Thursday, January 16, 2014

~Book Blast~ In Shadows of Magic by Alison F. Prince


Welcome to the In Shadows of Magic by Alison F. Prince!!  
I am SERIOUSLY IN LOVE with this cover!!!!



  Mandy McKinney lives the charmed life. She is beautiful, athletic, popular, dating the hottest jock in school, and certainly doesn't have any time for her loser twin sister. But Mandy also has a secret. When the truth is unveiled, her world is twisted upside down, and her very life is at stake.

  Mandy's twin sister, Brianna, has never had any success in the dating department. When Brianna finally meets the guy of her dreams, it turns out that he has secrets of his own. Dangerous secrets. Just her luck.

  The twins are about to be swept away into a world of beauty and power beyond their wildest imaginations where nothing is what is seems, danger is lurking in the shadows, and their only chance of survival is finding themselves, and each other, once again.


Buy It Here:

About the Author


Alison F. Prince is a school psychologist in northern New Jersey. In Shadows of Magic is her debut release.
Find Her:


Must be 13+ & is Open Internationally!




Wednesday, January 15, 2014

*Review* From Gods by Mary Ting



Release Date:  October 6, 2013
Length:  305 pages
Review Copy:  Mobi., Provided by Author for honest review

Add to Goodreads

Buy it:
Amazon~B&N








  Did you just see a flash of lightning across the sky on a clear sunny day? It’s not from Mother Nature. It is most likely from Mason Grand, swoon-worthy demigod, one of Zeus’s descendants. 

  Skylar Rome is supposed to be having the best summer ever before she heads off to college. Little did she know, her whole life was about to change while visiting her cousin. Nearly drowning at the beach due to unknown forces, one of the Grand brothers she’d just met, Mason, saves her life. Cool, collected, mysterious, and dangerously good-looking, Skylar is drawn to him from the start. Though she knows he is the type of guy good girls stayed away from, it seems he is always saving her life, and the attraction was inevitable. 

  Upon meeting the brothers, strange things begin to happen. When she accidentally kills one of the brothers, it throws her life into turmoil, as they search to find the answers. Implausibly, she gets caught up in a world of the decedents of ancient gods, all who have super powers. Not only is her discovery difficult to accept, evil beings are after her. Running out of time and running for her life, she must unravel a mystery. What do they want from her? Forced into a battle set into motion long before she was born, will she find the answers, or will she die trying?


  This is my first Mary Ting book, as the other one I read was under her M. Clarke name.  I know technically it is her but it's a different name... Do you see where I am going with this.  Regardless this book made it clear that I was missing out on some seriously great reading by not having picked up her books sooner!  Ting's writing is amazing and there is wonderful character development that surprised me because this is the first in a series.  Everything was probably helped along by the fact that when it comes to mythology, I am a sucker.

  The funny thing about the story is that the prologue gives you a glimpse of something but you have to wait to see exactly what it means to the book.  From there there is a bit of a foundation made for Skylar and the family she stays with, as well as a bit here and there on her mother.  Though this may sound like it would be slow, I never felt like the book was dragging, only that everything was leading to a greater reasoning.  Basically this tells me as I reflect that Mary Ting did a wonderful job with the pacing and dealing with the distribution of information.  There was no a single information dump that I can recall.  Even how Skylar discovers what and who the people her cousin and her have been hanging around are builds up.  Some things take a bit of reading to find the explanation but there was always one somewhere and the ride to get there was seriously wonderful.

  To be honest with you all I wasn't sure if I was going to like Skylar at first.  Shocking right?  However, my mind quickly changed after I got to know her a little better.  She seemed overly optimistic to start and I find that they make for irritating characters but Skylar was more than that.  This girl was optimistic but she was also smart enough to know when to be cautious and not rush into something.  It's not like she predicted danger but she did know when a situation was too much for her.  However she was also willing to stand up and hold her ground if need be.  When it comes down to it she was a strong female lead that could be kick ass but it's not like she was all I can do anything without anyone's help all the time. Skylar ended up being a breath of fresh air in the current market of strong females.  I am not saying that I don't like kick ass chicks but every now and again it's nice to have a girl that can stand her ground but also knows her limits.

  Romance was definitely present in this read but it did not dominate the bigger story.  He was not ruled completely by emotions but at times he did let his heart and thoughts rule.  Without this little quirk Skylar would have been screwed because lets face it, even if the girl didn't know it she is dangerous.  Mason and Sklar make a cute couple and I was happy that he was sweet enough to stand up for her, and her good heart because it seems most people were more willing to jump into the fact that she could be the end to them all and end her.  I would like to see how they work out because of some of the possible arising problems and I would like to see them able to really cause some chemistry to talk about.

  From Gods fed the mythology lover in me and the reader in me devoured the story.  Mary Ting has masterfully crafted a take on the Demi Gods that will have everyone begging for more.  I honestly need the next book because there is a lot of things that I would like figured out and things that I want to see go forward.  This is for sure not to be missed if you are a mythology lover like myself and if you have ever read anything by Mary Ting you know that you are in for a treat!

It wasn't like she was interested in hanging out with Mason anyway, and it didn't matter what she thought about Remus or what Remus thought about her.  But she didn't like the way he continued to glare at her, as if he was expecting her to do something horrible or magically turn into an alien or something.  She couldn't begin to guess what his problem was.

  Why was this situation so complicated?  Meet a cute guy.  He likes you and you like him back.  Fall in love and go on dates.  Why?  Why couldn't that happen, instead of meet a cute guy and monsters chase after you.  And you have no idea why all the craziness is happening, making you feel like you're insane.

Anger was boiling to the surface, but Skylar kept it at bay.  After all, he was right.  Her human speed and strength were not comparable to theirs.  But his hot and cold attitude made her feel infuriated.  

Being told she was evil tore at her heart, and her chest tightened, feeling like air was being sucked out of her.  Turning pale, she fought for breath frantically.

Dauntless Author Giveaway!


Join The Dauntless Authors for a giveaway for 2 $25 Amazon Giftcards during the week of January 13. Throughout the week they'll also be giving away TONS of ebooks at their Facebook Party!


Team Dauntless:


Kate Avery Ellison 

Nancy S Thompson
Wendy Knight
Amber Argyle

RaShelle Workman
Elle Strauss
Megg Jensen
Angela Corbett
Cindy Hogan
Christy Dorrity
Rachel Morgan
Shantal Hiatt



**Giveaway is provided by Authors**

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

**Review** Far Far Away by Tom McNeal



Release Date:  June 11, 2013
Published by:  Knopf Books for Young Readers
Length:  384 pages
Review Copy:  Hardcover, provided by Random House                    Canada for honest review.
Add to GOODREADS

Buy it:
Amazon~B&N~Chapters






It says quite a lot about Jeremy Johnson Johnson that the strangest thing about him isn't even the fact his mother and father both had the same last name. Jeremy once admitted he's able to hear voices, and the townspeople of Never Better have treated him like an outsider since. After his mother left, his father became a recluse, and it's been up to Jeremy to support the family. But it hasn't been up to Jeremy alone. The truth is, Jeremy can hear voices. Or, specifically, one voice: the voice of the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one half of the infamous writing duo, The Brothers Grimm.

Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil whispered about in the space between this world and the next. But when the provocative local girl Ginger Boultinghouse takes an interest in Jeremy (and his unique abilities), a grim chain of events is put into motion. And as anyone familiar with the Grimm Brothers know, not all fairy tales have happy endings....

Young adult veteran Tom McNeal (one half of the writing duo known as Laura & Tom McNeal) has crafted a novel at once warmhearted, compulsively listenable, and altogether thrilling - and McNeal fans of their tautly told stories will not be disappointed.

-From Goodreads

  McNeal's Far Far Away is brilliant and stunning.  I was absolutely awestruck with this one and it's story.  There was no fairytale retelling but a new one built into this work of art.  Going into this I thought that it would be told from Jeremy's POV but it wasn't.  It is instead told by Jacob, who is one of the Brothers Grimm.  This made the narration interesting and was something that you wanted to hear and learn from because of how unique it was.

  The plot did have its ups and downs but regardless of the pace I consistently found myself completely focused on what was going on.  With Jacob as one of the main characters and the title I figured that this would be a twisted retelling but I was proved wrong.  The story turned out to be its own tale and it was almost as deliciously  twisted as a Grimm tale would be.  The thing is though that Jacob is not there to write it, he believes he is there to help the young Jeremy.  Jacob is the ghost of the tale and is stuck wondering the earth for a reason unknown but he believes if he helps Jeremy and protects him that he will be able to move on and find his brother.  What he doesn't know is that they are about to become one of the tales that him and his brother twisted so long ago and that nobody will know it is coming.  

  Though Jacob was an unexpected narrator of this tale, I love what McNeal did with him.  To be honest beyond some of the tales from the Grimm brothers, I do not know much of their lives.  For this I choose to love the background that was set up for him and the reason for his wondering.  His past was also tragic and kind of wonderful at the same time, something that you would expect.  As a main character he was refreshing and interesting to learn from.  He pushed Jacob to be great but there was also a measure of affection, like Jeremy was more than his pass into the next step.  There was also some unique rules and theories on him being a ghost but when it came down to everything in the end, it became clear as to why he was where he was.

  My heart went out to Jeremy right from the start.  He is kind hearted and sweet natured but his and his families outsider nature puts him at a great disadvantage.  He is a teen and what teen wants to be on the outside of everything?  From the moment Ginger walks into his life, there is a series of unfortunate events and I couldn't help but wonder if the girl actually liked him or was just simply using him for her own amusement.  There were many times that I wished the guy would just walk away but I understood why he couldn't, Ginger was like a magnet and interesting, something that he would not have expected to happen to him ever.  I guess you could say that most of this made Jeremy a realistic character despite his unique ability to hear Jacob.

  The journey that Far Far Away took me on was one in a million.  It was a new tale that could go in the books and be twisted and retold if people looked into it.  There is something fantastic about the way McNeal writes and the life that the characters take on.  Reading this book was like enjoying a classic for me and though this is my first book written by McNeal but it will not be my last.  This is a book that I highly recommend to those that have a love of fairy tales but enjoy one that dark in its own rights, with characters that you can actually feel for.  


In the old tales, kindness is the purest form of heroism.  Find the character who meets the world with a big heart and an open hand and you have found your hero or heroine.  Jeremy was like this   whatever was his was yours.

  He was quiet for a few seconds.  Then he said, "I don't know.  It's just that after my mother left and then after my grandfather died, it was pretty bad.  But you came, and I got used to just doing my studies and my odd jobs and taking care of my father and having you nearby and everybody else just leaving me be.  It wasn't great, but it was okay.  Now all of a sudden, it's like I'm under everybody's microscope."
  Yes, I said.  I understand.  But we must work together, I am here to help you   
**Note: Normally I do more quotes than this but I really didn't know what to quote from this one!  You have to read it to really experience     it... Sorry guys.

Monday, January 13, 2014

~Book Blitz & Giveaway~ Wasteland by Lindsay Legget






Wasteland by Lindsay Leggett
(Flight #2)
Published December 7th 2013
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult














  Wasteland, the next book in the FLIGHT trilogy, takes place a few months after the ending of book one.

  Trapped in a cell and experimented on, Piper Madden’s only hope is remembering Asher. Then, Elder Corp President Rupert Elder gives her new orders: to be a leader in a war against the Harpies. Without a choice, Piper must obey Rupert’s commands or suffer from paralyzing and painful Nanomachines. But the war is just beginning, and Asher has gone missing. The resistance is slowly building, and the upcoming war will be larger and bloodier than anything seen since the Devastation that ruined the earth. Throughout all of this, Piper remembers the time before she ran to Ichton, when David was alive and her hope in Elder Corp was still strong.





Buy It:




AUTHOR BIO:

Nearly every writer struggles to put together information about themselves, perhaps because we’re so used to detailing the lives and ways of others. For the most part I am a writer, editor, photographer, and all-around artist living in the wilds north of Toronto, Ontario. I thrive on the juxtaposition of beauty and grit, enjoy urban crawls, indie everything, and time well-spent in the woods.







Author Links:


(1) ebook copy of either Flight (Book 1) OR 
Wasteland (Book 2). Open internationally. 

****

Just Leave a comment on this post!  Extra entries for Tweeting and sharing
(please leave link in comments as well).  I will pick a winner in one week <3
GOOD LUCK!!!!

Friday, January 10, 2014

~Cover Reveal~ Burning by Rachel Firasek









Burning by Rachel Firasek
(Tears of Sin #2)
Publication date: March 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance




“Never say never.”

Gabe James never thought he’d suffer from a broken heart. He never thought he’d have to work for a living. And he sure as hell never thought he’d fall for a woman that carries a torch for the man that is trying to ruin his life.

Jade McKenzie has danced with demons most of her life, and just when she feels like the dark clouds have lifted, a pointless fight with an ex-boyfriend leaves her with a scarred face and ends her ballet career. Now she dances on a stage where the sway of her hips trumps the pirouettes of her past, a mask concealing her marred beauty. But nothing will stop the pain of shattered dreams.

Except love.

With Gabe’s career on the line and the threat of financial ruin blazing on the horizon, he’s guarded against a woman threatening to distract him even further when he needs his focus most. Jade can’t escape the memories of her past or Gabe’s heated glances—even if he swears that it’s her enthralling him. The two together are like kerosene and matches waiting for a spark. For a woman with no future and a man on the verge of losing hope, the only things left to cling to are their determined wills and the promise of a burning love.

***Burning is a New Adult Contemporary Romance recommended for Adult readers due to some violence, language, and sexual content.***

About the Author


Rachel Firasek spends her days daydreaming of stories and her nights putting the ideas to ink. She has spent a dull life following the rules, meeting deadlines, and toeing the line, but in her made up worlds, she can let the wild side loose. Her wonderful husband and three children support her love of the written word and only ask for the occasional American Idol or Swamp People quality hour.

She has a philosophy about love. It must devastate or it isn’t truly worth loving. She hopes that you all find your devastating love and cling to it with all your heart!




Find Her:




Thanks to Rachel there is a $25 Amazon GC up for grabs to celebrate the
reveal!! Good Luck everyone!!!

Thursday, January 9, 2014

~Book Blitz~ Loving You by Allie Everheart

 

Welcome to the Loving You by Allie Everheart Book Blitz!




Loving You (Jade #3)

Since meeting Garret on her first night at college, Jade’s had to overcome many obstacles to be with him, including interference from Garret’s father.

Now, months later, it seems that Mr. Kensington has finally accepted Jade dating his son, but the reason for that is unclear. After what Jade witnessed at the Kensington mansion, she’s not sure what his acceptance of her means. Is she tied to his family forever now that she knows some of their darkest secrets?

Spring semester begins at Moorhurst College and a new student arrives who has a little too much interest in Garret’s family. And a little too much interest in Jade.

Garret continues to win Jade’s heart with romantic gestures that make her love him even more. It seems like everything is starting to work out for Jade, but as her mother used to say...Good things never last. Or do they?

Note:  This is a New Adult novel and contains mature language and situations.

Buy It:

About the Series

  The Jade Series is a New Adult Romance that follows the relationship of Jade and Garret in their first year of college. In Choosing You, (book 1), Jade and Garret meet on Jade’s first night at Moorhurst College and despite their strong attraction to each other, they’re not allowed to date because of the strict rules that control Garret’s life. In Knowing You, (book 2), Garret breaks the family rules and begins dating Jade. Their relationship grows deeper but issues from Jade’s past complicate matters. Loving You (book 3) shows Jade and Garret growing closer as a couple but also hints at the trouble that lies ahead in Promising You (book 4), which comes out late January 2014, and wraps up the storyline.

Buy Knowing You:

Buy Choosing You:


About the Author



Allie Everhart writes about dating, love, and romance. She’s also a freelance writer for magazines and websites. Before freelancing, she was a book editor for a publishing company where she worked on several NYT bestselling nonfiction books. She loves to read as much as she loves to write. And when she’s not reading or writing, she’s outside running, which is when she gets her best book ideas.











Giveaway

Blitz-wide giveaway

15$ Amazon Gift Card (INT)


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