Love and Decay: Episode 12, Season 3

Zombies- as if that wasn’t enough to ruin any girl’s dream of a happily ever after. 

In the conclusion of Love and Decay, Season Three, Reagan and friends have made it to Colombia, but their fight out of hell is not over. 

Starving, dehydrated and out of ammo, the group is at their lowest. Even though they’ve reached their final destination, there is not much hope that they can survive the night. Exhaustion and grief have debilitated them until they are willing to make desperate, dangerous decisions. Decisions that might very well be the end of them. 

Is there hope at the end of the world? Can Reagan and her loved ones find the safety and security they’ve been searching for over the last three years? Or will the Zombie Apocalypse finally destroy them? 

Love and Decay, Episode Twelve is the final episode in Season Three of a novella series in a Dystopian Romance about Zombies, the end of the world and finding someone to share it with. 

This story takes place over multiple episodes, with a release date every two weeks. Approximately 20,000 words. 

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Disclosure: this post contains links to an affiliate program (Amazon), for which I receive a few cents if you make purchases. 

Author Spotlight: Kristen Van Risseghem

Description:

Zoe Jabril could be just another 17-year-old girl attending parties with her friends and checking out cute guys—except her best friend is a Guardian Angel, and the boy she crushes on is a Nephilim, half-Angel, both sent to Earth to protect her. A high school classmate happens to be a trendsetting shopaholic Fairy. And now there’s a new Werewolf in town. 

Now Zoe has to deal with her feelings toward Shay, who spreads a strange electrical current through her body every time he touches her. She is under constant attack from Demons, trying to kill and stop her from fulfilling the Prophecy: a girl will be born who will unite the Enlightens to battle evil. Then on top of that, between boring homework and drama with girls at school, she has to control new found talents if she’s to prevent the Devil from escaping Hell.

In order to do so, Zoe must devise a kick-ass plan ASAP or watch everyone die, because she’s running out of time. She turns eighteen in two months—the date Armageddon kicks off.

About the Author:

Kristin D. Van Risseghem grew up in a small river town in Minnesota with her parents and older sister. And after receiving a double Bachelor of Science degree from Winona State University in Paralegal and Corrections, she worked as a Paralegal for various law firms around the Twin Cities for 14 years. Then she left the legal field and is now a Senior Buyer for a technology company.

Currently, Kristin lives in Eagan with her husband and two Calico cats. She also loves attending book clubs, going shopping, and hanging out with friends. She has come to realize that she absolutely has an addiction to purses and shoes. They are her weakness and probably has way too many of both.

In the summer months, Kristin can usually be found lounging on her boat, drinking an ice cold something. Being an avid reader of YA and Women’s Literature stories, she still finds time to read a ton of books in-between writing. And in the winter months, her main goal is to stay warm from the Minnesota cold!

Kristin’s first book, The Guardian, a Sword, & Stilettos, is published by Kasian Publishing.

Kristin’s Website 

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Disclosure: this post contains links to an affiliate program (Amazon), for which I receive a few cents if you make purchases. 

Review: The Ugly Stepsister

Title: The Ugly Stepsister
Author: Aya Ling
Rating: 3.5 TURTLES: A very enjoyable read, I recommend you check it out.
*The author provided me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Description:
When Kat accidentally rips apart an old picture book, she's magically transported into the world of Cinderella--as Katriona, one of the ugly stepsisters! Life turns upside down now that she’s a highborn lady and must learn how to survive the social season, including how to get through the door in a huge metal hoop skirt. To get back, she'll have to complete the story, right to the end of happily ever after. But the odds are huge: the other stepsister is drop-dead gorgeous, the fairy godmother is nowhere to be found, and the prince, despite being insanely hot, openly dislikes balls. Can she ever return to the modern world?


Review:
The author approached me about reading and reviewing her novel several months ago and sent me a copy once she had ARCs ready. Despite having a rather long review list at the time, I accepted because I really like fairytale retellings, but had never read one about Cinderella. 

I think my favorite thing about this book was the colorful cast. There were many different characters, but not too many to keep track of, and they all had distinct, interesting personalities. A difficult thing about fairytale retellings is fleshing out the plot further than just the short story that can be told in just a few pages when written out, and adding these extra characters and including their stories filled out this story quite well. I also liked that Ling got into the politics of this fairytale-land, since I can't imagine that a modern girl stuck in a Victorian/Industrial Revolution equivalent era would be able to realistically live there without taking serious issue with some of the politics. My one issue with this aspect of the story though was how dark it got, the disturbing stories that the main character heard were not unrealistic given the world, but some of those scenes did not match with the tone of the rest of the book, so they were a bit incongruous.

One thing I did not like as much in the beginning was that Kat, the main character struck me as shallow in the beginning. Once I saw her interest in social justice issues in the kingdom, that went away, but when she first gets transported to story world each description of a new character includes an evaluation of their beauty/hotness and how their beauty/hotness. It made a bit of sense in since in the story it is Cinderella's beauty that makes the prince fall in love with her, but it felt a bit too heavy handed to me. Also, I liked how the novel has a small story arc that takes place before and after Kat's time in fairytale-land, but I felt it was rushed and wished it had been developed more. 

The Ugly Stepsister is a different take on fairytale-retellings from those that I have encountered in the past, but I definitely enjoyed my time in that world and would recommend this read to all fans of fairytales and fantasy. The characters, banter, and fleshed out, intricate plot will be sure to reel you in.

Spotlight: What Lies Within

About the Book: 

"You’re going to die"

A single text message and Shelley Marano’s world is upended. A normal high school senior, Shelley discovers she is adopted. She goes on a journey to uncover her past, only to find she was part of a horrific experiment to test the theory of nature versus nurture. In a culture of violence committed by young people, she may be one of these killers. With the lives of her and her friends in the balance, one thing is certain: she will never be the same.

Author bio:

James Morris is a former television writer with produced credits including episodes of “Smallville,” “Crossing Jordan” and “The 4400.” Born in Chicago, he now calls Los Angeles home. He lives with his wife and dog, and when not writing you can find him experimenting in the kitchen.

Links:

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Press Release: Fractured Days

“FRACTURED DAYS” / REBECCA ROLAND
Alpena, MI (April 22, 2015)– World Weaver Press (Eileen Wiedbrauk, Editor-in-Chief) has announced Fractured Days, the highly anticipated sequel to the Shards of History by Rebecca Roland, will be available in trade paperback and ebook Tuesday, June 9, 2015.

Contact: Elizabeth Wagner publicity@worldweaverpress.com

Praise for Shards of History:

“One of the most beautifully written novels I have ever read. Suspenseful, entrapping, and simply ... well, let’s just say that Shards of History reminds us of why we love books in the first place. 5 out of 5 stars!”
— Good Choice Reading

“A must for any fantasy reader.”
"A passionate tale that will engage both young adults and more weathered fantasy readers.”

— Plasma Frequency — NewMyths.com

“Fast-paced, high-stakes drama in a fresh fantasy world!”
— James Maxey, author of the Dragon Age trilogy

“Roland’s beautifully woven, suspenseful debut novel draws readers into a groundbreaking fantasy panorama and resonates in the heart with its genuine, personal portrayal of loyalty, relationships, and sacrifice. I eagerly await more stories about the Jegudun and Taakwa!”
— David J. Corwell y Chávez, author of “Encounter at Boca del Diablo” (Tales of the New Mexico Mythos)

Malia returns home the hero of a war she can't remember. The valley burning under the Maddion's invasion, the fate of her late husband, the way she resolved the long-time distrust between the Taakwa people and the wolfish, winged Jegudun creatures--all of it has been erased from her memory. Malia hopes to resume training as her village’s next clan mother, but when the symbiotic magic that she and the Jeguduns used to repair the valley’s protective barrier starts to consume more and more of her mind, she's faced with the threat of losing herself completely.
A powerful being known as "the changer" might hold the solution to her vanishing memories. But the Maddion's new leader, Muvumo, also seeks the changer, hoping the being will cure them of the mysterious illness killing off his people. Meanwhile, Muvumo's bride hopes the changer can bring about a new era, one in which she and the other Maddion women no longer need to hold onto their greatest secret.
Fractured Days will be available in trade paperback and ebook via Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Kobo.com, WorldWeaverPress.com, and other online retailers, and for wholesale through Ingram. You can also find Fractured Days on Goodreads.

Rebecca Roland is the author of the Shards of History series, The Necromancer's Inheritance series, and The King of Ash and Bones, and Other Stories. Her short fiction has appeared in publications such as Nature, Fantastic Stories of the Imagination, Stupefying Stories, Plasma Frequency, and Every Day Fiction, and she is a graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop. You can find out more about her and her work at rebeccaroland.net, her blog Spice of Life, or follow her on Twitter @rebecca_roland.
World Weaver Press is an independently owned publisher of fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction. We believe in great storytelling.

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XBBDQX8

Kobo (ebook): https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/fractured-days

Paperback: http://www.worldweaverpress.com/fractured-days.html

The book can also be found on Goodreads: 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25121031-fractured-days