Special Offers
Coursodon Dimension, Book 1
M.L. Ryan
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Running With Scissors Publishing
Date of Publication: February 10, 2012
Number of pages: 216
Cover Artist:
Excerpt:Meet Hailey - possessed by an otherworldly being who was trapped in her Kindle.
Hailey Parrish was quick-witted, irreverent, and hadn’t had a date in three years. She only wanted an eBook reader because her collection of paperbacks threatened to take over her small living space. Little did she know that the "special offers" that prompted the purchase included much more than a reduced price in exchange for a few ads. The device came pre-loaded with the essence of Sebastian Kess, an erudite womanizer with magical abilities from a parallel dimension. When she inadvertently releases him and he inhabits her body, she finally has a man inside her, just not in the way she imagined. And soon her predicament introduces her to yet another supernatural, the handsome could-be-the-man-of-her-dreams Alex Sunderland. Can Alex and Hailey find a way to return Sebastian to his own body, stay one step ahead of the criminals who want to keep him where he is, and not lose their sense of humor?
Special Offers, the first book of the Coursodon Dimension Series, combines paranormal romance, urban fantasy, a bit of science fiction and a healthy dose of quirky humor.
They greeted Alex with the deference of subordinates, grabbed the luggage and walked briskly to the far side of the clearing. The air around them shimmered slightly, almost like ripples on sunlit water, and they disappeared.
Wide eyed and uncharacteristically speechless, I heard Alex laugh softly behind me.
“Amazing, is it not?” he murmured as he stood beside me, gazing at the spot that now showed no evidence that anything unusual had occurred. “No matter how many times I see it, watching someone breach the dimensional plane never fails to impress.”
Alex turned and surveyed me carefully, his eyes locking with mine. “It is time, carisa,” he said confidently as he took my hand. We began to walk purposefully forward, and I could feel my heart beginning to race. He must have sensed my growing unease, because he gave my hand a squeeze and whispered, “Just visualize walking through an open door.”
A frosted, back-lit shower door sliding to one side came to mind; I suppose because it seemed closest to what I had just witnessed. As I opened my mouth to share this amusing mental picture with Alex, I was jolted by a sensation akin to a sudden loss of altitude in an airplane. Not the kind where oxygen masks fall from the ceiling and people start making deals with God; it was more like a gut-roiling dip when flying through turbulence. And then I wasn’t in the clearing anymore.
Review:
This is the first book in the Coursodon Dimension Series by M.L. Ryan. I was first drawn to the is book by the cover. Someone trapped in a kindle? Cool. Once I read the blurb, I was even more hooked. Some of my favorite reads have come from books that mix genres, and this sounded like it would be one of these hard to categorize books. Sign me up!
The story opens with Hailey waking up and going about her normal routine. She lives a very staid and monotonous life. Wake up, feed the cat, drink coffee, get ready for work. This particular morning, Hailey realizes that she has run out of room for her books. While checking her email, she receives an ad for the latest Kindle, this one with "special offers" bringing the price drastically down. Hailey goes ahead a purchases the Kindle and finishes getting ready for work as a manager at a chinchilla milk dairy, never knowing how that purchase was going to changer her life.
When the blurb says Meet Hailey, that is exactly what we are doing. This is truly her story. We get to know her, from her relationship with friends and family to her education and career. It slowly builds and grows, giving us an intimate connection with Hailey. I think this is especially vital, as the story is told solely from her POV. There is some romance in the book, but it has much more of an Urban Fantasy feel to the story. The romance isn't the underlying goal of the story. This book is about Hailey's personal transformation as a person.
This book does end with a bit of a cliffhanger. But not to worry, the second book Special Rewards is out and available. Overall, this was a good read and I would recommend it to anyone who likes Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy or even Women's Fiction, because it is an empowering woman's story. I gave this book 3 stars on Goodreads and have added book 2 to my TBR pile.
Special Rewards
Coursodon Dimension, Book 2
M.L. Ryan
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Running With Scissors Publishing
Date of Publication: November 14, 2012
Number of pages: 291
Giveaway:
Hailey Parrish used to be an average, everyday human. Boring, in fact. After being possessed by Sebastian Kess, a magically inclined enforcer from the parallel dimension Coursodon, her life took a decidedly less mundane turn. Besides coming to grips with the existence of supernatural beings, she risked her life helping Sebastian and her heart falling for his protégé, Alex Sunderland. Now, Hailey has to deal with the bit of arcane power that Sebastian left behind when he returned to his own body and try to stay out of the crossfire when an unknown assailant seeks revenge against Alex.
M.L. will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
So follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.
Book Tour Info:
Don't forget to check out the other stops on the Book Tour:
September 16:
Out of the Lockbox
Books and Other Spells
September 17:
Long and Short Reviews
September 18:
It's Raining Books
September 19:
Andi's Book Reviews
September 20:
Rose and Beps Blog
September 23:
Christine Young Romance Writer
September 24:
fuonlyknew
September 25:
Welcome to My World of Dreams
Septermber 26:
Sharing Links and Wisdom
Becky Flade Author
September 27:
Booklover Sue
September 30:
Reading in Twilight
Musings From An Addicted Reader
October 1:
Danita Minnis
Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
October 2:
The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl
October 3:
Writer Wonderland
October 4:
Musings and Ramblings
Author Bio:
M.L. Ryan is a professional woman – not that she gave up her amateur status, but rather that she is over-educated with a job in which she spends a lot of time writing dry, science non-Fiction. In an effort to strength¬en the less logical side of her brain, she decided to write some of the many stories rolling around in her head. She lives in Tucson, AZ with her husband, son, four cats, two dogs and an adopt¬ed Desert Tortoise.To connect with the author online:
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
It's great that the second book is available. I do love back to back reads.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
I'm not big on cliffhangers...I'm so unfaithful to series. I never seem to be able to stick to them or read them in order. Will there be only 2 in the series?
ReplyDeletecatherinelee100 at gmail dot com
Thanks for coming by Mary. I hope you enjoy them too!
ReplyDeleteYeah, and luckily there is little wait time since the next book is available. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know. I have only read the first book so far, so if you got both books, the one cliffhanger is easily satisfied. Thanks for stopping by Catherine.
ReplyDeleteLOL. Glad you are so excited about it! Thanks for commenting Monica.
ReplyDeletetrapped in a kindle? hmmm, I like this...I like it a lot. I mean it totally different from the norm. I'll have to try this out. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThat's what caught my attention. It was a totally unique story line, not the same old recycled idea. Happy Reading!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds quite fascinating. It would be just my luck my Kindle would be infected with my dream man. michelle_willms@yahoo.com
ReplyDelete