31 October 2016

Dark One's Mistress - Tour & Review


Dark One's Mistress
Genre: NA Gothic Romance
Release Date: October 31st 2016
Thardrandian Publications

Summary from Goodreads:

For centuries, the people have lived under the protection of their so-called Dark Lord. Now, with news of his death reaching the quiet village of Everdark, rumour whispers that his son, Lucias, is hunting for a mistress to beget him an heir.

Clara doesn't put much stock in village gossip, until she finds herself forcibly taken to the Lord's fortress. Escape is not easy. She has no way out and, against a man with magic, little chance of fighting back. But the Lords are still men and the death of Lucias' father is proof that they die just the same. And yet, if Lucias dies heirless, his army will be free to terrorise the land.

Such is the goal of Lenora of Ne'ermore, an old enemy and ex-prisoner of the kingdom. She is sending a man to slaughter Lucias and, to ensure there's no chance of an heir, his mistress must die as well.

Caught between regaining her freedom or losing it for the good of the kingdom, Clara struggles to decide her path before certain death breaches the gates.



Buy Links:
Amazon US * Amazon UK 




Book Trailer:






I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!




What I say: Dark's One's Mistress definitely taught me a lesson in not judging a book by it's title. Despite the rather raunchy title, the book focuses on drama and romance. I was expecting another repetitive smut-fest (not that there's anything wrong with smutty fiction) but was pleasantly surprised by the relatively clean fantasy romance.

Clara finds herself an unwilling captive mistress of the new Great Lord of Everdark. Lord Lucias needs an heir and has decided Clara is the best candidate to provide him one. Clara who hates the castle and Lucias, just wants her freedom. 

The story reads like a historical fantasy crossover rather than a straight fantasy. I enjoyed the world building and would love to see certain characters travel outside the castle more in the future.

The dynamic between Clara and Lucias is particularly interesting. I was expecting a small amount of resistance from Clara, but I loved her dedication towards her goal and how she selflessly fought for her friends. Lucias has a hard task ahead of him if he's ever going to prove Clara wrong and win her over.

The big bad in the story wasn't at all who I would have expected. I really enjoyed the shift from the norm. Aldrea Alien certainly does a great job creating strong and independent women. 

4 Stars in my Sky!


Author Spotlight:




Mother. Animal lover. Vampire. Fangirl.

Aldrea Alien is a New Zealand author of romantic speculative fiction of varying heat levels.

She grew up on a small farm out the back blocks of a place known as Wainuiomata alongside a menagerie of animals, who are all convinced they're just as human as the next person (especially the cats). She spent a great deal of her childhood riding horses, whilst the rest of her time was consumed with reading every fantasy book she could get her hands on and concocting ideas about a little planet known as Thardrandia. This would prove to be the start of The Rogue King Saga as, come her twelfth year, she discovered there was a book inside her.

Aldrea now lives in Upper Hutt, on yet another small farm with a less hectic, but still egotistical, group of animals (cats will be cats). She still hasn't yet found an off switch to give her an ounce of peace from the characters plaguing her mind, a list that grows bigger every year with all of them clamouring for her to tell their story first. It's a lot of people for one head.




Giveaway:


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Blog Tour Organized by:





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30 October 2016

Cease - Review & Excerpt Tour

cease-banner
 
Cease - The Bayonet Scars
by JC Emery

ceaseasmall

Buy links:

Death silences. Love echoes.

Ruby Buckley is no stranger to loss. She lost her twins in their infancy, lost her son to his demons, and lost herself to a life she never wanted.

Until him.

Jim Stone is lost. He’s a father who doesn’t know how to parent, a brother who doesn’t know why he ever patched in, and is completely numb to everything around him.

Until her.

Craving normalcy, Ruby wants to live straight, but that’s easier said than done when a member of the Forsaken Motorcycle Club is determined to make her his old lady. She’s plagued by a past she can’t escape. He vows to give her a better future, even if it means delivering the impossible.

But falling in love was only the beginning.

Twenty years later and they’re still going strong, even if the world around them in crumbling. Jim’s put his club on the line and given Ruby the impossible—her now adult twins she thought she’d lost forever. She has everything she’s always wanted.

But at what cost?

Love is never more real than when it’s forever.


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PROLOGUE:
Time after time, I never cease to be amazed at how deeply I can be hurt.
Just a flesh wound, Mama.
Jim’s words echo in my mind over and over again. They’re all I hear as I watch my husband— the man who taught me that men can be good— being lifted into the back of the van by his brothers. Blood pools at the bottom of his vest and drips to the pavement.
My daughter— the precious baby I thought I’d lost forever— is being carried to the van by the boy who became my son at the age of eight. She’s lost so much blood. The dark red liquid completely covers her face, neck, and chest. My heart falls into my stomach as I catch sight of the blood smeared all over Ryan’s cut and his face.
My husband’s been gutted and my daughter’s been sliced open.
Both bleeding.
One dying.
Maybe two.
Hopefully none.
And all I can think about is my own selfish need to keep them with me. If I’m not a mother to my daughter or a wife to my husband, then I don’t know who I am. I’ll still have my sons— all three of them— but it’s not the same. My boys don’t need me the way my man and my girl do. I won’t get to hang on to Michael for much longer. He’s a Mancuso and he’ll be staying in New York to take over the family— and it doesn’t matter how I feel about that. Ian, my eldest, has his wife Mindy. He thinks he still needs me, but he doesn’t. Ryan, the boy I have to remind myself isn’t really mine, has Alex. My daughter.
If we lose her, there’s nothing anyone can do to make it better. Ryan will never recover and neither will I. He’ll shut down, just like Rage did when we lost Sylvia, and even I won’t be able to reach him then.
If we lose Jim, we lose our rock. I lose the only person I ever trusted enough to give my whole heart to besides my children.
I won’t survive it.


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I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!


What I say: A dramatic conclusion to this invigorating and action packed series. If you prefer your romances on the calm and happy side, then this series probably isn't for you. I've really enjoyed the twists and turns we've experienced throughout the entire Bayonet Scars series, but it's certainly been a bumpy and angst ridden ride.

We're treated to special insights and snippets from the past al interspersed with current action, plus even a look into what may happen next... 

It's often really hard looking back, but JC Emery does a wonderful job without ever seeming repetitive or patronising. As with all the books, Cease is dark and traumatic at times, but more importantly it's honest, real and still really romantic - albeit in a darker kinda way.

I throughly enjoyed all of the Bayonet Scars books but Ruby and Jim really made me cry!

4 Stars in my Sky!

DON'T MISS THE PREVIOUS BAYONET SCARS NOVELS!


bsseriesfinal


Ride (Bayonet Scars #1)

Thrash (Bayonet Scars #2)

Rev (Bayonet Scars #3)

Crush (Bayonet Scars #4)

Vow (Bayonet Scars #4.5)

Burn (Bayonet Scars #5)
AMAZON * iBOOKS
Crave (Bayonet Scars #5.5)

Haunt (Bayonet Scars #6)
AMAZON * iBOOKS


Author Spotlight:

jcemery

As a child, JC was fascinated by things that went bump in the night. As they say, some things never change. JC is known for her bad-ass anti-heroes who lure unsuspecting readers into their dark stories and refuse to leave them alone—even once their story is finished. JC is a San Francisco Bay Area native, but has also called both Texas and Louisiana home. She just recently ditched her flip flops for winter boots and now resides in Southwestern Illinois. When she’s not torturing her characters for fun, JC drops the pend name and goes by Christina.
JC is the author of the Bayonet Scars series—about and outlaw motorcycle club that starts a war with the Italian mafia.




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29 October 2016

Releases This Week - The Sun is Also a Star

The Sun is Also a Star
by Nicola Yoon







Add to Goodreads


I just love the sound of this one!!!


What they say: Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

Releases 1st Nov - ISBN13: 9780553496680




#comingsoon #books #prettycover 


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28 October 2016

Demon Hunters: Trinity - Review

Demon Hunters: Trinity - Demon Hunters #1
by Olivia Chase





What they say: On her 16th birthday, self-reliant Diana is dragged from London to Edinburgh. Her occult-obsessed father is investigating a spooky murder in the city. She is used to trailing in his wake, but this time things are different. An encounter with an enigmatic young man, a disturbing message left in her bedroom . . . and her dad taken hostage by a demon. To top it all, her two new friends inform her she's a Demon Hunter. 


Can life get any weirder? Will Diana rescue her dad, learn how to defeat enemies she never knew she had, and come to terms with her new destiny? 

Turning sixteen just turned deadly.



Add to Goodreads


Buy links:

UK * US




I received a copy from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange fro an honest review!


What I say: The best way for me to describe the book is as a kind of Supernatural, Buffy & Charmed mash up with a quirky mythological YA paranormal fantasy twist. Yep sorry that doesn't really help.

I have to admit I was expecting to find Diana annoying, and although I did experience a few eye-rolling moments, I liked her. I found how she went from smiling at a cute boy, to fighting against evil, and then back again all without getting whiplash highly amusing - which often annoys me in books.
  
The pacing of the story is pretty speedy - We meet Diana as she's travelling to her new home in Edinburgh, then not long afterwards the big bad has appeared. With a Dad who reminded me of Giles from Buffy, she adapts pretty well to the sudden turn of events and drama.

At first I wasn't 100% sure what to make of Minerva and Vesta, but they definitely grew on me. I really liked the sweet bond between the girls. The same goes for Sebastian who I really didn't like at first, but he won me over. Alex was definitely a conundrum (don't worry no spoilers) and I have high hopes for what happens next.


The classics geek in me loved the history behind their names,  plus the utilisation of well known myths alongside local legends. Come on what happens next...?

4 Stars in my Sky!


Author & Book Spotlight:

Books with Bite * Goodreads



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27 October 2016

Birthday Giveaway

It's My Birthday so I'm Giving You Presents!







To celebrate I'm having a book swag themed giveaway!!!

Win a special goodie bag full of bookish goodies! 


**Note - only mentioned items are signed! The prize pack includes Young Adult, New Adult, Adult and naughty Adult themed goodies so over 18s only please.**






Prize pack includes:

Radio Silence poster, The it girl tote bag, Gabriel card (signed by Tracie Podger), One Night Promised bookmark, Kirsty Moseley bookmark (signed by Kirsty Moseley), Humankind photo card (signed by L.C. Morgan), Until We Collide Magnet, The Broken Series magnet, I'm a Masters Brat large button badge, Are You There... button badge, Tracie Podger button mirror, book cover keyring, #TheDiabolic button badges, Nikki Ashton pen, Chloe Walsh pencil, Gibson's Legacy chapstick, teaser samples: The Goldfish Boy, Revenger/I Was Dead For 13 Minutes, Front Lines & Gilded Cage, Burning & Kook rubber bracelet bands, snowflake temp tattoo, I Heart Marked Pen drink cooler pouch, Bella Settarra bath salts sampler, Miss Sport lipstick, Geek Girl nail art pack & ring set.

Open International


To enter: Fill out the rafflecopter using as many or few of the options below as you like (I've used different options to give you have a more of a chance of finding a way to enter): 

Free entry if you follow/add the blog on: 
InstagramPinterestTwitter, visit the blog on Facebook or follow the blog (on either Google+BlogLovin'email or GFC - you must be signed into Google+ to do so)...



a Rafflecopter giveaway



Please make sure you paste the correct links, info etc when entering as I've had a few entries with broken links etc (this means I have to redraw & you won't win).



The winner has 3 days to reply to winner notification before I redraw.


Giveaway T&C's:
I cannot be held accountable for winners & prizes - I am not responsible for missing prizes & anything lost in transit or any damage. Prizes are sent by standard mail (signed for and tracking is extremely expensive & I'd rather offer more prizes than pay more for postage) and will not be replaced (but proof of postage is gained) . I check all entries before giving out prizes to make sure your entry is still valid. I'm sorry kiddies but you need to be 18 or older to enter, or have a parent enter for your (or have recognised parental permission) as some of the books are for adults. I have purchased or been given these prizes for giveaway purposes & the giveaway is not linked to the publisher, author, company, or any social media unless stated otherwise. You use any product at your own risk & I will not accept responsibility for any reaction you may have to products. If you're not legally allowed to enter then your entry is void. Incomplete entries or giveaway only accounts are also void!! If you don't agree to these conditions please do not enter.







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26 October 2016

Waiting on Wednesday - Heartless

Heartless
by Marissa Meyer 










What they say: Long before she was the terror of Wonderland — the infamous Queen of Hearts — she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next Queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the king's marriage proposal, she meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship.

Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.
 

Coming 8th Nov 2016 (17th UK)
ISBN13: 9781250044655

Add to Goodreads

Pre-order links:

Amazon UK * Amazon US

UK --> goo.gl/eSxE1B
US --> goo.gl/FdVyAd

Book & Author links:

Why I'm waiting...



  1. Er seriously?! It's a Marissa Meyer book!
  2. Hello Wonderland retold!
  3. I'm loving the cover!









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