"The Raven Boys" by Maggie Stiefvater~Great Crossover YA/Adult Novel

 

 

SUMMARY :

 

An all-new series from the masterful, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!

"There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark's Eve," Neeve said. "Either you're his true love . . . or you killed him."

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them-not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He has it all-family money, good looks, devoted friends-but he's looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys--

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :
Published by:  Scholastic, Inc.
Pages: 416
Genre:  YA/Paranormal
Find out more:  Maggie Stiefvater


A BIT ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

 

 

"After a tumultuous past as a history major, calligraphy instructor, wedding musician, technical editor, and equestrian artist, I'm now a full-time writer living in the middle of nowhere, Virginia, with my charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, four neurotic dogs who fart recreationally, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki."   Quote taken from Maggie's website...

 

The animation and music in this trailer below is also by Maggie Stiefvater!   She's a gifted, Renaissance Woman...  :]

 

 

 

 

 

THE BOOKISH DAME'S REVIEW:

 

 

This is one of those YA novels that grabbed me right from the first paragraphs.  Maggie Stiefvater is nothing if not a gifted writer who captures the imagination.  I could read everything she writes all day long.

 

 

There is a lot to recommend this book, but to me the best of the best is the characters that inhabit "The Raven Boys."  Blue, of course, the non-psychic/psychic of a clan of "witches," clairvoyants and paranormals is a character not to be forgotten.  She's beautiful in all aspects, and so engaging.  I nearly felt her sitting with me in the same room.  Such angst and depth.  I would give anything to have been in the household of this family!!

 

 

Maggie Stiefvater has created a novel that is clever and captivating, one that is both a great YA novel and a crossover for adults.  It's reminiscent of J.K.Rowlings in characterization of the light paranormal and in the group of private school "Raven Boys."  It's a joy to read...I was sad to see it end.

 

You'll really love this book.

 

5 stars                    Deborah/TheBookishDame

 



 

 

 

 

 

GIVEAWAY!! "The Unfailing Light: The Katernina Trilogy Vol.II" by Robin Bridges

SUMMARY :

Kirkus Reviews

In the sequel to The Gathering Storm (2012), the tsar forces Katerina to put aside her ambition to attend medical college and return to Smolny Institute for another year of finishing school, immersing her in the dangerous paranormal intrigue of the Russian court. Since the blood bond created with vampiric Prince Danilo in the previous effort, he now has access to her thoughts, but Katerina knows better than to trust this handsome royal. Her thoughts are centered instead on Grand Duke George Alexandrovich, but he's been sent to Paris to acquire a better understanding of magic, and besides, he's aligned with the Light Court and she's tied to the Dark. Thanks to her inborn talent as a necromancer, she can reanimate the dead at will. Now, in spite of a protective spell cast over Smolny Institute, an evil spirit has taken over the library, threatening students and staff. Katerina is determined to resolve the situation. The pace is deliberately slow; readers will have to be sustained by Bridges' complex worldbuilding rather than any rapidly rising level of suspense, although the climax is satisfyingly perilous. Given the back story's complexity, the second volume cannot stand alone. Katerina's first-person voice is smart and believable, fitting well into this atmospheric romance. The simmering tale never quite reaches the boiling point, but fans will nonetheless yearn for the conclusion. (Paranormal romance. 11 & up)


PARTCULARS OF THE BOOK :
Publisher:  Delacorte Press/Random House Children's
Pages:  306
Genre:  YA Fiction/Paranormal
Series:  Volume II of III
Author  Robin Bridges
Find out more:  Author
Purchase the book here:  Amazon   and  Barnes & Noble

Who Is The Author?

I think I’ve been writing since before I was old enough to write. My mom has a poem I dictated to her when I was five:

“When you are a baby, you are a little seed.
When you are a child, you are a little bud.
When you are a grown-up, you are a beautiful rose.
And when you are old, the wind blows your petals away.”

All right, so what if it didn't rhyme? When I was six or seven, I made my first book by stapling two pieces of cardboard and some notebook paper together. I was in love with Laura Ingalls’ Little House books, but I did not live in the Big Woods, or on the Prairie. At the time, we lived on 11th Street, so my story was called “The House on 10th Street”. It was about a house with a mean family that lived in it, and the bad kids drew all over the walls. The house was very sad. Then a nice family moved in and fixed up the house. The house lived happily ever after.

I stuck with writing poetry until seventh grade, when I wrote my first novel, a hundred-plus page mystery written on notebook paper, called “The Tunnel Murders”. I don’t think there was a single murder in it, actually. It was more like a bad soap opera rip-off. With smooching scenes! I can’t believe I let my grandmother read it.

In high school, I was more interested in being a rock star and a movie actress than being a writer. I kept a journal and I wrote lots of horrible songs with obscure lyrics. A little too obscure, perhaps. Blood and dragons were mentioned a lot. And no, I will not post any of my song lyrics here for your amusement.

During our senior year, a group of us published our poems in a chapter book, titled Revolutionary Pen and Ink. It led to a short-lived lit magazine, named Back Alley Review. We were interviewed in Coast Magazine! We were famous! Umm, or not.

I went to college and studied theater. One day in Fundamentals of Acting, our teacher held up a picture of a bunch of rocks and told us to write a scene based on that picture. Two hours and seven pages later, the class was over and I was still sitting in that tiny arena theater writing a short story about a girl who grew up in Hollywood and met Lucille Ball. I’m not sure how I got from rocks to Lucille Ball- but I should have known that day I was in the wrong major. It wasn't long before I switched to English and began down the path of becoming a Serious Writer. I wrote serious and depressing literary short stories until I finished school and began teaching seventh graders. Two revelations occurred to me then:

1. I was not meant to teach middle school.
2. I was not meant to write literary adult fiction.

I quit teaching, and wrote a middle grade fantasy, set in ancient Ireland. And then I wrote another middle grade story, about a girl who could talk to dolphins.

(And then I went back to school for a nursing degree because I really like to eat.)

Then I wrote my first YA paranormal. I got an agent. The book didn't sell. I had an idea for a book but I was scared I wasn't ready to write it. I wrote another instead. It didn't sell. I decided to write the scary book idea, a fantasy about a girl growing up in Imperial Russia. The agent didn't think it would sell. I got a new agent. We revised this book over and over before submitting to publishers. It didn't sell. We revised it again. And it sold. Along with its two sequels.

The Bookish Dame Reviews :

This would make a dazzling little Disney movie with darling Russian characters that give it zing.  Abounding in light magic, faerie arts and witches, not to mention blood thirsty beauties and the darkness of ghosts and wolves, this book is a treasure trove of the paranormal.  After all, what's Russian myth and magical tales without wolves and faeries?  I loved this book as an escape.

A nearly unattainable love between Katerina and her Grand Duke, George will pull at your heart reminding you of the pains of young love hindered by unaccepting parents.  And, the unwanted attachment and pesky attention of the boy from the dark side adds another dimension to twist the story.  The villians are many and fill this story with imaginative action.  Such fun to read!

Katiya just wanted to go to med. school to become a regular doctor  when the tsar and associated aristocracy expected her to be contented with her naturally selected role as court Necromancer.  Of course she did!  Hurray for her and the role model Robin Bridges develops through the novel.  This brought the book into a future dimension for today's young women.

While this is a wonderful YA novel which can be entertaining in and of itself, it would be more adviseable and best served if you'd read the first book in the trilogy: "Katerina..."  That one lays the groundwork and sets the characters.  As a single read, it may be a bit confusing.

However, if you'd like a fairytale trip to Russia amongst the royal tsarist court of the 1800's in an imaginary paranormal setting, read "The Unfailing Light."  It's a treasure.

4 stars             Deborah/TheBookishDame

                                                     GIVEAWAY!!!

To win your own copy of "The Unfailing Light..." please leave a comment and your email address.

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This giveaway ends  October 31st.

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GIVEAWAY!!! "Anew:The Archers of Avalon" by Chelsea Fine

SUMMARY :  
Scarlet awoke in the woods without her memories. She lived in mystery until she met a boy with a familiar voice. A boy with secrets. A boy with answers.

A boy named Gabriel Archer.

Intrigued by his voice, Scarlet immerses herself in Gabriel's life only to discover he has a brother he's kept hidden from her: Tristan Archer. Upon meeting Tristan, Scarlet's world becomes even more muddled.

While she's instinctively drawn to Gabriel, she's impossibly drawn to Tristan—and confused out of her mind. Why does Gabriel seem so familiar? Why is she so attracted to Tristan? And why do both brothers keep telling her she's cursed to die?

Scarlet doesn't have the answers...but the Archer brothers do.



PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :
Published by:  Acacia Publishing
Pages:  378
Genre:  YA Fiction/Paranormal
Author:  Chelsea Fine
More about the book:  http://ChelseaFineBooks.com   and http://TheArchersofAvalon.com

Purchase the book here:  Barnes & Noble    and  Amazon

AWARDS:  
Nominated on Goodreads for: 
"Best Young Adult Book 2011," "Original Young Adult Paranormal, "  "Best Young Adult Cover of 2011"
Received Awards for :
"Book of the Year Finalist (ForeWord Magazine)"
"Best Coverof 2011 (Girls on YA Books)"
"Top Indie Covers (YA-Aholic)"
"Best Cover of the Year (UtopYA Con Awards)"

THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

Well, what a thoroughly awesome book to read on a Friday night!  I loved this paranormal YA gem about two gorgeous immortal brothers and the love of their lives who keeps dying and being reincarnated with the same "heart" issues.  Chelsea Fine has a brilliant idea for a book series, and she executes it beautifully.  I had a very entertaining time reading this novel.

Driven by gorgeous and interesting characters in a fast-moving plot, this book will keep you hopping over the several hours it will take to discover the mystery of why Scarlet has amnesia and who the hunk, Gabriel, and his brother truly are.  The chapters run short and succinct making the action whiz by!

Ms Fine is the consummate author for young adult readers.  She has a wonderful imagination and the power of a wordsmith to back it up.  This is a series I'm going to love reading.  I thought the ending of "Anew" was powerful!


*****Can't wait to read her up-coming Book Two:  "Awry" ~

Sometimes love is meant to be.  But sometimes love...is the death of you. 

 Seventeen-year-old Scarlet has just died.  Only, dying isn't unusual for a girl under a centuries old curse that left her semi-immortal.

This time, though, she comes back to her current life instead of awakening in a new one, and she realizes the curse is changing.  With the help of the immortal Archer brothers, Scarlet must piece together her life and try to break the curse before her impending death comes again.



This is a book and a series you'll enjoy reading!  Great escape novel.

4 stars                Deborah/TheBookishDame



                        GIVEAWAY*****GIVEAWAY

To Enter Please Leave a Comment About Your First Love
                       and add your email address!

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Note:  This giveaway is open to US and Canada only.

                                    ENDS   OCTOBER  31st


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GIVEAWAY!! "Amarok" by Angela J. Townsend~YA Fabulous!

SUMMARY : 
 

Emma's life has been hell since she moved from sunny California to a remote Alaskan town. Abandoned by her father and living with the guilt of causing her mother's death, she makes a desperate dash for freedom from her abusive stepfather. But when her car skids off the icy road, her planned escape leads to further captivity in a world beyond her imagining.

Dragged across the tundra by an evil mountain man and his enormous black wolf, she learns that love can be found in the most unexpected places. Amarok, as she's nicknamed the wolf, is a young man from the gold-rush era enslaved by an ancient shaman. Emma's gentle touch and kind heart win his love and devotion. When a vicious madman—trapped in bear form by the same Shaman—attacks the travelers and injures Amarok, Emma must find the strength to face her fears and free the wolf she's come to love. But that means she must face down the evil shaman, a Siberian mammoth hunter from the ice age, and he has no intention of giving up his power to her.

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :
Published by:  Spencer Hill Press
Pages:  181
Genre:  YA/Paranormal
Author:  Angela J. Townsend
Pre-order here:  Barnes & Noble  and Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :
Angela Townsend was born in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Missoula, Montana.  As a child, Angela grew up listening to stories told by her grandparents, ancient tales and legends of faraway places.

Influenced by her Irish and Scottish heritage, Angela became an avid research historian, specialzing in Celtic mythology.  Her gift for storytelling finally led her to a full-time career in historical research and writing.

A writer in local community circulations, Angela is also a published genealogical and historical resource writer who has taught numerous research seminars.  Currently, she divides her time among writing, playing Celtic music on her fiddle and Irish dancing.  She resides on a ranch, in rural Northwestern, Montana, with her two children Levi and Grant.

THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

I wasn't expecting to love this book as much as I did!  I've been very selective with YA fiction lately, and this is one I chose hesitantly but carefully because it sounded out-of-the-ordinary.  Just a touch of the paranormal and much more in the mystery/suspense realm, I thought.  I'm so glad I took a chance on it.  It was a great read for a lazy Sunday afternoon.  It was absorbing as it moved along quickly, relating action and responses from the two main characters. Further, it was full of ancient mythological shadowings and very good writing.  I love Angela J. Townsend's style.  Her storytelling is first class.

Emma, her female protagonist, is feisty and resourceful.  I loved her determination not to be beaten by her ragged and violent captor, the brutal weather conditions, nor the supernatural odds stacked against her.  She fought through everything, but Townsend's handling of these situations didn't seem contrived or flippant.  They were natural and exciting to read.  The pace of the book was settled securely around Emma's story and her relationship with Amarok, the enchanted wolf/boy.  He's also a gorgeous character who wasn't made of the fluffy stuff you often encounter in other current mythologically-inclined books. 

For all its swiftly moving story, this novel has substance and is a great read.  Townsend packs a punch without mincing words, which I really treasure.  Her grasp of the natural settings of the mountains and tundra, and her abilitiy to translate that for us adds life and realism to the book...I could smell the pine and hear the river rapids, sense the animals in their habitats.  The way she employs the transitions from historical memories of the wolf/boy Amarok to present day Emma's world gives this book depth and interest, as well.

I'm not sure if she's planning a sequel to the book, but I would love to read it, if she is.  If not, the ending was too short and sweet; my only criticism. This is a very interesting book with a gentle love story and a believeable twist on the mythological.

I recommend it.  Now available for a pre-release purchase.  Released in November...

4.5 stars             Deborah/TheBookishDame




GIVEAWAY!!!!!     ENTER FOR A COPY OF "AMAROK":

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GIVEAWAY  ENDS       OCTOBER 31st

ALSO!!!!

 

Spencer Hill Press is offering a prize package to ONE winner throughout the tour that includes a copy of Amarok, a $25 Amazon gift card and wolf charm necklace.

 

Sign Up Here:

 

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"Kissing Shakespeare" by Pamela Mingle ~ YA Fiction

SUMMARY: 

A romantic time travel story that's ideal for fans of novels by Meg Cabot and Donna Jo Napoli—and, of course, Shakespeare.

Miranda has Shakespeare in her blood: she hopes one day to become a Shakespearean actor like her famous parents. At least, she does until her disastrous performance in her school's staging of The Taming of the Shrew. Humiliated, Miranda skips the opening-night party. All she wants to do is hide.

Fellow cast member, Stephen Langford, has other plans for Miranda. When he steps out of the backstage shadows and asks if she'd like to meet Shakespeare, Miranda thinks he's a total nutcase. But before she can object, Stephen whisks her back to 16th century England—the world Stephen's really from. He wants Miranda to use her acting talents and modern-day charms on the young Will Shakespeare. Without her help, Stephen claims, the world will lost its greatest playwright.

Miranda isn't convinced she's the girl for the job. Why would Shakespeare care about her? And just who is this infuriating time traveler, Stephen Langford? Reluctantly, she agrees to help, knowing that it's her only chance of getting back to the present and her "real" life. What Miranda doesn't bargain for is finding true love . . . with no acting required.

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :
Published by:  Random House/Delacorte Press
Pages:  334
Genre:  YA Fiction/Paranormal
Author:  Pamela Mingle
Visit author here:  Pam Mingle
Purchase "Kissing Shakespeare" at Barnes and Noble  and Amazon


ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

I’ve been writing middle-grade and YA novels for the past seven years. It’s been exciting and scary; freeing and frustrating; upbeat and depressing–often all at the same time! Welcome to the world of writing.

One of the major distractions from churning out those pages is that stack of books I keep buying or checking out from the library. It’s the pull of story, and I have to succumb to it.

I’m a person who is content with the routine and predictable pleasures of life. My first cup of morning coffee, getting together with friends, reading, taking in a good movie. I’m an inveterate watcher of sunrise and sunsets, and the winter sky at dusk thrills me. Did I mention I’m easy to please?
 

My husband is the adventurous one in the family. He’s coaxed me away from books, both reading and writing, the past several summers for hikes across parts of England, and this year, France. We hike from one town to the next, staying at B&B’s, walking sometimes as much as 15 miles a day. Even though I complain, I’m proud of holding my own. Having friends along, both old and new, keeps me laughing and pushes me to finish that last mile.

 

 

A Quick Excerpt :

 

Chapter One

Boston, Present Day

I was all alone backstage. Flinging props and costumes around, slamming cupboard doors, kicking a row of empty water bottles. I’d planned to clean up, but instead I was wrecking everything.

We opened The Taming of the Shrew tonight. A few months back, when I found out I’d gotten the role of Katherine, I knew I was headed for trouble. I hadn’t even auditioned for it. I wanted to play Bianca, the sweet daughter, the one all the suitors are after. But Mr. Finley, our drama teacher, wouldn’t even consider it. “Miranda, you will play Katherine,” he’d said. “The role was one of your mother’s triumphs, and you must carry on the tradition.” Inside, I’d fumed. My mother again. It was always about her.

So here it was, opening night, and I’d totally screwed up. Rather than playing Katherine with the subtleties the role deserved, I’d played her as the traditional shrew turned submissive. The woman completely tamed by her husband. Afraid to make the role my own, I practically sleepwalked through the performance. When the curtain fell, I raced offstage, defying anybody to look at me. No way could I deal with polite smiles, insincere congratulations, and, worst of all, pitying eyes that quickly darted away.

My cell phone vibrated in my jeans pocket. It was Macy, my friend and fellow actor, so I answered.

“Miranda? Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” I fibbed. I hated it when people asked me that, even friends who actually cared. No, I’m not all right. I feel like a failure and an idiot. And I let everyone down.

“Where are you?”

I heard loud music and laughing in the background, so I knew where she was. The opening night party. “I’m still changing and putting stuff away. What a mess.” I didn’t mention that my foul temper had caused the mess in the first place.

“You’re not thinking of skipping the party, are you?”

I drew a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut. “Macy, please don’t freak out, but I’m not coming.”

“What do you mean you’re not coming? You have to come! It’s opening night.” She broke off to talk to someone, then said, “John wants to talk to you.”
“No! Tell him I’m sick or something.” John had played Petruchio, and we’d been dating, sort of. He was a nice guy, but he wanted more than I was willing to give. I heard Macy making excuses for me.
I waited a few seconds, until she was back. “What’s the matter with you?” she asked. “I’m sure he knew I was lying.”
“I ruined the whole performance, Mace! I sucked. I can’t face anybody right now.” Or maybe ever.
“You weren’t that bad.”
“Thanks. I feel much better. Look, after Sunday’s closing, I’m driving up to Maine, to our place at Acadia. I need to be alone for a while. I think I want to quit acting, Mace.”
“Oh my God, Miranda, give it a little time. Everybody has their off nights. Remember how good you were in Much Ado About Nothing?”
I spoke over the lump in my throat, my voice sounding raspy. “I had about ten lines in Much Ado! And this was more than just an ‘off night.’ I stunk from the first rehearsal.”
“This is because of your mom, right? You think you can never measure up to her. That’s so not true.”
“Mace, can we talk about this later? It’s late, and I want to get out of here.”
“Please come to the party. You’ll feel better.”
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” I said, ending the call. If I listened long enough, she might wear me down.
Driving up to Acadia National Park had popped into my head while Macy and I were talking. There was no reason I couldn’t go. My grandparents, who kept an eye on me when my parents were on tour, wouldn’t care. Spring break started next week, and the play, mercifully, would be over. I loved it up there. With its dense forests and deep lakes, Acadia was a great place to hide out. I could use the time to reflect on life after acting and on how I could get out of going to Yale Drama. And on what I dreaded most: telling my parents I didn’t want to be an actor. The tears I’d been holding back overflowed, trailing down my cheeks.
“Miranda?”
I spun around, my heart racing. But it was only Stephen Langford, another actor. Someone else who hadn’t gone to the party.
I brushed my cheeks with the back of my hand. “You scared me. I thought everyone had left.” He was still in costume, I noticed. That wasn’t his Taming of the Shrew outfit, though. It looked Tudor, like something a man at Queen Elizabeth’s court would wear. The first Queen Elizabeth.
“I need to talk to you,” he said. “Urgently.”
I started throwing the plastic water bottles littering the floor into a recycling bin. What could be so urgent? I barely knew him. He’d shown up at the Dennis School early last semester, just in time for auditions. Finley practically drooled when he heard that posh British accent, so it was no surprise when Stephen won the role of Lucentio. Outside of rehearsals, he never hung out with us, so none of us knew him very well.
“Why are you wearing that costume?” I asked.
“It’s not a costume. These are my real clothes.” He gestured at his outfit, and I sensed a challenge in his expression. Did he want me to question that ridiculous statement?
Stephen had grown a mustache and short beard for the play, and I now realized he looked years older than a typical high school senior. He was a good-looking guy, with full lips and a straight nose. One of his front teeth slightly overlapped the other, but that didn’t spoil his smile. Macy said she’d caught him staring at me a few times during rehearsals, but I’d never noticed.
I lowered my eyes. “Right.” I moved on to the dresses I’d thrown to the floor and started hanging them up on the wardrobe rack. They’d be in the wrong order, but someone could fix that tomorrow. “So what do you want to talk to me about?”
“Will you stop fussing with those damnable costumes!”
I felt my jaw tense. “What’s your problem?”
“Sit down. Please.” He tilted his head toward a trunk. “I need your help with something.”
I could see he wasn’t going to give up until I agreed to listen. With an irritated sigh, I tossed the last gown aside and plopped down on the trunk. “What is it?”
Stephen dropped to his knees in front of me, and I instinctively drew back. “How would you like to meet William Shakespeare?”
A laugh burst from my mouth. “You’re crazy.” I tried to stand up, but he put his hands on my shoulders and pushed me back down. My rear smacked the trunk, hard. “Shit!”
“Sorry,” Stephen said. “But I’m not crazy. Shakespeare needs our help. Desperately. All the plays and sonnets could be lost forever if we do not act now.” This guy was either the biggest drama nerd in existence or a lunatic. Probably the latter. Wonderful.

“Last time I checked, the Bard lived in a different century. Like the sixteenth?” All of a sudden, I got it. “Wait a minute. Is this for one of those cheesy reenactment things?” Reenactors are big in Boston. They’re all over the Common, dressed like Redcoats or Patriots, acting out battles or meetings or whatever. Doing a Tudor-era reenactment here seemed kind of strange, though. “Thanks, but I’m not interested.”

THE DAME'S REVIEW :

This is a darling book, albeit not a cross-over novel for adults, particularly.  Pamela Mingle, true to the former teacher and librarian in her, has the school teacher's touch with this one.  She's interested in telling a sweet love story, while at the same time getting as much information about 16th c. England and culture across to her adorable readers as possible. 

First let me say that physically this is a beautiful little book.  Just adorable pink and black and white.  Perfect for a teen-ager's room!  I love the cover and the book itself...hot pink, black edged with gilt script...too gorgeous.  I think we all need one just to toss on our nightstands.  Must buy the hardcover.

I found the story a light-hearted one although it captured mostly the unsettling times for Catholics in the Protestant reign of Queen Elizabeth I.  Ms Mingle spends much of the novel relating her research about the life and times of the people, and has only cameo sorts of appearances of Shakespeare until almost halfway into the book.  While dress, foods, feasting and such are interesting, it was nearly 100 pages into the 300+ novel before the plot began to build and the "kissing" began in earnest.  A bit slow, but it got there.

The love story here is a triangle, we find, and that makes for a titillating story ultimately.  Will Shakespeare is a handsome and rakish young man who has more than one love interest.  Miranda is caught between two worlds and two hunks with her spunky ways to help balance them.  And, Stephen is a mystery man...one who was, frankly, much more appealing to me than Shakespeare!  These characters were endearing.

Pam Mingle has created a lovely book with an inspired way of bringing us Shakespeare as a young man just before he makes the decisions that will turn him into the world's best loved Bard.  I loved the book for that alone, if nothing else!  This is a sweet little escape novel.  Not strong meat for one looking for a heavy and complicated plot.  Just a darling book for the teen set...and maybe a lover of Shakespeare who wants to be taken back a few (hundred) years!

3.5 stars      Deborah/TheBookishDame

 

 

 

GIVEAWAY!! "Blood and Whiskey" by Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall

SUMMARY : 

Wanted: Lizzie Vaughan, Dead or Alive.
Relationships are always hard, but for a broke cowboy and a newly turned Vampire, true love may be lethal. After barely surviving an undead apocalypse in The Cowboy and the Vampire, Tucker and Lizzie hightail it back to quirky LonePine, Wyoming (population 438), to start a family. But she’s got a growing thirst for blood and he’s realizing mortality ain't all it's cracked up to be when your girlfriend may live forever. With a scheming Vampire nation hot on their boot heels and a price on her head, how far will Lizzie and Tucker go to protect their unlikely love?

Blending evolution, religion and an overly sensitive cow dog named Rex, Blood and Whiskey drags the Vampire myth into the modern west.

 

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :

Publisher:  Pumpjack Press

Pages:  365

Genre:  Paranormal/Mystery

Authors: Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall

Purchase the book:  Amazon  and Barnes and Noble

 

 

RAVE REVIEWS FROM THE BIG WIGS!

From Kirkus Reviews

...Introducing racial issues isn’t the only adjustment the authors have made to the vampire mythos, but it’s more than just the details that set this series apart. Rather, it’s the way the authors utilize those details to create meaningful conflicts and world-altering choices for the characters. While a number of existentialist underpinnings give the series some depth, the book is first and foremost a thriller, upping the ante in every chapter as bullets fly and relationships strain under the weight of old loyalties and new revelations. In a way, it’s a shame more time isn’t spent exploring the existence of this meta world where consciousnesses wait out the daylight hours and immortality has all sorts of ramifications for human spirituality. But with strong writing, funny characters (no irony is lost on one vampiress who takes to sporting a “Future Farmers of America” jacket) and plenty of action, it’s hard to fault the authors for keeping the focus on a story this riveting.

Those who missed out on the first book will really have to hang on if they want to follow what’s happening, but it’s worth it for this tale of love and blood in the modern West.

 

 

About Kathleen and Clark:

 

Clark Hays grew up in Montana in the shadow of the Tobacco Root Mountains. In addition to his fiction work, he is a cowboy, a published poet and occasional food critic. Recently, he was nominated for Pushcart Prize for short fiction and not so recently for a Rhysling award for poetry. Clark brings a deep knowledge about the modern west, weaponry, country music and existentialism to his writing.

Kathleen McFall grew up in the heart of Washington, D.C. She worked as a petroleum geologist and, later, as a journalist, and has published hundreds of articles about scientific research, energy and natural resources. An interest in the overlap of science and mysticism are an essential aspect of her fiction writing. She received an Oregon Literary Arts Fellowship for fiction writing.

Learn more at http://cowboyandvampire.com/ and www.facebook.com/cowboyandvampire

Visit McFall and Hay’s Website at:  http://pumpjackpress.com

 

Sneak Excerpt from "Blood and Whiskey"

 

Tucker was already in the shower, steam billowing out from the bathroom. Rex was curled up on his clothes tossed haphazardly at the foot of the bed and he thumped his stubby tail cautiously as she entered.

“Traitor,” she whispered and sat down on the toilet seat, watching Tucker through the glass door. His head was bowed down under the spray of water, shoulders slumped and lost in thought. He was motionless for so long she wondered if he was drowning himself, but at last he sighed and turned the knob off.

He opened the shower door and jumped when he saw her. “You scared me.”

She handed him a towel and watched as he dried off.

“Listen to me,” she said. “I’m scared too. Of everything. Of what’s happening around us. The baby. Losing you. What I’ve become.”

“Just ignore me,” he said. “You ain’t no different.”

“I am. You can’t deny that. It’s been months since I’ve seen the sun.”

“Maybe you’re a little different.”

“What you saw must have been terrifying. I know you must think less of Vampires. You should. It’s the only rational conclusion. I’m sorry. I would rather die than cause you unhappiness, and I would never kill someone innocent.”

He sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I know. Just shush now. Ignore me and my stupid mouth.”

She pushed him away and he marveled, again, at how strong she was becoming.

“Listen to me. There’s one thing I have to know. Do you think I am a freak, a monster?”

“That’s two things,” he said. “And the answer to both is no.”

“I am,” she said, turning her head to the side. “Really, on some level, I’m no longer human.”

“Yes, you are.” He caught her chin in his hand and tipped her head up so she was forced to look in his eyes. “On the best level. You’re human plus something extra. The best part of you is still human, the other part is just different. Something we haven’t quite got our arms around yet.”

 

 

THE DAME'S REVIEW :

 

"Blood and Whiskey" and the first book in the series ,"The Cowboy and the Vampire," are like no vampire books I've ever read before!  Campy and cool, these authors know how to rock the vampire world and turn the wild west, wild again as they conquer everything you thought you knew about vampires and their associates!

 

Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall are original and entertaining authors.  Brilliant!These authors will excite you and turn you on your ear as you find out what's really happening in LonePine and worlds outside of our "natural" USA.

 

The dialog of this book is such fun.  Hilarious in parts, always witty, and fraught with some depth of humanity and feeling that is often missing between humans and vampires...and human males together in all books of this genre. I loved Tucker's relationship with Dad and Lenny, especially.  Tough western men with hearts of gold.

 

Characters are full-bodied (no pun!) and have extraordinarily humane, and at the same time crazy interactions that are juxtaposed against a world crisis of vampire vs. vampire in a universal take over where Lizzie is Queen. 

 

And while I'm speaking of it, Lizzie is a fabulous Queen!  Strong and feminine, a wise woman, a gentle wife, and a kick butt vampire fighter.  I loved this balanced combination of the modern woman in Lizzie.  This is a book with a perfection of a vampire feminist who could rule the world very well, thank you, Sir!

 

The setting of the west lends an odd, campy feel to the book.  This is an area of the US that's completely unfamiliar to me, so that culture and quality alone gave the book an other worldiness. 

 

I found Lenny the loose cannon of a brave and loyal friend to Lizzie's Tucker, just hilarious and fearsome as any vampire I'd ever read about.  The quintessential warrior with a heart, Lenny takes no prisoners where his family and friends are concerned.

 

Situations we found this crew of vamps in were unique.  Trucker vampire beds just killed me!  And, I couldn't believe the poor human victims hooked up to blood drains at a cattle farm!  Ugh!!  Vampires against vampires from different sects, times and with major political, spiritual and philosophical backgrounds was just unprecidented, I believe.  This is a treasure trove of a novel.

 

"Cowboy and the Vampire" is the first book in the series and it introduces us to Tucker, the handsome and virtuous western guy who falls in love with Lizzie, the journalist soon turned vampire Queen.  You don't have to read this one before "Blood..." but it's fun to do that for the sequencing.  I actually read them in reverse and liked it that way.

 

All in all these are fabulous vampire books with some existential twists, some humorous froth, and a dot of down right fantastic storytelling.  There's a question at the end about the baby of Tucker and Lizzie...when will it be born, boy or girl...vampire or human?  Can't wait to find out in the next book in the series.  And, will Lizzie make the new vampire confederacy rock to her tune?

 

For a break from the ordinary, I suggest you take a trip to "Blood and Whiskey" territory.

 

5 stars              Deborah/TheBookishDame

 



You can follow the Virtual Book Tour and learn more about this book at:  http://pumpupyourbook.com   Search:  Blood and Whiskey

Summary: 

Overview

Reporter Lizzie Vaughan doesn’t realize it, but she has 2,000 years of royal Vampiric

Lizzie battles for her life—and her soul—as she and Tucker find themselves caught up in a vampire war, pursued by hordes of Julius’ maniacal, bloodthirsty followers.

Who will be left standing when the sun rises?

“Deliciously dark.”—BOOKLIST

Find it here:  Amazon


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This one ends on Sept. 31st and is for the US and Canada only.  Your choice of ebook or paperback!

"The Taker" by Alma Katsu ~ Irresistible!

Alma Katsu's "The Taker," #1 in her Taker Trilogy, is a thoroughly irresistible book.  It takes you by surprise when you think you know it all and have read it all.  It captures your imagination when you think you know what's coming on the next page, and it turns your mind around when you think you've figured it all out in the end!  This is a novel that has everything and more than you could expect from a gothic.  You haven't experienced everything from New England's dark past...Maine and Boston still hold mysteries that are incomprehensible.  You may want to pick up "The Taker" before you read Ms Katsu's newest book in her series, "The Reckoning!"

Summary :

True love can last an eternity . . . but immortality comes at a price. . . .

On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae—Lanny—walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her . . . despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated.

Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley.

Part historical novel, part supernatural page-turner, The Taker is an unforgettable tale about the power of unrequited love not only to elevate and sustain, but also to blind and ultimately destroy, and how each of us is responsible for finding our own path to redemption.

Particulars of the Book :
Publisher:  Gallery Books/Simon and Schuster
Pages:  436  (Original hardback edition)
Genre:  Paranormal Fantasy/Historical Fiction/Gothic Novel
Author:  Alma Katsu Website:  http://almakatsu.com
Purchase the book here:  Barnes and Noble

About Alma Katsu :

Alma Katsu lives outside of Washington, DC with her husband, musician Bruce Katsu. Her debut, The Taker, a Gothic novel of suspense, has been compared to the early work of Anne Rice and Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian. The novel was named a Top Ten Debut Novel of 2011 by the American Library Association and has developed an international following. The Reckoning, the second book in the trilogy, was published in June 2012. The Taker Trilogy is published by Gallery Books/Simon and Schuster.
Ms. Katsu is a graduate of the Master's writing program at the Johns Hopkins University and received her bachelor's degree from Brandeis University, where she studied with John Irving. She also attended the Squaw Valley Community of Writers.
Prior to publication of her first novel, Ms. Katsu had a long career as a senior intelligence analyst for several US agencies.


The Dame's Review :

Not since Anne Rice have I read such an original book combining the paranormal and the gothic.  This is a New England horror novel with such a lush and gorgeous bent that it was difficult to tear myself away from it.  Alma Katsu makes it nearly impossible for me to have the courage to review her work.  I think she will be one of those authors we rush to read every time a new book  hits the stands.  Her intelligence bleeds through her every chapter, and the suspense builds as she lays out a story that plays like a movie such as "The Crucible" or "The Scarlet Letter."  This is a book that's laid layer upon layer. You can't help falling in love with her characters.  Simply a spell-binding book.

"The Taker" sat in my "to-be-read" pile for a long time.  The cover didn't excite me and I wasn't drawn to it until my daughter called and told me I just had to read it.  I pulled it out with some reluctance because it wasn't top on my list this week.  Once I began to read, I was mesmerized.  As I've said at the beginning of this post, it was thoroughly unexpected from the beginning.

The love story that anchors the book is so deep and real it will rake your heart with empathetic pain and reminescence of your first and true love.  There is such a depth of feeling Alma Katsu can convey that it's sterling. It rings throughout her book.  Scenes of violence are subtle; capped by the lushness of mystery and beauty but still shuttering to read.  I think this is the sort of genius that the early Anne Rice books showed. 

Her character, Lanore, is naturally brimming with darkness and multi-layers of personality.  She's complex which makes the story so enticing.  Lanore, a form of the french "le noire" or black; i.e., darkness...is a girl/woman who is both innocent and rich in dark hearted desires and plottings.  She's ever the wonderful protagonist because her underlying "evil" is so subtle!  Easy to adore, she's also a character with redeeming qualities that make her one you'll want to protect.

Ms Katsu is a born writer.  This book is no soft historical fiction or gothic paranormal.  This is way above your average book in this genre.  It's a work of art; the type of book that stands head and shoulders above the common one being written these days.

Highly recommended.  If it's in your TBR stack pull it out immediately!  If you haven't already bought it, run to your nearest shop or go online.  This is one you can't miss this year.  And, I'm not stopping here. I'm off to read and review "The Reckoning."

5 eternal stars

Deborah/TheBookishDame

Giveaway!! "Angel Eyes" by Shannon Dittemore~YA Angelic Fiction Is Fabulous!

May I just say that this is the first book in a very long time I've read that made angelic beings seem real and perfectly awe-inspiring?!  I loved every single thing about this book.  The writing is inspiring and brilliant, the characters are engaging and strong, the plot is beautifully crafted and the tension is perfectly pitched.  This is a book you have to have.  A book that you won't want to stop reading once you start it.  I was very pleasantly surprised when it began and I was hooked from the first paragraphs. I'm a tough sell on these types of books. The emotions of Dittemore's Brielle just leap from the pages!  Her angelic beings both good and evil shattered some of my imaginings and I loved it!!  I highly recommend this book to YAs and the adults in their lives. A perfect cross over fiction. It's an inspirational read that will touch your heart and keep you thinking about the protection and love that surrounds us every day, even when we may not see it. 

 5 stars!!!

Particulars of the Book:

Published by:  Thomas Nelson

Pages:  311 plus Reading Group Guide

Author:  Shannon Dittemore

Author's Website:  Shannon Dittemore

Official Summary:

Once you've seen, you can't unsee. Everything changes when you've looked at the world through . . .Angel Eyes

Brielle went to the city to chase her dreams and found tragedy instead. She's come home to shabby little Stratus, Oregon, to live with her grief and her guilt . . . and the incredible, numbing cold she can't seem to shake.

Jake's the new guy at school. The boy next door with burning hands and an unbelievable gift that targets him for corruption.

Something more than fate has brought them together. An evil bigger than both of them lurks in the shadows nearby, hiding in plain sight. Two angels stand guard, unsure what's going to happen. And a beauty brighter than Jake or Brielle has ever seen is calling them to join the battle in a realm where all human choices start.

A realm that only angels and demons-and Brielle-can perceive.

About Shannon:

 

Shannon is a wife and mother. A sister. A daughter. A friend. She was raised in Northern California by her parents-pastors of their local church and constant figures of inspiration.

As a youth, Shannon traveled with an award-winning performing arts team, excelling on stage and in the classroom. As a young adult, she attended Portland Bible College, continued acting, and worked with an outreach team targeting inner-city kids in the Portland-Metropolitan area.

It was in Portland that she met her husband, Matt. They were married in 2002. Soon after, they took the reins of the youth ministry at Living Way Community Church in Roseville, California where they continue to serve in that capacity. In October of 2004, their son Justus was born, followed by their daughter Jazlyn, born in 2008.

Listen a while to this audio recording: 

 GIVEAWAY!!! GIVEAWAY!!!!  GIVEAWAY!!!

Follow this link to find out more about the Fabulous Giveaway and more tours on "Angel Eyes"

http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/13501700/angeleyes

Thanks for stopping by!

You can find your own copy of "Angel Eyes" on

Amazon  or  Barnes & Noble

Deborah/TheBookishDame