Wednesday, April 27, 2016

What's Next, Wednesday (2)

 
  • To play along share a book you've been looking forward to reading, whether it's new or has been on your reading list for a while.
28966786

I'm looking forward to...
 
The Thing Is by Kathleen Gerard.
 
Writers from Red Adept never let me down. In this new novel, struggles with depression after the death of her fiancé. By agreeing to puppy-sit a little terrier, Meredith unexpectedly begins the road to acceptance. I'm hoping it ill be an uplifting and inspiring read. 

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Teaser Tuesday (209)

TeaserTuesdays2014e

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm/Books and a Beat. 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


25834601
Mabel Crowley (2% Kindle)
     - E.H. Nolan

Mabel Crowley hated her name. Oh, "Mabel" was alright; it was "Crowley" that displeased her so. Whenever she heard it spoken aloud, she pictured someone so wrinkled and old, it would be necessary to stare as one would at a confusing painting in order to determine whether or not the massive wrinkle could ever have been considered a woman.

Friday, April 22, 2016

Breakable (Contours of the Heart #2)

17936925As a child, Landon Lucas Maxfield believed his life was perfect and looked forward to a future filled with promise — until tragedy tore his family apart and made him doubt everything he ever believed.

All he wanted was to leave the past behind. When he met Jacqueline Wallace, his desire to be everything she needed came so easy…

As easy as it could be for a man who learned that the soul is breakable and that everything you hoped for could be ripped away in a heartbeat.

*May Contain Spoilers*
 
Welcome to the other side of the story.
 
Breakable, by Tammara Webber, is a retelling of the first book in the Contours of the Heart series, Easy, but from a different character's point of view. With Easy we trailed Jacqueline as she was sexually assaulted and dealing with the terrifying ramifications while falling for Lucas. With Breakable, readers follow Landon Lucas. What makes it even more interesting is that the book is split into before and after. Before his mother's death and after his mother's death. The before is labeled with Landon, as he went by his first name back then. The after (or the present) is depicted by Lucas. Readers who have read Easy will be better equipped to understand the importance of this break in character, though new readers will come to comprehend the heaviness of these labels.
 
The sections that focus on Landon tell the story of a young man who feels he failed to protect his mother and the downward spiral that Landon falls into. He becomes withdrawn and is labeled an outcast. He turns to fighting to escape, tattoos for self-expression, and piercings to keep people at a distance. Landon finds himself using drugs, alcohol, and girls to get away from his guilt. Readers will witness all of this first hand and it's heart breaking. This side of the story will deepen the connection readers already had for Landon if they read the first book, and it will create an incredibly strong foundation for those who haven't.
 
In the present, readers go through the whole story of Lucas meeting and saving and falling in love with Jacqueline. Though there isn't as much terror on this side of the story (because Landon is not the one being stalked and attacked) the action is still there. Readers see how Landon's childhood influenced his adulthood and the connection with him couldn't be stronger. The language use in this book definitely assigns it to the college age demographic, though the story will undoubtedly reach anyone who reads it. This love story is a bridge that connects the past with the present. A story of believing in yourself to be brave and strong and keep moving even when everything has crashed down around you.
 
It's inspiring, terrifying, hopeful and heartbreaking.
 
Rating: 4.5/5 Cups


Read the review of Easy!

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Wytchfire (Dragonkin Trilogy #1)

20935130In a land haunted by the legacy of dead dragons, Rowen Locke has been many things: orphan, gravedigger, mercenary. All he ever wanted was to become a Knight of Crane and wield a kingsteel sword against the kind of grown horrors his childhood knows all too well.

But that dream crumbled—replaced by a new nightmare.
War is overrunning the realms, an unprecedented duel of desire and revenge, steel and sorcery. And for one disgraced man who would be a knight, in a world where no one is blameless, the time has come to decide which side he’s on.


*May Contain Spoilers*
 
The war is coming and it brings The Nightmare with it. Michael Meyerhofer writes of a land separated by races with grudges and myths that have lasted too long in his novel, Wytchfire, the first in the Dragonkin Trilogy. As cities are destroyed by a beast made of smoke that burns through everything it touches, one down-trodden man may be the key to stopping it.
 
Rowen Locke followed in his brother's footsteps to become a Knight on the Lotus Isles, only to be kicked out before he received his Knighthood with no reason as to why. Though being raised in the slums of Lyos, and working as a mercenary and a sellsword may have something to do with it. Rowen is an incredible character. He's loyal, brave, true to himself, and has outstanding morals. Readers will know that he's the key to stopping this magic takeover before he does. Rowen is open-minded and nice in a world that doesn't appreciate those attributes. He risks his life over and over again to prove that there are things more important than glory and pride, which gains him both in the process.
 
The story begins with Rowen being mugged and beaten up by a couple of ruffians after he's kicked off the Lotus Isles. This sets him on a path toward Jalist, an old friend, who tells him about The Throng, an army hiring sellswords and sweeping across the lands to take over everything. Though there's more at work here than just that. Rowen refuses to join Jalist and instead runs into a man who changes his life by giving Rowen a legendary sword without any knowledge of its importance. Between the sword and Silwren, a beautiful wytch, combined with Rowen's bravery, the city of Lyos may have a chance. Wytchfire is an adventurous book full of magic and death, love and life, rebellion and salvation. However, it's just the beginning. And the end foretells much more to come.
 
Rating: 4/5 Cups

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

What's Next, Wednesday (1)

  • To play along just share a book you've been looking forward to reading, whether it's new or has been on your reading list for a while.
 
17936925
I'm looking forward to... 

Breakable by Tammara Webber

After reading Easy in one fell swoop I, sadly, went to sell it back to the used book store only to find that there was another one! And it sounds like it will be from Lucas' point of view. I've been looking forward to this retelling of the original story for a few weeks now. I'm interested to see what Lucas saw when Jackie wasn't there or wasn't looking.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Teaser Tuesday (208)

TeaserTuesdays2014e

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm/Books and a Beat. 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


20935130

Wytchfire (Kindle 78%)
   - Michael Meyerhofer

The violet campfire flickered but did not go out. In a voice little more than a whisper, Shade said, "I wonder how it happened. How we became monsters." He sat again, pulling up his hood against the rain.

Friday, April 15, 2016

The Twelfth Enchantment

10425771Lucy Derrick is a young woman of good breeding and poor finances. After the death of her beloved father, she is forced to maintain a shabby dignity as the unwanted boarder of her tyrannical uncle, fending off marriage to a local mill owner. But just as she is on the cusp of accepting a life of misery, events take a stunning turn when a handsome stranger—the poet and notorious rake Lord Byron—arrives at her house, stricken by what seems to be a curse, and with a cryptic message for Lucy. Suddenly her unfortunate circumstances are transformed in ways at once astonishing and seemingly impossible.

With the world undergoing an industrial transformation, and with England on the cusp of revolution, Lucy is drawn into a dangerous conspiracy in which her life, and her country’s future, are in the balance. Inexplicably finding herself at the center of cataclysmic events, Lucy is awakened to a world once unknown to her: where magic and mortals collide, and the forces of ancient nature and modern progress are at war for the soul of England . . . and the world. The key to victory may be connected to a cryptic volume whose powers of enchantment are unbounded. Now, challenged by ruthless enemies with ancient powers at their command, Lucy must harness newfound mystical skills to prevent catastrophe and preserve humanity’s future. And enthralled by two exceptional men with designs on her heart, she must master her own desires to claim the destiny she deserves.
 
*May Contain Spoilers*
 
The Twelfth Enchantment by David Liss is completely captivating with mesmerizing prose and unexpected surprises. The characters are motivated and mysterious, leaving the reader to wonder exactly who is to be trusted and who is to be beaten. David Liss bases this novel upon history, weaving facts together and sprinkling it with magic.
 
Lucy is the central character of this novel, with everything depending upon her. At the beginning of the novel, readers see Lucy as a young lady who is out of luck. With one mistake, she was cast out of good graces. Then after her father's death she was sent to live with her Uncle, who despises her. Engaged to be married to a man she does not like, let alone love, readers will sympathetically connect with Lucy. Their hope will blossom as hers does when it's revealed that she has the innate power to conduct magic. Here she finds her saving grace, as magic promises to aid her in her escape to a better life. However, before she can find that, she must 'gather the leaves' as Lord Byron tells her. Lucy isn't sure what is happening around her but the Luddites are destroying mills while machines take away the livelihoods of English citizens and it is she that is called to fight. As Lucy advances in her magic, she becomes a strong, brave, courageous woman who stands tall in the face of danger and death.
 
Though Lucy is the main character, Lord Byron and Mr. Morrison were also great support. Lord Byron as a character is the reason I picked up this book and added it to my reading list. He's arrogant and lovely and beautiful all while being helpful and manipulative and two-faced. Basically he's a conundrum that creates a lot of fun within the novel. Mr. Morrison is the man who ruined Lucy's reputation, but readers learn there is much more to that story. Jonas Morrison is a fighter for England. He's brave and loving but emotionally scarred. It's always wonderful to find a book that has an exemplary main character as well as fantastic supporting characters, not to mention a superb writing style. Lovers of fantasy, magic, and 'save-the-world' stories will lose themselves in The Twelfth Enchantment.
 
Rating: 4.5/5 Cups


Wednesday, April 13, 2016

WWW Wednesday (198)

To play along just answer these three questions:

[x] What are you currently reading?

[x] What have you recently finished?

[x] What are you reading next?




10425771     27861558     20935130

01. Currently Reading:
The Twelfth Enchantment by David Liss. Lucy Derrick has been shunned the past four years because of one mistake. But, now, her reputation is shifting to one of magic and enchantments. Just started this book yesterday and I'm already in over my head.

02. Recently Finished:
Suddenly Spellbound by Erica Lucke Dean. Quick, easy read about a new sorceress whose father made a marriage arrangement before her birth. Ivie is determined to get out of it though. Somehow.

03. Reading Next:
Wytchfire by Micahel Meyerhofer. A new fantasy novel about dragons and war and all that wonderful stuff. Can't wait to start this adventure, the first in a trilogy.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Suddenly Spellbound

27861558Kindergarten-teacher-slash-sorceress Ivie McKie has officially sworn off magic. With her father back from the dead—just in time for her upcoming wedding to sexy former magician Jackson Blake—Ivie has plotted a course straight to happily-ever-after-ville. And she won’t let anything get in her way this time.

But Daddy Dearest has something sneaky up his sleeve. When “just one more spell” goes horribly wrong and detours her into the path of her father’s dangerously hot new apprentice, Ivie has to scramble to get the magic… and her love life… back on track.

Along the way, she encounters a promise made before she was born, a clan of Scottish sorcerers in kilts, and yet another goat.

*May Contain Spoilers*
 
Erica Lucke Dean writes a fun, laugh out loud, story of seduction, spells, and prenuptial agreements in Suddenly Spellbound. I didn't read the first book, Suddenly Sorceress, but that didn't detract from the novel. Ivie is a young woman who can't seem to stay out of trouble - fires, explosions, sprinkler systems... Not to mention, the FBI. Readers will enjoy watching Ivie as she dodges dangerous situations and tries to keep her magic under control.
 
Ivie McKie is a sorceress whose magic had been blocked most of her life by her father. The same father that accidentally turned himself into a dog and then a cat. Since Ivie's new to the whole 'magic' thing, she doesn't know the rules of society. Especially the part about arranged marriages. Readers will really like Ivie, simultaneously feeling sorry for her and being jealous of her ability to make two smexy men fall for her. (I use the term smexy as a mix of smoking hot and sexy). Ivie is a girl who wants her happily-ever-after and will fight to get it. Though it's hard to fight against someone who's put a spell on you! I'm sure the first book laid a strong foundation for a reader/character connection with Ivie but this book creates that all by itself. The mayhem and madness only add to the excitement, making lovers of chic-lit unable to put it down. The only thing I didn't like about Ivie is her assumption that lying will protect her. And she learns that lesson the hard way.
 
The plot begins with a simple favor for Ivie's dad. But readers will soon realize that nothing is simple when it comes to Angus. After he puts a binding spell on Ivie (one that he doesn't quite finish due to broken glass), Ivie becomes uncontrollably attracted to Liam though she knows she's in love with Jack, her fiancé. But years ago, Angus made a promise. A promise that demands Ivie's hand in marriage. Maybe a little magic can get her out of this heap of trouble she suddenly finds herself in... but then again... maybe someone will end up as a goat. If that doesn't make you want to read Suddenly Spellbound, I don't know what will. Oh wait! Magical viagra??
 
Rating: 3.5/5 Cups


Teaser Tuesday (207)

TeaserTuesdays2014e

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm/Books and a Beat. 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


27861558

Suddenly Spellbound (71% Kindle)
    - Erica Lucke Dean

I didn't think there were enough pieces of my heart left to break, but I was wrong. I couldn't be there to see the disappointment in her eyes when she realized I'd given up.

Monday, April 11, 2016

Sleeper Protocol

28456841Kieran Roark awakens in a wheelchair, unable to remember anything. As part of a classified experiment, he will have one year to learn his identity and recover his memory, or he will be euthanized by the state.

Scientist Berkeley Bennett has one mission: manipulate Kieran’s emotions in an attempt to bring back his memory. But when she falls in love with him, she is forced to make a harrowing decision that may cost Kieran his life.

What Kieran knows could save Earth from a coming war. Whether he believes the future is worth saving is another matter. Racing across an unfamiliar world in a body he does not recall, Kieran needs to discover who he was and, more importantly, who he is.


*May Contain Spoilers*
 
Kevin Ikenberry writes of a future that is peaceful after many years of war, death, and alien invasion in his book Sleeper Protocol. However, some people think that the peace will only last as long as it takes the next wave of alien invaders to reach Earth. Those people want to prepare the world to fight, an action that most have forgotten. And that is exactly where Sleepers come into play.
 
Kieran is the main character of this novel, though readers don't know his name and neither does he. He's the first Sleeper to be awakened for a program that brings soldiers back from the dead in a new and improved replicated body. This is a unique situation because readers get to experience and learn who Kieran is at the same rate that he does. He's on a journey of discovery and readers get to witness him reuniting with himself. This platform creates a strong foundation for a character connection. Especially since he was woken up to save the world. Kieran was a hero in his former life and the people of the future need that heroism. Though Kieran is a bit naïve, falling in love quickly and being too trusting of those around him, he's a good man. He's honest, open, and very loyal.
 
The plot of Sleeper Protocol is like nothing I've ever read about before. Three hundred years into the future, aliens have invaded, flying cars are everywhere, and peace is abundant but on the verge of collapse. The Defense Counsel needs to awaken soldiers from the past in order to inspire the population to fight for their planet. A new experiment has begun in which deceased soldiers are awakened and given a walkabout - a time to find out who they are and integrate. Kieran is the first and he's under heavy observation. Berkeley is sent to make an emotional connection with Kieran in order to promote his integration. Unexpectedly they fall in love, compromising the mission. Also unexpectedly, the Artificial Intelligence embedded in Kieran's brain begins to think she's alive and fights back. Though I fully enjoyed the story, some of the explanations of protocol and missions and technological processes were confusing. It took a bit of the fun away from the story. My favorite part of the novel was Kieran's innate guidance to return to where he originally came from. I found the fact that home transcended death fascinating and original. Sleeper Protocol is a high stakes novel that fights for survival and promises a sequel.
 
Rating: 3/5 Cups

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Cover Reveal - Tuned Into You

Today, I'm stoked to be hosting Cindy Dorminy for the cover reveal of her young adult romance Tuned Into You! Stay tuned for your chance to win a $25 iTunes gift card!

Here's a little bit about Cindy herself:

Cindy Dorminy grew up on a steady diet of popcorn (the kind you pop in a sauce pan), Tab (pre-Diet Coke), and movies for teenagers. She can’t let a day go by without quoting a line from one of her favorite films, so quirky dialogue is a must in her stories. When she’s not at her research coordinator day job, Cindy is writing funny love stories, walking her dog, or slinging iron the old-fashioned way. She shares her house with her musician husband, her awesome daughter, and a cool, four-footed child that would eat all the cheese If she could figure out how to open the refrigerator. Cindy is a member of Romance Writers of America and Music City Romance Writers. She resides in Nashville, TN where live music can be heard everywhere, even at the grocery store.

Find her online!



Add Tuned Into You to your Goodreads TBR list!

And now...


The Cover!



Isn't it gorgeous? Anita at Race-point did the artwork, and she's one of the best in the business! 

Preorder Your Copy Today!



Giveaway


Wednesday, April 6, 2016

WWW Wednesday (197)

To play along just answer these three questions:

[x] What are you currently reading?

[x] What have you recently finished?

[x] What are you reading next?




28456841     12704827     27861558

01. Currently Reading:
Sleeper Protocol by Kevin Ikenberry. Intense beginning! A man wakes up with no name, no memory, after 200 years or so. And his only mission is to find out who he is before the time is up on his experiment.

02. Recently Finished:
The House of Velvet and Glass by Katherine Howe. Wonderfully written novel about a family who endures tragedy and the curse of being able to see the future.

03. Reading Next:
Suddenly Spellbound by Erica Lucke Dean. A book promised to be fun and full of sorcery! Ivie is about to be married when her father comes back from the dead and needs one last spell which messes up everything Ivie has planned.

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Teaser Tuesday (206)

TeaserTuesdays2014e

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm/Books and a Beat. 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

28456841
Sleeper Protocol (Kindle 8%)
   - Kevin Ikenberry

More awaited me than flying cars, phytomechanical gardens, and the sense that I'd been asleep for a long time. I was alive, and whatever they wanted me to discover, I could find it.

I might not like what I would find out, but I had to know.

Saturday, April 2, 2016

The House of Velvet and Glass

13543901Still reeling from the deaths of her mother and sister on the Titanic, Sibyl Allston is living a life of quiet desperation with her taciturn father and scandal-plagued brother in an elegant town house in Boston’s Back Bay. Trapped in a world over which she has no control, Sibyl flees for solace to the parlor of a table-turning medium.

But when her brother is suddenly kicked out of Harvard under mysterious circumstances and falls under the sway of a strange young woman, Sibyl turns for help to psychology professor Benton Derby, despite the unspoken tensions of their shared past. As Benton and Sibyl work together to solve a harrowing mystery, their long-simmering spark flares to life, and they realize that there may be something even more magical between them than a medium’s scrying glass.

From the opium dens of Boston’s Chinatown to the opulent salons of high society, from the back alleys of colonial Shanghai to the decks of the Titanic, The House of Velvet and Glass weaves together meticulous period detail, intoxicating romance, and a final shocking twist that will leave readers breathless.

*May Contain Spoilers*
 
The House of Velvet and Glass, by Katherine Howe, is an enchanting tale of a family secret, or perhaps a curse. Heavy in beautiful, articulate prose, readers will be swept away in the waves of this novel. Set in three different times, this book shows readers a haunted glimpse into the scrying glass.
 
Sybil Allston is the main character of this novel, as everything revolves around and leads back to her. She's twenty-seven years old, considered a spinster in the eyes of 1915 Boston, and lives at home with her father who is well into his years. Sybil is a bit nervous and naïve, but has a wonderful streak of stubbornness. She's a curious creature who believes in the ability to reach the beyond though she's weighed down with guilt. When her mother and sister were killed on the Titanic, Sybil was heartbroken but also glad that she hadn't been with them. She was glad that she survived. Now she has many qualms about her life. Are her loved ones angry with her from the beyond? Are they still with her? Can they be reached? Readers will enjoy Sybil's journey to discovering her gift, and what that means for her. They will connect with Sybil through her loss and understand her desire to reach them. She will gain the respect of readers even though an eyebrow may be raised in surprise at her tactics.
 
Readers will also make connections with Helen, Sybil's mother, and Eulah, her sister, as they bear witness of their last night on the doomed Titanic. Helen is a hopeful mother who loves her husband dearly. Eulah is a flippant girl who's obsessed with parties, excitement, fashion, and being at center of it all. Though she will win the hearts of readers with her hopeful demeanor. Harlan, Sybil's brother, will gain readers sympathies as he fights against the rules of society by falling in love with an actress. And Lan, Sybil's father, will gain limitless understanding and sympathy when readers learn of his secret.
 
The plot of this novel begins with Sybil and her séance circle, where Sybil receives a scrying glass. Then, when her brother is kicked out of school for unknown reasons, she reconnects with an old love, Benton Derby. With a little push, Professor Friend and Derby convince her to take them to her séance leader to settle an argument. This ultimately leads to Sybil using the scrying glass and discovering that she has the power, within the right circumstances, to see the future, which throws her whole world into an uproar. While readers read of Helen and Eulah aboard the Titanic, Sybil in present tense reaching the beyond, and Lan Allston discovering his power in 1886, they will be suspended in swirls of dread and hope. The ending is ambiguously clear, leaving me with two questions. Did Eulah know that she would die on the Titanic? And did Lan Allston write Le Sang de Morphee, the only book on scrying? Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys historical fiction laced with love and supernatural happenings.
 
Rating: 4/5 Cups