Apologies for the delay in getting this post live.  I didn’t fly back until Friday, May 3rd…and between jet lag and sheer exhaustion, I wasn’t able to drag myself to the computer until now.  Thanks to both Reading Addiction Blog Tours and J.K. Hogan for asking me to participate in this tour.  J.K. Hogan’s debut novel, FIRE ON THE ISLAND, surprised me with how much I truly enjoyed it.  I had nothing but high expectations for the second book and I’m happy to say that it wasn’t a disappointment.  Check out the guest post and review of BLOOD IN THE VALLEY.

A Day in the Life – Guest Post by J.K. Hogan

Oh, how things have changed in the last few months. I’ve not yet had the opportunity to ‘live the dream’ which would be endless time to write with no outside obligations like pesky day jobs. During the time I was writing both Fire on the Island and Blood in the Valley, I was a graphic designer by trade. I’ve always been the artsy type, and that was the most practical application for my talents.

These days, I find myself as something I never thought I’d be: a stay at home mom. So my day of writing consists of fighting for time in between the demands of my four-month-old son, Rowan. He gets awfully jealous of the laptop when it gets more time than him.

So my day of writing starts off with coffee—lots and lots of coffee. I do most of my storybuilding in my head, so that happens on car trips (when the kidlet is blissfully sleeping), in the shower, and unfortunately, at night when I’m trying to fall asleep. That is when the ideas come. There’s a lovely little Starbucks about 15 minutes from my farm that has the most amazing drive thru—the only one around. The drive puts the kidlet to sleep, and I get coffee and time to “write”. It’s a win-win!

The physical writing happens sporadically in between bottles and during naps, and often between the time that I go to bed (super early because I have a living alarm clock that never changes!) and the time that I actually fall asleep. Being an insomniac can be both a blessing and a curse!

The moral of the story is that I would be making up stories whether I was publishing books or not, so I squeeze the writing into my life wherever I can!

Blood in the Valley by J.K. Hogan

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing

Links:  Goodreads  |  Amazon

Released May 2nd, 2013

 

Please check out my review of the first book in the series (FIRE ON THE ISLAND) HERE, which I gave 5 stars.

I think overall BLOOD IN THE VALLEY suffered from the ‘second book slump’.  It was a good book, however it wasn’t nearly as amazing as the first in the series.  On every page and scene, I was reminded of why I loved FIRE ON THE ISLAND so much.  I adored the chemistry between Isla and Jeremiah, the setting in Scottland, and the unique mythology.  The beginning of BLOOD IN THE VALLEY starts out strong, but the meeting between Drew and Raven feels clumsy.  Drew, in particular, felt off as a character and his narrative wasn’t enjoyable until the middle of the book.  Drew is at such a disadvantage compared to many of the characters that he feels weak and whiny.  As the book progressed and it felt like the author became more comfortable in his narrative – then I started to like him as a character.

I liked Raven from the very beginning.  I enjoyed reading about how she thrived with such a difficult childhood, becoming almost too comfortable in the life of a con-artist and thief.  Her faults are what make her so strong and I really appreciated how real a person she felt when she started to crumble mentally at the first sign of someone genuinely caring for her welfare.  Her narrative would have been even more likeable if Drew’s narrative wasn’t as weak.  It felt like she had to carry the first part of the book.

There is a third POV, which is Ray.  The problem with his narrative is that he is pigeonholed as such an unlikeable guy early on in the book, so when he experiences hardship, it’s hard to feel sympathy for the guy.

The bad guy’s secret isn’t too hard to guess, but her motives are.  I wasn’t exactly sure why she was so hell bent on catching and manipulating Raven until the last couple chapters, so there was a bit of mystery throughout the whole book.

The first book, FIRE ON THE ISLAND, definitely outshines BLOOD IN THE VALLEY, however fans of the series and the author won’t be disappointed by this sequel.  It continues  to explain the Vigalanti mythology and blends together both new characters and old in a romancy paranormal.  I’m not a big fan of romances, so I’m happy that the romance/sex scenes never overpowered the plot or felt like fillers.  If you haven’t read either book, you won’t get confused reading the second book.  The author does a great job of putting the background and story points from the first book when needed and not a second sooner.  A good book that would have been more of a favorite if I didn’t have the first book to compare.  I will be eagerly continuing this series.   B-

(I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.)

Excerpt

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I’m not responding to review requests (until I get back), but I’m also not deleting them.  I hope to open back up review requests soon.  I do have mobile internet, so if it is important to et a hold of me please address your subject accordingly.

Take care, everyone.

The post Update appeared first on Lizzy's Dark Fiction.

A Privilege:

The Angel Chronicles, Book 3

The beloved Angel/Warrior team face pure evil in their final climactic story!

The first time they were sent down, Irish lives were led. Emily, the angel, ended up embedded in murder and lost in the realm of true love. While Matthew, the warrior, took over a life that left blood on his hands and anger in his soul.

With their second coming, Emily found herself facing an oncoming war that brought her to the shores of America. While Matthew tried desperately to unveil the evil character of a young man who was intent on locking his partner in a ‘gilded’ cage.

Now…Emily and Matthew find that their lives are all their own. Yet, all the memories, hatred, longing and regret have come hand-in-hand with this newfound freedom.

In small town U.S.A., Matthew finds himself loving his new life. From his military school existence to a new, ‘odd’ friend who’s arrived in town, Matthew’s looking forward to graduation and heading off into a brilliant future with Emily by his side.

Emily wants nothing more than to hide. Although doing her best to fit in, she lives a life on the edge, wondering when her past love with reappear to either forgive or seek revenge on the angel who let him down. Battling the shadows that seem to be breaking her soul in two, Emily soon discovers that her small, quiet town has a secret that’s beyond dangerous…

As she and Matthew join forces to help a ‘haunted’ victim, they open the door on a mystery neither of them can believe. A true villain has returned from the past, and not even their heavenly family will be able to save them. This time they’re on their own, as they face a fight that could lead them straight to Hell…and end the angel/warrior team forever.

Excerpt

Author Amy Lignor

Amy Lignor began her career at Grey House Publishing in northwest Connecticut where she was the Editor-in-Chief of numerous educational and business directories.

Now she is a published author of several works of fiction. The Billy the Kid historical The Heart of a Legend; the thriller, Mind Made; and the adventure novel, Tallent & Lowery 13.

She is also the owner of The Write Companion, a company that offers help and support to writers through a full range of editorial services from proofreading and copyediting to ghostwriting and research. As the daughter of a research librarian, she is also an active book reviewer.

Currently, she lives with her daughter, mother and a rambunctious German Shepherd named Reuben, in the beautiful state of New Mexico.

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Because of what happened on April 15th at the Boston Marathon, I decided to run this giveaway differently.  Since it is US only, the only thing I want you to do is to keep the people and their families affected by this tragedy in your thoughts and prayers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
  Thanks to I Am A Reader, Not a Writer and Wholly Books who are hosting the Signed Books Giveaway.  I am giving away a signed copy of The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater in another giveaway right now, so don’t forget to check that one out too.   For this giveaway, you have the choice of a signed copy of Poison Princess by Kelsey Cole or The Clockwork Princess (#3) by Cassandra Clare.  (Links will take you to their Goodreads page for reviews and more information.)  This giveaway is opened to US residents only.  I’m not responsible for items lost in the mail.  I will give you an estimated shipping date, but I no promises.  Shipping might also be delayed until early May, since the end of this giveaway coincides with the date I’m leaving to visit family.

Check out the other blogs participating in this hop:

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The Other Side of the Other Side

Guest Post by Starr Gardinier Reina

Green grass as far as the eye can see to the left of me, bright skies all around, calm blue waters such as one would see in Hawaii to the right of me. It all sounds so glorious. A place worthy of a long, relaxing vacation. It is, it’s beautiful here. It was the sight I was faced with five years ago when I arrived. I couldn’t have been happier.

That is, until I found out that it’s not all sunshine and smiles. The Other Side is not always what people may think. There is another side to the Other Side. It can be formidable and dark, filling a soul full of anguish and anxiety. After the first month, I learned that the Other Side is what you make of it, what you perceive. And how you lived your life on Earth. That latter being the more decisive of what your after world is going to be like.

Integrating back into the perfect, happy place is possible, but one must work hard to rid themselves of the evil they breathed on Earth. Doing penance does not consist of just promising to be good. To appease the ‘higher ups’ you must collect souls—hungry, rampant souls smacking of pure immorality—from Earth as they are about to die. Without going into detail, I will say collection is not the end of it. No, you must also stop the last act that mortals are trying to play out on Earth, safely without harm coming to the humans. You may think that’s easy, but remember, we’re talking about the most malevolent entities that exist within human forms.

I’m still trying to get myself back to the good side, to be worthy again of the thriving brightness I remember. I haven’t seen it in almost five years. I’ve only one soul to go.

I’m looking over to Earth now. I see one! That one will work just fine. And before you get upset, remember: I didn’t pick your soul. You showed the blackness the first time you acted out without even trying to force the evil side away. You are the one who allowed temptation to drive you over the edge to the other side.

The Other Side: Melinda’s Story

by Starr Gardinier Reina

Publisher:  Suspense Publishing, an ITW approved publishing company

Genre:  Paranormal, Mystery

212 pages ebook/paperback

Links:  Goodreads  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Amazon  |  Smashwords

Released April 9, 2013.

Melinda James has a problem. She’s in Skyview Haven because her entire family and best friend are dead. Did she kill them? Does she belong in the asylum keeping her from harming herself and others?

Her father Paul James is killed in a car accident. She attends his funeral and she does see him lying in the casket. Or does she? It turns out her best friend Beth is the one who is dead and her father is there to console her. What is going on?

She thinks she’s going crazy, especially when she discovers both are actually gone from this earth and they talk to her from…‘the other side.’ Are her father and Beth actually speaking to her from beyond? Why? What do they want?

Soon, Melinda finds the answers and they aren’t what she wants to hear. Paul insists he was killed and his whole family is in danger.

This is part of Melinda’s story that she shares with Dr. Alex Leever, the psychiatrist who is assigned her case. All she wants is someone to hear her story—and believe. Melinda slowly begins to trust Dr. Leever and steadily reveals her long, complicated, intricate tale.

While at Skyview, Melinda meets Trent and they become friends, until she learns something about him that rocks her world. Is he there to hurt her? Does he want what her father was killed over?

Problems mount quickly and she discovers that there are people who want something only she can give them. Is Trent one of those people?

Her family tries to help from beyond, but Melinda is running out of time. She needs to give them what they want or die. Can the dead protect the living? Will they be enough to protect her?

I tried to tell them it was going to happen, but nobody would listen. They all said I was just having bad dreams, or that I was crazy.
It started at my father’s funeral. It’s been so long since it first began, about eight years ago. Sometimes though, it seems like yesterday. My father was there. No, I don’t mean just in the casket. He was there. He talked to me, begged me to tell Mom that we all needed to run and hide. He said we were all in danger.

I asked him why he didn’t tell Mom himself. He said he tried, but she wasn’t listening. I heard him fine. But I didn’t believe him. Why would we be in danger? We can’t just up and leave. My friends are all here in Beaumont. When I told him this, he said it was important, that it was a matter of life and death. He seemed so worried, but I was so confused, I blew him off.

I guess when it first happened I didn’t pay any heed to his warning. We went on with our lives. Mom was grief stricken, my brother Kyle was in his own world playing videos and I was trying to shut my father out of my mind. Was I going crazy? What was wrong with me? Dad was dead, but I could still see and hear him.

A paralegal by day, she’s an author by night. Apart from being an award winning author for her short story “Cut”, Reina has appeared in a blaze and made her mark on the literary world with her Ivanovich Series. The first is “In the Name of Revenge”, the second, “Deadly Decisions” and the third, “One Major Mistake” was released July 10, 2012. Having studied and obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Literature/Creative Writing, she has found her unique style and is known for her works’ distinctive voice, making every character stand out.

Reina is the artistic creator of the Ivanovich series featuring Pavel Ivanovich. Flanking Ivanovich’s side in “Deadly Decisions” is Teresa Mancini, who vies with Ivanovich for readers’ attention. According to J.M. LeDuc, who was “raised in an Italian family”, Teresa “is perfect…like all your characters”. Reina is also the author of young adult novella “Cruel Whispers” and its sequel novel “Cruel Past”.

Reina is an executive editor for Suspense Magazine. She has been interviewed in the newspaper and on the radio with relation to her fiction work. She has been a co-host on Suspense Radio.

Reina is a member of International Thriller Writers (ITW) and of Sisters in Crime, Los Angeles Chapter and nationally. She has won three Best Speaker awards as well as Best Evaluator at the Voice Ambassadors chapter of Toastmasters. She has always been active in events. As co-chair and main coordinator for the West Coast Author Premiere, she arranged the weekend-long event to help authors from all over network, learn and share their work with the public. Reina has also been instrumental in compiling authors and planning a local author event at Barnes and Noble in Ventura, California along with the store’s event manager.

Please read more about Starr at www.QueenWriter.com or visit her blog at www.qw-blog.blogspot.com.

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