JKS Holiday blog hop and Giveaways

Welcome to a special giveaway hosted by JKS Communications!
Today I'm giving away e-book copies of four books. You can sign up for all of them or just some of them, but I'm offering them in separate giveaways to allow as many people as possible the chance to WIN!! The Rafflecopters forms are at the bottom, but let me quickly tell you about these books first.

First up is iFrankenstein by Bekka Black.

Synopsis:
Frankenstein comes to life for the wired generation.

Following her critically-acclaimed iDrakula, award-winning author Bekka Black breathes life into a modern re-telling of iFrankenstein, using only text messages, web browsers, tweets, and emails.

Homeschooled teenager Victor Frankenstein is determined to write his own ticket to independence: a chatbot to win the prestigious Turing prize and admission to the high tech university of his choice. He codes his creation with a self-extending version of his own online personality and unleashes it upon the internet. But soon he begins to suspect his virtual clone may have developed its own goals, and they are not aligned with Victor’s. The creature has its own plan, fed by a growing desire to win darker and more precious prizes: unfettered power and release from loneliness.

As the creature’s power and sentience grows and its increasingly terrible deeds bleed over from the online world into the real one, Victor must stop his creation before his friends and humanity pay the ultimate price.

http://www.bekkablack.com

Next we have The Dog Story: A Journey into a New Life with Multiple Sclerosis by Matt Cavallo.

Synopsis:

At the age of twenty-eight years old with a promising career in real estate development, Matt Cavallo got out of bed on May 18, 2005 and stumbled. Overnight, he went from a fully-functioning, healthy man to someone who was numb from the waist down and unable to walk.

After consulting his doctor, he was sent to a neurologist who immediately admitted him to the hospital. What would happen to Matt over the next four weeks would redefine all that was important in life. At the end of this four-week period, he would learn that he has the chronic neurodegenerative condition – Multiple Sclerosis.

This book chronicles Matt’s journey of being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and his struggle to not only regain his physical health, but also to regain the inner strength needed to fight this chronic illness. It is a story of hope, love, healing and finding man’s best friend. Matt is sharing his story in hopes of raising awareness of this devastating illness.

A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to support MS research and charities.

Website: MattCavallo.com

    @MattCavallo      The Dog Story   Matt Cavallo

The the delightful children's book Zuto: The Adventures of a Computer Virus by Udi Aharoni.

Synopsis:

Zuto: The Adventures of a Computer Virus takes place inside a strange, little known world: a personal computer, the perfect setting for a fast-paced, funny, one-minute-long story.

Zuto, a smart, sneaky computer virus, leads a happy life in his secret hiding place: the Recycle Bin. There, among heaps of junk full of surprising treasures, he plans his tricks. Everything changes when a far more malicious program invades the computer . . . and threatens to end all life in it. Together with his Recycle Bin friends—outdated, buggy programs—Zuto sets off to save his world.

The book’s colorful and imaginative metaphors offer an insightful glimpse inside a computer. An appendix, the ‘Zutopedia,’ explains the truth behind the story: how malware works, what’s the role of firewalls, binary numbers, Easter eggs, IP addresses, and many more.

Website: www.Zutopedia.com

    @Udi256      Zuto11    Udi Aharoni

Finally we have The Door in the Sky by Sandy Klein Bernstein.

Synopsis:

“Come back here at midnight, Ricky.”

Eleven-year-old Ricky Austin watches in stunned silence as those words magically appear in the stars during a show at the Chicago Space Museum. But why can’t anyone else see the message? And why must he bring Jello?

His teenage sister, Allie, follows him back to the theater at midnight. They’re both whisked through a door in the sky to the kingdom of Galdoren, where they quickly befriend a mischievous star and make a powerful enemy of Queen Glacidia, a one-eyed witch who rules over a land of never-ending winter.

On their quest to reach a castle riddled with secrets, this bickering brother and sister will encounter a magic carpet with a terrible sense of direction, invisible knights, a cowardly dragon, a demonic shadow, and a candy farm filled with exploding Red Hots.

Will that scruffy teen alchemist, Henry, be able to master his spell book in time to help the siblings? And will Ricky ever get the hang of flying, or will he forever be banging his head against the light fixtures?

The Door in the Sky will transport you to a world overflowing with magic, breathless adventure, and laugh-out-loud humor. Each cliff-hanging chapter will keep you reading well past your bedtime and burning up the batteries to your book light.

Website: TheDoorInTheSky.com

    @doorinthesky      The Door in the Sky    Sandy Klein Bernstein

Okay, so here are the Rafflecopter forms. Just to make you aware, iFrankenstein is only available in .mobi (Kindle) format, while the other three are only available in PDF format. If you do not have a Kindle, that's okay - you can download a free app from Amazon and read it on your computer, so do not let this deter you from signing up for your chance to win! These giveaways end at midnight on Dec. 10, so I can send JKS the winners' names and e-dresses before their holiday break begins, so sign up soon!


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Giveaway: Dale Ibitz two-pack!

I'm a bit late putting this week's giveaway up due to a shuffle-around in the schedule when I decided not to hold the giveaway I originally had scheduled for next week. Anyway, Dale Ibitz stepped up into the void at the last minute, 'cause she's just awesome that way, so here we go! I need you all to pay attention here, because folks have been signing up for the wrong giveaways and that's left me to make sure the right people are eligible for each! Here's what we're doing this week - Dale's giving away copies of the first two books in her Last Moon Rising series, Fire in the Blood and Strong Blood. Way back when I was first getting started with reading and reviewing for independent authors, I read Fire in the Blood, and you can find that review here. I subsequently edited Strong Blood for Dale, so while you won't find a review (because I'm not always comfortable reviewing books I edited), I will tell you I really loved the second book in this series; unlike a lot of second books in series, this one takes the promises made in the first book and builds on them - it's really fantastic!

So, what we're doing this week is a double giveaway again, one for the US/Canada folks and one for the outside-of-US/Canada folks. For folks inside the US and Canada, we're giving away a set of these two books in paperback format. For folks outside the US/Canada, we're giving away two sets of e-books. There are two Rafflecopter forms below, so select the appropriate one and sign up for that one only! Good luck!

For US/Canada residents:
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For residents OUTSIDE US/Canada ONLY:
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Giveaway: "The Knowledge of Good and Evil" by Glenn Kleier

Wow, after as crazy as October was with giveaways, having a "week off" was sort of refreshing! But now I'm back with a new giveaway - and one I think you'll really enjoy! Back in June of 2011 I received and read a phenomenal book from my Amazon Vine program, The Knowledge of Good and Evil by Glenn Kleier (you can see my review here on Amazon; since it is a Vine book, I wasn't able to post that review in my other, normal spots, and it was long before I had this blog). It's really an amazing book, and one I have recommended to a lot of people.

This was about the same time I joined on with both Goodreads and Shelfari, and as a result I was actually able to meet and talk to Glenn Kleier, who is a delightful man. As a result, when I set up my blog and was looking for people to be involved in my giveaways, he agreed to allow me to give away this book! Now, the exciting part of this is that the next book in that series is due out before too much longer, so this will give you a chance to be exposed to this wonderful world he has created.

So, I'm giving away ten (10) copies of The Knowledge of Good and Evil in ebook format! Just sign on with the Rafflecopter and I'll draw the winners next week! Best of luck!

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Ami Blackwelder Presents: Free in September!

Ami Blackwelder has a few freebies coming up starting today. The Gate of Lake Forest will be free 9/10 - 12/2012; The Shifters of 2040 will be free 9/10 - 11/2012; and She Speaks to Angels will be free 9/10 - 11/2012. I read this last book and quite liked it. You can read my review here, or search for it in my March posts here on the blog.

Giveaway #12: Two-pack of Candace Bowen Early romance novels!

Hello my faithful readers and those whom I've spammed with my giveaway notices! This week I have a special treat for you - I'm giving away both of Candace Bowen Early's time-travel romance novels: Spur of the Moment and Wicked Embers (links go to the Rhemalda site)!

Now, those who know me, know I don't usually like romance novels, but I have to tell you, I loved these books! You can see my review for Spur of the Moment here, and for Wicked Embers here. So, you know that if I liked them, they have to be good. Of course, I have yet to read a book put out by Rhemalda that isn't absolutely wonderful - they have very high standards for their publications there.

Anyway, I am giving away three (3) sets of the two ebooks to three (3) lucky entrants, so get your entries in now! Please leave a comment with your name and e-dress (so I can contact you if you win) and I'll use Random.org to pick three lucky winners next Monday, September 10.

Good luck!

Book Review: "Union" by Jolea M. Harrison

Union review
Author: Jolea M. Harrison
4 out of 5 stars

Book Info: Genre: Science Fantasy Reading Level: Young Adult

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: There are no holes in space. None to hide in. None where it’s safe. Life on-board a space ship pursued through the void is precarious at best, where the difference between living and dying is measured one instant to the next.

On the run, Dynan Telaerin’s responsibilities increase to the breaking point while he’s the only one capable of flying the ship and making one repair after the other to his almost-crippled craft, at the same time as trying to be a husband to his new wife, Loren. Bringing her and Marc Talryn into the terrifying danger that is Dynan’s life hardens his resolve to protect them at all cost.

Making it back to the fold of the Brittallia System doesn’t guarantee safety, as betrayals abound where he least expects it. They come from people he has trusted nearly the whole of his life. That life of peace, held for a brief moment in time, is abruptly shattered. Loren is taken from him in an attempt to forestall a terrible vision of death.

The specter of evil haunts every thought and guides every action in the attempt to find her and keep her safe. The man who would take her and make the vision a reality is stalking him...

...driving him ever onward, leading him to the envisioned slaughter. Maralt Adaeryn sees the cruel end of an ancient prophecy and he holds a dreadful secret. There are some things worse than death. 

Additional information: Union, the 5th book of the Guardians of the Word series, is suitable for mature young adults. Chosen, Myth, Telepath, and Legend are available on Amazon.com, and I reviewed most of them just last week (mid-August, 2012); click the link on the title of each to see it. The last three books of the series – Adept, Seer, and King – will be released on an approximate 3-month schedule.

My Thoughts: This book again manages a good combination of action and character development, with the plot proceeding apace. While it is not as long as the previous book, it is longer than the first three, but it reads quickly and smoothly and kept me engaged throughout.

I’m still bothered by Maralt’s level of power, and the fact that absolutely no one can seem to stand up against it. Why is it no one else can seem to develop that level of power? Is it just the lack of boundaries caused by a lack of any ethical constraints that allows him to so easily overpower everyone that would even think about getting in his way? The whole thing is very unbalanced; one would think that between Dynan, Marc, and Carryn they could find a workable plan. Also, how did Maralt become so adept at swordplay and fighting? No one can get close to them on the few times when he doesn’t just make them drop their swords. It’s extremely annoying to me that he’s always right there whenever they stop, always able to drop everyone within seconds, always able to do anything and everything he wants. If the book were about the villain, or even if the villain were a bit more likeable, I might be able to get behind it, but as it is, it’s just seriously frustrating.

While each of these book is subsequently better edited than the previous, typos still get through; as they do in most every book I’ve read in the past 20 years or so. The most amusing one in this book, to me, was “derbis” for “debris”; I’m not certain why it amused me so, but it really made me laugh. Something I have noted being misused through most of the series is the word “askance”, which is being used not in its normal sense of looking at something obliquely, or with disapproval, but as in “ask-ance” as in to look at a person in such as way as to imply asking a question. This is not a word at all, and it’s something that has made me repeatedly twitch when I have read it.

Despite these issues, I enjoyed the story quite a lot. To see my reviews of the previous books, I have placed links on their titles up in the “Additional Information” section for your convenience. I will definitely be continuing this series to its conclusion, and eagerly awaiting the next book in the series, Adept.