31 October, 2016

Everyday Writing Challenge in November #NaBloPomo

November is the National Blog posting Month. Thus came the acronym 'NaBloPomo'. There is an  everyday writing  challenge hosted by blogher writing lab. It's of course not an easy task for me to even attempt this challenge, but I believe it's better to try before giving it up. 

Actually, I have many ideas or topics to write about in my queue but the free time is what matters a lot to complete this challenge. Posting on weekends too is a bit scary. I might have to do a lot of scheduling. 

So, wish me luck! Wish me that I get at least 30 mins of time every day to focus on my blog without getting pulled out by my kids :-)
source: pixabay.com

Until next time,

Halloween Sale! Novels as low $0.99


WELCOME TO THE HALLOWEEN SALE BLAST! 

Click on any of the below book covers to be taken to the page that has more information on the novel as well as the Buy Links! Please make sure to scroll down as each page will consist of many titles in that same genre!


Novels On Sale for $0.99!






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 photo Romance Under Wraps 1600 x 2400_zpsieegui5l.jpg
 photo Rachel and the Many Splendored Dreamland art_zpsitftnbtt.jpg
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 photo LSIS CS cover_zpsklk9t3xn.jpg
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 photo Shelique-EB_zpss95hbtaw.png
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 photo image1 2_zps6psyozo2.jpg  photo The Glade Kindle Cover with IndieBRAG and New Apple Awards_zpsge3e9445.jpg  photo 51kMX7tHxxL_zpsjqjjitn6.jpg






Novels on Sale $1.99 and Up!



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Until next time,

26 October, 2016

Halloween Boo #WordlessWednesday

Halloween is around and even Grocery stores are decorated with the theme :-)
























Until next time,

25 October, 2016

Something (Wisteria 1) by Shelby Lamb - [Book Review]

Book Details:
Title: Something (Wisteria 1)
Author:Shelby Lamb
Genre: Adult fiction, horror, mystery
Publisher: Grunge Bookz
Source: An advanced review copy from the author

Book Blurb:
I will find true love and everything will be okay. I will find true love and everything will be okay... she chanted. They say be careful what you read. Something is wrong. Something is very wrong. It can happen to anyone. This is just four teenagers story. Aubrey Golding hates her face, her body, and is devastated after Nathan Silva leaves her. Alone, suicidal, and desperate for love, she discovers a book called Something and unknowingly links others to a dark and terrifying curse that is beginning to consume her. Nathan is glad to be moving on with someone new and can hardly believe what is happening now. Wild child and amateur porn star, Bella Broadhurst, loves bullying that emo whore Aubrey with the other girls, but mostly she loves partying, hookups, and plain ol drama when terror arises. And Kendra Coke is just a new teen mother working on a delicate relationship when things start becoming utterly bizarre. Chilling sleep disturbances and figures hiding in the corners of their rooms are just warnings of what is to come. Be careful what you read, they say. Tread carefully.

My Review:
"Something" is a dark horror, mysterious adult fiction. I got this advanced review copy from the author and I chose it for review as I love horror stories.

This is the story of some teenagers Aubrey, Kendra, Bella and Nathan whose lives are connected by a mysterious book they read. While they start seeing dark things after reading some lines in a book named 'Something', it changes their lives slowly. Now, Aubrey alone has a clue to stop the terrible things happening around her and to her friends. She wants to explore the unknown world with the help of her ex-boy friend Nathan to follow the clues. So, what happens next might be covered in the next part of the 'Wisteria' series.

The characterization is good. The under-confident and suicidal tendency of Aubrey, practical Nathan, Ambitious and ruthless Bella are portrayed well. The characters might stay in our minds for some time. The mystery element in the story is good, but I felt, the flow of the story can be better and smooth. A few scenes are disturbing and there is more adult content like the details about the porn industry. There is a lot of mystery and confusion in the story, but there is not much horror as I expected it to be. I would recommend this to the readers who love adult fiction and mystery.

Ps: I have received the advanced review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion on the book.

My Rating:
3.5/5

Purchase link (Preorder now):
Amazon

About the Author:
Shelby Lamb is an author who loves exploring the weird and unsettling. She writes fiction from her own personal life experiences and from the depths of her imagination and the inspiration around her. Something (Wisteria 1) is her debut work. She currently lives with both parents, a grandmother, and her sister in Toronto, Canada, where she hopes to move out and adopt two cats while finishing her second novel.

Until next time,

21 October, 2016

21 random facts about me! #FridayReflections

Hello all.. Time for a fun personal post after a long time. Had been busy from the starting of October with relocation and setting up everything at the new place. I am reading books and writing reviews, though. 

So, I am glad to participate in #FridayReflections link up this week. As per the prompt, here are 21 random facts about me :-)

1. I love traveling to the core, be it a planned one or unplanned ! I am always ready to pack my bags and explore new places.

2. I am not an early-riser. I am getting up at 6 am now-a-days, but I love to start my day late.

3. I am not a coffee addict, but loving the morning coffees these days. I also love to try different flavors of coffee like French Vanilla.

4. I love reading books, especially thrillers and horrors. 
Source: pixabay.com


5. I am a classical dancer, though took a break for a few years. I am planning to start back soon.

6. Cooking scares me to hell. True! As the world famous scientist Edison once said, I find the different ways to spoil a dish before learning to make a good one :-(

7. I am a strict parent when it comes to making my kids eat healthy food.

8. I love to make crafts with kids by exploring Pinterest boards and youtube videos

9. Not a movie buff, but I love to watch horror movies. 

10. I usually never talk on phone for hours. 

11. I love photography. I take pics of nature than people. I use my phone more to take pics than talk :p

12. I don't like junk food except for ice creams and cupcakes.

13.I love soups and salads.
Source: Google image labeled for non-commercial reuse

14. I am a vegetarian and eat all vegetables except bitter guard.

15. I love hill stations and cool places than beaches.

16.  I love to learn about history and archeology.

17. I learned classical music in childhood and I sing when I am happy and relaxed.

18. I love long walks and nature hikes. I enjoy long drives too :-)

19. I have recently become a Netflix addict and one series that I loved most is 'Lost'

20. I hate South Indian breakfast like Idli and Dosa though I am from South India.I love Pongal very much, though. 

21. Needless to say, I love blogging and I feel, it's therapeutic.

I hope, I didn't bore you much.

Until next time,






Linking this to #FridayReflections







Write Tribe


18 October, 2016

Date like a girl, Marry like a woman by Jessica - [Author Interview]& Giveaway

Book Description:

Navigating our romantic lives can be filled with incredible highs and unfathomable lows. Everyone enters relationships with a unique idea of what makes connection work. But even with our differences, we have a common thread running through all of us: the deep desire to love and be loved.

Based on her experiences, and with the help of her closest friends and the men in her life, author Jessica R. Bunevacz created a series of guidelines for women looking to enjoy dating and romance and avoid common pitfalls and difficulties.

Whether you're dating, getting ready to walk down the aisle, or are already married and looking to take your marriage to the next level, it's profoundly important to celebrate where you are on your journey and make every day special and meaningful for yourself and those around you.

Date like a Girl, Marry like a Woman incorporates Bunevacz's own stories of love, dating, and marriage with practical advice for today's modern relationship and reminds readers not to settle for anything less than the best.

Buy the book: Amazon


Author's Bio:

What do you get when you mix a strict Catholic upbringing, a strong curiosity for the opposite sex, and the need to grow up quickly? If you are lucky you get an outcome like Jessica Bunevacz, the vivacious first time author behind "Date Like a Girl, Marry Like a Woman: The Polished Woman's Guide to Love, Romance and Sex."


Jessica is a former actress and fashion model born and raised in the Philippines, and currently living in Los Angeles. A happily married mother of three, she has made the journey from MANnizer to the quintessential polished woman. Utilizing her own past experiences and a passion for helping others, she will quickly become the best friend you wish you had!

Connect with the author: Author Website ~ Book's Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube


Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview

1) Who were the hardest to write about? The easiest? 
Answer: The easiest were the men I dated. Because every single one had some sort of effect in my life. The hardest was writing about myself. It was hard going back to the past. The dating was fun and easy but the painful ones were hard. Especially the part when my husband had an emotional affair. That was tough on me going back to that situation. 
2) Is there any ritualistic thing you do during your writing time? 
Answer: None really, I just need to be in a quiet place which is my bedroom. I can incline my bed so that was helpful in writing and I made sure my phone was off. 
3) Any favorite thing to do during weekends? 
Answer: My date nights with hubby is on week days. So I make sure I have once or twice a month girls night out on weekends. I need that for myself. But most of the weekends I am with family and kids. Sundays is our church day when there are no sport games. :)
4) Why did you write this book? 
Answer: Because of my love for women. I want every woman to find the man of their dreams, to find love and once they've said their I Do’s, I want to be able to help them maintain a happy marriage.
5) Did you write every day? 
Answer: Yes, only on weekdays. When the kids were all in school. It’s very hard to write on weekends especially where we live, I feel like we drive the whole day. 



Until next time,








14 October, 2016

Myvrooms - Online hotel accommodation booking portal - [Website Review]

I have written my earlier post on the problems that we, as travelers face while booking a hotel accommodation online. From a long time, my search for a genuine hotel accommodation site continued.

Here is a new one on the block - Myvrooms, which is getting launched today (Oct 14th, 2016). I thought it would be great to share my opinion on the website to my blog readers and travel enthusiasts.

Before I go into the website review, let me jot down the important features that I would love to see in a hotel accommodation portal for travel.

·    Genuine Ratings and Transparency
I got tired of reading fake reviews and sponsored reviews in so called famous travel accommodation sites and I want to find a website which is transparent about the features that a hotel room can provide.

·    Easy navigation of the site
This is the most important factor for a regular user like me. I definitely don't want to spend more time struggling with not so user-friendly features. I also want the complete process from booking till receiving the receipt, help from support (if required) and the option to provide feedback to be simple and not time-consuming.

·    Extra information
I definitely love the websites which provide extra information about the stay, the location, the places of interest around and transport options available.


Now, let's get into the website which claims to be the most innovative travel portal.

The Pune-based hotel booking portal Myvrooms is the world's first online portal with complete transparency in booking by providing a 360 degree view of hotels and rooms. Zoom into this website to know more on how it is making the booking process simple and easy.

Easy navigation and access:
My first impression is that the colors are easy on eyes (not too bright and glossy). Main features are easy to find like basic search for hotel, places of interest around and contact info etc.,


Search filters:
There are filters to narrow the search results by the price of the stay and the distance from the point of interest. Search field for point of interest / city is enabled with Google search which is very good. Distance is also calculated with Google controls, which make it more accurate. The website is integrated with 'HotelsCombined' to provide the best deal for the customers by searching other travel sites.

Hotel Images:
I have seen some websites in US which show videos and 360 degree view of hotel rooms, which is a great option. This is the first time I saw this feature in an Indian website. 360 degree view is always a better and quick way to determine if the hotel room is comfortable for stay and if it has all amenities required. 


Extra useful information:
I liked that the website showed the places of interests near by the hotel and also other hotels around. These places of interest are again categorized to historic/ cultural places, temples, restaurants, museums etc., The terms and conditions, guest policies and the facilities of the hotel are mentioned clearly for each hotel. Each hotel can be located easily by verifying the google map link for the exact address.



So, that's about the new travel site! If you are looking for a good travel site with 360 degree images, genuine ratings, and more transparency in hotel amenities, go for it and try it for sure :-) 

Until next time,





06 October, 2016

Bloodwalker by Lexa Cain - [Book Review]

Book Details:
Title: Bloodwalker (Dark Thriller/Mystery)
Author name: L.X. Cain
Publisher: Freedom Fox Press (Dancing Lemur Press L.L.C.)
Release date: Oct 4, 2016
Pages: 284 (84,000 words)
Source :Advanced e-review copy from the author

Blurb:

When Zorka Circus performs, its big top roars with laughter and cheers, but when it moves on, there are fewer children in the European towns it leaves behind.

Circus Security Chief Rurik suspects a killer is hiding among the international performers, but they close ranks—they’ve always viewed lightning-scarred Rurik as the monster. Nevertheless, he's determined to find the culprit and stop them before anyone else dies and the only place he can call home is ripped apart by the murders.

Into Zorka Circus comes the Skomori clan, despised as gravediggers and ghoulish bloodwalkers. A one-day truce allows bloodwalker Sylvie to marry. Instead, she finds a body. Alerting others will defy her clan’s strict rules, break the truce, and leave her an outcast.

When more bodies turn up, the killer's trail becomes impossible to ignore. Rurik and Sylvie must follow the clues—even if they lead to something unimaginable.

My Review:

The story runs in parallel covering the lives of Rurik and Sylvie. Rurik is a security manager of a circus which performs at different places in Europe. When he finds out that there is a killer or kidnaper of children in their circus group, he decides not to rest until he finds that person. Sylvie belongs to Skomori clan who clean and care for the dead. They are also known as bloodwalkers. When Sylvie's arranged marriage ceremony is performed at the circus, she sees something which is very supicious at circus. After her terrible marriage ends, she has to take Rurik's help to save another girl's life and also herselves from a murderer.

The mystery unfolds slowly keeping the suspense till the end. This is the positive point of this dark suspense thriller. The characterization of Rurik being a selfless person who is ready to risk his life and job for a missing girl moves us. I loved the quotes before each chapter about bloodwalkers but expected to learn more about why they care for dead. It would have been great if the author has given an epilogue on bloodwalkers. 


The concept of the book is amazing and the treatment is perfect. It went dragging for sometime just before the climax with chases and all, otherwise climax is very sweet. You will know after reading the book why I said the climax is sweet ☺


I am very glad that I received ARC from the author. I would recommend this to all mystery and dark suspense lovers. This is fast paced so you won't get bored for sure ☺.


My Rating:
4.5/5

Ps:  I have received a free review copy from the author in exchange of an honest review and this is my unbiased opinion on the book.

Purchase Links:


Connect with the Author:

Lexa Cain:

BUY:
SOUL CUTTER (Will be re-released soon with new cover!)
The Inter-Galactic Gourmet, The Mission, and Biggun on Smashwords: 

Until next time,


02 October, 2016

My Worst Nightmares of Online Hotel Booking

Travelling has been my favorite so long. Actually, the interest started from my childhood itself. In those days, the planning part was a bit difficult without internet. We used to call our relatives or friends living in that area, enquire about the weather, tourist places, transportation, and then, book accommodation. Getting train tickets was a bigger task if more people were involved and if that was a busy season.  

But, things are changed for better now. We plan everything online - be it booking a resort in Goa, Mahabaleshwar or a hotel on business trips to Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, tickets or reserving a tourist package. We just browse great deals, read reviews, compare the price in multiple sites, view pictures of the hotel and book.

Things look pretty simple. right? 


Source:www.pixabay.com

But, wait. There are also some problems doing everything online. They might become your worst nightmare and spoil the great time you have planned with your loved ones.

Here are my top 5 reasons why online hotel booking sucks..

·       Fake/Misleading Photos – Many times, I personally saw the difference between the amazing pictures they put on the sites taken by a great photographer and the reality with average cleanliness and interiors of the hotels. Yes, there are many things on websites which are misleading and they hide some important information. 



·        Fake ratings and review – Can you trust the ratings and reviews? Who knows? The good ratings might be from the staff of the hotel. Some hotels may even ask their guests to write a 5 star review for some freebies. I have seen pictures of guests which appear so professional.


·        Hidden Charges – How do we know the hidden charges behind the discounts mentioned on the site? Sometimes, a hotel stay cost seems very less than other sites, but we realize at the time of payment that the total amount including taxes is equal to the cost cited by other sites. Many times, the rates they show on comparison sites and the ones before final booking have a huge difference.


·        Complex sites and security – The navigation of the site and the data security are also important. A website with more access time and difficult to understand features is a big put off. A secured data connection while paying for a hotel is very important too. We cannot provide our credit card details to any website that we don't trust.

·        Incomplete information – Some websites don't show different options available like a pool in the hotel or laundry facilities or extra bedding for guests or hot water facility.  These are just a few of many options that impact the value for our money.

So where does it leave us all?We cannot completely rely on the information and we cannot stop using the convenient online services either. 

Wish there was a site which provided us all the information we need with complete transparency. Is it so difficult? A good website that we can trust is the first step. Until someone solves this problem, we all will have to live with this surprise element that we experience when we actually land at the hotel. Wish and hope that those surprises are not unpleasant ones.

Many start-ups out there started with solving some problem or the other but over a period of time ended up as just another hotel booking site. They all think that by providing great discounts they will be able to make a customer happy.


We can learn about good sites through friends/ relatives recommendations who had experience of using the service earlier. Also, many travel blogs write information about the good travel and accommodation sites. I am yet to come across one which can truly claim to be 100% transparent. Have you faced one or more of these issues in during your travel? Let me know in comments….


Until next time,






Image courtesy: All images taken from Google images marked 'Labeled for non-commercial reuse'.
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