The Indie Express

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Book Tour & Book Review of On the Edge of Death by @CiaraBallintyne #review #fantasy

EPIC FANTASY

Date Published: 22 April 2017

Publisher: Evolved publishing

All the Left Hand of Death wants is something to call her own, but is the price too high?

Ellaeva, the fated avatar of the death goddess, is desperate to track down her missing family but the trail is decades old. Instead, she discovers her battered and bloodied sister priestesses driven across the Jerreki border on pain of death. Ellaeva must turn aside from her personal quest to investigate the murders, only to find her parents have been taken into the heart of the conflict.

Lyram Aharris, favoured son of the royal line of Ahlleyn, is the only living person she trusts to help her infiltrate the enemy stronghold and uproot the horror they find there, but their chequered past threatens the mission. Accompanying him is his crown prince, the one man Lyram wants dead above all others.

Now Ellaeva must face down the darkness in her soul before a dark god is brought into the world.

At the boundary of life and death, all oaths will be tested.

Review

This is a fantasy novel that is not simply action and adventure and fantasy, it is dark and involved the entire way through. There is a lot going on and these characters go through quite a bit over the course of the novel. I enjoyed that fact. I liked how much we got to experience throughout their journey.

I liked the growth the characters showed in this novel. There wasn't any character who seemed stagnate, which was great.

I think the addition of the darkness was great in this one. It added a creepy element that I actually quite enjoyed.

I think the flow of this novel was well done and I found myself flipping pages quite quickly to keep the story going.

Ciara Ballintyne grew up on a steady diet of adult epic fantasy from the age of nine, leaving her with a rather confused outlook on life – she believes the good guys should always win, but knows they often don’t. She is an oxymoron; an idealistic cynic. Her debut work is Confronting the Demon, and In the Company of the Deadis her first book to be published with Evolved Publishing. She holds degrees in law and accounting, and is a practising financial services lawyer. In her spare time, she speculates about taking over the world.

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Friday, June 23, 2017

Book Tour & Book Review: Grappling for Position by @MelyndaPrice1 #review #giveaway #sports #romance

Sports Romance

Date Published: 3/2/17

Publisher: Kindle Press

This battle of wills is about to go below the belt…
Willow Scott is sweet, innocent, and untouchable. She’s the epitome of everything MMA fighter Regan “Rapscallion” Matthews has always wanted but will never have. She deserves more than a scrapper from the wrong side of the tracks—the Scott’s charity case.
Unfortunately, Regan’s best friend’s little sister is all grown up and she’s tired of playing by the rules. With a shot at the Welterweight title finally within his grasp, Willow is a distraction Regan can’t afford. But this willful woman is determined to make him tap-out.
Willow has loved Regan since she was in pigtails and braces. She’s all but given up hope of her brother’s friend returning her affection, but she never stopped praying he would see her as more than Kyle’s annoying little sister. If Willow has her way, that’s about to change. Regan must decide if he’s willing to lose his best friend and the Welterweight title for a woman he doesn’t deserve but cannot live without.

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Review

First off let me just say, WOW! I love this book!! If you are into a good book, with a sexy fighter, than this book is just what you need.

Melynda Price landed a sucker punch to my gut with Grappling for Position; I was expecting the story of fighter, but I got so much more.

This was just what I need after the heavy read of my last book, it's perfect for a quick read on a Sunday afternoon.

About the Author

Melynda Price a two-time RONE finalist, a USA Today, National Readers’ Choice, and New England Readers’ Choice Award-Winning finalist for her Against the Cage series. A multi-published author of contemporary and paranormal romance, what Price enjoys most about writing is the chance to make her readers fall in love, over and over again. She cites the greatest challenge of writing is making the unbelievable believable, while taking her characters to the limit with stories full of passion and unique twists and turns. Salting stories with undertones of history whenever possible, Price adds immeasurable depth to amazingly well-crafted books. She currently lives in Northern Minnesota with her husband and two children where she has plenty of snow-filled days to curl up in front of the fireplace with her Chihuahua and a hot cup of coffee to write.

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Book Tour & Book Review: In Black & White by @Lavenderpages #review #romance

Romance

Date Published: June 7, 2016

Publisher: Chamomile Books LLC

Micah Winters always knew that she was different. It was the pigment of her skin and the texture of her hair that revealed that she was a woman from biracial parents. For five decades, Micah’s African American mother has remained silent about Micah’s estranged father (Sidney Irving). It is not until after Sidney Irving’s death that Micah learns that she is the daughter of the legendary novelist and screenwriter. Now with her mother’s memory fading away from Alzheimer’s disease, Micah can only rely on a novel that was written from her father years ago to understand her parents past during the time of segregation in the United States. Micah’s once simple life is not so simple anymore as she tries to make sense of an unfamiliar world as she inherits her father’s wealth and private past. With an abandoned heart, Micah must forgive the past in order to discover who she really is.

Review

This was an emotional read. The characters were all deep and multi-dimensional. The did not feel flat, but rather like 3D interpretations. Their actions and emotions leaped off the pages. I really felt a connection with them. These seemed like real college students going through actual real life problems.

Catherine Lavender is from Baltimore, Maryland but now resides in the sunshine state of Florida with her miniature schnauzer named Ripken. She is an animal activist, as well as a supporter of the organization First Book which helps supply literature for underprivileged children. In her spare time, Catherine enjoys reading classic literature and playing the acoustic guitar.

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PROMO Blitz: Chatur the Laundry Man by @KommuruBooks

Children’s Book

Date Published: October 2016

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What can a business man, a lazy donkey, and an elephant teach kids about success and friendship? Read along to find out in this playful romp by the award-winning author of The Magic of Friendship!

Chatur the Laundry Man is a funny, lighthearted story with a subtle lesson. Chatur thinks of nothing but growing his business, but his friend Gadhu the donkey keeps telling him to take it easy. When Chatur has a bright idea to get more business, things seem to be going his way but take an unexpected turn. Will Chatur learn that sometimes success takes a little time and patience?

Praise for Chatur the Laundry Man:

"5 Star ... a humorous tale.. illustrations are comical.. highly recommended.." - Readers Favorite Review

".. kids will receive 3 fine messages the value of hard work, what happens when a push for profit supersedes quality of life, and how different approaches to work and play yield very singular results." - Midwest Book Review

About the Authors

Subhash and Sujata Kommuru are a husband and wife team, known for their award-winning range of children’s books. They aim to introduce the vibrant culture of India to the children of the United States, the country which has been their home for several years.

Subhash began writing when he became a father. He created stories for his young son about his own childhood in India, to help his son understand the culture and values of his heritage.

Subhash’s wife, Sujata, is an illustrator, who soon began creating pictures to accompany her husband’s words. Her illustrations bring to life the colorful images of her own Indian childhood, giving children a vivid insight into a diverse culture.

Together, Subhash and Sujata offer children the chance to experience the life of an Indian child, and understand a culture vastly different from their own, while enjoying the simple similarities shared by children all over the world.

Their books are entertaining at the same time as being educational, and they have been honored for excellence by the prestigious Mom’s Choice Awards.

With universal themes including friendship and the importance of self-expression, Subhash and Sujata’s books provide children with an all-important introduction to the diversity of the world they live in. Read them together and they’ll become firm favorites that your child will enjoy again and again.

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Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Book Tour & Book Review: A Bride, A Groom, and Happily Never After by @klongauthor #review #mystery

Cozy Mystery

Date Published: APRIL 18, 2017

It’s wedding bell blues and disaster when murder comes to the Paulmona Winery and Villa. Mystery author and part time snoop, Lilly Millenovanovich is the unlucky bride-to-be, but she gladly exchanges her wedding dress for gumshoes and brushes off her bag of spy tricks to solve the crime. After all, family obligation takes priority. Lilly and her zany trio of elderly aunties, must do their part to prove Cousin Mona didn’t kill groomsman Lenny Brioli with a corkscrew wine opener. Trouble is, the evidence keeps pointing in one direction with Mona as murder suspect number one. Detective Grezzo has his sleuthing hands full while handling the case on his own. Jake Kline, Lilly’s fiancé, obviously can’t work the case since Lenny is his best friend. That is, until Lilly convinces him to join her and snoop on the sly. Mona’s life and happiness depends on it. Will it be happily never after for the unlucky couple? Or can Lilly save the date and her wedding dress for another day? It’s a murderous and crazy adventure in this fourth and final episode of the Lilly M Mysteries.

Review

A well-crafted mystery!

Kathryn Long's voice is a breath of fresh air, smart, spunky and full of twists.

The plot kept me turning the pages and I finished this novel very fast.

On another note, the title and the fact that I am set to get married on the 24th is kind of ominous. :)

About the Author

Kathryn Long’s passion is writing mysteries, creating the intricate details and weaving them together into the clues which the reader will enjoy collecting to solve the crime. Many of her works include Native American elements and hints of the paranormal. She loves a scary ghost story!

Her writing inspiration began with reading about Nancy Drew and the heroines of romantic suspense authors such as Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart. Her first creations were short stories meant to entertain anyone who’d listen or read. Playing the guitar led to song lyrics, which she insists taught her the rhythm and pace of writing prose.

Writing took a serious turn several years ago when she had her first book published. To date readers can find her self-published cozy Lilly M Mysteries, and her traditionally published work: paranormal mystery, Dying to Dream, and latest, a romantic suspense, A Deadly Deed Grows at online retailers and in bookstores.

When writing and the creative muse take a break, this author loves to travel, watch Castle, and of course, read mysteries. Oh, and there’s always an author event or two she will attend in order to – you got it – talk about mystery. Kathryn lives in the City of Green located in northeast Ohio with her husband and little pooch, Max.

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Release Blitz: Your crossroads. Your choice. by @ejapicello #nonfiction

Non Fiction / Self-Help

Date Published: June 2017

Publisher: Page Publishing

Welcome to my diary, my journey, as I tripped and crawled through the darkest time in my life- when I witnessed people that I held incredibly close to me shatter my very existence with their words and actions. The things within this book spine are extremely raw and exceptionally real. You and I are going to get very close, the details in this book, although oddly general, are incredibly specific. Yes, I realize what I just said and as you read my words you will see what I mean. As you silently gasp and mentally bitch slap me, please be kind because my story is just that - my story. It is not any more or less special than yours. In fact the only difference between our stories are the choices we made at each of the crossroads in our lives. For most of my life the choices I made were not based on my happiness but on everyone else’s. This book describes what I have experienced in my journey to finding my happiness and hopefully never letting it go. Sadly, it took me thirty six years to find the strength I need to detoxify my life and self-view and find someone who is worthy of my awesomeness. Thirty six years to shatter the negative foundation I had built shatter the ultimate representative I created to hide behind and begin the process of building a new foundation. Only this foundation will be built on strength, confidence and above all, happiness. So take a minute or thirty and sit with my story for a while. You never know what you might find out.

About the Author

Welcome to my real, crazy, emotional, probably too honest journey. I am an everyday girl in this everyday world trying to keep my head above water and within the pages of this book you will learn about the things that have broken me down and the steps I am taking to build back up. You will see, my new friends, this story is written in a unique, general, conversational voice, which was my choice. I want you to be able to picture yourself in my shoes, relate my trials and tribulations to yours and see that you too can find your happiness. Even if you don’t realize this yet, every single one of us possesses things inside of ourselves that we didn't know were there. It took my life taking a crazy right turn and dumping me at the lowest possible point before I could see the strength within myself. We are not defined by what we do, we are defined by the choices we make. I decided when I put pen to paper that I want my choices to start defining me as strong, confident, secure and above all else, happy. So, who am I? How about I tell you who I was. A self-loathing shell of myself who put everyone else’s happiness before my own. Herein lies my story to find that happiness and all of the ups and downs along the way. See who I was and who I am trying to become and maybe, somewhere in there, you will find out a little about yourself too.

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Sunday, June 18, 2017

Book Tour & Book Review: Fat Girl Begone! by @dehaggerty #review #contemporary #humor #giveaway

Romantic Comedy, Contemporary Romance

Date Published: May 1, 2017

I’m a total mess. My boyfriend dumped me – get this – because I diet too much. Not because I’m fat, mind you. Of course, this spurs me into the diet-fitness-revenge-plan of the century, which leads me to the gym and a scorching hot personal trainer. I even manage to make some cool new friends, including a millionaire if you can believe it. Things are looking up! Naturally, that’s the moment my ex decides he wants me back, the personal trainer asks me out, and my millionaire male buddy decides to throw his hat in the ring. But that’s not enough drama. No, not for me. Because I’ve also lost my job and decided to start my own business. Just call me Ms. Drama.

Warning: Bad language, bumpy roads, and embarrassing moments ahead. But there’s also more than a bit of romance and even, if we’re lucky, love. Fingers crossed.

Not endorsed by or affiliated with any brand of tequila.

Review

DE Haggerty knows how to write a novel with heart, guts, and plenty of humor and lighthearted funny moments! I love the way she balances her novels.

This concept for the novel was great. How many of us women can't relate to Everly?

This novel is inspirational in a way that doesn't seem forced. Relate to the character, connect to her ups and downs along the way, get inspired by her new found confidence by the end.

Kudos to DE Haggery for making me laugh while inspiring me!

About the Author

I grew-up reading everything I could get my grubby hands on, from my mom's Harlequin romances, to Nancy Drew, to Little Women. When I wasn't flipping pages in a library book, I was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing, or drafting stories which have thankfully been destroyed. College and a stint in the U.S. Army came along, robbing me of free time to write and read, although on the odd occasion I did manage to sneak a book into my rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear. After surviving the army experience, I went back to school and got my law degree. I jumped ship and joined the hubby in the Netherlands before the graduation ceremony could even begin. A few years into my legal career, I was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done. I quit my job and sat down to write a manuscript, which I promptly hid in the attic after returning to the law. But being a lawyer really wasn’t my thing, so I quit (again!) and went off to Germany to start a B&B. Turns out being a B&B owner wasn’t my thing either. I polished off that manuscript languishing in the attic before deciding to follow the husband to Istanbul where I decided to give the whole writer-thing a go. But ten years was too many to stay away from my adopted home. I packed up again and moved to The Hague where I’m currently working on my next book. I hope I’ll always be working on my next book.

Fat girl Begone! is my eleventh book.

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