Options Cover Reveal

I'm super excited to be sharing the cover reveal of Options by Abbi Glines. The cover design was done by Stephanie Mooney from Mooney Designs.

Two paths.

Two completely different roads.

Each one standing before me.

Each one holding a different destiny.

 

In life you're just supposed to choose one path.  

In life you're not given the chance at choosing one specific future.

 

Until now.

Until me. 

 

Why am I different? I don't know. But I'm going to see those roads and walk down each one. When it's over I'll know which one to choose because I'll know my - options.

I like this cover a lot. I love the mysterious forest path and colour of the model's hair! What do you think? Are you excited for this one?

Review: Tallis by M. C. Rae

Blurb:

The Empire of Andresium is threatened by the corruption of the immortals, ancient beings given the gift of eternal life after the death of the last reigning empress. A prophecy speaks of their eventual downfall at the hands of one of their own, however. Tallis is known by most simply as "The Loren," and seeks to avoid her destiny while trying herself to remain untainted by the decaying morals and indifference to the fates of men that plague her kind. As the events of the prophecy begin to unfold, Tallis finds herself conflicted between upholding her dedication to justice, and falling victim to the ramifications of following the desires of her own heart.

My Thoughts:

I wish that Tallis was a novel instead of a novella. I felt like just as I was getting into it, it ended. While I'm sure M.C. Rae (aka. Killian McRae) has intentions to expand the Books of Andresium series, I not the most patient reader and a 57 page novella felt like a teaser! I think Tallis could have been fleshed out a bit more into a novel instead of a novella.

The world M.C. Rae creates in Tallis is very intriguing and I would definitely like to learn more about it. The world feels very complex, but I really feel like 57 pages wasn't enough to do it justice.

 At first I had some trouble connecting with Tallis, as she's very strong and stoic and comes off a bit flat and boring in the beginning. However, it's not too far in that her character becomes more developed and we see some vulnerability in Tallis.

Overall, I felt that Tallis was a bit too short and I would have preferred it to be a novel, but I'm definitely interested in reading the next books in the series when they come along.

On the Cover:

I don't mind the cover on this edition of Tallis, but I prefer the new cover (right).

Rating: 3.5 hearts

Source: I received a copy from the author in return for an honest review.

Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon

Find the Author: Goodreads | Website | Twitter

Review: Loss by Jackie Morse Kessler

Blurb:

Fifteen-year-old Billy Ballard is the kid that everyone picks on, from the school bullies to the teachers. But things change drastically when Death tells Billy he must stand in as Pestilence, the White Rider of the Apocalypse. Now armed with a Bow that allows him to strike with disease from a distance, Billy lashes out at his tormentors...and accidentally causes an outbreak of meningitis. Horrified by his actions, Billy begs Death to take back the Bow. For that to happen, says Death, Billy must track down the real White Rider—who is lost in his memories.

In his search, Billy travels through White Rider’s life: from ancient Phrygia, where the man called King Mita agrees to wear the White Rider’s Crown, to Sherwood Forest, where Pestilence figures out how to cheat Death; from the docks of Alexandria, where cartons of infested grain are being packed onto a ship that will carry the plague, to the Children’s Crusade in France—all the way to what may be the end of the world. When Billy finally finds the White Rider, the teen convinces the man to return to the real world.

But now the insane White Rider plans to unleash something awful on humanity—something that could make the Black Death look like a summer cold. Billy has a choice: he can live his life and pretend he doesn’t know what’s coming, or he can challenge the White Rider for his Crown. Does one bullied teenager have the strength to stand his ground—and the courage to save the world?

My Thoughts:

I was super intrigued by the concept of this series: normal, imperfect people becoming Horsemen of the Apocalypse. While I haven't read Hunger or Rage, I would definitely like to. Maybe because as well as a bookworm, I'm also a horse-girl, but if I had to be something evil-ish, it would totally be a Horseman of the Apocalypse!

One of my favourite parts of the book for Kessler's portrayal of Death. He was perfect! Calm, intelligent, uncaring and unbiased. Such an awesome character and definitely my favourite.

I also enjoyed the layers in Loss. As if finding out you must act as a Horseman of the Apocalypse wasn't enough, Billy is also dealing with some serious bullies, not to mention his grandfather's battle with Alzheimer's Disease. Bullying is a huge issue and I'm glad there are books like Loss that give it a voice without being boring or preachy. Hooray for an awesome message.

Unfortunately, the middle of the book held some issues for me. The plot felt like it slowed to a crawl and things jumped around a lot, leaving me confused and not sure what was significant to the story. However, I still enjoyed the book and will definitely keep an eye out for Hunger and Rage.

Also, I didn't feel like the title packed the same punch as Hunger and Rage.

On the Cover:

Beautiful. I love this cover (possibly because it's shiny).

Rating: 3.5 Hearts

Source: Won from the awesome Rhiannon at Diary of a Bookworm


Find the Author: Goodreads | Website

Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | Kindle | The Book Depository

Water Blog Tour - Earth Review + Giveaway

I'm super excited to be participating in the Water (Elemental #3) blog tour.

Blurb:

Shayna's first surfing session of the summer is interrupted by the screams of a mother who has lost her little boy in the water. Without regard to her own safety, Shayna swims out, rescues the boy, but must escape the clutches of something far worse than she could have ever imagined – mermaids.

Compelled to answer the sirens' call, the boys of Shayna's town are drawn to the sea, but when they return are afflicted by an unknown illness, a sickness which is draining them of their life force. Unable to tell anyone about the mermaids, Shayna and her friends are forced to solve the mystery before it's too late, and in doing so, Shayna will finally have to face the full force of her powers. Whether she’s ready or not, she will have to face her true nature.

I'm very excited to share with you my review of the first book in the Elemental Series, Earth!


Blurb:

Shayna and her two best friends have the abilities to manipulate and control the four elements, earth, air, water and fire. While learning to hone their growing powers, they discover a new and malicious presence in their sleepy beach town. Someone is performing blood magic and threatens to expose their small magical community. So far only small animals have been slaughtered, but then the nightmares start.

Shayna suffers nightmares of being chased and sacrificed only to wake up bloodied and bruised. She thinks her magical blood is the ultimate target for the final blood rite. When an innocent girl, Tracy, is kidnapped Shayna knows it's only a ploy to draw her out; she can't let someone die because of her.



My Thoughts: 


I definitely enjoyed this book. Earth was an exciting suspenseful ride! I couldn't wait to find out how things would be resolved in the end. There was a healthy dose of mystery and Shauna Granger kept me guessing until the very end (I waffled back and forth quite a bit).


I'll be honest, it took me a while to get into Earth. I'm not sure why, but the beginning felt a bit slow and dragged for me. But I'm sure glad I kept reading! Once the plot picked up, I couldn't wait to see what would happen next!


As I've said before, I love stories about witches! Shayna, Jodi and Steven aren't exactly witches (they're Elementals), but I still got that whole vibe, which I really enjoyed. Plus they had such a great friendship. They were very supportive, but also realistic in that they still argued. However, it bothered me a bit how lopsided their friendship and partnership was, with Shayna being the most powerful of the three. I would have liked them to be a bit more equal.


All-in-all, I enjoyed Earth and I can't wait to read Air and Water!

***

Please check out the rest of the tour and be sure to enter the giveaway! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Theme Thursday - Earth Edition

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event that will be open from one thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

• A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)
• Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
• Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
• It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
  Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”

This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.

The theme for this week is

TIME , Clock, Hours, Minutes, Seconds 

***

My Theme Thursday comes from Earth by Shauna Granger.

When you fall everything moves too fast. I could have been falling for seconds or days before a hand caught my arm.


What do you think? I can't wait to check out everyone else's!

Frost Blog Tour - Review

I'm super excited to be doing a review of Frost by Kate Avery Ellison as part of the Frost blog tour! Such an awesome book that's I'm excited to share with everyone. Plus, there's even a giveaway at the end!

Book description:

In the icy, monster-plagued world of the Frost, one wrong move and a person could end up dead—and Lia Weaver knows this better than anyone. After monsters kill her parents, she must keep the family farm running despite the freezing cold and threat of monster attacks or risk losing her siblings to reassignment by the village Elders. With dangers on all sides and failure just one wrong step away, she can’t afford to let her emotions lead her astray. So when her sister finds a fugitive bleeding to death in the forest—a young stranger named Gabe—Lia surprises herself and does the unthinkable.

She saves his life.

Giving shelter to the fugitive could get her in trouble. The Elders have always described the advanced society of people beyond the Frost, the “Farthers,” as ruthless and cruel. But Lia is startled to find that Gabe is empathetic and intelligent…and handsome. She might even be falling in love with him.

But time is running out. The monsters from the forest circle the farm at night. The village leader is starting to ask questions. Farther soldiers are searching for Gabe. Lia must locate a secret organization called the Thorns to help Gabe escape to safety, but every move she makes puts her in more danger.

Is compassion—and love—worth the risk?

Review:

This book was awesome! I love the cover and  loved Lia, but most of all I loved the setting. The Frost is a cold, inhospitable land where people live in a tightly regulated society and live in constant fear of Watchers. I'm a huge fan of dystopians and Kate Avery Ellison did a great job creating hers. I love the idea of the quota system and the intense fear of outsiders. I also loved how the reader got to see the layers of the society peeled back for a better view of the inner workings.

I also loved the characters. Lia was an incredibly strong female lead, willing to sacrifice it all for the people she cares about. I also liked that you could see some growth in more minor characters, like Ivy and Ann. I feel like Gabe could have maybe had a bit more development, however. I would have liked to get to know a bit more about him and his past!

Overall, I really loved Frost and can't wait to read more from Kate Avery Ellison! This was definitely a book I didn't want to end!

Find the Author:

http://thesouthernscrawl.blogspot.com/

Twitter is @katiewriting

Find the Book: Amazon/Barnes and Noble

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Teaser Tuesday - Earth Edition

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



Today my teaser comes from Earth by Shauna Granger.

I had the sudden horrible thought that he might try to kiss me goodnight like this was a date or something. I kept both hands securely on the steering wheel and my eyes forward and tried to keep my breathing normal.

Review Copy Cleanup 2.0

I took part in the first Review Copy Cleanup and had a blast (although I'm still miles behind on my reviews). So when I saw Review Copy Cleanup 2.0, I couldn't wait to sign up. See you August 1st!

Tangi's Teardrops Blog Tour: Excerpt

I'm super excited to be part of the Tangi's Teardrops blog tour today and to share an awesome excerpt with you. Please keep reading for an awesome sneak-peek!

BLURB

When Tangi's father dies, he leaves her nothing but three empty bottles. A kind uncle takes the poverty-stricken girl and her stepsisters in, and for a time life gets better on his farm. But Tangi remains a lonely outsider; her stepsisters tease her for her crippled leg, and the housekeepers use her like a servant.

Just before her thirteenth birthday, Tangi learns the truth about her father's strange legacy: the three bottles aren't empty any more. They're filled with all the tears she's cried since her father died, and her tears are enchanted. She must use them to travel to Rosevine, the world of her dead mother. Tangi not only belongs there but is necessary to keep Rosevine alive.

Tangi's tears will save Rosevine, and Rosevine will save Tangi from a cruelty-filled life, except for one thing: Tangi's lost the bottles.

EXCERPT

Tangi stopped midstride and turned. As she walked back to the ditch, a little laugh escaped her lips. She reminded herself of Sarah, the crazy woman of the village, talking to herself, hearing things no one else heard.

But what did she have to lose? She would take another look, and if she still saw nothing, she’d leave without turning back.

She bent lower at the waist and peered into the ditch.

All of a sudden, the ditch filled with crystal clear water.

She jumped away, her heart pounding wildly, and then moved closer again.

Then the rain stopped. Sunrays slanted through the dark clouds and the air was suddenly heavy with the scent of roses.

When the water reached the rim, the ditch transformed into a pond. The crystal water shimmered. The mud had disappeared and the green of the leaves seemed more vivid. No sign at all that it had rained just a few seconds ago.

The reflection of a handsome man’s face stared up at her—short, curly hair, big brown eyes, and the whitest teeth she had ever seen. He seemed to be somewhere in his twenties.

“Hi, Tangi, I’m Daryle, the prince of Rosevine. I didn’t mean to scare you. I came to show you a way out of this world.”

I'm totally excited for this one and I hope you are too!

Find the Author:

Facebook Book Page

Goodreads Author Page

Blog

Twitter

Find the Book:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

The Forgotten Duke Blog Tour

I'm super excited to be doing an author spotlight on Jamie Carrie, author of the Forgotten Duke!

Author Spotlight:

When novelist Jamie Carie was six, her parents met Jesus and soon after started a church. It changed everything.

 Road trips with her dad—to and from Bible studies across Indiana—were filled with talks of things beyond earth’s bounds--creation and the fall, God and Jesus and the rapture, the earthly walk compared to the spiritual walk, and how we are born for more than what we can see or touch.

The highlight of those nights was stopping at a truck stop in the middle of the night where her dad would spend a little of the offering basket on two slices of pie and a couple of Cokes. Nothing ever felt so special as a middle of the night slice of pie with her dad. And nothing could stop the writing pouring out of her.

 

As Jamie’s relationship with God grew, she discovered her heart was filled with songs and poetry. During high school she wrote lyrics for her brother’s band. (And she sang them too!) After college, Jamie married, had two sons and decided to stay home with them. While she homeschooled she wrote skits, poems, plays and short stories for school and church.

When her eldest son turned five she dove into the world of novels. She’d read romance novels for years, but couldn’t relate to the flawless, saintly heroines in Christian romance novels. So she decided to write her own.

Snow Angel was born on a frosty night in an old farmhouse in Fishers, Indiana, where the cold floor gave plenty of motivation for the snow scene. Jamie loves to write late at night when the house is quiet and the darkness seems alive. Elizabeth and Noah had been playacting in herhead for a long time, so the story went fast.

Ten years later Snow Angel was published and won the ForeWord magazine Romance Book of the Year winner, was a National “Best Books 2007” Awards winner, and a 2008 RITA Awards® Best First Book finalist. It was the beginning of her dream career.

Jamie and her husband Tony have been married for twenty-one years and live in Indianapolis with their three sons and a giant of a dog named Leo.

The Forgiven Duke is the 2^nd installment in The Forgotten Castles Series.

If she could only say one thing to her readers it would be, “Live the dreams God has destined you for!”

Book blurb:

Tethered by her impulsive promise to marry Lord John Lemon - the path of least resistance - Alexandria Featherstone sets off toward Iceland in search of her parents with a leaden heart. A glimpse of her guardian, the Duke of St. Easton - the path less traveled by - on Dublin’s shore still haunts her.

Will he come after her? Will he drag her back to London, quelling her mission to rescue her treasure-seeking parents, or might he decide to throw caution to the wind and choose Foy Pour Devoir: “Faith for Duty,” the St. Easton motto. The Featherstone motto Valens et Volens: “Willing and Able,” beats in her heart and thrums through her veins. She will find her parents and find their love, no matter the cost.

The powerful yet wing-clipped Duke of St. Easton has never known the challenge that has become his life since hearing his ward’s name. Alexandria Featherstone will be the life or the death of him. Only time and God’s plan will reveal just how much this man can endure for the prize of love.

About the author:

Jamie Carie writes novels about fierce, passionate women; their dreams; their fears; their triumphs. Her deepest desire is to see her readers find that same passion as they follow their destiny and discover deeper intimacy with Jesus.

She lives in Indianapolis with her husband and three sons.

Links:

Amazon | Barnes and Nobles | Book Depository | Goodreads | Facebook

Website | Blog | Facebook

Empyreal Fate Blog Tour - Excerpt

I'm super excited to be taking part in the Empyreal Fate blog tour and I'm stoked to share with you this great excerpt. Don't forget to check out the rest of the tour!

Scene from Empyreal Fate - Part One of Rachel Hunter’s Llathalan Annal series


Quiet they stood: ghostly silhouette and motionless royal - their troubled thoughts deepening against the heavy air. As time stretched, the bounding chill of stark recollection permeated as a scathing echo; it would not cease.
 
“So be it, wise elf.” Freiysuira’s youthful features darkened as she broke the silence; the diamond sheath she housed fell a shade coarser. “You choose your path well... If you listen close, all will thus be revealed.”
 
Amarya nodded, though a stitch pierced her heart.
 
 “There is one whom you know – a mortal, by name of Darrion. He rests well in your eyes – well acquainted, no?”
 
Amarya shifted, her caution pulsing as a weathered storm. “How do you know this?” she breathed. 

“What’s he got to..?” She paused, eyes widening at a stirred thought. “No. Do not burden in him any way. Lend him no troubles of my own. I will not see him harmed!”
 
The child smirked at Amarya’s concern. “Fear not, Lady Amarya. He comes to no harm by your fated choice. No… He has trial enough that will toy with his soul. You need not be the cause… Though – I come to relay your own personal charge.”
 
Amarya frowned. “If this meeting is to pose me burden, then why bring him up? What purpose does he hold that would cause his mention?”
 
Freiysuira smiled grim. “Only thus, Child of Life: He is the key to Llathala’s continual wake - the essence by which all shall thrive… and with hope, retain. Without his presence upon the land - though a child of man he is – all shall fare a hideous doom to sweep. None shall see light; none shall breathe else but pain. No… Without his slim thread of being, the might of endurance will fall. Llathala will cease as a residing land.”
 
“Speak no more of riddles, cursed Fate!” Amarya wielded her ire, growing sore of dampened speech. 

“Tell me now in a clear tongue or not at all! What is the due I am destined – and what is Darrion’s own? Tell me now! You tamper with patience I can no longer spare!”
 
“You - Amarya Duravyn-wren - are a pawn of writhing darkness. Fair mountains, behold! You think I come to you now for mere pleasure? You think I come for idle speak? Spite upon your family name! I come to warn of your hindrance - to warn of your darkened stain. You’ve a black mark upon you, Amarya. Spare the creation of man; spare Darrion the ills of your heart! See him unpossessed to your presence. See him revel not in your shadow. You wish him no burden? Then remove of your distraction! He cannot be what he must with mortal love to bind.”
 
Amarya touched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. “I still do not understand your riddling tongue! No more of dancing words. Speak true! What is this darkness you say that holds me?”
 
 “Of such I cannot speak direct. Though as you wish to know of your immanent design, do well to heed what words I breathe. I shan’t repeat myself a second time.” Floating in her yellow mist, Freiysuira’s childlike chin rose high. “You must give yourself to faulty Laervyen; tie with him your bond. Not only just - let him stake his claim on your temple, as you say. Seek his council ere this night! And dare you not flee at the last… lest all tune end in the wood. But grant him his claim before Darrion has first, and see the mortal’s heart broken of your hold. For if he remains consumed in lust, the land you know as Llathala shan’t longer thrive.” 
 

Author Rachel Hunter

“What request!” Amarya exclaimed, horrified. “This is my due? I must bond with a lie – and that will secure Llathala’s fate? What madness do you breathe? What blight do you covet in that mask of churning gold?”
 
The child clasped thin fingers to her lips. Swirling upside down in her diamond, she lowered her gaze. “I covet no ill. What I breathe is what you must. You swore to it on blood of your own. All depends on your rule… beside Laervyen as queen. Though he may love more his own name than your heart, he must claim the throne … for a time. Only until the darkness of the land has passed. For the royal who leads now will fall if such is not so. Though indeed, the corpses of your vision spoke true… You can end it all; you can dispel the brutal deaths the future seeks to bestow. Do you wish to see the fall of nations - so that you may cherish the desires you so crave? If not, Darrion must stray from your eye. You cannot lead with him at your side.”  
 
“No! Foul upon your scorched tongue that you should direct me so!”
 
“You seek to defy? You mean to ridicule the task beset by Fate?”
 
“Defy?” Amarya gnashed her teeth. “I mean to expose your false claim! You are not of nature’s whim - nor the idol of the Fates. No… You are the blackness that threatens my soul!”
 
The hallway echoed as a thundering crack resounded; a flash of sharp light split the air. With maddened eyes, the child growled fierce, and her golden halo whipped about her, churning as a rampant sea. Streaks of purple merged with gold, penetrating deeper by swirling black. Bolts of silver flecked the surging mesh of cloud.
 
A bitter wind lifted in the darkness and thrust Amarya from her feet, tearing her from the wall she leaned. Tossing her to the side, it beat her with ethereal censure, and stole her breath with windswept cruelty.
 
Flung in a ruthless whirl, Amarya slammed against the marble, scraping her shoulder against uneven stone. Her head spun as the wind’s command abandoned her body, and she wilted lightly to her knees before collapsing to the ground. With weak movements, she clasped her wrists around her neck, shielding her head as though to ward Freiysuira’s presence. Exhausted, she lay with her brow against the tile and sobbed into the darkness.

***

There you go! Be sure to check out Empyreal Fate on Goodreads and check out Rachel's website and follow her on twitter!