Monday Morning Flash Fiction Challenge, Week 56 (the late edition)

Good Monday Tuesday Morning!

I was out of town yesterday, and had to use my iPad to be online. Guess What? You can't post to blogger from your iPad (yes, I did know, but I'm old, and I forgot, lol).

So, it's time for a late edition of....

And the image for this week, is one that I don't remember where it came from, but I like it. Hope everyone else does too.

The rules remain the same, 350 word (or there abouts) and come back Friday to post a response. (I'll try to be on time next Monday, but I can't guarantee anything, lol, we might go out of town for the long weekend. I won't leave my laptop at home this time...)

Everyone have a fantabulous week!! (it's a short week here, I hope it is everywhere you here!)

Have fun!!


PS: I don't know if anyone saw my post on facebook (I was able to post on facebook), but I found a short fiction contest that's only 78 words long. It has to tell the whole story in 78 words, no less and no more. If you're interested, click here. The prize is pretty interesting.

Fledgling by Mari Miniatt

Publisher: Animated Liar Media
Pages: 134 (pdf) 218 (print)

From the Cover:

"She didn't scream. She should have, but the scream never formed." Rebecka "Beka" Saberhagen had a shock of her life when she found out her brother worked for a vampire. Just as she was able to understand that Vincent was a vampire, multiple murders began to happen close to her home. Then she was attacked by another vampire. A giant by the name of Steopa. With the help of Steopa and Vincent. Beka begins to accept the changes. Her old fears are gone, but new ones are becoming apparent.

Strange creatures and other beings, things she would never had seen as a human are suddenly real for her. The night has become a new playground for her and sometimes a nightmare. But, her brother and friends are being targeted; by someone with an old grudge. A grudge, she has nothing to do with. But it has ties to both Vincent and Steopa. As she discovers the past, she realizes she will have to fight. Will Beka find the strength to fight for the people she loves? Is she powerful enough? Will she survive?

Beka is a lonely woman, down on her luck. She's been in and out of mental hospitals, after her step-father raped her and her brother, John, damn near kills him for it. She's lost most of her self respect to become the overweight crazy lady, living on social media sites, "Saber" to her online friends.


When she stumbles upon Vincent's secret, she tries to escape, only to have him explain the facts of life to her as a vampire. As she attempts to slink away from her brother's overcrowded goth club, she is attacked, and slowly becomes what she didn't believe existed.


Fledging by Mari Miniatt is exactly what the title describes, the beginning of life as a fledging vampire. Beka is attacked by a starving vampire, Steopa, a monster of a vampire who finds himself attracted to the accidentally turned Beka. But, in becoming a vampire, she gains more than she ever lost.... a new love, life, name, and the ability to like herself once more. Rebeka is strong than Beka ever was, and with vampirism, comes new abilities, like blood magic. She becomes almost indestructible, ash wood still blisters her flesh, but not even taking her head will kill her, and she knows from experience.


Fledgling has an excellent storyline, a solid basis, and a breath of fresh air in the vampire genre. I liked the new twist Ms. Miniatt brings with her story as well as new mythos added to it's unique storyline. There are a few grammatical errors and iffy sentence structure (more complex sentences with a few descriptors and contractions would have been nice...again, maybe that's my preference and prejudice?) but with editing this would be a fantastic entry into the genre! It's unique in world building, allowing her vampires to be everyday people who aren't dramatically changed by vampirism. Though I prefer my vampires hot and steamy, lol, Ms. Miniatt's unique take freshens the genre, allowing it to grow. If you'd like a different take on vampires, gritty urban fantasy, and are prepared for the writing style, The Fledgling may be a book for you. If you'd like to see more reviews, click here. Three out of five fairy kisses for this reader.

 


I received this ebook from the author (she tweeted the code for a free copy) @ Smashwords for review.

The Perilous Prophecy of the Guard and Goddess by Leanna Renee Hieber

Publisher: Dorchester Publishing
Pages: 320

From the Cover:

The Goddess: 

In the beginning, there were lovers: a winged deity of power and light, and a queen of grace and beauty. Phoenix was murdered, his beloved stolen away to the Whisper-world. But their passion inspired the Muses. Through great sacrifice, it could live again.

The Guard: 

There are always six, mortal hosts for the divine. Battling spirits through the ages, they defy Darkness, Lord of the Dead. In 1867, a shadow rises. The tide turns against them, and all hope falls on a child of prophecy, an eerie, snow-white girl yet to be born. But her path must be cleared. A Great War is coming, and song, wind and stars whisper that the eighteen-year-old Beatrice Smith must give everything to prepare.

A new guard has been chosen, the muses have demanded it, and so shall it be done. The location, Cairo, Egypt; the guard, six unlikely friends with little in common. Beatrice is the leader of the guard, but as the Goddess comes to them, she is pulled to another place. The Lord of the Underworld has found the her secret place, has imprisoned the guards of the past. The Goddess moved to place her Phoenix out of the Lord's reach, leaving him entombed in the Athens's academy. In doing so, she must draw the guard to a new location, London. But, the guard is never strong away from their homeland, and this must be rectified. The guard is still young, their prophecy, unfulfilled, but the Goddess needs the strength only given to the guard of the homeland, and a new guard stand ready to take the Cairo's guard's place.


The old guard losses their powers, and left, mostly unprotected, but the Goddess does what she can. Beatrice, the Goddess foretells, has more work to do.

It is the time of rebirth and renewal. It is the time for the Goddess to come again, in the form of a nearly transparent human girl.

And, it is time for all the guard to fight once again.

The Perilous Prophecy of the Guard and Goddess by Leanna Renee Hieber is the prequel to the Strangely Beautiful Series. This story starts at the beginning, not the beginning of the guard, but the beginning of Persephone's departure from the Underworld. The realm of the Underworld is killing Persephone a little at a time. The Lord of the Underworld can't see what his world is doing to her, and what he loves most is dying, what drew him to steal her away is vanishing, taking with it her will to live. He is blind to her needs, blind to those who would relish her true death, blind to what he has done to her to satisfy his own cruel desires. It's time for Persephone to leave and to exist as a mortal. She doesn't realize, until too late, that to do so, she'll have to be reborn, and she'll forget all she leaves behind, including her Phoenix, though she will always be drawn to his love and strength. This is where the Strangely Beautiful Series starts.

The Perilous Prophecy of the Guard and Goddess fills in the backstory of the Strangely Beautiful Series. It lets the reader see how it all started, why the Goddess was reborn. At times, I found the story to be convoluted, an unexpected twist that I had to re-read to understand. It makes the review harder to write, and I put it off for a bit to let the story jell. Now, a few weeks later, I can understand the story better, and appreciate it from the prospective of time. It really is an excellent beginning to the journey of the Goddess and the Guard. Four out of five fairy kisses for this reader.

I received this ebook from Dorchester Publishing and NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross + The Strange Case of Finley Jane

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 78

(Released: May 1, 2011)

 

From the Cover:

Finley Jayne knows she's not 'normal'. Normal girls don't lose time, or have something inside them that makes them capable of remarkably violent things. Her behavior has already cost her one job, so when she's offered the lofty position of companion to Phoebe, a debutante recently engaged to Lord Vincent, she accepts, despite having no experience. 

Lord Vincent is a man of science with his automatons and inventions, but Finley is suspicious of his motives where Phoebe is concerned. She will do anything to protect her new friend, but what she discovers is even more monstrous than anything she could have imagined…

An ebook exclusive prequel to The Steampunk Chronicles.

Finley Jayne is a strange girl, "unnatural" she's been called. She seems to see more, hear more, and she's stronger than she should be. But, when she's hired as a companion to young Phoebe, she need every bit of that "extra" she has if she's going to save her.

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne is the prequel to The Girl in the Steel Corset, and it's a free read on various sites @ Harlequin, Amazon, and B&N. The title is a fun play on the masterpiece, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde because there are two Finleys, the one that stays out of trouble (mostly) and the one that keeps getting her into it up to her neck. In this case, Finley needs to discover why a man more than double the age of his fiance wants the young woman, and it may be for a nefarious, grotesque desire. YA lovers of all kinds will want to give this steampunk novella a try, it's a taste of Ms. Cross's The Steampunk Chronicles world, and a most excellent world it is. 4 out of 5 fairy kisses for this reader.

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 474

 (Released: May 24, 2011)

From the Cover:

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one except the thing inside her.
When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch.

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits. Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help and finally be a part of something, finally fit in. 

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on, even if it seems no one believes her.

Finley Jayne is once again up to her neck in trouble. She's had to runaway from her position as a lady's maid for taking the young lord of the manor to task for attempting to force himself upon her. Young Lord August-Raynes finds out just what can happen when the object of his desire doesn't want his illicit desire, and it's not anything he's anticipating.


The Duke of Greythorne, Griff to his friends, stumble upon Finley Jayne in her attempt to escape..well he actually runs her down. But, when he sees the young girl, instead of calling the authorities and bringing unwanted attention, (his velocycle has...modifications), he brings her home with him. Finley Jayne isn't what anyone is expecting.


Sam, Em, Jasper, and Lady Cordelia don't know what to make of the girl who can carry twice her weight, who seems to have two personalities, and who doesn't seem to like them all that much (at least part of her doesn't), they don't trust her at all. But, Griff won't have it any other way, because deep down, he feels a connection to Jayne, and he needs to find out why. Maybe it can help lead him to the murderers of his parents.


The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross is the first full book in the Steampunk Chronicles, and it lives up to being the start of a new series plus so much more. In this story, Griff, Duke of Greythorne has lost his parents in a freak accident. Unbeknownst to Griff or Finley, their parents knew each other, were collaborators, and Finley's father lost his life because of it. They find their lives intertwined by fate. Finley has always felt like an outcast and that leads her to trouble. And where ever trouble finds Finley, her alter ego take over. While Finley feels herself drawn to Griff (who is a Duke and no way is she a Duchess), her alter ego is attracted to the seedier criminal type, a Lord in his domain. The true fly in the ointment is Lady Cordelia who knows more than she's saying, and who's husband is missing. She doesn't trust or like Finley, and she has her own set of abilities that allows her to take a trip through Finley's mind, which brings Finley's alter ego into the picture, more than powerful in her own right. Can Finley blend the two halves of her personality? Does she want to?


The Girl in the Steel Corset is a must read book for YA lovers, especially those who enjoy Steampuck, which is sort of a new genre for me. I was impressed by the world building skills of Ms. Cross, her attention to detail, and her ability to weave a story that totally knocked my socks off. I'll be eagerly waiting for the next in the Steampuck Chronicles, The Girl in the Clockwork Collar, which should take up where this one leaves off. Jasper, American cowboy and almost romantic hero, is arrested at Duke Greythorne's estate by none other than the secret service. Can he face his own demons? I absolutely loved this book, and I will snap up the continuing story. Excellent reading for those who love adventure, a new world, and strange new happenings. Five out of five fairy kisses for this reader.

  

I received by ebook from NetGalley and Harlequin for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Monday Morning Flash Fiction Challenge, Week 55

Good Afternoon!

Well, got up this morning to a flat tire, on my daughter's car (the one she was planning on driving to her first day of college). This was the highlight of my day. It progressively got worse, lol. I'm not boring you with the details, but it ends with me having to cancel my son's doctor's appointment because, even with having four cars, I have no way of getting him where he needed to be.... Yeah, it's been one of those days! (and the internet is cursedly slow....)

So.....without further delay.... it's time for the Monday Morning Flash Fiction Challenge.

This week's image is another that Blodeuedd sent to me, I'm loving the artists she has found!

 

I love this one, and I'm already thinking of a flash that would be perfect!

The rules remain the same, 350 words (or there about) and come back Friday to post a response!

Enjoy! And have a great week!

Ciao!

Monday Morning Flash Fiction Challenge, Week 54 (plus last week's entry)

Good Monday Morning Flash Fictioneers!!

Long weekend here! Suffice it to say... high school and college starting and I'm not looking forward to it....

Since it's Monday... it must be time for....

Monday Morning Flash Fiction Challenge

This week's image is another one of Blodeuedd's... I'm seriously liking these images!

Love it! Kind of ghostly or it is just the sun shining? Use your imagination, and hope someone comes up with something great! Have fun!

The rules remain the same, somewhere around 350 words and come back Friday to post your response. (or be like me... I'm posting mine today! lol And I'm way freaking over the limit....)

Here's my response to last week's image... It's a retelling of a classic fairytale... tweaked and twisted.

The Queen and The Mirror

by: Dottie Taylor

word count: 800

“Mirror, Mirror on the wall.... who's the fairest of them all?” Queen LaTisha gazed upon her own reflection, craving all the beauty her eyes beheld.

“You are the fairest to behold, my queen,” the Mirror answered, “but another rivals you. She has youth, love, and joy. Her soul is pure, her heart bursting with happiness, her lips smile with innocence.” The Mirror shimmered as he spoke the truth. “You, my beautiful queen, have lost your pureness. You take what you desire, and you desire it all.” If he could have shivered, he would, for his queen was mad with treachery.

LaTisha frowned, then relaxed, smoothing away the fine lines. “Who is this creature that has capture your attention, my wondrous mirror?” When she spoke, it was with the soft seductiveness of silk. She ran her fingertips along the mirror's hard surface, ever so slightly heated. “Show me the one with the pureness of heart.”

“I dare not, my queen, I fear for her.” The Mirror gazed back with regret. Once upon a time, it had been not only his eyes, but his hands and lips that cherished her loveliness. Cursed into the mirror by the queen's fear of losing him, by the fear of losing her perfection. His cost for loving the queen.

LaTisha rose from the softness of her bed, swaying to the mirror, opening the doorway into the reflective surface and stepping inside. She could not abide any refusal. “My love,” she approached the gilded cage where her lover was bound with a pout, “give me that which I seek.” He could do nothing to help himself. His heart hammered as she advanced. Slowly, she entered his private space, shedding the layers of her lacy garments, releasing his binds, freeing his soul.

So long he had been contained, too long confined. He stretched his stiff muscles, but in doing, he was pricked by the poison of the queen's jealous love. He would never truly escape his pleasant prison, this he knew and accepted. Her love was a lie, he would remain her prisoner for all time. He was the queen's plaything, taken out and fondled, but put away for safe keeping.

He reclined back into the satin pillows and the queen sank down to join him. Hungrily, his lips found hers, groaning at the physical contact so long denied.

The queen weaved her wicked spell, trapping his thoughts as easily as his body. Her fingers greedily loosened his silk tunic. Never let it be said she was a cruel jailor, he wanted for little and was kept with the best of everything.

His hard chest sizzled with the brush of her wandering fingertips, a burning trail that continued below the waist of his loosened pantaloons. He moaned with the fire that blossomed from desire, he would do anything for his queen.

“The name, my lover, give me the name.” Again her lips claimed his, tongue probing, teeth nipping. Her kisses wandered lower, to find dusty tips, arousing his desire even further.

Panting, he realized he was lost. He would never be able to deny her anything. His eyes followed her lips as they traced the fine line that sank below the belt of his pantaloons.

“The name, all I want is the name.” She cajoled tantalizingly. “Then, I'll give you everything,” she brought her lips back to his, seizing them, “everything you want and more.” She whispered as her fingers caressed the hardness of his arousal.

He could no longer think, but his eyes implored her. He could no longer reason why he was holding back a name that meant so little to him, and his thoughts betrayed him. This was all he knew, all he wanted, and she was offering it to him, if only for a time. He was well and truly cursed.

He inhaled deeply, releasing a tremulous sigh, “Rosalinda, my queen, the one you seek is Rosalinda.” Her image appeared before the queen's dark gaze.

She smiled triumphantly, wickedly, then sweetly, bringing her lips to his in one last passionate kiss. She laughed, leaving him, imprisoned and alone.

“Rosalinda,” she thought, stepping away from the mirror. She called her guards. “Bring me Rosalinda.” Her image flashed upon the mirror's surface. “You'll know her by her beauty, her voice, her smile.” LaTisha said snidely, caressing each guard with her venomous poison, enchanting them, demanding to be obeyed. Her eyes smoldered, her lips curved enticingly. “Her heart is supposed to be pure, I think I should like to see it.” She flung her head back, releasing a throaty laugh, “I want Rosalinda and her heart. Whoever wins it,.... shares my bed.” She sauntered away, spiked heels clicking on the cold marble floor. She would not be denied.



Just a tad different from the original tale. I immediately thought Snow White when I saw this image.... with an eviler sexier twist...

Have a great week!

Ciao!

Winners!

I've hosted a couple of giveaways on my blog, and I've neglected to post the winners. 

The first is the winner of Shelley Workinger's Settling contest...

Randomizer choose entry #3 4.... Aydrea

Alyssa (Aydrea has already won a copy!)

The second is the winner Sherrilyn Kenyon's Retribution....

Randomizer choose entry #1.... Michelle Greathouse

Winners have been emailed.

Thanks to everyone that entered!

Monday Morning Flash Fiction Challenge, Week 53

Good Morning Flash Fictioners!

This is the first week of the second year.... I can't believe it!  I've been so busy this past week, my head is still spinning, so without further delay.....

It's time for the Monday Morning Flash Fiction Challenge!

This week's image comes from Blodeuedd, she sent me a parcel of wonderful images that we'll be seeing some of over the coming weeks.

I love this image, it's by far one of my favorite we've used (thanks B!)

The rules remain the same, somewhere around 350 words, and come back Friday to post your response.

See you then!!

Ciao!

Seduction & Scandal by Charlotte Featherstone

Publisher: Harlequin
Pages: 384

(Released: June 21, 2011)

From the Cover:

With the scandalous nature of her birth to live down, Isabella Fairmont dreams of a proper marriage—even if a passionless one. She saves her deepest desires for the novel she dares to pen, wherein a handsome lord with dark powers seduces her. But then her courtship with an appropriate suitor is threatened by the sudden attentions of the reclusive Earl of Black…whose pale blue eyes and brooding sensuality are exactly as she described in her book.

Isabella tries to resist the mysterious Earl of Black.

Yet as he pursues her, with inexplicable knowledge of her past and kisses that consume her, Isabella fears she will succumb.

If only the earl could tell Isabella the truth. With very real, and treacherous, thieves endangering her life, Black will need to protect Isabella from the very people she trusts the most….

Isabella's life has been anything but scandal free. She herself was the unlucky result of a love tryst gone wrong. It was the weakness of Isabella's mother, giving her heart and love too freely. She's grown up without...without security, money, the ability to give herself, and trust in herself. With the loss of her mother and grandmother, she loses part of herself that she did have, and the unfortunate incident occurs.

Her uncle comes to her rescue, bringing her back to London. With her cousin Lucy at her side, she learns to live again. Security found, legitimacy won in passionless arms of her suitor, Knighton. But, Lucy has become enamored with the occult, dragging Isabella from one cemetery to another, one seance to another, until Isabella meets her breaking point. When Death is courted, Death finds a way.

Into her life walks the dark Earl of Black, a mysterious figure in London society, the talk of the ton. Rumors and innuendo follow him, his own background almost as scandalous as Isabella's. He's promised to fulfill the duties entrusted by his father. There are relics, items, that could effect the fate of mankind, and it's his responsibility to hide them away.

When these two meet, the cocoon wrapping Isabella starts to melt away, but it scares her, unable to deal with the feelings his presence evolves. Black can't keep his eyes from finding her, even after her rebuffs. He knows he shouldn't but he can't resist, he seduces, coaxes, coercers. She's the water to his thirst, without ever knowing it.

Seduction & Scandal by Charlotte Featherstone is the first book in the Brethren series, dealing the Templar Knights and the secrets they've carried to their graves and beyond. The Earl of Black, forced to carry on the family heritage, doesn't want to extend his family line beyond himself. He doesn't want force his sons to bear the burden he's shared. When he meets Isabella, all those feeling of aloofness disappear. He burns for her presence, and not matter how hard he tries, he can't stay away. Isabella is a timid heroine, she's been burned by life, first living down the scandal of her mother's life, then her own unfortunate incident. She's hiding from life in her uncle's home. She's found a "safe" relationship, even if it's a passionless one, she won't have to worry about scandal finding her. She's come to live through her journal where she writes her stories... about Lord Death. Little does she know that the Earl of Black is her own Lord Death. From the first meeting, Black and Isabella flame to a burning fire. Though she tries to run, she can't outpace desire.

Seduction & Scandal is another heartfelt story told as only Ms. Featherstone can. It's a historical romance with elements of the paranormal thrown in as well as a bit of mythos of old England, and the Templar Knights. It pulls at your heartstrings, waiting for the reluctant lovers to find out they don't really have a choice. The villain, and there are several in this story, tries to stop the lovers from being together as well as keep the relics for themselves. If you're a fan of historicals, Charlotte Featherstone is certainly an author to try, you simply can't go wrong. Her stories sometimes address issues such as addiction, abuse, suicide, but she does it with subtly and guile, making her stories very involving and readable. I have come to look forward to her books even though historical romances aren't my usual read. She has captured my attention, always must read. 5 out of 5 fairy kisses for this reader, I hope you pick it up, it's a story within a story, spellbinding.

I received my ebook for review from NetGalley and Harlequin. All opinions express are my own.

Promo ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon's Retribution & Giveaway ~ Dark Hunter Series (Book 20)

I love Sherrilyn Kenyon's books, so when I'm given the opportunity to promote one, I grab the chance! Also, St. Martin's Press is allowing one copy as a giveaway. Leave a comment to enter!! The giveaway will end August 13, 2011. US or Canadian mailing address only (*note: if you are outside of US and Canada, you can still enter the giveaway as long as you use a mailing address is US/ Canada and pay shipping from there).

(Release Date: August 2, 2011)

From the Cover:

Harm no human.

A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he'd spend eternity protecting the humans he'd once considered prey.

Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief - Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meeting the man who killed her family: Jess Brady.

A gun in the hand is worth two in the holster.

Jess has been charged with finding and terminating the creature who's assassinating Dark-Hunters. The last thing he expects to find is a human face behind the killings, but when that face bears a striking resemblance to the one who murdered him centuries ago, he knows something evil is going on. He also knows he's not the one who killed her parents. But Abigail refuses to believe the truth and is determined to see him dead once and for all.

Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they've sworn to protect.

Book Trailer



Looks fantastic, doesn't it!

Monday Morning Flash Fiction Challenge, Week 52

Good Monday Morning for this, the 52nd week of our flash fiction challenge!!

This week brings us to one full year of flash fiction! Woohoo! We should celebrate.... cake and ice cream at my house, everyone is invited! LOL (I always have cake ready to make and ice cream in the freeze for those spontaneous celebrations.)

This week's flash is one I'm (kind of) extending from last week... Well, I let everyone decide, but it's from the same series.

 

I really like it!  I hope you all do too!  

The sames remain the same, somewhere around 350 words, and come back Friday to post a response.

Have fun, and let your creative juices flow!

Ciao!