Book Review - New Beginnings

                    

Synopsis:

18+ 

Jess knew her life would never move forward if she remained a part of Gregory’s pack. Some Alpha’s just don’t know how to take care of their wolves. She had managed Gregory’s bar for years but she knew he would never sell it to her.

After one giant mistake, he went from bad to worse. As a psychic, she knew it was a downward spiral. 

Taking her future in her own hands, she contacts the Alpha in Edenton. He is happy to sell the empty bar no one has the time, nor desire to renovate, much less run. 

Their attraction is unexpected and the last thing either want, but they find the only thing they need in each other. 

There is just one problem. Slater’s second in command is plotting against him. Liam will use anything to take over as Alpha. 

Plenty of werewolves, an old vampire flame, plus a paranoid second, and don’t forget the psychic with a whole lot of attitude

Buy Links: Amazon; Barnes and Noble

*****I RECEIVED THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR A REVIEW*****
New Beginnings by Brandy Rivers was a refreshing read in the paranormal world! I love her take on Others - all paranormal/supernatural beings. 

As the cover suggests, New Beginnings is in fact a story based on werewolves, however, not just any other werewolf story. This story has a strong, funny, spunky and stubborn female character lead, Jess. I love her personality. She definitely knows how to stand on her own and knows how to not take nonsense from anyone, Alpha or not.

This story is quick and to the point yet gives you enough detail to get to know the characters well and what makes them tick. I enjoy stories who skip the fluff that is unnecessary just to make a book longer.

Ms. Rivers delivers a powerful story of friendship, love and loyalty. She also writes a steamy, sexy scene that makes you want to grab the nearest Alpha to you.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading New Beginnings. Ms. Rivers' take on the paranormal world is a welcomed one. New Beginnings is the prequel to In Too Deep and I cannot wait to get "deep" into that story next.

Do I recommend New Beginnings? Oh you bet I do! Hang on cause it will take you for a ride and will definitely surprise you.

Book Review of The Stone of Sorrows

Synopsis:

**AN AMAZON DARK FANTASY & COMING OF AGE TOP 50 ADVENTURE!** 

Armies of Fellspawn march upon Highmount. The Iron Gods have awoken from their slumber. E’blis, the Prince of Pain, is preparing a very special sacrifice to raise the Fallen One from his tomb. Sarah Bean must beseech the Kay’lo to join the war and help her to save Seythe from total destruction. Will they agree to help her? Can Highmount survive such an onslaught of evil? Or will this be the beginning of the end for the Thirteen Worlds? 

NB: This novel is recommended for mature young adults as it contains occasional bad language and occasional scenes of a graphic nature. 

The complete Age of the Flame trilogy is now available from the Kindle Store: 
The Sword of Sighs 
The Sceptre of Storms 
The Stone of Sorrows

Buy Links: 

Amazon; Barnes and Noble

***I was given this book in exchange for a review.***

The Stone of Sorrows is the third installment in the Age of Flame trilogy. What a fantastic conclusion to Sarah Bean's story. 

The Stone of Sorrows picks up right where The Sceptre of the Storms finished. When I started reading it, I didn't know how Sarah could become an even better hero than before. She grows more into who her destiny calls her to be. 

One of the things I enjoyed about this book was that not only is the story about Sarah but about another integral character in the story. The switch in point of view between characters was done flawlessly. Without being told, I knew who's head I was in. 

As I was reading this book, it played out like a movie in my mind. I felt like I was transported to this magical, fantastical world where good battles evil. The journey that Sarah Bean goes on is one that I felt I was traveling right along with her. You could feel her struggles, both internal and external. You could also feel the moment where she decides to fully accept her destiny and become the hero that Seythe needs. 

Do I recommend this book? Yes! Especially if you've read the first two stories. If you haven't, I'd recommend reading all 3 books in succession so as to fully grasp the story and its awesome epicness. 

"Let Me Do It".... Letting My Kid Grow Up.

My four year old has a routine, of sorts, when he's finished with his shower. I help wrap him in his towel (as much as it would cover him because he still likes using his baby ones with the hoodie) and he scampers off to my room. He crawls in my bed and gets under the cover to get warm. There's a story here but let me back track.

He no longer does bath but does showers. He's at that stage, has been for a while but is more adamant about it, of "let me do it". Cue in loud, mental, mommy sigh and a vision of the long list of things that needs to get done but I know that this is necessary for his independence.. All I want to say, in my Sweet Brown voice "Ain't nobody got time for that". Alas, he needs his "let me do it" moment and I need to take advantage of it and let him. With my words as guidance, he washes his skin and makes sure to get the really important parts. He also manages to get the toothpaste on his toothbrush and brush his teeth.

Okay, back to my story.

This time, instead of letting me dress him, he jumps off my bed and runs to his room. All I hear is "mommy don't look, close the door". I can tell he's carried over his "let me do it" moment on to getting dressed.

I tell him that he is not closing the door but I won't look in. He then tells me I need to close my eyes.

In his little mind, he thinks that if my eyes are open I can see him. Not his fault really because I always tell him that I can and do see all things. He questions me how I knew he was doing something he wasn't supposed to do because my back was turned to him. So, I can see why he wants me to close my eyes. I tell him I must have my eyes open so I don't bump into things. He laughs.

All this while, he is searching for his black pants AKA dark jeans. I try my very best not to look at him. I hear him downstairs in the laundry room searching for his jeans. (Oh, yeah, I still have clothes that needs to be folded. Hey, at least they're washed and dried.) Unsuccessful in his search, he reluctantly asks for my help. However, I must close my eyes. I manage to help find his "black pants" without getting so much as a peak of him. He's happy.

Once he's fully dressed, he manages to get his shoes on. He doesn't come to me for help in tying his shoes but demands, yes demands, of his big brother to tie them for him.

Once all that is accomplished, he runs to me and says "look mommy, I did it!". He gives me the biggest, brightest and most proudest smile a 4 year old can give his mommy. He accomplished something, that I knew he could, all by himself.

All this is teaching me that I need to let my kid grow up. He is the baby and will be the baby from now on. I know he can do these things. He's shown me time after time that he can. I sometimes make him get dressed but I also relish the mommy and son moment of getting him dressed and talking. So, it's a toss up. Of course, doing it for them is easier but not the best thing for them.

He's ready to take the reigns, I just need to hang on for the ride. My baby is growing up.

Severed, Book Spotlight and eBook Giveaway!

You've all heard of Lizzy Ford and Julia Crane, right? They write fantastic YA and Paranormal stories for our entertainment.

Well, guess what?! They've both teamed up to co-author a series. Talk about great author colliding and joining forces to bring us what is to be a fantastic series.

They are so excited to share this series with you that they are giving away 5, yes FIVE, eBooks Amazon copies of their first novel collaboration Severed: Starwalkers Serial Novel #1.

All you have to do is comment on my Facebook page, Same DiNamics, or on this blog post via Google+, which of their novels is your favorite and why. Giveaway will run until Friday, February 9, 2014 at 10:00am. Winners will be picked randomly and announced on my Same DiNamics page.

BUT here's a sneak peak into Severed.

Synopsis:


Two sisters with special gifts and an unbreakable bond ... 

Cyena and Tyana were born to powerful parents who are among the ruling class on their planet. Their lives are pampered but isolated, constricted to the city ...walls in which they were born.

Fun loving with a rare but powerful mind power, Tyana is accustomed to being treated like a princess and using her influence to get anything she wants – including protecting her sister from the elders and students who look down on her. The opposite of Tyana in most ways, Cyena’s second-class mind skills make others view her as a blemish on the family bloodline. No one but her sister believes in her.

They don’t know that a war is brewing, until it erupts. A class war tears their perfect world a part, leaving them helpless, alone and worse –severed from one another.

Each girl will risk her life to find the other, and each will be challenged to hone her powers in order to survive environments unlike any they’ve ever experienced.

~~~

Can't wait for the giveaway and you want to read it now? You can buy the book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Author info:

Lizzy Ford:

Lizzy Ford is the author of over twenty five novels written for young adult and adult paranormal romance readers, to include the internationally bestselling Rhyn Trilogy, Witchling Trilogy, Heart of Fire series and the War of Gods series. Considered a freak of nature by her peers for the ability to write and release a commercial quality novel in under a month, Lizzy has focused on keeping her readers happy by producing brilliant, gritty romances that remind people why true love is a trial worth enduring. 

Lizzy’s books can be found on every major ereader library, to include: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Sony and Smashwords. She lives in southern Arizona with her husband, three dogs and a cat.

Julia Crane:

Julia Crane is the author of the YA paranormal fiction novels: Keegan's Chronicles, Mesmerized, Eternal Youth, and the IFICS series. Julia was greatly encouraged by her mother to read and use her imagination, and she's believed in magical creatures since the day her grandmother first told her an Irish tale. Julia has traveled far and wide to all the places her grandmother told her about, gaining inspiration from her journeys to places like Nepal, Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Italy, France and many more. And who knows? Maybe the magical creatures she writes about are people she met along the way.
Julia Crane has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. Although she's spent most of her life on the US east coast, she currently lives in Dubai with her husband and three children.

Review of King Cave

Synopsis:

The long-awaited sequel to the bestselling, award-winning King Hall: the revolution is here, but the most dangerous attack may come from within...

The safe, comfortable world of Lily Ruckler and her fellow Mystical Kings and Queens is rocked to the core by the attacks at King Hall. Not only does Lily have to kill the Commoners attacking her people, she also has to assume the mantle of leadership, and bring the surviving Mysticals to King Cave.

It should have been too much, but she is not alone. Ezra becomes her rock, her best friend, the one person who understands. As Pearl and Jack struggle with inconsolable loss, Ezra and Lily work to keep the Mys community safe in their new home, and plan a deadly retaliation.

Their friendship saves them both...but it also draws attention. Whispers. Judgment. It's not normal for Shifters and Vampires to be friends, and when a horrifying truth is revealed, their relationship morphs from unusual to unspeakable. Lily is good at keeping secrets that could get her killed. Is she willing to risk Ezra's life as well?

****I received this book in exchange for an honest review.****

King Cave picks up right where King Hall left off. It starts off with action and just keeps on going. I didn't think that the story could get any better but it does. Not to mention, the cover is beautiful.

I love how Scarlett Dawn just throws herself into the story and doesn't leave anything out. I enjoyed seeing how the characters' daily lives played out. The camaraderie between the main characters is a fun loving one that makes you want to be besties with them.  It's definitely a New Adult story and not meant for someone who gets easily offended by sex. The sex scenes weren't crude at all but definitely part of the story and the character development.

One of the best things that I enjoyed about King Cave, was the emotional roller coaster it put me through. When a book can bring out happiness, despair, a sense of cheering for the good guy, sadness, love, lust and many more emotions all in one sitting, it's a damn winner on my list.I messaged the author halfway through reading the story because I couldn't believe what I was reading. I really didn't want anything to happen to the main characters.

The ending of the book, whew.. yeah, that left me with my mouth hanging open and wondering how int he world could Scarlett Dawn do this to them. It definitely kept me interested in the book and certainly looking forward to book 3.

Do I recommend King Cave? You bet I do!

Inside the Writer's Mind with MaryLynn Bast

Welcome, MaryLynn, to Inside the Writer's Mind.  I'll be asking you some questions, sort of picking your brain a little bit to get to know you as an author. Thank you for joining me. Ready? 

Same DiNamics: Writing can be a daunting prospect, what made you decide to share your story with the world? 

MaryLynn Bast: I have been an avid reader since I was a kid. Even then I always wondered what if the author did this or that in their story. I have always written short stories. It wasn’t until 2012 that I was able to begin my writing career. On The Run is the 7^th book in the Heart of A Wolf Series. I had to share this story with the world because everyone kept asking me questions about Amber’s life and why she left Blake behind. 

SD: Who has influenced you as an author?

MB: I absolutely love Sherilynn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter Series. She is my all time favorite author with Laurel K. Hamilton and Christine Feehan on her heels.

SD: What is your writing method? Do you outline first or do you purge your brain on paper until yourstory is told? 

MB: Actually I do neither of these. When I tried to write from an outline I sat staring at the outline at a total loss. I do however have a handy spiral notebook where I keep notes on the different stories I am working on so I don’t forget what I’m thinking at the time.

SD: How long does it take you to write your story, from getting it down on paper to publishing? 

MB: On The Run is a 31k+ word novella. This one took me about 3 months to write and go through the publishing process. I kept going back and forth between this story and others. I took longer with On The Run because I wanted to make sure that it was just right.  With my novella One Bite To Passion is 46k and literally took me 2 days to write and published within 2 weeks.

SD: Can you tell me a little bit about your book(s) without giving away too much? Why should I read it? 

MB: You should read them because they are good. J  That’s what my fans tell me anyway. Heart of a Wolf Series is a paranormal fantasy. Amber is a werewolf with special abilities and is On The Run because the Wolf Council is after her because of this. The Series follows Amber as she meets different people and faces different situations along the way.

SD: How much of yourself is in your character(s)?

MB: Good question.  My husband read On The Run just last week and made the comment that Amber sounds a lot like me. Independent, stubborn, will always find a way to make things happen and stays alone most of the time. 

SD: What advice would you give to an aspiring author? 

MB: Write because you enjoy it. Let people read your work. Get their feedback but remember that family and friends will always say it’s excellent. In the real world you will find that people like your work, but there will be some that don’t. Don’t take their criticism to heart. Take something constructive away from it.

SD: Is there anything else that you'd like to share? 

MB:  On The Run is the 7^th book in the Heart of a Wolf Series. No Remorse – Book One of the Heart of a Wolf Series is a full-length novel and the first book written. The subsequent 6 books were written to give some insight to some of the characters. The stories are written as a stand-alone and can be read in any order. However, if you want to read them in the time line of how things happened leading up to No Remorse, I would suggest reading in this order:

On The Run, Werewolf Bound, Realm of Secrets, Veiled Secrets, A Justified Kill and Escaping Dominance. No Remorse can be read before the novellas or after.

I am currently working on Book 2 – Softest Touch. My plan is for a March / April 2014 release.

My next release is planned for February 14^th, Blake and Amber’s Special Valentines Delivery.

You can find more info on Author MaryLynn's books on her Facebook page. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Marylynn-Bast/1418101675089694

You can buy the book via Amazon and; Barnes and Noble.

Brace Yourself... Another Good-bye to 2013 Post

I said I wasn't going to do it. In fact, I was dead set against it. 

I was throwing an internal temper tantrum refusing to write this blog post up. Then, something happened.. I woke up this morning in a reflective mood. 

Like that petulant child who refuses to listen to her mother but knows that she should, I listened to my mood.

Thus, this good-bye to 2013 post. Grab a chair, coffee in hand (preferably spiked with your favorite booze, this may be a long post, who knows) and read until your eyes are crossed. Yes, I'm long winded. I can never make a short story short. Well, what can I say about 2013...

It all started in December of 2012, yes, a whole year ago when I turned 35 (I'm now 36). That was a turning point for me. There was something missing, something not right within my very being. I knew that I needed to do something, be someone, be more than just a mom or wife. Don't get me wrong, I know I should be proud of those things, and I am, but I know I'm more than that. I needed to find that something I was good at. That something that I can call my very own. That something I had/have control over. And guess what? I did, I found it and I'm still working on tweaking it to make it better. 

In December of 2012, I started this blog, Same DiNamics. I just wanted to share the adventures in my life. I wanted to share how I grow and learn, as a human being, as an individual. Just like I grew, so did Same DiNamics. You can read my very first blog post here. The reason for Same DiNamics was to hold myself accountable in accomplishing things I set out to accomplish. I'm still working on them. 

I also left Facebook. I won't bore you with the details of that in this post, you can read it here if you want to. At the time, I needed to let Facebook go. It was one of the best things I did for myself, at that time. Now, I'm back on Facebook but it has served another purpose for me. 

In 2013, I found myself growing, changing, accepting and overcoming obstacles that I didn't even know I had and becoming a stronger and happier person. One of the biggest realizations (obstacle, really) that I had, was that I was depressed. Not on a clinical scale, at least I don't think, but I knew I was. In fact, I am still overcoming that. I'm still growing and learning to recognize the signs and overcome that depression. I can tell when I'm going down a spiral. I think, that recognize and accepting is one the best ways you can overcome your struggles. 

Anyway, I've grown in that I have learned to accept all things as they are. Yes, you can fight for the changes you want because we need to but also accepting things for what they are. Accepting people for who they are and knowing that you can't change them, you just have to accept and love them with your whole being. Love one another. 

I've changed as well. Even with all the depression, I've become happier with myself. I've learned to accept myself for who I am, flaws and all. I'm not perfect and will never be. I'm me. The best that I can be. 

You know, I attribute all this growth and change to the fact that I found something that I feel and know I'm pretty good at: book reviews and crocheting. I love reading. Absolutely love reading. It will be my first love. When I shared my first book review (here), I knew that I found something I could share with others. Whether my reviews influence others to buy a book or not doesn't matter to me, what matters is that I shared something I enjoy and love with others. 

I also, started crocheting, though in all fairness I started in October of 2012 but 2013 was a fantastic year in crocheting for me. I crocheted some items and gave them away to friends. The gifts were well received. Then, it happened. I sold my very first crocheted hat to a Google+ friend. She's ordered more from me since and I am eternally grateful to her for being my very first order. That's when I ventured into learning and having my own crochet business, Same DiNamics Crochet. Did you see what I did there? I kept the name Same DiNamics. After all, Same DiNamics is all about evolving yet remaining true to myself. 

Though I didn't accomplish some of the other things I wanted to in 2013, I still feel it has been a great year for me. Though there was loss in this year, one that shattered my heart to its very core, it was still a great year. I have to remember, we all have to remember, to focus on all the positive and good things that have happened to us. From the little things to the big things. Each and every last little accomplishment should go down in our books and the greatest of them all. Why? Because we are wonderful and amazing human beings who can accomplish anything we set our hearts to. 

So, good-bye 2013! Thank you for being a fantastic year for me. Thank you for teaching me valuable lessons. 

Here's hoping, knowing, praying and keeping the faith that 2014 will be just as great, if not better! See you next year! 

**See, I told you this was going to be long winded. I can't make a short story short, let alone a long story. :-)