The Book Whisperers

O.k. Folks it's true things got busy at my paying job and I haven't had as much time to blog as I'd like. So this morning I'm catching myself and you all up on the latest reads and what's up on the blogosphere. First Epic Reads hosted their annual Shimmy Awards. I voted for my favorites and I hope those of you that read and visit Epic Reads voted for your favorites as well. I was pleased with my favorite authors and less than pleased with some of the winners but hey that's how life goes. To check out the winners and runners up just follow this link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ChEeym5kXM Secondly a recap of my November reading list. I finished the Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Braken. It was awesome! There is this thing that happens with a book series where the final book usually ends up sucking because the author or editors or who ever doesn't quite run with the ball. It's tragic and sad and happens all too often in fiction. That being sai...

I can't speak for my friends below the equator or heck even below the Mason Dixon Line but here in St. Louis it's cold, cold, cold! Too cold to be outside unless you're one of those winter people that loves the bracing air and icicles in your lungs, ok that last part may be an exaggeration, the point is people it's freaking cold outside! I'm originally from the deep south and my blood is thin it's not used to this cold, wet, weather no matter how many years I've lived in St. Louis. The only consolation to cold weather is warm houses and time spent indoors curled up under throw blankets with hot chocolate and marshmallows. My only other consolation is it's reading season! This weeks blog is dedicated to my favorite past time, READING! I know this blog is for Independent Authors and I have quite a line up of those as well but I thought I'd share some of my top picks for November reading along with a short blurb about the book. Who knows maybe you...

Aileen Erin I know this is a relativity new review blog for Independent Authors and I hope, so far, you're finding these reviews helpful. My friends and I love to read and we love to discover new or new-ish authors out there that have taken the bold and scary decision to self-publish. In my search for something new I took a chance on an Amazon recommended title; Becoming Alpha. I don't usually take Amazon on up on it's recommendations as it's been known to steer me more wrong than right but it was Halloween, I was off work, my kids were occupied with the Fraggles and I was desperate, so I took Amazon up on their suggestion and am I glad I did. So Aileen Erin whoever you sweet talked over at Amazon for that recommendation this reviewer thanks you. I've read so many stories, from so many authors and genre's that sometimes they just blur together as reading trends move from one genre to the next. The stories that really stand out are the ones with unforgetta...

On a whim and because I haven't reviewed anything from this genre yet I chose to read and review Kendra Elliot's "On Her Father's Grave". This is a mystery novella. Yes I said Novella. There are currently two novella's out in this series with two more prepped to go out next month. If you have Kindle Unlimited you can read these two novella's for free. If you don't have Kindle Unlimited you can purchase them through Amazon for $2.99. Each novella is 98 pages long so there's not much of a commitment involved in surrendering to this series.  This first book follows the eldest Taylor daughter Stevie as she returns to her small Oregon hometown of Solitude. Her father has passed away and Stevie is over and done with the LA scene where she's spent the last ten years working for the LAPD. Stevie is looking forward to the slower more sedate pace of a small rural town and the friendliness of familiar faces, that is until a young teenage football...

I'm a self confessed spoiler of books and movies. I've tried, really tried, to avoid this bad habit in this blog but I have to say it's going to be hard! I promise to warn you readers if I feel a spoiler coming on and you can feel free to skip over to the next part.  If you've read the other Ghost Bird series of books from my earlier blog then you know how excited I've been for book seven to hit the markets. I had this release date circled in my planner months ago and I'm slightly ashamed to admit that I read the whole thing in one sitting only to immediately flip right back to page one and start again.  As you can see from the title of this book it's mostly about Silas *Le sigh* our resident Greek God. I know Sang loves all the boys from the Academy equally and doesn't choose favorites but I'm not Sang and Silas is one of my favorite boys, right up there with Luke and Gabriel.  C.L. Stone does not disappoint us with her latest book....

Independent Author AJ Aalto is the new rock star of adult paranormal books. Her character Marnie Baranuik is a Canadian born and bred psychic known as a groper/feeler. She's a foul mouthed, petite blonde who gets her psychic abilities from her bonded vampire, collectively known in this new universe as Cold Company. Unlike other paranormal books that seek to romanticize the relationship between vampires and humans AJ Aalto takes a new and slightly more twisted approach to the genre. In her world vampires bond with humans in a symbiotic relationship that allows the vampire to maintain sanity and a connection to the ever changing world around them and the humans they bond with receive different types of pyschic powers and an above average life span. The humans don't live forever and thus the vampire inherits a new human bond when the older one dies of old age. The vampire and their wealth is held in the name of the human they are bonded to and is passed down through a family ...

For this new venture I've decided to end the month with the next months upcoming I.A. new releases. For Quinn Loftis you can pre-order at only 2.99 her next Into the Fae book Wolf of Stone which releases October 31st. Just in time for a chilly night after trick or treating. C.L.Stone's latest installment in the Ghost Bird series will House of Korba will be out October 27th. I'm especially excited about this one as we all know Sylus Korba is my favorite Academy boy. That's it for my Independent Authors new releases that I've reviewed here this month. If you have an I.A. Author that you'd like to see featured on my blog leave their name and book title in the comments below.

That's right ladies and Were's we have another series by the great and wonderful Quinn Loftis. This is actually a completed series by her so there's no desperately waiting for the next book to come out with this one. This series has 7 books in total and not one cost more $3.99. There is an 8th book but it's more of a Prequel to the whole series as it centers around Vasile and Alina the two head Alpha's of the Romanian pack. She also has a spin off series she has recently begun with this original series that centers on the Gypsy Healers. I'm not ashamed to say that I've read ALL of them and I can't tell you which one is better. I would suggest starting with this series before attempting to jump over to her spin off series only so you'll know and understand the characters with more in depth knowledge. Let's get back to these hot hot werewolves shall we? Unlike most stories that involve paranormal aspects Quinn keeps her characters pretty...

This week I'm going to focus on an Independent Author who has an established series already out. Many of you know Quinn Loftis from her Grey Wolf Series which has won YA book awards with it's humor and powerful story line. If you haven't read this series then I invite you to crawl out of whatever cave you've been hiding in and join the rest of society. Now Quinn has begun a new series that deals strictly with the Fae in her book ELFIN. The new series has two books already out and I for one can't wait for the third. In this first book we meet the main character Cassandra, Cassie, for short who finds herself on the receiving end of the baddest, scariest, most deadly Elf Assassin known to Fae. Tric is a dark elf who meets Cassie in, of all places, a storage room where she ducks in to hide from the light elves.  The humor and witty comebacks not to mention Cassie's best friend Elora will have you laughing till you cry. The story line is just as power...

THE SCARAB THIEF SERIES For those not familiar with cajun Lagniappe means A little something for nothing . Today's post is this weeks Lagniappe so grab your coffee cher and kick back for some fun and exciting excerpts from C.L. Stones more mature work. Thief is the first book in C.L. Stone adult spin off series from her Ghost Bird series. Think of this set of books as the HBO version. She pulls less punches and there aren't any "fade to black" moments. Whereas her Ghost Bird series is clearly YA this one is most definitely not. The writing in this spin off series is more mature as are the characters. I challenge you to pick a favorite I know which one is mine ;) Marc-he's the first one to really talk to Kayli. He has two different colored eyes one is blue and one is green. He's also the first one to make his move toward Kayli. Raven-The tattooed Russian. I challenge you to not fall in love with this sexy mans sense of humor. Check out thi...

Amazon is known for it's promotion of independent authors and C.L. Stone shows great signs of being the next big thing in YA fiction. This is an author that is fearless in her writing. She's not afraid to push the boundaries of what society deems acceptable and will challenge the reader to expand his or her ideas of right and wrong. The first short novel titled Introductions is exactly that, and introduction to the characters in the story. You have young Sang Sorenson a 15 year old girl with an agoraphobic, sickly mother who is isolated from society and abused by her mom and neglected by her father. The Ghost Bird series centers around Sang and her shy almost painful introduction to a group of boys who form their own cell within the Academy. She first meets Kota Lee on a windy rainy night a few weeks before school starts. The reader will find it endearing how Kota slowly introduces her to his close knit group of friends. In Introductions the reader will meet all seven of the ...