Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Destruction by Sharon Bayliss
David Vandergraff wants to be a good man. He goes to church every Sunday, keeps his lawn trim and green, and loves his wife and kids more than anything.
Unfortunately, being a dark wizard isn't a choice.
Eleven years ago, David's secret second family went missing. When his two lost children are finally found, he learns they suffered years of unthinkable abuse. Ready to make things right, David brings the kids home even though it could mean losing the wife he can't imagine living without.
Keeping his life together becomes harder when the new children claim to be dark wizards. David believes they use this fantasy to cope with their trauma. Until, David's wife admits a secret of her own-she is a dark wizard too, as is David, and all of their children.
Now, David must parent two hurting children from a dark world he doesn't understand and keep his family from falling apart. All while dealing with the realization that everyone he loves, including himself, may be evil.
Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. The magic. It wasn't poorly written or even poorly researched. Everything seemed to be pretty sound. The problem I had was that it's overdone and I really wish it had been a bit more original. It takes up such a huge part of the story and there are just so many things that could have been done with it, that I felt like it was just tossed in there instead of being the true meat of the story it could have been.
Actually, this was a pretty fascinating 'what if' story. What if you had an affair and children and then they disappeared and suddenly reappeared years later? What if you didn't have the courage to tell your wife, but you still needed to be there for your children? Not just from Dave's perspective, but from the entire family's, not to mention the poor children. Not only did Bayliss run the gamut of possibilities, but she did so while exposing some pretty serious character studies.
The most fascinating part for me was just how much I despised one of the main characters. We have bad people and good people and bad people who think they're good and good people who think they're bad. Those that we know are 'bad', honestly, they sort of faded into the background for me. It sucked that they weren't nice people, but they didn't really have any impact on me. Dave, the main character, means well, but he's such a coward that I found myself having a hard time really caring about him either. His wife, however. Wow! My jaw dropped several times at her. I hate her with a fierce intensity that I worried would set my Kindle aflame. She is so evil and horrible that I found myself ashamed to be a woman.
This is the first book in a series and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. I feel like this one did a great job of putting the 'family' into perspective for future adventures/mysteries.
Minstrel's Gambit by Nance Bulow Morgan
By Ed
Minstrels' Gambit is the first in the Minstrel's Tale Mysteries Series. Saeede knew that Behlanna was not going to be a good city. She knew it the moment she saw the dark tower looming over the sleek dark wall. She and her partner Andreas needed to rest after a long journey. They would stay long enough to rest and perhaps play a tune or two for the locals but then they would be off again to more pleasant surroundings. Upon their arrival in the city the two tired friends; minstrels and adventurers, are soon caught up in a murder investigation and find that they are the prime suspects!
Their investigation leads them to discover that an ancient riddle is at the center of their problem. Evil forces are at play against them and they must solve the riddle, and foil the unleashing of evil upon the world, to clear their names.
The keys to the riddles are hidden within four musical scores. As adventurers they must retrieve the scores from their protections within the elements. As minstrels they must decipher the keys hidden within the scores.
Thrust into an epic adventure, the friends learn how deep and unwavering is their friendship-how deep and unwavering is their skills with sword, music, and magic.
Minstrels' Gambit is Bulow Morgan's second novel. Sprung from the setting of her first novel Legend Destiny. This epic adventure attests to her story telling ability. The reader will be hooked from the very beginning of this gorgeous adventure. (taken from Amazon description)
At first glance, this book looks like either a paint by number picture, or the box to an 8 bit video game, and it was about as much fun reading this book as the code for one. And this book is looooong, and I don't just mean many pages. Sentences and paragraphs blur into each other. Though the book only has ten chapters, it's still 453 pages long! It was like trying to read the credits at the end of a movie, just no break.
The title of the series, A Minstrels' Tale Mystery, I found to be grossly misstated, as they solved the whodunit before the third chapter. I wasn't expecting CSI Dungeons and Dragons,but save the big reveal for the last couple of chapters!
The author is way too descriptive. I don't need to be told about every inch of every building they come across. As for the minstrels themselves, I call BS on their relationship. In such a setting, fraught with danger, where lives are often short enough as it is, there would be no time for Ye Olde Friend Zone.
While I did appreciate some of the humor, and slight modernization of the writing style, there's some terminology that just does not fit in a fantasy setting. She even misnamed a common mythical creature. What she describes as having an eagle's head with a lion's body is actually a griffin, not a hippogriff.
Over all, this book was a pain. She should either switch to modern time writing or do a little more research into how fantasy is written. I, for one, will not be finishing this series.
Note from Shawn: We did have two other reviewers who attempted to read the book, but were unable to enjoy it as well, to the point that they did not finish it.
The Surrogates by Consuella Harris
By April
The deaths of two prominent businessmen on the same day of heart attacks is at first declared to be of natural causes. No investigation happens until a former law clerk hires an investigator to check into those murders, and the connection to the Lake Shore Parenting Group.
Three women became surrogate mothers through this group and their children were adopted by five couples. Once the information about their births is revealed to them, it sets in motion events none had anticipated.
The investigation into these families, their lives, and those behind the events changes everything they believe. Yet, there is still a murderer on the loose, unless the intrepid investigator can bring that person to justice. (taken from the back of the book)
I really enjoyed reading this book. It made me feel like I was the one telling the story. As someone who has had difficulty conceiving, this topic really interested me. I got so wrapped up in each woman's story that I forgot that the book was a mystery. I loved how the author told each woman's story and made you feel the way each one felt upon making her decision, for whatever reason. I did not see the twist in the story coming that caused the two men to die. I remember audibly gasping when I discovered what the motive was and who did it. I felt connected with each of these women, families, and the surrogate children. It just showed me how ultimately powerful greed can truly be.
The Horse That Haunts My Heart by Deborah Smith Parker
By April
Set against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, Deborah Smith Parker's coming of age memoir takes place in the 1950's during three transformative summers she spent on a horse ranch. As a young girl growing up in the Midwest, she longed for the life of a cowboy, but the closest she could get was to watch TV Westerns and play with a toy ranch set while other girls played with dolls. Finally, when her parents allowed her to go west to live her dream, she met her first love-a horse nick-named Tank.
She spent her summers riding, wrangling, and sleeping out under the stars while her extraordinary relationship with Tank developed, shaped by the poignancy, hilarity and drama that tested relationships undergo. (taken from the back of the book)
This book made me smile and remember growing up riding as a child myself. I learned some cowboy language that I didn't know. I also learned different kinds of tack and different names for horse colors. Seeing how Deborah felt about horses made this a very uplifting and heart-felt story until the huge twist at the end. Even though Deborah didn't like Tank in the beginning, she soon realized that she could count on him to protect her and was glad that she had such a wonderful friend the length of the time that she did.
Though this book appears to be mostly a children's book, we consider it more of a young adult book due to the 'adult nature' of one of the happenings in the book.
Welcome to Our Tailgating Party!
We've got nine different bloggers with nine different projects to make this the most fun year yet!
Everyone loves tailgating! Food! Football! Friends! It doesn't get much better than that!
Make sure you stop by each site and check out the entire party!
Karen at Bakinginatornado: A recipe for Kielbasa and vegetables marinated, skewered, grilled and served on a roll.
Stacy at Stacey Sews and Schools: Sewn fleece headband/earmuffs in favorite team colors
Eileen at Eileen's Perpetually busy: A seat cushion with built-in handle for carrying ease.
Robin at Someone Else's Genius: Book review on The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football
Diane at Canning and Cooking at Home: Using up all of your green garden tomatoes into a wonderful relish
Shellybean at Follow Me Home: Simple tutorial on making 'to-do' bags for kids
Lydia at Cluttered Genius: Make a garland for your tailgate or mantel out of products you already have in your house
Melissa at Home on Deranged: Use technology and cool gadgets to ensure you are master of tailgating time
We're going to show you how to make SnapCaps! They're super quick and easy and I'm going to give you several shortcuts so that you can toss these together quickly! You'll be able to make it in time for Sunday's game!
For me, the only downside to tailgating is that I don't like the cold! I'm a total cold wussy! It's just not my thing! Also, I tend to be a little picky about what I wear. These hats can be made to be cute or manly and they're so versatile! Each one can be made in the colors you prefer and then embellished with thought bubbles. Then in the large thought bubble, you can switch out pictures to show everyone what's on your mind! We chose our smiley face because we're super happy right now! You can put in your favorite team's name, a hot dog, a drink, or whatever happens to be on your mind! Since they thoughts don't take up much space, they're easy to stow in a bag or pocket and swap out as you'd like. These are a great conversation starter, or, they can just let people know you're unhappy and they should back off!
Making your SnapCap:
I'm going to be showing you several time-savers here. If you can crochet, and choose to, you'll find the pattern listed below. It's a beginner's pattern and quite easy. You can swap out colors for a striped effect or simply make it all in your teams favorite color. For those of you who want something a little quicker, grab any old soft hat you want! Knits and crochets work best because they're easiest to sew through.
We used Red Heart Pattern LW2730. Though this shows a young girl's hat, the instructions actually make an adult size. We also left off the cuff, because we can!
Next, we'll start our thought bubbles. We did three different sizes and then the largest one.
Smallest:
Ch 2
6 single crochet in first loop.
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Next Smallest:
Ch 3
9 half-double crochet in first loop.
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Next to Largest:
Ch 4
9 double crochet in first loop.
Fast off and weave in ends.
Large Thought Bubble:
Ch 6
Row One:
In fourth chain from hook: 3 double crochet
In next chain: 1 double crochet
In last chain: 7 double crochet
(continuing around bottom) In next chain: 1 double crochet
In beginning chain: 3 double crochet, join to first stitch
Second row:
Ch 3
2 double crochet in next stitch
Next stitch: half-double crochet, single crochet
Next stitch: half-double crochet, double crochet
Next stitch: 2 double crochet
Repeat around 5 times
Next stitch: half-double crochet, single crochet
Next stitch: 2 double crochet
Next stitch: half-double crochet, single crochet
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Now position your thought bubbles onto your hat and pin them in place. Next, simply stitch them where you want them. Most of your SnapCap is finished! All that's left are the embellishments!
The snaps can be purchased for a few dollars at your local store, but most likely you have a few laying in your sewing box already. You can design your own embellishments through crochet, knit, or sewing. I've found the easiest thing to do is to go to my local store and purchase small 'patches'. They come in a great variety and you can usually get them on clearance.
Sew one side of the snap onto your largest thought bubble, right in the center. Next, sew the opposite side onto your embellishment. It's that simple! Simply use the same side of the snap and sew it onto all of your embellishments and you can swap them out within a matter of seconds!
We've actually had a lot of fun with these! We set up an experiment had teenagers use these as their sole communication and it was hysterical!
Now go make yours and make a huge splash at your tailgating party!!
Everyone loves tailgating! Food! Football! Friends! It doesn't get much better than that!
Make sure you stop by each site and check out the entire party!
Karen at Bakinginatornado: A recipe for Kielbasa and vegetables marinated, skewered, grilled and served on a roll.
Stacy at Stacey Sews and Schools: Sewn fleece headband/earmuffs in favorite team colors
Eileen at Eileen's Perpetually busy: A seat cushion with built-in handle for carrying ease.
Robin at Someone Else's Genius: Book review on The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football
Diane at Canning and Cooking at Home: Using up all of your green garden tomatoes into a wonderful relish
Shellybean at Follow Me Home: Simple tutorial on making 'to-do' bags for kids
Lydia at Cluttered Genius: Make a garland for your tailgate or mantel out of products you already have in your house
Melissa at Home on Deranged: Use technology and cool gadgets to ensure you are master of tailgating time
We're going to show you how to make SnapCaps! They're super quick and easy and I'm going to give you several shortcuts so that you can toss these together quickly! You'll be able to make it in time for Sunday's game!
For me, the only downside to tailgating is that I don't like the cold! I'm a total cold wussy! It's just not my thing! Also, I tend to be a little picky about what I wear. These hats can be made to be cute or manly and they're so versatile! Each one can be made in the colors you prefer and then embellished with thought bubbles. Then in the large thought bubble, you can switch out pictures to show everyone what's on your mind! We chose our smiley face because we're super happy right now! You can put in your favorite team's name, a hot dog, a drink, or whatever happens to be on your mind! Since they thoughts don't take up much space, they're easy to stow in a bag or pocket and swap out as you'd like. These are a great conversation starter, or, they can just let people know you're unhappy and they should back off!
Making your SnapCap:
I'm going to be showing you several time-savers here. If you can crochet, and choose to, you'll find the pattern listed below. It's a beginner's pattern and quite easy. You can swap out colors for a striped effect or simply make it all in your teams favorite color. For those of you who want something a little quicker, grab any old soft hat you want! Knits and crochets work best because they're easiest to sew through.
We used Red Heart Pattern LW2730. Though this shows a young girl's hat, the instructions actually make an adult size. We also left off the cuff, because we can!
Next, we'll start our thought bubbles. We did three different sizes and then the largest one.
Smallest:
Ch 2
6 single crochet in first loop.
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Next Smallest:
Ch 3
9 half-double crochet in first loop.
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Next to Largest:
Ch 4
9 double crochet in first loop.
Fast off and weave in ends.
Large Thought Bubble:
Ch 6
Row One:
In fourth chain from hook: 3 double crochet
In next chain: 1 double crochet
In last chain: 7 double crochet
(continuing around bottom) In next chain: 1 double crochet
In beginning chain: 3 double crochet, join to first stitch
Second row:
Ch 3
2 double crochet in next stitch
Next stitch: half-double crochet, single crochet
Next stitch: half-double crochet, double crochet
Next stitch: 2 double crochet
Repeat around 5 times
Next stitch: half-double crochet, single crochet
Next stitch: 2 double crochet
Next stitch: half-double crochet, single crochet
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Now position your thought bubbles onto your hat and pin them in place. Next, simply stitch them where you want them. Most of your SnapCap is finished! All that's left are the embellishments!
The snaps can be purchased for a few dollars at your local store, but most likely you have a few laying in your sewing box already. You can design your own embellishments through crochet, knit, or sewing. I've found the easiest thing to do is to go to my local store and purchase small 'patches'. They come in a great variety and you can usually get them on clearance.
Sew one side of the snap onto your largest thought bubble, right in the center. Next, sew the opposite side onto your embellishment. It's that simple! Simply use the same side of the snap and sew it onto all of your embellishments and you can swap them out within a matter of seconds!
We've actually had a lot of fun with these! We set up an experiment had teenagers use these as their sole communication and it was hysterical!
Now go make yours and make a huge splash at your tailgating party!!
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell Inserts Giveaway
If you know who Boris and Julie are, then you know how freakin' sweet this giveaway opportunity is!!
If you don't know who Boris and Julie are, you may not be all that interested, until you go look at their work.
They're giving away ten limited edition art prints! I've been a fan of their work for years and I'm definitely entering!
Go here to check it out!!
You must be 18 to enter and the last entry will be accepted on October 8th.
If you don't know who Boris and Julie are, you may not be all that interested, until you go look at their work.
They're giving away ten limited edition art prints! I've been a fan of their work for years and I'm definitely entering!
Go here to check it out!!
You must be 18 to enter and the last entry will be accepted on October 8th.
Agency Rules by Khalid Muhammad
Welcome to the Virtual Book Tour for Agency Rules by Khalid Muhammad. This critically acclaimed political thriller is an action-packed page-turner!
Agency Rules
Celebrated as a ragtag force that defeated and broke the Soviet Union, no one predicted the Mujahideen would bring with them a plague that would spread like wildfire through Pakistan in the years to follow. When the battle-worn fighters returned with no enemy or war to fight, they turned their sights on the country that had been their creator and benefactor. From the same battlegrounds that birthed the Mujahideen, a young Kamal Khan emerges as a different breed of warrior. Discarding his wealthy family comforts, Kamal becomes a precision sniper, an invincible commando and a clandestine operative bringing intimidation, dominance and death with him to the battlefield. Ending the plague is his prime directive. Shrouded in political expediency, hampered by internal power struggles, international espionage and doublespeak that makes Washington’s spin doctors proud, Kamal’s mission is a nightmare of rampant militant fundamentalism that threatens to choke and take Pakistan hostage. For him, the fight is not just for freedom, but the survival of a nation.
You can buy Agency Rules at the link below:
Amazon
Khalid Muhammad
By day, Khalid Muhammad is a mild-mannered business executive keeping himself busy running a marketing and brand management company. He takes someone else’s product and creates concepts, ideas and brand stories—things that make consumers want to buy, invest and save their hard-earned money.
By night, his alter ego emerges; one that has a penchant for sadistic retribution towards those who have wronged him, and that spends its time devising intricate and detailed plans for a nefarious end.
If he hopes to continue to have friends and family, though, he has to keep his alter ego under control.
So, Khalid chooses to write novellas, novels and short stories to let the wickedness escape; the other option means a great deal of blood, numerous torture implements and…well, infinite ways to dump a body. The writing is better for everyone involved and less dangerous for the guilty… until he writes them into another story.
You can find Khalid at these links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon
Giveaway
This Giveaway is open internationally. Must be 16+ to enter.
There will be five winners each of a $10 Amazon Gift Card
This tour is brought to you by
Please check out the other hosts on the tour for chances to enter the Giveaway!
9/23/2014 http://thecoverbybritt.blogspot.com/
9/23/2014 http://www.mmbearcupoftea.com
9/23/2014 http://www.literarylitter.blogspot.com
9/24/2014 http://danielledevor.wordpress.com
9/24/2014 http://thecoverbybritt.blogspot.com/
9/25/2014 http://thecoverbybritt.blogspot.com/
9/26/2014 http://thecoverbybritt.blogspot.com/
9/26/2014 www.bookpurses.blogspot.com
9/27/2014 http://sallyawolfreads.blogspot.ca/
9/27/2014 http://www.mythicalbooks.blogspot.ro/
9/27/2014 http://thecoverbybritt.blogspot.com/
9/28/2014 http://abookaddictsdelight.tumblr.com
9/28/2014 http://thecoverbybritt.blogspot.com/
9/29/2014 http://thecoverbybritt.blogspot.com/
9/30/2014 http://cheshirecatlookingglass.com
9/30/2014 http://storeybookreviews.com/
10/2/2014 http://roomwithbooks.com
1 0/3/2014 Http://www.fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/
10/5/2014 http://mythbehaving.com/
10/6/2014 http://dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/
10/7/2014 http://fit4amom.blogspot.com
Standing in the hall of the abandoned warehouse, blood dripped from his body, leaving a trail on the grimy floor. A body was slumped in the chair in the middle of the hall with a singular light hanging above, illuminating a small radius around it. Another lay in the doorway propping the door open. The fight inside had been more than expected from the three days he spent surveying the warehouse. By his count, there should not have been more than five men both inside and out. Instead, he had found almost seven men around the facility.
They had prepared well for his arrival.
On his approach, he saw one man guarding the entrance. There were usually two… where’s the other one? Kamal shook off the thought and sized up his enemy, noting that he was a scrawny soldier that didn’t fill his uniform. He ducked into the shadows where he could use the darkness against the soldier, catching him by surprise. He rushed the guard, knocking him to the ground before he could set himself or draw his weapon. With a quick strike to the head, the first guard was neutralized. Before he could get up, he heard the door to the warehouse open. Jumping to his feet, Kamal saw the second guard emerge, finding Kamal hovering over his partner’s incapacitated body. The guard, surprisingly, dropped his AK-47 and rushed at Kamal, driving him into the concrete wall of the warehouse with a shoulder block. As he pulled back from Kamal, he landed two solid right crosses to his jaw stunning Kamal and giving himself time to set for the fight. Kamal pulled himself up from one knee, gasping for air and taking the time to assess his opponent. The guard didn’t wait for Kamal to position himself and struck again with a swift kick to his midriff, bring the taste of blood to Kamal’s mouth. Oh, that is just unacceptable.
Kamal spat the blood onto the ground and spun around, taking the guard’s legs out with a vicious kick to his knees. As the guard hit the ground, Kamal launched himself onto him, grabbing his neck in a chokehold. The guard threw elbows behind him, and kicked helplessly in the air as Kamal increased the pressure on his throat. Within minutes, his body stopped fighting and he was down.
Kamal stood, spitting a few times to clear the blood that had filled his mouth, finally using the sleeve of his shirt to wipe the remaining away. He smirked, admiring his work. Not as tough as he looked.
Standing over both bodies, his plan rapidly changed. Grabbing the second guard by the legs, he dragged him around the corner and pulled his uniform off. Silently and rapidly, Kamal undressed and pulled on the FC garb. Wow, this fits well. The guard had seemed so much larger than himself. He ripped his own shirt in half, using half to tie the guard’s hands together and the other half to seal his mouth, in case he came to and tried to warn the others. Kamal laughed silently, giving the guard another hard kick to the head. Just for good measure, you son of a bitch.
He entered the warehouse corridor, looking for the other guards. Spotting one about fifty feet down, he straightened his shoulders and called to him, “Did he come through here?”
The guard was surprised by the question. He hadn’t heard or seen anything. He strolled over to Kamal to find out what his colleague was talking about. “What?” Kamal waited till he was close enough, and casually raised his arm, as if to indicate towards the door. Gun in hand, he brought his arm down in a vicious swipe to the guard’s head, knocking him out cold. He fell hard into the wall from the blow and as he slid down, his gun clattered to the ground noisily. The commotion alerted another guard who came rushing around the corner, sidearm in hand. Seeing his compatriot laid out on the ground, with a fellow soldier standing over him, he slowed down.
“What happened to Ayaz?”
“I don’t know! I came in looking for the guy that knocked Sheraz out and found him like this,” Kamal said, quietly pulling his sidearm from the holster. “We should warn Faheem that we have a guest,” the soldier said, turning to warn his superior. Kamal waited for him to get a safe distance away and fired two rounds into his back, dropping him to the ground like a wounded deer. The guard tried to roll himself over to fire back at Kamal, but the round had damaged his spine badly, leaving him face down on the floor. Kamal went over and fired another round into his head, and almost like a second thought, changed his sidearm with the guard’s.
Kamal moved a few yards down the corridor when another soldier jumped from behind a crate hitting him with the butt of his AK-47, stunning him. What the fuck? Kamal thought, reaching up to find blood coming from just above his eye. “What’s your problem soldier? Don’t you recognize your own?” he said, glaring at the attacker. The guard hesitated for a moment but something must have alerted him, because he drew his weapon back again. Kamal used all his body weight to jam the weapon and soldier against the wall; he could feel his eye swelling up already, and he preferred not to expend any more energy than he had to.
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