My Latest Musings #8 My worst ever week

I've decided each week to talk a bit about my previous week and what I enjoyed reading and watching, my plans for the coming week and any news I have. Hopefully that will motivate me to get things done!


This was the week from hell. As most of you will know in January my mum was diagnosed with stomach cancer and she has been in hospital a few times. I've had messages this week from friends wondering why I wasn't online so I decided to use my Musings post to update everything. 

My mum went in to hospital on the 13th May with an infection and soon became confused, disorientated and off the planet. It got worse over the space of a few days until she did not even recognise her family. Last Thursday the doctor said she either had bleeding on the brain, a stroke or the cancer was in her brain and they gave her days to live. That Thursday and Friday were the worst two days of my life, sitting by her bedside sobbing, lying awake at night waiting for a call from the hospital to say she had passed away. My dad and I were suffering, watching her lying in her bed yelling for help with no clue where she was, struggling as if she was being attacked. I can't even describe that experience. It gave me an idea of what the families of dementia sufferers go through and I wouldn't wish that on anybody. When we were away from the hospital we kept phoning to see what was happening, dreading what we might hear. 

Then we phoned the hospital on Sunday morning to be told that she was sitting up talking, eating a little, drinking and her mind in full working order and that the CT scan of her brain showed NOTHING wrong. No cancer, no stroke, no bleeding, no infection. The doctors are baffled, we are baffled but jeez the relief was indescribable. Yes she is still seriously ill with the cancer but I feel as if we have been given her back again. Being able to sit and talk to her as normal again is wonderful and I hope we don't have to go through that nightmare again. Each day since then she has become brighter and more talkative, if a little tired. Her eating isn't anywhere near normal and she is fed up being stuck in bed but she is back to where she was just before she went into hospital.

So, the plan is to get her back home at some point. They want to work on getting us more support at home from medical and social services so we can care for her at home plus they want to get her stronger in herself. It will take weeks but we should get her home again which would be great for all of us. It's amazing the difference a week can make.

Naturally I have got no reading done this week and I had no real interest in doing anything. I'm hoping that I will get that motivation back again. Hopefully things will settle a bit now!

New Release: Bad Blood by Nikki Jefford (Aurora Sky #3)

Aurora returns from boot camp to a new assignment, an unwelcome roommate, and the increasingly amorous attentions of a certain vampire hunter.

College is starting, and so is Aurora’s undercover work at a network of swanky parties known as “Tastings” for high rolling vampires who like their blood laced with fine wine. But Aurora’s not the only one on the prowl. An underground investigation is under way to find out who killed one of Anchorage’s most prominent vampires… and Aurora is a prime suspect.

Where can I buy this book?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Blood-Aurora-Sky-Vampire-ebook/dp/B00KQ5PR1G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1401868791&sr=1-1&keywords=Bad+Blood+%28Aurora+Sky%3A+Vampire+Hunter%2C+Vol.+3%29 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bad-blood-nikki-jefford/1119640079?ean=2940149616602

Nikki Jefford loves fictional bad boys and heroines who kick butt. Books, travel, TV series, hiking, writing and motorcycle riding are her favorite escapes. She loves meeting people from all walks of life, from around the globe, and wouldn’t trade her French husband in for anyone – not even Spike!

She’s a third generation Alaskan, born & raised in Anchorage, now living in Northern Washington. Crazy about her dog, Cosmo. (Writer’s best friend.) The dark side of humanity fascinates her, so long as it's balanced by humor and romance.

Her favorite TV heroines are Buffy, Veronica Mars, and Dr. Temperance ‘Bones’ Brennan.


Where can I find Nikki?
http://www.nikkijefford.com/ 
https://twitter.com/NikkiJefford 
https://www.facebook.com/authornikkijefford?ref=ts&fref=ts 
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5424286.Nikki_Jefford 
 

New Release: Dead Trees 2 by Eli Constant (May 30th!)

Two years of peace in a primitive setting can make anyone forget a past full of science, beasties, and blood.

On the day of her son’s birth, the past invades the Yukon valley where Elise and her family reside and they are once again forced to travel survival-road. The General has found her… tracked her across the miles. Elise is his obsession; he wants her for reasons beyond comprehension.

H2H was supposed to be the answer, but the world’s ‘savior’ has created a new pack of demons. The Rippers, beasties on steroids. Wild undergrounders are a mild nightmare in comparison.

Thankfully, humanity has an ace up its sleeves. The question is: This time, when a new solution for saving humanity is put into action, what will the consequences be? 

***RELEASED TODAY***

About this author

Eli Constant lives in Virginia with her husband and two daughters. She is surrounded by battlefield country, farmland and lakes. Currently, she spends her days being a devoted mother and, of course, writing. Eli feels fortunate that her marriage is one of real love and she thinks her children are the coolest people in the world. She also feels so lucky to have an extended family that is ever present with encouragement and kind words.

When it comes to her writing, Eli has one ultimate goal: to become better with each word written. She is obsessed with the nature of humanity- the innocent, the corrupted and the confused. She’s always been a great love of Science Fiction, but has also grown to love other genres, especially Horror and Fantasy. Looking back on her debut novel “Dead Trees,” Eli wouldn’t change a thing. She feels like she learned from the experience and has grown exponentially as an author since its publication. Her most recent work, “Mastic,” is best described as an urban paranormal thriller with a softer side- touches of romance, hidden feelings and bridled lust.

Next month, Eli will be featured in a charity anthology organized by the fabulous TW Brown. She is thrilled to note that 100% of sale proceeds will go to benefit the V Foundation, a leader in cancer research for the past twenty years. Keep posted on this upcoming publication by following Eli on twitter or facebook. Eli’s works in progress include the much anticipated sequel to Dead Trees, a 3-author anthology exploring the psychosis of serial killers, an (as of now) 6-author anthology exploring humanity in the face of hopelessness and a zombie origins novel (this last work in progress comes as a huge surprise to Eli; she honestly thought she’d never write about zombies, but somehow, she fell down the zombie hole and couldn’t crawl out, or rather, didn’t want to crawl out). 

Where can I find Eli? 
http://www.eliconstant.com/ 
https://twitter.com/Author_EliC 
http://authoreliconstant.wordpress.com/ 
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6901568.Eli_Constant 
 
Have you read Dead Trees?

Subterranean humanoids, existing since the dawn of man, arose from the belly of the planet. Humanity was unprepared. The undergrounders came with nails and claws and speed to kill people in the night, dragging bodies downward into dark tunnels teeming with rabid life. Civilization is now a ghost of yesterday and the remaining humans fight for survival. One thing’s for sure- a scientist mommy battling beasties better be handy with a scalpel.

Elise Swanson is a widow and mother. She fights and prays that she can keep her little, broken family safe. She drives and drives, day after day, trying to escape a threat that seems… inescapable. Her hope fades, food is scarce and she watches her eldest daughter’s attempts to soothe the younger babe. Then she meets Jason- a father mourning the loss of his son, masking his pain with bravado and charm. He’s strong, despite his sadness, and love re-grows within him. Weeks pass and Jason’s singular desire becomes the continued safety of Elise and her daughters.

Bloody fights with beasties define the survival-road the companions travel. Even a few moments of safety and relaxation elude the group; time and time again, Elise must kiss her children goodbye, just in case tomorrow never arrives. Against all odds, they reach a government safe zone. Even there, Elise finds that there’s no rest for the weary.

Buy now!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1481030086/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=goodreads_uk-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1481030086&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2


http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Trees-Eli-Constant-ebook/dp/B00APYKD7G/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1401434308&sr=1-1&keywords=Dead+Trees

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dead-trees-eli-constant/1114018217?ean=9781304171726 


http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Dead-Trees/Eli-Constant/9781481030083?id=5798785910405


http://www.bookdepository.com/Dead-Trees-Eli-Constant/9781481030083

Throwback Thursday #23

This Meme is hosted by Melissa at My World in Words and Pages. Go to her blog and join us!

I blog about great looking new releases, new books sent to me for read and review, book reviews of what I've read and features about exciting new authors to try.

But what about all the books that are already on my TBR, waiting for me to read them? Don't they deserve a mention and a chance to be highlighted? Yes they do!

Welcome to Throwback Thursday, where I will take the time to tell you about some of the books that have been on my shelves for a while and maybe a few of you will add them to your wishlists/tbrs. If you have read them, why not leave a comment to tell me what you thought of it-but no spoilers please! 


This week, I'm spotlighting the spin off books from the Night Huntress(Cat and Bones) series by Jeaniene Frost that I haven't read.

After a tragic accident scarred her body and destroyed her dreams, Leila never imagined that the worst was still to come: terrifying powers that let her channel electricity and learn a person's darkest secrets through a single touch. Leila is doomed to a life of solitude...until creatures of the night kidnap her, forcing her to reach out with a telepathic distress call to the world's most infamous vampire...

He's the Prince of Night...

Vlad Tepesh inspired the greatest vampire legend of all—but whatever you do, don't call him Dracula. Vlad's ability to control fire makes him one of the most feared vampires in existence, but his enemies have found a new weapon against him—a beautiful mortal with powers to match his own. When Vlad and Leila meet, however, passion ignites between them, threatening to consume them both. It will take everything that they are to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down in flames.


Dating the Prince of Darkness has its challenges...

Leila's psychic abilities have been failing her, and now she isn't sure what the future holds. If that weren't enough, her lover, Vlad, has been acting distant. Though Leila is a mere mortal, she's also a modern woman who refuses to accept the cold shoulder treatment forever–especially from the darkly handsome vampire who still won't admit that he loves her.

Like choosing between eternal love and a loveless eternity...

Soon circumstances send Leila back to the carnival circuit, where tragedy strikes. And when she finds herself in the crosshairs of a killer who may be closer than she realizes, Leila must decide who to trust– the fiery vampire who arouses her passions like no other or the tortured knight who longs to be more than a friend? With danger stalking her every step of the way, all it takes is one wrong move to damn her for eternity.

  An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness . . . And now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.

Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she's only imagined in her worst nightmares.

At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he'd seen it all. Then Kira appears, this fearless, beautiful . . . human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.

But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.

Book Review: The Day the Dead Lived by Ryan Pederson

The dull light of the moon was replaced by the warm glow of dawn, as the sun slowly crept over the horizon. Blade and Amie were silent as they sat in the rusty truck stalled in the middle of the old dirt road, just on the edge of the forest. For a brief moment they enjoyed the beautiful view through the windshield before them forgetting about life, love, and most of all death. It was only a minor release though, from the hell they had just endured in those forlorn woods. While at the edge of the forest a feeling of tranquility is overcoming as the survivors watched the breaking dawn through the thinning foliage before them, believing their escape had delivered them from the evil that lied within the woods....or had it.



My Review: 
A group of friends with tangled relationships meet at a secluded cabin in the woods for a reunion. But the party ends when creatures from the woods attack.

There is nothing new in the idea of the monsters attacking the isolated cabin storyline but that is ok with me. As a horror fan I don't mind stories being similar in plot and style as long as I enjoy them. This one fell a little short for me in places.

Usually I lose interest when I don't like the main characters but I can forgive that in a horror book because there is a good chance that they will die quickly in all kinds of twisted ways. I'm not a fan of main characters who are a bunch of drunken drugged up idiots because I don't relate to them and don't care about them. So when I saw the cast of utter asshats in this book, I wasn't too bothered by it, knowing that death was coming for them. Sarah in particular was a moaning faced, rude, snotty bitch that I wanted to knock ten bells out of.

I was less interested in hearing the tales of their amazing past party adventures and who once loved who and who was jealous. I found it a bit of a drag as it made the story a slow starter, but again this was more of a niggle than a major issue. My issues started when the attack began. It all started happening fast...too fast. By this I mean we were jumping from one death to another with surprising speed and not taking enough time to really describe each individual attack. The initial attack on the cabin was all a bit of a blur with a chaotic feel that was a little confusing at times. I was trying to remember who was where and what was going on.

I felt that the author had introduced a huge cast to have more people to kill, and was rushing to get everyone killed in a gorefest but not taking the time to describe each incident or build the tension. I agree that the first attack should be a little chaotic as it is a surprise attack, I'd just have liked the details to be a bit clearer. When the action switches outside, I thought that it would be good to change tactics a bit. For example when they were running through the woods, they kept getting grabbed and instantly killed. It would have been good to have it slow down a little and have it more like a hunt with someone hiding up a tree or in a bush, scared out of their wits as the creatures slowly close in. The gore that I like was there in places but it would have nice to have those tense scary moments that you see in films like Halloween that build up to the next kill.

There were quite a few spelling and punctuation mistakes in the book that I can overlook but one thing really did annoy me. The wrong spelling of the Beatles albums. I'm a Beatles fan and seeing Abby Road instead of Abbey Road got on my nerves! (No I didn't mark it down for that!)The names of the characters were not correct either. Someone that died on one page appeared to be fleeing through the woods two pages later, alive and well. The author needs to pay a bit more attention to detail and erase mistakes like this.

Overall I feel that the author has potential as a writer in this genre as his ideas are fine and his writing is decent. I just feel that this book didn't quite deliver the mix of gore and tension that makes a really great horror story.