Sunday, October 29, 2017

Book Review of NEST: Retribution: An Alivia Morgan Story by David Antocci



Book Title: NEST: Retribution (An Alivia Morgan Novel)
Genre: Crime Thriller/Suspense
Pages: 336
Author: David Antocci
Date to be Published: 19 October 2017

Synopsis:

The Rally for US was meant to be a day of camaraderie and awareness. Instead, that crisp October morning turned into the bloodiest terror attack to strike the city of Boston in more than a decade.

In the wake of the attack, the New England Special Terrorist Division—NEST—turned to their most senior and capable agent, Alivia Morgan. She was unwillingly ripped from her home and family, but didn’t have a choice. Though she had no idea just how deeply personal the fight would become.

Now, it was up to her to find the extremists and stop another catastrophic blow that would drive the death toll higher. She was captured, alone, and armed only with her years of training and experience in Special Ops and the elite Army Rangers. Alivia quickly realized she was in a race against time as she struggled to escape with her life and stop the impending attacks. Could she do both?

Review:


NEST: RetributionNEST: Retribution by David Antocci
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book in a new series which follows the New England Special Terrorist Division (NEST for short). I loved it!

Alivia Morgan is a fantastic character. She is capable, strong and determined. When a terrorist cell targets her in retribution for her killing one of their leaders in an earlier mission, Alivia finds herself in a fight to the death. Held hostage, but knowing her team is looking for her, she is determined to bring the cell down. As the danger increases and the threat to innocents rises, can she stop them in time?

Having read this author's previous Escape trilogy, when he contacted me with regards to reading a complimentary copy of this book, I eagerly accepted as I knew I would be taken on an amazing roller coaster ride of not only danger but emotion. However, I also purchased a copy of this book when it became available to pre-order and re-read it as soon as it was released. This review is based on my own opinion and have not received remuneration for it.

As I said previously, I knew I would be taken on an emotional journey. However, I wasn't expecting the intensity, though in hind-sight I should have anticipated it. The story is told through mainly Alivia's point of view, but other characters, including the bad guys also have their say. I was pulled in from the first page and didn't put the book down until I had finished it.

The reader is introduced to the NEST team. NEST is one of several anti-terrorist task forces set up after the 9/11 attacks. The leader of the group is Director Luis Huerta and he is hands-on in his approach to leading the team. An ex-sniper, he has lots of experience in war. Then there are several other operatives that work under him, including Alivia and JJ. There is a hint of romance to go along with the danger as Alivia and JJ are involved in a forbidden relationship.

Then there are the bad guys. They are not the most pleasant of people and have the intention of causing as much chaos and terror as they can. The leader of the terrorist cell, Syed Ashear, has a personal grudge against Alivia and is determined to use her as a pawn in his deadly game against those he sees as infidels and nonbelievers.

I found myself holding my breath several times when reading as the intensity was almost unrelenting. There are some lighter scenes to counteract some of the more gruesome aspects of the storyline, but the fast pace kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. Although this book has a fast pace, it is not rushed. The author has a talent for describing scenes in such vivid detail that it made it easy to picture and it ran like a movie in my mind's eye. In fact, I think this book would make a good movie thriller or TV series similar to NCIS. There are scenes of terror, as well as car chases, gun fights and explosions. Just when I reached the end of the book (or so I thought) with a feeling of happiness, the author throws a curve ball and ends the story on a chilling note in the epilogue. It doesn't quite end in a cliffhanger, but it's close and sets the reader up for the next book. I hope he's busy writing it because I am dying to read it!

David Antocci has written a thrilling first book to what looks to be a fantastic new series. His characters are extremely lifelike and this made the story feel incredibly real. I said in my review of Escape: Dead End that this is an author to watch, and I was right. I love his fast paced writing style, and the story flow is fantastic. I have already added this author to my favourite authors list, and will definitely read more of his books in the future.

Although there are no explicit scenes of a sexual nature, I do not recommend this book to young readers, or those of a nervous disposition, or those who may be affected by a triggering event due to extreme violence and/or abuse and/or terrorism. I highly recommend this book if you love crime thrillers, suspense novels and/or military fiction. - Lynn Worton

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About The Author:


David J Antocci is a noted wordsmith, blogger and author. His work can be read regularly on the Worcester Telegram and Gazette website where he has spent many years writing about the trials and tribulations of being a real life Mr. Mom. While his first love is music, he has put down the guitar in recent years in order to pour his passion into writing… and the gentle tap of the keys on his laptop are much less disruptive late at night when the children are sleeping. The ESCAPE books are his first published foray into fiction. He lives in New England with his beautiful wife and children.

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Wednesday, October 25, 2017

ARC Book Review of Reign Of The Wolf (Eye Of The Storm #6) by Dianna Hardy



Book Title: Reign of The Wolf (Eye Of The Storm #6)
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance
Pages: 551
Author: Dianna Hardy 
Date to be Published: 31 October 2017

Synopsis:

Day by day, Lydia's mastery of her storm-wielding grows. But whether gift or curse, her achievements are dampened by recent losses, and Taylor's inability to fully heal from his near-death experience. As worry for their future increases, Ryan faces his past once more in a bid to secure the happy future he glimpsed for them all.

The full moon is upon them. The Trident are unstoppable in their savage expansion; Selena is all but gone.

However, secrets are still being uncovered amid the whispers of time and its shifting sand - an ancient, mystical past is about to catch up with the present. Sarah might be carrying more than she'd bargained for.

Meanwhile, Lawrence has his own battle to face and life-altering decisions to make - and not just to his life. His duties as King could yet overrule his duties as mate. When the outcome is the sure extinction of the species you are responsible for, what do you sacrifice to keep it alive?

Reign Of The Wolf is the last book of the Eye Of The Storm series.

Review:


Reign Of The Wolf (Eye Of The Storm, #6)Reign Of The Wolf by Dianna Hardy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Reign Of The Wolf is the sixth and final book in the Eye Of The Storm series. I absolutely loved it!

Lydia is a fantastic character. I have really liked her from the start. She is a strong and stubborn woman, but she has not had it easy throughout the series, what with her mating pains in the first book, finding out that she's not human but a wolf and, not only that, she's a storm-wielder to boot. Mated to three sexy werewolves (Lawrence, Ryan and Taylor), she has faced many challenges and overcome most of them, but now she has to fight for not only her survival but her mates and pack too as the Tridents increase their numbers and threaten their very existence. Will she and her mates survive, or will the future glimpsed by Ryan be smashed into a million pieces?

In the immortal first words of the song Love Story: where do I begin? OMG! This book rocked! I have been awaiting this book with both dread and excitement. Dread because it is the concluding book to the series and I knew I would be taken on an emotional roller coaster ride of emotion, and excitement for the very same reason.

The story picks up right where book five concluded, give or take a few days, so there is no awkward transition with regards to plot. This book has several twists that I never saw coming. I am not one to swear, but as I was reading I found myself going 'holy hell!' and 'sh*t!' in my head more times than I thought possible. Then there is the emotional side to the story. I found myself laughing and crying in several places, there is tenderness, love, loss, anger and every other emotion you can think of. The story arc throughout the series has been building up to one final climax and what a climax! Jaw dropping comes to mind, so does heart breaking and amazing. The significance of certain things that happened in the previous books are subtle, but they gain greater significance as the story arc unfolds.

I love all the characters, even Selena oddly enough. I know she's had a rough deal, but I still think that she made some really bad decisions that led to her being mated to Gabriel, the head of the Tridents, in the first place. All the characters have grown throughout the series, which I love, and watching Lawrence struggle with the revelation that Gladys made to him in Rise of the Wolf broke my heart. I'm glad that he has his mates to strengthen his resolve. I am also glad that I got to know Pete a little more. He and Beth make a lovely couple. I would love to read their story one day.

Reign of the Wolf is the perfect ending to an amazing series; all loose ends are tied up. Having said that, I reached the end of the book in a state of shock. I was left completely emotionally wrung out and speechless. It has taken me a few days to sit and process this story enough to write this review. I am incredibly sad that this series has ended; it has been an amazing journey from the first book until the last and I have loved every minute of it!

Dianna Hardy is one of my favourite romance authors (she writes both paranormal/urban fantasy and contemporary romance). She has a way of expressing so much emotion through her written words; ripping your heart out with them, but also filling you up with them too. I love her writing style, which is fast paced and exciting. The flow is fantastic too. Reading her books are a joy, and I will continue to read them for as long as she keeps writing them.

Due to the explicit sensual content and some bad language, I do not recommend this book for younger readers. However, I highly recommend this book (and series) if you love HOT erotic paranormal romances with sexy werewolves. Please note there is m/f/m/m action in this book, as well as violence, and may offend some readers. - Lynn Worton

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About The Author:




"Whether paranormal or contemporary, the one thing all my stories have in common is the fight for what you really want from life." (Dianna Hardy)

Dianna Hardy is a UK-based, international bestselling author of The Witching Pen series, and the Eye Of The Storm series. She combines a titillating mix of contemporary and paranormal romance, as well as urban and dark fantasy, into her writing, to bring you stories that are action-packed, fast-paced and not short of heat, with the focus on both character development and the plot. She writes full-length novels and short fiction. She has also written poetry (first published in 1997) and esoteric books and articles. Nowadays, she chooses to concentrate on writing fiction.

In December 2012, Releasing The Wolf hit the Kindle Paranormal Fantasy charts in both the US and the UK, where it stayed for three months, enjoying a highest ranking of #20. The first two books in the Eye of The Storm series have enjoyed success in the top 100 of Fantasy charts on Kindle US and Kindle UK, and all books in the series to date have reached the top 100 of the Fantasy iTunes charts in Netherlands, Norway, Australia and the UK, with Heart Of The Wolf (book 3) reaching #1 in Denmark.

The Witching Pen series, 'Til Death Do Us Part and A Silver Kiss, have also hit the top 100 of Kindle and iBooks charts (Fantasy, Romance and Horror) in a number of different countries worldwide.

Although quite active online, Dianna prefers the quiet company of nature and animals to the hustle and bustle of people. She loves anything paranormal (she doesn't really consider it "para"), organic food, walking barefoot, the smell of the woods after rain, and summer days.

However, she is also sustained by coffee, chocolate and the occasional vodka.

Having graduated from Richmond Drama School (London) in '98, she spent the next few years in a multitude of jobs (both acting and non-acting), studying anything that fascinated her, searching her soul, and finally found her passion where it had always been: at the end of a pen.

She currently lives in South Hampshire, UK with her partner and their daughter, where she writes full-time.

Official site: diannahardy.com

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Book Review of The Runaway & The Russian (The Runaway Trilogy Book 1) by Helen Bright



Book Title: The Runaway & The Russian (The Runaway Trilogy Book 1)
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense
Pages: 190
Author: Helen Bright
Date Published: 18 September 2017

Synopsis:

When her best friend goes missing after being targeted by child groomers, Tess Robertson feels she has no choice but to run away.
Fearing for her life, Tess leaves the children’s home where she’s resided for the past eighteen months, and boards a train bound for the capital.
While wandering the streets of London, Tess realises she’s being followed, causing her to run once again, straight into the path of a bullet meant for arms dealer, Kolya Barinov.
While Tess recovers, Kolya vows to keep her safe: to give her a good life in return for saving his.
But is this simply swapping one danger for another? Or could the path to true happiness begin with blood and bullets?

Review:


The Runaway & The Russian (The Runaway Trilogy Book 1)The Runaway & The Russian by Helen Bright
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Runaway Trilogy. I really enjoyed it!

Tess Robertson is a likeable character. She is a relatively normal teen who has had her fair share of angst in her past, though she has a sensible head on her shoulders. Now eighteen, she has been living in a children's home for the past eighteen months after her foster parent suffered from a heart attack. When her fifteen-year-old friend Sarah goes missing, Tess sets off to find her. Fate puts her in the path of a bullet meant for an arms dealer.

Kolya Barinov is a fascinating character. He is a Russian arms dealer and businessman. He is not a man you want to cross. When a young woman throws herself in front of the bullet meant for him, he's taken with her bravery and finds himself drawn to her even though she's young enough to be his daughter.

This is not an easy review to write as it is extremely difficult not to give away spoilers. However, I will do my best not to.

This story is not a comfortable read, as there is some violence and deals with human trafficking. However, it is also, first and foremost, a romance novel.

I started reading the book and didn't put it down until I'd finished it. The story is told through the eyes of both Tess and Kolya, which gives the reader a chance to see their thoughts and feelings, and is written in British English. I found myself caught up in the tale and absolutely enthralled with the way the author wove the story together. The author portrays the way that sexual predators lure their victims into relationships with chilling reality. It is scarily easy, unfortunately. Living in South Yorkshire, where a huge paedophile/grooming ring was exposed recently, this tale takes on more significance in my eyes. However, although the author uses men of a certain religion in this tale, sexual predators come in many guises and many denominations, and they have my utter contempt. Kolya Barinov may be an arms dealer, a businessman, and be as scary as hell when crossed, but he at least has a conscience, unlike the men and women who prey on vulnerable children.

I loved the romance side of the story and enjoyed watching Kolya and Tess's relationship bloom. Some readers may be put off by the main protagonists age difference, but it didn't bother me in the least. The story kept me hooked and took me on a roller coaster ride of emotion. When I reached the end, I was a little disappointed as I wanted to continue reading! I am now looking forward to reading the second book in the trilogy as soon as I can.

Helen Bright has written a wonderful contemporary romance filled with danger and suspense. I love her fast paced writing style, which kept me turning the pages. The story flow is wonderful too and I could picture each scene in my minds eye with ease. I haven't read any other books by this author, yet, but I would definitely do so in the future.

Although there are no explicit scenes of a sexual nature, I do not recommend this book to young readers, or those of a nervous disposition, or those who may be affected by a triggering event due to extreme violence and/or abuse. I do, however, highly recommend this book if you love gritty contemporary romance or romantic suspense genres. - Lynn Worton

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About The Author:


Helen Bright is forty something, married, mum of two grown up daughters and grandchildren that are the light of her life. She lives in a South Yorkshire village and has based her paranormal romance series around the Yorkshire area. The Night Movers vampires live and work with the humans they employ in modern day Yorkshire, and Helen creates scenes that show the 'normal' in paranormal.
Although mainly writing in the paranormal genre, Helen also writes romantic suspense stories with darker elements, the first of which is due for release at the end of the year.

Author Links:

Amazon Author Page ; Goodreads ; Website ; Facebook ; Twitter

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Book Review of Ros by Dee DeTarsio



Book Title: Ros
Genre: Science Fiction/Chick-Lit
Pages: 304
Author: Dee DeTarsio
Date Published: 2 January 2014

Synopsis:

An out-of-this-world love story . . .

Ros is a supernatural encounter with a female from our cosmos: E.T. meets Starman. With the clock ticking, Micki tries to save Ros, who only has a few days left to find her way back home. The bonds of this most unlikely friendship are tested on the run, as they realize that love truly does transcend time and space.

Review:


RosRos by Dee DeTarsio
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book has been sitting on my Kindle for quite a while. I bought it when I first bought my Kindle way back in 2012 and it was on free promotion at the time. I was originally intrigued with the blurb because I love a good space romance. Unfortunately, due to my long reading list, it has taken me longer than I anticipated to get to read it.

Micki Cramer is a character I must admit I didn't connect with at first. I initially found her rather annoying. However, as the story progressed I came to like her a little more. She is a divorced mother of two who unexpectedly has a close encounter of the third kind when an alien spaceship crashes close to her house. As she tries to help the alien, Ros, get back home, she finds herself running from the US Navy and facing a dangerous cult who will stop at nothing to capture the stranded alien. Will she succeed in helping her new friend?

The blurb is slightly misleading. I thought I would be reading a space romance. However, the story is more about friendship than romantic love. Having said that, I really enjoyed watching the sisromance (can't call it bromance) grow between the two main characters. Ros's character comes across a little one dimensional in my opinion. I think this is because the author may have struggled to imagine what an alien is like, while trying not to make her too human. There is an ET type feel to the story, with action and adventure thrown in along with some quirky characters. I actually loved Micki's ex mother-in-law, Rhoda. She's an eccentric character with the beginnings of Alzheimer's, but she's as sharp as a tack when she wants to be. There are also a few other interesting characters, like Captain James Kerk of the U.S. Navy, and Stanley Brower, Micki's neighbour.

I must admit that although the story was interesting, I found it easy to put it down and read something else and then come back to it. I'm not sure if this was down to the author's writing style or if it was my mood at the time of reading. There are some scenes that had me laughing, but I think the author was trying too hard to use wit and it fell flat at times, especially where there was a need to ratchet up the feeling of suspense for some of them instead. Having said that, I especially loved the scene where they steal Stanley's RV and find him in it. Then there's the one... Nope, you may just have to read it to find out more. I did find myself becoming rather emotional near the end and even shed a tear or two. The ending was slightly unexpected, but it left me feeling satisfied.

Dee DeTarsio has written an intriguing story. Her writing style is not particularly fast paced, but it kept me turning the pages. The flow of the story was pretty good, but some scenes could have been shortened for more impact. Would I read more of her books in the future? Perhaps. I am not ruling it out completely. I need to reduce my reading list first.

Due to some profane language, I do not recommend this book to younger readers. However, I recommend this book if you love chick-lit or science fiction genres. - Lynn Worton

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About The Author:



DEE DeTARSIO is an award-winning writer living in southern California. After growing up in Ennui, Ohio, and graduating from The Ohio State University she vowed never to be cold again and ended up in Tucson, Arizona, producing the news for the CBS affiliate, oddly enough called KOLD-TV. She moved to San Diego where she worked in the SeaWorld entertainment department as a producer/writer. (Penguins are mean!) She then became a producer/writer for the NBC affiliate.

GINGER KRINKLES - Winner, New Apple Book Award 2015
ALL MY RESTLESS LIFE TO LIVE - Winner, 2014 National Indie Excellence Awards
HAOLE WOOD - Winner, 2013 San Diego Book Awards, 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist, 2014 Readers' Choice Awards Nominee, Big Al's Books and Pals
THE SCENT OF JADE - Finalist, San Diego Book Awards
THE KITCHEN SHRINK - Finalist, San Diego Book Awards
ROS - Amazon Bestseller
'TIL SOMEBODY LOVES YOU - Romantic Comedy Quick-Pick Novella

Author Links:

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Forged by Greed by Angela Orlowski Peart

The cover and link to Amazon - click here or on the pic to get your copy via Amazon!


Blurb -  Thank you Goodreads for this info!

Forged by Greed (Forged #1)

by 
 3.87  ·   Rating details ·  208 Ratings  ·  99 Reviews
Young Adult (teen) paranormal/urban fantasy romantic thriller.

Two Seattle 16-year-olds, Jatred and Jasmira, are not your typical star-crossed lovers. They are not even your typical Shape Shifters. Sure, they try to live an ordinary life. At least, as ordinary as the Prince and the Princess of the rivaling ancient Races--the Winter wolves and the Summer leopards--can live. But eventually they learn that not much about their existence can be normal. Especially when the Races' two commanding Goddesses are involved. 

One of the Goddesses is on a quest to tilt the scale of power to her side. The other will never let it happen, even if it means kicking Jatred and Jasmira's love to the curb. Nothing is off limits, including removing Jatred's memories of Jasmira. 

To complicate things even more, there are the Universe's powers to consider. They are trapped in an ancient Amulet in order to protect the stability of the world. But the Universe has a mind of its own, and when the powers are unleashed, the forces of nature are disturbed; earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions shake the Earth. All Shifters of both Races are summoned by their respective Goddesses to fight in the name of, or against, the normalcy of the world.

About the Author  - Thank you Amazon for this info! 
A.O. Peart left beautiful but rainy Seattle for sunny but hot Arizona in summer 2015. She writes in several genres including romantic comedy, romantic suspense, dark contemporary, and paranormal. 

Angela lives with her family and a chronically curious cat Cinnamon who behaves like a dog. 
You can often spot her in one of the Starbucks locations, feverishly typing on her computer and sipping coffee with cream--or rather, cream with some coffee in it. Don't be surprised when a paperback you ordered from her arrives "decorated" with coffee and chocolate stains (kidding!) 

Subscribe to her newsletter: http://bit.ly/AOPeart_News
My pennies worth -

This book is as a-typical while still falling smack right into a readers comfort zone as I have ever come across. 

It is interesting, the twists are both expected but executed in a way the reader cannot foretell and the characters are like-able.  The book reads amazingly fast and is a really good call for a YA reader.  

Wednesday, October 04, 2017

Meant to be by Tiffany King

Thanks to Goodreads you can read more about the book here;

Meant to Be (The Saving Angels #1)

by 
 3.73  ·   Rating details ·  5,146 Ratings  ·  388 Reviews
Krista Miller feels like she has lived her entire life in a glass box with her every emotion on display. She can’t help feeling like a defect as her sensitivities have made her socially inept and without any real friends; the one exception being the boy that visits her each night in her dreams.

Krista’s emotions are put to the test when a move to California triggers a devastating change to her fantasy world. The nightly comfort that the boy provides has now become a recurring nightmare as he is taken from her by an unseen force.

Struggling to appear normal, Krista enrolls in a new school and finds it to be nothing like she thought. Her new life is sent spiraling out of control from a strange connection with a boy, Mark, who claims to know all her secrets.

As Krista begins to explore the emotions that Mark evokes in her, secrets about their mysterious past and their predestined purpose threatens to separate them just when they have found each other.

My feeling over the book - 

This book was a new take and twist on two plot lines that works out very well together.  Mostly, I think because the author used her own voice to tell the reader a story one she knows very well.

For this genre and the age group it is aimed at I must say this book is a really good read.  It must be because even thought it is not my preferred genre nor age appropriate I really had fun reading this book.  

A four star read.  

Tuesday, October 03, 2017

Book Review of The Blue Diary by Shannon Allen



Book Title: The Blue Diary
Genre: Memoir
Pages: 4
Author: Shannon Allen
Date Published: 4 September 2017

Synopsis:

Sometimes the most simple, but most endearing, moments are treasured in unexpected ways and methods.

Review:


The Blue DiaryThe Blue Diary by Shannon Allen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I must admit that I am not a huge reader of memoirs. However, I was asked if I would be willing to read this one. I agreed and received a complimentary copy of this book from the author with no expectation of a positive review. This is a short memoir based on the memories of the author at a young age and is dedicated to her grandmother.

At the age of eleven Shannon (the author) kept a diary to record events she wanted to remember. This story gives us a glimpse into her thoughts and feelings of her younger self as she re-reads her entries now that she is older. As the story was short, I found it interesting to read, but it is more of a reminiscence than anything else. It only took me roughly ten minutes (if that) to read and didn't engage me emotionally. However, this is probably because I am used to reading novels rather than short stories.

After I finished this tale, I remembered that I tried to keep a diary as a child, but I never got the whole idea of writing down the events of the day. Most of the time I forgot to write in my diary and so it remained empty for the most part. I am envious of people being able to write their thoughts and feelings down every day. I'm generally too exhausted or have nothing of interest to say about the day's events now that I'm older to even consider keeping a diary. I'm sure reading back your diary's entries would bring back memories, but it would be the readers in the future who would probably be intrigued by the social aspects, or scratching their heads at some of the entries that wouldn't make sense to anyone but the writer of the diary.

Diaries are a snapshot into the social (mostly), as well as economic and political aspects of our lives. Today's diaries are now available in the virtual world as online blogs and vlogs. However, I feel there are some things that should never be made public. Diaries, blogs and vlogs can have both positive and negative aspects to their use. Future scholars may or may not find your diary, blog or vlog of great significance due to the contents. For the most part, it is still the best way to record your thoughts and feelings about the events (or non-events) that happen in your life. I wouldn't consider keeping one now, but I would encourage others to keep one if they feel the need to express their thoughts and feelings, either on paper or on a computer. It can be a useful tool for therapy or just to unload the detritus of everyday life. - Lynn Worton

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Purchase Link:

Smashwords

About The Author:

This is her first foray into the writing world, therefore there is not much information. However, you can find her at Smashwords and Goodreads.