Kingdom of Chalvaren Romance by Paula Millhouse

Chalvaren Rising

A Kingdom of Chalvaren Romance

Paula Millhouse

Print Length: 318 pages

Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group

Date: September 10, 2015

ASIN: B0157RBDHO

Book Description:

When Mia Ansgar follows Elf Prince Kort Elias back to the Kingdom of Chalvaren she wants her happy ever after, but Mia gets blindsided in a war where sorceress Isa Ansgar targets everything she loves with black magic and a legion of wraith-possessed elves, with the kingdom of Chalvaren as the prize.

Kort’s fallen hard for Mia, but despite their passionate new love affair, how can he possibly protect her when she refuses to listen to him? Not only does Magnus imprint on Mia, she insists on using the powerful magic of Chalvaren’s ancient artifact, the Dragonstone, to stand up against the threat of Isa Ansgar.

Isa wants the Dragonstone’s magic to raise a powerful wizard from the grave so she can claim Chalvaren for herself. But, when she attacks Castle Elias and kidnaps Magnus, she sets in motion a revolution of magic where the elves of Chalvaren band together to stop her malicious crusade. Will Mia convince Isa to turn away from darkness and rejoin the light before it’s too late?

Chalvaren Rising Keynote:

With the love of Kort Elias, Chalvaren’s warrior-prince heir, Mia Ansgar will seize her birthright and become the great dragon-riding wizardess prophesied to free that elven kingdom from her embittered sorceress kin.

Short Blurb:

With the love of Kort Elias, Chalvaren’s warrior-prince heir, Mia Ansgar will seize her birthright and become the great dragon-riding wizardess prophesied to free that elven kingdom from her embittered sorceress kin.

Back Cover Copy:

TO ASCEND TRIUMPHANT

Twenty-five years ago, Theo Ansgar abandoned the Kingdom of Chalvaren for a hiding place on another world. Some called him traitor. Some, thief. Now his fully grown daughter Mia must return to the land of her birth…and their war.

It was the elf prince Kort Elias who brought her back. Theirs was an instant connection, an inescapable union of body, soul and sorcery, reminding Mia of what she truly is, and what she must become. There is also Magnus, destined to be more potent than any wyrm Chalvaren has ever seen, a three-day-old dragonlet Mia must nurture and then ride. And then there is the Dragonstone, an artifact of power nonpareil. Joined, they can tip the scales of battle against the wraith-possessed forces of darkness, of Mia’s own embittered kin.

Redemption will be offered, the protected will become the protector, and an ancient prophecy will come to fruition, but only righteous love can conquer all.

My Review

Chalvaren Rising Book Trailer

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Dragonstone

A Lunchbox Romance Prequel

The Kingdom of Chalvaren Romances

Paula Millhouse

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group

Date of Publication: May 12, 2013

ISBN: 9781938876288

ASIN: B00CRMRWPK

Number of pages: 39

Word Count: 15,630

Book Description:

Elf prince Kort Elias journeys to a new world in search of a stolen royal dragon egg and discovers a lost elven princess, a prophecy, and danger; and only true love--and an erotic magic he's never experienced--will set them free.

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About the Author:

Paula Millhouse grew up in Savannah, Georgia where Spanish moss whispers tales in breezes from the Atlantic Ocean, and the Intracoastal Waterway. As a child, Paula soaked in the sunshine and heritage of cobblestones, pirate lore, and stories steeped in savory mysteries of the south.

Paula lives with her husband at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains with their pack and pride of furry babies. In the southern tradition of storytellers, she loves sharing the lives of her characters with readers, and following her muse on the quest for happily-ever-afters in thrilling romantic fiction.

Website: www.paulamillhouse.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/paulamillhousefans

Twitter: www.twitter.com/pmillhouse

tsu: www.tsu.co/pmillhouse

Review of A Siren for the Dead by Rosa Sophia

Title: A Siren for the Dead

Author: Rosa Sophia

Genre: Science fiction / fantasy

Hosted by: Lady Amber's Tours

 

Blurb:

Aldon never got anywhere on his good looks, at least not according to his late wife.

At forty-two, his only companion is a cat named Tilly, and he’s turned to drinking in his off-hours to quiet the discontent in his head. As a city cop, he carries a heavy weight on his shoulders. Though he’s troubled by his own problems, he never lets them get in the way of helping people.

Now he’s needed more than ever. When the daughter of a nobleman goes missing, Aldon is sent to an alien planet to retrieve her.

But there’s one catch. The woman he seeks is unique. She is a siren, and she can raise the dead.

 Excerpt: 
 In Loam Square, at the center of Nalakien City, hordes of under-dwellers thrust up from the tunnel that led straight down to the sewers. People chanted and hollered on the sides of the square, watching them spout forth, all wielding weapons and shouting.

General Kemmer signaled his constables and watched as the cops strode forward, weapons in hand. The general, a man in his late thirties, was a wild-eyed, paranoid sort, who tried his hardest not to let the job affect his senses.

It was hard to do, and every city cop knew that. In most rural places, paperwork was the main part of being a cop. But a city like Nalakien had layers, secrets—and Callin Kemmer had unearthed enough of them to know there were more beneath the surface, waiting to be discovered.

He slunk into a nearby alleyway and listened to the ensuing brawl while crouching behind a dumpster. His black armored vest pushed forward as he leaned against the stone wall. He wasn’t being a coward, no, not ever; he was calling for backup.

He reached into an inner pocket with a steady hand and retrieved a small silver device. It had a short, stocky antenna in the top right corner. Below that was a compact screen that showcased the date and the year—1972—as well as how much battery power was left on the device. The general flipped open the top; the buttons and screen were illuminated by a soft blue glow.

From beyond the alley, he could hear screaming. People were dying, and it wasn’t just the under-dwellers, it was the cops too. Kemmer keyed his password, then accessed a list of contacts.

He pressed a button and put the flip-phone to his ear just as a blood-curdling shriek filled the air and the body of a constable was thrown violently into the alley. A loud crack and the sickening way in which the man had been killed told Kemmer this wasn’t any ordinary brawl.

He stared at the body as the ground shook.

His eyes darted around the alley, searching for a way out.

There wasn’t one.

My Review:

When I was about a third of the way into this book, I started to tell my husband about it. I described how it was set on another planet that was similar to earth, but different in many ways. I described the dead being raised, the travel to earth and the trade between planets. I started to get into the lies, traitors and government secrets, when he stopped me. He asked with everything going on how my head didn’t explode. lol Yeah this story is a bit overwhelming. But if the author’s intent is to keep the reader reading, then mission accomplished. Once I started and had several chapters to absorb the tremendous amount of information thrown at me, then I felt like I was too invested in this story to stop. And I wanted to know how it played out. So this reader that usually enjoys a sweet paranormal romance, was hooked on this book. The excitement of the story and the sheer uniqueness of it kept me turning the pages.

I give A Siren for the Dead 4 stars. It was an definitely different, but in a good way!

Author Bio:

Rosa Sophia is a novelist and full-time editorial consultant. With a degree in Automotive Technology, she adores writing and editing as well as fixing cars. Rosa is also a crazy cat lady in training, and currently divides her time between South Florida and Pennsylvania.

Author Links: Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosa-Sophia/e/B0040NN5W8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1442150425&sr=8-2

Amazon US:  http://amzn.to/1knOs7R

Author website: www.authorrosasophia.com

Blog: www.backwordswriter.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/editing.by.rosa.sophia

Buy Links: Amazon: http://amzn.to/20pj7Td

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-siren-for-the-dead-rosa-sophia/1121718592?ean=2940151861953

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-siren-for-the-dead

Review of Children of Darkness by Courtney Shockey

Children of Darkness

by Courtney Shockey

Paranormal Horror Short Story

80 pages

Release date 10/31/15 

(Released early on 10/26/15)

Blurb:

Sweat soaks my clothes as I sit up in my bed. My heart pounds in my ears and my eyes dart around the room. Giggles float from all directions of my room, surrounding me. I cover my ears with my hands and squeeze my eyes shut, rocking silently.
"Please go away. Leave me alone."
The giggles get louder and louder, deafening me to anything else.
"Stop it! Please!" I scream and everything stops. Silence is almost as terrifying.
Dr. Janet Birch has been plagued by nightmares her entire life. She worked her way through college so she could help children who suffered from the same fears and give them the tools she never had to move on.
Emily Frost is a young girl whose nightmares consume her life. Her parents bring her to Janet in hopes of dispelling her fears and bringing their daughter back from the brink.
As Emily finally breaks down and reveals her demons, Janet realizes they have more in common than she thought. Piece by piece, Janet fights for not only her life, but Emily's as well, to overcome their living nightmare.

Book Links: 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1jYs4T0

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1PVHrbS

 

My Review

You might need a night light when you’re done with this one...

Janet had night visitors as a child. Little children that were not little children would visit her in the dark. These creepy child like demons terrorized her and it lasted most of her childhood. She vowed that when she grew up she would help other children cope with the same problem and give them the support she never had. Janet became a child psychologist so that she could help children deal with the terror of these night visitors. Then she meets Emily and wonders if she can be of any help at all.

This short story had me tearing through it in one sitting. I could not put it down! The description of the “children” gave me goosebumps. My overactive imagination let me hear the malicious giggles and claws scratching on the floor. When I finished this story, I left a night light on in my kids’ room and I snuggled closer to my husband.

This is the perfect Halloween read. I give Children of Darkness 5 stars and I’m excited about reading more by Courtney Shockey!

Courtney Shockey was born and raised on the outskirts of Houston, Texas. Though she, her husband, and two kids moved many times, they always end up back in their home town. When she's not working or on call, Courtney enjoys spending time with her family, watching movies, or experiencing something new. She enjoys writing stories that capture the reader, and make them walk beside the characters of her worlds. Her debut novella released Halloween 2015 as a Paranormal Horror, and she has a few others planned to release 2016.

Author Links:

Twitter @ShockeyWrites

Facebook @Courtneytheauthor

Instagram @courtneygirl87

Goodreads @ShockeyWrites

Amazon @Courtneytheauthor

Why do we read paranormal?

par·a·nor·mal

[par-uh-nawr-muhl] 

adjective

of or pertaining to the claimed occurrence of an event or perception without scientific explanation, as psychokinesis, extrasensory perception, or other purportedly supernatural phenomena.

— adj
1.	beyond normal explanation

I posed the question to my facebook fans: Why do you like to read paranormal?
 

The answer that stuck with me was one that I hadn't considered. Her response was that she liked it because it's something that can be written about by many people in different ways and no one can contest anyone's stories. Since they don't really exist (that we know of) we can make them however we like. Sparkly, dangerous, tortured souled, without souls, viscous and almost human....and that's just vampires. There are many types of supernatural creatures and there are many different elements that a writer can give them because no one has actually met them to know the truth. Um, I mean because they aren't real......

 There are so many what if's to writing paranormal. The possibilities are limitless and that's what makes it so fun to read. You can dive into a world of sparkly vampires that can read minds or you can cower in fear from the ultimate blood sucker that resides in Transylvania. Either way the story will captivate and entertain many. And the reader doesn't have to be confined to one fictional world. You can visit many and be happy, or terrified, in them all. Whether you're reading about aliens, vampires, werewolves, demons, angels, ghosts, witches or fae, we love it all.

So why do we love paranormal? Because it's so diverse and we love that.

The handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States, now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men of its population. The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order. In condensed but eloquent prose, by turns cool-eyed, tender, despairing, passionate, and wry, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment's calm facade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions. The Handmaid's Tale is funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing. It is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.

Here's what I know about Offred

She was separated from her husband and young daughter to become a handmaid - for the purpose of procreation.

We never learn her real name.

She has a best friend Moira that is gay. Moira thinks Ofred is a coward.

She is the first generation of a new world. One that thinks nothing of women. One that she wants no part of, but is too afraid to stand up to.

She often thinks of her husband and daughter. She thinks of them with sadness. It seems to me that as a mother, she should have more anger. Indignation. Hatred. And fear for her own daughter's future.  Maybe the thought of her daughter's future is so heartbreaking that she can't bear to think of it.

Here's how I feel about The Handmaid's Tale

I read this book for the first time when I was 16. I remember the story and what it was about. But the first time I read it I didn't have children. I couldn't even begin to have the feelings of unjust for her situation and contempt for Offred herself.

Now as I read it again I feel more strongly. I guess it's easy for me to sit in my air conditioned home with all my freedoms and say that I would do things differently. It might have been easy for my 16 year old self to feel like Offred is a coward - I would imagine.  I would think that I would be brave in that situation. I might join a band of rebels and try to be free. But would I be afraid? Too afraid of dying that I would act like Offred? Maybe.

Or maybe she wasn't a coward. Maybe she was brave enough to hold on and live to see the day that she might see her daughter again.  It's hard for me to decide how I feel. I don't have to live the way she does.  Thankfully.

Offred's story ends with uncertainty.  Are the men in the black van really there to help? To take her to her daughter? Will she end up on the wall? She doesn't know, but she resigns herself to going. No fight. I like to think she had help escaping. She got to see her daughter again. But if Nick really was an eye or working for the "man" then she may have been hauled off to her death. The author leaves it for you to decide.  

This fantasy is a grim glimpse at a possible future in the mind of this author. It serves as a reminder of the things we take for granted. I wouldn't wish this future on anyone, but it does make for a fantastic read.

A Reaper Made by Liz Long

Synopsis

Grace had finally gotten used to her new afterlife as a “Made” – a Reaper who used to be human. When Made Reapers and souls begin disappearing, however, Grace and her mentor Tully suspect demons. Grace’s worst fears are confirmed when her living family is threatened.

She’ll have to break every rule in the Reaper book to save them, including using a little magic to become temporarily human. With the help of Tully and her witchy friend Tessa, Grace goes undercover to save the fates of kidnapped souls – only to discover that demons aren’t working alone. Betrayal and distrust runs deep and Grace discovers that sometimes even Reapers are prone to humanity.

 My Review

Grace is a reaper. She was a nurse in life and when she died she was given the option to continue helping souls cross over and she accepted. Now she spends her days in a nursing home gently easing the recently departed to their final destination. She likes it. But then reapers start disappearing. She and her mentor Tully must team up with a witch friend to find out who is taking the reapers and why. It could be dangerous and they have been told to stay out of it, but Grace was never one to shy away from helping. Now Grace’s still living sister is involved and they have to save her before she becomes one of the deceased.

This book started strong and kept me hooked. I like how the dialog is modern and believable. The characters are funny and likeable and the story is interesting. The story flows well and the pace is quick. The characters have a good dynamic and range of emotions. It was a pretty good read. I give it a solid 4 stars.

  Buy Links

 Amazon| B&N

About the Author

 

Liz Long is a ridiculously proud graduate of Longwood University with a BA in English. Her inspiration comes from action and thriller genres and she spends entirely too much time watching superhero movies. Her fabulous day job as a Social Media & PR Strategist includes writing for LeisureMedia360 (Roanoker, bridebook, Blue Ridge Country magazines) in Roanoke, VA. The Donovan Circus series has best been described as “X-Men meets the circus with a murder mystery thrown in.” Her second book Witch Hearts, is a story about a serial killer hunting witches for their powers. Her newest title, A Reaper Made, is a fantasy about a Reaper who must work a little magic to save her family’s souls from demons. All titles are available for paperback or ebook on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks. To learn more about Liz, visit her website.

Website: http://lizlong.com
Twitter: (Handle: @LizCLong) https://twitter.com/LizCLong
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/lizclongauthor
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/lizlong
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/LizLong

My daily escape

I am a stay at home/homeschool mom. My life is all about my kids. They are with me all the time. And like every mom, I love them fiercely. But like most stay at home moms my identity has become mom.  I was a person before I had kids. I even occasionally had something funny/witty/intelligent to say.

So now that my days are filled with saying things like "get your finger out of your nose" or "why are you naked ...again??"  I kind of need an escape. Cliche? Maybe. But that's reality for a lot of people. Life can really get monotonous. Without that escape....well, I'd hate to think of what could happen.

 I have found that there are places books can take me that are exciting and funny and best of all way cheaper than a plane ticket! (all without ever leaving my kids) 

And that is how I've become a book addict. My poor bookshelves are nearly buckling under the weight of my double rows of books on each shelf. And my kindle...well that could be an episode of hoarders. 

So why do you read? I showed you mine. Now you show me yours.  I'll choose one winner at random from the comments on this post to win an ebook of your choice (up to $2.99) 
* sorry I wasn't born into wealth and privilege