Lily Luchesi's Blog (formerly Kelly Smith Reviews)

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

BOOK REVIEW: "Dark Hunger" by Demetrius Sherman

What you don't know can kill you.

When Private Investigator Peter Sunday searches for missing people, he discovers they have been murdered. More people will be murdered--including Sunday--unless he survives a heart-pounding fight with something he can't kill.

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

I love, love, love private investigator stories. When you combine a PI with the horrific murders that Stephen King would write, you have a book (novella, in this case) that really intrigues me.
Mr. Sherman knows how to make his work short and sweet, without unnecessary filler text and scenes, which I really respect. Not many authors know how to do this today. He writes investigative fiction very well, you can tell he is a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but by no means does he copy him. This book is very unique, very fast and not so gruesome that fans of investigative fiction would turn up their noses, and not so technical that horror fans will be bored. He walks the line very cleanly between the two genres.
I wish I could've gotten this review up sooner, because I have actually read this twice since receiving it, haha! It was fun and very interesting. While there were moments that could have used edits (just a few repeated words, means nothing to me but the technical of my readers might want it mentioned), I found little fault in this novella.

5/5--I am definitely a fan of Mr. Sherman!

Purchase Dark Hunger on Amazon!

RELEASE BLITZ: "Saved By An Angel" by Roberta Capizzi

Title: Saved By An Angel

Series: Angel #2

Author: Roberta Capizzi

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: July 1, 2015

Blurb

Soul mates always find each other . . .

For twenty-four years, Claire Neeson has been invisible. Ever the nerdy type, boys never spared her a second glance, and the one time one did, she ended up bruised and heartbroken.

After the last member of her family leaves her, she hopes a new life in Galway with her former college roommate might be the fresh start she needs. Falling in love isn’t her plan, especially now that she’s busy building a new life for herself.

That’s when she meets him.

David O’Hagan is haunted by nightmares. After losing his older brother in a car accident more than a year ago, he has been trying to go back to his old life, hiding his grief behind a mask nobody can see through. He thinks he’s getting by just fine. He thinks he’s happy with his life, his job, and his girlfriend.

That’s when he meets her.

When their worlds collide, David and Claire feel something spark but one minute is all they have before they go their separate ways. They never expected to meet again after that serendipitous encounter, but fate has its own plan . . .

Sometimes true love can heal the deepest scars. If you believe.

***Saved By An Angel is book 2 in the Angel series. It can be read as a standalone or after reading Hugged By An Angel.***

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Author Bio

An avid reader since her childhood years and being an only child, Roberta always enjoyed the company of her fictional friends from the children’s books she loved reading, while she dreamed of writing her own stories one day.

It was when she discovered novels by authors Rosamunde Pilcher and Maeve Binchy in her teenage years that she realized it was time she put down in words the stories she had kept well hidden in her mind until then.

What started as a hobby, soon turned into a real passion and a way of life, until she could no longer keep the stories to herself, and decided to get over her fears and share them with the world.

Roberta lives in Italy, but her dream is to move out of her country and live either in a thatched cottage in the Irish countryside or in a country house with a swing on the back porch, somewhere in the United States, where she would love to spend her days writing novels as a full-time job, and maybe one day even get as far as writing a screenplay for a movie.

***Subscribe to Roberta's newsletter to receive a free short story***

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TRAILER REVEAL: "Brave" by Natalie Gayle

Title: Brave

Series: Oni Fighters #1

Author: Natalie Gayle

Release Date: July 10, 2015

Blurb

A moment in time, that’s all it took. Beauty, pain and tragedy.

Xander “Pretty Boy” Todd was a demon in the ring. A professional MMA fighter with a career that had the world a buzz—but now it’s gone. Or is it?

Eden Sommers had her dreams of an international modelling career within her grasp—and lost it. Gone within a few seconds, leaving nothing but pain.

How do you go on, when the one thing that defines you is suddenly ripped away—only to leave scars and a hollow shell in its place? Has the beauty gone forever? Or has it just retreated—to now be hidden, and dormant; guarded by the inner demons?

Can these two wounded souls find the inner strength to fight back the demons together and find the beauty in their lives once again?

To do this, they must first accept—The hardest demons to defeat are the ones inside. They’ll have to be BRAVE.

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Author Bio

A confessed readaholic and romantic junkie, Natalie spends her time juggling a busy career as an IT professional and author. In between staring at a computer screen (she spends lot time doing that!) Natalie, enjoys living the Gold Coast life with her very tolerant husband and two school aged children.

She loves spending time with family and friends, hitting the beach, cooking, working out and curling up with a good book. Her pet hates are cleaning and anything else that can be considered “domestic dullness”. If she could have one wish it would be to be able to fit 48 hours into 24.

Natalie is the author of the Centre Games Series. A fast paced, romantic suspense series set on the Gold Coast, Australia. The series tells the stories of the Centre, a quasi government agency established to fight environmental, biological and agricultural threats. The Centre Games books are filled with hot alpha males and the feisty independent females strong enough to capture their hearts. Natalie’s books pack lots of action, hot romance and surprises.

Natalie is currently working on her fifth instalment for the Centre Games Series and a brand new series for 2015. Look out for her new release BRAVE, coming very soon and a couple of surprise projects.

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BOOK REVIEW: "A Force Of Nature" by Daniel McEwen

Part ghost story, part treasure hunt, part romance, A Force of Nature is all entertainment!! Do you believe in Fate? Would you recognize it if it was happening to you? Then you'll want to meet Toronto PR guru Claire Chandler. She grew up convinced greatness awaited her. Why else had she survived a series of bizarre childhood tragedies? Yet she doesn't see what's coming when she journeys north on a long weekend in August to Bay Harbour, a post-card pretty tourist town on the edge of Canada's popular Georgian Bay vacationlands. She thinks she's there to reconnect with a former mentor. But Chandler's chilling affinity for the "unnatural and unexplained", a macabre "gift" that once made her a freak of nature to classmates, will make her a force of Nature. Shadowed by a ghostly white wolf and haunted by the victims of a long-dead killer, she'll discover a startling new ending to a fifty year-old mystery. She'll also discover romance with Tom Katz, an affable, treasure-hunting bush pilot with a reputation for living up to his name. They're an unlikely pair and Chandler thinks it's just a summer fling. Instead, a series of white-knuckle adventures will bring them to a time, a place and a choice that will forever link their lives. A debut novel by a practised writer, A Force of Nature puts a "crisp, intelligent and engaging" spin on the mystery genre.

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

On the surface, this sounded like a great novel. I thought it was going to be a bit of Poe's "The Gold Bug" mixed with King's Bag Of Bones. In many ways, it was. There's horror, mystery and intrigue that really keeps you guessing, and this would have been a great paranormal mystery, but the romance that the author added in seemed to steer it in the wrong direction, and made this seem more like women's fiction with some macabre scenes thrown in for good measure.
Claire is a good lead character. She seems average, like she could be your neighbor, but for her "gifts". I liked her, and I liked the way she dealt with the issues that arose from her "gifts".
Tom is a good character as well, very rounded and passionate about his profession. Also very average, but likable in his normality.
What made this novel fall a bit is that the genres mix too much. I didn't mind Claire and Tom being involved, but the romantic moments in the story did not add to the narrative, but instead they made it seem like it switched genres every few chapters. I couldn't even try to categorize it. There should have been less romance and more of the macabre. Mr. McEwen is a very talented writer, and I think he has a great future in fiction...he just needs to decide what genre he prefers to write.

3/5--I will read future novels from this author!

RELEASE BLITZ: "Slipperless (Book #2)" by Sloan Storm

Title: Slipperless (Book #2)

Series: Slipperless: A Billionaire Love Story #2

Author: Sloan Storm

Release Date: July 1, 2015

Blurb

Hot. Sweaty. Wall Sex. In my boss' office... That couldn't possibly be a mistake.

Right?

I may have won the competition, but I'm far from winning with Gabe. His demands are pushing me to the limit, and I'm beginning to wonder if I can handle them much longer.

But my grandmother’s condition is worsening, and keeping this job has become critical. I may have no choice but to submit to Gabe's schedule...and his appetite.

Worse yet, now that I've confirmed the rumors of his prowess, I find myself less interested in keeping things professional and more focused on satisfying the needs he's awakened within me.

But to have any chance of keeping my job, I have to do something and soon. If I don't, the consequences could cost me everything.

Can I resist my charming bastard of a boss? And more importantly, will he let me?

This is the second book in a Billionaire Erotic Romance series presented in serial format. It is not a standalone. All individual entries are currently free with Kindle Unlimited.

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Author Bio

Sloan Storm is a verbally difficult, yet physically generous, writer who pens imaginative yarns based on dominant men and the women who challenge them.

As such, power plays and passion are the heart of each and every story. The writer's creative tendencies may drift as the mood strikes, but the essence of all tales told wind up back at the same place... the polarizing difference between the sexes.

After all, what else is there in life?

When not glued to a keyboard creating tales of whimsy, Sloan loves to talk to fans! If you want to connect, you can do it in any number of ways:

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BOOK SPOTLIGHT: "Tangents" by Agatha Rae

BIO

Agatha Rae, (real name Joanna Bogusławska) lives in the beautiful city of Gdynia in Poland. A co-author of ESL books, and a collection of essays analyzing popular culture, she made her fiction debut in 2013 with a novel "Oenone". Her articles have been published both in English in Polish in numerous magazines, for example: Forum for World Literature Studies or The Teacher.

A huge fan of Canadian rockers The Tea Party, cinema-goer, CD-collector and a proud owner of the cutest and coolest mutt on the planet, who is trying to put together a Charles Bukowski PhD (Agatha, not the mutt, the mutt decided to quit her education and focus on searching the purpose in life). Agatha is currently working a novella Don't Close Your Eyes and the second volume of Tangents for Firefly and Wisp and two ESL projects for Polish market.

BLURB:

Rick is a successful writer living in New York City. Anna has just lost her job as a college teacher in Boston. Dan is a frustrated insurance agent from London, and Matylda is a Polish girl scout getting ready to settle in Madrid. One day, they fall asleep and when they wake up in the middle of some mysterious woods, they have only one thing in common – they all want to return home.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: "Sunrise Ridge" by Shirleen Davis

Book Description:

Noah Brandt is a successful blacksmith and businessman in Splendor, Montana, with few ties to his past as an ex-Union Army major and sharpshooter. Quiet and hardworking, his biggest challenge is controlling his strong desire for a woman he believes is beyond his reach.

Abigail Tolbert is tired of being under her father’s thumb while at the same time, being pushed away by the one man she desires. Determined to build a new life outside the control of her wealthy father, she finds work and sets out to shape a life on her own terms.

Noah has made too many mistakes with Abby to have any hope of getting her back. Even with the changes in her life, including the distance she’s built with her father, he can’t keep himself from believing he’ll never be good enough to claim her.

Unexpected dangers, including a twist of fate for Abby, change both their lives, making the tentative steps they’ve taken to build a relationship a distant hope. As Noah battles his past as well as the threats to Abby, she fights for a future with the only man she will ever love.

Excerpt:

Abby rounded on him, arms crossed, angry eyes flashing up at him. “What do you think you were doing in there? Do you have so little respect for me you think you can touch me like that at the supper table with others all around us?” She drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as her heart continued to beat almost painfully in her chest.

Noah’s concern turned to discomfort at the agony he saw on her face. “I’m sorry. I’d never do anything to cause you embarrassment or pain.”

“Then what was that about?”

He looked toward the western mountains, noting the sun touching the tops of the highest peaks, and took a deep breath. Shoving his hands in his pockets so he wouldn’t do what he wanted and reach out to touch her, Noah took a step backward.

“Do you remember when you told me you no longer had feelings for me?” His voice was rough as he worked to swallow the lump in the back of his throat.

She let her arms drop, clasping her hands in front of her, feeling regret at how he’d interpreted her words.

“Yes…”

Noah had fought his attraction to her for too long. He needed to be honest, let her know how he felt, and discover if she still had any feelings for him at all.

“I need to know the truth, Abby. Do you feel anything for me?”

Bio

Shirleen Davies writes romance—historical, contemporary, and romantic suspense. She grew up in Southern California, attended Oregon State University, and has degrees from San Diego State University and the University of Maryland. During the day she provides consulting services to small and mid-sized businesses. But her real passion is writing emotionally charged stories of flawed people who find redemption through love and acceptance. She now lives with her husband in a beautiful town in northern Arizona.

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