Just Pru by Anne Pfeffer ~ Blitz: Excerpt & #Giveaway @AnnePfeffer1

Contemporary Women's Fiction

Date Published: March 2, 2015

When twenty-five-year-old Pru Anderson—braless, pajama-clad, and clutching her cat, Chuck—is rescued from her burning Los Angeles apartment, the thing that scares her most is meeting the neighbors. New people make her hide in the bathroom, counting by sevens, but when her home is destroyed, she must turn strangers into friends …  or crawl back to the controlling parents she only recently escaped.

What would her idol, Pepper Hathaway, do? That’s a no brainer: the detective-slash-supermodel heroine from Pru's favorite TV series would take no prisoners while looking fierce in a tankini and stilettos. So when the chance comes up to live with playwright Ellen, Pru sets aside her fears and goes for it.

Thus begin the adventures a girl who's never had a job, a friend, or a first kiss. Swept into Ellen's whirlwind life, Pru begins to build her own, as director's assistant for a new play, muse to brooding actor Blake, and possible love interest to adorably neurotic neighbor, Adam.

Only one thing can derail Pru's exhilarating journey. Well, actually, it's two things—and they're in a car headed straight for LA to torpedo her life. When the past that nearly destroyed her comes calling, who will she be: a Prudence or a Pepper?

Early Reviews of Just Pru

"Just Pru is a laugh out loud, heartwarming story ….Pfeffer does an amazing job with Pru’s character…. The supporting cast is … easy to fall in love with and to cheer for...." 5 Stars

The Self-Publishing Review

"A five star read all the way.... a happy, funny tragicomedy of errors with a cast of delightful neurotics."  Literary homebody.com

"Pru is hilarious..... Totally a perfect story, IMO. How often does that happen? Like never." 5 stars Candacesbookblog.com

Excerpt

Chapter One

From Pru’s Journal:

How can you know if you’re normal when you’re always alone? You have no one to compare yourself to. I mean, I have my mom and dad, and I’m pretty normal compared to them. But then… a lot of people are normal compared to them.

**

As the rich CaraMellow ice cream slipped along my tongue, I popped a few potato chips in my mouth for contrast. Ah, the soothing combination of sweet, salt, cream, and crunch.

No good. Its magic wasn’t working.

Shifting my size 16 tush around on the sofa, I focused on the TV. It played an old episode from Model Cop, my favorite show ever on the Wholesome Family Channel.

Today, the show’s awesome heroine, Pepper Hathaway, was tracking down a serial killer in between fittings for a runway show at Fashion Week. It was hard to juggle her two jobs as a police detective and supermodel, but she excelled at both. Pepper ended every episode with a wink to the camera and her life motto: Remember, folks. Do Good, Look Good!

She was amazing.

I sighed. I bet Pepper didn’t get job rejections like the one I’d had today. Dear Loser, the letter said. We are relieved to say we cannot offer you the position of Low-Level Proofreading Gnome at our crummy little start-up online encyclopedia. No matter how unknown and undesirable our company is, you are more so.

Sincerely,

Executive Drone

Okay, so they didn’t use those exact words, but it’s what they meant. As I lifted my spoon, caramel dribbled down the front of my flannel nightgown. I scraped it off with a potato chip and ate it.

Mmraow. My cat emerged from one of his many hiding places. I suspected he hid on purpose, just to annoy me. “Hey, Chuck-Chuck.” I scratched his orange-and-white striped back. It lasted only a few seconds. Done with human contact, Chuck strolled away, tail in the air.

On the TV, Pepper was returning home to her elegant apartment in the Big City. Hey, girlfriend, she called out to her funny, devoted homosexual roommate Tad. They sat down and sipped Chardonnay. She was so cool.

I bet Pepper could pay her rent. I bet she didn’t run out of money just two months after moving into her place. I could justify having bought a used car, but perhaps the fifty-inch flat-screen TV had been excessive. Then there were those unfortunate yard sale purchases, but I had needed furniture, after all. I needed that Victorian-style vanity and the faux-leather recliner.

I could still hear my father’s voice, cool and cutting. You won’t last a month in Los Angeles. Mark my words, you’ll be back in Oregon before you know it.

 Well, ha ha on him, I’d lasted two months now.

And ha ha on me, because I didn’t know if I could last a third.

 Tears prickled the backs of my eyes. I wished I could talk to Dr. Abbot, my wonderful therapist back in my hometown of Clayton. He had died unexpectedly last week. I’d hardly left my apartment since I’d gotten the news.

On the TV, Pepper was modeling her latest fashion purchases for Tad. I scraped the bowl with my spoon while contemplating her minuscule waistline. Was that real or digitally enhanced? Could a person’s body organs really fit into such a tiny space?

Not mine—I was sure about that. My body organs undoubtedly filled giant caverns, which was why I’d been blessed with my five foot ten inch, big-boned body.

A ringing began—yet another fire alarm. Great. We’d had two go off already this month, I thought grumpily, and they’d turned out to be cases of burned toast—a total waste of time.

I struggled up from horizontal, made my way to the living room window, and peered out. It was 8:00 on a June evening. It had just turned dark. Below loomed the building’s quiet, empty courtyard.

Just as I thought—no flames, no people fleeing for their lives.

The sofa called to me, yet the alarm blared on.

I should probably investigate, even though it meant I might have to talk to someone. And for what was probably a false alarm. I stumbled to my bedroom dresser and wrestled a pair of plain white panties up under my nightie. Where had I thrown my bra? When you’re a size 36D, you do not venture forth into public without one.

My eyes swept my twin-sized bed, the flowered rug, the vanity whose drawers I used to store cat toys. No bra to be seen.

Feet thudded down my hallway.

WHOMP! A fist hit my front door.  “Vacate the building now! Everyone out!” The man’s voice resounded through my door, then grew fainter as he moved away from me.

In an instant, sweat beaded my forehead. Vacate the building?

A siren, then others, wailed from the street. A megaphone-amplified voice blared from outside. “Immediate evacuation is required.”

“Chuck!” I shrieked. That ingrate. He’d probably hidden from me again. I dropped to my belly and crawled commando-style around the bedroom, checking under the bed and dresser. No sign of his malevolent green-eyed gaze. I checked the open laundry hamper. He wasn’t there either.

Outside, shouts and cries came to me from a distance, sirens grew louder, and banging noises intensified. I rushed again to the open living room window. Spotlights now lit the courtyard below, which had transformed into a disaster scene. Groups of people milled behind barricades. Firefighters twice the size of ordinary humans unfurled hoses and set ladders up against walls, while smoke drifted from some windows on the fourth floor, where I was.

Holy moley! Were we really on fire?

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Purenet by H.J. Lawson ~ #Review

Title: Purenet
Series: The Sanction Series #1 
Author: H.J. Lawson
Release date: December 30, 2014
Source: Copy for review via RAVBT 

Purchase: Amazon | B&N 

Synopsis

Purenet is one of six wealthy Sanctions, formed by the Emperor and the Untouchables after a devastating world war. Only those born in Purenet have the privilege of living under the dome, protecting their bodies from the sun's deadly UVA rays. 

Skylier is desperate to escape her underground confines and save her mother's life. 

On a school visit, she hears something she's not supposed to, and now she realizes that not only is her whole life a lie, but she is in grave danger... She doesn't know who to trust, and her enemies are everywhere... even closer than she realizes.

Now she is in a race against time to save not only her life, but her mother's and those she cares about. And if she fails, she'll suffer a fate worse than death... 

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Gah! I really, really wanted to like Purenet. To love it. Sadly, that didn't turn out to be the case. The idea behind the story is phenomenal and creative, but unfortunately, the way it played out killed my excitement about reading it. Between the characters and the speedy plot, I wasn't able to enjoy reading it.   

Skylier has some spunk to her, and I liked watching events unfold from her perspective. However, the other characters were one-dimensional, and characters really make a book for me. If I don't like who I'm reading about, then it's hard to read the book. In Purenet, they just felt flat with no personality. Two guys end up crushing on Skylier, but I didn't have a preference for either one because I didn't have a chance to get to know either one of them.  

Purenet's plot was way too fast paced - so much was happening it was hard for me to keep up. Scenes changed quickly and made the story seem like it was on hyper drive. It's a short book, and at first I thought it was because the plot whirled by me. But it is actually a short read, and if more time had been spent on developing the characters, the plot, and the world they lived in, I would've loved it. 

I wouldn't have minded the book being longer in that case. As a matter of fact, I think it should have been longer to achieve what I mentioned above. It's better to take your time and tell a fantastic story than to rush through it as though you're in a hurry to get to the exciting parts. Good things come to those who wait, right? 

There was also a lot of telling rather than showing. I know this is hard to do, I really do. But I want to be shown rather than told about the world the author has built. 

Overall, Purenet had a lot of potential to be a terrific and interesting sci-fi/dystopian novel. Unfortunately, the novel didn't reach up to its full potential.  

My Rating:

 

Before the End by J.A. Pierre ~ Blog Tour: #Review

Happy Saturday! Welcome to my stop on the Before the End Blog Tour hosted by Reading! Click here to follow along with the full tour schedule! 

Title: Before the End

Series: An Island Romance #1 -3

Author: J.A. Pierre

Publication date: November 14th 2014

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Source: Copy for review

Purchase: Amazon 

Nyla was going to spend the summer in Trinidad. Then she'd be off to start her career in the windy city of Chicago. She just wanted to kick back on the beach and, with any luck, run into her first love. 

Liam wasn't a big believer in romance. He didn't anticipate falling for the American who walked into his garage. Things heat up on the island as opposites attract. But the sand in the hourglass is dwindling. 

Will Liam give Nyla a reason to stay?  

Each part of Before the End are about forty-five pages, and you'll want to have all three ready to read them back to back because parts one and two are MAJOR cliffhangers. I read Before the End in one sitting. It's a fast read, and I wish it had taken more time to allow development of the characters and plot. 

Part One introduces Nyla and Liam. Nyla goes to Trinidad where her family lives to spend her summer there before she moves to Chicago to start a new job. She meets Liam, a mechanic, when she needs her car fixed. The fireworks start flying for Liam first, and I really liked that. So many times in romances the girl is affected by the guy, and it was refreshing to see the situation reversed. They're good together - they give fresh perspectives on the world to each other, things they never thought about before. 

In Part Two, a former boyfriend comes back into Nyla's life, leaving Liam to question if he has a future with her or if she's thinking about restarting a relationship with the man who's reappeared. Nyla has difficulty resolving her old feelings for the former boyfriend and isn't sure if she wants to try things again with him or continue on with Liam. I felt like she wasn't really fair to Liam when she saw her ex-boyfriend without telling Liam. He found out of course, and it confused him even more. I didn't understand why she thought it was okay to do this while she's dating Liam. 

In Part Three, the final part of Before the End, Nyla and Liam come from different stations in life and find themselves dealing with this reality in deciding whether they have a future together. Nyla's family is judgmental and aren't sure about Liam's ability to give her the wealthy lifestyle she's accustomed to, but she's more worried about being happy. Then there's Nyla's ex, who just won't give up on the possibility of a relationship with her. She has a big decision to make - happiness with Liam or financial stability with her ex. And her ex has hurt her before with the possibility he could always do it again, so that's another factor she has to consider when making her decision. While I didn't completely connect with her character, I did want her to be happy and hoped she would make the decision that was right for her and not what these guys wanted or what her family wanted.    

There were two problems I have with this mini-series: character and plot development. Knowing ahead of time this is a short series, I understand there isn't a lot of time to get to know these characters and make the plot more intricate. 

I never connected with Nyla. She seemed spoiled to me and naive about the way the world really works. She's wealthy and doesn't realize not everyone has the same opportunities to get ahead in life. 

I actually liked Liam a lot. It was hard to believe he changed from someone who was a bit of a womanizer to someone ready to settle down with one woman, but it's wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility since he met a woman who changed his way of thinking and seeing the world. 

I didn't like Michael, Nyla's ex. He hurt her in the past and when he came back to Trinidad, he seemed full of himself and arrogant. He didn't seem like he really wanted to make Nyla happy. 

Then there's Nyla's parents. They're completely disconnected from the real world, especially Nyla's mom. Her dad had a warmer personality, and he seemed to be okay. Her mom on the other hand was judgmental and not a friendly person. 

Overall, I think if this book had been longer giving me more time to get to know the characters and developing the plot further, I would have given this four stars or perhaps even five. I liked reading about the cultural differences in this book and experiencing them through Nyla and her family. 

My Rating: 

J.A. Pierre is a romance author who grew up on the East Coast. Series by J.A. Pierre: The Rich Housewives of Bon Avenue and Before the End.

Website: http://bkspierre.wordpress.com 

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Winter Wolf by R.J. Blain ~ Release #Blitz: Excerpt

I'm currently reading Winter Wolf and will have my review up tomorrow for the blog tour! I'm super excited to share my thoughts about the book with all of you! Until then, check out an excerpt from the book below. 

Winter Wolf by R.J. Blain

Urban Fantasy / Thriller / Supernatural Suspense

Date Published: November 24, 2014

  

The Hunted Wizard

When Nicole dabbled in the occult, she lost it all: Her voice, her family, and her name. Now on the run from the Inquisition, she must prove to herself—and the world—that not all wizards are too dangerous to let live.

The savage murder of a bookstore employee throws Nicole into the middle of Inquisition business, like it or not. Driven by her inability to save the young man’s life, she decides to hunt the killer on her own. Using forbidden magic to investigate the past, she learns that the murderer is in fact a disease that could kill the entire werewolf race.

Forced to choose between saving lives and preserving her own, Nicole embraces the magic that sent her into exile. Without werewolves, the power of the Inquisition would dwindle, and she could live without being hunted.

Nicole’s only hope for success lies in the hands of the werewolves she hates and the Inquisition she fears, but finding someone to trust is only the beginning of her problems. There are those who want to ensure that the werewolves go extinct and that the Inquisition falls.

But, if she fails to find a cure, her family—including her twin sister—will perish…

EXCERPT

Almost everyone in the store had a phone. Dormant devices, from reading lights to mobile chargers, littered the tables. One woman, browsing books nearby, had four battery-powered devices in her purse. One was a phone, and like mine, it hungered. Its need was strong; its battery waned to the point of failure.

If I wanted, I could charge it for her.

No one would notice if I did. Maybe the woman would wonder how her phone hadn’t died before she got home. It only had a few minutes left. It’d take me all of ten seconds to fix it for her. If I did, I wouldn’t be so aware of it. But to do so, I’d have to touch her—or her phone. Some things I could manipulate without having a direct conduit, but cell phone batteries were tricky, greedy things.

I cringed a little, setting the thriller book down. I picked up the next nearest title. I flipped it over, not reading the text on the back. Did I dare? Out of the corner of my eye, I watched the woman browsing through the books. All it would take was a few seconds. I could charge it without her noticing.

That was one thing I was actually good at.

I put the novel I held down and wandered to the same table, careful not to look at her. Book by book, I investigated the titles, circling to where she stood.

“You’re Nicole Thomas, aren’t you? The actress. You’re her.” My quarry appraised me with a pleased expression.

People normally recognized the mainliners, people with beautiful faces and voices to match, people who didn’t avoid crowds.

In short, people other than me.

I met her gaze, abandoning my perusal of novels. “I am,” I replied, wincing a little at the sandpaper-rough quality of my voice. At least I hadn’t been reduced to a whisper—yet. My fatal flaw was my rough, grating voice. Chronic laryngitis did that to a person. It ruined careers, as it had mine, though I hadn’t quite given up on being an actress. I’d already lost the ability to sing.

I wasn’t going to let a stupid disease take everything away from me.

The woman smiled, not seeming to mind talking to someone who sounded more like a zombie than a human. “You’re taller than I expected. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She thrust out her hand.

We shook.

I left her phone alone.

“They keep putting me next to giants,” I quipped. It was true. When I did manage to get on the silver screen, I worked alongside actors easily a foot-and-a-half taller than me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too.” I matched her smile. She didn’t tell me her name, and I didn’t ask for it.

It took all of my will not to fiddle with her phone. All it would take was a murmured word and a thought, and it’d be done. It would have been easy to charge the battery when our hands had been clasped together, but I hadn’t dared.

If, sometime later, she noticed her phone had magically been charged—literally—she might remember me. She knew my name.

And in true cowardice, I couldn’t bring myself to help her. If she connected the strange behavior of her phone with me, she might tell someone. If she did, I’d be as good as dead—or worse. I had dabbled in the occult, and the occult had dabbled back, and there were those who didn’t like when that happened.

The last thing I needed was them finding me.

About the Author

RJ Blain suffers from a Moleskine journal obsession, a pen fixation, and a terrible tendency to pun without warning.

When she isn't playing pretend, she likes to think she's a cartographer and a sumi-e painter. In reality, she herds cats and a husband. She is currently on a quest for a new warrior fish.

In her spare time, she daydreams about being a spy. Should that fail, her contingency plan involves tying her best of enemies to spinning wheels and quoting James Bond villains until she is satisfied.

Favorite Books & Series

In no particular order:

Anne McCaffrey's Pern

Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar & Gryphon Series

Jim Butcher's Codex Alera & The Dresden Files

Brandon Sanderson's Elantris

Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega, Dragon Bones, & The Mercy Thompson series

Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time

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Blitz: Excerpt ~ First World (Walker Saga #1) by Jaymin Eve

First World (Walker Saga Book #1) ~ Blitz

Jaymin Eve

Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Date Published: 7/18/2013

Add to Goodreads

A young adult paranormal romance series. 

An epic journey. 

If the Seventine are released, will anyone survive? 

Abigail Swish might not love her life, living in gang-ridden New York in 2035 and training to fight and survive with Compound 23. But she is grateful for a few things, especially her no-filter-between-brain-and-mouth best friend Lucy and her escape each night into a dream world far different from her own. 

In fact, sometimes she lives for the fleeting moments she spends at night with the man who fuels every romantic fantasy she’s ever had. But each morning reality returns. She could just cry. But she won’t of course; tears don’t change a damn thing. 

Then without any warning, a month before her eighteenth birthday, everything does change. A guardian finds her. He explains, in a strangely familiar accent, that she was stashed on Earth for safekeeping and has been lost to her family ever since. And it is time to return home. To the First World; a land of unimagined beauty. 

Abigail and Lucy find themselves escaping New York, ending up on another planet and traversing through an unforgiving wilderness. Yeah, because that sort of thing just happens every day. Luckily an unexpected saviour arrives; the man from her dream-world. Brace is six-and-a-half feet of gorgeous perfectness, wrapped in an arrogance like no other. Unable to trust his assistance, and unsure which of her instincts to follow - kiss him or punch him in the mouth - Abigail eventually accepts his help to find her family. 

And what a family. Enter Josian, her father; larger than life and apparently not even human. He is Walker, a planet-less race revered as gods, causing mischief and mayhem through-out this star-system. Unfortunately, there is no time for a cosy reunion, since no one explained that by returning to First World her half-Walker genetics would act as a catalyst setting forth a chain of events which could spell disaster for not only her existence but that of all worlds. 

First World is book one in the Walker Saga, a seven-book paranormal fantasy series. 

Spurn - A Walker Saga Book Two (available on Amazon) 

Crais - the burning planet - book three (due for release early 2014)

EXCERPT

Something close to worry – disbelief maybe – crossed his features. “You dreamed of home? How is that possible on Earth? It’s a dead zone.”

I shrugged. Dead zone?

“You should have gone to ‘dreamland’ many years ago, Aribella. It has other names, but once again I find myself with too many stories and not enough time.”

“Why ...?” I looked around. “Why am I still here then?”

“Could someone speak in English? Just for five minutes.” Annoyance replaced Lucy’s usual cynicism.

“We need to get Aribella back now; the countdown is on for both of these worlds. And it is too dangerous to be roaming New York.” He sighed. “The reason you’ve been here for extra years is ... I don’t have the power ... and I lost contact.”

Lucy glanced at each of us in turn.

“I’m really hoping when you say Aribella needs to go to dreamland, you mean Lucy and Aribella, and you just forgot about me.” She turned to me. “He just forgot me, right, Aribella? Crap. Sorry ...” She grinned. “It’s a catchy name.”

I shook my head and sighed. “I’m not leaving without Lucy, no matter how annoying she is.”

Quarn had paced a few steps away toward the alley entrance. He spoke over his shoulder. “You cannot go, Lucy Laurell; this is no place for an Earthling. You must stay here.” 

Did he just say –? Hell. NO.

“I’m going to ignore that. Implying I’m some type of alien ... well, it’s just rude.”

“Are you kidding me? Don’t ignore it.” Lucy interrupted me to glare at Quarn. “What do you mean: Earthling?” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Is Abby an alien?” 

I groaned. It was time for the conspiracy theories. 

“I knew it.” She was triumphant. “There is no way someone gets to be as gorgeous as Abigail and then is also tall. On top of that her lips are full and perfect and naturally red without one ounce of lipstick. Come on, it’s not natural.”

“You’re not natural,” I retorted weakly. 

Lucy was always harping on about how unusual my lips were. I was just happy they matched the blood-red of my hair and not the black. 

Lucy glared. “Oh, I’m sorry, Extraterrestrial. Where’s your other skin? Green not your color?”

Quarn interrupted. “Sorry to cut this short. As amusing as the pair of you are, we need to move before the Gangers regroup. I’m good, but even I have my limits.” He was standing near the entrance to the alley, scoping it out. 

“I’m. Going. Nowhere. Without. Lucy.” I had to spell it out.

He looked between us for a second before nodding. “It does not matter. I don’t have the power to send one of you there, let alone both of you.”

“How do we get more power?” Lucy looked around eagerly. “I’m ready – we digging for coal ... oil?” 

I laughed. Fossil fuels. We’d have more chance of finding a magic wand. 

He shook his head. “Nothing on Earth. The dead zone is more encompassing than we’d ever anticipated. I’d need a storage amulet, which is rare; a sacred stone, even rarer; and, as a last resort, a power on the other side to assist.”

I smiled in delight. “Quarn, this may just be your lucky day.” 

 

 

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This Promo Blitz Reveal is brought to you by Reading Addiction Book Tours

Promo Blitz ~ This Morning I Woke Up Dead by Mindy Larson

I'm really excited to take part in this promo blitz for This Morning I Woke Up Dead! I'm reviewing this book for my stop on the blog tour next month. Just read the synopsis, and you'll see exactly why I can't wait to read this. It sounds SO awesome! :D   

Title: This Morning I Woke Up Dead

Author: Mindy Larson 

Date Published: November 12th 2013 - Re-Launch 

Genre: Paranormal Romance 

Promo Blitz organized by: Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours

Add to Goodreads

~ Synopsis ~ 

What would you do? What rules would you break to be with your soul mate? This morning Hadley Christensen and Dominic Morris woke up living their dream lives. They are engaged and each has promising careers in the medical field. They are happier and more fulfilled than they have ever been, and they are ready to begin their happily ever after.

Sadly, on her way to work, Hadley is in an accident. Before taking her last breath, she realizes she is already dead - and everyone on Earth is too. Now Hadley and Dominic must each find a way to live without one another. How do they continue when they are two parts of one flame? 

Hadley is given permission by the Masters to contact Dominic in the hopes he will also realize he is already dead. If Dominic can open his mind to hear Hadley they can be together forever. Is Dominic ready to give up life the way he knows it?

~ Purchase Link ~ 

Amazon

****During the months of November & December 

1% of the gross sales of all novels with 

Lavish Publishing, LLC will be donated 

to the Lupus Foundation of America. 

The donation will be made in May 2014

 in honor of AA Pencil and 

National Lupus Awareness Month.****

~ About the Author: Mindy Larson ~

Mindy Larson has always had a vivid imagination that has only improved with her love of reading and writing. She spent much of her childhood entertaining her three younger brothers with her stories and today she is bringing her imagination to life in books.

When not writing, Mindy enjoys spending time with the love of her life and four children while playing disc golf, cooking, baking, traveling and exploring.

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