Love, Honor & Hope Blitz: A Benefit for the United States War Veteran’s PTSD Foundation Box Set

Love, Honor, & Hope – A Benefit for the United States War Veteran’s PTSD Foundation

Eight authors are joining forces to support one fantastic cause. Beginning June 24, 2014, Love, Honor, & Hope, an anthology of eight full-length novels, will be available for 30 days at the low price of $0.99. That’s right, just 99 pennies. The best part is that 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the United States War Veteran’s PTSD Foundation.

PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, affects approximately 19% of the military men and women returning from Afghanistan and Iraq—and that’s just those who have been diagnosed. The percentage is expected to grow as more of our military members seek treatment. It’s a heartbreaking trend for the men and women who sacrifice so much for our freedoms, especially with benefits being cut and promotions being threatened.

The United States War Veteran’s PTSD Foundation is a non-profit charity that focuses on providing FREE care to combat military members, both active and veterans. They can’t do it alone, which is why we’ve made the decision to step up and do something. All eight of the authors have their personal reasons for supporting this cause.

Cherime MacFarlane, author of Heart of the Hunter said, “For me, it’s the way a very quiet man, my uncle, receded into the background whenever a family function took place. I did understand he came back from WWII that way. A young man, easy going and quick to laugh became a recluse. My father also served in WWI, as did a second uncle who returned far from the mischievous young man he was before the war claimed his youth. I was a young mother during the Vietnam era. I had friends who did not come back from Vietnam. I had other friends who did come home but were permanently damaged by the things they saw. For me, this is an opportunity to give back something to the men who served their country when the call came. My uncles and father are gone now, but I do hope, in some small way, to pay it forward for them. This is a tiny step, but as the man once said, every journey begins with that first step.”

It’s easy to sit back and talk about helping our veterans and active military members. To step up and help is something all together different. We are answering the call for help.

Will you answer? All it takes is for you to log on to Amazon or Barnes & Noble and spend 99 cents, and then hopefully share the great news on our labor of love. Not only will you receive eight full-length novels for your enjoyment, you will also tell our men and women who suffer from this terrible and debilitating illness that we’ve got their backs.

Love, Honor, & Hope is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble from June 24 to July 23. It includes the following full-length novels:

Out of the Box Awakening – Jennifer Theriot

Olivia is a good woman, a good mother, a good wife. She’s got it made. She doesn’t want anything to change.

Of course, it does…

Swept from her perfect paper-doll life in Houston, Olivia finds herself in Chicago, alone, betrayed, and far from home. Soon everything she thought she knew about herself and her life will be challenged. She has only courage, love, and her passion for music to carry her through the maelstrom—or draw her further in.

Ash is the man who has everything—everything except healing from the losses of a lifetime. His only peace lies in the sweet flow of music pouring from his guitar.

What happens when the married woman and the handsome widower are thrown together by fate?

Out of the Box Awakening is a story of shared passion and shared joy. Jennifer Theriot has written a compelling book about what happens when two people find new life and new love for themselves and for those around them.

Early One Morning – Aubree Lane

He was the dark haired deity with a salacious smile… he was the one the girls gossiped and giggled about for months… 2,600 miles away Terence Javier didn’t have a clue his high school yearbook was being passed around an all girl choir and that he had been voted, as the more experienced girl put it, the one she would ‘most likely do.’ Thirteen years later Marissa Crandall while on a romantic island vacation, celebrating her ten year wedding anniversary, is shocked and surprised to find their dive master was none other than her old high school crush. Seeing the chance to fulfill a dream, Marissa sets out to kiss Terence. Stuck in San Diego dealing with unreasonable clients and babysitting Marissa’s kids, a jealous Annie Harper catches the red-eye out of LAX wanting to intercept Terence and foil her best friend’s plans. This envious act uncovers a scandalous affair and in that one pivotal moment none of their lives would ever be the same

Lost and Found – Jennifer Yarbrough

Olivia Porter’s life drastically changes in the blink of an eye when she and her family are in a car wreck while on vacation leaving her the only survivor. Unable to move back to her hometown she moves in with her sister in law who forcefully pulls her out of her depression. Her life once again changes when she meets multimillionaire Cash Kingston who is a widower and father of two children that are craving for love and attention that he can’t seem to give them due to his own grief that he can’t seem to get over. Olivia decides to take a job as his nanny because her heart goes out to his children but what happens when she gets to know him better after she takes the job isn’t what she was expecting at all.

Scary Modsters – Diane Rinella

A fantastical romance involving a girl, the music that fuels her, and her Ouija board.

Rosalyn possesses a sunny personality that is laced with quirks. Although she seeks acceptance in a world where she lives out of time, what she gets is ridiculed for her eclectic wardrobe and unconventional music collection.

One fateful night, Rosalyn bewitches Niles, a stylish man whose offbeat character perfectly complements her own. Unfortunately, he possesses a critical flaw that means relationship suicide for him and pretty much anyone.

While under the influence of insomnia-impaired judgment, Rosalyn summons Rock ‘n Roll deity Peter Lane back from the dead. Not only does he spin her hormones into a frenzy, Peter is also the precarious puzzle piece that brings sense into her world. When Niles learns that he can overcome his life-long challenge by helping Peter avenge his death, how far will he go to secure Rosalyn’s heart?

Tropical Dreams – Kelly Cozzone

Tropical Dreams is a a tale of love, murder and conspiracy. Can Tiana Alexander overcome her past to learn to love again? Can David Murphy let go of the demons who haunt him. Can they face the future together or will life finally take its toll and their lives?

Sisters of the Night – Linda Lee Williams

Emaline Hoffbrau is a beautiful hybrid-vampire. Having lost Ambrose Slater, her former love, to a regular woman, Emaline doubts she’ll ever find that “special someone” again. Then the charming Garrett Thompson enters her life and turns her world upside-down. Can Garrett accept what Emaline is? Or will he break her heart in a different way?

Juliana Slater is gorgeous, arrogant, and manipulative. She’s married to Chad Browning, her cousin Ambrose’s best friend and a regular man. After loving Juliana for years, Chad is not so sure he wants to be under her control anymore. Then a tragedy occurs that changes everything. But can the two of them forgive each other and learn to trust again?

Gretchen Eberhardt is living with Bertram Fulbright, a sexy vampire and reputed “ladies’ man.” To complicate matters, he’s slept with her closest friends, Emaline and Juliana. Although Gretchen and Bert share a powerful relationship, can a vampire couple find lasting love together? Or will Bert forsake Gretchen for a regular woman one day?

Heart of the Hunter – Cherime MacFarlane

Jay Leighton is back from Afghanistan, and happy to bury himself in the solitude of the Copper Basin. He is a hunter and a loner trying to heal scars, emotional wounds brought back with him. The last thing he needs to be brought face to face with the loveliest woman to move to the Basin in the last year. His head is not ready, his heart is already lost. Leda is a teacher just out of school, who has not had time for love; Jay takes her by surprise. A soft spoken slightly broken man who lives with only his dog, Licker, for company, Leda sees something in Jay she needs to pursue. But Leda is worried about her reputation in the tiny community of Kenny Lake. She should stay away from Jay. But can she? Just who is the hunter and who is the hunted?

Piece of Heaven – Sammie J

Aaron Calnan has seen enough of the horrors of war. He wants to put it behind him, take his life in a new direction. But when he takes a strange military posting for an organisation called RUM, he has no way of knowing the challenges he will face. His decision takes him into unknown territory with unexpected twists and turns. Now, Aaron finds himself immersed in a world where humans work within the realms of the paranormal, where Werewolves and Vampires become friends and Fae like to kick your ass. He discovers that humans are not inferior and that even paranormal beings have their vulnerabilities. Then, one encounter changes everything and Aaron finds his life turned upside down. Will he finally find his own piece of heaven?

WARNING. Written in British English. Also written from a male POV. The use of swear words is very heavy in this story so if you are easily offended you have been warned. Graphic descriptions, sexual situations and strong language. 18+ advised.

 

 

Review Blitz & Giveaway: A Risk Worth Taking-Heather Hildenbrand

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble

When 22-year-old Summer Stafford’s parents split halfway through her senior year at college, Summer’s world is rocked. Everything she thought she knew—heck, everything she thought she wanted for her own life—feels like a lie. The truth is love is a risk. And the true kind, the kind that lasts, might even be a fairy tale.

Reeling from the divorce, Summer derails her own future by breaking up with her parent-approved boyfriend and giving up her lifelong plans for a big-city career. She moves back home, business degree in hand. Dad needs her to fill the gaps her mother left behind; Summer needs to find who she is outside of the cookie-cutter life that failed so miserably for her parents.

Ford O’Neal’s future involves one person: himself. He doesn’t have a permanent address and he definitely doesn’t commit. To a place or a person. Raised by hippies, he plans just far enough ahead to secure his next stop, this one landing him at a work-study program at Heritage Plantation where he can grow his own herbal and medicinal creations.

Summer is gorgeous and smart and fun to be with, the perfect way to pass five months. It won’t be love—Ford’s got too many things to accomplish, too many places to go, before he settles down. Yet Summer pulls him in, challenging him to rethink his own philosophy.

When Ford’s five months are up, each of them must decide if love is really worth the risk.

4.5/5 Stars

“Now I understood why grown  men wrote poetry and serenaded outside windows. Summer Stafford’s mouth was a fucking inspiration. No matter what she said next, there was no way I wasn’t doing that again.”

***

“You make me want to write poetry and shout it from the rooftops. You make me want to do the impossible and when you stare at me like that, I feel without a doubt capable of it. You make me feel like I’m dreaming when I’m awake. 

A Risk Worth Taking is an exhilarating and passionate joyride that celebrates the soul-quenching, fiery beauty of true love. The heat, the compassion and understanding, the simple way Ford and Summer interact is a lesson in happiness and giving in to the most compelling of whims. A Risk Worth Taking is a breath of fresh air, a truly satisfying read that will leave you elated and consumed by their story.

PROS:

• Summer has always been a numbers girl, she sees the world in black and white and ignores the gray space where they meet. She’s a planner, calculated and goal-oriented, and stubborn as all hell. After the devastating news of her parents divorce everything she thought she knew about love comes crashing down and she makes dramatic changes to her life. Summer doesn’t want to settle, she wants to live, to love, to thrive in utter bliss. Summer doesn’t know who she is anymore or who she wants to become and this lack of a plan kills her inside. Summer wants to let loose but she’s terrified to put her heart on the line, to open herself up to something that could morph into as big of a sham as her parent’s perfect marriage. On one hand Summer is reserved, apprehensive and pensive, she weighs her decisions and doesn’t make choices until she examines all the possible outcomes. On the other, Summer is a playful, energetic, and vibrant woman. She breathes life into any situation, teasing and throwing joking punches. She’s full of this wonderful light that seems to shine through her entire being. Summer is a caring, sweet and lovable girl with a huge heart just waiting for the courage to share herself with the world. When Summer finally embraces the woman she’s become it’s a magical moment of awe and awakening. 
• The whole story oozes Southern comfort and that enchanting, carefree vibe of slow, casual neighborly love and fierce protectiveness. Sometimes they’re a bunch of rowdy, fun rednecks and the next instant they’re swearing vengeance and beatings to any who do them wrong. It’s incredibly sexy and heart warming. There’s something so charming about this story, the setting is perfect, the characters are lively and entertaining, everything works so well together that it has a real life fairytale vibe.
• Casey is like an annoying little brother that worms his way into your heart despite his antics. He’s sarcastic, loud, smug, and knows just how to get on Summer’s nerves and push. They way they fight with each other is full of laughs and so much love. Their relationship is freeing and genuine, he always seems to know just what to say to bring Summer out of her funk and is so laid back that it’s easy to overlook how observant and intelligent he is. While everyone else is scrambling to figure out their feelings, Casey assessed the situation and knew the future in minutes and he’s unafraid to speak up, shouting his opinions to anyone that will listen. Side note: I’d really enjoy seeing Casey’s story play out, I’d like to see just how well he handles love. He pretends to be so superior, so knowing but somehow, I think if he was in a similar situation, the boy would be wandering around like a lovesick puppy, tripping over his words.
• Frank and Dean are those burly, Southern cowboys that speak in gravely promises and let you know how things are going to be. Their gruffness, cheer, and honesty make them great additions to the plot. They’re the glue that hold their children together and keep everyone in line.
• Ford is the epitome of desire. The way he cuts his jeans, those fitted tees, the six-pack, those smokey blue eyes that convey so much more than words. Ford is passionate, he sees the world in a brilliant, hopeful way that glorifies risk and seizing the moment. Ford has big dreams, he’s working on medications through herbs to make the world a better place. He has a heart of gold but he, like Summer, is blinded by what he believes are his parent’s mistakes. Ford isn’t looking for love, he’s looking for casual, for the rush, for feelings and moments that build into a crescendo of heated embraces and ecstasy. The way Ford sees Summer, sees who she is beneath the girl she presents to everyone else is enough to make anyone’s heart melt. He’s moved by her, he relishes her every smile, her witty banter, and even her faults. Ford listens to her body, her words, and knows what she wants before she asks. They have a understanding that runs soul deep.
• The mud scene. There are no words for the delight and rightness of that moment. It’s one of my all time favorite book scenes ever.

CONS:

• Don’t get me wrong, I love Summer but her persistent whine/anger at her mother got to be a little much. I understand that she felt betrayed and hurt but not hearing her out and the harsh words she throws in her face broke my heart and made me turn away from her at some points.

Author of Across the Galaxy, Whisper, and the Dirty Blood series. I write, read, and fuss at my kids. Oh, and I do laundry, lots of laundry. I’m pretty good at it, too. Sometimes I even read WHILE doing laundry – and fussing at my kids. I’m a multi-tasker.

For more information on my books, release dates, or just general stalker material, um, I mean FAN material, visit my website. www.heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com. I love hearing from readers!

Likes and dislikes? I love vintage tees, hate socks with sandals, and if my house was on fire the one thing I’d grab is my Amazon Fire TV! (oh yeah, I’m a fan of puns.)

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E-Book Copy of A Risk Worth Taking, Signed Swag, and a Custom Hair Flower

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If you like any of the following, you’ll enjoy this:

Cover Reveal: Undeniably Chosen-Shelly Crane

Title: Undeniably Chosen (Significance #5)

Author:  Shelly Crane 

Genre:  Young Adult Romance

Publication Date:  Fall 2014 

Event Organized by: Literati Author Services, Inc.

Goodreads

Ava has watched her parents, Caleb and Maggie, live the perfect fairy tale, the perfect love story, played out in front of her eyes her entire life. Her family is love, life, and happiness. The Jacobsons are everything a family should be and Ava is loved and well taken care of. But the one thing that’s missing from her life is the one thing she’s waited for every day, the one thing her kind knows will make them complete, the one thing they thought was gone and lost forever.

Her significant. 

Seth has lived with the Watsons his entire life. They’re the only family he knows, but he also knows that there are things they keep from him. He knows that they lie and they do unspeakable evil, things from when he was a child that he can barely remember that cling to the edges of his memory. He barely remembers his real mother and all he knows is what he’s told. He doesn’t know what to trust. He wants to believe that the Watsons love and care for him, have his best interest at heart, but isn’t so sure of that anymore when he finally after a lifetime of waiting for her—meets his soul mate, and the Watson’s first act is to try to take her away from him.

The Virtuoso worlds collide, hearts are exposed, humans are endangered, and the lives of Seth and Ava are changed forever. They’ll have to love without judgment or reservation, they’ll have to be wise and accepting beyond their years, they’ll have to forgive for things before they’ve even happened, they’ll have to trust without seeing, have faith without knowing, and they’ll have to light their own way in the dark when everyone else is blind to show them the way.

And more than anything else…they’ll have to fight like hell to keep each other.

“I don’t know if I can even sleep tonight,” I muttered and rubbed at my arms. They were restless. “I can already feel myself twitching.”

“Tomorrow…” Dad began, but stopped. He sighed forcefully and tightened his fists. “I’ll go find him and make him come here if he doesn’t come on his own.”

“Dad, you didn’t see him. He was…” I bit into my lip hard. Just talking about him was making me ache all over. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe.

I heard Mom say, “Baby, I think we need to stop talking about this. It’s just making things worse for her.”

“I know, but…maybe I should go over there. Maybe I should try to find him and—you know what? No.” I looked up to find him looking down at me. “I’m not going to do that. It has to be his choice until it’s not. I’ll give him until tomorrow to be the good guy. If he doesn’t, then I’ll go get him and make him. I can tell by looking at you that you want to have faith in him.”

“You didn’t see him, Dad,” I reiterated. “He wanted this. He was worried about me. He’ll come. He’ll find me.” I hoped. “If what you said is true, then he didn’t choose any of what happened. He’s not a Watson.”

“But he’s lived with them his whole life,” Mom reasoned. “We have no idea the things they’ve done to him, the things they’ve made him do. We have to be cautious. You have to cautious.” She went into the kitchen and I heard a pill bottle shake before she came back. “Here. Take these. They’ll help you sleep tonight. They were Grans,” she said softly.

I ached as the pills went down. I heard Rodney coming in the back door loudly. Dad went right to him and put his hand on his chest to stop him. They whispered back and forth and Rodney looked at me over Dad’s shoulder. Dad wasn’t going to be able to stop him. He didn’t know that, but I did.

“Come on, Dad,” Rodney said gruffly and looked at him right in his face. “Move.”

He pushed his Champion gently in the shoulder and I watched Dad’s stunned face as he watched Rodney come and sweep we up in his big brotherly arms on the couch. He said low in my ear, but I knew that they still could hear, “Tell me who I have to hurt. Who is this guy and why isn’t he here with you right now?”

I looked at Dad and he looked so amused and bemused all at once. He waved me on and leaned his hip against the counter, pulling Mom into the ‘v’ of his legs so he could wrap his arms around her from behind. I heard her so sigh loud and hated that I was causing them so much distress.

“Seth,” I explained. “Seth Watson,” I said with as much gumption as I could muster.

His eyes rounded. I told him everything and he tightened his arms on me as he listened.

“Okay,” he said and kicked his shoes off the end of the couch. Mom was two seconds from scolding him when he asked, “So where is he? He should be here.”
       Like fate usually worked, there was a knock on the front door. An insistent knock. Dad shot me a look before taking a loaded breath. I started to shake and stood from the couch quickly. It was him; I knew it like I knew my own name.

“Ava, wait,” he told me.

“Dad.”

“You, sit,” he said in his Champion voice. “I’ll answer and let him in. What if the Watsons were planning something and knew you’d run to the door to answer it thinking it was him? We know nothing about him yet. Until we do, we go at this with caution.” I sighed. I hated that I had to look at my significant with anything but reverence, but Daddy was right. I mean, I was the one that had run right out of the coffee shop this afternoon. “I mean it, baby girl,” he said softly.

Rodney turned me to look at him and held my upper arms in his hands. “If he hurts you, I can’t be held account for what I do.”

“I love you, you know that?” I replied and kissed his cheek. I tried to smile, but think I failed epically when he put one arm around my shoulders and tugged me close, as if to shield me from whatever or whoever was coming.

Dad had to know I was anxious—he didn’t make me wait. He went to the door quickly. I could hear them in the other room with deep, urgent tones. My significant.

And then there he was.

Significance (A Significance Novel Book 1)

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Shelly is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author from a small town in Georgia and loves everything about the south. She is wife to a fantastical husband and stay at home mom to two boisterous and mischievous boys who keep her on her toes. They currently reside in scorching North Florida. She loves to spend time with her family, binge on candy corn, go out to eat at new restaurants, buy paperbacks at little bookstores, sight-see in the new areas they travel to, listen to music everywhere and also LOVES to read.

Her own books happen by accident and she revels in the writing and imagination process. She doesn’t go anywhere without her notepad for fear of an idea creeping up and not being able to write it down immediately, even in the middle of the night, when her best ideas are born.

 Just when you thought the Significance series was over, SURPRISE! I don’t know about you but I’m ecstatic! Happy reading, 

 

Review: Contributor-Nicole Ciacchella

Goodreads/Amazon

3.5/5 Stars

***I received this book as a gift in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley and Sweenix Rising Books.

BONUS: The prequel to this series is FREE right now on Amazon. Creators

In a world consumed by the meticulous drive towards production in order to survive in a post-Famine reality, the Creators, the saviors of mankind are all-powerful and must be obeyed. Ever since her birth, Dara has been told to work towards being a productive, Contributor to society, that everyone has their place in the clockwork precision of their area. Dara has thirsted for prestige ever since, because failure would mean an unsavory job and as a result of that, a dissatisfied, wasteful life. Dara is a budding professional engineer will the kind of skillful attention to detail that earns her a spot in an elite apprenticeship that would seal her fate as one of the most valued members of society, a prime Contributor. It would be her job to ensure the safety of their world, eliminating risks, and making predictions that would prevent catastrophe. The competition is cutthroat, full of manipulation and sabotage that leaves Dara second guessing the nature of humanity. Her handler, a cold woman, determined to be harsh and speak her mind, seems to hate her. Dara knows that as a woman in a competition against men, in a largely male field, she needs to work her hardest to make sure she triumphs and her mentor could be the ticket to that spot.

As the stress of the apprenticeship heats up, Dara’s perfect life starts to crumble and she can’t figure out how to fix it. The boy she thought she loved for years is no longer appealing to her, there’s tension at work, and it’s like she can’t escape the pressure to succeed. When Dara’s mother suffers a horrible accident, she gets an authentic taste of just how little human life means to the Creators. If you’re no longer useful, all of your past goods are dismissed and forgotten. There’s no fighting, no appreciation, just a quiet divorce from the reign of Contributors.

Teaming up with the unlikeliest of allies, Cara must learn to master the system, to infiltrate and dominate from the inside or lose everything she loves to the whims of a merciless and cruel society of productivity. 

When the Great Famine threatened the existence of mankind, the Creators saved humanity. Humanity has been their loyal subject ever since.

This history has been ingrained in seventeen-year-old Dara Morrow since her first day of Creator-sponsored school. Grateful for the life-giving necessities her Creator provides, Dara is thrilled to be one of three students chosen for an elite, year-long apprenticeship program. Now is her chance to prove herself a devoted Contributor.

But Dara’s competition is ruthless and will stop at nothing to win the competition. Worse yet, her exacting master has little patience for her.

Then Dara’s mother is seriously injured, and Dara realizes the price of being a Contributor: once you’ve outlived your usefulness, you’re discarded. Can Dara learn to manipulate the system to save not only herself, but everyone she loves?

-via Goodreads

PROS:

• Contributor deals with the grief, frustration, and heartbreak over a severe and debilitating injury. The struggle to push forward and cope with a changed loved one after a tragic accident is captured in an emotionally raw and potent way, that will leave you feeling sympathetic, at a loss, and with such admiration for Dara and her father. Their hope is amazing, their belief in the strength of their loved one, and the will to overcome unexpected and life-altering trials is a lesson in perseverance and love. The sacrifices they make for safety and out of love is incredible and really attests to their courage. 
• What happens when society is so focused on progress that the human element is completely eliminated or judged by usefulness? This is the question Contributor tries to answer and it’s a bleak picture. The Contributor world is plain, lifeless, full of endless goals and projects that offer no true satisfaction. Friendships are scare, even relationships between parents and children are stilted and based on task completion. Hobbies, dreams, beauty, are all leached from this world and only Dara seems to realize this. Her need to breathe, to walk in the park and admire the one open space showcases just what’s missing.
• The underground revolution, the missing members of society, the rejects, the non-Contributors are all a unique force of change, smartly working their way to revolution on the outskirts of society. They have a voice that’s real and just, their vehement rally against the Creators is one of slow and steady persistence. 
• Dara is blind to her indoctrination, she’s never questioned or thought about the motives of the Creators. When hit with the truth, it’s like a slap to the face, a shock that leaves her dazed and angry. Dara is independent, fierce, and tenacious, her skill as an engineer is wickedly cool. The fact that she doesn’t let it bring her down that she’s fighting for survival in a man’s world made strides for feminism and the plight of a confident protagonist. 
• Letizia is a complex, intense character. The façade she puts on everyday to face a world she loathes is compelling, her acting is superb and every moment of her life is dictated by the need to protect herself from discovery. She must play the part to forward the cause. Underneath the hard exterior is a woman who has loved, who knows beauty, and wants others to experience those joys. Letizia is hard to love but she’s the kind of slow building personality that grows on you and as the plot thickens, she stands out as a role model and leader in the face of society’s evils. 

CONS: 

• Dara’s relationship with Jonathan is borderline platonic and awkward. They barely speak past pleasantries and when they do it’s like Dara’s a head case. The chemistry just isn’t there and her continuance in a lackluster relationship is rather bland.
• The plot is a little slow to take off, there’s great periods of lag time when it feels as though nothing is happening, then all of the sudden it’s extreme drama or chaos.
• Raj is a passionate, intriguing character but there’s just so little of him. Even in the few scenes he’s in, the tension between Dara and Raj is heated, suggesting a kindling of something more but it’s unexplored and open-ended.

If you like any of the following, you’ll enjoy this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy reading, 

ARC Review: Dark World-Cara Lynn Shultz

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks

4.5/5 Stars

***I received this book as a gift in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley and Harlequin Teen.

“Maybe he was merely a legitimately nice person, nonjudgemental and kind. I’d read about those mythical figures in books, although I sure as hell hadn’t met any. I’d figured they’d gone extinct with the dodo bird.”

***

“Our eyes locked for a lengthy moment-too lengthy-in a gaze fraught with the kind of delicious tension and chest-warming rush of adrenaline that sets your heart pounding and your lips turning up into a smile of their own volition. The kind of gaze that inspires trite songs that usually piss me off, because songwriters always rhyme ‘eyes’ with ‘surprise,’ and I always considered it lazy songwriting. Until now.”

***

Logan stared at the ground as he collected his thoughts. “You, Paige Dawn Kelly, are the wrecking ball to my routine, colorless life,” he said, finally meeting my eyes, “and I couldn’t be happier or more terrified about it.”

Paige Kelly never thought that the simple act of being a good Samaritan would destroy her life. After saving the life of a toddler who wandered out into incoming traffic, Paige is hit by a car in the process, dies for a minute, and wakes up with a creepy new talent, the ability to see dead people. At first, Paige couldn’t tell the difference between ghosts and humans, she often found herself the mockery of her peers and earning wide-eyed glances from people on the street. When it looks like you’re having a full-blown conversation with the air or worse, yourself, it’s easy to question your sanity. Paige is placed on a cocktail of meds to combat her “episodes” but the ghosts aren’t going away and her parents shelter and look down on her as someone with a fragile mind, in need of constant surveillance and protection. What Paige wants is to be normal again, to have friends, and to not be known as the resident crazy. In high school, unfortunately, this is impossible. 

Forced to repeat her sophomore year at a prep school, Paige was eager to start over but from the second she steps foot into the girls bathroom, all chance at normalcy goes down the drain. Paige decides to talk to a girl that everyone seemed to be ignoring. That was her first mistake. The second was confronting the other girls in the bathroom. The beautiful blonde girl with scars on her wrists only existed in Paige’s vision. Freak became her permanent label, everyone steered clear of the weirdo who spent her time conversing with nobody.

Paige has just gotten used to her awkward life as a social pariah when she spots 3 students touring the school. They’re gorgeous, ethereal creatures and Paige can’t help admire them but something within her tells her these students are not at all what they appear. When Paige is cornered by a fiery redheaded beauty in detention, her world is turned upside down for the second time, as te girl’s hallowed gaze consumes her and she threatens Paige’s life.

When the sweet transfer boy, Logan, comes to her rescue, magical sword blazing, Paige is shocked and terrified. An epic battle of superhuman feats and scorching fire ensues. Paige, teaming up with Logan, learns of another world, one just on the other side of this reality, where warlocks and demons are bitter enemies and Hell is just around the corner. Paige’s ability is a coveted commodity on both sides and it doesn’t take her long to learn that the demons are coming for her. With her trusty protector at her side, Paige must learn to fight to survive or become slave to demonic whims. 

Paige Kelly is used to weird–in fact, she probably corners the market on weird, considering that her best friend, Dottie, has been dead since the 1950s. But when a fire demon attacks Paige in detention, she has to admit that things have gotten out of her league. Luckily, the cute new boy in school, Logan Bradley, is a practiced demon slayer-and he isn’t fazed by Paige’s propensity to chat with the dead. Suddenly, Paige is smack in the middle of a centuries-old battle between warlocks and demons, learning to fight with a magic sword so that she can defend herself. And if she makes one wrong move, she’ll be pulled into the Dark World, an alternate version of our world that’s overrun by demons-and she might never make it home.

-via Goodreads

PROS:

• The cover is absolutely breathtaking, completely creative, and one of my all time favorites. It’s so pretty you just want to pet it and prominently display it for view on your bookshelf. I love the dual worlds and that Paige is the connection between them.
• The dialogue is fun, fluid, and incredibly realistic. It’s full of wonderful humor and raw, emotional confessions. 
• A twist so unexpected and surprising that when it’s revealed, it’s as devastating as it is unsettling. Everything you thought you knew is tossed aside and you’ll be forced to question motives.
• The dark world is a sinister, terrifying place filled with grotesque creatures, spine-tingling descriptions, and grave danger. The violence and gore are meticulously detailed, you’ll have no problem bringing these images to life in your mind.
• Every character, even down to the smallest is vibrant and unique, they all have distinct, full personalities that add some flair and laughter to this already quirky story. The characters are alive, bursting with life and vive that you don’t often find. Amazingly real.
• Paige is a sarcastic, blunt and somewhat confrontational girl. She’s been hurt by her past. Sometimes she’s lonely and insecure but she doesn’t let the poor treatment from others get to her. The way her parents view her is heartbreaking, their lack of trust and fear that she’ll crumble into dust at the smallest touch allows the reader to understand Paige on a deep, emotional level. Sometimes it’s as if no matter what Paige says it doesn’t get through to them but she always pushes forward, she’s resilient and strong. Paige loves Dottie, their friendship is built on mutual understanding and heart, they’re the best of girlfriends, well as best as you can be with a ghost.Paige’s confusion about boys is really relatable, the fear of misinterpreting flirty remarks or opening your heart to someone who might not reciprocate your feelings is authentic and written well.
• Dottie is a peach. She’s boy crazy, flirtatious, always trying to help Paige with catching a man, and her colloquialisms easily bring you back to the 50s. From her shellacked hair to her mannerisms, Dottie is a delightful time trip back to past. 
• Logan will make your heart melt. He’s swoonworthy to the extreme. From the way he looks at Paige to his hopelessly romantic professions of love-the boy has some lines, yes he does-Logan is a compassionate, loyal, and protective warrior. The juxtaposition from his wicked sword-fighting skills to the tender way he caresses and speaks to Paige, “Logan was a study in dichotomy: fierce and brutal, an efficient killer saddled with so much self-doubt.” Logan is driven by a thirst for revenge that makes him a vicious warrior but he’s very merciful. His heart is his best feature and his confidence makes for some of the best flirty, playful lines.
• Logan and Paige are perfect for one another. The scenes with them just hanging out as friends are light and casual sometimes, and others they’re filled with that marvelous tension of mutual attraction. 
• Ajax is a cocky, coy, deliriously impish demon. He’s like a ravenous teenage boy, always ready with a clever quip or his hands in a bag of potato chips. 
• Mr. Kelly, Paige’s father, is a silly, over-protective, and a bit wacky character. His obsession with free stuff is so ridiculous you can’t help but sympathize with Paige and laugh along. 
• Aiden is evil. His tortuous antics are selfish and sadistic, one particular seen is so twisted and vile that it’s borderline horror film. His taunts, the malicious way he uses people like pawns, and his relentless attacks make him a huge threat, one that is deserving of the villain title.

CONS:

• Rego’s role in the overall plot was a little cloudy. While this did add to the mystery of his character and upped suspicion, it felt like something was missing.
• Paige’s powers are crucial to the story but exactly how they’re used and why they want her specifically is vague. Paige can’t be the only person with this ability.

If you like any of the following, you’ll enjoy this:

Pleasant reading,

Cover Reveal: Enscrolled-Connie L. Smith

Enscrolled: The Division Chronicles #3

By Connie L. Smith

 Release Date: Fall 2014

In the aftermath of the latest battle, the stakes are higher than ever before, and time is hardly an ally to Nicholai’s army of paranormal soldiers. The Tomes remain hidden, their secrets the only chance the warriors possess of forever closing the Division and saving their world from a brutal finale. But with every second that passes, the Division expands, more demons – equipped with an incurable toxin – managing to enter the realm to inflict their terror where they can. The clock is ticking on the soldiers already tainted with the venom, their lives depending on the quick creation of an unknown antidote. And beyond those worries, reason exists to suspect that magic might be vanishing. Should that belief prove true, the ramifications could cripple the army’s abilities, insurmountably, prior to the war’s conclusion.

Never has the conflict felt quite as desperate to the Essenced soldiers, danger escalating and hope lessening with the slow drain of each issue’s hourglass.

Will the answers to these dilemmas surface in time, or will the efforts of the band of warriors fail to prevent the ruin of the world?

McKenna watched him leave before refocusing on Johnny, confused at the expression her boyfriend wore. “What are you smirking at?”

He shrugged. “I’m just not sure how this could be such a bad memory. My girl glued to my side.” Wiggling his eyebrows, he continued. “Playing nurse…”

“Well, you are poisoned,” she deadpanned. “That puts a damper on these types of situations for most people.”

“Oh, you’re serious again.” His smirk broadened. “Are you gonna yell at me like you did when my leg was broken? That was attractive…”

Though she fought against it, her smile emerged, spreading over her lips as she shook her head. “You’re impossible. You know that?”

“Nah. I just learned along the way how to make my girl smile.”

Her grin lingered until her attention descended to his leg, the spot of the poison’s initial contact. Then she frowned, her eyes filling with tears and her hands beginning to tremble. Just ten days, she thought.

“Hey.” Johnny cupped her face, gentling bringing her gaze to lock with his. “We’re not gonna think about that because that’s gonna get taken care of.” Tobias again entered the medical room, moving directly to the corner reserved for the cure’s research to recommence his work. “See?” Johnny nodded his head toward the angel. “Look how dedicated he is to finding this. Think of all the soldiers around us who are perfectly capable of getting whatever weird ingredients he comes up with. If you do, ten days will seem like a lifetime, because it’s plenty of time.”

And then she was the one smirking. “That’s quite optimistic.”

He laughed, shrugging. “I told you that you’re rubbing off on me.”

“And you’re trusting others. Like you finally flipped a switch.”

“It isn’t like flipping a switch.” He smiled, revisiting the lecture she’d given him while stranded on a cliff. “It’s like deciding not to be in the darkness anymore. You take steps, and the light comes a little at a time until the darkness is gone.”

She quirked an eyebrow, chuckling. “That seems vaguely familiar.”

“Someone really smart once told me that.” Pulling her closer, he tapped the tip of her nose with his finger. “She was really hot, too.”

 

Enter the Goodreads Giveaway for the first book in the series Essenced!

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble

Years ago, demons were forced out of the earth’s realm by a band of supernatural fighters, banished from the place and its people in the aftermath of a horrific war. It should’ve ended there – would’ve – if not for the final demon’s claw snagging on the open portal. What felt like victory became only a reprieve, the winning warriors understanding that the tear would spread, and the demons eventually would escape exile. It was only a matter of time, and a need for future defense – a question of genetics and essences, magic and power.

Now, centuries later, a new army must bind together – one of teenagers with inhuman potentials and abilities…

AJ went to bed Sunday night an average teenage girl, clumsy and athletically lacking. So when she wakes up Monday morning with super-strength, she does what any rational person would do: She goes into denial. When a smoking hot guy in a suit shows up, rambling about the end of the war and demons spilling through some kind of rift, she refuses to listen, telling herself he’s insane. Except weird things just won’t quit happening, and the guy keeps popping up in her life, trying to explain the changes suddenly happening within her. Is she crazy, or is this guy… not so crazy after all?

Goodreads/Amazon

After all the preparations, Nicholai’s warriors stand on the threshold of warfare, the demons entering the realm in battalions and the world unknowingly depending on the army’s success to continue intact. But the battle is only the beginning of deadly struggles, and the soldiers will soon realize how little they know, how many things are at stake, and how much they have to lose.

Love, hate, hope, despair, anguish, joy… The journey is a gauntlet of emotion and combat, threatening their resolve as much as their lives.

Will their training and ties be enough, or will the complications and the forthcoming evil forever cripple the world’s last hope of survival?

Blog/Facebook/Goodreads

Connie L. Smith spends far too much time with her mind wandering in fictional places. She reads too much, likes to bake, and will be forever sad that she doesn’t have fairy wings. And that she can’t swing dance. When she isn’t reading or writing, there’s a good chance she’s goofing off with her amazing, wonderful, incredible, fabulous nieces and nephew, or listening to music that is severely outdated. She has her BA from Northern Kentucky University in Speech Communication and History (she doesn’t totally get the connection either) and likes to snap photos. Oh, and she likes apples a whole big bunch.

 

Happy reading,

 

 

 

Summer Book Crush Blitz

What would you say to over 80 titles with many undeniably-hot BOOK BOYFRIENDS that leave you wanting more? Yep, we’ve got you covered. The second annual SUMMER BOOK CRUSH event runs this year from June 19th through June 22nd. Don’t miss it, or you will have to wait a full year for the next one!

So many ways to fall in love with just a right BOOK BOYFRIEND! And the best part? You can purchase your dream Book Boyfriend for only 99¢ each, but for a limited time only.

Release Day Blitz Dream Ending & Review: Unusual Awakening-S.M. Knowles

The Rylee Everley Series Book #3

Young Adult Fantasy

Goodreads/Amazon

Starting their senior year at a new school, Rylee, Lyla, Brock, Garrett, and Cole soon realize that Pothercrest isn’t any ordinary school. After speaking with her parents for the first time since arriving at Pothercrest, Lyla mysteriously disappears without a trace, but will they ever find her again? While searching for their friend, an unexpected visitor arrives with information Rylee never sees coming.

Adysin has managed to get into the school undetected and is on a mission to regain Brock as hers. Will Rylee and her friends ever rid themselves of Adysin and her obsession with controlling others? Something even darker than Adysin and her evil ways is stirring though, something no one is prepared for.

Unusual Awakening (Rylee Everley, #1)

Goodreads/Amazon

With tears and a tight hug, Rylee Everley’s dad left for Afghanistan with the Army Reserve. Since his deployment, her mom has been distant, her sisters are constantly fighting, and Rylee, at only thirteen years old, has to be the glue to keep them together. While her mother stays locked in her room, Rylee has been forced into the role of parent. 

Now, two years later, a freak accident involving a bus at school promises to restore some normality to her family. In spite of not knowing how their father is, her mother is happy and her sisters don’t seem to fight as much as they used to. Rylee herself is seeing more of her friends and is even trying to sort her own feelings about Brock Parker. However, something dark threatens to disrupt that normality for personal gain, and that darkess is willing to break every rule to get what it wants.

 

Awakening Dream (Rylee Everley, #2)

Goodreads/Amazon

Since her father disappeared while in Afghanistan, Rylee Everley has been taking things one day at a time. After burying their friend over the summer, she and her friends returned to school for their junior year. While her friends are worried about career choices and the future, she hangs on to a secret. Witches exist, and they live here among us. She has been asked to help vanquish a half witch who has caused some problems with only a wisp trapped in a necklace to help her, her own manifesting gifts, and cryptic dreams to guide her. 

To top it all off, her childhood friend, and crush, has been acting really strange ever since her started dating Adysin. He ditched the football team, and he acts like a totally different person. They were once so close, and now she finds herself missing him and feeling guilty for pushing him away. Is this just concern for a friend she’s feeling or could it be love? Can Rylee save her childhood friend from a witch who’s willing to go to any length and pay any price to keep him?

Unusual Awakening (Rylee Everley, #1

 3/5 Stars

PROS:

• Rylee is incredibly strong and put together and surprisingly vulnerable when it comes to her heart, especially anything having to do with her father. One moment she’s a rock, gluing the pieces of her family together and encouraging her sisters to stay positive and hopeful. Rylee is basically a substitute mother to her little sisters while her mother fights inconsolable sadness. Rylee’s love and care for her sisters is moving, she’s playful and motherly, always focused on stability for them while she barely maintains composure on the best of days. Her love for her father is one of fierce admiration and connection, he’s her other half, her biggest fan and her happiness. Rylee’s depression is a whirlwind of tears and trials as she fights to keep her head above water and keep a smile on her face. 
• Brock is so attentive and compassionate, he’s always there for Rylee even as she’s kicking and screaming, pushing him away again and again with her harsh words and indifference. Brock is consumed by adoration for Rylee and she’s totally blind to it but he’s persistent and there to help whenever it’s needed. The fantasy scenes are hot. Brock and Rylee have a chemistry that is dreamy and magnetic. 
• Rylee’s nightmares tread the line between reality and horrifying dream, they almost seem like sinister premonitions of what’s to come. They’re mysterious, terrifying clues that suggest an evil force at work but not enough is revealed to make a guess of who’s behind these menacing visions or Rylee is just so torn up over her grief that she’s lost her mind. The questionable nature of Rylee’s mind and her dreams add to the overall sense of urgency and need to find out what’s really going on. 
• The haunting voices that warn and harass Rylee, the random blinding lights, and floating wisps are ghostly and alarming. The association with Rylee’s father makes it uncertain whether or not he’s dead or alive and if Rylee has the ability to commune with spirits. You’ll be left guessing for most of the book.
• Adysin is wicked. She’s blunt, vicious down to her core and the brief section from her perspective was my favorite. 

CONS:

• Up until about 3/4 of the way through the plot is really slow and doesn’t read like a paranormal at all, more like a young girl struggling to hold herself and her family together while her father is away at war. 
• There was the occasional typo.
• Rylee is extremely scattered. One moment she’s pushing Brock away being insanely rude and bitchy and the next she’s questioning her feelings for him. She’s in complete denial and her stubborness is so up and down she seems like a real mess. 
• Some of the dialogue was a bit off and didn’t feel authentic, like something a teen would say.

Website/Facebook/Twitter

While growing up, S.M. would travel the roads around her house while imagining she was somewhere else. Her imagination would take her everywhere, making the long hot summer days seem shorter throughout her fantasies. At the age of twelve, she decided to write her first book. Filled mostly with dialog, she filled up one-hundred pages, front and back. After taking the book downstairs to show her mom, and persuading her to buy her more paper, she excitedly ran back to her room. As she barreled through the door, S.M. tripped over items left on her floor, and her papers came raining down in her room. Discouraged, she stood there in tears, picking up her papers and throwing them in the trash. Her work had no organization, no numbers on her pages, just a child fulfilling a joy that she would put down and not pick up again. When she became older, she joined the military for something different. In that time, she was able to explore many places and even met her husband in Iraq. After coming home, she started her family in Arizona and went back to school, earning a Master’s degree in Adult Education and Training.

If you like any of the following, you’ll enjoy this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy reading, 

Release Day Blitz: Relinquish-Amy Thompson

Release Day!

Purchase: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Smashwords

Release Date: June 17th 2014

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Fantasy

Book Two in the Lost Souls Series

Regan has a life in Georgia. She is going to school, has managed to make some friends, and has even found a new love interest in Colter. So what happens when she can’t hide what she is anymore? When do all the lies become too much to handle? And how much longer can she hold onto her sanity—while Agro pushes her closer and closer to the edge of no return—her ascension to Elite?

Colter is beautifully oblivious. Wanting so much to believe that Regan is safe, and Agro has been halted, he ignores Finn’s constant skepticism at the risk of their friendship. Overlooking what is so clearly right in front of him, Colter passes off Regan’s outbursts of emotion on her recent trauma. Colter can feel Regan—his one exception to his retribution—slipping out of his arms, but fighting her to stay with him may not be an option.

Colter and Finn are now at odds, and there is a newly formed alliance between Kaiden and Exile Max. Will this group of Collectors be enough to fight off the new enemies and old threats that emerge in the battle for souls when Regan is broken, and their group is on the brink of self-destruction?

The lost will be found, the Collectors will be exiled, and the Elites will reign.

About Book One, Retribution

Regan Edison has just moved from California, to enter her first year at Georgia Liberty College, the place where jacked up Chevy trucks and hunting are a way of life. Regan hopes to start a new life for herself and she thinks that Georgia is just the place to do it. That is until she meets an unexpected stranger.

Colter Hayes is a member of the Collectors, a group of wrongfully punished lost souls. Colter and the rest of his team, Finn, Kaiden and Devon, work for the Requiem Council who pass judgment on those souls that are neither tagged for Heaven nor Hell. The Council has charged the Collectors with finding the lost in exchange for a chance at redemption.

When an ex-councilmember known to pass Retribution on lost souls sets his sights on Regan, the Requiem Council dispatches the Collectors to Georgia to work as protectors for Regan. The Collectors must fight to save Regan from a fate they know all too well, but can they work to earn back their chance at redemption or are their fates sealed forever?

Who is meant for Heaven?
Who is meant for Hell?
And who is just lost?

Start the series for just 99 Cents!

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/m9cml6m

Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/ouve6qf

Smashwords: http://tinyurl.com/kfn58lm

Amy Thompson graduated from college with her B.S. in Biology. She currently works as a high school mentor and has just earned her M.S. in Higher Education. Amy is a self-published author of Retribution, a new adult, paranormal romance novel that is the first in the Lost Souls Trilogy. She lives in Southern Virginia with her family and two lazy cats. Amy Thompson is currently working on the next book in the Lost Souls Trilogy, Relinquish and continues to be an avid reader of all things books.

Website / Facebook / Goodreads

My review of Retribution, the first book in The Lost Souls Trilogy will be up by Friday. Check back 🙂 

Happy reading, 

Review, Teaser & Excerpt: Crane-Stacey Rourke

The Horseman is unending,
his presence shan’t lessen.
If you break the curse,
you become the legend.

Washington Irving and Rip Van Winkle had no choice but to cover up the deadly truth behind Ichabod Crane’s disappearance. Centuries later, a Crane returns to Sleepy Hollow awakening macabre secrets once believed to be buried deep.

What if the monster that spawned the legend lived within you?

Now, Ireland Crane, reeling from a break-up and seeking a fresh start, must rely on the newly awakened Rip Van Winkle to discover the key to channeling the darkness swirling within her. Bodies are piling high and Ireland is the only one that can save Sleepy Hollow by embracing her own damning curse.

But is anyone truly safe when the Horseman rides?

Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Smashwords/iBooks

4/5 Stars

Crane is a dark and sinister read on par with the classic. The story is fused with wicked curses, haunting love, and an evil that exists outside of time. Crane is a fast-paced thrill ride, full of mystery and suspicion that will leave you on the edge of your seat unsure of Ireland’s fate and even more uncertain of whether or not anyone can be trusted. Fans of both the original Sleepy Hollow legend and the Sleepy Hollow tv series will thoroughly enjoy this 🙂

PROS:

• Crane is a unique and unexpected play on the classic, one that you do not see coming. The back story is so surprising that it changes your whole perspective of the Sleepy Hollow legend.
• Ireland is in need of a fresh start, she aims to become a powerful, confident, and content young woman without the crutch of a man and who can move on from her ex. Ireland is honest, she’s completely straightforward and tells it like it is. Her lines are colorful, full of popping sarcastic energy and life. She’s unafraid to speak her mind in the most blunt and shocking terms, it’s hilarious. Her playful personality seems at odds with her fate and it’s through these trials that she’s able to fully come to terms with the fact that she’s a fierce and compelling woman with the skills to do some serious damage.
• Sleepy Hollow as a place full of a twisted past and lines of descendents that go back to the Irving story makes the whole town feel destined for tragedy and slaughter. The sudden arrival of a Crane doesn’t bode well and the founders know it. The curse, though like an urban legend or campfire story is still on the people’s minds. Those blood pumpkins are HORRIFYING and creative, putting dashes on witchcraft and magic throughout and in a subtle way.
• Noah is a flirty, charming, sexy piece of man candy. He’s built on coy lines and sarcasm. The man is a catch. He’s constantly there with his muscles and a smile, chatting up Ireland and coaxing her into fun situations. Noah is persistent, he goes after Ireland and he won’t let up, oozing sex appeal and naughty thoughts that Ireland can’t keep fighting.
• The undesired effect of the sugarskull will make me rethink future tattoos, lest there by some freaky centuries old curse on my head.
• Gore, blood, and all the murder details were graphic and wonderfully written. The action scenes had a majestic, witchy quality that spoke of possession and the battle for control.
• The tension throughout the story, wondering who the horseman is and what the end game will turn out to be adds a layer of heavy paranoia and sense of being watched.
• The interactions with the horseman, the way he whispers and persuades in the mind is all sorts of terrifying and skeevy. The sheer rage and hostility in every urge is beyond frightening and yet, made light of near the end with the music suggestions. Way to tame the beast, turn up the crappy music.
• Rip might be my favorite narcoleptic. The man is seedy, quirky, and full of these little quips. Rip brings a unique spin to the plot as Ireland’s keeper and advisor but his inability to handle stress is really laughable, especially because it debilitates him. The trivial pursuit scene was a weird mix of creepy perv and whacked out grandpa. You don’t know what to make of Rip, despite his sneaky, stalker-like tendencies and past depravity his by far one of the most interesting characters.

CONS:

• Some of the flashbacks to the past were a little confusing. The way Irving, Crane, and co. interchanged names to avoid seedy reputations made it so you kind of had to double-check who it was really referring to.
• The cops and principal were nowhere near hard enough or suspicious of Ireland. The fact that they’re questioning her one day for murder and then let her be grief counselor to kids after she was arrested at the school the day before feels unrealistic and stretching.
• Noah is way too forgiving. Yeah, they suffered through some supernatural trauma together but he barely knows Ireland and that he’s able to forgive and forget so quickly is one of those, scratch your head and stare at the page for a few moments in shock scenes.

“Tonight was meant to be the Harvest Ball,” Katrina said as she slid between the folds of her crimson and taupe gown. “Now the town is meeting, trying to concoct a plan to stop a being that death itself couldn’t tame.”

Ichabod sat on the edge of the bed with his back, respectfully, to Katrina while she changed. His loaded musket lay across his lap. In the reflection of the window in front of him he could see the soft curve of her hips as they tapered into her narrow waist. He cleared his throat and shifted his gaze to the floor. His chin tipped to the side, ever so slightly, to ask, “Are you secure in our plan?”

“I am to attend the summit on the arm of Brom Van Brunt,” she reaffirmed as she pulled her long, blonde locks out from the back of her gown and began tightening the laces of her bodice. “Then speak with as many people as I can, searching for anyone that may have motives leading to the Horseman.”

Ichabod nodded. Mostly to himself, he muttered the remaining details they were depending upon, “Rip will be inside as well. That man can finesse a crowd with a skill that truly baffles. If there are secrets to be found, he will uncover them. Irv will be outside with me, primarily because the Horseman isn’t the only one in this town that would like to see his head on a spike. We will be on horseback, patrolling the grounds with a few other men that have volunteered. You will have nothing to fear.”

Her elegant gown in place, Katrina turned to Ichabod wearing an expression equal parts timidity and fear. “What of Brom?”

The bed squeaked as Ichabod shifted his weight to face her. “Boorish as his ways may be, he cares for you. If you adopt the guise that you have interest in him, he will do all he can to protect you inside the gathering, while I provide you the same service outside.”

“And,” her long lashes brushed the tops of her cheeks as she cast her gaze to the floor, “you aren’t bothered by me being on his arm?”

In the midst of the plotting and planning, Ichabod had slipped into the role he knew well of military strategist. He had detached himself from the emotional aspects—until that very moment. The reality of his request sank in like a heavy stone. He had asked her to take another man’s arm, asserting her place beside him. The implications of that dug into his gut like a dull blade, churning and twisting deep.

“The mere idea of that makes me ache,” he stated, forcing the words through his suddenly parched throat. “Yet I would endure this hardship, and countless others, to keep you safe.”

She moistened her lips with a flick of her tongue, seemingly wrestling with words that gave her pause. “Ichabod, when this is over … w-would you call yourself mine?”

Ichabod closed his eyes. The euphoria of that question washed over him, cleansing him of all his sins with the promise of tomorrow. Rising to his feet, he took her velvet soft hand in his. A love he hadn’t known possible illuminated her striking face. “From the moment I saw you, my heart belonged to you alone. If by some miracle you were to give me your love in return, I would need nothing else to sustain me the rest of my days.”

Katrina’s palm tenderly brushed his cheek. “You have already claimed that.”

Allowing no further hesitation, Ichabod gathered her in his arms. Katrina tipped her head back, the soft curves of her body molding to his. Full lips parted in an alluring invitation it would take a stronger man than him to resist.  

There is nothing worse than being put on the spot and asked to talk about yourself. For me it brings back that inevitable moment in a new school when the teacher would ask me to stand up, introduce myself and tell the class something about myself. I was always worried I would blurt out something stupid that I would get teased for. Something like, “My name’s Stacey and I like pickles!” Then for the rest of the school year I’d be known as the Pickle Girl and let’s be honest, no one wants that. So to avoid such a faux pas I will simply say that I love to write. It allows me to get my crazy out just enough that I can function as a normal member of society. 

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Happy reading,