#We Proudly Present a #Book Review: 32 Seconds by Johanna K. Pitcairn

To the average onlooker, the city of Los Angeles represents glitz, glamour, and the celebrity lifestyle. But to seventeen-year-old Julie Jones, the city is a vast host of problems she’s longing to get away from. The latest? An unfortunate disagreement with her ex-boyfriend Mark—one that could land her in some serious hot water.

So rather than face the troubles that torment her, Julie decides to run away from her old life and start fresh somewhere new. But her parents aren’t on board with the plan, and she soon finds her bank accounts frozen and her wallet empty.

With just seventy-five dollars and a full tank of gas, the troubled teen is far too stubborn to turn around and head home. So what’s a girl to do?

What Julie doesn’t know is that her travels are about to take her somewhere unexpected—a place where she’ll be forced to come face to face with the ghosts of her past in order to secure her future.

A tale of redemption, hope, and freedom lost and found, 32 Seconds is a thought-provoking exploration into the human spirit and the nature of forgiveness.

Available on Amazon

FACING YOUR DEMONS

32 Seconds is yet another great book brought to you by B00k r3vi63w Tours, meaning an honest review is my gove-back for a free copy. (Thanks for that read, by the way, Debdatta) 

Soooo... what are my thoughts on 32 Seconds? Well, damn, this was not was I expected - it was one hell of a read and quite frankly one of the best YA books I've read in a long time. 

It started off as the typical spoilt, rich brat story - and believe me, Julie is so not your likeable, sweet heroine - but quickly changed. What follows is the heartbreaking story of a deeply hurt and angry girl who somehow manages to dredge up enough courage to stop running and confront her past and her demons. And don't you know it, she grows at the challenge. With every step she takes, she comes to terms with her past, her feelings and her life - in a beautifully written way. 

Apart from the story, which is amazing, the most outstanding thing about the novel was definitely the writing style. Johanna Pitcairn uses powerful, strong, and very literally inclined words to pull the reader into her story. It keeps you there, keeps you immersed in this story about forgiving yourself, about redeeming yourself and about finding yourself when you have lost sight of who you are - or never even knew who you could be without all the crap life sometimes throws at you (this is YA afterall - so embrace the teenage angst). 

RATING: 4,5 STARS

One of the really good YA novels that stays with you long after you've finished. Awesome read with a lot of food for thought. And a not-so-comfortable trip down memory lane for everyone having already left their teen years behind.  Ms. Pitcairn, please write on!

About the Author

Johanna K. Pitcairn has dreamed of becoming a writer since childhood--authoring her first novel at the age of nine, and countless poems, stories, and screenplays by the age of seventeen. Later, rather than pursuing a career as a director and screenwriter, she decided to go to law school, driven by her father's opinion that "writing does not pay the bills."

Ten years later, she moved to New York City, which inspired her to go back to the excitement, wonder, and constant change of being a writer. Pitcairn is a huge fan of psychological-thriller novels and movies, and delves into her hopes, fears, friends, enemies, and everything in between in her own writing.

Contact the Author:

Website I Blog I Facebook I Twitter I Goodreads I The Independent Author Network 

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#We Proudly Present: Release Day Blitz... Blood Monarch by Drako

A king's duty never ends, even when his kingdom changes. Vladimir Dracula is one of the most famous and misunderstood figures in all of history. One thing is true, he is a king, and he is a vampire. He is the true king and enforcer of the vampire race. Feared by all of his own kind, he is perhaps the most lethal of the Black Dragon God's mortal born servants. At the same time, he personifies sex. None can resist his charms, save one.
Vax King is the Chosen of Hecate, the Heir of Mjolnir, and has no plans on a mate. When he's called on to enter Fae lands, he's surprised to find the legendary vampire there. Looking to aid the beautiful Fae, Anaya, and her soul mate, Galen, Vax must enter a world of sex of violence with only Vlad to accompany him. Here, there can be no denial, no hesitation. Only truth....and dominance. A war is brewing in the Fae lands, as the fallen angels rise to lay claim to the power of their goddess, Verlaine and topple their higher brethren. Older than most, Vlad must accustom himself to having a soul mate, and use all his legendary power to stop the forces of darkness long believed to be controlled by him. A new kingdom is the prize, and none knows better than the famed Dracula that the secret to power lies in the blood.

Book Links:

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Meet the Characters:

Vladimir Dracula

AKA: Vlad, Vlad the Impaler, Dracula

Height: 6’10”

Weight: 315 pounds

Hair: shoulder length, brown

Origin: A human follower of Jarel, the Black Dragon god. He was caught in the crossfire of Jarel’s disagreement with a demon god and the result changed him into one of the first vampires. 

More info: Contrary to popular belief, he has never sired another vampire. The entire race descends from the married couple, Vacker and Deidre. He has functioned as the final enforcer of the race since its creation. He is lethal in battle, being one of those fortunate enough to have had Jarel’s favor in mortal life first. He is also extremely sexual, with an appeal that draws others to him. He should not be confused with the prince who became known as Vlad the Impaler. He’s far older and earned the name in a far different manner. 

Vax

Height: 6’4”

Weight: 220 pounds

Hair: long, red

Origin: A mortal born witch, servant to Hecate, the patron goddess of witches. He was chosen by the goddess himself to wield the legendary hammer Mjolnir to expel Lucifer from the mortal world.

More info: Vax originally had a bit of a self-confidence issue. Because he’s mortal born, he is not used to the strength and power gifted to him by the goddess. He’s a quick learner, and in fact, had a bit of conflict with Vlad in his first story. He’s the first person to resist Vlad’s charm when the vampire is really pouring it on. 

Anaya

Height: 5’3”

Hair: long, red

Origin: An orphaned Fae, she comes into contact with Brandon during his mortal life and the two have a son, Theo, who eventually becomes one of the Three Fates. She is actually the daughter of the Fae queen and the very first angel, Apollyon.

More info: Anaya was captured due to her softer and trusting nature in the second book, and the reasons are complicated. Her ties to the father of her child as well as her soul mate, in addition to her parentage, made her a target. But she’s certainly come into her own and is no damsel in distress

Galen

Height: 6’6”

Weight: 258 pounds

Eyes: blue

Hair: long, black

Origin: A warrior angel created by an ancient goddess, he has only known war and duty and has not adjusted to the idea of having a soul mate.

More info: Galen has loyalty that cannot be questioned, even falling from grace to aid in the fall of Lucifer. He’s powerful and ruthless in battle, but unfamiliar with the concept of love. It’s taken him a long time to accept Anaya.

About the Author:

Drako resides in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, which you may notice is part of the setting of this series. When he isn’t writing, he’s busy editing for other authors, reviewing books, working, going to college, and spending time with his friends and two nieces. He blogs often and is very active on Facebook while trying to readjust to activity on twitter. His subject matter varies as he likes to talk about more than just his writing. You can check out his posts at his website, drakosden.weebly.com

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#We Proudly Present: Hopebreaker by Dean F. Wilson (Book Review)

In the world of Altadas, there are no more human births. The Regime is replacing the unborn with demons, while the Resistance is trying to destroy a drug called Hope that the demons need to survive.

Between these two warring factions lies Jacob, a man who profits from smuggling contraceptive amulets into the city of Blackout. He cares little about the Great Iron War, but a chance capture, and an even more accidental rescue, embroils him in a plot to starve the Regime from power.

When Hope is an enemy, Jacob finds it harder than he thought to remain indifferent. When the Resistance opts to field its experimental landship, the Hopebreaker, the world may find that one victory does not win a war.

About the Author:

Dean F. Wilson was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1987. He started writing at age 11, when he began his first (unpublished) novel, entitled The Power Source. He won a TAP Educational Award from Trinity College Dublin for an early draft of The Call of Agon (then called Protos Mythos) in 2001.

He has published a number of poems and short stories over the years, while working on and reworking some of his novels. The Call of Agon is his first published novel.

Dean also works as a journalist, primarily in the field of technology. He has written for TechEye, Thinq, V3, VR-Zone, ITProPortal, TechRadar Pro and The Inquirer.

STALK the Author here:

Website: http://deanfwilson.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deanfwilson

Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/deanfwilson

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/deanfwilson

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dean-F.-Wilson/e/B007O05FEU/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6082024.Dean_F_Wilson

REVIEW: Broken Hopes

So, this is yet another book brought to us via B00k R3vi3w Tours, meaning I got a free copy in exchange for a honest review - you know the drill. (Anyone know people that actually charge poor authors for giving their opinion on something? I don't. Totally foreign concept for me and always will be. But enough of that.) 

What do I think about Hopebreaker? I don't really know yet, to be totally honest.
The story follows the blurb, so I won't go into detail here - I hate to give spoilers. 
Anyway, as far as steampunk novels go, this was an 'okay' read. I don't really review okay reads anymore, because they are - well, duh, merely okay - but to be fair, I know that there are many people who will love the book and have no issues with it, whatsoever. 

Here it comes: the storyline is interesting and well-thought out; the execution though didn't really impress me. I'm a sucker for details, back stories, in short explanations on whatever comes up in a novel. And although the author did a nice job, it didn't satisfy my needs. It's enough to follow the story without trouble, sure, but, I for one, read fantasy, sci-fi, and steampunk to see what others cook up in their nerdy geek minds to push me beyond my limits. And I didn't quite get that. So, strike one. 

The characters were fleshed out, the occasional change of POV was well placed, and overall, I think Dean did a good job telling the story through Jacob's eyes. However, what left a not-so-nice taste, was the execution. I am so not a fan of narrators taking guesses as to what may or may not happen. No one thinks in terms of 'perhaps' and 'maybe'. Thus, strike two. 

HOWEVER, and this is a huge one: the overall story telling, the happenings and world itself are awesome enough that you will read the book to the end, and maybe even check out book 2 in the series. I certainly will give it and the author a try, because the story is good enough to let me ignore my not-so-objective negative remarks. 
Not everyone needs or likes an appendix to a book (I certainly do) and most won't have any issue with the narrator. Yeah, I know I'm picky - I apologize profoundly. 

RATING: 3,5 STARS

Three and a half stars (the half star is for effort, of course) for Dean F. Wilson's Hopebreaker, because: despite my being unable to totally get into the story, I know many, many others will. Interesting story, so I'll wait for book 2 to see how the story is going to continue.

Get your copy HERE

 

#We Proudly Present: 32 Seconds by Johanna K. Pitcairn BOOK BLAST

To the average onlooker, the city of Los Angeles represents glitz, glamour, and the celebrity lifestyle. But to seventeen-year-old Julie Jones, the city is a vast host of problems she’s longing to get away from. The latest? An unfortunate disagreement with her ex-boyfriend Mark—one that could land her in some serious hot water.

So rather than face the troubles that torment her, Julie decides to run away from her old life and start fresh somewhere new. But her parents aren’t on board with the plan, and she soon finds her bank accounts frozen and her wallet empty.

With just seventy-five dollars and a full tank of gas, the troubled teen is far too stubborn to turn around and head home. So what’s a girl to do?

What Julie doesn’t know is that her travels are about to take her somewhere unexpected—a place where she’ll be forced to come face to face with the ghosts of her past in order to secure her future.

A tale of redemption, hope, and freedom lost and found, 32 Seconds is a thought-provoking exploration into the human spirit and the nature of forgiveness.

Available on Amazon

Random Fun Facts:

1) To trigger my inspiration, I binge on Netflix. I pick shows from any genre, and study the dialog and the plot. I also watch video game walkthroughs on YouTube. It's a great help to develop my characters.
2) I can't remember the last time I've had a bad case of writer's block. Plotting helps eliminate that issue. 
3) My biggest pet peeves: misspellings, grammatical errors, and inconsistent formatting. 
4) Julie Jones has named her car "Bubble", and when she swears, she says things like "shizzle", "shizzle nizzle" or "crapola in a peanut butter jar".
5) The original title for the first draft of the story, before it became 32 Seconds, was Death by Chocolate. 
6) Julie Jones loves In&Out burgers, and strawberry milkshakes. 
7) Julie is also a surfer. Her favorite beach is the one in Oceanside, CA. 
8) I'm a cat lover. I have four cats, and they all distract me from writing by taking turns and lying on top of my laptop.

About the Author:

Johanna K. Pitcairn has dreamed of becoming a writer since childhood--authoring her first novel at the age of nine, and countless poems, stories, and screenplays by the age of seventeen. Later, rather than pursuing a career as a director and screenwriter, she decided to go to law school, driven by her father's opinion that "writing does not pay the bills."

Ten years later, she moved to New York City, which inspired her to go back to the excitement, wonder, and constant change of being a writer. Pitcairn is a huge fan of psychological-thriller novels and movies, and delves into her hopes, fears, friends, enemies, and everything in between in her own writing.

Contact the Author:

Website I Blog I Facebook I Twitter I Goodreads I The Independent Author Network 




Look forward the review of 32 Seconds early 2015 (because I do...)! 
Wonderful holidays everyone!