BLOG TOUR AND REVIEW: THE 7TH DAY BY AE WATSON

THE SEVENTH DAY

Author: Tara Brown writing as AE Watson

Genres: YA Science Fiction | Post Apoc | Horror (zombie horror not ghosts) | Romance

Series: The Seventh Day, Book 1

~ SYNOPSIS ~

From the window I can see her. 

She looks like she did yesterday. 

Same Clothes. 

Same Hair. 

But today her face is calm, dead calm. 

All their faces are dead calm until one of us makes a noise. 

The noise wakes them and then it starts. 

Their heads jerk to the right three times rapidly as they stand in the most awkward way. 

That's when we run. 

That's when we hide. 

That's how we stay alive until The Seventh Day! 

Silence is survival!

Story is about a young girl who starts the day off normally but ends it with her mother in the closet boarded up, the rest of the house boarded up, hiding and waiting for her dad to come. The world outside is rapidly consumed by a sickness, a plague if you will. Her name is Lou and she is instantly responsible for 3 little girls, a dog, and her own survival. She sets off, leaving the house when the infection gets inside and how she spends the next seven days will blow your mind.

~ PURCHASE ~

AMAZON | PAPERBACK



~Shelly's 5 Star Review~

​Lou has to take care of her younger sister, Joey in the absence of her father and the death of her mother. The world is chaos in the aftermath of an "zombie apocalypse". Lou, Joey, neighbors, and friends are fighting for their lives.

I love that Lou was a 17 year old that acted brave but showed you that she was also scared it made her seem real. Joey, Lissie, and Julie were the young girls that were always protected by the older characters. Kyle was the funny cool guy that will melt your heart even in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. Erin was the girl you wanted to hate but in reality she was the bada$$. Miles was who Lou had a crush on throughout high school but he views her as a sister. Lee has always lived in her sister, Erin's, shadow. She discovers she can protect herself throughout this book. All of the secondary characters contributed to this story and were well developed.

​This book is packed with danger at every turn. Lou flees to a cabin in the mountains trying to get away from the biters. You will be kept on the edge of your seat waiting to see who succumbs to the virus and who will escape. Lou and friends set across the USA trying to find her father to help them understand what is going on with the zombie apocalypse. Along the way they will forge close friendship and even discover love.

I will be honest in that I was skeptical to read this book. I am not a horror and blood and guts type of person. A book lover friend read it and loved it so I took a chance. I am so happy that I did. This book was so well written that I found myself continuing to turn the pages to that I could see what was going to happen. I am happy to say I have one clicked more of Tara Brown's books. The ending does wrap up the story but does let you know there is more in the future. Can't wait to read to read the next book.

I received a gift copy in exchange for an honest review. Read and Reviewed for Stories and Swag Blog.

~ TEASERS ~

~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~

AE Watson (Tara Brown)

I am not going to talk in the third person. It feels weird. I am a Canadian author of Paranormal Romance, Post Apocalyptic and Fantasy novels. Mostly because I think I have Writers ADD, I like to call it WADD. It might be a real thing. I write New Adult, my books have sexual content (Heck yes) and Swearing. You have been warned. Now enjoy! I have a beagle named Buster, a husband who I force to read everything I write and two girls who want so badly to be a character in my books. And not in that order. I am mid thirties so be prepared for the chick lit novel this year. I am calling it my Ode to my Midlife Crisis. Kidding, it's called The End of Me and it's badass and awesome. It's a start to a massive series. I am jazzed about it. I have been writing since I was old enough to lie. So for some time. Welcome to my world. Please enjoy the ride.

Social media links:

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Tour
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Blog Tour and GIVEAWAY: Good by S. Walden

Good by S. Walden

Cadence Miller is a good girl. She just happens to make one terrible mistake her junior year in high school which costs her ten months in juvenile detention. Now a senior, she’s lost everything: her best friend, the trust of her parents, driving privileges, Internet access. It’s a lonely existence.

But there is one bright spot: Mark Connelly, her very cute, very off-limits 28-year-old calculus teacher. She falls hard for him—a ridiculous schoolgirl crush headed nowhere. She can’t help it. He’s the only good thing at Crestview High. She doesn’t expect him to reciprocate her feelings. How inappropriate, right? But he does. And he shows her.

And that’s when her life goes from bad to good.

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17801215-good?from_search=true

Buy Links

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Good-Too-1-ebook/dp/B00ESG4TLS/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/good-summer-walden/1116800558?ean=2940148624264

Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/4358263

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/351241

Jennifer M's review

for·bid·den

fərˈbidn,fôr-/

adjective

1.    refuse to allow (something).



"environmental laws forbid alteration of the coast"

synonyms:  prohibit, ban, outlaw, make illegal, veto, proscribe, disallow, embargo, bar, debar, interdict; Moreenjoin, restrain 
"the law forbids gender discrimination"

2.    order (someone) not to do something.


"I was forbidden from leaving Russia"

synonyms:  prohibit, ban, outlaw, make illegal, veto, proscribe, disallow, embargo, bar, debar, interdict; Moreenjoin, restrain 
"the law forbids gender discrimination"

Cadence Miller is a 17 year old senior in high school. She is all about being “Good” and always follows the rules. One night Cadence goes to a party and she makes a terrible mistake. A disastrous mistake. A “big mistake”. One that makes her lose the trust from her parents, her best friend, and any friends she has at school.  She is sent to juvie for months and is required to serve community service as well. No longer is she viewed as the “good” girl she always strived to be.

While doing her community service, she meets Mark, otherwise known as “Midnight in a Pefect World.” Little does she know this meeting will change her life.

She returns to school and is she is bullied, tortured, and ridiculed.

She is labeled a “criminal”. She enters her calculus class and there stands Mr. “Midnight in a Perfect World”. Mr. Connelly is every students dream come true. He is incredibly hot and oh so DREAMY! Why didn’t I have a math teacher like that?!?

 I do not condone a relationship between a teacher and a student, but my morals went out the window with Mark and Cadence. Unfortunately, you cannot control who you fall for. The chemistry between them can’t be ignored.

I was cheering and rooting for them throughout the novel. I needed them together. He was perfect for her; made her feel wanted, cherished, and special. 

 “Those are always the best love stories,”“Which ones?”“The dangerous ones.”

Cadence confides in Fanny, an older patron from the diner. They have intense conversations and she teaches Cadence lessons on life.  They discuss love; whether it is a choice or a feeling. When they discuss her feelings about Mark, Fanny shares some wise words.

“Love comes in all kinds of packages. Some are neatly tied up, and some are messy. It doesn’t mean that the messy ones aren’t every bit as good.”“Good?”“Yes, good.”

Throughout the book you are feeling the guilt that Cadence and Mark experience. They try to fight the pull they feel. The guilt is always there, but once again, love is a powerful emotion.

“I love your goodness. I love that you have a good heart.”“I love you, Cadence,” he whispered into my ear. “I never stopped loving you.”

I loved this book. I felt kind of guilty for loving it as much as I do. Honestly, if my daughter told me she was in love with her math teacher who was 10 year older than her, I think I would die. But as I said, you can’t control who you fall in love with. Fate has other plans.

I am so ready for Better. It can’t come soon enough. S. Walden has found a forever reader. She blew me away and I can’t get enough!!! 

About the Author

S. Walden used to teach English before making the best decision of her life by becoming a full-time writer. She lives in Georgia with her very supportive husband who prefers physics textbooks over fiction and has a difficult time understanding why her characters must have personality flaws. She is wary of small children, so she has a Westie instead. Her dreams include raising chickens and owning and operating a beachside inn on the Gulf Coast (chickens included). When she's not writing, she's thinking about it.

She loves her fans and loves to hear from them. Email her at swaldenauthor@hotmail.com and visit her website at www.swaldenauthor.com to get up-to-date information on her current projects.

Website  www.swaldenauthor.com

twitter username  @swaldenauthor

Facebook page   www.facebook.com/swaldenauthor

Goodreads Page  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6475976.S_Walden

Giveaway

 GRANDPRIZE includes: Signed paperback of Good, DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing… CD. the notes that Mark and Candace wrote to one another, Amazon Gift Card and an iTunes Gift Card (since music is a heavy theme in the novel)

 2 winners will receive signed paperbacks of Good

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Find Mark Connelly Book Cover Contest
 
Fans, I need your help! I cannot find a picture of the perfect Mark Connelly to go on my cover of BETTER. I've given up and am handing the matter over to you. Here' the deal: find me a picture of Mark and you may win a signed copy of both GOOD and BETTER. Oh yeah, and you'll be acknowledged on the copyright page of BETTER, too!

The Rules:

1. ONE submission per person. Email me THE LINK to your perfect pic at swaldenauthor@hotmail.com (I gotta know where to purchase it)
2. The pic must be a stock photo with a model release (pics on sites like dreamstime.com and shutterstock.com have model releases. They actually say it.).

Contest will run from 9/30 – 10/21.  Make sure you get your submissions in before 12 A. M. on 10/21.

He's out there. I know it. Now someone find him for me!

Note: I reserve the right to cancel this contest at any time if I stumble across the perfect pic. I don't think that's gonna happen, though.

Review: Epic: Legacy by Justin Osborne

Blurb:

Almost a billion people have simply vanished in the last six months. 

Deacon’s mother sends him to stay with his eccentric uncle Evon in an effort to keep him safe. Upon his arrival, he learns that his uncle is more than a little on the strange side, he was once a legendary hero.

At first Deacon is reluctant to believe his uncle’s stories, but after meeting his brownie butler, dwarf wife, not to mention the dragon head mounted as a trophy in the foyer, Deacon is starting to come around.

After drinking too much ‘Meadale’ the night before, Deacon accidently falls through a Faerie Mound in his uncle’s backyard, where he ends up trapped in Avalon, a doomed world where all our myths and legends are real, and the only way back home is the badly wounded (and pissed off) faerie that brought him there.

Deacon’s quest to get help for the injured faerie lands him in the village of Fen Glennan, where his uncle is a hero and he is an untrusted outsider from the horrific world of Abaddon (Earth). During his stay, He finds a few friends, a few enemies, and perhaps even love.

Upon his return to Earth, Deacon is forced to carry on his uncles ‘legacy’ and fulfill his dying wish, save the people of Fen Glennan and as many in Avalon as he can before it’s destruction.

Elle's Review:

 “All right, this could be epic.”

When I sat down to read EPIC: Legacy, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The synopsis teased impending world destruction and some serious hi-jinks after a night of boozing. There was also something intriguing about the details within the synopsis.

MEET THE HERO:

“We are all quite fond of the idea of the hero arriving in the nick of time…We’re so used to it in fact, that we take it for granted. To think that there could be any other outcome is almost inconceivable…But sometimes, things don’t go the way we want or expect.”

For most of the novel, the narrator focused on Deacon’s journey.

Deacon McTaggart isn’t the typical knight in shining armor. In his eyes there’s nothing extraordinary about himself. He’s just a guy who loves playing his guitar.

“Deacon thought of himself as just an average looking young man. He was 5’7”, lean

build, longish black hair, and eyes the color of faded denim”

Beneath his laid back appearance, is a kind-hearted, noble guy.

“…they saw him as the ‘Bullies Bully’. If someone decided to pick on another that was smaller and weaker, he was there to put a stop to it.”

Although Deacon doesn’t go looking for trouble, it finds him throughout the book. Never once does he back down.

“He smiled and raised both middle fingers through his fists. ‘Deacon, Deacon

McTaggart’.”

THE TALE OF TWO CONFLICTS:

In the first few chapters, the story’s foundation was laid before my eyes, and before I knew it I was hooked. The author wasted no time before shoving Deacon head first in to turmoil. The narrator’s pace varied based on the mood of the scene, which helped keep my attention on the events of the ever-changing story.

When the moments were tense and Deacon’s conflicts were outside forces, the pace quickened. However, there were a lot of introspective moments for Deacon as well. When the conflict became his internal struggle, the pace was deliberate and meticulous, allowing the reader to soak in every detail within the scene and reflect with him.

“He had never killed anything before…Could he bring himself to do it? Deacon kept telling himself that it was self-defense. Wasn’t it? If it came down to his life or something trying to end it, he really didn’t have a choice, did he? Kill or be killed, right?”

“He also had to live up to his uncle’s name. After all, the man was a damned hero to these people and to most of Avalon too, for that matter. Deacon did not want to be the one to tarnish his uncle’s reputation.”

IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS:

Within the pages of Deacon’s journey are several chapters narrated about other characters. I loved the author’s incorporation of the different characters’ views. I learned what motivated the villains to destroy Avalon and was shown what happened outside of Fen Glennan while Deacon was trapped there. These chapters were a creative way to show a lapse in time in Deacon’s world while giving the reader another piece of the story.

The imagery throughout the entire novel was incredible. As I read along, it was like a movie was playing inside my head. Descriptions of the settings and characters were so picturesque, it was like a movie was playing inside my head as I read each line.

SEALED WITH A KISS:

Something else I would like to commend the author on is how he incorporated romance in to the plot. Romance was referenced in the synopsis and present within the text; however, it was more of an underlying thread instead of being the main focus driving the characters.

This novel wasn’t about the relationship between a boy and a girl but the relationship between a boy and himself. One minute Deacon was fighting for his life and the next he was fighting to come to terms with his place in the McTaggart legacy.

 “Ah, the naivety of youth. When we know everything and are completely confidant in our ability to control our fates, luckily for most, it doesn’t take long before we understand that we know absolutely nothing.”

ENCORE: BUILT IN PLAYLIST

Often times an author or reader will compose a play list of songs to go along with a novel. These can be songs referenced in the story or songs that remind the person of a particular scene or character. To my surprise and delight, Justin Osborne has embedded a play list within the text of EPIC: Legacy. Each chapter title is also the title of a song. I highly recommend that you listen to each song as you read along with its companion chapter.

Find Justin:

Facebook * Goodreads * Buy on Amazon