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Sunday, February 4, 2018

Paperback Release: The Space Between the Stars by Anne Corlett + giveaway


Praise for THE SPACE BETWEEN STARS:

“Strikingly written, with very human characters and a deep concern with human frailty...an excellent debut.”—Tor.com

“Corlett offers a thoughtful examination of how individuals find meaning and fulfillment in the face of an apocalyptic event then wraps up with a thrilleresque ending.”—Booklist

“With its unique plot and luminous prose, it’s hard to believe that The Space Between the Stars is a debut novel. Anne Corlett understands the complexities and frailties of the human heart and captures it brilliantly on the page. Don’t let the setting fool you—this is a story for any age, combining love, loss, grief, hope, and possibilities all in one delicious book. Definitely one for my keeper shelf.”—Karen White, New York Times bestselling author of The Night the Lights Went Out

What if the universe had to start over? Where would you go?



The Space Between the Stars
by Anne Corlett
February 6, 2018

Berkley- Penguin Group
368 pages

In a breathtakingly vivid and emotionally gripping debut novel, one woman must confront the emptiness in the universe—and in her own heart—when a devastating virus reduces most of humanity to dust and memories.

All Jamie Allenby ever wanted was space. Even though she wasn’t forced to emigrate from Earth, she willingly left the overpopulated, claustrophobic planet. And when a long relationship devolved into silence and suffocating sadness, she found work on a frontier world on the edges of civilization. Then the virus hit...

Now Jamie finds herself dreadfully alone, with all that’s left of the dead. Until a garbled message from Earth gives her hope that someone from her past might still be alive.

Soon Jamie finds other survivors, and their ragtag group will travel through the vast reaches of space, drawn to the promise of a new beginning on Earth. But their dream will pit them against those desperately clinging to the old ways. And Jamie’s own journey home will help her close the distance between who she has become and who she is meant to be.


Pamela K. Kinney reviewed The Space Between the Stars here.

About the Author:
Anne is originally from the north-east, but somehow slid down the map and finished up in the south-west. She now lives near Bath with her partner and three young sons.

Anne returned to writing in 2011 after many years working as a criminal lawyer in London. This was slightly unfortunate timing, given that she was right in the middle of relocating to Somerset with her family who seemed to feel that a little less novel-writing and a little more packing might be warranted. They probably had a point.

Over the next couple of years, Anne began to build a career as a freelance writer, fitting this work in around her day job as a solicitor. In 2012 she met her agent, Lisa Eveleigh, at the York Festival of Writing. Since then her work has been published in various magazines and anthologies and her short fiction has won, placed or been shortlisted in various national and international awards.

In 2014 Anne began an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. Her initial MA novel was put on hold after a trip back up to the Northumberland coast triggered the idea for The Space Between the Stars which was acquired by Pan Macmillan in January 2016. It is due out in hardback in Spring 2017.



Giveaway
a print copy of The Space Between the Stars
(US/Can only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Book Review: Blaze (Spelldrift: Coven of Fire Book 4) by Sierra Cross

by Sierra Cross
January 12, 2018
Pages: 281
My inner demon is still out there.

Tenebris—the monster who killed my parents, violated my mind, and destroyed my coven sister Callie—has gone into deep hiding. I won’t rest until I find him and personally take him down.

Luckily the vampires have a bead on him, and they want me along for the demon-hunting ride. But with his brand new skinsuit and the magic amulet he stole from a witch, Tenebris is more powerful than ever. I’m not dumb enough to go up against my mortal enemy without the Coven of Fire at my side. The vampires, however, flat-out refuse to let my “non-traditional” coven in on the job. It seems that no one in the magicborn community respects us, no matter how many lives we save or how many sacrifices we make.

Callie was one sacrifice too many.

So screw the vampires. Forget working within a system that won’t accept us. Matt, Asher, Liv, and I may be misfits, but we’re a coven. And our coven is not complete without Callie. Somehow, we’ve got to track her down and find a way to save her. Then, we’re going to avenge our loved ones and take down Tenebris once and for all...but we’ll do it as a coven. As a family. One witch for all and all for one, no magicborn left behind.

Tenebris has gone into deep hiding and Alix and her coven are determined to find him. They want to destroy him and all he stands for all the while risking everything to save their coven sister Callie with a procedure/spell that has never been successful.

The vampires want to be in charge of the Tenebris operation because they feel they are the only ones who could possibly capture and destroy him. The amulet that Tenebris now possesses makes him more powerful than ever and it’s going to take all the vampires, the coven and anyone else who is willing to walk into a suicide mission to find and stop him.

This is one fantastic series! A misfit coven that is detested by anyone in power but is still willing to risk their lives to save the magic born community. Tenebris is like the energizer bunny and just won’t quit making him a force to be reckoned with. Look for the final book in the series, Inferno sometime this Spring!

Getting 5 sheep





Denise B

About the Author:
Website-FB-Twitter
Amazon-Goodreads
Spells and skyscrapers. Warriors and warlocks. Coven secrets and forbidden romances. Sierra Cross lives for urban fantasy, for modern magic and the bold supernatural beings who stalk our contemporary world. Her Spelldrift universe stars kickass witches and their heroic guardians, as well as vampires, shifters, mages, Fidei, and the dark demonic forces that threaten them all.

Friday, February 2, 2018

Book Review: Rage (Spelldrift: Coven of Fire Book 3) by Sierra Cross

Rage (Spelldrift: Coven of Fire Book 3)
by Sierra Cross
September 18, 2017
Pages: 280
Matt is my guardian, my rock. But he has a dark secret. One he’s carried with him his entire life…and it’s tearing him up inside. With more honor than sense, he’s decided to turn himself in to the authorities and face unjust execution.

But I won’t let that happen. Now it’s my turn to be his protector.

And if that were my only problem I’d have my hands full, but on top of it all a ghost from the past has shown up, complicating everything. Brutal factions in the Fidei, demons threatening to seize power, and a plot against our governing body are making it impossible to know who to trust. The whole magicborn world has been turned upside down. And we’ve stumbled onto some damning information that just might set the whole powder keg off.

Can my coven keep it together in the face of flawed justice, the pain of the past, and the weight of our destiny? If not, the fragile balance of the Spelldrift could topple into darkness.

Rage, the third book in the Coven of Fire series by Sierra Cross, will keep you on the edge of your seat with dangerous magical secrets, forbidden desire, and pulse-pounding action.


Matt has spent his whole life hiding his true nature and has decided that the right thing to do is to turn himself into the Guardians. Alix and the coven want to save Matt at any cost necessary, but Matt seems to get in his own way preventing them from saving him at every turn. The only thing that is holding him back is a shock from his past that might change the entire world.

Everyone has secrets and some secrets can be dangerous. Rage connects on a soul level with what some people face every day; secrets, fear, hatred. Explosive action will keep you reading until the very end.



Getting 5 sheep





Denise B

About the Author:
Website-FB-Twitter
Amazon-Goodreads
Spells and skyscrapers. Warriors and warlocks. Coven secrets and forbidden romances. Sierra Cross lives for urban fantasy, for modern magic and the bold supernatural beings who stalk our contemporary world. Her Spelldrift universe stars kickass witches and their heroic guardians, as well as vampires, shifters, mages, Fidei, and the dark demonic forces that threaten them all.



Groundhog Day: Did Baaart see his shadow?

***We interupt this website with breaking news...***

Baaart did not see his shadow this morning...six more weeks of winter.
***We now return you to regularly scheduled post...***

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Book Review: Heavenly Pleasures (For Heaven's Sake) by Isla Dennes


January 30, 2018
ebook, 257 pages
genre: Chick Lit, comedy and humor, contemporary, sweet romance
Who would have thought a group of working girls would help Brooke find not only herself but the love of her life, too? But at Heavenly Pleasures, quite a lot of things are possible…

Meet Brooke, a self-confessed shopaholic turned reluctant brothel receptionist, as she stumbles through life, trying to live up to her parents’ and fiancé’s high expectations—at the cost of her now low self-esteem.

Who would have thought a group of working girls would help her rediscover her inner strength and finally tackle her personal demons? But at Heavenly Pleasures, the rules are made to be broken and new opportunities are just around the corner…

Brooke, a self-confessed shopaholic in financial dire straits, takes a receptionist position at the local brothel. The money is good and the hours are flexible, so no biggie that she’s topping up the lube, stocking the condoms, and perpetually listening to porn. Brooke just needs to keep her employment under the radar until she’s above water. Then, finally, she and her fiancé can live happily ever after.

Heavenly Pleasures is a romantic comedy in the tradition of Bridget Jones’ Diary, and Confessions of a Shopaholic; works Dennes references in the story. I like a relatable female lead whose poor judgement leads to hilarity. But, for me, the poor judgement needs to be slight with a touch innocence to be endearing. Brooke’s judgement, however, is tragically bad. So bad, in fact, I had a difficult time relating to her on any level and I am most definitely a shopaholic. I loved the premise of the book, just not the execution. I found the pacing awkward. The book was much longer than it needed to be. It took far too long for Brooke to settle in at the brothel. I would’ve liked for more of the story to take place in the brothel and for some of the working girls to be better developed. Brooke’s relationship with her parents and fiancé are highly problematic from the start and a little too exaggerated to be believable.

Ultimately I had a few laughs and appreciate the concept. This book is the first in a series, though it has a lot of the characteristics of a stand-alone. I’m curious as to what Dennes has planned for the rest of the series.

Three Sheep






Bianca Greenwood

About the Author:
Married, mother of one son and three daughters, Isla Dennes developed a love of writing while employed in her dream job as the owner of a bookshop in a seaside resort town in NSW, Australia. Not content to simply read every book in the store, she found herself compelled to create novels of her own. Had she concentrated more on sales and less on writing, she might well have retired a wealthy woman, but writing won out in the end, with the result being a lifelong passion for creative writing across a number of genres, including a brief but regrettable sojourn into horribly sentimental New-Age poetry that's best forgotten.