Earthborn by PM Hernandez (5 stars)

About Earthborn

ADELAIDE BECKER—social outcast and sarcastic know-it-all—enjoys her quiet life until a giant alien crash-lands into it. He claims she’s half alien like him—an Earthborn—and he’s there to save her from the coming invasion. Being half little green man isn’t enough to convince Addy to go along with her supposed savior, but when her mother’s safety is threatened, she takes off on a journey that leads her to discover the other, more exotic side of her family and the power she holds deep within. 

BROCK GRIGNI thinks this will be like any other Earthborn collection. His job is simple—bring his fellow Earthborn back to the compound and save them from the threat of becoming breeding slaves at the hands of aliens from their home planet, Ayezh. He isn’t prepared for Addy—beautiful, smart-mouthed, and his complete opposite in every way. When he learns that everything he trusts is a lie, he has nothing left to hold onto except Addy. 

Together, Addy and Brock must struggle with the challenges and choices before them. Stay and fight, or run and hide? They know the Ayezhni—their ancestors and aliens from a planet in distress—are on their way and will make a collection of their own. Addy feels compelled to help her fellow Earthborn, but can she do that and keep her loved ones safe at the same time?

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Review

Addy goes from a quiet, loner life to hanging out with aliens. Not just hanging out... being targeted. Others are there to protect her, but telling the difference could prove difficult. In a rush of revelations and realizations, she's on the run, trusting her life--and her mother's--to people she's known for a few days. People who aren't human.

I've said it time and time again, but memorable reads are all about good, relatable characters, and this book is brimming with them. Addy is both vulnerable and strong while being tenacious and thoughtful. Brock... can you see me fanning myself? He's a hottie with a heart. A perfect combination. 

Together they need to find answers and take into account that their journey involves more than just them... it has long-reaching effects for their families and all of mankind.

And for sci-fi lovers... this is just the beginning of what I predict to be fascinating sci-fi coolness. I can't wait for more in the series. A great read.

Rating: 5 stars

About the Author

Paulette (PM) Hernandez is a young adult paranormal, sci-fi, and fantasy author. She is a self-proclaimed nerd. She wears a lot of black, not because she’s cool but because she’s fashion-challenged. She has been known to fangirl all over the freaking place.

Connect with Paulette
Website
Facebook
Twitter

Note: I was the Editor on this book through Indie Books Gone Wild. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

Asleep by Krystal Wade (4.5 stars)

About Asleep

"To cure fear, you must use fear." 

Rose Briar claims no responsibility for the act that led to her imprisonment in an asylum. She wants to escape, until terrifying nightmares make her question her sanity and reach out to her doctor. He’s understanding and caring in ways her parents never have been, but as her walls tumble down and Rose admits fault, a fellow patient warns her to stop the medications. Phillip believes the doctor is evil and they’ll never make it out of the facility alive. Trusting him might be just the thing to save her. Or it might prove the asylum is exactly where she needs to be. 

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Review

Rose Briar's parents don't know what to do with their daughter. In desperation, they send her to a mental institute. Once she's there, she spirals into a nightmare of confusion and fear, and she's not sure who to trust... the doctor who swears he can help her or the male friend who warns her about the facility.

Wow. Just wow. This book grabbed me from the first page where Rose's parents are taking her to the institute to the last page where... oh, you know I can't tell you that part. Rose is my favorite kind of character: determined, strong, and flawed. She's made mistakes and has doubts, but she refuses to give in to others' suggestions without doing everything in her power to figure it out.

As intense as it is, there's still time for excellent character development and even a love interest, although not in a conventional way by any means. Plus, the story will leave you guessing on which characters to trust to have Rose's best interests at heart... from her parents, to her doctor, to her boyfriend. It's intense and captivating. Once you start, be committed to a stretch of time, because you aren't going to want to put it down.

I recently saw this book compared to Sleeping Beauty meets Nightmare on Elm Street. So true! If you love twisty fairy tales, or just love a unique book with kick-butt characters and intense story, then grab Asleep today!

Rating: 4.5 stars

About the Author

I’m happily married to the love of my life (don’t gag) and raising three beautiful children in the gorgeous state of Virginia. We live just outside Washington, D.C., and every day I wake up to find myself stuck in traffic trying to get there.

The horrid commute gives me plenty of time to zone out and think about my characters in full, brilliant details (I’m a safe driver; don’t worry). Stories give me a way to forget about the sometimes smelly strangers sitting next to me on the fifty mile trek into town (I pick up hitchhikers every day. True story. Check out www.slug-lines.com if you don’t believe me).

I’ve been a part of organized hitchhiking for nearly fifteen years, but that’s just one small aspect of my oh-so-large life. When I’m not working, commuting, or chasing after my three children (four if you count the man), you can usually find me outside talking to my chickens like they’re the cutest things in the world (they are), or training my amazing dogs how to herd said chickens (which they love), or curled up on the sofa with a good book (why can’t that be 100% of the time?).

I hope you love my stories (or just like them a little; that would be okay, too). And I hope that one day you find your passion, because there’s nothing in life better than doing what you love while surrounded by people you love.

Connect with Krystal: Website, Blaze Publishing, Facebook page, and Twitter.

Note: I served as proofreader on this book through Indie Books Gone Wild. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

Fractured Glass Pre-Orders Are Live TODAY!

I am so excited to announce...

PRE-ORDER FRACTURED GLASS NOW!!!

Fractured Glass is a YA Sci-Fi Novel Anthology unlike any other. It was written by 5 different authors who came together to give you 1 amazing story.

 Blurb

What if other worlds existed alongside your own? What if you could travel through them and truly escape reality?

Sloan and Harley Glass were born moments apart; but, despite their differences, the sixteen-year-old twins couldn’t be closer. They’ve held their tongues each and every time their mother has uprooted them—often moving across the country with little notice. They’ve learned to accept change. But what is Mom running from? 

They discover they’re travelers—half-descendants of those who can traverse an entire universe of parallel worlds known as fractals. When the past catches up, Harley is kidnapped and taken to one of those distant worlds. Now, Sloan must garner her courage and find a way to rescue her sister. Traversing the worlds isn’t the hard part; it’s surviving the elements and the creatures lying in wait to destroy everything in their path.

Will the Glass sisters be able to save the fractal worlds from the kidnapper, or will everything fracture and crumble around them?

Pre-Order Link

~ Amazon ~ 

Find the authors Facebook pages here...

Jo Michaels ~ Tia Silverthorne Bach ~ Casey L. Bond ~ Kelly Risser ~ N.L. Greene

Get to know the characters...

Diego

Diego is a seventeen-year-old who is adopted. His parents are workaholics, but he enjoys the freedom they give him so he can browse the internet, geek out over science, and spend every free moment at the Glass sisters’ house, studying the advanced science and mathematics their mother teaches them. 

He has a deep crush on Sloan, and he happens to be a technology wizard.

I can't wait for this book to go live on December 24, 2014!!

I will be sharing the other character bios on my Tia Bach, Author blog in the coming days. But, enjoy Diego first.

Cover Reveal of Fractured Glass: A Novel Anthology

I'm so excited to reveal the cover for Fractured Glass, a novel anthology. It was such an amazing experience writing a story with four other authors. 

Expected Release Date: Late December, 2014
Pre-orders: Late November, 2014
Title: Fractured Glass
Author(s): Tia Silverthorne Bach, Jo Michaels, Casey L. Bond, Kelly Risser, and N. L. Greene
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction with five sub-genres (paranormal, horror, fantasy, magic, and romance)
Length: ~100k words

About Fractured Glass

What if other worlds existed alongside your own? What if you could travel through them and truly escape reality?

Sloan and Harley Glass were born moments apart; but, despite their differences, the sixteen-year-old twins couldn’t be closer. They’ve held their tongues each and every time their mother has uprooted them—often moving across the country with little notice. They’ve learned to accept change. But what is Mom running from?

They discover they’re travelers—half-descendants of those who can traverse an entire universe of parallel worlds known as fractals. When the past catches up, Harley is kidnapped and taken to one of those distant worlds. Now, Sloan must garner her courage and find a way to rescue her sister. Traversing the worlds isn’t the hard part; it’s surviving the elements and the creatures lying in wait to destroy everything in their path.
Will the Glass sisters be able to save the fractal worlds from the kidnapper, or will everything fracture and crumble around them?

*****

Why is this novel different? Well, because it’s a novel anthology. Each of the authors endeavored to use the same characters and to guide those characters through five sub-genres of 20k words each in the same storyline. You’ve never read anything quite like it, and we do hope you enjoy the Glass sisters’ adventures.

Now we’ll get to the good stuff! First, the digital cover:

And the full wrap...

We can’t wait to release this puppy out into the world for all to read and be entertained. Thanks so much for stopping by to check out our cover. We’ll have some giveaways when the book goes live, so be looking for that post, too!

If you’d like to visit the authors, you may do so via the links below:

Tia Silverthorne Bach
Jo Michaels
Casey L. Bond
Kelly Risser
N. L. Greene

The Forever Man by Pierre Ouelette (4.5 stars)

About The Forever Man: A Near Future Thriller

• Alibi e-original (Random House)
• 340 pages

From the author of The Deus Machine and The Third Pandemic comes a fast-paced thriller about the power of harnessing life itself—and the deadly secrets it conceals.

Portland, Oregon, was once a beacon of promise and prosperity. Now it’s the epicenter of a world gone wrong, its streets overrun by victims and hustlers, drifters and gangsters. Lowly contract cop Lane Anslow struggles to keep afloat—and to watch out for his brilliant but bipolar brother, Johnny, a medical researcher. Lane soon discovers that Johnny is part of an experiment veiled in extraordinary secrecy. But he has no idea who’s behind it, how astronomical the stakes are, or how many lives might be destroyed to make it a reality.

Now Johnny’s gone missing. To find him, Lane follows a twisting trail into a billionaire’s hilltop urban fortress, a politician’s inner circle, a prison set in an aircraft graveyard, and a highly guarded community where people appear to be half their biological age. Hunted by dueling enemies, Lane meets a beautiful and enigmatic woman at the center of a vast web of political and criminal intrigue. And behind it all is a sinister, desperate race to claim the biggest scientific prize of all: eternal life.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review

It's a new world with new societies and currency, but some things never change--sometimes we want what we can't, or shouldn't, have. Lane and Johnny are brothers on very different paths, but Johnny's involvement in some shady experiments puts both of them in danger. 

When Johnny goes missing, Lane is determined to find his brother. Unfortunately, this sends him down a perilous path. Saving his brother may not be an option when all is said and done.

This book pulled me in from the very eerie beginning. I can't give away much, but I will mention it starts with a grave. Each page revealed more details in the intricate maze of storyline. At times, it became a bit too convoluted and frantic, but I never lost interest for even a moment.

Highly successful as a thriller, keeping me guessing and surprised by the twists and turns, I was shocked to also feel emotionally attached to these characters. The ending left me sad and heartbroken, and there were some really deep themes.

A thrilling read!

Rating: 4.5 stars

About Pierre Ouellette 

Pierre Ouellette entered the creative realm at age thirteen as a lead guitarist for numerous bands in the Pacific Northwest, including Paul Revere and the Raiders, and later played with such jazz luminaries as saxophonist Jim Pepper and bassist David Friesen. He has had two novels published in seven languages and both optioned for film. He has also authored two biotech thrillers published in paperback under the name Pierre Davis, and directed and produced The Losers Club, a documentary about struggling musicians. Ouellette lives in Portland, Oregon, where he now devotes himself exclusively to writing fiction and playing jazz guitar now and then in a little bar just down the street.

Thanks to TLC for my review copy.

Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

Please visit other stops on The Forever Man blog tour page.

The Time Traveler's Boyfriend by Annabelle Costa (4 stars)

About The Time Traveler's Boyfriend

Print Length: 250 pages
Publisher: Dev Love Press (February 2, 2014)

Claudia’s geeky boyfriend Adam has just invented a time machine.

No, really—he has.  She doesn’t believe it either until Adam provides her with definitive proof that he does, in fact, have a functioning time travel device sitting in the living room of his Manhattan brownstone.

But instead of getting ready to accept the Nobel Prize, Adam has very different plans for his groundbreaking invention.  He wants Claudia to use the machine to travel back in time and stop the accident that landed him in a wheelchair over a decade ago, and prevent the trajectory of events that he believes ruined his life.

When Claudia reluctantly agrees to become the first human time traveler, she knows she’s making a big gamble.  If she succeeds, she could have the happy ending with commitment-phobic Adam that she’s always dreamed of.  But if she fails, it could mean the end of the universe as she knows it.

“Costa’s wild imagination and keen writing style will keep readers on their toes as they breeze through this book which is quite an emotional roller-coaster ride and guaranteed to produce giggles and possibly a tear.” -Jaime A. Geraldi, The Romantic Times

Read the first chapter HERE.



Review

Claudia is in love with Adam, a man of science with commitment issues. One day, he asks her a special favor: go back in time, via his own invention, and change his destiny; a destiny that lands him in a wheelchair.

How can she deny him this one thing? Her adventure back is eye-opening. Everything she thought she understood about their life together is upended. 

Time travel is a tricky subject. No matter how well explained it is, the potential paradox problems are too often glaring. So it takes a good story to make the reader forget all of that. Thus is the case here. I was caught up in Claudia and Adam's love story. What began as a light story quickly became more complex: some things are simply meant to happen, no matter how much we think changing them would improve our lives.

Claudia is an endearing character; she's hurting from unfulfilled expectations--she thought she'd be a wife and mother by now--and fighting to get back what she thinks she's lost. Adam, who at first seems distant, comes full circle through the revelations of time travel. Thanks to strong emotions, it develops into a sweet (just the right amount, not overly sweet) romance.

If you enjoy a romance with an interesting twist, I recommend The Time Traveler's Boyfriend.

Rating: 4 stars

About Annabelle Costa

Annabelle Costa is a teacher who writes in her free time.  She enjoys the wounded hero genre, involving male love interests with physical disabilities, who don’t follow the typical Hollywood perception of sexy.

Buy The Time Traveler's Boyfriend on Amazon.

Absolution (The Broken Diaries) by Carlyle Labuschagne Cover Reveal

Absolution 
Confessions of a clone

is book one in The Broken Diaries series of novellas.

Can be read as a stand alone or as a companion novella to 

The Broken Novels

Expected release date: October 2014

Genre: Upper YA Science Fiction

(Unedited)

So my secret is out you say? That would depend witch secret you are referring to. That I am a clone? Everyone knows that by now. Or that I have a dark disease pulsating through my veins, one I am quite fond of? Big deal. It’s exciting, never to have to hold back, unpredictability is a drug. We all crave it.  So what possible secret could I hold that is worth keeping? Imagine me giving you a sly smirk right now because I have not the misfortune of compassion that will cause me to spill my secrets. Without them there is no hand to be dealt.

Will my secret keep him close? Perhaps. But here is my confession, I have something better than secrecy. I have absolution. With me, he is not bound, it will be out of choice. With me, he never has to hold back. And I would love him for the good and especially in the bad. When I gave my word that I’d stop my tricks – I lied. That’s the thing with obsession. I does not care. It only wants, and it is so fixated on want, that it becomes need, and it shall have all it wants and needs.  And while I have no time to ponder who I am, clone – what a stupid word, I am already on my way to loving him forever. That’s how I play it, because I just don’t care.  Everyone knows I am nothing like my pathetic prime. That with me, it’s all bad intentions and violent, narcissistic adoration. That is not who I am. I am but one thing - in absolution. 

About The Author 

Carlyle Labuschagne is a South African award wining author working her way into the hearts of international readers with her first two books in the Broken Trilogy. Her first young adult dystopian novel "The Broken Destiny" reached top 3 in its YA debut Category. The Sequel Evanescent won YATR literary award for best Sci-Fi book 2013.

Carlyle loves to swim, fights for the trees, and is a food lover who is driven by her passion for life. Carlyle also writes for IU e-magazine India, an inspirational non-profit magazine that aims at inspiring the world through words. The drive behind her author career is healing through words. Carlyle is also the founder of the first annual book drive – Help Build A Library in Africa Project. And hopes to launch her very own Indie book festival in Johannesburg March 2015.

“My goal as an author is to touch people’s lives, and help others love their differences and one another.

Other Related books:

Follow the author for regular giveaways and news! 

twitter . Website .  Facebook  . amazon 

 Thank you for stopping by! 

A New Birth of Freedom: The Translator, Robert G. Pielke (4 stars) Review & Giveaway

A New Birth of Freedom: The Translator Summary

Noam Chomsky argues that communication with aliens would be impossible. Stephen Hawking argues that it would be extremely unwise even to try. What if it were absolutely necessary to do so? This question arises with extreme urgency at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, in this time-travel, alternate-history trilogy, A New Birth of Freedom.

A New Birth of Freedom: The Visitor (Book One) Summary

It has taken centuries to recognize that all humans possess certain unalienable rights. There will come a time when we have to consider whether others deserve those rights as well. That time will come on July 3rd 1863. 

When a stranger carrying a shiny, metallic valise steps aboard a train carrying Abraham Lincoln home from a 2 year stint in Congress, everyone stares, wondering about the stranger's odd clothing and strange footware with the word Nike emblazoned on them.

When the strange man shows up in Lincoln's office at the White house 14 years later, still wearing the same clothes, carrying the same valise and looking not a day older, the president and his staff know something is odd.

But when Edwin Blair opens his valise and projects a 3d image of the Earth on Lincoln's wall, then proceeds to tell a fanciful tale about time traveling aliens preparing to land at Gettysburg on July 3rd, they are sure they've met a lunatic.

Unfortunately for them, they're wrong. 

Please visit the A New Birth of Freedom: The Visitor 2011 blog tour page for more information.

Prices/Formats: $16.95 paperback, $4.99 ebook
Pages: 394
ISBN: 9781611605426
Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press
Release: November 1, 2012

Review

The Civil War had a huge impact on who we are as a nation. In the A New Birth of Freedom series, it has an even greater impact as an historian from the future travels there to prevent the end of our world at the hands of aliens.

The first book in this science fiction trilogy, The Visitor, sets the stage. Edwin Blair time travels back to meet Abraham Lincoln and then to Gettysburg to try and stop the future destruction of our planet. An alien cube is to land in the middle of the battle, and Blair needs Lincoln's help to orchestrate a momentary truce between the North and the South against a common enemy.

The action continues in the second book, The Translator, as Blair tries to understand the ramifications of changing history. The aliens have momentarily been stopped and a few are being held for interrogation. Blair must use all of his knowledge, combined with the knowledge of the significant historical figures of the time, to figure out how to communicate with aliens (known as pests). Then, he must decide how to use the information.

But nothing is simple when it comes to time travel. If Blair changes things too dramatically, a paradox will occur. One that could wipe out his own existence which would preclude him from ever going back in the first place. What he ultimately figures out is that he can only change things slightly enough so as not to overly affect the future, while still making a lasting small change that he will ultimately understand.

The author does an amazing job with history and the difficult task of exploring time travel and the confusing effects such an ability could have. Civil War buffs will especially love the interactions of a future historian with people like Lincoln and Robert E. Lee. Several times, I was intrigued enough by the events to head to the Internet to look up Civil War dates and facts.

I highly recommend this book to those who love history with a twist and science fiction fans, although I think others will enjoy it as well. While readers could pick up The Translator as a stand alone, it reads better with the background from book one, The Visitor. And don't expect a tidy ending at the end of this book... it definitely leaves you wanting to read the last book in the trilogy.

Note: I am vague about the details of both books for good reason. I don't want to ruin the experience for readers, as the twists and turns are a huge part of the books' allure.

Ratings: 4 stars (for both books)

About Robert G. Pielke

Robert Pielke, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, now lives in Claremont, California. He earned a B.A. in History at the University of Maryland, an M. Div. in Systematic Theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, and a Ph.D. in Social Ethics from the Claremont Graduate School.

He taught on ground and online for countless years at George Mason University in Virginia, El Camino College in California and online for the University of Phoenix. Now happily retired from “the job,” he is doing what he always wanted to do since he wrote his first novel at ten in elementary school. It was one paragraph, three pages long and, although he didn’t know it at the time, it was alternate history.

His academic writings have been in the area of ethics, including a boring academic treatise called Critiquing Moral Arguments, logic, and popular culture. Included in the latter is an analysis of rock music entitled You Say You Want a Revolution: Rock Music in American Culture. He has also published short stories, feature articles, film and restaurant reviews. His novels include a savagely satirical novel on America and its foibles, proclivities and propensities, Hitler the Cat Goes West, and an alternate history, science fiction novel, The Mission.

Most recently, he has updated and revised his book on rock music, which is being republished by McFarland & Co.

He swims daily, skis occasionally, cooks as an avocation, watches innumerable movies, collects rock and roll concert films, is an avid devotee of Maryland crabs and maintains a rarely visited blog filled with his social and political ravings. His favorite film is the original Hairspray; his favorite song is “A Day in the Life”; his favorite pizza is from the original Ledo Restaurant in College Park, MD; and he is a firm believer in the efficacy of “sex, drugs and rock and roll.” Somehow his family and friends put up with him.

For more information about the author, please visit his website, Facebook page, Twitter page, and on GoodReads.

This is a blog tour, please visit the A New Birth of Freedom: The Translator blog tour for more stops.

Buy A New Birth of Freedom: The Translator

Amazon: Paperback, Kindle

Whiskey Creek Press: Paperback, ebook

Nook

Note: I received a complimentary copy from Tribute Books for review purposes. No other compensation was received. A positive review was not guaranteed or requested; the views expressed are my own.

For more information on Tribute Books, please visit their website, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

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Giveaway

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I'm thrilled to be giving away an ebook copy of A New Birth of Freedom: The Translator to one lucky reader.

To enter to win, please leave your name and email address in the comments below. The contest will close at 5:00pm EST on Friday, February 22.

I will put each name in a hat and have my trusty assistant (my lovely 12-year-old daughter) pick one. 

Good luck!

Spotlight on MechaNation by J.E. Dugas

About MechaNation

Shortly after the conclusion of the War of 2018, the mechanical evolution of humankind made a dramatic leap forward.

With the Human Guerilla Faction no longer a threat, a biotech company, Lazarus Nanotech Corporation, went from competing to stay in the top ten, to top contender after introducing their revolutionary NanoInjections system.

NI’s were designed to wipe the slate of traditional internal surgery, and go far beyond it. NI’s—composed of targeted nanomachines—could be preprogrammed and injected into the client to vastly transform the client’s body in any chosen manner. Weight loss, facial reconstruction, breast and genital enhancement, intelligence boosters, social elitist; whatever the client desired.

Soon, NI’s became a major vanity movement, and Lazarus Nanotech became the most valuable company in the world.

This success, of course, spawned an entirely new criminal underworld: the Nano Black Market.

Buy MechaNation here.

About J.E. Dugas

J.E. Dugas is the author of the multi-period action/adventure/science fiction series Rose Petals and Gun Powder (Rose Petals and Gun Powder, including , RPGP: Shadows of Life, RPGP: Lost Cove, RPGP: Wanderlust, and RPGP: Paradoxical, a Double Feature), as well as the new title MechaNation, a NanoPunk Thriller. J.E. is currently at work on its sequel, MechaNation: Rebirth. Prior to writing full time, J.E. spent over a decade in the private security and law enforcement fields.

Visit him at Crimson Worx.

Please visit other stops on the MechaNation blog tour page.

Thanks to Pump Up Your Book for including me on this blog tour.