Sunday

Series Spotlight, Guest Post & Giveaway : Christine Wenrick's THE CHARMED TRILOGY (PNR)

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Book Series Blurbs

THE CHARMED
The Charmed Trilogy, Book 1

“This has to be a dream.  This has to be a dream.  This has to be a dream.”

Olivia Ann Greyson sees only one future for herself – to compose and perform the music she has loved since she was a child.  But that future changes in an instant when a commuter train taking her to the city crashes and is attacked by, unbelievably, a coven of vampires!  As the rabid creatures feed their thirst on the surviving passengers, Olivia is spared from an unthinkable fate because of the intervention of another vampire – Caleb Wolfe, a figure from her past who, for reasons he doesn’t understand himself, would do anything to protect her.

After one familiar touch, Olivia recognizes the man behind the vampire.  Soon love and a powerful supernatural connection begins to grow between them.  But with that connection Olivia starts to notice startling changes happening within herself, and violent events make it clear that the vampire coven which wanted her the night of the train crash won’t stop until they have her.

Time is running out for Olivia and Caleb to discover why all this is happening.  And the answers they find may painfully tear their new found love apart.

THE CHARMED will be on sale for ONLY $0.99 from May 13 - 27 on:
Amazon, Smashwords, BN.com and The iBookstore.


THE CHARMED SOULS
The Charmed Trilogy, Book 2

“It was the blood!  The blood was somehow doing this to me!”

Olivia Ann Greyson is a Charmer, a Dhampir with the power to lure the supernatural world’s most dangerous of creatures – and she’s in an impossible situation. She must leave behind Caleb Wolfe, the strong, protective vampire she has fallen madly in love with, in order to learn how to protect herself from the vampires, shifters and demons that will be drawn to her for the rest of her life.
Human Guardian, Alec Lambert, has been assigned to see to Olivia’s training by the organization he belongs to, which is known simply as The Brethren. He takes Olivia to the group’s stronghold in the mountainous regions of Alberta, Canada, where she discovers the answers to her family’s painful past and the extent to which those hunting her will go to capture her. But she also uncovers many secrets and even more questions about this mysterious group she has trusted to protect her – secrets that will have her fighting to get back to the man she left behind.

. . . but will it be too late?

Available now on Amazon, Smashwords, BN.com and The iBookstore.


THE CHARMED FATES
The Charmed Trilogy, Book 3

“You think you know him better than I do?  Interesting . . . and so boringly human.”

Over a year has passed since Olivia Ann Greyson discovered that she is a Charmer, a Dhampir fated to be part of the violent supernatural world that surrounds our human one. In that time, she has strengthened herself physically, learned of her family’s secret past, and found a deep and abiding love with the strongest man she has ever met, Daywalker Caleb Wolfe. But Olivia’s biggest challenge still lies ahead of her . . .

Dark vampire lord Luther Davin has been obsessed with capturing Olivia so he can use her special gifts for his own reasons. As Caleb and Olivia try to make a new life together with their coven, the Nightwalker’s attempts to capture her only intensify and inadvertently bring an unwelcome visitor from Caleb’s past barging back into his life.

She is Caelestis—Celeste to the modern world—and she claims to be Caleb’s first and rightful mate. Although Olivia has grown confident and secure in her relationship with Caleb, she soon realizes that Celeste sees herself as no less than a goddess among mere mortals and will stop at nothing to get Caleb back—which means Olivia herself must die!

When these two threats collide and fate steps in to pull Olivia away from her new family, will she be ready for her darkest hour and her greatest battle?

Available now on Amazon, Smashwords 
Author Bio

Christine is a graduate of Washington State University where she received a BA in Interior Design. And true to form of using mostly her ‘right brain’, she splits her time between her commercial design career and her imaginary world of writing. She lives in the scenic Pacific Northwest where she enjoys hiking, camping and photographing many of the wonderful places that served as inspiration for her Charmed Trilogy. Her biggest reward in life is any given day when one of her books connects with a reader because she herself is such a lover of reading. Some of her favorite authors include Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, and Kimberly Derting.



To keep up on all the latest information about Christine and her books, visit her website or you can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.
~Giveaway~

Christine is giving away a $50.00 Amazon Gift Card and a signed copy of The Charmed 
to one lucky winner that follows the tour

*To enter, please fill out the rafflecopter below 
Tour Info


Christine Wenrick's The Charmed Trilogy Tour Schedule
May 13 - 27

5/13- Book Monster Reviews (guest post)

5/13- My Reading Obsession (guest post & review)

5/14- Ramblings From This Chick  (guest post)

5/14- HEA Romances With A Little Kick (series spotlight & reviews)

5/15- Red Hot Books (interview and reviews)

5/16- Book Lovin' Mamas  (interview, series spotlight and reviews)

5/17- Romance Junkies (interviews)

5/17- Froggarita's Book Case ( series spotlight, excerpt & reviews)

5/18- Mad Hatter Reads  (guest post)

5/18- Reading Between the Wines  (guest post)

5/19- Toot's Books Reviews (series spotlight & reviews)

5/20- Cocktails and Books (interview & reviews)

5/20- Salacious Reads (Series Spotlight)

5/21- Salacious Reads (Review, Book 1)

5/21- Buffy's Ramblings  (guest post)

5/21- GraveTells  (guest post)
  
5/22- Paranormal Book Club (series spotlight)

5/22- Reader Girls (guest post & reviews)

5/22- Salacious Reads (Review, Book 2)

5/23- Vampires, Werewolves & Fairies Oh My!  (guest post)

5/23- Salacious Reads (Review, Book 1)

5/24- Riverina Romantics  (guest post)

5/25- The Reading Cafe  (guest post & reviews)

5/26- The Jeep Diva  (interview & reviews)

5/27- Books-n-Kisses (series spotlight)

5/27- Bookin' It Reviews (series spotlight)



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Friday

ARC Review : A Kiss of Blood by Pamela Palmer (UF)



 Book Blurb

A Kiss of Blood

Book Two in Vamp City Series

One of the few humans who managed to escape the deadly twilight world of Vamp City, Quinn Lennox vows to never return. But the vampires want her back, for only she has the power to renew the magic of their crumbling world–and free the vampires trapped within.

 When the handsome, dangerous, and all too seductive Arturo Mazza comes for her, Quinn knows she can never trust him after the betrayal she suffered at his hands. But with her beloved brother’s fate hanging in the balance, and her own power beginning to emerge, she chooses to risk all on yet another perilous journey back to Vamp City. And though she tries to deny it, her heart begins to hold hope that even a ruthless vampire can learn the meaning of true love….
 Book Excerpt from pamelapalmer.net

Toot's Review

Kiss of Blood is the second novel in Pamela Palmer's new series Vamp City. This book picks up almost immediately after the first book, A Blood Seduction, left off but unlike the first book, this book has moved on from world building and is more story based. Now that the main character, Quinn, has escaped Vamp City with her brother in tow, she soon discovers that unfortunately, sometimes when you think you're free, you really aren't. As she tries to return her life back to normal, even having wine and dessert with her new hunky neighbor, she quickly realizes that she is still being hunted and worst of all, her brother has fallen ill due to magic poisoning.  What is a girl/sorceress to do? Well, what it means is, she needs to go back to Vamp City, to save her brother from magic poisoning, to find his lady love Lily and to fix this problem once and for all but this time, she's prepared. With the help of some very unlikely friends, she finds herself back in Vamp City and ready to save the world, literally.

As I stated above, this story is a continuation of the journey that Quinn finds herself on. Basically this is the prep book for the mega battle to come, if that makes sense? The first book showed the evil side of Vamp City and this one shows the better parts, mainly the people who will help Quinn on her quest. If I had to label the book, I guess it would be the "Team Building and Strategy" book. Pamela does a great job of explaining the world as the reader needs it and the book does move the story forward but I wouldn't necessarily say it would be a good stand alone book.

With all that being said, I did enjoy the book immensely. I loved the first one and was eager to read the second. I would probably say that this is a great stepping stone to a, hopefully, truly awesome book to come when the characters are ready and it seems like they are well on their way. It's full of suspense, action, kick ass women, hot vampy guys and magic. If you want something dark and wholly unique, I'd definitely give Pamela Palmer's Vamp City Series a try.

4 out of 5 books

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Guest Post & Interview : The Heiresses by Allison Rushby (NA/HR)

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Book Blurb

In Allison Rushby's Heiresses, three triplets--estranged since birth--are thrust together in glittering 1926 London to fight for their inheritance, only to learn they can’t trust anyone--least of all each other.

When three teenage girls, Thalia, Erato and Clio, are summoned to the excitement of fast-paced London--a frivolous, heady city full of bright young things--by Hestia, an aunt they never knew they had, they are shocked to learn they are triplets and the rightful heiresses to their deceased mother's fortune. All they need to do is find a way to claim the fortune from their greedy half-brother, Charles. But with the odds stacked against them, coming together as sisters may be harder than they think.


Purchase
Guest Post

Crashing Downton Abbey

You can always pick people's happiest memories by the photos they stick up as backgrounds on their desktops. One of my happiest memories from the year my family and I spent living in Cambridgeshire happened quite by accident, but now takes pride of place when I start up my laptop each morning.

Knowing we would only be living in England for a year, we were active weekend and holiday travelers. On this occasion, we had just spent the weekend in Oxford and were on our way back home to our converted flour mill beside a lock in the little village of Buckden (yes, the word 'idyllic' springs to mind…).

I was, and still am, a huge Downton Abbey fan and remembered reading that the village scenes were shot in a real village in Oxfordshire.  Thus, before we set off home, we planned a quick detour to the village of Bampton.

Before long, we reached the outskirts of the village, which was when we began to see little neon production signs – all sorts of arrows and codes directing the production team to different surrounding fields and areas. It was a cold Sunday in February and already quiet on the roads, but it became quieter still as we navigated our way into the village itself, because it started to snow in a very nasty, rainy, sleety kind of way (sorry, Australians aren't great at describing these things. Let's put it this way: you were far better off being at the pub). By the time we got to the heart of the village, it was truly miserable weather.

Even before we parked the car, my mouth was on the floor. There was the church, complete with huge cameras wrapped up in red plastic and security guards sitting in their cars out front. There was Downton Cottage Hospital, complete with its sign. There was the pub. And the post office. The highlight, however, had to be the white bunting, strung up all over the village. Someone was getting married, I realised!

As my husband and two children looked on, somewhat amused, I spent the next hour running around like an absolute mad thing in the sleet, insisting they take my photo in front of this and in front of that. They put up with me for some time. Until the point where I insisted on having my photo taken on the stairs of the portable female loos, because Dame Maggie had probably been there.

Yes, we all froze half to death, but it was worth it (or at least I thought it was…) for those desktop photos that will last forever!
Q & A

The Heiresses Q&A

Q. Where did you get the inspiration for The Heiresses?

A. This is extremely embarrassing, but I think it was actually from watching a Dr Phil show, years ago. I can't say too much as it will spoil the plot completely, but I saw a segment that involved a family and their genetic makeup and asked my husband (a medical specialist) about it all that evening. This led me to wondering how this family's scenario might have played out if genetic testing was not available to them, which is the case in The Heiresses, set in 1920s London.

Q. What other novels in the New Adult genre would you compare The Heiresses to?

A. I think the obvious comparison is Anna Godbersen's The Luxe series, because of the historical setting and the saga-like plot. I love all her books!

Q. What's The Heiresses about?
A. The Heiresses revolves around triplets Thalia, Erato and Clio. Estranged since birth, they are thrust together in glittering 1926 London to fight for their inheritance. They quickly learn they can't trust anyone in their new lives – least of all each other.
I had an absolute ball writing The Heiresses with all its dramatic highs and lows. I was even lucky enough to be living in Cambridge at the time, so had the advantage of being able to research in London whenever I needed to.

Q. Who are your favourite authors?

A. My very favourite author is P.G. Wodehouse. So much so that for Christmas I received the five book The Jeeves Omnibus set because I'd worn my old five book set out! Some other favourites are Stella Gibbons and anything at all Mitford.

Q. How long did it take to you to complete The Heiresses?

A. The Heiresses was a little different for me because it was contracted from only a short writing sample and a series guide. I wrote it very quickly, in under nine months (altogether, it's roughly 120,000 words). Usually I wouldn't be anywhere near this fast!

Q. What was the hardest part about writing The Heiresses?

A. The most difficult part was the historical research. Although I love to read historical books and watch documentaries and historical dramas on TV, I hadn't actually written anything historical before. When I started writing, I found myself stopping after every second sentence or so to research this point and that point. After a while, I realised I had to write on and put little 'x' signs where I needed to research and go back later to do all my research in one session, or I'd never get anywhere!

Luckily, I wrote The Heiresses while living in Cambridgeshire in the UK (I usually live in Australia), so could pop on a fast train and be in London in under an hour to research anything I liked. Being so close to London was an enormous bonus – from the London Transport Museum, to simply walking around Belgrave Square, it really brought the story to life for me. I even managed to crash the village set of Downton Abbey, which was a hugely exciting day, despite the fact that it snowed (Australians don't do snow well…)!

Q. Why New Adult?

A. I think it's just a fascinating time in life -- a time that's difficult to bridge and often scarier than any other change you've been through. You don't necessarily feel like an adult, but you have sudden adult responsibilities (working, studying in the kind of way where no-one cares if you go to classes or not, maybe being a parent if you have children early…). Everyone has a different experience and everyone deals with that experience differently. There are endless story-telling opportunities! 

Q. What do you feel the major differences are between New Adult and Young Adult?

A. For me, it's all about bridging that gap between childhood and adulthood and the more I see people discuss New Adult, the more this is firmed up in my mind. I do think people focus too much on the sexual content of books when talking about the New Adult genre. For me, The Heiresses is New Adult because of how the girls deal with the sex they are having in the book (and, to be honest, there isn't a whole lot of sex) and how it changes them from girls into women, along with all the other happenings in their new lives.

Q. So much New Adult work is self-published. Is there a reason you chose the traditional publishing route?

The Heiresses was a bit of a different publishing experience for me as my agent approached me and mentioned St Martin's Press was actively looking for New Adult ideas that could work in serial form. I had the basis of an historical idea that I'd been thinking about for years and the timing was great as Downton Abbey (set in a similar time period) was really taking off. Thus, The Heiresses began to take shape very, very quickly. I'd love to say all my ideas pull off so easily, but unfortunately that's not quite true (I sold my first chick-lit novel out of the slush pile and agent-less in 2000 and have many a manuscript in my bottom drawer)!

Q. Most New Adult books seem to be set in college. Can you tell us more about writing historical New Adult?

A. As it happens, when I first had the idea for what would become The Heiresses (years ago), there was no such term as New Adult. The idea itself meant that the story required three 18-ish year-old heroines (they needed to be able to inherit money, be of marriageable age, live away from home and be generally young and fabulous in 1920s London etc.), so it simply happened to fall into the New Adult genre naturally. As for the world, I've always adored reading about London in the 1920s and it's a perfect fit for the New Adult genre -- the years between WWI and WWII were a very heady, unstable time to be young in England, with death looming and a 'live for the moment' motto.

Q. What are you reading at the moment?

A. I'm actually on a short New Adult/Young Adult reading break (might have gorged myself a little there) and am reading Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which is absolutely fascinating and horrifying all at the same time.

Q. What are you writing now?

A. I've just finished a contemporary New Adult novel. While it's set in the present day, it's not college-based, but is about a charismatic modern artist and a young woman who becomes his muse. It's set in Paris, London and New York. My next New Adult novel will most likely be historical, though.

Q. Do you have any advice for aspiring New Adult writers?

A. Read widely and write what you'd love to read. I think it always shows if you're writing something you're excited about, rather than trying to write to a trend. 

Author Info

Having failed at becoming a ballerina with pierced ears (her childhood dream), Allison Rushby instead began a writing career as a journalism student at The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Within a few months she had slunk sideways into studying Russian. By the end of her degree she had learned two very important things: that she wasn't going to be a journalist; and that there are hundreds of types of vodka and they're all pretty good. After several years spent whining about how hard it would be to write a novel, she finally tried writing one and found it was quite an enjoyable experience. Since then, she has had nine novels published. She keeps up her education by sampling new kinds of vodka on a regular basis.


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Thursday

ARC Review by Stacy Sabala : Lightning Rider by Jen Greyson (UF)


Book Blurb

For Evy Rivera, thunderstorms have always caused her physical pain, but she's never known why. When a record-setting storm arrives on the same night her father finds ancient ancestral documents, Evy is set aglow with mysterious tiny lightnings she can command.

 Even worse, she alerts some people in the universe who've been looking for her family for a very long time.

 Thrown back into ancient Spain and tasked with killing a Spanish legend, she must train alongside Constantine, a sexy yet obstinate Roman warrior. He teaches her how to wield her lightning as a weapon, through more errors than trials. With a relationship as explosive as their late-night training sessions, Evy and Constantine battle their push-pull relationship while trying to ignore the two-thousand-year difference in their birthdates.

 Ilif Rotiart, her quasi-mentor, is appalled at Evy's skill. He would prefer to train her father and keep Evy on the sidelines—where women belong. Evy has a feeling Ilif is keeping something from them, but she must play nice until she uncovers the truth. And if he's lying, it will be the worst day of his four-hundred-year life.

 Penya Sepadas claims she's Evy's rightful trainer, and she has the prophecy to prove it. Penya doesn't share Ilif's misogynistic attitude, but she does have her own agenda...and her own secrets.

 Evy must sort through the lies and find the truth behind her family's time-traveling past before the wrong history obliterates the future. She’s spent her whole life fighting for her place. Now, as the first female lightning rider, she'll dedicate her existence to fighting to save the world.

 But will Evy learn to manage her lightning and find the truth before it's too late?
Toot's Review by Stacy Sabala

I instantly liked this book. I love reading about strong female characters and Evy is definitely one of them. She lives in a male world of designing and riding motorcycles. She is tough and seems to be a sucker for the wrong guys. Something she definitely decides to work on when her last boyfriend takes all her furniture when he moves out. This forces her to stay with her father for a few days so she has a bed to sleep in.

Her father was once a prize fighter when he was younger named Victor Rivera and people still come up and ask her about him. Evy has a very soft spot in her heart for her papi. So when staying with him they decide to open a box that was found in the attic by her mami. In the box they find a book that has been in the Rivera family for generations. With this book they have stumbled onto a big family secret. However, they aren’t quite sure what they are looking at. Evy hopes it will explain why she can produce some type of lightning with her hands. This very cool, in her opinion, new ability that she possesses.

The book they have discovered is all written in Spanish. While reading the words of a certain passage she finds in Spanish to her papi so he can translate, she unknowingly sends them both back in time to different places. She goes to Spain and her papi goes to New York. She is shocked to find herself in 1927 Spain and wonders how she is going to get back. She learns that the lightning her body is producing is the cause. She finds her way back home again and finds her papi in the kitchen looking younger holding a wad of money. He, somehow, visited the Mob. This sets them both on a journey as they learn that they have inherited the power of the lightning rider. A lightning rider has the power to alter events in time. Some power bigger than they know guides them to the right place and time to change what is needed. They meet people along the way that will help and protect them and ones who have their own agenda. Who can they trust and who will teach Evy how to be what she is destine to be.

This is the first book in a series. I will definitely be waiting to read the rest. I loved the story line and thought it was well written. The story was unique and has a good Science Fiction element. The ending sets the reader up, eagerly waiting for the next book to see what happens to Evy, her family, and those who know her secret.

 
4 out of 5 books
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Review Tour : THE BEAST'S REDEMPTION by Angie Derek (PNR) - Review, Excerpt, Giveaway!!!

Tour Hosted by
www.Tastybooktours.com
Book Blurb
 
Cursed shape shifter, Alexander Léandre, is resigned to his fate, but that doesn’t stop him from hunting down the descendants of the sorceress who bewitched him in hopes of obtaining a cure.
 
Belle Beaumont is used to men never looking past her curvy figure and pretty face. She dutifully agrees to befriend Alexander in order to protect her father’s herbal company.

A single touch changes all. Passions flare. When Belle discovers what Alexander is truly after and why, will she accept him for what he is? And will her love and family knowledge be enough to break a hundred-year-old curse?
 
Book Excerpt

The secret smile affected him much more than the practiced ones she’d already given him.
 
“When are you going to start asking me questions?” he asked.

Belle cocked her head and pursed her lips. His blood spiked, the talisman warmed, and he pulled back from his baser instincts. This was getting ridiculous.

“What am I supposed to be interrogating you on, Mr. Léandre?” Belle’s voice was slightly breathless.

His blood responded even while his brain told him she did it on purpose. “Why did you agree to have dinner with me?”

“You’re interrogating me, now?” She shrugged. Her jacket shifted, revealing the curves he’d been trying to see earlier.

He wasn’t sure he could make it to the restaurant before he ravished her and that pissed him off. There had to be magic at work here. He shouldn’t be reacting to her as deeply as he was.

“I’m here, because you asked,” Belle answered. 

He had to touch her even if it was a mistake. Alexander shook his head and reached out to slide a finger along her thigh. He noted with satisfaction her heart speeding up at the contact. “I didn’t ask.”

“Okay, you threw down a challenge. Why did you?”
Toot's Review by Stacy Sabala

This story was a quick read.  It centered around Belle and Alexander.  Alexander is taking over Belle’s family company that her deceased mother founded.  Belle tries to fight him for the company, but loses her heart to him instead.  She fights her feelings because he is known as the beast in the business world.  Her father tells her from the beginning to keep Alexander busy and happy while he implements a plan to save the company.

Alexander won’t let them keep the company.  He is hiding a huge secret about himself and is searching for something that Belle’s mother used in building her company.  However, Alexander doesn’t realize how much Belle actually knows, especially about what and who he is.  She also figures out what he is after and hides them in a safe place out of his reach.

This was an interesting story, but I felt it was too short.  The story seems rushed, in my opinion, which left out a lot of background.  There was not enough time to develop the characters fully which in turn rushed Belle and Alexander’s relationship.  I would have liked to see this as a full novel instead.  There was too much going on for just a short span.  This is a story that goes quickly if you are looking for that and the story is a good one.  I think it needed to be developed more.  I give it 3 out of 5 books.
Author Bio
 

Angie Derek writes paranormal and romantic suspense. She lives in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with her husband, two daughters, two dogs, two cats, and one pony (she thinks she needs another one to even out the number). 

~*Giveaway*~

Angie is hosting a TOUR WIDE Giveaway for 
a $10.00 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to One Randomly Drawn Commenter
~To enter~
*Please be sure leave a VALID EMAIL ADDRESS in the comments for this post

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