Contests ending 9/30/12

For those of you with plenty of time...there are several contests that will end today, September 30, 2012.



Blogfest 2012:  You can start at this link.


Writerspace has multiple giveaways at this link.


Fresh Fiction has multiple giveaways at this link.

The Romance Studio has several contests ending as well.  Find them at this link.


And there is still plenty of time to enter the Night Owl Reviews Scavenger Hunt at this link.

There are always plenty of contests at Coffee Time Romance at this link.


Good luck!




I had the great good fortune to win J.A. Garland's Instinct as well as a very generous bag of swag that includes toffee, a tote bag, a coffee cup, a keyring flashlight and many other things!
I also won books from authors Sultry Summers, Kassana, and Terri Dunham, Missy Martine and Ashlynn Monroe.  Now, if only I can find the time to read everything that is stacked on my TBR pile!

Phoenix Legacy

Phoenix Legacy  
by Corrina Lawson is part of her 'Phoenix Institute' series and is another wonderful science fiction romance title.  It continues with characters who were introduced in the first book, Phoenix Rising and makes a very brief allusion to characters from the novella Luminous.  This book can technically be read by itself but the experience is enhanced if one reads the first title in the series.  I enjoyed the superhero powers that are described even though some of the trauma that has made the characters who they are is a little disturbing, especially the repercussions of their experiences which causes the relationship between Del Sefton and Philip Drake to get off to a VERY rocky start.  The answers to Philip's proclivities for kink was enlightening and glimpses of the characters from the other works was enjoyable.  A very fun read.  My Night Owl review for Phoenix Legacy is at this link. 

Ms Lawson visited the SOS Aloha blog at this link.  My post about Phoenix Rising is at this link and my Amazon review is at this link.  A 'yes, this was helpful vote is always gratefully received.

 



Copies of these titles were received in exchange for an honest review.  I had the great pleasure of meeting the author at RWA in Anaheim this year and was entertained by her business card which states that she is a Writer, Mom, Geek and Superhero.  Her website is at this link.

Wicked Release, If I Were You and Branded For You (adult titles)

Titles for adults only.

R.G. Alexander (aka Rachel Grace) has a new novella that has just been released called (of all things) Wicked Release.



It is part of a series that includes Wicked Sexy which was followed by Wicked Bad. 

 


All three are erotic menage stories which combine a race of people known as Magians who have magic and work on the premise of the power of three...literally.  Reviews to follow.

If I Were You by Lisa Renee Jones has a beautiful new cover.  It has only been released in e-book format but those who wish a print copy need only wait a few more months (March 2013).  This was an intriguing combination of mystery and erotica as one woman follows the road that her curiosity has lead her to after reading a journal that was found in a storage locker.  Her life changes radically and she finds both a new job and two fascinating new men but is compelled to research into the unknown woman's life even as she seems to be following in her footsteps.  I warn those who are impatient that it ends on a cliffhanger!  My Amazon review is at this link.  The SOS Aloha blog has a nice post at this link and for a limited time there is a giveaway contest.







And...

Cheyenne McCray has a new novella (yum, what a cover) releasing...
Branded For You...sexy cowboy in Arizona...divorcee working on a fresh start...

Star Gazer

Star Gazer  
by Chris Platt is a lovely story for tweens who are horse-crazy.  Written by a former jockey, this story focuses on the larger draft horses such as Percherons.  It reminds us of that intensity that we have when we REALLY want something even as it alludes to the complications that ensue when family relationships break down.  I like that it shows a girl who is willing to work for what she wants even though her world has been uprooted (although I would have been in much more serious trouble if I had done what she had as a kid...I was in enough trouble trying to smuggle a kitten into the household, lol).  There is a glimpse of another culture which I was surprised to learn comprises part of Michigan (I always picture the Amish as living more toward the East Coast) and intriguing descriptions of the horses that I have primarily seen associated with a certain beer company.  Black Beauty by Anna Sewell was the first hardback book that I was given as a child and I began devouring the books by Marguerite Henry such as Misty of Chincoteague (and getting glimpses of a life beyond my tiny urban existence) before moving on to my beloved dog stories including those by Albert Payson Terhune which made me yearn for a Collie of my own.

My Amazon review of Star Gazer is at this link.  I always appreciate a 'yes, this was helpful' vote if you are so inclined.



     

Wrestle Me (adult title) and musings about proofreading

Wrestle Me 
is a fun novella (for adult readers) by Mysty McPartland.  I am not a wrestling fan but this was an intriguing read for me because I liked the characters.  She is a snarky defensive reporter and he doesn't want to be prejudged as some dumb jock and they have excellent chemistry with each other.  The love scenes are sizzling and the description of what goes on in the ring (and out of it) kept my attention.  There are the requisite 'bad things' in their pasts and they are surprised to discover that they do indeed have things in common other than their lust for each other but the story flowed nicely for me and I enjoyed it so much that I had to consciously focus on what I was supposed to be doing which leads me to say...


For truth in advertising, I will mention that this is one of the titles that I was recently assigned for proofreading but it was a great read and I really enjoyed reading it while I was checking for errors.  This has been a learning curve for me (and, looking at the excerpt, I see that some things were added AFTER I proofread it so not ALL errors are mine, lol) and I am learning a lot about the industry from the nuts and bolts end as it were.

I have been interacting with several authors (although not the abovementioned) and lurking on various loops and have watched the process from different vantage points and have been fascinated. The author consults with all of the characters dancing/stomping/growling in his or her head, a story gradually ends up being written (some seem to let it flow whereas others seem to carefully plot out everything and some do a combination of the two), it is polished/strangled/rewritten, a concept is pitched to a publisher (unless it is being self-published), a critique partner may be consulted or beta readers are used, an editor (or two) polishes and tweaks and then the lowly proofreader (that's where I occasionally come in) tries to catch all of the dropped punctuation, inadvertent name changes, mis-spelled words, etc.  Let me tell you, I now have much more sympathy for those errors that I find when I am casually reading for entertainment (!) because I NEVER catch all of the errors, no matter how many times I read the manuscript.  I think that there is some saturation point and one ceases to see things after awhile.  The work returns to the author who accepts or ignores suggestions and eventually the story is published.  I am pretty new to this end of things so I was really startled to discover that this particular title was on Amazon (I know, silly me) and I did the happy dance when I looked at the back of the title page and discovered that I am credited (which is good and bad I suppose since, as I said, I know that there are always going to be things that I have missed).

Anyway, I really did enjoy reading this story and since I wasn't able to figure out how to reach out to the author herself (one of these days people need to remember that not all of us are on Facebook, lol)...I figured that the next best thing was to write a review!  If you are looking for a quick escape and a light contemporary romantic read...give this one a try...and let me know what you thought!  My Amazon review is at this link.

Blind Destiny and other Grimm's Circle titles (adults only )

Please continue reading only if you are an adult

Blind Destiny 

by Shiloh Walker is the latest in her Grimm's Circle series.  These are definitely different from the typical fairy tales and combine very erotic reads with creative explanations for some of the familiar characters that have been reimagined in multiple venues over the years.  I remember being shocked at the difference between the cartoon of Gulliver's Travels and the actual book itself by Jonathan Swift (not least of which was the method for extinguishing fire that Gulliver used, yech) and the actual tales by the Brothers Grimm are usually very different from the Disney reworkings.  This series is just as radically different but fascinating although I think I reached my personal tolerance for blood and gore in this particular story.  I am not a big fan of horror stories which is probably why I don't like zombie tales either.  That being said, I really liked Luc and was sad for him in a previous story (Tarnished Knight) so I was very glad to see that he is finally moving on.  I have mentioned before that I have a morbid fascination about blindness, having always feared as a child that I would lose my sight someday and be unable to read all of the books that I was dying to get to so I have always been intrigued by the idea of borrowing someone else's eyes to see.  Luc has this ability and is able to use his companion animal's eyes for short periods of time as well as the eyes of those around him who give him that privilege.  It's a fascinating twist to the story.

My Goodreads review of Blind Destiny is at this link.

There is a contest for a unique 'angel's feather pendant' to celebrate the release of Blind Destiny at this link.

There are multiple novellas in the series (and some have been released with two in one volume so make sure you look at the descriptions if you are purchasing the stories.

The first two novellas in the series are in The First Book of Grimm, Candy Houses and No Prince Charming.  My Amazon review is at this link.  The third and fourth novellas are in The Second Book of Grimm, Crazed Hearts and Tarnished Knight (which has some of Luc's story).  My Amazon review is at this link.  The fifth novella is Locked in Silence and my Amazon review is at this link.  The reviews are under ELF2060 and as always, a 'yes, this was helpful' vote is appreciated if appropriate.

There is also a free read in this series if you would like to get a feel for the style but be forewarned, it is definitely not meant to stand alone and seems to have evoked very strong responses in those who read it and were unaware that it was erotica.  It is meant to transition between novellas 2 and 3.  I Thought It Was You (please click the cover below)


  







The novellas:

         

Proving I'm not a robot! and a couple of contests

So, one of the drawbacks to being addicted to entering contests (besides the negative reinforcement of winning things, lol) is trying to remember which password I used where and running into those little 'prove you are not a robot' captcha codes.  Both drive me nuts!  Sure, I could write down all of the passwords...but how is that more secure?  Then I have a mile long list of sites, their respective passwords...and I am the person who writes down a shopping list and promptly loses it until AFTER I have gone to the store.  Sometimes, by the time I have gone through all of the hassle of figuring out which password I used on which site...which occasionally results in having to ask to reset the darn thing...I have used up the spare time that I was going to use to visit the site itself.  And then, just like having telephone numbers already stored in the phone...since my computer automatically enters the password when I enter the site...it has been so long since I have had to manually enter something...I no longer remember what it is!  Okay, finally get into the site and start commenting on a particular person's posting and then....GRRRR....I get to the captcha!  I wear bifocals.  Not happily, but I do wear them.  I have finally gotten past the feeling of being underwater half of the time (and no, the rare occasions that I have gone swimming, I go in without glasses...after all, how can it be worse?  My vision is blurry without my glasses anyway).  But I still struggle with whether I am using the top half of my glasses or the bottom half to read the computer screen.  Combine that with some wavy letters and numbers in weird positions and ...  ARRGGHH!  I might as well not post by the time I have gone through 4 different captchas ... maybe I need a robot to enter the captcha!

Anyway, TRS is having an end of the summer bash at this link.  Don't forget that you have to login (sigh, fruits of a spammer attack on their site!) before you can enter any of the contests...and leave the Nook giveaway for me, lol!

And Shiloh Walker is having a contest to promote the release of the new title in her Grimm's Circle series, Blind Destiny at this link.