Book Tour ~ Demon Inhibitions by Gary Starta

Demon Inhibitions

by Gary Starta

About The Author:

Gary Starta is a former journalist who began writing multi-genre fiction in 2004. He likes to include science theory in his stories as well as elements of paranormal, fantasy, mystery and romance. 

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Genre: Paranormal Romance/Science-Fiction

Publisher: Self-Published at Amazon Kindle
Release Date: March 15, 2013
Amazon

Book Description:

Most people don't travel to another universe to get a new job, house and boyfriend but psychic investigator Caitlin Diggs did. Now she's living the life of her alternate self, working for the FBI's Preternatural Division where her first case just happens to include chasing a genetically engineered man hell bent on stealing souls. Well, there had to be consequences. 

Demon Inhibitions Excerpt

When she found I had visited Manners, Briana began scurrying about her house, scooping up a pair of scissors and a red candle. Before I could speak further, she came at me. I backed away from her in fright. Her placid face revealed nothing malevolent. But the shears were headed right for me. I tried to dive away from the contradiction. Who was the real Briana? The sweet woman who made cookies for me--or her shears wielding maniac counterpart now standing before me? She screamed not to worry. I heard a snip. I felt a strange sensation. Not pain. But something was no longer attached to me. It was a piece of my hair. She caught the floating lock in her hands as if it were a runaway feather.

“It is very important we get to work, Caitlin.” Too stunned to process the weird moment, I could barely utter a groan.

Then she explained how she must protect me. “He’ll surely make a visitation now that he has met you.”

I tried to explain it was a good thing. I would probably get a vision of him and then I could determine his part in the slayings.

She interrupted. “A visitation is what he’ll do to you. I don’t know how to break this to you but the cat judge is an incubus. He’ll surely come to you in your dreams. And in case he is our murderer, you’ll need a protection spell, pronto.”

I reminded her I carried a firearm. I had worked in the FBI.

“No earthbound weapons can harm the judge once he joins with you. An incubus enters your dream world.”

'How do you know this?” My tone grew edgy. She had obviously withheld knowledge of Manners. Maybe the two were friends or even lovers. And she just admitted an incubus could have committed these crimes without fear of being harmed or caught.

“I know things because I’m a witch, Caitlin. That explanation will have to suffice for now.”

If you’re truly a witch, Briana, you must know he’s our best suspect.”

“I do not wish to make sentence of him, yet. He could very well be innocent, even though he is not human. You must not be quick to judge. Don’t forget you now have paranormal abilities. You wouldn’t want to be labeled guilty just because of who you are.”

She had me there.

I settled in for the spell.

“I will create a mind shield for you, Caitlin Diggs.”

She began to chant, inviting me to join her.

“I call upon the helpful powers of my ancestors. Please protect and shield me from harm. By the ancient ancestral power, blessed be!”

Briana played soft Celtic music for me as we waited for the spell to take effect. I tried to distract myself with the lovely dulcet tones of harps and violins. It almost worked until my stomach rumbled--again. We never had supper. Briana was too intent on saving my ass. For what seemed hours we held hands waiting for the candle to burn down. I had plenty of time to drink in the ambience of the McFadden household. Floral print furniture and lacy doilies surrounded me. But most disturbing, a poster of Cher is depicting the actress as a witch in the film Witches of Eastwick, hung right before my eyes. When the candle finally expired I yawned and thanked Briana.

“Don’t thank me yet. The night is now upon us. We must return to your house if we hope to engage the judge.”

“Won’t your presence discourage Manners from coming?”

“No.” She paused to smile. “You could have twenty police armed to the hilt and he’d still come. Nothing from the waking world can harm him.”

muttered something unintelligible even to me.

“I’ll be in the next room to supervise so to speak. When he comes I’ll sense it. I will then cast a binding spell so he can’t attack you – or worse, drain you. Now the spell won’t last indefinitely so you won’t want to waste time with small talk. Hopefully you’ll be able to determine his innocence or guilt in your dream.”

had once interrogated an evil man named Crowley in a dream state. It didn’t go so well. But at least he didn’t threaten to harm me. Maybe he couldn’t. I still don’t know; but I was sure of one thing if the judge threatened me in anyway I would defend myself. I didn’t care what Briana said about the dream and waking worlds. I went to bed packing a handgun.

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Review ~ If I should Die (Revenants #3) - Amy Plum

Paperback purchased by myself

Published: May 1st 2013 by Atom

ISBN: 1907411046

Description

I will not lose another person I love. I will not let history repeat itself.

Vincent waited lifetimes to find me, but in an instant our future together was shattered. He was betrayed by someone we both called a friend, and I lost him. Now our enemy is determined to rule over France s immortals, and willing to wage a war to get what they want.

It shouldn't be possible, none of it should be, but this is my reality. I know Vincent is somewhere out there, I know he s not completely gone, and I will do anything to save him.

After what we've already fought to achieve, a life without Vincent is unimaginable. He once swore to avoid dying - to go against his nature and forsake sacrificing himself for others - so that we could be together. How can I not risk everything to bring my love back to me?

This is the final book in a series. I haven't included as much detail in the review due to the fact I didn't want to include spoilers.

My Opinion 

After the impossible cliff hanger the second book in the series left me on I couldn't believe I was going to have to wait a year to get my hands on this book. To make matter worse it was released during the middle of my exams so only now have I found a chance to read it as I didn't want to break the story up but rather read it the whole way through, due to it being a final installment.

I'm always nervous starting the final book in a series and besides having to force myself not to flick to the end to find out if everything will be OK, I worry the author won't do the series justice. However I should have guessed from Amy Plum's previous writing style that she would resolve everything well with no loose ends so that the reader feels satisfied and happy. For once I thought a series came to a natural resolve and conclusion without being stretched out or forced.

I wasn't sure how the author was going to fit all the detail into one final book but the answer is simple. It is action packed with never a dull moment! It kept me turning the pages from start to finish and I was hooked throughout the entire novel. The story moves at a fast pace and although it just touched on a few bits I would have liked more detail on (Kate's friends) there was enough so as not to confuse and keep your understanding and interest. 

As well as this it brought on many emotions from me, sad, happy, laughter I went through them all at certain parts of the story and I couldn't tear myself away from the engaging and believable characters. I like how Kate came into her own in this book due to Vincent's absence and although I did predict some of the twists a lot earlier than they were revealed it didn't stop me enjoying the rest of the book as when I got to it, it was not only better than expected but Plum's writing describes everything beautifully to hook the reader's imaginations and draw them into the spectacular world she has created. 

Overall I would highly recommend this series to everyone who loves romance, Parisian settings, the paranormal or YA. Amy's writing is beautiful to read like the worlds she creates are enthralling and exciting. The characters will take you on an emotional journey and you grow to love the whole revenant family. This final book resolved everything brilliantly and I was left satisfied with the ending that although leaves it open for another book seems final enough if there never is.

Tormented (Immortal Saga) - J. Ann

Description
It's been over 200 years since Humans drove the affected into hiding. Now out of nowhere, people are dying on both sides. When one of the few female specially trained fighters; also known as an Ultorum, is added to the body count, Angelina is forced to make a decision. Now she must betray everything she knows, including her best friend Michael, and follow the one creature she doesn't trust.

Ethan watches this young Ultorum with leery eyes. He is deeply impressed with her abilities, and even more so with her determination. It's just to bad she smells so good.

Together they set out to find the one responsible for all the killings, but what they find, they are not going to like.

My Opinion

As you can probably tell from the books I read, I am a paranormal and romance lover and when I got asked if I would read this book I was instantly intrigued by the description, even if I wasn't keen on the cover. I know the vampire/werewolf genre is getting slightly over used now and maybe becoming a little predictable so I was slightly worried about whether J.Ann could bring anything different to the genre. I must say this book was a pleasant surprise though and it hooked me more than I thought it would.

Even though vampires and werewolves are included in the novel, the story focuses more on the Ultorums (stronger humans) and I loved that fact. It meant that the book strayed from the stereotypical vampire novel and separated it slightly in the overwhelmed genre. It mostly follows the life of Angelina -but did switch between different people's lives at certain points - and how her life changes when a near death causes her to meet the Vampire Ethan. I loved Angelina, she was strong, determined and knew how to fight so in a way it made the book remind me of Rachel Vincent's Blood Bound, which is one of my all time favourites. 

The story line was intriguing and gripping. The action moved at a faced pace and I had trouble putting it down, I probably would have been up all night finishing it if I hadn't had college the next day. I loved the romance triangle that started to develop and J.Ann did a brilliant job of making the reader connect with her characters. At first, before the (predictable) love triangle emerged I thought that I would stay on Micheal's side as he was strong, kind, supportive etc and when Ethan appeared I thought I would grow to hate him. However by the end of it I was torn as to which guy I preferred and would want Angelina to be with and if you think everything will be resolved you are wrong, Tormented leaves you on a terrible cliffhanger and will leave you wanting more.

There were a few downsides to this book though. At times, when the book switched perspective I found myself a little confused at first at what I was reading but this was sorted out as I began to learn the characters more. It also jumped a lot with J.Ann using "***" to move the story along. I'm not against this but maybe it needed to be less frequent so as not to disrupt the flow too much. There were also a few minor grammar and spelling issues that caused me to re-read  a few sentences (breaking up the story) to make sure it wasn't me just reading something wrong and figure out what was meant to be there instead. These were however minor and infrequent so didn't detract too much.

Over all this book was a nice surprise. It brought a slightly different twist to the vampire genre and was easy to understand. This book is a quick read (maybe too short if you enjoy it as much as I did) but packed with action, romance and suspense. It was well written and the characters were developed brilliantly. I can't wait for the next installment to find out what happens and would highly recommend this book to paranormal/romance lovers! 

The Journey (Sarafin Perigord #3) - A.J Scott-Ryder

Description
Anne-Sophie's life is full of frustrations. These include working alongside overly protective Frenchmen in the Sarafin as well as being in love with Jean-Marc, who hardly seems to notice that she exists...

When a perilous assignment crops up requiring one of the Sarafin to travel to Elizabethan England in a parallel dimension she insists on being chosen for the job as her right. She realises that she has bitten off more than she can chew, however, when she is transported into the role of a powerless woman of that era and has to find some way to get from a dangerous Scotland to the even more dangerous court of Elizabeth I.

Anne-Sophie finds herself marrying against her wishes and sharing a bed with a man she met only days before and in the process finds out more about herself than she was ready to know.

A sweeping tale of love, loss and friendship, The Journey will make you laugh and cry.

The Journey is the third story in the Sarafin Perigord series. The books can be enjoyed in any order as each is a stand-alone novel in its own right.

My Opinion
I am so glad I got a chance to read this series as I have really enjoyed every book in it. It has taken me a while to complete this book though, due to other commitments distracting me but last night I forced myself to sit still and finish the last 80%. The narrative kept me hooked and it immersed me in the story so completely that it managed to keep me occupied until around 4am without my mind wandering to other things I should be doing. 

Once again A.J. Scott-Ryder has created interesting characters and a captivating romance that keeps you on an emotional roller coaster. I loved how the relationship between Anne-Sophie and Gascon was kept interesting with the twists and turns/ups and downs. The reader is always questioning whether they will get a happily ever after. As well as this with the conflicted emotions felt by Anne- Sophie about Armand and Jean-Marc it added a sense of reality and more depth to the background story as it felt like there was always an obstacle to overcome. It also helped engaged the reader more (emotionally) as there was always a sense of loss and gain throughout the book.

Scott-Ryder didn't reveal everything straight away in this book and it started in the middle of the events, which may sound confusing but I enjoyed it. I'm not a fan of books that give a long back story before getting to the action and with this book the questions I had enticed me to read on as I wanted to find out who the mysterious man described was. I would suggest you read at least The Secret before starting this book though as it will clear up a lot of language and paranormal aspects even though there is a glossary at the back. 

I love the romance in these books and the language used to describe everything fits perfectly with the time periods. It also creates vivid images in your mind that immerse you fully in the book, as if you are really there. Scott-Ryder's writing flows naturally and you can't help but fall in love with her characters too. The idea of 'The Game' was original and refreshing too. It was an easy concept to figure out and for me it added a slightly darker dimension to the book as I imagined the chess board to be more of a dark, gothic thing rather than anything else.

Although I love this series and thoroughly enjoyed reading The Journey, it is probably my least favourite of the series and I did have a few problems with it. Besides there being a few more typos and mistakes than the other books the ending also confused me slightly. Unlike with the other books I found myself with some unanswered questions that broke up the continuity and left me wanting more of the novel to gain a better resolve e.g I don't remember Gascon informing Anne-Sophie of what he really was, except he wasn't a dark elf. 

I was reading the book at a fast pace until around chapter 22/23. At that point I had to slow and really focus on the book as there was a time period shift, but it came on so quickly and without any explanation that I found myself reading back to check I hadn't missed something. By the end of it I think I understood what have happened but maybe it would have been easier to grasp if the events had been written or a subheading on the chapter stating the date would have made it clearer that Anne-Sophie had either gone back/forward in time (I won't giveaway what happens as it's the ending). 

However even though I did have problems with this book I still really enjoyed reading it! The characters are brilliant, the story line was interesting, engaging and original and Scott-Ryder's language immerses you in the past and present worlds with paranormal differences. I would highly recommend the whole series to any romance lovers as a must read. 

Rating: Somewhere between 3.5- 4 due to the issues I had but I'd put it nearer to 4.

Finale (Hush Hush #4) - Becca Fitzpatrick

Description
Will love conquer all?

Nora and Patch thought their troubles were behind them. Hank is gone and they should be able to put his ugly vendetta to rest. But in Hank's absence, Nora has become the unwitting head of the Nephilim and must finish what Hank began. Which ultimately means destroying the fallen angels - destroying Patch.

Nora will never let that happen, so she and Patch make a plan: lead everyone to believe they have broken up, and work the system from the inside. Nora will convince the Nephilim that they are making a mistake in fighting the fallen angels, and Patch will find out everything he can from the opposing side. They will end this war before it can even begin.

But the best-laid plans often go awry. Nora is put through the paces in her new role and finds herself drawn to an addictive power she never anticipated.

As the battle lines are drawn, Nora and Patch must confront the differences that have always been between them and either choose to ignore them or let them destroy the love they have always fought for.

My Opinion

OK so I know I am a bit late in getting to this book and believe me, I wanted to buy it earlier but there were 2 reasons I put it off.

1) I didn't want this amazing series to end 

2) It was my birthday a few days ago so I decided to wait until then (free books :))

I first found out about this series by receiving a free sample in a magazine. I took a chance at reading it, which is unusual for me, but I am so glad I did. I had to buy Hush Hush before I had even finished the sample and the series has kept me hooked ever since. I couldn't wait for Finale to be released. 

However I was nervous about starting this book due to the fact that it was the last in the series. In the past few years I have read quite a few final books and not been satisfied with how they ended, (The Hunger Games and Rapture 'Fallen series' to name a few). These books didn't have any finality to about them and lacked a solid resolve. For me they seemed rushed so it worried me as to how Becca Fitzpatrick would end her brilliant series and do the books justice in the final pages. It is needless to say, I shouldn't have worried. Finale resolved everything (if in a sad way at times) and left nothing to be questioned. Fitzpatrick's writing keeps you entertained and hooked from page one and within minutes I was lost in the world she has created. 

The story picks up straight from  where Silence left off and even though it has been a while since I have read that book, I found it was easy to remember and understand what was going on. The book is packed full of action right up until the end and even though parts of it are predictable there were other twists I wouldn't have seen coming a mile off. 

Besides the action the part I loved most about this book was the speech. Fitzpatrick uses loads of conversations (mentally and physically) to move the story on quickly and fluidly. For me the main thing I read in a book is the speech, and if it isn't right I will struggle but Fitzpatrick didn't disappoint. The writing flowed easily and the conversations were written in a believable and natural way. As well as this the description added along side it immersed me in the world and enthralled you into reading on.

Over all this is one of the best books I have read this year. The writing is fast paced, full of action/romance and will keep you turning pages until the early hours of the morning. As the final book in the series it sums up everything well, leaving the reader content and satisfied with how the events turn out. Although it is sad such an amazing and brilliant series has come to an end the way it is written makes it feel right.

I would highly recommend the whole series to any romance/paranormal lover. Every book in this series is a must read and if you don't you will be missing out on something great! I look forward to reading more work in the future from Becca Fitzpatrick.

Giveaway - The Sarafin Perigord Sereis by A.J Scott-Ryder

I am pleased to announce that A.J Scott-Ryder has kindly offered to give away one kindle copy of each book this month on my blog! I have recently reviewed the first 2 books and will be starting the third soon. I really enjoyed both books as they are great reads for any paranormal/romance lover. Seriously you will not be dissapointed with these books and you won't be able to put them down!

You can read the reviews here:
The Secret Review
The Tattoo Review


Descriptions (The books can be read in order or as separate stories)

The Secret ( Sarafin Perigord #1)
Catherine is a surgeon born into a family with a frustrating number of secrets. Photos hidden from view, her mother crying in the night, her father telling her she'd find out more when she was older. Well, she's older, her parents have both passed away and still completely in the dark she's moving from London to France to live in the home she never knew her father owned - and to meet Jean-Marc, the mysterious friend of the family her father told her to trust.
France introduces her to Tristan and from there to love, happiness and the French way of life. It also brings the growing realisation that not only are many of the people that she meets not exactly human, but possibly neither is she...
When her family's darkest secret is finally revealed, Catherine is forced to choose between staying in France where she has finally found happiness or protecting those she now loves from what she has learned by returning to England to the same half-life that her parents endured.


The Tattoo (Sarafin Perigord #2)

Twenty-something Amelia is used to thinking of herself as the immature dropout of the family, with zero love life and a failed attempt at a university degree behind her.
Complications force her to give up her job in a tattoo parlour but things look up as she starts work in an alternative bookshop in Bristol and begins the "great quest" that she set herself at her mother's deathbed.
This quest brings Amelia to France and to the man she is destined to love and from there to more danger. In the end she realises that the hardest thing to conquer is your own fear when everything about you is changing and you have left your comfort zone far behind you.
A story about love, courage and ultimately trust, told with insight and humour.

The Journey (Sarafin Perigord #3)
Anne-Sophie's life is full of frustrations. These include working alongside overly protective Frenchmen in the Sarafin as well as being in love with Jean-Marc, who hardly seems to notice that she exists...
When a perilous assignment crops up requiring one of the Sarafin to travel to Elizabethan England in a parallel dimension she insists on being chosen for the job as her right. She realises that she has bitten off more than she can chew, however, when she is transported into the role of a powerless woman of that era and has to find some way to get from a dangerous Scotland to the even more dangerous court of Elizabeth I.
Anne-Sophie finds herself marrying against her wishes and sharing a bed with a man she met only days before and in the process finds out more about herself than she was ready to know.
A sweeping tale of love, loss and friendship, The Journey will make you laugh and cry.

 OK so now for the giveaway!

Answers to the bonus questions can be found in the description or my reviews.

The winners will be notified by email within 48hrs of the giveaway ending, if you do not reply to confirm your email then another winner will be chosen. After confirming your email winners will be contacted by the author with the gifted book.

Good Luck Everyone!

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The Tattoo - (Sarafin Perigord, # 2) - A.J. Scott-Ryder

Description

Twenty-something Amelia is used to thinking of herself as the immature dropout of the family, with zero love life and a failed attempt at a university degree behind her.
Complications force her to give up her job in a tattoo parlour but things look up as she starts work in an alternative bookshop in Bristol and begins the "great quest" that she set herself at her mother's deathbed.
This quest brings Amelia to France and to the man she is destined to love and from there to more danger. In the end she realises that the hardest thing to conquer is your own fear when everything about you is changing and you have left your comfort zone far behind you.
A story about love, courage and ultimately trust, told with insight and humour.

The Tattoo is the second story in the Sarafin Perigord series but the books can be enjoyed in any order as each is a stand-alone novel in its own right.
My Opinion

After reading from the descriptions that these books can be read as stand alone novels I was unsure as to what expect from the second instalment. I didn't know whether I would enjoy it as much as I thought that A.J. Scott-Ryder may have written Catherine and Tristan out of the book totally but I was glad this was not the case. The Tattoo hooked me straight away and I found it incredibly hard to put down. I was reading it, telling myself that I would stop at the end of the next chapter where as in reality it was about twelve chapters later and 2am before I finally admitted I needed sleep.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series but I loved this one even more. There was a darker side to it, which I loved but it also helped that I didn't find myself confused at all throughout the book. Even though these books can be read on their own I would seriously recommend reading the first instalment before picking up this one as it will help clear up a lot of the paranormal aspects.

During this book I found myself comparing Amelia to Catherine and I think I enjoyed Amelia's story more. For me she hard a harder and tougher appearance in the beginning which I enjoyed more as it meant there was more action than just the romance. Also the twists in this book also kept me in suspense. Seriously I did not expect what happens near the end and during certain parts of the book I found myself almost crying at certain character’s change in attitude. I really liked how A.J. Scott-Ryder used Emeric's character to soften Amelia's rough edges and gave balance to the book. Whether this was intentional or not I really enjoyed it.

Unlike with the first book I had no issues with understanding this book. Everything was easy to follow and the speech seemed to flow more naturally. The only thing I'm not so keen on is the covers to the series. I'm guilty of judging a book by the cover before reading the description and if I had not been contacted by the author then I doubt I would have been drawn to them as for me they look more like historical romances rather than paranormal book.

Overall though I am so glad I have had the chance to read these books and I will soon be starting the third book. I would highly recommend both the first and second book in this series to all paranormal romance lovers. They are fast paced, full of action and easy to connect with the characters. This book took me on an emotional roller-coaster which is unusual but I loved every second of it.

4.5