Review: Proximity By M.A. George

Proximity (Proximity #1)
Author: M.A. George
YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi
2 1/2 out of 5 Stars

Synopsis

Dr. Palta Capal would be a typical American career woman…if only she were human. She has found her calling in this world as a physician. It’s an ideal outlet for her compassionate spirit...and unearthly healing powers. Palta may spend her nights rereading Jane Austen novels, but she deliberately avoids pursuing her own love story. Human men — attractive as they may be — inevitably grow old and wither, leaving her to grieve in solitude. Frankly, no one has seemed worth the torment. Enter Eric Moran, the intensely attractive and enigmatic new coworker on the scene. With his quiet confidence and warm smile, he manages to draw Palta’s attention. Little does she know that he, too, holds a secret…one that will propel them both into an escalating collision of two worlds.

 Review By Lauren:

Palta Capal and her family have been living as United States citizens the span of Palta’s life after her father, mother, and sister left their home planet of Ononti.  Palta and her sister have kept their heritage a secret with the help of their father’s ability to influence others.  They both work in fields that they can put their own abilities to good use.  Being a healer, Palta has found her niche in the medical field.  She enjoys her work and lives a non-eventful life up until the day she finds her handsome coworker, Eric Moran, dying on the floor of their lab.  Palta has no choice but risk exposing her family for what they really are in order to save him. 

Proximity has a plethora of good qualities.  It is a science fiction book that I would recommend for young readers because there is a lack of sex and profanity.  The Capal family is living the American Dream.  They are home owners, hardworking, and have good morals and ethics, things that I believe children should be exposed to in literature.  The storyline is easy to follow and is not very complex; anyone could understand the premise and plot. 

With that being said I would not recommend this book to an adult audience.  I think most woman would find the progression of the romance between Palta and Eric hard to believe.  This seemingly highly intelligent woman, a doctor even, gets into this whirlwind relationship and swept into his families mess all within a matter of days after saving his life, jeopardizing her family’s well-being and exposing them all to a menace back on Ononti.  What?  After all the claims Palta makes of how important her family and their secrecy is over their hundreds of years on Earth, she throws it all away in a week?!  I cannot see the logic in that, even within the sci-fi, non-fictional realm.  If I had any say in the editorial process that had to have taken place prior to Proximity being released, I would have highly recommended the author give at least one ounce of definitive proof that Morans are who they claim to be.  I would have also asked her to insist that Eric ask Palta out on a date, buy the woman a drink even, before he asked for her and her family to help him save the Earth from the complete annihilation of the human race at the hands of a deranged dictator from Ononti.   

 

Review: Imitation By Heather Hildenbrand

Imitation
Author: Heather Hildenbrand
YA Book
Fiction/Fantasy Romance
5 out of 5 Stars

Synopsis

Everyone is exactly like me.
There is no one like me.
The rough fabric of my cotton nightgown chafes so I lie very still. They say my discomfort comes from being built like one accustomed to niceties. How is that fair when I myself have never experienced anything but copies of the real thing?
My entire life is an imitation.
I am an Imitation.
I’ve been here five years. Training. Preparing. Waiting.
                                                         And now I have a letter.
                                                         My assignment has begun.
                                                         I am a prisoner.
                                                         I am not Raven Rogen.
                                                         I am here to die.

My Review

 Another great story by author Heather Hildenbrand. Heather's recent writing Imitation, has brought us to the world of clones or Imitations. Her storytelling in this book is addicting and pulls you in on page one. Unlike anything I have ever seen, this is one of the most exciting books I have read in a long time. Even though this is a YA book, Heather has the unique ability to attract both YA and Adult readers with her books. Imitation is filled with action adventure, romance, and suspense all wrapped into one. This story is guaranteed to make you wonder where our future is headed. One day, you might wonder whether you are an Authentic or an Imitation.

 Ven is an Imitation, a clone of the very well known and wealthy young woman, Raven Rogan. Someone is out to kill the real Raven, so Ven is brought in as a decoy or sorts. While Ven knows what her duty is, to be Raven without anyone knowing what she really is, she is tempted to give it all up for her freedom. With attacks on her life happening everyday, Ven must do her duty and help draw out Raven's attacker. Unknowingly she has also stumbled upon a plot that not only puts herself in more danger, but her friends, other imitations. With the help of Linc, her bodyguard, Ven will need to trust one of the people trying to kill her. There is always a price for freedom and Ven will have to pay up.

About the Author

Heather Hildenbrand was born and raised in a small town in northern Virginia where she was homeschooled through high school. She now lives in coastal VA, a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean, with her two adorable children. She works from home, part time, as a property manager and when she's not furiously pounding at the keyboard, or staring off into space whilst plotting a new story, she's lying on the beach, soaking in those delicious, pre-cancerous rays.
Heather loves Mexican food, hates socks with sandals, and if her house was on fire, the one thing she'd grab is her DVR player.
You can find out more about her and her books at www.heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com

Or stalk her here:

Facebook

Facebook Fan Page

Twitter

Goodreads

Newsletter

Heather is a co-founder of Accendo Press, a publishing group she operates with fellow authors: Angeline Kace and Jennifer Sommersby. Accendo (a-CH-endo), A Latin word, means “to kindle, illuminate, inflame, or set fire.” This is something Accendo strives to do inside a reader’s imagination with every title released. For a complete list of titles and author bios, visit www.accendopress.com.

Blog Tour Promo: A Minor Magic By Justin Macumber

A Minor Magic
Author: Justin Macumber
YA Book
Tour Host: Lady Amber's Tours

Synopsis

Over the course of a single night, mystical fires tore through the sky and reduced most of Earth to ash. Ten years later magical fire burns again, but this time it's in the hands of a young girl named Skylar. Exiled from her adoptive home, Skylar must now struggle through ruined lands and religious zealots who believe she's an agent of the Devil. An even greater threat exists in the form of shadowy sorcerers from another world who covet her blood. Along her journey, she meets a motley band of outcasts who not only know the secret of what happened to Earth, but also of Skylar's true origin. Will Skylar be able to accept this fantastical truth? But more importantly, can her powers and raging heart be tamed in time to stop those who once burned the world and now seek total domination?


Excerpt

Skylar's eyes filled with a flickering blue light as ghostly flames jetted from her palms, and her screams were lost over the roaring of the blaze. Instinctively, she shook her hands, slapped them against her legs, and then clapped them together to try and extinguish the fire. As her hands touched, the flames vanished. To her astonishment her skin wasn't burned. It wasn't even warm. Sadly, the same couldn't be said for Buster. The dog was a smoking ruin at her feet, one more pile of burnt remains in a world already covered in ash. Her heart broke as she stared down at him. Oh god, she thought. What's happened? What have I done?

"Oh my Lord, girl," a man said behind her. "What did you do?"

Skylar whirled around, her eyes widening in guilt even though she didn't understand what had happened, or how. "Henry, he jumped at me! I don't know why he did it, and I tried to stop him, but..." She fell silent, her thoughts too scrambled to know what more to say. Buster was a dog she'd loved and cared for ever since coming to live on the farm years ago, and without warning, he had attacked her. When she'd held her hands up to ward him off, blue fire had erupted from them and consumed him as though it was a living, ravenous thing. Nothing like that had ever happened to her before, and she couldn't rightly explain what she didn't understand. 

 

Author Bio:

Justin R. Macumber is the author of HAYWIRE and A MINOR MAGIC. When not hard at work on his next story he hosts the popular Dead Robots' Society podcast, which is a podcast made by writers for writers. He and his lovely wife live in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex along with a rampaging pack of dogs and cats that they think of as their  children. He is also a co-host on The Hollywood Outsider, a weekly podcast about movies and television. Currently he is working on two novels - the horror story STILL WATER, and the sequel to A MINOR MAGIC entitled A BROKEN MAGIC.

 

Links

http://www.justinmacumber.com/

http://amzn.to/WTZjrR

http://www.facebook.com/JustinRMacumber

http://twitter.com/JustinMacumber

http://deadrobotssociety.com/

http://www.thehollywoodoutsider.com/

 

Kindle buy link - http://amzn.to/TTof0x

Print book buy link - http://amzn.to/Yk8eyp

B&N buy link - http://bit.ly/138JTPl

 

 

Blog Tour Review: Vacant By Evelyn R. Baldwin

Vacant
Author: Evelyn R. Baldwin
YA Book and Adult Book
Novella Romance
3 out of 5 Stars
 

Synopsis:

Ethan Parker gets up every day, surviving the only way he knows how—alone.

Orphaned as a child and forced into the child welfare system, he knows better than to depend on anyone but himself. He’s learned trust is a word used all too often, but rarely earned.

Ethan believes that his best chance for maintaining a simple and solitary existence is to live by a simple mantra: Don’t get involved. Keep things simple.

Take care of yourself!

When a young woman moves in next door, Ethan is forced to reevaluate his beliefs. He tries to keep his distance, but his new neighbor’s infectious smile and outlook on life leave him struggling with the decision of living the life he knows, or taking a chance on the unexpected.

As Ethan develops a relationship with his new neighbor, Emily, he realizes nothing is simple and learns that life is about more than just surviving… it’s about living.

My Review:

 I found this to be an enjoyable story about 2 people surviving from traumatic pasts. This story is a great insight that not everyone lives the perfect life, or have the perfect family.  This story gives you hope. I really liked that the author didn't make this easy for her characters. There was no love at first sight, and no one made the right choice right away. True life is when you make mistakes, learn from them and overcome obstacles, whether the are physically or emotionally. If you are looking for a short story that will give you a break from fantasy and a good piece of reality, then look no further. Enjoy!

Excerpt:

As my arm swings with the rhythm of my feet, I brush Emily's fingers with my own. It’s an innocent accident, though the sudden warmth in my chest is anything but. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to keep up this ruse, playing her brotherly protector. While Emily has never spoken about boys in her class or voiced interests of the romantic sort, I know it’s inevitable. She has blossomed into a beautiful creature who has no idea of the devastation her beauty wreaks upon me and, surely, the boys around her. Her smile is infectious, and it’s only a matter of time before a suitor comes knocking at our door. I kind of feel sorry for the poor boy, as my first time meeting him will most likely be ugly. I’m a fierce guardian where Emily is concerned, not just because it’s my duty to protect her but because seeing Emily with another guy will end me.

I want to reach out and take her hand in mine as we walk, but I don’t. I have calculated the difference in our ages. Five years doesn’t seem all that much when she is twenty and I’m twenty-five. However, she is seventeen and still a minor, which is the only important difference, no matter how hard my libido begs to differ. I have to prepare for her to have romantic feelings for someone her own age, not a twenty-two year-old guy who has to act like her older brother.

Sisters rarely hold hands with their brothers.

Author Bio:

Evelyn R. Baldwin was born in the Midwest and spent her childhood on a horse ranch. As an only child, Evelyn was often forced to entertain herself with the family's horses as companions, and her imagination the only limitation. After moving to St. Louis to attend college, she earned a degree in Education. During her Master’s program, Evelyn discovered her fascination with behavior and psychology. Her first professional job experience was as a juvenile counselor, which led her to venture into other human sciences, eventually making a career with Behavior Analysis. While writing is a hobby for Evelyn, she often uses her experiences with human behavior to guide her characters.

She’s written short stories since childhood but only recently began exercising her real writing muscles. While she does not consider herself a professional writer in any sense of the word, she continues to polish her craft and hopes for success in her writing ventures, even if they are just as a hobby.

Website: evelynrbaldwin.com

Twitter: EvelynRBaldwin

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6871363.Evelyn_R_Baldwin

Free Anthology: (**ADULT) https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/288657

Buy the Book:

YA Ebook: http://www.amazon.com/Vacant-ebook/dp/B00BJXRXJS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362872530&sr=8-1&keywords=Vacant

YA Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Vacant-Evelyn-R-Baldwin/dp/1475155875/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362872530&sr=8-2&keywords=Vacant

Adult Ebook: http://www.amazon.com/Vacant-Adult-Version-ebook/dp/B00BK6M0J2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1362872530&sr=8-3&keywords=Vacant

Book Promo: The Promise By Kim Carmichael

Title: The Promise

Author: Kim Carmichael

Genre: Erotica

Publisher: Hot Ink Press

Tour Host: Lady Amber's Tours

Synopsis:

Demon Dolan Ciar exists on three simple words: desire, denial, and destruction. Every four years, he is allowed one night of earthly passion to punish a deserving female. By the time he is finished, his victims are left as willing receptacles for demons yet to come.

 Since she was four, a demon has been the only constant in Leora Desmond's life. He taught her how to seize control, to never give up, and to take whatever she wanted. At twenty-four, her self-centered existence is focused on one thing. She wants Dolan, and she won't be dissuaded.

 A mistake brought Dolan to Leora. A promise bound him to her. Returning once again to ask for his freedom, he is faced with Leora demanding to be his next conquest. The ultimate retribution would be to take from her the ultimate symbol of her selfishness.

 Now, Dolan must decide if he can doom her to life in living hell or face his own set of unearthly consequences, while Leora must choose between her pleasure and her heart.

 The Promise blurs the line between good and evil, desire and love, and promises and commitment.

Excerpt:

He tilted his head. "You look older."

She forced herself to blink and to remember her goal. "Then I assume I am at last old enough to be a fit for a demon." She stepped forward, stopping less than a foot away from him. The back of her throat dried out, and she swallowed.

He put his hand to his chin, his gaze taking her in. "This old song and dance. When will you use the brains you have and leave it alone?"

His words hit her, but rather than retreating, she moved closer. The energy, the tingle, the wafts of spice encompassed her and lured her toward him. "Never."

"You were smart last time. Why don't you release me so I can do what I came here for." He glanced down at her and then shifted his focus beyond her. "I have needs as well."

"Tonight I am the one you came here for." The mention of his last visit stung, but she willed herself to keep going. She ran her fingers up the buttons of his shirt. "You always told me to take control."

He shook his head. "A lesson you learned well."

She reached up and clenched his collar in her fist. "I let you go last time, but tonight I am the one you need."

He grabbed her wrist. "I spared you before. Never forget that."

She stared right into his eyes. No weakness was allowed tonight. "It's me, Dolan. Me, or you can be celibate until the decade I do you the favor of dying. I don't care about your pain." She tensed, preparing herself for his retaliation.

"I thought I taught you better than to make demands of a demon." He pressed his palm to the side of her face.

Heat radiated through her body, sending a warning to every one of her nerve endings. "A demon who comforts a child is a failure of a demon in my book."

His jaw tightened. "That was a mistake. An oversight."

Author Bio:

Kim Carmichael began writing eight years ago when her need for graphic sex scenes and love of happy endings inspired her to create her own.  She has a weakness for bad boys and techno geeks, and married her own computer whiz after he proved he could keep her all her gadgets running.  When not writing, she can usually be found slathered in sunscreen trolling Los Angeles and helping top doctors build their practices.

Website	www.kimcarmichaelnovels.com
Twitter	@kimcarmichael4
Facebook	https://www.facebook.com/kimcarmichaelnovels
Amazon Page	http://www.amazon.com/Kim-Carmichael/e/B0098RNFUI/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1