Welcome to Book Lovers Paradise

Welcome to my attempt at blogging. I am a true to heart bibliophile. Here I will discuss and review books as I read them. You are welcome to do the same. The only rules are no profanity, no politics, no religion, and have fun!
Donna

Friday, April 20, 2012


book tour and ebook
GIVEAWAY!!!

WE WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME
CAMILLA CHAFER
author of
ILLICIT MAGIC

she has kindly offered a guest blog during
her virtual book tour

So Camilla, welcome!!



One of the fun things about writing a book is creating a world for the characters to live in. For Stella Mayweather’s world, which starts with Illicit Magic, the supernatural world is layered over the contemporary world we live in. I did this so that there would be a real anchor for all the fun magical elements as well as ensure there are relatable points - keeping some realism in it stops the world getting too complex or unreal. For example, my characters have issues with typical things – family, work, relationships – but they also have hopes and dreams, problems and flaws with the supernatural elements of their lives.
The layers continue with a mix of real world locations (London, New York) and fictional ones. However, even with the real locations, the actual locations – the homes, addresses – are imaginative. It’s more practical when writing a novel to be able to create geography that fits rather than try to create situations to fit geography.
Beyond that, that’s where it gets fun. When it comes to the supernatural beings, I wanted to reinvent witches for Stella’s world. So, things like cauldrons, black cats and rhyming spells are out, and innate magic, teleportation and telekinesis are in. Witch hunters, werewolves, daemons, demons, shapeshifters all appear but they have their own rules, some that will seem familiar and others that are rules to fit this universe.
I keep the “rules” of Stella’s world relaxed because I know things will come up in future novels where I’ll want to give a character a new magical power or introduce a new supernatural being, thus keeping that element of “what’s around the corner?” Having said that, is there anything I would change? Sure! Occasionally things cropped up in later novels where I need to recheck to see if I’ve made a rule that can’t be broken, or if I’ve described something in a certain way and it’s now down as record. I sometimes wish I had written a few books in the series before releasing the first book just so I could iron out those kinks and make my life a bit easier! One thing I have learned… keep a lot of notes!


and now,
about Camilla's new book



Illicit Magic 
By Camilla Chafer
Blurb: 

More than three hundred years after the most terrifying witch hunts the world has ever known, it's happening again. 

Racing from attack by the ruthless Brotherhood in London to the powerful witch council in New York, twenty-four-year-old novice witch Stella has to put her faith in strangers just to stay alive but she might not be any safer in their midst than from the danger she is running from.

Sent to an extraordinary safe house by the sea to learn her craft, Stella finds there is more than one dark secret in her new family: Étoile’s sister is spoken of in fear and sadness; Marc is supposed to be a powerful witch but is missing his magic; where does the owner of their safe house vanish to every day and why does Evan have the eyes of someone not quite human?

There is only one secret that someone will do anything to keep quiet, but whose secret is it and will Stella have to pay the price for silence?

Amazon UK Top 10 contemporary fantasy bestseller

Amazon US Top 45 fantasy bestseller
Amazon US Top 50 contemporary fantasy bestseller


Smashwords: http://bit.ly/lX5PLb

Camilla has provided us with an excerpt of her book


Illicit Magic Excerpt 1 (from Chapter One – 734 words)
NB: British English

Sharp, murmured voices passed me on the wind. I couldn’t make out what they were saying but there was the sound of confusion and dissent; then a barked order calmed them. I caught the sole word “silence” from a low voice as it hissed past me. The footsteps shuffled and stamped again but no one uttered a word. It was like they were all listening for me. I felt like a fox, terrified and cornered, knowing that the beagles were just behind me, waiting to catch my scent. 
Above me I could just see the first quarter of the moon breaking in the sky, casting a dim glow over the city. My jacket was a dark padded cord, good for blending in with both the hedge and low light. My breath was catching like little puffs of cloud in the air so I pulled up my cheap, striped scarf and covered my mouth to keep the plumes from straying to where they could be seen. 
Without moving the rest of my body, I strained my head towards my pursuers, the scarf tightening about my neck until I tugged it loose again. I tried to count how many footsteps I could hear as they shuffled, fanned out and regrouped.
With only my pounding heartbeat for company I waited for what seemed like eternity. I tried to count Mississippi’s to gauge the time but my mind stumbled over the count and I threw the thought away. I waited for seconds, minutes, hours for them to rush past me, or at least turn and stamp a different way, hoping miserably that they really hadn’t seen me dart into this street.
Finally I couldn’t hear a thing but the blood rushing in my ears. Had I made it up? Was I really paranoid enough to think someone would bother following me? Probably. Possibly. It wasn’t the first time I’d been extra cautious, but it was the first time since the news has been full of murder. I shivered and tried to shake away the icy fear.
Edging my way across the privet, the leather of my long boots brushing against each other as I sidestepped, my toes scuffed against the scrub of garden. Fronds of hedge needled my back through my winter coat as I brushed by and fresh drops of dew slid uncomfortably past my scarf and inside my collar. 
With my mouth set in a firm, grim line, clamped so tightly shut I was close to grinding my teeth, I poked my head forward, mere millimetres from the hedge but enough to see a gloved hand shoot towards me and grab my coat, the fingers clawing at my shoulder to snatch a handful of material and drag me into the open. A gasp escaped me. How had they gotten so close without me realising? Another hand, yellowed at the fingertips and reeking of tobacco, reached for my neck. 
A gruff male voice snarled, “Gotcha!”
I shrieked and my whole body went rigid as I closed my eyes tightly. The air went thick and heavy around me, the cold momentarily disappeared and the blood in my veins surged as electricity crackled through my body. For the merest second all the low light and dull sounds of the city disappeared as the power rushing through me overwhelmed and took possession of me. 
With the hand at my neck and the fear pumping alongside the electricity, I thought I would die in this moment, but when I opened my eyes again I was on the other side of the street, looking at my attacker grasping at the air where a second ago my neck had been. I saw his fist punch savagely through the air where my jaw should have been. If I had still been there, he would have smashed it for sure. 
I felt dizzy and willed myself not to faint. The last of the shriek ebbed in my throat as I realised that I had barely focused on the task but had ended up exactly where I thought I should be when I’d glimpsed that section of empty street. Perhaps my strange gift (I never could decide what I should call it) only worked properly when I was terrified. Moving through space wasn’t something I had even been able to control before. And right now, I wasn’t afraid to admit that I was absolutely, gut-wrenchingly, terrified.



Roxanne Rhoads
Paranormal Romance Author
Publicist at Entangled Publishing
Publicist/Owner Bewitching Book Tours
 

AND NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY PART,
JUST LEAVE YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS UNDER THE COMMENTS.
I WILL CONTACT THE WINNER AND FORWARD THE INFO TO THE PUBLISHER!














Wednesday, April 18, 2012



WELCOME TO TRIBUTE BOOKS BLOG TOUR
celebrating the release of

UNTIL NEXT TIME
THE ANGEL CHRONICLES
BOOK 1
BY
AMY LIGNOR

about the book:
Until Next Time: The Angel Chronicles, Book 1 Summary
How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amy Lignor's Bio:
Amy Lignor began her career at Grey House Publishing in northwest Connecticut where she was the Editor-in-Chief of numerous educational and business directories.

Now she is a published author of several works of fiction. The Billy the Kid historical The Heart of a Legend; the thriller, Mind Made; and the adventure novel, Tallent & Lowery 13.

She is also the owner of The Write Companion, a company that offers help and support to writers through a full range of editorial services from proofreading and copyediting to ghostwriting and research. As the daughter of a research librarian, she is also an active book reviewer.

Currently, she lives with her daughter, mother and a rambunctious German Shepherd named Reuben, in the beautiful state of New Mexico. 

the books official site

other ways to purchase the book and/or learn about Amy

The Angel Chronicles Facebook page:

Until Next Time GoodReads page:

Amy Lignor's Facebook:

Amy Lignor's Twitter:

Amy Lignor's Website:

Amy Lignor's Blog:

Amy Lignor's GoodReads:

Tribute Books website:

Tribute Books Facebook:

Tribute Books Twitter:

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:




I was immediately drawn to this haunting cover.  The book itself was somewhat confusing.  I couldn't understand why angels sent to Earth kept loosing their memories.  Didn't really make sense to me.
Matt and Emily are great characters, as are their human counterparts Liz and Daniel.  Liz is my favorite.  
This is an incredibly unique book.  I loved the interaction between the characters.  I can't wait for book 2 in the series.



3.5 stars






Monday, April 16, 2012


What Would the Founding Fathers Think?

Any ideas?
I think they would be appalled at what has become of the USA.  A country they worked so hard to create.  A country founded on ideals of integrity and hard working people.

A little about the book:

(from the Cedar Fort Publishers page)

What if the Founding Fathers could see our nation today?
What would they say to the next generation about it?
 JOIN Washington, Franklin, and Madison (via SKYPE/CHAT session) as they discuss our country’s current crisis as compared to their original intentions for America. With wit, humor, and variety of visuals, David Bowman skillfully teaches pre-teens alike the wisdom of returning to our nation’s founding principles, and in a way that they will “get it”.
 Our nation is only as good as its next generation.
 Let’s equip them with the knowledge necessary to be permanently a free people.

(from Barnes and Noble)
History, politics, government—-they're not just for grown-ups anymore. Today's teens are about to be handed a collapsing nation and it'll be their job to fix it. Enter David Bowman. With wit, humor, and the occasional serious note, he skillfully illustrates America's biggest problems and presents an interactive guide to understanding them that's so much fun adults will want to read it too!



The book will be available on May 8th.
It's a wonderful book.  A book every American should read.
Our children are our future.  What kind of a country are we giving them?  
This book is easy to read and full of fabulous illustrations.



Sunday, April 15, 2012

GILT
by
Katherine Longshore

ARC received from Viking (Penguin)
via 
Librarything


synopsis (Goodreads)
In the court of King Henry VIII, nothing is free--
and love comes at the highest price of all.

When Kitty Tylney's best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII's heart and brings Kitty to court, she's thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat's shadow, Kitty's now caught between two men--the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat's meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head.


MY REVIEW

Fantastic debut novel by Katherine Longshore.  
I have always had a fondness for Tudor history.  Especially the lives of those unfortunate enough to be part of the king's household.   
Of all Henry's wives, Catherine Howard is the one I understand the least.  Several books portray her as the used and abused young child of the Howard's.  Used to further their place at court, and abused, ignored when the young woman fails to produce an heir.  She is also portrayed as a conniving, selfish fiend who only lives to further her own pleasures.  

Kitty is a young woman who is incredibly naive at the start of this book. The two are brought up together in the home of a duchess.  Despite all, Kitty truly believes herself to be a friend to Catherine, not just a pawn in a bigger game.  She learns the hard way, life at court is less than majestic. Catherine is indeed just a selfish brat who thinks more of herself than others.  Or does she?  

This is an incredible debut novel.  I did not like Catherine Howard.  I did not feel pity when she lost her head.
Kitty was a different character all together.  I felt, at times, like yelling at her "She's just using you!  Grow up and see the light!"   Kitty still chose to believe the best of Catherine.  Her character was amazingly loyal, but never boring.  

I give this book 5 stars and hope Katherine Longshore writes more!!!