Guest Promo (IV)

My blog hosts today a promo for a fellow author Lucca Rossi and his well received anthology of short-stories that, according to the words of a reviewer, are “highly-polished, well written short stories that don’t allow the reader an intermission between each tale.”

 

Galactic Energies

By Lucca Rossi

Blurb

The artificial intelligences of DataCom are trying to save the planet... by exterminating the human race.

Aurelia finds her perfect man: a robot.

The space explorer Captain Arcot sacrifices his life for an impossible conquest, the heart of  Vril the vampire queen.

A shape-shifting mutant ignites the erotic desires of the galactic police officer who's been tracking her down.

Alessio fights against corruption in a universe of his own creation.

An innocent man is forced to submit to the domination of a ruthless prison director.

A king who's forgotten his own past wanders through a magical dimension where he discovers his own history.

Two souls separated after one abandons the other meet again in another life.

In an exciting virtual reality game, the hunter of the fearsome black widow becomes her prey.

Buy link:

http://www.amazon.com/Galactic-Energies-Luca-Rossi-ebook/dp/B00E3VTR1K/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_d_2

Juniper Grove Spotlight Tour: Stronger than the Rest by Shirleen Davies

Title:  Stronger Than the Rest

Author:  Shirleen Davies

Published:  January 13th, 2014

Word Count:  approx. 68,000

Genre:  Western Historical Romance

Content Warning:   Mild Sexual Content

Recommended Age:  18+

 

Synopsis: “Smart, tough, and capable, the MacLarens protect their own no matter the odds. Set against America’s rugged frontier, the stories of the men from Fire Mountain are complex, fast-paced, and a must read for anyone who enjoys non-stop action and romance.”

Drew MacLaren is focused and strong. He has achieved all of his goals except one—to return to the MacLaren ranch and build the best horse breeding program in the west. His successful career as an attorney is about to give way to his ranching roots when a bullet changes everything.

Tess Taylor is the quiet, serious daughter of a Colorado ranch family with dreams of her own. Her shy nature keeps her from developing friendships outside of her close-knit family until Drew enters her life. Their relationship grows. Then a bullet, meant for another, leaves him paralyzed and determined to distance himself from the one woman he’s come to love.

Convinced he is no longer the man Tess needs, Drew focuses on regaining the use of his legs and recapturing a life he thought lost. But danger of another kind threatens those he cares about—including Tess—forcing him to rethink his future.

Can Drew overcome the barriers that stand between him, the safety of his friends and family, and a life with the woman he loves? To do it all, he has to be strong. Stronger than the Rest.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | GoodReads

Excerpt

“Hello, Drew.” She walked forward to stand a few feet away. “I hope it’s all right that I’ve come.” Her voice was unsteady, her nervousness apparent.

No, it’s not all right.“Of course. I’m glad to see you.” You look beautiful. He cleared his throat. “Did you have a safe trip?”

“Oh, yes, it was wonderful—so majestic and breathtaking. Sometimes we forget how beautiful some things are when we haven’t seen them in a while.”

Drew drank in the sight of her. “Yes we do, Tess. We certainly do.” 

About the Author:

Shirleen Davies began her new series, MacLarens of Fire Mountain, with Tougher than the Rest, the story of the oldest brother, Niall MacLaren. During the day she provides consulting services to small and mid-sized businesses. But her real passion is writing emotionally charged stories of flawed people who find redemption through love and acceptance. She grew up in Southern California and now lives with her husband in a beautiful town in northern Arizona. Between them they are the proud parents of five grown sons.

Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Website

Giveaway Details:

There is an international tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:

·         $25 Amazon Gift Card

·         $10 Amazon Gift Card

·         2 eCopies of Tougher Than the Rest

·         eCopy of Harder Than the Rest

 ·         eCopy of  Faster Than the Rest

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reviews (XXV)

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read, December 29, 2013
By
Lynne Connolly

This review is from: Shadows of the Past (Kindle Edition)

Shadows of the Past is an interesting book, not a romance, as I first thought, but a story of two couples, one doomed and one possibly not, linked by paranormal elements, a kind of mix of Golden Dawn style Wicca and sympathetic magic.

The first couple is a young novice nun and a confessor. Much of the story follows Genevieve, who was born a peasant girl and by a series of disasters and doom-laden histories comes to the abbey in the forest. She meets Andrew, the confessor, and they fall for each other. There is a wicked abbess, who reminded me forcibly of one of my favorite Disney villainesses, Maleficent. She has absolutely no redeeming features. None. She's debauched, she doesn’t like wearing the wimple (which is the bit worn under the chin, not the bit over the head, which is the veil), and she eats and drinks sinfully rich food. The nuns hate her.

The modern heroine, Anne, has had a bust-up with her boyfriend, Neil, after finding him in bed with her best friend. I didn’t like that all the blame was put on the best friend when the couple decide to reconcile. Gillian didn’t exactly rape the hero, but since this isn’t a romance, it doesn't have to follow romance conventions. However, they decide to go on a hiking holiday.

Although the story is set in England, the details are a bit shaky. I don't recognize the England in the story, one which has mountains, forests and chalets in the present day, or has forests where oaks and pines grow side by side, or has bluebells, poppies and wood anemones all flourishing at the same time of year. However, once I decided that the story was in the nature of a fairy tale, I could relax into it more and just enjoy the narrative. The style is a little wordy, and the adjectives could be winnowed out a bit, but I soon got used to it.

Similarly, the historical details were somewhat inaccurate, but I got over this by using my previous tactic - it's a fairy story, a legend. On that basis I enjoyed it very much and it passed the time agreeably. Recommended.

Book Reviews (XXIV)

Spirit Summoner (The Chosen of the Light, #1)

by Matt Campbell

Book Description

Publication Date: December 3, 2013

Darr has the ability to hear the disembodied voices of the spirits. Unfortunately, the spirits have nothing useful to say. A young, inexperienced Spirit Summoner, Darr often wonders at the purpose of such a useless ability. When an unnatural fire sweeps through his village, Darr sets out on a mission of self-discovery and curiosity.

As a Spirit Summoner, Darr learns he can enter the spirit realm. There he has access to the elemental magic contained within the Sephirs, legendary artifacts that once promised balance for a world turning towards chaos. Now, the Sephirs' powers are dwindling since their untimely disappearance, and Darr is at the center of the quest to find and recover them. Suddenly, Darr's curiosity is a whirlpool threatening to drown him, but his compulsion to see things through locks him into a journey attracted to disaster.

For the Sephirs do more than restrain the primal forces of magic. The Devoid, an evil long caged and hungry, has begun to loosen the bars of its prison. If the Sephirs fail, the Devoid will escape and feed on the Light of the living until nothing remains.

And the Devoid knows Darr's lack of confidence is the key needed to free itself completely.

My Review

I love a good high fantasy with intricate world building, but the world in Spirit Summoner is beautiful in its simplicity. It’s very well fleshed out but not overly detailed.

The characters have depth and raw emotions that you could feel coming off the page. The plot seems to pass fast with one thing and another without giving the readers time to think and process. There was no Big WOW factor but the plot line is interesting and captured my attention.

         Darr Reintol is an intriguing  character. As a Spirit Summoner, Darr had been born with an invisible connection to the Currents, allowing him to hear the voices of the spirits, and in turn, communicate with them.

                No one knew who  the Soul Keepers were, but everyone agreed they used magic lost since the Aeon Wars, and they ripped the souls from the bodies of those they killed.

Darr embarks on a journey, where he and his companions are forced to fight in the Currents and learn to listen to the voices there.

Matt Campbell's novel is a wonderful fantasy epic.

         I look forward to learning more about it but I was very pleased with my first look.  The characterization was outstanding and the story pulled me in right away. So, what more is there to say? I can hardly wait for the next book!

         I was offered a copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion.

               

                                I rate it Five Stars.