Tainted Blood, The Brookehaven Vampires #3

 Tainted Blood: Available in Hardcover and Trade Paperback December 15th!

I apologize for taking so long to announce the information on the hardcover and trade paperback versions of Tainted Blood. We’ve been experiencing troubles with the cover and have finally remedied those issues.

Due to this delay, I do not have any copies of Tainted Blood on hand at this time. To make up for this delay and to thank you for your patience, I am discounting all three of my titles on my website from December 15^th-31^st 2012. I have a limited quantity of *Laney and Darkness on hand and once they are gone I will not be able to accept any orders for those titles until my stock is replenished. As for Tainted Blood, I will be placing the order on January 1^st and will notify you when books arrive and are ready to be shipped. (*Approx. mid to late January 2013).
*All orders of Laney and Darkness placed by the end of December will be shipped out the following day unless requested otherwise.

DECEMBER DISCOUNT
Laney: Hardcover $17.99. reg $19.99. Trade Paperback UNAVAILABLE .
Darkness: Hardcover $17.99. reg $20.99 Trade Paperback $12.99. reg. $15.99
Tainted Blood: Hardcover $24.99. reg $26.99. Trade Paperback $14.99. reg. $17.99.

Due to some issues we've been having, Tainted Blood will only be available in print through my website and lulu.com. I will be placing another order in early 2013.

Thank you for your patience.

Much Love,
Joann I Martin Sowles
www.brookehavenvampires.com

E-Book MUST Reads

Buy the E-Book NOW! 


Click here:
  Amazon or Barnes & Noble

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              Amazon   ~*~*~*~*~*~*~    Amazon    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~   Amazon
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Download some great reads this Holiday Season! 

~Kim 

Review: Sins of the Fallen (Acadmy of the Fallen, #3)

Description: 

Hunter
I knew how much Kayla had changed over the past few weeks, but it was nothing compared to what I had seen in her from the moment we stepped into this place. The Kayla from before she learned about this world, was gone. She was already attached to some of their kind and I could see that she felt as if it was her responsibility to protect them all, the haunted and the fallen. She was starting to put them before her in every decision she made. It started sometime before we left the Academy where her father is in charge. After her incubus half-brother and his allies attacked the Academy, we managed to leave and take shelter here. Only, everything about this place is completely different. Many of the beings that live here have earned back the privilege of being full-blooded angels. Well, some say that is a privilege; others see it as a curse. Either way, the place itself had already started to become my very own curse. From the moment Kayla stepped foot in this place, I could see her change complete faster and faster. This Academy was giving her the confidence to be who she was meant to be, and deep down, I knew it was only a matter of time before I would no longer be needed in her life. It may sound selfish, but as Kayla started her journey to save those who were left behind, I was fighting for her. I was fighting to be worthy of a Nephilim.

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 I had the extreme privilege of reading this book before it's release date. (which is December 11) I was given the amazing opportunity to name one of the characters in this series, and I have to say that I'm really enjoying the benefits. ;) 

Among the many problems Kayla and Hunter face, their relationship becomes the biggest obstacle. How can you be together forever when one is mortal and the other immortal? Throw in a nephilim guy with major attitude to train Kayla, and some succubus resistance training for Hunter, and they are headed for disaster. 

There will be no spoilers from me, I don't want to give anything away. I don't think anything I could say would do justice to the storyline of this book... 

It is a great continuation of the series. There is a beautiful balance of drama and action. As always, there are twists and turns that you don't see coming and will keep the pages turning! You will not want to put this book down until you get to the very end... where you will be met with another famous Lanzarotta cliff hanger. Well, the preview of book 4 is the cliff hanger, but it still counts, as it leaves you wanting more.  

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Pre-order your signed copy ~> here <~

Or purchase a copy here: 

Amazon  &  Rocket Science Production  

If you haven't read the first 2 books, you can find them here: 

Wide Awake, book 1 

 Nephilim, book 2 

~ Kim 

 

Academy of the Fallen Series

Click on the banner to visit the authors website.


Description of book 1, Wide Awake: 

Kayla is a 16-year-old girl who was adopted when she was little. She lives a normal life, with great friends, loving adoptive parents, and well... a not-so-great boyfriend. But the reason why she was given up for adoption was far from any usual reason. She was meant to be kept away from the Academy and anything else related to the supernatural beings that could hurt her. Unfortunately for Kayla, it was only a matter of time before she encountered the creatures from the Otherworld, and there is just no running away from the beings that she can now see. In trying to protect Kayla by keeping her away from the Academy, she may have just been put in even more danger.

Forward Passes - First Chapter

Forward Passes

Jami Davenport

A DANGEROUS SPIRAL

Her new neighbor’s door opened. Lavender stared at the most incredibly sculpted though sweaty chest she’d ever seen. Tyler towered over her, naked from the waist up with his faded jeans slung low on his hips. She lifted her gaze to well-defined pecs with a smattering of black chest hair. Muscles bunched, and a Rose Bowl tattoo adorned his right upper arm. Despite the muscles, he looked lean and ready for action. Lavender licked dry lips, imagining the kind of action a man like that might be ready for. Damn, but he had a fine body. Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. Too gorgeous for his own good. Or for hers.

Chapter 1

What Goes Up

       A man about to make pro-football history should be a lot more excited about it.
Like a well-programmed robot, Tyler Harris zeroed in on his receiver, instinctively calculated the distance, and lofted the ball into the air. The second the football left his hands he knew it’d be a touchdown catch.
His cousin and the Seattle Lumberjacks top wide receiver, Derek Ramsey, blazed into the end zone, spun around at the exact right moment, and caught the ball. Ty waited for the smugness, the confidence, the satisfaction to surge through him. He waited for the greatest natural high on earth to engulf him, a high better than the best sex, and that was pretty damn, fucking good.
Usually.
But nothing happened.
        Two more minutes to glory. The defense took the field and held the Bruins. The clock ticked off the last seconds until the scoreboard displayed: 00:00. The stands erupted. Confetti blinded Tyler in a snowstorm of red, white, and blue. The stuff swirled through the air and stuck to his sweat-soaked uniform. Teammates slapped his back. Coaches hugged him. The roar of the fans deafened him. Sportscasters crammed microphones in his face and barked questions at him. Rabid reporters yanked on his Number Eleven jersey and fought for his attention. He stood frozen in place, staring at the scoreboard. He felt more like a shell-shocked soldier than a conquering field general who’d led his troops to victory in the final battle and won the war.
        Except he wasn’t a general. He was no fucking hero. He’d never risked his life to save others. He’d never tramped through the desert or the jungle not knowing if his next step would be his last. He’d never sacrificed so others could have a better life or even have a life. He was just a guy gifted with an athletic body and a no-quit attitude. He didn’t deserve this: the adulation, the money, the fame, none of it.
But since when did he give a shit if it was deserved or not?
What the fuck was wrong with him?
         Every football player lived for this moment from the first second he gripped a football in his hands. It should’ve been the happiest time of his life, a defining moment in a career of defining moments; two Super Bowls under his belt and a sure MVP of the game. He was a future Hall-of-Famer with a lot of gas left in his tank, still in his prime, not yet thirty years old. The press touted him as the hottest QB in the league.
Nowhere to go from here but—
—down.
          Nothing had been the same since Ryan died. Try as he might, he couldn’t find his passion for the game, for life, for anything. Hell, not even for sex. Like a disembodied spirit, he observed the scene, detached and way too fucking melancholy in the midst of the celebratory mayhem engulfing him. Jostled around by the sea of humanity, he barely felt them. He stood in the middle of the crowd, numb, apathetic, and alone. The emptiness smothered him, gnawed at his gut, consumed him. Regardless of his apathy, he wouldn’t rain on his teammates’ parade. Forcing a grin he didn’t feel and adopting his cocky façade, he faced the television cameras and gave them what they’d come to expect from him, an arrogant, yet entertaining, recap of his performance. Then he stood on the podium, and made one of his typical fist-pumping speeches laced with humor. After which he did every post-game interview with his usual brash panache.
No one noticed his mechanical movements or the dead smile.
Was this all there was?
          What had happened to his legendary enthusiasm for the game, his penchant for living life on the edge? What happened to him? He’d lost himself somewhere between college jock and superstar athlete, yet it hadn’t mattered before. He’d lived in blissful ignorance until that fateful night when Ryan died of cancer.
If you stripped away all the hype and his public image, he didn’t have a fucking clue who lived underneath.
       All this deep shit rattling around in his brain was way too much introspection for a dumb jock. He shook off this momentary lapse into deep thought, took a deep breath, and squared his shoulders. In a week, he’d start the relentless pursuit of winning all over again because losing, for Tyler, had never been an option.
Glancing at his watch, he followed his teammates out of the locker room via a back door, down the long hallway leading to buses waiting to take them to the airport. A couple hours and a few glasses of champagne later the team plane touched down in Seattle. Security hustled them past the large crowds to waiting limos.  Waving and grinning, he acknowledged the hordes of fans crammed into every spare inch of terminal space. He paused and breathed in the crisp Seattle air. His teammates shouted to each other, planning parties which would last well into the morning.
         Cass, his long-time fiancée and even longer-time girlfriend, would expect to attend every one of them. She’d already texted him with her location at a teammate’s home on Lake Washington. The Vegas line against them ever getting married had once topped out at fifty-toone and dipped to fifteen-to-one after he’d set a date for two weeks from today.
         Claustrophobia set in, smothering him. He felt trapped, trapped in a career he no longer had a hunger for. His self-created, bad-boy image pigeonholed him in a role he wasn’t sure he wanted to play. His upcoming wedding in two weeks weighted him down with doubt.
He needed to escape, clear his head, gain some clarity.
Tyler slid behind the wheel of his sports car and accelerated out of the underground parking garage. His wheels spun on the rain-slickened streets as he turned a corner too quickly. Instead of heading toward I-5 and Mercer Island for a night of celebration, he turned in the opposite direction, dodging in and out of cars on the four-lane street. The light ahead turned yellow, Tyler punched the gas.
And slammed right into the back of a police car.

Review of The Vampire Diaries, The Hunters: Phantom

 

Description:

The past is never far. . . .
      Elena Gilbert and her friends saved Fell's Church from evil spirits, but the town's freedom came at a price: Damon Salvatore's life. Now, with nothing standing in their way, Elena and Stefan can finally be together. So why can't Elena stop dreaming of Damon? 

As Elena's feelings for Damon grow, a new darkness is brewing in Fell's Church. Elena has been to hell and back, but this demon is like nothing she's ever seen. Its only goal is to kill Elena and everyone she loves. 

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 I waited for the third book in The Hunters series to come out before reading any of them. Between The Vampire Diaries series, the TV show, Stefan's Diaries, and now The Hunters series, it was all a little too much. I needed to stop and try to separate each one in my mind because I was becoming majorly confused. 

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the original series, or even The Return series. I believe it could have been much better had there been slightly less detail, and some of the less important scenes shouldn't have been stretched out. If the book were condensed into a 300+ page book it would have packed more of a punch than the 400+ pages that it is. 

With that said, any time I'm reading about Damon is going to be enjoyable.  :)  He's one of my favorite characters, both fictional and on-screen. I will forever be one of the Team Damon fans, always pulling for him to win Elena over - so you can imagine my delight when he was resurrected in this book. Though I had little doubt that he wouldn't return, I mean what kind of story would it be without a crazy love triangle involving 2 vampires?  ;)  And with that love triangle comes a lot of jealousy, which in turn creates the interesting storyline for this book. It's a great tale of lasting friendships and growing romances.

 

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I've already started on Moonsong, book 2, so stay tuned for my following review.

~ Kim 

 

Review of Tainted Blood (Brookehaven Vampires # 3)

Description: 

Tainted Blood is the third installment in The Brookehaven Vampires series:

Laney’s life is suddenly tangled by deceit, and as she tries to pull her past, present, and future together, she finds herself and her friends fighting for their lives. Thrown into the midst of a conflict that has been brewing for centuries—a conflict that no mere human should be anywhere near—Laney and her friends will discover that the mythical creatures of lore are not so mythical after all.

As Carter and Kiera’s relationship moves forward, Laney and Oliver’s becomes strained…confusing…dangerous.

Laney would have never thought Oliver was capable of causing such pain, such heartache, such fear. When he becomes a danger to everyone they know, especially her, Laney must make the choice to save herself, or those she loves.

As if this weren’t enough, a visit from Oliver’s brother could bring Laney’s life to a tragic end.

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WOW! <~~~ I'm seriously struggling to find any words beyond wow to describe this book. 

I loved Laney. 

I became a huge fan after Darkness. 

I'm an addict after finishing Tainted Blood!  

It's as if I have a bond with the series and I'm desperate to read the next book!  

    This book shows you a whole new side of all the characters - and as they start to uncover more about the crazy paranormal world they've found themselves living in, they are forced to grow up. They can no longer trust anyone, including each other and that is the hardest part of all.  

     I felt every emotion that Laney experienced, I was actually snapping at my husband when he interrupted my reading. lol  

The story was written in such a way that it all seems so real, I could actually picture myself in her situations, and 9 times out of 10 I would have done the same thing. Always getting myself in trouble. 

      I think this series has come the closest to real world happenings mixed with the paranormal than any other book that I've read in quite a while. I mean, not that vampires and werewolves are going to pop out of the woods, but the day to day life of the characters is reasonable, unlike a lot of the books that I've read. 

     Full of twists and turns, you will find yourself on the edge of your seat not wanting to put the book down! I actually loaded it onto my phone so every chance I got at work I could read, even if it was just a paragraph at a time! 

 

The ending is KILLING me, and not knowing how it turns out is torture! I've already begun bribing Joann to let me in on the plot of book 4!  So far she's not leaking any details. lol

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Buy it now for $2.99 on Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. 

I hope you'll take the time to read this amazing series, Joann has some wonderful ideas and I admire the work that she puts in to writing and publishing the books herself! 

THANK YOU JOANN! 

  ~ Kim 

 

Review of Darkness (Brookehaven Vampire #2)

 ~*~*~*~ Spoiler alert! There are a few spoilers - BEWARE.  ~*~*~*~

Description: 

Darkness – the second installment in The Brookehaven Vampires series:
Not long ago, Laney Alexander was living a carefree life - that is, until she was thrown into a world full of creatures only the imagination thought possible. Now, after surviving a terrifying night, Laney and Oliver are lying low at Julz’s place. They are relieved to be in each other’ arms once again, but fate seems to have other plans…

Julz is not happy to have visitors in her home and emotions are running high. Laney is pushed to her limits as she watches Carter fight for his life and her relationship with Oliver becomes strained as she discovers secrets about Julz that could tear them apart.
As Laney reaches her boiling point, disaster strikes and her life is shattered. Laney must come to terms with what has unfolded, but will she lose her way and let the darkness consume her, or will she find her light in Oliver?
Secrets will be revealed. Hearts will be broken. Lives will be lost. Darkness will fall.

 ~*~*~*~ Spoiler alert! There are a few spoilers - BEWARE.  ~*~*~*~

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Ahh... I have to say the second time was much better. I had forgotten a lot of the important details and again am SO glad that I decided to do a re-read before starting the 3rd book, Tainted Blood.


As the bond between Laney and Oliver intensifies, so does his over protectiveness and jealousy on both their parts, causing a few tense outbursts through out the book. Having Julz and Carter under the same roof with Laney and Oliver, jealousy is running rampant; not to mention the tensions between Julz and Laney - which eventually erupts into a fight in the kitchen! 
With Oliver being called out to help with city clean up, Laney is left in the house surrounded by strangers, and her badly injured friend, Carter. Once Julz disappears, Laney finds herself enjoying the company of said strangers - especially Lola, the vampire dog, that she finds comfort in. 
After a fight with her Aunt Lilly, Laney leaves - only to go back and find her the next day laying in a pool of her own blood. Distraught after loosing the last of her family, she is consumed by anger while trying to come to terms with the turn her life had taken since Oliver had entered, she finds herself blaming him for everything. Because of this, she finds herself becoming closer to Carter, which threatens to tear her and Oliver apart. Finally able to return to their apartment complex, life begins to return to normal. Just as Laney and Oliver are falling back into their comfortable routine, a stupid decision to go out with Carter while Oliver was away on business threatens rip everyone apart.

I can't tell you how much I LOVE this series. I highly recommend it to everyone, young and old.  

Thank you Joann for dedicating so much time to getting their story on paper for everyone to enjoy. I know how hard you work to write it, and publish it all yourself and on behalf of all The Brookehaven Vampire series fans I want to say THANK YOU!  

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Buy it now at Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.

~ Kim

Review of Laney (Brookehaven Vampires #1)

With the recent release of Tainted Blood, the 3rd book in the series, I decided it was time for a full series re-read! So in the next few weeks I'll be posting my reviews for each book. Enjoy. 

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Laney: The Brookehaven Vampires

by Joann I. Martin Sowles

 Description:

In a small college town in Northern California, Laney Alexander leads a regular, uneventful life–that is, until the charming and alluring Oliver Knight enters her world. Who is this gorgeous and mysterious stranger? Or, rather, what is he?

As Laney’s sophomore year of college begins, so does an unbelievable adventure–including a love she didn’t know she longed for. She soon learns that Oliver is not ordinary, nor is the rest of his family, including a sister who openly hates her and a brother who will stop at nothing for revenge. As she fights for her life, and Oliver’s love, Laney discovers that the fictional world of vampires isn’t so fictional after all. Nobody is safe, especially Laney, Oliver’s most important priority, and he will stop at nothing to protect her. With her mortality at risk, and a commitment revealed that she, without a doubt, knows she wants, Laney’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn…

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This is my second time reading the book, and I think I enjoyed it more this time around! I could focus more on other details instead of just being caught up in the intense relationship. I LOVE this series and am so happy I decided to re-read it! 

Laney is your average everyday college student, sharing an apartment with her best friend, Kiera - that is until Oliver shows up. Turns out this extremely hot guy Laney finds herself day dreaming about is not only in all of her classes, but he is living in the same apartment complex with none other than Kiera's love interest, Carter. 

As Laney finds Kiera and Carter spending more and more time together, she is left with her Knight and shining teeth, yes Oliver Knight turns out to be a vampire! Laney doesn't find this out until she is already head over heals in love with him - so whats a girl to do? The innocent flirting between Laney and Oliver quickly turns into some serious sexual tension once she finds out that he's a vampire, but then she is faced with the biggest dicision of her life - bond with Oliver and be his forever, or walk away?

This book has a perfect balance of, well, everything! Action,  suspense, sarcasm, comedy, and of course sexual tension and romance. I HIGHLY recommend this book for everyone - you don't even have to be a paranormal addict to get into the romance and story line. 

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Buy it now on Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Ebook: $.99       Paperback: $15.99

~ Kim  

Dead Hot - Review & Blog Tour

Blurb:

Sharla Gomez’s dream encounter with the man she’s lusted over for months turned into rain-soaked nightmare. Her hopes of love and passion have gone to the dogs. Being a shifter is hell, especially when you’re a Pug/Chihuahua mix, or as some call the breed, a Chug. Even dogs don’t want to be told they’re so ugly they’re cute?

Dorsey Smith wants to get to know the exotic number-cruncher in charge of the strip club’s books. Just his luck she disappeared before he could ask her out for coffee. Instead of taking home the woman he lusts for, he takes home the small, drenched dog shivering in the rain. When he discovers the animal missing the next morning and he senses magic in the air. Has his safe haven been discovered and will his secrets be revealed?

Can two people with deep secrets discover the truth about each other and still find love. Or will the secrets and the evil lurking drive them apart?

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In the latest addition to the series, we meet a few more characters in the wacky world of the NYC paranormal community. 

This story starts off with Sharla, Dovey's accountant - who just happens to be one of the creatures her club caters to - a shifter. 

Wolves may come to mind... but Sharla is no wolf, she shifts into something far more interesting, a Chug. Pug & Chihuahua mix, and on top of that she finds out that she's inherited her mothers magic - so does that make her a shifter / witch hybrid?

She's had a crush on the bar tender, Dorsey, for some time and it turns out he is a shifter / vampire hybrid.    

Throw in Dorsey's crazy ex vampire fling, (who happens to transform into a bat and cat...) and who is the reason he now craves blood, along with some caribbean chupacabras that possess a magical island and you have one crazy story. 

I enjoyed this as a short story, but I think this book is kind of pushing my limits on the paranormal. 

  

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ONLINE LINKS:
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Check out the rest of the blog tour here:

11/5 Sharing Links and Wisdom Review and Giveaway
11/5 Harlie's Books Review 
11/7 DanaSquare Review
11/7 Book Purses Review
11/7 Books, Books and More Books Review
11/8 Michelle's Paranormal Vault of Books Review, First Chapter, and Giveaway
11/8 My Cozie Corner Review and Giveaway
11/8 Once Upon A Book Review 
 11/9 Inside BJ's Head Review
11/9 Krystal's Enchanting Reads Review 
11/9 House Millar Interview, First Chapter, and Giveaway
11/9 The Clumsy Coquette Review  

Review of The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

Description: 

The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff series

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead's breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.


Review: 

I'm really enjoying this series. As I said before, it's not as action packed and fast paced as Vampire Academy, and the main characters story lines aren't quite as strong - but it's still a great series that is growing on me. I don't think Richelle Mead has quite as good a handle on this series as she did Vampire Academy, but I still love it. Try as a I might, I just can't stop comparing the two series - but that's to be expected when you have a spin off series I suppose. 
 I loved Adrian in VA,  but he is officially on my list of fictional boyfriends after reading The Golden Lily. Sydney isn't my favorite of main characters, but I think that's because of her 'character' - she's one of those really clueless smart people... As I'm reading I have the urge to yell at the book, 'HE LIKES YOU... that's why he's doing it DUH'. But for every frustrating moment in the book there are two laugh-out-loud moments. More than once I had my husband looking at me curiously.  :)

I'm SO ready for the third book to come out in February. 

~ Kim