Book Review: DETERMINANT by A.M. HARGROVE

Title: DETERMINANT
Author: A.M. HARGROVE
Category: Y.A./Fantasy/Paranormal/Romance
Pub. Date: 06/30/2012
Publisher: Self Pub.
Format: E-Book
Pages: 377
ISBN#: B008FPQAME
Series: The Guardians of Vesturon #3

Synopsis:   
January St. Davis, on her own since the age of sixteen and struggling to stay in college, thinks she’s scored in a major way when she lands a paid summer internship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. One evening, after working an especially long shift, a chance encounter with a group of mysterious men alters the course of her life.

Rykerian Yarrister, a Guardian of Vesturon with unearthly powers and impossibly gorgeous looks, finds himself at odds over the human female he recently saved from certain death. When it seems he is on the verge of winning her over, she is ripped from his hands by a strange and powerful being, threatening to destroy her if his demands are not met.

Do Rykerian and the Guardians have the ability to meet this fierce barbarian’s ultimatums, or will January suffer a horrid demise?    

My Review:   
Okay, will start this review with saying that once again I was thrown head and heart into this third book in author A.M. Hargroves series of The Guardians of Vesturon. The covers of each of her books so far has really set the tone, but as for this one for some reason I wanted to reach onto the cover and hold January and say it will be alright. 

As in the other two reviews, SURVIVAL and RESURRECTION, author A.M. Hargrove sweep me up and the fast pace, fanasty, young adult story line and keep me there until the end. 

In DETERMINANT we meet some new and some fascinating beings and our main character January St. Davis is young and being given a chance during the summer that would prove valuable. But will it help in the way she thinks? 

Down to earth but so far out in the fantasy world as well. I love how they can mix it all together. 

Another must have, and must read. 

So due to the above, and like the first two, honest if I could it would be higher, I am giving this book a Breath of Life ratings of: 

Five Clock Rating!!!  

Disclosure: I did receive the above book in exchange for my honest opinion and review. This is my own book and the opinions are my own and yours may differ.

_______________________________

About the Author:

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn't do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase. Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodgeball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head. Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what lap top out the window. She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone and hit #4 on her speed dial.

"Hello."
"Boss, is that you?"
"Why yes, A. M., who else would be answering my phone?"
"Er... right. Well, I'm calling to let you know you can pick up my luxury Ford Focus at Starbucks near the interstate."
"Why ever would I want to do that?"
"Because I quit you idiot!"

A.M. hit the end button and speed dialed her husband.

"Hi yummy hubby, can you pick me up at Starbucks?"
"Sure... Having some car trouble?"
"Not at all. I don't have a car to have trouble with because I just quit my job."
"WHAT?!"
"It's time for a new career and I am going to be a very famous novelist."

So began A. M. Hargrove's career as a young adult paranormal romance author of self-published ebooks. Her series, The Guardians of Vesturon, centers around a family of six siblings and is a mix of humor, mystery, suspense and of course, love. Survival is her first book in the series and her second, Resurrection will be released in January.
If you're wondering, it didn't happen EXACTLY that way, but.. you get the idea...
    

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Book Review: RESURRECTION by A.M. HARGROVE

Title: RESURRECTION
Author: A.M. HARGROVE
Category: Y.A./Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Pub. Date: 01/18/2012
Paublisher: Self Pub.
Format: E-Book
Pages: 365
ISBN#: B006z8wf9a
Series: The Guardians of Vesturon #2

Synopsis:   
"Maddie knew she was dying. Her life started to flash before her. She had visions of running down the soccer field, scoring a goal, eating her mother’s yummy, homemade, sticky cinnamon rolls, standing in her foyer listening to the police tell her father that her mother had been killed in a car accident. Each vision was disturbingly clear—as if it was happening again."

Rayn Yarrister, the first-born son and Leader of The Guardians, has been imprisoned on Vesturon for breaking their most sacred of covenants. He is suddenly jolted by Maddie's telepathic pleas for help, as her life hangs in the balance. Can he alert The Guardians in time to save his soulmate? Or will he face his trial alone and broken without his one true love?
In Resurrection (Book 2), The Guardians of Vesturon are facing their biggest challenges as Earth is threatened by an invading species from a distant planet intent on destroying it for its resources. The Guardians, as protectors of the universe, have been assembled to defend not only Earth, but other vulnerable worlds as well. The Yarrister family is threatened by an unknown entity intent on discrediting them. Will they uncover this plot in time to save themselves from ruin? Will The Guardians succeed in stopping the Xanthians, or will Earth be invaded and ravaged by this marauding species?   

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Book Review: CASA de Naomi The House of Blessing by PAULA ROSE MICHELSON

Title: CASA de Naomi The House of Blessing
Author: PAULA ROSE MICHELSON 
Pub. Date: 02/19/2013
Publisher: Tate Publisher
Format: Paper back
Pages: 252
ISBN# 1622951069
Saga:  Book Two

Synopsis: 

Naomi wants Chaz's love. Chaz loves Naomi but will not forgive his wife lying to him. The attorney wants Naomi's estate. The padre wants the couple to reconcile. Nicco wants to marry Lucinda. Lucinda wants to marry Nicco. Neither will wed until Chaz and Naomi are standing with them when they say their wedding vows. Who will get what they want? Find out when you read the second volume of Paula Rose Michelson's saga, Casa de Naomi: The House of Blessing.  

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Book Review: IXEOS by JENNINGS WRIGHT

Title: IXEOS
Author: JENNINGS WRIGHT
Category: Young Adult
Pub. Date: 02/13/2013
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Pub. Plateform
Format: Paperback
Pages: 358
ISBN# 1482060493
Series: IXEOS Trilogy #1

Synopsis: 
The McClellands are enjoying a lazy summer vacation at the beach when they are lured from our world into Ixeos, an alternate Earth. Finding themselves lost in a maze of tunnels under Paris and surrounded by strangers, they discover that they have been brought to Ixeos for one purpose: to take the planet back from humanoid aliens who have claimed it. With the aid of the tunnels and a mysterious man named Landon, the teens travel the world seeking the key that will allow them to free Darian, the long-imprisoned rebel leader. But the aliens aren't the only problem on Ixeos -- the McClellands have to deal with brutal gangs, desperate junkies, and a world without power, where all the technology is owned by the aliens, and where most of the population has been killed or enslaved. The worst part? There's no way home.  

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Blog Tour: The Mirror of the Moon Guest Post

So today I have another great guest post for you.  Today I have author Travis Simmons talking about how he created his saga.  So let's get to it!

It’s hard to talk about The Revenant Wyrd Saga and not give anything away. There are many mysteries that go into the book, but one thing I can talk about is forming and writing the book.

            I have said before that The Revenant Wyrd Saga wasn’t the first book I had started writing on the continent of the Great Realms. The first book I started writing was The Calling of the Two. That story is about some pretty interesting humans in the far future of The Great Realms. By that time I envision there will be vehicles and some pretty advanced technology based on wyrd (magic).

            At first there was The Calling of the Two. I was writing about Gabriel and Sultana and I knew this isn’t where the story originally started. In fact, I knew there was probably close to a thousand years of history that led up to the events taking place in that series.

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Author Guest Post by Author D.A. Adams

So today I have a great guest post to share with all of you.  I hope you all check it out and enjoy!

When I started writing, the internet and email as we know them didn’t exist.  Everything was still done on paper and mailed through the postal service.  In college, we were taught how to write query letters for agents and publishers, how to format submissions, how to chart where we had submitted what, and all kinds of useful tips and tricks for what were the standard norms of the publishing world.  Today, virtually everything I learned about submission for publication is now obsolete.  In my career, I’ve had to relearn just about every step of the process from scratch, and the purpose of this post is to share with new writers a little information about the process today.

First, let me say, I’m a small press author.  The big six have never shown the slightest interest in my work, so when it comes to landing a deal with an imprint of one these major houses, I can’t help you because I’ve never had any success with them myself.  If you want a deal with one of them, this article will not help you in the slightest.  Also, even though I restarted my career by self-publishing, that landscape has changed so radically in the last nine years, I can’t really help you there either.  If you want to self-publish to make a name for yourself, your best bet is to do a little research and find the best avenue for you.  Finally, I only produce short fiction when I’m approached by an editor to do so.  I haven’t produced a short story on spec in fifteen years, so I can offer no insight on how to get your work into those markets other than to say read plenty of short story publications and submit to those where your work seems to fit.  At this point, you may be wondering what in the hell kind of advice piece this is.  This guy doesn’t seem to know much of anything.

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Book Review: The Mirror of The Moon by TRAVIS SIMMONS

Title: The Mirror of The Moon
Author: TRAVIS SIMMONS

Pub. Date: 03/15/2013
Publisher: Wyrding Ways Press
Format: E-Book
Pages: 247
ISBN#: 9781300696
Series: The Revenant Wyrd Saga #2

Synopsis:  
With the death of one of the companions, Grace must answer for the secrets she’s kept. The path before them is ever lengthening in their quest for Amber. There are changes they all must face, and when Joya enters her trials of sorcery, danger lurks around every corner. The power within Angelica and Jovian is strengthening and with it comes confusion. What are they? It is painfully obvious nothing like them has ever existed before. Why is it at times they seem more one person than two separate people? With all the mystery surrounding their latent power, Angelica stumbles upon a passage in a book of sorcery indicating she is evil. Could she be the Mask prophecy speaks of? Is she destined to turn against her own flesh? To make matters worse, the Well of Wyrding (a giant well that controls all sorcery) has been breached and wyrd itself is spiraling into chaos.

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Book Review: THE CURE A Thriller by BRADLEE FRAZER

Title: THE CURE A Thriller

Author: BRADLEE FRAZER

Category: Medical Thriller

Pub. Date: 06/082012

Publisher: Diversion Books

Format: Paperback

Pages: 306

ISBN#: 9781938120329

Synopsis:                                                          What if we had the cure for a catastrophic illness, but it lay hidden inside the blood and bones of just one man?
A mysterious new contagion is decimating the population. It starts in the lungs, like the flu, then moves to the bones, where it weakens and breaks them, eventually killing the host. The disease's origin, methods of propagation and means of contraction are all unknown. There is no vaccine, and none is expected, as the virus is protean and elusive. If it remains unchecked and mutates into a more virulent form, it will become an extinction level event.
Jason Kramer has the disease, known by its nickname "Trips Lite" (the CDC doctor who discovered it is a fan of Stephen King's "The Stand"), but his body produces a unique antibody that kills the viruses inside him. This component in Jason's blood can be harvested and given to anyone who needs it—his blood can heal. But pharmaceutical magnate Phillip Porter needs to keep people believing that only his expensive drug cocktail will slow Trips Lite down, and so if there’s any chance someone with the disease will live, Phillip Porter must make sure that Jason Kramer does not.
Interweaving the styles of John Grisham and Michael Crichton, The Cure is a thriller that fuses genres while retaining its own unique voice to tell the story of Jason—burdened with the knowledge that he is mankind’s last hope—as he struggles against Porter’s avarice and greed in the face of an impending viral apocalypse.

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Book Review: THE GUESTBOOK by ANDREA HURST

Title: THE GUESTBOOK
Author: ANDREA HURST
Category: Contemporary Romance
Pub. Date: 7/26/2012
Publisher: CreateSpace
Format: E-Book
Pages: 336
ISBN#: 1478163143
Series: Madrona Island #1

Synopsis:   
This book weaves together the heart of Nicholas Sparks, the romance of Nora Roberts, and the charm of Debbie Macomber.
Fleeing her picture-perfect marriage among the privileged set of Brentwood and the wreckage of a failed marriage, Lily Parkins decides to move to the only place that still holds happy memories, her grandmother’s old farmhouse. The lush and majestic setting of the Pacific Northwest calls to her and offers a place of refuge and perhaps renewal. Her grandmother has passed away, leaving the Madrona Island Bed & Breakfast Inn to Lily.
Left with only an old guestbook as her guide–a curious book full of letters, recipes, and glimpses into her family history–Lily is determined to embrace her newfound independence and recreate herself, one page at a time. With the help of the quirky island residents she has befriended, she slowly finds the strength to seek out happiness on her own terms. But as soon as she has sworn off men and is standing on her own two feet, Lily meets Ian, the alluring artist who lives next door, and her new life is suddenly thrown off course. The last thing she wants to do right now is to open her heart to another man.
Ultimately, Lily must decide if it’s worth giving up her soul for security or risking everything to follow her heart.  

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Blog Tour: The Guest Book Guest Post

So today I have a great post for you, it was meant to go up yesterday and for that I am sorry but here it is.  Below you will find a great guest post from the author and all this great books information.  Enjoy.  

Island Bed & Breakfast Inspires “The Guestbook”

As most of my readers know, I make my home on Whidbey Island, the largest island off the coast of Washington state.  One summer, a close friend and I visited a charming local B&B called Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast and during our stay, the idea was born for my debut fiction novel “The Guestbook.”

  

Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast

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