BEA'S BOOK NOOK "I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once." C. S. Lewis “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” ― Oscar Wilde

Friday, February 8, 2013

Giveaway & Excerpt from Byzantine Gold by Chris Karlsen




Book Blurb ~



A sunken warship from the Byzantine Era carrying an unusual cargo of gold has been found off the coast of Northern Cyprus. News of the valuable cache has attracted the attention of a terrorist cell. They plan to attack the recovery team’s campsite and steal the artifacts. On the Black Market, the sale of the relics will buy them additional weapons.

Charlotte Dashiell, an American archaeologist, and her lover, Atakan Vadim, a Turkish government agent, are scheduled to be part of the recovery team that brings up the artifacts. While en route to Cyprus, they find themselves caught in the crosshairs of Maksym Tischenko, a Ukrainian contract killer bent on revenge. Charlotte, Atakan and Tischenko share a grim history. As a result, Tischenko is a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal—seeing them both dead.

Publisher: Books to Go Now
Genre: Mystery, Romance, Action Adventure
Format: ebook, paperback
Release Date: December 31, 2012
Buying Links:  Barnes & Noble  Amazon

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About the Author:

Chris is a retired police detective. She spent twenty-five years in the law enforcement with two different agencies.

The daughter of a history professor and a voracious reader, she grew up with a love for history and books.

She has traveled extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and Northern Africa satisfying her passion for seeing the places she read about.

A Chicago native, Chris has lived in Paris, Los Angeles, and now resides with her husband, and five rescue dogs in the Pacific Northwest.

Find Chris online:

Pinterest


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Excerpt

Charlotte answered on the fourth ring. Caller I.D. showed “restricted.”



“Hello.”



“They are called, Angelique tulips. You admired them in the hospital garden in Paris.”



Charlotte froze, holding her breath as she listened to the nightmare voice, remembering how his Eastern European accent rounded certain sounds and how he stressed the last syllables in his words. Called became cawl-d.



Tischenko.



“Everything in time,” he said and hung up.

Charlotte dropped the phone on the table. She turned to Atakan.

The shock must’ve shown on her face. “What is wrong?”

“That was Tischenko,” she said, finding her voice. “The flowers are from him. He was watching me in Paris when I was at the hospital. He—”

Atakan didn’t wait for her to finish. He rushed into the living room, grabbed his gun from the bookshelf, and ran out of the apartment.

Charlotte followed as he flew down the four flights of stairs to the street.


“Stop.” Catching up to him on the sidewalk, she hooked his elbow with her hand. Fearful an armed Tischenko hid nearby, she positioned herself in front of Atakan, thinking to shield him. “We can’t stand here. He could be anywhere taking aim at you right now.”



“Go back inside.”



“Not without you.” She tugged on his shirt, pulling him toward their building. “Atakan please, let’s leave. Call the Director.”

Atakan shoved her behind him. Silent, his eyes searched the dark doorways of neighboring apartment buildings and parked cars.


“Atakan please.”



“Get inside.”



She stepped in front of him again. “We stay here together or we leave together.”



An eternity of seconds passed. Neither moved or blinked.



They both jumped and turned at the bellow from the horn of a passing truck. Thankfully, the driver was waving to another coming the opposite direction. He never saw the man in the sling pointing a gun at him.



“Please,” she repeated.



Atakan nodded. He stopped at the building’s entry door and took a last look, surveying the street. “He moves us around like pawns in a private game.”
 

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If you liked that, check out this book trailer  - 


Chris will award one randomly drawn commenter at every stop an ebook copy of "Golden Chariot", the first book in this series, and one randomly drawn commenter will be awarded a $50 Amazon gift card during the tour. A $25 Amazon gift card will be awarded to a randomly drawn host.

You can follow the tour here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/01/virtual-blurb-blitz-tour-byzantine-gold.html

A Quick Interview with Author Piper Maitland

Urban fantasy author Piper Maitland is back at the Nook today. Last year, she stopped by with a guest post about her writing rituals as part of her tour for her first book, "Acquainted with the Night". Now the sequel, "Hunting Daylight" is out and Piper took the time to answer a few questions for me.

Piper Maitland lives on a Tennessee farm with her family. She is the author of the paramormal romance, Acquainted With the Night (Berkley/November 2011). The sequel,  Hunting Daylight, was  published on 2/5/13 by Berkley/Penguin USA. Piper has also written novels under the name Michael Lee West.


Find Piper online:

Website
Twitter
*Spoilers for the first book in the questions*  


Bea, I’m excited to visit you today. Your questions are always fun and make me think. Without further ado, I’ll start with the first one.
 
Thanks Piper. It's great to have you back again. 

Bea: If you could be a character in a book, which one would it be, and what part would you play? (Romantic lead, sidekick, etc) 

Piper: I’d want to be Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. Why? Darcy. And I adore Lizzie’s wit and spunk.

Bea: Do you have a guilty pleasure? If so, what is it?

Piper: I’m a dead-serious cook, but I also like to buy store-bought desserts and gild them with flowers or drizzled chocolate.

Bea: Do you think social media is important these days for an author?

Piper: It seems to be a part of everyday life. I love my blog, though I write about food, not books. I treasure the friendships I’ve made, so it’s truly a social thing for me. I enjoy Pinterest, too.

Bea: Why jump so far forward in time instead of picking up the story closer to the end of the first book?

Piper: A great editor once explained how to handle trilogies and series fiction: to forget that I’d written the first book and pretend it was backstory. She also told me to be fearless with the timeline. Jude and Caro’s daughter, Vivi, is at the center of an 8th century prophecy, one that signals a showdown between humans and immortals. The first novel had ended with Caro’s pregnancy. If the action in Hunting Daylight had begun with Vivi in utero, or even as a baby, she wouldn’t have become a fully-realized character. Worse, she could end up as a plot device, Vivi MacGuffin.

Bea: If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be and why? 

Piper: James Bond. He’s handsome, sophisticated, and has a license to kill. We’d begin our dinner at the Athenaeum Hotel in London. Between the martinis and dessert (a delicious trifle), I’d listen to his juicy stories.

Thank you Piper for taking the time to answer my questions. Best of luck with your tour!

Piper will be continuing her blog tour on Feb. 10th at www.ismellsheep.com!

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Book Blurb (from goodreads) ~ *Spoilers for the first book* 



Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Giveaway & Book Blast: Mysteries by Helen Smith


Three Sisters and Showstoppers by Helen Smith

*Click on the covers to go to the book's goodreads page.*

Three Sisters and Showstoppers are two novella-length stories in the Emily Castles mystery series. The first full-length novel, Invitation to Die, will be published by Thomas & Mercer in October 2013.

The Emily Castles mystery series is set in present-day London. It features twenty-six-year-old Londoner Emily Castles and her neighbor, eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel Crowther. In Three Sisters, Emily goes to a party in a big house at the end of her street. She's sure she witnesses a murder, but no one will believe her. She teams up with Dr. Muriel to investigate.

In Showstoppers, Emily helps out at a local stage school run by her neighbor, Victoria. Soon she's mixed up in a blackmail plot and two deaths. Emily and Dr. Muriel team up to prevent further a massacre live on stage during the end of term show.





Publisher: Tyger Books
Genre: Mystery
Format: ebook
Release Dates: Showstoppers - Dec. 5, 2011; Three Sisters - Feb. 5, 2011
Buying Links:  Showstoppers * Three Sisters




About the Author:

Helen Smith is a novelist and playwright who lives in London. She's the author of bestselling cult novels Alison Wonderland, Being Light and The Miracle Inspector as well as the Emily Castles Mystery Series.

Find Helen online: Amazon * Facebook *  Twitter * BlogGoodreadsShelfari * LibraryThing






Tour Schedule





BookBlast $50 Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 2/22/13

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 author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Giveaway & Book Blast for The Talisman of El by Alecia Stone


Talisman of El by Alecia Stone ~

WHAT IF YOUR WHOLE LIFE WAS A LIE?

One Planet.

Two Worlds.

Population: Human ... 7 billion.
Others ... unknown.

When 14-year-old Char­lie Blake wakes up sweat­ing and gasp­ing for air in the mid­dle of the night, he knows it is hap­pen­ing again. This time he wit­nesses a bru­tal mur­der. He's afraid to tell any­one. No one would believe him ... because it was a dream. Just like the one he had four years ago - the day before his dad died.

Char­lie doesn't know why this is hap­pen­ing. He would give any­thing to have an ordi­nary life. The prob­lem: he doesn't belong in the world he knows as home.

He belongs with the others.

Publisher: Centrinian Publishing Ltd
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Science Fiction
Format: hardcover, paperback, ebook
Release Date: May 20, 2012
Buying Links: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Book Trailer




Interested? Come back on Saturday when I'll have an excerpt from the book.


About the Author:

Alecia Stone is the author of Talisman Of El (Centrinian, 2012), the first book in the Talisman Of El trilogy. She graduated with a BA in Film & TV and has worked in television for a short period of time before branching out into storytelling. Alecia loves anything and everything paranormal. Her fascination with all things supernatural sparked her obsession with books, particularly young adult fantasy fiction, which she has never grown out of. She was inspired to become an author after reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen at the age of fourteen.

In 2008, Alecia started working on Talisman Of El, a contemporary young adult fantasy fiction inspired by people who disappeared mysteriously, including, but not limited to, Amelia Earhart and Percy Harrison Fawcett, who went on an expedition in search of an ancient lost city. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys going to the movies, listening to music, and traveling.

Talisman Of El is her first novel. At present, Alecia lives in England, United Kingdom with her family.

Find Alecia online:


Don't forget to come back on Saturday to read an excerpt!

Tour Schedule




BookBlast $50 Giveaway 

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 2/17/13

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 author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Monday, February 4, 2013

Excerpt from The Last Resort by Toy Davis


The Last Resort by Toy Davis ~


A group of college friends decide to spend winter break at Flow's cabin. They invite Hailey to join them for the first time, and she agrees to go because of her crush on Flow. Unbeknown to most of them, this cabin is known as the last resort due to the families that were killed there. The situation changes as people start to disappear. Hailey is the only person to notice, and can't seem to get the others to listen. She's determined to make them see the danger before its too late.
Publisher: No Boundaries Press
Genre: Mystery
Format: ebook
Release Date: May 12, 2012
Buying Links: No Boundaries Press / Barnes & Noble / Amazon

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About the Author:
 
Toy Davis has always used writing as an escape from the boring reality she found herself in. She writes stories she enjoys, and hopes others will enjoy it as well. A lot of her stories and novels begin with a 'what if', and then become so much more. She loves food and dancing as well, and this is usually reflected in writing. Today she lives in California with her long time boyfriend, and two bratty cats.

Find Toy online:



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Excerpt

Hailey eyed her room as she walked to the bed with a bag in hand. She had checked all five rooms; this one was the biggest room. It was also the only one with a bathroom. Nice, she thought, when she had seen it. Someone else’s bags were in here, but she tossed them out. Only she deserved to be here. 

Her lips curved into a seductive smile as she eyed her purple lacy panties. Perhaps Flow deserves these. Her smile deepened. He still can have it if he chooses to, she giggled with the thought. She wanted him. 

She pulled out her make-up kit, and bottle of bubble bath. She walked to the connected bathroom and set the bubble bath on the edge of the Jacuzzi tub. His family really does have good taste, she silently complimented. Her feet slowed as she came to the sink. On the edge of it was a razor. Her head tilted. Fear wrapped around her heart. Stop being silly, it’s a razor. It probably belongs to whomever had this room before me. 

She was still uneasy as she looked down at it. She forced her shoulders to relax. Silly, she scolded herself. Forcing her hand out, she picked the black thing up. It felt cold and wet. Her brows fell as her hand released it. It landed in the sink. Her eyes grew as she stared at the bright blood on her hands. Her eyes slid up, stopping on a bottle of pills. Her breath stopped. On its label read: Valium, Dayrit Hailey, 1000-mg. They were her pills. 

Her head snapped up, meeting her own fear filled eyes. Flashes crossed her memory. The padded room that lit up as the lighting shot up to the sky. A thin, cold sheet wrapped around her body, as nurses approached her with needles. 

“No,” she said as she shook her head. She dropped her make-up kit. “This can’t be happening.” Fear watered her eyes as she ran out of the room. She ran from her memories. Escaping to the bottom floor to get some answers.

Review of Hearse and Buggy by Laura Bradford

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Series: An Amish Mystery #1
Format Read: Mass Market Paperback
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Buying Links:  Amazon   Barnes & Noble  Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):
Claire Weatherly has fled a high-stress lifestyle for a slower pace—in Amish country: Heavenly, Pennsylvania. She only planned a short visit but instead found herself opening an Amish specialty shop, Heavenly Treasures, and settling in.Claire loves her new home, and she’s slowly making friends among the locals, including Esther, a young Amish woman who works in the shop. So when the store’s former owner,the unlikable Walter Snow, is murdered, and the man Esther is sweet on becomes a suspect, Claire can’t help but get involved. Newly returned Detective Jakob Fisher, who left Heavenly—and his Amish upbringing—as a teenager, is on the case. But his investigation is stalled by the fact that none of his former community will speak with him. Claire’s connections make her the perfect go-between. As Claire investigates, she uncovers more than she wanted to know about her neighbors. And suddenly, everything she had hoped to find in this peaceful refuge is at risk . . . 

Bea's Thoughts:

I didn't love this book but I did enjoy it and I expect I'll read the next one. I'm curious to see how she handles this series. It's set in a town called Heavenly, a small rural town right next door to an Amish community. It's mentioned in the book that the last murder was 16 years ago so I can't see the setting being fertile ground for a viable murder mystery series. Also, it's my understanding that crime within Amish communities is low; now, crimes committed against the Amish are higher, though I don't know actual numbers. If the author incorporates other kinds of mysteries, that would be the better road although, again, the setting doesn't really lend itself to an ongoing mystery series.

I liked how respectful the author was concerning the Amish; this was not the tourist, "oh aren't they special", approach. Bradford takes the time to show the Amish characters in the story as individuals, as people, and she's respectful of their way of life. Several times the main character, Claire, has to bite her tongue and remind herself that just because it's not her way of life, that doesn't make it wrong.

Claire is likable. She's been getting over a divorce, and made major changes to her life; moving from New York City to this small town in rural Pennsylvania, moving in with her aunt and helping her run a B&B, and opening her own store.

That store was previously owned by a man who took advantage of the Amish and then ran away with their money. He was threatened publicly by one of the Amish, a young man named Eli, who has trouble controlling his temper. That difficulty causes problems for him within his Amish community. When the man who stole from them turns up dead, Eli is the first suspect for his murder.

Bradford introduces further complications with a new police detective who grew up in that Amish community and then left it to become a police officer. He's shunned by the Amish community which makes it difficult for him to conduct his investigation. Additionally, he and Claire and drawn to each other and, to complicate things further, Claire is also drawn to a widower, Benjamin, but he's Amish and Claire doesn't see herself converting nor Benjamin leaving.

"Hearse and Buggy" is a murder mystery, a romance (there are several), and a story of self-discovery. A little slow at times, Bradford weaves the story lines together and pulls off the different mysteries going on in a quiet, meandering yet intriguing fashion. There's a substance to the story that some cozy mysteries don't have while it still retains that cozy feel. If you want a smart, complex yet cozy story, give this a try.

I borrowed this from the library.