Sunday 28 October 2012

witch born by amber argyle blog tour



AUTHOR/BOOK SPOTLIGHT



Amber Argyle grew up with three brothers on a cattle ranch in the Rocky Mountains. She spent hours riding horses, roaming the mountains, and playing in her family’s creepy barn. This environment fueled her imagination for writing high fantasy. 

She has worked as a short order cook, janitor, and staff member in a mental institution. All of which has given her great insight into the human condition and has made for some unique characters. 

She received her bachelor’s degree in English and Physical Education from Utah State University. 









Synopsis
Brusenna thought it was finished. 

She defeated the Dark Witch, saving the Haven Witches from imprisonment and death. She found love and a place to belong. 

She was wrong. 

Haven is not the sanctuary it appears to be. Even love is in danger of slipping away like water through cupped hands. 

Some things can't be saved. 

A new threat merges with the old as the Witches’ dark history begins to catch up with them. Only Brusenna knows the extent of the danger and how to stop it, though doing so might cost her everything.

Including her life. 

Will Brusenna be required to make the ultimate sacrifice?










Links







Giveaway

  
a Rafflecopter giveaway

thank you to jean book nerd for letting me be part of this amazing tour. check our her blog here for the other stops on the tour
http://www.jeanbooknerd.com/2012/10/the-witch-born-blog-tour-schedule.html


Book Links
  
    

Thursday 25 October 2012

amanda's eyes by Kathy Disanto, review by alice

Amanda's EyesAmanda's Eyes by Kathy Disanto
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

thanks to the author for giving me a copy of this ebook in exchange for a honest review.

this book was a refreshing change to what i normally read. part sci-fi part murder mystery and i enjoyed every second of it.

the main character amanda after having lost her eyes and getting replacements, starts having visions, these are scary as in their detail but were described wonderfully. amanda is a kick ass main female who wont take anything lying down. she loves her job, loves her family and wont let anything happen to either.

there are 3 male characters in this book. the agents eagan and baker. i dont know which one i like more lol. i love them both. then there is ellison the reporter, he definitly is a nice guy who wants to help.

i liked how in this book there wasnt any romance, but hints as to what might happen in the next one (or maybe it was only me who got the hints lol) it was a refreshing change having no romance and having the storyline being the main theme of the book.

i loved the writing style. it was very easy to read, and the way the world was described made it very easy to imagine me being there.

i cannot wait to read the sequel when it comes out and il definitly be reading more from this author in the future :)


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Saturday 20 October 2012

Cover reveal - inception by teal haviland

isn't this cover just stunning, i know i like it :)

Whats is about?
The world is in danger. Mankind is sinking deeper into darkness it cannot understand.

Demons are easily capturing souls as they lead men and women down dangerous paths from which there is no return, while Javan, one of the Fallen, seeks an ancient book and the power it promises. If he succeeds, humans — and the world as they know it — will be destroyed.

There is someone who is capable of stopping Javan . . .

If she discovers him in time.

Gabrielle is one of the most powerful angels ever created, her job one of the most important. She has come to Earth to learn more about humans and what influences them, and to fight evil she sees growing at an alarming rate. She soon finds herself carelessly distracted with one human in particular, however. Lucas Watkins holds a promise of peace and love for Gabrielle that she never believed she could have again.

As feelings between her and Lucas become more than she can deny, so do the dangers mounting against him. After discovering who Lucas is, and the choice he faces, she realizes Darkness will come for him through demons and fantastical beings he thought only existed in his imaginings — forcing fairytales to become his reality.

Caught between her new mortal ties and ancient immortal responsibilities, Gabrielle must race against what seems to be an ever-quickening clock to learn what she needs to know, protect Lucas, uncover Javan’s plan, and find a way to stop him and all who live in Shadows.

Things become more complex than she ever anticipated, her decisions more critical, and what begins as a quest for information rapidly places her in an even more crucial position within the longest and most important war ever waged.

Join Gabrielle and her allies in a story of love – past and present – fantastical beings, hidden realms, magic, fate, loss, and the fight of good versus evil



Interview with the main character

 
“It’s nice to formally meet you, Teal. I’m Gabrielle . . . but you already know that.”

“Of course. I did create you, after all,” I respond with a smile full of pride I think only an author can understand when sitting across from a character they birthed. Especially when that creation of fiction led to a birth of a different kind in my own life.

This interview between author and character had not been planned. It came up suddenly when Gabrielle decided she wanted to know how she came to be, and thought the future readers of her story would also want to know. At first I wasn't sure about the idea, but now, as the Angel of Karma stands in front of me, I am glad for the opportunity.

As we settle in our chairs, my desk separating us, I realize it‘s hard to dissect the expression of the angel sitting across from me. Nothing is readable in her eyes or demeanor. It makes me wonder what is going on in her mind, though not knowing and having the interview told through my point of view is something I agreed to when Gabrielle asked to do this.

An open window behind me brings in crisp morning air. The telling of fall’s approach is being spoken by the breeze, but its chill is slowly warmed by a sun that's grown lazy after the work of summer. Leaves are less green as the reds, yellows, purples, and oranges spread across Tennessee, as if the colors are an army marching painfully slow toward a war they don’t want to fight. It’s mid October 2012, my favorite time of year, and I am less than four months from the projected publication date for Inception, the first book in the story of The Reaping Chronicles — Gabrielle’s story , and a story that I never knew was inside me until almost two years ago.

“So,” I begin with what I’m sure is a tone of uncertainty since I am still trying to decipher what might be going on in Gabrielle’s mind, “what would you like to know?”

“Well, let’s start with the question that is tops in my mind. How did you come up with the idea for me, the Angel of Karma?”

I smile again, a bit more subdued. The way she came about was one of the most enlightening times of my life and one of the saddest. She was born from pain and anger and frustration and an extreme sense of a terrible injustice that was being done in the life of someone I cared about very much. But, she also saved me . . . literally.

“Okay.” I take a deep breath before I begin, filling my lungs with air and my body with courage to tell my tale. I don’t like the spotlight . . . never have. But, when it comes to my writing I have discovered I am willing to step into it. I love what I am doing that much. “I have always been a strong believer in you reap what you sow. I have lived my life trying very hard to do what’s right. I sometimes fail, sometimes miserably, but I try. And I am a very spiritual person. During the year prior to coming up with you and the story of The Reaping Chronicles, however, I went through some horrible circumstances and there was a person who was getting away with heinous things, who had gotten away with many others over the years that I also knew about. I found myself questioning my beliefs. It tested my spirituality to an extreme, and I began to grow angry and bitter. That’s something that is never good for anyone, but particularly for me because I can be terribly vindictive and vengeful. It’s a side of me that I combat daily and it was beginning to win the war being waged inside me more every day.” I pause and take a deep breath, wondering if I am telling too much and considering how I will be judged for telling on that side of me. It’s a side I know most people have, but most also try to keep it hidden away behind facades. This is me, though. This is my story.

“So,” I continue, “during this internal struggle, the dialogue I was having on a daily basis with God seemed to be growing more adversarial by the minute, and I found myself wishing I was in charge of giving out karma — good and bad — so I could make sure this person got exactly what they deserved. That made me wonder why karma couldn't be the charge of one individual, which led to me thinking about whom, in my mind, should be in charge of it. That all led to me deciding it should be an angel that was given the task, the Angel of Karma. A specific job assigned to a specific angel — you.”

Her mouth pushes up her cheeks as she smiles, but I see sadness behind the expression. I wonder how the story I have created has affected her . . . I wonder what she thinks of me.

“What made you want to create a story around the idea?”

“That’s easy. I had just started writing fiction again after not writing anything except for poetry for twenty-three years. I wrote very short children’s stories when I was a teen — animals talking to animals . . . that sort of thing — but also stopped as a teen. In the month prior to coming up with the idea that turned into you and The Reaping Chronicles, I wrote two short stories for challenges given by my writers group. I was shocked and thrilled that not only could I still write fiction — though it wasn't necessarily great fiction — but that I was able to write in genres I had never attempted. The first was a scary story for Halloween, and the second was speculative fiction. After that I decided to try a book — something I had always wanted to do — and had been trying to come up with an idea. The Angel of Karma was perfect.”

“Why did you stop? Writing fiction, I mean.”

I laugh a bit at this. The reason is lame, and I know it.

“I stopped because I was praised for it. I stopped doing everything I was given praise for in my teens — my horseback riding, photography, and my writing.”

“But you continued to write poetry.”

“I didn't share my poetry with anyone until I was in my late twenties, so I never received praise for it in my teens. Plus,” I add with a smile, “I don’t think my poetry is particularly good. I write it for myself. It’s not correct in form or style. It’s a way I get my feelings and thoughts out. I really don’t care if anyone likes it because I write it specifically for me. I think I would have continued to write it, regardless. Stories are different for me. I want people to like them.”

Gabrielle laughs with a sarcastic edge at that, and I realize it makes no sense. "Why, then, did you stop writing the fiction that you do care about, that others praised you for? People liked it.”

I don’t answer her right away. Instead, I look out the window of my home office at the trees as they toss in the wind, noting how much the leaves seem to change in the short hours between sunset and sunrise, as I ponder her question. I have wondered the same thing since I first walked away from my writing and photography and horseback riding — all of my passions — when I was almost seventeen. I have wondered, and have continued wondering because I have never come up with the reason that made sense to me.

I look back at her as she shifts in her chair and I smile a hint of a smile.

“I honestly don’t know how to answer that question.”

The answer raises one brow above her big green eyes.

“I know it doesn't make sense, and I guess that’s why I don’t know how to answer it. I’m just glad I started to write again. It’s changed my life . . . it saved me.”

She seems to understand, even without explanation, and I wonder if she knows what I mean. After all, she was created from my mind. The same mind that was dealing with that internal war, the same one that found solace from the thoughts of revenge I was having that were consuming me like it was some starving carnivorous beast and I was the last meal it would ever eat. She, and The Reaping Chronicles, rescued me from those dark, nefarious places in my mind.

“So, I guess you can thank something bad for setting you on the path that led to something you consider so good.”

“Yes, I can. And I think that’s how it usually works if we are open to the purpose of times like that. I feel, now, like I know exactly why things worked out as they did, and it was for the best.”

“You don’t want revenge anymore?”

“I would say I don’t want to personally take revenge, but I would be happy to know karma had paid a visit to those people.”

“Do you think I will?”

“I fully believe that, yes . . . they will pay the price. What goes around comes around. I just might not have the front row seat and bucket of popcorn I desire.”

Gabrielle is quiet for a moment, her eyes searching me, and I think about how I have written how her gaze made Lucas feel as I wrote intense scenes with them — the same gaze I am now under. The irony causes goosebumps to rise on my skin and I try to casually rub them away.

“Is there anything else you want to know, Gabrielle?”

She still stares.

Studies.

'Boy . . . she really is an intimidating creature,' I think, and the impression she is leaving on me is deep, because I know I'm not easily intimidated. Her lips part slightly in a smile as if she knows what I am thinking.

'Does she know?' And that thought causes the bumps on my arms to come back.

“Why did you write so many things in Inception that would break my heart?”

“Wow,” is all I say for a moment.

As we sit there, both of us waiting on my response, I try to figure out how to answer without sounding heartless. I realize I can’t.

“Because people relate to heartbreak.”

“So,” she continues, and I think I note a bit of venom slipping into her tone, “why don’t you share how you have been betrayed . . . how your heart has been broken. We both know it comes from personal experience.” She pauses and her gaze seems to turn into a glare for a fraction of a second. It is swift, but was definitely there. “And is something you have dealt with very recently and in deeper ways than ever before.”

My heartbeat suddenly ratchets as I realize that, in fact, she is very aware of me — my thoughts, my emotions, my experiences . . . my life. More so than I was ready to believe. I am uncomfortable with this interview, now, but my shock at her shift quickly turns into reserved anger.

“Gabrielle, I think this is enough for today. Maybe, at another time, we can continue this interview. As for now, however, I have to get back to writing your story and the story of your friends and enemies.”

I stand, and she mimics my movement.

Without another word between us, she disappears in flowing, smoky white wisps.

But . . . I swear her eyes are the last to fade . . . and they are shooting daggers at me.

I don’t know what I expected from this interview, and I don’t know if I will ever let her do another one. But I can say that I was not expecting her to become so adversarial. I also find, while standing in my office in the moments after she left, that my anger easily softens. She is, after all, subject to my whims. She doesn't know how her story is going to end, yet, because I haven’t written it to its end. She only knows the content of the first book. I imagine she must not trust me. How can she? And, if I were her, I would be angry at me, too.

She doesn't have any idea what I have in store for her, what trials and triumphs and failures I have in mind, obstacles I’ll put in her way, who and what she will lose or gain — how many more times I will have someone betray her or in what ways I will break her heart even more than she already knows I have.

I am her creator, her ruler.

And, in many ways . . . I am her Angel of Karma.

©2012 Teal Haviland 
 
find teal here goodreads 
and here website 
 
leave a comment and let us know what you think of the cover :)



Sunday 14 October 2012

Rae Carson series Fire and Thorns book 1 & 2 review


Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
The story of Elisa is not always a happy one but it’s a story of one girl journey to find the faith that she needs as the bearer of the godstone.

As a character Elisa is different for the normal sort you read about normally the main characters are perfected and loveable, Elisa is different yes she is special but she is not drop dead beautiful but that does not matter the author makes it clear that you DONT! Have to be beautiful to do great things. Elisa is smart and does not think she is better than anyone else you love Elis because she tells us girls that no matter what you look like just have the faith and be who you are, be strong.

There were a lot of other amazing characters in the book that you will love but I had a MASSIVE! Crush on lord Hector from the moment he stepped into the book I was in love. While at times he can be hard you felt like he would also look after you and love you no matter what.

The story was so will written it eased you right into this amazing fantasy world with perfection. I found that within just ten pages I was completely in love with the book. There was so much to like everything was explained and beautiful detailed in such a way that you felt like you were in the book to.

The book to me really was watching Elisa grow from a shy uneasy girl to a warrior like character that would give her life for others.

While I have read many Fantasy books from the lighter side to the epic Fantasy I have to say out of them all this is the best Fantasy book I have ever read. It lingers in your mind even after the book ends I’m tingling to read more from this one of a kind author.

I give this book 5 stars go out buy the book and prepare to be stunned and amazed

Crown of Embers by Rae Carson
So pleased I get this book I ended up rereading book one then went straight into book two..wow I did not think book two could ever been as good as the first book but I was wrong. The storyline was strong and exciting and simply magical the characters are wonderful and it's heart warming to read about them. I was a emotional reck while reading the books I was glued to every word and was whole heartedly willing Elisa to carry on and to be strong. The ending had me in tears and my brain is in a state of shock needing to know what will happen next!!


5 stars to both books

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter review and video.

Alice in Zombieland (White Rabbit Chronicles, #1)Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….
Oh My God this book was AMAZING!! Unlike any book i have every read wonderful characters and a storyline that pulled you in and had you the whole way through. I was amazed and blinded by the way the author had taken zombies and made them her own. Her zombies were not slow mindless things that you would laugh at no Gena zombies were True monsters that would keep you up all night with fear at the thought of them. i simply loved the book.


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Saturday 6 October 2012

CONTEST!!!! become a character

how would you like to become a character in the next immortalis series book by the amazingly talented katie salidas??? i know i would, and whats better, you get the chance to be the mate to nicholas,  oh be still my heart :)
head on over to katies blog to check out her contest :)
www.katiesalidas.com/2012/10/become-character-contest.html?spref=bl

Tuesday 2 October 2012

Halloween reading challenge


With Halloween fast approaching i decided to set myself a challenge!
 Through the whole of this month (October) ill be reading only scary books only. 
I'm talking ghost story, blood thirsty vampires and demons (no fluffy kind hearted type vamps) 
I'm talking brain eating zombies and much more. 
Feel free to get involved to, each time you read a scary book this month leave a comment on what scary book you read and what you thought of it.  

Each time i read a scary book ill add the title here and leave a link to my review the goal is to read as many scary books as I can to celebrate Halloween. 

finished The ghost of graylock by dan poblocki (date 2 October)

next book Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter (date 7 October)
Me talking about Alice in zombieland

next book Dark inside by Jeyn Roberts (reread) (date 9 October)

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout review

Onyx (Lux, #2)Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…
my review
After reading book one i went right to book two.
I have to say I did have a few bits that ticked me off in this book but first ill tell you what i liked. Now the character are all well thought out and likeable and the storyline is action packed and with lots of twists and turns in the right places that help keep you glued to the book.
I loved that you learned more about the lux and that the book had depth when i came to family ties and loved ones coming first which really warms you heart but what did tick me off was katy being such a air head when she knew full well what she wanted, while I understand that life is not always easy for her i felt that she made things 100 times harder for no reason apart from being silly (angry face) Daemon was a big hit for me and i loved seeing his softer side and also the love he has for the people close to his heart.
4 stars


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Monday 1 October 2012

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout review

Obsidian (Lux, #1)Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is
I have no idea why I got the book I was looking through Amazon and came across the books and something made me buy it and all the authors other books too.
The book was written with such an easy to read flow that I found myself zooming though each page and before I knew it I have read the whole book. I loved Katy and the fact I could relate to her love of books and blogging reviews. I also was excited that the storyline was different from what I normally read. There were parts where I laughed so hard i thought I might die. I felt sucked in and unable to stop needing and wanting to know what would happen next.
With such amazing and bright characters and a storyline that felt like a roller-coaster ride it was brilliant.
i just know that i will reread this book to the point of the book falling apart :D

5 stars

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