Book Trailer Mania

Do you know how exhausting it is to make a book trailer?  Finding royalty free music and photos, sorting through everything to find the perfect pieces that represent your work… It’s tedious, and almost impossible.  Every author has a specific vision in their head as they’re writing a story.  It’s their own original thoughts, so it’s hard to find pictures that you hope will put your message and story across.  Like I said, it’s nearly impossible, but I just finished one for Celestial Beginnings that is pretty darn close.  It gives me chills just watching it.  One, because it is a really good video.  Two, because it captures the essence of the story very well.  You’ll have to watch it and tell me what you think.  It’s also posted on my sidebar for easy viewing.

I do have to say that it wouldn’t have half the impact it does without the music from Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com).  That alone gives me goose bumps.      

 

 

Crazy Order

I was talking to someone recently, and they said something that I can’t get out of my head.  This person watched the movie, “The Mortal Instruments” and wanted to know what happened next, so they got book 2 in the series to read.  It doesn’t seem that inconceivable, but what astounded me was that they never read the first book.  Maybe it’s just me, but being an avid reader, I could never imagine reading a series and not starting with the first book.  I too saw the movie and wanted to know what happened next.  You know what I did?  Rented “City of Bones” (Book 1).  I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but will it have a repeat of the same plot I watched in the movie?  Sure it will, but everyone knows that they never put everything into a movie from a book.  Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be done?

Honestly, I don’t know why this is bugging me so much.  She is a grown woman so I can’t tell her what to do, but part of me wants to shake some sense into her and ask what the hell she’s thinking. She’s a nice person, and there are other things we agree on, but this is not one of them.  I laugh at myself for thinking how much this bothers me.  Am I alone here?

BEAUTIFUL WRECK by Larissa Brown (R)

 

BOOK DESCRIPTION

 

In a bleak future built on virtual reality, Ginn is a romantic who yearns for something real. She designs environments for people who play at being Vikings. But when her project goes awry, she’s stranded in the actual 10th century, on a storybook farm in Viking Iceland.

Heirik is the young leader of his family, honored by the men and women who live on his land. But he is feared and isolated because of a terrible curse. Ginn and Heirik are two people who never thought they would find a home in someone else’s heart.

When forces rise against them to keep them apart, Ginn is called on to decide—will she give up the brutal and beautiful reality of the past? Or will she have the courage to traverse time and become more of a Viking than she ever imagined?

 

 

MY REVIEW

4 out of 5 *Stars*

 

Beautiful Wreck is a book about time travel, Vikings, love, deception, and more.  Jen is from a future where buildings are in glaciers, glass houses are everywhere, and the present is so lost on everyone that they dress in their favorite time periods.  People walk around dressed like and acting as confederate soldiers, men in long coats and women with parasols, or even the occasional Viking.  Then, there are items such as digital contacts were people learn everything they need to know about the world they see.  Jen works for a company that creates virtual reality worlds so people can experience life in the eras that they most enjoy.  While doing a test run, something goes wrong, or right depending on how you look at it and Jen is transferred through time to 920 Iceland.  Now instead of learning all she could about the Viking era, she was living it. 

I was really indecisive about this book at first.  I go into every book wanting it to be my next favorite, so it was a little disappointing when I couldn’t get into this one right away.  In the first part of the book, it was as if the author would explain everything after the fact.  Therefore, as events were taking place, I had a hard time understanding what was going on.  For example, at the beginning, Jen kept seeing words pop up around her.  A couple pages later, it was revealed that her contacts were stuck in tourist mode.  It got so hard to read at times that I didn’t want to finish.  After around the 100 page mark (not so far since there is 569 pages), I was glad that I hadn’t stopped.  By page 264, I had chewed off all my finger nails, and by page 342 I was snapping at anyone that dared to interrupt my reading. :)

Once the main character got into the past, everything was described impeccably, and it was as if I could smell and taste everything that Ginn could.  Brown’s writing was very different than what I was used to, being much more expressive.

“It would be an accidental quantum leap in technology and pure artistry.  For this was art, magnificent in its fervent detail.”

It took a little bit of getting used to, but once I did, everything came out in perfect clarity. 

What I liked is that it wasn’t just a love story.  It had the dramatic lifestyle change from one time period to another.  Every detail about Viking living was so spot on.  A few times I thought that the author had to have gone back in time to get all of her information.  This had to have been a lot of research, and I have to commend her on the dedication to get everything perfect. 

Of course, being an avid romance writer and reader, that was my favorite part of the story.  The love between the two main characters started off slow, but you get to witness it grow stronger and stronger with just the turn of a page.  When I read,

“I trusted him in my bones, entirely always, with my life… We were born to stand next to each other, protecting each other until our last breaths,”

I swear it made my heart melt.   I smiled when things were going good, and I felt my heart breaking right along with the main characters at other times.   I even found myself getting mad at characters when they were being so stubborn.  It was as if I was in the story with them all.    

I definitely recommend this book, and I beg you…if you have a problem reading the first part of the book like I did, DO NOT STOP!  You will not be disappointed in the end.  I want to thank the author and the “Lovers of Paranormal” Goodreads group for gifting me this ARC book in exchange for an honest review.  Happy reading!

Birthday Boy!

So, it's my son's birthday today. My mind has been consumed all day with thoughts of him, the eight years he's been with us, and what my day was like all those years ago, today. All of it has been like nothing I could have ever imagined, and even though half the time he makes me want to pull my hair out, I wouldn't change him for the world. Yeah, yeah, feeling sentimental... lol

Time Together

       by Author Unknown

Time together is special

too fast for me it seems.

My son, I want you to tell me

all your thoughts and dreams.

Tell me all that you hope for,

tell me all your plans. 

Let me be the help you need

to grow into a man. 

Tell me all your worries

all your anticipations. 

I am always here for you

for any situation. 

I will always be here,

as I have been from the start. 

And Son I want to tell you, 

I love you with all my heart. 

REAPER'S LEGACY by Joanna Wylde (R)

 

 

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Eight years ago, Sophie gave her heart—and her virginity—to Zach Barrett on a night that couldn’t have been less romantic or more embarrassing. Zach’s step-brother, a steely-muscled, tattooed biker named Ruger, caught them in the act, getting a peep show of Sophie he’s never forgotten.

She may have lost her dignity that fateful night, but Sophie also gained something precious—her son Noah. Unfortunately, Zach’s a deadbeat dad, leaving Ruger to be Noah’s only male role model. When he discovers Sophie and his nephew living in near poverty, Ruger takes matters into his own hands—with the help of the Reapers Motorcycle Club—to give them a better life.

Living with outlaw bikers wasn’t Sophie’s plan for her son, but Ruger isn’t giving her a choice. He’ll be there for Noah, whether she wants him or not. But Sophie does want him, has always wanted him. Now she’ll learn that taking a biker to bed can get a girl dirty in every way.

 

 

MY REVIEW

 

4 out of 5 *Stars*

First of all, I have to say… what a great cover! You know, my brother is the president of a MC, and if all his club members looked like this and walked around with their shirts off, I would spend SO much more time hanging around him and his friends. LOL

To the book itself… I thought it was good, not as fantastic as Book 1, Reaper’s Property, but still a great read. I thought the beginning was good in the fact that it set up a really good background for the characters. Rugar was perfection! Not a Horse (RP), but still up there.

“Rugar was over six feet tall, roped with muscle and annoyingly handsome in an I’m-probably-a-murderer-but-I’ve-got-dimples-and-a-tight-ass-so-you’ll-still-lust-after-me kind of way.”

 You always knew what type of person he was and what to expect, even if what you expected was completely off the wall.  What a mouth too!  Man, he could talk the panties off a nun.  Here are just a couple lines… This was an erotic romance novel, so if you have sensitive eyes, I suggest that you skip past the quotes.  ;)

“Jesus you piss me off.” he murmured. "Good thing your cunt’s so fucking hot.”

“Don’t call it that.” His lip twitched. 

“Good thing your vaginas so gosh darned hot, because I really, really want to stick my penis in it and have repeated sexual intercourse, bringing us to a mutually satisfactory culmination of our desires. How’s that sound?”

LOL

“I want to own every part of you,” he continued, his breath hot against my skin. “I want to throw you face-first across this counter, rip off those shorts and fuck you hard and fast until my goddamn cock stops hurting and my balls don’t feel like they’re gonna explode.”

Holy Hell!!  See what I mean?  There are others that I won’t even get into. *Fanning*

Then there was Sophie.  I thought she started off really good, but by the middle of the book, I just wanted to reach inside my eReader, slap her across the face, grab her shoulders and shake her while yelling, “Make up your damn mind, for crying out loud!”  She whined so much that I started to roll my eyes whenever she went on a rant.  It got old.  However, I did like how she was not a pushover, and always was thinking what was best for herself and her son.  One of her best lines…

“I deserve to be with someone who gives a shit about me, as a person.  Someone who values me enough not to fuck other women.  I’d rather be alone the rest of my life then settle for what you’re offering.  Consider yourself a hell of a booty call, but that’s it.  We clear?”

 

Overall, I like the story.  It was a little predictable at times, but then would throw me for a loop on the next page.  Other than the annoying heroine, I really enjoyed the book, and finished it within a day.  Now, after the little teaser for the next book, I can’t wait.  This is me waiting, not so patiently, until it comes out.