The Lady in Yellow by Alyne de Winter

*Giveaway Bonus*

Alyne de Winter currently has four books out: 
* The Lady in Yellow: Victorian Gothic with werewolves
*Roses, Briars and Blood: A Gothic Re-telling of Sleeping Beauty
*Portrait of a Vampire: Haunted by the Undead
*The Priestess's Tale: A mystical tale of a Priestess of Diana


If you enjoy the review below and would like to win any of Alyne's four books (if you win, you can choose whichever book you want), here are the terms and details about entering into the giveaway:

1.) It's international, and the winner will receive an eBook copy of any one of the four books they want. Up to five people can win.

2.) You must leave a comment by May 8 , 2012 on some aspect of the review. Something like 'enter me in the drawing' won't count.

3.) Add your e-mail address at the end of your comment so, if you are selected, Alyne can contact you. 

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"In this novella of Victorian Gothic Romance, young Veronica Everly takes a position as governess to a pair of identical twins. She never dreamed she was to join a family of werewolves, or that she would fall in love with her handsome employer, Rafe de Grimston. When Rafe makes her promise to redeem them, she is faced with an agonizing choice."

Above is the official summary of the book, and it is exactly  what The Lady in Yellow is about. Most books understandably have to leave out a lot in their summaries, definitely when there are many sub-plots, but the only thing not covered in this summary is perhaps the mystery surrounding Rafe de Grimston's wife - as it happens, that mystery is part of what it'll take for Veronica to redeem them...

Hold on, let me back track to the beginning. I'm getting ahead of myself.
 

The story starts with Veronica sitting in an agent's office, being interviewed for the position of governess. In spite of the agent's consistent warnings that the Grimston twins can be very difficult and that the twins will have a hard time accepting her after the mysterious death of their beloved mother, Veronica remains confident that she can handle them. After all, Veronica was once the governess for a mad child. She's even prepared to handle the intense amount of responsibility that comes along with raising children whose father is often away for months at a time. 

Finally, the agent gives her the job. The moment she meets the twins at the beautiful, far-off Belden House, Veronica's confidence is put to the test. The twins are pale and green-eyed, androgynous, and act as though they are one human split into two. They are known for being elusive and secretive. Sometimes they disappear right before your eyes, but they always come back. Mrs. Twig, the housekeeper, is as secretive as the twins. Though the mother's death is perhaps the largest mystery, it's certainly not the only mystery. 

The moment the agent said that the twins would have a hard time accepting a governess in their mom's place, I instantly thought of the Sound of Music, just a much darker version that has werewolves and lacks music. The plot is tried and true: Initially, the kids will start off disliking the governess and the father will be too busy to be bothered with either the governess or the children, but the governess is so charismatic, kind, and pretty that they all come to love her in the end. 

The Lady in Yellow has been selling pretty well. I'm sure this plot is part of the reason why, and adding supernatural creatures to the mix makes it that much more appealing. 

This novella is full of description and action. I wouldn't say that the description or action jumps out at you and holds on, but it is well done and concise. The story goes along fairly fast. It isn't bogged down in exposition, though that sometimes comes at the cost of description being simplistic. My main problem with The Lady in Yellow was Veronica's characterization. Sometimes she simply didn't come across as a real person to me. In the beginning, a lot of her reactions seemed to have no depth. Her emotions and reactions did get more relateable as the story went on, but there were still points where I couldn't help but think, "She's taking all of this very easily for someone completely unfamiliar with the supernatural." 

Not being able to fully grasp her or Rafe's characterization did make the romance seem as though it happened very fast, but a lot of romances happen quickly. I wouldn't call this a story flaw, though. I just have complicated romance preferences. 

The Lady in Yellow is a short, fun, and pleasurable read. I enjoyed the adventures and the Victorian Gothic aspects. Over at Smashwords, one can set their own price for The Lady in Yellow. That's also something I don't see often. I'd recommend this novella for anyone into romance, werewolves, and/or the Sound of Music. 

Inspirational Photo by Simon Marsden

Find Alyne de Winter

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Danse Macabre Magazine: The Red Masque

The Pandorian: Reflection of Beauty

Personal Blog

The Strange Marriage of Lady Crawford: Lissette's Tales of the Imagination Volume 1

King's Envoy: Artesans of Albia by Cas Peace

*Giveaway Bonus*

The giveaway is closed. The winner of the signed ARC of King's Envoy + a signed bookmark is Ravyn Jazper-Hawke. The winners of the PDF copy are Lana Bradstream and SusanD1408.

Hope you enjoy the review!

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Taran Elijah and his apprentice, Cal, are Artesans. Unfortunately, Artesans - with their powerful ability to travel between realms, use their psyche for metaphysical strength/healing, and manipulate the four elements - aren't accepted in Albia, the fourth realm, where Taran, Cal, and Cal's lover, Rienne, live. There, Artesans are seen as little more than witches. In fact, if not for Rienne's status as a popular healer and Taran's close relationship with the innkeeper, Taran and Cal would probably be treated a lot worse.

In spite of that, Taran is eager almost to the point of desperation to advance his training, but he is confident there are no Artesans left in Albia to help him. However, in Andaryon, the fifth realm, Artesans are revered. Taran travels to Andaryon in the hopes that if he challenges an Artesan and wins or forces a draw, he can choose knowledge about the Artesan craft as his prize.

The plan was a dangerous one from the get-go. Taran has to leave the portway between his realm and the fifth realm open, meaning that, while he can quickly get back to the fourth realm, so can anything else that decides to jump into the portway. He knows very little about the fifth realm and the Andaryon's fighting customs (which, of course, works to his disadvantage).

When he gets into a fatal battle with a noble and returns back to his realm with an extremely deadly Staff way beyond his power and understanding, his simple plan to learn more sets a series of destructive actions into motion that will forever change his life and the lives of everyone in the realms - especially the fourth and fifth realm.

I remember exactly when I became emotionally invested in King's Envoy. My heart quickened and my thoughts stopped jumping around. I remember reading the sentences with a greedy quickness, like I would miss the battle if I didn't read fast enough. What I loved most about Taran's battle with the noble was the dreadful and excited feeling the outcome gave me. The moment Taran won that battle, you KNEW the story was about to take an intense turn.

There were two other times where I felt very emotionally invested. The second time came when Rienne connected with Major Sullyan (an integral character you'll meet halfway through the story). They basically had a girl's night just to drink and talk. It's been a while since I've read such a heartwarming and realistic beginning of a true friendship. The third time? At the very end, when the characters were escaping from enemy forces. There I was, way immersed in the escape, when 'The End' snuck up on me and left me eager for more.

The only thing that bothered me was that the Staff, the powerful and mysterious item that Taran took back to his own realm, was basically put on the backburner for the entirety of the novel. I'm certain it will play a vital role in the second and/or third book, but just leaving something that powerful sitting around in the background of all the action didn't sit well with me.

All in all, I thought this was a really great book. While I found it both frustrating and great that the main character was inexperienced and often prone to mistakes, I felt a lot more connected to the secondary characters - namely Rienne, Major Sullyan, Bull, and Robin - and a little sorry for Cal, since there didn't seem to be anything particularly special about him in comparison to the other characters. Than again, it's not like that's a bad thing.

Every time I read a book published by Rhemalda, I am always amazed by the beautiful cover art and art within. Rhemalda did not fail to deliver with King's Envoy. Even more, I absolutely loved the addition of a glossary and maps.

In August 2012, the second book in this series - King's Champion - will be released. King's Envoy ended on such an awesome cliffhanger! Like I said above, 'The End' snuck up on me and left me eager for more.

Coming Soon – See the Rhemalda Shop for details

Find Cas Peace

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Post-Harry Potter: What J.K. Rowling, Daniel, Emma, and Rupert are Doing Now

I loved the Harry Potter series. I read all seven books twice, and I've seen all the movies (except part two of Deathly Hallows) more than once. I wouldn't call myself an extreme fanatic, but I was and am still a fan.

I haven't made a concerted effort to keep up with J.K. Rowling and the three main actors, but I read a lot of articles, and lately there have been many separate articles about what they're doing now.

So, I thought, "What the hell? Might as well put all of what I've learned from different articles into one article here at Reader's Den."

J.K. Rowling

I started to use a picture of J.K. Rowling holding up the last book in the Harry Potter series, but then I realized something...

J.K. Rowling is more than just Harry Potter. She could have easily decided to live off of the fame and success of the Harry Potter series and stop writing, but instead she wrote a completely different book in a completely different genre. It's called "The Casual Vacancy" and it's an adult book that will involve black comedy, rivalries, and lots of 'wars' between the townspeople in the small English town.

The 480-page novel will be released worldwide as an ebook, audio download and hardback book on September 27, 2012. Concerning the release date, I think it's best to qoute Tee Tate, creator of LitStack.

"Dear Everyone who is launching a book this September. Sorry! Mrs. Rowling will out sell you."

I know, as a reviewer and fan of J.K. Rowling, that I can't wait to get my hands on this one. When I review it, I'm going to make sure I don't compare it to Harry Potter in any way. I know people will do that, and it bothers me. This is NOT Harry Potter. I expect it to be well-written and popular, but I don't expect it to be as popular as Harry Potter or have similar plot elements.

I remember the first time I learned J.K. Rowling was seriously pursuing a new publisher and a new book. For a while, there was a controversy about her dismissing her agent, Christopher Little. Most articles took a harsh angle (this article, for instance), but I don't know how to feel about it. I know J.K. Rowling is NOT a cruel, ungrateful person, but at the same time I can't quite understand why she fired him.

So, how do you feel about the new directions J.K. Rowling is taking?

Daniel Radcliffe



The guy to the right is poet Allen Ginsberg

I've seen Daniel Radcliffe here and there. By that, I mean I watched Saturday Night Live on January 14th for the first time (and so far only time) when he was a guest. I giggled here and there. The joke segment about Harry Potter was my favorite.

Though I didn't go see the movie because I can never find a way to get to a theater and I don't really care for ghosts, I watched the trailer for  "The Woman in Black," the horror movie Daniel starred in.

Now he's acting as poet Allen Ginsberg for "Kill Your Darlings," a movie slated for release in 2013. I don't know much about the movie or the poet, but I am interested in learning more.

On a random note, just because it amused me, here's an article full of pictures that basically focuses on Daniel bringing sexy back.

Emma Watson

This is a picture from the set of "Bling Ring," a movie that will be released next year about about the five-person Los Angeles gang that burgled the homes of celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Orlando Bloom in 2008 and 2009.

The web can't seem to get enough of Emma Watson's temporary tramp stamp and skimpy clothing. I understand! It's hard not to think about how the cute, intelligent Hermione (hell, Emma Watson herself) would never be caught alive in an outfit like that.

I know for certain that I will definitely watch this movie when it comes out. I admire that Emma is not allowing herself to be typecast by trying a completely different role.


In fact, that's what I admire most about what J.K. Rowling, Daniel, Emma, and Rupert are doing post-Harry Potter. So far, none of them are afraid to try new things.

 

Rupert Grint 

What the hell is Rupert Grint doing these days?

That's the first thing that came to my mind when I started his part of the article. I had the most unfathomable crush on him for about two or three of my pre-teen years, so it's pretty sad that, of all the Harry Potter actors, I had no idea what he was doing up to until now.

I'm constantly hearing about J.K. Rowling, Emma Watson, and Daniel Radcliffe, but I haven't really heard much about Rupert Grint (beside the fact that he and Daniel aren't close friends like Daniel and Emma Watson are). Still, I know he has to be doing something...

...So I went over to RupertGrint.net and learned a couple of cool things. In March 2012, Rupert Grint starred in "Into the White," a movie about an unlikely friendship that grew between a German and English pilot when they were forced to survive a tough winter in the Norwegian wilderness together. I wondered, "How did I miss that?" It's understandable, though, since the movie was released in Norway.

Other cool things about Rupert Grint? He has a monthly magazine called RALG (Rupert Alexander Lloyd Grint) dedicated entirely to him and his filmography.  There's an animated movie called "Postman Pat: The Movie - You Know You're the One" coming out May 24, 2013 and Rupert will be voicing one of the contestants in the talent show.

Well, that's all I have to say about the whole post-Harry Potter thing! Hope that brings you up-to-date.

Zippered Flesh edited by Weldon Burge

*Giveaway Bonus*


The giveaway is CLOSED. The winner of the paperback copy of Zippered Flesh is Yona Williams.

Enjoy the review!

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Zippered Flesh is an anthology with 20 short stories. Each story involves the same plot element, body enhancements gone bad, but the similarities end there (though there are a lot of stories where cancer takes a loved ones life). Characters vary from scientists determined to advance their experiments regardless of morality, unconventional supernatural creatures, a detective, an alcoholic druggie, and much more. Some stories are in the present time, others go back as far as the 17th century, and there are even one or two stories in alternate worlds or the future. Though I enjoyed some stories more than others, they were all well-written and creative.

Nine stories really stood out to me, with seven getting two stars and two getting one star (I use two stars to mark the stories that blew me away and one star to mark stories that I really liked). In Comfort by Charles Colyott, watching William's life fall apart due to his unhealthy devotion to his obese mom is both incredibly sad and incredibly scary. The stalker in Equilibrium by John Shirley has an obsession with balance and 'jokes,' and his theories and explanations are all mind screws. Though I'm usually not a fan of detective stories, Whirling Machine Man by Aaron J. French grabbed me in with its creepy, mystical fantastical elements and held on. Sex Object by Graham Masterton startled me with the woman's willingness to make her body little more than a set of vaginas for her sick husband, while Locks of Loathe by Jezzy Wolfe - a story about how far a person would go just to have 'perfect' hair - is a story that was full of surprises.

However, I think it's only fitting that the first story and the last story stuck with me the most.

Bootstrap - The Binds of Lasolastica by Michael Bailey is a futuristic sci-fi story that takes on the following questions: How large is the mind of man? Can a mind be successfully cloned? Victor is the scientist attempting to push the limits of the human mind by digitally storing the entirety of Bill Chevsky's mind. Bill Chevsky is willing to be the first man to undergo this experiment because he has lasolastica, an incurable cancer. If the experiment goes well, he can simply transfer the digital data of Bill's mind to another mind and another body. That way, he can live in spite of the disease. However, the focus of this anthology is 'body enhancements gone bad,' so you know that something has to go wrong.

Inititally, I was afraid this story would just confuse me due to all the scientific terms, but halfway through I realized the scientific terms didn't make the story complicating at all. You could still understand the story without understanding anything whatsoever about the terms. Plus, it just made it all that much more realistic. I loved the characters, the discussions, and, most of all, I loved the ending. I feel sad for both Victor and Bill every time I think about how it ended.

While Bootstrap was a great way to start this anthology, Hearing Mildred by Weldon Burge was also a marvelous way to end it. Mildred Mayfield, Harold's wife, died of a raptured aortic aneurysm, leaving an 80-year-old Harold to live on his own in spite of his son William's insistence that he should move to a retirement home. One day, Harold starts hearing his wife through his hearing aids. At first it's comforting to hear her again, but she's so attached to the house that she endlessly talks about nothing else. No other story was as lighthearted and funny as this one.

Starting Zippered Flesh with a sinking feeling of sadness and fear and ending it with a smile is the best way to go. I LOVED this anthology. Reading through it was like riding a rollercoaster in a haunted house, and anybody who knows me knows that I can't get enough of wild rollercoasters and haunted houses.

Find Weldon Burge

Smart Rhino Publications

Amazon

Weldon Burge's Website

Books and Movies, Part I: The Film Fascination with the Writing World

When my boyfriend and I first began our courtship, we had a ritualized weekend routine that included dinner, drinks, movies, drinks, friends. This was a superb arrangement for the both of us—him for the cheapness of the date, me for the good time I was in dire need of at that point in my life. That space of time has made me realize that, as much as I am a reader, I am a HUGE fan of a well-told story in the form of movies. I have a few thoughts on this crossover project. This is the first.

The Film Fascination with the Writing World

It's no secret that filmmakers have for years been using their skill and utilities to take a novel and turn it into a movie. Some of them, the audience isn't even aware of a "book version," i.e. The Shining (Stephen King—among many, many others—although it's common to see this novelist's books splashed on the silver screen these days), Along Came a Spider (James Patterson) and The Phantom of the Opera (Gaston Leroux), to name a few. I mean, come on. Dracula (Bram Stoker) was published in the 1800's for Pete's sake.

So, to say that the line between the two is blurred would be an apposite assessment of the phenomenon. I don't want to say that it all started with Harry Potter series (for fear of disregarding constants like Stephen King whose books are almost a go-to for movie production), but it's a good place to derive the popularity of transference from words on a page to silver screen fun. Children, teenagers and longsuffering parents have been following Harry and his friends around England for years. As everyone who doesn't live under a rock has noticed, the Harry Potter series, both the book and movie versions, have come to an end. J. K. Rowling retired Hogwarts on both fronts. There was this whole big thing between Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows and Breaking Dawn Part 1 (which premiered almost simultaneously) because... why?

"Preferred Cedric." Wink, wink, nudge.

You guessed it. What had replaced the Big Thing in Movies when Harry had no choice but to step aside? The Twilight Saga. (I hesitate to call it a saga, per se, but to-may-to/to-mah-to.) Either which way you slice it, Twilight was ripping up box offices with killer grosses and murderous potential. Other films of the time didn't stand a chance when it came to topping these Twilight movies. People who don't even watch movies, or read books, were watching these movies and reading these books. So much hype and buzz surrounded them that you couldn't help it. The atmosphere was so reminiscent of the Harry Potter series, you thought you could catch a fever off the déjà-vu. It had officially usurped the Movie to Watch title.

Not quite to the tune of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.

Then came The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Thanks (I would imagine) to its foreign fabrication of the title, the majority of people who were picking this book up thought of it much as another replacement to fill the void left by their favorite YA series. Boy, were they in for a surprise with this one! For one, it's nowhere near targeted at young adult audiences. For another, the focus is not on a girl, as the title suggests, but an unfortunate woman, secondary to a man who has almost no relation to her until halfway through the damned thing. Yeah. Still a big deal. Still a huge buzz surrounding. (And, might I mention, much more worthy of such talk and hype than certain other titles.) But with the demographic so altered that there was a huge gap left between immature teens (so-called young "adults") and mature teens to actual young adults (I'm talkin' 20s here, kids... high school is a memory to the folks who can stomach this stuff), there had to be another solution, right?

Indeed may the odds be ever in your favor.

Enter The Hunger Games. This book-turned-overhyped-movie pretty much blindsided me. I read it long before the whirlwind around it picked up, and when it did, it came out of left field—and at just the right time. Picturesque young female making a huge sacrifice and being bad ass at the same time? Score! While also a mature-themed piece of work, it holds in the young adult fiction genre by default. (There's even a flimsy love triangle to boot. Like I said: by default.) Anyone who hasn't read further into the series doesn't know the heartbreak they are headed for by getting attached to The Hunger Games, but it is well-deserved. It is the Next Big Thing.

It never ends, people.

Not that I'm complaining! It's a wonderful thing, seeing a world come to life that before you only had imaginary thoughts of. And to think that it's true to the book (for the most part—commendable! So commendable)!

But that only begs the question... what will the Next Big Thing be? Seems speculative at this point, but you can bet your bottom dollar it's comin'. It almost feels like a successful novel's endstate wraps up when movie production does, too. That is the only concern I have ifs, ands and buts about.

My name is Sierra R. Carrillo. I'm an avid reader, writer, editor and thinker. Feel free to contact me at any of my several avenues of approach—Goodreads for book reviews, permashift for thoughts on my blog, Facebook and Twitter for personal access.

Sykosa by Justin Ordonez

More than anything, Sykosa is a  character-driven story. It's very close to being a slice-of-life novel, in that, though there is an underlying plot and a back story the main characters are often too afraid to talk or think about, most of the story comes across as just a sample of Sykosa's life from both junior and sophomore year of high school.

One could say that the plot is Sykosa's affection for Tom, how she copes with the 'blackness' brought forth from whatever terrible event happened her sophomore year, and how she handles her friendship with Niko, her troubled best friend. Still, it's not a solid plot with a specific conflict and end, though part of this may be because Sykosa is a two part story and the first book is part one.

I like to think of Sykosa as a coming-of-age novel, with the rites of passage being sexuality, betrayal, forgiveness (or a lack thereof), and simply growing up and taking each day as they come. Author Justin Ordonez is truthful and blunt with his portrayal of Sykosa and Niko's lives. He doesn't sugarcoat anything, from cursing to drug usage to the derogatory forms of sexual terms.  With that said, I can understand how Sykosa can rub some the wrong way. It doesn't rub me the wrong way because I'm open-minded and nineteen, meaning I still clearly remember what it was like to be obsessed with boys, completely out of touch with your parents, and unsure of where you fit. Heck, I graduated from high school a year ago.

This isn't her story. This isn't her life.

I really connected with Sykosa. Just like her, a terrible 'incident' happened my sophomore year. Everyone liked to pretend said incident was an accident (I brought it upon myself) and that it never happened, but after that I wasn't the same. I started to feel the 'blackness,' or an emptiness that couldn't be filled no matter who I latched on to or how much the 'pep rally' in my head tried to silence my negative, anxiety-feuled thoughts. Junior year, I moved to a new place, but I was left with the blackness, and the blackness didn't really disappear until senior year, when I let someone who finally loved me for me into my life and learned to accept myself.

Basically, what I'm getting at is the characters were very realistic, and their reactions to their circumstances - Sykosa to the mystery 'incident' we readers only get bits and pieces of; Niko to the problems with her parents - made sense to me. In a novel that is primarily character-driven, that's an excellent accomplishment.

I really want to learn more about the incident and how Sykosa's relationship with Tom and Niko progress, so part two will definitely be on my to-read list. 

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Sykosa eBook edition is just 99 cents this week. What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes. The prizes include $550 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, and 5 autographed copies of the book.

All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment--easy to enter; easy to win!

To win the prizes:

1. Purchase your copy of Sykosa for just 99 cents
2. Fill-out the simple form on Novel Publicity
3. Visit today’s featured social media event
4. BONUS:  Leave a comment on this post*

Leave a comment, win $100:

One random tour commenter will win a $100 Amazon gift card. Just leave a comment on this post, and you'll be entered to win. For a full list of participating blogs, check out the official tour page. You can enter on just my blog or on all of them. Get out there and network!

About the book:  YA fiction for the 18+ crowd. Sykosa is a sixteen-year-old girl trying to reclaim her identity after an act of violence shatters her life and the lives of her friends. Set at her best friend’s cottage, for what will be a weekend of unsupervised badness, Sykosa will have to finally confront the major players and issues from this event, as well as decide if she wants to lose her virginity to Tom, her first boyfriend, and the boy who saved her from danger. Get it on Amazon.

About the author:  Sykosa is Justin Ordoñez's life's work. He hopes to one day settle down with a nerdy, somewhat introverted woman and own 1 to 4 dogs. Visit Justin on his website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.