Bestseller For A Day: Spotlight Amber Scott

Book: SOUL SEARCH
Author: AMBER SCOTT
Genre: FANTASY/ROMANCE
Published: September 2011

Series: none
Source: author via Bestseller For A Day, no other compensation given for honest review

From Good Reads:
Three years ago, one horrific night changed his life forever. And now the wolf soul that was invoked to save him is taking over his body, day by day.

Can he master his animal instincts in time to discover who is stealing children's souls before the delicate balance we all depend upon is shattered?

Or will he reject the one woman who can help heal his body and his soul?


My Review:
SOUL SEARCH combines a curious collection of elements that somehow work perfectly for the novel. There's a historical feel to the setting, but the rest of the book is pure fantasy. Leigh Hamilton is a spiritualist that really can see ghosts, and experiences visions that have no earthly explanations. Grant Connel was just a man, until the day his nephew was stolen in front of his eyes, and he gained the ability to shapeshift into a wolf. The two are pushed together when Grant's sister enlists Leigh to help them find her son, Tristan.

Though the mystery of Grant's "malady" and the search for Tristan are the main plot, the romance that develops between Grant and Leigh, as well as the friendship between Leigh and Beatrice (Grant's sister and Tristan's mother) drive much of the emotional aspect of the novel. As this is not my first time reading a book by Amber Scott, I was happy to see that that aspect of her writing was present in this book. Scott has a way with words, filling her writing with thoughtful, powerful moments. The romance is certainly great, but she always has other relationships between her characters that develop throughout.

SOUL SEARCH is definitely a fresh look at what can fit into the paranormal genre. You don't have to go any further to find a great read once you pick up this book. Scott knows how to deliver a page-turning novel that is one part mystery, one part romance, one part magical and all parts riveting.

4/5 for plot
4/5 for characters
4/5 for language

My Rating: 12/15 (3.5 stars) Highly Recommend



The great people behind the Indie Book Collective are back with another Bestseller For A Day. Don't know what that is?

Bestseller For A Day is a 24-hour promotion for one of the Indie Book Collective authors. It gives them the chance to have their book featured with participating blogs and sponsors. The whole point? To offer a full-length novel specially priced, promote a great author and book, and hopefully the sales on Amazon from the day will help drive the book up the bestseller list.


November's BSFAD Featured Book is:
SOUL SEARCH by Amber Scott

Here's the details on Bestseller For A Day. Remember, it only lasts until 11:59pm today, November 30th.
By helping drive SOUL SEARCH by Amber Scott to the top of the Kindle Lists on November 30th, YOU can win, too!

Kindle Prize!

Simply purchase SOUL SEARCH on November 30th, then head back to the Best Seller For A Day home page and fill out the entry form (located at the top of the right hand column).


BSFAD Bonus Buys
(Click on the book titles to be directed to the Amazon page)

These books will be discounted during November 30th, too. If you purchase any of these, you can also be entered into the Kindle contest, and with confirmation of your SOUL SEARCH purchase, can have the bonus buy price rebated to you! Details to qualify are at the Best Seller For A Day website.

Bestseller for a Day: Fierce Dawn by Amber Scott

After last week and the Blogger meltdown, I am happy to be back at the blog. I'm even happier to welcome Amber Scott to Read My Mind today, in celebration of Bestseller For A Day. I was able to ask Amber a few interview questions, so read on to get an inside look!


Find Amber at: Website | Twitter | Facebook


Tell me a little about you and your book.
Me? Okay. Since I recently had an amazing one, I love my girls nights out and can rock a pair of stilettos hard but am a true geek at heart. I’ll make an ass out of myself in public if it means getting friends to laugh to tears. I’m a stay home mom of the two cutest kids ever, a middle child of five strong girls, and sometimes still feel like the awkward teen I used to be. I’ve wanted to be an author my whole life so right now I’m living that dream. And it rocks!

Fierce Dawn was my most challenging book to date to write and to get right. Particularly, it took time and patience and lots of very generous beta readers for me to introduce this new world through Sadie’s eyes. Thankfully the work is proving well worth it. The comment I most often get is that it keeps readers up all night, it’s un-put-downable. I’m not sure there is a higher compliment for an author.

Now get me to pick up Fierce Dawn in five words or less!
Get left breathless and hooked.

Under the Spotlight:
Coffee or tea?
Coffee, all day long until it’s time for wine!

Early riser or night owl?
A little bit of both. Before kids, I used to stay up late and sleep in late. Now, I stay up late and get up early. They got me trained.

Audi sedan, Toyota Prius, Honda minivan, or Ford 4x4?
Ford 4x4. I’m a truck girl. I love the look on faces when little me steps out of my beast of a truck.

Laptop or desktop?
Laptop on a lapdesk.

Dog person or cat cuddler?
I adore cats. They’re prissy and independent. I love dogs, too, but can’t imagine having one while my kids are so young. Puppies are like new babies.

The Favorite Five:

5 authors who are auto-buy reads for you
Ann Charles, Gini Koch, Carolyn Crane, Maggie Steifvater, Carolyn McCray

5 songs you listened to, or made you think of a character, while writing Fierce Dawn
Electric Feel by MGMT—love scenes
Smack My Bitch Up by Prodigy—battle scenes
Angel by Massive Attack—Elijah
Until the End of Time by Justin Timberlake and Beyonce—love scenes
Army of Me by Bjork—Sadie

5 words to describe your favorite character in Fierce Dawn
Elijah—determined, magnetic, teleports, strong, fierce
(The fierce of the title is for Elijah, the dawn is for Sadie)



Thanks Amber!

Here's a little more about FIERCE DAWN:

“X-MEN action meets True Blood heat.”
-Ann Charles
Nearly Departed In Deadwood, 2010 Daphne Winner

“Intensely satisfying!”
-Carolyn McCray
Kindle Bestselling author, 30 Pieces of Silver

Blurb: Snarling teeth, glowing eyes. Someone--something--is after Sadie Graves.

Elijah Stokes, the man who haunts her dreams, enters her reality claiming she’s transforming into a changeling--not quite immortal but no longer human.

Battle lines are drawn and blood spills as the two fight not only for Sadie’s life, but for all of mankind's as well.



And now, a little more about Bestseller For A Day, for any readers who haven't participated before:

About Bestseller For a Day:

Making authors dreams come true one promotion at a time.

Each month, for one day, readers, friends, family and peers rally together to drive an ebook up the Amazon Kindle rankings with a goal to pierce the top 100. The aim of the program is to help indie authors get a foothold in the traditionally published dominated market. Authors coordinate with book review sponsors to show readers that the 99 cent promotional price is worth every penny.

As thanks, each author creates give aways for participants and drives traffic to participating review sites. Additionally, readers are offered Bonus Buy reads discounted to 99 cents for the event with that price offered to be rebated back by the participating authors when readers fill out the relevant form.

Fierce Dawn Giveaways:

Amber Scott will be giving away an Amazon Kindle to one lucky winner who purchases Fierce Dawn during the promotion on May 18th and fills out the form located on the http://bestsellerforaday.com site. Signing up the for event newsletter earns readers extra entries toward the Kindle, too!

Additionally, any reader who purchases Fierce Dawn through May 18th can request a signed ebook copy of it after submitting proof of purchase in the form of a five word phrase from the middle of the book sent by email to amberscottbooks@gmail.com!


There's still more! If you purchase the following books at the same time as FIERCE DAWN you can get them FOR FREE! See the Bestseller For A Day site for purchase rules and rebate form.


Stolen Dreams by Stacey Kennedy
Tess Jennings has the ability to see and talk to spirits. On a daily basis, they harass and annoy her to save their souls. Sometimes she helps, other times she ignores them, but one ghost will give her no choice. Kipp McGowan, a cop with the Memphis Police Department, uses his ghostly charms to gain her attention and forces her to expose herself to his partner.

As she’s pulled into the five year old cold case of Hannah Reid she wants no part of, she finds herself in more than one precarious situation. But that’s the least of her worries―Tess begins to have a serious problem on her hands. Kipp might be dead, but he’s drop-dead gorgeous and she’s beginning to forget that he’s a ghost.

Murder and corruption has brought Tess and Kipp together. But as her feelings for Kipp deepen, she suspects she just signed herself up for a one-way ticket to the nut house, and can only hope, straitjackets come in a size four.


Cattitude by Edie Ramer
It's all in the Cattitude...
After Belle the cat switches bodies with a psychic on the run from a murderer, she wants her perfect cat body back instead of this furless human one. But she doesn't count on falling in love with her former owner. Or that a CEO and a beauty queen want to use up her nine lives. Now is her chance to prove anything a human can do, a cat can do better.

Fated by Carolyn McCray
Lovers torn apart by history
Bound for eternity

Best Seller for a Day: Irish Moon by Amber Scott

Book: IRISH MOON
Author: AMBER SCOTT
Genre: HISTORICAL ROMANCE/FANTASY
Published: December 2010

Series: none
Source: Author, no other compensation given for honest review

From Good Reads:
Druid Magick... Breanne grapples with the old ways, her mentor murdered before she masters her talents. The stranger washed ashore must be the key to proving murder.
Knight Errant... Ashlon made a vow to bury the Bloodstone, it's horrific past, it's secrets, in the farthest reaches of Ireland.
Fate's Twisted Course... Passion binds them but betrayal will test every belief under an Irish Moon.

My Review:
IRISH MOON has mystery and romance, in a historical setting that I don't spend nearly enough time reading. Breanne, Ashlon, and the rest of Amber Scott's cast of characters, exist in 1300's Ireland. Breanne has had magic training, and when her mentor is found dead, she must figure out who killed him, and why.

I think it is safe to say that this is a paranormal romance, but a lite version. More like magical realism, in that there are paranormal elements, but in a largely historical setting, where the magic is peppered into the story and becomes part of the plot, not the central vision. I like that IRISH MOON has much to do with the mystery and the developing relationship of the main characters, Breanne and Ashlon. It's safe to say that I really enjoyed following their relationship.

Though, Breanne is unsure at first, about Ashlon's part in her mentor Heremon's death, she can't help the attraction that she feels on first sight of him...and neither can Ashlon. But, what makes their story so likeable is that Scott doesn't try to sell it as a love at first sight. Yes, they feel an attraction, but as with the magical aspect, it doesn't become the only facet of the plot.

I just had a good time reading IRISH MOON. I was able to immerse myself into the world that Scott created. I don't spend that much time reading about 14th century Ireland, but the dialog, the description of the setting, and the way the interpersonal relationships were conducted, all ring true. The result is a delightful highland tale that will catch the attention of readers who enjoy the mix of Irish history, mystery, magic, romance and suspense.

4.5/5 for plot
4/5 for characters
4/5 for language

My Rating: 12.5/15 (3.5 stars) Highly Recommended


Available formats: E-Book

Challenge Participation:





Purchase IRISH MOON on Amazon

Help Amber Scott move up the Amazon bestseller charts by buying IRISH MOON for only $.99 today, March 16th, only.

Check out the Best Seller For A Day website for details on how to get a 100% rebate on 2 other great novels, as well as being entered to win Amazon Gift Cards. Support Amber Scott, indie authors, and participate in the Best Seller For A Day program on Saint Patrick's Day!

Best Seller For A Day: Carolyn McCray's 30 Pieces of Silver

It's time for the next installment of Best Seller For A Day. If you are wondering what this great indie author program is, check out the website for all of the details, here. The short and sweet though, is that the Indie Book Collective has created a program that offers bloggers and reviewers a chance to post about one particular book on one particular day to try to garner sales and attention for indie authors. The goal is to climb as high as possible on the Amazon Bestseller list during a 24-hour period.






Author of the Day: Carolyn McCray

GoodReads | Amazon Page | Twitter

A bibliophile since birth, it came as no surprise that Carolyn also starting writing at an early age.

Specifically Nancy Drew-style mysteries... at age 11!

Yes, you could find Carolyn dragging the neighborhood kids around the rolling hills of Napa, recording her “Death in the Countryside” mysteries.

Sadly those old audio cassette tapes have long since crumbled, but she has found a much longer lasting way to get the stories that percolate in that warped mind of her, out in the world.

Books.
And she writes in the genres she loves.
Thrillers, mysteries and paranormal romance.

Help Carolyn rise up the Amazon Bestseller list today! Purchase her book for only $.99. A special pricing for February 28th only, so don't wait!

Buy at Amazon

More Best Seller For A Day blogger participant sponsors:
Fade Into Fantasy
Aobibliosphere
My Eclectic Bookshelf

Read what other bloggers are saying about this captivating, controversial thriller, as well as a few guest posts from the author herself. Remember, not only does your purchase of 30 PIECES OF SILVER during February 28th help Carolyn McCray to soar up the bestseller charts, but participation also gets you entry into the IBC Kindle contest.

What is Bestseller For A Day?

Click icon to go to Bestseller For A Day site

So, what is this, you ask?
It's a chance to help an author climb the Kindle bestseller list. One day only, one author, $150+ in prize packages for a lucky participant. Today's author is: Amber Scott!

Click photo to see BSFAD authors

I reviewed her book, PLAY FLING here. And, you can get in on the action by purchasing this book at the Kindle Store for only $.99 on Valentine's Day only! Check out the Bestseller For A Day website for all the details by clicking on the picture at the top of this post.


Here's a little bit about the Author of the Day, Amber Scott:

Amber Scott talks to herself.

Sure she named her muse, Milla, and her inner critic, Charles, but really, these split personalities are her. All those characters in her mental waiting room are just her, too.
With all that wild conversation going on, it’s no wonder she burns dinner!
Amber started writing romance novels during her first born’s ‘nap-ortunities’ and fell in love with the whole business. Right down to what font works best on a title page.
Her addiction to chocolate gets her through the rough times and her husband and two young ones have learned to live with imaginary people.
Thankfully, all this makes for some hot, fun, adventurous reads!

Discover more about Amber Scott at:
Her website
On Facebook
On Twitter


Amber's other books:

Buy at Amazon

Buy at Amazon

Book Review: Play Fling by Amber Scott (Bestseller For A Day)

Book: PLAY FLING
Author: AMBER SCOTT
Genre: CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Published: January 2010

Series: none
Source: Author, no compensation given for an honest review

From Good Reads:
Playing cupid isn't a reward; it's Millie's punishment. If she doesn't find repressed, divorcee, Brooke, true love in the next thirty days, Millie'll lose the one thing in this life sentence worth fighting for, her partner. Just two problems: First, Millie sucks at matchmaking. Second, too young, too hot, Elliott keeps getting in Millie's way.

My Review:
PLAY FLING tells the story of two couples: Millie and AJ, and Brooke and Elliot. While it might seem like the relationship that develops between the latter is the main part of the novel, Millie and AJ's contribution is just as important. Neither love story takes over the plot line, so the reader is treated to two very different point of views.

First, there is Brooke, who finds herself attracted to a much younger man, and the student assistant of one of her professors. Amber Scott skillfully shows a successful woman, who can still be vulnerable and unsure when it comes to men. Especially one that might make her look like a "cougar". She throws in the break-up of Brooke's marriage over seeming "drifting apart" and inattentiveness to further show the woman's reluctant attitude toward finding love again.

Then there is Millie. Millie, who seems normal at first. Perhaps she is a little flaky, and from the first chapter, even seems somewhat selfish. But, it becomes apparent that she thinks keeping Elliott away from Brooke is in the other woman's best interest, and the only way for Millie herself, to save the relationship that she has with AJ.

There were a few times while I was reading, that I wanted Millie to butt out of her supposed friend's life. As the reader, I could see that Elliott could be a good match for Brooke. It becomes apparently clear that Jason and Brooke's relationship is dead, and should not be resurrected, and yet, Millie keeps trying to push them together. But, at the same time, her character did remind me of the well-meaning, but a little dense when it comes to other people's love lives friend, that most women have, or have encountered in their lifetime.

I enjoyed Scott's style of writing, and the story that she had to tell. However, PLAY FLING is not as light-hearted and fluffy as the cover art might lead one to think. This is not a beach read type of book. It's one that really delved into the psyche of Brooke, an "older" woman, and showed a true journey from first lust to deeper commitment.

3.5/5 for plot
3.5/5 for characters
3.5/5 for language

My Rating: 10.5/15 (3 stars)

Recommend, if you liked:
Ink Spots by Lissa Matthews
Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

Links for the author and books:

* Website
* Twitter
* GoodReads
* Facebook


Purchase at:

* Amazon


Available formats: Print (Paperback), E-book