Elsa by Simon Gandossi

Title: Elsa

Author: Simon Gandossi

Publisher: Xlibris

Publication Date: July 19, 2012

Synopsis: Elsa Baum dreamed of moving away from Germany a country she had watched everyday being dragged deeper into war by Adolf Hitler. Everyone was under his spell, listening and believing in everything he told them. Elsa and her close friends were the exception, they despised the Nazi’s and were soon to learn the extent of their hatred towards others they considered a threat to their ideology of the perfect superior race. After a chance meeting with the daughter of a high ranking Nazi, feelings developed and she found herself a part of the minority the Nazis were trying to eradicate.

“I don’t want my story to inspire people nor make them sad; I want it to educate
them because hate, homophobia and racism still exist today, and although
the chance of another event like the Holocaust is rare; the world will never be
rid of the foundations that cause hatred among us.
— Elsa Baum"

My Thoughts: I have always been a history buff, and I try to read everything I can about WWII and the holocaust, so when Elsa was available to review I was very excited. I started reading Elsa and I just couldn't stop. I got so wrapped up in her story. It is powerful and emotional. I knew the Nazis persecuted more than just the Jews, but to read such an amazing account of how they treated any person they deemed unfit was amazing. 

I loved Elsa so much. She was strong, and she really stood up for what she thought. Even in small ways, before all the trouble started, she tried to resist the way Germany was becoming. I admired her spirit so much. When she meets Raina and falls in love, she is still not shy. She is more cautious, but she also isn't scared to tell people she trusts.

Elsa's journey through her love with Raina, then her time in the concentration camp is so well written. I felt horrible for everything her and her friends had to go through. While Elsa was in the concentration camp my heart just broke over and over for her. The horrors she saw and was a part of are almost unbelievable. This is a book that every person should read. Elsa shows just what hate can do to people and the horrible damage it can cause. 

Rating:

Purchase on Amazon / Barnes and Noble / or Elsanovel.com

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I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

The Silver Cross by Debra L. Martin & David W. Small - Review

Title: The Silver Cross
Authors: Debra L. Martin and David W. Small
Publication Date: September 15, 2012

Synopsis: There are two things Boston detective Lacey Gardner knows about killing vampires. Slicing off a head or a hit directly to the heart are the only surefire ways to kill one. Silver is their Achilles heel. A vampire never wears silver.

When she meets bartender extraordinaire, Damon Harte, her heart does a quickstep for the dark hunky guy. She’s learned the hard way that having a love interest in her line of work can be heart-wrenching. She’s kept to herself for years, but something about Damon captivates her and draws her to him. When she learns Damon’s devastating secret, she knows what she has to do: kill the man who has stolen her heart.

My Thoughts: The Silver Cross brings something extra to the romance story between a vampire and a human. Lacey hunts vampires and hates everything about them. Damon is a special kind of vampire. So although they have feelings for each other it isn't all cut and dry love and let live. Martin and Small gave readers excitement, drama, and mystery.

The characters were well written. As the story progressed there were occasional back stories to give you a better idea of who they are and how they got that way. Lacey is a perfect vampire hunter. She is dedicated and very driven to end the existence of vampires in her city. Damon is a leader. He tries to help vampires live more in harmony with humans. Then Nic and Rebecca are perfect villains. It wasn't hard to feel animosity towards them and all the mess they made. 

The story is a wild ride, and very fast paced. There were funny moments tossed in, brought by Lacey's partners in vampire hunting. The romance was a little steamy in places, but not overdone. Then of course there was the ending, which left me satisfied but definitely wanting more. I'll be looking forward to the next book in this series. 

Rating:

Purchase now on Amazon.

Follow the Authors, Debra L. Martin and David W. Small on their Blog, Facebook, Twitter.

I received an e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. 

Free e-books on Amazon (10/25)

There are a few freebie options. I didn't go exploring too much for freebies today because I've come down with some crazy virus. Hopefully you'll still see something you like!

The Silver Cross - Tour Schedule and Giveaway

The Silver Cross

There are two things Boston detective Lacey Gardner knows about killing vampires. Slicing off a head or a hit directly to the heart are the only surefire ways to kill one. Silver is their Achilles heel. A vampire never wears silver. When she meets bartender extraordinaire, Damon Harte, her heart does a quickstep for the dark hunky guy. She's learned the hard way that having a love interest in her line of work can be heart-wrenching. She's kept to herself for years, but something about Damon captivates her and draws her to him. When she learns Damon's devastating secret, she knows what she has to do: kill the man who has stolen her heart. Purchase now on Amazon. Follow the Authors, Debra L. Martin and David W. Small on their Blog, Facebook, Twitter Tour Prize - $50 Amazon GC and 5 ebooks Open Internationally Ends 11/26 Fill out the form below to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway

Free e-books on Amazon (10/18)

Sorry there aren't too many choices today. I have so many books I need to be reading that I grabbed just a few. Hopefully you still see a few that interest you.

Owlet by Emma Michaels - Excerpt, Review, and Giveaway

Title: Owlet
Author: Emma Michaels
Series: Society of Feathers Book 1
Publisher: Tribute Books
Publication Date: October 13, 2012

Synopsis: Somewhere between falling and flying… there is a girl.

Iris has a secret. She lost her memory eight years ago and never told a living soul. After an asthma attack one night she finds out that her dreams of a strange house on a snowy island may be a memory resurfacing but the more she learns about the past the more she realizes the life she has been living is a lie. As the façade her father has built starts to crumble around her she will have to decide which means more to her; the truth or her life.

My Thoughts: Owlet took me a little by surprise. I think I have read a few too many paranormal books lately because I was expecting people to just start bursting into flight as birds. Instead I got to read a book about a girl whose soul is half bird, that cannot remember her past, and who possesses something great and dangerous inside herself.

Iris is a great leading character. I love reading her dreams and watching them become her reality. She reacts so typical, it makes her seem more real. She gets upset about not remembering and being lied to. I like that a lot. She didn't just accept everything and be done. She questioned and thought about everything. She may have had feelings for Falcon but she didn't just fall all over him without questioning those feelings. To me, that made her character so much more believable.

I love the dream scenes. The first ones of Iris' Never-Never are so vivid. Then as the book goes on and the dreams become a way for Iris to glimpse her past. I love that I as the reader got all those little glimpses at the same time as Iris. I got to build up to moments with her in the book.

There was one specific scene that at first seemed incredibly chaotic to me as I read it. I wasn't sure to begin with if it was an error or something. But then I realized that it actually added so much to my reading. Chaos was happening in the story and I was experiencing that dis-jointed craziness that so often comes with it.

The rest of the cast of characters were very interesting and likable. Roger and Diana just wanted to protect Iris, and their love for her shown through greatly in this book. Falcon's love for Iris was very apparent as well. He was understanding, even though he worried, and he tried to help her remember everything. We got to glimpse several other members of this Society of Feathers, and I cannot wait to learn more about them all in later books.

Rating:

I need half stars because this is a very solid 4.5 for me.

Excerpt:

After the plane landed Iris fell asleep in the car. Already the day had felt like an emotional roller coaster and it was just starting. When she woke up as the car traveled over a poorly leveled dirt road, the air smelled like food.

“We are almost there. I grabbed some of your favorites on the way, so we have enough Chinese to last us a few rounds of leftovers. I know Roger had them bring groceries out here but who knows what he asked for. You must have had one rough night after that asthma attack,” Diana said.

She seemed like she was back to her old self for most of the plane ride but Iris was still uneasy about forcing Diana to face her fear...and even more uneasy about having slept through the car drive without a single dream. She had never seen Diana
afraid of anything before, other than Iris’ asthma attacks. She was normally either jubilant or serious, but never frightened.

“You sure you don’t want to just stay at a hotel in town? It might be easier and I can’t remember ever getting to stay in one before,” Iris offered, but Diana seemed to zero in on the road in front of her.

For more excerpts follow along with the Owlet tour. The linky is at the bottom of this post. 

About the Author: Emma Michaels is the author of the ‘A Sense of Truth’ and ‘Society of Feathers’ series. Her goal with her latest YA novel 'Owlet' is to give others what she did not have growing up; a strong female protagonist with asthma.  While her previous aspiration was to be a lady knight she realized that not being able to run more than a few feet might become a hindrance so turned to writing instead. Her day jobs include being a cover artist, marketing consultant and silk screen designer. 

As the founder of The Writers Voice blog (http://OurBooksOurVoice.Blogspot.com) she loves to connect authors and readers. As a book blogger turned author, she was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, until she moved at eighteen to Washington State. Suddenly, the world was a new place filled with tall green trees that reached further for the sky with every moment, making her want to do the same. Ever since, she has tried to make her life something new and different from what it was before, pursuing her future career, setting high goals and reaching for them. With the support of her fiancé, Chihuahua, and her amazing blog followers and fellow bloggers, she wants to prove to the world that anything is possible and help inspire fellow literary lovers to reach for their dreams.

Owlet GoodReads page / Emma Michael's Facebook / Emma Michael's Twitter / Emma Michael's Website / Emma Michael's GoodReads

Tribute Books website / Tribute Books Facebook / Tribute Books Twitter

Kindle / Nook / iBookstore / Smashwords / PDF

There is an amazing giveaway for the Owlet tour. Prizes include:

• 38 "Owlet" swag packages - bookmark, sticker, mini poster
• 35 gifted Kindle versions of the "Owlet" ebook
• 4 original "Owlet" sketches drawn by author Emma Michaels
• 2 $10 Amazon.com gift cards
• Original "Owlet" painting created by author Emma Michaels
• custom designed "Owlet" necklace
• owl bracelet and owl keychain

a Rafflecopter giveaway

'Owlet' Blog Tour
Read Along Excerpt Schedule

1.	October 1 - The Busy Bibliophile (guest post)
2.	October 2 - Reading to Penguins (review)
3.	October 3 (A) - The Daily Harrell (guest post)
4.	October 3 (B) - That Artsy Reader Girl (guest post)
5.	October 4 (A) - BookHounds (review & guest post)
6.	October 4 (B) - Paper Cuts YA (guest post)
7.	October 5 - Nicole Olea (review & guest post)
8.	October 8 - Synchronized Reading (guest post)
9.	October 9 - Book and a Latte (guest post)
10.	October 10 (A) - Fire Star Books (interview)
11.	October 15 (B) - Book Fairy Haven (guest post)
12.	October 10 (B) - Snow Drop Dreams (review & guest post)
13.	October 11 (A) - Becky's Barmy Book Blog (guest post)
14.	October 11 (B) - CeCe's Reading and Writing Safari (guest post)
15.	October 12 (A) - Readinista (interview)
16.	October 12 (B) - Jeanz Book ReadNReview (guest post)
17.	October 12 (C) - A Diary of a Book Addict (review)
18.	October 13 (A) - Krazy Book Lady (guest post)
19.	October 13 (B) - Read-Along Excerpt #18
20.	October 15 (A) - Colorimetry (interview)
21.	October 16 (A) - The Unread Reader
22.	October 16 (B) - Wicked Readings by Tawania (guest post)
23.	October 17 (A) - Pretty in Fiction (guest post)
24.	October 17 (B) - Reading It All (review)
25.	October 18 (A) - Close Encounters with the Night Kind (review)
26.	October 18 (B) - Quill Cafe (guest post)
27.	October 19 (A) - Michael Loring (review)
28.	October 19 (B) - For What It's Worth (guest post)
29.	October 20 (A) - Great Minds Think Aloud (guest post - read-along excerpt in Comments section)
30.	October 20 (B) - Rather Barefoot Than Bookless (review)
31.	October 22 - Book Nerd (review)
32.	October 23 - Read-Along Excerpt #32
33.	October 24 - Mad Hatter Reads (review)
34.	October 25 (A) - We Do Write (guest post)
35.	October 25 (B) - Moonlight Book Reviews (guest post)
36.	October 26 - Read-Along Excerpt #36
37.	October 29 (A) - Paranormal & Urban Fantasy Reviews & Goodies (guest post)
38.	October 29 (B) - Novel d'Tales (review)
39.	October 30 (A) - My Guilty Obsession (review)
40.	October 30 (B) - Nick's Book Blog (interview)
41.	October 31 - One Book at a Time (review & guest post)
42.	November 1 (A) - Tiffany's Bookshelf (review)
43.	November 1 (B) - Fangs, Wands & Fairy Dust (guest post)
44.	November 2 (A) - Splash of Our Worlds (review)
45.	November 2 (B) - I'd So Rather Be Reading (guest post)
46.	November 5 (A) - Radiant Shadows (guest post)
47.	November 5 (B) - Kindle and Me (guest post)
48.	November 6 (A) - Read-Along Excerpt #48
49.	November 6 (B) - Lynn Thompson Books (review)
50.	November 7 (A) - What's on Jen's Bookshelf? (guest post)
51.	November 7 (B) - Jean Book Nerd (review & guest post)
52.	November 8 (A) - Breathe in Books (review & guest post)
53.	November 8 (B) - Fighter Writer (guest post)
54.	November 9 (A) - Cocktails & Books (review)
55.	November 9 (B) - Walking on Bookshelves (review & guest post)
56.	November 9 (C) - Offbeat Vagabond (review)
57.	November 10 - Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer (guest post)
58.	November 12 (A) - Claire Louise Reads (guest post)
59.	November 12 (B) - Mother Gamer Writer (guest post)
60.	November 13 (A) - The Bookworm (guest post)
61.	November 13 (B) - Novels on the Run (review & guest post)
62.	November 13 (C) - A Dream within a Dream (guest post)
63.	November 14 (A) - The Solitary Bookworm (review & guest post)
64.	November 14 (B) - Identity Discovery (review & interview)
65.	November 15 (A) - Reading Challenged (review)
66.	November 15 (B) - Only God Can Make a Tree (review)
67.	November 16 (A) - The Top Shelf (guest post)
68.	November 16 (B) - Andi's Young Adult Books (review & guest post)
69.	November 19 (A) - Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf
70.	November 19 (B) - Chapter by Chapter (guest post)
71.	November 20 - Turning the Pages (review)
72.	November 21 - Flutey Words (guest post)
73.	November 22 - Book Briefs (review)
74.	November 23 - Simply Infatuated (guest post)
75.	November 24 - Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf (interview)
76.	November 26 - Fictional Candy (guest post)
77.	November 27 - Read-Along Excerpt #77
78.	November 28 - Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers (review)
79.	November 29 - Bookworm Lisa (review)
80.	November 30 - Lizzy's Dark Fiction (guest post)
81.	December 3 (A) - Kindred Dreamheart (review)
82.	December 3 (B) - Read-Along Excerpt #82
83.	December 4 - Read-Along Excerpt #83
84.	December 5 - Sara's Organized Chaos (review)
85.	December 6 - Once Upon a Twilight (review)
86.	December 7 - The Bookish Babes (review)
87.	December 10 (A) - A Chick Who Reads
88.	December 10 (B) - Electrifying Reviews (review)
89.	December 11 - Shiirleyy's Bookshelf (guest post)
90.	December 12 - Good Choice Reading (guest post)
91.	December 13 - Christie's Book Reviews (review)
92.	December 14 - Keeping It Real with Lucy (review & interview)
93.	December 17 - What's Beyond Forks? (review)
94.	December 18 - Lynn Thompson Books (guest post)
95.	December 19 - The Character Connection (guest post)
96.	December 20 - Rainy Day Ramblings (review)
97.	December 21 - Leisure Reads (review)
98.	December 27 - Artsy Musings of a Bibliophile
99.	December 28 - The Musings of a Book Addict (review)
100.	December 29 - Jenn Renee Read (review & guest post)
101.	December 30 (A) - Young Adult Book Reviews (guest post)
102.	December 30 (B) - Reader Girls (interview)
103.	December 31 (A) - Little Library Muse (review)
104.	December 31 (B) - Andrea Heltsley Books (review)

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I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.