Rising

This is the first book I've read by Holly Kelly and I'll definitely put her on my 'like to read this author' list.

It's a fantasy romance. I don't read too many of those. Lots of times they are too heavy on the fantasy and too light on the romance but this is just the opposite.

For a light fantasy girl like me, I appreciated being on modern day Earth with some twists on life under the ocean. This book is all about what happens when two souls from different species (?) collide and it's pretty cool.

Sara's got a leg issue which keeps her confined to a wheel chair while Xanthus is a hot Dagonian who's borrowed legs for his mission from Triton. Just see what happens when they meet and hit the water.

This book is well thought out, well written, has heart string tugs, some good chemistry and a few good twists.

My only less than lovely remarks are these: I thought the end battle was a little too short and easily wrapped up and I didn't think the epilogue added to the story as it left me hanging. Perhaps if the epilogue ended in a kiss or a baby?

Do you like romance with a little fantasy or fantasy with a little romance?

http://www.amazon.com/Rising-Holly-Kelly-ebook/dp/B00EZRNT5W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388089716&sr=8-1&keywords=rising

In a war between the humans and the inhabitants of the sea—humans will lose. Xanthus Dimitriou—the most lethal Dagonian to rise from the ocean—is on a mission to save mankind from annihilation. But first there’s one small thing he needs to do… kill a beautiful young woman in a wheelchair.

Killing her doesn’t start out as part of his plan. He entrenches himself deep in the human world. Aligning himself with his enemies, he prepares to send them to Triton to face their punishment. Then Sara Taylor rolls onto the scene. Xanthus knows at once she’s a criminal. And her crime? Being born. She’s a human/Dagonian half-breed, an abomination. Killing her should be an easy job. All he has to do is break into her apartment, slit her throat, and feed her body to the sharks. Simple, right? Wrong. If only she weren’t so beautiful, so innocent, so sweet...

Saving the world may have to wait. It appears Xanthus has a woman to save. But protecting her may cost him his own life.

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Sweet Confections Cover Reveal

I'm super excited to announce my good friend Danyelle Ferguson's book has a cover and I'm even more excited for when you can buy it (TBA)!

Book Blurb:

According to Rachel Marconi chocolate heals all wounds. That and throwing darts at pictures of her ex-boyfriend. Burned by yet another bad relationship, Rachel decides to reprioritize her life, putting her dream to compete on a Food Network Challenge on the top of her list and dating at the bottom crossed out in red sharpie.

But what's a girl to do when a certain sexy guy keeps asking her out?

Cue in Graydon Green, a former pro hockey player turned restaurant owner. After a lot of persistent and humorous teasing, he finally convinces Rachel to commit to a date. Just when things begin to warm up, threatening notes directed at Rachel arrive. When her bakery is vandalized, Graydon's protective streak goes on red alert. Is it her obsessive ex-boyfriend stalking her? Or maybe a challenger trying to sabotage the competition?

Either way, Rachel is definitely going to need more chocolate - perhaps drizzled over ice cream and devil's food cake.


About the Author:

Danyelle Ferguson is a thirty-something mom with the heart of a college student obsessed with chocolate and yearning for the thrill of romance. In her day job, she does a juggling act trying to cram in her writing deadlines between the never-ending laundry pile and constant calls for mom. You can find out more about Danyelle via the web:

Blog: www.QueenOfTheClan.com

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/AuthorDanyelleFerguson

Twitter: @DanyelleTweets

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The Lone Ranger

I hadn't heard any rave reviews on this one, so I had low to no expectations. That was good.

Because it was only passable. Somehow, this movie just didn't come together. I couldn't figure out if it was the story, the acting, the predictability, or what the problem was. It wasn't a waste of two hours, but it just wasn't great. That's a lot of money to spend on a so-so film.

Worth a view? Not really.

Worth a buy? No.

Did you like it?

Fallen Angel Blog Tour - Launch Day!

It's launch day!!!

I started this writing journey in June 2009 when a writer's group formed and asked me to be a member. Many words, edits and writers' conferences and nearly 5 years later, I'm publishing my first novel today! There are many who deserve my gratitude for mentoring and supporting me along this journey, especially my family. Here are my top 5: my husband, Danyelle & John Ferguson, Regina Sirois, & Karina Fuggett. I'm grateful beyond words to all of you.

Be sure to follow the links below and get in on the giveaway prizes: a $25 Amazon card, and 3 awesome e-books! You can get entries by following along the blog tour. These sites are posted on my blog and will be found on my Facebook author page. I'll announce the winners on Mar. 10th! The e-book is available now and the print book will be coming soon.

Now do a happy dance with me! Eat some Italian food and your favorite chocolate dessert! Because that's what I'm doing today!

Fallen Angel

 

Antonio does not believe in love at first sight until he sees her fall into a street in Milan and get hit by a motorcycle. Compelled to know if she can return his affection, he becomes Renatta’s hospital volunteer only to learn that the accident erased her memory. Together they must discover her past, present and future. In the way of happily ever after stand her opera career, tyrannical mother, and fiancé.  Antonio must win Renatta’s heart before she bends to the will of her mother and marries Marcello.  Failure means a lifetime of loneliness, for love at first sight never happens twice.
 

You can buy it here:

http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Angel-Lisa-Swinton-ebook/dp/B00HX4L38E/ref=la_B00HXNXDCO_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390338367&sr=1-1

 
 

About the Author

Lisa Swinton caught the romance bug early by way of fairy tales and hasn’t been able to cure it since. Instead, she feeds her addiction with romance novels and films. In between being a doctor’s wife and mother of two, she occasionally puts her B.A. in Musical Theater to good use via community theater, church choir and teaching the art of singing. In her elusive spare time she enjoys researching her family tree and baking (especially with chocolate). She loves to travel, Jane Austen, and all things Italian. In her next life, she plans to be a professional organizer

 

 

Social Media Links:

http://lisaswinton.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLisaSwinton

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HXNXDCO

https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=lisa+swinton


Rafflecopter Giveaway: 

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Just Ella

This book is just charming. It reminds me of Shannon Hale's Goose Girl and
Jessica Day George's Dragon Slippers and that's good company to be in.

It's a lovely story of a humble princess who doesn't want all that goes with being royalty and finds an unexpected friend in a close-to-her-own-age common gardener. Of course, Gavin turns out to be more than a friend and there in lies the difficulty. Royals and commoners don't mix.

Lots of twists and turns in this book, plus kisses, villains, marriages, breaking the rules, etc.

Well told, well developed, and easy to fall right into the lives and hearts of the characters.

For a lovely tale of old that just makes you breath a delighted sigh when it's over, pick up Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen.

http://www.amazon.com/Just-Ella-Annette-K-Larsen-ebook/dp/B00EK7R5ZW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387569227&sr=8-1&keywords=Just+Ella

A Proper, Clean Romance.
Ariella was only looking for a distraction, something to break up the monotony of palace life. What she found was a young man willing to overlook her title and show her a new and vibrant way of life. But when her growing feelings for Gavin spiral out of control and clash with the expectations of her station, she will discover that the consequences of her curiosity are far more severe than she’d imagined.

"I watched in helpless horror as two guards hauled Gavin to his feet and dragged him from the room. My voice was frozen, unable to protest as another guard took hold of my arm, leading me upstairs. From the confines of my room, I stared into the darkness beyond my window, hoping to catch one more glimpse of Gavin. He was gone, and I wondered if he would have been better off if he had never met me."

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Spy Noon

We're celebrating the launch of Spy Noon, a prequel novella to I, Spy! You can also find Spy Noon at the special 99¢ launch discount through Singles Awareness Day (Feb 14) on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and JordanMcCollum.com!

About the Book

Canada's the last place you'd expect to find an American spy, but CIA operative Talia Reynolds has problems piling up higher than a Canadian snowbank. When Elliott Monteith, her ridiculously handsome new coworker, shows up (and shows her up), Talia decides it's game on. She'll be the first to track down a dangerous counter-spy, and she'll give Elliott an unforgettable souvenir of his time in Ottawa: some humble pie.



Her plans don't work as well as she expects, though. Elliott's over-the-top flirting dredges up too many painful memories for Talia and undermines the confidence she's worked hard to regain. To do her job and keep her integrity intact, she'll have to keep her personal feelings at bay. Now Talia must find a way to work alongside Elliott—and maybe even trust him—to outsmart the enemy.

More about Spy Noon | Add Spy Noon to Goodreads! 

The Spy Another Day series

I, Spy Book One	Spy for a Spy Book Two	Mr. Nice Spy Prequel novella
To save her secrets and her country, CIA operative Talia Reynolds must sacrifice the man she loves.	Talia's new boss is her ex-boyfriend. And that's the just beginning of her problems.	Elliott Monteith must choose between his fiancée and his fellow spy. Cake.
Finalist 2013 Whitney Awards	Finalist 2013 Whitney Awards	Now free!
Chronologically, Spy Noon is the first in the series.

Praise for the series

A fast-paced, crisply written story with entertaining plot twists, told in a first person, wryly self-deprecating narrative voice. . . . I, Spy is a well-crafted romantic suspense with humor, heart, and a uniquely engaging heroine.

— Vanessa Kelly, Love Rocks column, BarnesAndNobleReview.com

I knew by the first page that I was going to love [I, Spy]. I absolutely loved Talia's inner voice. . . . The plot is enjoyable and I loved the action! I really could not guess what was going to happen next. There were so many surprises at the turn of each page, especially during the climax, it didn't matter what time it was, I had to finish.

— Mindy Holt, LDS Women's Book Review

One of her top reads of 2013

The series has this great combination of sarcasm and wit in the MC, great chemistry and dialogue between her and her love interest, and then a whole slue of spying, deception, intrigue, and danger. Especially of that last one. . . .


I thoroughly enjoyed [Spy for a Spy]! I would definitely read it again and I am highly anticipating the next book that Jordan McCollum writes! If you enjoy action-adventure, suspense, or books about characters who are spies and some romance, then I would definitely recommend this.

— Tressa, Tressa's Wishful Endings

Three guilty pleasures

Lisa asked me (Jordan) for three of my
guilty pleasures! For anyone else, the first answer to this question is
chocolate, but . . . that would imply I feel the slightest bit guilty for
eating chocolate every. Single. Day. And I don't.

So my actual guilty pleasures are:

• Fruit snacks. I sneak a pack of my kids' fruit snacks almost every day. Even when I don't give them their own.
• The Facebook game Hidden Shadows.
  My husband plays many Facebook games, and he got me hooked on this one.
  (Feel free to ignore any requests you might get from me. Please.) 
• Desserts from Sonic Drive-In. Especially shakes during the half-price summer. I never quite got up the courage to try the PB & bacon. Maybe this year!

About the author

An award-winning author, Jordan McCollum can’t resist a story where good defeats evil and true love conquers all. In her day job, she coerces people to do things they don’t want to, elicits information and generally manipulates the people she loves most—she’s a mom.



Jordan holds a degree in American Studies and Linguistics from Brigham Young University. When she catches a spare minute, her hobbies include reading, knitting and music. She lives with her husband and four children in Utah.



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Tour Stops

February 3

Readalot Rhonda


Shooting Stars Reviews

 

February 4


Jae Randall

Rebecca Shelley


February 5

Lisa Swinton, Queen of Random


Getting Your Read On

 

February 6


I Love to Read and Review Books


The Stubby Pencil


Tressa's Wishful Endings

Saving Mr. Banks

A very interesting tale of how Mary Poppins became a movie. As it's based on a book telling the story from Mrs. Travers point of view I'd hope it was fairly accurate. Although I did hear rumors that in real life, Mrs. Travers wasn't pleased with the end result. The film skips over this point as I expected. When you have a Disney movie telling about Disney, it's going to show him in the best light possible.

The way the story is told is really imaginative. There is so much that went into the creation of Mary Poppins from Mrs. Travers childhood experiences and so much cleverness from the Disney side.

If I had to pick, I'd say Emma Thompson's performance is more deserving of an award than Tom Hanks though both turn in superb performances.

There are great side characters too. Paul Giamatti as the driver for one. The actors playing the Sherman brothers and screen writer, the secretaries are a lovely addition.

It is PG-13 which I found confusing before seeing it. And still a little after. There isn't any violence, or sex, or language. So, why? The father is an alcoholic, but isn't abusive and the mother has some issues too. Younger children might be confused or not understand, which is why I think it got the rating.

Worth a view? Yes.

Worth a buy? Not for me, despite being a Disney fan.

I wonder though if we all have a Mr. Banks in our past.