 5 Fiery Stars for Nav'Aria: The Pyre of Tarsin Coming back to Nav’Aria was even more amazing the second time around, and let me just say, now I’m super hyped to read book 3 because this one left me wanting even more. Darion, along with his mighty steed Triumph, has left Nav’Aria in search of answers--a way to stop Narco of his wicked plague upon the land. He is wandering across the Shazla desert and happens upon creatures, both fierce and majestic, he wasn’t expecting… Meanwhile, back home the storm is brewing and coming to a head, the battle for Nav’Aria has begun, and the troops prepare, but Riccus, too, has set off for answers in the mountains… Trinidad and Lyrianna are still recovering from their imprisonment and the bond they share is greater than they know… And Narco is just the tip of the iceberg in the ocean of evil that surrounds this majestic land, for a powerful sorcerer grows stronger and his clutches on Nav’Aria are tighter than this reader ever imagined possible. Twists, turns, surprise, and non-stop action await as we journey back to Nav’Aria. The character development was even more poignant in this one; I loved seeing the strength, determination, and individuality come to light in the Meridias. Darion’s fortitude (he’s coming into his own and I’m just eating him up) Lyrianna’s willpower (you go, girl), and Vikaris’s (totally swoon-worthy) regal might. I was blown away by the unexpected twist at the end. And utterly captivated by the world building that KJ Backer has created, yet again. It’s quite clear that this lady right here has a spirit as incredible as the fantasy world she’s crafted; your beautiful soul shines through, my friend, and it is bright enough to leave all in awe! Keep doing your thing and this reader will keep reading. Loved this book and you will too, so go grab your copy now! Shanna Swenson, author of the Abundance seriesLover of fantasy, dragons, unicorns, AND King Vikaris ;-) Categories All
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 Five fantastic stars for Pitchfork Shanna Swenson, author of the Abundance seriesAnd lover of Greek mythology :-D Categories All  Five fierce stars for Rebellion Again with these Spanish guys...Drooooolllll!!!! I mean, who doesn’t love a broody, dreamy, Latin-American FBI agent who’s a closet romantic? I won't spoil it and tell you just how romantic, you'll have to read the book to find out ;-) And who's not a sucker for a sassy, broken heroine with a dark past?! This is one action-packed, steamy, romantic ride, just in time for Christmas too. Get ready for Brittany and Dylan to sweep you off your feet and take you to Miami where you’ll encounter drug cartels, revelations that will break your heart, and unexpected love. I loved these characters; Brittany is strong, tough, but also earthly vulnerable too which made her super endearing in my opinion. And Dylan- gah, he was super swoony. I loved how poetic he was and how he had a soft side to his hard exterior. These two clash like lightning and their lives won’t be the same…and neither will yours ;-) Grab this one up and escape to Little Havana with two unlikely lovers fighting their attraction while trying to take down a drug lord. You're in for one exciting ride, buckle up! Shanna Swenson, author of the Abundance seriesShanna enjoys a good book that thrills, chills, and warms her heart...and keeps her on the edge of her seat, like this one did :-D  Five fiery stars for Saddler at Stake First off-- This cover, guys--what guts it took for my friend, Nicole and her hubby to be the cover models on this stellar book cover! Doesn't it look awesome?! Rafa, Rafa, Rafa… I just LOVE me some Spanish heroes, those accents are soooo flippin' hot, and the swoon queen didn’t disappoint with this guy. Rafael Silva is everything an American girl could want- he’s sweet-talking, sexy AF, and can dance his a$$ off. He quickly hooks our girl, the comedic Rochelle Saddler, in her youth and she’s left completely blown away by him and his easy charm, as to be expected, because the boy simply ooooooozes it. Ten years have come and gone since their sparks were lit, but neither has ever been able to move on. Rafael for different reasons than Rochelle originally thought, but he’s back and only wants her and he aims to prove himself to her no matter what. I absolutely loved Rochelle in the other books in the series. From the very beginning, she had me cracking up. But in this one, I was literally busting out laughing! These two were straight fire from the get-go. Rafa was smooth-talking, sexy as hell, and a gentleman, except for when he was in the bedroom ;-) He and Rochelle were perfect for each other. And their banter is absolutely hilarious. They put a whole new meaning to renovating a house. If you enjoy a good romance with laughs, love, (catching up with the Saddler crew) and spicy love scenes then pick this one up, it’s sure to please. Shanna Swenson, author of the Abundance seriesShanna enjoys a good book that thrills, chills, and warms her heart...AND swoony Spanish accents too ;-)  5 stars for the Intimidation Game First off, isn't this a great cover?! This is my first book by C.L. Stewart and I can say with confidence that it won't be my last! This book was raw, endearing, witty, funny, and heart-breaking. It was a workplace, slow-burn, broken heroine, single-dad romance with several twists and turns. I enjoyed getting to take a trip to Glasgow, Scotland, adored the Scottish dialogue, wording and culture. I loved Nikki and Dan's relationship, Nikki's friendship with Damo and how strong Nikki became despite how fragile she was in the beginning of this novel. She was easy to love, a broken soul healing from a dark past, and Dan was a gentleman with a bad boy side too, the perfect balance of professional and sexy. Both their pasts were heart-breaking but these two souls learned to heal together and that was the most beautiful part of this book. If you want romance with a new, refreshing twist to the "game", check this book out! It won't disappoint! Shanna Swenson, author of the Abundance seriesWhere swoony southern heroes await to take your breath away...  5 selfless stars for Saddler's Sacrifice This book...Oh this book! Just when I think I’ve read my favorite Nicole Rodrigues novel, I see that I haven’t. This book hurts like no other before it; it hits your heart in its most sensitive parts and breaks it in a million pieces before putting it all back together again. I fell in love with Valentina Saddler and Declan O’Sullivan in Saddler’s Start. Their young love was a whirlwind of emotions, their story is one of heartache, regret and deep loss...but there are two sides to every story and theirs is unlike anything you’ve read before, trust me when I tell you. Declan is such a stud, Val is so strong, and Faith was just precious. The twists and turns in this book are sure to knock you for a loop. I loved the rawness of this book and the hope. This one deals with regret and time lost, for it’s such a precious gift given to us and how we use it so important. It also deals with second chances, forgiveness, and moving on from our pasts--the things we can’t change. I loved catching up with all the Saddlers and the message here that shone so brightly. Let Nicole sweep you away once more in yet another wonderful novel in her new series. Shanna Swenson, author of the Abundance seriesShanna enjoys good books that thrill, chill and warm her heart...and rip it right out only to put it all back together again, like this one did :-)  5 dazzling stars for Deadly Receptions Deadly Receptions was full of paparazzi, premieres, and even a proposal. The wedding pavilion opened and the season began at Cherrywood Hall, aka Castlewood Manor, and as promised, drama, deception and debuts ensued. I mean, who knew a veil with a sordid past could cause so many problems? LOL! Book three didn’t disappoint in this funny, action-packed, and light-hearted mystery series of Veronica Cline Barton’s. I laughed, cried, and gasped (out loud) as twists, turns…and trains took me to various destinations- England, NYC, Vail, Malibu, and even Iceland (swoon)! Gemma’s feistiness and sense of humor never fail to tickle me and I just love her and Kyle together. Some revelations that I can’t say and meeting her father had me surprised, but as always, Veronica’s characters are super lovable and, despite his flaws, I enjoyed getting to know Dr. David Phillips. Jillian, aka Ma-Ma, Aunt Margaret, and Evan are always fun to catch up with and the drama in this one was high, at every turn, and kept me on my toes. This book truly had it all and I absolutely loved it. I even told V that this one was my favorite thus far. She told me to “just wait”, I know what that means! :-D Get on board and grab this series up for murder, mystery, and so much more. I’m excited to return to Castlewood Manor for Mistletoe and Mayhem…I mean who doesn’t wanna spend Christmas in a gorgeous English estate with Gemma, Kyle and crew? I know I do! Shanna Swenson, author of the Abundance seriesShanna enjoys a good book that thrills, chills, and warms her heart...and takes her on exotic destinations (where murderers lurk) like in this book ;-)  I just love how Joshua Grant writes horror. And of course he didn't disappoint in this one... The Organization strikes again in the second installment of its namesake. Jericho reaches into your deepest nightmares and keeps you on the edge of your seat. This story follows Angela Way, her brother Alex, Coby Warren and his father, Jack as they are all drawn into the folds of literal Hell on earth in Shadow Pines, where a sinister evil far more menacing than they ever imagined lies, for, once again, the Organization has its claws embedded deep into innocent lives. Upon first entry, Shadow Pines appears to be a literal ghost town, born out of horror games, Silent Hill and Resident Evil, and the movie, The Thing, but the clandestine carnage soon comes to light as Ange, Alex, Coby and Jack, make their way into the heart of it all. All arrows seem to be pointing them in one direction and they follow, unaware of the dark enigmas that will be revealed to them. This one was a real page-turning, edge of your seat thriller that I found hard to put down! As you know, I don’t do spoilers, and I won’t with this one, but if you enjoy things that go bump and conspiracies, and that things aren't exactly what they seem, then jump into this second book in Josh’s horror series and be sure to leave a light on once you do ;-) Shanna Swenson, author of the Abundance seriesShanna enjoys a good book that thrills, chills, and warms her heart... and creeps her out, like this one did! ;-)  I met Nicol Nightingale on Twitter. She actually messaged me about my book, Abundance, and I was thrilled to see that she, too, was a self-published author AND that her books were post-apocalyptic pandemic thrillers (Score bonus points in my book) because as you know, I love anything zombie/post-apocalyptic/horror--especially this time of year!!! And her book sounded so much like a fictional Richard Preston novel that I was on it like flies to a cow patty (pun intended!) I literally downloaded it to my new KU account (which, if you are a reader and DON’T have this, you are missing out btw) and started reading within minutes. I was immediately drawn in. Barely 35% into the book, I messaged her and knew I needed more details on what inspired her to write this awesome novel. Here’s what she had to say: Me: Hi Nicol, tell me a little about yourself? When did you know you were going to be a writer? I devoured books as a child and secretly harbored a desire to write my own. What I lacked was confidence. At 20, I attempted to write my first book during downtime at my job. When I lost my job, the novel was left on some cloud server, forgotten. After having my second child at 32, I needed to find a way to stay home with my baby and make some money. While researching ways to make money at home, I found out that I could self-publish novels on Amazon. Suddenly, the insurmountable task of getting published was only a few clicks away, so I started writing about the one other thing I loved, science. I was terrified at first about people reading my novels, but I am really happy that I finally found the confidence to show the world the stories I have floating around inside my head. Me: And I’m so glad you did too! Because look what I would have missed out on if you hadn’t!!!! :-) I do understand how hard it is letting your baby fly in that big sky! That was what was holding me back too! Glad I finally toughened my spine up… So, what inspired you to write Black Tears? I have a bachelor’s degree in Organismic Biology (Minor: Chemistry) and an associate’s degree in Biotechnology (Minor: Chemistry). What I found out during the several research projects I participated in was that I hate the monotony of the scientific method and I don’t have the stomach for looking at guts in real life. One of my favorite subjects in college was microbiology and I loved to watch tv shows and movies about epidemics. Once I decided to write, I knew I was going to write about wiping out most of the population with a virus. The only thing I knew when I started writing was that the book would start out at a cabin with some friends. From there, it has taken on a life of its own. Me: Funny how those things happen, right? LOL! Now, how many books will be in the HAVI virus series? So far, I am planning on three, but the ending of book 3 will be controversial. I may end up writing another depending on the feedback I get from beta readers about book 3. Me: Got ya! I understand how those trilogies turn into more ;-) Which character in your collection is your favorite? Why? Paige. I based her career choice and feeling about science around me, but everything else about her is unique to her. I tend to be shy and a people-pleaser in real life, so I made her outgoing and not afraid to do the right thing even when it will piss people off. She stands firm to her moral beliefs and that is my favorite thing about her. The world around her is descending into violent, selfish chaos and she fights against it to restore order and justice. Me: Love it! She was amazing!! Now, did anyone in real life inspire your characters? Besides Paige, none of my characters in Book 1&2 are inspired by real life. One of the characters in book 3 is inspired by the TV show, Preacher. I’m adding a character based on the personality of Cassidy (the Irish, drug-addicted vampire). He is going to be a little bit of comic relief. Me: Nice! I look forward to reading more about them. What are you working on now? Currently, I have five novel ideas with working titles that I am working on, including HAVI book 3. One is a multiple POV romantic thriller called Homicidal Instinct. One POV is a killer ex-boyfriend who spies on her new relationship and plans their murder. Tell Me No Lies is a novel about two people with opposite special abilities. One can see the truth when people lie and the other can make anyone believe any lie. The Goddess Among us is about a Goddess that is bored of being a Goddess and decides to try life as a human with no memory that she is a Goddess. The last one is called Almost an Angel and it is the first book in a YA series about a Nephilim (product of angel and human). Me: How cool! All those sound intriguing!!!! Tell us a little about your writing process? I think my writing process in a work in progress. When I wrote the first book, I just sat down and the story flowed out of me without much planning. I researched as needed. The second book was a little more difficult. I had to develop a note system to keep track of everything. The third book is by far the most difficult. I had no choice but to start outlining and create a OneNote to keep track of everything going on. Rebuilding the world, planning a war, and revealing the plans of secret organization is not an easy task. Me: Yes, I think you develop your own way as you go and what works for one doesn’t work for all! But whatever gets the job done, right?! :-D What drew you to the post-apocalyptic sci-fi genre? It is my favorite genre to watch and read. Normal day to day life is so boring to me. Five days at work. Two days off… until you die. It all seems so pointless. Sometimes I think there must be something wrong with me because I get almost giddy at the mention of something that could wipe out the human race. Part of me wants to live in an post-apocalyptic world, but the rational part of my brain knows that it would not be as fun as I think it would be. I guess I just want life to mean more than getting the newest iphone and an apocalypse always does that. Me: LOL! That’s probably why fiction was even invented so that we got an escape from the “rat race” as I like to call it! So, who are your favorite authors/books? Jane Austin, Sherlock Holmes, Dean Koontz, Jude Deveraux, Janet Evanovich, DJ Molles (The Remaining Series), and Bobby Adair (Slow Burn series). Me: Awesome! I read a bit of everything myself too. Now, what do you personally love about writing? Everything but editing. One of my favorite parts about reading is getting to spend time in another world. Writing allows me to spend even more time in other worlds and make money doing it. Me: Ha, ha, yes! I love writing and reading and yes, editing is the BANE of my existence LOL! So, what are you looking forward before years’ end? I am hoping to have HAVI Book 3 and one other book released or at least in beta reading stage. Me: Well, I wish you all the best and I look forward to continuing your series...and the other WIPs. Thanks so much for being my guest tonight!! Nicol’s BIO I have always loved to read. I've spent half of my life inside the fictional worlds of one book or another. What I loved most about reading was that it takes you to another place, where you can have adventures and experiences that real life sometimes makes impossible. Whenever I would finish a series, it was like I lost friends in real life. I pursued a bachelor's degree in organismic biology with a minor in chemistry and a associate's degree in biotechnology. Everything was in place to become a scientist. After I graduated though, I felt lost. Six years of college education and I still didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. Apocalyptic and dystopian novels were my favorite thing to read, but I couldn't figure out what I wanted to read next either. So, one day, I decided to simply write one instead. As soon as I started typing on the keyboard, I couldn't stop. Every day from the moment I got up in the morning, until late into the night, I would write. I realized that writing was even more fun than reading. Hours passed like minutes. The feeling of discontent and lack of purpose went away. I know this is what I meant to do. I'm just sad that it took me so long to find the courage to do it. I hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoyed writing them! Find me on social media to find out about upcoming novels. Website Shanna Swenson, author of the Abundance seriesWhere swoony cowboys await to take your breath away...and fellow indie authors, like Nicol, are always supported ;-)  5 Pandemic Stars This book was so refreshing, new and different! It was The Last of Us meets Outbreak. This post apocalyptic novel follows young adult, Paige Anderson, a scientist who goes on a spar-of-the-moment summer vacation with her friends when a deadly and incredibly fast-moving pandemic breaks out worldwide practically overnight. What starts out as a fun reunion of old friends, soon becomes a fight for her life as she tries to survive--attempting to avoid both the HAVI flu virus and the chaos of the world as they once knew it left in its wake--alongside romantic interest, swoony Navy S.E.A.L. Keith Reynolds. I loved everything about this book. It was entertaining, heart-wrenching, funny, and down-right heart-pounding. I loved the connection between Paige and Keith, the friendship between Sarah and Paige, and the world building and character building in general. Ms. Nightingale did a fabulous job covering all the bases and describing both the virus and the state of the world in the days following the outbreak. It was realistic and well-written, and left me in both awe and intrigue. If you’re looking for a page turner of viral proportions, grab this book today and get lost on the pages of Black Tears. You’ll soon see what I mean! Shanna Swenson, author of the Abundance seriesShanna loves a good book that thrills, chills, and warms her heart...and ones about intriguing viruses too ;-) Categories All |
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