Archive for April 2012

Interview with Monica Leonelle author of Socialpunk

By : Katie

First off I would like to welcome to Curse of the Bibliophile Monica Leonelle! Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to participate in this interview. If you would like to find out more about her go to her website here.

You can also see my review of her book "Socialpunk" here.

Title: Socialpunk
Author: Monica Leonelle
Publisher: Spaulding House
Source: Review Copy

Synopsis:

Ima would give anything to escape The Dome and learn what’s beyond its barriers, but the Chicago government has kept all its citizens on lockdown ever since the Scorched Years left most of the world a desert wasteland. When a mysterious group of hooded figures enters the city unexpectedly, Ima uncovers a plot to destroy The Dome and is given the choice between escaping to a new, dangerous city or staying behind and fighting a battle she can never win.

Buy Links

Amazon

1. What would you consider a perfect day for you as an author?

A day where I sold a million copies. Kidding! A perfect day for me is either finishing a novel or seeing a great review on Amazon. It's really fun to see someone who really loves the story.

2. What sort of research (if any) did you do for this novel?

I spent a lot of time researching predictions for the future. The series/book is heavily based on my background in digital marketing. That said, I live in Chicago and worked in digital marketing, so a lot of the book came straight from my imagination.

3. Is there any character in particular that you enjoyed writing about the most?

I would say Ima, because she changes so much throughout the book. Nahum is based on a guy I had a crush on in 4th grade (right down to the name, even). Nasser is also exciting because he's got such big ideas and he's so damn reckless. He's willing to completely derail his entire hash just to pursue a dream. I'm a bit like him at times, to be honest.

4. Were any of your characters or events from the book based of real life people or experiences you have had?

Nasser was slightly inspired by my own approach toward leadership (why I shouldn't be a leader!). Nahum was inspired by a major crush I had in 4th grade, haha. No one else is similar to anyone I know in real life.

5. Are there any other projects you are working on that you would like to tell us about?

I would love to get a serialized fiction series going. I plan to start outlining fairly soon, hopefully the end of April. It's a challenge though, because everything has to be outlined before I start so all the delicious foreshadowing happens. Plus, I have no idea if people will buy serialized fiction. But I'm willing to take a chance.

6. Did any of your characters give you a difficult time while writing this book?

None of them gave me too much trouble, to be honest. Maybe Vaughn was a bit difficult—because he acts completely different around everyone else besides Ima, and the story is from Ima's viewpoint, so Vaughn seems a lot sweeter than he actually is. It's hard to portray that, but I'm hoping to make it clearer in the next book.

7. Cappuccino or Coffee

Cappuccino

8. What do you like to do in your down time?

I am training for a marathon... I also love to read and spend time with my boyfriend and dog. I like restaurants and wine. I'm very simple!

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Tag : Interview,

Socialpunk by Monica Leonelle

By : Katie

Title: Socialpunk
Author: Monica Leonelle
Publisher: Spaulding House
Rating: 4 stars
Source: Review Copy

Synopsis:

Buy Links

Amazon

My Thoughts

Enter a world with strict rules and hidden secrets. This is where Ima lives and soon she will face the toughest decision of her life.

Ima is a strong heroine and I enjoyed getting to know more about her and the world she lives in. She really grows as a character throughout the series and learns some hard lessons as well which I liked. She was an interesting character and really grew on me throughout the book.

The story itself was fast paced and kept me entertained for hours. There are plenty of surprises that had me on the edge of my seat in anticipation. This was a really fun read that I had a hard time putting down. The world that the author creates is unique and really interesting. I can’t wait to see more of it in future books.

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Tag : 4 stars, adult, review,

Wolf Tracker by Maddy Barone

By : Katie

Written for The Romance Reivews

Title: Wolf Tracker
Author: Maddy Barone
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
Rating: 5 stars
Source: Review Copy

Synopsis:

Strong, independent Tami was a survivalist and mountain guide in 2014 when she was flung forward fifty years into a post-apocalyptic future where women are worth their weight in gold. She is taken by four men to be their wife, but when she escapes from them they hire the Tracker, a deadly loner from the Clan with a reputation for being able to track anything, to bring her back. But Tami knows how to ride and how to hide, and she leads him on a chase that rouses his admiration. Behind Tracker’s stone-cold face is a man who yearns for a wife of his own. When he catches up with Tami and learns that she is not a willing wife, he knows he can’t give her up.

Buy Links

Amazon – Barnes and Noble

My Thoughts

Wolf Tracker is an exciting romance with loads of action and sexy men from the future.

Tami is a survivalist and mountain guide in the year 2014, but her world is turned upside down when she is suddenly thrown fifty years into the future where women are highly sought after. She is taken by four men who want her as their wife, but she escapes them only to be tailed by a tracker they hired to find her. The tracker Dan is intrigued when she give him a run for his money. After catching up to her he finds out more about her story and decides that he can’t give her up.

I liked the relationship between these two and felt that they were really good for each other. There was a lot of action and some touchy scenes within the book like rape were dealt with very tactfully without out a lot of crude descriptions. The story overall was exciting and at times very sweet and romantic.

Tami is a great heroine with a lot of inner strength. She does not break down easily and this is a great help to her in trying to survive in this insane new world she has been dragged into.

Dan is an honorable man and even though he is hired to track her down he listens to her side of the story. He is the strong silent type, but it is easy to tell he has a big heart.

I highly recommend this story to anyone who loves a good romance with a bit of action.

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Tag : 5 stars, adult, futuristic, review, romance,

The Last Girl by Kitty Thomas Excerpt

By : Katie

Title: The Last Girl

Author: Kitty Thomas
Publisher: Burlesque Press

Synopsis:

Six years ago strangers broke into Juliette’s house; she was home alone and only thirteen. She kept her eyes closed, praying that if she didn’t see anything, she wouldn’t be killed. No one harmed her. In fact, one of the thieves protected her. Now Juliette’s dreams are haunted by him.

Christian has waited to take her, resisting the urge each night. It always ends badly with human pets. They’re too fragile. The longer he can wait, the better, because the moment he takes her, the clock on her life starts ticking down.

Then she’ll be gone forever.

Buy Links

Amazon - Barnes and Noble

I feel absurd being a nineteen-year-old virgin, a fossil from another time. Part of me is just glad to do the deed and get the fucking thing over. I feel like I’ve got a white V emblazoned on me, or as if I give off some type of scent. I don’t like the idea that something that should be private feels as if it’s somehow being broadcast.

I open the door a little bleary-eyed, my hair still mussed from oversleeping.

“Did I wake you?”

He’s got this stupid grin on his face. And flowers. I want to smack him. I know this is all because I’ve decided to give in and put out after three months of dating. I feel like I should love him if I’m going to do this.

I run my hands self-consciously through my hair.

“You look great,” he says, holding out the flowers.

No I don’t. I know it. He knows it. He’s just so happy to be getting laid tonight that he’s seeing me through horny-guy glasses. I’m still too sleepy to be annoyed.

I put the flowers in a glass of water and slip some flip flops on. It’s Southern Florida. Flip flops are a year-round joy here.

He’s got something romantic planned at the beach. Black cloth goes over my eyes as we get out of the car—a blindfold. I almost panic, but then I realize if I make a fuss, it will invite questions I can never answer. So I smile shakily and allow him to lead me down to the beach. My flip flops are still in the car. I breathe slowly in and out, listening to the waves crash against the shore, inhaling the crisp, salty scent of the sea, feeling the instability of sand collapsing beneath my feet.

“Don’t move. I’ll be right back. I’ve got to get a couple of things.”

I try not to be in that dark closet. I try, but I can’t help it. I’m there again, my eyes squeezed tightly shut, silently begging not to be found, not to be killed. A hand is on my arm again, leading me away and I come out of the fog, remembering I’m here with Devon. Everything’s okay.

“Where are we going?”

“Shhh”

My heart starts to hammer faster in my chest. Then it pounds and vibrates in my head. My entire being is one rapidly thudding heartbeat with no slowdown in sight. Something is wrong here, but I can’t make myself remove the cloth from my eyes.

You’re being ridiculous. It’s just Devon. He has a surprise.

I find myself in the passenger seat of a car. It’s not Devon’s car. I just know. Even blindfolded I know. This is the point where I should rip the scrap of fabric off and run. There is no evidence this person has a weapon, and he or she hasn’t spoken to me yet. But before my hands can move to the blindfold, the driver’s side door is shut and the car has started.

It’s so fast, I assume there must be more than one person involved. Tears gather and absorb into the thick cloth covering my eyes. Terror freezes me, keeping me from taking off the blindfold, from trying to leap out of the car that’s moving too fast now anyway. I’m suddenly thirteen again. The dream is real, and I believe that if I don’t see them, they won’t kill me.

I’m silent and they are silent. The only sound is the wheels scraping against the rough road and the occasional bump. My tears are coming harder now. Why can’t I fight back? Scream? Beg? Try to escape? Just take the fucking blindfold off! But I can’t do it. I may as well be tied up because I’m so scared I don’t know what to do or what to think.

A little while passes and the car stops. Again, too fast for me to react, my door is open and someone is helping me out. How many are there?

I cringe away but find my feet moving in the direction I’m being led. “Don’t hurt me. Please.”

Then I feel stupid. What if it’s Devon? What if this is part of some stupid frat thing he’s gotten himself into? It would be just like him to combine my deflowering with a secret frat party or something.

I expect someone to start giggling or say I’m a spaz, but fingers gently grasps my wrist, lifting my hand. I feel the planes of his face as he guides me to see him. I shake my head in disbelief.

No.

I was good. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t tell anyone anything. This can’t happen. I did what I was supposed to do. But it’s him. It’s my nightmare.

“I missed you, Juliette.”

Christian.

Kitty Thomas

Kitty Thomas writes dark literary fiction that explores power dynamics and sexuality (back in the olden days people called it erotica). This work is fiction and meant for an adult audience. The author does not endorse or condone any of the behavior carried out by characters in her stories.
Her work is not “erotic romance”. Often on some level it is about love and/or obsession. Often the couple in some way ends up “together”, but the work should not be expected to follow the conventions of any type of genre romance, erotic or otherwise. If you are looking for genre romance (erotic or otherwise), please read a different author. Erotic romance is “more explicit romance”. This is something different.
Inspiration for Kitty’s work comes from many sources including Story of O, Nine and a Half Weeks, and the work of Claudia D. Christian.

This is where you can find Kitty:

Blog/Website - Facebook -Twitter - Amazon

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The winner of the Starline giveaway is .......

By : Katie

The winner of the Starline giveaway is Michele Tournay!

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"Thoughtless" by Jacqueline Gardner

By : Katie

Title: Thoughtless
Author: Jacqueline Gardner
Rating: 4 stars
Source: Review Copy

Synopsis:

When Bridget finds a dead cheerleader in the janitor’s closet, she becomes the killer’s next target. High school just got worse. It’s bad enough that she can hear the shocking truths that pass through her classmate’s heads. Now she has to worry about staying alive, and all clues point to the one person whose thoughts she can’t read - her boyfriend Terrence. Someone is taunting her, threatening to expose her secret. And when Bridget tries to single out her blackmailer, she’s nearly beaten to death by a mind controlled minion with fiery eyes.

But when Bridget finally comes face-to-face with the killer, suddenly a horde of brainwashed students programmed to destroy her life doesn’t seem so bad.

Buy Links

Amazon –Smashwords

My Thoughts

An engaging read that held my interest from the very first page.

This was a great and not overly stereotypical story about a teenager with some unusual powers. The heroine was strong and handled herself well instead of just freaking out like so many do in stories like this. I really enjoyed getting to know all of these characters and figuring out the mystery of who the killer was right along with Bridget.

The story was exciting and had enough twists and turns to keep me on my toes. I also liked exploring the idea of being able to hear people’s thoughts and some of the consequences that come with that. It was really interesting because this is a power that I think many of us wish we had at some point in our lives.

This is a great read that will keep you entertained for hours. I highly recommend you try out Jacqueline Gardner’s “Thoughtless”.