eBook Review: Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

Goodreads: Love can never die.
Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie? 
The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses. 
But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.
In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.

Title:  Dearly, Departed
Author:  Lia Habel
Series:  Gone With The Respiration #1
Publisher:  Random House Publishing Group
Released:  18th October 2011
Source:  NetGalley

I absolutely loved this book.  It was addictive, fast paced, full of action, intrigue and romance.  This book has it all including ZOMBIES.

Set in the year 2195, Nora Dearly is orphaned and living with her Aunt.  She despises her Aunt and every conversation is never polite.  The world has gone backwards, there is still a lot of technology, but all the mannerisms and fashion come from the Victorian period, so they are called the New Victorians.  Nora is from a family high in social status and her best friend is anything but.  Pamela and Nora have been friends since they were tiny children and are never apart.

Nora’s motorized carriage was stopped in bad traffic on their way home from private school.  Nora decided to walk home the rest of the way and due to the distance it was getting close to dark when she was almost home.  A strange man was waiting on the corner and approached her.  This was not how a gentleman approaches a lady and Nora was frightened.  He mentions her father and tries to persuade her to go with him.  Of course this doesn’t work and Nora declines.  A few days pass and things seem fairly normal.

Nora is home by herself one night when she hears a noise outside the window.  Peaking out the curtains, she sees a grotesque face staring back at her and it punches through the glass to grab her.  Nora takes off and grabs her father’s old rifle and heads for the roof.  She is being chased by hundreds of creatures and she doesn’t know what is going on.

Men dressed in black come to her rescue and she is saved from the Gray only to discover the man (?) that saved her is none other than the man that tried to abduct her the other night.  Nora is taken aboard a ship and is knocked unconscious. 

Nora awakes to find herself in a compound that is full of zombies.  She is allowed as much information as she can ask for and in doing so finds out that the zombies are created from a disease.  The days that follow she is only comfortable being around the Captain, Bram.  Bram is the man that tried to abduct her and rescued her on the roof.  He is also a zombie and falls instantly in love with her.

This is a love that is forbidden obviously, but they cannot help but love each other.  Her father was in amongst it all.  Now a war is being taken to New Victoria and Pamela is in the middle.  Bram and Nora go on a rescue mission.  What will happen to Pamela?  Will zombies take over?  Will Bram and Nora’s love last?

This is a tale that is like no other.  I have never seen a story written in the future like this with zombies, but with the Victorian period added in.  It is just amazing, the details the author has written about the cities and characters are so unusual, but make the whole picture so vivid you can see it all so clearly.  I am hooked and can’t wait for book 2, Dearly, Beloved due out 2012.

                                                             

5 STARS - ABSOLUTELY AWESOME - MUST READ

You can find Lia Habel on Amazon, Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook and her website.

My Bookworm Santa - The Reveal

This fun was hosted by Michelle from Book Briefs and Bree from The Magic Attic.

I participated in the fun of My Bookworm Santa.  It was like a Secret Santa, the lovely hosts compiled of list of all participants and emailed out details of your person.  Then you visited their wishlist and sent them a gift for Christmas.  This post is the reveal!

SENT:

To RJ Gonzales at http://www.RJDoesBooks.com

Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Thank you RJ and I hope you have received your book and enjoyed reading it.

RECEIVED:

Deadly Little Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Thank you for my gift, I hadn't been able to get this on eBook and am looking forward to reading it.

Thank you also to the wonderful hosts, Michelle and Bree.  This was an awesome Christmas event and I can't wait to do it again next year.

Teaser Tuesday #3 - 27th December 2011

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: 

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 

• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

"Ruth whined, and Caitlin went instinctively to the room that held the leftover deer; she took some scraps and hand-fed them to Ruth, who snapped them up.  For such a small animal, she was ravenous."

~ approx. 38%, Desired (Book 5 in The Vampire Journals) by Morgan Rice

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post or share your 'teasers' in a comment here if you don't have a blog. Thank you

YA Historical Fiction Challenge - hosted by YA Bliss

The YA Historical Fiction Challenge is hosted by YA Bliss.  Please head on over and to sign up click HERE.

Historical fiction: tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional. Writers of stories in this genre, while penning fiction, attempt to capture the spirit, manners, and social conditions of the persons or time(s) presented in the story, with due attention paid to period detail and fidelity. (Wikipedia)

Choose your level:

Level 1: 5 books

Level 2: 10 books

Level 3: 15 books

Rules:

All Historical Fiction books must be YA or MG

Books don't have to be 2012 releases.

Anyone can join. Please link to a public (web) place I can find you.

You can join at anytime. The challenge runs from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012

My challenge level will be level 2, with 10 books.  I have some books listed and will add more.

Luxe Series by Anna Godbersen

The Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Fateful by Claudia Gray

2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge - Hosted by The Book Vixen

Details:

•  
Runs January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012 (books read prior to 1/1/12 do not count towards the challenge). You can join at any time. Sign upon The Book Vixen’s blog.

• The goal is to outdo yourself by reading more books in 2012 than you did in 2011.
See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. Nothing is set in stone; you can change levels at any time during the challenge.

• Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).

• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.

• Grab the reading challenge button and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you could track your progress on Goodreads or LibraryThing.

Levels:

Getting my heart rate up – Read 1–5 more books

Out of breath – Read 6–10 more books

Breaking a sweat – Read 11–15 more books

I'm on fire! – Read 16+ more books

I am going with Breaking a sweat level, but may need to change up.  My current count for this year is 93, so I will go for 110.

Head on over to The Book Vixen and sign up now!

Teaser Tuesday - 20th December 2011

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:  

• Grab your current read  

• Open to a random page 

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page  

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)  

• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser

"With the girl slung over my shoulder, it wasn't easy to get down the side of her house as it had been to climb up it.  I did my best to tuck her securely against my neck and then used two of the rappel lines to slide down."

Chapter 5, approx page 60
Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel


PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog).

eBook Review: The Magic Carpet by Jodie Brownlee

Goodreads:  Ruby’s mouth was open in a silent scream. She dared to look down as the roofs and treetops dropped away. People walking their dogs in the park shrank to the size of ants. Panic struck her numb. 
Ruby is flying! A magic carpet (with attitude) takes her on the adventure of her life to a magical oasis. But a bold misadventure through an underground labyrinth has Ruby andher friends wanted by those in charge. Genies, sand sprites, spells, and dungeons will test all of her powers – including the ones she still doesn’t know she has. 

Title:  The Magic Carpet

Author:  Jodie Brownlee

Series:  The Ruby Series book 1

Released:  9th September 2011

Source:  Author via The Kindle Book Review

This is a very exciting adventure that all children will love.  Jodie has the exquisite talent of creating a world that is real, but has the addition of fantasy fun.  All children and adults alike will want to read this and then dream of flying across the globe on a magic carpet.

Ruby thinks she is an ordinary girl of 11 until she starts to question some funny things that happen around her house.  Her mother, Ann, tells Ruby she is imagining things and of course the teapot runs out, but Ruby knows her mother didn’t refill the teapot even after filing 20 cups.  For Ruby’s 12^th birthday she is given a carpet from her Grandmother and is stored in the attic.  But Ann tells Ruby under no circumstances is she allowed into the attic.  Ruby can’t help herself and goes to investigate.  A magic carpet hovers and Ruby hops on.  The carpet takes off out the window and Ruby is screaming silently. 

Ruby falls asleep and when she awakes she is in an Oasis.  Ruby hasn’t learnt how to control the carpet yet, so covers it with sand in order to find help.  Ruby finds help and then discovers that her carpet has been found and sold to Horas, the conqueror of Oasis.  Everything is not as it seems, there are Genies and little sand creatures called Spriggans.  Ruby finds out she has a whole bunch of relatives and all of them Genies.

Ruby now has the task of recovering her Magic Carpet without being captured.  With the help of her cousin Avalon and her friend Jaffa, they endeavor to break into the palace to steal it back.  Of course it is no easy task.  Will Ruby recover the carpet without casualties?

This was a fantastic story that I highly recommend to all children and adults alike.  Full of adventure, fun and hilarious in the magical items that Jodie has created within her story.  I will certainly be getting the next in the series, The Travellers Telescope, to find out what Ruby discovers next. 

4 EXPLOSIONS - FANTASTIC

You can find Jodie Brownlee on Amazon, Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook and her website.

eBook Review: Tales from Frewyn: The Reporter from Marridon by Michelle Franklin

Goodreads:  A reporter from Marridon, the advanced and allied nation to the north of Frewyn, is dispatched to Diras to meet with the famous Commander and Den Asaan, heroes and saviors of the Two Continents. It would seem to be a simple task, to ask a few questions of the strange woman and giant, but when the reporter slights the king's personal guard, he finds that getting a story to print may be harder than previously conceived.

Title:  Tales from Frewyn: The Reporter from Marridon
Author:  Michelle Franklin
Publisher:  Red Willow Press
Published:  1st September 2011
Source:  Author via The Kindle Book Review


This is another humorous account from Michelle Franklin and Tales from Frewyn.  I love this series and all the short stories that are associated with it.  Opera was awesome, so funny and delightful and this is no different.

A reporter from Marridon has heard great things about the Commander and the Den Asaan Rautu.  He doesn’t believe all he hears and thinks it is his duty to discover the truth.  The reporter travels to Frewyn and tries with all his might to bribe the Captain of the army.  Of course being the loyal and law abiding officer that he is, the Captain did not accept and told the report in no uncertain words he is to leave. 

The reporter stayed for the night at the church and thought he would try again tomorrow.  Leaving a note with another officer to be delivered to the Commander, hoping she would allow an interview in the morning.  The next morning the Commander has heard about the reporters attempts and thought she would see what the reporter had to say.  How will the Commander react to this Reporter and his questions?  You will have to read it and find out!

I highly recommend all fans of the series to read this short story.  Michelle is amazing and her talent to write short stories with humor and enlightening adventures are awe inspiring.

4 EXPLOSIONS - FANTASTIC!

You can find Michelle Franklin on Goodreads, Twitter,Amazon, Facebook, Smashwords and her blog.

Graphic Novel Review: This Haunted World Issue 2 by Mark Powers

This Haunted World by Mark Powers

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you to Sea Lion Books for offering me this issue for review.

Issue 2 follows Daniel still on the run, trying to get to Hiroshima and work out what in the world is going on.  He has called on his old friend to help him get there.

In Fort Wayne, Samantha witnesses a strange weather phenomenon.  A Tornado is unleashed in her book store. 

In Washington DC, a strange fellow brings his own creatures to destroy humanity.

This issue has amazing graphics, the story line is bringing us closer to the overall picture of what is happening in Hiroshima.  I can't wait to see what Daniel finds in Issue 3.

View all my reviews

eBook Review: The Fenians by Ross Collier

Goodreads:  When a bomb explodes at the Australian Open tennis tournament, freelance photographer Jack Summers is caught up in the hunt for the bomber. One puzzle leads to another, until Jack stumbles across an assassination plot with its roots deep in history. In modern Australia, an ancient secret society is out to wreak havoc.

Title:  The Fenians
Author:  Ross Collier
Publisher:  Self Published
Published:  30th July 2011
Source:  Author via The Kindle Book Review

This is another awesome read by Ross Collier.  This is a fast paced, action packed journey, full of suspense and intrigue.  With the Australian Open just around the corner, you should definitely give this a read.

Jack Summers is a press photographer and is at the right place at the right time.  Covering the Australian Open an explosion erupts and while everybody is cowering in their seats, Jack is running up the aisles and reaches the sponsor box to take photos of the carnage.  People have died and the Jack being the level headed guy he is takes charge.  Jack was the only one to take exclusive shots of all the devastating destruction.  And this is when Jack’s troubles start.

Jack and his partner Tiny decide to make the most of this exclusive discovery.  They are trying all the angles and getting all the information they can.  While investigating they find something that has been hidden for over a century.  A cult, The Fenians has been recruiting young university students to do their bidding.  Jack and Tiny get themselves into a lot of trouble working the angles.  They are threatened, beaten and all the while trying to make a mint with these photos.  They are not the only ones chasing the exclusive discovery of who set of the bomb though.  Who actually set the bomb off?  Was it the Fenian’s or the enemy of the sponsor box owner?

Being set in Melbourne, Australia, this book is dear to my heart.  The storyline is full of intriguing characters and the detailing of events and investigations are remarkable.  Ross has a way with his words; pulling the reader into the story and making you turn the pages until the end.  I highly recommend this book to all lovers of suspenseful adventures.  

4 EXPLOSIONS - FANTASTIC!

You can find Ross at Goodreads, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook or his website.  Other books in Ross' collection includes Sink or Swim (please click here for my review) and coming soon Tug of War.

In My Mailbox (5)

In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  Sharing books that have been received for review, purchased or given as a gift.  The hope is that you will share in the comment section what you received this week.

I haven't had a chance to post IMM for a month, so I will just post what I received over the past 2 weeks.

For Review

The Kindle Book Review

The Juniors by Rod Martinez (Goodreads)
My Boyfriend Merlin by Priya Ardis (Goodreads)
The Shadow of You by Brenda Iovino (Goodreads)
Out of Nowhere by Ryan Krauter (Goodreads)
The Magic of Fabulous by Michele Lang (Goodreads)
Rogue's Honor by Brenda Hiatt (Goodreads)
The Princelings of the East by Jemima Pett (Goodreads)
Twisted Vengeance by Jeff Bennington (Goodreads)
The Staff of Sakatha by Tom Liberman (Goodreads)

For Review

Pan Macmillan Australia

Switched by Amanda Hocking (Goodreads)
The Spider Goddess by Tara Moss (Goodreads)

Purchased

Eternal Eden by Nicole Williams (Goodreads)
Foolish Games by Leah Spiegel (Goodreads)
Ashes by Ilsa J Bick (Audio book) Goodreads
Destined by PC & Kristin Cast (Audio book) Goodreads
Drink Slay Love by Sarah Beth Durst (Goodreads)
In My Dreams by Cameo Renae (Goodreads)

Gifted

Small as a Mustard Seed by Shelli Johnson (Goodreads) - Thank you Tom from KBR for gifting me, can't wait to get into it.

A big thank you to all the authors that have kindly offered their books up for review via The Kindle Book Review.  Another thank you to Pan Macmillan Australia for supplying the paperback copy of Switched and The Spider Goddess.  I received some awesome books this fortnight.

What did you get in your mailbox?

Teaser Tuesday - 13th December 2011

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: 

• Grab your current read 

• Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

"She was sitting in front of a car, back to the wall.  Legs and hands bound, pillowcase over her head.  Tiny arrived just as I was taking it off."

Page 55 The Fenians by Ross Collier

Ross is an awesome Australian author and this book is action packed with suspence and intrigue.

eBook Review: Immortal Beloved by Katie M John

Goodreads:  THIS TIME, THE DAMSEL MUST RESCUE HER KNIGHT IN DISTRESS. 
As Mina Singer tries to piece together her broken heart, Blake's adventure in Egypt places his in serious peril. 
As ancient and terrifying Egyptian rituals are ressurected by the sorceress Morgan Le Fay, Blake embarks on the most horrifying quest yet - one which no other mortal has ever survived. 
This time, the damsel must rescue her knight in a terrifying race against death. 

Title:  Immortal Beloved
Author:  Katie M John
Series:  The Knight Trilogy Book 2
Publisher:  Little Bird Publishing House
Published:  25th August 2011
Source:  Author via The Kindle Book Review




Oh My Goodness this book is awesome.  This book has it all; it’s a young adult romance with fantasy included, oh so good!


Number two in the trilogy and it is perfectly awesome.  Follows on from number one and leaves it open for number three.  Mina is still coming to terms with losing her best friend and her boyfriend.  She is struggling through her daily life and has made a new friend in Delta.  Delta is helping her cope and giving her a new reason to live.  Mina and her mother still don’t seem to be able to mend their broken relationship and this doesn’t help Mina to break her zombie like routine.


Mina discovers the book Blake gave her under her mattress.  She is crying and opens the book; her tears splash down on the pages and images appear.  Mina doesn’t know if the images are real, but what appears isn’t something that you can imagine.  Mina receives a visit from a friend of Blake’s, confirming the vision she saw.  Everything goes wrong from this point on.  Mina loses the plot and proves how much she truly loves Blake.  With her love proven, she is told she must travel to Egypt to rescue Blake using her love.


Travelling to Egypt with her best friend Delta and her ex-boyfriend Sam, they undertake the toughest scavenger hunt of their lives.  In order to save Blake they must find the temple of Osiris.


This was awesome; I am at a loss for words at how much I loved this book.  Katie M John has the most amazing way of writing this adventure that you can’t help but be drawn in.  The characters evolve with each chapter and Mina discovers how deep love can truly go.  This series is truly one of my favourites and I cannot wait for number three.  Highly recommend to all young adult readers.

5 EXPLOSIONS - AWESOME MUST READ - LOVE IT!!

You can find Katie M John on Goodreads, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook and her website. The first in the series is The Forest of Adventures.

eBook Review: Gabriel's Return by Steve Umstead

Goodreads: On the far-off icebound planet of Poliahu, North American Federation Navy Commander Evan Gabriel suffered the loss of several team members in order to free a native species and save his brother. Now he is being called away on a new mission by a friend in trouble, and by a name from his distant past. He and his surviving team must again travel across the galaxy to the planet where he lost his naval command, and his original team, so many years ago: Eden.  Evan Gabriel must face three distinct threats on Eden: the well-armed terrorist group that has been raiding Eden City, the dangerous planet itself, and his own haunting memories of his past.  Gabriel's Return continues the epic science fiction/adventure trilogy with characters new and old, devious political intrigue on the moon and Mars, and deadly jungle combat on Eden.

Title:  Gabriel's Return

Author:  Steve Umstead

Series:  Evan Gabriel Trilogy Book 2

Publisher:  Self Published

Published:  14th August 2011

Source:  Purchased

Wow, a full action packed book two in the Evan Gabriel trilogy. 


This installment follows Gabriel doing routine duty on Mars when one of the Governor’s requests his team to accept a mission to Eden. The planet was given the name because it looks like Eden, perfect, but this planet is anything but! The Governor’s son is kidnapped by a community of Rebels and a whole team of students is taken hostage. Gabriel ready’s his team to embark on a mission that isn’t official. They board their ship and meet with 2 new team members. Gabriel is apprehensive about receiving new members, especially after the last mission. 


While the team are traveling and preparing for the mission, ulterior motives are being planned and undertaken. Mars is going under some changes within the Government. 


Gabriel acquaints himself with the team and memories of his past mission to Eden come back to haunt him. Eden is full of scary and strange flora and fauna; nobody really understands what is ahead of them. Arriving seems quite normal and they are getting ready to set out when an explosion erupts. This is the first of many challenges the team has to face along the way to find the hostages and bring them back alive. The Rebels have some horrific ideas of how to slow down Gabriel’s team along the trek. Who will have the courage to continue through the unknown jungle to the Rebels before dark? 


The way Steve presents the written images and details is so vivid you feel as if you are trekking through the jungle on Eden. His easy flowing way of writing is awesome and I became addicted easily and needed to find out what Gabriel’s next problem was. This series is fantastic and I highly recommend this to all. ~ Katie Turner (The Kindle Book Review) 

5 EXPLOSIONS - AWESOME MUST READ

You can find Steve Umstead on Amazon, Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook and his website.

eBook Review: Plague and Poison by Steven J Pembertson

Goodreads:  Apprentice wizard Adramal is now a detective with the City Watch. But someone wants her dead - during a routine investigation, she is poisoned, and only her magic and quick thinking save her life. Her father suspects followers of the evil god Zorian are to blame. He insists Adramal leave for the island kingdom of Salmar, beyond Zorian's influence, while the Watch investigates. The Salmarian priests trick her into revealing herself as a wizard, and sentence her to death for practising magic. Desperate, she chooses to assist a plague-stricken village rather than be executed. But not all the villagers welcome her help, and Zorian's reach may well be longer than she thought..

Title:  Plague and Poison
Author: Steven J Pemberton
Series: The Barefoot Healer Volume II
Publisher:  Self Published
Published:  10th December 2011
Source: Author via The Kindle Book Review - thank you Steven


This is a perfect follow on from Death and Magic and is just as fantastic. I love this adventure and all of the elements involved, it has it all. This is definitely a must read for all fantasy fans. 

Adramal has been employed by the Watch and helps investigate deaths within the city. She is doing well in her position until she is poisoned. Upon arriving home that night, she finds her father inside and the Commander of the Watch. They have decided it is not safe for her any longer and she must leave the city. It is all arranged; she will become a clerk in the Embassy and hide until everything is sorted out. But Adramal being Adramal, she is not far from finding trouble. Wizards are not well received in this new City and she must hide her abilities. One morning while travelling to work she finds a bunch of people on the sidewalk with a man on the ground. An injured person she must help and stops to see what she can do. This is the beginning of her adventure and the long journey that lay ahead. Whilst in prison she befriends another who is travelling from his village to get help from a plague. With a loop in the system, Adramal works out that she can be released as long as she travels to this plague ravished village. 

Adramal knows this cannot be a plague and investigates the patients, details and water supplies. As usual, trouble is not far behind. Adramal discovers things about the village that the Villagers didn’t even know. While investigating the plague, Adramal falls in love (again), follows her action packed journey and finds courage enough to fill the Villagers. 

This is another fantastic read from Steven, an amazingly written adventure that draws you in and makes you turn the pages. You just can’t help but fall in love with Adramal and her quirky ways. I highly recommend this series to ALL. 

Can't wait for Dust and Water the third installment.

5 EXPLOSIONS - AWESOME MUST READ

You can find Steven J Pemberton on Goodreads, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook, Smashwordsand his website.

BLOG TOUR: Tales from Frewyn: The Opera - Interview with Michelle Franklin

Goodreads: When due homage is paid to the heroes of Frewyn, what could possibly go wrong? 

The Frewyn Players at the Royal Theatre in Diras are looking for new material to perform when a famous director from Marridon arrives to impart a Marridon theatrical pastime that is certain to make them famous. An opera will be their new performance, one that glorifies Frewyn's greatest heroes, but what begins as homage ends as mockery, and the play that would make them the greatest exhibition in Frewyn might instead make them the Den Asaan's most merited enemy.


I have the pleasure of participating in this awesome blog tour.  This quick read is fabulous and a must read to all fantasy lovers.  Please check out my interview below with Michelle Franklin and if you would like to see my 5 explosion review, please click HERE.


Thank you Michelle for visiting my blog today, I am so very excited to have you here.


Have you always wanted to be an author?

I certainly always wanted to be a writer. It was the only thing I seemed able to do. I was horrid at everything that it seemed the logical choice, albeit not the easiest profession to succeed in.

Who are some of your favourite writers and have they influenced your writing in some way?

Jane Austen, T.H. White and David Eddings are my muses. I learnt romance from Jane, emotion from White, and humour from Eddings. I knew I wanted to write fantasy after reading Eddings' Belgariad, and I knew I wanted to write romance after reading Persuasion. White's Ill-Made Knight is a perfect blend of the two, and I aspired to follow a similar route: blending fantasy, romance, and humour.

Can you tell us what a typical writing day for you is like?

It's rather uneventful for anyone but me, I assure you! I wake up, sit down to write for about 8 hours. Go out for a walk, come back and write for another 8 hours.   KtTurner-(wow, that is a long day)

Can you tell us a little about Tales from Frewyn: The Opera and what gave you the idea to write a comedy?

The Haanta Series, and specifically the first book in the series “The Commander and the Den Asaan Rautu, went on tour this September. To spread word of the tour, I was advised to announce the event through a series of ads taken on various fantasy and romance websites. I thought this would be easily done, but when I was asked to write a tag line for one of the ads on an extremely popular romance blog, I had little idea what to write that would appeal to the site’s general audience. I perused the various other ads on the home page and cringed to myself to see their cinema-esque taglines. I thought to myself, “Well, if I must,” and proceeded to write the phrase: Two hearts, two warring nations, one forbidden love. I laughed for a good ten minutes at how ridiculous that sounded, and when I showed the ad to Twisk, she instantly went to work in drawing a picture for such a phrase. She then entreated me to write a story that would match and therefore I wrote the Opera: a ridiculous farce about how the commander and Den Asaan met.

What is up next for you?

I just finished Khantara, the standalone book about Rautu's parents. Next is Commander and Den Asaan Vol 2.         KtTurner-awesome

What is the best piece of advice you would give to a fellow writer?

I should never wish to give any advice because every writer is different. What works for one may not work for another. I can only say: Write, read, rewrite, and never give up.

What are your top 5 all time favourite reads?

 Emma, Mansfield Park, Persuasion, The Belgariad, The Once and Future King, in no particular order. 

What is the next book on your TBR pile that you are excited to read?

Mistress Marsham's Repose by TH White. It's one of the few books of his that I have not yet read.

QUICKIE QUESTIONS:
Tea or coffee?

Depends. Morning, coffee. Evening,Tea.

Chocolate, vanilla or strawberry ice cream?

Chocolate. The answer is always chocolate. 

Cats or dogs or other?

Cats. And I have two of them. 

Morning person or night owl?

Night owl. I write till 9am and love going to bed at sunrise. 

Sweet or savoury?

Depends what we're talking about. 

Favourite food?

Chocolate. The answer is ALWAYS chocolate.

How awesome is Michelle!!  Thank you Michelle and you can find Michelle Franklin on Goodreads, Twitter,Amazon, Facebook, Smashwords and her blog.

EBook Review: The Dream Merchant Saga: Book One, The Magic Crystal by L T Suzuki

Goodreads: When a good wish goes bad, a beautiful princess despised by all, a lowly court jester who was meant to be a great knight and a village idiot with a mysterious past are thrust together by fate. Made to embark on a perilous and unorthodox quest, they set off to break a dreaded curse. Along the way, a series of trials await them in strange lands far from home. From a powerful Wizard and an evil, shape-shifting Sprite to the flamboyant Elves and an army of mimes, they encounter an array of unforgettable friends and foes as they set off to recover a silver locket to destroy the curse. In a race against time, pursued by a Sorcerer on the hunt for this same locket, an epic journey becomes a trying, humorous adventure of self-discovery and a test of true loyalty and friendship for this unlikely trio as they fight to survive this quest and ultimately, each other.

Title: The Dream Merchant Saga: The Magic Crystal
Author: L.T. Suzuki
Series: Book One
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: 29th August 2010
Source: Author via The Kindle Book Review


This is an amazing adventure story for all ages.  The journey that Princess Rose takes with her comrades is both physically and emotionally uplifting for her.

Princess Rose is an only child in the Kingdom and as such is spoilt rotten. She treats all others horribly and demands everyone to follow her orders down to the tee.   When she creates a plan to secure a tooth and demand wishes from the Tooth Fairy, her Jester, Tag, refuses to take part.  Princess Rose decides she is desperate for all she can wish for and still carries on with her plan.  The Tooth Fairy is caught and demands to be free, Princess Rose demands her wishes.  Tooth Fairy becomes human size and takes the Princess to be punished by the King and Queen.  The King being the soft hearted father that he is couldn't bear to punish her and advised the fairy to punish her instead.  The Tooth Fairy placed a curse of her that if she didn't change her ways, she would become what she fears most.  The Tooth Fairy also told her of the Dream Merchant, the only wizard that can grant her wishes in return for a fee.  The wizard gives the Princess a dreamstone that will grant her 3 wishes in 24 hours.

The next morning, Princess discovered that all the staff and her parents couldn't recognise her; they only saw a lowly commoner.  She was chased from the palace grounds and left to fend for herself. Tag discovers the Princess and can see her as she is.  They decide to go on a quest to seek out the Tooth Fairy and find a way to remove the curse.

Befriending the village idiot, Cankles leads them to the Tooth Fairy's castle.  The Tooth Fairy tells them one way to lift the curse is to find the locket that has been left in the Land of Big.  The trio travel through the lands making allies and learning of new cultures and customs.  While traveling, an evil sorcerer discovers the Princess has the dreamstone and wants to steal it.

This is an amazing adventure like no other, full of action but hilarious in the way the characters carry on throughout their journey.  Like the Imago Chronicles, Lorna has the amazing talent to draw the reader into the adventure and make you keep turning the pages.  My favourite character would have to be Cankles; he is stupidly clever and endearing.  I highly recommended this to all readers.

Next in the series is The Dream Merchant: Book Two, The Silver Sword and I can't wait to read it.

4 EXPLOSIONS - HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO ALL READERS

You can find Lorna T Suzuki on Goodreads, Amazon,Twitter and Facebook.