Two Free Books this Weekend

Yesterday Oliver teased this image to his friends and tagged me.  Of course it made me LOL then I said "Okay this can work for another blog post."

I mentioned in the WWW Wednesday article that two of his books, Rabbit in the Road and The Dusk Harbringer will be free this weekend.

But if that doesnt' convince you to click on their links and click on them, perhaps the comic linked here will help.

Check it out.  Download the books.  Enjoy reading the books.  And when you're done, leave them reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

WWW Wednesdays: Sept. 25, 2013 Edition

Here's the answers to this week meme's from Should Be Reading's blog. Feel free to leave your comments with the answers to these questions and be sure to check out their blog as well for other's answers.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions in the comment section or in your own blog then link it from the comments.

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

I look forward to seeing your answers below!

What are you currently reading?

The Dresden Files: Ghost Stories (#13) by Jim Butcher.  I'm about 100 pages from completing this book and like every other book, things aren't quite as they seem and Dresden realizes it just before its too late.  In this book though, Dresden considers things - including how things would have been different if he hadn't taken the course of actions he had taken in the previous books and if he had to do it all over again would he?  And in most cases he decided he would.

I'm really interested in seeing where this book is going to go.  There have been drastic changes to the characters you've grown to love in the books, especially with Murphy and Molly, and you get to know some characters, such as Daniel Carpenter and Waldo Butters - that were in some of the previous books but not all of them - better.

Only 100 pages to go.  I expect I will be finished later tonight or tomorrow depending on my work load.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Dresden Files: Changes (#13) by Jim Butcher.

The past month and a half, I have been voraciously reading through the Jim Butcher novels and found, like everyone told me I would, that I thoroughly enjoyed them.  Like most of the paranormal fiction I've been reading, the world of magic, vampires and werewolves are still new and relatively unknown to most of the mortals in the world today.  Harry Dresden, the protagonist and the person who's point of view the books are written from, is a wizard - and a declared wizard at that.  Harry has his name in the yellow pages as a "Wizard".

In this book, though, a lot of unexpected things happen to Dresden which startle you, the reader, almost as much as it startles the protagonist.  And the ending of the book ends in a cliff hanger.  I can't express how much that upset me when I, for some reason, thought this was the last book published so far - thankfully it's not and there are two more so far.

If you like paranormal books with a very tiny touch of romance and no sex scenes in the books with a touch of mystery and a lot of action, you might check these books out.

What do you think you'll read next?

The Dusk Harbringer by Oliver Campbell and Danika Potts.  I'll be honest, I'm a really bad friend. I  was given a review copy of the book and I haven't had a chance to read it because I had just gotten into the Dresden File series when their book came out and was too hooked on reading those books (And now I find out they're not done yet and I'm on book 13, moving on to book 14).  So I decided after I finish Ghost Stories I'd switch to The Dusk Harbringer and read that and review it.

If you haven't picked up The Dusk Harbringer or Rabbit in the Road yet, both will be free on Amazon this upcoming weekend, Sept. 28 and 29, 2013.  I strongly suggest you click on the links to the books and grab them.

The Twisted World Verse One: The Dusk Harbringer is free for download through Monday

The husband and wife team of Oliver Campbell and Danika Potts are at it again, this time releasing the first book in a dark fantasy trilogy this weekend.

Available at the moment only through Amazon (though you can convert it for other devices), The Twisted World Verse One: The Dusk Harbringer is available free of charge till 11:59 p.m. Monday, Aug. 18.

While I have been given a review copy to read, I have not had a chance to read it yet.  With that being said, if you enjoyed Rabbit in the Road, I strongly believe you will enjoy this book just as much, if not more so.  I say this because I have been reading the excerpts they have been posting to Facebook this past week.

Speaking of which, after you download their book here, you should follow their pages on Facebook too:

• Group discussion for The Twisted World Series
• Oliver's Author Page
• Danika's Author Page
• The Dusk Harbringer on Goodreads

And after you read the book, be sure to leave feedback on Amazon and Goodreads.  Help support indie authors.

Pretty Nifty - Review Posted on Book Cover

Okay, so I knew it was going to happen, it's totally different when you actually see it come to life.

As most of you know, if you've been reading for long (and even if you haven't) I did a review for a former colleague and friend who wrote a novel - Oliver Campbell.  He liked the review and asked for my permission to publish a blurb on the back of his book.  Of course I said yes.

I got to see the design of it, liked it and couldn't wait to see it in print.

So the 2nd edition of the book has printed and is available in select stores and for purchase online and on the back of it is my review.  He posted this picture online last night (I stole it, he gets full credit of it) letting me see the back of it.

Now I may just have to go and buy a paperback copy of it.  Ya know?  Just because my name is on the back and it made my night Monday night.
Either way, the image is below.

Check out Oliver's site here: http://between-himandher.com/

His book is available as e-book or paperback through both Barnes & Noble and Amazon.  If you haven't bought it yet, go buy it now!

Why You Should Buy Rabbit in the Road: AKA Kayhynn's Plea/Rant

This article is separate from the review for a number of reasons, but mainly because it has nothing to do with the review, but more a rant/plea to encourage you to buy the book.

For most of you, $2.99 isn't much.  You can sacrifice a Starbucks Coffee or cheap sandwich at a fast food restaurant.  Could probably even scrape it together from your change collector (if not more than that).  Every sale helps Oliver get a much needed procedure done.

See, American Healthcare simply put, sucks.  If you are uninsured or under insured, no matter the reason, the quality of health care you receive is poor.  If you have bad insurance, you make monthly payments for ever.  If you have no insurance, you either have to have the money up front to pay for it, or agree to monthly payments.

Now, I know how much healthcare sucks, but for Oliver, it's worse, mainly because he has no insurance and because he's an African American male.  For some reason, healthcare is not helping him out at all.  See, he went to the dentist this week and an xray showed he had a tumor in his face. The location of the tumor is such, it could grow into his brain and kill him.  Problem is, he can't afford the procedures needed to help find out what is wrong and how to fix it.

He's not looking for a handout, he's looking for folks to buy his book to help him out.

Read his blog and the video about it here: http://betweenhimandher.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/memento-mori-im-terrified-because-i-might-have-a-tumor-in-my-head/

Give up your latte, your expensive coffee, whatever and buy the ebook to help him out.  Who knows, you could help save his life.

Book Review: Rabbit in the Road

I generally don't preface my reviews with an introduction of any sort, but this time, I am going to.  Why?  Because I know the author.

September or October of 2010, Oliver had told me he was leaving EOGamer to work on a book he was writing.  Oliver was one of our main contributors for video game reviews on our site and I had seen him grow with each review, learning from mistakes as I made edits and soon, most of his stuff didn't require much, if any editing.  I wished him well on his endeavor of writing a fiction book.  Lord knows I would like to find time to sit down and write and have the loving support he has had to do so, yet I haven't found the time or the support to write the many novels I have started and left to the wayside.

Unlike most authors I know, Oliver and Danika did what most writers only dream of doing.  They finished their book, published it on the e-book market and when people started requesting hard copies of the book the looked into it and made it happen.  That's dedication.  That's living the writer's dream and I know it isn't easy.

Which brings me to reviewing the book.  Oliver had told me I was on the list for a free copy.  I told him, at the time, not to send it to me till I was able to read it.  Unfortunately, it was several months before I would have time or an e-book reader to read it.  I finally got a Nook after Christmas and Rabbit in the Road was the first book I read and finished on it. (He doesn't know that till he reads this.)  However, in accordance with the FCC, I do have to disclose that I was given a copy of the book in epub format for reading and review purposes.

The book immediately introduces you to Beverly, a record store clerk with a love of singing, who is enjoying her life and her time with her boyfriend in a small town in the 1960s. Until things go awry.  Enter the antagonist Ray.

In less than a day her world turns upside down.  The people she knew, the people she loved, she had to run away from to keep them safe. She'd move cities, change her name, change her appearance, but Ray catches up.

The book is fast paced with well developed characters full of grit and emotion.  It tells the story in the only way it can be told: from a strong woman's perspective who is doing everything she can to fit in and survive no matter what.  The descriptions put you in the scene and you turn the page eager to know what happens next in each encounter.

And the ending will surprise you (but I won't spoil it).

As the debut novel for Danika Potts and Oliver Campbell, this 192 page novel is a definite must read.  Available in ebook and paperback format, be sure to purchase it...because it won't be their last.  Click the links below to take you to purchase them.

Nook E-book
Amazon E-book
Amazon Paperback

It's been a few days...

Unfortunately, between being sick, swamped at work and at the part-time gig and basketball tournaments the past weekend, this weekend and next weekend, I haven't had a lot of time to post to the blog as wanted.  However, that's going to change with this weekend.  I'm dedicating the next couple days (when not at tournaments) to lining up reviews to be posted.

So I've decided to tease the books I'm going to review, not in the order that I'm going to review them, but in alphabetical order (I'm crazy like that, alphabetizing books).

That being said, the following books have been read and are on my shelf to be reviewed as you read this:

• Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon
• Crusader Gold by David Gibbins
• Grave Witch by Kalayna Price
• No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon
• Quicksilver by Joy Spraycar
• Rabbit in the Road by Oliver Campbell and Danika Potts
• Remembering Christmas by Dan Walsh
• Second Earth by Eunice and Ed Vought
• The Guardian by Sherrilyn Kenyon 

There are more, but these are the ones at the top of my list that will be posted first.  Please note, my reviews will clearly state how I acquired the books, whether I purchased them on my own from a book store, or if it was given to me as a review copy by the author or publisher in accordance with FCC standards.

Each book listed above will turn into a link as I get a review posted.

Happy reading!

Rabbit in the Road: On Sale Now

My buddy Oliver, who co-wrote Rabbit in the Road with his wife to be Danika, is turning 30.  In celebration of this momentous event, he's knocked down the price of his e-book.  He had the following to say on their blog regarding the sale:

Therefore due to the nature of the shopping season and because every single penny counts, for the next 30 days, Rabbit in the Road on BOTH Barnes & Noble  and Amazon is dropping down to a smooth 99 cents. The discounts are live as of RIGHT NOW!


Cheaper than a double cheeseburger at McDonald’s. Cheaper than a cup of coffee. I think the value is there.  Why are we dropping the price that low? Because the money isn’t important. READING is important. I’d rather have you read cheaply as opposed to having to ponder on a  cash spending decision. And I can tell you, without ego, that this 99 cents worth of pocket change is worth your time. If you’ve been on the fence about trying us, this would be an excellent opportunity to take advantage.

So, to help make his birthday better, I'm spreading the word.  The book can be purchased via links below at Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.

Amazon: Rabbit in the Road
Barnes and Noble: Rabbit in the Road