Giveaway, Review, and Interview with Jill James, author of Dangerous Shift

HE IS MR. BY-THE-BOOK, WITH A SECRET...

Shapeshifters live among us but remain unknown to most people except for the highest echelons of law enforcement, the military, science, and medical fields—until now.

SHE IS A LOOSE CANNON WITH AN ATTITUDE PROBLEM...

When a fatal virus strikes Shapeshifters all over the West coast, including members of the Shapeshifter Task Force in San Laura, California, reinforcements are called in from around the United States.

TOGETHER, THEY JUST MIGHT CATCH A KILLER

Lt. Nikki Hill of Missouri comes to San Laura and is partnered up with Lt. Sean Evans. They quickly butt heads on everything from proper police procedures to the moral ethics of euthanasia. They can’t seem to get a lead on the serial killer even as members of their own families are stricken with the virus. In their grief they turn to each other and hope they have time to discover if their relationship stands a chance or if they might just be the next victims of the species extinction disease.

Title: Dangerous Shift

Author: Jill James

Genre:
paranormal romantic suspense

ISBN: 9781476499673

ASIN: B008RDPN72

Page count: 222

Word Count: 76,000

Cover Artist: Elaina Lee, For The Muse Designs


Purchase at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble 
Smashwords / All Romance eBooks

About the Author:

Jill James didn’t start out wanting to be an author. Along the way she wanted to be an astronaut, President of the United States, a lawyer, and a doctor. Once married with children she realized she could be all those things in the pages of the stories she wrote.

She lives in Northern California with her husband, who is the inspiration for all her romance novel heroes.

 Follow her: Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I was able to interview Jill James! This is what she had to say:

What do you hope people get out of reading your book?

First, I hope that I give the readers a few hours of entertainment. Then, I hope they fall as much in love with the characters as I did when I was writing it. Last, I always hope that my story will be one of those you think about after you finish the last page.

Do you have to concentrate and visualize the story or do ideas just randomly come to you when you're out and about?

Most of my stories came to me as dreams. I love movies and my dreams are Technicolor extravaganzas. I once wrote a book in a week because the whole story played out in a dream one night. For Dangerous Shift I was watching Jurassic Park and the idea just slapped me upside the head. Like that, I knew what I wanted to write.

What is your all time favorite book?

Skye O'Malley by Bertrice Small. I did not know what a kickass heroine was until I read that book. It changed the whole way I viewed romance novels.

Breakfast, lunch,or dinner which meal is your favorite?

I actually love brunch. When I get up I head right to the computer to work so by the time I come up for air it is too late for breakfast and too early for lunch.

What is your favorite season? favorite holiday?

Autumn is my favorite season. Too bad I don't get that season here in Northern California. My favorite holiday is Halloween. It isn't too much work like Thanksgiving and Christmas and I love seeing the kids all excited to get candy. Fall is my favorite too! I like the temperatures and I love the colors of the leaves!

What type of music do you listen to?

I like listening to my favorites from high school; Air Supply, ELO, REO Speedwagon, and Journey. My thirteen year old just discovered those bands. I've been listening to them a lot lately.

What is your biggest weakness?

Snacking while I write. Swedish fish will be my downfall.

If you suddenly had two free hours, how would you spend them?

Watching a movie. I love them almost as much as reading. I love action/adventure science fiction, and romantic comedies.

What is your favorite beverage?

Diet Pepsi in the summer and hot tea in the winter.

Homemade or store bought?

Homemade if it was someone else's home and they made it. I'm the shortcut Queen. If I can buy it and make it look like I made it, I will. lol! That sounds like me only I don't even pretend that I made it!

How likely are you to suffer from road rage?

Pretty likely. But it is for a few seconds and then I'm over it. Life is too short to be angry for long. I like your attitude. :-)

Thank you Jill, for taking the time to answer my questions. :-)

*****************************************************************

My thoughts:

I apologize. I got a bout of stomach flu and didn't get a chance to finish this book yet. I can say that from page one the story draws you in. I had a hard time putting it down until I got sick. 

The characters are believable and strong.

What I've read so far has had lots of action and suspense. I am really enjoying it and I'm hoping to finish it first thing tomorrow.

I recommend Dangerous Shift to everyone who likes shifter books. I've only gotten about half way through but that half has been awesome and I don't see that changing in the last half.

I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Honestly, I'm lovin it!
Does this book sound good to you? Would you like to win a copy for yourself? I have two opportunities for you to do that!!!!

First: I get to award 1 ebook copy to one visitor to my blog! Leave a comment for a chance to win! I'll chose my winner from the comments. I'll announce the winner at the end of the Tour. :-)

Second: Fill out the Rafflecopter for a chance to win one of two paperback copies (US only) or an Amazon giftcard. This giveaway is tourwide and includes all of the blogs involved in the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'd love to know what you're thinking. Please leave a comment!

Giveaway and Review~ Texas Haven by Kathleen Ball

Blurb:

Sexy ,Rancher Burke Dawson wants a family- including a wife who has no expectations of love. Burke never bargained on Annie Douglas. Searching for a place to belong, Annie Douglas heads to Texas, hoping to discover the one thing she had never had, love and passion.

Deciding not to act on their attraction, they part ways. Burke continues to search for a wife, but he realizes that only Annie will do. Annie heads back to her lonely life in New York City and her controlling Stepbrother. Annie is thrilled when Burke proposes.

Annie’s Stepbrother tries to stop the wedding, he doesn’t want her to know about an inheritance she is supposed to receive upon her wedding day. Failing that, he hires Burke’s caustic ex-wife, Alice to break up the marriage at any cost. Alice has plans of her own that include her remarriage to Burke. She just needs to get Annie out of the way.

Misunderstandings, accidents, and treachery cause Annie to return to New York, shattered. Finding herself pregnant, Annie heads back to Texas only to hear from Alice that Burke denies that the baby is his.

Discovering Alice’s misdeeds, Burke throws her off the ranch. He tries his damnedest to lasso Annie once again. Nothing seems to work. Making one last effort, Burke takes Annie for a walk under the Texas stars and gives her the one thing she wants most- his heart.

Title: Texas Haven

Series: The Dawson Ranch

Author: Kathleen Ball

Publisher: Secret Cravings

Purchase Links:

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble

Buy from Publisher 


Excerpt:
Annie felt enchanted. For all the show of not liking cats, Burke seemed attached to this one. If only he had given her a better name.

After a delicious dinner of steak, potatoes, and homemade biscuits, they sat on the porch swing in the front of the house. The night had cooled pleasantly with a refreshing breeze blowing the prairie grass back and forth. Long-stalked sunflowers bent and danced to some unknown ballet. Annie closed her eyes and took it all in. She wanted to make a memory of this place, of this moment for when she was back in New York. It was going to be harder to go back to her stark existence after this perfect night. She looked at Burke’s profile hoping to memorize it too. There was such strength in his features from his square jaw line to his crooked nose. She wondered if he had broken it in a fight. His eyes were so blue that she had gotten lost in them many times throughout the evening. All of Annie’s nerves tingled as her arm brushed against his. There was no doubt about the attraction they had for each other.

“Have you always lived on this ranch?”

Burke grinned. “All my life.”

“It must have been nice growing up here with your family.”

“Well, my mother was a saint of course and my father… let’s see, how can I describe him without chasing you away? He was a strict old son of a gun who was about as mule-headed as a man could be. It was his way or you suffered the consequences. I guess you could say that I was a slow learner.”

Annie put her hand on his arm. “I grew up basically the same way. I know all about consequences.”

 About the Author:


A voracious reader, Kathleen quickly discovered the world of romance novels and she knew she was home. Kathleen wrote her first book two years ago. She was shocked to find out that people loved what she wrote. All of Kathleen's novels are award winners. Callie's Heart is her first published novel. It is the first book in The Lasso Springs Series. Kathleen lives in Texas. She moved there from Rochester, New York and is having the time of her life exploring Texas culture. Kathleen is married to her wonderful husband Bruce and they have one son, Steven. They just welcomed new additions to their family, a new daughter in law, Brittany and her cute as a button son, Colt.

She feels blessed to be supported in her writing by her family and friends.

Connect with her via: Her blog / Facebook / Twitter

My thoughts:

I liked the overall plot. It had romance, danger, and mystery. The story was simplistically complex. 

The characters behaved in ways that frustrated me! Burke was unbelievably gullible. Annie was so doubtful and she always thought the worst of herself. Don't even get me started on Alice's character!

I was glad that Annie finally got a back bone towards the end of the book. The ending was sweet! Kathleen Ball wrapped it all up nice and neat.

I recommend this book to those who like romances that keep you wondering how it will ever work out.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Honestly I thoroughly enjoyed it despite having issues with the way some of the characters behaved. :)

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

Enter the giveaway for your chance to win a copy for yourself!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I'd love to know what you're thinking. Please leave a comment!

Review~ Sunstruck by Mayra Calvani

SUNSTRUCK by Mayra Calvani

Daniella is an architecture student living with her narcissistic artist boyfriend in San Juan. Abandoned by her father at an early age, Daniella always falls for the ‘wrong’ type of man. Her most enduring male relationship so far has been with her cat.

Several strange mysteries are threaded through Daniella’s everyday life: her ex-husband, Ismael, has just opened an outlandish hotel for animal lovers that has her distraught; Ismael’s wife, a rich woman Daniella fondly refers to as ‘Lady Dracula’, has some gruesome ways to keep her skin looking young; Daniella’s mother is founding a revolutionary, feminist society called The Praying Mantises; the island’s national forest is being depleted of hallucinogenic mushrooms; meanwhile, young girls are disappearing and there’s a nut loose dressed as Zorro slashing the rear ends of women who wear miniskirts.

Oppressed by all these eccentric characters, Daniella feels herself falling into an abyss. Then something terrible happens, making Daniella wake from her stupor and take charge of her life.

From the author:

The conception of this book stemmed from two factors: my personal observations of Puerto Rican artists when I was a teen and my love for satiric writing. My mother was—and still is—an artist, and although she’s retired now, back in the early eighties she was an active painter in San Juan, showing her works at art exhibits and galleries regularly. She took me everywhere with her, so I attended all these shows and activities and I observed.

The art scene can be extremely interesting and that is because so many artists are eccentric, unconventional people. There’s so much competition, jealousy and gossip! I guess all these experiences must have made an impression on me. When the time came to write my book, I knew these were the people and situations I wanted to write about. I decided I would make the book a parody, this way I could keep it upbeat and have the freedom to exaggerate to the point of being ridiculous. I was sure an upbeat, sharp, satiric, darkly humorous style would be perfect for my novel. 

 You can read an excerpt here.  

Review snippets:
“Dark and quirky humor coupled with quixotic characters adds to the surprising mix found in Sunstruck… I've never read a book remotely like it. Everything from the humorously weird to the acutely macabre can be found between these covers, and then some.” –Laurel Johnson, Midwest Book Review.

"Calvani has taken human nature and put it under a microscope--a warped and slightly cracked microscope. Proving once again that she is a master storyteller in multiple genres, "Sunstruck" by Mayra Calvani is both witty and brilliant." — The Book Connection

"Sunstruck is like a nutty Whodunit with a little twist. Who really is in the Zorro costume? With all the crazy characters I caught myself pointing fingers again and again. A great read that will make you forget where you are, while you giggle yourself to complete oblivion from all the silliness." --Autumn Blues Reviews

"...[A] funny satire that reaches into the realms of paranormal and horror as well as mystery and women's issues." -- Anne K. Edwards, mystery author

"Salvador Dali meets Terry Gilliam...Monty Python's Flying Circus would be proud." -- The Blue Iris Journal

 

Title: Sunstruck

Author: Mayra Calvani

Publisher: Twilight Times Books

Genre: Parody/Satire

Pages: 160

Purchase from:

Amazon / OmniLit

Barnes & Noble

 About the Author:
Award-winning author Mayra Calvani has penned over ten books for children and adults in genres ranging from picture books to satire to paranormal fantasy novels. She’s had over 300 articles,

short stories, interviews and reviews published in magazines such as The Writer, Writer’s Journal and Bloomsbury Review, among others. She has lived in America, Asia, the Middle East, and now lives in Brussels, Belgium.

You can connect with her on: Her Website / Her Blog /  Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Latino Books Examiner 

My thoughts:

Sunstruck was a unique book. The plot was full of intrigue and bizarre characters.

If you are looking for something a little different, this may be just what you're looking for!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Honestly, it was unlike anything I've ever read before. 


I'd love to know what you're thinking. Please leave a comment!