Celebrate Ink 2's release with us!

Celebrate

In honor of Ink 2 coming out this month, the author, Holly Hood will be giving away some Ink-related swag along with a free copy of Ink 2 to one lucky winner! If you haven't read the first and enjoy a good paranormal romance, check it out on Amazon.

Stay tuned for details on how to sign up for a chance to get your own copy of book 2 and some really cool swag!

Note from Author:

Thanks everyone for the support! I wanted to do something fun for the release of Ink 2, so I have some cool swag that reminds me of Ink, along with paperback copy of my favorite book. I can't wait to find out who gets to enjoy it!


I will be posting pictures of the swag along with a way to enter the giveaway! 


Holly Hood a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review of The Way of the Black Beast by Stuart Jaffe

Absolutely Hooked! 

Raised by two evil, heartless magicians who think themselves gods, then cast out to fend for herself or succumb to the elements, Malja is a girl just trying to survive in a dangerous world that has been decimated by magic, and where violence is a necessary evil. Throughout her journey she keeps two things close to her: Viper, a straight edge, deadly extension of herself used to destroy anything that might bring harm, and Tommy, the adolescent youth/ magician who attached himself to her side after she saved him from his abusers. 

Following the death of the man who saved her, took her in, and acted as a caring and devoted father, Malja is driven by the Black Beast within, seeking revenge. While facing off with a guitar case toting Bluesman, a trained and hired assassin who has managed to stay one step ahead of her, taking out her contacts before she can gain any information from them, Malja finds out that the very men she has been searching for, her “fathers” Jerik and Callib, may just be looking for her too. Following a lead gleaned from the assassin, she finds herself at the home of Nolan, a simple woman with a lot of knowledge. This is where her true journey begins. From there Malja is taken across the desolate and ravaged lands encountering people, creatures, and beings of all shapes, sizes, and colors (yes, I said colors). She is forced to take on others along the way, each contributing in their own way. 

Being the warrior that she is, Malja spends a lot of her time denying her need for others, even her enjoyment of their company. She’d much rather go it alone, lessen the complications that come with watching out for the safety of others. Her denial even extends to Tommy who shows his desire to be loved by her, but also recognizes her limitations. Of course, Malja’s limits on emotional connections cause their own problems, putting a rift between her and Tommy, especially when a member of the troupe seems to be quite taken with him, and vice versa. Through a series of events, Malja is forced to look inside herself and be truthful both—she loves Tommy as a mother, not just a protector. 

I don’t want to give too much away because this story is very involved and well thought out. What I will say is this was such an amazing read! I was hooked from the opening line, blown away by the detail and mesmerized by the characters. They were so deep and well-developed that I felt an instant connection with them all. 

The world Jaffe thought up is incredible and impressive, and the imagery…stunning. Even right now, while trying to think of what to say next, my mind is spinning. There is so much to cover, from the charred remains of the Freelands to the less than desirable appearance of…well, a lot of characters, actually, to the to the fascinating fight sequences and glimpses into another world. Jaffe truly succeeds in transporting the reader into another world of fantasy brought to startling life. He covered every little detail and wrapped up the ending to perfection. No complaints here! 

I think I found myself a new favorite author! 

…Five Hearts all the way…

The Way of the Black Beast

Available on:

Amazon

Smashwords

Barnes & Noble
and Goodreads

Find out more about the author at the following:

The Stuart Jaffe Website 
The Writing World of Stuart Jaffe--blog 
Co-Host of The Eclectic Review Podcast 

Review of Waiting on Hope by T.M. Souders

Waiting on Hope by T.M. Souders

Waiting on Hope is a story about Lexie. A young woman who was raped. The story starts with Lexie about to commit suicide. Lexie is having a hard time dealing with the rape and this is logical. Things go from bad to worse when she discovers she is also pregnant by her attacker. If that doesn’t make matters even worse, the attacker is someone she knows. And for reasons I won’t give away, she has to hide the secret from her best friend.

The characters in Waiting on hope were very realistic. Lexie was like any normal girl in her thirties. One that had a life that most would love to have. But she grew tired with that life and so she moved away from home. Not knowing that where she is happiest would soon turn into her worst nightmare when she is viciously attacked by someone she knows.

Lexie tries her best to maintain the life that she has but finds it’s not so easy because everything about her life reminds her of the rape.

So Lexie decides to go back home to her family. A place that she hopes will give her a relief and maybe some security again. And we meet her family. The one character that stood out for me was her mother, a very strong willed woman. And in the story her strength is described as not only physical but on the inside as well. And I think these words rang true about her mother. She was Lexie’s rock all the way through the book. Even if I felt like Lexie was too stubborn to admit it most of the time.

I can’t imagine having to come back home to a family you haven’t seen in a long time under the circumstances Lexie arrived under. But she does her best to put on a happy face and not trouble them with her predicament right off the bat. The moment she hugs her mother tore at my heart. You could feel the pain. You could feel all that Lexie wanted to spill, but she was trying to be strong for her family.

But everyone is not so welcoming. Lexie’s younger brother is still angry with her for leaving without as much as a goodbye. He wants an explanation. So it makes sense that he holds a lot of pent up anger for his sister. The two were close at one time and now Phillip, her brother, feels she just abandoned them because she was selfish. And now that she is back he wants to let her have it. I understood the anger, but, I also felt he was a little too unforgiving. This made for quite a few good points in the book. Lexie could have spilled her secret with her brother, but instead, she endures his anger for some time. She doesn’t lash out, she understands, and that shows a lot about her character.

Coming back to Ohio also brought Lexie back to the life she left behind. Elliot. Elliot is her old boyfriend who she was going to marry. The man she ran away from because she felt she was in his shadow. Elliot is perfect to many—more like everybody. And he loved Lexie with everything he had in him and then some. But for some reason this was too much for Lexie. She felt like her whole life was figured out. She felt like she was being suffocated by her life, and relationship. She feels Elliot was so perfect. But to Elliot he wasn’t, he never saw himself the way others saw him. In the story we see Elliot’s own regrets. He was so busy building this life with Lexie that he never asked her what she wanted. And he fears he is the reason their relationship didn’t turn into the happy life he envisioned with Lexie. But one thing is a constant throughout this book, its Elliot’s love for Lexie. This man loves her more than anything. And is willing to stick by her through it all, no matter how awful or ugly her life has become. He would do anything for her. And it’s so wonderfully obvious through the book.

Lexie comes clean with her family about the rape and they help her through. Even the moments when she falls apart, when she is sleeping by their bedroom door because she is so petrified. The girl has been through a lot.

When Lexie and Elliot finally come together again, you know the magic is still there between them. They both still love each other. But they are both still troubled about the past. Elliot because she left, and Lexie because she is just so confused and worried she has destroyed everything they once had. Plus, she is dealing with an unwanted pregnancy and rape that she doesn’t know how to get past. One that she doesn’t feel she will ever recover from.

Elliot missed Lexie. He missed everything about her. And you know this the moment he lays eyes on her again. The feelings are real and they are still there. And as the story carries on you see the connection grow stronger and the feelings flourish like a delicate flower. I loved how gentle Elliot was with Lexie. He was truly there for her. He never pushed to far or too much. He waited patiently and only wanted to hear her tell him that she loved him and that she would never leave again. It was a remarkable thing to see this man want the baby growing inside of her even when she saw it as nothing more than a “monster”. He promised her he would be there for her and treat her baby as her own if she chose to keep her. And this is another part of the story that we see her struggle with, giving away the baby she never wanted.

It takes Lexie a lot of time to come to terms with what happened to her. I think finding her place back home was the push she needed to survive such a horrific event. There were moments in the story that were gut wrenching. Like the moment she recalls the rape. The fear and the sadness this girl goes through is something you can’t fathom. But it’s there and moves you. We even see into her mother’s dealing with her daughter’s rape. And her feelings about never being able to be a part of her granddaughters life.

Parts of me wanted to scream at Lexie, to tell her not to be so cold to this baby she was carrying. But then other parts told me there is no way you could say that to someone going through something so horrendous. No one knows how they would handle such a thing.

By the end of the story Lexie only wants to be herself again. She wants the normal things back that we all take for granted. She wants to laugh again. To imagine forgetting what it felt like to do something so uncomplicated is sad. The idea someone can take that away in one night is horrifying. And then add losing your life and your best friends support for reasons that are out of your control but have been thrust upon you, it’s so sad.

The end of the book we see Lexie realize that maybe this baby isn’t so bad. And that the love for Elliot has never left. She is still scarred, but she is also a new person who is learning how to breathe again.

I do not want to spoil the book for readers. So I will say that I was happy with the ending. I think Lexie came full circle and found a way to carry on. She grew on me throughout the book. I liked her as a person. She didn’t pity herself, she wasn’t out of control or unreasonable. I think she actually was a tough person and deserved everything she got in the end of the book.

I thought the narrative was crisp and fast paced. I never grew fed up or tired with the writing. There was just enough detail to paint a vivid picture and not so much that it made my eyes glaze over.

I felt an emotional connection with the characters very easily with this book. I think the author did a great job with the story.

As a reader I think this story was well told. I would for sure recommend it to anyone who enjoys a story about courageous characters that make it out alive. It was romantic too, the love was cute and charming and very well put together.

If you’re looking for a steamier, gritty or explicit story this is not the book. I think the author did what was needed without shoving parts down our throat that might have been really harsh to some people’s taste on such a subject matter.

As for any negatives. My only issue was how quickly the reveal with the cell phone happened. And the how the rapist was confronted and taken care of. I feel like I might have expected a little more during the confrontation, but it still served its purpose. And I felt the birth might have been a little rushed and a few times I was blown away by the doctors. I wasn’t sure if I felt that was real enough for me during the birth. But I felt the connection and the moment.

Favorite quotes from Waiting on Hope:

“She knew all-too-well you couldn’t lock the devil out. He seldom arrived undisguised.”

“Loving Elliot was easy and always had been. Not loving him, even after all these years, was the hard part.”

“I’ll believe enough for the both of us, until you’re ready and can believe in yourself.”

Waiting on Hope by T.M. Souders

Available on:
Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble

Twitter: TMSouders

Website

T.M. Souders: Facebook

In Shadows by Rebecca S. Foote

                        An Enchanting Read!

The story opens in a town where strange disappearances are rumored but dismissed as “old wives tales.” It becomes apparent very early on that the stories are very true. Dimitri travels and hunts with his brother, Trevaun, sometimes even making a game of it. During a challenge of who can kill the most, Dimitri abducts Ariana Dallenhauf upon her leaving a social event, and determines to make her his protégé. 

When Ariana awakes to her new life, she finds it difficult to adjust. Although her abilities come oddly easy to her, some of which even Dimitri is astonished by; she has a hard time parting with her mortal life much to Dimitri’s annoyance. She soon discovers a whole new world before her, however, one that existed right beneath her nose that is as complex as it is frightening. But with Dimitri by her side to guide her, it’s bound to be an exciting, eye opening experience.                 

When Dimitri and Trevaun are summoned back to the d’Avange castle by their uncle, the Grand Ruler of the Vampire Realm, to investigate a possible conspiracy, Ariana soon learns there is more to her than meets the eye, and the source of uncovering the mystery lies at D’Avange castle. 

I liked following along with Ariana as she tried to make sense of this new world she found herself in and of her instructor, Dimitri. It is obvious that he is a man hardened by his past. But as he and Ariana interact, a certain softness is revealed. 

I also found myself a little on edge when it came to Trevaun and his wife, Katrine. They are a ruthless couple that takes utmost pleasure in scouting and killing their victims. I often times felt the panic of the couples they targeted when they found out they were staring down the mouths of predators and they were the prey. Since I love a little darkness in my reading, it was very entertaining!

Overall, the story had a bit of a jerky beginning, but was quickly found its footing. I felt it was a little slow paced, and at times a little too descriptive as far as detailing every step and movement each character made. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. Foote is very good at describing even the smallest detail, which transported me back in time and made it easy for me stay firmly rooted in the story. The story took some interesting and unexpected turns as well, including dark magic and demonic influences that melded nicely with the vampire lore. I highly enjoyed trying to unravel who was behind the conspiracy, feeling like a bit of a detective and suspecting everyone in play at one time or another. The action sequences were lovely and delightfully gruesome. But if you are expecting an epic love story, you won’t find it here. Instead, I found the connection between Dimitri and Ariana to be very fitting of the times and generally very sweet and endearing. In short, Dimitri is a complete gentleman, which I loved. 

I recommend In Shadows to anyone looking for a story that combines mystery, revenge, love, friendship, and, of course, vampires. It’s truly an enjoyable read. 

Find Rebecca at any of the following links:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Goodreads

Boonville

I started writing a new book series about a month ago if that. And I really am into it. I have nearly completed the first in the series. Its sort of a end of the world spin on romance. I love the characters, the content and most days I am laughing my butt off reading over the chapters. Not sure how many will be in this series yet. I think this time around I will set out to make only a number of books in the series. A few fun facts about Boonville: 1. Main characters name is Gianna "Gigi". 2. People can be perfect. (What??) 3. There are some hunky men running around in these parts lol 4. Be careful of the peeing toms! And lastly I apologize for disappearing for so long. Where have I been you ask? No where in particular just been busy with my three kids being in school. Also with writing. And lastly everything in life. My latest song of all songs if anyone is wondering. Anyone who has read my blogs knows how much I love good music. Here is my latest fave: Poison and Wine Oh and if you have yet to read Ink you should really do so! I have got all great reviews on Ink and I really would like to hear from others about Ink! Its probably my favorite right now!

My brain hurts

Oh the days when I sat and typed. Typed until I had half numb crippled fingers. A brain full of ideas. What happened? I never thought writer's block was a real thing, until it struck me. And I am not sure that is what is going on. I have tons of ideas for more books to write. Its just a matter of being interested enough in one of my ideas to dive deep into the world. I have to have a connection to my writing. I have to feel it. Sometimes I feel like I am mourning the loss of something when I think about Wingless. Wingless is my one true love. (in writing). Its that story that I feel so mesmerized, infatuated and a slave to. Who would have thought a book you created could have such sacred ties to your life. Its kind of funny actually. After writing so many stories about Evan and Eve, Kenny, Gray and Ari I really feel like they are hard to let go. But I believe its time to let them go. I have for a while now been playing with ideas in my mind. Could I come up with another story for Wingless? And finally I believe the answer to that is no. My writing has improved and I know I have the capability to give readers what they loved from Wingless in other books I write. So no worries, I am sure there will be other books to come that have the same effect. Just yesterday I got my very first review on Ink. And I was so happy. I have been waiting patiently (not really) to hear someone's thoughts on my newest book. To me its a bit different the my usual writing style. And I really am in love with it. I read it back and was so addicted, and it was me who wrote it. haha. I think it turned out to be a very great story. And the review I got yesterday agreed! It was probably the greatest review ever. It was everything I wanted to hear and that just made my day, week and year. Over the last week or so I have been driving myself mad with coming up with another story. I have ocd with writing. I have to write. I need to write everyday. I stared some stories, but I was bored a few pages in, so then I knew it wasn't the one for me to be writing right now. I also am collaborating with my best friend on a story idea. But, she needs some time before she and I start this project so that is on the back burner. And that was something my brain was ready to conquer. I guess I will try patience but I have no idea how being patient works, so we will see how that goes. Also I was writing a story with my best friend and another friend, I lost interest in the story and school started so it was hard to pull myself back into the saddle, so we decided to make it a short story. Lately I feel like I can't focus on anything in my thoughts for longer then 12.2 seconds. Its maddening. I try to get one task conquered at a time but I am always sidetracked by a kid, phone, cooking, cleaning, Facebook, life, some other task. All three of my kids are in school now. So I have time to write for sure. Now I am scrambling to collect my thoughts and jot them all on paper. So I can start another story, because that would put me back into my happy place. There are a few constants I need in my life to feel like I am aligned with the world. (my world that is lol) and that is writing and music. I am that person that needs a means of expression. I need to let out my thoughts, I need to express my feelings- be it happy, sad, excited, energetic, amused. And listening to music and writing lets those things come out. I have loved writing since I can remember, and now its an addiction. One that I will never go to rehab for. Lastly, I am trying to grow my fan base. Trying to promote and get more readers. What a hard task. I have the vision in my mind. I want to share my writing with the world. Become a known name in many households. Not everyone is going to like my writing or style, but there are those that do. And I want to connect with them. I want people to anticipate my next book. To continue to be moved by my writing. I want to be the change! Well... maybe its not that dramatic of a desire, I don't want to take over the world. But I want to be an author that people say is their favorite. And most importantly I just want to write!! Now that I have let all my crazy thoughts out, I will go tend to other things in life. *runs away*

Back to Life

Alas, Back to Life was published, its done! I am beyond thrilled and relieved and so far I have heard great things! Now that the series is where I want it to be, I am taking a break and enjoying some reading. I am almost finished with Hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. It is an amazing book and I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts on the book. Also I am finishing editing Gypsies and going to redo the cover.

I wanted to talk about a contest I wanted to hold for Nook and Kindle readers, eventually when I am able I will do this for DTB books as well in the series. I want to hold a contest where the prize is all six books in the series. I need to research a little about what to do, I think that would be a really cool prize, I would love to win a whole series from an author, to me that would be awesome.

I will update on here once I figure it out...have a great weekend!!

Triangle

This week I am finishing up volume six in the Wingless series. This song click here The unavoidable thing between us by Evermore has been the theme song for the writing of this book.
When I write I don't have any idea how its going to end, it sort of progresses as I move from one chapter to the next. And this book is really tough, there is so much that Eve is trying to deal with, you would think she would be happy. But can she really be happy without Evan, after all he was the love of her life right?
Evan and Kenny are two kinds of love, and they both have done their share of horrid things to her, she loves them both in different ways. So I'm sure it would make sense how she bounces back and forth bewteen the two of them.
As the writer and reader, I tend to bounce back and forth, Kenny probably will always be a favorite because I love how cocky and sure of himself that he is, but then Evan is upstanding and honorable. And even when he does the wrong thing its for the right reasons. They both have lovely characteristics, they both have reasons for loving Eve.
I can't wait to finish this book and see how it turns out, and I also am wondering if there will be another, I guess once I get to the end I will find out. Any thoughts on the topic?

Mother's day giveaway

Hey all, its been a long saturday, that's for sure. And since tomorrow is Mother's day, I am giving all the Mother's out there a free copy of Wingless via Smashwords, so if your a Mother who would enjoy a good read, give my book series a try. Its a paranormal romance, that has a little something for everybody in it. And feel free to post a review on Amazon or Smashwords, I am also on Goodreads. Enjoy your Mother's day everybody, Mothers are an important part of life, and we all work hard! The coupon code for Wingless by Holly Hood is TB92X, and it expires on May 9th. Thanks for the support and I hope you all enjoy Wingless!!