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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

The Darkening Dream


FREE Two Days Only: A Vampire Novel with Actual Bite!


As the modern world establishes itself and pushes the supernatural into the shadows, the supernatural fights back.

The Darkening Dream is a chilling new dark fantasy novel by Andy Gavin, creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter, that has received rave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and is FREE for two days only on Amazon Kindle (February 7th to 8th)! Download your FREE copy here: http://amzn.to/yTvZPG

Long-time readers of dark historical fantasy (Tim Powers, Guy Gavriel Kay, Katherine Kurtz) will appreciate the weaving together of mythology, occult, and religion, while younger readers and fans of HBO dramas (True Blood, Carnivàle) or urban fantasy (Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher) will be drawn to the twisted imagination, graphic action, and romantic tension.

About The Darkening Dream

Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs.

1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand.

With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal?

No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be her very soul.

The Reviews Are In

"A vampire novel with actual bite." ~The Kirkus Reviews

"Mr. Gavin has brought something refreshingly new to a genre now suffused with poorly-concealed bodice-rippers which have more in common with Fabio than Bram Stoker: depth. His big baddies are scary, not romantic interests, and the added religious lore is complex and engaging. Don't expect another Twilight -- the story can get downright creepy, so be prepared for a return to the old horror sensibilities of supernatural fiction." ~Amazon Review

"With Mr. Gavin's video-game pedigree, I was expecting something aimed squarely at the 18-25 year old fanboy contingent; what I got in The Darkening Dream was something wholly unexpected: A period novel with a female protagonist, a crash-course on Judaism in the colonial years, and multi-layered series of plot arcs featuring a crazy cast of natural and supernatural characters populating 18th Century Colonial America." ~Amazon Review

"…A perfect blend of mystery, magic and myth. A grown-up Grimm's fairy tale...emphasis on grim."  ~Amazon Review

Read the first two sample chapters here >> http://bit.ly/xXVxXS

Get your FREE copy of The Darkening Dream for two days only on Amazon here. http://amzn.to/yTvZPG

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Cover links can be found at:

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Monday, February 6, 2012

Teaser Tuesday


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted byMizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here's my teaser this week:


Here, stop.  He stopped.


Someone approached from behind.  A powerful scent encircle him, fragrances of damp earth and exotic spices, of cinnamon, honey, and almonds. One hand reached from behind to clasp one of Charles', the other places itself on his hip--almost in an embrace.


The Darkening Dream - Andy Gavin pg.8

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Mailbox Monday & What Are You Reading

 Mailbox Monday was originally hosted by Marcia at the Printed page but now it is a traveling meme. This month it is being hosted by Metroreader.

I bought one book this week. One I read before but wanted for my shelves.




 Cleopatra's Daughter - Michelle Moran











It's Monday. What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished in the last week:

Replay - Ken Grimwood
All Wounds - Dina James

Books I am reading this week:

The Line - Teri Hall
Harbor - John Ajvide Lindqvist
Romeo & Juliet - William Shakespeare (work in progress)



Books to Finish This week:
The Line - Teri Hall




Wednesday, February 1, 2012

All Wounds - A Review

All Wounds - Dina James (contest win)

Synopsis:


It's said that when opportunity knocks on your door, you have only one chance to take it.
No one said what you're supposed to do when it kicks it.
All Rebecca MacDonnell wants to do is get through high school with grades good enough to win a prestigious scholarship so that she can finally leave her miserable life behind. One evening, after a particularly bad day, she finds out that people other than her aging grandmother need her help, and desperately so.
Well, not "people," exactly. Vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts, goblins, and other things thought only imaginary all need help sometime, and Rebecca was born with the unique ability to heal ethereal beings. She is about to turn seventeen, the age at which her talent will manifest in its entirety, and become a true Healer...if she lives through the event. A war between various ethereal factions is brewing, and Healers are a valuable commodity to any side. Those who wish to harness Rebecca's manifesting healing powers for their own purposes must get to her before her seventeenth birthday.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and kept me reading from beginning to end. 
The characters are fantastic! Rebecca is young and inexperienced girl, who has to put up with crap from people at her school and taking care of an ailing grandma. When she learns she's a healer and all those creepy paranormal things are real, she handled it pretty well considering. I might have crumbled. I loved how healers in this book are neutral not on anyone's side and willing to help all who come to her assistance. You don't see that often. I'm kind of excited to see how her character grows in the next book.
Now on to the other characters. Billy. OMG this wolf-man is just awesome. I love how protective of Rebecca he is and his cute nickname he has for her, Bit. He's like a big teddy bear, only wolf, who has this appetite that will leave any reader rummaging through the cupboards looking for whatever is available to snack on. If I could eat like he does and not put on a gazillion pounds, it would be heaven lol. 
Syd is a master vampire and Rebecca trainer/mentor. Lets just say I'm very interested to see where this character goes. Robin is Rebecca's friend who is there to help her in situations that she might need. Ryan is pretty cool too.
All in all a great book and I look forward to the next one to come. You can bet I will be keeping my eye out for it. 

Author's Website: Dina James