REVIEW Burn Bright – Marianne de Pierres

Retra doesn’t want to go to Ixion, the island of ever-night. Retra is a Seal – sealed minds, sealed community. She doesn’t crave parties and pleasure like  all the others. But her brother left for Ixion two years ago, and Retra is determined to find him.

Braving the pain of her obedience strip to escape the only home she’s ever known, Retra finds herself drawn deeper into the intoxicating world of Ixion. Come to me, whispers a voice in her head, who are the Rippers, the mysterious guardians of Ixion? What are the night creatures Retra can see in the shadows? And what happens to those who grow too old for Ixion?

Retra will find that Ixion has its pleasures – but its secrets are deadly.

Burn Bright was an amazing read. Right from the very first page I was drawn into the story. My curiosity got the better of me with this as there was so much going on that I wanted to know more.

The who story was one big adventure for Retra. Being a Seal in Ixion, she had to learn quickly about the new way of life, the life of pleasure. She had to learn that being modest in Ixion wasn’t acceptable as they were ment to be living a life of pleasure.

The night creatures were in the background, but you knew they were there, but you had no idea what they actually are till late in the book. I found them interesting creatures as I wondered why they were in Ixion and why they preferred the dark than the light.

Retra would have to be my favourite character because she was different from the others in Ixion and she was there for a different reason. Being different she stood out from the rest which made most question her reason for going to Ixion.

I really love this book. I enjoyed the whole story and I my favourite part was all the twists and turns the story took. The best part would have to be when things get really exciting near the end after Retra takes on an Ixion  name and becomes Naif. The way she changes from being a Seal to being almost the same as everyone else at Ixion was surprising as I thought it would be hard for Retra to break all her Seal training of silence.

After reading this I felt the book wasn’t over and that another exciting adventure is to come.

Angel Arias is the next instalment of the Night Creatures and I am really looking forward to seeing how the story develops. I really want to know how things will be different now that Naif  is on a different path to save those in Ixion.

I rate this 5/5 for the wonderful story and for the way it really got my curiosity  going.

LINKS:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9433912-burn-bright

http://www.burnbright.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/#!/BurnBright

http://www.randomhouse.com.au/Books/BURN-BRIGHT/9781864719888/Paperback/

http://www.randomhouse.com.au/Books/BURN-BRIGHT-(EPUB)/9781742743042/eBook/

Greg Hair – Author Interview

Hi Greg,

Thanks for agreeing to do this interview for Tazzie Book Reviews.

Your debut novel Werewolf was an amazing read and I was honoured to be given the opportunity to review it for you.

Q1. What inspired you to become and author? Was there something from your childhood that made you want to write?

Writing this particular book is what really put the bug in me.  I had the idea and it wouldn’t leave me alone.  I HAD to put it down on paper.  What I remember from my childhood are two examples.  First, I won a contest, coming in first place in my elementary school, where you had to an advertisement for the upcoming Halloween festival.  Second, I remember my 6^th grade teacher singling me out because of a Star Trek story I wrote.

Q2. Do you have a favourite author that inspires you? Or maybe someone in your life inspires you?

My wife and children inspire me the most.  They are the real motivation for me to keep going and continue trying to make it as a writer.  My wife has her own photography business and it’s kind of a little competition we have to see who can get the most fans.

Q3. As a writer do you have a favourite place that you like to write? Do you listen to music or have something else that helps you write?

No particular place, basically anywhere I can be alone, away from distractions.  I definitely listen to music, especially when writing certain scenes.  For example, it it’s a fight scene, I’ll listen to 30 Seconds to Mars’ The Kill, Smashing Pumpkins’ The End is the Beginning is the End, and Chevelle’s The Red.  Those are just a few.  I’ve already got particular songs picked out for the final, climactic battle, and what comes after, in the third book.

Q4. How did the idea of Werewolf come about?

From the kidnapping of Madeleine McCann in Portugal.  Being a father, I get very upset when someone hurts a child.  That’s how Landon Murphy was born.  The story was actually going a different route until I was best man in a friend’s wedding.  That’s how I met the inspiration for Ryker.  That’s also how the idea for the first chapter came about.  The wedding took place in that hotel, and that hotel room is the actual room the groom’s parents stayed in.

Q5. Did you base any of the characters from Werewolf from the people in your life? Or anyone from your past, growing up, people who may have caused trouble for you when you were in school perhaps?

Landon is me, I probably made that obvious when I gave him red hair.  But then, there’s just not enough redheaded heroes in fiction.  LillyAnna is based on my wife, while Ryker and Annelise were inspired by the groom’s sister and her boyfriend. 

Q6. What should readers expect from the next instalment; Werewolf: Ascension?

Well, here’s the tag line for it: The Stakes Have Been Raised…War Has Begun…No One Is Safe.  I will say though, that if there is anyone out there waiting for something to take place between Landon and LillyAnna, you get your wish.  And more.

Q7. When writing Werewolf did you do any research into the mythical creatures and the locations you were using in the story? Did you do any particular studies that helped you with your writing?

No research really into creatures.  I did, however, try to steer away from some of the traditional and newer elements.  I tried to make the vampires possible, like WHY drink blood?  What does that do internally?  I definitely tried to do as much research as I could regarding locations, but took some liberties regarding what you would find in that location.  Of course, I live in Louisville, so that was easy.  Burghausen, the German castle, is real, though there’s no garden like mine in it.  I’m doing the same thing for the second book.  Some locations include: Italy, Scotland, and Mexico.

Q8. When writing do you experiment with different styles till you find the style that best suits what you are trying to write?

I really like past tense, third person limited.  I pretty much stick with that.

Q9. When can we expect to see Werewolf: Ascension published?

Still shooting for a ‘by Halloween’ release.

Q10.What tips would you give to anyone starting out as a writer?

1. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.  2. Don’t let ANYONE tell you that you can’t, or shouldn’t, do it.  3. If you’re happy with the story, don’t change it.  It’s YOUR story (that’s why I like self-publishing).

Thank you so much for doing this. It has been a great pleasure. I am really looking forward to Werewolf: Ascension.

Here are the links you can find Greg and his book Werewolf:

http://greghair.blogspot.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Werewolf-Greg-Hair/dp/1456534467/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304457376&sr=8-1

https://www.createspace.com/3545961

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11428462-werewolf

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4869646.Greg_Hair

REVIEW of Werewolf – Greg Hair

LANDON MURPHY, a werewolf who has a knack for tracking, a penchant for killing, and an affinity for the bottle, walks the streets at night removing those from society who would escape the limits of the law. Further compounding his life is a serial killer, and the addition of two individuals, LillyAnna and Jamie, whom he helps introduce to the larger world of the supernatural. Landan soon discovers, however, that he’s not the only werewolf with secrets...

This was so enjoyable!! I found it more enjoyable than the Twilight Saga as I was drawn in by the story and I found it easy to read. I also found it easy to understand each character and the way they interacted with each other.

There were two stories happening in the book and they seemed separate to me and I found it hard to comprehend at first what was going on, but as I kept reading I began to wonder how the two stories were connected. The way they were brought together made the story more interesting and exciting.

My favourite part of the book was learning more about the werewolf’s and how they came to be the way they are. I also liked how the way the werewolf’s and vampires in this book were friends not enemies. This made the story more interesting. It was great to see the vampires and werewolf’s working together and not against each other.

My favourite character was Landon, who was a main character. He was my favourite as he was mysterious and I liked the fact that he kept his secrets. He lived a simple life that turned out to be a bit more complicated than first expected.

The relationship between Landon, LillyAnna and Jamie stood out for me because of their connection to each other. Landon is the centre of the relationship as he befriended both LillyAnna then Jamie and too them to Germany to train as werewolf’s and to discover their true purpose in their new form. As the story develops so does the relationship. The relationship goes from being friends to LillyAnna falling in love with Landon while a new connection is made between LillyAnna and Jamie, which makes things seem somewhat awkward for them both. Landon’s relationship with Jamie changes in a very unexpected way. 

I highly anticipate the next instalment: Werewolf: Ascension as I am looking forward to knowing how LillyAnna’s training goes and how the relationship between Jamie and Landon develops.

I give this a high rating of 5/5

LINKS:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11428462-werewolf

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.194326990616332.46384.194326547283043&saved#!/pages/Greg-Hair-Author/186644468013166

https://www.createspace.com/3545961

http://www.amazon.com/Werewolf-Greg-Hair/dp/1456534467/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304457376&sr=8-1

Review of The Keepers – Monique O’Connor James

Jess denies God. In his infinite wisdom, he's taken everyone she's ever loved. Moving to the French Quarter was a ploy to erase the guilt she felt for rebuking her faith. Perhaps, if she hadn't met Justin, an angel preoccupied with getting back into God's good graces, and drowning in his hatred for humanity, her plan would have worked.

There was something different about this book which I liked. I did struggle with it at first with it all about God and being faithful to him, but as I continued to read I realised there was more to the book than I first thought.
The book really held me towards the end as I could sense something was going to happen that was going to be life changing, epically for Jess.

The story was about Jess who lost her mother, her father had died a while ago and it was just her and her brother, Jordan left. She decides to leave her family home and her brother Jordan behind to try and start a new life.

Throughout the book Jess faces demons and meets her guardian angels, while she battles with her belief in God every day.

Jess ran into may problems during the story. Dawson, a fallen Angel wanted her dead and had tried to kill her on several occasions throughout the book. Justin, another angel, was Jess’s protector from Dawson and also a fallen angel but not evil and not as fallen as Dawson was.

Vi was my favourite character throughout the book. She was an interesting character, she had her secrets and her personality was strikingly different from Jess. Vi seemed to be a wild girl, but one that had responsibilities and one who seemed to try too hard when she was around Jess by cooking and cleaning for her.  

I could relate to Jess the most as I could feel what she was going through with her battle of faith. Jess was the sort of character that anyone could relate to because people struggle with faith and the idea of God every day.

Rory and Justin had the standout relationship for me because of their closeness and the fact that they needed each other. I got the sense that they were like soul mates and yet they were brothers.

Once I finished this book I felt a new surge of hope in me. This book made me see anyone can be forgiven for their past actions and that friends are very important in life no matter if they are human or in angel form.

I rate this book 4/5

LINKS:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4078114.Monique_O_Connor_James

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Monique-OConnor-James-Author/151581321573144

http://www.moniqueoconnorjames.com/

http://moniquejames.wordpress.com/

500 likes Giveaway possibly international

Hi all,
I am planning a giveaway here for my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Tazziebookreviews

I have a signed copy of Captivated, An Affliction Novel by D Apodaca

I am also looking at giving away a book cover made by me from my other page https://www.facebook.com/trashpanbagsandcrafts

More info will be posted when we get closer to 500 likes