Book Review & Giveaway: Consoling Angel by Denise Alicea

Consoling Angel by Denise Alicea

Genre: Young Adult, Time Travel, Paranormal, and Romance

ISBN: 9781483507491

Book Length: 24 pages

Publisher:Book Baby (self published)

My Review:
Consoling Angel was a quick enjoyable read with an interesting premise. What a sweet way to deal with death of a loved one and the aftermath of getting over that death in a book.

This is a novella, so there is not a huge amount of character development. However in the short span of the story I loved getting to know Mira. Mira is dealing with the loss of her father and throwing herself into everything she can to pretty much ignore it. She carries her Dad's and her shared love of all things James Dean as her one way to hold onto him which I thought was sweet. Then the plot really starts and Mira falls asleep and dreams. I loved the dream aspect of the plot and how everything happens and the explanation at the end. Every aspect worked well together and kept me turning page to find out how this story would turn out.

For a short novella, there is a lot to process in a good way. Denise Alicea doesn't overload you with too much but gives just the right amount of plot and character development to fit into the novella framework. But the nice thing is you don't feel shorted by the shorter number of pages. The story fits perfectly into the novella framework and was one I really enjoyed. I look forward to more reading of Ms. Alicea's work in the future.

My rating: 4.75/5.0


Description:

Mira did not know what she had in store the day she fell asleep while wanting to escape her current situation. Overcoming a death from someone so close and burying herself in school and an internship has kept her somewhat awake and alive. An admiration for the actor, James Dean was all that kept the memory of her father alive. If she couldn’t be with her father, she could at least remember what they shared an admiration for together. She always wanted to meet James Dean… she didn’t know it would come true. Be careful what you wish for. It may just come true.

Buy Links
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Apple
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About this author
Born in Manhattan, New York and raised in Connecticut, I found that I was more interested in what went on in the past, than in the future. This makes me a huge history buff. I’ve always enjoyed reading books starting from ancient history, fantasy, science fiction, poetry, and of course romance. I also loved the arts so my first love was once drawing and painting until I found a new medium that would inspire me to try something new.

What led me to write? I started to write poetry when I fifteen years old. This was all due to a family member sending me a poem that she had written and sparked a fire that has never gone out. I began to write my heart out and went from writing poetry to my own stories. I love to write with a bit of everything from romance, humor, and of course adventure. Everything inspires me from art, people, and music


Contact Links
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Excerpt
My life couldn’t be more complete. As we reached the apartments, I slowly got off the bike, surprised at myself that I had done this. Ordinarily, I’d never get on a motorcycle. James leaned over and caressed my cheek. Before I could open my mouth to tell him what was to happen to him, he gave me a quick peck on the lips. I couldn’t let James walk away, not now.
    Something in me grasped his wrist; my breath caught in my throat. I no longer cared about the rain. I must have looked like a drowned rat to him. “I have to tell you something,” I blurted as I waited for his reaction.
    James smiled, then chuckled as he caressed my face.  The rain was preventing me from seeing clearly. “Sweetheart, it’s raining and you’re soaked. I hope this is important.”  Pulling him toward me, I faced him. I could change history. I could have him live out his life as he was meant to. If I couldn’t save my father, I could save him.
    “In the future, when you become famous, please be careful. Remember this: there will be a day that you are off to a race. You will not see a car until it’s too late. James, please promise me. It could mean your life.” I must have sounded like a complete and total idiot to him. Geez! I think I watched Back To The Future too many times. I sounded like Marty talking to the professor about his impending death.
    Chuckling, he shook his head, expelling the rain off his head and onto me. Laughter erupted between us as I covered my face. He then cupped my face, kissed my forehead. “Are you sure you’re not an angel? I cannot promise anything, but baby, I can promise I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll pick you up here and you can ditch your responsibilities. Ride with me.”
    Sighing, now I knew how all those girls felt when they looked at him. What an offer that would be. Ditch school to ride with the man who was loved by so many. I was determined he’d listen to me.  Gripping his hands from my face, I gazed into his eyes. “I’m serious!”
    Before I could utter another word, his lips descended on mine. My body went toward him and melted. I couldn’t help but respond as I brought him closer.  I was lost in his warm lips as they caressed mine. Lingering near my lips, he breathed, “I know you are.” Then, winking as he kissed me again, smiling that beautiful smile of his, “How else can my angel guard me if she isn’t with me?”


Giveaway:
5 E-copies of Consoling Angel by Denise Alicea
 
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***I received this book from the Paranormal Cravings Book Tours for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Author Video Interview with Amy Spalding (Ink Is Thicker Than Water) + Giveaway

Today as part of the Rockstar Book Tour for Ink Is Thicker Than Water, I have a very cool video interview with the author Amy Spalding.  So be sure and check out this interesting and fun interview and then the information about the book and the giveaway!  Happy Tuesday everyone!

INK IS THICKER THAN WATER by Amy Spalding
Pub. Date: December 3, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Pages: 320
Find it: Amazon, Barnes& Noble, Goodreads

For Kellie Brooks, family has always been a tough word to define. Combine her hippie mom and tattooist stepdad, her adopted overachieving sister, her younger half brother, and her tough-love dad, and average Kellie’s the one stuck in the middle, overlooked and impermanent. When Kellie’s sister finally meets her birth mother and her best friend starts hanging with a cooler crowd, the feeling only grows stronger.

But then she reconnects with Oliver, the sweet and sensitive college guy she had a near hookup with last year. Oliver is intense and attractive, and she’s sure he’s totally out of her league. But as she discovers that maybe intensity isn’t always a good thing, it’s yet another relationship she feels is spiraling out of her control.

It’ll take a new role on the school newspaper and a new job at her mom’s tattoo shop for Kellie to realize that defining herself both outside and within her family is what can finally allow her to feel permanent, just like a tattoo.

About Amy:

Amy Spalding grew up in St. Louis, but now lives in the better weather of Los Angeles. She received a B.A. in Advertising & Marketing Communications from Webster University, and currently works as the Digital Media Planner for an independent film advertising agency. Amy studied longform improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, and can be seen performing around L.A.

Photo by Jessie Weinberg.

For more about Amy be sure to read the F.A.Q.

Website/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads

Giveaway:

2 Copes of INK IS THICKER THAN WATER US Only.

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Beyond by S.P. van der Lee Book Blitz & Giveaway @spvanderlee

Beyond (Beyond)

by S.P. van der Lee

Release date: November 25th 2013

Summary from Goodreads:
Sixteen-year-old Raven desperately wants to fit in, but after using a Ouija Board, her already overwhelming hallucinations take a turn for the worse. A ghostly figure named Sam begins to haunt Raven and seems eager to kill her.
She’s saved by a reclusive biker named Damian who goes to the same school and appears to have an interest in her. Raven can’t help but feel drawn to him. Determined to uncover Damian’s connection to the ghost, Raven sets out to discover his secret and the reason Sam started haunting her. However, there’s more at stake than just her reputation. Raven’s choice between unveiling Damian’s true intentions, and living a normal life will put everyone she cares about at risk. To save them, she'll have to go beyond.

Lives are ruined.
Hearts are shattered.
Death lurks at every corner.

Available from:

    

Check out the trailer here!

"I loved the premise of the book & I loved the characters. The ending left me wanting more..." ~ Lisa W.

“Finally this ends my dry spell of unsatisfying fantasy novels! I loved the plot! I can't help but get hooked into it as the story unfolds.” ~ Poecilia from Goodreads

“The book is very good. It has really good mystery in it and a cliffhanger in the end that leaves you screaming for the second book.” ~ Katie from Goodreads

About the Author

I am a writer and reader of YA Paranormal Romance novels and aspire to be a well known author. I love reading the same genre, as well as Dystopian and an occasional fantasy book. In my spare time, when I'm not reading books, I like to play games such as RPG's.

I have a bachelor in Digital Communication and enjoy pretty much anything that has to do with technology :)

BEYOND will be published on November 25th 2013. I'm currently available for Promos, spotlights, reviews, interviews, guest posts, you name it! Just send me a message :)

Author Links:

    

Excerpt:

Never before have I felt such fear, suffocating and unrelenting. If my heart continues to beat the way it is, I might die. My hallucinations have never taken the form of a humanlike figure before. Just thinking about the smoke he emitted makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
The only things I’ve ever seen were items being moved around or floating lights, which made people think I was nuts. But just now, at the party, I saw a real shady figure, and he moved the wooden arrow.
I pedal as fast as I can. I can’t look back, because I’m afraid I might see something that will make my heart stop. I have to get out of here.
Simon and Emma are yelling at me from Lillian’s home, but I’m not listening to what they’re saying. I just tell myself that everything has been a fantasy, even though it still bothers me. Hallucinations should only affect me, not my surroundings. They’re not supposed to be able to touch a Ouija board.
Calm down, Raven. Maybe my pills will work.
I pull the brakes and come to a stop so quick that I have to put both feet on the ground so I don’t fall over. I grab my bag and rummage through it, looking for the bottle. The pills that reduce the intensity of my hallucinations should be in there. My mom always makes me take them along wherever I go.
But they’re not in my bag. How could I have forgotten them? How could I have been so stupid? In my haste to get to the party I must’ve forgotten to pack them. What do I do without my meds?
I throw my bag on the ground and exhale a few times before picking it up again. I snort and brush away the sweat from my forehead. Well, nothing I can do about it now. I’ll have to get home as quick as I can.
I hop on my mountain bike again and force myself to pedal. It isn’t real. My head is playing tricks. I’m me, not my delusions.
They’re all fake.
I bike across the road and swallow a couple of times. Maybe the anxiety will go away then. I check my surroundings to assure myself that everything I see is beyond a doubt there and not all in my head.
Then I see them, a group of figures in the cemetery.
Only they aren’t just figures. Shadows are watching me.
Their faces are smooth and unwavering. Their eyes are hollow. Surrounding them is a black and white mist-like fog. The people all look different, but with one similarity; I can see right through them.
I shriek and peddle as hard as my feet will allow me, past the cemetery. I’m going nuts. I see things that aren’t really there. Delusions that are so terrifying I feel like I’m going to faint again. This isn’t real. It can´t be! I’m trying to convince myself.
Tears roll down my face, and my lungs burn. The warmth of my overheated body makes my soaking wet clothes prickle against my skin. I’m heaving, totally out of breath.
In the forest beside me, I spot the shades again. They’re everywhere. At least, I think, but they don’t look like just shadows anymore. They look like real people.
Am I hallucinating about ghosts? Their black and white glow is as clear as daylight in the darkness.  The lampposts light the cement path. At first I think the entities are staring into nothing, but then they chase after me.
I bike even harder, but my thighs burn. I’m already past my limit. I steal a glimpse, and the floating ghosts are still following me, floating.
“Stop! Stop it!” I scream and close my eyes, hoping they will disappear, but when I open them again they’re still there.
One of the ghosts drifts closer. It moves so fast, I’m unable to spot it until it’s in my face with its mouth open.
I shriek and flap my hands, hoping to push the attacker away, but it doesn’t work. It’s already gone. The shadow went right through me.
I’m wobbling so much I lose my balance and fall off my bike. My head hits the asphalt, surging burning pain to the side of my skull. I’m dizzy, and everything around me fades to black.

Giveaway:

5 signed E-book copies of Beyond (INT)

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Book Blitz Organized by:

Book Review & Giveaway: Mutilate My Heart by Emily Godwin #MutilateMyHeart

Mutilate My Heart (Mutilate #1) by Emily Godwin

Date of Publication: July 9, 2013

Genre: contemporary YA romance with paranormal elements

Review:
Mutilate My Heart is an interesting tale.  I loved the rock star with a twist angle.  I enjoyed the characters and it made for a quick, fun read.

Becca and Carli are fun characters.  This is mainly Becca's story but Carli is along for the ride as well picking her on band member from Mutilated Arteries.  I loved Becca's love of music and devotion tot the band. I love music as well so it was fun to see a book from this point-of-view.  Becca doesn't  have a lot of development, but it takes place over a short span of time and the main focus is the plot.  Sketch also made a great character.  A fun, yet down-to-earth rock star and new member of the band.

Becca and Sketch and Carli and Corpse's whirlwind romance are the real focus of the book.  And there is a twist.  But the book is fun and fast-moving. The plot was interesting, not too predictable and different.  The fast-pace made me keep reading and almost finished it in one sitting.

If you want a book that focuses on music, rock stars and some romance, this is just the book for you. If you enjoy a paranormal twist this is fun too.  I loved the book and look forward to seeing where this series goes.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

Giveaway: 

This is a tour-wide giveaway for a signed paperback (US only) and 2 ebooks (INTL).

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Blurb:

Punk rock band Mutilated Arteries has been seventeen-year-old Becca's world (aka obsession) for the last year. When the band schedules a concert in her hometown, she and her best friend Carli are the first ones in line to buy tickets. The night is everything she expects it to be and more, especially after making friends with the new super-cute bassist, Sketch.

Becca's mom warns her not to fall for a rock star because rock stars are always on the road - or they die in a plane crash, like her mom's favorite band did twenty-something years ago. But after the band's tour bus breaks down and they're stuck hanging out in Roizen Hills for a week, it's hard for Becca not to fall for Sketch and his caricature drawings and toxic green eyes.

Becca knows Sketch is leaving as soon as the bus is fixed, and she can't be his fan-turned-girlfriend anyway because of the lead singer's "No Girlfriends" rule. Plus, there's something strange about the guys that Becca can't quite decipher... like how they won't reveal their real names, their always-changing odd appearances, and the guitarist's obsession with blood and zombies. Still, Becca wants nothing more than for Sketch to mutilate her heart...but it just might not be in a way she expects.

Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17622850-mutilate-my-heart

Purchase links: Amazon | B&N

About Emily Godwin

Emily Godwin is a Young Adult author. She enjoys writing, painting, and sewing her own line of non-evil voodoo dolls. She's a Slytherin, trying to disguise herself as a Hufflepuff, and wishes she could read herself into books.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/EmilyGodwin17

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EmilyGodwinWrites

Blog: http://emilygodwin17.blogspot.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6912429.Emily_Godwin

***I received this book from Oops I Read it Again tours for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Afterparty 3 chapter release and giveaway

About AFTERPARTY: 

A toxic friendship takes a dangerous turn in this riveting novel from the author of Where It Began.

Emma is tired of being good. Always the dutiful daughter to an overprotective father, she is the antithesis of her mother—whose name her dad won’t even say out loud. That’s why meeting Siobhan is the best thing that ever happened to her…and the most dangerous. Because Siobhan is fun and alluring and experienced and lives on the edge. In other words, she’s everything Emma isn’t.

And it may be more than Emma can handle.

Because as intoxicating as her secret life may be, when Emma begins to make her own decisions, Siobhan starts to unravel. It’s more than just Dylan, the boy who comes between them. Their high-stakes pacts are spinning out of control. Elaborate lies become second nature. Loyalties and boundaries are blurred. And it all comes to a head at the infamous Afterparty, a bash where debauchery rages and an intense, inescapable confrontation ends in a plummet from the rooftop...

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1442423242/simonsayscom

B & N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/afterparty-ann-redisch-stampler/1112033708?ean=9781442423244&itm=1&usri=9781442423244&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-PwUJvmDcu1U-_-10:1&r=1,%201

Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Afterparty-Ann-Redisch-Stampler/9781442423244

Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781442423244

About Ann Stampler:

Ann Stampler was the mild mannered author of literary picture books when she broke out, tore off her tasteful string of pearls, and started writing edgy, contemporary young adult novels set in Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband and writer’s-helper rescue dog – without whose compelling distraction she would have no doubt penned dozens of novels by now.

Social media links:

Twitter: @annstampler

Facebook: www.facebook.com/whereitbegan )

The writing life blog: www.annstampler.com/ya

Novel in the Oven: Really Bad Writing Advice (among other things): www.annstampler.blogspot.com

Book on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15751652-afterparty

Author on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4949584.Ann_Redisch_Stampler

Tumblr/Pinterest/Etc:

http://www.pinterest.com/annstampler/boards/

 

The LINK to the first three chapters of AFTERPARTY by Ann Stampler: http://www.scribd.com/doc/183272047/Afterparty-by-Ann-Redisch-Stampler-Excerpt

Giveaway:

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Book Blitz & Giveaway: Rebels by Scott & Judith Powell

Rebels 

The world is on fire. From the ashes like a phoenix rises a new America, one that will save it all. Under one condition; absolute and complete surrender. The world complies without question. Those who don’t are destroyed. It is in this world, John is born. His very name is treason. If the New America, now known to everyone as the State, knew what John was, they’d kill him, but instead they give him a gift.

  Praise for Rebels John has a lot of potential (especially for someone so young) in that he sees the flaws in this society. He wants to be like George Washington and knows a lot about the manner in which a government should be run... Highly recommended. ~Amazon Review  

 

About the Authors Scott Powell was born in Burlington, Vermont, to a father who was a police officer and a mother who emigrated from South Korea. He received a degree in marketing from the University of Las Vegas, Nevada, and a master's degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Scott served a two-year Spanish-speaking mission for his church. He is a mixed martial artist who continues to train with his father, a second-degree black belt in Tae kwon do and a kick boxer. Besides being married to Scott for over seventeen years, Judith Powell is a stay-at-home mom whose whole life has been full of stories. Being raised by an Irish storytelling father and a Native American mother, stories have filled her life and her head until they finally had no choice but to flow out through her fingertips.

Website * Twitter * Pinterest

Rebels' Facebook Page

Judith's Facebook * Scott's Facebook

 

Tour Schedule

 

Book Blast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 12/20/13 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 and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Music Box by Anya Allyn

Music Box (Dollhouse #4)

by Anya Allyn

Release Date: Fall 2013

Summary from Goodreads:

Final book of the series.

Cassie endures her darkest days under the rule of Balthazar. She finds a passage into the high tower, and comes face to face with the shadowy being whose presence has haunted her since her first days at the castle of La Falaise – and she makes an immense and horrifying discovery.

At the museum, the last survivors of a bleak existence are barely holding on. And the strange Order of Sister Celia make a chilling decision.

Someone very close to Ethan once told him, “When we can fight, we will fight, and when we can no longer fight, we will endure.”

With time running out, it is time to fight.

About the Author

Anya Allyn was born unexpectedly and without proper instructions.

A dreamy girl betwixt the clouds and space, she was given the thing she desired most for her tenth birthday–a microscope–and subsequently developed a penchant for small things: frogs and ants and microbes, and the earth (when viewed from other planets).

She considers a mind and body that do not roam free are the living dead.

Anya lives in a cottage by the sea–and slips in and out of forests and through a day, where the wild things are ….

She has four adventure-seeking boys and a bookcase filled with adventures. One day soon, she plans to head off on adventures of her own…

Author Links:

   

GIVEAWAY

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