That book has now been released!!

Blurb:

Paris, France 1793

Growing up in the court of King Louis XVI, Genevieve enjoys a sheltered privileged life with the gardens of Versailles as her playground, until on the eve of her nineteenth birthday, the king is executed and all hell breaks loose. 

As family members and close friends fall prey to the Revolution, Genevieve turns to the one man who promises to help her; the shadowy figure in court, and friend to the elder brother that betrayed them all, but is Sebastian worthy of her trust or will he too betray her?

Genevieve has a choice to make, one that will change her life forever. Go it alone and try to escape the murderous streets of Paris, or join Sebastian, forget her nightmares and start a new life… an immortal life?

When I saw the FB post that this had been released, I couldn’t wait to read it as Eva was a great character in the Witchblood series.

It only chronicles her life just before and just after being changed by Sebastian, but it was great to see how she struggled to control her thirst and also her need for revenge.

The only issue I had was that it was set in 1793, yet read as if it were set in the present day, but that is minor, I just want more!

It has been a decade since Alan Langford’s charred remains were discovered in his burnt-out car. His wife Donna was found guilty of conspiracy to murder her husband and served ten years in prison.

But just before she is released, Donna receives a nasty shock: an anonymous letter containing a photo of her husband. The man she hates with every fibre of her being – the man she paid to have murdered – seems very much alive and well

How is it possible that her husband is still alive? Where is he? Who sent the photo, and why?

DI Tom Thorne becomes involved in a case where nothing and no one are what they seem. It will take him much further from his London beat than he has ever been before – and closer to a killer who will do anything to protect his new life.

A gripping, relentlessly paced crime masterpiece, From the Dead goes deep into a seemingly unsolvable mystery, and provides the most shocking case yet in the dark, dangerous career of Tom Thorne.

I’ve read a couple of the Thorne books and they are always a fairly easy read. Pretty much what you expect from a detective story set in London.

This one was no different. Billingham sets up the story well in the prologue that makes you wonder what’s going on and slowly unravels the plot twists and red herrings.

The way Billingham swaps between Thorne’s POV and that of the main “baddy” is very clever as you get to see both sides of the investigation as each side try and find out who’s behind the photos and what the other side know.

I’ve never seen the TV adaptation of these books and I’m glad as they usually ruin the books for me, even though the main character is played by one of my favourite actors – David Morrissey.

The only complaint I have about this instalment is that my favourite character, Phil Hendricks, isn’t in this one as much as others. I really enjoy the interaction between him and Tom Thorne.

I will no doubt read more of the series, but they’re not up at the top of the list of “must buys”.

The third book in Lisa Bilbrey’s Journey Series is coming VERY SOON. 18 June 2013 in fact!

Blurb:

Finally back in the warm embrace of his family, Travis McCoy relishes every moment he gets to spend with his wife and son. After almost losing them due to his own selfishness, he makes the decision to never let go of his family again. With his plan set in motion, Travis, Penelope, and Max start a new journey, one that leads them to forever.

Time for the big cover reveal (I think this is my favourite in the series so far)

Author Info:

Lisa Bilbrey is a mom of three and has been married to her high school sweetheart since 1996. Finding a love in the written word, she started writing as a way to express herself. From the first word she wrote, she’d found her heart and soul. Always willing to learn, she’s spends much of her time trying to improve as a storyteller.

In late 2011, Lisa opened Renaissance Romance Publishing with Michele Richard and Laura Braley.

Links:

Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big-time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn’t the only town with vampire trouble…

Claire never thought she’d leave Morganville, but when she gets accepted into the graduate program at MIT, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Saying good-bye to her friends is bittersweet, especially since things are still raw and unsettled between Claire and her boyfriend, Shane. 

Her new life at MIT is scary and exciting, but Morganville is never really far from Claire’s mind. Enrolled in a special advanced study program with Professor Irene Anderson, a former Morganville native, Claire is able to work on her machine, which is designed to cancel the mental abilities of vampires. 

But when she begins testing her machine on live subjects, things quickly spiral out of control, and Claire starts to wonder whether leaving Morganville was the last mistake she’ll ever make…

I have previously reviewed the Morganville series and also a previous release. Read them here and here. I love this series and ave often worried, before starting a new book, that Caine will be unable to maintain her momentum after so many books. Then I read the new release and my worries dissolve.

I have absolutely no idea how Caine is able to keep readers guessing and wanting more after such a long series, but that is exactly what she does.

When I started reading and realised that Claire was leaving, I wondered how the story would arc to get her back home where she belongs in what I see as quite a short book (in comparison to some I have read) but as usual, it is done with finesse and flair and just enough action to make my heart leap into my mouth more than once.

The only thing I can’t work out is how the series will be rounded up in the one remaining book of the series.

Now, I know the author personally, but that won’t affect my review. Simply because I loved it! I’m not a big reader of gay literature but I do dabble, especially when written by friends.

I LOVED Isaac’s character and the way he refused to give up on Caleb. This man was determined to show Caleb that not everyone was scared and would run away at the slightest thing and I commend N. Wood for writing a character like that.

Caleb took a while to like because of how closed off he was to the world, which is understandable once his history is revealed. Illness, being hurt by those who are supposed to love and support him. I’d be hesitant to trust people.

The pace of the story works well for the length of the book. It never feels rushed as some can do, especially when the relationship between Isaac and Caleb is developing.

Its obvious that a certain amount of research has gone into the story with the illness it includes, almost a character of it’s very own. Wood deals with it with sensitivity and respect. It also shows that she knows the area it’s set very well. I have family in Cornwall and could easily picture some of the places mentioned in the narrative which is great.

I’ll definitely read more from N. Wood

Renaissance Romance has a number of new release coming soon with blog tours open for them all. Check out their blog for more info an to sign up. Go… run, do not pass go, do not collect £200.

Review:

I read the first novella in the Journey series when I reviewed the Harvest Treats collection September 2011.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, and when I found out that Lisa was going to create a series, I couldn’t wait to read more. In this book, we find Travis having to leave his new family for a short while. This affects him a lot, having missed so much already. He’s a bit of a moper, but in all honesty, I didn’t blame him that much. I’d probably react in much the same way.

One of the highlights of the entire story for me was the relationship between Travis and Russ, his father. They not only lay to rest their past, but move forward in. The way they interact is so natural and endearing that I couldn’t help but smile whenever I read them. I felt the same about Travis and Max’s relationship, although at times it felt a little more tentative, which I felt was understandable due to the newness of them being a family, whereas it felt as if Travis and Penelope simply picked up where they had left off, which was lovely.

The only criticism I would have, which isn’t really at all, is that it was a bit too short. I wanted more.  I think that Lisa Bilbrey could have quite easily expanded on this story to make it more of a long novella, but I liked where she left it off, as it leaves the reader in both a happy place, but wanting so much more.

I do believe there will be two more novellas in the series (yay), so I will have to wait until that is released to read them.

Excerpt:

An hour later, Penelope parked in front of Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport. The trip had been filled with awkward conversations mixed with deafening silence. She had prattled on about what she and Max had planned for the coming week. While Travis knew it was just her way of trying to distract him, it hadn’t worked. All he could think about was how he’d miss one more of Max’s football games, how he wouldn’t be able to hear about Mr. Nickels giving too much homework or to read with him before bedtime.

These were all things that he had gotten used to doing, and now he wouldn’t be able to — not until he came back, anyway. They climbed out of the car without speaking, Travis grabbed his bags from the trunk, and they walked into the airport. Penelope stayed next to the sliding doors while he checked in for his flight and picked up his tickets. Turning back to her, he swallowed against the lump in his throat. Saying goodbye to Max had been hard, but the thought of leaving Penelope had Travis trembling.

“Well, I guess this is it,” Penelope said with a wistful sigh. She placed her hand on his chest and sniffed back her tears. “I thought I could do this without crying.”

“If you cry, I won’t be able to go,” Travis murmured.

She smiled. “Then maybe I should start sobbing.” She shifted her attention up to him. “Promise me that you’ll come home.”

“I promise,” Travis replied. “I promise to come back to you and Max. Just remember that I love you, Penelope.”

“I love you, too,” she whimpered before leaning up and brushing her lips across his. “Hurry back to me, love.”

“As fast as I can,” he whispered.

Somehow — and he wasn’t sure how — Travis managed to pull himself away from her. He fought the urge to claw at the ache in the middle of his chest. Just the few seconds that he’d already spent away from her had him rattled. How was he supposed to go a week or longer without holding her in his arms or feeling her gentle kiss?

In a daze, Travis managed to get through the security check-point and down to his gate. Settling down on one of the hard, plastic seats, he placed his elbows on his knees and rested his forehead against the palms of his hands. His stomach was in knots, and more than a few times he swallowed against the bile that had been creeping its way up his throat.

Just when he was about to hightail it to the nearest restroom, someone sat down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Travis looked up, gasping when he saw Russ there.

“Didn’t think I was gonna make it before they called for our flight,” Russ chuckled before he could utter a sound.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Travis asked.

Russ smiled and shook his head. “I’m coming with you, boy. I once made the mistake of letting you go. I’ll be damned if I let it happen again. Besides, Miami is a huge part of your life, Travis. It’s time for me to see it, don’t you think?”

“But I thought you hated to fly.” Travis lifted an eyebrow in his father’s direction.

“I do,” Russ admitted. “But for you, I’m willing to give it a go. Just don’t laugh at me if I get a little scared. If people were meant to fly, God would have given us wings.”

Travis laughed. “You have my word, Dad.”

“Good,” Russ muttered, stretching his feet out in front of him.

“Dad, thank you for coming with me,” Travis said, his voice sincere. “It means a lot.”

“You’re welcome, Travis. Today is a new start for both of us — a new journey.”

Travis nodded. “The journey to forever.”

About the author:

 Lisa Bilbrey is a mom of three and has been married to her high school sweetheart since 1996. Finding a love in the written word, she started writing as a way to express herself. From the first word she wrote, she’d found her heart and soul. Always willing to learn, she’s spends much of her time trying to improve as a storyteller.

In late 2011, Lisa opened Renaissance Romance Publishing with Michele Richard and Laura Braley.

Links:

Goodreads * Facebook * Twitter * Blog * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Renaissance Romance Publishing * About.me

In the beginning, there’s a boy standing in the trees . . . .
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she’s part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn’t easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place and out of place at the same time. Because there’s another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara’s less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she’d have to make between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

Review:

When I bought this book, I didn’t realise it was part of a series. I simply read the blurb on the back and thought I’d give it a go. That was about three months ago, I’ve had so many books to read, that I kinda forgot I had it.

I sat down yesterday and mooched through the reviews it already had, and was a little wary as the majority of them are singing it’s praises. So, with trepidation, I began to read it.

I swallowed the first 60 pages or so in the matter of about 20 minutes. It was extremely compelling, but I wasn’t in love with it. Apart from the angel slant, it could have been any other YA High School based book.

It wasn’t until Angela came into the story properly that I really began to enjoy it as the paranormal side of the story began to bubble to the surface more than the teen issues. In fact, I think Angela is probably my favourite female character (Tucker’s my fvourite male – yep, def Team Tucker).

The main character of Clara didn’t annoy me as much I expected her too. I usually have issues with characters who are perfect, but as she is part angel, it was pretty acceptable, as her thoughts were that of any normal 16 year old girl. Especially when faced with confusion over Christian and Tucker.

Wendy, to me, needed more… spark. She’s kind of outshone by Clara, Angela and Tucker, which is a shame as I think she could progress into a great character. Jeremy on the other hand, was just right, although I sense more for him in the follow up books.

I ADORED the way Clara and Tucker went from disliking each other, to where they ended up, and it made me well up when they were separated, but following the twist near the end (which I DID NOT expect), I understand why it had to happen.

I didn’t expect to fall in love with this book, and I didn’t, but I really did enjoy it and will definitely buy the rest of the series as I was left with so many questions at the end.

I really need to curb my YA reading, but there are so many well written books out there in the genre, I just can’t help it.

*DISCLAIMER*

There may be spoilers in the review. 

*END DISCLAIMER*

I’ll admit that when I realised these were yet another vampire YA series, I was hesitent to read them, but once I started, I read all 3 books in 2.5 days.

Book 1: WitchBlood

Blurb:

When Jess steals a glance at a gorgeous guy in a Manchester nightclub, little does she realise how he is going to change her life…or should that be death? Yet, the vampire clan could never have predicted what they were taking on. 

With Luke pronounced ‘off-limits’ and the blood of a vampire simmering in Jess’s body, can she forget the love of her life and move on? If not, she will risk exposing the entire Northern vampire clan to untold dangers, in order to live her life the way she wants.

Can Jess be sure that Luke is all he appears to be? Will she succumb to the attraction she desperately tries not to feel for Daniel? And why does she still crave a packet of crisps more than a tasty teenage boy’s blood?

Review:

The main draw of me reading this book was the fact that the author is not only a Brit like me, but she also has set her books in the UK. My other half is from Manchester, but I don’t admit to knowing the city very much.

The main character of Jess is pretty much someone I’d want to be friends with. She sassy with a touch or sarcastic. Just my kinda gal, but I wanted to shake her when she left the club alone. You just DON’T do that!! I mean, look where it got her.

Once … events have taken place and the reader has been introduced to Daniel and Eve, we start to see more of Jess’s character. She refuses to act the way is expected of her, and I admire that. After all, it would be so easy for her to just cave to the peer pressure that’s being placed upon her.

I enjoyed the twists Mills put on her version of vampire lore, such as the bonds between maker and new vamp, but I have to admit, I wasn’t a fan of Daniel. As I read the first book, I couldn’t help but think he was yet another ‘x’ years old vamp who thought he knew better than the female lead and was a bit controlling, but after a while, I found it easy to understand why he was like that.

Unlike ‘other’ vampire books, there was a real threat to Jess. The vampire clans were ever present, and rules had to be adhered to, which is why we’re introduced to Sebastian (I REALLY wasn’t keen on him).

I admit, after finishing this book, I was “Team Luke”. Even acting the way he did, but considering his background, totally understandable.

I did feel sorry for Jess. If being a newly turned vamp wasn’t enough, she now has witch powers that she’s struggling to control, and at the end of the book I really wanted more.

The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 was in some places, the pace of the story dropped a little. First books in a series are tricky as they have to contain a lot of information, background and build up to the grand finale. Mills did all of this really well, but sometimes it was a little information overload. it didn’t put me off diving straight into book 2 though.

I adore these covers

Book 2: WitchCraft

Blurb:

Jess is no ordinary vampire. Protected by the Manchester vampire clan, and initiated by her family’s east coast American coven, she is sought after by every dark witch and warring vampire faction. Jess must fight if she wants to keep hold of her friends, her sanity and finally her existence.

As the dead bodies of human girls begin to stack up, and her recently accepted vampire boyfriend, Daniel, finds himself in prison, Jess goes on a crazy, forbidden trip to London, racing against time to save an old friend and solve the mystery behind Daniel’s incarceration. In battling new enemies and finding new friends, Jess’s confidence finds room to grow, but who will she lose along the way?

Review:

Jess is still sassy and I lover her for it. There’s nothing worse than a limp lead character! But, her confidence is growing, especially when Susannah sows up on the doorstep and whips Jess into a black vortex. Thankfully, Luke (swoon) is on hand to save the day with the other angels.

This book concentrates on Jess being initiated as a witch and her fight to rescue her best friend Alex.

I was right beside Jess as she ran off to London, at the expense of pissing off Daniel and incurring the wrath of the leader of the London clan, Cole. I admit, I was cheering her on because although Daniel was growing on me, I’m still all for Jess and Luke getting back together – not that I see it happening, but I had my hope built up when Cole broke the bond between Jess and Daniel.

I admit that I shed a small tear when Luke told Jess that Alex’s memory would be wiped and then Daniel and Eve were killed during the clean up. Yeah, the vamp’s growing on me.

This was a 4 star book because certain aspects of the story were a little bit predictable. It didn’t distract me from reading, but I guessed a fair few of the twist outcomes.

I have extreme cover envy

Book 3: WitchLove

Blurb:

With the reappearance of a lost love, Jess flees to the only people who can help her control her increasing powers and gain independence – her family’s coven. But with a bruised heart can Jess learn to forgive or will she find new love in the United States? Witchlove, the third installment of the Witchblood series, is a new adventure that takes Jess from New England to Voodoo country in the South.

Review:

I have to admit, this my favourite book of the three simply because I prefer witches to vamps, and boy, there’s a hell of a lot of witches in this book. Good and bad ones.

After Jess appears before the Supernatural Council, and gets the shock of her life, she decides to go to America to her family’s coven.

With her new friend Brittany in tow, Jess begins to learn about how to use and control her magic. They also discover some pretty scary things about Brittay’s family. Put it this way, Hoodoo scares the bejesus out of me, and this book didn’t rectify that.

With the help of her cousins Noah and Susannah (yeah, that surprised me too), and other members of the Malden Coven, Jess and Brittany deal with a very dark side to magic and manage to become very powerful witches who are a force to be reckoned with.

Also, Jess discovers that she and Luke are not meant to be (sob) and that Daniel is  the one for her. – I can handle this now.

I gave this book 4 stars rather than 5 simply because I felt there was more of the story left to tell, so much so I emailed the author asking. She told me there will be a 4th book called WitchHunt and she is currently writing a novella about Eve and Sebastian which should be available to buy next month (yay).

I will definitely read more of this series.

Gah! I want these covers!

About the author:

(Bio copied from Goodreads)

Hi I’m Emma. I am happily married with two lovely children. I have always loved reading and writing and have just written my first novel. After aquiring an obsessive love of supernatural teen novels…yes I’m a Twilight fan…I decided to write my own supernatural story based here in Manchester in the UK, near where I live and grew up. It’s currently dark, windy, cold and very very wet… and easy to get inspiration!

LINKS:

Seems like Leo Scott has it all: looks, brains, and athletic talent. He’s captain of his high school swim team with a bright future in college and beyond. But Leo has secrets. His mother’s crippling car accident has devastated his family and left Leo to deal with his father’s abuse, battered and alone. 

Leo’s girlfriend Audrey Rose is poised for her own share of success. As one of Florida’s top high school swimmers, Audrey dreams of college swimming stardom. But there’s an obstacle to her glorious rise to the top. Her number-one supporter–her father–is in prison for murder. 

Part murder mystery, part tale of young love in a military family, this gripping story takes readers on a journey from Pensacola to Annapolis. Leo and Audrey must band together to rise above the adversity they encounter and find their true selves in the process. When everything’s on the line . . . streamline.

Review:

Okay, I know some people have a big issue of the current P2P (pull to publish) trend. I want to make it known that if someone wrote a story as a fanfiction (twilight, Harry Potter… whatever) and then decides to pull it from whichever website it was posted on so that they can publish it, more power to them. They wrote that story, even using the basis of someone else’s characters and settings, they OWN the storyline and if they rework it, change the names and locations, I wish them all the best.

Did you see the magic word in that little rant above? “Rework”. If an author wants to P2P, then this is a must for me. there is nothing worse, than picking up a book and realising you’ve read it somewhere before because all that has happened is a find/replace of character names. No, that’s lazy and cheapens the fans.

*disclaimer*

The above is my own opinion and is not in anyway endorsed by anyone else.

The reason for the above ‘rant’ is that I first came across Streamline and Jennifer Lane in the world of Twilight fanfiction. The story was called “Swimming Against the Tide” and her penname was pbswimmer. I ADORED the story and very often stopped what I was doing when an update was posted.

The update schedule was as regular as clockwork as the story was already complete. as I got to know Jen (as well as you can via PMs on a fanfic site), I found out that she had written the story as an original, but had decided to adapt it and post as a fanfic using Edward and Bella as the main characters. Apart from their descriptions, these characters were as far removed from Meyer’s characters as you could get.

Then, I discovered that Jen had reworked it again and had published the story as an original novel.  I never got round to reading it as I just never seemed to find the time, then this birthday blog tour came up and I grabbed the chance.

Why the hell did I wait so damn long???

Yes, I did have that feeling of “i recognise this”, but not as much as I had expected having read it before. It’s like that feeling you get when you find the dogeared copy of your favourite book that you thought you’d lost 12-18 months previously. There was enough new material in the book, I never felt cheated or bored.

Now, I’m an army brat, so all the Naval Lingo was lost on me, but it didn’t matter. While the navy is almost a character of it’s own, I never felt bogged down by the terminology, the same with the swimming.  I may not have understood it all, but it didn’t cause the book to become unreadable.

Also, the story is told from multiple points of views, the main being Leo, which gives the reader a wider view of what is happening throughout the world she has created. In some books, this could be seen as confusing, but in Streamline, it simply enhances the story.

The research that Jen has put into this story (and the personal experiences) make it very real, and the subject matter add the edge of “OMG, what the hell is he doing” moments when I found myself chewing my knuckles so I wouldn’t cry.

It’s a ridiculously well written book, with many twists and turns that will keep you guessing right up until the very end, and the romance side of it will make you wish you were a teenager experiencing first love all over again.

I HIGHLY recommend that you buy this book, even if you have heard of and read the fanfiction. You will not be disappointed!!! Just beware that although you may fall for Leo or Jason, Benito may sneak up on you. He did me! Me Gusta!!

As Streamline is a year old, Jen is hosting a giveaway, click the link below

a Rafflecopter giveaway