Book Review: The Basilisk's Creed, Omnibus

Title: The Basilisk's Creed

Author: Eme Strife

Publication Date: September 18, 2014

This book includes all 3 volumes

Book Links:  Amazon

Description (from Amazon.com):

Moving to San Francisco was a decision twenty-three year old Elisheva Tilton thought would change her hard life in Little Rock, Arkansas, for the better. Yet, Eli still finds herself living in shambles and being constantly stressed out just to make ends meet in the Big Bad Bay. 

And the stress only piles on when the most unusual of things begin to happen around her—including the mysterious disappearance of the Atlantic Ocean—and even more so when she strangely meets the unlikely individual who would irrevocably change her life forever; a gorgeous, unbelievably sexy, and sophisticated high-ranking soul reaper. 

Rated 17+ 

This series contains graphic sexual content, violence, and strong language. Because of its explicit nature, it is intended for mature audiences only. Reader discretion is advised.

Review:

I would give The Basilisk's Creed Omnibus a solid 4 stakes.

A tagline associated to the book on Amazon said that this book is something that I have never read before and I agree. I think this book is incredibly unique and as soon as I turned the last page I wanted to read more.

Matt, an immortal being [soul reaper I think] is swamped at work [aren't we all] when he notices a lot of strange occurrences that he eventually connects to Eli who he happened to meet earlier in a dream. I really liked the dream scene because it was just the right mix in the beginning to inform you as to what is happening in the story and to confuse you enough to want to read more. So, Matt connects the strange happenings like the Atlantic Ocean disappearing and becomes concerned for Eli. Meanwhile, Eli is concerned for her sanity as she feels that she is responsible for what is happening.

I really liked this story because of how unlike anything else it is. The two main characters are well developed and I actually care about what happens to them. Matt and Eli had an instant connection in the dream scene and I want to know more about them on their own and if they will interact further. 

Now, this book does end in a cliffhanger and while I hate those I didn't mind it so much in this case because of how much I liked it. I think there is an air of mystery around the story that when you get to the cliffhanger it's just like "of course. Now I have to wait." 

I definitely want to read more of this series and I cannot wait to find out more about Eli and Matt and the crazy things happening on Earth and in the reaping world.

Author Bio (from Amazon.com):

Eme is an unconventional New Adult Paranormal-slash-Urban Fantasy and Contemporary Romance writer (and a bit of a sarcastic smart-ass) who might be going through a quarter-life crisis even though she is in denial of it.

Lucky for her, she has several sarcastic, upbeat, and severely vulgar imaginary friends to give her some semblance of normalcy.

She loves writing about said imaginary friends--although she does so mostly because they never seem to shut the hell up.

She's also addicted to Family Guy, American Dad, and Pandora (the online radio site, not the evil box), drinks an ungodly amount of Red Bull at any given time, wants to marry Seth MacFarlane at some point, and occasionally eats bacon and popcorn together (^_^).

You can keep up to speed with Eme, her books, future publications, updates, and her unconventional life at www.emendedscribbles.com, chat with her on Facebook, chirp away on Twitter, or just shoot her good old fashioned email at emestrife@gmail.com. She's always eager to hear from you, so don't be shy. Drop a line!

Let me know what you think of The Basilisk's Creed Omnibus. :3

Book Review: Bigger Than Sky by Harper Bentley

Title: Bigger Than the Sky (Serenity Point #1)

Author: Harper Bentley

Release Date: Sept 30, 2014

Find on Goodreads

Synopsis:

Five years ago, I left my fiancé, hotter than hot Navy SEAL Kade Kelly, at the altar. 

No, I’m not an idiot.

Yes, I had my reasons. 

Now I’ve made a new life for myself working at a large firm in Richmond and I’ve left the past behind. Or so I thought.

Upon returning to my hometown of Serenity Point, Virginia, to take care of some business, I find that Kade’s now home for good and he’s none too happy about my being here. 

Two months. That’s all I’m staying then I’m out of here. Unless I believe the town’s pink-haired psychic’s prediction. Or embrace the sense of belonging I feel at being back home. Or give in to the emotions stirring inside when Kade's attention is suddenly on me. 

He scares the crap out of me. 

He thrills me. 

He used to tell me our love was bigger than the sky.

I always knew ours was a once-in-a-lifetime love. So how can he be so sure it can happen again?

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Review: 

First off, I think that Bigger Than the Sky had potential to be a great story. The synopsis sounded good and I think up to a point it was good. I usually like stories about couples getting back together after some time. However, I just did not like Kade.

I appreciated that Mill came back to Serenity Point and decided to try another relationship with Kade but I feel like in her desperation to get him back, she let a lot of things go that she really shouldn't have. Kade constantly had excuses or avoided Mill's questions and made it really hard to trust him. And then when Mill questioned whether she could trust him, he turned it back around on her. To me, that just had the markings of a very controlling and one sided relationship. I think the biggest thing that made me not like Kade was the fact that he just couldn't be honest with Mill. He wouldn't tell her what his relationship with the woman was (I forget her name and frankly she isn't worth remembering) and that really bothered me. He claims to love Mill but he can't answer simple questions and just expects her to blindly trust him.

Another thing is his speech. Kade does not use personal pronouns. I don't think NOT ONCE in the ENTIRE novel. It seems like his sentences are missing the entire beginning part. This just really irritated me and made me have to push myself to finish the book.

I guess because of the author's attempt to make Kade this mega-Alpha male, Mill is a doormat in comparison. She never really stands up for herself and the time that she does, Kade comes and rescues her. I don't believe their relationship and their love simply because I do not like them as characters. They seem flat and not believable. 

I think this story had great potential but the execution was not there. At times, it was nice story but is not memorable overall. I give Bigger Than the Sky 2 - 2.5 stakes because I feel like it wasn't completely horrible but it could have been a lot better. 

Author Info:

Harper Bentley has taught high school English for 22 years. Although she’s managed to maintain her sanity regardless of her career choice, jumping into the world of publishing her own books goes to show that she might be closer to the ledge than was previously thought.

After traveling the nation in her younger years as a military brat, having lived in Alaska, Washington State and California, she now resides in Oklahoma with her teenage daughter, two dogs and one cat, happily writing stories that she hopes her readers will enjoy.

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Book Review: H.I.S. Desire by Sheila Kell

*This is being posted a little after the blog tour because of a very busy schedule

How long would it take for him to turn into an ass again? She caught Jesse’s gaze and found herself momentarily mesmerized by his golden-brown eyes. What the hell?

HIS Desire (An H.I.S. novel) is a romantic suspense, stand-alone novel in the H.I.S. series releasing Nov 5th.

Can Jesse Hamilton, the head of H.I.S., protect his client when his past and his heart have put them both in jeopardy?

Synopsis

When FBI Special Agent Kate Ross is injured in a drive-by shooting, Hamilton Investigation and Security, Inc. (H.I.S.) leader Jesse Hamilton, believing she is the target of a killer seeking revenge against him, pulls the full force of H.I.S. into action to protect her.

Kate doesn’t believe Jesse, the only man to make her seethe one minute and lust after him the next, when he approaches her with a note from the Facilitator stating someone he loved would die shortly, and he knows in his gut it’s Kate. After a second attempt on her life, she can no longer fight his protection or her attraction to him.

After making a mistake that cost his wife her life, Jesse vowed to never love again, but Kate stirs something in him that puts his protective instincts into overdrive. Keeping her alive and out of his heart is more difficult than he expected. Then he makes a decision that could cost Kate her life. Is history due to repeat itself?

I absolutely loved H.I.S. Desire. I really like books that are considered to be romantic suspense or have some element of suspense in them. Especially stalker type ones whether they be secret admirers or people trying to kill the main couple as is the case in this novel. 

Kate and Jesse are great together in my opinion. I liked Jesse's overbearing protectiveness because I didn't feel that it went over the line into controlling like so many heroes in recent books I've read tend to do. He was concerned for her well-being in the beginning because he was simply attracted to her and doing his job but then because he loved her. I loved his interaction with his daughter and sister, and how he ran his company. I think the author did a good job showing the different sides of Jesse.

I liked Kate because she wasn't a doormat like a lot of heroines are nowadays. She doesn't sit back and allow everyone else to run her life and disrupt her even though someone is trying to kill her. Just because she has a strong, protective man in her life Kate didn't become a docile character because of it.

The ending was an initial surprise but looking back I can see how it would have been predictable. Nonetheless, I think the author presented several people who could have potentially been the person hiring the Facilitator. I liked the resolution of the novel because I think it was sweet and a generally nice HEA. I'm glad that it is the first in a series because I would definitely read more, maybe about Jesse's brothers. 

I give H.I.S. Desire 5 stakes and I would love to read more from H.I.S.

Amazon

Sheila has been an avid reader since she was young, believing in fantasy worlds, women sleuths and happily-ever-after. Instead of writing as a career, she followed in her father’s footsteps and joined the U.S. Air Force. After 12 years, she left the military as a disabled veteran then spent 12 year in higher education executive leadership. After reading her first romantic suspense novel, Sheila finally knew what she wanted to write. She has since retired to fulfill that dream. When not writing, she reads or spends time with her family. She lives in Batesville, Mississippi with three rescue cats.

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2 signed HIS Desire paperbacks

5 ebooks of HIS Desire

2 swag packs

2 keychains

2 purse clips

5 bookmarks

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Book Review: What's Left of Us by Amanda Maxlyn

What’s Left of Us

Author: Amanda Maxlyn

The heartwarming conclusion to What's Left of Me.

Love found me three years ago.

I’m cancer free, happily married to the love of my life, and working toward my dream career.

Our life is complete. Perfect, really.

Or is it?

I’ve always wanted a family of my own, but never dreamed I could have one. Now Parker’s ready to make my dream our reality.

But sometimes our dreams are haunted by our deepest fears. Fears of failure, having a child, and in our case … death. How do I help the person I love get over his fear when I’m still trying to overcome that same fear myself?

Together we must learn What’s Left of Us.

My Review:

This book was shorter than I thought it would be but I loved it nonetheless.

What's Left of Us begins with Aundrea and Parker now married and living their lives. Aundrea will be graduating college soon and looking towards the future of working with NASA when Parker brings up the topic of children. Because of her cancer, Aundrea cannot carry children herself but the two look into getting a surrogate. They quickly find one and Aundrea and Parker soon begin life as parents. 

I think that this book was very sweet and I was glad to see a continuation of What's Left of Me. I absolutely loved that novel so I was happy to see where the couple ended up. The novel, to me, seemed a bit short and maybe rushed because of it. Also, this may be because Aundrea wasn't actually carrying the baby so not much of the pregnancy could be talked about from her point of view. In fact, the baby doesn't even come until the epilogue. Although, I loved seeing the little tender moments with Parker and Aundrea. They seem like a great couple.

Like the first book, there are many emotional parts of the story with the loss of a friend, Parker's fear of Aundrea dying, and the happiness of having a baby. I really liked the alternating POV from Aundrea and Parker because you get to see what each are thinking and feeling in the moment.

Overall, I really loved this book just like the first one. I think it could have been longer, maybe some parts about the baby could have been added to the end. I liked seeing how Parker and Aundrea interacted with each other, especially how sweet they are with one another, and I feel like they would be great parents so it would have been interesting to see a little of that. 

I give What's Left of Us 4.5 stakes.

To Read the Prologue and First Chapter - CLICK HERE

Read my 5 stake review of the first novel

Life works in mysterious ways.

Four years ago I became known as the girl with cancer.

I refuse to cry.

And I refuse to give in.

A relationship with a man is the last thing I’m looking for right now, but one night with Parker changes everything. He is persistent, and he knows what he wants. Me.

He doesn’t treat me like I’m fragile.

But he doesn’t know, and I’m not ready to tell him.

What if it changes everything?

Tragedy found me when I was seventeen.

Love found me when I was twenty-one.

My name is Aundrea McCall, and this is my journey.

I am the mother of two little boys, married to the love of my life, and living in one of the smallest towns in Minnesota. When I’m not chasing or cleaning up after my boys (yes, all three), I can be found writing or snuggled up with my kindle, a glass of wine, and spending time with my fictional friends and family.

I am first and foremost an avid reader! I love to read anything romance from paranormal, young/new adult, contemporary, and even yes, (wide eyes) erotic/BDSM.

Website |Facebook |Twitter |Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram

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PSA (not really but kind of) about Once Upon a Coffin

Hi everyone. So some people (hopefully) may have noticed that I haven't been posting a lot or at all and that I'm behind on my reviews. This is because I am currently a sophomore in college studying English Literature and for some reason I decided to take 3 300 level lit classes, along with other classes, which requires me to do a lot of reading.  So my brain looks like this:

and trying to study and read things for the blog is like trying to 

It's really stressful and I'm trying to balance everything but it gets a little hard sometimes. So I really want to apologize to any authors who I promised that I would review their book but I haven't yet. I'm really trying to get everything done soon so hopefully a lot of things will be coming in the upcoming weeks. 

I recently switched my major from English Lit to Behavioral Science which seems like a big change, I know, but it's really what I wanted to do for most of high school and middle school but I changed my mind at the last minute. Next semester, I will be taking more behavioral science classes so I won't have as many novels to read except for what I want to read for the blog. 

Reading was always an escape for me during school which is kind of why I chose to major in it. But, the English lit major is ruining reading for me. I don't want to do it anymore and it's no longer fun.

I'm hoping that the change will allow me to have reading as a luxury and make it enjoyable again. So I just wanted to let people know that I will be posting again soon and that I do apologize for the reviews that I was supposed to have written already. Over my winter break I plan to get them all done so I am caught up because I feel like when you promise an author that you will review their book you owe them the time to sit down and read their book that they worked so hard on.

Thanks everyone and I hope I can build Once Upon a Coffin back up to what I wanted it to be.

pictures: www.gotmesh.org, starvingdietitian.com

What's Left of Us by Amanda Maxlyn

Amanda Maxlyn is excited to share the release of "What's Left of Us", the heartwarming conclusion to What's Left of Me. Make sure to check out the teasers, pick up your copy and enter the $100 Kate Spade Gift Card GIVEAWAY below!

For more fun & giveaways, come join our Facebook Release Party & Blog Tour Event ~ Friday, November 14th

Book Title: What’s Left of Us

Author: Amanda Maxlyn

The heartwarming conclusion to What's Left of Me.

Love found me three years ago.

I’m cancer free, happily married to the love of my life, and working toward my dream career.

Our life is complete. Perfect, really.

Or is it?

I’ve always wanted a family of my own, but never dreamed I could have one. Now Parker’s ready to make my dream our reality.

But sometimes our dreams are haunted by our deepest fears. Fears of failure, having a child, and in our case … death. How do I help the person I love get over his fear when I’m still trying to overcome that same fear myself?

Together we must learn What’s Left of Us.

To Read the Prologue and First Chapter - CLICK HERE

Life works in mysterious ways.

Four years ago I became known as the girl with cancer.

I refuse to cry.

And I refuse to give in.

A relationship with a man is the last thing I’m looking for right now, but one night with Parker changes everything. He is persistent, and he knows what he wants. Me.

He doesn’t treat me like I’m fragile.

But he doesn’t know, and I’m not ready to tell him.

What if it changes everything?

Tragedy found me when I was seventeen.

Love found me when I was twenty-one.

My name is Aundrea McCall, and this is my journey.

My review of the first book

I am the mother of two little boys, married to the love of my life, and living in one of the smallest towns in Minnesota. When I’m not chasing or cleaning up after my boys (yes, all three), I can be found writing or snuggled up with my kindle, a glass of wine, and spending time with my fictional friends and family.

I am first and foremost an avid reader! I love to read anything romance from paranormal, young/new adult, contemporary, and even yes, (wide eyes) erotic/BDSM.

Website |Facebook |Twitter |Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram

a Rafflecopter giveaway