Thursday, October 10, 2013

Short Adventures: Mini Reviews


Mama’s Advice by K.C Sprayberry:



 

Blurb: Lorelei loses what's left of her family close to graduation, but she still has Mama to lean on, or rather she has Mama's ghost. At first, Lorelei ignores the opinion about her boyfriend, Chase, but then she figures out he is acting strangely and has a new tattoo covering a scar he never had before.
Chase, however, isn't one to give up on a girl. He dumps them not the other way around; until Mama's ghost gives Lorelei the strength shut him out of her life.

My thoughts: I really liked this story; I can’t believe how much story she was able to put into those few pages. I couldn’t put it down; found myself gulping it down like a man who has been through the desert without water. I love the way Lorelei stands up for herself, wanted to smack Chase so hard, my hands were itching, altered between wanting to shake and applause his parents. Mama’s Advice kept me bound from first, to last page. Definitely NOT the last book I’ve read by Kathi!
About K.C Sprayberry:
 

KC Sprayberry started writing young, with a diary followed by an interest in English. Her first experience with publication came when she placed third in a Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge contest while in the Air Force, but her dedication to writing came after she had her youngest child, now a in his senior year of high school.
 
Her family lives in Northwest Georgia where she spends her days creating stories about life in the south, and far beyond. More than a dozen of her short stories have appeared in several magazines. Five anthologies feature other short stories, and her young adult novel Softly Say Goodbye, released in 2012. During 2013, more young adult stories have been released: The Ghost Catcher, Who Am I?, Family Curse … Times Two, and Amazon Best Seller, Canoples Investigations Tackles Space Pirates.
 
You can find Kathi here:
 
 

Condemned to Die by Catherine Stovall:

Blurb: Nineteen-year-old Vega Williams is dead by her own hand, and her tormentors still walk the streets. The destroyers of one of the world’s last pure souls even attend her funeral in the guise of grieving loved ones. In fact, her funeral is nothing more than a social engagement to most of Oakdale’s finer society.
With their good intentions painted on their faces, they believe that their secrets and hate filled thoughts are safe behind the veneer of propriety. However, they didn’t count on Zane Allistor’s presence. The young man that not even Vega could have recognized turns out to be the reaper of the fallen girl’s vengeance.
Using his strange ability to read and manipulate minds, Zane tracks down those guilty for pushing the girl he loves past the point of no return and uses their misdeeds against them. In a bloody twist of fate, two hearts are united when death leads to life.

My thoughts: This story was also around the 40ish pages, but felt longer than Mama’s Advice. Following Zane on his quest for vengeance, it was amazing to see how he could manipulate people to do what he wanted them to, make them relive all their cruelty against Vega. I wasn’t sure about this story, couldn’t figure out WHY Zane did what he did – until the very end. Then it became clear, then I understood. And the rest of the story certainly made more sense. The story was very well written, gave me chills, horrified me, and at the same time… They definitely had it coming.
 
About Catherine Stovall:
 
Catherine Stovall is the author of Faire Eve, The Requiem of Humanity Series, and the short story, Fearful Day. Upcoming publications for 2013 include Bloody Freedom (Broken Mirrors, Fractured Minds Anthology) Condemned to Die (short story), Arcana: The Maiden (full length), Eternity: Requiem of Humanity Series: Book Three (full length), and Drift Back Home (short story).

Stovall is a member of the International Thriller Writers & The Fictioneers. She also enjoys working with other independent authors to spread awareness and to build a better indie community.

Catherine is a fearless creature who surrounds herself with the joys of life both in and out of her fictional worlds. She lives in Southeast Missouri with her husband, three children, and pets. When not writing, she spends her time riding motorcycles, wearing elaborate hats, and genuinely enjoying the oddities in life.

You can find Catherine here:
 
 
 
Cat’s First Kiss by Stephanie Julian:

Blurb: Since taking on the powers of the Etruscan Goddess of the Moon, Catene's life has been upended. Her parents don't know how to help her. And Tivr, Etruscan God of the Moon, has seemingly deserted her. Amazing what a first kiss can do.

This story takes place after HOW TO WORSHIP A GODDESS and before GODDESS IN THE MIDDLE.

My thoughts: I enjoyed each and every book in the Forgotten Goddesses Series so far. So finding out that there was a short story about Cat, well…I had to read it. Cat fascinated me from the beginning, and I’m hoping to see (read) much more about her in the future.

This was a short, sweet read. It gives us a little insight into what happened after Cat absorbed Lucy’s powers, and some of the changes that came with it. At the same time, Cat is missing Tivr, who “disappeared” for a while, and how angry and sad she is with him being gone.

It doesn’t have the same level of hot in it, as the rest of the series, but then, it really shouldn’t have. At least not yet. I enjoyed reading Cat’s First Kiss, and I realized how much I missed this universe, and I really should be getting back there again soon!
About Stephanie Julian:
 
I'm a writer with a reading habit, though some days, it's the other way around. I love to read and write erotic romance, paranormal or contemporary, and sometimes with romantic suspense.

Forgotten Goddesses reading order: WHAT A GODDESS WANTS, HOW TO WORSHIP A GODDESS and GODDESS IN THE MIDDLE.

Lucani Lovers reading order: KISS OF MOONLIGHT, MOONLIGHT MENAGES, EDGE OF MOONLIGHT, MOONLIGHT TEMPTATION and GRACE IN MOONLIGHT.

Magical Seduction reading order: SEDUCED BY MAGIC, SEDUCED IN SHADOW, SEDUCED & ENSNARED, SEDUCED & ENCHANTED, SEDUCED BY CHAOS, SEDUCED BY DANGER and SEDUCED BY TWO.

SPELL BOUND is the first in the Darkly Enchanted series...but not the last.

Lovers on the Fringe is a snarky, slightly twisted take on the paranormal. Reading order: SIZE MATTERS and THE BIGGER THEY ARE...

DeMarco Investigations is light romantic suspense, high on the sexy level but not erotic. Reading order: SEX, LIES & SURVEILLANCE, HIS TO KEEP and BLOWN AWAY

Find out why Romantic Times magazine, Simply Romance Reviews, Night Owl Romance and Joyfully Reviewed have called my stories "fascinating," "truly fantastic," "intoxicating," "highly imaginative" and "hot enough to peel paint."
 
Find Stephanie here:
 

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