Book Review: A Shade of Vampire (A Shade of Vampire #1) by Bella Forrest

I really, really enjoyed this book! This lovely young adult paranormal novel had all the right elements to make it a classic read for my vampire loving heart. The heroine was vulnerable, but strong and extremely likable. It had some dark elements and explored fear and violence. In the heaping pile of young adult, new adult, and adult paranormal books I've consumed, I've come to really have a soft spot for books that don't just delve into sex, blood, and violence. This author did a lovely job of maintaining the obvious darkness that accompanies this genre (hello, duh, blood suckers), but it's no overwhelming or saturated with unnecessary sex scenes.

The romance between Derek and Sofia might be a bit spontaneous, but I appreciate the elements that held the romance from teetering into the ridiculous. The plot twists, world building, and background the author provides wraps the story into a very engrossing, but entirely easy to gobble up story.

Read via Kindle Unlimited.

Bella Forrest is the million-bestselling author of the "A Shade of Vampire" series.

Sign up to Bella's New Release email list and you'll automatically get notified as soon as her next book is released: www.forrestbooks.com

Visit her website: www.bellaforrest.net

List of Bella's books:

A SHADE OF VAMPIRE SERIES

Derek & Sofia's story:

A Shade of Vampire (Book 1)
A Shade of Blood (Book 2)
A Castle of Sand (Book 3)
A Shadow of Light (Book 4)
A Blaze of Sun (Book 5)
A Gate of Night (Book 6)
A Break of Day (Book 7)

Rose & Caleb's story:

A Shade of Novak (Book 8)
A Bond of Blood (Book 9)
A Spell of Time (Book 10)
A Chase of Prey (Book 11)
A Shade of Doubt (Book 12)
A Turn of Tides (Book 13)
A Dawn of Strength (Book 14)
A Fall of Secrets (Book 15)
An End of Night (Book 16)

The Shade continues with a new hero...

A Wind of Change (Book 17)
A Trail of Echoes (Book 18)
A Soldier of Shadows (Book 19)
A Hero of Realms (Book 20)
A Vial of Life (Book 21) --> Releases December 22nd 2015. Pre-order now!

A SHADE OF DRAGON TRILOGY

A Shade of Dragon
A Shade of Dragon 2 --> Releases January 6th 2016. Pre-order now!

A SHADE OF KIEV TRILOGY

A Shade of Kiev 1
A Shade of Kiev 2
A Shade of Kiev 3

BEAUTIFUL MONSTER DUOLOGY

Beautiful Monster 1
Beautiful Monster 2

This is Bella's website: www.bellaforrest.net

And don't forget to come say hello on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AShadeOfVampire
Instagram: @ashadeofvampire
Twitter: @ashadeofvampire

Review: A Black Deeper Than Death (Miki Radicci #1) by M.E. Purfield

This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.

Title: A Black Deeper Than Death
Published:  Nov. 21, 2013
Format: eBook
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In the first book of urban mystery fused with fantasy series, M.E. Purfield with hardcore prose introduces a young heroine that's naively above the law and searching for redemption in a concrete jungle built on greed and delusion.
Miki Radicci is not your average sixteen-year-old city girl. She’s emancipated from her grifter parents, a flavor of the month in the art world, and a psychic.
Her life turns upside down when she witnesses a murder of a young college girl in one of her visions. Not only does she grab the attention of the police, but also the killer.
To save her own life as well as her family, Miki delves into the victim’s past and follows a trail that leads her into a dark world of underground modeling and low-level criminals. A path that will lead her closer to the killer than she thought.

Review: Hell Holes: What Lurks Below (Hell Holes, #1) by Donald G. Firesmith

I received this book to give an honest review. 

Title: Hell Holes: What Lurks Below (Hell Holes, #1)
Published:  August 5, 2015
Genres: paranormal, short stories
Pages: 108
Format: eBook
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A geologist, his climatologist wife, two graduate students, a local newspaper reporter, an oil company representative, and a field biologist travel to one of dozens of huge holes that have mysteriously appeared in the tundra of the North Slope of Alaska. Their mission is to research these strange craters that threaten financial and environmental catastrophe should they open up under the Trans-Alaska Pipeline or any of the many oil wells and smaller pipe lines that feed it. Unfortunately, a far worse danger lurks below, one that threatens to destroy all of humanity when it finally emerges. Some will live and some will die on Hell Day and the day after as the team flees south towards Fairbanks.

Blog Tour: Tearing Down Statues by Brian Bennudriti

Title: Tearing Down the Statues

Author: Brian Bennudriti
Publisher: Grailrunner Publishing
Pages: 344
Genre: Science Fiction

Misling is a Recorder, having perfect memory and expected to help build a seamless record of history. That’s what the Salt Mystic taught us two thousand years ago when she came stumbling from the flats with her visions. Unfortunately he’s probably the worst Recorder ever. So when he meets a joker with an incredible secret, the two of them are soon on the run from swarming lunatics and towering assault troops in the heart of a city under siege.

As it has for three generations, the horrible Talgo family is the spark of this swelling world war; and their wily generals and scheming counselors clash their fleets in battles of shrieking steel-entrained tornados, cannonballs of lightning, and tanks the size of cities. But it’s the joker’s secret that is the most powerful weapon of all…a trigger set by the Salt Mystic herself in myth, to save the world from itself.
For More Information
Tearing Down the Statues is available at Amazon.
Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Blog Tour: The Average Girl by Angelina Goode

Title: The Average Girl
Author: Angelina Goode
Publisher: Beach Blanket Publishing
Pages: 228
Genre: Romantic Comedy

Being average can lead to wonderful things…
Olivia Fowler, helper of the star-struck, runs a successful business helping average people meet celebrities in everyday ways. Flawless at what she does, the celebrities don’t have a clue they’re part of a pre-planned meeting. Business is booming and Olivia knows everything there is to know about Hollywood’s famous and their behavior. Her clients trust her because she is just like them, not famous.
But when Olivia accidentally meets the super-famous Alexander Young at the grocery store, her world is flipped upside-down. She can’t possibly resist those charming eyes and sexy arms. As their romance blossoms, Olivia learns she may not know as much as she thought she did about celebrities and their ways.
Then Olivia’s most important and loyal client requests to meet Alexander. Suddenly, Olivia is forced to choose between her love and her business.
Will Olivia be able to keep her booming business a secret from her soon-to-be boyfriend? Will her clients still trust her if she is no longer the average girl?
For More Information
The Average Girl is available at Amazon.
Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Review: Sinking Stones in the Sky by M.E. Purfield

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.

Title: Sinking Stones in the Sky
Published:  Dec. 11, 2015
Genres: adult
Pages: 140
Format: eBook
Buy the Book 

In the 8th book of M.E. Purfield’s addictive noir fantasy series, two characters from two different novels come together to find a killer and break a chain of evil.

Miki Radicci, a teen psychic who can experience one’s pain and death, lives in Manhattan where she tries to drown her past sins and guilt.

Lorelei Cox (Party Girl Crashes the Rapture), a recovering addict, lives in Jersey City with her one true love and works as a waitress, far from the dark past that almost killed her.

When Lorelei is accused of killing a police officer, Miki spares no expense in helping her friend prove her innocence. The girls soon discover a child pornography operation from out of the past that is run by a demon that will bind them forever.

Book Tour & Review (Trigger warning!): Journey Beyond the Trauma: Simple Practices of Resilence for Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Dr. J. Denee

Title: Journey Beyond the Trauma: Simple Practices of Resilence for Survivors of Sexual Abuse
Author: Dr. J. Denee
Pages: 99
Genre: Self-Help
Journey Beyond the Trauma: Simple Practices of Resilience for Survivors of Sexual Abuse goes right to the heart of the issues related to abuse. It shares the impacts of abuse and offers simple, yet, practical strategies and information to help survivors reclaim and restore their lives. Dr. J. Denee' guides readers through a 30-day journey to jumpstart their innate resilience. Journey Beyond the Trauma helps survivors to:

· Take responsibility for your healing and your life

· Transform into your authentic self

· Identify and manage triggers

· Turn emotional pain into progression

· Develop self-acceptance and reclaim self-worth

· Embrace resilience as a way of life

• Journey Beyond the Trauma is available at Amazon.


• Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.


• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

*** 5/5 Stars ***

Note: Due to the subject matter of this book please be aware this might be a trigger for some folks. I received a paperback copy of this book from the author via the book tour company in return for an honest review. This did not affect my review in any way.

I personally have never experienced sexual abuse, but I know of friends who have. I am a licensed social worker and work with children. Unfortunately, this is an every day topic that social workers and at risk children face in my line of work. In reality, it's a very real abuse that occurs for boys and girls and at differing ages by different or known perpetrators. This book gives great insight to help victims to heal and find some peace. It gives building blocks for 30 days to help them focus and start the process within that time period with tangible suggestions, goals, and tips. The inspiring quotes can help empower in what I can imagine is a lifetime process. What adds more credence to the book is the author herself is a survivor.

Juanita D. Ashby-Bey, PhD, known as Dr. J. Denee’, is a sexual abuse speaker, author, and resilience expert who specializes in helping women survivors of sexual abuse to rebuild their lives. A survivor of sexual abuse herself, Dr. J. Denee’ has been dedicated to the prevention, intervention, and recovery of sexual abuse issues and other traumas for the past 10 years. She received her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University.

After coming to an understanding of the extent to which the sexual abuse and trauma she suffered as a child had profoundly affected his life, Dr. J. Denee’ traveled her own personal road of recovery and resilience, and made a firm decision to help build awareness about sexual abuse and to empower and support other sexual abuse survivors and the professionals who engage with survivors along the path to recovery.

As an educator, Dr. J. Denee’ spent many years researching and applying intervention strategies to help people transform themselves and discovery new possibilities. Leveraging her 15 years of experience as an educator at the collegiate and K-12 school levels in the capacities of administration, accreditation, evaluator, professor and teacher, Dr. J. Denee’s approach includes practical and research-based intervention strategies that are designed to produce results that guide women to more loving relationships with themselves and others. She helps women to tackle feelings of powerlessness by finding their voice, build emotional muscle to manage anger and rage, rebuild and establish healthy relationships rather than sabotaging them, and to learn how to effectively establish, respect, and protect personal boundaries for themselves.

Dr. J. Denee’ is an acclaimed speaker who is available to conducts seminars, workshops, keynote addresses, and panel discussions. She empowers her audience to tap into their internal ability to persevere, recreate themselves, express their individuality, and welcome and manage life’s simple and complex challenges successfully. With an interactive and inspirational delivery, Dr. J. Denee’ provides her audience with an effective toolkit of strategies that help women survivors of sexual abuse transform their lives and create authentic happiness, joy, and progress.

“Beyond the Trauma… Living Triumphantly” is the ultimate goal that Dr. J. Denee’ desires for all survivors. Dr. J. Denee’s upcoming, inaugural book, Beyond The Trauma – Simple Practices of Resilience for Survivors of Sexual Abuse is available for pre-sales and will be released in September 2015.

For More Information

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  Visit Dr. J. Denee’s website.

  
  


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  Connect with Dr. J. on Facebook and Twitter.