Trailer Tuesday

Today's Trailer Tuesday is a little shameless promotion ;)

Way back when, my first Blog Tour ever, was for a book that I hadn't even read. Bad form, right? But it was my first and I didn't know what to ask, or set-up. So, I have this tour, and the author is so nice, and the tour goes over very well and I get on twitter and I'm now like super twitter buddies with said author...and now I have the book, but I'm scared, because what if the book isn't good? Then all my book blogging principals are shot...

Well, all my anxiety and stress was for naught (always wanted to use that word in a sentence) because the book rocks out. So now on top of twitter buddies, I'm a fan girl, so doing this trailer was PDFC. Please stop by on Youtube.com and comment or like this trailer...so we can drum up some attention for Ms. Saare. I really appreciate it.

Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between by J.A. Saare

Stalk the Author: Twitter | Web | Blog | Goodreads

One bad corpse can ruin your whole day.

No one knows that better than Rhiannon Murphy.

She left behind the flash and sass of Miami for the no-nonsense groove of New York City, eager for a clean slate and a fresh start. A bartender by trade, a loud mouth by choice, and a necromancer by chance; she managed to keep her nifty talent hidden from those around her—until now.

The deliciously good-looking vampire, Disco, knows her secret. When he strolls into her bar to solicit help investigating the mysterious disappearances of his kind from the city, Rhiannon discovers he’s not the kind of person that appreciates the significance of the word no.

But in a world where vampires peddle their blood as the latest and greatest drug of choice, it’s only a matter of time before the next big thing hits the market. Someone or something is killing vampires to steal their hearts, and unlike Rhiannon, this isn’t their first stroll around the undead block.

Crimson Moon by JA Saare

Crimson Moon by JA Saare
Review copy provided by author

PJV's QUICKIE POV: Not often in my reading journey have I come to experience something so very different from book to book as I have come to experience with J.A. Saare's writing. I read Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between earlier in the year and I would swear that another author wrote Crimson Moon another good author, but I'm still kinda reeling from the experience of both books. I believe this makes for a fantastic author, because you really don't know what to expect. Maybe it is because I get stuck in series so often - that the author's voice is always so similar from book to book, or characters run into each other because they are so alike. I guess what I'm trying to say is if you've read Saare before, expect to experience a new side of her personality with Crimson Moon, - the evil twin wrote Dead, and the innocent twin wrote Crimson Moon.


REVIEW: Emma was all alone in the world, orphaned, abandoned and raised by her grandmother, whom she has recently had to put in a home because she doesn't even know who Emma is anymore her Alzheimer's is so bad. In this state of mind, Emma is going through her life in sort of a holding pattern, unsure of her next move - when out of blue, zombie/monster type creatures attack her and she is literally swept off her feet by her "wolf in shining armor" Caleb.

There is almost instant attraction once Emma settles down from her near miss and the newly acquired knowledge that her father is a very powerful vampire and the reason she is being attacked is because of some power play within the vampire world. During the adventure that plays out within the pages of Crimson Moon, Emma and Caleb form a bond and begin the descent into the territory of love. But, they might not get their happily ever after. As more and more of the vampire and werewolf world are revealed to Emma she starts to realize that you really can't live in both worlds - and the world she wants to live in might not be an option, no matter how badly she wants it.

Saare introduces the familiar world of the werewolf and vampire in a very unfamiliar way. A very unique take on all things furred and fanged I really felt like something like this could exist, which is always interesting! There was a lot of witty one liners and entertaining character inner dialogue which  kept the tone lighter, but didn't detract from the overall dark tone of the novel. On top of it, this book also had a rather charmingly innocent main character. This is usually a huge turn off for me - I'm not a fan of naive, innocent or virgins --- bah - but while Emma was innocent she wasn't that pudding type of character that you find a lot in romance novels. She had a backbone and intelligence and the depth of the character showed through, making her more real than other romance heroines that I have read. In the PNR genre especially I find that authors tend to fluctuate between two very different characters - the snarky ass kicker, or the wilting virgin violet. While Emma could be shuffled into that virgin category, I wouldn't describe her as a wilting violet.

I was rather impressed with this book, if you can't tell, and I recommend it to PNR fans for a more lighter read than the usual black leather and throbbing --- umm pectoral PNR novels. This one does have some hot scenes, but the main focus is really just love and the trials and tribulations that surround falling in love. It was almost reminiscent of a paranormal YA novel. Sticky sweet, with a light watermelon flavor.

There are very few books that I find perfect and this one while very good, I did have a few issues with, but nothing major. There were a few scenes that I thought didn't move the plot along and thus dragged and I skimmed. This seemed to happen a few times and while it advanced the Emma/Caleb interaction I found it was unnecessary. Nothing major though, a great read and I'm looking forward to the second installment.

RECOMMENDATIONS: This is like the perfect book for people to transition into PNR with. Have you just been reading teen paranormal stories, ready to move up from Twilight to the big girls? Give Crimson Moon a try...you just might like it.

Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between by J.A. Saare

Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between by J.A. Saare
Review copy provided by author.
Author Web Site.

PJVs QUICKIE POV: I approached this novel with trepidation, I really don’t even know why, probably because I couldn’t nail it down, categorize it in a pretty little box. Some touted it as Urban Fantasy, some as PNR I even got a few snips from another blog with it as erotica. So what to do? I like my genre boxes, which is so odd for me, since I was told over and over in design school “Think Outside The Box!” But what is wrong with a bit of organization? I think I’m rambling. Back to the book. So confusion led to it sitting on my shelf for a month or two...until I couldn’t take it anymore, picked up the book, and then I was stuck. To put it in perspective, I grabbed it for my cereal book (the one I read while I’m brushing my teeth and then eating my cereal before I leave for work). I was on page 15 by the time the clock read 6:31 which was the warning to me that said “Get to Work” but I didn’t want to go to work, I wanted to keep reading! I was hooked from page one. Now it is my turn to categorize this: This has to be one of the best Urban Fantasy books to come out of an ePublishing house that I have read so far. And I can’t help but imagine the potential this book has if a good editor got their hands on it. Great job Mrs. Saare, can’t wait for the next one.

REVIEW: Rhiannon, like all of my fav Urban Fantasy chicks is kick ass, curses like a sailor, brings grown men to their knees with her sharp insults and might be a tad bit on the unhinged side of the crazy line. Did I mention she also sees ghosts? Not your happy little translucent ghosts either, we are talking, mangled, chest cavity exposed, missing limbs - what you looked like on the slab kind of dead people. Yum. Rhiannon is my kind of chick.

While slinging drinks in a New York strip club, Rhiannon is approached by a vampire, who goes by the name Disco (hee hee). Disco needs help from a ghost seeing girl like Rhiannon and he isn’t taking no for an answer. Before Rhiannon can say “Go to Hell”, Disco has her running around the city looking for some lunatic that enjoys cutting up vampires and taking their hearts. Not to mention he drags her into a snakes nest of vampire politics and a world she has been shying away form, but is very much a part of: Necromancy.

A knee-jerking, action, adventure of the fanged variety, Dead, Undead is a great addition to your Urban Fantasy TBR. Pick this one up, you will not be disappointed.

What I liked about this novel:
Saare approached your garden variety UF subjects with finesse. She took characters that were very stereo-typically UF/PNR and made them different and very entertaining. I liked her approach.

Like all damaged characters, Rhiannon was in a seriously bad mental place when Dead, Undead opens. This is also a typical UF trait in their main female characters. For example, Anita Blake and her hate. Mercy Thomas and her abandonment. Sookie Stackhouse and her being treated as a pariah. Well for Rhiannon her past is a childhood of abuse. Saare approached this from straight on, holding back nothing when it came to her character, we know she is broken, she knows she is broken, but like all good novels, their is progression. Usually in these books there is a break, whether internal or external. Saare handled Rhiannon’s break with a subtlety that impressed me, she didn’t take the easy way out and this gives me great anticipation for what will come next in her later novels.

The characters were well done with a level of emotion that you don’t normally see in these kinds of novels. Saare tackled some very hard subjects in this book, and instead of being turned off I was very empathetic. Rhiannon was hard where I expected her to be hard, and soft when it was needed. She was a very well rounded character.

Then the ending...oh my do I want more. I ended this book with WTH? And I need more like now!

What I didn’t like about this novel: My one hang up on this novel was that there were a lot of elements that are used in many of the popular vamp series. This happens a lot, there is only so many ways you can write vamp novels, but I guess they were just very glaringly obvious in this one. The vampire family structures, the mark, the human familiars, I’ve read many of these ideas in other books.

My dislikes in no way turned me away from this book though, and it was very easy to overlook once I got hooked into this novel.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Adults, there is a ton of cursing and a bit of nookie. Urban Fantasy, vamp fans you’ll really enjoy. Fans of the Anita Blake, Sookie Stackhouse, Rachel Morgan, Mercy Thomas series, enjoy.