Dying for a Living Review

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Pam

Image from Goodreads

Title: Dying for a Living

Author: Kory Shrum

Published: 2014 by Timberlane Press

Genre: Urban Fantasy

“This is Ms. Jesse Sullivan. She will be your agent today.”

He turned his narrowing eyes from her to me. “She’s the zombie?”

Was it my job to remind him “zombie” is a derogatory term? Yes.

“Necronite,” I corrected. I threw the muffin wrapper in the bedside trashcan. “I’m the Necronite here to die so you can keep on a-livin.” (location 56 on Kindle.)

Jesse is a death replacement agent. Only Necronites can take this position as it requires the agent to die in order to save the client. Necronites come back to life after a day or a few days, depending on their injuries. One day on the job, a client tried to cut off Jesse’s head, which would prevent her from coming back to life ever again. This stirs up a bunch of events that lead to Jesse getting in trouble and investigated by the government. And to top it off Jesse begins to hallucinate and starts to see an angel named Gabriel. Or perhaps Gabriel isn’t a hallucination after all…..

I love Jesse; she is a girl of my own heart. She’s not afraid to assert her opinion, and it’s usually in a sarcastic manner. She made me smile and laugh out loud. She likes to dress comfortably, and you can usually find her in mismatched sneakers (she usually loses one when she dies).

There are two possible love interests in Jesse’s life, Ally, her personal assistant, and Lane, who Jesse has a ‘no strings attached’ friends with benefits relationship with. They both care about Jesse a lot, but she tries to avoid relationships with both of them for her own reasons.

I love learning random facts while reading for fun. Do you know that feeling when you go to sleep and then it feels like your falling and you jerk awake? That’s called a myoclonic jerk. Your brain sends a signal causing the jerk, because it’s mistaking your slow breathing for dying. The ‘jerk’ makes your muscles and heart contract for the purpose of waking you up. I bet you’re a little creeped out now after reading this; I know I was! (This was brought up by Jesse when explaining to others how a Necronite’s body and brain reacts differently than the average human.)

I only have praise for this book. The editing was good, the characters were awesome. It was fast moving and interesting. But also, it was unique. It wasn’t another vampire or werewolf book that’s already been done. Dying for a Living is a one of a kind novel, and a really good one at that. So if you’re into urban fantasy go read it, just don’t call Jesse a zombie; she takes offense.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

~Pam

*****I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.*****

Napoleon (Layers of Veronica #1) Review

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Pam

Title: Napoleon (Layers of Veronica #1)

Author: Emilia Rutigliano

Published: 2013 by Emilia Rutigliano

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Purchase Napoleon from Amazon

Veronica is a great mother, friend, and lawyer. Her ex-husband is having a baby with his new wife, which is fine with Veronica as long as the new wife treats her kids well, and she does. Veronica has a lot of self confidence in the courtroom and in the bedroom. She sleeps around with no strings attached and that’s the way she likes it to be. But Veronica starts to meet certain men and develops stronger feelings for them. Will she meet that special someone who she can’t live without, or will she continue to live her life the way she does because after all she is happy, isn’t she?

It’s hard to like a book when you don’t like the morals that you’re presented with. I really did like Veronica. She’s a great mom, and an awesome friend. She’s there for everyone when needed. As a lawyer, she also excels. She’s been a lawyer for years so it comes naturally at this point in her life. And the fact that she sleeps around, I couldn’t care less. The only thing that bothers me is that she prefers married men so there are no strings attached. Her husband cheated on her and got another woman pregnant. Veronica doesn’t act hurt by it, but I’m sure she was/is. Doesn’t she realize that she is doing the same thing to someone else’s wife? It’s obviously the men’s fault as well; they’re not getting off the hook here. It’s just that she doesn’t seem to feel bad for the men’s wives in the least. That’s what bothers me.

Anyways, the book itself was well written and fast moving. I did get a little confused when she met Jeremy, a successful and married man, and he tries to explain to her about different levels and layers of her life. I just didn’t understand what was going on. He was trying to give her an education on how to get more out of life and more money I believe. I don’t know, I just didn’t get it.

There was a rape, not really scene cause it wasn’t, we, the readers, just know that it happened. Anyways, it was horrible but during the after effects of the rape there were some significant spelling errors. Semen was spelled ‘seamen’ a few times. Now honestly, I was glad for the error because it made me laugh and I needed that laugh during that scene to take me back to reality.

The ending didn’t give me closure at all. In fact, I made a note in my kindle saying, “what??????” I know that this is the first book in a series but I just feel that some sort of closure would have been nice.

Looking at what I wrote it sounds like I’m ripping apart this book, but I’m really not trying to. Again, it was for the most part a fast moving enjoyable read. All and all, definitely a good book.

My Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

~Pam

*****I received this book free from Pump Up Your Book in exchange for an honest review.*****

****Image provided by Pump Up Your Book.****

Feature & Follow Friday, #30, #FF – Prank

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Pam

This is a blog hop, a way to find and follow new blogs,

hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

You can follow me by using any one of the options over on the left sidebar.

This Week’s Question: Late April Fools. What was the best prank you’ve played or had played on you? Share!

It was a week or so after Halloween. I had made a stuffed dummy out of leaves stuffed in a shirt and jeans and a scary mask, etc, and it was still sitting on my enclosed porch that’s through another entrance that my friends and I didn’t use. Well, my best friend was over and I asked her to get something for me out there. She came running back and locked the door behind her while cracking up realizing it wasn’t a real guy. It was sooooo funny. And don’t worry, we’re still best friends, lol.

Happy Friday everyone!

~Pam

Eire’s Captive Moon Review

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Pam

Image from Goodreads

Title: Eire’s Captive Moon

Author: Sandi Layne

Published: 2013 by The Writer’s Coffee Shop

Genre: Historical Fiction

Purchase Éire’s Captive Moon from Amazon

Chagris was found, well she was found inside her mother. A local medicine man found her mother about to give birth in a cave and he helped her. Chagris’s mother passed away right after, and the medicine man helped raise Chagris and taught her his ways. Fast forward to Chagris’s adulthood. She is married to not one, but two men; twins. Her town is ransacked, her husbands slaughtered, and she is taken captive by a man named Agnarr. She not only becomes his slave in the proverbial sense, but also his to use for sex. Agnarr is kind in the way that he doesn’t beat her and treats her gently. Will she find love with him or kill him in revenge for her husbands’ deaths?

I won this book in a giveaway and brought it with me to pass time while I waited for my son in speech class one day. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. I came home and read it that night, then finished it two days later.

This book outraged me, or rather Chagris being a slave did. It baffles me that her owners just wanted her to serve them with no complaints but they just killed her family and took her to a foreign land. Don’t they see that? I know that this is probably how things were with slavery, but wow, did it make my blood boil. And the fact that it made me mad just shows that it’s a well written book.

Although she’s being put through hell, Chagris has someone that she can talk to, another slave taken at the same time as her, Cowan. Cowan is valued for his knowledge of many languages and translating abilities. He wants Chagris to keep her head up and stay safe, because although he isn’t acting like it, he can’t wait to be free himself.

Will there be romance between Chagris and Cowan? Or Chagris and Agnarr? Neither, or perhaps both? I guess you’ll have to read it to find out. All I’ll say is I’m glad I picked it up because I was pleasantly surprised.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

~Pam

*****I won this book in a giveaway from the publisher, The Writers Coffee Shop.*****

Enduring Everything Spotlight & Excerpt plus Giveaway

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Pam

Time doesn’t always heal old wounds. Often time makes them worse. Especially when you push those wounds to the back of your mind and focus on the life you want to lead.Then the day comes when you finally have everything.

It is then, you realize that nothing ever goes away.

In order to put years of heartache and abuse behind her, Ren learned to bury the past deep down inside herself and focus on one thing; raising her daughter Sophia. As the years passed, she found peace in the daily routine of her job and becomes content with being a mom.

On the night of her daughter’s wedding, Ren takes a risk and strays from the predictable world she has set up for herself when her longtime friend Jackson rekindles a loving promise he made to her long ago.

Ren cannot keep her past buried, and the two struggle when old problems start to creep back into their lives. She cannot get her world back in order and her instinct is to shut everyone out.

In the midst of it all Ren is coerced into helping Charlotte, an adopted teenager of her close friends the Roberts’. Reluctantly agreeing, Ren finds Charlotte is in dire need of self control and direction. Upon discovering they share a similar upbringing Ren feels she can advise Charlotte and keep her from repeating her own mistakes. Taking steps to ensure Charlotte’s recovery, her new found purpose causes a rift in the family she has come to know and love as her own.

Battling issues, both new and old, will Ren & Jacks be able to endure everything life has thrown at them or will Ren give up everything and isolate herself from the inevitable pain that will follow when all her secrets are revealed?

Excerpt

Careful not to tip the lounge we were sitting on over, Jackson stood up. Standing in front of me, in only his dress slacks, he flashed a wide smile before getting down on one knee. Suddenly my heart was beating erratically in my chest. Shifting to face him, we were at eye level as he took my hand and placed it over the wren and Celtic heart tattoo on the left side of his chest.

“When I first met you, I thought you were cute. The first time I talked to you, I knew you were a smart ass. On our first date, when I kissed you and said not to be nervous, I was talking to myself. Even though I almost ruined our date, I knew you liked me when you said you would see me again. We claimed each other at seventeen but I’m not sure when I started to love you. I know it broke my heart when I had to leave you at your parent’s house after knowing what your father did to you, when you said you wanted us to just be friends, when you came back and I found out you were pregnant and I honestly thought it was going to kill me when you got married. More than once you tried to get me to let you go but I never could. No matter how hard it was on both of us, you are the best thing that ever happened to me. I am a better man with you. You didn’t steal my heart, I gave it to you. Marry me and I swear the only thing I will ever want from you is your heart in return.”

Feeling his heart under my hand as he spoke and the way it would beat faster when he mentioned moments from our relationship, I replied, “Yes.”

A wide smile preceded a softer one as he slowly kissed me before offering, “I’ll take you inside now.”

Shaking my head, I pulled him back onto the chaise lounge with me.

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Playlist

Morning Afterglow-Electrasy

Just Give Me a Reason-Pink

The Damage in Your Heart-Weezer

Warmness on The Soul-A7X

I Won’t Give Up-Jason Mraz

Sorry-Buckcherry

All of Me-John Legend

Special Playlist additions

Kasey Fitzgerald ~’I Got You’-Jack Johnson

A.C. Haury~Devil’s Spoke-Laura Marling

Nicole Griffin~’She Will Be Loved’-Maroon 5

About the Author

Born in Baton Rouge Louisiana, I now live in Brazoria Texas with My Husband, Three Kids, Three Dogs and Two Cats. I wrote my first short story when I was in high school and instantly fell in love with writing. However, life sometimes gets in the way of aspirations and it wasn’t until years later, when my life calmed down, I was able to start writing again. For me, each new book I write or character I create feels like the first time and I find myself falling in love with writing all over again.

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↓Read Chapter 1↓

Sophia’s Wedding Day