Breaking the Schism by Laura Maisano

Blurb:

The trials are looming, but Makai spends his days watching the portals to Earth and filling his sketchbook with drawings of his muse—a strawberry-blonde beauty named Heather. Although breaking the Schism is illegal, taboo, and all sorts of wrong, temptation to escape responsibility pushes him to cross over and meet his crush.

Once just isn’t enough.

Every few days, Makai skips school, sneaking onto Earth to spend time with Heather. Could he stay with her? He’d have to leave his friends, his family…his world. Makai’s free to choose his future, but everyone expects brilliance from the Winged Councilman’s son. He can’t disappoint his father, especially when Father’s office seems to be caught in the whispers of conspiracy. Eventually the danger following the Councilman follows Makai, and even Earth isn’t far enough to run.

About the Author:

Laura writes because it’s her destiny! Okay, that may be overly dramatic, but she thinks there’s something to it. Her parents named her after the author who penned the Little House books—Laura Ingalls Wilder. From the moment she learned the origin of her name, she got the bug and knew she had to do the same. Aside from narrating the life and death struggles of her Barbies, she first tried to write a story in high school. The unfortunate melodrama felt like more of a Sailor Moon meets Justice League mash-up than a real book. She did coin her website from its universe (http://www.rayhastudios.com) and it provided lots of inspiration moving forward.

In college, Laura used visual arts for her creative outlet with a drawing minor, but she still wanted to write. Everyone knows you don’t make money as an author, so she did the prudent thing and got a literature degree with a technical writing certification. To actually get a tech writing job though, she had to go back for her Masters in Technical Writing. The classes she took for that degree opened her eyes to the mechanics of writing, and actually inspired her to work on fiction once again.

While she was getting that MA, Laura started dating her now-husband. They married in 2008, and he’s been her best friend and biggest supporter ever since. They honeymooned in Italy, where he lived as a teenager. It was nice to have a private tour guide who spoke the lingo.

In 2011, their daughter was born, who they plan to inflict their weirdness on full force. She already loves watching Idolm@ster 2, a Japanese video game with singing anime idols. They have to do something to keep out of the hundred-plus temperatures of Texas weather. You can check for updates at:

http://www.LauraMaisano.Blogspot.com.

Review:

Breaking the Schism was more of an extended teaser than an actual book. It might appeal to the Young Adult audience to whom it’s aimed, but not to this reviewer. I hate cliff-hangers! Breaking the Schism introduces us to Makai, a young creature who is among the Winged people of Illirin. We learn that Illirin also has Legged, Tailed, Scaled and Seer people. As the son of the Winged Counselor, great things are expected of Makai, but he’s more interested in art than the military, business, or politics. And he’s interested Heather, in a girl who lives on Earth—in another dimension, forbidden territory, beyond the Schism.

We also hear rumors of some sort of conspiracy, that affects his father and puts their family in danger. Makai has to flee to Earth. He begins to make a life with Heather. Boom! Cliff-hanger. Not a book; an introduction. A beginning with no middle and no end. I found it to be extremely unsatisfying. The only reason I gave it any roses at all is that I realize a twelve year-old might not have the same objections I do.

Author Website: http://www.rayhastudios.com

Heat Rating:  G

Length:  58 Pages

Digital Price:  FREE

Buy Link:  https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/now-available-in-ebook/breaking-the-schism-detail

You’ll notice we always include the publisher’s buy link. That’s because authors usually receive 40-50% of the net proceeds from the publisher. Editors and cover artists usually receive about 5%. When you buy a book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or another third-party vendor, they take a hefty cut and the author, editors and cover artists receive their cuts from what is left. So, if a book costs $5.99 at E-Book Publisher.com and you buy from there, the author will receive about $2.40-$2.99. If you buy the book at Amazon, the author will receive about $1.70-$2.10.

Download the file from the publisher onto your computer as you would any other file. I’ve created a folder for books on my computer, with subfolders by source (Marketing for Romance Writers, Net Galley, Authors who find me on Kindle lists, etc.). That way, if there’s a glitch with your Kindle, the books are on your computer. Some publishers send books in all digital formats. If my Kindle breaks and my kids buy me a Nook, I won’t have to replace all of my books. If you have a Kindle and your hubby has a Nook, you won’t have to buy separate copies, so buying directly from the publisher can save you money.

Moving the file from your computer to your e-reader is as easy as transferring any file from your computer to a USB flash drive. Plug the larger USB end of your e-reader charging chord into a USB port on your computer and simply move the file from the folder into which you’ve downloaded the book to Documents/Books directory on your e-reader. You can move the file by highlighting it and dragging it to the documents directory in you Kindle you want to move it to. Or right click on it, and then left click copy or move. Or hit Control/C for copy, Control/X for cut, and Control/V for paste.

Your author will be happy you did when he/she sees his/her royalty statement.

Thanks for visiting.

My Soul Immortal by Jen Printy

Blurb:

An endless love, for an endless price.

Jack’s immortality is exposed when he prevents a liquor store heist, forcing him to flee to protect his secret—a secret not even he understands. But when he meets Leah Winters—a mirror image of his decades-lost love, Lydia—his very soul is laid bare. He begins to question his sanity. Is she real, and if so, what does that mean for Jack and his secret?

Jack’s not the only mystery man in town. A stranger named Artagan hints at knowledge Jack is desperate to possess. But can he trust Artagan, or does the dark newcomer harbor deadly secrets of his own?

As Jack’s bond with Leah grows, so does the danger to her life. Jack must discover just how much he is willing to risk in order to save the woman he already lost once.

About the Author:

Since childhood, Jen Printy has been writing. Whether stories about a fantasy world or everyday life in Maine, Jen loved losing herself in the worlds she created on paper. The arts in all forms have always been an important part of Jen's life, a love instilled in her by her father. When Jen isn't writing, she's sculpting as a freelance doll artist.

Jen lives in southern Maine with her husband, two daughters, and diva dog, Cookie. She loves spending time friends and family, finding treasures along the seashore, or enjoying a Guinness at her favorite local pub.

Review:

My Soul Immortal was an intriguing book that explored the concepts of immortality and reincarnation. Jack is immortal; he’s almost two-hundred years old, and so far, nothing can kill him. He’s been shot, stabbed, poisoned, and it all hurts, but he heals quickly and lives. But he hasn’t had a happy life. When he was young, he was engaged to a beautiful girl named Lydia. Her wealthy father disapproved of her match to the son of the vicar’s widow, but she didn’t care—until someone told her they’d seen him with another girl. She ran out into a rainstorm to confront him, caught influenza, and died. Jack blamed himself for her death and lived in misery for the next hundred-fifty years.

Until he gets shot preventing a robbery in Los Angeles. He puts a map on the wall, shoots a dart into it, and it hits Portland, Maine. Not long after arriving there, Jack collides with a young woman who looks exactly like Lydia. He tries to avoid getting to know Lea, but she’s an art student who invites him to an exhibition where she shows him paintings she’s done of him and his life with Lydia. She’s been dreaming about them her entire life.

But Jack and Lea are pursued. A man with a shadowy past named Atagan seems to shadow them, and he warns them of dangers dating back to their first life together.

My Soul Immortal drew me in with great characters, and a good story. But the dialog was a bit stilted. The ending came rather close to a cliff-hanger. The issues in this book were solved, but it was clear there would be a sequel, and it left questions as to how the new situations would affect Jack and Lea. It’s a squeaker as far as I’m concerned.

And finally, there’s an issue I’ve seen so far in most of the Red Adept books I’ve read. Someone has apparently told the RAP authors and editors to avoid using too many adverbs. That’s good advice, and I give it to my authors. However, substituting adjectives for adverbs doesn’t work. It’s substituting a “newbie habit” for just bad grammar. Don’t just take the “ly” off the word. Find a stronger image. It’s bad enough when I see this happening in self-published works, but you folks have an editorial staff. Use adverbs sparsely, and only use adjectives when you’re describing a noun, a proper noun, or a pronoun. If the word “noun” isn’t there, it doesn’t get an adjective.

Sorry for the rant, but I’ve been seeing this a lot lately, and something like seven or eight Red Adept authors sent books to me to review, so I know I’ll probably see it in the rest.

Again, My Soul Immortal was a good book, and I do recommend it.

Author Website: https://www.facebook.com/JenPrintyAuthor/

Heat Rating: PG

Length: 312 Pages

Prices:

Print: $14.99

Digital: $5.99

Buy Links:

Print: http://redadeptpublishing.com/#!/My-Soul-Immortal/p/4653658

Digital: http://www.amazon.com/Soul-Immortal-Fated-Eternals-Book-ebook/dp/B00ILXSNOI/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

You’ll notice we always include the publisher’s buy link. That’s because authors usually receive 40-50% of the net proceeds from the publisher. Editors and cover artists usually receive about 5%. When you buy a book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or another third-party vendor, they take a hefty cut and the author, editors and cover artists receive their cuts from what is left. So, if a book costs $5.99 at E-Book Publisher.com and you buy from there, the author will receive about $2.40-$2.99. If you buy the book at Amazon, the author will receive about $1.70-$2.10.

Download the file from the publisher onto your computer as you would any other file. I’ve created a folder for books on my computer, with subfolders by source (Marketing for Romance Writers, Net Galley, Authors who find me on Kindle lists, etc.). That way, if there’s a glitch with your Kindle, the books are on your computer. Some publishers send books in all digital formats. If my Kindle breaks and my kids buy me a Nook, I won’t have to replace all of my books. If you have a Kindle and your hubby has a Nook, you won’t have to buy separate copies, so buying directly from the publisher can save you money.

Moving the file from your computer to your e-reader is as easy as transferring any file from your computer to a USB flash drive. Plug the larger USB end of your e-reader charging chord into a USB port on your computer and simply move the file from the folder into which you’ve downloaded the book to Documents/Books directory on your e-reader. You can move the file by highlighting it and dragging it to the documents directory in you Kindle you want to move it to. Or right click on it, and then left click copy or move. Or hit Control/C for copy, Control/X for cut, and Control/V for paste.

Your author will be happy you did when he/she sees his/her royalty statement.

Thanks for visiting.

Michigan Roll by Tom Katonis

Blurb:

Ex-con and professional poker player Timothy Waverly travels to Traverse City, Michigan for a break…and falls into bed with a seductress named Midnight. She’s an out-of-towner, too, there to rescue her self-destructive brother, who has stupidly ripped off a fortune in cocaine from a vicious Chicago mobster. Now she is being chased by Shadow, a hemorrhoidal hitman who gleefully specializes in torture and rape, and Gleep, his muscle-bound henchman. The odds are stacked against her, but Waverly is a gambler who knows how to play them…

Review by Rochelle Weber:

When I was in my first semester of writing at Columbia College, Chicago, the men in my stories were too polite, so my professor made me read a book called Last Exit to Brooklyn, by Herbert Selby, Jr. Much of it was stream-of-consciousness profanity. If you aren’t familiar with stream-of-consciousness writing, it has no punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure or paragraphs.

Itsasthoughyourewritingadreamjusthewayyousawitandifyouwantanevenbetterexampletry The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. The loosest I was able to get was having my pipe-fitter hero’s buddies meet him for breakfast the day after he meets my heroine and the conversation went something like:

“Hey John, how was last night? That was some hot piece you left with.”

“The Lady I left with was very nice, and it ain’t none a your business.”

It just about killed me to call my heroine a “piece,” to use the word “ain’t” and to use a double-negative.

If a writer came to me now and said, “Rochelle, I want to write a realistic thug,” this is the series of books to which I would refer him or her.

I didn’t like most of the people in this book. Waverly, the “hero,” makes his living by ripping off people at card tables, a dubious skill he honed as a way of preserving his sanity while in solitary confinement in prison. Clay Clemmons is a rich-kid drug dealer who decides to rip off half a million in drugs from his boss in Traverse City, Michigan, not realizing the drugs are really the property of the Chicago mob. He calls his sister, Holly (Midnight to her closest friends), to come and rescue him. Shadow and Gleep, the thugs tasked with retrieving the mob’s drugs decide to flush him out by grabbing Midnight. Waverly has some redeeming qualities. He steps in and rescues Midnight when Shadow and Gleep accost her in the parking lot of an Indian casino outside of Traverse City. Midnight is a Princess in every sense of the word. Beautiful, entitled—she assumes Waverly will simply continue to help her because crooks her well-manicured finger at him. And he does. Along the way, a lot of people die horrible deaths. The men in this book think and speak almost entirely in profanity. Women don’t have names. They aren’t even “pieces.” They’re the c-word or “snatch.”

Yet, these characters are deeply drawn. There’s a reason each of them turned out the way they did. They have back-stories. Despite my distaste for them, I kept reading. Right up to the cliff-hanger ending. Yes, this was Book One of a series, so it didn’t quite end. Part of me wants to say, life doesn’t quite end, either. But apparently there are more books that continue the story.

If you’re looking for a romance with nice people and a happily ever after, this book is not for you. If you’re looking for a huge dose of the seedy side of life occupied by thugs and realistic mafia hitmen, then the Waverly series is a great example. If your heroes are too polite and you need to learn how to write more realistic thugs, here’s your textbook. Despite the fact that I didn’t really like this book, I have to admire its craftwork. That’s why I gave it four roses.

Length:  304 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $13.99

Digital:  $3.99

Buy Link:  http://mysterythrillerbooks.com/book/michigan-roll/

You’ll notice we always include the publisher’s buy link. That’s because authors usually receive 40% of the book price from the publisher. Editors and cover artists usually receive about 5%. When you buy a book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or another third-party vendor, they take a hefty cut and the author, editors and cover artists receive their cuts from what is left. So, if a book costs $5.99 at E-Book Publisher.com and you buy from there, the author will receive about $2.40. If you buy the book at Amazon, the author will receive about $0.83.

Downloading the file from your computer to your Kindle is as easy as transferring any file from your computer to a USB flash drive. Plug the larger USB end of your chord into a USB port on your computer and simply move the file from your “Downloads” box to your Kindle/Documents/Books directory. You can download your books onto your computer using “Save As” to a “Books” file you create and sort them into sub-folders by genre, author, or however you wish before transferring them to your Kindle. That way, if there’s a glitch with your Kindle, the books are on your computer. Your author will be happy you did when he/she sees his/her royalty statement.

Thanks for visiting. Rose, Julie, Donna, & Rochelle