Fractured Light Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway

Blurb:

Llona Reese is used to living on the run. After the Vykens killed her parents, she knew they would eventually come for her too. But she never felt ready to face them---until now. Defying the Auran Council and everything she's been taught, Llona must learn to use her power over light as a weapon if she wants to survive.

My Thoughts:

Overall, I found Fractured Light to be an enjoyable read. Llona was a likeable main character and I really loved how feisty she was. She could be a bit short-sighted and selfish, but I was too at 17. I loved how she was willing to fight to protect her family and friends and how she wasn't afraid too push the boundaries and question the rules.

Christian was a protective, good-guy kind of love interest. He's a noble, by-the-book kind of guy and while I can see Llona and him together, I can also imagine that thing may not always go smoothly between them!

Occasionally there would be a turn of phase that didn't seem to flow ad would catch me off guard. But other than that minor issue, I enjoyed Fractured Light and am looking forward to the sequel. I want to see what Lucent is all about.

Be sure to check out the rest of the tour here.

On the Cover:

I like the wispy lights!

Source: I received a ebook for review as part of the blog tour.

Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | Kindle (only 99 cents) | The Book Depository

Find the Author: Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook

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Blood of Anteros Blog Tour - Review

 

Blurb:

"I was tantalized by the mystery of her. The leech inside me came out to find prey, but found none in this enigmatic girl. The close proximity of her essence didn’t entice the monster within, so what did that make her? I had more questions than answers, but one thing was unmistakable; although she released me from her embrace, her hold on me remained."

Cruel circumstances turned Curry Brennan into the wretched monster he hates and refuses to accept, but when an expected turn of events releases him from the bond of his obsessive maker, he returns to the home he knew 161 years earlier and finds the return of happiness and joy in something he didn’t know existed. Puzzled by his growing attraction to Chansey Leclaire, a human, he is unable to resist the captivating relationship that threatens to reveal his existence as a vampire. He eventually discovers the reason he was destined to find what he didn’t know he searched for and is faced with the cruel realization that the living and the immortal undead will always be separated by one thing. Eternity.

My Thoughts:

Blood of Anteros introduces some interesting aspects that I haven't seen before in vampire literature. The concept of Agapes is interesting and helps to distinguish Blood of Anteros from other books in the genre. I'd like to have seen a bit more background mythology, but I suspect that more will be revealed to both Curry and the readers in the next book, Blood Jewel (on the blog next week).

Curry was a likeable main character, although he did fall a touch flat for me. I'm not sure why, I just wish I'd had more of a connection with him. Chansey is also likeable, although some of her Agape characteristics got on my nerve at the end and she tends to jump to conclusions, usually not in Curry's favour.

My favourite character was Soloman. I feel like he has an interesting story and I'd love to see more focus on him and the rest of Curry's 'family' in the next book.

Overall, Blood of Anteros add some interesting mythology to the vampire genre, but I would have loved a better connection with Curry and Chansey.

Be sure to check out the rest of the tour!

On the Cover:




I think this cover is gorgeous. However, it doesn't exactly fit the time period of the book; it gives me the feeling of a historical fiction story, but Blood of Anteros is set in the modern day.

Source: I received a ecopy of the book in exchange for an honest review.


Find the Book: Goodreads | Kindle | Amazon | Smashwords

Plus Blood of Anteros is currently free for Kindle and on smashwords!

Find the Author: Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook

Giveaway! (Sorry, US only)

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The Weight of Night Blog Tour: Review

Blurb:
 
When her mother is taken from her in a terrible accident, 18-year-old Alexis finds herself facing some previously unknown truths. Her best friend, Keats, is her only confidante when she is faced with an apparent stalker who claims that Alexis’ entire life is built around a lie. Keats keeps the leap-before-you-look Alexis grounded as they are suddenly thrown into a whirlwind world of danger and secret agendas and the viciously deceitful lives of demigods and ancient Greek deities.

When a conniving, self-righteous god decides that Alexis is his best hope for retrieving a powerful artifact, she finds herself on the self-discovery journey of a lifetime - tracking a killer and a kidnapper - and facing twisted and dangerous foes along the way.

With lives in the balance, Alexis will have to come to grips with who she truly is and just what she might be capable of. Growing more and more dangerous herself, she will have to try and survive long enough to save the one person in the world for whom she cares most.

My Thoughts:

 I enjoyed The Weight of Night a immensely. Alexis is a kick butt heroine, which is a major plus for me. I also really enjoyed C.L. Stegall's take on Greek mythology. Although we don't meet many gods or goddesses, we meet a number of demi-gods, which is a lot of fun for the reader, especially since they all have some aspects from their godly parents.

As I said, Alexis is pretty kick butt, but so is her best friend, Keats. Alexis and Keats are excellent foils to each other, with Keats being more forward thinking, while Alexis is much more impulsive. My favourite character, however, is Lily, a demi-god. She is feisty and funny and I was very excited that she had an entire short story to herself in the special edition. There's also a story about Aaron and Rose, some other Progeny.

The story was exciting and moved at a good pace. I enjoyed learning about Alexis's hidden powers as she did and was always cheering for her success!

However, there were a few things that bothered me in this one. First of all, Alexis seemed a bit 'overpowered' (please forgive my gamer lingo). She had so many powers, it basically seemed that she could do anything if she tried. Also, near the beginning, Professor Hough mentioned that many Progeny go insane, but then that aspect is dropped almost entirely for the rest of the book.

Overall, the Weight of Night is a good read and I'd recommend it for anyone looking for an interesting story about Greek mythology in modern times. Be sure to check out the rest of the tour!

On the Cover:

I like the cover. It both draws you in and is relevant to the story. Her high buttoned collar looks a touch odd, but that's probably just me.

Source: I received a ecopy of the book as part of the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.

Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | Kindle | Smashwords

Find the Author: Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook

Giveaway: There is a tour-wide giveaway of 2 signed books (US only) and 10 ebooks (Int).

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Review: Descended by Blood by Angeline Kace

Blurb:

Brooke Keller is a high school junior who has never spent much time living in one place. She is finally in a town long enough to almost snag the boy of her dreams, until her life is threatened after killing a fanged man in his attempt to kidnap her. Brooke begins a dangerous journey in an effort to find out who is after her and how to stop them. In a world with powerful and prejudiced vampires, Brooke must tap into the side of her that she never knew existed at the risk of losing her life in order to save it.

My Thoughts:

Descended by Blood was such a fun, fast, awesome read! I can't wait for the follow-up book, especially after that crazy ending! Oh my gosh!

So, after that little bit of fangirl gushing, here's my review. Descended by Blood is a great addition to the the YA vampire genre. It's not just plain old vampires creeping around in dark alleys at night. There's a whole society of Pijawikas and Zao Duhs. A society that Brooke knows nothing about until a crazy dude tries to kill her at her boyfriend Jaren's house. Brooke, Jaren and Brooke's best friend Kaitlynn run to Utah with some new friends while Brooke learns about her true nature.

I don't want to give away anything good, but I think it's safe to say that Descended by Blood is an exciting, fast-paced story that definitely is worth to read, especially if you love the vampire genre.

There were a couple things that bothered me about Brooke, however. First of all, she was a bit whiny when she learned the truth about her origins and awesome powers. I would have been super excited about this powers, but Brooke wants to pretended they don't exist. Secondly, I feel like Brooke likes to lead the boys along (yes, there is a love triangle, but it works). Seriously girl, make up your mind! Although there's not much of a contest for me (Team Mirko all the way)!

Overall, I really enjoyed Descended by Blood and I can't wait for Enemy Within!

On the Cover:

I like the cover quite a bit, especially the little blood drops.

Rating: 4 Hearts

Source: I received the book as part of a giveaway by the author

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


Find the Author: Goodreads | Website | Twitter

Traitor Blog Tour - Bridger Review

I'm excited to share with you today my stop on the Traitor Blog Tour, the second book in the Bridger series.

Ashlyn never believed in fairy tales until she was in one.

They say ignorance is bliss, but not when you're on a centuries old hit list...and there's a traitor in your midst.

Ashlyn must decide what's most important: trusting the allies she has, or siding with those she thought were enemies. Ashlyn knows old friends can turn on her, and unlikely allies may be the best chance she has to piece her family back together. No matter what her choice, she could lose someone she loves.

And when you don't know who to trust, believe one thing: You can never trust a faerie

For my tour stop I'll be reviewing book #1, Bridger. Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom!

Ashlyn McVean doesn't believe in fairy tales. That is, until Ashlyn is thrown into the crosshairs of grudges her grandmother created long ago. After finding out she is one of two people able to cross between faerie realms, Ashlyn is faced with trying to understand her abilities, along with navigating a new relationship with her boyfriend, Liam. As if being on a centuries old hit list and dealing with crazed pixies isn't enough, her new abilities mean trouble for Liam. Knowing her new life puts everyone she loves in danger, Ashlyn must decide what's most important in her life between friends, family, love, and ultimately, realms.

Overall, I enjoyed Bridger. I've always liked stories about faeries and I enjoyed the Irish flavour Megan Curd brought to her book. Ashlyn was a great heroine; strong, but still realistic. Not only does she love her family beyond all else, but she also has some mad skillz! I enjoyed the last third of the book the most, as it was the post action-packed.

I felt like Bridger got a bit slow in the middle, when the supernatural elements dropped out of the story for a while and were replaced with a few chapters of high school drama. Luckily, this didn't last for too long and the action ramped right back up again. There's a minor love triangle in Bridger, but it's not too overwhelming and mostly just shows up in the high school drama section mentioned above. 

Liam. Most of the time, I really liked Liam as a leading man. Except for during his 'Krista phase,' when he annoyed the crap out of me. It helps that in my imagination, he is super hot!

My favourite character was Memaw. She's so feisty! I hope I'm as kick-butt as Memaw when I'm a grandma!

Overall, I enjoyed Bridger and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Traitor!

You can find more about Bridger and Traitor on Goodreads and by checking out Megan Curd's website. Don't forget to add her on twitter!
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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

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

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

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Review - Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi

Goodreads Blurb:

Imagine finding your first love, only to be ripped apart by the apocalypse. Peyton Anderson will never forget the day she was forced to make a choice--between her family--and Chris Parker, the boy she'd given her heart. Now, four years later, as she steps from the fallout shelter and into a dead and broken world, he's the only thing on her mind.

All Chris "Chase" Parker wanted was to take Peyton away and keep her safe from harm. But he waited for hours in the rain on judgment day and she never showed - breaking his heart without ever telling him why.

Now the two of them have been thrown together once again, reluctant chaperones to a group of orphan children in a post-apocalyptic world where the dead still walk...and feed. As they begin their pilgrimage to the last human outpost on Earth, can they find a way to let go of old hurts and find the love they lost - all while attempting to save what's left of the human race?

My Thoughts:

Overall, this book was a lot of fun! I'm a big fan of post-apocalyptic books, especially a zombie apocalypse! It switches between past and present every chapter, which I found confusing at first, but in the end I liked it. I enjoyed knowing something would happen, but being able to see the events leading up to it. The novel was quick and fun and I would definitely read more of Mari Mancusi's work in the future!

There were a few things I didn't love so much though. First of all, I wish Mari Mancusi had put more depth into her secondary characters. They all feel a little one dimensional, except maybe Tank, but even he is lacking. Second, I don't like the title at all. It sounds like a cheesy science fiction book and also reminds me of the cryogenics guy from Futurama when he says "Welcome to the World of Tomorrow"! As well, I felt like it was unrealistic how quickly Peyton adjusted to going from living in a tiny fallout shelter for 4 years to living in a post-apocalypse world. I would have been seriously messed-up, but she was just fine. One other thing was that the plot didn't feel super original. Not bad, but nothing novel. And for me the book didn't feel as edgy as I think it was trying to be. Finally, and I'm pretty sure this is just a weird personal thing, but it drove me nuts when Chris would continually call Peyton his "goddess". Probably because I equate goddesses with power, not beauty.

While I may have had a few issues with this book, I still really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys young love and zombie apocalypses!


On the Cover:

I really like this cover. It's eye-catching and I think it fits the story.

Rating: 3.5 hearts

Source: I received a copy via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Where to Find It: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Stalk the Author: Goodreads | Twitter | Website

Review: Meeting Destiny by Nancy Straight

Goodreads Blurb:

Lauren is visited in her dreams for years by a stranger claiming to be her destiny. Destiny becomes reality when paths cross during a failed robbery attempt. Lauren and the stranger experience chemistry like no other and now her doubt over her long time relationship with her high school sweetheart is not her only secret…someone else knows about her keen intuition and sixth sense.A mysterious clairvoyant seeks Lauren out and tells her not only of her life now but what the future may hold. Soon Lauren is in the middle of a murder investigation and a questionable friendship with the key suspect. Law enforcement, friends and family are concerned for Lauren but unfortunately they are unaware of the true danger…Sinister forces are at work and will stop at nothing to destroy Lauren’s abilities.

My Thoughts:

Meeting Destiny was a bit of a change from some of the other books dealing with destinies that I've read lately. Instead of Lauren being destined to be something, she is destined to love someone. While this is fundamentally a love story, there is a fair bit of action and you don't have to wait for it; you're blasted with it in the very first chapter!

Lauren was a likeable characters and I enjoyed that she was often just as confused as I was with all the strange happenings. She wasn't perfect (I found she tended to jump to conclusions), but she wasn't the stupid kind of character I found myself yelling at either, so I think Nancy Straight struck a good balance.

Max, Lauren's destiny, seemed like a nice enough fellow. He's a paramedic (bonus points) and he has horses (major bonus points from me). Unfortunately, his feelings for Lauren are so strong that he tends to get very possessive of Lauren, which would fly with me (or Lauren for that matter). His possessiveness annoyed me, but other than that, I thought he was a good male lead.

After finishing this book, I had so many unanswered questions! Who is Rewsna and why does she know so much about Lauren? Why does Lauren have such a strong 6th sense? And what the heck happened at that campsite? Now I'm definitely itching to read the next book to see what happened and if I'll get any answers!

On the Cover:

This cover is really pretty, however, I can't really see the connection to this story.

Favourite Character:

I like Lauren. She was really brave and also believable!

Rating: 3.5 Hearts

Source: Review copy provided as part of the Meeting Destiny Blog Tour.

Where to Find It: Goodreads | Amazon | Kindle | Smashwords

Stalk the Author: Goodreads | Twitter

Bonus:
I'm giving away a SIGNED copy of Meeting Destiny as part of the blog tour. Enter below and be sure to check out by awesome guest post from Nancy Straight!

Exiled Review

Exiled - M.R. Merrick

Goodreads Description:

Chase Williams is a demon hunter in the Circle, or at least he was supposed to be. On his fifteenth birthday, Chase stepped up to the altar to claim his elemental power, but it never came. Elemental magic is passed down to a hunter through the bloodline, but on Chase's birthday, the bloodline stopped.

Exiled without the Circle's protection, Chase has spent two years trying to survive a world riddled with half-demons and magic. When he has a run in with a frightened and seemingly innocent demon, he learns the Circle's agenda has changed: the Circle plans to unlock a portal and unleash pure-blood demons into the world. Vowing to stop them, and knowing he can't do it alone, Chase forms a reluctant alliance with Rayna — a sexy witch with an attitude and a secret.

In their attempt to stop them, Chase and Rayna find themselves in the middle of the Circle's plan, leaving one of them to decide what their friendship is worth, and the other's life depending on it

My Thoughts:

I picked up Exiled because of all the hype surrounding Shift. I though perhaps M.R. Merrick is just extremely good at P.R., but people seemed to genuinely love this series, so I thought I would give it a try. While M.R. Merrick may be a PR genius, he is also a talented author. Exiled was a very fun read! It was extremely fast paced with never a dull moment, but it was executed well. No confused faces or flipping back trying to figure out what was going on. Nope, overall I was very pleased with the story. Chase is a likable fellow and made an excellent main character: brave and loyal, even when his worldview starts to crumble. I also loved the strong female characters. Rayna is an awesome, kick-butt kind of girl and I loved her from the start. I also liked Tessa, Chase’s mom. She seems so kind and motherly, but when the time comes, she can kick butt with the best of them! And can I just say I love Willy. I just want to give him a big hug!

Overall, a great book I would recommend to anyone looking for an action-packed adventure complete with magic, demons, vampires and really awesome birds. 4 hearts from me! Now I just need to go buy Shift...