.#Review Guest Post The Peculiar Pets Of Miss Pleasance by @DelilahSDawson @Pocket_Books

The Peculiar Pets of Miss Pleasance (Blud #1.6)

by Delilah S. Dawson
ebook, 100pgs.
Published April 1st, 2013 by Pocket Star 
Copy provided by pub.

A lady with a penchant for pets meets a sexy fireman in this magical and saucy steampunk eNovella from the author of Wicked as They Come.
In a world ruled by blood, live pets are rare and kindness rarer still. London pet shop owner Frannie Pleasance has a mysterious way with animals and keeps her charges (and heart) locked in a veritable Eden. She thinks Casper Sterling is just another stray…until she takes in the troublesome lodger (and unwelcome suitor) and becomes the victim of a series of strange and dangerous occurrences.
When an unexplained fire threatens to destroy Frannie's carefully guarded world, firefighter Thom Maccallan is there to extinguish the blaze and help gather the lost creatures. The heat between Frannie and Thom begins to burn, but someone's still after the lady. Could it be Casper himself, or is Frannie’s new lodger just another victim of fate? Will they be able to figure out who's pursuing Frannie—and stop them—before she loses everything?

The Blud Series:

Wicked As They Come (Blud #1)
The Mysterious Madam Morpho (Blud, #1.5) 
  The Peculiar Pets of Miss Pleasance (Blud, #1.6) 
 Wicked as She Wants (Blud, #2) 
The Damsel and the Daggerman (Blud, #2.5)  
 Wicked After Midnight (Blud, #3)               



      

From Seed to Story: It Started with Thor

Here's a confession: THE PECULIAR PETS OF MISS PLEASANCE started from one thought.

Thor in a kilt.

It was that simple. Imagine Chris Hemsworth as Thor, with his longish hair and beard stubble and muscles and combination of sweetness and do-goodery. Now put him in a kilt and give him a Scottish accent. I named him Thom Macallan and decided that I wanted to spend about 150 pages with him, and that was the beginning of the latest e-novella in my Blud series for Pocket.

The hero of my first book, WICKED AS THEY COME, is a darkly handsome circus ringmaster, a blood drinker, thief, and cold-blooded killer with his own code of ethics. The hero of my e-novella THE MYSTERIOUS MADAM MORPHO is a hermetic inventor, an intelligent and blunt man of passion and humor. The hero of my second book, WICKED AS SHE WANTS, is a debauched Southern gentleman with a dark side. And so, for me, Thom Macallan is a different sort of male lead. Kinder, gentler, sweeter, but with a core of steel and a tragic past. Yummy.

The next step in storycraft was to find the perfect woman to compliment Thom, and that's how Frannie Pleasance was born. I have a tendency to write damaged women, and Frannie is a soft-hearted pet shop owner in a gritty part of London, scraping by alone in her little Eden and guarding her heart as well as her animals. When she takes in a debauched but famous musician as a lodger, a series of unexplainable events threaten her life. Thom is the perfect hero to rush in in his fireman's gear and win Frannie's heart.

While WICKED AS THEY COME and THE MYSTERIOUS MADAM MORPHO take place in a traveling circus, I wanted to set this e-novella in London and explore the everyday life in Sang that Criminy and his caravan have rejected. Frannie's corner of London abuts the daimon district, and the reader gets an introduction to the colorful and magical creatures that inhabit Paris and star in my third book, WICKED AFTER MIDNIGHT.

Although my world is predicated on Bludmen, the blood drinking quasi-vampires and vampiric animals that strike fear into the hearts of humans, PECULIAR PETS is a very human story with a very human heart. Still, there's enough danger and magic to appeal to earlier fans, and hopefully enough hook to drag new readers into the rest of the series.

So if you like excitement, sweet romance, hidden gardens, bloodthirsty fuzzballs, colorful magic, steamy sex, and, yes, 150 pages of THOR IN A KILT, I hope you'll check it out. Thom can't wait to meet you!

Thanks so much for the chance to visit! And if you like the Blud world and artisan perfumes, be sure to check out the character-based perfumes ans soaps from Villainess Soaps (http://www.villainess.net/wicked/). Seven new scents will debut this April to cover both books and novellas.

About The Author:

Delilah S. Dawson comes from a long line of Roswell, GA natives. WICKED AS THEY COME is the first in her Blud series for Pocket/S&S, and a creepy paranormal YA, SERVANTS OF THE STORM, will be out with Simon Pulse in 2014. Delilah is a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Georgia Romance Writers. She is also an Associate Editor at www.CoolMomPicks.com and www.CoolMomTech.com, where she is given the more eccentric and geeky products to cover. Delilah lives with her husband, two small children, and two cats in Atlanta. Find out more at www.delilahsdawson.com.

No matter what the circumstances, one thing is for certain,

Delilah Dawson delivers once again in the next novella of the Blud series.

 

In this next installment to the Blud world, we as readers get another introduction to Casper Sterling. Casper made a brief, but vital introduction in the first book, Wicked As They Come, and as we gear up with excitement, over his soon to be released book, Wicked As She Wants, we get a brief look at his life in Paris as a famous musician, and the unlikely heroin who saves him and takes him into her home. Although Casper is part of this story, this story is less about him and more about the quiet, but cunning female lead, Frannie.

Frannie is a lovely pet shop owner, catering to the mostly rich people of Paris. She leads a quiet life and mostly keeps to herself and her animals, but all that changes within days, as she meets not one, but two men who vie for her attention. Casper is one of those men, as she stumbles across him one day, laying in the street, nearly dead. She rescues him, and offers him a place to stay. Next, to enter her life is the hulking, uber sexy Scottish, kilt wearing fireman (can you picture him, no? then see above!) Sweet and gentle, he is the complete opposite of the crass Casper, but let me clear one thing up for you, this really isn't a love triangle. Frannie has her favorite, as the sparks are inevitable, but that doesn't stop either one of them from trying to persuade her, and win her over, but life for Frannie becomes more, and more dangerous and her life is in danger since these two have walked into her life. One must wonder if it's because of her letting these men into her life, or if there is a sinister man from her past who has come back to enact revenge.

I really enjoyed the first two books in the series, Wicked As They Come and The Mysterious Madam Morpho, as they were set in the magical world of Sang and the traveling circus, and although this one was different from those two, I equally enjoyed Miss Dawson's creative spin to the world of Sang in Paris, but I did miss some of the excitement of the blud creatures, and missed the quirky characters of the circus. One thing I can give credit too, is the writing style of Miss Dawson's and how she can write a novella and have me flipping through the pages, holding my attention to the very last page, although this isn't my favorite from the series, it is a good addition to her series. Will I look forward to more from this author? Of course, and I will be reading the next book in this series, very soon.

4/5

.#REVIEW On Every Street by @MetalBlonde Karina Halle

On Every Street (The Artists Trilogy 0.5)

by Karina Halle

When young con artist Ellie Watt decides to call herself Eden White and go after the drug lord who ruined her as a child, she never expects to fall for one of his henchmen. But Javier Bernal is no ordinary man. Subtly dangerous and overwhelmingly seductive, Eden finds herself passionately in love with Javier, the very person she's set-up to betray. With her body and heart in a heated battle against her deep need for revenge, no one will walk away from this con a winner.

This 50K word (100+ pages) novella takes place six years before Sins & Needles. It can be read before or after Sins & Needles and may also be read as a standalone.

Add to Goodreads-

On Every Street (The Artists Trilogy, #0.5)      
Sins & Needles (The Artists Trilogy, #1) 
Shooting Scars (The Artists Trilogy, #2) 
Bold Tricks (The Artists Trilogy, #3)      
    
     

   


Only .99 for a limited time!

When an author can make you love a bad, bad man, then you know that author is good.
When you invest yourself into the characters and it makes you feel emotional,
and creates a sense of euphoria and sadness all at the same time, guess what, then you know that author is more then good. They are great!
THIS IS THAT KIND OF BOOK AND AUTHOR!

Ellie Watt aka Eden White, is out for revenge! Revenge over what happened to her when she was younger. She's a bad-ass in her own right.  She comes from con artist parents, having to live the life on the road, she basically learns the life of a con, but she is different then her parents. Not having them around for support, she seeks out an old family friend, and he teaches her the ways of being a con. The do's and don'ts. She's ready for this, but having to go up against a drug lord is not an easy task. She has her mark, she's set her sights, and she's ready. The only thing she didn't anticipate was having feelings for the person that can connect her to her mark.


Jaiver YOU, YOU, dirty rotten scoundrel!  Your such a bad-ass, a ruthless sexy-mofo . You had me right from the start. A Latino lover, hmmm... Eden your one lucky girl!
But, then your true colors shined through, and you were BAD, and I mean dangerously BAD. You scared me at times, had me walking on cloud nine, and then you SHATTERED ME and MY HEART into a million pieces!! OH, and yea, Eden's too!

Jaiver is the bridge to getting to Eden's mark, but he proves to be more, oh so much more. He's suave, sexy, and oh so dangerous all at the same time. He radiates heat and danger. As these two get closer he uses his charm on Eden, and basically wins her over. He's romantic at times, loving, and so good in the bedroom. He makes her feel like a queen. Having no idea of Eden's true intentions he wraps her up in his life and they ultimately fall for each other. But, like I said Jaivar is dangerous and Eden is frightened many times by his dangerous lifestyle. She accepts him and throws caution and her quest for revenge out the window. When all is good and life can't seem to get any better, yep it happens, KABOOM, and everything Eden thought she had is now shattered into a million pieces, and she will have to deal with the ultimate betrayal.


Miss Halle does an incredible job at working you up in this short, but oh so sweet novella. You will love this book, and it is a must read for not only fans of New Adult/Adult, but fans of Urban Fantasies, yes UF, without the paranormal that's what this felt like. Love the TV show Revenge, then you will love this book. Love having a writer rip you apart at the seams, yep then this is the book for you.


Oh, and one last thing. I know a lot of people don't read novella's. I'm not sure why, maybe they feel bored by the short, or they feel that it's not long enough to wet their appetite, well I'm here to prove you wrong. This book, and many others out there are worthy of your time. So don't pass on some great reads, and insights to a series.

5/5

More like a dozen!

                          

“So, what would you like to drink?”
“Aside from you?”
I laughed anxiously. “You can’t drink me.”
He leaned forward, his eyes running up and down my body, causing my skin to heat. “Yes, I believe I can. And I believe I will. But for now, I’ll just have a Bombay and tonic.”   

“Why am I good to you?” he repeated, his lips brushing against mine as he spoke.
“Because I can see you are broken. And I want nothing more than to put you back together.” 

 “I’m scared of him. I’m disgusted by the vile monster he becomes, this beast he lets out. But I still love him. I’d still do anything for him. I can’t just turn off my heart. I want to, I do, but I can’t. I love him with everything I have and I hate myself for it. Because it’s wrong to love him, I know. It’s so wrong.”

  “You know,” he began, voice low and full, “if you were to ever leave me, I’d come looking for you, on every street.”
“You promise?”
“Always.” And I knew he kept his promises.” 

.Blog Tour: #Review #Giveaway Sometimes Never & Blackbird by @CherylHMcIntyre

 

 

Cheryl McIntyre is a mother, author, and insomniac, as well as a reader, movie critic, and incredibly bad singer. She’s lived in the same area of Ohio her whole life, though she secretly has dreams of moving somewhere a little warmer—preferably near a beach.

Her life revolves around four things: family, music, books, and really bad scary movies. If she doesn’t have a kid on her hip, an iPod in her hand, or a laptop in front of her face, it’s one of those rare moments when she’s actually sleeping.

You can follow her author page on Facebook where she lives part time. On Goodreads, which is like crack for avid readers. Or on Twitter, though it’s rumored she has yet to master the art of tweeting.

FACEBOOK / GOOREADS / TWITTER

Sometimes Never on Amazon

BlackBird on Amazon

BlackBird on B&N

TOUR PAGE

Enter the MEGA GIVEAWAY each day by visiting every stop.

 

 

 

 

 

Review for Sometimes Never

 

 

 

 

Sometimes Never deals with raw emotions and real life drama, and issues, as well as a strong relationship bond

 

Broken and facing so much as a teenager can either make or break you. What Hope has gone through with her life is tough at times,  but is highly relatable to many teens. She's tough and that toughness is basically her defense in life. Abused, neglected, and dealing with a drug and alcoholic mother who only cared about her next fix, until her death, leaves Hope alone, and in the care of a foster family. Dealing with her issues, she becomes a cutter who craves the pain. Hope has a lot of great attributes, she's a defender to many, she is a drummer, a gothic, hair color changer, loyal friend, and she is obbssesed with candy. She's tough at times, and cocky, even with her friends. Her foster family and friends seem to be her saving grace.

 

Her best friend, Guy is a no-holds bar, funny, and loyal friend and "brother" to Hope. He's gay and I LOVED his character!! He really was the sunshine in this book! You just couldn't not like him. There were a variety of secondary characters in this book that at first were thrown at you at a quick pace, and at times I was left confused trying to piece who was who and how they were part of Hope's life.

 

Mason, you love him, you hate him, but one thing is for sure is his love for Hope. He was totally taken by her within the first pages. They melded together like peanut butter and chocolate. He had his own broken past, and sometimes his emotions overtook him. His father passed away six years earlier and left him with responsibility of being the man of the house. His mom constantly moves, him and his younger brother from place to place, having a hard time settling down. Mason, has a hard time connecting with people at times, and dealt with his issues through anger and sex.

 

 

This book is told in dual pov's from Mason and Hope. At times I felt confused when reading from Hope's pov.  It seemed like so much was thrown at you from her pov, and at first I felt lost trying to piece everything, and everyone together, and how they fit in her life, but soon I was able to figure it all out, and got used to her "voice". Hope and Mason had a strong connection, right from the start, although Hope was non-committal to the idea of finding or liking Mason. It just seemed like the stars perfectly lined up for these two. There likes were similar, their dislikes complemented each other. Hope loved Oreo's but only the white cream, Mason liked only the cookie part. there "relationship" was like a roller coaster at times, and was emotional and deep, dark and light. Hope, having a dark past, had a tough time with dealing with Mason's love for her. She was dark, moody, and abusive at times toward Mason. It was a push/pull relationship of sorts.

 

Sometimes Never,  felt very realistic, and intense at times, and although I did enjoy it, for the most part, I really couldn't put myself 100% into the storyline. More than likely it was because of the angst, and emotions that I really didn't care for. I will say that many people enjoyed this book, and it may help people deal with their own issues, for me it was OK, but I would recommend it to fans that like realistic, dark, angsty reads.

 

 

 

3.5/5 Stars

 

 

 

 

 

“What would happen if I cut there? Right across my face where everyone could see. Everyone would know. Maybe someone would finally stop me.”  

 

 

“Mason, I’m ruined. I can never give you what you deserve. I’m incapable of loving someone like—like you want. I will never be able to do it right. I will never deserve to be loved.”

My breathing is erratic. I shove myself to my knees and grasp her arms, pulling her toward me once again. “Sometimes never is a distorted perception. I love you, Hope. And I’m not the only one. I know you care about me. I see it in your eyes. I feel it. Everybody needs love. Everybody. And some people need it more than others. You’re a liar if you say you don’t. I’ll do that for you. I’ll love you. All you have to do is let me.”
             
The wind whispers against my back as if giving me a nudge toward her and I take it as a sign. I propel myself into her, pushing my bare skin to hers. I need to feel her. I need her to feel me.
           
This is real.

 

Blackbird Review

A great filler, from the end of Sometimes Never to the epilogue.

 

 

 

While I had issues with the first book. I actually enjoyed Blackbird, more than Sometimes Never. It filled in where Hope and Mason's life continued too. College, staying together, breaking up, getting back together. A growth of sorts as they try to make their lives together work, and heal together.

Without spoiling this short novella at about 100 pages, or so. I can say things were sorted out and you actually felt good at where these two ended up.



4/5 Stars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.Cover Reveal: Pretty When They Collide by @RhiannonFrater

Check out this cover for the Novella to the Pretty When She... Series. The cover was created by Phat Puppy Art. I love the color scheme to this one, and the moon with the bats! 

Pretty When They Collide by Rhiannon Frater
Series: Pretty When She... Novella
Publication date:  March 15th 2013
Genre: Adult Horror

Goodreads


Cover by: PhatPuppy Art.

Synopsis:

An exciting new novella set in the world of Pretty When She Dies...
Cassandra is a dhamphir-the offspring of a vampire and mortal woman-and a thief of occult relics.
Aimee is a full-blood witch that is bound to a powerful vampire who traffics in the slavery of supernatural beings.
Both are powerful, lonely, and trapped in the dangerous world of the vampires.
When Cassandra steals a relic from Aimee’s vampire master, he targets her as his next acquisition. What he doesn’t realize is that a chance encounter between Cassandra and Aimee ignited a spark between them that they cannot deny.
To survive, the women must find a way to band together and fight against the ruthless evil that conspires to enslave them forever.

Pretty When She Dies #1
Pretty When She Kills #2 

AUTHOR BIO

Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies trilogy (The First Days, Fighting to Survive, Siege,) and the author of three other books: the vampire novels Pretty When She Dies and The Tale of the Vampire Bride and the young-adult zombie novel The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters. Inspired to independently produce her work from the urging of her fans, she published The First Days in late 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following. She won the Dead Letter Award back-to-back for both The First Days and Fighting to Survive, the former of which the Harrisburg Book Examiner called ‘one of the best zombie books of the decade.’ Rhiannon is currently represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry + Literary Media agency. You may contact her by sending an email to rhiannonfrater@gmail.com.

Rhiannon's Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

.Cover Reveal: I Choose You by Bethany Lopez

Title:  I Choose You (Friends & Lovers #2) 

Author:  Bethany L. Lopez 

Genre: Contemporary -  novella 

Expected release date:     Jan 8, 2013 

Age Group: New Adult 

Cover Designer:  B Design   

Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Description: 

 

 

Up until now, Nicole's life has been mapped out for her. She'd go to college, marry Jake and become the upstanding minister's wife. When she leaves that life to begin again in a small town in Texas, she finally has the freedom to live as she chooses. There, she meets Kent, a guy whose charm and passion make it hard to stick to her morals. 

Dodging his father’s fists and protecting his twin sister made Kent into the man he is today. He learned by watching his mother stay by his father’s side that it’s better to keep relationships simple. Then he meets Nicole. Her sweet smile and genuine response to him land like punches to his resolve. After a lifetime of learning to protect his heart, can he finally let down his guard? 

 

 

About the author: 

 

Bethany Lopez was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Michigan and San Antonio, Texas. She went to High School at Dearborn High, in Dearborn, Michigan, which is where she has set her Young Adult novel. She is married and has a blended family with five children. She is currently serving in the United States Air Force as a Recruiter in Los Angeles, California. She has always loved to read and write and has seen her dream realized by independently publishing her contemporary Young Adult series, Stories About Melissa. Ta Ta for Now!, xoxoxo, and Ciao are available now. Bethany is currently working on a Contemporary Fantasy YA and a Contemporary New Adult Trilogy.  

 

Bethany Lopez | Facebook | Twitter

.Review: Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Destroy Me (Shatter Me #1.5)

by Tahereh Mafi

ebook, 111 pages

Published: October 2nd 2012 by Harper

ISBN:

0062208195 (ISBN13: 9780062208194)

Amazon Purchase

Perfect for the fans of Shatter Me who are desperately awaiting the release of Unravel Me, this novella-length digital original will bridge the gap between these two novels from the perspective of the villain we all love to hate, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

The Original hardcover of Shatter Me w/the girl on the cover, and the new look to the series.

    

Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)
Destroy Me (Shatter Me, #1.5)
Unravel Me (Shatter Me, #2)
Untitled (Shatter Me, #3)

        

Brilliant!
Ok, so maybe that is extreme, but let me explain why!

First of all this novella @ 111 pages is told in Warner, the "bad guy" in the first books main pov. It is well written, and offers an insight as to what is really going on inside Warner's head, and boy was it good!

Whoa! Was I surprised how much I enjoyed this book, why, you ask? Because, not only does Mafi take an unlikable character and transform him into somebody that you will swoon over, but you will see a vulnerable side to him. You'll understand and get a slight insight as to why he makes the choices he did, and does, in Shatter Me as well as this book.

We see a softer side to Warner and I enjoyed every sentence in this book.
I also enjoyed reading more from Juliette's notebook and the words that poured out of it, into Warner's mind, as he read her journal and felt every emotion that she was feeling while being locked up in the insane asylum, I think that's what it was supposed to be. Anyway, the feelings and emotions that were written in Juliette's notebook were powerful, to both Warner and myself. I'm sharing some of them below, plus a snippet from Warner's pov.


From Juliette's notebook:

"My face is caked with blood from when they threw me on the ground, and my hands are still shaking even as I write this. This pen is my only outlet, my only voice, because I have no one else to speak to, no mind but my own to drown in and all the lifeboats are taken and all the life preservers are broken and I don't know how to swim I can't swim I can't swim and it's getting so hard. It's like there are a million screams caught inside of my chest but I have to keep them all in because what's the point of screaming if you'll never be heard and no one will ever hear me in here. No one will ever hear me again".

"We followed the tale laid out for us, the prose pinned down in every square foot of space we'd acquired. We were content with the plot twists that only mildly redirected our lives. We signed on the dotted line for the things we didn't know we cared about. We ate the things we shouldn't, spent money when we couldn't, lost site of the Earth we had to inhabit and wasted, wasted, wasted everything. Food. Water. Resources."

Warner's pov:

"I'm trying to focus, telling myself these are just empty words, but I'm lying. Because somehow, just reading these words is too much: and the thought of her in pain is causing me an unbearable amount of agony. To know that she experienced this. She was thrown into this by her own parents, cast off and abused her entire life. Empathy is not an emotion I've ever known, but now it's drowning me, pulling me into her world I never knew I could enter. And though I've always believed she and I shared many things in common, I did not know how deeply I could feel it.
Its killing me."

5/5 Roses

Purchase

$2.99