~Tour Stop~ Keeper of the Lost Souls by Kristy Cento **REVIEW + Tour Giveaway**

Welcome to my stop on the Keeper of the Lost Souls blog tour hosted by

 YA Bound Book Tours.  Click HERE to see the full blog tour schedule!

  Bryn McCaskey is young, naïve, and can talk to ghosts...

  Like her mother and grandmother, Bryn comes from a breed of witches called The Keepers of the Lost Souls. Their main purpose is to guard those spirits who are permanently or temporarily grounded in the world of the living. Handling supernatural creatures is something which comes naturally to Bryn, however, dealing with people is a whole different story.

  As her 18th birthday approaches it's time for her to take on her first assignment. Bryn is forced to confront her inability to communicate with others in an effort to save the one soul that can mean the difference between life and death for mankind.


  Johnny Shaw is a lost soul with a personal vendetta against witches...

  A vendetta he has carried on even after death. As much as he hate's them he must join forces with a keeper witch, in order to stop a century old threat. When fate brings them together, not only will they be forced to learn how to work as a team, but they will have to depend on each other to stop an evil witch carrying a six hundred year grudge!
 

Published By:  Limitless Publishing LTC.

Review Copy:  Mobi.

Buy It:

Amazon

Review

  I was very torn about how this review was going to go but that was because I had a bit of a rough start.  I feel that this was more me than the book as I was feeling like reading something that had just come in the mail but decided that I should be reading this.  Thing is once I got into it I was really into it.  This is far more than just ordinary witches and is actually quite wonderful in its uniqueness.  If I can say this when it comes to witches it's not an exaggeration. 

  The start was where I had the most of my struggle and I think that to me it was a little on the slow side.  It does however do a good job of setting up the rest of the story.  The fact that Cento took time in the start to set the mood and kind of set out some general lines for where everything would be headed, which meant more later.  There is so much to really know about being a Keeper Witch and there is so much more to think about than magic and souls.  It's a process that is learned and in their blood but let me tell you it was great going along with  Bryn for the journey.

  Bryn was actually quite a character and it wasn't hard to like her for the most part.  There were times that she needed to suck it the hell up and get over it but to a point I did understand.  It was a matter of opinion really because she was tormented for being different but she also never really seemed to try and make friends.  In fact when her #1 tormenter passes it becomes her mission in her afterlife to continue riding on her but in its own way this helps Bryn.  Things aren't exactly looking up either because when she thought she would have time to be normal but turns out that being 18 only means more responsibility.  So much admiration was gained by me because despite the fact that she wasn't completely thrilled with it she still took her duties seriously and to a point enjoyed it.

  Johnny was predictable but enjoyable.  There is obviously more to everything than he would ever admit and more going on than he seems to even know.  The one thing that is for sure, the guy has a serious attitude and grudge.  With what he is and what Bryn is though you had to expect some serious chemistry but they have to get past their stubborn attitudes.  As Johnny starts to break down bit by bit I liked him a little more but at the same time it all seemed to happen so fast considering how hard he hated.  Though on the faster side, the romance that does build up between these two was enjoyable and sweet.

  Keeper of the Lost Souls is a good read, something that you should pick up as a quick read and a change of pace.  The concept was really interesting and I enjoyed the writing style but found that the pacing picked up as it went.  The ending was actually one that I can't say I even had one issue with, it felt right and though I would willingly pick up another book if there was one, I could handle it ending here.  Pick this up if you enjoy witches with a different twist and want something that you can read with ease and not get lost as you read.

  

About the Author

  As a child, I used to lose myself in an imaginary world by the means of a good book. Now that I’m all grown up, I get to create my own fictional realms and make them come to life in ways that most readers might not expect.

  I’ve always had a passion for writing but never had the opportunity do so until now. After trying out numerous options I realized that writing was what I loved the most so when I found myself with some free time on my hands, I decided to give it a shot. As it turned out, my very active imagination helped me achieve my goals of creating believable plots with some ordinary, and some not so ordinary characters that helped the stories move along in one way or another.

  As I keep moving along in achieving my dreams of becoming a published author, I divide my time in between my four children and my very understanding husband.​

Author Links:

    

Giveaway

3 e-books of Keeper of the Lost Souls, Open Internationally!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~EVENT RECAP~~ Fierce Reads Tour! ++GIVEAWAY!!!

Is that not some of the prettiest signed books you have EVER seen?!

  So I am really behind with getting this up but I will admit defeat with my IPhone...  I was silly and forgot my camera so was stuck using the phone which refuses to give up the pictures to my computer!! I have taken to individually emailing every single one to myself to get it here... Anyway lets get to the awesome that was this event!!  So basically I was early like every time (because I would rather wait hours and be first up there than wait hours later and be last) but this allows me to get the pictures from the front normally too.  The wait was very much worth it for these ladies!  In fact it was more than worth it they were freaking amazing <3

I sadly armed with just my phone missed Emmy in that picture but let me tell you she was so great.  I guess as an author you would get used to all the people practically vibrating just to talk to you but she answered questions with such ease and confidence that it was seriously debatable that she was reading peoples minds and preplanning the answers to their questions ;) 

  Jessica was so incredibly sweet and seriously without sounding creepy and stalker like does she not have the prettiest eyes?!  She was seriously all smiles and so easy to talk to and when you get to the bottom she offered up some really great extras for me to give to you guys!!  Oh ad because I was all awkward about taking my picture with her she decided to go with the flow and be all odd with me (probably to make me feel less awkward).  Sadly sad pic is really blurry (STUPID phone).

  Okay so **takes deep breaths** I totally met ANNA BANKS!! *flails*  Yes immature I know but when you have a Mermaid obsession and could not get enough if you tried and then one of your fav Mer authors is in front of you...  Well I blanked O_o  yup...  But she was super sweet and drew me a pretty picture because she missed M&M Month.  I would like to add that she is hysterical!!  She is so much fun to listen to.

  So something I learned is the Leigh Bardugo is GORGEOUS and also very funny.  She is so passionate about about her books.  Not that the other girls weren't but she really sparkled when she talked about her inspiration and writing.

  Gennifer is also stunning.  I loved her outfit so much <3  She was a lovely person to talk to (well they all were but ya know...).  I was so excited to see her name on the Toronto stop!  I had actually read Crewel not too long ago and wanted to ask about Altered, which I didn't get to because I was just so happy to be talking to her!   So if you are a blogger that ends up with a copy I love you and would love to trade <3

Well that is all and I am sorry I don't have any of the fun facts but because of the no camera situation I couldn't record it :(  Bottom line was these girls were all AMAZING and fun to listen to.  It was so obvious that they were having fun travelling together.

Giveaway!!!!!!

So I had debated on if I was going to give my most treasured posters away and I decided that some super lucky people that didn't get to see these ladies like me would surely treasure them and I should.  Then there is all the extra signed bookmarks and extras they gave me!  Buttons, bracelets and more.  jessica even gave me 2 signed samplers to give away <3 There is also a SIGNED ARC of Of Triton and I may have debated on crying a little when posting this but I know if you enter for it you will LOVE IT!! So I am going to run this on how many people enter.  For every 5 people I will add a prize.

5- 2 people get assorted swag

10- Prize 1 plus the ARC & swag

15- Prize 1 & 2 plus the signed Leigh Bardugo Poster

20- Everything above + The Poster Signed by all the Authors <3

                     Assorted swag (signed & not)

<-- Poster signed by all 5 Authors!

           Signed Leigh Bardugo Poster!

a Rafflecopter giveaway                                                                                                      

{Book Blitz} The Spiral Arm by Peter Boland **Giveaway**

This sounds like such an awesome read!!!  I have a giveaway at the

bottom and thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for organizing the Blitz!

Wren Harper lives on an overcrowded Earth on the brink of apocalypse. There are just too many people. The answer lies 600 light-years away on Kepler; a planet more than double the size of Earth. For decades humans have been fighting another race for its control. Earth’s armies are depleted. So now 15-year-old cadets are sent to fight, trained along the way in vast combat ships. But why has Wren been chosen? She's small and geeky and not a fighter. Will she survive Kepler? Or will the training kill her first? This is a debut novella-length episode in a series full of cliffhanger endings.

Release Date: May 21st 2013

Genre: YA Dystopia

Purchase:

Amazon||B&N

Excerpt

  In front of me are temporary metal barricades arranged to herd multiple columns of people. Beyond these stretch rows of long trestle tables, behind which are wide utilitarian metal shelves that reach up into the ceiling and nearly across the entire width of the space. The place is deserted. I quickly figure out that everyone has already gone through processing. I must be the last one.
  I can’t stand here any longer so I shuffle forward, between the barriers, still unsure if I’m doing the right thing. Any moment now I think a loud metallic voice will tell me to halt and drop to the floor. I keep moving and pass through the queuing arrangement. When I’m out the other side I hear somebody clear their throat, but I can’t see anyone.
  I’m at the rows of tables. I look one way and then the other. Off in the distance to the right I see a seated figure. He’s typing into his com screen. As I get closer I see he’s playing some sort of game. He looks up startled and shuts the game off. I sort of bow my head in submission, thinking he’s going to start shouting at me like General Stone did.
  “Name?” he says. It’s not friendly but it’s not aggressive either.
  “Wren,” I say. The croakiness of my voice surprises me. “Wren Harper.”
  His fingers flick over his com screen and I see my name come up in reverse through the back of his screen. His eyebrows raise. “Mmm, Alpha One. Well done.”
  “Excuse me?” I ask timidly, thinking he’s going to bite my head off. “What’s Alpha One?”
  “You don’t know?”
  “No. I, er, didn’t realize I’d be selected to be a cadet.”
  “Okay, well, all cadets on board ship are divided into groups or pods, there are hundreds of pods on board. Your designated pod is Alpha One. Wait here a second.”
  I still don’t understand as he turns and starts searching through metal shelves stacked with clothing. He busily moves along the shelves until he finds what he’s looking for and then returns with a pile of five crisp white t-shirts. Printed across the front in a no-nonsense military style typeface are the words: Alpha One. He hands them to me.
  “I’m afraid this is the smallest size we do; might be a bit baggy on you. Let me get you the rest of your kit. What size shoe are you?”
  “Four.”
  “Four? I think the smallest we do is a five, let me check.”
  A few seconds later he places five pairs of green combat pants in front of me, some thick blue underwear, several pairs of woolen socks and two pairs of boots. “These are size five but I’ve given you double the number of socks. If you wear two pairs at a time it should take up the slack. Go behind the shelves and change.”
  I clutch my new uniform with both hands and follow his directions. It takes me an age to get around the giant metal shelves. On the other side is the strangest sight I’ve ever seen. Gargantuan stacks of discarded civilian clothes, piled up so high they form conical heaps. One is made entirely of shoes and sneakers. Another is just pants and others are full of t-shirts and tops. These must have been left by other cadets who came through here earlier today. Thousands of them must have passed through here because the piles are mountainous. It’s a surreal sight, seeing all this abandoned clothing. Reminds me of 20th century concentration camps just before the prisoners were gassed. They were told they were having showers and were made to dump their clothing before they went in. The thought sends a shiver through me.
  There are no cubicles to change in so I just strip off where I stand and toss my old clothes onto the piles. My new T-shirt is huge and so are my pants, it’s like I’m wearing hand-me-down clothes. I decide to knot the back of my shirt to make it look less ridiculous and move on to the next station. Even with two pairs of socks the new boots slop up and down – I might have to add a third pair. They’re as stiff as hell and creak when I walk.
  Past the piles of clothes are more barricades arranged to funnel people into hundreds of different queues. I naturally follow the arrangement until I’m faced with a row of medical screens stretching across the width of the vast space. The screens form little cubicles and I peer into one of them. It has a bed and some hi-tech medical equipment I don’t recognize. It’s military stuff so you can’t get the details on a com chip. I know I should try and find someone to help me, but curiosity gets the better of me. I step inside and begin poking around. There’s a stack of computer panels and readouts, and hooked up to this are two long snaking tubes, each with a gun on the end. These are not firearms, as the General would say, and are made from sleek stainless steel. As I pick one up it hisses with compressed air.
  “Put that down,” a firm voice says behind me.
  I drop the gun immediately and swing around to see a stern-faced doctor who wears a white coat over his uniform. He’s flicking through his com screen.
  “Harper, Wren. Park yourself on the bed,” he says. I sit down and place my uniform next to me and opt to sit on my hands to stop them shaking.
  “Don’t do that,” he says, “I’m going to need them.”
  “Sorry?” I say, uncomprehending.
  “Your hands. Hold them out. I’m going to be removing your domestic com chip and replacing it with a military one. An upgrade, if you like.”
  I nod.
  He takes my left hand and feels around near my wrist until he’s located the chip underneath my skin.
  “Ah, there it is.” Then he takes one of the guns, the larger of the two and places the nozzle over it. “You might feel a little scratch.” He pulls the trigger and I hear the air pressure building in the gun, until suddenly there’s deep thud. I feel the chip being ripped from my skin. Pain spreads across the top of my hand like a giant bee sting. I bite my lip to stop from screaming. He takes the gun away and I can see a small tear in my flesh. Almost immediately he picks up the other gun and places it over the same spot. There’s a build up of air again and then a higher pitched thud. I feel the cold metal chip as it’s rammed into my hand. The pain has just increased ten times. I will not scream. I will not scream. I try controlling my breathing, taking slow breaths in and out. This helps a little. My hand feels like it’s been knifed all the way through. But it’s okay, I think I can keep a lid on it. Just.
  He takes another gun-like object and waves it back and forward over the hole in my hand.
  “This is a cellular accelerator to plug up the hole I’ve just made,” he says, as if he’s a plumber fixing some pipework. There’s a pins-and-needles sensation across the back of my hand. I watch in wonder as thin layers of skin build up, closing the wound. First pink and fleshy, then white and smooth, until there’s just a pale patch where the hole was. My head starts to swim so I concentrate on a spot on the floor, focusing to stop myself fainting.
  “Right, now the other one.”
  “What?”
  “You need a chip in both hands.” He tells me casually.
  “Why?”
  “In case one hand gets blown off during battle.”
  My day keeps getting better and better.

About the Author

  After studying to be an architect, Pete realised he wasn’t very good at it. He liked designing buildings he just couldn’t make them stand up, which is a bit of a handicap in an industry that likes to keep things upright. So he switched to advertising, writing ads for everything from cruise lines to zombie video games. After meeting his wife Shalini and having two boys, he was amazed when she sat and actually wrote a book. Then another and another. They were good too. Really good. So he thought, I’ll have a go at that. He soon realised there’s no magic formula. You just have to put one word in front of the other (and keep doing that for about a year). It also helps if you can resist the lure of surfing, Taekwondo, playing Lego with the boys and drinking beer in front of the TV. 

Giveaway 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**REVIEW** Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

  But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.

  Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.

  But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.

 Release Date:  September 24, 2013

Published By:  Atria Books

Review Copy:  ARC, 278 pages
*provided by Simon & Schuster Canada

Review

  Admittedly I have become some what addicted to NA as it offers basically everything YA does but with a little something extra.  When picking up Ten Tiny Breaths I was not quite prepared for the emotional wave that was about to take me out and pull me away with it, taking little pieces of me and throwing them away.  Reading this was like a beautiful heartbreak.  You would never regret the pain and tears because ultimately you couldn't stand to loose the love and beauty that came with it.  Tucker's writing was superb and really pulled me into the story.

  There is just so much to love with this book.  Tucker did a phenomenal job creating a place for the sisters to run to and characters to fill the pages.  Even secondary characters were developed and easy to enjoy.  Storm was probably one of the best secondary characters I have read. She may look like a gorgeous Barbie but is more than her looks put out and ends up being a great neighbour and an even better friend.  More than that basically every little detail about the apartment (I guess complex/compound), right down to the other tenants was there.  Though the area in Miami that they resided in wasn't clear all the things that really mattered were.  I could probably gush on and on about all of the little things but in the end all of the little things were perfect and made the story as a whole work better. 

  Kacey has flat out gone through a lot.  I would never claim to have been through the horrific events that she has but she was such a strong character I found it made her more real.  She didn't just forget and move on, she went through a period of time where she used all of the wrong escapes: drugs, alcohol & boys.  But when the moment comes she tries to be strong and gives up those things for her sisters sake but she still suffers, even if it is in silence.  The fact that she would do anything for her sister just about broke my heart but it was good too.  It was through Livie that Kacey was able to start moving forward, even if it wasn't Livie that got her to take those steps.  As the "before" Kacey starts to reemerge all seems to be perfect but all it takes is pulling one string to unravel it all.  Both uplift and heartbreaking, Kacey is one of the most beautifully written broken characters I have ever read.  She can make you laugh, cry and is alive enough to have your heart fall apart with her.

  Being NA there is quite obviously a love interest and his name is Trent.  My gosh talk about swoon all over the places.  It's when Trent walks into the pages that things start looking up but I always had this feeling that he was hiding something.  Looking past that wasn't hard because of the fact that he was so patient and wanted to make sure she was okay, putting her first was so completely endearing.  Trent brings out so much good and seems to be the perfect, HOT, bad boy(I know obvious that something can't be right, right?!).  Thing is Trent made you want Kacey to let go, let her become happy again and be with him but it is also clear for awhile that he may also just be the complete undoing of her as well.

  Tucker is absolutely brilliant and her writing is beyond stunning.  Ten Tiny Breaths will make you laugh, swoon, cry and break your heart.  It is not just a story about getting over the hurt of the past but letting go and forgiving.  Forgiveness is quite possibly one of the hardest things to fully accomplish, many times we save we forgive but we don't let go.  It was like watching a brick wall come crashing down leaving everything exposed and openly beautiful on the other side but you also know that wrong type of storm can destroy all of the beauty and the work it took to expose it.  I had read and enjoyed Tucker's Casual Enchantment series but the writing in this one has me fully addicted!  If you enjoy a good NA, with lots of the sexual tension but more meaning this is 100% for you!

Quotes

Maybe drugging him and stealing their money crossed the line.  Then again, Uncle Raymond shouldn't have gone all creepy pedophile.

Count to ten, Kace.  Ten tiny breaths.  as usual, her advice doesn't help me because it makes no sense.  All that makes sense is getting away from this two-legged trap.  Immediately.

Those were impossible days, though-holidays, birthdays, and the like-and I quickly learned that alcohol and drugs, while capable of destroying lives, also had a magical power: the power to dull pain.

I care.  I care what Trent thinks.  I care if it bothers him. I just...care.  And no matter what I do, I'm not going to be able to shake that.  Not with random sex, or by being a bitch, or any of the other dozen cruel methods I use to try and push him away.  Somehow he's managed to slide a finger under my titanium coat and touch me in a way that o one else ever has.

Sexual blackmail.  That's what Trent has up his sleeve.  He's breaking his going slow ruke in hopes of making me talk.  My teeth grind in response.  No way in hell am I agreeing to this.

Trent squeezes me close to him.  "I don't hate you.  I could never hate you.  Give me your heart, Kacey.  I'll take everything that comes with it."I start to cry.  Uncontrollably, for the first time in four years.

**all quotes are from the ARC & will be checked from final copy**

**Review & Giveaway** Knotted Roots by Ruthi Kight ~~Tour Stop~~

I am so glad that the wonderful Allison Potter emailed me about being a part of

this tour!! She runs Mrs. Potter's Book Publicity Services.

  Partying with friends and scoring a flawless tan is about all Roxie has on her list of things to make her Hampton's summer perfect.
  Her parents, however, have other plans and Grandma Betty's farm is just one of them.

  Just as her life is in shambles and the quaint town is suffocating her, she meets Chase.

  Somewhere in the mix of bummer summer and small town doldrums, he becomes the boy she can't seem to avoid falling for. Just adding him to the picture, her stay starts to get better, even if she knows it has to end with the summer holidays.


  That is until Betty drops a life-shattering bomb.  

Roxie must make a choice that will change her life forever. What happens when a spoiled brat from New York learns the true meaning of love, loss, and forgiveness? 

Can Chase and Roxie find a way to be together or is this just another summer romance?

Release Date:  March 25, 2013

Published By:  Createspace

Review Copy:  Paperback, 204

*provided by author for tour

Buy It:

Amazon||B&N||Smashwords||Kobo

Review

  This book is the perfect summer read and that is not an exaggeration.  I was in the mood for something contemporary, a little lighter and thought this would be a perfect contemporary for my mood.  Then something magical happened, it was perfect.  Once I started reading I did not want to put it down and ended up pushing all of my morning running around to the afternoon just so I didn't have to put it down.  There are moments that make you smile, make you want to cry and the moments that you know everything has changed.  I didn't want to stop and break the ride of the read.  

  Being a country girl myself I loved the was the setting was described and how the story was set up.  I loved the old farm house that Betty owned and at the moment Roxie stepped through those doors I wanted to be her.  Though it all seemed so typical country and wheat we would all picture, it was the people that gave it personality.  The house, the farm , the town all painted clear pictures of what Roxie was up against.  Well not not against I guess but what she thrust into and the contrast it had in comparison to her world.  Then you add the perfect pacing and this writing world is seriously on its way.

  Roxie has a lot on her plate and no idea how to deal with it.  Put in her place I'm sure I would be feeling some of the anger and hurt but with her upraising teaching her that you are to hide all emotion because emotion equals weakness.  So I had to feel for her when she is showered with southern hospitality and has no idea what to do about these people that seem to actually care.  Everyone to her was what they were on the outside and the Southern town and grandmother were all stereotypical to her.   Her reactions to all of the events unfolding around her made complete sense with who she was and eventually as everyone around her chipped away at her tough exterior she became more than I expected.  Roxie does a lot of growing in this book but she proves that sometimes what you want isn't what you necessarily need.

  I loved Chase and the ups and downs that him and Roxie had.  He is the guy that stops girls in their tracks and yet is as sweet as they come.  That's not saying that he doesn't come with skeletons in his closet but he has seriously good intentions.  The romance that is stirred up between him and Roxie is undeniably adorable.  He is persistent about wanting to be with her and though she does fight it almost every step of the way for a variety of different reasons Chase stays strong.  Everything isn't all rainbows and butterflies but how realistic can a romance be if it is perfect?  The contrast in characters and personalities is huge but what they want in the end is the same which makes for a darn near perfect romance.

  Betty and Katy were also seriously important characters.  Although they are secondary characters their importance to Roxie's change is huge.  Katy is the perky girl that you want to dislike but her happiness is so darn contagious you kind of feel you have to let her in.  Roxie is not easy on Katy but it gets to a point where even she feels bad for shutting the girl out that wants nothing more than to be her friend.  With Betty it was more a case of learning that she did love her and though she wasn't always there in person she never stopped caring.  Both of these relationships have strained moments but ultimately these two just want to be there for her and to belet in.

  There was so many emotions in this one and it's honestly such a feel good kind of read despite the emotional ups and downs.  Ruthi has a beautiful writing style and managed to bring every person and place to life, pair that with the wonderful pacing and i was head over heels for this one.  A sweet and honest story about growing up and becoming a better person when you didn't realize you could change at all.  I highly recommend this to everyone that wants a great summer read that you can just relax in the warmth and read.

Quotes

  What I wasn't prepared for was how down South could irrevocably change me.  I wont tell you where I ended up, but I will tell you how I got there: I let go of my plans.  I stopped living by a calendar and just started living.

  Mom told me that Grandma Betty was a true Southern woman.  Respect and manners was evidently a big thing with her.  She won't know what hit her when she gets to see the real me. The Roxie who was no longer a toddler, but a 17 year old woman who was pissed off at the world.  Bring it on Betty.  You don't know what you've gotten yourself into.

  I'm not saying that I wanted to become a full-time laborer for her on the farm, but maybe I could at least go there and help a little bit.  Nothing too strenuous through considering there wasn't a nail salon anywhere near here.  I had spent too much money on these beautiful nails to let them be ruined by hard labor.

  I had to get control of myself before I became one of those obsessed gorls with a stalker-like crush.  Yes, he was amazing to look at, and apparently had a killer sense of humor that I had only just discovered, but I couldn't let him affect me this much.

  He didn't deserve the baggage I brought, or the pain that I would cause.  I had to squash my urges and be his friend.  The word felt hollow and empty, just like my heart.

 "I'm not here to makeyou feel better.  I'm here as your friend.  Stop screwing shit up with him.  Haven't you two been through enough drama this summer?  It's like a bad episode of Dawson's Creek." -Katy

About the Author

  If you had asked 6 year old Ruthi what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would have told you a Rock Star. Those dreams faded to the background when she found out who the true Rock Stars are: Authors. 

  She has always had a fascination with books, losing herself completely in numerous books, enjoying the worlds she found that were so unlike her own. They were her escape, and eventually became her passion.

  Her family has been putting up with her and her incoherent ramblings while she worked on her debut novel, Knotted Roots. Her five year old and Fiance have suffered through many “fend for yourself” nights, but somehow still manage to love her anyway.

She is now attending the Southern New Hampshire University, working on her Bachelor’s in Creative Writing/Fiction so that she can create her own worlds for others to fall in love with.

  Okay, now that I’m done talking in the third person, let me just say that I love connecting with people via Facebook, Goodreads, my blog, etc. If you would like to chat, you can usually find me online at any given time. I also want to say thank you to each and every person who reads my book. It was a labor of love and I truly hope that you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Find Her:

Facebook||Blog||Twitter||Goodreads

Giveaway

You do NOT want to miss this book!  Below is your chance to win a copy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday: The Deepest Night

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

This is a more recent addiction but regardless of how recent I am in NEED!

Thankfully my wait wont be too long.

A rich portrait of post-Victorian England, The Deepest Nightseamlessly blends thrilling romance with riveting history and adventure—perfect for fans of Libba Bray and Lauren Kate.

  It’s 1915, and sixteen-year-old Lora Jones is finishing up her first year as a charity student at Iverson, a prestigious, gothic boarding school on England’s southern coast. While she’s always felt different from everyone around her, now she finally knows why: She is a drákon, a rare, enchanted being with astonishing magical abilities.

  As war hits Britain’s shores, and Lora reels from an unimaginable loss, she finds that her powers come with grave and dangerous responsibilities. At the request of Armand Louis, the darkly mysterious boy whose father owns Iverson, Lora will spend her summer at his lavish estate. To help the war effort—and to keep Lora by his side—Armand turns his home into a military hospital, where Lora will serve as a nurse. For Armand is inescapably drawn to her—bound to her by heart-deep secrets and a supernatural connection that runs thicker than blood.

  Yet while Lora tries to sort out her own feelings toward Armand, fate offers an unexpected surprise. Lora discovers there is another drákon, a prisoner of war being held in Germany. And that only she, with her newly honed Gifts, will be able to rescue him.

  With Armand, Lora will cross enemy lines on an incredible mission—one that could bond her to Armand forever, or irrevocably tear them apart.

  Beautifully written, deeply romantic, and filled with daring adventure and magic, The Deepest Night is a mesmerizing novel of the enduring pull of destiny, and the eternal strength of love.

Expected Release:  August 13, 2013

Published By:  Bantam

Format:  Hardcover, 320 pages

Why I am Waiting

1. Because I am seriously in love with the way Abe has written dragons into 1915 ad WWI!
2. There is a large part of me that hopes something will happen to help heal my broken heart from the ending of the last book.
3. I really love the beautiful writing and the story in general.
4. HAVE YOU SEEN THE COVER?!

Well that's what and why I am waiting  What are you waiting on?!  Link

me up so I can stop by and check it out!

**Review** Becoming Indigo by Tara Taylor ~Tour Stop~

High school is finally over, and Indigo Russell is living with two of her best friends in the Glebe, an artsy, bohemian area in downtown Ottawa. It’s summertime, which means humid, restless nights. The apartment is making strange noises at all hours. Is it just her imagination, or is something more sinister at play?

Meanwhile, Indie has no idea what she wants to do with her life. As close friends and classmates prepare to head off to university, she’s left wondering where to go—a task made all the more difficult as her thoughts are interrupted by weird voices. Who are these voices that keep talking to her? Angels, or villains? Is the apartment haunted . . . or is she?

As she searches for answers, and attempts to control her supernatural abilities, Indie forms a close bond with nice-boy Paul. Not long after, Indie’s first love, John, comes back into her life, complicating everything. Fate leads her to Annabelle, a woman who shares her psychic gift and who may be the one to help her figure it all out.

In the face of danger and heartache, Indie must learn to follow her intuition, listen to her inner guide, and discover who she should trust, to become the person she is meant to be.

Release Date:  July 1, 2013

Published By: Hay House, Inc.

Review Copy: Mobi.

**provided by publisher for tour

Buy It

Amazon||B&N||Book Depository

Review

  The excitement that I had for Through Indigo's Eyes was not lost on this novel.  Indigo is a character that just stands out and I couldn't wait to read more on.  Moving away from 
home and graduating from high school may be a big change but it doesn't change who this beautifully written character is and it certainly doesn't change what she is.  Life keeps moving and it seems it doesn't matter if Indigo likes it or not there is a plan for her but she has to step up herself and accept it.

  With a better grasp on who Indigo is this novel starts off a lot differently than Through Indigo's Eyes.  As planned she has moved out but as expected it's not as easy as that.  She lives in an apartment with two other girls and works at a horrible minimum wage job just to make rent.  Even with three of them living in the apartment Ottawa is not a cheap place to live.   I enjoyed getting to know the little slice of Ottawa that Indigo has started to make home.  However it doesn't seem to matter where she goes, the visions and happenings just follow her around.

  I think that Indigo has only become stronger since the last book.  She still tries to hide who/what she really is because she fears rejection but she is only just learning exactly what it is she truly is and what she is meant to do.  I was so happy that she had started to become accepting of what her calling was, she wasn't just jumping into believing but she was trying but fate seemed to have other things in mind for her.  When something happens that she doesn't foresee and her voice doesn't warn her of, Indigo starts loosing all of the ground that she had gained.  I can't say that I completely blame her but I was sad to see a character I loved so much beaten down.  Everything happens for a reason though and it does kind of work out.  This girl has great realistic responses and can hold her own, she's the kind of characters you love from the start.

  I liked the romance so much more in this installment.  It is far from the main focus as everything is more focused on the growth of Indigo.  Paul was a pleasant surprise and I was so relieved when he was nothing like John.  Paul was basically the polar opposite of John and was so good for Indigo but unfortunately John was not completely out of the picture and brought nothing good with him.  Indigo is sadly pulled into what John feeds her and there was a serious part of me that feared Paul would be gone but as I said Paul is so different.  Paul is a big reason for a lot of good in Indigo's life and I hope if this series continues he will be a bigger part of both the story and Indigo's life.

  This was another learning experience for me and I love experiencing it through Indigo. Becoming Indigo answered many of the questions that had built up within me from Through Indigo's Eyes.  There was the same brilliant writing that I had come to expect.  Lorna and Tara are a creative team that are perfectly matched and I'm sure I could enjoy anything that they produce.  Hopefully this is not the end as I now have new questions that need to be answered, especially with how it all ended.  Not that it is a cliff hanger and I guess if it ended here I could live with it but there is more I want to know.  I can't get enough of this series and recommend it to anyone that is a fan of the paranormal, visions or just wants something a little different.

About Indigo Russell and 

her Intuitive Abilities

Becoming Indigo, while a work of fiction, is loosely based on the life of intuitive Tara Taylor. To further clarify some of the situations in the book, the writer of the novel has asked Tara Taylor to answer questions about the character of Indie.

Lorna. How does Indigo see things?
Tara. There are three ways that Indie can see things:
1) She can physically see with her eyes, and in this book it would be like Green Lady. She can see her in a body, even though she is a lost spirit, and that is because she is in the in between and hasn’t gone to the light yet. She also saw Isaiah on the bus.
2) Indie can also see snapshots that come to her, and they are just pictures, like a still camera shot, or sometimes they flash and then they disappear. So it is like a photograph. In the novel, she heard liver and onions but she also saw a photo of Juanita with her grandson.
3) The third way that Indie can see is similar to a movie reel. What happens here is that she watches the scene play out, like she is watching a movie. When she was reading for the girls at Queen’s University, she saw the eggs and the hollow egg with nothing in it. And it was moving and bouncing, but here was nothing inside of it. But she did see it moving, and it wasn’t just a snapshot.

L. What exactly is a past life?
T. A past life is the life you may have had before you were in this body. So in other words, most of us have had other lifetimes. You could have been male, female, or of a different nationality. Have you ever had that instant connection with someone? Where when you meet with them for the first time, you feel as if you have known them before? You could have been with them in another life. Some of us have had many past lives, some have had a few, and others may be here for the first time. Some people may think of this as reincarnation.

L. What is cord cutting?
T. Cord cutting is when you cut energetic cords between you and another person or spirit. With every person you meet, you exchange energy. Sometimes this energy is balanced, and sometimes it isn’t balanced. Indie’s energy with John was not balanced. She often felt drained of energy when she was with him. There are energy givers and energy takers. One is not right or wrong. So in essence, cord cutting means that you cut yourself off from someone’s energy so your energy isn’t being drained from the situation. This doesn’t mean you can’t be in the person’s presence, because you can. You are just learning not to take on their energy. There are different theories of how to cut cords. Indie prefers an old Japanese method, which is where she mimics cutting cords with her hands at the same time as she takes deep breaths. She also combines this Japanese method with asking Archangel Michael to cut any cords that are physically or emotionally draining her.

L. Why did Annabelle teach Indie to use oracle cards instead of tarot cards?
T. Annabelle taught Indie to use oracle cards because it made her use more of her own natural abilities, such as seeing and hearing. The tarot cards, which are also great, are more black and white, and tend to have predetermined answers. Annabelle didn’t want Indie to rely on the cards and wanted her to use her abilities.

L. What are lower-level beings?
T. The example in Becoming Indigo of a lower-level being is Green Lady. She hasn’t gone to the light yet and is in limbo because she had a traumatic experience. Other lower-level beings could also be in limbo because they are hanging on to something physical from their lives as humans. Eventually they will all go to the light, but some need assistance like Green Lady did in the novel.

L. What exactly is manifestation?
T. In the novel, Indie manifested her trip to Scotland by writing it down over and over. The repetition helped her to stay focused on what she wanted and to manifest this dream. It could have also brought the fruition of her dream to her more quickly. So instead of going to Scotland when she was 25, she went when she was 18. Your thoughts can become reality. And you can create your own destiny, so keep your thoughts aligned to what you want and to your goals and dreams. To practice this, get a notebook, and every day write out three to seven times: “I am so happy and grateful that I am now . . .” You fill in the blank, and even if you haven’t reached the goal, you must write it as if you had. This way you can attract your goal and make it come true.

L. Can you really cleanse a house of lower-level beings like Indie, Sarah, and Natalie did with Green Lady?
T. Absolutely! The lower-level spirits don’t realize that they have passed over, and they still think they are human, so they try to get attention. Annabelle taught Indie some tools to try and get rid of Green Lady to encourage her to cross over. The tools they used, sage and crystals, helped to tell Green Lady that they knew she was there. This was good because she got some of the attention she needed. Sage is an ancient native tradition, and crystals absorb the energy of the being. Please do not attempt this on your own. Get help first, like Indie did, before ever trying any of this.

L. What is the purpose behind crystals?
T. Crystals are energy, and they have been used for centuries for healing rituals in all sorts of faiths and traditions. Before electricity, we used stones for heat and power. They act as absorbers for us, and as much as they are pretty and look nice, they also have energetic healing qualities.
Here are three examples of crystal energy:
1) A clear quartz crystal is good for sleeping and grounding.
2) Rose quartz is great for cleaning any emotional issues and is a great love protector.
3) Amethyst is good for intuition and spiritual connection. It helps you listen to your own spirits, your guides.
There are many, many more crystals, and if you want information on them, there are some really wonderful books that you can read.

L. What is the difference between the light and the dark?
T. The book was set up in three parts so we could raise this topic. There are angels and good spirits on the other side who want to help you. You have a divine team that wants to look out for your best interest. But there are also spirits that are lower energies that you can connect with through things like the Ouija board. These are self-serving and want only to help themselves. They will do anything to make their pain go away, and they could work through you for their own personal fulfillment. Indie opened herself up in the novel by not protecting herself, and some lower-level spirits latched on to her energy, which is why she was experiencing mixed emotions.

L. What is the mean voice/ego voice that Indie has in the book?

T. I don’t want you to think that this voice is all bad. It does serve its purpose and can help you with drive and can help you succeed in life. But you have to be careful, because if you let it control your thoughts completely, then it can overpower your intuitive voice. You have two voices. Your ego voice often thinks in problems and not in solutions. It can have words like how (how are you going to do that?), and also should, would, could. For example: You get invited to a party, and you know it’s in your best interest to stay home, but your ego voice may say, “You should go!” If you really listen, your intuitive voice will speak first and the ego voice will speak second. The intuitive voice works on your deepest truth and the ego on assumption. In the novel, Indie allowed her ego voice to control her. She knew it wasn’t in her best interest to go with John, but she felt she “should” go to be a good friend. The situation did not work for the best.

About the Authors

Tara Taylor is an internationally known intuitive counselor, spiritual teacher, and motivational speaker. She is president and CEO of Whitelight Wellness and co-founder of the Just Say Yes seminars. Tara counsels people of all ages and guides professional intuitives and children with clairvoyant gifts, as well
as friends and family who need help understanding these special children.
Visit: www.tarataylor.ca and www.throughindigoseyes.com

Lorna Schultz Nicholson is a full-time writer who has published over 20 award-winning books, including Roughing and Northern Star. Her nonfiction book, Home Ice, was on the Globe and Mail bestseller list for many months and was a top selling sports book during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Lorna divides her time between Calgary and Penticton, where she and her husband share their homes with their crazy golden retriever, Snowball, and whiny bichon-shih tzu, Molly.
Visit: www.lornaschultznicholson.com and www.throughindigoseyes.com