Scarlet Ambrosia by David Gittlin ~ Blog Tour #Giveaway

Hey Donnie Darlings! Welcome to my stop on the Scarlet Ambrosia Blog Tour hosted by Sage's Blog Tours! Click here to follow along with the full tour schedule! :D

  

Title: Scarlet Ambrosia 

Author: David Gittlin

Publication date: November 5, 2014  

Genres: Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Thriller

Source: Copy for review

Synopsis

How does a nice Jewish accountant tell his parents he's become a vampire? If only that were his biggest problem. 

A one night stand, an error in judgment, a wrong turn - words can barely describe the events that thrust Devon Furst into the arms of a beautiful vampire lover. 

The violent aftermath of that fateful night threatens to burn Devon's eternal life down to ashes and endangers the lives of everyone close to him.

Everything in Devon's life changes in the span of a few hours. When he asks Mathilde de Roche one too many questions, the troubled vampiress has no choice but to offer Devon two terrible alternatives: Death or life as a vampire. For a man aged twenty-eight and in perfect health, death is not an option. Mathilde's alluring beauty makes the decision and her vampire blood easier to swallow. 

Devon must leave behind everyone and everything he holds dear to face a future full of uncertainty, and a five-hundred-year-old enemy endowed with super-human powers.  

Available on Amazon!

Book Trailer

About the Author

After a career in marketing communications, David Gittlin wrote screenplays before turning to novels. His first novel, Three Days to Darkness, was a recent nominee to the James Kirkwood Prize for creative writing. Scarlet Ambrosia is his second novel. He lives a quiet and happy life in Aventura, Florida with his wife, Bonnie.

Connect with the Author

Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads  

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Amaranthine: The Heart of Decompose by Nina R. Schluntz ~ Blog Tour: #Review & #Giveaway

Title: Amaranthine: The Heart of Decompose

Author: Nina R. Schluntz

Release Date: December 2014 

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, Romance

Source: Copy for review

Purchase: Amazon | B&N 

Synopsis

Dragons, unicorns, fairies, zombies...and Santa.

At the center of it all stands Dee, a man immortalized in legend as Decompose. An ongoing war between unicorns and dragons has led to the creation of a plague...a deadly infection Dee is the host for. Not quite human, but not a unicorn either, Dee and the plague form a symbiotic relationship, resulting in immortality of the undead kind.  

Every ruling Empire has desired control of Decompose. Controlling the infection means control of the people. An intervention of an old rival, Santa, results in Dee going missing. When he resurfaces decades later, Dee has one goal: locate the mythical cure to his plague. 

However, complications of the heart force Dee to decide whether he truly wants to find the cure and give up being Decompose. 

The mix of genres in Amaranthine: The Heart of Decompose is unique and creative. There's fantasy with unicorns, dragons, and fairies, horror with zombies, science fiction with space travel and life on other planets, and a touch of romance. It's amazing how Schluntz had these elements all come together to make a unified story. Santa is even in there! 

Amaranthine begins with finding out that several different planets, including Earth, have been infected with a plague that turns the inhabitants into zombies. The plague was created during a war between unicorns and dragons, and Dee also known as Decompose, carries the plague. The cure lies in his friend, Jhon, and the two end up getting separated. Dee must find Jhon in order to cure the inhabitants of the different planets ravaged by the disease. 

The action and tension kept me on the edge of my seat. Dee and Jhon had an enormous task ahead of them, not only to find each other but also to cure people and stay a step ahead of those who wish to use the infection to control their people. And Dee straddles the line between life and death - he doesn't really belong to one or the other. I grew to like Dee, but it took me time to get used to Jhon. I wasn't sure about him for a while. 

There are a couple of other characters who are as important as Dee and Jhon, but I don't want to say who they are or talk about them because I feel it would give too much away. I will say one character I liked quite a bit, and the other I liked but not quite as much. 

Amaranthine is a novel I believe will appeal to fans of any or all of the genres it includes. It gives a fresh take on zombies - they aren't all like the zombies you're used to - and I loved the space travel aspect of the novel. I haven't seen a novel mixing these genres together before, and it's a cleverly written mashup of horror, fantasy, and sci-fi. And there are unicorns! Did I mention unicorns?! 

My Rating:

About the Author

Nina Schluntz is a native to rural Nebraska. In her youth, she often wrote short stories to entertain her friends. Those ideas evolved into the novels she creates today.

Her husband continues to ensure her stories maintain a touch of realism as she delves in the science fiction and fantasy realm. And their kitty, a rescued Abyssinian, is always willing to stay up late to provide inspiration. 

Visit her blog mizner13.wordpress.com for information regarding previous and upcoming publications. She also posts book and movie reviews for a wide variety of genres. 

Author Links

Author's Facebook Page 

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads

 Author's Amazon Page 

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Outshine by Nola Decker ~ Blog Tour: Review

Hey there! Welcome to my stop on Nola Decker's Outshine Blog Tour hosted by Sage's Blog Tours. Click here to follow along with the full tour schedule. 

Title: Outshine
Author: Nola Decker
Publication date: April 11th 2014 
Publisher: 7 Sparks Press
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Source: Copy for review

Purchase: Amazon | B&N

When agoraphobic Gabe and his outgoing nemesis Jessa go on a moonlit road trip to locate Gabe's missing brother, the two teens discover they are both hiding unnatural abilities: Gabe is a living lie detector and Jessa is a kick-ass powerhouse pretending to be a delicate diva.

Gabe's sole reason for searching for Watts, his overbearing younger brother, is to clear his own name: he's been framed for Watts' alleged murder. Jessa is after Watts because she is, well, after him.

They find him with Deacon, the twisted eugenicist responsible for their unusual powers. He encourages them to stay and join his "Family" where they'll be able to live openly as the genetically-modified freaks that they are. When Jessa and Gabe uncover the truth about Deacon's past - and what he wants for the future - they band together to stop him. Watts, however, might have other plans... 

 

Outshine was such a fun and entertaining story to read with likable characters, a solid plot, and excellent pacing. I love reading about characters with superhuman powers, so when I found out that's what this story was about, I knew I had to read it! There was even a mystery element with Watts's disappearance, what happened with Gabe and Watts's dad years ago, what happened with Jessa's parents years ago, and how and why they came to have their abilities. 

Gabe is a walking lie detector. Every time he hears a lie or even speaks a lie himself, he gets terrible headaches. There's always a bottle of ibuprofen in his pocket. History class is the worst for him - even just the wrong dates can send him into a tailspin. I really felt for him because he has to constantly deal with the negative effects of his ability not to mention the fact that his mom gives all of her attention to his younger brother, Watts. 

Jessa has superhuman strength and healing powers.  She decided when she was younger to hide her abilities by becoming the social queen bee of the school, which is a decision I thoroughly enjoyed - not only did it accomplish her mission but also brings a lot of comic relief to the story. I also liked her character quite a bit. She's feisty and strong. No matter what, she wouldn't give up and faced situations she found herself in head on. You gotta admire that in a female character; I know I do!  

Gabe's brother, Watts (short for Watson), has gone missing, and Jessa talks Gabe into teaming up with her to find out what's happened to him. She's convinced Watts didn't run away, and when Gabe comes to the same conclusion, he reluctantly starts working with her to find him. Though it would take a lot for them to admit this, they made a great team. A hilarious and highly effective team. 

Outshine was so easy to get into, and I didn't want it to end. In no time at all I found myself drawn into the story and flew through it in one sitting! I loved the sci-fi aspect as well as the layers of mystery that are uncovered by Jessa and Gabe. I loved reading about superhuman abilities. And most of all, I loved these characters. Outshine is a novel I can definitely see myself reading all over again.    

My Rating:

Nola Decker is the only writer in Seattle who doesn't drink coffee. She makes up for her happy and healthy childhood by writing stories in which terrible things happen to young people. She loves salted caramel anything and Fridays. 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads 

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Blog Tour: Review ~ Invoking Nonna by Sage Adderley

Hey guys! Welcome to my stop on the Invoking Nonna Blog Tour hosted by Sage's Blog Tours. Click here for the full tour schedule. 

Title: Invoking Nonna 

Author: Sage Adderley

Series: Triple Goddess (Book One)

Genre: YA, Paranormal

Paperback: 186 pages

Publisher: Sweet Candy Press

1ST edition (December 20th 2013)

ISBN-10: 0989709825

ISBN-13: 978-0989709828

Goodreads | BookLikes

Synopsis: 

Maggie Sloan is a free-spirited teenager growing up in rural Georgia. Unlike her peers, Maggie is a witch and so is her mother. In addition to normal teenager rites of passage, she must learn about her family lineage and witchcraft. Her mother, Laura, keeps a tight lid on their family secrets - like the mysterious life and death of her grandmother who passed away before Maggie was born.

Practicing the craft will test solid friendships and introduce Maggie to new realms. While seeking the truth about herself and her family, Maggie is faced with danger from churchgoing classmates who will stop at nothing to make sure she is found out. Laura and Maggie strengthen their bond through witchcraft and work together to overcome their enemies. Are their magical gifts enough to keep them safe?     

My Thoughts:

INVOKING NONNA is a tale of a young girl named Maggie who begins searching for answers regarding her family history and who she is. Told from multiple POV, the story is mostly from Maggie's point-of-view and explores the issues with which she comes face to face - finding out who she really is and her family roots, handling the different reactions to her beliefs, and building the relationship she wants with her mother.    

Maggie and her mom, Laura, have an unusual mother-daughter relationship - they're both witches but don't acknowledge it to each other. In the beginning I had a hard time understanding their relationship. They aren't close though Maggie desperately wants to be and seem to rarely interact. They definitely never talk about family - Maggie knows next to nothing about her roots, but once she's assigned to do a genealogy project for her history class, everything changes. 

Not only does Maggie begin to find out more about her family, but Laura also recognizes her daughter wants to learn the craft and begins practicing openly and teaching her. The more Maggie learns, the more complicated her life becomes. As if being a teenager wasn't already complicated enough! But she handles it better than I would have because she's resilient and unafraid. 

There's a great mix of heavy emotions as well as lightness and fun to balance out the heaviness. Ruby was a character who added humor to the story, and I adored Maggie and Ruby's friendship. They reminded me of my friendships in high school. Everyone needs a Ruby in her/his life! INVOKING NONNA is a story I loved every moment and found myself wishing the story had been a bit longer as I'm anxiously waiting for the next book!  

My Rating: 5 / 5

Purchase Links: Amazon | Etsy (print & digital available)         

About the Author: Sage Adderley

Sage Adderley is a single (and very busy) mom of three humans and one cat. She is passionate about kindness, coffee, mental health, fat activism, and the DIY lifestyle. Sage is the owner of Sweet Candy Distro & Press, Sage's Blog Tours, and writes the zine Tattooed Memoirs and Marked For Life. She is also the creator of FAT-TASTIC! Sage currently resides in the magical land of Olympia, WA.

Follow Sage:

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