Canvas Bound - Blog Tour

Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Libby Tanner’s art comes to life. Her painted skies turn from day to night, leaves rustle on trees, and sometimes, a mystery boy appears.

While attending England’s Aldridge Art Academy, Libby meets charming Brent Henderson, a performing arts student who showers her with attention. But his rival, gorgeous Dean James, is the one who occupies her mind, even though he’s very much attached to his current girlfriend.

Libby soon learns there’s more to both Brent and Dean than she ever imagined. In order to save her future and the boy who’s captured her heart, she must unlock the secrets behind her art by entering the most dangerous place of all… the world within her paintings.

But once she steps into the canvas, she risks being trapped forever.

Review:
Laura M. Kolar not only brings art to life, but threatens to bind viewers to the world behind the paint in her new novel, Canvas Bound. When Libby started painting as a young girl, she discovered a stranger traveling through her art. Now as a teenager, she may be able to help him escape.

Libby, an amazingly talented painter, is the main character in this captivating novel. Studying abroad, this art student is psychically creative, overly imaginative, loyal to those she cares about, and just to everyone around her. Readers will enjoy her clumsy demeanor and her ability to lose herself in the art she loves to create. They'll also love the mystery that she finds herself in and find themselves wishing they could help Libby solve the puzzle. Seeing a stranger in her work, cryptic warnings from other students, and a secret family history are only small clues in the grand scheme of Libby's life.

The plot of Canvas Bound is enjoyable for both mature, young readers and adult readers. The mystery of Olivia's adopted past and her artistic ability to paint living images will intrigue readers and set their imaginations into motion. (The love triangle doesn't hurt either.) However, there are adult situation and sections of mature language that aren't suitable for all audiences.

Rating: 3.5/5 Cups

Meet the Author:
Laura M. Kolar lives with her husband and daughter in a one-stop-light town in northern-lower Michigan. Though she didn’t discover her love of books until she turned thirty, as a self-declared hopeless romantic, she has spent the past few years reading and writing stories with mostly happy endings.


If she’s not at her day-job or with her family, you will find her sipping a cup of chai latte while sitting in her favorite rocking chair, hunched over her laptop writing or spending entirely too much time on Twitter.





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Blood and Snow

Snow White lives in Salem, Massachusetts with her dad, stepmother, and her cat, Gatsby. Her entire life she's been teased for her fairy tale name, and the fact that her seven best friends happen to be guys whose names begin with the same letters as the seven dwarves.

Everything changes two months before her sixteenth birthday. She's bitten by The Hunter, and transformed into a revenant—not quite human, not quite vampire.

*May Contain Spoilers*

RaShelle Workman adds a vampiric twist to the story of Snow White in her novella, the first in the series, Blood and Snow. However, this version of Snow White gives a more supernatural overtone rather than that of a fairy tale. With quirky details and the promise of vampires this opening novella has me excited.

Snow is the main character throughout the series. She's an absolute klutz who's falling in love with the boy next door. Well, one of them, since there are seven boys living in the neighboring mansion. Snow's mother died when she was young and her father and step-mother often leave her alone for long periods of time. (Yes, the step-mother sounds a little evil.) Readers will connect with her based on her teenage angst and her new found crush. However, since this first installment of the series is so short, it's hard to build upon that initial connection. 

The plot of the series isn't completely laid out in Blood and Snow, but readers do learn that the Queen Vampire has chosen Snow... for something and has already begun to change her into a vampire. This book is definitely a teaser for what's to come. Hopefully in the following novellas, Workman will build on the initial connection that she's created so that readers can have a firm bond with Snow.

Rating: 2.5/5 Cups

Blood and Snow (#1 Blood and Snow series)

Teaser Tuesday (68)

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

Protector (p.9)
   -Vanna Smythe


The shimmering darkness that separated the world in half parted for them on the first attempt. An arched doorway stood open and led into a wasteland dotted with black trees, their leafless branches ending in sharpened spikes.

Justice (Deck of Lies #1)

A House of Cards...

When you build an entire life on a foundation of lies, it only takes one truth for the whole thing to come crashing down. I never invited the truth in. I never went searching for it. I never had any reason to suspect that the two people I loved most were dishonest with me every second of every day. 

I made one bad decision, and in a single day my entire world changed. If I'm ever going to discover the truth about myself and my parents, I have to trace all the lies back to their source. I have to try to find the truth that they're hiding. 

The more I discover about myself, and my past, the more I realize that lies really are better than the truth. But now that I know the lies are all around me, I can't stop until I've discovered them all. I'll pull each lie away, one by one, and examine it to see what's underneath…until this house of cards crumbles into dust at my feet. 

I just hope I can survive the crash.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Jade Varden's first novel in the Deck of Lies series, Justice, is a tornado of chaos with crosswinds of lies and deceit. When Rain Ramey discovers that she was the victim of kidnapping when she was a baby, the life she knew was swept away. Now, as the daughter of a prominent family she must unravel the mystery behind her kidnapping and catch a murderer while adjusting to her new family. 

Rain is a great main character, surprising readers and herself as the story evolves through her point of view. Readers follow her discovery of being kidnapped and the strange emotions it brings. She's strong, persistent, and brave as she searches for the truth hidden behind the lies she's given. Readers will love her go-get-'em attitude, though her naivete, at times, is bothersome. It's easy to connect with a character when the novel is written in first person, and Varden does a wonderful job at bringing the reader into the story. 

The plot, as the first in a series, continuously builds as the pages are turned. Not only does the story revolve around Rain and her kidnapping, but it also creates a mystery when a teenage girl, who was close to her birth family, is murdered. As the story arcs into the climax, the novel ends with the promise that the story isn't even close to finished.

Rating: 4/5 Cups

Justice (Deck of Lies, #1)

Wander Dust

Ever since her sixteenth birthday, strange things keep happening to Seraphina Parrish.

The Lady in Black… burns Sera’s memories.

Unexplainable Premonitions… catapult her to other cities.

The Grungy Gang… wants to kill her.

And a beautiful, mysterious boy… stalks her.

But when Sera moves to Chicago, and her aunt reveals their family connection to a centuries old, secret society, she is immediately thrust into an unbelievable fantasy world, leading her on a quest to unravel the mysteries that plague her. In the end, their meanings crash into an epic struggle of loyalty and betrayal, and she’ll be forced to choose between the boy who has stolen her heart and the thing she desires most.

Wander Dust is the breathtaking fantasy that will catapult you through a story of time, adventure, and love.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Michelle Warren reveals the biggest secret in history with her novel, Wander Dust, that time travel does and has existed for centuries. As the main character discovers she can time travel, her entire world changes - for better and worse. 

Sera Parrish is a sixteen year old girl who craves the attention of her father. She demands that attention by acting out, unknowingly starting on a journey that will unravel her reality. As readers get to know Sera they learn that her needs are the same as their own. She wants stability, a closer family, and to be loved. Readers will connect with Sera based on her simplistic and relatable desires while they sit front seat on the roller coaster she rides. 

The plot of the novel focuses on Sera's new found ability to time travel, though she's naive on what exactly time travel means and how she does it. Wander Dust also revolves around Sera's deceased mother who passed down the genetic trait. If Sera can travel through time then she can find her mother and even possibly save her. This first book in the Seraphina Parrish Trilogy creates the path to Sera's mother, if only Sera has the will and can find the knowledge to follow it to the end. Recommended for young adult readers and those who love fantasy. 

Rating: 3/5 Cups

  

Wander Dust

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening

A deadly love triangle

Elena: beautiful and popular, the girl who can have any guy she wants.

Stefan: brooding and mysterious, desperately trying to resist his desire for Elena . . . for her own good.

Damon: sexy, dangerous, and driven by an urge for revenge against Stefan, the brother who betrayed him.

Elena finds herself drawn to both brothers . . . who will she choose?

*May Contain Spoilers* 

L.J. Smith brings vampires to the small town of Fells Church, Virginia in The Awakening, a novel that focuses on high school queen, Elena Gilbert. Stefan, the new vampire in town, is immediately drawn to her, as she resembles his first love, Katherine. There ensues a struggle to stay away from her - as she's human, but Elena has already made that decision for him.

Elena isn't exactly a likeable character, but she isn't all bad. She's selfish, egotistical, moody, and at times, very uncaring. But those traits can also be described as self-sufficient, confidant, determined, and resistant. The way Elena is portrayed is up the reader. I personally liked Elena because she spiced things up. However, some readers won't look at her this way.

Stefan is ... a hot vampire from Italy who has his own airplane full of baggage. Which is exactly what every teenage girl wants: a romantic boyfriend who she can save, breaking down the walls of his damaged heart so that she will be the one person he feels close to.

As this is a YA novel, I tried to read the book in that mindset, and it works. Smith had me quickly turning pages, reading it in less than a day.

The plot was rather stretched out, as the story doesn't wrap up. At all. The novel simply ends and, I assume, picks up with the next book in the series. The Awakening sets the stage for what will happen in future books. It has it's own plot with mysterious murders, Stefan and Elena, and Stefan's back-story, but it doesn't conclude anything. So read it with the knowledge that you'll have to keep going.

For a quick Vampire-fix, this novel was perfect. It was easy to read, easy to understand, and enjoyable as long as I thought of it from a younger person's point of view. Can't wait to read the second one.

rating: 3/5 cups

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening

on Amazon

Maid for Love

Maddie Chester is determined to leave her hometown of Gansett Island, a place that has brought her only bad memories and ugly rumors. Then she’s knocked off her bike on the way to her housekeeping job at McCarthy’s Resort Hotel by Gansett’s “favorite son,” Mac McCarthy. He’s back in town to help his father with preparations to sell the family resort and has no intention of staying long.

When Mac accidentally sends Maddie flying over the handlebars, badly injuring her, he moves in to nurse her back to health and help care for her young son. He soon realizes his plans for a hit-and-run visit to the island are in serious jeopardy, and he just may be “maid” for love. - Goodreads Blurb

*May Contain Spoilers*

Marie Force creates a modern fairy tale in her novel, Maid for Love. It's the first book in the McCarthys of Gansett Island series and if the others are as wonderful as this one, I'll no doubt be reading them. 

The main character in this novel is Maddie, whose reputation is scratched and scarred from the rumor mill of Gansett Island, which never seems to slow down. She's a true to life single mother who worries constantly about her son and their financial situation. Readers will be able to connect with her through her wrecked reputation and her desire to either rise above it or escape from it. 

Though never treated the way she deserved, Maddie is still able to walk with her head up. Force wrote her as such a strong character, connecting with her is almost instantaneous. Readers will join Maddie's side, cheering her on as she attempts to let herself feel love. Something she never had a lot of. 

The love interest of the story, Mac, is an unimaginable hero. Readers will witness how finding true love changes him completely. At times, it did seem a little far fetched, with Mac stopping at nothing to bring happiness to a woman he only knew for a day before falling head over heels. But I'm sticking to the "modern day fairy tale" label and loving it. 

Force does a wonderful job with the plot, creating and adverting disasters up to the last page. Readers will questions which disaster will threaten Maddie and Mac the most while watching their relationship strengthen with each obstacle. 

Maid for Love is an endearing love story full of passion and strength. A quick, great read when you're in the mood for a romantic comedy. Highly recommended. 

Maid for Love

on Amazon

rating: 4/5 cups

Once Bitten

"Alexa O'Brien has never been like other people. A hunter of supernatural rogues, she is a werewolf with unusual but extraordinary power. Power that draws her to Arys Knight, the mysterious vampire who awakens her dark side. What they create together is dangerous and binding, forcing her to question the source of her abilities. It threatens not only her remaining humanity, but her relationship with fellow werewolf, Shaz Richardson, as well.

When Alexa's womanizing former lover and the Alpha of her pack is framed for murder, he draws public attention that could earn him a death sentence unless she steps in to help him. Alexa would love to watch karma at work but as the body count rises, long buried secrets are exposed. She's forced to face the painful truth that not everyone is who she thinks they are."

* * 

Trina M. Lee's novel, Once Bitten, is full of suspense, mystery, and horror. This makes for a very interesting plot, but the characters fall a bit short. Readers won't find an easy connection with Alexa O'Brien. Her main attributes include being hot-headed, selfish, and a little smug. She suffers from a terrifying past, having been attacked by a werewolf at age 16. An attack that only she survived, while her family did not.

Alexa tends to hurt everyone she cares about because of her selfishness. Lee does explain that her temper aligns with her begin a werewolf, but come on... She puts herself in the middle of a love triangle with a man she only wants power from and a fellow wolf who holds her heart. Shouldn't this be an easy decision?

The plot, I must say, is very interesting. It grabs the reader from the start. Alexa is a vampire hunter for hire. She takes out the trash of the supernatural world, hoping to make it a better place. The opening scene where she and her werecat friend, Jez, are fighting a serial killing vamp hooked me. But I wanted more from the characters.

It isn't easy connecting with a supernatural character. In previous fantasy novels, what makes the character human is the main question to ask when trying to form a bond with them. However, Alexa lets her werewolf side control her, and when she gets a taste of vampire power -- that controls her even more dominantly. She does have likable qualities, they just aren't easy to pick out.

Alexa is haunted by her tragic past, and readers can relate to that because they have traumatic events that scar their histories as well. She is also torn between being human and being a wolf. That's a personality dilemma which readers can often times go through. The question, "Who Am I?" is universal. She's also very "in-the-moment." Alexa thinks little of consequences and how she'll have to deal with the outcome. Readers will sympathize with her on these actions, because they've experienced similar situations.

Once Bitten is the first novel in the Alexa O'Brien series. Entertaining is a definite descriptor for this novel, though whether I'll read the next one is still up in the air.

Once Bitten 

on Amazon

rating: 3/5 cups

Entangled (Spellbound #1)

"Twin witches Graylee and Charlene Perez agree on one rule: No dating warlocks. Not so easy when a certain rogue warlock is convinced he and Graylee belong together and will use anything, including magic, to try and impress Gray. When Charlene's boyfriend dumps her, she threatens to kill either herself or the girl who stole Blake. Somehow, Gray ends up dead.

A Resurrection Spell Gone Wrong

Two months after dying, Gray wakes up in Charlene's body. As a witch, can anyone blame her mother for attempting to bring her daughter back to life? Only now Gray's stuck sharing her sister's body 50/50 in twenty-four hour shifts. The race is on for Gray to find a way back inside her own body before Charlene purges her from existence. Raj McKenna is rumored to meddle in the black arts, not to mention he's after Gray's invisibility spell and worse - her heart. But Raj might be the only one powerful enough to save Gray from fading away forever." - Amazon Blurb

* *

Nikki Jefford's first entry in the Spellbound series, Entangled, is an enchantment that readers will love. Not to mention, they won't be able to put it down. The bond between readers and characters begin to form throughout this novel, and will only increase in strength with the following installments. 

Graylee is your typical teenage witch. Perhaps a little on the selfish side, but not as bad as her twin sister, Charlene. She's the easiest character to connect with because most of the novel is told from her point of view. Readers will find themselves wanting to help Gray get her life back, after she mysteriously dies at age 17 and her mother brings her back. The mission to separate Graylee from her twin's body evolves into a necessity to reclaim her life, as she realizes that her sister has been keeping her subdued. 

Charlene is the character that readers will love to dislike. She's incredibly selfish, superficial, and controlling. She's also using her magic, as a young witch, to outshine her sister. But how far would she really go to be the more popular and loved twin... perhaps the only twin? 

The narrator, other than Gray, is Raj. He's a warlock with a bad boy reputation and his sights are set on Graylee. He'll do anything to help her and readers will come to see that what's underneath the bad boy persona isn't what they expect. A strong connection will form between readers and Raj, as his back story comes to light, and will (hopefully) continue through the next book in the series. 

Entangled (Spellbound #1)

on Amazon

rating: 4/5 cups

A Cinderella Twist

Reading through all of the classic love stories like Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, and Beauty and the Beast (yes, the book), have you ever wondered what it would be like to live them? Experience the magic first hand?

Nicole Jordan has dreamed of exactly that, but on her own terms.

In the first novel of the Legendary Love series, Princess Charming, Jordan re-writes the story of Cinderella. The classic elements remain the same - however, a very different twist has been placed upon the unsuspecting characters.

Maura meets the requirements for playing Cinderella and Ash is definitely a Prince Charming, but the story is closer to reality, leaving out the fairies and magic wands.

The greatest thing about this novel is that Maura is the headstrong, do-it-yourself kind of girl that rejects the label "damsel in distress." Even if she may fall into the role on accident a few times... She's modern and self-sufficient, which doesn't sit well with all of her co-historical romance characters. But the inner fight and love of life burns through her being making Maura a wonderful character to get to know and connect with.

Honestly, I can't wait for the next installment in this series. :) And after you read this book, you'll feel the same way. Promise.

Princess Charming on Amazon

rating: 4/5 cups

Elderly Citizen turns Crime-Stopper

Ivy Malone is a church going elderly lady and an upstanding citizen. But when a close friend is murdered, Ivy decides to take things upon herself to help track down a killer. Traveling across state lines, checking up on old aliases, and piecing the clues together may sound like too much for an aging woman, but Ivy isn't giving up.

 * *

Invisible, by Lorena McCourtney, is an absolute whirlwind of elderly detective-ness that had me laughing out loud. The writing style was delightfully unique with a charm that my grandmother would be proud of. The plot was decidedly put together, but wasn't easily predicted (which was wonderful!). The twists that McCourtney strategically placed in her novel created a maze with hidden corridors that demanded the perfect clues before allowing entry. 

Ivy Malone was a great, deeply real character who could, in all actuality, be living next door to me. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical at the beginning of the novel - thinking that an elderly woman could be a crime stopping detective. Needless to say, by the middle of the novel (perhaps even before that) McCourtney had me overly convinced. Her spin on the mystery genre was refreshing, engaging, and definitely entertaining. 

When you get a chance, perhaps on another rainy Thursday, pick this book up and spend the day with Ivy. You will not regret the journey she takes you on, and you may even want to read the sequel... :)

 Invisible on Amazon

rating: 5/5 cups