Review: Lousiana Longshot by Jana DeLeon

On 15/10/201313/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

The Particulars: Mystery, selfpublished, available as e-book and in print
The Source: Purchased at Kobo
The Grade: C
The blurb:

It was a hell of a longshot…

CIA Assassin Fortune Redding is about to undertake her most difficult mission ever–in Sinful, Louisiana.

With a leak at the CIA and a price on her head by one of the world’s largest arms dealers, Fortune has to go off grid, but she never expected to be this far out of her element. Posing as a former beauty queen turned librarian in a small, bayou town seems worse than death to Fortune, but she’s determined to fly below the radar until her boss finds the leak and puts the arms dealer out of play.

Unfortunately, she hasn’t even unpacked a suitcase before her newly-inherited dog digs up a human bone in her backyard. Thrust into the middle of a bayou murder mystery, Fortune teams up with a couple of seemingly-sweet old ladies whose looks completely belie their hold on the little town. To top things off, the handsome local deputy is asking her too many questions. If she’s not careful, this investigation may blow her cover and get her killed.

Armed with her considerable skills and a group of old ladies referred to by locals as The Geritol Mafia, Fortune has no choice but to solve the murder before it’s too late

The Review:

I like Jana Deleon’s mystery novels, so when this one was on sale recently. I bought it. After reading it, it was just like I expected a Jana Deleon book to be. A small town in the bayou, filled to the brim with quirky characters.

I liked Fortune, and her struggle to adjust to small town life, and hiding the fact that she wasn’t Sandy-Sue Morrow. The characters she met was interesting, from Ida Belle and Gertie,who knew exactly what they wanted, to Carter Leblanc, the sheriff Deputy that she butted heads with through the book.

Fortune’s, Gertie’s and Ida Belle’s search for Marie was interesting. As the search was thorough, and I’ll admit that there was times that my mind boggled over the casual way Ida Belle and Gertie had towards the law. But it also gave a glimpse of the power the Sinful Ladies Society had in the town. I really appreciated how the history and the secrets was slowly revealed, and how they created an additional depth in the characters.

The biggest problem I had with this book was that I felt I had read it before. In the end, there is only so many times you can write about small Bayou towns, filled with zany characters who have a flexible views of the law. So while I liked it, I didn’t love it. Despite this, I’ll probably buy the next book, just to get more of Fortune, Gertie and Ida Belle.

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop: Win a Pre-Order of Infinity Key by Chrysoula Tzavelas

On 14/10/2013 By MikaelaIn Uncategorized48 Comments

I have been raving about Infinity Key by Chrysoula Tzavelas lately, and recommending it to everyone that are looking for something to read. The Kickstarter for the trade paperback just started, and I decided to give away one pre-order of Infinity Key in trade from Book Depository. ( Sadly, it isn’t a Kickstarter pre-order, since Kickstarter don’t allow several pledges from the same credit card.)

While her best friend is pulled into the supernatural underworld, Branwyn isn’t about to sit on the sidelines. Unfortunately, Branwyn is decidedly mortal, and in the supernatural underworld, humans are weak and helpless, no better than toys, tools and prey. But she isn’t having any of that. Branwyn wants to face the world on her own terms, mortal or not.

When she strikes a bargain with an imprisoned faerie, Branwyn thinks she’s found the solution. He’ll teach her magic and she’ll use that magic on his behalf. It’s a great deal, until she discovers what the faeries really want from her: there’s a door that only she can open…

If you are worried that you have to read Matchbox Girls first, don’t worry. You don’t have to.

To enter, just leave a comment with your name and e-mail!

So many plans!

On 13/10/201313/07/2014 By mikaelalindIn Writing

I have been talking about selfpublishing several times, but it has stayed at talking. Not this time around. I have already settled on which story is going first ( Daughter of the Dark, since it is stand alone), the cover artist I want, and the editor. I plan to contact the editor later this month, and the cover artist next month. Why not immediately? Because while they are well within my budget , they want half the fee in advance, and I don’t want a big credit card bill. So I am spreading it out a bit.

And later in 2014? I introduce you to the Sultanate of Sind. First out is Sherezade, which will probably be retitled to the Sultana of Sind ( or The Queen of Sind)

To tease you, here is the first 200 words from Daughter of the Dark:

Standing in the shadows, I watched the house on the other side of the street. At the surface, the imposing brick house with its walled garden looked like the rest of the houses in this neighborhood. But that was just the surface, beneath the surface I could sense the wards. I knew that if I looked, a rainbow of colors would meet my sight.

I winced in sympathy. Unlike many other realms, this realm’s magic were hidden. In other words, using Elemental magic for spells hurt. A lot. Whoever owned the house had put a lot of effort in the magic defenses. Why? Why would someone ward a residence?

Unease slithered down my spine. Maybe it is the wrong house.

I dug into the pocket of my tunic, and got out the wrinkled paper scrap. I squinted, staring at Toni’s uneven writing.

Loraine Street. I glanced at the street sign. The silver letters gleamed in the moon light.

Yep. That’s here.

I froze when I heard the eeringly familiar howls in the distance.

Cover Spotlight: Bear Naked by Dana Marie Bell

On 12/10/201313/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

I love Dana Marie Bell’s shifter novels, and I cannot wait to read about Ryan and Glory. I don’t have release date, just that it is sometime next year. Hopefully it is in Jan or Feb.

Friday Bargains: Mostly 0.99 deals

On 11/10/201313/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

I reviewed, and loved Beguiled Again by Patricia Burroughs earlier this year. And now you can buy a copy for just 0.99. Not sure if it is available at Amazon and BN, but Bookview Cafe sells DRM free e-books.

I like Patricia Rice’s Rebel series, but I haven’t bought Blue Clouds yet. But I am planning to, since it is just 0.99 (too!) at BookView Cafe.

I read and loved Patrice Greenwood’s mysteries this summer, but I haven’t read her fantasy novels yet. But Dead Man’s Hand is just 0.99 right now, and it sounds interesting.

Claimed by Stacey Kennedy is 0.99 right now. I haven’t read it, but Stacey Kennedy have been on my to check out list for awhile. On the other hand, maybe I should read the free short story bundle with her and Eve Langlais instead.

When I bought it a couple of years ago, I was sure that Liz Flaherty’s Home to Singing Tree was contemporary romance since the blurb is pretty vague, and she have only published contemporary romances. It isn’t. It is well written Post Civil war historical romance, and it is just 2.99 at Allromance right now. I am pretty sure I paid more than that :).

I have heard good things about Ruthie Knox, and right now two of her novellas is 0.99. At least on Allromance.

Review: Fairies in my Fireplace by R. L. Naquin

On 10/10/201312/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

The Particulars: Urban Fantasy, Carina Press, available as e-book

The Source: Purchased at Kobo

The Grade: C

The Blurb:

A migration of mythical creatures has begun, and more and more of them are landing on Zoey Donovan’s doorstep. As the only Aegis left in the country, it falls to her to protect the Hidden and keep them safe—and her house has become a sanctuary for water sprites, goblins, harpies, djinn and more.

Keeping track of her boarders is a full-time job, and Zoey’s already got her hands full trying to run her wedding planning business. Good thing she has a resident closet monster to keep her organized, and a hot Reaper boyfriend to help her relax every once in a while.

But she can’t keep up monster-triage indefinitely, and as more Hidden arrive, it becomes clear that someone—or something—is hunting them. In the midst of planning an event for a notoriously difficult client, Zoey’s got to figure out who’s behind the hunt…and she’s got to stop them before there are no Hidden left.

The Review:

This is the third book in R.L Naquin’s Monster Haven series, and it stands reasonably alone. However, I recommend that you read, or re-read, the previous two books, since there was a couple of times I wished I had re-read the previous books before reading this one.

This book deals with the consequences of the last book. It was interesting to see how Zoe struggled with balancing her Wedding Planning business and her duties as an Aegis. I really liked how Ms Naquin gradually revealed why the Hidden was flocking to Zoe’s house.

The Hidden that arrived at Zoe’s house was fugitives, and most of them were peaceful, but a bit mischevious. I really liked that new characters played important roles in the book, since often the story is focused on the same characters.

The villain was an interesting contrast, since there was nothing nice about the Collector. Her ruthless, and the fact that there were people willing to cater to it, was chilling.

The plot was well written, and there was some interesting twists in the story. I really liked how it slowly was revealed that the problem with the Hidden was tied to the event Zoe was planning. But there was also smaller plot twists, that was connected to events in previous books.

While there was several things I liked with this book, there was also several things I didn’t like. The biggest problem I had was a lack of tension. Both inform of sexual tension between Zoe and Riley, but also in general. I never felt that the plot built towards an confrontation with the villain.

ARC Review: Infinity Key by Chrysoula Tzavelas

On 08/10/201313/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations, reviews1 Comment

The Particulars: Urban Fantasy, Candlemark& Gleam, available in print and as e-book
The Source: ARC from Netgalley

The Grade: A-

The Blurb:

When she strikes a bargain with an imprisoned faerie, Branwyn thinks she’s found the solution. He’ll teach her magic and she’ll use that magic on his behalf. It’s a great deal, until she discovers what the faeries really want from her: there’s a door that only she can open…

The Review:

I supported the Kickstarter for Matchbox Girls solely based on C.E Murphy’s blurb. And after reading it, I was glad I did. So when Infinity Key appeared on NetGalley, I requested it on the spot. And after reading it, I can say it was better than Matchbox Girls. I can also say that this is one of those reviews that cannot tell all the reasons why this book is awesome , since doing so would veer into spoiler territory.

If Matchbox Girls focused on Nephilim and Angels, this book focused on the Faeries, and their wish to be free from their prison. The Faerie world that Chrysoula Tzavelas have created is just the kind of Faerie world I want to read about: Unpredictable, dangerous and filled to the rim with manipulative beings. It was fascinating to see how the Faeries treated her, and how all of them were willing to strike a deal with her. Luckily, Branwyn were wise enough to avoid deals most of the time.

I really liked Branwyn. She was blunt, outspoken and utterly loyal to her friends and family. And determined to save Penny. It was interesting to see how Branwyn changed from being in the Underlight realm, and other Faerie realms. Yet she also remained her. It was fascinating to follow Branwyn, and see how her quest to create the Key went. It wasn’t easy, but it moved forward. It was fascinating to see how Branwyn and Tarn interacted. There wasn’t any romance, but the time she spent in Faerie changed her, and Tarn was affected by her presence in subtle ways.

But the book also took place in LA. And it was interesting to see how Branwyn was around her friends and family, how she struggled to keep a secret exactly what she was involved in. Yet, as the quest went on, she had no choice but to tell them, to reveal at least part of what’s going on. And their reaction was telling. They were worried, and they had reason to be worried.

Because this book involved a good dose of kaiju as well, and let me tell you: kaiju is creepy.

The different plot threads was connected in ways that gradually was revealed, and everything that happened slowly built towards the end. And the twist at the end was a delightful surprise, that made total sense.

The only thing I disliked with this book was Branwyn’s tendency to act first and think about the consequences later. On the other hand, that’s part of Branwyn’s personality, and Branwyn is what makes this book so good.

Free is good, but it doesn’t make me read your book

On 07/10/201313/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations1 Comment

My recent shopping spree at Kobo made me think about pricing, and what my sweet spot is for a new to me author, and how it has changed over the years. ( Not to say I’ll not buy anything at full price, I will.) I bought my first e-reader a Sony PRS 505, in Sept 2009 (Yikes! Four years already), and at first, I went wild. I didn’t care about the price, if it sounded good, I bought it since the e-book price was lower than the price of the paper book in Sweden. But gradually, I got more aware of prices. I started using coupons on Kobo, and when Amazon started the KDP I downloaded freebies. Lots of them. Except… I didn’t read that many of the freebies. I picked up the books I had bought, and read first.

And gradually I became very picky when it came to freebies, and I figured out that 1.99-2.99 was my sweet spot for new to me authors. Why not 0.99? Purely psychological. 1.99 is high enough that I have to want to read the author, yet it is low enough that I haven’t wasted money if I didn’t like it.

And while I figured out that, the publishers took a look at the market, and realised the same thing.
2-3 ago it was common for publishers like Del Rey, Sourcebooks and Kensington to offer free e-books, even if Penguin, Simon and Schuster and Macmillan was much more restrictive. At that time, free reads was the most common promotional tool for Selfpublished authors.

Now it is much more common that publishers uses discounts to promote books. Most of the deals that I see, and post, offers discounted titles for 0.99-2.99. The attitude to discounting varies between publishers, and sometimes between imprints, but the discounts have a huge impact on the bestseller lists. Courtney Milan wrote a blogpost that showed how Avon’s willingness to discount had affected the bestseller lists.

The trend to offer less freebies is also happening among self published books, too even if it is at a slower rates. For example, it is becoming common to offers bundles that is discounted compared to buying the books separately. ( Although that isn’t the always the case, so check what the books cost before buying it.)

Even if a lot of authors still offer the first book in the series for free on a more or less permanent basis. Free books still have an effect on bestseller lists, but I cannot keep on wondering how long that will last? When will readers stop sampling new authors through free, since they already have a lot of books to read?
The answer to the last question is never, since readers love free books, but maybe the correct question is: When will there be so many free reads, that free isn’t a good promotional tool anymore?
I think that has already happened. If it hadn’t been for Amazon KDP Select, the level of freebies would be much lower. Which raises the question: How long time it will take before Amazon changes the KDP Select Terms of Service to say ” Free or discounted to 0.99/ 1.99 for at least 5 days”?

Cover Spotlight: Broken Blade by J. C. Daniels

On 05/10/201313/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

I love the Kit Colbana series by J. C. Daniels. The only drawback is that I crave the next book when I finish the latest book in the series. But that is the good kind of drawback! Anyway, the cover for Broken Blade was posted awhile ago, making me and all the other J. C. Daniels fans hope that it would be out earlier. Sadly it still has a Jan 2014 date…

Friday Bargains: Things that go bump in the night

On 04/10/201313/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

The Reluctant Amazon by Sandy James is free right now. I squeed, and downloaded it when I found out since I have meant to read this series ever since I first heard about it.

Right now we are seeing the effects of the loss of Agency pricing. Several big publishers have discounted Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Harper Collins have discounted a lot of fantasy and Science Fiction e-books right now. Among them is Snuff by Terry Pratchett, The First two Long Earth novels, the first two novels in Sean Russell’s the Swan’s War series. Three Sheri S. Tepper novels… There are probably a lot more available

Del Rey also offers a lot of books for 0.99, among them is Midnight by J.K Beck aka Julie Kenner, The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch ( which I have featured before.)

For a longer list, with covers and links check out SF Signal’s round up.