Mama Reads Half in Love With Death by @emilyross816 #review #favequotes #giveaway

Half in Love with Death
by Emily Ross
Publisher: Merit Press
Release Date: December 18th 2015
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Rate: 3.5 stars

Synopsis:

It’s the era of peace and love in the 1960s, but nothing is peaceful in Caroline’s life. Since her beautiful older sister disappeared, fifteen-year-old Caroline might as well have disappeared too. She’s invisible to her parents, who can’t stop blaming each other. The police keep following up on leads even Caroline knows are foolish. The only one who seems to care about her is Tony, her sister’s older boyfriend, who soothes Caroline’s desperate heart every time he turns his magical blue eyes on her.

Tony is convinced that the answer to Jess’s disappearance is in California, the land of endless summer, among the runaways and flower children. Come with me, Tony says to Caroline, and we’ll find her together. Tony is so loving, and all he cares about is bringing Jess home. And so Caroline follows, and closes a door behind her that may never open again.

Inspired by the disturbing case of Charles Schmid, ‘the Pied Piper of Tucson’, Half in Love with Death is a heartfelt thriller that never lets up.

When my all time favorite quote is used in a book, I get my hopes up.  I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed, rather that it just took way longer than I would have liked for the story to get to page-turning status.  Although written in a hauntingly beautiful voice, Half In Love With Death suffers from a pace that lacks the grip I expect in a psychological thriller.  More atmospheric, like the Virgin Suicides, with less mystery.  I certainly found Caroline to be a sympathetic, realistic character, trying to make sense of a situation no one really knows the truth about.  The aloofness her parents displayed was thoroughly explained, and in that regard I understood it, but it irked me none the less.  I also found the setting to be lacking, I didn’t feel immersed in the time period, it felt like the author just kept pointing out tidbits to remind us this was in a different era, like mentioning the Beatles every other chapter or describing the clothes different people were wearing.  What I enjoyed most was the lyrical prose sprinkled throughout the book, almost like little morsels tucked away that you could go back to satisfy a craving for wondrous words.  Ross certainly has an enormous amount of potential and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

Some of my favorite quotes from HALF IN LOVE WITH DEATH (including the one mentioned above so you’ll know what I’m talking about.)

“If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is: infinite.”  -from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake

“She didn’t understand that events like sunset and darkness falling wouldn’t wait for her to get her makeup right.”

“And when our eyes met, his loneliness became a part of me.  It was love.”

“And then I thought, what was a ghost anyway but a shadow of something that was, and since we were changing every minute of every day, weren’t we all ghosts of ourselves…”

“Each moment was like a petal peeled away from a cold flower.  I was afraid of what I might learn but at the same time I had to know.”

Follow the Half In Love With Death by Emily Ross Blog Tour and don’t miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Emily Ross’s YA mystery/thriller HALF IN LOVE WITH DEATH is forthcoming from Merit Press(12/2015). She received a 2014 MCC Artist Fellowship finalist award for fiction, and is a graduate of Grub Street’s Novel Incubator program. When not writing she works as a web developer and is the mother of two millennials. Find out more at http://www.emilyrosswrites.com/ or https://twitter.com/emilyross816.

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Lake Of Sins Blog Tour for @lsodea with #excerpt #review and #giveaway for $50 amazon card!

Lake of Sins
by L. S. O’Dea

GENRE:  YA, paranormal, dystopian, sci-fi/fantasy

 

BLURB:

In a world where class distinction means the difference between imprisonment and freedom and even life and death, being chosen to stay in the encampment and breed is the only way to guarantee survival for a teenage Producer.

Every year after harvest, the finest examples of teenage Producers are assigned mates; the rest are loaded onto carts and hauled away, never to be seen or heard from again. Trinity, a sixteen-year-old Producer, knows that she has no chance of being chosen to stay. She isn’t even full-blooded Producer. Her father is a House Servant and she’s spent her entire life hiding her differences, especially her claws and fangs.

She has one week to sneak into the forest and discover what happens to those who are taken. Her plan is simple, but she doesn’t count on being hunted and captured by predators long believed to be extinct. Can she elude her captors to uncover the fate of her kind and return to camp before her escape is discovered?

EXCERPT:

“Something’s following us,” he whispered as he unsheathed his knife.

The quiet rustle of vegetation behind them signaled that night was not the only thing approaching.  He pointed to a large tree.  She scurried up it and stopped on a limb high off the ground.  He signaled for her to wait and then walked several yards farther before climbing another tree.  He crouched on a low branch, knife in hand.

The woods were gray, the shadows growing wider as time passed.  She waited, scanning the forest below, her heart pounding in her ears.  What was hunting them, besides Guards?  She pulled her knife out of the sheath and adjusted her position.  Gaar always said that predators had to have patience, so the smart prey would too.  She was still working on that.  She shifted around again for a different angle.  So far, she hadn’t seen anything dangerous in the forest, but she had traveled mostly with Mirra.  She tried to relax her breathing, but it was coming in short pants.  She had to calm down.  Fear could be smelled.  Fear attracted predators.

There was a soft whisper in the vegetation and a pair of glowing red eyes appeared in the brush.  A few feet away were two more eyes and then another set.  There were at least ten pairs, shining in the darkness.

The first book of the series is on sale for $0.99 until the end of the tour!

My thoughts:

What an unusual book! I went in expecting pnr and got more of a highly adventurous scifi/fantasy, which was rather fun.  Although I had some difficulties with the writing being stilted in a few places, the story was well-placed and the eerie tone had me biting my nails, then furiously turning the pages (ok clicking, but still.)  If you want something spooky, here is a great pick!  What’s scarier than a society in ruins and monstrous creatures roaming about? 4 stars for Lake of Sins Escape and Secrets in Blood

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

S. O’Dea grew up the youngest of seven. She always wanted to do what her older siblings were doing, especially reading stories.

Ill at a young age, she immersed herself in books. Her life changed when she read a short story written by her older brother and realized that normal (somewhat anyway, since her brother was a bit weird in her opinion) people created these amazing stories. From that day forward, she wanted to write.

However, as with all good stories, obstacles rose in her path (mostly self-created obstacles) and it took her many years to put finger to keyboard and type her first book.

Goodreads  Facebook  Twitter  Website  Blog

 

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Troll by @Ashley_C_Harris Release Week Celebration with #review #excerpt and #giveaway!

 

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TROLL by Ashley Harris

Seductive teens & trolls meet #Gameofthrones!

Get ready for a rollicking action and adventure story set in a magical world where a creature emerges from thousands of miles underground, seeking revenge, treasure, and a key that once belonged to an old enemy. Fans of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and The Vampire Diaries  by J. L. Smith will be enchanted by this new YA novel selected by Kindle Scout readers for publication!

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About Troll:

Author: Ashley C. Harris

Author Location: FL, United States

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Fantasy

Release Date: October 6, 2015

Words: 319 pages

Publisher: Kindle Press

Format: Digital eBook

AISN: B013VAU5KA

Synopsis:  At the age of sixteen, Abby is undergoing major household changes. Her mom is getting ready to remarry and her new step-brother is driving her insane. She is just trying to keep herself busy with school and her part-time job when a most deliciously handsome stranger moves to her little seaside town and won’t leave her alone.

New arrival Wilhelm is unlike any other student at Abby’s school. His emerald eyes and tattooed body don’t truly reveal what he really is: a creature emerged from thousands of miles underground, seeking revenge, treasure, and a key that once belonged to an old enemy – a key Abby wears suspended from a chain around her neck. Why she has it is a mystery that Wilhelm will need to solve, and fast, in order to defeat a powerful mortal adversary.

As an attraction between Abby and Wilhelm develops, more creatures like Wilhelm are drawn from beneath the ground to Abby’s town; wreaking havoc as they offer Abby’s classmates the fulfillment of their deepest desires. Will Abby and her new family survive as a game of magical warfare is unleashed? Her ability to reverse Wilhelm’s bargain depends on it.

Available at Amazon

Excerpt from Troll:

Seconds went by and he found nothing, except a distraction. It wasn’t the human’s heartbeat drumming steadily on the second floor that he found unnerving, most likely it was the fact that she was reading a rhyme aloud – that wasn’t a human thing as much as it was a trolls’: “A kiss was made,” he heard her voice whisper, trying to ignore it. “A rose was dropped.” He looked up when she said the word rose. “A heart was snapped in half. The love of your life has left you in a world that’s dark and black.”

He moved toward the sound. Perhaps she was really one of his kind in disguise, here to spy on him.

“Thunder sounds, the sky turns gray, there is nothing recognizable at all. The love of your life has left you in a world that’s sad and small.” The words made him think about Helena, his Helena, kissing Klaus, while he had her fully under his control. It was sickened him and pissed him off.

He crept down the bookcase where a girl was reading from a book out loud, unaware of his presence. She was definitely not a troll, he concluded when he got a good look at her, growing bored. “But then the sun comes out. A rainbow appears. An angel has come to tell you, your hope is stronger than fear.”

“Are you sure that’s what an angel would say?” he asked.

Her blue, puppy-like eyes shot up, her body nearly jumping out of its skin from being startled. “Where did you come from?” she squeaked as she looked around, her heartbeat doubling.

“About five shelves over,” he answered as he looked her up and down. She was a tiny, petite thing compared to himself, with light brown hair and blushed fair skin that made her blue eyes pop. She also had four freckles on one cheek and three on the other. This human was both plain looking but also strangely captivating compared to others in the building.

“Oh, I see, and were you standing there the entire time?” she asked, her free hand going to her hip, as she tried to stand up straighter, trying to seem tall and authoritative. He could see she was irritated at being disturbed, and that was the most entertaining thing of all.

“Yes, is that a problem?” he asked with a smile.

“Yes!”

“I’m sorry … I thought you worked here. I was just looking for some help,” he lied. Did she think he wouldn’t notice the fact that she was standing next to a filing cart and wearing a library badge that read: Abigail? That, and the feelings of servitude and obligation that he could smell all over her.

“Oh, I – I do,” she said, as if this had just occurred to her. She was unable to wipe the annoyance and unease off her face, as she looked down his arm, judging him because of his numerous tattoos. Humans…so sadly sheltered. “How can I help you?”

He didn’t answer. This irritated her more.

“The college used book section is downstairs, and so is the art and tattoo section,” she suggested, trying to guess his reason for pestering her.

“Do I really look old enough to be in college to you?” he asked, half insulted because college years for humans were death years for his kind.

“Yes,” she said honestly as she took in his tall, six-foot-five frame. “You look at least twenty.”

“Nope, time to get your eye’s checked maybe?” he asked, stepping closer, letting her guess his age; this seemed like a game she didn’t want to play.

“Well you’re definitely a least eighteen,” she replied as she turned part of her body away from him, her eyes back to her books; as if being eighteen put him in a different category than her. “You’d have to be to get a tattoo, now is—”

“Or maybe I had really cool parents,” he cut her off. “And I’m seventeen. That was an enchanting poem you read by the way. Who was it by?”

He took another step closer as she took a step back, nearly colliding into a bookshelf. “Amber Paris.” She handed him the book she’d read from and appeared much more comfortable when he was looking at it and not her. He examined it with only partial interest. “She got it published when she was fifteen.” she seemed to know all about the subject.

“Well, that explains why it’s so good, then. People always come up with their best work when they’re young. I bet at twelve her poems were even better.”

Each word he spoke was like a hook, spinning magic to pull her in to him even as she wanted to get away. “Where are you from, exactly?” she asked as she noticed what he was wearing; heavy jeans instead of the more typically Floridian surfer shorts, and a thick dark green shirt that went down to his elbows, only showing off half of his tattoos. Probably weird attire for the hottest months of Florida, but as a troll he craved warmth and hated the cold. “Are you from up north?”

“No, not at all,” he said, offering no other explanation. “So, why read a poem aloud? What about you does it relates to?” he asked with a grin, it was a pretty personal question and yet she’d have to tell him. Soon his powers if he kept talking to her would be able to push Abby to do all sorts of things… for a short time anyway, until a price was paid.

He read over the beginning lines of the poem again. “A kiss was made, a rose was dropped.” The words tripped him up, making him think about Rosabel’s last feelings before she died. Feelings that held a deep meaning for him, letting him know that even though she had never been able to claim him as an inheritor, she still had cared about him more than any other treasure.

His eyes could have almost teared up just thinking about his murdered mother. Trolls could be insanely emotional – good thing for him he was better at shielding how he felt than most. He turned his face away, getting a hold of himself, as the little human rambled, her voice a comforting distraction.

“I don’t think it relates to me. I just write poetry so my teacher asked me to look over another writer’s work.”

“Because maybe you want to be like this writer, famous and well liked?” he stated to test if her interest in the author was shallow, sensing what she didn’t even know was one of her most hidden desires. Humans could be so naive about their own ambitions, but these were easily recognized by trolls. This one clearly had no idea what her body and mind were capable of yearning for.

“No,” she lied, as if insulted. “That’s crazy. I’ve never wanted that; it’s just an assignment.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, as her hidden wants started calling to him – they tasted satisfying too. Her craving for freedom, he could use that to trap her, and then trap all the humans here. He’d have some real fun after a day of anger and sorrow as he played with these fools until they broke.

Leave her alone! a small boy’s voice suddenly screamed into his ear. He turned around, startled, only to find no one behind him.

“Are you okay?” he heard Abby ask him. His face must have looked haunted. That’s when he sensed where the book that he had been searching for was.

“Yes.” Finding the book and his key were far more important than this girl or having a little fun. He looked back in Abby’s direction, now needing to get rid of her. She looked nervous and still confused by his presence, still not knowing why she was continuing to talk to him. He decided in that moment to show her the kind of mercy and kindness his mother Rosabel should have received. Besides, he really didn’t feel like killing anyone innocent so the knights couldn’t find them later.

Before she could move, he reached out and gripped her shoulder, sending heat through her body, making her look deep into his eyes. “If you ever see me or anything like me again, anyone that has markings like this…,” he lifted his sleeve so she could take in his entire arm. His tattoos on it came to life and moved hypnotically, numbing her senses and making her go into a trance. “… you probably shouldn’t trust us. You should be smart and stay away from anyone like myself that you ever come in contact with.”

And with those words, he had given her a precious gift he hadn’t given any other human in a very long time. If any more trolls came along she’d stay out of their way now, wanting nothing to do with them. He watched her walk off in a beautiful daze. She’d certainly stay away from him if he changed his mind in the next few moments and decided to pursue her after all. Trolls often did change their minds about most things. He imagined her lips would have tasted pretty good, for a human anyway. Her body would have most likely felt nice …

Please leave her alone! he heard the boy scream again, the voice coming from his head. He was hearing a past memory, one that was too dangerous for him to think about. He ran his fingers along the book spines one more time. They led him right to the familiar texture he had been looking for. To the very storybook a young knight had checked out and carried in his backpack years before Wilhelm had found him.

Mama’s Thoughts on Troll:
While I did enjoy the whimsical tale and the angsty teen supernatural drama, this book didn’t reach out and grab me at first.  I think one of the issues would have to be the fact there were just too many pov switches that didn’t flow naturally.  Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing a story from more than one side, but it has to have a cohesive manner to it, it needs to make sense and not confuse the reader too much.  The troll world was fascinating and there were definitely questions left unanswered about certain aspects, so know going in this is the first book in a series and not a stand-alone novel.  This wasn’t an issue for me as I did feel there was some resolution to the arc of this particular installment, despite the cliffy.  Harris has a way of wrapping you up in the story once you get used to the narrative style, reminding me of the very influence she cites- C.S. Lewis and his deft use of imagery.  This is more new adult than young adult due to content, so I’d recommend it for 16 and up.  Overall the characters were richly drawn and there were many aspects of the story which surprised me, so the experience was fun and I’d read more books in this series. ( 4 stars)

About Ashley C. Harris

Author and film director Ashley C. Harris resides in Florida. Ashley was first recognized for her edgy writing and unique film work when she wrote and directed the teenage film “Lines”. Lines was the first feature film in the world captured using only Mac Laptops. 

In 2013 she teamed up with Barclay Publicity to release the first in a new young adult novel series, “Shock Me”. Ashley then went on to author eight other titles, in multiple genres, as she also worked behind-the-scenes on a morning news show that aired on ABC. In 2014, four of Ashley’s books landed on the Amazon’s Best Selling Top-Ten-List. In 2015, she received her first publishing deal for “Troll”, a KindleScout novel winner. 

When Ashley is not dreaming up new manuscripts and working on film sets, she loves spending time with her family, obsessing about biblical mysteries, and watching lots of Doctor Who. Keep an eye out for her newest releases!

Connect with Ashley at: Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Tumblr | Instagram

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October 26th

Brooke Blogs Author Interview

My Midnight Fantasies Spotlight + Excerpt

Reading In Wonderland Spotlight + Excerpt

T&L Book Reviews Review + Guest Post

October 27th

Deal Sharing Aunt Author Interview

Opinionated Cupcakes Spotlight + Excerpt

Just Books & Rainne’s Ramblings Author Interview

October 28th

Nicole’s Book Musings Spotlight + Excerpt

Mama Reads Hazel Sleeps Review + Guest Post

Becky on Books Spotlight + Excerpt

Kindle and Me Review + Guest Post

Book Briefs Review

October 29th

Oh My Growing TBR Spotlight + Excerpt

Jeri’s Book Attic Review

Evermore Books Spotlight + Excerpt

One Book Two Review

October 30th

Crystal’s Chaotic Confessions Spotlight + Excerpt

Mikky’s World Of Books Spotlight + Excerpt

Happily Ever Chapter Spotlight + Excerpt

Kayl’s Krazy Obsession Author Interview

Miranda’s Book Blog Author Interview

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Whiskey Witches Promo and #Review Tour With #Exclusive #GuestPost and #Giveaway! @SMBloodling

 

Whiskey Witches

Complete Season 1

Episodes 1-4

Genre: Dark Paranormal Thriller

Publisher: Whistling Book Press

Date of Publication: December 19, 2014

Cover Artist: Frankie’s Mind Design

Available From: Amazon

Summary

Detective Paige Whiskey comes from a long line of witches. They may not all be the most powerful, but they are outspoken and supportive of their community. She alone has no gifts. She can’t summon fire, can’t read minds. She knows the arcane. She’s studied it. That, along with her connection to the Whiskey Witches, lands her some pretty strange cases.

Like the sacrificial murders of St. Francisville, Louisiana. There’s a killer on the loose, choosing people in a vain attempt to raise a demon. Not just any demon, though. A man born long ago, made a demon in order to protect the Gate to Hell.

Together with demon hunter, Dexx Colt, her kitchen-witch grandmother, and her paranormal investigator brother-in-law, they unravel a conspiracy far bigger than a few simple murders, and re-discover Paige’s gift.

She’s a demon summoner and she’s key to the killer’s plan.

Mama’s Thoughts:
Wow! Whiskey Witches has it all- if you are a die hard mystery fan or paranormal lover, you will be entranced by this magickal series!   I totally fell for Paige, her sense of humor really appealed to me and the fact that even when some serious shenanigans go down, she stays true to herself, even though she has to take a chance to figure out who that is.  SM Bloodling captured my imagination and kept me engaged the entire time I read the 4 episodes in this set, and made me just about lose my breath when I clicked over to the last page and episode 5 had yet to be loaded!  4.5 stars for this free arc review copy of one fabulous book!

Demon Show by S.M. Blooding

Episode 1

Genre: Dark Paranormal Thriller

Publisher: Whistling Book Press

Date of Publication: October 31, 2014

Cover Artist: Frankie’s Mind Design

Available From: Amazon

Summary

Detective Paige Whiskey comes from a long line of witches. They may not all be the most powerful, but they are outspoken and supportive of their community. She alone has no gifts. She can’t summon fire, can’t read minds. She knows the arcane. She’s studied it. That, along with her connection to the Whiskey Witches, lands her some pretty strange cases.

Like the sacrificial murders of St. Francisville, Louisiana. There’s a killer on the loose, choosing people in a vain attempt to raise a demon. Once she gets there, she realizes the murders were nothing more than an elaborate invitation, tempting her into the claws of the killer.

She does have a gift, a very powerful and terrifying one.

The killer is after her.

Possession by S.M. Blooding

Episode 2

Genre: Dark Paranormal Thriller

Publisher: Whistling Book Press

Date of Publication: November 14, 2014

Cover Artist: Frankie’s Mind Design

Available From: Amazon

Summary

There’s only so much you can do when there are no new clues. Wait. That’s never been Detective Paige Whiskey’s strong-suit, though. With her memories and her gifts back, she’s faced with a whole new ball game. She now has a better understanding of who the killer might be and what he wants.

But when she’s attacked by a ghost—of all the dumb things—on a paranormal investigation of the Metley plantation, she realizes the situation’s worse than she thought. If that’s possible at all.

The gate has already been opened.

So why in the seven blazing pits of Hell does the killer still need her?

Love Bodies by S.M. Blooding

Episode 3

Genre: Dark Paranormal Thriller

Publisher: Whistling Book Press

Date of Publication: November 28, 2014

Cover Artist: Frankie’s Mind Design

Available From: Amazon

Summary

Possession’s a messy business on a good day. When demon hunter Dexx Colt realizes sees Paige possessed and the mark the killer engraved on her skin to do it, he knows they’re screwed. No protection sigil in his arsenal can protect her from being possessed. Not now.

A demon summoner who can’t summon or send demons back.

The killer still has a plan for her, though, and what that could be is anyone’s guess. Dead bodies continue to pile up at an alarming rate, and the race is on to discover how to keep the gates closed.

Gates of Hell

Episode 4

Genre: Dark Paranormal Thriller

Publisher: Whistling Book Press

Date of Publication: December 12, 2014

Cover Artist: Frankie’s Mind Design

Available From: Amazon

Summary

The mission is simple. Grab the key. Close the gate. Get the hell out of St. Francisville, Louisiana.

What could be so frelling hard about that?

Everything.

The clock is tick-tick-ticking and the team of demon fighters are running out of time. First, they have to find the key, then get through the demon army protecting it, and then fight the one who master-minded it all.

No problem. Easy as pie.

Right.

Blood Moon Magick by S.M. Blooding

Episode 5

Genre: Dark Paranormal Thriller

Publisher: Whistling Book Press

Date of Publication: October, 2015

Cover Artist: Frankie’s Mind Design

Pre-Order: Amazon

Summary

Going back to Denver should have been easy. Old life. Old routine. Ten kinds of “all good.”

However, with her gifts open, the paranormal world isn’t going to let her have that easy life. It turns out her partner of the last five years is a vampire and has been for several decades. He’s also the regional paranormal protector.

So when a few shapeshifters go missing, he gets the case.

But there’s also a demon killing those shapeshifters, a demon she can’t hunt because she’s still an open target for possession.

Not to complicate matters, Dexx isn’t about to let Paige out of his sights. Bringing a demon hunter to a shapeshifter party only makes things that much more interesting. But when he gets bitten, the entire game changes.

Author Bio:

S.M. Blooding lives in Colorado with her pet rock, Rockie, and her two birds, Jack and Moose. She’s currently up to her to ears in yarn and crochet projects as she’s just discovered one in seventy-five stitches that she didn’t know. Oh, the horror.

Her real name is Stephanie Marie (aka SM), but only family and coworkers call her that, usually when they’re screaming at her. Friends call her Frankie.

Frankie challenges the world around her. She served in the military as one of the first female tactical air traffic controllers, worked at a coal mine, and shot herself through school to become a CAD (computer aided drafter) operator. She’s worked as a stenographer, a lab technician for a scientist attached with NOAA, and traveled with the Renaissance Festival. She’s survived hurricanes in a tent, and ditches in winter. She’s sometimes crass, often crude, and almost always blunt.

She’s dated vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, weapons smugglers and US Government assassins. Yes. She has stories.

She loves to take the real world, find a singular line of truth, and wrap a complex fiction of reality around it. She’s incredibly excited to share her world with you, and there’s a wide selection to choose from.

She’s also an investigator with a local paranormal investigation group, Colorado Paranormal Rescue!

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SM Bloodling’s Favorite Mythologies:

I like all of the mythologies, but my particular favorite are the Native American mythologies. I love them. They seem rooted in some sort of realism, more so than some of the others. That’s not to say I believe we were born from the mouth of a crow, or ride the back of a turtle, but symbolically? Maybe.

That’s where several of my paranormal people come from; shapeshifters, water wraiths, tree women, and the like. Not werewolves, banshees, and dryads. Similar, but not the same.

The shapeshifters play a large part of Blood Moon Magick. There are a lot of shapeshifter mythologies. For the most part, I think, we see a lot of the Celtic shapeshifter lore in most paranormal fictions. It’s a great one to play with! Lots of angst, lots of drama, lots of sexy hotness! Oh, yeah.

The Native Americans have shapeshifter lore, as well. Each tribe had their own mythos, but the one that called to me was the shape that chose itself.

The most common Native American mythos comes from the Navajo. They called their shifters skinwalkers, but they believed their skinwalkers were evil, and that they had a black tongue to show their evil soul. They were created when someone did something horribly, inexplicitly wrong. I think the reason this mythos became so popular is because if the skinwalker looks you in the eye, it becomes you. Wouldn’t that make a neat story? It might. You just never know.

However, most of the mythos I’m familiar with, the ones I grew up with, were about the human becoming one with the animal. There, the animal spirit would become a guide, offering advise that only they could give, giving the human host insight they could not obtain.

My shapeshifters in Blood Moon Magick travel this path. If an alpha bites you (taken from the Celtic mythos), the animal spirit is invited into your body. The spirit can offer assistance in healing the wound, or can leave you alone. If the spirit heals your wounds, then you and the animal spirit have to determine if you are compatible with one another, and which animal you would bond with the best.

I’ve always imagined myself with an animal spirit, but I can never decide which animal spirit I would bond to. Would it be a bear? A wolf? An eagle? A mountain lion, maybe? I turtle? I hope not. Good grief.  But . . . I wonder. If I were bitten, what spirit would merge with mine?

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The Girl’s Guide to the Apocalypse #BlogTour @Daphne_Lamb #review

About the book
Welcome to the Apocalypse. Your forecast includes acid rain, roving gangs and misplaced priorities, in this comedic take on the end of the world as we know it, from debut author Daphne Lamb. As a self-entitled, self-involved, and ill equipped millennial, Verdell probably wouldn’t have ranked very high on the list of those most likely to survive the end of the world, but here she is anyway. Add in travelling with her work addicted boss, her boyfriend who she has “meh” feelings for, and a handful of others who had no businesses surviving as long as they have, and things aren’t exactly going as planned. But despite threats of cannibalism, infected water supplies, and possibly even mutants, Verdell is willing to put in as little effort as she can get away with to survive.

LINKS: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository

Mama’s Thoughts:

Sometimes a book has so much potential that when it fails to live up to it, people get bent out of shape.  With The Girl’s Guide to the Apocalypse, you’re not going to get the next Man Booker prize winner, but what you do get is something that’s fun to read in the short amount of time it takes to do so.  Written in a episodic fashion, the book lacks cohesiveness that most readers crave, and at times I was wildly confused.  But isn’t that most likely the way everyone will be if the world goes to crap?  The atmosphere is certainly realistic, even if the outlandish interpersonal situations seem completely over the top.  While I didn’t quite find myself able to relate to any particular person in the story, I certainly could relate to the mind numbing monotony of office work in general, and the horrible thought of actually being stuck anywhere near a cubicle during the apocalypse.  No thanks.  I was reminded of Idiocracy, with the lunatics and idiots running rampant and absolutely no one seeming to know what should happen, or really doing much of anything most of the time.  I would have liked to have more of a plot to follow, and more emotional complexity would have really increased my enjoyment of the book.  With some more time and a good editor, this could be a new favorite read.  3 stars for this free arc review copy.

About the author
Daphne Lamb was raised in the wilds of Colorado and now resides in a very different wilderness known as Los Angeles. She is a comedian and award winning writer who has worked in television, film and video games. In her spare time, she enjoys collecting comic books, discussing awesomely bad movies and thinks about what it would be like to own a cat.

 

Author links:
Website  Amazon Author Page  Facebook Page

 

Mama Reads The Affiliate by @authorkalinde #blogtour #review #giveaway

The Affiliate Synopsis:

On the day of her Presenting, in front of the entire Byern Court, seventeen-year-old Cyrene Strohm’s lifelong plans come to fruition when she’s chosen as an Affiliate to the Queen.

Or so she thinks. When Cyrene receives a mysterious letter and an unreadable book, she finds nothing is as it seems. Thrust into a world of dangerous political intrigue and deadly magic, Cyrene’s position only grows more treacherous when she finds herself drawn to the one man she can never have…
King Edric himself.

Cyrene must decide if love is truly worth the price of freedom. Find out in this first book in USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde’s new Ascension series.

Amazon | Itunes

Mama’s Thoughts:

Not only is this lush fantasy gorgeously written, it’s also home to one of my new favorite heroines!  Cyrene is sarcastic, witty, clever, gorgeous and doesn’t sit on the sidelines while the men handle things.  I always enjoy a strong protagonist, but part of me secretly LOVES when it’s a female character I can relate to in any small way.  As you would expect with a fantasy adventure there are certainly some dashing men, and some skeevy folks thrown in the mix.  Full of action, intrigue, deception and betrayal, The Affiliate is not just a story about a girl finding her place in a world gone topsy-turvy.  It’s also about her learning to stay true to herself along the way.  Linde has a great deal of verve for the written word as the lyrical prose flows off the pages so smoothly you can almost hear it being sung in your ear.  If you have never read a fantasy novel, this would be a great time to start!
4.5 stars

***ARC provided free of charge, all opinions are my own and no compensation was provided.***

 

K.A. Linde Bio:

USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde is the author of The Affiliate, the first book in the Ascension Series.  As a military brat, she traveled the world with her family, imaginary friends, and ever-increasing supply of books.  She has spent much of her life dreaming up new worlds and characters and forcing them into uncomfortable, usually life-threatening scenarios.  After graduating from the University of Georgia with a masters degree in political science, she began spending every waking hour putting those characters onto paper.

When not writing, she spends her time dancing, collecting paperbacks in the hopes of filling a Beauty and the Beast style library one day, traveling to visit her friends who live all over the country, and still reading anything she can get her hands on.  She currently resides in North Carolina with her husband and two puppies, Lucy and Riker, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

The Affiliate Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0fKN8Wnpe4

The Affiliate Pin Board:

https://www.pinterest.com/authorkalinde/the-affiliate/

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Entrusted Blog Tour for @Allegra_Gray with @Barclay_PR #excerpt #giveaway

To protect her country’s future, she’ll have to commit treason…

ENTRUSTED by Allegra Gray is a stunning historical Young Adult masterpiece of suspense, hope, and determination. This story follows orphaned Audrey as she’s tasked with keeping ancient relics safe from tyrannical hands and their unholy deeds. With the help of a charming adventurer, Tobias, Aubrey must do all she can to protect the relics she’s been entrusted to guard…even if it costs her life.

Title: Entrusted

Author: Allegra Gray

Series: Relic Guardians

Genre: Historical Young Adult

Release Date: September 8, 2015

Publisher: Silverthorne Entertainment

Print Length: 85K

Format: Paperback and Digital

Print ISBN: 978-0692486146

Digital ASIN: B011MSIKQ4

Synopsis:

Orphan Audrey Thorndale longs for the peaceful life of a convent, but with a younger brother to care for and England’s religious houses falling one by one to Henry VIII’s Reformation, she’ll have to find another way to serve God and country. The Abbot of Glastonbury, aware of Audrey’s dilemma and loathe to see the great treasures of his abbey looted and destroyed, suggests a plan that could save Audrey, the relics, and even the future of Britain…but if she agrees to it, she’ll have to commit treason.

Second son and sometime adventurer, Tobias Seybourne has never left an opportunity unexplored. He’s won the favor of the king, and is aiming for knighthood, when Abbot Whiting offers him the chance of a lifetime—partner with Audrey, and protect England’s greatest legend. Most importantly? Do it without ever giving the king a reason to suspect more devious purposes simmer beneath Tobias’s charming façade.

With help from the abbot, Audrey and Tobias set in motion a plan to ensure that when the abbey walls crumble, one particular treasure will be safely hidden elsewhere.  

But as the abbot points out, the king’s minions keep close account of their plunder, and the contents of Glastonbury’s repository are well documented. 

With the king’s men bearing down fast, someone must take the fall…

 

Excerpt:

“You are worried that Glastonbury is in peril, and the treasures it holds will end up in the king’s coffers.”

“Yes—and no.” He eyes me. “It’s more complicated than that. You must not repeat anything you are hearing right now.”

“No, Father Abbot. Never.” If there is one thing I am, it is loyal.

“When I combine what I know—what I, myself have seen and heard—with what the monks who have already lost their homes tell me, I see a future in which certain relics of Glastonbury never make it to the king’s coffers, but are destroyed instead.” He shakes his head sadly. “The idea that the holy relics would go into the king’s hands was disturbing enough, but to destroy them? Sacrilege.

“Again, I must emphasize the importance of not repeating this conversation—to anyone. Not even Sam. The Treason Act is too loosely interpreted these days to take chances.”

I gulp, cursing myself for giving in to curiosity. Now it is my hands that tremble. I should tell him to stop, that I don’t want to hear any more, but my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth. I should never have asked what was troubling him. And yet, I have the sense we have set on an irrevocable course, and I must see it through.

Finally, I pry my tongue loose. “I appreciate your honesty, Father Abbot.”

“Should Glastonbury fall, the treasures that can be measured in gold and silver will most certainly find a new home—whether it be the royal treasury or a pilferer’s stash. It is the others that trouble me.”

He rubs his temples, as though even thinking hurts. I begin moving about the room again, straightening things, dusting surfaces…the little, normal, everyday movements that I know, somehow, provide the backdrop of comfort that Abbot Whiting needs right now.

“You remember those visitors from Walsingham? They informed me that the shrine there, the shrine to the Virgin, which the king himself has visited, has been destroyed. The statue of the Virgin removed, the shrine itself despoiled, and the buildings looted. The same happened at Roche Abbey this summer.”

Finally, it sinks in, and I know exactly which of Glastonbury’s relics—one with no value in gold, but still of immeasurable worth—is troubling him so.

I stop dusting. My tongue, now loosened, does not have the sense to stop.

“If Glastonbury falls, what will become of King Arthur?”

Find out more at: Amazon | Kobo | iBooks | ARe

About Allegra Gray:

Allegra Gray grew up with her nose in a book and her head in the clouds—that is, when she wasn’t focused on more practical things like, say, learning calculus. Perhaps all those stories inspired a spirit of adventure, because at the age of seventeen she embarked on a career journey that has (so far) included serving as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, grad school at Virginia Tech, teaching English, and managing defense contracts in the Middle East. The best thing about this breadth of experience? When she tried her hand at writing novels like the ones she’d always loved, she recognized at once that she’d found a true passion. Her forthcoming series, The Relic Guardians, is genre-bending mainstream/historical suspense, inspired by her long-held desire to unveil things obscured by the mists of time. Allegra is also the author of four historical romances, including the “Daring Damsels” trilogy of Nothing But Scandal, Nothing But Deception, and Nothing But Trouble.

Connect with Allegra: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

 

Join the Entrusted Blog Tour September 7th to 18th! One grand prize winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
Enter HERE
Visit any or all of the following blogs for your chance to win!

9/7/2015

Coffee Books & Art

Reviews by Crystal

3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too!

9/8/2015

Fresh Fiction Blog

Sapphyria’s Book Reviews

Hope to Read

9/9/2015

Avid Reader Musings

My Reading Reality

Mommabears Book Blog

9/10/2015

StoreyBook Reviews

Pandora’s Books

Becky on Books

9/11/2015

Juicy Tidbits

9/14/2015

Delilah Devlin’s Blog

9/15/2015

The Paperback Princesses

9/16/2015

Crystal’s Chaotic Confessions

9/17/2015

Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!

RoloPoloBookBlog

9/18/2015

Mama Reads Hazel Sleeps

T&L Book Reviews

Evermore Books

Dodging Temptation Blog Tour- Interviews, Giveaways, Excerpts and more! @averyflynn

Dodging Tempation
by Avery Flynn
Publication Date: September 14, 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Interracial, Romance

Amazon • Amazon CA • Amazon UK • B&N • Kobo • iBooks

Synopsis: You can’t hide from love…or revenge.

Dodge Loving wants revenge…and he’s about to get it. On the cusp of closing a multi-billion-dollar luxury resort deal, Dodge can’t afford for anything go wrong. But then a fiery redhead shows up, the paparazzi hot on her trail, and throws his world into chaos. He has to get rid of her. Immediately.

Harper Conner just wants to be left alone, but after slapping her cheating senator ex-husband during a televised press conference, she’s a hot commodity. The ultra exclusive resort in Wyoming seems like the ideal place to hide-and work-so there’s no way she’s letting the Type-A jerk who runs the place fire her.

Despite the animosity sparking between them, Dodge and Harper can’t keep their hands to themselves. This thing between them can’t happen. It won’t. But his mother has other ideas…and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make sure Harper and Dodge fall in love.

Excerpt:

“Ain’t life a bitch?” she muttered to herself.

“You have no idea,” a male voice said from the other side of the stacks.

Harper’s surprised yelp bounced off the high ceiling, and her heart slammed against her ribcage as she jumped up from her chair. A man stood just inside the library’s door. Tall—at least six-foot-four—he had warm brown skin, thick muscles, a movie star face and moss green eyes that sent a jolt of electricity beaming straight down to the center of her cherry red panties. He’d scared the bejesus out of her, but that didn’t account for the awareness keeping her feet nailed to the ground. Sweaty, in running clothes, and more than a little bit pissed off, he had an aura of power and danger that twisted girls up and left them begging for more. Harper inhaled a shaky breath. She might need to sit down.

Teaser:

Author Interview:

My thanks to miss Avery Flynn for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer our burning questions!

Thank you so much for having me!

How do you balance your work life with your home life as a mother of three?

Sometimes not very well. 🙂 Honestly, now that school is back in session it’s so much easier. I usually get up before the kids and work, work while they’re in school and then finish up after they go to bed (if needed). I do this so that my weekends and after school hours are free for kids’ activities and you know hanging out and being a goofball with the family. 🙂

Do you tend to give your heroines traits that you and/or your friends possess?

They’re all stubborn, but that must be a trait from one of my friends and not me. 🙂 Seriously though, I try to make my heroines the kind of people I’d want to hang out with and hopefully that translates to someone the reader wants to hang out with too.

What attributes make a character the ultimate hero? 

A hero should be smart, brave, loyal and determined to do whatever it takes to make things right in his part of the world.

From which point of view do you most like to write and why?

It depends on the story, sometimes the villain is the most fun point of view to write and sometimes it’s the hero or heroine. I just go where the story flows.

As you find yourself with a new idea, do you allow it to stew or start writing immediately?

I swear half the time, I get a great idea when I’m under the deadline gun and can’t do anything but put that idea in my pocket until the current book is finished. Oh that drives me nuts!

When you aren’t writing, who do you like to read- do you have any recommendations?

I read when I write, when I’m not writing and if I could figure out how to do it in my sleep, I’d do that too. 🙂 I’ve read some really great books lately from Kate Meader, Sonali Dev, Tonya Burrows, Katee Roberts and, of course, I always recommend my besties Robin Covington and Kimberly Kincaid.

About Avery Flynn

Avery Flynn has three slightly-wild children, loves a hockey-addicted husband and is desperately hoping someone invents the coffee IV drip. Avery was a reader before she was a writer and hopes to always be both. She loves to write about smartass alpha heroes who are as good with a quip as they are with their *ahem* other God-given talents. Her heroines are feisty, fierce and fantastic. Brainy and brave, these ladies know how to stand on their own two feet and knock the bad guys off theirs.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

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Mama Fangirls Over Frost by @ELatimerWrites #review #giveaway

Frost by E. Latimer
Published by Patchwork Press on August 25, 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 453
Format: Paperback, ebook
Goodreads
Synopsis:

Megan Walker’s touch has turned to ice. She can’t stop the frost, and the consequences of her first kiss are horrifying.

When her new powers attract attention, Megan finds herself caught up in an ancient war between Norse giants. One side fueled by a mad queen’s obsession and an ancient prophecy about Ragnarök, the other by an age-old grudge. Both sides believe Megan to be something she’s not. Both sides will stop at nothing to have her.

Fire or frost. It’s an impossible decision, but she’ll have to act soon, because the storm is coming.

Today we are celebrating E. Latimer’s debut novel, Frost, a young adult fantasy based on Norse mythology about a teen who accidentally freezes the first boy she kisses. It’s not long that she discovers her family tree is a little…weirder than expected.

For original fans of Frost (which was originally uploaded on Wattpad), you’ll see some of your favorite characters and moments in an entirely new light! Make sure to add Frost to your “to read” on GoodReads.

You can purchase your copy of Frost from:

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Kobo
• iTunes

 

Mama’s Thoughts:
Awesome, amazing, fantasical…I really don’t have the right adjective in my word arsenal to describe this fabulous book, so I’ll just put it like this:

It’s not a secret that I love books based on Norse Mythology (hence my love of the Runes Series and the Elsker Saga) and Frost is no exception to this rule. Mrs. Latimer uses the old myths in such a fascinatingly original way that you feel you’re reading something entirely new, rather than a rehashing of thousands of years old stories.  I have never liked Loki so much in my entire life, and I have a seriously inappropriate crush on Marvel-Loki.  Just sayin’.  Frost is one of those books that you absolutely ignore your entire life for on whichever day you happen to read it.  Believe me you will want to read it in one sitting- my poor family had to fend for themselves whilst I enjoyed these whimsical words.  I even had to put on a sweater because she made me get so sucked into this icy world I forgot it was humid and hot outside my apartment.  Arresting action, scintillating suspense and just a smidgen of romance make this one read you don’t want to miss!  Grab Frost for 5 stars of fantasy fun!

 

About E. Latimer

Erin Latimer is a young adult fantasy writer who currently resides in Vancouver, BC. She writes books, makes silly vlogs about writing with the YA Word nerds, and reads excessively. She has had an article featured in Chicken Soup For the Soul, and another in the Dear Teen Me online anthology. But mostly she writes about murderous queens and the magical teens who fight them.

Website • Blog • Twitter •Wattpad • Goodreads

While you’re at it, be sure to enter the #FrostLaunch giveaway for a chance to win a paperback copy, ebook copy, Amazon gift card, or a swag goodie bag! HOW AWESOME IS THAT FOR A GIVEAWAY? (We have our eyes on those goodies in the swag bag! OK and the paperback too.)

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Series Blitz and Author Interview: Chateau Seductions by @LisaCBooks #interview #spotlight

Series Blitz:

Chateau Seductions Series

by

Lisa Carlisle

Sept 2nd – Sept 9th

 

Darkness Rising

Part 0.5 of Chateau Seductions

 

 

Antoine Chevalier harbors a secret. Born a gargoyle shifter,

he wants nothing more than to cultivate his art. His hard work pays off the

night he completes his greatest sculpture. But the excitement of his

accomplishment doesn’t last.

He’s drawn the eye of the wrong group—a clan of

vampires. Antoine wakes into darkness, changed. Shattered. His dream of

becoming a renowned sculptor is destroyed.

One question remains—how will he ever survive an eternity of

darkness alone?

Darkness Rising is part 0.5 of the Chateau Seductions series

by USA Today Bestselling author Lisa Carlisle. Readers have requested more on

the dark and mysterious Antoine. In this short story, Antoine tells his tale, which

continues in the series with Dark Velvet. Dark Velvet is written from

Savannah’s perspective as a newcomer to an art colony who is intrigued by the

proprietor.

 

 

Only 99 cents or free for KU subscribers to read!

 

 

 

 

Dark Velvet

Chateau Seductions Part 1

 

 

Grad student Savannah Evans is thrilled to be accepted

as a resident to a prestigious art colony. Where else would she be able to

focus on her craft of writing poetry in a setting like that of the

medieval-styled castle? The remote New England island is a respite from her

hectic city life. When she meets her benefactor, a mysterious French sculptor,

her expectations for carefree days writing near the ocean are distracted by

unprofessional fantasies about her sponsor.

Antoine Chevalier built Les Beaux Arts on DeRoche Island

to bring purpose back to an existence that has lost meaning. He’s wandered the

earth for decades and finds solace in returning to art. When

Savannah applies for a residency, something about her words touches him.

After her arrival, a physical attraction grows between them, which he struggles

against.  She deserves more than someone of his kind.

Antoine proposes they become lovers during her stay. But the

situation turns complicated when Savannah discovers his secret. She had

suspicions about his identity, but finds the truth overwhelming. Consumed by

her desire for Antoine and faced with a tough decision, she is blind to the

danger that has arrived at DeRoche Island.

A New Adult Erotic Romance

Paranormal / gargoyle / vampire / shapeshifter

 

 

“The setting on DeRoche Island was beautiful, and felt like

it was from another time. The chemistry between Savannah and Antoine is sure to

draw the reader in as well.

Dark Velvet is the first novella in the Chateau Seduction series. I am very

excited to read Carlisle’s next installment!”

“Dark Velvet has a dark eroticism that makes you want to be

Savannah. It is a book that is a good, quick and darkly thrilling read.”

“…insanely hot chemistry between the female protagonist

Savannah & vampire Antoine.  Their intensity starts off

right away and you’re not a chapter in before it takes off like a rocket!”

“Sexy, dark, full of intrigue, art, and paranormal sexiness,

Dark Velvet has it all in one hot package!”

“An Enchanting Story, as rich and sexy as Dark Velvet 

– This is a seductive Gothic tale that will draw you in from the first

page.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dark Muse

Chateau Seductions Part 2

 

 

 

It takes time before Gina Meiro warms up to people and her

shyness is often misunderstood. She hasn’t had to worry about meeting new

people at a remote art colony until a new resident arrives—a rock guitarist

more suited for a billboard. Her carefree days of painting at the

medieval-styled castle on a remote New England island are shattered when she

stumbles right into his welcome gathering.

After a falling out with his band, Dante Riani wants nothing

more at Les Beaux Arts on DeRoche Island than solitude to work on new songs.

When a shy young painter asks to paint him at sunset, he’s tempted by the

opportunity to be alone with her.

Someone at the colony claims to know what Dante is and asks

for his help. Dante fears his plans are coming undone, especially as he grows

more drawn to Gina. Her scent and vulnerability are too difficult to resist.

But he must stay away from her—she would never understand his secret.

 

 

 

 

 

5* Review of Dark Muse from Books and Beyond Fifty Shades! –

“While it is a story about struggle, it is also about love; and doing whatever

needs to be done to be with the one you are attracted to. I really enjoyed the

dynamic between Gina and Dante. This story has the perfect amount of witty

banter, sex, and romance.”

“I absolutely Loved this second book Dark Muse. If you

love romance with a side kick of action then this is for you.”

“I love this author and I love her gargoyle stories. I can’t

wait to read more of them, so keep on writing them.”

“Fast paced story with steamy hot sex and those two

characters that promise you an amazing time.

An amazing scenery, an amazing plot and of course you get the chance to see

what’s going on in the chateau and in the characters we met in the first book

as well!”

 

 

Dark Stranger

The final part of the Chateau Seductions trilogy

Chateau Seductions Part 3

 

 

 

Wolf shifters come to Chateau seeking a missing pack member.

During an altercation, Cameron Stevens, the manager of the art colony, is

separated from the others. He ends up alone with Nadya, one of the female

shifters.

Together, in the forests of DeRoche Island, they struggle

against conflicting feelings. In addition to battling each other as well as

their mistrust, they fight a powerful, inexplicable attraction to one

another—one that leaves them irrevocably entwined.

They’re mates? Cameron can’t comprehend or accept such a

thing is possible. They’re two different species and their worlds don’t mesh.

He can’t fight the heated desire burning between them and her touch is

impossible to resist. His heart and mind aren’t on the same page where she’s

concerned. One thing is certain—Nadya is stamped on both.

Paranormal, Erotic Romance

Shifters, vampires, gargoyles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5* Review of Dark Stranger from Books and Beyond Fifty

Shades! – “I have read the first 2 books in this series and could not

wait to get my hands on this one; and I was not disappointed. The thing I love

most, is that while this is a story about paranormal creatures, you can still

relate to the trial and tribulations that they go through. You can relate to how

each character is feeling, even though you are nothing like them.”

First of all, thank you very much for taking time to answer my questions.  I’ll try not to ask for Antoine’s phone number.  🙂

Mama Reads: Your female leads tend to be not only looking for something to get them out of their creative rut but also for someone to make them believe in themselves, even if they don’t know it.  Are any of these women based on you or your friends?

Lisa Carlisle: I haven’t based my characters on me or my friends, but there are definitely aspects I can relate to in many of the heroines I write. It was easy to write about Gina’s shyness in DarkMuse as I was very shy and quiet growing up. I love how Dante encourages her to take risks and step out of her comfort zone.

Speaking of friends, the Chateau only has a few residents at a time, but they become close mates during their stay.  Do you prefer to have a small group of friends or are you more likely to want a larger crowd?
I have always been a few close friends type. I am much more comfortable in a one-on-one situation or with just a few people and tend to shut down in larger crowds.

Being so different and having a dark past is not easy on Antoine, and it takes a lot for him to open up.  Are you one to keep your feelings close to the vest or wear them on your sleeve?

I definitely keep feelings to myself and only share them with those whom I’m close to and can trust.

What made you decide to give readers what they so desperately wanted and write a story from Antoine’s POV about part of his life before the Chateau? 

When I wrote this series, I envisioned three parts and thought I was finished once Dark Stranger was published. What a thrill it was to hear from readers who wanted me to keep going with the series! Rather than going ahead, I thought it was a great opportunity to let Antoine tell his tale, which was very vivid in my mind. He hadn’t had a chance to until that point.

What are you currently working on and do you have any details you would like to share with readers?

I am back to the Highland Gargoyles series and am working through revisions of part two, which follows Knights of Stone. If you’ve read my books, you may know I’m fascinated with gargoyles. (You should see my office!) This series is so much fun as the brothers are rebellious, rock-n-roll types. And I love the conflict between the gargoyles, wolf shifters, and tree witchs on the island.

I told you I would behave, besides I’m pretty sure if I actually asked for Antoine’s number, both my husband and Savannah would kick my butt 🙂  Thanks again for taking time to answer our questions, we look forward to reading more from you soon!

 

 

 

 

USA Today bestselling author Lisa Carlisle loves stories with

dark, brooding heroes and independent heroines. She’s honored to be a

multi-published author writing in different genres since she’s wanted to be a

writer since the sixth grade. For much of her professional career, she’s

written non-fiction — but she’s discovered writing romance is the most

fun. Her romances have been named Top Picks at Night Owl Reviews and All

Romance Ebooks.

When she was younger, she worked in a variety of jobs, moving

to various countries. She was deployed to Okinawa, Japan, while in the

military; backpacked alone through Europe; and lived in Paris before returning

to the U.S. She owned a bookstore for a few years, as she loves to read. She’s

now married to a fantastic man, and they have two kids, two kittens, and too

many fish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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