Rogue Hunter: Life Force (Rogue Hunter #3) by Kevis Hendrickson

With this exciting third entry, the Rogue Hunter series sheds its skin and gives us an intimate look into the life of the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy…

THE ULTIMATE SIN.

While resting at Space Station Phoenix, Zyra Zanr comes down with a mysterious sickness. She meets Ryan Grant, the station doctor. Fearing that she is dying of a terminal disease, Zyra turns to Ryan for support. But things spiral out of control and their budding friendship explodes into a full-blown romance.

Their tryst inflames the wrath of Ryan's jealous wife, ultimately leading to betrayal and murder. Even as her health worsens, Zyra's uncontrollable desire for Ryan takes her down a dark path of unbridled sensuality that threatens the destruction of her very soul.

LIFE FORCE is the most powerful Rogue Hunter novel yet. Kevis Hendrickson has taken the series to a whole new level.

I will admit that throughout the first half of this book, I was deeply disturbed.  I didn't like Zyra at all as a character.  She's morally bankrupt.  Not only that, I felt like I was reading pornography.  I'll admit, the scenes are well-written, but I wasn't expecting quite so much erotica and quite so little story line.  I even thought about requesting to not do the review and stopping where I was.  I'm not against erotica, I just find it annoying when I want action and mystery.  According to the previous reviews, that's what these books are all about.  Kevis does include a forward explaining that he's branching the series in two different directions, however, not being familiar with the series previously, it didn't make any sense to me.  Until I started reading.

I did a little research and realized I must be missing something. Every single reviewer has given this great ratings.  I don't normally check other reviews while reading a book, but when I fear I must be off-track somewhere, I try to see what I'm missing.  Well, here's what I was missing.  I haven't read any of the other stories and I hadn't finished the book.  Zyra is a beloved character.  By this stage, she's able to make some morally bankrupt decisions without having her rabid readers hate her for it.  They may shake their head in wonder, but that's about it.  For myself, having no investment in Zyra, I had a different reaction.  So, I plugged on, and I'm thankful I did.

Entering the second half of the book, I started to realize why the first half had so many erotic scenes in it.  It was setting the stage for the second half.  Gotcha!  Once we get past the first half, we actually find a thrilling story developing.  There's more action and drama.  Quite a lot, actually, and though I still didn't become a fan of Zyra, I didn't detest her quite as much.  In an attempt to make her a more balanced character, I found she switched between two different personas.  She was either super-whiny female whom I wanted to smack, or superhero.  During the superhero moments, I actually began to have a little respect for her.  

The most intriguing part of this book for me is the way that a super villain is created.  It's something right out of Marvel comics.  I don't want to say too much because I'm afraid of putting in spoilers, but I'll say that this part of the book made all of the trial of the first half well-worthwhile.  

If you're interested in checking out a series with a strong female character and plenty of action, this could be it for you.  I can definitely see most of my friends enjoying this series.   However, please don't start with this book.  Start at the beginning and work your way here.  Though it works fine as a standalone, you won't get as much out of it as others who have started at the beginning.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Shawn

The Memory Child by Steena Holmes

When Brian finds out that his wife, Diane, is pregnant, he is elated. He's been patiently waiting for twelve years to become a father. But Diane has always been nervous about having children because of her family's dark past. The timing of the pregnancy also isn't ideal - Diane has just been promoted, and Brian is being called away to open a new London office for his company.

Fast-forward one year: being a mother has brought Diane a sense of joy that she'd never imagined and she's head over heels for her new baby, Grace. But things are far from perfect: Brian has still not returned from London, and Diane fears leaving the baby for even a moment. As unsettling changes in those around Diane began to emerge, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems.

A woman's dark past collides head-on with her mysterious present in this surreal and gripping family drama.

  I really loved reading this book; it seemed at times that it was a true story more than a work of fiction. I loved how I could almost see myself as the main character “Diane” and being in her situation. The way the story unfolds and is told I believe will help anyone who reads this book to follow along easier and not get confused. Each chapter tells which character’s viewpoint the story is being “told” through and gives a general date (month and year).  I had a hard time getting into “Brian’s” character; I felt like he was hiding something throughout the entire book and that he seemed too good to be true. When I was on the last chapter of the book I was really surprised by the ending. I thought I had figured the story out a little more than ½ way through the book, but I was really surprised by the ending.  

    I was really sympathetic to Diane’s situation and felt bad that she couldn’t remember everything that had happened to her. I felt sorry for her that she ended up in a mental hospital and that she couldn’t remember her husband dying.  I think however, that it was her way of coping though to think that “Brian” had left her instead of him dying. I was really surprised by the ending; I thought it was going to end much different than it did. 

     I think Ms. Holmes did a wonderful job with this book; just when the reader thinks they know the entire story then the author is able to give a twist to the end of the story. I think mainly women will like this book especially because  I think quite a bit of women will be able to relate to this story. I really liked reading this author and I plan to read more of her books; I highly recommend this author to other readers. I give this book and Ms. Holmes an “A+.”

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Tiffany

The Original Butter Bell® Crock Review & Giveaway

Butterbell crocks are specially designed to do one thing.  They allow you to keep real butter soft and ready to use on your counter top for up to a month without having to worry about any spoilage.  We've all seen the rectangular shaped butter dishes.  The bottom part is flat and you lay the butter on top of it and cover it with the rectangular part.  The problem with them is that microbes and bacteria and germs still have free reign on your butter, causing it to begin to mold and spoil much more quickly.  

Butterbell crocks unique design keeps spoilage at bay.  The bottom part is shaped like a cylindrical crock.  In the bottom of that, put about one third of a cup of cold water.  The water should be changed out about twice a week. The lid of the crock is actually where the butter is kept.  It appears to be just a pretty lid until you pull it out and flip it upside down.  Inside you'll find a tiny 'butter bowl' that perfectly fits one stick of butter at a time.  Let your butter soften a little and then firmly pack it into the 'bowl'.  Then flip it upside down into the cylindrical crock.  The water will just barely cover the edge of the butter 'bowl' inside, creating a water barrier so that germs and bacteria can't get inside.  The water doesn't do any damage to your butter at all.  When you pull it out to use it, the water glides right off of it with no mess or fuss.

There are several features to Butterbell crocks that I adore.  First, there are so many designs!  No matter how you've designed your kitchen, there's a Butterbell crock that will match.  They also offer other matching items like creamers and sugar bowls and pitchers.  I love that I can leave my butter sitting out on the counter and not have to worry about how safe it's going to be to eat.  The crock also keeps it at a pretty regulated temperature.  Even if I have the oven turned on and the kitchen becomes overly hot, my butter is still where it belongs in the crock instead of melted into a puddle of water.  The design of the lid is the best part.  When you pull it out to use it, the lid becomes a stable and sturdy holder.  Just set it straight on the counter without worrying about it tipping over and causing a mess.  The design of the butter 'bowl' allows you to easily smooth out as much butter at a time as you'd like.  Instead of the slice and dice of the old butter stick on a plate, it's more like smoothing warm peanut butter on a knife.  

Honestly, after trying the Butterbell crock, I can't imagine how I got through life this long without it.  It's truly one of the handiest things in my kitchen.  When it's empty, I simply wash it in hot, soapy water and refill.  It's always there for safe, easy use.  Not only that, it looks nice sitting on my counter.  I will never go back to any other butter dish. This is the safest, cleanest, easiest method for using butter that I've seen to date.  You could argue that soft-spreadable margarine is just as easy, but you'd also have to admit that they just don't taste the same.

Mother's Day Special Offer - For every two Butter Bell crocks that you purchase, you get a free crock. The specific offer details are available on our website. The offer runs through April 2nd to May 15th 2014.  We are the brand leader and largest seller of butter crocks in the US, with many styles and colors to choose from. The product line was also recently featured on the Food Network on the show "Unwrapped" which is shown on our website - http://www.butterbell.com/how-to-use-butter-bell-crock/ .

 GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader will win their own Butter Bell Crock!

*USA only

*Ends April 10, 2014

*Fill out the Rafflecopter to enter

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Midnight Frost (Mythos Academy #5) by Jennifer Estep

 Imagine if the pantheon of god and goddesses was real, and that you were tapped to become the champion of one of the gods.  This is the premise behind the Frost series by Jennifer Estep.  In Midnight Frost, the fifth installment of the series, Gwen (Nike’s champion) must once again do battle with the evil Reapers, nurse her broken heart, and save one of her friends.
 

            Since I have not read any of the other books in the series, I had to figure out the “world” that Estep created.  While not without its challenges, I was able to piece it together.  There is this god, Loki, who is pretty much the personification of chaos.  His minions, called Reapers, are able to possess people pretty much at will.  (I am unclear as to whether or not people must consent to this act.)  In a previous book, Gwen’s boyfriend Logan stabbed her and became a Reaper, at least for a time.  She is brokenhearted when he leaves and basically tells her not to look for him.

            While she is at the Mythos Academy working on her training, she is working at the Library of Antiquities.  Nickamedes, the head librarian, is supervising Gwen’s activities as she shelves books, reads, and tries to stay out of trouble.  An attempt to poison Gwen goes awry, and Nicamedes is poisoned instead.  Gwen and her friends must go on a quest to find the plant that will save Nicamedes’ life—all the while dodging Reaper attacks and other dangers.

            This book is very populated—oh, so many characters.  I cannot fault Estep for this because it would have been easier to keep them all straight had I read the other books in the series.  Gwen’s posse includes a Valkerie, a talking sword, a dog, a coach, a friend’s boyfriend, a bodyguard, and random friends.  (And a partridge in a pear tree…just kidding!)  In addition to those characters that I am assuming have been around for most of the series, Gwen meets her cousin, Rory, for the first time, and both of them have some struggles understanding their parents and their decisions.  

            Predictably, as Gwen and the posse thought, the Reapers show up to try to prevent them from getting the exotic plant that they need to help Nicamedes.  What is more surprising is that Logan shows up and Gwen has to decide if they can move forward in their relationship.

            I will give Estep points.  She has created a comprehensible world and I had no trouble understanding the back-story.  Included in the back of this book are “cheat sheets” about the students, the adults, the gods and monsters, and the Mythos Academy.  Thank you!!  I wish that every author that wrote series books did this.  It was invaluable for me to keep up with the action.

            The Reaper attacks seemed predictable and I had no doubt at all that our crew would be able to take them.  I would have liked to see a bit more nuance in the bad guys.  You know—make me doubt that all will turn out well.  In addition, I did not doubt at all the mission would succeed.  Gwen’s kindness gets her some advantages that save the day, and I thought that was a nice message.

            Other than a few random mild examples of profanity, Midnight Frost has nothing that would prevent me from recommending it to the young adult readers I know.  I think they would like it.  It is bit of a step up from middle reader fiction about mythology and I can see them enjoying the fast plot and the battle scenes.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Regina

A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams Feature & Giveaway

Memorial Day, 1938: New York socialite Lily Dane has just returned with her family to the idyllic oceanfront community of Seaview, Rhode Island, expecting another placid summer season among the familiar traditions and friendships that sustained her after heartbreak.

That is, until Greenwalds decide to take up residence in Seaview.

Nick and Budgie Greenwald are an unwelcome specter from Lily’s past: her former best friend and her former fiancé, now recently married—an event that set off a wildfire of gossip among the elite of Seaview, who have summered together for generations. Budgie’s arrival to restore her family’s old house puts her once more in the center of the community’s social scene, and she insinuates herself back into Lily's friendship with an overpowering talent for seduction...and an alluring acquaintance from their college days, Yankees pitcher Graham Pendleton. But the ties that bind Lily to Nick are too strong and intricate to ignore, and the two are drawn back into long-buried dreams, despite their uneasy secrets and many emotional obligations.

Under the scorching summer sun, the unexpected truth of Budgie and Nick’s marriage bubbles to the surface, and as a cataclysmic hurricane barrels unseen up the Atlantic and into New England, Lily and Nick must confront an emotional cyclone of their own, which will change their worlds forever.

A Stanford University honors graduate with an MBA from Columbia, Beatriz Williams spent several years in New York and London as a corporate and communications strategy consultant. She now lives with her husband and four children near the Connecticut shore, where she divides her time between writing and laundry. She is the author of the international bestseller Overseas and also writes as Juliana Gray. Visit her online at www.beatrizwilliams.com.

 

“Beatriz Williams does it again! A Hundred Summers sparkles like the New England summer sun. 

A brilliantly told tale of love lost and found, of friendship, and of family ties… 

Definitely a book for my keeper shelf.” —Karen White, New York Times Bestselling Author of Sea Change 

“Williams’ sweeping saga of betrayal, sacrifice, and redemption 

trenchantly examines the often duplicitous nature of female friendships and family expectations” 

—Booklist

 

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader will win their own copy of A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

*Fill out the Rafflecopter to enter
*USA only
*Contest ends April 12, 2014

Just Destiny by Theresa Rizzo

What would you do if your whole world fell apart?

Jenny Harrison made some poor choices in the past, but marrying Gabe was the best thing she’d ever done. They had the perfect marriage, until a tragic accident leaves Gabe brain dead and her world in ruins.

Devastated by grief, she decides to preserve the best of their love by conceiving his child, but Gabe’s family is adamantly opposed, even willing to chance exposing long-held family secrets to stop her. Caught in a web of twisted motives and contentious legal issues, Jenny turns to best friend and attorney, Steve Grant. Steve wants to help Jenny, but he has reservations and secrets of his own.
When something so private and simple turns public and complicated, will Jenny relent? What is Steve willing to sacrifice to help Jenny?

When Jenny finds out she's pregnant, she plans a weekend getaway to tell her husband.  When things don't go as well as she'd hoped, Jenny will have to fight everyone she knows for the chance to have the baby she so desperately wants.  

It sounds so trivial when I put the entire book into those two small sentences.  There's so much more here, but I don't want to give away too much information.  Trivial, it is definitely not.  This is one of the greatest books I've read on love and loss and survival.  It's an amazing character study.

Each character is having to deal with their own problems.  All of them are connected, and so they're having to see each other's issues as well.  You can empathize with each and feel the longing and the heartache each of them suffers.  Don't get me wrong, there are happiness and joy as well, but the gut-wrenching emotion you feel while reading this book is absolutely phenomenal.

I don't even know which category to put this in.  It's drama and romance and thrilling all at the same time.  I suppose I would put it in the 'what if' category.  What if, something so horrendous you could breathe happened?  What if, everyone around you seemed to turn on you immediately after that moment?  What if, the law wasn't even on your side, though you knew you'd done nothing wrong?  What if, everything you've ever believed turned out to be false?  What if? 

Sadly, I'm sure there are others in the world that have gone down Jenny's path, though hopefully not to the extent that she did.  She's a strong, surviving character that will enthrall you.  Her vision of the world, even in her most glum moments, will remind you to have hope and to never despair.  Fight for what you believe in, whether there's anyone else on your side or not.

All of the other characters are equally rounded.  Each has something specific to teach the reader, but not in a 'teacherly' fashion.  They learn life lessons in the hard way and allow us to be a part of that.  

The most fun part of the book for me involved a specific character.  She just reminded me so much of my favorite Grey's Anatomy character that while I was reading, I was able to visualize her in those scenes and hear the words coming out of her mouth...even see each facial expression.  I'm sure she wasn't written that way on purpose, but it was really neat to me to be able to connect with a character on that level.  She wasn't even really a main character, but every time she popped into the scene I couldn't help but cheer.

 

 

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Shawn

The Infinity Program by Richard H. Hardy Book Blast & $25 Amazon GC Giveaway!

Title: The Infinity Program
Author: Richard H. Hardy
Genre: Science Fiction
Paperback available at: Amazon





Book Description:

Jon Graeme and Harry Sale are unlikely friends. Harry is a world-class programmer, but his abrasive personality alienates co-workers. In contrast, Jon is a handsome and easy-going technical writer, the low man on the IT totem pole.

Sharing a love of nature, the men set out together, planning to go their separate ways--Jon on a hike and Harry, fly fishing. Three days later, Jon arrives at the rendezvous point, but his friend is nowhere in sight. When Jon finds Harry unconscious on the floor of a cave, Harry claims to have been lying there the entire time. But he is neither cold nor hungry. What Jon doesn't know is that Harry fell into an underground cavern, where he came into contact with an alien quantum computer.

Back at work, Harry jettisons his regular tasks and concentrates exclusively on inventing new operating language to access the alien system. In the process he crashes his office's Super Computer and is fired. Jon convinces the company to give Harry a second chance, arguing that the system he has invented will make them millions.

Jon has no idea what havoc Harry is about to unleash.


Excerpt:

About the Author:
Richard H. Hardy was born in Glasgow, Scotland, during a week of relentless bombing raids just before the close of World War II. The day he was born an incendiary bomb fell on the church across the street from where he lived, so he is fond of saying that he entered the world with a big adrenaline rush.

His family later moved to England and then on to America.

After college Richard bounced through a series of temporary jobs as he traveled around the country, wanting nothing more than to write fiction. A job driving a library van allowed him free time to write several short stories and work on a novel.

He and his wife moved to New Hampshire, where he took an entry level job at a software company. He was soon promoted to the technical writing department and ended up producing over 500,000 words of online documentation. After a few years he was promoted to the programming department and ended up as the Senior EDI Programmer, creating EDI maps and writing UNIX scripts and troubleshooting on AIX systems throughout the U.S. and Canada.

After he retired, he started writing fiction again. The Infinity Program is his first published novel.


Where to find Richard H. Hardy:

Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Blog
Website

ENTER BELOW FOR THE $25 AMAZON GIFTCARD GIVEAWAY!

Fool For Books Giveaway Hop!

Welcome to the Fool for Books Giveaway Hop that runs April 1st - 7th.  It's hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and all blogs on the hop have a book related giveaway valued at $10 or higher.

I'm giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card!

*Enter on the Rafflecopter below and then hop to the next blog on the linky!

Have Fun, Good Luck & Happy Spring!

The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off (Cadillac, Texas #2) by Carolyn Brown

In small-town Cadillac, Texas, Carlene Lovelle and her cousins' fancy panty business, Bless My Bloomers, is booming. But irony strikes when Carlene discovers another woman's silk bikini underwear in her husband's briefcase. Lenny Joe hasn't just crossed the line, he's left it in his dust, so Carlene's taking her revenge to the kitchen.

For ten years, Lenny Joe's team has dominated Cadillac's Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off. But with Carlene's Bless My Bloomers team now in the ring, it's anyone's game—and when there's pride and food involved, things are bound to get messy.

If you haven't read anything by Carolyn Brown, you're really missing out.  She's one of my favorite female authors.  She has a pure talent for taking eccentric, lovable characters and tossing them amidst the most horrid, rigid people you can imagine.  All you do is sit back with your favorite snack and watch the drama and fun unfold.  The sheer creativity is worth picking up any of her books for.  Everything that I've read that she's authored has been laugh out loud funny and even brought a few heartfelt tears.

In this book, the fun starts the moment you pick this book up.  Though I would never behave the way Carlene does, I'm so darn proud of her that I can't help but cheer her on.  Soon the entire town is in on it and it's way more than just a cheating spouse.  The fur flies along with all the gossip!  One of the best parts of reading this is that from the very beginning you know who you love and who you despise, so you can just jump in and have a good time.

This book isn't just about a cheating husband and a wife that wants to get even. We have a close-knit group of people that are each dealing with some serious issues and having to figure out how to cope.  Sometimes they have each others back and sometimes they don't, but they always love each other.  Friendship, family, romance; every sort of love relationship is sorted out here.  We have both the beautiful and the ugly sides shown to us.  You can sit back and enjoy the insanity of the book, but afterwards, you'll find that some serious messages have sunken into your heart as well.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Shawn

See How She Fights (The Chronicles of Izzy #2) by Michelle Graves

She thought it was over.

She thought her life was finally her own.

She was wrong.

Izzy is thrust back into the world of Seers and Guardians. With a summons from the Council she can't ignore, Izzy heads back into the fray. Now, it is up to her to figure out why Seers are being sacrificed, carved up, and left for ruin. If she doesn't find the person orchestrating the deaths, she may well be next.

If that wasn't enough, her powers have started to expand exponentially. Kennan is keeping secrets. Moreover, a strangely familiar Symbol-smith starts wreaking havoc on her precariously balanced world. 

Will Izzy survive this latest crisis? Will she stop fighting destiny and accept her fate? Find out in See How She Fights.

The first book, See How She Runs, was a moderate success with  me. It was well-written and I was reasonably entertained.  I wasn't a huge fan of the character of Izzy though.  She began strong but then slowly started to fade away.  I was interested to see how the story continued as well as how the character of Izzy fared.  

Thanks to some great new character additions in the first book, this one started off more strongly than the other one.  We begin with several clashing personas and everything is nice and calm, other than the fact that the nightmares are back.  Once Izzy is called back to the Council, she knows something bad is about to happen.  In this new book, we meet one of the most intense characters of all,the Symbol-smith.  He appears to be a subdued background character but you soon find yourself fascinated with him and his story.  I'm waiting for the Third Chronicle of Izzy to appear so that I can find out what that is!

What began as an alright paranormal story has really stepped up in this second book.  Not only are the characters more advanced and their interactions more interesting, we have more new people who each have candid and fascinating characteristics.  We're given some back story to the evil Izzy is fighting as well as members of the Council staff and Kennan.  The evil alone is a huge step up.  In the previous book we had a horrible little man that I prayed strongly would contract a new strain of Herpes.  In this one, it's so far advanced.  There isn't as much blood and gore as there could have been, but for once, I'm thankful for that.  Graves gives you just enough that you can picture it in your mind and that is much more horrific than anything that can be written out.  

You must read the first book to get to the second one, but I truly think the second one is leading to a great place.  At first, I dismissed the series and I admit I may have judged prematurely.  Graves has the potential to take this to the levels of Kenyon's Darkhunters.  Each book progresses by leaps and bounds and I sincerely look forward to the next one.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Shawn