Sunday, January 31, 2016

Free Kindle Download: Last Train Home by Megan Nugen Isbell




Last Train Home 
(The Home Series: Book One)
by Megan Nugen Isbell



About the book:

Seventeen-year-old Riley Regas has spent her entire life in Boston, so when she learns she’ll be picking up and moving to her mother’s childhood home of Carver, Kansas, she is less than thrilled. In fact, she is downright furious. Riley’s only visited Carver a handful of times. She barely knows her family that lives there and she has no desire to spend her senior year among the backwards residents of Carver. 

Reluctantly though, her views begin to change when she meets Alex Bettencourt. Alex is popular and gorgeous and Riley’s never seen brown eyes quite like his before. 

While Riley couldn’t be happier, she knows Jesse, her best friend in Carver, isn’t sure of her new relationship with Alex. She soon finds a balance between Alex and her friends though and life in Carver doesn’t seem so bad after all, even if her relationship with her mother is rocky at best. 

Just when Riley thinks she might be happy in Carver, a single decision changes it all, leaving her to find out who she really is and who matters most in her life before she loses everything. 

This is the first of three books in The Home Series

Download Free Kindle

Book Spotlight with Excerpt: Escape from the Past: The Duke’s Wrath by Annette Oppenlander





Escape from the Past: 
The Duke’s Wrath
by Annette Oppenlander




Paperback: 299 pages
Publisher: Lodestone Books (July 31, 2015)

About the book:

When fifteen-year-old nerd and gamer Max Anderson thinks he's sneaking a preview of an unpublished video game, he doesn't realize that 1) He's been chosen as a beta, an experimental test player. 2) He’s playing the ultimate history game, transporting him into the actual past: anywhere and anytime. And 3) Survival is optional: to return home he must decipher the game's rules and complete its missions—if he lives long enough. To fail means to stay in the past—forever. Now Max is trapped in medieval Germany, unprepared and clueless. It is 1471 and he quickly learns that being an outcast may cost him his head. Especially after rescuing a beautiful peasant girl from a deadly infection and thus provoking sinister wannabe Duke Ott. Overnight he is dragged into a hornets' nest of feuding lords who will stop at nothing to bring down the conjuring stranger in their midst.


Excerpt from Chapter 2:

I heard more rustling. Louder now. Not from the men, but from the woods behind me. My knees buckled and I was vaguely aware of the thudding sound I’d made. I had to figure out what had just happened, retrace my steps. Where was my room? My mind churned as I scanned the ground for some sign of home, something familiar.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the bearded thug turn his head. Ducking behind a hazelnut bush, I squinted through the leaves. The thug had raised his sword and stepped toward my hiding place.

I crouched lower, my ears filled with the pounding of my own heartbeat. Rough laughter came from the other two riders. Despite my panic I caught a glimpse of them poking their swords at the injured man’s shoulder. I smelled their stench—and the wounded man’s fear.

The bearded thug continued in my direction. Sunlight bounced off the edge of his blade. He took another step, scanning, listening. I forced my shaking body to be absolutely still. This had to be some kind of challenge in the game.

The man kept coming. Twenty feet. Everything about him looked menacing: his eyes the color of mud, his razor-sharp sword wide as a hand. Fifteen feet. I held my breath.

A scream rang out.

“Have mercy, My Lords,” the bleeding man cried. He was kneeling now, waiving his good arm in a pleading gesture. “I beg you,” he wailed.

I lowered my gaze. Somewhere I’d read that the white of a man’s eyes could give you away. Keeping my lids half-closed, I peeked through the leaves once more. The thug was ten feet away. Close up he looked worse, a brute with arms the size of my thighs, his chest covered in leather and wide as a barrel. Despite his size he had the soundless walk of a stalking animal. I watched with paralyzed fascination. Any second I’d be discovered, but all I managed was to shove my hands into my jeans pockets to keep them from trembling. It’s a computer game, my brain screamed. It’s real, my gut argued. 

Purchase your copy

Saturday, January 30, 2016

Free Kindle Download: Her Fated Cowboy by Donna Michaels




Her Fated Cowboy 
(Harland County Series Book 1) 
by Donna Michaels




About the book:

L.A. cop, Jordan Masters Ryan has a problem. Her normal method of meeting a crisis head-on and taking it down won’t work. Not this time. Not when fate is her adversary. Having kept her from the man she thought she’d always marry, the same fickle fate took away the man she eventually did. Thrown back into the path of her first love, she finds hers is not the only heart fate has damaged. 

Widower and software CEO, Cole McCall fills his days with computer codes and his free time working the family’s cattle ranch. Blaming himself for his wife’s death, he’s become hard and bitter. When his visiting former neighbor sets out to delete the firewall around his heart, he discovers there’s no protection against the Jordan virus. Though she understands his pain and reawakens his soul, will it be enough for Cole to overcome his past and embrace their fated hearts? 

This is the first book in Harland County Series...Unruly cowboys and the women who tame them.

Download for free

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Thursday Trailer: Escape from the Past: The Duke’s Wrath by Annette Oppenlander






Escape from the Past: 
The Duke’s Wrath
by Annette Oppenlander



About the book:

When fifteen-year-old nerd and gamer Max Anderson thinks he's sneaking a preview of an unpublished video game, he doesn't realize that 1) He's been chosen as a beta, an experimental test player. 2) He’s playing the ultimate history game, transporting him into the actual past: anywhere and anytime. And 3) Survival is optional: to return home he must decipher the game's rules and complete its missions—if he lives long enough. To fail means to stay in the past—forever. Now Max is trapped in medieval Germany, unprepared and clueless. It is 1471 and he quickly learns that being an outcast may cost him his head. Especially after rescuing a beautiful peasant girl from a deadly infection and thus provoking sinister wannabe Duke Ott. Overnight he is dragged into a hornets' nest of feuding lords who will stop at nothing to bring down the conjuring stranger in their midst.

 

Purchase your copy

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Book Spotlight with Chapter 1: Heat by Holly S. Roberts




Heat
by Holly S. Roberts


Series: Hotter Than Hell Novel
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 1, 2016)

Kindle Edition

File Size: 1733 KB
Print Length: 240 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Four Carat Press (January 18, 2016)
Publication Date: January 18, 2016
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

About the book:

She’s an ex-cop and he’s the head of a crime syndicate.

Heat turns to sizzle and hearts combust when they find themselves wanting more than a few hot nights between cool sheets.


After a shoulder injury ends her respectable career as a police officer, Mak also known as Madison Abigail Kinlock turns to the seedy world of private investigations by default. Now her job consists of cheating douchebags and baby daddies dodging child support. Things can’t get much worse.


Moon controls Arizona’s largest crime syndicate. His bronze skin and blue eyes leave a girl breathless even when that girl knows he’s bad news. Moon doesn’t give a flying fig what Mak thinks; he wants her—ex-cop, bad attitude, and all.


How does she resist the dark side when her body craves Moon’s searing touch? Things only get hotter in Phoenix when Mak finds herself in a deadly situation and must turn to Moon for help.


He’ll help but there’s a price.


Chapter 1


Purchase your copy

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Guest Author: Annette Oppenlander




I’d like to thank Jenai for allowing me to share the background story of my novel, “Escape from the Past: The Duke’s Wrath.” For this novel, inspiration firmly hit me in the forehead.

In 2012 a friend of mine suggested I visit the ruins of Castle Hanstein near Kassel, Germany. It was a beautiful day and I couldn’t believe my eyes when we drove up the mountain to park our car. 

Castle Hanstein floats majestically above the valleys, its walls fused to the red rock it sits on. We climbed the rest of the way on foot, but once I stepped into the inner bailey and through the portcullis I knew I had found an amazing place. Most of the walls, six to nine feet thick, are broken and half torn down, thanks to the Swedes visiting during the 30-year war. However, you get a feel for the rooms, most windows still showing built-in stone seats. The great hall, recreated to house weddings and other events, is now situated in a different spot, but it is easy to imagine lords and ladies meeting here.


One of the towers was restored and used to serve as an observation point for the former East German military. Castle Hanstein is situated very close to the border between Thuringia and Hesse. You can still climb all the way to the top through an ever more narrow winding stone staircase. The view is breathtaking with gently sloped hills and valleys, farmland, the occasional church tower of a quaint village. It’s like looking at a painting. Wedged between two valleys flows the river, Werra which takes on an important role in my book.

Off to the side of the staircase I came across a kemenate, French for chimney room, meaning a room heatable by a fireplace. In the Middle Ages such rooms typically were occupied by the ladies and their small children. On the wall I found a short description of Werner von Hanstein, a knight who’d lived here in the late 15th century. For eight years he’d feuded with a duke over a beautiful woman. 


After walking through the ruins, then reading about about Werner I was hooked. I knew I had to write a story about this castle. 

The second part to the story came dealing with my two now adult sons.  Both boys were and are avid gamers and at times it seriously bothered me, seeing them spend umpteen hours in front of the PC. So, maybe it was just natural that I imagined one of them being sucked into the game. 

I hope you’ll enjoy gamer Max’s adventure in medieval Germany. 



Escape from the Past: 
The Duke’s Wrath
by Annette Oppenlander

Paperback: 299 pages
Publisher: Lodestone Books (July 31, 2015)

About the book:

When fifteen-year-old nerd and gamer Max Anderson thinks he's sneaking a preview of an unpublished video game, he doesn't realize that 1) He's been chosen as a beta, an experimental test player. 2) He’s playing the ultimate history game, transporting him into the actual past: anywhere and anytime. And 3) Survival is optional: to return home he must decipher the game's rules and complete its missions—if he lives long enough. To fail means to stay in the past—forever. Now Max is trapped in medieval Germany, unprepared and clueless. It is 1471 and he quickly learns that being an outcast may cost him his head. Especially after rescuing a beautiful peasant girl from a deadly infection and thus provoking sinister wannabe Duke Ott. Overnight he is dragged into a hornets' nest of feuding lords who will stop at nothing to bring down the conjuring stranger in their midst.


Purchase your copy

Monday, January 25, 2016

(Recommended) Product Review: MyMemories Scrapbooking Software



Digital Scrapbook Software and Scrapbook Kits



Ratings: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Note: I received a copy of this software free from mymemories.com 


Review:



This product review is for the newest version (v7) of the MyMemories Suite. I've had this software since 2012, and scrap booking is still my favorite hobby aside from reading and blogging!

MyMemories Suite is best for: 


creating photo books / organizing digital photos







for creating personalized calendars


personalized greeting cards



tarpaulin lay-out/designing



** images posted here are smaller compared to actual scrap book page

and many other features depending on your creativity!

MyMemories Suite is a downloadable software through its website MyMemories.com. Once downloaded and installed, you can already create a scrap book page, either by using free/purchased templates or you can make your own design.

As a beginner, I had to use the available templates but now, I prefer creating my own designs for a more personalized look.

Sample free templates




Sharing digital scrapbook with friends

These scrap book pages can be shared to friends and family by using the EXPORT feature in the following format:


Printing

MyMemories Suite lets you print your pages on your own or you may also have it professionally printed


This scrap booking software is so addicting and is highly recommended for those people who loves to take (thousands of) pictures! 


Purchase product

When purchasing MyMemories Suite, through its website MyMemories.com,  use this special code:

STMMMS55721


You will get a $10 discount on the software program (bringing it down to a very affordable $29.97) and get an additional $10 code to spend in the MyMemories.com Design Shop!  

Happy Scrap Booking!

Sunday, January 24, 2016

It's Monday! What Are Your Reading?




"It's Monday! What are you reading?" is a fun meme hosted by Kathryn @ The Book Date. This is where we share the books we have read the last week and our reading plans for this week.




Book Reviewed

Clutch 
by Lisa Becker



clutch: a novel is the laugh-out-loud, chick lit romance chronicling the dating misadventures of Caroline Johnson, a single purse designer who compares her unsuccessful romantic relationships to styles of handbags – the “Hobo” starving artist, the “Diaper Bag” single dad, the “Briefcase” intense businessman, etc. With her best friend, bar owner Mike by her side, the overly-accommodating Caroline drinks a lot of Chardonnay, puts her heart on the line, endures her share of unworthy suitors and finds the courage to discover the “Clutch” or someone she wants to hold onto.



Movie watched the previous week



In their new overseas home, an American family soon finds themselves caught in the middle of a coup, and they frantically look for a safe escape from an environment where foreigners are being immediately executed.


Book for Review

Dead Wolf Walking
Shapes of Autumn Book #3
by Veronica Blade


When a tragic death triggers Autumn and Zack’s worst fear—pursuit by dangerous werewolves—they escape to a safe house. But within the walls of the refuge, an even greater menace looms. Now under the reluctant protection of a vampire king, Autumn and Zack are targeted by a palace full of vamps out for revenge against vampire-killing werewolves. 

After the vampire king discovers a rebel plot to overthrow him, Zack and Autumn are forced to remain in the palace as bait to draw out the enemy. But can the king shield them from so many who want them dead? They have only days to root out the traitors before Autumn’s parents arrive to claim her—not to mention it’s illegal to mix species—which gives them little hope of a future together. But with werewolves hunting them and vampire rebels out for their blood, Zack and Autumn need each other more than ever. Each secretly dreams of finding a way to be together—if they can stay alive. 

Currently Reading

Never A Bridesmaid
by Janice Thompson


Meet the people who make it all happen – the planners, the photographers, the musicians who have helped orchestrate the perfect day for countless couples as they find their own happy endings in the second Year of Weddings novella collection.

Can one bridesmaid undo the disasters caused by a poorly chosen maid of honor and save her sister’s wedding from disaster? 

Mari’s older sister Crystal is getting married, and Mari is one of her bridesmaids – actually, the last in a lineup of five bridesmaids, but that doesn’t really bother her. Much. But Sienna Jameson as the maid of honor? Really? She might be Crystal’s best friend, but she’s ditzy and undependable on her best days. When the best man turns out to be hunky Derrick Richardson, the right fielder for the Houston Astros and one of Houston’s most eligible bachelors, Sienna abandons her duties as maid of honor to chase Derrick, and it’s up to Mari to make sure Crystal’s wedding day goes off without a hitch.

While Mari is wrapped up in dress fittings, bridal showers, and bachelorette nights, Derrick has taken notice of her devotion to her sister and her determination to make the wedding perfect. But between dodging Sienna’s advances and watching Mari running around like a madwoman, Derrick is left to steal moments whenever he can to get to know this beautiful bridesmaid.

When the maid of honor shows up to the ceremony late and more done up than the bride herself, Mari fears her attempts to make her sister’s wedding perfect have all been for naught. Will the bride be up-staged by the maid of honor? Will the fifth-in-line bridesmaid ever be recognized for all the work she’s done? And will Mari finally have a moment to revel in the magic of a wedding and dance in the strong arms of a man? 


How about you? What are your reading plans this week? Happy Monday!

Book on Sale for $0.99: Until September by Andrea Smith




Until September
by Andrea Smith



About the book:

Take the New Adult Romance journey of 18 year-old September Dawson.

When her mother deserted her and her younger half-sister, Scout, five years earlier, September was sent to live with her grandparents in Mississippi. Five years and no one has heard from her mother.

So when September is asked to spend the summer in Arkansas to watch over Scout, she can hardly refuse. She hasn't seen Scout in awhile, and she can certainly use the money for college.

She meets a young man while there, and though he tries to strike up a relationship with the beautiful September, she is drawn to someone else. Someone older. A most unlikely match but the chemistry can't be denied. At summer's end, September has no desire to return home. Soon after, they all receive some devastating news that threatens to change everything.


Adult Content : 18+


Purchase your copy

Book Spotlight with Prologue: Quiet in the Realm by Joseph Sutton





Quiet in the Realm 
by Joseph Sutton

Paperback: 408 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (8 Nov. 2015)

Kindle Edition
File Size: 1157 KB
Print Length: 410 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.

About the book:

The realm is quiet. 

In the capital, idleness has corrupted mind and body alike following the longest peace in living memory, but the threat of whispers are rising again in courtrooms and alehouses across the land. Rumours are spreading like some toxic wildfire, leaving a trail of suspicion in their wake. Some are brave enough to dig for answers, but many more schemers want to fill the hole in and keep their secrets buried deep. 

Ever more marriage pacts loom in such uncertain times, and wedding bells chime almost nightly, but reputations trail every nobleman, and some are more harrowing than others would believe. 

Far from the mutter words and fancy pursuits of such highborns, the villages are suffering. Food is sparse, and even the young have long grown hungry. When stomachs churn and beggars go without, the laws of any realm would be tested to the letter. 

Far away, across the Misty Sea, a stranger sits. Rich, powerful, but shrouded in mystery, the city that few care to speak of could have a part to play. But who, if anyone, will befriend this silent stranger? 

The realm is quiet, for now.


Prologue




Purchase your copy

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Recommended Read (Series) : Night of the Chupacabra by Michael Hebler





Night of the Chupacabra 
by Michael Hebler




Amazon Ratings: 5-star 48%


About the book:

Post Civil War. Families move west to begin rich new lives, only some never make it. There is a creature that lurks in the vast open deserts of the west. It can only survive on blood and, although it prefers to prey on the weak and young, it will slaughter anyone or anything, once provoked. It is unnatural, deceptive, and difficult to kill. Word about the existence of this elusive beast has not spread since anyone who has crossed paths with it did not live long enough to tell of their account. 

Night of the Chupacabra is one man’s journey to reunite with his missing family, while the lethal creature that separated them, the mysterious and ravenous chupacabra, is never far behind. Night of the Chupacabra is not only a gruesome regale of carnage, but a unique combination of science fiction bloodshed with a more poignant tale of lost love set against a Western backdrop. Night of the Chupacabra is an unflinching look at the impossible choices made for family, while knowing the consequences will ultimately lead to a fate worse than death.

Book Review originally posted in December 2012

I thought the story is great and I was hooked from the very first until the last page of the book. I  first heard stories of the Chupacabra from my grandmother and this brought back childhood memories. Night of the Chupacabra is a western horror novel that tells the story of one family wanting to start a new life in a new place. While in one of their travels, they encountered a chupacabra and only one man survived, Drake.

Drake, the main character of the story, is very much likeable. One would instantly love this character, a strong and tough guy on the outside but softy on the inside. His love and dedication to his family including his dear brother, Gavin, is what I remember the most.

The pacing of the story moves forward smoothly. Considering I was out attending parties the week I'm reading this, I never had a problem remembering the story and the  characters. The story flows just right and the tension stays with me every time I pick up the book. As for the dialogue, usually I despise books written in strange language or dialect, or anything written not in plain English. I am still wondering why despite the author's use of "western dialogue",  it didn't affect the level of my enjoyment of the story. Maybe he was just really good in weaving the whole story that I was never bothered by the strange dialogue. I loved the twists, especially the revelation on the legend of the first chupacabra, that I believe wouldn't bore readers. All in all, loved the book one and I look forward to reading more from the author, Michael Hebler.


Purchase your copy


Related Posts with Thumbnails