Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Goddess Fish Presents: When a Marquis Chooses a Bride by Ella Quinn

When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
by Ella Quinn

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GENRE: Historical Romance

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BLURB:


Thanks to their large extended family and unconventional courtship, the Worthingtons have seen their share of scandal and excitement. But nothing has prepared them for this...

The Dowager Lady Worthington isn’t quite sure what to make of country-girl Dorothea Stern. As the granddaughter of the Duke of Bristol, Dotty is schooled in the ways and means of the nobility. But her sharp wit and outspoken nature has everyone in a tizzy. Especially their cousin, Dominic, the Marquis of Merton.

Prematurely stuffy, Dom was raised by his cheerless uncle to be wary of a host of things, including innovation, waltzing, and most perilous of all: true love. Still, there’s something about Dotty, beyond her beauty, that Dom cannot resist. But the odds are against him if he intends to win her as his bride. Will he choose loyalty to his family—or risk everything for the one woman he believes is his perfect match…

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Excerpt:

“Kimbal,” Dom called to his valet.

“Yes, my lord.”

“I shall be dining at White’s.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Dom scribbled a note to his friend Viscount Fotherby asking if he would like to join Dom for dinner. By the time he was dressed and had donned his hat, Fotherby’s answer affirming the invitation had arrived.

A short while later, just as a light sprinkle turned into a persistent rain, Dom handed his hat and cane to the footman at White’s and found his friend lounging in the room that held the club’s famous betting book. William Alvanley, another of Dom’s friends, was seated next to the window with another man staring intently at the rain.

He turned to Fotherby. “What are they doing?”

“Five thousand quid on which raindrop will reach the bottom of the sill first.”

Despite being close with many of the Prince Regent’s circle, Dom could not abide the excessive wagers his friends made. Alvanley would end up ruining himself and his estates at the rate he was going. “Are you ready to dine, or are you waiting the outcome?”

“Famished.” Fotherby tossed off his glass of wine. “Thought you weren’t coming to Town this year.”

“My plans changed.” Dom and Fotherby entered the dining room. “I have decided to take a wife.”

“Wife?” Fotherby choked. “Any idea who?”

“Not yet, but I have a list of qualifications. She must be well-bred, not given to fits of temper or strange starts, quiet, biddable, easy to look at—I must get an heir on her after all—know what is expected of a marchioness. And not prone to scandals. You know how my uncle hated them. I think that about covers it.”

“A paragon, in other words.”

Dom gave a cut nod. “Indeed. I could wed no one less.”


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Bestselling author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them. She has just finished her first series, The Marriage Game, and her new series, The Worthingtons, began in April 2016.

She is married to her wonderful husband of over thirty years. They have a son and two beautiful granddaughters, and a dog. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true and are now living on a sailboat cruising the Caribbean and North America. Europe is next!
    
Website: www.ellaquinnauthor.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor
Twitter www.twitter.com/ellaquinnauthor
Blog http://ellaquinnauthor.wordpresscom

Buy Links:








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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE



Ella will be awarding a Signed ARC of When A Marquis Chooses a Bride (US ONLY) to 5 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Goddess Fish Presents: Defragmenting Daniel Tour by Jason Werbeloff

Defragmenting Daniel: The Organ Scrubber
by Jason Werbeloff

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GENRE: Sci-fi Thriller

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BLURB:

7 stolen organs.
1 vengeful victim.
A gruesome sci-fi thriller.

Organ scrubbing was a bloody job, but somebody had to do it. Daniel, an orphan from the Gutter, was put to work scrubbing kidneys at aged twelve. The job had its perks: a warm bed, Law and Order reruns, and an all-you-can-eat Mopane worm buffet.

Until the Orphanage stole Daniel’s parts, and sold them on the organ market.

Now Daniel has grown up, and yearns to become whole again. The cybernetic organ replacements just aren’t the same – he needs his parts back. But the new owners of his organs won’t give them up. Not without a fight.

Just how far will Daniel go to regain his missing pieces? And how much more of himself will he lose along the way?

Defragmenting Daniel is a cyberpunk crime thriller that will unnerve you. Every part of you.

“A work of great imagination. Powerful and gripping.”
“A stark and moving experience.”
ReadersFavorite.com, 5 Star Review


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Excerpt:


“You feel that, son?”

“No siw,” Daniel mouthed. His tongue was numb. Had been numb since they’d replaced it with the generic a year ago, but it felt more swollen than usual. Clumsy against his palate.

“That’s good. Try to relax.” The surgeon’s voice was deep and quick. Like a scythe. “Music, nurse.”

With Daniel’s head turned the way it was, he looked directly into the surgeon’s crotch. He tried to turn away, but his head had been immobilized.

A beat Daniel remembered from somewhere rolled through the operating theatre. The bass vibrated along the legs of the steel table, up, into the brace that pierced his skull, down, through its metallic fingers, and into his brain. It tickled.

The surgeon shifted. A nurse’s masked face replaced the crotch. “Don’t move.” Only her eyes showed above the mask. The doctors and nurses all looked the same with their masks on. How do they tell one another apart?

A grainy woman’s voice hissed through the beat.

We had you cleaned

We had you eat

The high-pitched whine of a bone saw echoed in Daniel’s skull. “We’ll have you open in no time,” said the surgeon.

Daniel felt pressure against his temple, above his right ear. The whine of the blade morphed to a lower, choppy grind.

We had you bathed

We had your feet

Yes, he remembered the song now. It was all the rage in the cafeteria on Friday nights, when they cleared the chairs to make room for an ad hoc dance floor.

“How the kids?”

“Good, thanks doctor. Jordan’s starting school next week.”

“Already?”

Daniel tried to swallow, but lying on his back with his head fixed at this angle, most of the saliva dribbled onto the operating table.

We ate your lungs

We heart your beat

The bone saw slowed to a toothy stop.

There was a hollow metal twang, as something red dropped into a metal bowl on the edge of Daniel’s vision.

“You doing okay there, boy?”

“Yeth, ma’am.”

The surgeon bent down. Peered into Daniel’s eyes.

“We’re in. Won’t be too much longer now.”


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Human. Male. From an obscure planet in the Milky Way Galaxy. Sci-fi novelist with a PhD in philosophy. Likes chocolates, Labradors, and zombies (not necessarily in that order). Werbeloff spends his days constructing thought experiments, while trying to muster enough guilt to go to the gym.

He's written two novels, Hedon and The Solace Pill, and the short story anthology, Obsidian Worlds. His books will make your brain hurt. And you'll come back for more.

Subscribe to his newsletter to receive a free novel, and a lifetime of free and discounted stories: http://smarturl.it/werbeloff

**Amazon Author Page – http://smarturl.it/AuthWerbeloff  - download all of Werbeloff's fiction from Amazon.

**Newsletter – http://smarturl.it/werbeloff - subscribe to get 'The Solace Pill' free, as well as VIP access to Werbeloff's latest fiction.

**Soud Cloud –  http://soundcloud.com/jason-werbeloff/ - listen to stories from Obsidian Worlds narrated by the inimitable Marc Ryan Rees.

**Goodreads –  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7340789 - read and submit reviews of Werbeloff’s fiction.

**Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/solaceseries  and Twitter  https://twitter.com/JasonWerbeloff – follow Werbeloff for release date information on upcoming shorts and novels.

**Website -  http://www.jasonwerbeloff.com/ -  read about the author, and the philosophy behind his fiction.

Purchase link for Defragmenting Daniel: The Organ Scrubber - The book will be free on Amazon for 4 days, August 24 – 27 2016.

The Organ Scrubber is the first fragment of the Defragmenting Daniel trilogy:
Fragment 1 – The Organ Scrubber
Fragment 2 – The Face in a Jar
Fragment 3 – The Boy Without a Heart

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Jason will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, August 18, 2016

The Best Seller is Free August 19 through August 21


The Best Seller is free!  Download a free copy from August 19th through August 21st.


The Best Seller (Solstice Publishing, May 31st, 2016)
When Maya Smock writes her first novel, everything seems to go her way. Her book practically writes itself. She marries her gorgeous agent. Her name is on all of the best seller lists. Billionaire author Jay McCallister takes an interest in her meteoric rise to fame and invites her into his world of alien-believing celebrities. Her life changes forever when he tells her that they were both created inside of a laboratory. These authors are embedding an alien genetic code within the pages of their novels that originated from Nazi Germany because…
The time has come. They are here.


https://www.amazon.com/Best-Seller-Dina-Rae-ebook/dp/B01G2AKGMS/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1471568924&sr=8-1&keywords=dina+rae


REVIEWS
What a Perfect book for those who love an excellent thought provoking, conspiracy twisting, and mind boggling turns of drama that will have you questioning every legend, tale, or heritage you think you knew. 
Queen Tutt-Book Review 5 Stars
I honestly believe that The Best Seller is a “best seller” and will enter the book world at warp speed.
Nancy Allen, The Avid Reader, Book Review 5 Stars
Dina keeps you off balance weaving in history and fiction, and making you want to turn the next page all the time. 
George Dalton, Author, 5 Stars
The Best Seller by Dina Rae brings out one of the most unbelievable conspiracies of all. Yet, inside the tale, it seems so real. 
Danielle Urban, Urban Reviews, 5 Stars
It was the construction I loved most about Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn and The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. 
Nissan Mama, Book Reviews, 4 Stars
I loved that Maya had a rags to riches story. 
Indie Express, Book Review, 5 Stars
The Best Seller is plot driven with a thrilling story line that will keep readers turning pages until the final climax.
Michael Thal, Author, 4 Stars
This is a great story. I was instantly caught up by the aliens and Doctor Jaeger. 
Bonder Reviews, 5 Stars

2 Signed Paperback Copies will be raffled off through Goodreads at the beginning of October.



Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Best Seller by Dina Rae

The Best Seller

by Dina Rae

Giveaway ends October 07, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway


Goddess Fish Presents: Fighting Blind by CM Seabrook

Fighting Blind
by C.M. Seabrook


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GENRE: Contemporary Romance

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BLURB:

Mackenzie Brooks is everything I've ever wanted.

Three years ago, she walked out of my life. No explanation. Just gone.

With the biggest fight of my career only weeks away, she walked back in.

I'll do anything to protect her. Destroy anyone who tries to hurt her. When it comes to Mac, there isn't a line I won't cross.

I've loved her my entire life, and now that's she's back I won't let her go.

She refuses to speak about the past, or the secrets I know she's hiding.

I know she's planning on running again. But when you love someone, you stay and fight. Even if you're fighting blind.


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Excerpt:


“Hi.” Long brown hair rolls down her back in glossy waves. Soft, full lips that I’ve only dreamed of kissing open and close as if trying to decide what to say.

An explanation of where the hell she’s been for the past few years would be a good place to start. 

“I…just wanted…” Her words come out in a stutter, and she tucks her hair behind one ear.

She’s nervous. Good. She should be fucking nervous.

I move toward her. The muscles in my jaw are so tight they feel like they’re going to snap. I can barely process the emotions that are slamming into my chest. But I can’t take my eyes off her. I’d almost forgotten how gorgeous she was. Hell, I’d tried to forget.

Eyes the color of caramel, with flecks of amber and gold, stare up at me with uncertainty. 

Those eyes. They could pierce a man’s heart with a single look. And they had.

I’d have given everything for her. Would’ve sold my soul to the fucking devil just to please her. All she had to do was ask. Instead, she walked away.


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

C.M. Seabrook is the author of the Amazon bestselling fantasy romance Cara's Twelve, as well as the Therian Agents paranormal romance series, and co-author of the Mated by Magic series.

When she isn't reading or writing sexy stories, she's most likely spending time with her family, cooking, singing, or racing between soccer, hockey and karate practices. She's living her own happily ever after with her husband of fifteen years and their two daughters.

She loves creating new exciting characters - from sexy, bad boy alphas, to the passionate, fiery women who love them.

Canadian born and bred, she started life in Edmonton, Alberta, and now resides in London, Ontario. She attended Western University where she graduated with an Honors degree in Anthropology.

Her guilty pleasures include red wine, pasta, binge watching Starz originals, and hanging out with her rescue pup, Jaxx.

She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached at cm.seabrook.books@gmail.com


Amazon Buy Link - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H0UI0QS
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cmseabrook
Website – http://www.chantelseabrook.com
Twitter – @chantelseabrook

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The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, August 13, 2016

Book Review: Einstein's Prophecy

Robert Masello's Einstein's Prophecy is about an ancient set of bones that have certain powers.  The story puts our protagonist, Luke, in search of these bones while in the army during World War II.  The United States wants them because Hitler went out of his way to get them from Egypt.  After almost getting blown to smithereens after recovering the bones, Luke returns to the U.S. and works as a Princeton professor.  Einstein lives across the street from him on the campus.  
Luke, a carbon-dating professor, and another expert are in charge of studying the bones and trying to figure out why they appealed to the Nazis.  A father and daughter from Egypt who originally found the bones in a cave in Egypt are also interested.  They travel to Princeton and the daughter worms her way into the study.  Her father believes the bones have demonic powers.  
The professors' study soon turns into a horror show.  People get possessed and then wind up dead.  Not to spoil the ending, but Einstein plays a role in the story's resolution that also has to do with World War II.
My Review:  The first half of this book was amazing.  The author expertly inserted bits and pieces of history and lore while creating a mystery around the bones.  I loved how he used real people from history as characters in his book.  The legend of St.Anthony was introduced as part of the story line. The story reminded me of Preston's and Childs's Cemetary Dance and Relic.  The second half of the book wasn't nearly as good.  The author lost a lot of his steam.  There were some interesting action scenes, but the main story seemed to be rushed as was the love story.  The ending seemed a little too simple for such an intricate and fascinating set-up.  Overall, I was disappointed. 3/5 Stars


Saturday, August 6, 2016

Movie Review: Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek Beyond is another installment of the Star Trek franchise. The story begins with Captain Kirk using diplomacy to win over a race of aliens.  He tries to give them an artifact that they don't want.  Later on, Kirk transports a damsel in distress/female alien onto his ship.  She claims to have lost her students in a nebula and needs his help.  This is a set-up.  Later Kirk and his crew learn that she is in cahoots with Krall who holds her friends hostage.  Krall wants one of Kirk's artifacts for nefarious purposes.  He severs their spacecraft with some kind of techie bat-like things.  They eat through the neck of the ship which crashes on Krall's planet.  The crew escape in their pods.  They meet a rebel alien, Jana, who has been hiding an old spacecraft from United States.  She, Kirk, and his crew fix the old ship, unite and take on Krall.  Spoiler Alert: They save the universe again, but you probably knew that anyway.

My Review: The story line was interesting as were the special effects, costumes, and makeup.  I loved all of the technology and gadgets that were inside of the two ships.  The weapons used by the bad guys were very creative.  The new cast was awesome, especially Zoe Saldana.  The subtle humor was also appreciated.  I loved how Spock gave a shout-out at the end by looking at an old picture of the original Spock and crew.  There was some predictability to the movie, but I didn't mind.  I recommend this movie for sci-fi lovers, Trekkies, families, and just about anyone. Great entertainment that should be seen on the big screen. 4.5/Stars


Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Conspiracy Theory: $400 Million Sent on Cargo to Iran????

It's been all over the news that the Obama Administration sent $400 million dollars in a cargo plane in various cash currency to Iran as part of a 1.7 billion dollar settlement. The plane landed back in January.  On the same day it landed, 4 hostages/prisoners were released and then a fifth hostage/prisoner was released.  The United States dropped extradition requests for fourteen people and freed seven.  Hmmm.... 400 million for 5 and Iran doesn't pay any money and gets seven..... The money is supposedly in response to an old deal made in the '70s and '80s with the Shah of Iran.  He bought 400 million dollars worth of planes and military stuff and then got ousted.  We never paid the government back.  And Obama wants to makes this right??????  We have given millions if not billions in foreign aid over the years!!!!!!!!!  Shouldn't that be a wash?  Obama said this was a great deal, saving Americans tons of money in interest and inflation.  I wish I was making this up.  Please Google my facts.

Apparently, it is against U.S. policy to pay any kind of ransom because it encourages terrorists to kidnap Americans.  What I don't understand is this-how did Obama get his hands on that kind of money?  I thought Congress pulled the purse strings?  Does Obama have a slush fund of billions of dollars?  Is that legal?  Obama of course denies he paid any ransom money.  And who got the money?  The Iranian government?  Terrorists?  And how do we know about this?  Who leaked the story and why?  The secret deal went down in January.
I have no idea, but...  
From a conspiracy angle, the infamous Iran Deal (they get everything and the green light for nukes and we get nothing) has some interesting supporters.  NGO Ploughshares for one.  They are backed by Mr. New World Order himself, George Soros.  Let's add the Carnegie Corporation, Buffet Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation and we got ourselves a globalization cocktail that is meant to get us all drunk-black out drunk in hopes that we wake up and not remember a thing.  Soros paid half a million to a Palestinian lobby group on J Street just to "sell" the deal to Israel.  Why?  The official story is to "postpone" Iran from gaining nukes.  From my conspiracy angle, and many others all over the Internet, it is all part of New World Order.  To get a one world government the inner circle must promote discord among all nations and run the economy into the ground.  Comments and questions much appreciated.

By the way, my first book, The Last Degree (2012) is a novel about the world as it forms a one world government.  My fiction wasn't too far from the truth.



Monday, August 1, 2016

TV Review: Showtime's Ray Donovan Season 4

Ray Donovan is a show on Showtime.  In summary, Ray Donovan is a Southie who lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two kids.  He doesn't have a regular job, but picks up work in security, media control, and doing others' dirty work.  He is part gangster, part fighter, part family man, and part womanizer.  Despite all of his roles, he consistently remains a man of few words and tons of action.  The first three seasons introduce us to his extended family who follow him to California.  There's Ray's brother Terry, a boxing ring owner who has Parkinson's Disease.  Bunchie is Ray's other brother who works at the ring and goes to therapy as a Catholic priest molestation victim.  Ray has a half-brother, Darryl, who is black from one of his father's indiscretions.  Darryl also works at the ring, but has helped out their father who is a career criminal in several shady business dealings.  Ray's wife is a tough bitch who is like the Irish version of Edie Falco in Sopranos.  Ray's son is a wanna-be gangster and his daughter is now an adult who just left her boyfriend/high school teacher after finding out she wasn't his only student.

The show shifts story lines with its characters.  Ray usually ends up working for a celebrity.  Last year it was Katy Holmes, and the year before it was Elliot Gould.  This year the boss is Embath Davidtz.  She was in Schindler's List, but I had to look that up-not much of a celebrity.
Summary of Season 4: The story lines this season include Ray's wife and her breast cancer, Ray's boss and her breast cancer, and Lena's ex-girlfriend and her breast cancer.  Ray's son took his gun from his closet and is having fun shooting at houses in his rich subdivision.  Bunchie's wife left him with their daughter.  Terry took in a homeless kid to train for boxing.  One of Ray's clients, a famous boxer, was caught banging his sister (Lisa Bonet).  Ray had to clean that up.  Ray's dad (John Voight) ripped off a casino and is in jail.  Ray hooked up with his boss yesterday on the newest episode.  That's the low-down.
My Review: In the past, I've liked the show.  It has many similarities to HBO's Sopranos.  To be clear, Sopranos worst episode blows Ray Donovan's best episode out of the water.
Anyway, I liked the show enough to continue watching it, but....  I hate to be negative, but I have just about had it.  I am done for good.  The new thing in cable dramas seems to be unattractive people stripping off their clothes and having sex on screen.  Now I'm no prude, but the last thing I want to see are two ugly people getting down.  Enough!  Last year it was Terry and his girlfriend who got naked and had sex at the boxing ring.  I almost puked, but dealt with it.  John Voight got lucky with an older lady, but at least they didn't get naked.  This year there seems to be a breast cancer theme that I'm bored to tears with.  His wife went topless, which was okay. What pissed me off yesterday was when Ray had sex with his boss who took off her shirt to show off her double mastectomy. If this is where Hollywood is headed, count me out.  I watch TV to escape reality, not have it rubbed in my face.  


Review of Universal Studios and Fright Night

Last October, I went to Universal Studios (Hollywood) and Fright Night with my two young adult daughters. Below is a summary and review of t...