Debt Collector by Susan Kaye Quinn

What's your life worth on the open market?
A debt collector can tell you precisely.

Lirium plays the part of the grim reaper well, with his dark trench coat, jackboots, and the black marks on his soul that every debt collector carries. He's just in it for his cut, the ten percent of the life energy he collects before he transfers it on to the high potentials, the people who will make the world a better place with their brains, their work, and their lives. That hit of life energy, a bottle of vodka, and a visit from one of Madam Anastazja's sex workers keep him alive, stable, and mostly sane... until he collects again. But when his recovery ritual is disrupted by a sex worker who isn't what she seems, he has to choose between doing an illegal hit for a girl whose story has more holes than his soul or facing the bottle alone--a dark pit he's not sure he'll be able to climb out of again.

The first three episodes of the Debt Collector serial are collectively the length of a short novel, or 152 pages. These are the first three of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating. Episode 4, Broken, was released on 4/17/13. Fore more about the Debt Collector serial go to DebtCollectorSeries.com 

The first three episodes can be purchased as a set for less than $3 bucks on Barnes and Noble and Amazon. You can't beat that for a good read!

My review of the first episode will be posted in the coming days.

About the author:

Susan Kaye Quinn grew up in California, where she wrote snippets of stories and passed them to her friends during class. Her teachers pretended not to notice and only confiscated her stories a couple of times.

Susan left writing behind to pursue a bunch of engineering degrees, but she was drawn back to writing by an irresistible urge to share her stories with her niece, her kids, and all the wonderful friends she's met along the way.

She doesn't have to sneak her notes anymore, which is too bad.

Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out is exactly as much as she can handle.

Visit the Susan's official website, fan her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter and Goodreads.

Exotic Music of the Belly Dancer - by Brian Sweany

Exotic Music of the Belly Dancer
by Brian Sweany

From the Writer's Coffe Shop:

Hank Fitzpatrick's life is what you might expect from a man-child stumbling his way through and beyond adolescence in the late 1980's in small town Indiana: hypersexual, drunk, stoned, prone to fits of spontaneous masturbation, occasionally Catholic, and accidentally well-intentioned. His life is in perpetual conflict as he confuses sex for love, heartache for passion, desperation for honesty, and abuse for affection.

Caught in a crossfire of raging hormones, bad decisions and family tragedy, Hank is just a boy not yet ready to be a man. And like many boys growing up, Hank is desperate to impress his father. The impossibly perfect patriarch of the family, John Fitzpatrick decides at age forty-two he wants to have a vasectomy reversal. Is Hank ready to be a brother again at age seventeen? What about his mother's narcotics and gimlet-soaked uterus? A child will come of this, but not without consequences.

Laura is Hank's first true love. From their stolen nights together as high-school sweethearts to their final encounter as twentysomething adults, they never figure out how to stop hurting one another. Beth, the girl who loves Hank unconditionally, can only wait for so long before longing turns to regret. But everything will be okay as long as Hank's best friend Hatch is there to help him exorcise his demons with a half-gallon of bourbon and a bottle of cough syrup.

Exotic Music of the Belly Dancer is more than just a tribute to the last uninhibited pre-9/11, pre-Facebook generation. It's a comedy. It's a tragedy. It's a love story. It's a subversive yet empathetic, wart-and-all portrait rooted in real-life that kids will read behind their parents' backs. And if somewhere along the way we can all share in the redemptive power of a belly dancer's love... well, that's okay too.

Review:

Hank Fitzpatrick is a typical male teen: confused, selfish, and horny. He's annoyed by the fact that his parents are trying desperately to have another child, at the same time he's completely preoccupied with his own sexuality. He's kinda Catholic, even thought it's mostly his parents idea. But mostly Hank is just trying to get the hang of this whole life thing.

Hank is an extremely likable character, a really good guy. He loves with his whole heart. He's suffered and triumphed, fallen down and gotten back up. He's the underdog, but not a victim.

Exotic Music of the Belly Dancer is entertaining. The story flows like an 80's flick. I could totally see this on the silver screen, starring none other than Anthony Michael Hall as Hank (of course). Brian Sweany did a great job of making the story true to its era.

I give this book:

Exotic Music of the Belly Dancer can be purchased at the Writer's Coffee Shop.

Be sure to visit Brian Sweany's official website for news on the upcoming sequel, Making out with Blowfish.

Visit the other stops on the tour:

April 24 - Sandi Layne
April 25 - Outnumbered 3-1
April 26 - My Reading Lounge
April 27 - Fantasy-link
April 28 - Writer on the Verge
April 29 - Fresh Fiction
April 30 - NK Smith Writes
May 1 - Sherri Hays
May 2 - Michelle Birbeck
May 3 - Sydney Logan

I received a free eBook copy of this book in exchange for this review. All views expressed are my honest opinion.

Guest Post by Author Brian Sweany

Without giving away too much, what is your favorite part of the novel and why?

The prologue of Exotic Music of the Belly Dancer is one of my favorite parts, which is why I choose it the most for public readings.

The core theme of the book is how a boy learns to define himself as a man. Chapter after chapter, I consciously challenge, exaggerate, skewer, and deconstruct male stereotypes. Not so coincidentally, I was pretty much raised in this exact type of atmosphere: I was a cradle Catholic who wrestled with the Church's misogyny and moral inflexibility, plus I was raised by parents who wrestled with these very same things. The prologue is based on my true story: My Dad got a vasectomy after the third Sweany child was born, but then about 10 years later pretty much guilted himself into un-vasectomized. Given the nature of my story, I felt like a father and son arguing about reversing a vasectomy was a perfect way to foreshadow everything to come in the novel. I set the table for the major players, while having a father expound on the literal loss and reclamation of his manhood.

About the author:

Since 2000, Brian Sweany has been the Director of Acquisitions for Recorded Books, one of the world's largest audiobook publishers. Prior to that he edited cookbooks and computer manuals and claims to have saved a major pharmaceutical company from being crippled by the Y2K bug. Brian has a BS in English from Easter Michigan University, from which he graduated magna cum laude in 1995. He's a retired semi-professional student, with stopovers at Wabash College - the all-male school that reputedly fired Ezra Pound from its faculty for having sex with a prostitute, Marian University - the former all-female school founded by Franciscan nuns that, if you don't count Brian's expulsion, has fired no one of consequence and is relatively prostitute-free, and Indiana University via a high school honors course he has no recollection of ever attending.

Brian has spent most of his life in the Midwest and now lives near Indianapolis with his wife, three children, and a neurotic Husky/Border mix named Hank. He's currently working on his next project, Making Out with a Blowfish, which is the sequel to Exotic Music of the Belly Dancer and the second book in a planned trilogy. For future details, check out the authors website at www.briansweany.com

Click here to read my review of Exotic Music of the Belly Dancer.

Terminus by Joshua Graham

Terminus
by Joshua Graham

About the book:

How far must an angel fall to find his destiny?

Having witnessed one too many senseless deaths, Nikolai, a disillusioned Reaper 3^rd Class, resigns his commission with the Angel Forces after a tedious century of gathering souls.

   

Immediately, another division recruits him with the promise of a more rewarding career, and issues his initial assignments: To bring down a few very dangerous threats to the human race.  In the process, Nikolai falls in love with one of his targets—Hope Matheson, a woman who will lead thousands astray. 

Caught between conflicting agendas, Nikolai chooses to “fall” from his celestial state and become mortal in order to circumvent angel law and be with her.  But for angels and humans alike, things are not always as they appear.  Still a target, the threat against Hope’s life intensifies.

Now, in order to save her, Nikolai must rally the last remnants of his failing supernatural abilities to prevent her assassination, as well as the destruction of an entire city by a nuclear terrorist strike.

But his time and power are running out…

Terminus is a perspective-altering saga that delves into ageless themes of redemption, destiny, and the eternal power of love.

Click here to read chapter one.

About the author:

Joshua Graham grew up in Brooklyn, NY where he lived for the better part of 30 years. He holds a Bachelor and Master’s Degree and went on to earn his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. During his time in Maryland, he taught as a professor at Shepherd College (WV), Western Maryland College, and Columbia Union College (MD).

  

Today he lives with his beautiful wife and children in Southern California. Several of Graham’s short fiction works have been published by Pocket Books and Dawn Treader Press.

  

Writing under the pen name Ian Alexander, Graham debuted with his first Epic Fantasy novel ONCE WE WERE KINGS, an Amazon #1 Bestseller in multiple categories and Award-Winning Finalist in the SciFi/Fantasy category of The USA “Best Books 2011″ Awards, as well as an Award-Winning Finalist in the Young Adult Fiction category of The USA “Best Books 2011″ Awards, and an Award Winner in the 2011 Forward National Literature Awards in the Teen/Young Adult category. ONCE WE WERE KINGS is available in ebook and hardcover editions.

Be sure to check out the other stops on the Terminus tour! 

You can also visit Joshua's official website, follow him on Twitter, and friend/follow him on Facebook.

The Unfinished Life of Elizabeth D.

The Unfinished Life of Elizabeth D.
by Nicole Bernier

Goodreads:

Before there were blogs, there were journals. And in them we'd write as we really were, not as we wanted to appear. But there comes a day when journals outlive us. And with them, our secrets.

Summer vacation on Great Rock Island was supposed to be a restorative time for Kate, who'd lost her close friend Elizabeth in a sudden accident. But when she inherits a trunk of Elizabeth's journals, they reveal a woman far different than the cheerful wife and mother Kate thought she knew.

The complicated portrait of Elizabeth makes Kate question not just their friendship, but her own deepest beliefs about loyalty and honesty at a period of uncertainty in her own marriage - as well as her own choices as a wife, mother, and professional, and the legacy she herself would want to leave behind.

When an unfamiliar man's name appears in the pages, Kate realizes the extent of what she didn't know about her friend, including where she was really going on the day she died.

Review:

Kate is a worrywart, but who isn't in post 911 America? Losing her close friend, Elizabeth, in a sudden accident just added to the list of things for Kate to fret about. To make matters worse, Kate has been bequeathed Elizabeth's trunk of journals. Why would Elizabeth want her to read them? What did she want her to know? Kate has a million questions and Elizabeth isn't there to answer them. She has no choice but to read.

Kate soon discovers that she didn't really know Elizabeth at all. There was another part of her that she kept hidden from the world all those years. Can you ever really know someone? Or only what they want you to see? The person in the journals is a complete stranger to Kate in so many ways. Will she meet her friend for the very first time? Or are the journals meant to introduce her to herself?

It took me months to finish this book. It pulled at my heartstrings on so many levels that I had to digest it in chunks. It's brilliant! I couldn't help but think about all the pages of my own journals that expose the deepest parts of myself. What will happen to them when I die? Who will read them? What will they think about me? 

When I connect with a book on an emotional level, that's when I know that it's good. When I have to close it up just so that I can contemplate the characters thoughts and ideas and how they relate to mine, that's when you know it's more than good. The Unfinished Life of Elizabeth D. is more than good!

Thought provoking. 
Emotional. 
Real. 

This is a MUST read!

I give this book:

The Unfinished Life of Elizabeth D. was released in paperback on March 12th, pick up a copy online where books are sold! 

Visit Nicole Bernier's official website, follow her tweets, become a fan on Facebook.

I received a free copy of this book. All views expressed are my honest opinion. 

Just One Night Part 1: The Stranger by Kyra Davis

Just One Night, Part 1: The Stranger
by Kyra Davis

Goodreads:

You should sleep with a stranger,  her best friend whispers in her ear as they take to Vegas for one last pre-wedding fling. Despite her best intentions, when Kate Fitzgerald enters the casino and sees him, a man whose tailored clothes belied a powerful, even dangerous, presence, she loses herself to the moment. Maybe it's the dress, much shorter than she'd ever normally wear, or the Scotch, but something makes her give herself over to him more completely than she's ever done with a man before.

It was supposed to be just one night. But right as she's thinking she wants more, he shows up in her office with an agenda. As the billionaire CEO of a company that's engaged her PR firm, his demands just became her reality... and he desires so much more than just some attention in the boardroom.

Review:

Kasie has played it safe, even when it's uncomfortable. When she goes to Vegas for the weekend with her best friend, she could never have imagined how much her life would change. She happens upon a man, who she may have never noticed before, and she gives herself permission to be free. 

"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," except when it doesn't. To Kasie's dismay, her one-night-stand, Robert Dade, is the CEO of a company who just became her client. This venture is no accident, he wants more than one night, much more.

I enjoyed Just One Night, all the way until it left me hanging at the end (part 2 coming soon). One of the things I appreciated most was Kasie's struggle. The battle between what felt good to her and what made sense, was real. We all face that sort of struggle over and over again in our lives. Most of the time we do what makes sense, but who said that everything is supposed to make sense? 

I won't tell you what Kasie decided. In fact, I couldn't if I tried because the answer will be uncovered in Part 2!  I will tell you this, Just One Night is a great read. I enjoyed the story very much (which also included several tasteful, yet sex-filled, scenes).

I give this book:

Just One Night Part 1: The Stranger is available for purchase on Amazon and Simon & Schuster for $1.99.  Just One Night, Part 2: Exposed will be released on March 18, 2013.

Visit the Kyra Davis official website. You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley. No compensation was received. All views expressed are my honest opinion. 

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

Beautiful Bastard
by Christina Lauren

Goodreads:

An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling. Discover the story that garnered more than two million reads online.

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He’s exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family’s massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who’d been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he’s never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe’s so tempting he’s willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office.

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they’re willing to lose in order to win each other.

Review:

Chloe Mills is ambitious. She works full time, while working hard on her MBA. Her job would be perfect, she loves the company, except for one major detail - her boss. Bennett Ryan is gorgeous, smart, and world traveled; but for Chloe he's the boss from hell.

Bennette never expected to be attracted to Chloe, but he finds her irresistable. Chloe thought Bennette was hot, but completely unbearable. Neither of them thought they could stand eachother long enough to "get it on."

Beautiful Bastard is a beautiful read. I was completely engrossed in this novel. I stayed up until 3am reading it and was completely annoyed with my body for needing sleep! I enjoyed the characters equally, but I loved the fact that Chloe stood up for herself.  All too often women are portrayed as  victims to powerful men, but Chloe was anything but a victim. She was determined and strong, sexy and passionate, and very intelligent. This girl could hold her own with no problem.

Beautiful Bastard was originally a fan fic... more like a fan favorite, read over 2 million times online. I know I'm a fan! I expect to see more from Christina and Lauren (yes they are two).

I give this book:

Beautiful Bastard will drop on February 12, 2013... just in time for Lovers Day. You can pre-order your copy today on Amazon and other fine retailers.

Check out the website, folow Christina on Twitter, follow Lauren on Twitter, and like Beautiful Bastard on Facebook!

This is not a paid post. A free ebook copy was received through Netgalley. All views expressed are my honest opinion.