the brief pause that followed.

"It would be better to have two weapons against it, if it's dangerous."

 I thought for a moment and decided perhaps he was right after all. "All right," I said reluctantly. "I'll come back now. This particular passage doesn't look as if it leads anywhere anyhow."

 "Good," Dahll said, sounding relieved. "I'll wait for you in the cavern." I was about to retrace my steps when the creature shrieked again, this time sounding much closer. I wasn't sure of the direction because the rocky escarpments sent echoes reverberating in all directions. I flashed my wrist flare in front of me, straining my eyes in the semi-darkness, trying to see beyond the shadows. I moved forward a few metres. The surface was very uneven. I stumbled, and the ground gave way beneath my feet. I felt myself slipping and stifled a yell, dropping the blaster as dust and pebbles rained down on me. I slid down a steep slope and when I scrambled to my feet at the bottom was relieved to note that at least my wrist flare was still intact.

My descent had been brief, and I was shaken more than hurt. However, the walls of the declivity down which I had fallen were several metres above my head and looked none too safe to attempt to climb. I was about to contact Dahll to explain my predicament when I became aware of something moving behind me. I turned sharply, and came face to face with a huge, bear-like creature, with luminous green eyes that seemed more feline than ursine. As I looked around in desperation for my blaster, the beast raised a giant paw. I shrank back against the cold stone wall, realising I was completely at its mercy.  

What about you - have you ever had the scary experience of feeling someone or something was watching you in the dark?  What's your creepiest memory?   


 Available now: 'STARQUEST'  ~*~  'DANCING WITH FATE'  (One of the ‘Song of The Muses’ series
 'Freeread':'A BARGAIN WITH DEATH'  ~*~ 'CHILDREN OF THE MIST' (The sequel to Starquest)

Cover Reveal and Giveaway - Adamant by Emma L Adams

Today is the cover reveal for Adamant (The Alliance series #1) by Emma L. Adams. This cover reveal is organized by Lola's Blog Tours.

Adamant (The Alliance Series #1)
By Emma L. Adams
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 11 March 2015

Blurb:
On an alternative 21st-century Earth in which our world is one of many in the Multiverse, the Inter-World Alliance exists to keep the peace between the worlds, and keep the monsters out.

Ada Fletcher is twenty-one, keeps a collection of knives in her room, and is more interested in fighting than her day job as a cashier. She also risks her life on a daily basis, helping refugees from a devastating magical war on her homeworld hide on the low-magic Earth. But when she’s taken into custody by the Alliance, her unusual magic makes her a prime suspect for a supervisor’s suspicious death.

For Kay Walker, whose family founded the organization, there has never been any doubt that his future is with the Alliance – even if it means dealing with sarcastic centaurs and dangerous monsters in the dark Passages between worlds. But when his supervisor is murdered, Kay discovers that a research project might have been the reason, and faces the choice of whether to ignore his instincts or risk becoming the next target, not to mention digging into the Alliance’s history and memories he’d rather keep buried. And there’s something not quite right about the strange, fierce girl he arrested as a suspect.

The last thing Ada wants is to help the infuriating Alliance guard who arrested her, but it soon becomes clear that the Alliance knows too much about Ada’s offworld origins. More, in fact, than she knows herself. Now she has to choose between loyalty to her family, and helping the Alliance save the Earth – and the Multiverse – from a deadly enemy.

You can find Adamant on Goodreads

You can pre-order Adamant here:
- Amazon
- Kobo
- B&N
- iBooks






 











About the Author:
Emma spent her childhood creating imaginary worlds to compensate for a disappointingly average reality, so it was probably inevitable that she ended up writing speculative fiction. She was born in Birmingham, UK, which she fled at the first opportunity to study English Literature at Lancaster University. In her three years at Lancaster, she hiked up mountains, skydived in Australia, and endured a traumatic episode involving a swarm of bees in the Costa Rican jungle. She also entertained her creative writing group and baffled her tutors by submitting strange fantasy tales featuring dragons and supernatural monsters to workshops. These included her first publication, a rather bleak dystopian piece, and a disturbing story about a homicidal duck (which she hopes will never see the light of day).

Now a reluctant graduate, Emma refuses to settle down and be normal. When not embarking on wild excursions and writing fantasy novels, she edits and proofreads novels for various publishing houses and reads an improbable number of books. Emma is currently working on the Alliance series, a multiple-universe adult fantasy featuring magic, monsters, cool gadgets and sarcasm. Her upper-YA urban fantasy Darkworld series is published by Curiosity Quills Press.

You can find and contact Emma here:
- Website
- Blog
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Google+
- Goodreads
- Newsletter


There is a cover reveal wide giveaway for the cover reveal of Adamant. These are the prizes you can win:
- a 10$ Amazon gift card

Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Monarch by Belle Whittington - Book highlight and Giveaway

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Monarch SERIES – Cicada Trilogy
AUTHOR – Belle Whittington
GENRE – Soft Sci-Fi, Paranormal, Romance, Action/Adventure, Aliens
PUBLICATION DATE – September 27, 2014 LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 494 Pages
COVER ARTIST – L B Whittington

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Blair Reynolds was born to rule. Worlds, that is. Destined to reign over an ancient intergalactic race, it may seem her fate is written in the stars. But she’s willing to risk it all for another chance to spend forever with her true love – even if it means traveling through time and space to the other side of the universe.

As far as Ash is concerned, Blair's happily-ever-after involves him, not the mere mortal with whom she seems so infatuated. She was bequeathed to him by her father, and Ash will go to any lengths to keep Blair and her true love apart.

And Ash isn’t the only one.

Deep in the jungles of Brazil, where tribal drums call to Blair and her true love, other forces carry out dangerous secret plans. However, Blair has secrets of her own … secrets so lethal she dares not even remember them. Secrets so painful they could ruin everything.

Because some secrets kill.

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US – AMAZON KINDLE CA – AMAZON KINDLE UK – AMAZON PAPERBACK – BARNES & NOBLES NOOK – BARNES & NOBLES PAPERBACK – SMASHWORDS – GOODREADS – SHELFARI

EXCERPT

I was no longer a bystander to this story. I was the story. Every secret interwoven through the tale I’m about to tell you belongs to me. And the summer I graduated from high school was the summer everything came together in a horrible clash of good versus evil.

Packing up and leaving my small, inconsequential, southeast Texas hometown meant leaving part of myself behind. I said goodbye to the human side of me when we piled into David’s truck and drove away from our home. And I waved farewell to any hope of ever returning as I watched our home slip into the shades of night.

Everything had been turned upside down, and deciding what was good and what was evil was like looking through sunglasses at night. It all washed together in a murky blend of darkness, shadows, and secrets.

My biggest secret of all was one for which I had no answer: which one was I – good or evil? I stuffed that secret deep behind my ribs and swallowed it down.

Some secrets are best kept in the darkness away from prying eyes and those who would seek to face them head-on. Some secrets kill.

AUTHOR BIO

Belle was raised in deep East Texas. She now resides somewhere north of Houston, Texas in a small inconsequential town with the smallest, most inconsequential name. There, in the shady reaches of the pines, elms, and oaks, she daydreams adventures and secrets she weaves throughout her stories. She’s the author of CICADA, FIREFLY, and MONARCH, a Young Adult/New Adult cross-over trilogy with excellent reviews. She studied literature and history at University of Houston where Beowulf, Shakespeare’s works, and the history of the Vikings were her favorite topics. Belle is positive her readers and fans are the best in the universe.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – WEBSITE – FACEBOOK – TWITTER – GOOGLE+ - PINTEREST – TUMBLR – GOODREADS – AUTHORGRAPH - BLOG - WATTPAD

Here's a link to where proposals to have my books made to movies: CLICK HERE

GIVEAWAY PRIZES

Signed Copy of Monarch Monarch Jar - Head here to see what they look like Electric Hum CD by Kyler England Signed Book Bag Chocolates from the Chocolate Vault

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Belle adds "The fabulous musician, Kyler England, has given me permission to use her song "When the World Stops Spinning" as the official theme song for Monarch."

http://kylerengland.com/

This tour was organized and hosted by