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Showing posts with label magic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label magic. Show all posts

Monday, July 15, 2013

Review: Black Moon by Holly Hood


Title: Black Moon
Series: Ink #3
Author: Holly Hood
Published: July 13, 2013
Format: Ebook provided for review

Slade saved her life...
but none of that matters anymore...

Torn between her love for Slade and her own existence, Hope has to fight to keep one while battling to save the other. They say it all falls apart in the end. Walking away isn’t always easy.

Hope believed in Slade…

But sometimes belief has a horrible way of destroying your life.

Can their love survive or will it all just fall apart?


Oh, this series is something else. I’ve recently read the third book, Black Moon,  in the Ink series, and while I ended up loving it, I didn’t start out that way. That is also the way that book two, Twisted Magic, went down for me. But I love this series, I really do. I’ll try to keep this as spoiler free as possible, but it is going to be hard!

Monday, April 29, 2013

Review/Giveaway: A Tiger's Claim by Lia Davis


Title: A Tiger's Claim
Series: An Ashwood Falls Novel #1
Author: Lia Davis
Published: March 2013, Fated Desires Publishing
Format: Ebook provided for review
Tour: Yes, Sizzling PR

As the Alpha’s only daughter Shayna Andrews has always been treated like a rare gem, protected like royalty, and she’s suffocating. Her longing to be independent has driven her to sneak out one evening after dinner. After relishing in being able to run free without an escort, she finds herself face-to-face with the enemy, miles from home, and nearly loses her life until a lone wolf comes to her aid.

Travis Hunter’s main objective is to destroy the Onyx Pack—a group of drug using, murdering rogue shifters. His seek-and-destroy plans are put on hold when he rescues a female from a brutal attack. The beautifully exotic tiger shifter, Shayna, stirs a passion he thought died with his long-lost mate.

When Shay’s first heat cycle slams into her, Travis has no choice but to submit to her needs—and his own. But there is always a price to sleeping with the Pack princess. Not only will he have to face her Pack, Shay and Travis will now have to deal with that fact that their mating is beyond a simple night and could have consequences more than either of them had thought. And when Travis finds out Shay wears the enemy’s brand, things will go from bad to worse.

Warning: One alpha female who doesn't take no for an answer, a wolf with more on the line than just his heart, and a combustible attraction that's sure to cause more than one sweaty night.

This is an unusual read for me in the fact that there are some things that didn’t quite click with me as well as others in this story, but I really did enjoy it overall. Does that make sense? Let me see if I can explain…

This is the story of Shayna, and she is an adopted white tiger shifter. Cool, right? I thought so too. She’s been adopted by a leopard shifter family, and the patriarch happens to also be the pack Alpha. Even cooler. So in a way, Shayna is like a princess. That means lots of males in her life looking over her shoulder, and just being protective. That’s all well and good until you want some space, which Shayna does. So she takes off on a run. Heck, who can blame her? Well, that’s until she runs into trouble in the form of some rogue mutant shifters. The way these guys are explained depicts them as kind of gross, in my opinion. They are shifters, but they are stuck in midshift – permanently.

The thing that didn’t quite gel with me is that these guys are the big bad. They’ve got the whole area on alert. It’s a repetitive thing throughout the story. But for the most part, there isn’t really a lot to do with them. A couple fights, a battle… but nothing in any real detail. I really would have liked to see more, because they truly sound like the bad guys – and I just love that. I don’t want to always be able to sympathize and um, be turned on, by the bad guy.

Luckily someone comes to rescue Shayna, and that would be Travis. Well hello single daddy wolfen sexy man! I really liked Travis. Strong and sweet, and Alpha. I swear, you just say Alpha and I begin to drool. Shayna and Travis hit it off pretty well pretty early. I love the “Mine” shifter mentality, and Travis and Shayna don’t disappoint. I also thought it was wicked awesome that he is a wolf, she is a tiger, and her family is leopards. See, we all can get along!

Travis’ daughter, Josie, is a four year old ball of fun. The girl really stole the show at some points, and I found myself caring for this girl quickly and easily. She’s just one addition to this great cast of characters. I really liked Blaine, Shayna’s brother. But I can say that I wish some of these characters had more background. There were times when I felt like I was jumping in the middle of a series, rather than the first book.

Overall this was a light and fun read. There were many elements to this story that I thought were great additions – like magic and inherent powers. I can easily say I am looking forward to seeing more of this series in the future!


Authors Bio:
Lia Davis is a mother to two young adults and two very special kitties, a wife to her soul mate, a paranormal romance author, graphic designer, and co-owner to Fated Desires Publishing, LLC. She and her family live in Northeast Florida battling hurricanes and very humid summers. But it’s her home and she loves it!An accounting major, Lia has always been a dreamer with a very activity imagination. The wheels in her head never stop. She ventured into the world of writing and publishing in 2008 and loves it more than she imagined. Writing and designing are stress relievers that allow her to go off in her corner of the house and enter into another world that she created, leaving real life where it belongs.Her favorite things are spending time with family, traveling, reading, writing, chocolate, coffee, nature and hanging out with her kitties.



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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Guest Post/Giveaway: The Luminary by Elle J Rossi


The Luminary
Elle J Rossi

A witch running from death. A warrior seeking redemption. Only one can win a battle that may very well cost them their hearts and strip them of their souls.

When Meera Brennan learns she’s a Luminary, one of the most powerful witches in existence, it rocks her already fragile world. The revelation explains the disturbing episodes that made her question her sanity, but does little to soothe the sting of discovering her life is now at risk. To save herself and keep peace within the veiled community, Meera will have to hone her powers and brave an ancient realm to destroy the slayer’s magickal source. She alone must dispel chaos and ensure the balance of good and evil for all mankind. 

Banished and stripped of his guardian powers because of a witch, Ghanem Adamo, former prince of the Saharren realm, receives a chance at redemption when his estranged father reveals an immortal battle destined to alter all realms. In order to protect the innocent, regain his title and reunite with his family, Ghanem must destroy the slayers’ source of power and bring down their terrorizing leader. 

Her life . . . 

Or his throne . . .

When the war against the slayers force Meera and Ghanem to work together, more than magickal sparks fly. Challenged by fate, can love survive a nefarious battle that can result in only one prize?

Buy Links:



Extraordinary in the Ordinary
Elle J Rossi
  
Dare I say magic is all around us? Yes, actually, I do dare because I believe it truly is. Perhaps all we need to do is stare until we zone out, or allow our vision to distort to the point that we get that sparkly haze. Whatever it takes to turn the ordinary into extraordinary.

In The Luminary, Meera is introduced to her first portal. She realizes she’s seen them several times in her life, but never knew what they were. You’ve seen them too. You know how the air warps on a hot summer day, or above a car that has just turned off? That’s a portal, an entryway to another world. What if you took a chance and jumped through one with your eyes wide open? More than likely, you’d cause quite the scene. But if there were even a slight chance that it could lead to somewhere new and exciting, wouldn’t you want to give it a try no matter how high the ridicule stakes? I know I would.

Have you ever driven from point A to point B and forgotten everything in between? How in the world did you manage not to crash or get lost? Easy. Your vehicle is really a magic carpet, or better yet, a time machine. Don’t laugh. You know you’ve thought about it!

Okay, try this. The next song you hear will be your theme song for the day. Somehow it will work out and you’ll totally get it. That’s magic, my friends. Do yourself a favor and don’t play any angry music. It just creates a bad vibe all around.

The next time you feel a storm rolling in, step outside and watch the trees sway in the wind. Watch the clouds sweep across the sky. Tilt your head up and inhale deeply. That’s not just a storm, that’s a witch casting a spell. Her spell may have the simple purpose of soaking the earth. Or, someone may have really ticked her off. You better not stay outside too long in case that someone was you. Witches have been known to use lightning bolts to zap a person or two.

Your turn! Have some fun and take a stab at it. Turn something completely ordinary into something rather extraordinary.


 Elle J Rossi grew up in rural Indiana surrounded by great people, a huge family and more animals than she could count. But the sites and sounds of the world beckoned, so she left her small town to escape into a creative world full of music. As a full time singer she was able to lose herself in a thousand different songs in a hundred different places.

After meeting the love of her life and settling down, she yearned to find a new and fulfilling creative outlet. Overly fond of the happily ever after, she wondered what it would be like to have her own characters lead her down dark and twisted paths. The very first word on the very first page sealed her fate. She'd found a new love. She'd found her escape.

Now along with weaving haunting tales about the journey to love, she's creating cover art for authors around the world and loving every second of it. For fun, she cranks country music to take her back to her roots, and sings karaoke anytime she gets a chance. Her husband, two children, and a cat that rules the roost keep her company along the way and guarantee she doesn't get lost in the enchanted forest. She wouldn't have it any other way.


Click Banner to View the rest of the The Luminary schedule!
Isn't that just such a wonderful post?  I loved it so much!  It's so dreamy, and yes, it makes me remember that magic is all around.  So now its your turn.  Is there something magical around you?  Tell me anything related to this post, and be entered to win one of two ebooks of The Luminary!  Thanks for stopping by, and thank you to Elle for such a beautiful post!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Post/Giveaway: The Luminary by Elle J Rossi


The Luminary
Elle J Rossi

A witch running from death. A warrior seeking redemption. Only one can win a battle that may very well cost them their hearts and strip them of their souls.

When Meera Brennan learns she’s a Luminary, one of the most powerful witches in existence, it rocks her already fragile world. The revelation explains the disturbing episodes that made her question her sanity, but does little to soothe the sting of discovering her life is now at risk. To save herself and keep peace within the veiled community, Meera will have to hone her powers and brave an ancient realm to destroy the slayer’s magickal source. She alone must dispel chaos and ensure the balance of good and evil for all mankind. 

Banished and stripped of his guardian powers because of a witch, Ghanem Adamo, former prince of the Saharren realm, receives a chance at redemption when his estranged father reveals an immortal battle destined to alter all realms. In order to protect the innocent, regain his title and reunite with his family, Ghanem must destroy the slayers’ source of power and bring down their terrorizing leader. 

Her life . . . 

Or his throne . . .

When the war against the slayers force Meera and Ghanem to work together, more than magickal sparks fly. Challenged by fate, can love survive a nefarious battle that can result in only one prize?

Buy Links:



Extraordinary in the Ordinary
Elle J Rossi
  
Dare I say magic is all around us? Yes, actually, I do dare because I believe it truly is. Perhaps all we need to do is stare until we zone out, or allow our vision to distort to the point that we get that sparkly haze. Whatever it takes to turn the ordinary into extraordinary.

In The Luminary, Meera is introduced to her first portal. She realizes she’s seen them several times in her life, but never knew what they were. You’ve seen them too. You know how the air warps on a hot summer day, or above a car that has just turned off? That’s a portal, an entryway to another world. What if you took a chance and jumped through one with your eyes wide open? More than likely, you’d cause quite the scene. But if there were even a slight chance that it could lead to somewhere new and exciting, wouldn’t you want to give it a try no matter how high the ridicule stakes? I know I would.

Have you ever driven from point A to point B and forgotten everything in between? How in the world did you manage not to crash or get lost? Easy. Your vehicle is really a magic carpet, or better yet, a time machine. Don’t laugh. You know you’ve thought about it!

Okay, try this. The next song you hear will be your theme song for the day. Somehow it will work out and you’ll totally get it. That’s magic, my friends. Do yourself a favor and don’t play any angry music. It just creates a bad vibe all around.

The next time you feel a storm rolling in, step outside and watch the trees sway in the wind. Watch the clouds sweep across the sky. Tilt your head up and inhale deeply. That’s not just a storm, that’s a witch casting a spell. Her spell may have the simple purpose of soaking the earth. Or, someone may have really ticked her off. You better not stay outside too long in case that someone was you. Witches have been known to use lightning bolts to zap a person or two.

Your turn! Have some fun and take a stab at it. Turn something completely ordinary into something rather extraordinary.


 Elle J Rossi grew up in rural Indiana surrounded by great people, a huge family and more animals than she could count. But the sites and sounds of the world beckoned, so she left her small town to escape into a creative world full of music. As a full time singer she was able to lose herself in a thousand different songs in a hundred different places.

After meeting the love of her life and settling down, she yearned to find a new and fulfilling creative outlet. Overly fond of the happily ever after, she wondered what it would be like to have her own characters lead her down dark and twisted paths. The very first word on the very first page sealed her fate. She'd found a new love. She'd found her escape.

Now along with weaving haunting tales about the journey to love, she's creating cover art for authors around the world and loving every second of it. For fun, she cranks country music to take her back to her roots, and sings karaoke anytime she gets a chance. Her husband, two children, and a cat that rules the roost keep her company along the way and guarantee she doesn't get lost in the enchanted forest. She wouldn't have it any other way.


Click Banner to View the rest of the The Luminary schedule!
Isn't that just such a wonderful post?  I loved it so much!  It's so dreamy, and yes, it makes me remember that magic is all around.  So now its your turn.  Is there something magical around you?  Tell me anything related to this post, and be entered to win one of two ebooks of The Luminary!  Thanks for stopping by, and thank you to Elle for such a beautiful post!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway