Sunday, July 7, 2013

Book Review: Alice's Alpha

                                                       Today's review is on Alice's Alpha by Ann Gimpel

I can only offer this advice after reading a great amount of books by Gimpel. If you haven't read any, read some. If you have read some, read more. Especially the novella's. Though you will find some commonality in each; sexy men, woman in some sort of distress, happy ending, you will be captivated by each scenario. And did I mention the sexual tension? Or the actual copulation?

Gimpel's ability to make the reader a little hot under the waistline without crossing over to the XXX zone is pretty much unparalleled. And in a short piece, that's a mighty good feat. If she were to venture into the true erotic genre......wow! What do you say Ann?

In Alice's Alpha we of course meet Alice, a civil engineer who enjoys mountain climbing. Because her career and her hobby are viewed as masculine many men are intimidated by her, leaving Alice a 30 year-old virgin. But that's about to change, or so she hopes.

Alice has been friends Brent for quite some time and has hopes that their relationship will change to a more romantic one. But pressing up against him or flaunting her breasts seems to have no effect. Then, while on a climbing adventure he has to leave right away and basically deserts her, she just about gives up any hope for a future with him. But Brent has a secret. One he cannot tell anyone.

Alice makes it down the mountain but she isn't able to reach her car. Thankfully she sees Lon Chaney's cabin where she meets Jeddediah (Jed), an amazingly handsome man who offers to let her stay in the cabin until the morning. Unknown to her however is that Jed is a wolf shifter and the leader of his small pack. Nor is she aware that she is Jed's mate.

Passion burns throughout the pages leaving me wanting more. Again I suggest Gimpel try to hop on over to a true erotic novel.

5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon


Book Description: via Amazon


Alice has given up trying to find a man, that is, until she meets wolf shifter Jed. As desire burns between them, Alice is surprised to discover her life has changed forever. But not as surprised as when she learns she is also the bonded mate of two of Jed’s pack mates! The pages ignite with passion in Book 1 of Ann Gimpel’s hot, new paranormal series, Wolf Clan Shifters.

It’s 1936. Thirty-year-old Alice has almost given up finding a man. Between civil engineering and mountain climbing, her interests are so masculine she scares men away. A poor route choice lands her next to horror movie star Lon Chaney’s cabin deep in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. She’s wary when Jed, a strikingly handsome man, offers her shelter.

By the time she discovers he’s clan leader for a pack of wolf shifters, she’s in way too deep to back out. Her carefully tended wasteland of a heart cracks wide open. Her preconceived notions shatter. Snared by the mate bond, Alice discovers passion hot enough to change her forever. She’s just getting used to Jed when his lieutenants show up, and she discovers she’s mated to all three.





About the Author: 
  
Ann Gimpel is a mountaineer at heart. Recently retired from a long career as a psychologist, she remembers many hours at her desk where her body may have been stuck inside four walls, but her soul was planning yet one more trip to the backcountry. Around the turn of the last century (that would be 2000, not 1900!), she managed to finagle moving to the Eastern Sierra, a mecca for those in love with the mountains. 

It was during long backcountry treks that Ann’s writing evolved.

Unlike some who see the backcountry as an excuse to drag friends and relatives along, Ann prefers her solitude. Stories always ran around in her head on those journeys, sometimes as a hedge against abject terror when challenging conditions made her fear for her life, sometimes for company.

Eventually, she returned from a trip and sat down at the computer. Three months later, a five hundred page novel emerged. Oh, it wasn’t very good, but it was a beginning. And, she learned a lot between writing that novel and its sequel.
Around that time, a friend of hers suggested she try her hand at short stories. It didn’t take long before that first story found its way into print and they’ve been accepted pretty regularly since then. One of Ann’s passions has always been ecology, so her tales often have a green twist.
In addition to writing, Ann enjoys wilderness photography. She lugs pounds of camera equipment in her backpack to distant locales every year. A standing joke is that over ten percent of her pack weight is camera gear which means someone else has to carry the food! That someone is her husband. They’ve shared a life together for a very long time. Children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out their family.
@AnnGimpel (for Twitter)


Friday, July 5, 2013

Some Summer SWANK!!






Original post created by Heather Buckner on Jul 5, 2013 via: denisegroverswank.com

It’s summertime and that means that Denise is packing up the kids and heading out for a summer adventure. This year she is heading to the East coast to enjoy some beach time with her family. We thought this would be a great time to run a little summer contest in our own personal style of Flat Stanley.  Our challenge to you is over the following dates, July 17-31, 2013, you take Denise with you on your vacation.  How do you do this?  Great question.  You aren’t going to actually take Denise, BUT you are going to take her books. You can take an actual physical book, you can pose your e-reader in the pictures or you have our permission to print out a copy of a cover of one of her books(perhaps your favorite), and challenge yourself to win one of five categories.  They are:

The Farthest Traveled-  You have three weeks to take her the furthest of anyone in the contest. Heading to Australia? Take her with you and get a shot of her frying up some shrimps on the Barbie with you ;)
Funniest Photo Opportunity-  Put your creative wit to use with this one.  Get a comical picture of you with Denise on your travels. I’m picturing a pyramid of your family with Denise on top, maybe on The Great Wall of China…I can dream.
Most Places- Let’s see who can get Denise to the most destinations. Tag them all so we can keep track of them for you.
Famous Faces-  Let’s say you are having lunch(with Denise) on your vacation and you look at the table next to you and there is Kate Middleton(probably not going to happen with the baby and all), get a picture of THAT and send it to us.
Lucky Draw - This is the easy category.  Just participate in any of the above categories, and you are entered in this one automatically.

How this works(aka-the rules):

1.  Post your picture on your facebook page and tag Denise in it. Write which category you are entering your photo in. This is how we will follow along and keep track of the entries.
2.  You can enter every category(which increases your chances of winning) BUT you can only win one as we would like to spread the love.
3.  The picture needs to give an idea of where you are OR at least tag your location as well.
4.  Pictures must be up by midnight on July 31 in order to be entered in the competition.
5.  Have fun with this.  We can’t wait to see what all you guys come up with.
Now for the PRIZES-
For the Farthest Traveled you could win this package of goodies:


photo (17)











For the Funniest Photo Opportunity you could win this:
travel with denise4










For the Most Places we have this great package:
photo (14)











For the Famous Faces category we have this to give away:
Travel with denise2




AND Finally, last but definitely not least, our Lucky Draw category I don’t have a picture for this because Denise will be collecting souvenirs along her travels to send out to one lucky winner.  She has great taste so I expect this to be something that you will want to be entered f
Have fun with Denise on your adventures.  We cannot wait to see what you come up with.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Book Review: Caressed by a Crimson Moon

           ***Not intended for those under the age of 18***   

Today's review is on Caressed by a Crimson Moon by Amanda Greene

What can I say about this series that I haven't already said? No matter what, when I grab each book in this steamy and sexy series I just can't put it down. The sexual tension alone tingles my brain as well as my desires. And while some books become boring, the Rulers of Darkness stories just keeps getting better and better, and in my opinion this third installment is the best so far.

In the previous books we learn about Hadrian Lucretius, the crazy and ruthless King of the Validus Clan and how he gave up his throne and went into seclusion after the death of his twin brother, Titus. For 350 years he has waited for death to claim him. He is constantly tormented by his memories, reliving the horrible things that he has done. But he must live in order to ensure peace. His clan needs him and he will not let them down.

While preparing to reclaim his rightful place as King, he sends his Second, Falcon to the Alpha of the Silveria Shifter Pack. Years and years ago a treaty was signed stating that the Shifter Alpha must provide a full-breed daughter to the King in order to maintain their alliance. Reluctant to send any of his full-breed daughters the Alpha sends his half-breed daughter Eva as a ward instead, knowing full well that the insane King would most likely kill her. But that may not be the case.

From the first time Eva "meets" the King she is consumed with heat and lust. Though Falcon warns her not to seek him out, her instinct continues to draw her to him. And when they are together......grab the hose! But Eva isn't all that she seems, and her life is at stake. It will be up to Hadrian to save her because he is the only that can.

Even though book 3 is edited just as poorly as the previous ones, it is still a great addition to my bookshelf. I can't wait for the next one.

4 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon



 Book Description: via Amazon

Consumed by madness and tormented by dark memories of blood and death, Hadrian Lucretius, King of the Validus Clan, has returned after living in self-imposed exile for nearly three hundred and fifty years.

To maintain peace with the vampires, Eva Maldonado is offered as a sacrifice to the crazed vampire king by her father, the alpha of the Silveria Shifter Pack. Hadrian’s reputation is both legendary and lethal; he is ruthless, bloodthirsty, lusty, and soulless. When Eva arrives at the ancient fortress high in the Carpathian Mountains, she is shocked to find a ravaged man with dark burning eyes filled with loneliness and dangerous desire.

Would she be his lover…or his prey? His savior…or his victim? Would Hadrian lure her into madness or would their perilous passion be their redemption?

Monday, July 1, 2013

Book Review: Stealing Breath

           Today's review is on Stealing Breath by Joanne Brothwell

Sometimes when I open a book and see that it's single spaced I tend to be leary. I automatically think that it will take me forever to read, but Stealing Breath has changed my outlook. Though a little slow in the beginning, it does pick up and grabs your heartstrings.

The beginning of the story doesn't really work for me though. I don't really know who Sarah Ross is and why she is looking for a missing child. As it is, I felt that I was thrown in the middle of something. It would have been better if the book started with the child and eased into Sarah looking for her.

I really enjoy books that incorporate the American Indian beliefs. The mystical aspect of their medicine and the healing that occurs in the Potlatch. Though Brothwell weaves these tings seamlessly into Stealing Breath, I would have liked more background information on the "tribe".

I really liked the spark; no pun intended, between Sarah and Evan, and to be honest, that is what kept me reading. I didn't like the repetitive asking "what just happened", but besides that, I did love the way they actually fell in love.

I have read many books that have Skinwalkers as both good and evil; my favorite being Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson, but the evilness of Brothwell's had me intrigued throughout the entire book. The danger was palpable for me.

There were some editing mistakes, but the danger and excitement along with the crazy twists kind of made up for it. Though not an instant best seller, I would actually grab this off of the shelf of any bookstore and give it a try. In fact, I'm actually going to grab the second book today.

3 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon


Book Description: via Amazon

Deep in the backwoods of North Dakota, twenty-one year old Sarah Ross is searching for a missing child when she is attacked by a glowing-eyed, transparent... creature. Sarah survives, destroying the monster by using mysterious abilities she didn't even know she had. Bloody and bruised, Sarah flees the scene and runs directly into Evan Valente, a handsome, charismatic stranger who helps her back to safety. But what is Evan doing out in the forest at five in the morning? Turning to a healer, Sarah is shocked to learn her eyes bear the mark of the Indigo Child-an evolved human with the ability to feel the emotions of others. But her indigo aura also makes her an easy target for those who wish to consume her powerful essence. Soon, Sarah is falling deeply in love with Evan and wants nothing more than to follow her heart and trust that he is the man he says he is. But she can't ignore the lingering feeling that Evan is hiding a terrible secret. The deeper she digs, the more danger she faces, leading her on a course that will force her to face the darkest, innermost parts of her soul.


Tuesday, June 4, 2013

VACATION ANNOUNCEMENT

The Gothic Mom and her family will be vacationing out of the country until June 30, 2013
No books will be reviewed during this time.
Reviews resume on July 1st!!