Sunday Post #38

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share new about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

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I've been away for...about two weeks? Maybe three? I haven't posted in two weeks but I haven't commented on the week I did post. I blame it all on Christmas. Christmas kidnapped and ate my brain. lol. But I'm back, moving slower but back. I have a few weeks of information to get caught up on with posts (Thank you Skyla!) and what I've read or gotten.

Then, this past weekend (which was to be my catch up time), I came down with this head cold that's going around. *groan*

But I'm planning on being back at it this week! Yes sir-re-Bob. I've got a lineup. I...just don't know what it is at the moment. Sorry.

But all has gone well. Holidays came and went. All that preparing, done in minutes. *sigh* But everyone seemed to enjoy it. So, now we are into the new year. Wow! Were the heck does the time go?

What's Happening in Books:

Current Read:
All of Us Were Sophie by Resa Nelson

Current Podcast Book Listen:
The Secret World Chronicle by Mercedes Lackey & Steve Libbey (in audiobook while at work)


Finished Last Weeks:
Digital Magic by Philippa Ballantine
Walker by Michelle Flick
Knight Shift by Krista D. Ball
Highsong by Laura Jennings

Finished Podcast Book Listen:

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Last Week on the Blog:

Cover Reveals: (click titles to go to post & learn more)

Posts:
Why Write During Holiday Season? My fun little post of Why I write During the Holiday.

New Books! Soulless & Angels (Superheroes)

(this ones a free read online!)

&

 (Sexy Superheroes to come!)

Reviews:

The Quill & The Crow by Lilith Saintcrow

Into Destiny by S.A. Archer & S. Ravynheart

Mama Bitchstress Reviews:

Dead Things by Stephen Blackmoore

The Blood Gospel by James Rollins & Rebecca Cantrell

GIVEAWAYS:



Weekly Posts:

***NEW*** Mythical Monday
Teaser Tuesday
Who? What? Where? Wend.
Throwback Thursday
Looking Forward To...
Freebies and Deals, on Nook too

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This Week to Come on the Blog:

So many reviews in the wings for you all! I have two more on their way...

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Received Last TWO Weeks:

Review:

Walker by Michelle Flick
Goodreads Synopsis:
Kate isn’t thrilled to be moving to the middle of nowhere. She's already lost her parents, now she's leaving the only place she's ever known as home. She’s not there long when she realizes her dreams aren’t her own and that she has the ability to walk through other people's dreams. Not only that, but she might have found her dream guy--literally. He's in her dreams.

Just when she starts to get the hang of dream walking, strange murders in her new town start to occur. Girls are being killed as they sleep with no evidence, no suspects and no clear motive behind the deaths. It doesn’t take Kate very long to realize that the girls aren’t just being killed as they sleep—they’re being killed in their sleep.

Kate must figure out how to find the killer in the real world and keep the ones she loves safe while they sleep.




Purchased/Winnings/Gifts:

War of the Seasons: The Hunter by Janine K. Spendlove
Goodreads Synopsis:
Story must face an evil greater than any she's encountered before. As darkness looms over Ailionora, Story, her companions, and all of the races of Ailionora band together to fight for their very survival.

Harbinger by Philippa Ballantine
Goodreads Synopsis:
The Deacons of the Order are all that stand between the wicked spirits of the Otherside and the innocent citizens of the Empire. They are sworn to protect humanity, even when they cannot protect themselves…

After the Razing of the Order, Sorcha Faris, one of the most powerful Deacons, is struggling to regain control of the runes she once wielded. The Deacons are needed more desperately than ever. The barrier between the world of the living and the world of the dead is weakening, and the Emperor has abandoned his throne, seeking to destroy those he feels have betrayed him. 

Though she is haunted by the terrible truth of her past, Sorcha must lead the charge against the gathering hordes of geists seeking to cross into the Empire. But to do so, she will need to manipulate powers beyond her understanding—powers that may prove to be her undoing…

Kindred and Wings by Philippa Ballantine
Goodreads Synopsis:
On the back of the dragon Wahirangi, Finn the Fox flees the world he has known. As he sets out to find the brother he never knew of, he still holds in his heart the memory of the Hunter. He has denied his love for her, but he cannot deny it forever.

In the halls of the Last Believers, Talyn begins to uncover her own mysteries, but her lust for the death of the Caisah is still strong and clouds her vision. She must choose her path, as the Seer of her people or as the assassin of the overlord.

Meanwhile, Byre, Talyn's brother, must venture into the fiery world of the Kindred, to rebuild the pact that his ancestors made. He will risk everything he is as he forms a new pact that will change his people forever.

Dragons and myths will be reborn, as the Hunter and her Fox face each other once more.


Free Ebooks:

Curran POV Collection by Gordon Andrews
Goodreads Synopsis:
Collection of Curran POVs in chronological order.

Astrid, The Dragonslayer's Blacksmith: A mini novel by Resa Nelson
Goodreads Synopsis:
Astrid constantly worries about her place in the village of Guell. She loves being the apprentice of Guell’s blacksmith, Temple. But Temple bought her from a childseller many years ago, which means Astrid has no blood kin in Guell. If anything should happen to Temple she’s likely to lose her home, her work, and her sweetheart, DiStephan, the dragonslayer’s son. 

One day Astrid’s worst fear comes true when Temple and DiStephan fail to return from a short journey to a nearby village. A teenage boy named Finehurst arrives in Guell, claiming to be Temple’s nephew and rightful heir – and insisting that he saw Temple and DiStephan killed by a dragon. The villagers are divided in their opinion of Finehurst, but Astrid is soon thrown out of her own home, desperate to find a way to regain it. Before the dragonslayer goes in search of his missing son DiStephan and Astrid’s mentor Temple, he sets forth a challenge for Finehurst and Astrid to prove their blacksmithing skills by forging a dagger. Normally, Astrid would be confident, but the village’s iron supplies are so low that she doesn’t know how she can possibly make a dagger that can prove her worth. 

Astrid, The Dragonslayer’s Blacksmith is an all new mini novel that takes place in Resa Nelson’s Dragonslayer world (the 4-book series includes The Dragonslayer’s Sword, The Iron Maiden, The Stone of Darkness, and The Dragon’s Egg). Appropriate for adults and teens, ages 14 and up.

The Stroke of Midnight: A Supernatural New Year's Anthology
Goodreads Synopsis:
It's New Year's Eve and the supernatural community is ringing in the New Year with style! 

Fourteen of your favorite authors have come together to bring you The Stroke of Midnight: A Supernatural New Year's Anthology! 

The Stroke of Midnight features fourteen urban fantasy/paranormal short stories. Celebrate the turn of the year with all the creatures that go bump in the night!

The Demon of Synar by Donna McDonald
Goodreads Synopsis:
Being captain of his own rescue ship is the kind of life Captain Liam Synar always dreamed of living. Being a master of his family’s hereditary demon was never in his plans because his brother had been trained for the purpose. Yet what choice did his father have when Conor's evil came to light? Reluctant or not, Liam is the only Synar left to rule Malachi. Now his exiled brother hunts him to capture the demon while Liam stays on the run and saves Peace Alliance ambassadors in his spare time. As if that isn’t enough trouble to handle, his mate, Ambassador Ania Looren, now unknowingly hosts his family’s demon inside her body. Liam sent Malachi into her to save her life after Conor’s men almost killed her. And though Liam hadn't wanted to, there had been no choice but to abandon her two years ago. His plan of keeping both her and the demon safe from Conor had worked, but his success at hiding what he'd done has finally reached an end. His next rescue has to be his estranged mate before Conor finally figures out the truth.

After accepting only one mate in her long life, Ambassador Ania Looren is now wishing the number had remained at zero forever. Mating Captain Liam Synar is turning out to be the worst mistake she ever made. Something happened after Liam abandoned her, something more than just the pain of losing her chosen male from her life. Something about his absence has stripped away the peaceful enlightenment she struggled years to achieve. Now she can’t meditate, can’t pray, and her compassion for other creatures seems to be dying. She is becoming again the kind of person she’s spent her existence trying not to be. On top of that, she’s been accused of murdering three males who attacked her and her family. She doesn’t even remember what happened that day. Now Liam is back and demanding she go with him to his ship. What choice does she have? Ania reluctantly agrees because it’s a better fate than being arrested and put through social reconditioning on her planet. The half life she’s been living for two years is no more worth keeping than her mating commitment to a male who obviously hadn’t wanted her after all.

Viridis by Calista Taylor
Goodreads Synopsis:
In steampunk Victorian London, Lady Phoebe Hughes develops an herbal elixir, Viridis, unlike any other. London’s elite flock to her club to experience the euphoria and heightened senses the drink brings. Imagine an orgasm brought on by a single kiss. But when Lord Hawthorne is murdered after leaving her club, Phoebe is shocked to find that not only was he working for the Special Services to infiltrate the Cause, a movement fighting for the city's poor, he was also in possession of her secret formulation for Viridis.

Adding to her difficulties is the unexpected return of Mr. Seth Elliott, a brilliant tinkerer who stole her heart and imagination, only to abandon her when she needed him most. Unable to ignore all that is between them, Phoebe finds herself falling for Seth once again, only to have a powerful rival for her affections wrongly accuse Seth of attempted murder. As Phoebe struggles with a way to free her love, revolution, conspiracy and murder threaten to ruin it all.

Devil on a Sparrow's Wing, book 2 in the Viridis series, is now available.

Close Liaisons by Anna Zaires
Goodreads Synopsis:
A dark and edgy romance that will appeal to fans of erotic and turbulent relationships...

In the near future, the Krinar rule the Earth. An advanced race from another galaxy, they are still a mystery to us – and we are completely at their mercy.

Shy and innocent, Mia Stalis is a college student in New York City who has led a very normal life. Like most people, she’s never had any interactions with the invaders – until one fateful day in the park changes everything. Having caught Korum’s eye, she must now contend with a powerful, dangerously seductive Krinar who wants to possess her and will stop at nothing to make her his own.

How far would you go to regain your freedom? How much would you sacrifice to help your people? What choice will you make when you begin to fall for your enemy?

WARNING: This book contains strong sexual content and explicit language and is not suitable for readers under 18.

Star Wanderers - Part 1: Outworlder by Joe Vasicek
Goodreads Synopsis:
He wanders the stars in search of a home. Instead, he got a girl without one.

When Jeremiah arrived at Megiddo Station, all he wanted was to make some trades and resupply his starship. He never thought he'd come away with a wife.

Before he knows it, he's back on his ship, alone with his accidental bride. Since neither of them speak the same language, he has no way to tell her that there's been a terrible mistake. And because of the deadly famine ravaging her home, there's no going back. She's entirely at his mercy, and that terrifies him more than anything.

Jeremiah isn't ready to take responsibility for anyone. He's a star wanderer, roaming the Outworld frontier in search of his fortune. Someday he'll settle down, but for now, he just wants to drop the girl off at the next port and move on. 

As he soon finds out, though, she has other plans.

In Her Name Empire by Michael R. Hicks
Goodreads Synopsis:
In the first book of an epic futuristic fantasy trilogy, this is the coming-of-age story of Reza Gard, a young boy of the Human Confederation who is swept up in the century-long war with the alien Kreelan Empire. Nightmarish female warriors with blue skin, fangs, and razor sharp talons, the Kreelans have technology that is millennia beyond that of the Confederation, yet they seek out close combat with sword and claw, fighting and dying to honor their god-like Empress. Captured and enslaved, Reza must live like his enemies in a grand experiment to see if humans have souls, and if one may be the key to unlocking an ages old curse upon the Kreelan race. Enduring the brutal conditions of Kreelan life, Reza and a young warrior named Esah-Zhurah find themselves bound together by fate and a prophecy foretold millennia before they were born.

Publisher's note: This book is the first section of the original novel IN HER NAME (ISBN 978-0615208534), which is now the omnibus edition containing EMPIRE, CONFEDERATION, and FINAL BATTLE

Anja's Star by Lyn Brittan
Goodreads Synopsis:
One does not lose a pirate’s spaceship. 

One could have it ripped away by the captain’s idiot son, Retzi, who used it as collateral in a card game, but one does not lose it. At least, not Anja, but if the captain finds out, she’s the one who’ll be held responsible.

She has exactly two weeks to get that ship back before the authorities, the Captain or the galaxy at large, calls in their debts. If she can manage to keep Retzi focused on helping her steal it back, rather than getting her in bed, they just might have a shot at making it out of this mess.

Collateral Damage by K.S. Augustin
Goodreads Synopsis:
Free ebook download, zip file (contains PRC, MOBI, PDF & EPUB formats – 1.1MB).

Novelette.

No good deed ever goes unpunished.

Meyal Lit has been alone on an orbital for the past six months, analysing the remote planet of Falcin V. It’s a lonely job but, if it means financial security for herself and her family, Meyal is happy to grit her teeth and do it. That is, until a rival exo-geologist on a station on the opposite side of the planet contacts her.

Even though they work for competing companies, loneliness drives Meyal and Waryd together. In between work shifts, they indulge in small talk and chat-sex, knowing nothing can come from their liaison. Then Meyal gets confidential news that could change the entire way she and Waryd operate. If she does nothing, Waryd dies; on the other hand, if she saves her rival, she can kiss her dreams of financial independence goodbye.

What’s a smart, introverted geologist to do?

How to Date an Alien by Magan Vernon
Goodreads Synopsis:
High school senior Alex Bianchi's estranged father gets her an internship at Circe Operations Center to pad her college applications. But Circe isn't your typical military base. It's an alien-run operation center and not all of the aliens are friendly, especially the one that tries to kill Alex on her first day. When Ace, a dark-eyed Caltian, enters and saves the day, she can't help but be drawn to him. Can these star-crossed lovers survive when they're on the brink of intergalactic war?

Rebel Heart by Lizzy Ford
Goodreads Synopsis:
After nuclear strikes cripple the East Coast in the year 2135, security expert Lana is alone with a secret she must protect at all costs, even if it means placing her life – and her heart – in the hands of Brady, the compelling, dangerous leader of the rebellion.

As a member of the lower class, Brady serves two masters: the rebellion and the regular army. It will take all his connections and strength to protect Lana and keep from falling in love with her.

Space Junque by L.K. Rigel
Goodreads Synopsis:
(also known as Samael's Fire)

The DOGs want to destroy the world. The gods want to make a new one. The trick is to survive both.

At the end of the 21st century, civilization is at the brink of collapse. When hydroponics agronomist Char Meadowlark is warned of an impending attack by the eco-terrorist group Defenders of Gaia, she flees to the airport hoping to get off planet. The DOGs strike in the midst of Char’s escape, and pilot Jake Ardri offers her only hope of survival. He takes her to the orbiting Imperial Space Station, the seat of world government. 

When the conflict goes global and the planet threatens to implode, ancient gods return to take control of humanity and impose a new world order. Char and Jake are caught up in a divine plan to save the world - but first they have to get through the apocalypse alive.

The Key to Bluebeard's Heart by Resa Nelson
Goodreads Synopsis:
Think you know everything about the Bluebeard fairy tale? Nothing happens for “no reason,” including the murders committed by this medieval serial killer from the tales recorded by the Brothers Grimm. In this new interpretation of the classic story, it’s a fairy who holds the key to Bluebeard’s heart and learns his deepest secret. 

This story was originally published in Science Fiction Age magazine. It was recommended for the Nebula Award, recommended for the Campbell Award, and was also placed on the Tangent Suggested Reading List. Appropriate for adults and teens (ages 14 and up). 

Hull Damage by Timothy J. Meyer
Goodreads Synopsis:
Earning a decent living as an interstellar pirate has never exactly been easy, but the crew of The Unconstant Lover has got it particularly raw. Contending daily with the mechanical failures of their haggard spaceship and the best efforts of bounty hunters to collect the growing price on their heads, this crew of cutthroats, buccaneers and scofflaws use wits, weapons and wisecracks to make off with as much booty as they can, with the forces of law and order never more than one step behind.

The only impediment between them and a quiet criminal career is their blowhard of a captain. Ace pilot, megalomaniac and complete moron, Captain Nemo leads his motley crew with bluster and bravado through planetary blockades, space station shootouts and rowdy barroom brawls, hell-bent on becoming the most fearsome dread pirate this galaxy’s ever seen. A bidding war between three of the galaxy’s least forgiving crime lords could very possibly be his worst idea to date, but when it comes to The Unconstant Lover and her captain, the line between brilliance and insanity might just have disappeared.

The Keeper and The Rune Stone by Paige Pendleton
Goodreads Synopsis:
An unholy ritual, a ticking clock. Four children discover there are things that go bump in the night ...

Centuries ago a group of Elves committed an unholy ritual. But the ritual was a spectacular failure. It transformed the Elves into the Noctivagi - the beings we know as vampires.

Striving to maintain a fragile peace, the ancient Elves and Dwarves negotiated an Accord, which they've renewed every year on the Summer Solstice. The ceremony depends on the magical Rune Stone, but it's missing. If it is not found—and quickly—the consequences could be dire, and not just for Elves and Dwarves.

Four children, Rob, Jack, Eleanor, and Flora, stumble into a world of magic and mayhem when they move into Black Ledge, the old estate on the Maine coast, and discover they aren’t the only ones who live there.

The Garden of Stone by Victoria Stauss
Goodreads Synopsis:
At the heart of the fortress lay the Garden. At the heart of the Garden laythe Stone. -- a living entity of power beyond understanding. Then came Bron, his arrival long foretold as the one who would restore the balance to a world torn asunder centuries ago. But Bron had other plans. He stole the Stone...and vanished.

Now Bron's daughter Cariad, a skilled empath and assassin, must follow the footsteps of a father she's never known into the depths of the same fortress. Waiting there is Jolyon, her father's greatest enemy, a man whose thirst for domination is matched only by his taste for blood. Cariad must learn the secret of Jolyon's strength before it is too late. For just as her father's arrival was prophesied, so too is his return.

Free Audio Books/Stories:

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Reviews to Come:

Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell - a podcast reading of the book

Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

Half Share by Nathan Lowell - a podcast reading of the book

Full Share by Nathan Lowell - a podcast reading of the book
Double Share by Nathan Lowell - a podcast reading of the book

Captain's Share by Nathan Lowell - a podcast reading of the book

Owners Share by Nathan Lowell - a podcast reading of the book

Ravenwood by Nathan Lowell - a podcast reading of the book

The Coffee Legacy by Katharine Bordet - a podcast reading of the book

Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow
Shadow Sight by E.J. Stevens (in audiobook while at work)

Marco and The Red Granny by Mur Lafferty (in audiobook while at work)

Seducing Her Rival by Seleste deLaney

Heaven by Mur Lafferty (in audiobook while at work)
Hell by Mur Lafferty (in audiobook while at work)
Earth by Mur Lafferty (in audiobook while at work)
Wasteland by Mur Lafferty (in audiobook while at work)

War by Mur Lafferty (in audiobook while at work)

Hapax by K.T. Bryski (in audiobook while at work)

Murder At Avedon Hill by P.G. Holyfield (in audiobook while at work)

Earth Girls Are Difficult by Frances Pauli (in audiobook while at work)

Tales of the Children by P.G. Holyfield (in audiobook while at work) An Anthology collection in the setting of Land of Caern.

Tales from the Archives, Vol 2 #12 - The Taniwha of Ana Cove by Lewis Hoban (audio while at work)

Digital Magic by Philippa Ballantine

The Princess and the Coffee Bean by Katherina Bordet (a short story in her Coffee Legacy world)

Walker by Michelle Flick

Knight Shift by Krista D. Ball

Highsong by Laura Jennings