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A Review of In Liam’s Wake: The Makeshift Soldier (Toys & Soldiers Series) By Ashlyn Forge

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Liam Baldwin PortraitWelcome to the Blog Tour of In Liam’s Wake: The Makeshift Soldier book one of the Toys & Soldiers Series by Ashlyn Forge!  I am today’s blog tour host here at Moonbeams Over Atlanta maintained by yours truly, Eloreen Moon.  I have posted previously that this is coming and now it’s here!  Now, without further ado, on to the review…

5 out of 5 Stars

MM, Gay, GBLT, Romance, Science Fiction, Dystopia

I’m not very formal, nor am I lengthy.  I don’t talk about the plot, nor do I do spoilers either.  You will either decide to read it based on how the synopsis sounds to you,  how many stars averages and how the persons posting reviews line up with your taste.  There are others who provide the more in-depth reviews and they have their places.  Since I don’t necessarily remember specifics of a book past the emotional content, I leave the plots and spoilers to the others.

I was provided a copy of the book for this review.  In fact, I was going to give it a week to read the book as I had other beta reading, work, and review commitments, including posting for this blog tour.  And then I decided to pick up my Nook Color one Saturday a week and a half ago and started to read.

I couldn’t put it down.  I read for three or four hours straight. I’m not entirely certain how long it took me to read since there was this time warp where I was in Liam and Riley’s world and didn’t want to leave.  I had to finish the story, and did so in less than a day.  I do read fairly fast, but I hadn’t been sucked into a plot like that in a while.  I loved it.

It’s not a perfect story.  There were a few slow scenes in the beginning; but just as I wanted to understand what was going on in the world, the answer appeared.  This continued throughout the rest of the story.   For a science fiction/futuristic/dystopia storyline, it had its realism and moments when you want to cry.  Sometimes, I did. But, it also had its good moments and you were cheering on Liam and Riley.  It’s a coming out theme, a hurt-comfort theme, and an angst theme all rolled into one.  Most of all, there is love.  It’s not in your face.  It’s not simple.  And like life, it sneaks up on you.  You then discover that you have come to love the characters as they love each other by the end of the last word.  I think I even said “no, no, I want to know more!” when I read that word.  Something about “you can’t stop here,” also flitted across my mind. J

All in all, the characters, both main and supporting, were believable. I look forward to seeing more stories.  Half-way through, I thanked Ashlyn for intending this book to be the start of a series, because I wanted to find out more about the imps.  All of the characters moved me, especially the “alien” ones.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and can’t wait for the next story.  Finding an author who likes to write a series is a plus in my book.  Despite the few slow places in the beginning, I have to give it five out of five stars.  You deserve it Ashlyn.  And now I leave you with a quote from the book that I think says it well:

“Life is a struggle. It’s just as hard as, if not harder than, the blood sports you participate in. If you really want to tempt fate, you should try actually playing the cards you’ve been dealt for once.”

A revised version of this review will also appear in Goodreads under the ebook.

In Liam's Wake full cover

Synopsis

For eight years, Liam has been trapped underground in The Colony—a sanctuary so determined to stay hidden it forbids anyone from leaving once they’ve entered. His only hope of returning home rests on his best friend Riley who, on the eve of their escape, slipped into a coma.

Despite staggering debt, vengeful mutants and bounty hunters, Liam continues a seemingly never-ending quest for a cure to end Riley’s unnatural five-year sleep. Every night, Liam stares at the listless man who not only holds his escape, but his heart. The suffering can end, however; Liam must only forsake all hope of ever returning home again, abandon Riley to his fate, and wholeheartedly serve as a soldier for The Colony—the very people he’s trying to escape.

Live the life within his reach, or continue chasing the one just beyond his grasp? He need only submit.

More details and sample downloads – http://www.ashlynforge.com/in-liams-wake/

Buy Links:

Amazon (ebook) – http://amzn.com/B00FPYT5V6/

Amazon (paperback) – http://www.amazon.com/Liams-Wake-Makeshift-Soldier-Soldiers/dp/0989506010/

Kobo – http://bit.ly/1g5vJKL

B&N – http://bit.ly/HddnHT

Smashwords – http://bit.ly/Hq5Kyt

Goodreads – http://bit.ly/19mo9r9

Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below for a chance to win one of the following:

1 Paperback copy of In Liam’s Wake

3 ebooks of In Liam’s Wake

1 In Liam’s Wake Audiobook (Available Dec 15)

1 Personalized audio message from Liam

5$ Amazon Gift Card

<a id=”rc-d3e3d60″ href=”http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d3e3d60/” rel=”nofollow”>a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>

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If the above does not show or link correctly, go here.

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NaNoWriMo Day 1 – Friday List

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1.  If you haven’t already, submit a contact form or comment to my NaNoWriMo Musings and a Contest! post and win a copy of my  NaNoWriMo novel when published and a $10 Gift Card.  You can also just go to my blog and it’s pinned to the top.

2. Almost 8000 words for Space Love, my m/m genre Science Fiction Romance. Yay!  Here is hoping for many more words to come.

3. #NaNoWriMo profile filled out and running, mostly.  Still learning the lay of the land.

4. Remind myself to finish friday lists…on Friday. 🙂

5. Look for review of In Liam’s Wake: The Makeshift Soldier by Ashlyn Forge on 11/5/13 here on my blog.  5 Stars.

NaNoWriMo Musings and a Contest!

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Sat down to home-made chili, a Mike’s hard lemonade (strawberry), and will finish beta reading a story tonight.  I hope.

I’ve noodled a couple of my stories off and on over the last month or so in between working full-time.  And now I start to see #nanowrimo preparation starting for some of my G+ friends.  Holy crap! When did November get here?

It’s a bittersweet time for me as I started writing almost a year ago.  So I wondered, what should I do to launch a year of writing?  On November 9th, 2012, I started writing a single story that had clamored in my head previously, and with the encouragement of other authors.  I now have that same story with several chapters, two short stories that are almost complete, and a few more that I have started notes on.  I would like to finish a novel, or several shorter stories, as a salute to persevering despite a layoff, teenagers, a new job, and getting older.  We will not discuss my age.  Consider me 29. 🙂

I would like to celebrate my year of writing by giving away a copy of the story, or stories, I finish next month and when it publishes (not if, when) and a $10 gift card to your favorite online eBook store (All Romance eBooks, Totally Bound [formerly Total-E-Bound], Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookstrand) to buy your next book.  I plan to update my progress on here Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.  I like talking to new people and hopefully, this will get me off the ground and running to finally get off my duff and get published.  Whether it will be with a publishing house, or I publish on my own, I don’t know.  But, that is the fun as I now have a goal.  My writings, so far, are in MM science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal romance genres.  Others might be in menage, contemporary and probably will expand to GBLT.  The sky is the limit.  So, if you like those, leave a comment here and at the end of November, I will randomly pick with an online random number generator.  Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you for your $10 GC and send you the final version of the story that I finish in November.  Be aware that my story may be awhile since I’m sure there will be several rounds of edits to finish, random distractions, and finding a way to publish it.  You have my permission to repost this contest and/or otherwise spread across the internet.  The more the merrier.  Please make sure to link to this specific post so that all comments can be counted.  I’m only going to count the ones made here.  🙂

Thank you for “listening” to me ramble and come help me celebrate.  Teasers to follow!

Eloreen

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Overseas service men and women: Free eBook!

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Reposted from Patrick Donovan’s Facebook post with permission.  Please pass this along.

So, I wanted to put this out there, and see if you folks would be kind enough to help me spread the word: I am going to give an ebook copy of my book, Demon Jack, to any serviceman or woman currently serving overseas absolutely free of charge. There’s no string attached, I don’t expect anything in return, or anything like that. The only thing you have to do is email me (pdonovanauthor@gmail.com). That’s it. I will ask, however, that those of you that have friends or family that are in the military and overseas, that you pass this along to them, share it on your facebook, that sort of thing and help spread the word. I’ve included the back cover blurb for the book, just so folks have an idea of what it’s about, to see if it’s something that would interest them. This is, in my own small way, a way to say thank you.
—–
Simple choice:

Stay dead and go to Hell,
Or sell your soul to a demon and keep breathing.

Fifteen years ago, Jack died and chose the latter. Now, a few years out of prison and living on the streets of Boston, Jack is perfectly content to keep a low profile and avoid his turbulent past.

Being a faceless “nobody” suits Jack just fine.

It’s working out until the only person he considers a friend turns on him, possessed by something far worse than the demon holding the contract to Jack’s soul. Now, he’s been recruited (some might say blackmailed) by an ancient order with roots in the Inquisition to hunt down whatever malevolent force is responsible for turning Boston’s homeless into ravenous killers. At the same time, someone from his past with a massive vendetta and nothing in the way of conscience, is looking for Jack, hoping to issue a little payback of his own.

Paired with a centuries old witch and the only person to survive the rampage thus far, Jack is in a race to track down whatever’s responsible for killing his people, all while staying one step ahead of the skeletons in his closet.

For Amber Kell: Don’t Forget to Vote!

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Don’t Forget to Vote!.

Check out the Ultimate Shifter Challenge and Amber’s Baiting Ben is on the lists in round 3!

Countdown!

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YAY! Loved the first story. Can’t wait for the next.

…And so, it begins

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Hello all,

 

My name is Eloreen Moon and I am starting this blog with the intention of writing my own stories and novels of love, romance, and erotica.  Come join me on my journey to be inspired, learn, and grow in this new endeavor that I’ve embarked.  Welcome all those that enjoy alternate lifestyles, romance, science fiction, fantasy, and maybe even mystery.  I feel I need to write and so I begin here.

 

Thanks for letting me ramble a bit and things will fill out at I set them up.  Soon, an excerpt of a story I’m writing.  What do you think?

 

EM