Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Gaze Into Heaven Review

GazeInto Heaven is a carefully compiled collection of more than 50 near-death experiences that occurred during the early years of the Church. These documented accounts give fascinating glimpses into the Spirit World by those who have actually been there. Besides being filled with stories of insight and inspiration, Gaze Into Heaven has pertinent quotes from latter-day Prophets and other leaders, scriptures, and perceptive commentary. After reading this book, you will never think of life—or death—in the same way.
Most of us have wondered exactly what will happen when we die. What does the Spirit World look like? Will we see departed family members and friends? What do people do there? Do spirits there know what is happening on earth? What did people who had near-death experiences learn from their visit? All of these questions and many more are answered in Gaze Into Heaven. There have been many books written about modern day near-death experiences, but this book is the first to focus solely on those that took place in early church history
Review of Gaze into Heaven by Marlene Bateman Sullivan
Because of some miscommunication between Marlene and I, I didn’t get Gaze into Heaven in time to read the entire book for my review. So instead I went through and picked and chose some different stories to read that Marlene included in the book. I have to say, I’m impressed with the way she’s organized the stories, and the fact that she’s left them intact from how they were told originally, rather than trying to edit them to fix the spelling, grammar, etc. It gives the stories a much more genuine feel.

I’ve been a believer in life after life as long as I can remember, so having a book like this only reinforces to me what I’ve always believed. The book is full of stories of those who’ve been near death, and the experiences they had during the time of their “death”. Considering the diversity of the people, and the different time periods in which they lived, it’s amazing how similar their experiences all were. They aren’t identical, but there are a great deal of similarities in the stories.

I think it’s great that Marlene has taken the stories and compiled them in such a way that it makes for easy reading (for the chapters I read) and that she’s grouped them by their most prominent theme into the different chapters. Whether you believe in an afterlife or not, this is still an intensely interesting collection of stories. Definitely worth a read.

What other people are saying:
“I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book! I can't even tell you how grateful I am to you for writing it. My 12 year old nephew died in May and this has been a healing balm to my soul. I can't wait to send a copy to my brother. I have always been afraid to die, but not now. This book has power in its pages.” Alice Gold

From Back Cover
“With this book, Marlene Bateman Sullivan has done a valuable service for Latter-day Saint readers. Previous life-after-death studies published brief extracts from numerous sources and combined them to define spirit-world events and conditions. Returning to those sources, she has compiled many of their complete accounts, which add additional insights that will be enjoyed by many. Well done!”  Duane S. Crowther, author of Life Everlasting—A Definitive Study of Life After Death 

Link to Marlene's website: www.marlenebateman.info

Purchase your copy here


Monday, April 29, 2013

Alexander Drake Book Blast

Alexander Drake new cover

Alexander Drake's Extraordinary Pursuit

Meet Alexander Drake, a curious young man living in a drab, oversized mansion with his secretive father. He spent his days playing alone. In the back of his mind he wondered what happened to his mother, and why his father was tight-lipped about the past; but secrets have a way of getting out. It all started with a stay at his grandmother’s cottage. Alexander found strange clues tucked away in his father’s old bedroom. With a mysterious key and several maps in his pack he set off on an innocent search for answers about his family. When he discovered a secret passageway the search took a dramatic turn. He suddenly worried about what was searching for him. Alexander was being hunted by a sorcerer from his father’s past. Answers lead to more questions and the journey of his life. Join Alexander for a thrilling adventure in Azra’s Pith, a place of beauty and magic… but beware—something evil lurks in the shadows.  

Amazon

   
General drake new cover

The Return of General Drake

When Alexander arrived in Verhonia, something went terribly wrong. A dark spell delivered from the mountains of Acadia sent him on a dangerous journey in the middle of the night. As he marched into the mountains, the great city of Verhonia was ambushed and burned to the ground by Roman's army of vicious giant murks. With the safety of the realm in jeopardy, General John William Drake was asked to come back to Azra's Pith. He swore he would never return. But after discovering his son was under a spell and in the grips of a dark sorcerer, he had no choice. Things take a wild turn in the mountains, with runaways, a hungry wolf and a mysterious, young empyrean wizard thrown into the adventure. A tight race against time and evil is in full swing. With faith and a little magic, they just might come out on top.  

Publisher

alexander tour
 

Tour Schedule

 

lizzieAuthor Elizabeth Parkinson-Bellows

Being the frizzy-haired tomboy with buck teeth gave me a slight case of shyness as a kid. A colorful imagination meant escape and adventure at the drop of a hat. Over the years I learned that the insecurities I carried around were a waste of time. I still prefer a football game to a manicure any day of the week. That indispensable imagination has found its way into my writing providing a sense of joy and a true purpose.  

Website * Twitter * Facebook

   

Book Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 5/15/13   a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Demons by Heather Frost

"Seers are not just spectators, they are also prey..."
 
Heather Frost stops by today on her blog tour for her newest book in the "Seers" trilogy, Demons. You can read about both books below, and see my review of Demons beneath that. (I put my review of Seers at the bottom as well). Demons released in September of 2012, and the final book in the trilogy, Guardians, is due out in July. Let me just say how much I loved these books! I highly recommend them.
 
SEERS (Book 1)
For Kate Bennet, surviving the car wreck that killed her parents means big changes and even bigger problems. As she begins to see auras and invisible people, Kate must learn to trust Patrick O'Donnell, a handsome Guardian, or risk her life being overrun with Demons. She soon realizes that both she and her heart are in big-time trouble.


 
 
DEMONS (Book 2)
Kate's life is far from normal. She can see Auras, her boyfriend is immortal, and her powers make her a target. But now that the Demon Lord is hunting her, things are about to go from dangerous to truly deadly. Packed with action, mind-blowing plot twists, and characters you can't get enough of, this is a fast-paced, heart-pounding read from cover to cover.
 
 
 
My review of Demons:
 
One of the hardest things for an author to do is to write the second book in a trilogy (in my opinion). In the first book you establish the conflict and set up the romance between your two MC’s. In the third everything comes to a head in a big way and the conflict is resolved. That leaves the second book as “fill” to further the story.
Demons is the second book of Heather Frost’s Seer’s trilogy. So what do I think of her “fill” book? I absolutely love it. Heather does an amazing job of keeping the story rolling, fast paced and full of intrigue and suspense. There were a few things she set up in the beginning that I thought I’d figured out where she was going with them. I was wrong. She completely surprised me.
Let me begin with her well drawn characters. I’m completely in love with Patrick. It’s easy for me to see why Kate is as well. That Irish accent? Um, *sigh* is all I can say. Toni is one of the funniest guys I’ve “met” in a while, and Lee is a fascinating character. Gotta love the twins, Jenna and Josie, as well. Grandpa Henry is a grandpa I wish I had. Heather does a great job fleshing out her secondary characters, and giving them an actual part in the story rather than just being supporting players. Even the special kids they eat lunch with are fully formed characters.
Now we can talk about the romance between Patrick and Kate. I seriously wondered if Heather would be able to maintain the heat between them after the scorching we had from them in Seers. She did—and then some. No one writes a kiss like Heather does. Even the looks between the two of them will get your heart pounding.
I’m not going to give away the ending other than to say it was a bombshell. Unexpected and yet perfect at the same time. There are several things in the book that I didn’t see coming (something that rarely happens anymore after reading so many books in my lifetime). Kudos to Heather for writing a book that I read in about three days because I couldn’t put it down. And when I was forced to, I couldn’t wait to get back to it. When I finished, I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and chomping at the bit to get to the next book. (Lucky me, I happen to know the author and therefore I get to read an advanced copy so I don’t have to wait. You won’t be so lucky, other than I know it’ll be coming out before too long so it won’t be too much of a wait.)
This is one of those books—or rather series—that I promise you won’t regret reading. There aren’t a lot of books that I read repeatedly, but I’m already thinking about reading this series again as soon as I finish with her upcoming Guardian. Mainly because I can’t get enough of Patrick and his sexy accent.
My review of Seers:
It's rare anymore that I have time to read books, so if I'm going to pick one up, it has to be very interesting for me to spend the time on it. That being said, I read Seers in about two days because I couldn't put it down. In fact, I sat up all night finishing it because I wanted to know what was going to happen, and then I had to force myself to go to bed rather than pick up the sequel, Demons.
Heather does a great job creating characters. Kate is sympathetic in both the loss of her parents and in her stange new "ability" (seeing others' auras). She can't tell anyone of her ability because they all think she's crazy. Only her quirky best friend Lee knows. Enter her hot guardian, Patrick, who's been sent to protect her against the Demons hunting her. Long, lingering looks and kisses that'll curl your toes punctuate a complicated relationship. Grandpa Henry, the twins, Patrick's partner, the irrepressible Toni, even Aaron who's desperately trying to save his relationship with Kate - all of them play an important role in the story.
The book also has an amazing cover. Kudos to whoever designed the cover for Heather. It's fantastic.
Seers is a great beginning to the trilogy telling Kate's story, and I'm beyond excited for the next two books in the series. In case you don't know Heather's story, she wrote the entire trilogy during her summer break from school, which makes it even more amazing that not only is Seers so well-written with brilliant characters, but the plot is something that I'd think would take a lot more planning. I highly recommend this book.
 
Where you can get the goods, and find more about Heather:
About the Author
I was born in Sandy, Utah, a few days before Halloween in 1989. I lived in Salt Lake City until I was about six, and then I moved North and settled into the place I still call home. I'm the oldest daughter and second oldest child in my family. I have six brothers, and three sisters. My parents chose to home-school all of us, and I'm surprised that they held onto their sanity after having us home so much. Still, I'm very grateful to them for all of the many sacrifices they made which enabled me to get the education that I did. My family members are my best friends, and I love them all so much. The three most important things in my life are as follows: God, my family, and writing. These things make me who I am, and I will always be grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with so much.

I can't remember a time when I didn't enjoy reading, and I did a lot of it. I also dabbled in writing when I was young, though nothing serious until I entered the teenage years. I picked up one of my favorite hobbies when I started playing the flute at age eleven. I played my flute through High School, participating in both marching and concert bands, which led me to make some very good friends. I continue to play the flute, and was even a member of the Snow College Flute Choir.

I attended Snow College, and there got the best job ever as a writing tutor. I graduated in May 2011 with my Associate of Science, and am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science as an English Major. (Yes, a BS in English. Almost ironic, huh?) I love movies, music, and books—although I do think that the dumbest question on the planet is the whole “What's your favorite book/music/movie?” The best answer I've come up with is, “Whatever I'm reading, listening to, or watching at the time.” Generally, it's an accurate answer.


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Showers of Books


Giveaway hop sponsored by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and Books a la Mode.

Choose from any of the following ebooks:


Simple entry: Leave a comment below and you're entered! Then hop on over to other blogs for more chances to be showered by books.


Monday, April 22, 2013

David's Song Book Blast

 

 
David’s Song
Taken from the book cover: Annie only ever really loved two men in her life. One broke her heart, the other married her. Four children and fifteen years later, Annie’s marriage is in jeopardy. Money is tight and her husband questions the very foundation of their relationship. When Annie is unexpectedly given the opportunity to see the young man who broke her heart — a man who is now a megastar in the music industry — Annie is faced with choices. Choices that will determine what is of more value — a second chance at lost love and unfulfilled dreams or commitment, trust, and love built on years of experience.
A psychologically subtle, yet compelling tale about how the instinct and need for love overcomes self-doubt and personal inadequacy.



Author A.R. Talley
April R Talley was born and raised in the Rubber City, Akron, Ohio in 1959.  She is the youngest of six children.  She attended Brigham Young University for a time, but withdrew to work fulltime for Osmond Productions in Orem, Utah as a member of The Osmond production staff.  After a brief stint working in television, she returned to Akron to finish her education.  She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Mass Media Communications in 1981.   April later worked as vice president and part owner of a dance and sportswear boutique.  Married in 1982, she is the proud mother of seven children and is deeply involved in volunteer work for her church.  April spends her time working on future projects, caring for home and family, and traveling.  David’s Song is her debut novel and the first of a trilogy.

Links
http://twitter.com/ARTalley13
www.facebook.com/ARTalley7
www.goodreads.com/book/show/10168326-david-s-song
www.talleyar.blogspot.com
www.artalleyblog.wordpress.com


Praise from reviews on Goodreads.com

Not just your typical romance novel – Tracy Williams

David’s Song is great read that leaves you thinking about the story and pondering your own relationships. – Anna Pavkov

Sucked me in from the 1st page  - Jill Walker

Loved this book . . . could not put it down! – Dana Vieira

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Thanks to Tiffany Loves Books!!

I just wanted to take a minute to thank Tiffany at Tiffany Loves Books for spotlighting me and my books throughout the past couple of months. I genuinely appreciate her taking up so much of her blog space and time to showcase my work. Below are some of the posts she wrote, including some book reviews.

 
 
"I’ll start by saying WOW, this is an amazing read! This is truly a roller coaster of a book. You never know where the story line is going. There is absolutely nothing predictable about it. Also, you spend the book in emotional highs and lows. Although admittedly, I spent most of the book crying. It was also so romantic and I loved watching their love form and evolve."
 
 For the full review click here.


"So here’s my take on Beautiful Beast: it is a short story that somehow manages not to feel like one. It has great character development and the storyline is also well set up and well developed."
 
For the full review click here.  


"Geek Girl is a pretty amazing novel about a girl with a tragic childhood who finds herself a young adult lost in the pain of her upbringing. Jen is a total goth who attempts to turn the schools golden boy “bad” after a dare brought out of boredom. In the beginning of the novel, the book was all high school drama with all of its drama and gossip. Which in truth, I’m usually bored by but Bennett managed to make it entertaining. I also found myself constantly wondering what would happen next. Geek Girl turned out to be quite the roller coaster ride of the reader not knowing what to expect and loving every minute of it."
 
For the full review click here.


"The book is pretty good. I enjoyed it and it turned out to be more than I expected. It’s addictive and felt very real. I laughed, cried and fell in love. Also, I would get so caught up in the book (with the characters, emotions, storyline) I would forget myself. I would catch myself, look around and realize I was actually reading and not watching a film or something. This was the book for me. An amazing escape that keeps you guessing and is addictive."
 
For the full review click here.


"Up until a year or two ago, most readers were unaware of the difference between traditional and self-publishing. One simply chose a book, read it, and then judged it based on the quality of the story. Then self-publishing exploded and with it came a slew of both amazing books from new and established authors as well as some less-than-stellar books."
 
For the full guest post click here. 
 
 
Q: What was the first story you wrote that gave you the maybe I can do this for a living’ feeling? A: I’d have to say Geek Girl, which was actually the second book I wrote (following Heart on a Chain). I’d really written both of them for my daughters, but after I finished Geek Girl, my daughters asked why I didn’t have them published, and it occurred to me that I should.
 
For the full review click here.

Thank you, Tiffany, for all of your hard work and for all of the great posts and reviews!

Friday, April 19, 2013

Shelley Workinger Visits



Shelley Workinger, author of the Solid series, stops by the blog today to tak about her series and where she got her inspiration from. Here's what she has to say:
 
O Solid, Solid wherefore art thou Solid?

Or, more accurately, where were you when I was in the ninth grade?

In all seriousness, the only thing I remember reading in ninth grade was Romeo & Juliet (and getting in trouble for passing a note during the class movie viewing), and I just didn’t get it. I had such a hard time following the Old English that I never even got to see if I could relate to the situation or any of the characters. Then, seeing nothing more accessible coming down the pipeline (Beowulf, anyone?) of my high school years, I basically gave up on reading entirely.

Crazy, right? But sadly not unusual; if someone like me, who read voraciously (and learned from my mother to stash paperbacks in my purse, pockets, wherever) could be frustrated enough to stop reading, then it’s not hard to see how any kid who’s completely overwhelmed by required reading could give up on leisure reading, too. 

That’s why I knew when the idea of Solid came to me that I had to flesh it out into a YA novel (and eventually a series, but that came later :). I had to write it for the me of back then that so many girls are now. 

Clearly, my first goal was to make Solid fun and fast – a complete escape from the school books that had been such work for me to slog through. I also didn’t want to pass on the chance to send a good message to teens and tweens, but didn’t want to undo all my good work by burying readers under heavy life lessons! So I worked in just a couple must-haves: Clio (the teen heroine) had to have real, open communication with her mom, and she also had to eat. Real food. Without obsessing over it.

Beyond making the story easily readable, I also wanted to ensure that every reader would be able to see her/himself in the story, so I created a cast of hugely diverse personalities (and abilities). Still, I made sure the kids had some core commonalities: they’re all open-minded, independent thinkers. In the end, even though the *stars* of Solid are “different,” both from “normal” kids and even each other, each discovers his or her own “super ability” – finds his or her self – and that’s the main message I hope readers walk away with…along with: Reading is fun, of course!
Thanks for stopping by, Shelley! Here's where you can find more info about Shelley and her books.
 

 

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Feed Your Reader

Inspired Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer has launched a new site aimed at bringing you the best Kindle Ebook Deals and Steals.



Each day on feedyourreader.com you'll find a new list of available ebook deals (most for under $3).



And of course there will be lots of  Featured Freebies too!



To celebrate the launch of the new site she is giving away a Kindle Fire, Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash.


Win a 7" Kindle Fire (US only)




Or $100 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)




Or $100 in Paypal Cash (International)





Giveaway Details 
1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire 7" (US Only), $100 Amazon Gift Card or $100 in Paypal Cash (International).
Ends 5/5/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Prize value $100-$159 US.

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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Geek Girl Review

I would like to thank Pat Henshaw from All About Romance for reading and reviewing Geek Girl. Here is some of the great review:

"Geek Girl is one of those sweet coming of age high school romances that is at times poignant and always insightful."

"Bennett gives readers enough that the fairytale framework of the story suspends disbelief, and readers will root for these two well-meaning people to get together."

"It’s only afterward, upon reflection, that readers might wonder if the wonderful story might be more glorious smoke and mirrors than true love."

For the full review click here.

Purchase your copy of Geek Girl now!
Amazon Barnes & Noble Photobucket Photobucket

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Unbelievable by Sherry Gammon






 

Deliah Lopez Dreser’s in town to take care of family business. They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but there’s more to Lilah than meets the eye. Cole’s in danger of losing his heart when this firestorm throws sparks his way. However, is she simply playing him for the fool in order to exact revenge for her brother’s murders?  
 
Maggie and Seth’s reaction when the truth is revealed pushes friendship to the limit. And this time around it won’t be a Dreser causing an uproar in Port Fare. It will be Cole's good friend Booker. But does Booker have it all wrong?  Usually not!

Excerpt:

    
“So, this friend of yours, does he have a specific style in mind?” I asked, hoping to stay the memories as we approached the elevators.
     Booker pressed the up button on the wall, and the steel doors creaked opened. “Cole’s style. Hmm.” Booker seemed to be fighting a grin as we stepped inside. He pressed the third floor button. “Tell me, is utter bedlam a style, really?” He laughed. “In truth, Cole is one of the most generous and unassuming men that I’ve had the luck of knowing. His organizational skills, or lack thereof, are pretty much his only fault.” He shook his head and continued, speaking with just a hint of envy now. “There’s not a bit of guile in the man. He gives everyone the benefit of the doubt, and he never, ever crosses the line.” Booker looked at my quizzical expressions and laughed again. “I’m not kidding. Cole’s never even had a ticket, ever. Not for speeding, not for parking on the wrong side of the road, nothing. The guy’s a saint.”
     “I see. I’m not too fond of perfect people. They tend to make you feel inferior.” I ran a hand nervously over my hair again, smoothing the fly-aways down.
     “I may have painted him a little too perfectly,” Booker admitted as we stopped and the doors opened. He put his hand on the small of my back, guiding me out. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to rip it off. A shiver tore down my spine.
     “It’s a little chilly in here, isn’t it?” I said, trying to cover my reaction to him.
     “Maybe a little,” he said, looking at me strangely.
     Time to redirect. “What were you saying about Cole?”
     “Oh, yeah. The guy has zero organizational skills. He’s a brilliant doctor, mind you, but he’s not organized. He was promoted last month and his office is still a shambles.” Booker pointed to the second hall on the right and we headed for the second door. “He’s also a klutz. A serious klutz.”
     “Unorganized and a klutz aren’t such bad traits,” I pointed out as he reached for the door.
     “You’re right, they’re not. All kidding aside, Cole’s the most pure hearted person I’ve ever met. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear Mother Theresa had given birth to him herself. He makes me want to be a better man, know what I mean?”
     “I think he’s lucky to have a devoted friend like you,” I said honestly. The sincere expression in his eyes left no doubt he cared deeply about the klutz doctor.
     “Nope. I’m the lucky one,” Booker insisted as he shoved hard on the door. “It gets stuck. Think you can fix that while you’re decorating?” He rammed the door with his shoulder. It flew open and Booker stumbled inside, catching the door before it hit the wall.
     A tall man dressed in blue scrubs spun around to face us, hands wrapped tight behind his back, reminding me of a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. I opened my mouth to introduce myself when I looked up into the most amazing deep blue eyes I’d ever seen. The words froze in my throat. Booker forgot to mention that Cole was breathtakingly gorgeous.

My Review:

I'm a fan of Sherry's books. She's one of my favorite YA authors. The first time I read Unloveable (which is an awesome book and will soon be a movie! You can read my review from Amazon at the bottom of this post) I completely fell in love with Cole. You can ask Sherry how gaga I've been over him since then, and how excited I was when I found out she was writing a sequel starring the hunky, klutzy doc.

I had a hard time liking Lilah with him, but that has more to do with the fact that no one could be good enough for my Cole than any dislike of her character. I actually really liked Lilah. For growing up as a Dreser, the girl has an amazingly high sense of morals and knowing right from wrong. And while her reasons for heading to Port Fare are a bit devious, there's some sympathy for a girl who's being forced to do something she doesn't really want to do.

As for Cole . . . *sigh* Cole. Let me wipe the drool from my chin and calm my heart. I can't say enough good about this particular character. Is it weird to be in love with a fictional character? Cole is not just swoon-worthy. He's beyond swoon-worthy. He's dream-at-night-about worthy. A brilliant doctor who's a klutz constantly getting hurt and without much coordination, he is also gorgeous, kind, giving, and caring. Also, forgiving. He manages to find it in his heart to forgive what most people would find cause for hate. Hold on a minute while a have a little Cole fantasy . . .

Okay, I'm back.

Their love story is a cute one. I loved watching Lilah try to remain distant from Cole even as she tried to play him, but unable to resist the utter charm that is Cole. I won't give away too much of their story other than to say Sherry manages to play with your emotions and heartstrings throughout the book, and the ending was perfection (for me anyway). It was great to see Maggie and Seth again, and to watch them as they marry and begin their life together. It was also fun to see Booker (who I hope to see starring in his own book soon) and to see that Maggie hasn't let up on her teasing of him at all.

You don't necessarily need to read the first book to read Cole and Lilah's story in Unbelievable, but you might be a bit lost as to who some of the supporting characters are and why it means anything that Lilah is a Dreser if you don't. I suggest you read Unloveable, then immediately follow with this one. Lucky you, you won't have to wait as long as I did for the sequel!

 


Book Trailer

Author Bio


Unlovable was Sherry's debut novel and quickly rose to many top seller lists on Amazon. She is pleased to announce that Unlovable is currently being made into a movie. She has added three more novels to her body of work. Souls in Peril, the poignant story of Max Sanchez who is on a journey to help the struggling JD Miller survive high school, and Pete & Tink, a fun, light-hearted novella of a manga-loving geek and and five-and-a-half inch fairy. And UNBELIEVABLE, Book 2 in the Port Fare Series
Sherry and her husband, along with their children and a couple of crazy dogs, call Upstate New York home. It is where she spends her nights writing instead of sleeping {:





Click Links: 


ONLY THREE entries are Mandatory, the rest are optional on the Rafflecopter! 



Prizes:

1. A Signed paperback copy of Unlovable and Unbelievable 

 2. An Ecopy of Unbelievable


3. A signed book wreath made from the pages of Unlovable


 4. Swag

5. Sheppard's Hook Bookmarks


6. An ecopy of Author Cindy C Bennett's new anthology Enchanted Fairytales





7. Ecopies of part one and two of Author Camelia Miron Skiba historical anthology.
I was here...Before You came and Born in Sin (due to be released in June)






















My Amazon Review of Unloveable by Sherry Gammon

I found Maggie's story very enjoyably readable. This poor girl lives in horrible circumstances, trying to maintain some normalcy, while being contantly told how unlovable she is. Then she meets Seth, who to her seems too good to be true - and he is to a degree, but not in the he's-so-perfect-he-can't-be-real kind of way. He just isn't what he professes to be. He's not a high school senior at all, but rather an undercover DEA agent. He's assigned to Maggie, and finds himself falling for her rather than maintaining a professional distance.

I've read some of the reviews on here, and some people complained of Seth being too perfect. I didn't get that impression at all. During Maggie's narration, we have to remember we are seeing him through her eyes, and of course she's going to think he's perfect. During his narration, I think Gammon does a great job of showing his humanity, how he struggles with his job vs his personal feelings. There were also some mentions of predictability, and though that's true in certain areas - though not annoyingly predictable, I have to say - there are also many places where Gammon completely throws the reader for a loop. I won't give details, but the story with Maggie and her mother definitely do not go according to happily-ever-after. There was also talk of Maggie making foolish choices. Um, hello, the girl is 17. Who of us did not make foolish choices when we were that age? Teens believe they are invincible, which is a huge part of their charm, and Maggie is just behaving as a typical girl her age might.

As to the love scenes - or lack thereof - I'm grateful to Gammon for keeping it clean. I think the whole world is well aware of the raging hormones of teens, but I don't think it's necessary to write books where they have no self-control. I happen to think there are a great many teens who do have control over their actions, and understand the consequences of giving in to urges. So while Seth holds back because of his upbringing, I applaud Gammon for showing that a young couple can have a hot, loving, sweet relationship without being physical. I did not find the story lacking at all in that area. I applaud ALL authors who write YA books that are appropriate for teens, rather than writing an adult book disguised as YA, but full of adult matter/content. Gammon is absolutely on the right track in that area.

I definitely recommend this book for ages 14-90. There is some violence, and some of the death scenes are fairly graphic, so it might not be appropriate for a younger crowd. Overall, you're going to enjoy this book, as I did.

Oh, and excellent cover! Perfectly catches Maggie's struggle.