GET A FREE COPY OF THE DARKENING DREAM BY A. GAVIN (2/7-2/8)

        FREE Two Days Only: A Vampire Novel with Actual Bite!


As the modern world establishes itself and pushes the supernatural into the shadows, the supernatural fights back.

The Darkening Dream is a chilling new dark fantasy novel by Andy Gavin, creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter, that has received rave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and is FREE for two days only on Amazon Kindle (February 7th to 8th)! Download your FREE copy here: http://amzn.to/yTvZPG

Long-time readers of dark historical fantasy (Tim Powers, Guy Gavriel Kay, Katherine Kurtz) will appreciate the weaving together of mythology, occult, and religion, while younger readers and fans of HBO dramas (True Blood, Carnivàle) or urban fantasy (Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher) will be drawn to the twisted imagination, graphic action, and romantic tension.

About The Darkening Dream

Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs.

1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand.

With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal?

No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be her very soul.

The Reviews Are In

"A vampire novel with actual bite." ~The Kirkus Reviews

"Mr. Gavin has brought something refreshingly new to a genre now suffused with poorly-concealed bodice-rippers which have more in common with Fabio than Bram Stoker: depth. His big baddies are scary, not romantic interests, and the added religious lore is complex and engaging. Don't expect another Twilight -- the story can get downright creepy, so be prepared for a return to the old horror sensibilities of supernatural fiction." ~Amazon Review

"With Mr. Gavin's video-game pedigree, I was expecting something aimed squarely at the 18-25 year old fanboy contingent; what I got in The Darkening Dream was something wholly unexpected: A period novel with a female protagonist, a crash-course on Judaism in the colonial years, and multi-layered series of plot arcs featuring a crazy cast of natural and supernatural characters populating 18th Century Colonial America." ~Amazon Review

"…A perfect blend of mystery, magic and myth. A grown-up Grimm's fairy tale...emphasis on grim."  ~Amazon Review


Read the first two sample chapters here- http://bit.ly/xXVxXS


Get your FREE copy of The Darkening Dream for two days only on Amazon here. http://amzn.to/yTvZPG


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REVIEW OF PUREX ULTRA PACKS

I recently purchased a HE top loader washer and I have been impressed with Purex products. Recently I got the opportunity to try the Purex UltraPaks in Mountain Breeze. I was a little leery about using the packs in the HE washer but they worked great and dissolved well. Let me tell you a little about the product.

New Purex UltraPacks are convenient pre-dosed liquid detergent packs that make doing laundry easier than ever.

• Purex UltraPacks manage to squeeze all the performance of our new Triple Action liquid formula into just one powerful pack.
• Finally…No more mess. No more spills. No more heavy jugs. It’s Laundry Simplified.®
• Each Purex UltraPack contains powerful 2x concentrated liquid detergent, giving each UltraPack double the cleaning power in every drop.
• Purex UltraPacks dissolve quickly once the washer is started—even in cold water.
• Purex UltraPacks are formulated and safe for all machines, including high-efficiency (HE).

My Thoughts.

The ultraPacks are a very convenient option and are very easy to store. A HE washer uses less water and I was afraid that the pack may not have dissolved correctly but they performed well even in cold water. The fragrance was not overwhelming and made my cloths smell great even after being dried. No need to measure your detergent, just throw 1 or 2 packs in the washer depending on load size and the Triple Action liquid will take care of the rest. the UltraPack will be released soon to a store near you. They will be available in two scents- Mountain Breeze and Free & Clear. for more information please visit Purex.com. 

Disclaimer: I was given a free sample of the product for my honest review and I was not compensated for my review.

GUEST POST BY R. H. JAMISON AUTHOR OF PERSUASION: A LATTER-DAY TALE.

                                

I want to welcome Rebecca H. Jamison to Books R Us. Rebecca ia the author of

Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale published by Cedar Fort Books. Thanks For stopping by.

How to Write a Love Note

Love notes aren’t just for lovers.  I’ve written love notes to my parents, my kids, my friends, and my siblings.  Everybody loves a love note.  It’s the perfect recession-proof valentine’s gift.  It’s also a great way to rekindle a relationship that’s gone a little flat. 

I have a little confession to make about my love notes.  During the early years of my marriage, I sometimes had to write down a list of the things that bugged me about my husband then throw them away before writing him a love note.  It sounds weird, but it must have worked because we’ve been married for seventeen years now.  (By the way, here’s a link to the story of my husband’s first and worst note to me: http://www.rebeccahjamison.com/search/label/blind%20date )

It’s like a Thank-you Note

You can think of a love note as a sort of thank-you note.  A good way to start is to list some of the person’s good qualities, saying things like:

“Thank you for listening to me,”

“I appreciate your sense of humor,” or

“I love how you work hard every day.” 

It’s a way to Remember Good Times

You can also talk about fun times you’ve had together:

“I’ll always remember the picnic we had last summer,”

“I really enjoy our early morning walks,” or

“I always look forward to watching old movies with you.”

It’s Unique

It’s important not to limit yourself.  Don’t worry about making your note a certain length.  A good love note can be really short or really long or somewhere in between.  If you want to draw a picture, go ahead.  Your note doesn’t all have to be original either.  If there’s a song or poem that reminds you of that person, write down the lyrics.  One of my favorite love notes from my husband is a collection of quotes that reminded him of me.

The classic love note in literature is usually a confession of feelings that haven’t been obvious up to that point.  This is, of course, the most risky and most romantic love note.   Chances are, though, that most love notes you write go to people who already have a clue about your feelings.  That doesn’t mean that they won’t love to see them in writing.

About the Book:

When Anne broke off her engagement seven years ago, she thought she’d never see Neil Wentworth again. But when Neil’s brother buys the house she grew up in, it seems fate has other plans in store. Anne is unprepared for the roller coaster of emotions that come when Neil returns and starts dating her younger friend.

Convinced that Neil could no longer have strong feelings for her, Anne pushes away all thoughts of the past. But when the handsome man she’s been dating decides he can’t live without her, Anne must come to terms with her past.

Fans of Jane Austen’s Persuasion will enjoy this modern version of her most romantic story.
 
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Bonneville Books (Cedar Fort)
Release Date: Feb 7, 2012

About the Author:

Rebecca Jamison met her husband on a blind date. His first words to her were, "Do you want to get together and play spin the bottle?"(He was trying to avoid another bad blind date, but she went out with him anyway.) Rebecca grew up in Vienna, Virginia. She attended Brigham Young University, earning a BA and MA in English. In between college and grad school, she served a mission to Portugal and the Cape Verde islands. Rebecca and her husband have six children. She enjoys running, dancing, making jewelry, reading, and watching chick flicks. You can learn more about her at www.rebeccahjamison.com

Connect with the Author:

Author Website: http://www.rebeccahjamison.com 
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/RebeccaHJamison
Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKgM9tuCzSo
Publisher Blog:http://www.cedarfortbooks.com/

Publisher Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cedarfortbooks

Purchase the book: Amazon

Visit the other stops on the tour here.

ENTER THE FEBRUARY FRENZY IPAD 2 AND CASH GIVEAWAY

Welcome to the February Frenzy iPad 2 & Cash giveaway!

Bay Area Mommy and Swagbucks has teamed up with 60 wonderful bloggers to give you a chance to win the following prizes! 1st prize: 16g Wifi iPad2 with smartcover (1 winner; US/CAN) 2nd prize: $50 cash (3 winners; WorldWide)

Like all Facebook pages here.

Follow all Twitter profiles here.

Remember, you can't win if you don't enter! And the more entries you "send", the more chances of winning!

 

Swagbucks is the online rewards community that works, rewarding people for all of the things they're already doing online - search, games, watching videos, shopping, surveys and more! The Swag Bucks earned by users have helped purchase everything from diapers to video games - it's easy, it's rewarding, and it's 100% free! 

Giveaway is open for entries from February 1, 12AM EST until February 21, 11:59PM EST. 

To Join Swagbucks please click Here and then enter via Rafflecopter.

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SIGN-UP FOR THE FACEBOOK AND TWITTER BLASTS

 

 

Sign-Ups are open for the Facebook Blast & Twitter Blast.  You can buy in to 4 events (that is $2.50 per event) for $10.  Check out this post for all of the details.