Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Bookmark Blitz Tour: Jessica by Laura DeLuca (YA Paranormal)



Blurb

Wilbur was used to going to his college formals alone. He thought the Halloween Ball would be no different. He’s amazed when a beautiful girl in a Victorian costume displays an interest in him and even more amazed to find himself alone with her on one of the campus nature trails.

What Wilbur doesn’t realize is that another woman has her eye on him too. The White Lady returns every Halloween to take revenge on the men of the campus for her brutal murder. She has chosen Wilbur as her next victim.

**The first chapter of Laura DeLuca's new book, Morrigan (Release Date October 31, 2012), is also included with this short story**

Excerpt

Wilbur thought he was going to collapse when Jessica wrapped one arm around his waist. He could feel her fingers, soft as silk, touching the nape of his neck with her other hand, and it made his flesh tingle. She even went so far as to lay her head on his shoulder. Her hair brushed against his cheek and the fresh, flowery scent made his vision blur. At first he thought it was just his allergies, but then the whole room and all the people in it seemed to change. The woman all wore full lacy gowns with their hair piled up in fancy up dos, while the men waltzed beside them in tailored suits with long tails and top hats. Even the music had changed from the typical sappy love song to a classical ballad played by a string quartet. He swore he saw the musicians in the corner; their bows sliding effortlessly over the strings of their instruments while their fingers pulsated in perfect vibrato. Even the floor under their feet had changed from the faded gymnasium floor, marked with the lines and circles of the basketball court, to hand laid tile in intricate patterns reminiscent of a Victorian ballroom.

As they circled the dance floor in an oddly quickened pace, the faces of the dancers started to transform even more. The beautiful nineteenth century ballroom aged and decayed, as did the men and women that surrounded him. Grotesque monsters with bloated skin and empty eyes dragged their decaying limbs in slow motion. Wilbur watched them with growing horror, almost forgetting about the girl in his arms. The monsters noticed the stranger among them. They reached for him with fingers green from rot. Catching his breath in fear, Wilbur pulled away from Jessica and very nearly stumbled to the ground.

Author Bio



Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years. She is the author of four young adult novels including: Destiny, Destiny Unveiled, Phantom, and Morrigan and has many other works in progress.

Author Media Links

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

Bookmark Blitz Tour Page

Buy Links

Amazon (Book will be a Free Download 10/31 & 11/01)

Monday, October 29, 2012

Musing Mondays - Online Reading Friends?





If you'd like to play along on Musing Mondays, just click the button above to join in.




Do you have people online that you often discuss the books you read with? Not just book groups, but individual readers who share the same taste in books? If so, what do you like best about this? If not, do you wish you did?

My answer...

I have a few people online who have the same reading tastes that I do. Once in awhile we'll discuss books, but not often. Mainly because we don't necessarily read the same book at the same time. Once I finish a book, I don't really remember very much since I go right to the next one.

It is fun to share thoughts when reading the same books, though. In "real life" I just don't have many reading friends to talk to.


Sunday, October 28, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?



This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!

I'm currently still reading...


I'm listening to....


I finished listening to...




Next up?


What's on your list?


Book Giveaway Winner!








The winner of the book The Cat, The Wife and The Weapon by Leann Sweeney is....

Entry #4Nora-Adrienne D.


Congrats to Nora and thank you to all who participated!

Sunday Salon - A Storm Is Coming!



If you'd like to participate with The Sunday Salon, just click the button above.

It's been a busy week for me. I had several book giveaways going on, but only finished one book and it was an audio...

Celebration by Fern Michaels

I used to love Fern Michaels' books, but this one wasn't a favorite at all.  Oh well, you can't like everything, can you?  I'd still continue to read her books.

I don't feel too bad not getting anything else read this week.  I had a painful migraine earlier in the week and reading was the last thing I felt like doing.  I'm fine now and I'm going to try and finish the book I'm currently reading, Curveball by Jen Estes.  It's pretty good and set in the baseball world.  I love baseball, so this is a fun mystery for me.

The big news here on the East Coast is Hurricane Sandy is coming.  We are busy securing the house - I've already done the grocery shopping.  We have everything we need.  Hopefully the power doesn't go out, but you never know.  So, if I vanish for a few days, it's due to a power outage.  I'm hoping against hope that this turns out to be a false alarm.  It doesn't sound like it, but it could happen :)  For everyone in the path of the storm, I hope you all stay safe.

There's still time to enter the giveaways on my blog...a couple are still open.  Click on the buttons in the sidebar to enter.

I hope you all have a great week and here's to hoping the storm won't be all that exciting after all :)


Relaxing Sunday

Click Here For Images &
Relaxing Sunday Pictures - Pictures

Saturday, October 27, 2012

What an animal reading challenge - Completed

Yay, I managed to finish another reading challenge. It's What an Animal Reading Challenge that I host. This challenge officially ends on February 28, 2013. At that time, I'm hoping to host this again starting in March 2013.

These are the books I read this year ...

1.  Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis (Click for review)
2. Cats Can't Shoot by Clea Simon (Click for review.)
3. Whisker of Evil by Rita Mae Brown (Click for review.)
4. A Fistful of Collars by Spencer Quinn (Click for review.)
5. A Charming Crime by Tonya Kappes (Click for review.)
6. The Cat,The Wife, and The Weapon (Click for review.)

Celebration by Fern Michaels




Genre:
Fiction

Format:
Audio

Publisher:
Brilliance Audio

Release Date:
August 2008



Against everyone’s better judgment Kristine marries her high school sweetheart, Logan Kelly. They make a life for themselves with his military career and their three children. Kristine is as happy as can be until Logan’s military assignment is over and he’s coming home for the Christmas holiday. She prepares his favorite meal, gets the house ready and she waits with her children for his return. They wait, and wait, and wait some more but he never shows up.

Kristine is sure something must have happened to him, but then she learns Logan cleaned out their bank accounts (taking 8 million dollars!). Everyone around her, including her children, try to make her see Logan for what he was a cruel, abusive man. The children have the physical scars to prove it, but Kristine is blinded by her devotion for Logan. Her children move away to college and want nothing more to do with either of their parents. Kristine turns to alcohol for solace.

With the help of Woody, the handsome local banker, Kristine slowly begins to rebuild her life. She starts a career raising dogs, stops drinking and finds true love with Woody. Just as her life begins to have meaning again, in walks Logan as if his absence for the last 8 years is meaningless. He thinks he can just pick up where he left off, but Kristine isn’t having any of it.

The premise of this story sounds so good, but the main character was a big turn off for me. Kristine has no backbone and made frustrating decisions throughout the book. I listened to the audio version of this book in my car and I kept yelling at her. There was some character growth by the end of the book, but not enough for me. Logan was such a vile character and I was expecting more of a payoff to his outcome. Without giving away any plots, I was more frustrating than anything listening to this book. I used to love Fern Michaels’ books, but the last two I read really fell short for me.




Disclosure:  I took this audio out from the library.  All opinions are my own.

E-Book Giveaway Winner!







E-Book Giveaway Winner!

A copy of Missing Rebecca (e-book version of the winner's choice) goes to...

Lisa H.

Congratulations to Lisa and thank you all for participating!


Friday, October 26, 2012

Victoria Alexander Chat and Book Giveaway Winners!






We have winners!!!

The first place winner for Victoria Alexander's newest book What Happens At Christmas and a space to attend her live chat on November 6th is:




Entry #38winnie
The next four winners each receive a copy of the book...
 
Entry #55Bonnie Y.
Entry #14Rachelle L.
Entry #27samantha
Entry #10Amanda M.
 


Congrats to all the winners and thanks to all who participated!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Follow Friday Four Fill in Fun Blog Hop - Week 85

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This is a fun meme and it's hosted by Hilary at Feeling Beachie. Check out her lovely blog, if you'd like to participate.

This week’s statements

1. My patience is my favorite feature

2. Thinking about my cat Geiger makes me cry (I miss him so much!)

3. It’s been a long time since I saw a good movie.

4. I just don’t understand nasty people.

Cat Thursday - October 25th



Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! This fun meme is hosted by The True Book Addict. Go over to her site to join in the fun.




Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop - 10/24-10/31


Socrates' Book Review Blog is participating in yet another giveaway hop. This one is the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop hosted by Inspired Kathy at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. We are giving away a hardcover copy of The Dark Rose by Erin Kelly.


A synopsis from Amazon...

Paul was led into a life of crime by his boyhood protector, a bully named Daniel; but one night, what started as a petty theft turned into a grisly murder. Now, at nineteen, Paul must bear witness against his friend to avoid prison. Louisa's own dark secrets led her to flee a desperate infatuation gone wrong many years before. Now she spends her days steeped in history, renovating the grounds of a crumbling Elizabethan garden. But her fragile peace is shattered when she meets Paul; he's the spitting image of the one person she never thought she'd see again.

These two, scarred and solitary, begin a secret affair. Louisa starts to believe she can again find the happiness she had given up on. But neither of them can outrun his violent past.

A story of secrets and guilt set among the ruins of a sixteenth- century English garden, The Dark Rose explores the extremes of obsessive love and loyalty, devotion and desperation. Like Kelly's critically acclaimed debut novel, The Poison Tree, this fantastically creepy, atmospheric novel thrills until the final shocking moments.


Here are a few simple rules!

1) U.S. Residents Only!

2) Fill out the form below with a valid email address.

3) For an extra entry, please follow this blog (please let me know how you follow - older followers are fine, too!)

4) For an extra entry, follow me on Twitter.

5) For an extra entry, blog about this giveaway.

6) For an extra entry, tweet about this giveaway.

That's it...the giveaway begins on Tuesday, October 23rd (12:01 am est time) and ends on Thursday, November 1st (12:01 am est time).

A winner will be chosen using Rafflecopter. I will send an email to the winner, who must respond within 3 days or a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway




Don't forget to visit the other blog participants in this blog hop and enter to win prizes!



Monday, October 22, 2012

Naughty & Nice Holiday Hop - 10/22-10/29

The good people at Random House are having a blog hop! It begins 10/22 and ends 10/29. Sign up with the Rafflecopter form below and visit the other participating blogs listed below to increase your chances to win!

Prizes - R@R is giving away (must be 18 or older to participate):

· 15 Net Galley Preview copy winners of Naughty & Nice +
· 5 ABOUT LAST NIGHT paper giveaways (US only) +
· Grand Prize of $15 Gift Certificate to eRetailer of choice!!

Random House will be sending the prizes directly to the winners.

Enjoy and good luck!





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, October 21, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?



This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!

I'm currently reading...



I finished reading...


and


I'm still listening to....








Next up?




What's on your list?


The Cat, The Wife and The Weapon by Leann Sweeney (Book Giveaway and Review!)




Genre:
Cozy Mystery

Format:
Paperback

Publisher:
Obsidian Mystery

Release Date:
April 2012




Quilter Jillian Hart couldn’t wait to get home after spending a week at craft fairs and cat shows across several Southern states. She hasn’t heard from her friend Tom Stewart and she is more than a little concerned. It isn’t like him not to answer her phone calls. So, when she returns to Mercy, South Carolina, she takes her three kitties home and goes to Tom’s house. He’s not there, but his brother is. A brother she never knew about. Jillian immediately distrusts Tom’s brother, especially when she discovers he allowed Tom’s diabetic cat to escape and go missing.

To Jillian’s horror, the police find Tom’s car wrecked with a dead body inside. When Tom shows up with bruises, Jillian fears for his life. To add to the confusion, Tom’s stepson arrives in town with a concussion, a memory loss and a dog named Yoshi. Jillian is more determined than ever to find out what’s going on, although she can’t help but wonder why Tom never mentioned his brother or his stepson. She fears these secrets might have led to murder.

This is the 4th book in Leann Sweeney’s “A Cats in Trouble Mystery Series” and each book that I’ve read has been wonderful. I read the first two books. I haven’t read the third book yet but I have it on my Nook.

It’s a fast-paced book, with lively dialogue and a cast of very likeable and charming characters. Jillian and her three fur babies – Merlot, Syrah, and Chablis – are delightful. Not only do the human characters come alive in this book, so do the furry characters. I enjoyed getting reacquainted with all the citizens of Mercy and meeting new ones too. We even get a nice romance tossed in the mix between Jillian and Tom.

This is a “must read” series for any cozy mystery fan, especially for a cat lover like me.





FTC Disclosure: The publisher provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

For reading challenge:
What an animal reading challenge

Book Giveaway!

And now...thanks to Kayleigh at Berkley - I can offer one book to one lucky reader in a book giveaway.

Here are a few simple rules!

1) U.S. Residents Only!

2) Fill out the form below with a valid email address.

3) For an extra entry, please follow this blog (please let me know how you follow - older followers are fine, too!)

4) For an extra two entries, post this giveaway on your blog.

5) For an extra entry, follow me on Twitter.

6) For an extra two entries, tweet about this giveaway.

That's it...the giveaway begins on Sunday, October 21st (12:01 am est time) and ends on Sunday, October 28th (12:01 am est time).

A winner will be chosen using Rafflecopter. I will send an email to the winner, who must respond within 3 days or a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Sunday Salon - October 21st



If you'd like to participate with The Sunday Salon, just click the button above.

It's been a busy week at Socrates' Book Review Blog...

Blog Tours:

Breast Cancer...You're Kidding,right?

Missing Rebecca by John Worsley Simpson

Finished reading:

The Cat, The Wife and the Weapon by Leann Sweeney
Missing Rebecca by John Worsley Simpson

Giveaways still going on:

Missing Rebecca

The Cat, The Wife and the Weapon

What Happens at Christmas

(You can still enter these giveaway - just click the links in the sidebar.)

My upcoming blog tours are all listed in my sidebar.  I'm also participating in a couple of blog hop giveaways and those are in the sidebar too.

I'm trying to catch up on my TV shows this week...I already saw 666 Park Avenue and The Walking Dead.  I'm loving both of these shows.  I'm also loving General Hospital.  It's been awhile since I was addicted to that show, but I am now.  It's been great.

I'm desperately trying to catch up on both my reading and TV viewing.  It's becoming a chore, but once I'm caught up, I should be good to go :)

I hope you all have a great week.




Missing Rebecca by John Worsley Simpson (Review, Guest Blog and Giveaway!)






Genre:
Suspense, Thriller

Format:
E-Book

Publisher:
Kindle, Create Space

Release Date:
May 2012



Liam Peters falls in love and marries Rebecca Hancock after a whirlwind romance. Only a couple of months after their marriage, Rebecca is kidnapped from a shopping mall. Liam does everything in his power to find her, but the police are less than helpful.

As Liam desperately searches for his wife, he discovers she might not be the innocent woman he thought. Perhaps there was a reason for their quick romance and marriage which had nothing to do with love. Liam doesn’t want to believe it, but he quickly realizes he was played for a fool.

As he does his own investigation, he discovers his wife was mixed up in quite a few illegal activies. His own life hangs in the balance as he comes up against the Russian mob, corrupt pharmaceutical people, and US Marshals. As Liam travels across the country to find his wife, readers will be on a rollercoaster themselves as they try to figure out the bad guys from the good guys.

The premise of this story is captivating and it has the potential for a great storyline, but I felt as if I needed more. I wanted to know the characters better than I did. There were a few slow parts in the middle of the book, but I thought it got off to a great start and had a great end.

I loved that the author kept giving us twists and turns to the point that the readers have no clue which characters to trust. We needed a score card to keep this straight, which I found fun. Missing Rebecca is a quick read and suspense lovers will enjoy this one.




FTC Disclosure: The Partners in Crime Blog Tour provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.



For reading challenge:

E-Book Reading Challenge

GUEST BLOG - RESEARCHING CRIME FICTION



There are two kinds of crime-fiction writers and readers: those who play fast and loose with reality and those for whom "getting it right" is of great importance. I am of the latter type. The former, in my view, are lazy, cheap sluts who deceive and cheat readers, many of whom are, unfortunately, willing dupes.

Those readers who are willing to be abused in this way do a disservice to the notion of "reader." It's like the difference in music between, say, classical, opera, jazz, Broadway musicals, or other quality genres and the lowest of the lowest of the lowest of the low: rap, which is not only not music, it's no more than some idiot babbling nonsense that would have been more poetic and meaningful had he read out the Peoria, Ill., Yellow Pages with a stammer.

Now, you can successfully write like that--Dan Brown is a great example--and be a terrific success because there are no quality controls any more. Back to the music analogy: at one time, 40 years ago, all popular music was of a high calibre. Its rendition required years of training and practice. The public loved the result. Today, all kinds of absolute garbage is admired, and makes a lot of money for its producers. What's happened? Did the public lose its ability to discern good from bad music? No, the public never had any real taste. What's happened is that the standards are no longer set by professionals (I mean really professional, not somebody who gets paid for making a noise), but instead are determined by marketers responding to the grunts of the rabble, who are quite happy with the crap with which they are assailed.) At one time, a twdit who could twang a guitar wouldn't be allowed to clean the crap from the bottom of the boots of a real musician, and so the public never heard the shoeshiner's cacophonous assault on the ears and the brain. Today, those scumbags--the marketers and the "artists"-- set the "standard."

After that long digression, back to literature, and in an incredibly convoluted route , back to research. What I'm trying to say in this circumlocutionary effort is that honest writers get things right, which, in most genres, requires little in the way of research. In crime fiction, however, getting it right means a considerable amount of research. In fact, I would guess that, on average, every two or three pages would produce questions on which I would have to conduct research to answer. I don't think there is any other form of fiction, except science fiction, that demands that kind of questioning, that kind of research, which can be anything from a correct title from the Internet to a personal interview of a cop, or a nurse, or a doctor, or an ex-convict.

AUTHOR BIO

JOHN WORSLEY SIMPSON is a crime-fiction writer. John was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, emigrated to Canada at the age of four and grew up in Toronto, He has been a reporter and editor in major newspapers and news services in North America, England and Ireland. He is married and lives in Newmarket, Ontario.

AUTHOR SITES: Website (http://www.johnworsleysimpson.ca)
Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/johnworsleysimpson)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/jworsim)

PURCHASE LINKS: AMAZON  and Barnes & Noble



EXCERPT

“Okay.” The detective moved the computer mouse on the table and the screen lit up. He clicked on a folder and a video player opened; another click and the video began to play. The first scene was inside one of the mall’s entrances. In a moment, Liam and Rebecca entered the frame from the bottom of the screen, their backs to the camera.

“Is that you and your wife?” Welburn asked.

“It is, yes. It was a cold day, like today, so Rebecca wore her red, quilted ski jacket. I wore my pea coat and watch cap—hello, sailor,” Peters said, grinning vacuously, and immediately felt stupid.

“Sure. And right away you split up.”

“Rebecca likes to shop alone, which is great. As men, you must appreciate that.”

The detectives exchanged a glance and then nodded politely.

They ran the video for about an hour, various cameras picking up Rebecca in her bright red coat and ink-black hair. One scene showed Rebecca heading past the camera toward the mall exit, carrying a Lord & Taylor bag. The next scene showed Peters carrying a huge Hugo Boss bag, passing Rebecca as she re-entered the mall empty handed. He waved to her as he passed, and she turned down a side corridor that led to the restrooms.

“I took the jacket and pants I’d bought out to the car,” Peters explained. “Rebecca had a couple of outfits in her bag. She left them in the car, too. I found them later.”

Almost instantly, because of the truncating of the video by the technician, a man wearing a long, black overcoat, its collar turned up, and a sloping-brim, Irish-style, tweed hat appeared from the bottom of the screen, his back to the camera, as if he had just entered the mall. He was carrying a duffel bag. His shoulders were hunched and he walked with long, quick strides, so that he was around the corner and in the restroom corridor in a few seconds.

Welburn paused the video.

“Let me explain. I’ve watched the video before, a few times. The original showed this corner of the hall for some time. There is an emergency exit at the end of the corridor to the restrooms, and there are a couple of utility rooms. If the exit door had been opened, an alarm would have sounded, and a signal flashed in the security room. It wasn’t opened. There’s no camera in the restroom hallway, by the way. It’s only a short hall, fully visible from the main hall. Anyway, you’ll see when I start the video again that two people—the guy in the long coat—and a woman in a long coat and a wide scarf covering her hair and most of her face come out of the restroom hallway. The guy is holding the woman’s elbow. Okay, watch.”

As soon as the detective restarted the video, the couple he had described came hurrying around the corner in the direction of the camera. The hat and collar of the man concealed his face, as did the woman’s scarf cover hers. He seemed almost to be pushing her. He wasn’t carrying the duffel bag.

“Now, the entire rest of the video shows no one in a red ski jacket, or even anyone roughly resembling your wife come out of that corridor, or from straight down the hall.”

“That must have been her.”

“With the long-overcoat guy? Yeah we think so. The height looks about right, for instance. And—I’m sorry about this, but we checked with the lost-and-found at the mall, and they had a red ski jacket that looks exactly like the one your wife was wearing. It was found in the ladies washroom in the hallway we’re looking at. And the duffel bag the guy was carrying was in the hallway.”



BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!!

How would you like to win an ebook version of this book for your own? Just a few simple rules...

1) You must fill out the form below (including a valid email address).

2) For an extra entry: Follow this blog

3) For an extra entry: Follow me on Twitter

4) For an extra 2 entries: Post this giveaway on your blog.

5) For an extra 2 entries: Tweet about this giveaway.

The giveaway begins on October 20th (12:01 est) and ends on October 27th (12:01 est).

The winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck!




a Rafflecopter giveaway




Friday, October 19, 2012

Upcoming Random House Releases



Forbidden (World of the Nightwalkers) by Jacquelyn Frank

Release Me by J. Kenner (an excerpt)



Follow Friday Four Fill in Fun Blog Hop - Week 84

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This is a fun meme and it's hosted by Hilary at Feeling Beachie. Check out her lovely blog, if you'd like to participate.

This week’s statements

1. If only I was rich then I wouldn't have to work anymore.

2. When I was little I was painfully shy.

3. I think not taking things too seriously is for better health.

4. I feel happiest when I'm home with hubby and the kitties.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Cat Thursday - October 18th



Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! This fun meme is hosted by The True Book Addict. Go over to her site to join in the fun.

It's been almost two months since we adopted Trudy. I think she's getting used to here...