So after spending the morning playing around I have decided to keep my blog and website separate but I do have a new look layout and added a neat animated banner to my website!
Author: sharisakurai
Shari Sakurai is a British author of paranormal, horror, science fiction and fantasy novels that almost always feature a LGBT protagonist and/or antagonist. She has always loved to write and it is her escape from the sometimes stressful modern life!
Aside from writing, Shari enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to (loud!) music, going to rock concerts and learning more about other societies and cultures. Japanese culture is of particular interest to her and she often incorporates Japanese themes and influences into her work.
Shari loves a challenge and has taken part and won the National Novel Writing Month challenge ten times!
New Figures!
I love collecting figures from my favourite anime series and I got these amazingly beautiful figures on Saturday at Hyper Japan!
Future Projects
It’s been a hectic few months since Adam’s release and until now I haven’t had time to post about what’s next from me, although there has been a lot going on behind the scenes!
First of all I want to say a massive thank you to my family, friends, fellow authors, readers, bloggers and everyone who helped with Adam’s release – I appreciate the support so much 🙂
In a few weeks you will see my website and blog merge together to form one site so all things writing, reading, reviewing and collecting are in one place! There may be a bit of email downtime at the end of July so please Tweet me or comment on Facebook if you need to get hold of me during the last few days of July.
I’m currently working on the follow up to Demon’s Blood. It’s very much in the draft stages but hopefully at some point during 2017 you’ll find out what happens to Taku, Thane and Akito!
My other work in progress is Book 2 of the Perfect World series. I haven’t got a release date for this yet but I’ll keep you all updated on it’s progress throughout the end of this year and into 2017.
I’m also going to be taking part in NaNoWriMo again this year and I’m really excited to be re-working a fantasy novel that I first drafted over ten years ago!
So that’s everything I’m working on at the moment! It may seem all quiet but behind the scenes there is so much going on and much to look forward to from me!
Review: Leave It All
Leave It All (Saint Lakes #1) by April Kelley
Lucas just wanted to be a normal human being, but normal is highly over-rated.
Lucas Speck had been just some guy who worked at an office supply store and house-sat for his snowbird parents. He was nobody special. Or that’s what he thought before the headaches start and weird things start to happen to him. When people start chasing him his whole life gets turned upside down.
Bennett Somerset is a dragon shifter, who likes his quiet life in his quiet town. He isn’t looking for complications. He already has a family that defines the words, weird and crazy, to perfection. Good thing they live in a small town where nothing ever happens. That is until he smells the most delicious thing in the world and realizes it’s his mate. His little witch of a mate just made things way more complicated.
Purchase Link: www.amazon.com
Review
*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review *
Rating: 2.5 stars
I really liked the premise to this novel. The main character Lucas thinks of himself as a normal guy until he starts to experience severe headaches. Before he knows what is happening he finds himself on the run and struggling to come to terms with powers that he didn’t ask for and can’t quite explain. Whilst on the run Lucas meets shape shifter Bennett who he soon discovers is his mate. Bennett is determined to do whatever it takes to protect Lucas from the vampires who are hunting him.
Leave It All is a good story with plenty of action and romance. However, I do feel that the pacing and lack of development did let it down. Things seemed to happen almost too fast and I felt that perhaps more time should have been taken to set the scene and develop the characters more. The dialogue was quite poor in places and I felt myself cringing, especially during conversations between Lucas and Bennett. It could have been much better and I felt that it made the characters seem very immature. Taking these points into consideration I can really only give Leave It All 2.5 stars. That being said I would read the next book in the series.
Grab yourself some great reads this holiday weekend!
Support Indie Author’s Presents Hash’s Bash 2.0
This holiday weekend over 50 authors are offering nearly 100 free or heavily discounted books. Head over to Support Indie Author’s Website now to bag yourself some great reads!
Shari Sakurai’s novels Adam and Perfect World (Perfect World #1) are free or discounted this weekend (1st-4th July) as part of Hash’s Bash 2.0!
Adam – a companion novel to the Perfect World series
Adam Larimore is on a mission of self-destruct. After learning that he was genetically engineered for the sole purpose of inheriting his father’s empire, Adam has been determined to ruin his father’s life and in the process his own. When Ivan Williams, the man soon to become the Head of the London Security Agency (L.S.A), approaches Adam with the offer of a business partnership, Adam discovers the appalling truth behind the technological and genetic advancements that have come to shape England. His relationship with his father is at breaking point and when events take a devastating turn, Adam finds himself pushed further than perhaps he wanted to go.
Price: FREE! This weekend only ! (normal price $0.99)
Purchase Link: www.amazon.com
Perfect World (Perfect World series, Book #1)
It is the year 2115 and the world is very different. With climate changes, natural disasters and war shaping the landscape, England has become a nation made up of several super cities and wasteland in between.
Eric Rawlins is a genetically engineered superhero created by the London Security Agency (L.S.A) to defend and protect the city against both national and international threats. With his superior abilities, celebrity status and beautiful girlfriend, Eric appears to have the perfect life. However, it is an illusion created by the L.S.A in order to control him.
Eric’s nemesis is the charismatic Adam Larimore. The only son of billionaire business tycoon Victor Larimore, Adam is gifted with a genius level IQ as well as the same longevity as Eric.
When the actions of the L.S.A throw the two of them together Eric finds himself questioning everything that he has ever known as well as discovering the true course of events that led to Adam turning to a life of crime. As they become closer Eric realises that the L.S.A may be the real threat to London. But can he trust Adam or is he part of Adam’s plan for revenge against those who have wronged him?
Price: $0.99! This weekend only! (normal price $1.99)
Purchase Link: www.amazon.com
Review: The Story of Lucius Cane: Book One
The Story of Lucius Cane: Book One by Vanya Ferreira
London, 1794. Lucius Cane, a peculiar sort of vampire, comes upon an opponent the likes of which he has never seen before – a brute with remarkable abilities. But not all is as it seems as their encounter unfolds in a manner that neither of them expected.
Purchase Link: www.amazon.com
The Story of Lucius Cane: Book One on Goodreads
Review
*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review *
Rating: 3 stars
Lucius Cane is a vampire living in late 1700s London. Book One introduces the reader to the title character as well as antagonist Jack ‘The Hound’ who is trying to kill him.
This is a short, but enjoyable read. Lucius is an intriguing character with a certain amount of empathy for humans. I do prefer vampire novels where the supernatural beings are given a more human side, but still connected to their vampire natures too and this certainly is the case here. Lucius’s vampire side comes across as an inner voice inside of him, which he tries to dismiss, most of the time successfully.
There is a good use of description within the novel and the fast pacing swiftly concludes with the inevitable showdown. This ends on a cliff-hanger and I’m looking forward to reading what happens next!
Support Indie Author’s Presents Hash’s Bash 2.0
Support Indie Author’s Presents Hash’s Bash 2.0
From Friday 1st July to 4th July over 50 authors will be offering nearly 100 free or heavily discounted books. Head over to Support Indie Author’s Website to bag yourself some great reads this holiday weekend!
Review: Frost Burn
Frost Burn by K.T Munson and Nichelle Rae
Fire and Frost; no two nations have ever been so divided. Only two bridges across the great River Gora connects them and their long standing hatred. When spring comes early the Frost Nation looks upon the Fire Nation with suspicion. Soon they will discover that the rising rivers, warmer temperatures, and the quakes are all a result of something far more terrifying then each other. When the world seems to turn against them they will only have each other to look to. Can they put their differences aside long enough to fix their planet?
They must or face extinction.
Purchase Link: www.amazon.com
Review
*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review *
Rating: 4 stars
Frost Burn tells the story of two nations who must put their differences aside in order to save their world.
The authors have cleverly developed two very different nations; the Fire Nation and the Frost Nation who have been at odds with each other for many, many years. As a consequence their queens of the past opted to isolate the two countries from each other. Now they find themselves having to work together or face the destruction of both their nations. The world building in Frost Burn is very well-thought out, which creates a very detailed backdrop for the novel to unfold. The characters, both major and minor, are developed, but with room to grow in strength and personality as the story progresses. The politics of the different nations has been addressed in such a way, and the two queens both written sympathetically, so there appears to be no ‘taking sides’ on the part of the reader who can see the entire picture clearly. The healing of the rift between the nations as a whole, as well as the main characters, occurred slowly but naturally and as a consequence the strengthening of the, at first uneasy alliance, was very believable.
I really enjoyed reading Frost Burn. The story evolves at a steady pace that hooked me almost immediately. A great fantasy read, which I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone who is a fan of the genre!
Author Spotlight: M.A Robbins
This month’s Author Spotlight features M.A Robbins.
Interview with M.A Robbins
1. Please tell us a little about yourself?
I’ve lived in Anchorage, Alaska with my family for the past 33 years. I came up with the Air Force, which I separated from in 1991. Since then, I’ve had many different creative and non-creative jobs, including computer programming, project management, IT management, training, magician, comedian, mentalist, and singer-songwriter.
Author Spotlight: Mercedes Fox
This month’s Author Spotlight features Mercedes Fox.
Interview with Mercedes Fox
1. Please tell us a little about yourself?
I’m just a girl with a dream, married to the best man in the world and proud mom to 3 dogs.
2. When did you first start writing?
I’ve been writing since childhood but didn’t become serious about it until about 4 years ago.
3. Do you outline your novel before you start writing or do you prefer to just begin and see where your ideas take you?
I’ve still not grasped the concept of outlining. I have a good idea and then as things come up I make notes but mostly I’m a pantser.
Shari Sakurai 