Oracle of the Delphi Blog Tour: Prophecy of Solstice's End by Diantha Jones

Prophecy of the Solstice's End (Oracle of the Delphi #3)

By Diantha Jones

Release Date: July 15, 2013

Summer Solstice is here. Let the games begin.

Nothing but lies (some of them her own) and deceit have brought Chloe to Olympus for the Solstice Olympic Games. As the Oracle and the special guest of the King of Myth, Chloe becomes immersed in a life of unfathomable luxury, taunting history, and overwhelming excitement. Though scheming and untrustworthy, the gods remain on their best behavior as the tension and anticipation builds around the outcome of the Quest of the Twelve Labors, the deadliest competition of the Games. All seems well on the celestial front...until athletes start turning up dead and a philosopher missing for months returns with a most terrifying story...

But that’s not all.

As Strafford confronts his troubled past and more is learned about the Great Unknown Prophecy, Chloe grows close to another, setting off a chain of events that will bring her face-to-face with a truth that will rock both of her worlds to their core.

And it’ll all happen before Solstice’s end... --Goodreads

Purchase Prophecy of the Solstice's End here: Amazon (Kindle) | Barnes & Nobles (Nook) 

4.5 Stars

Review:

Wow... This was a seriously epic roller coaster...

Let's just say a ton of stuff happens in this book. It's massive! Everything is ginormous and ridiculously insane, but this book rocks. So many secrets are revealed and so many more clues are given for future secrets. Clearly, Diantha knows what to give her readers, but unfortunately rations her servings. There was so much that I wanted and received, but just felt needed more by the end. It has been some time since a book has consumed my soul like this. I NEED MORE!!!

We begin with Chloe attending the Solstice's Olympic Games with many of the gods and demigods in attendance. With parades, parties, chariot races, and bonanzas, the Solstice's Olympic Games is an event that is rivaled by no other. However, underneath all of the fanfare that comes with this event, there are secrets lurking awaiting discovery. Each god has a hidden agenda just ready to send the world into oblivion. Cheery, isn't it? 

Plot-wise and action-wise, this book rocks the world. There are so many conflicts and plot twists that occur that make Prophecy of the Solstice's End like no other. Chloe is constantly tested by the gods, who are the most irritating and beautiful people to ever exist. Constantly, the gods come in as the pretty and the soap opera characters. It's quite humorous, but also quite irritating. We get it, they have sex appeal. No need to keep repeating how magnificent they are. My new goal is to find one ugly thing in Olympus.

But really, the best aspect of this book would have to be the character relationships. Constantly, so many characters, whom we have deemed as the best buds that could never be torn apart, are forced to question their bonds with one another. Ace, who is extremely close to Strafford and Swindle, starts to question them when they start hiding secrets from him. Additionally, Chloe finds herself becoming best buds with Strafford's sworn enemy, further testing the bonds between Strafford and her. It's crazy, but so emotionally investing as a reader.

This book would probably have to be my favorite book yet of the Oracle of the Delphi series. Although this book received a lower rating than Prophecy of the Setting Sunrise, Prophecy of the Solstice's End was a fantastic book that is so unbelievably exciting and enjoyable to read. There definitely could have been less pretty descriptions, but thankfully they did not take away from the primary focus of the book: the impending doom of the world.... Dun dun dun...

Giveaways:

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Cover Reveal and Giveaway: Reap by Christina Channelle

Reap by Christina Channelle

Release Date: October 11, 2013

Foreign, or rather unfamiliar, would be the word I would use to describe how I felt.

Faintly, I could hear the glimmer of voices surrounding me in this dark haze, caressing my ears like skin against silk. I felt like I was in a cocoon of sorts, protectively enveloped, quietly drifting in some far-off place.
                                                                                                                                               I wanted to stay that way forever.

But we all know that what you want never really seems to happen in the real world.

Something’s not right in Mia’s head.

The first thing is that her name isn’t Mia. In fact, she has no clue what her name is—who she is. All that she knows is that she’s not like the ones who found her: Dante with his kind blue eyes, Amy with her child-like demeanor, James with his questioning gaze.

And Briggs.

The one she cannot decipher no matter how hard she tries.

As Mia tries to fit in with these people, a strange occurrence is amidst outside. And as she finally remembers who she is …

Well, let’s just say that things get a little more complicated.

Giveaway for Bookmarks!

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Cover and Book Trailer Reveal: Apollo Academy by Kimberly P. Chase

Apollo Academy

By Kimberly P. Chase

Release Date: August 6, 2013

eBook, 340 pages

Cover Art by Cliff Nielsen

As the heiress to Titon Technologies, eighteen-year-old Aurora Titon can have whatever she wants—clothes, expensive gadgets, anything money can buy. All she really wants is to escape her pampered, paparazzi-prone life for the stars. Becoming the first female pilot to train as an astronaut for the Apollo Academy is exactly the chance for which she has been waiting. Everything would be perfect if it weren't for her unreciprocated crush on a fellow student, the sexy astronaut bent on making her life hell, and the fact that someone keeps trying to kill her.

Early praise for The Apollo Academy:

"I am obsessed with this book! Suspenseful, sexy, and just a great read!" -Cora Carmack, New York Times Bestselling author of LOSING IT.

“Exquisite worldbuilding, thrilling suspense, and a sexy flight instructor! Chase’s exciting debut novel is one you don’t want to miss.” - K.A.Tucker, Author of Ten Tiny Breaths and One Tiny Lie

Book Trailer Reveal:

About the Author:

Kimberly P. Chase holds a Bachelor's Degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, which basically means she's kind of a geek and loves flying airplanes. Naturally, her books tend to include aviation, hot flight instructors, aviator glasses, and—let's not forget—kissing! When Kimberly's not writing or reading, she's hanging out with her husband, four-year-old son, and two dogs.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

WAIT! THERE'S EVEN MORE AWESOME....AN APOLLO ACADEMY SWAG BAG IS UP FOR GRABS! ENTER BELOW:

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Book Trailer Reveal and Giveaway: Debt Collector by Susanne Kaye Quinn

Debt Collector Series 

By Susan Kaye Quinn

Released: 2013

What's your life worth on the open market?
A debt collector can tell you precisely.

Lirium plays the part of the grim reaper well, with his dark trenchcoat, jackboots, and the black marks on his soul that every debt collector carries. He's just in it for his cut, the ten percent of the life energy he collects before he transfers it on to the high potentials, the people who will make the world a better place with their brains, their work, and their lives. That hit of life energy, a bottle of vodka, and a visit from one of Madam Anastazja's sex workers keep him alive, stable, and mostly sane... until he collects again. But when his recovery ritual is disrupted by a sex worker who isn't what she seems, he has to choose between doing an illegal hit for a girl whose story has more holes than his soul or facing the bottle alone--a dark pit he's not sure he'll be able to climb out of again.

The first three episodes of the Debt Collector serial are collectively the length of a short novel, or 152 pages. These are the first three of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating. Episode 4, Broken, releases 4/17/13. For more about the Debt Collector serial, see DebtCollectorSeries.com --Goodreads

Purchase Debt Collector Books #1-3 here: Amazon (Kindle) | Barnes & Nobles (Nook)

For a Limited Time, Delirium (Debt Collector Book #1) is free on Amazon (Kindle)!

Book Trailer:

Giveaway:

Enter to win the Audiobook version of Debt Collector Books #1-3

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Author Info:

Susan Kaye Quinn grew up in California, where she wrote snippets of stories and passed them to her friends during class. Her teachers pretended not to notice and only confiscated her stories a couple times.

Susan left writing behind to pursue a bunch of engineering degrees, but she was drawn back to writing by an irresistible urge to share her stories with her niece, her kids, and all the wonderful friends she’s met along the way.

She doesn’t have to sneak her notes anymore, which is too bad.

Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out, is exactly as a much as she can handle.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Hiatus for Rest of Month, But Presents!

We are sacrificing our money for you!! (No... not really)

So basically, we're all on break because we have APs and plenty of other projects due before the school year. Sorry about the late notice, we were extremely dumb and unprofessional, as my mom put it, to not establish this earlier. We are on break for the month of May! Please no requests, and Angie will do her best to follow up with the emails and Twitter stuff. You see, everyone else on the blog abandoned Angie, so now she's all alone writing this post just for you all... Just so no one forgets us.... *sob, sob, sob*

We also decided to have a giveaway, so you all don't abandon ship with us. For the rest of the month, we'll have a giveaway for two books from the Book Depository $17 or under because the increased prices are making us sad. They can be pre-orders or whatever... just make sure and check that they're under $17 and are available at the Book Depository. Angie gets very mad when people did not check the prices and asked for books that were more than $15 when the last giveaway happened.

Nissa by Bethany Lopez Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway

Nissa by Bethany Lopez

Publish Date: April 23, 2013

Purchase: Amazon (Kindle) / B&N (Nook) / Smashwords
AToMR Tour Schedule for Nissa ARC Blog Tour

At 900 years old, Nissa is finally ready to follow her mother's path and become the best Fairy Godmother she can. She’s not thrilled when her first assignment turns out to be a teenage human girl with self-esteem issues, but she knows she has to start somewhere. Her assignment has dealt with bullies since her freshman year and they haven’t let up. If Nissa can’t help her regain her self-confidence her future is bleak.

To complicate matters Nissa experiences all the signs that she's met the being fated for her. This impossibility distracts her from her purpose. After all, fairies and humans aren't meant for each other. How can her heart believe otherwise? Can Nissa successfully complete her first assignment as a Fairy Godmother? Will the fates allow Nissa and Levi to be together? And even if they do, will Levi believe Nissa once she reveals the truth?

3 Stars

Review:

Let me completely honest: I only chose this book because it had the words "a contemporary fairy tale" on the cover. The whole godmother thing didn't really sound too exciting and girls with self-esteem issues tend to be bleh. It's all about "she's so pretty, so I'll bully her" sort of thing that is so irritating. This does happen, but probably not to the extent that writers tend to exaggerate in their books. However in Nissa, the primary focus is not Vicky and her issues, the priority is Nissa; Vicky's brother, Levy; and their romance.

I think the biggest problem that this book was its length. Usually a book's length is only a problem when the book is too long and unnecessary with details, but in this case everything felt a little too rushed. Immediately from the very beginning, we skim through Nissa's childhood within a few pages and jump immediately to her mission to help Vicky. It would have been nice to have an elaboration on the fairy world, which is infinitely more interesting than the human world. 

The length also unfortunately contributed to the completely rushed romance. Once again, hormones have overwhelmed the brains of our poor, innocent protagonist and her lover. I admit that their little dates and talks were cute, but they came entirely too soon! There was an excuse for this Romeo and Juliet-esque, minus their deaths, romance in that fairies have soul mates. Still that is not any reason to just have them going from formal greetings to kissing within the next dozen pages. 

Keeping with the length problem, the main characters felt somewhat lacking. Nissa and Levy were just two hopeless fools in love, and somehow the supporting characters were the ones who shined the most. Vicky's unjustly pushed-off character arc was really sweet and cute after the bullying crisis was over. The redemption of one of her bullies was also adorable because his apology was so sincere and just ah!!! Even though he was a vile character initially, his extremely long and heartfelt apology just stood out so much. In fact, it was my favorite moment of the book. I kind of want to see a spin-off with Vicky and the guy getting together because he became my fave character of the novel.

Despite its somewhat undeveloped world and romance, Nissa was an enjoyable read. The writing was not completely solid throughout the entirety, feeling a bit childish at some points. However, the story was able to effectively move along, which is definitely more important. There was a lot of potential in this book in spite of its faults, so I do look forward to Bethany Lopez's future works.

Giveaway

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Found by Stacey Welles Benefiel Blitz and Giveaway!

To celebrate Stacey Wallace Benefiel’s 3rd Indieversary, FOUND (Penny Black #1) is only $0.99 April 20-27!

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From Stacey Wallace Benefiel, the author of the Zellie Wells trilogy, comes a new NA trilogy set in the Society world.

Penny Black hasn’t had it easy. Just about everything you’d expect to happen to a harassed foster-kid turned junkie has happened to Penny. Add in the mysterious power to rewind time, conducting events around her, and it’s a wonder she held up on the streets for so many years. Now, at seventeen, the New Society has found her. Finally, Penny is where she belongs. But that doesn’t stop the visions, or the need to protect the victims shown to her. Wyatt Adams is excited and intrigued when his sister Melody assigns him to be Penny’s Lookout. Being the youngest, and hopelessly ordinary in the family that created the New Society, has left Wyatt feeling like he has a lot to prove -- and Penny is a big deal. She’s got abilities that surpass any he’s seen before…and pretty much every quality he looks for in a girlfriend, but no one needs to know about that, especially Penny.

*The Penny Black trilogy is a companion to the Zellie Wells trilogy and not a continuation of the series. (PBT is set 18 years in the future with a new cast of characters.)

*Due to language and sexuality, FOUND is recommended for older teens (Most of the characters are out of high school and preparing for college.)

 Also available at: Kobo | Smashwords | Apple Haven't read the Zellie Wells trilogy yet? 

Pick up all three novels together for $6.99 at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and iTunes. 

Or get the first novel, Glimpse, for FREE at all e-book retailers.

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Blood and Snow by RaShelle Workman Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway

Blood and Snow by RaShelle Workman 

Where in Series: Blood and Snow #1-12

Released: 2013 

Type: eBook

Pages: 518 

Purchase: Amazon (Kindle)

Every thousand years the Vampire Queen selects a new body, always the fairest in the land, and this time she's chosen Snow White. Snow isn't an ordinary girl. She doesn't know that yet.

When Snow gets bitten by a Hunter, her life is thrown into a whirlwind of change where instead of worrying about what to eat, she has to fight not to drink the blood of fellow high school students. She becomes a revenant - not quite human, not quite vampire.

With the help of an eccentric old Professor, his seven adoptive sons, and her best friend, Snow learns to control her blood craving. Sort of. She drinks a bloodlust tea, but she'd rather drink from her Hunter. Or, a human.

She also discovers a whole other realm, one filled with fairies, dragons, and magic. And not only does the Vampire Queen want her, but there's a pendant called the Seal of Gabriel created for Snow by the Vampire Queen's twin sister. And Snow's supposed to use it to restore balance to all magical creatures. Including vampires. --Goodreads

3.5 Stars

Review

Usually when I try fairy tale retellings these days, I try to grade them harshly because the original content is usually at a bare minimum for them. So do not be surprised with this harsh rating and review because there are probably plenty of other people with higher ratings than mine. They are probably also better at figuring out ratings for fairy tale retellings as well... Anyway...

This book or bundle, which it really is, is a series of twelve novellas that tell the story of Snow and her hunky dory life when she discovers that she is a vampire. To make it worse, the Vampire Queen wants her body, which is so wrong on so many levels, but we won't get into that. Prince Charming, or Hunter as he is referred to as, marks Snow as the Queen's next chosen body. 

However, Snow isn't alone in trying to discover herself as well as the world she lives in. There is the amazing Professor Pops who is a hilarious father figure to Snow as well as the her seven boy friends. Note the space between 'boy' and 'friends.' Then again, it should probably be six boy friends and one boyfriend. Here is a spoiler, Snow and Gabriel, one of the seven 'dwarfs' that need to shrink a few feet to be a dwarf are going all gaga over each other. It's kind of creepy and gross because Gabe is aggravating. 

The story that Blood and Snow tells is a fresh, original one that completely deviates from the actual Snow White story, including the very original that wasn't told by Disney. So many characters were added or rewritten in as completely different people, making it so much more exciting to read. For example, Snow White is now a complete tomboy klutz in this new version. This change was somewhat clichéd and unoriginal, not to mention unbelievable because Snow was way too clumsy. Still, it was just one of the cute, fluffy changes that were made to make Snow not see the beauty within her.

The thing that truly kept me drawn to this series was the writing. The plot was topsy-turvey because while some books were solid reads, others felt lacking in certain respects. Of course, this series progressed in plot and in writing as each novella was finished. The only thing that aggravatingly stayed constant was the description of the smells. It is incredibly unrealistic for a character to notice each little scent that passes by them because people tend to focus more on the visual things, rather than the little odors that come out here and there. 

Blood and Snow is a series that is hard for me to judge. Each little novella had its own little successes and failures, so it is difficult to decide on the entire series as a whole. Characters either shined or spiked at many points, but Dorian, one of the seven 'dwarfs' shall stay in my heart forever because he is awesome! 

Otherwise, I wasn't a huge fan of anyone else because they weren't consistent in their beliefs. I was a big fan of the author's writing though, so even though I am a bit iffy on certain aspects of this book, I am still planning to check out the spin-off that will be written for Cindy, Snow's obnoxious and annoying friend. She is a person that I don't really want to understand, but I am willing to give it a go just for more of Rashelle Workman's works.

Giveaway

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Date Me Release Event Plus Giveaway

Date Me (The Keatyn Chronicles #3)

by Jillian Dodd

Released: April 9th, 2013

Event organized by: AToMR Tours

I’m not scripting my life anymore.

I’m living it.

I’m done with the God of all Hotties.

I’m going to give my heart to the boy who I think deserves it.

The boy whose kisses are hotter than molten lava.

The boy who offered me the key to his heart.

The boy who asked me to Homecoming in a big, sexy way.

There are so many things to look forward to.

Parties at the Cave. Homecoming festivities. Drama Tryouts. Shopping trips to NY.

But things aren’t always as perfect as they seem.

I find out that my best friend has been keeping a secret from me.

Not that I can blame him.  

I have secrets too.

But, for now, I’m going to pretend I’m just a normal girl.

I’m going to pretend he’s not still out there.

I’m going to pretend he’s not getting desperate.

I’m going to pretend I’ll never see him again.

But, I will.

And this time, I might not get away.--Goodreads

Excerpt:

Aiden is standing in front of me, expecting me to teach him how to dance. Why did I ever agree to this?

“This is silly,” I say. “I can’t teach you how to dance. Plus, I’m injured.”

“I saw you jogging at soccer practice, even though I doubt you were supposed to.”

I laugh. “I took another pain pill. Felt healed.”

He stands there and stares at me. Knows he wins whatever game he’s trying to play. If I could jog, then I should be fine to dance. I sigh and figure I'll just get it over. I turn on my favorite dance playlist, grab his hips, and move them to the beat. Move them with mine.

He moves awkwardly. Strangely. With no rhythm whatsoever.

Um, okay.

This is not working.

I turn around, standing in front of him, push my back into his chest and pull his arm around to my stomach, where it presses against my bare skin.

Leaving a scar, I'm sure.

I shake my ass into him, and he finally seems to be getting it. He’s moving with a little more rhythm.

What can I say? I’m a good teacher.

I put my hands on top of his and move them around on my body in the name of dancing.

This would be even funner if we were naked.

Shit.

Hello? You can’t think that.

This is you helping a dance-disabled friend.

It’s practically philanthropical. I bet I could get community service hours for this.

About the Author:

Jillian Dodd grew up on a farm in Nebraska, where she developed a love for Midwestern boys and Nebraska football. She has drank from a keg in a cornfield, attended the University of Nebraska, got to pass her candle, and did have a boy ask her to marry him in a bar. She met her own prince in college, and they have two amazing children, a Maltese named Sugar Bear, and two Labrador puppies named Camber Lacy and Cali Lucy.

She is the author of the That Boy Trilogy and The Keatyn Chronicles Series.

Jillian Dodd | Facebook | Twitter

What do you guys think? Comment below for a chance to win Date Me! Please Include your email as well. Open INT.

The Only Exception by Magan Vernon Blitz!

The Only Exception  (Buy here on Amazon)

By Magan Vernon

Publication Date: April 9th 2013

Publisher: Beautifully Broken Books 

Paperback, 272 pages 

Fiercely liberal Monica Remy prefers to blend in. Despite her tattoos, piercings, and outspoken personality, she transferred to Central to escape—before she finds out that her next door neighbor is the uber conservative governor son, Trey Chapman.

No matter how hard she tries to avoid Trey, he still finds a way to get under her skin. Monica can’t stand his crisp white shirts or his staunch views on women. But she can’t help counting every freckle on his face and wondering what it would feel like to have him stop talking politics and kiss her.

A class debate project forces the unlikely pair to work together, and the political lines are blurred in late-night make out sessions. But despite their fiery chemistry, Trey’s politics threatens to smother their relationship for good. --Goodreads

Author Interview:

What inspired you to write The Only Exception?

For the past few years I’ve wanted to write a book with a conservative guy and liberal girl, but just couldn’t come up with a plot, so I put it aside. During the presidential election an episode of NEW GIRL aired in which Schmidt pretended to be the imaginary sixth son of Mitt Romney, Thugg and some girls that used to be part of their local college Republican chapter. That got my wheels turning and I thought about a conservative governor’s son going to college and what it would be like for someone with the opposite views living next door to him. Trey Chapman was born.

Is this a stand alone or will there be a sequel?

This is a planned stand alone. I have been working on a companion novel with the character’s two best friends, but there are no current plans to continue on with the story at this time.

If you had to cast the characters in a movie, who would play them?

Always one of my favorite questions. For Trey it would be a mixture of Max Greenfield and Colton Haynes (if somehow science could make them have a baby. For Monica, Emma Stone has that spunkiness yet vulnerability. For John Boy, wrestler The Miz is the first person to come to mind. For Monica’s best friend Melanie, Emmy Rossum is the closest I’ve found. And I have to admit that Trey’s dad, the governor, was inspired by a certain governor and former Republican presidential candidate from MA.

Did you plot this novel out or write from the hip?

A little bit of both. I actually wrote the first half on my computer and sent to my Alpha reader and then I wasn’t sure what I wanted to happen in the middle so I wrote the last half on my iPad since that was what was in my head. It eventually all worked together.

What books do you have coming out next?

I’m due with my second child at the end of April, so I’m trying not to plan too much, but I do have the sequel to my New Adult title, My Paper Heart, coming out this summer titled On Paper Wings. It continues Libby and Blaine’s story and will focus more on her eating disorder and his commitment issues. After that I’d really like to get out a companion novel to The Only Exception about Melanie and John Boy.

Giveaway:

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Twisted Tales Blog Tour: With a Kiss by Stephanie Fowers

With a Kiss (Twisted Tales #1) 

By Stephanie Fowers 

Released: March 15, 2013 

Publisher: Triad Media and Entertainment 

eBook, 282 pages 

Faerytales. They're real . . . they just haven't happened yet. Halley Starr finds this out when she loses her heart to a terrible curse. Now she has to get it back from that dirty faery who stole it from her. But first she must fight against the seven rules of the faery kingdom that mortals must never break:

1. No trespassing sacred faery territory

2. Don't ever say thank you

3. Using a faery’s given name is a no-no

4. Resist all faery music

5. Never break a promise to a faery

6. Reject all faery food

7. And never, never fall in love with a faery

But if Halley wants her heart back again, she can’t worry about the rules.

"With a Kiss" is the first book in the Twisted Tales Series.

3 Stars

Review:

With a Kiss by Stephanie Fowers is a cute, fun fairy tale retelling that is similar to Mercedes Lackey's Five Hundred Kingdoms series, but has more heart and teenage angst to draw readers in. Although this was far from being perfect, there is so much packed into the book that makes it enjoyable to read.

We are introduced to Halley Starr, a girl born with literally no heart. By no heart, she doesn't love anyone, even though everyone loves her. When she is forced to bring a baby back to her mother with a fairy gang, she learns to love and discovers who she truly is. Despite the straight forward summary, this book seems to ramble off on several points. It makes it extremely difficult to follow certain events and to gain a full understanding of the plot. At several points, I was a little confused on where the author was trying to lead the reader to in the beginning. Once the action begins in the Sidhe world, the action and humor picks up a bit. Still, the slow beginning was rather trying at times.

Even with the awkward beginning pages, With a Kiss manages to pull of the journey to giving the baby, called Babs, back to her mother. With the help of Hob, a mysterious stranger and a silent, but snarky leprechaun, Halley faces the strange, eerie Sidhe world. The problem was that there were so many unexplained plot devices that kept on adding on to my mental list. While a few of these questions were partially answered, there was still a bulk of the questions that I am still trying to answer by sorting out the book. For example, I am still wondering exactly why Halley is sent off by the mother to return Babs to her mother. Hello! Babs' mom sent Babs to Halley herself, so why does she just ship Babs something off, expecting someone else to return her to her. It is somewhat unpractical, even with the answer offered at the end. Also, why is Halley have a crown stuck to her head that tells her things? These were just the tip of the many puzzling problems that I came across.

Although I was confused for a majority of the book, the reading experience I had with this book was spectacular. Halley and her gang's conversations were cute and witty, and could draw the reader in easily. The romance in this book was pleasantly sweet, even if I didn't like the people in the couple in general. Halley was somewhat flat in characterization. She begins as an "ice queen" and immediately after being kissed, feels the emotion love for the first time. However, she does not really ever reveal it to anyone else besides Babs, making it hard to be empathetic with her. Hobs was so mysterious, annnoyingly so. If there was one character I could shoot first in the world, it would be him. I am telling you dude now that your secrets are not furthering your cause or saving the world. Go join the CIA if you wanna become in charge of classified information.

Regardless of its several faults, With a Kiss excels in painting the picture of a journey to the unknown. Unfortunately, the details of the journey are somewhat muddled, which makes it difficult to root for. Initially, we are told that Halley needs to return Babs to her mother, or else she will die, but then the objective seems to shift somewhere else. The three stars I give as a rating is what I believe that With a Kiss deserves, but my enjoyment of this book surpasses five stars because it was a new twist on the fairy tale retellings that are typically offered. 

Purchase With a Kiss here: Amazon (Kindle)

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Excerpt and Giveaway: Hell's Hollow by Summer Stone

Hell's Hollow 

By Summer Stone 

Released: March 14, 2013 

eBook, 182 pages 

When Seraphina was younger, she healed her best friend's injured hand. Terrified by the inexplicable cure, the girl shunned her. From that day on, Seraphina found herself without friends, a freak and an oddity. And so she obeyed her mother’s rule to refrain from using her innate ability, heeded her mother's warning that its use could land her in the local mental health facility alongside her aunt and grandmother.

But when sixteen-year-old Seraphina finds a mysterious, wounded boy hiding in the hollow in the woods behind her house, she can't hold out against the overpowering urge to help him. She is drawn to him each night, and as they come to know one another, their irresistible attraction blooms.

She longs to uncover his secrets — where he comes from and why he's hiding and how he came to be so wounded — and to share her own, though she knows it's forbidden. And while her healing touch seems to be helping him, it's hurting her. When the symptoms of psychosis — experienced by the women in her bloodline who used their powers — begin to plague Seraphina, she is faced with the unbearable choice of saving her sanity or the boy she’s come to love. --Goodreads

Excerpt:

“There’s something I need to do,” I said. “Something I want to try.” Talking to Luke had given me courage. And I was pretty sure I’d figured out what I’d done wrong with the chipmunk — giving it too much of The Hollow’s energy for its little body. 

 “What is it?” Zach asked. And there was something about him, sitting there in The Hollow in the moonlight, that for a moment I thought I might want to kiss him. I pushed the thought away, knowing he could never feel the same about a freak like me. 

“Come over here,” I said, as I moved to my spot beneath the sequoia. 

“Sera,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re not supposed to.”   

“You’re not supposed to be here, but you are. And I’m afraid that shutting out the healing might end up being the thing that actually makes me crazy. This could help me understand what the right thing to do is — to give in or not. You’d be doing me a favor. Please?” 

He crept over to my side of The Hollow. “Are you sure?” 

I nodded. “Are you scared?” 

“No,” he said without hesitation.  

“It won’t be like with the chipmunk. I know what I did wrong. He was so little. I should have only let a bit of The Hollow go into him. I didn’t remember I needed to control the amount.”  

“I’m not afraid,” he said. “I’m only afraid of hurting you.”  

My heartbeat sped up. “You can’t,” I replied. “Just sit here beside me and open to the energy I send into your body.”  

“If it doesn’t work, don’t be disappointed,” he said, tugging at his jeans.  

“It’s okay,” I said, thinking he was the one that was worried it wouldn’t work. “I’m nervous, too. We won’t know until we try.” It had been a long time since I’d healed a human. I imagined roots growing down from my body, intertwining with the roots of the sequoia for strength. 

“Okay,” I said, “here we go.”  

Our eyes met. Heat pulsed between us. I put my hands on his knees — they were solid, he was real. I dropped my shield. At once the power of The Hollow smashed into me along with the pain of Zach’s wounds. 

The feeling of damage overwhelmed me. So much damage. The Hollow poured into the deadened, wounded areas. But it was as if they were so starved for healing they pulled me in along with them. And inside there, below the damage raged a raw, rancid pain — as if his initial wounds had been reopened. They burned like nothing I’d ever imagined. It shocked me, like lightning strikes from within. I needed to pull away. It was too much. I couldn’t bear it. I was terrified I’d kill him. But I didn’t know how to pull back, how to make it stop. And there was this magnetism between us that held me to him. I couldn’t let go. I couldn’t breathe. I reared back, pulling The Hollow into myself. Zach’s pain was so huge, I couldn’t hold it. My head felt like it would split open. I lost all sense of my own body as I fell into the raging chasm.

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Book Trailer Reveal: The Fallen Stars by Stephanie Keyes

The Fallen Stars (The Starchild #2) 

By Stephanie Keyes 

Release Date: April 12, 2013 

Publisher: Inkspell Publishing 

Kellen St. James was just your average seventeen-year-old prodigy, until he eighty-sixed the Lord of Faerie and proposed to the Celtic Goddess, Calienta. But then everything in Kellen’s life gets turned upside-down when he and Cali end up on the run from a seriously irritated group of faeries. The worst part? They have zero idea why they’re being hunted.

Suddenly, Kellen is stuck in the middle of another prophecy that foresees him turning away from Calienta and embracing the dark. He’ll be forced to take sides in a struggle to claim his birthright, while discovering secrets about his father’s past. Meanwhile, his passion for Cali grows stronger, even as the prophecy threatens to tear them apart.

In the end, will Kellen and Cali survive the fates? When the ultimate power is within reach, which side will he choose? --Goodreads

The Trailer

Today's trailer is for Stephanie Keye's second book, The Fallen Stars. Have a look!

The Fallen Stars from Stephanie Keyes on Vimeo.

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Author Interview and Giveaway: Double Star by Cindy Saunders

Double Star 

By Cindy Saunders 

Published: November 28, 2012 

Publisher: Book Baby 

When Cepheus, a dark god, forces seventeen-year-old Ally Ashworth off an isolated overlook, she has no idea she's falling into his world, or that the necklace she’s wearing is actually a key - one with the power to ignite the next world war. But she’s carried beyond his reach and into the one place where he’s powerless ... the forest of Gilgamesh.

Ally’s never been Miss Popularity, but her outsider status takes on new meaning when she’s rescued by Liam Cheveyo and his peculiar friends. After seeing them shape-shift into their freaky humanimal counterparts, Ally smacks hard into a few truths: magic really does exist and, although getting here took no effort, finding her way back might be impossible. Feelings between her and Liam begin to grow along with the realization that, in this world, she’s stronger, better ... until she’s caught in a trap set by the creepy spider-boy Cepheus sends to retrieve her. But Ally’s not going down without a fight, not after learning the horrible truth about the passageways.

The survival of both worlds depends on it. -Goodreads

Interview with the Lovely Cindy Saunders!

 ~M: What was your inspiration for Double Star?

CS: I’ve always been fascinated with the possibility of other worlds existing either in the heavens or running parallel to our own. I was looking around one day and thought ... “What if ...?”

I remembered a vortex site I visited on a trip to Sedona a few years back and discovered that vortexes are thought to be gateways to other worlds. As a matter of fact, Stonehenge and The Great Pyramid of Egypt are thought to be centers of vortex activity and again, thought ... “What if ...?” At that point, the ideas started to flow. I’ve always been interested in Greek mythology and wondered what it would have been like if the gods really had existed. What if they still do?

Then, I began thinking of love. What if you found your one true love (if you have experienced it, you know what I’m talking about it. If not ... wait for it. It’s the most unbelievable feeling) but what if the odds were stacked against you? What if you found yourself in another world and this ‘soul mate’ was there? What if there were other forces, as well? Ones which threatened everything you believe in. What would you be willing to do? What if all the craziness in this world right now (the violence, the wars, the devastating weather, etc.) was being caused by something or someone traveling into our world? What if you had the power to close that door?

I started to write down all these ‘what ifs’ and my story was born. I actually told my daughter about my ideas and she said, “Mom, how about the name Double Star?” I liked it and it stuck. I wanted the story to be based on a Greek goddess (I made up Ascencia) who died in swan form. When I did some research, I discovered that Cygnus (the swan) actually has a double star in the constellation and figured it was meant to be!

~M: Well, besides dead swan goddesses, is there an author that you admire who has really inspired you?

CS: I have always been a fan of Stephen King. He is not afraid to explore “what ifs”. I especially like his fantasy novels about other worlds such as The Talisman and The Gunslinger Series. I love the way he develops his characters so you feel invested in them regardless of how crazy they might be! He’s an awesome writer.

~M: Stephen King rocks!! ALL HAIL STEPHEN KING OF MAINE!! Anyway....

Who is your favorite character and why?

CS: Probably like any author, there is a special place in my heart for all my characters. I wanted to write a story where the characters were relatable but not too hard or too flawed. They have issues but what’s going on around them is what creates the conflict. Shane, Oisin and Ian are loosely based on people I know. Corm ... he’s probably the guy I would have fallen for in high school. I like Ally’s strength and resiliency, given the situation she’s had to deal with. But of course, my favorite is Liam. He’s strong yet vulnerable and, of course, in my mind he’s very hot!

~M: Because time travel should totally exist, if you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self?

CS: Start writing now! I don’t know why I waited so long. I’m not an English major. I wasn’t even fond of writing in school ... my grammar is still atrocious (talk to my editor and she’ll agree!). But I think I’ve always thought like a writer. I like observing people, what they’re saying, their body language, trying to get inside their heads, figure out what makes them tick. I’m probably way off base but it’s all about creating an illusion because perception is reality. So my advice to anyone thinking about writing ... go for it! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

~M: Grammar sucks! Good thing, but sooooooo pesky! 

Was there any part of the book that you had hard time writing? Please explain.

CS: The final scene where Ally and company confront the Shenfo. I was involved in only one fight in my entire life and that was in high school. Sadly, I didn’t do very well. Trying to visualize in my head how it would go down at the end of the book was one thing but actually writing it was another. Because Double Star is, for the most part, through the eyes of Ally or Liam, they couldn’t possibly see everything that was happening. It took many re-writes but in the end, I’m pleased with how it turned out. Maybe I need to watch more Chuck Norris flicks! Also, I need to thank my brother, Ned, for his help with this scene and countless others in the book. He knew what I was trying to do ... I couldn’t have done it without him.

~M: I see, I shall take notice of your obsession with Chuck Norris. Besides writing and Chuck Norris, what else do you obsess yourself with?

CS: I love music. I find it very inspirational. It’s amazing how a song can bring back memories of another time or place and bring tears to your eyes or a smile to your face. I’ve always been a big concert- goer. Nothing compares to the energy at a live show. My tastes are always changing but I remember listening to Coldplay’s Viva la Vida CD (“Death and All His Friends”) and the Merrows piece in the book literally wrote itself. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to hear that song and not be reminded of Ally’s day at the lake. Musical inspirations for Double Star were lots of Coldplay (to be quite honest, I never was into them before I started the book), Collective Soul, Manchester Orchestra and Cage the Elephant. For Double Star II, I’m listening to Lana Del Ray, AWOL Nation and Imagine Dragons.

~M: The ending of Double Star was left very open ended, can you give us any hints as to what will happen (we will even accept musical hints!)?

CS: Honestly, I’m not sure what’s going to happen! I didn’t know where the story was going in the first book until I got there. What I do know is that the group will find two others who complete the star. They will confront Cepheus ... but there is an alliance, a trinity of evil so to speak, that is stronger than anyone could have imagined. And if good is to win over evil, it will not be without casualties.

~M: Sigh.... Just waiting for some spoilers. 

What are you currently working on, and what can readers expect to see soon?

CS: Double Star II, of course! I don’t think I’m one of those writers that can put the story aside and work on something else. The characters are alive in my head and I don’t want to lose that. They need closure, too! I’m hoping it will be available by the end of 2013.

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