Tag Archives: anthology

Bad Liar: A Dark Romance Anthology – Book Tour with Romance Me with Books

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It has a gorgeous cover, doesn't it? Plus, it's a dark romance anthology! Multiple explicit dark stories for you to enjoy. I will warn you though, it is more "dark erotica" than simply "explicit dark romance". Nevertheless, if that's your thing, how about we explore more of it together?

I'm a Book Tour Stop for Romance me with Books.

Scroll and find interesting links–and if you reach the end, you're in for a little treat (an excerpt from the book)!

 

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Here are the anthology's trigger warnings: sexually explicit scenes – profanity – mention of child, physical, and sexual abuse – death – fire – slut shaming

Want the blurb? See the image right below :)!

 

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If you wish to learn more about the book, its authors, and the book tour, please head to the Book Tour page.

 

You can also add the book to your Goodreads shelves, and purchase it on Amazon.

 

 

Excerpt from Bad Liar: A Dark Romance Anthology

 

My gut has been twisted all day.

First, I watched as she sobbed alone in a graveyard. Only a heartless monster wouldn’t feel anything as she sat there in the cold. But I am a monster, my choices in life have forever cemented my place there.

 I knew she would go back to the bookstore after. It’s always been her safe place, her home away from home. She’s spent hours in the little nook reading to children or helping somebody find what they didn’t know they wanted. She’s captivating in her love of books, and it draws people to her. It drew me to her.

But I wasn’t ready for the things I saw when she got to the store. My heart, or the place where my heart would be, sank when I saw a little boy run to her. The way he wrapped around her, left no doubt that he is her son.  

She’s a mother. The thought was still echoing in my head as I watched her embrace some guy. There was love between them, easy enough to see from across the street.  

Now she’s alone, walking down the street towards her bank. How do I know this? Because I know her. Probably better than the guy who tucked her hair behind her ear. Just the thought has my jaw tightening.  Where is this guy now as she walks down the street alone?

I stick to the shadows. There’s no reason for her to know that I’m here. Truthfully, I could have gone home already. But I won’t leave until she makes her deposit and is safely in her car. My phone vibrates in my pocket, I know who it is without looking at the screen.

“You didn’t tell me about her kid.” I snap into the phone. Avoiding unneeded pleasantries.

“God damn it, Sawyer.” Dalton’s voice is horse and clipped in my ear. “You shouldn’t be there, and her life now isn’t something I’m required to tell you about.”

“I should have been told,” I snarl back.

I glance up to see if she’s made it to the bank, but she’s gone. I end my call without a word and look around trying to find where she could be. There’s an ally right before the bank. What if somebody grabbed her?

Leaving my place in the shadow of a building I move to the alley. My pace quickening with my pulse. Just then she comes out of the bakery in front of me. There’s no time to react, so I turn my back to her. Praying she doesn’t pay attention.

I hear her breath hitch, “Adam?” She says it just above a whisper, but with all the hope of a woman lost.

“Sorry, my name is Sawyer.” I don’t turn around, not even to speak over my shoulder. Instead, I pull the collar of my coat closer to my face.

“Sorry, my mistake.” The hope in her voice crumbles.

I start walking back in the direction I came. It’s time to go. Maybe Dalton was right, I shouldn’t be here. But I had to see her for myself. 

 

 

 

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A Horror Comic Anthology: Texas Horror

Now, finally, another great comic book arrived.

Now, let me just…

Comic Book GIFs | Tenor

Yes, let me just read it please.

So, I was fortunate enough to get an insider's look at Texas Horror by David Doub and Halo Toons (writers), and several artists such as Dominic Racho (art), Daniel Chan (letters), Terry Parr (art), Diego Garza (art), and Miguel Ángel Hernández (art).

This comic anthology has everything: diversity, LGBTQA+, horror, gore, humour… Name it! The drawing styles are different from story to story, which renews your attention, and there's one you'll like for sure. 

As we all know, the pandemic makes it hard on everyone. However, conventions are an important part of making a comic book for creators; they help sell copies, spread the word about them, and generally get the connections and funds required–but where are the conventions now?

Exactly, none (or very few) is happening lately. So, ingenious creators turned to crowdfunding. After all, the public gets to read those comics, so a little contribution to the artists and writers can go a long way. If you want (and can) to help publish Texas Horror, please visit their Kickstarter page and make a contribution to receive benefits such as a copy of the comic book upon release: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/demonsinthedarkness/texas-horror

Read below for my review of the insider's look I was offered.

Thank you for reading and helping, loves! Please share and boost as any help will be useful. 😉


The first story I decided to read was Demons in the Dark, written by David Doub, art by Dominic Racho, and letters by Daniel Chan.

I really enjoyed this story. It was dark, gruesome, poignant, and emotional. I understand what these kids are going through; been there, suffered that. There's a lot of diversity, whether in regards to ethnicity and sexuality! Kudos for that, champs! Also, I rather enjoyed the moral of the story, it was touching. A bit too on the nose, maybe. But the characters are right: Anger hurts yourself, not the others. Plus, I thought the comic was too short. That’s a compliment.

On the negative side, sometimes the story felt rushed or cramped… again, I’d have preferred it to be longer. But it’s because it was good! Lastly, the drawings are detailed but the characters are supposed to be teenagers… Honestly, I thought for a few pages they were adults, or teachers, and then I debated the fact. Until it was made clear by their playing cards at the cafeteria they were teenagers…

The second story was Mask it or Casket, written by David Doub and art by Miguel Ángel Hernández:

That one was… hilarious, honestly. The names and the cynical & weirdo humour are perfect! I laughed a lot in the preview. But this comic can also be poignant as there’s a difficult family situation in the story, and the topic is about “masking”, something that is very current. Also, the drawings are both cute and pop with colours. They seem “light”, if drawings can have weight… it’s like you could cut them out and move them around like paper toys. That nice! They remind me of the latest Archie Comics, the newest issues. A different style, but that’s the vibe I get from this story. Finally, the horror looks to be ramped up… dangerous. Awesome!

The third story was Aerobicide Blockbuster, written by David Doub and art by Terry Parr:

The most beautiful and colourful of the stories! It’s so bright it pops, and I love the matte effect of the main character, blue-haired Sheri Ken (nice name there…, like a Shuriken!) This story was undoubtedly SO WEIRD, so upside down, with hints and allusions to old horror movies! So confusing, but so funny, and entertaining. I loved the nods to the classics, seriously! Honestly, I want to read the rest! Trust me, you’ll be surprised, too.

As for the other comics, the drawings look gorgeous to me, and they’re quite detailed (End World Escape, Luna Vino) and very cute (Kitchen Witches)! The stories sound very intriguing, and I wish the creators the best to publish Texas Horror Comic with YOUR help through their crowdfunding campaign.

Don’t forget to support them here to get a copy and bonuses: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/demonsinthedarkness/texas-horror

Please share this post, and talk about it on social media. Every bit helps!

Thank you, loves.

I hope this comic entertains you as much as it did me.

Love,

Catherine

A Dash of Romance: A Book Review


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Paullett Golden's Web site

Amazon.ca

B&N

Audiobook iTunes

My Book Pledge

Goodreads

LibraryThing

Storygraph

 

By Paullett Golden

 

Genre: Fiction, Romance, Historical, Historical romance, Regency romance, historical regency
Number of pages: 231
ASIN: B08BJFSBHS
ISBN: 9781735236001
Format: eBook (Kindle), paperback, audiobook (iTunes)
Publication date: July 20th, 2020
Publisher: Self-published
Type: Book, Anthology, Novella, Flash fiction collection

 

I received a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review. No compensation has been given and I write this book review willingly. A big thanks to Paullett Golden and BookTasters!

 

Introduction

I’m not an avid romance reader… In fact, I dislike that all books have strong romance storylines. So, I read a few per year, and they must be different from the get-go. When I was offered by BookTasters to review A Dash of Romance by Paullett Golden, the charming cover caught my attention as well as the clever, sweet title. I read the blurb and… A regency-era romance with a lie surrounding their marriage, a big misunderstanding, and a young woman strong enough to write in those times?

Sign me up! I mean, yes, please, let me read this!

Let me tell you it didn’t simply meet my high expectations of a romance book… it exceeded them!

So, here’s my review and why you should totally give this book a read!

 

11 GIFs All Book Lovers Can Relate To | Edmonton Public Library

 

Blurb

With quills and fantasies, they write their future.

Percival Randall lives an uncomplicated life of luxury, as he likes it. Not even an ultimatum requiring marriage can tip the scales. A conniving young lady who compromises his name to force a betrothal, however, is an impediment to happiness Percival must confront.

Abigail Walsley dreams of publishing novels rather than marrying dashing heroes. An unexpected proposal and a subsequent Banbury tale tumble her into a betrothal with a man she has never met. Following her dreams proves a challenge with a marriage of inconvenience on the horizon.

This is the love story of Percival and Abigail, two dreamers who write their love story one scene at a time.

From second chance romances to mistaken identities, experience A Dash of Romance in this collection of one short novel and fourteen bonus flash fiction pieces.

 

The Positive Sides

First, let’s talk about the unusual format of this book. It’s an anthology featuring a short novel with a collection of flash fictions. I found it rather interesting! I enjoyed that there was a novel and that there were several flash fictions accompanied by drawings. It felt like a big treasure followed by smaller but amusing discoveries in the same world. Quite uncommon but highly enjoyable.

As for the writing, the choice of words is precise, and immersive in that era and each situation. Plus, several sentences were fun and well-written. I particularly loved this one, which, I think, is very reflective of an author with her characters and of a romance as well: “The good knight needed her as much as she needed him.” I’d say Miss Golden hit two birds with one stone here.

Moreover, the characters are charming, lovable, hilarious, strong, clever, and multidimensional. I loved them dearly and even believed in them as though they’re real, which I bet in the author’s heart and mind is true as well as mine now that I’ve read this great book. Also, I love that Abigail, the main character, is a writer herself. And she is part of a ladies’ literary society where the ladies talk about real writing issues and weaknesses, such as characters being one dimensional. It was wonderful to see our reality as writers and authors reflected in this book and I laughed. Speaking of Abigail, I love her strong and flawed personality with good values and feminism for her time. She’s also got a lot of courage as well as a head on her shoulders. Her father, the vicar, is charming and loving. As for Percival, her dandy knight, he’s hard to resist, funny, gentleman, but he’s got his own flaws which make him even more rounded as a character and intriguing… It’s like you’re discovering a new layer of him with each chapter.

Lastly, I curled up in bed with my Kobo every night and often told myself I’d read this book for fifteen minutes only because I was too tired… and each and every time I found it was an hour later!!! This is a huge compliment because usually I barely read for fifteen minutes when I’m that tired (and I have been exhausted these last weeks due to university and personal events) but this book had me hooked, laughing, smiling, and enjoying the moment. As pure and simple as this may be.

 

The Negative Sides

Alas, there is one negative point. I noticed that when Percival meets Abigail, he finds her drab… But in the next chapter when he talks to her, she’s suddenly interesting and charming. But then, this goes back to a reasonable balance in the following chapters… It was confusing and offsetting on the moment. However, it was not essential enough to take away a star or even a half star.

 

In Conclusion

As I mentioned, the single negative point isn’t worth taking a star off this delightful book, which leads me to giving it a rating of 5 out of 5 stars for all its amazing positive sides! It made me smile, laugh, stay up late to get to the next chapter! But most importantly, it made me stop aching for a while, made me forgot I cried a lot at night just while reading it, and it gave me friends I couldn’t wait to get back to as well as their misfortunes… or were they fortunes in the end? 😉

Cinq

If you want to learn more about the author, you can visit her Web site, you can also follow her on her Amazon author page and Goodreads. You can also add A Dash of Romance to your bookshelves on My Book Pledge, Goodreads, LibraryThing, and Storygraph.

Planning Ahead Before I Lose My Head

Hello, everyone!

This post is full of updates, so brace yourself.

I decided to let you in on what I would be posting these next three weeks. So here it goes:

  • A review of writing apps
  • A review of K. M. Weiland’s outlining program (I just bought it and I’m thrilled!)
  • A book review (or two)
  • A freebie (my very first sci-fi short story)!

Moreover, I’ll be sending submissions to online magazines (a first try at a narrative essay, wish me luck!) and short story anthologies. Is it normal that I’m both excited and nervous? Oh, and I’ll send a few of them to editing first! I’ll sure keep you updated about how it all goes.

Meanwhile, a lot of thinking has been happening in my head… I’ve always loved journalism and I noticed online magazines and newspapers are growing in numbers! So I figured I would go and take a journalism degree after my bachelor’s degree in translation. This way, I could write for the Web (in different languages, mind you).

Wouldn’t that be awesome?!

Yes, I thought so, too.

This is all for today!

See you next post, lovelies.

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P.S. Do you have any tips for narrative essays? I’d like to know them since I’m quite a novice at it… Also, if you have any idea of what you’d like to see on my blog or just wish to have a discussion, please leave a comment!