Cover reveal: Origin of Angels by Christie Rich

I'm excited to share the cover for Origin of Angels by Christie Rich! This is the first book in the Elemental Legacy series and is New Adult Fantasy. It is a continuation of the Elemental Enmity series.

A man searches for the woman he loves. A woman fights to survive.

As the first male Elemental, Travis is a wanted man. Women fawn all over him, both fae and Elemental alike, but he only has one female on is mind—the woman who captured his heart when he was sure he’d lost it. Travis is not only determined to find her, he’s willing to go through his meddling sister, Ralya, to do it. He doesn’t care if she’s queen of the fae, if war is brewing, or if there is a price on his head. He needs to find his mystery woman before it’s too late—before he loses her to the Order or worse, to the evil Valen, who has made a bargain of his own to win back his kingdom.

Emily will do anything it takes to save her son from the Order, no matter the cost. Her heart yearns for the man who gifted her with the only joy she has in her dreary world, yet the odds she will ever see Travis again are slim to none. Emily has a single desire: to raise her child. Love is beyond her reach, or so she thinks. As evil draws near, Emily must guard her heart or lose her soul to the fae who wants her to fulfill his wicked purposes.

Will Travis find Emily before she gives up, or will she fall into the hands of his enemy and be forever out of his reach? In this gripping sequel to Elemental Enmity, the stakes for control of Earth have been raised. Evil has taken hold of the mortal realm and won’t relinquish it easily. The forces of Elemental and fae must unite against the dark court if they have any chance at all of overcoming the gloom overtaking the human realm.

About the author: I grew up daydreaming about fairytales, and my love for discovering new worlds has never died. I am not one of those writers who always knew I would write. I thought that was what other people did until one day, a few years ago, I took a challenge from a friend and typed my first words. My journey has been wonderful, and I cannot imagine a day where I would ever give up writing. My love for reading is what fueled my imagination in the first place and still does. When I am not writing or reading, I enjoy family time with my husband and two children. My family and I live in a quiet community in Northern Utah, and I am so thankful for the rich life I have been blessed with.

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Giveaway:

$15 Amazon Gift Card

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Review: Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5) by Richelle Mead

Silver Shadows

Author: Richelle Mead

Series: Bloodlines

Pages: 380

Publisher/Source: Penguin Books Australia

Release date: 29^th July 2014

Amazon – TBD

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive. 

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .

Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Contains possible spoilers from the previous books

After the jaw dropping ending in book 4, The Fiery Heart I was more than excited to read Silver Shadows and despite a few minor issues I had, it was still a great addition to the series and has left things in a very interesting place.

When the Alchemists discovered Sydney Sage was in a relationship with a Vampire, she is taken to an unknown location for re-education where she will have her soul cleansed of this impurity. The events that took place in this facility were pretty brutal, the alchemists form of punishment involved a lot of mind tactics that would break anyone but Sydney remained strong and continued her attempts to work her way out of the hell that they were putting her through but in doing this she needed to gain the trust of the other imprisoned Alchemists, not an easy feat when the crime she committed is considered the worst of the worst.

Quote: Out of old habit, I put my hand on my collarbone, touching a cross that was no longer there. Don’t let them change me, I prayed silently. Let me keep my mind. Sydney.

Adrian on the other hand wasn’t as strong and surprised me - not in a good way, I won’t reveal his behaviour while Sydney was locked up but I just couldn’t sympathise with him. For me, he progressed drastically as a character from the first book Bloodlines through to The Fiery Heart but in this he let himself go deeper and deeper into his wallowing self-pity ways which was reminiscent of his VA behaviour – he didn’t remain consistent or persistent, admittedly he did try for a long while but he seemed to just give up. In saying that, he did end up redeeming himself and I admired him for it but I’m not sure I completely agree with how they went about it all, the repercussions of their actions are going to be very interesting to see play out.

Quote: “But with Sydney... with Sydney, I'd had it all- And lost it all. Love, understanding, respect. The sense that we'd both become better people because of each other and could take on anything so long as we were together. Only we weren't together anymore. They'd ripped us apart, and I didn't know what was going to happen now.”  Adrian

There is a lot of kick-butt action sequences and destruction in parts of this book which I liked, the first part I found to be extremely slow which was to be expected with what Sydney was going through, the middle part lagged in parts but the last third really kept me interested. There are many surprising developments I didn’t envision happening and I’m super excited to see how it all comes together in the end – I’m really hoping in the next book there is some more page time with Zoe and Sydney’s father and of course more magic use.

I don’t feel we got to see as much of the secondary characters again in this book, I missed their presence in The Fiery Heart as well but I did appreciate the role Marcus played and I wish there was more mushy moments between Jill and Eddie.

Richelle Mead’s writing is exciting and engaging, the dual POV again worked perfectly and the outcome of the events blended beautifully to create a wonderful page-turner. The wait for The Ruby Circle is going to be painful. 

Thank you to Penguin Books Australia for the opportunity to read and review Silver Shadows.

Books in order:

Bloodlines 2011

The Golden Lily 2012

The Indigo Spell 2013

The Fiery Heart 2013

The Ruby Circle

About the author:

Scorpio Richelle Mead is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy books for both adults and teens. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington where she works on her three series full-time: Georgina Kincaid, Dark Swan, and Vampire Academy.
A life-long reader, Richelle has always loved mythology and folklore. When she can actually tear herself away from books (either reading or writing them), she enjoys bad reality TV, traveling, trying interesting cocktails, and shopping for dresses. She's a self-professed coffee addict and has a passion for all things wacky and humorous.

ARC Review: Feral by Holly Schindler

Feral

Author: Holly Schindler

Series: -

Pages: 432

Publisher: HarperTeen

Amazon

Release date: 26/08/2014

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

The Lovely Bones meets Black Swan in this haunting psychological thriller with twists and turns that will make you question everything you think you know.

It’s too late for you. You’re dead. Those words continue to haunt Claire Cain months after she barely survived a brutal beating in Chicago. So when her father is offered a job in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out will offer her a way to start anew.

But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire feels an overwhelming sense of danger, and her fears are confirmed when she discovers the body of a popular high school student in the icy woods behind the school, surrounded by the town’s feral cats. While everyone is quick to say it was an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it, and vows to learn the truth about what happened. 

But the closer she gets to uncovering the mystery, the closer she also gets to realizing a frightening reality about herself and the damage she truly sustained in that Chicago alley….

Holly Schindler’s gripping story is filled with heart-stopping twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very last page.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Feral by Holly Schindler was such a freaky read! It hand my mind reeling from the very first page, I had absolutely no idea what was going on and I loved every moment of it.

Claire and her father have moved to small town Peculiar, strange things begin to happen and Claire is convinced the ghost of Serena Sims is haunting her so she makes it her mission to solve the mystery of her death which was brutally detailed in the first chapter. It was gruesome, thrilling, and suspenseful and to be honest I was baffled by what was going on; it was an edge of your seat angst-filled book that had me glued to the pages.

The characters were written well but not all of them were likeable, Claire was a broken character after a brutal attack left her for dead; with unresolved, big issues you could certainly understand her fears and reactions. Her father was an amazing support as was Rich who became a great friend. Becca’s actions were questionable and forced, she was guilt-ridden and I spent the book wondering if there was more to it, her interactions with the other characters gave me the feeling she was hiding something.

The murder/mystery aspect was done well, everyone to me was s suspect but there was a certain someone who did stand out and in the end I was right in accusing them. I won’t reveal too much to avoid spoilers but everything came together nicely, there were surprising twists and turns along the way that kept things interesting.

Holly Schindlers writing drew me in from the first page with her chilling, descriptive storytelling, the psychological aspect was done well as was the characterisations; even her imagery of the feral overpopulation of the cats was freaky! There were small parts of the story that did become quite sluggish but needing to know what was going on kept me powering through it.

What surprised me was the uncertain feeling this book has – there were no conclusive answers initially which left me confused but also intrigued by what was actually happening, the mental and emotional aspects were compelling, I was absorbed by the mystery and left saddened by the believability of the subject matter; it’s a story which makes you think and the overall message is heartbreaking.

Overall, Feral is a great psychological thriller with an intriguing mystery; it’s a book which is dark and gritty and held my attention throughout wanting to know more about Claire and what was going on with her, with feral cats, a freaky ghost, wonderful writing and an interesting cast of characters – Feral was a book that had me mesmerised and the outcome certainly surprised me.

 

About the author: (Goodreads) My debut YA novel, A Blue So Dark, earned a starred review in Booklist, was named one of Booklist's Top 10 First Novels for Youth, received a silver medal from the ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards, and won a gold medal in the IPPYs. Playing Hurt, my first romance, released in 2011. My first MG, The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky, released in 2014.

My next YA, Feral, will release August 26, 2014.

I can be found online at hollyschindler.com, and at my blog, Novel Anecdotes (hollyschindler.blogspot.com).

Review: I Want it That Way by Ann Aguirre

Author: Ann Aguirre

Series: 2B Trilogy

Publisher: Harlequin

Pages: 352

Amazon

Release date: 26^th August 2014

Synopsis: (Goodreads)

Nadia Conrad has big dreams, and she's determined to make them come true—for her parents' sake as well as her own. But between maintaining her college scholarship and working at the local day care to support herself, she barely has time to think, let alone date. Then she moves into a new apartment and meets the taciturn yet irresistible guy in 1B…. 

Daniel Tyler has grown up too fast. Becoming a single dad at twenty turned his life upside down—and brought him heartache he can't risk again. Now, as he raises his four-year-old son while balancing a full-time construction management job and night classes, a social life is out of the question. The last thing he wants is for four noisy students to move into the apartment upstairs. But one night, Nadia's and Ty's paths cross, and soon they can't stay away from each other. 

The timing is all wrong—but love happens when it happens. And you can't know what you truly need until you stand to lose it.

Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

I am a huge fan of Ann Aguirre’s Razorland series so I was more than curious to read her latest New Adult novel despite being quite disillusioned by the genre most recently, I have to also admit that storylines with children involved are usually a big no go for me but this one seemed to work. I Want it That Way is the first book in the 2B trilogy.

Twenty year-old Nadia Conrad is a struggling student working part-time to pay her way and has recently moved into an apartment – 2B, with her best friend Lauren and friends Max and Angus, her life is chaotic so when she meets a gorgeous hot and cold guy from 1B her feelings about not dating certainly change.

Daniel Tyler was a broken character for obvious reasons, as a single dad he was working and taking night classes to make a decent life for him and his gorgeous little four year-old son, Sam but relationships aren’t on the cards for him when he is so exhausted but his obvious attraction to Nadia certainly changed his outlook. I think Nadia’s lovey feelings for Ty were a little too instant for my liking and progressed at a rapid pace but it was entertaining none the less and it was nice watching their interactions despite Ty’s reluctance; the overall relationship though spanned over time which was more realistic. Their chemistry was off the charts and the dialogue between them was written well as were the smexy times which did pass into more adult content with the descriptive details.

The storyline is more or less told in the synopsis so I won’t expand on this aspect but it all didn’t come without drama and miscommunication, their situation wasn’t an easy one with little Sam involved so the angst was there. But it didn’t just come from the MC’s, there is also a bit of side stories going on with Angus who is gay and is suffering from a relationship fallout and also Lauren and Max, I won’t expand on their drama but it was a difficult circumstance. In the end, I was happy with the outcome. The exchanges between all of the characters was wonderful, the friendships were written well and were true to life as they were sharing their experiences and hardships as well as their unclear thought processes about their futures.

You can’t fault Ann Aguirre’s writing, it is addictive and despite not being overly thrilled by the NA genre right now I Want it That Way kept me interested right from the beginning and I couldn’t help but hope for happiness and a HEA after for all of the characters.

Thank you to Harlequin via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review I Want it That Way.

  

About the author: Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. She likes all kinds of books, emo music, action movies and Doctor Who. She writes all kind of fiction in multiple genres, both YA and for adults.

Review: Between by Megan Whitmer

Between

Author: Megan Whitmer

Series: Between

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Pages: 384

Amazon - TBD

Release Date: 29^th July 2014

Synopsis: When a supernatural freak of nature forces her family to separate, seventeen-year-old Charlie Page must turn to her frustrating (yet gorgeous) neighbor, Seth, to help reunite them. Seth whisks Charlie to Ellauria—a magical world filled with the creatures of myths and legends—and tells her of the Fellowship, the group charged with protecting mystical beings from human discovery. (All except Bigfoot: that attention whore is a total lost cause.) But when Charlie learns that she's under the Fellowship's protection herself, well, "stressed" is an understatement.

Ellauria should be the safest place for Charlie while the Fellowship works to find her family, but things in the mystical realm aren’t what they seem.

Magic is failing, creatures are dying, and the Fellowship insists Charlie holds the key to saving everyone. With her family still missing and the danger in Ellauria growing, Charlie doesn't know who she can trust. She's dealing with a power she never asked for, falling for a guy she can't have, and being forced to choose between her destiny and her heart. And if she chooses wrong, she could destroy magic forever.

Charlie may be in over her head.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars 

Between is a book that started off a little strange for me, everything seemed to happen at such a rapid pace that my head was spinning, one moment everything was normal, we have siblings conversing and a family dinner and in the next moment we are thrust into fantasyland or in this instance the Between, it was all mind blowing but in saying that it quickly settled down and I started to really enjoy this book, to the point where I stayed up until all hours just to finish it.

Seventeen year-old Charlie Page was a likeable character without a clue as to her importance in a realm she never knew existed until she is attacked by a ‘Mothman’ and her life as she has known it she soon discovers was based on complete lies.

Separated from her mother and brother when she was whisked away and now in the mystical realm of Ellauria, Charlie is forced to navigate through her new reality and hone in on magical abilities she didn’t know existed, all with the help of someone she thought she knew – Seth but he too isn’t who she thought he was.

Seth is a broody, protective sweetheart; I adored his interactions with Charlie and the sweet stolen moments they were able to share but a relationship between them is my favourite kind - forbidden but I won’t tell you why. Their chemistry was wonderful.

Also helping Charlie was Keiran, I thought he was fabulous and I thought we’d have a love triangle which I always dread but nothing eventuated thank goodness, I was surprised by Keiran’s past and I am intrigued about what is to come of him now.

The world-building was interesting and the plot entertaining with some great action scenes. There was never a dull moment as we see Charlie train, search for her mother and brother, work out why magic is weakening and the Between wilting and also learn about why Charlie had been hidden and her importance to the realm, It all came together nicely.

After the rapid start things slowed down and we got to enjoy the amazing imagery of the Ellauria setting which was wonderfully detailed and vivid, you could picture everything clearly which I appreciated. I also liked the creatures that reside there such as fairies, centaurs, elves, unicorns, harpies etc. and the part the Fellowship play in all of it. The bad guy was also quite interesting, I’m curious to see how everything now plays out in future instalments.

Between doesn’t read like a debut novel, it is very well written and engaging with some wonderful dialogue and witty banter; I am definitely eager to read the next book in this series.

Thank you to Spencer Hill Press via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Between by Megan Whitmer.

About the author: Megan Whitmer lives in Kentucky with her family. She loves all things Southern, and has a soft spot for football, kissing scenes, and things that sparkle. Aside from her personal blog, she's also a contributing blogger forwww.YAmisfits.com,www.allthewritenotes.com, andwww.herkentucky.com. When she's not writing, Megan spends her time drinking absurd amounts of Cherry Coke Zero and wishing someone would pay her to tweet. Her debut novel, a YA fantasy called BETWEEN, will be published by Spencer Hill Press in July 2014.

Waiting on Wednesday - Conspiracy Girl by Sarah Alderson and The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

 

Hi everyone!! thank-you so much for stopping by today.

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My WoW’s for this week are Conspiracy Girl by Sarah Alderson & The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey, both sound amazing but the wait is going to be agonising.

Author: Sarah Alderson

Series:  -

Genre: Young adult

Amazon pre-order

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Release date: 19^th February 2015

Goodreads 

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Everybody knows about the Cooper Killings – the Bel Air home invasion that rocked the nation.
There was only one survivor - a sixteen year-old girl.
And though the killers were caught they walked free.

Now eighteen, Nic Preston - the girl who survived - is trying hard to rebuild her life. She’s security conscious to the point of paranoia and her only friend is a French Mastiff bulldog, but she’s making progress. She’s started college in New York and has even begun dating.

But then one night her apartment is broken into and the life Nic’s worked so hard to create is shattered in an instant. 

Finn Carter - hacker, rule breaker, player – is the last person Nic ever wants to see again. He’s the reason her mother’s killers walked free from court. But as the people hunting her close in, Nic has to accept that her best and possibly only chance of staying alive is by keeping close to Finn and learning to trust the person she’s sworn to hate.

Fleeing across a snowbound New England, frantically trying to uncover the motive behind the murders, Nic and Finn come to realize the conspiracy is bigger than they could ever have suspected. But the closer they get to the truth and the closer they get to each other, the greater the danger becomes.

To survive she has to stay close to him.
To keep her safe he has to keep his distance.

Author: Melissa Grey

Series: The Girl at Midnight

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Release date: 28^th April 2015

Goodreads 

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

For readers of Cassandra Clare's City of Bones and Leigh Bardugo'sShadow and Bone, The Girl at Midnight is the story of a modern girl caught in an ancient war.

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known.

Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act.

Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, but if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.

But some jobs aren't as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.

What are most anticipating this week?

PS. If you are interested in children’s book reviews (3-12 years), I have started a new review blog Here – Little Ones Read