Sunday 7 February 2016

Becoming Phoebe by J. Michael neal

Eighteen-year-old Phoebe Rose spent her childhood in one foster household after another, never having a place she could feel safe or a group of friends she could say she belonged to. What kept her going was hockey. The rink was the only place she felt at home.

Now what she wants more than anything is to play on her college hockey team—where she hopes she can leave her past behind and create a new life. But she knows things are never that simple or easy. Becoming Phoebe is about painful secrets, unexpected friendships, and joining a team so you can become your true self.

Review
Becoming Phoebe is a book with an interesting narrative style that will hook you in quickly as you fall in love with the main character before even realizing what's happening. Phoebe's childhood was anything but easy, being bounced between foster homes and never really feeling like she had much in terms of stability or family. But Phoebe knows how to dream big, and her journey is one you'll absolutely want to read about.

It looks like the author, J. Michael Neal already has a couple of books out, though nothing quite in line with this one. I'll absolutely be keeping an eye out for more in the future.

Friday 18 December 2015

The Undays of Aralias Lyons (Blog Tour)


There's something about escaping into a fantasy book during the cold winter months that is too perfect for words. I picked up The Undays of Aralias Lyons on a whim when it was available on NetGalley, and it ended up being a great read for this dreary time of year! The world that Horvath created is one you won't soon forget, and I'd highly recommend this to any and all fans of creative fiction. There's a lot too love!

Simeon Bliss, the big bad of this story, was one part of really made this novel come alive for me. I never really knew what the next big move was going to be, which is always a lot of fun. I also really enjoyed the use of mythical creatures. You really can't top having a character ride a pegasus into battle.

The characters at times were a little hit and miss. I didn't dislike any of them individually, but I would have liked to see some of the focus put elsewhere... more Simeon! Or if nothing else, more of the relationship between Aralias and Jack. Maybe it was because of Clara on Doctor Who, but there was something about this Clara that didn't always work for me.

The concept and scope of this story were really well done though, and I overall this book was really nicely put together. I was genuinely impressed!



About the Book
Don’t miss K.L. Horvath’s compelling time travel fantasy with talking beasts, iron monsters, otherworldly creatures and a desperate father!
For centuries the great Houses of Time have watched over the mythical creatures, those who manipulate the past for their own ends and humankind. But now the houses have dwindled and few are left who remember the mandates. One, in fact, is determined to put the world in its proper place—beneath his rule.
To do that, he’s kidnapped Jack Lyons, the youngest of the Time Travelers. And to get him back and defeat Bliss, Lord Aralias Lyons, Jack’s father, will do anything he has to. He’ll fight wicked spiders, an army of clockwork men, let his son suffer and manipulate time itself in order to right what Bliss has put wrong. He’ll even allow the innocent Miss Clara Heartwell to discover more about the Travelers than most mortals know.
Through secret and deadly deals with dragons, battles back in time and with Jack himself, Aralias has to think smarter, act faster, and be more decisive. Because in the end, saving Jack is all that matters …

Tuesday 8 December 2015

Blog Tour: The Worlds Traveler



Life on the run from madman Martin Reimer gets in the way of everything.

For fourteen-year-old Phillip, it has meant having to stay hidden, unable to use his gift of moving through maps to search for his missing father. But the arrival of a stranger named Delroy brings unexpected opportunity, for Delroy is a man with the ability to travel worlds hidden within our own and he was sent by Phillip’s father. Now Phillip will do everything he can to find his dad, even if it means tricking Delroy into helping him or a quest through those hidden worlds.

Even if leaving home means Martin can now find him…

Follow in the adventures of Phillip Stone and Natalie Bristol from the award-winning book The Magician’s Doll!

Get the book




Hi everyone! So we've got something exciting for you today. A blog tour stop, featuring M.L. Roble and her book The Worlds Traveler. I'll be reviewing this one either late this month or early next month, but I recently had the chance to read book one as well, so decided to push back my review in order to get the full sense of the story. For now, check out this excerpt from The Worlds Traveler!

Phillip sighed and leaned back. He gave a shrug and looked out the window. Like the soda shop, the whole town with its small shops and landscaped streets had an old-time feel. He didn’t think it was a coincidence that their mothers and Mrs. Blaine chose places that were set back from the rest of the world. “It’s nice enough here, I guess. It’s just that every time we’ve gone somewhere through the map, every time we’ve seen all these different places…I don’t know, I just wanna tell my dad about it.”
“Aren’t you worried how dangerous it is with the Reimers out there?” Natalie asked.
“It’s going to keep getting dangerous, Natalie. We’ve been through this.” Phillip’s hands balled into fists and then flexed as he tried to calm the frustration starting to burn in his chest. “It’s going to get worse. It doesn’t matter what we do to avoid trouble, it’s going to come to us some time, somehow. If my dad’s alive, I’d rather face it with him.”
“What about your mom?” Natalie asked.
“Why do you think I’m still here?” Phillip shot back. “Why are you giving me such a hard time about this? You said when the time came you’d help me, you know,” he reminded her.
“I meant what I said! If you ask me to go, I’ll go. I’m just hoping that when we do, it’s because you’ve given this some good thought and planning.”
“All I do is think and plan!” Once again Phillip’s voice rose.
Only a few heads turned this time. The rest of the customers seemed content to let them be. Their waitress looked over and winked at Phillip. Work it out, she mouthed.
“Then why haven’t we gone yet?” Natalie asked.
“Because it’s complicated.” A slight bitterness salted Phillip’s answer. “Look, the point is, I’m here, it doesn’t look like I’m going anywhere, and I think you should cut me some slack for wanting a little adventure once in a while.”
He scowled and took another gulp of his float, watching the mini whirlpool form in the cream as he sipped through the straw. He was doing the best he could, he thought. Why wasn’t anyone giving him any credit for that? Times like these he felt like everyone was trying to scrunch him into shapes he couldn’t make.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Natalie’s fingers slacken. Her straw dropped and rolled across the table. He looked up in surprise.
Natalie sat as if invisible hands had pulled her shoulders back, straightening her spine. Her eyes were on his face, but their focus went through and far beyond him.
“Nat,” Phillip said softly. He reached for her wrist and grasped it, feeling the warmth of her skin and the steady beat of her pulse. Natalie’s posture was so rigid, so unmoving, he swept a surreptitious glance around the soda shop to make sure no one had noticed. The other patrons were engrossed with their own business, but their waitress caught his eye, and seeing his hand clasping Natalie’s wrist, she gave him a nod and a smile of approval. Phillip smiled back weakly and turned back to Natalie.
He had forgotten how unnerving Natalie’s gift was. It had been a long time since it had overtaken her. It had crept up on her several times when she had first come into it, but since then she had learned how to keep it at bay. Now it had her in its hold, and it felt like she had slipped away, leaving him holding an empty vessel.
“Nat,” he said again, giving her wrist a little shake. He waited, a helpless ball of uncertainty, until the emptiness in her eyes slowly filled with a reassuring solidity. A few seconds later, she was back, and when he looked into her face and saw a response in hers, relief flooded him. “What happened? Your gift?”
Natalie nodded, her eyebrows forming a confused squiggle. “Different this time, though. I don’t think it went as deep.” A part of her seemed to linger in whatever place her gift had taken her because her focus was scattered, and when her eyes met his, he felt the vastness of a galaxy behind them. “Someone has come, Phillip, come to our town. Whoever he is, he’s looking for you.”

Saturday 5 December 2015

Review: Romantic Road by Blair McDowell


When Lacy Telchev buries her husband she finds herself in treacherous waters. Igor, much older than Lacy, had secrets. Suddenly Lacy is being chased across Europe by men who believe she can lead them to those secrets. Evading her pursuers with the aid of a chance acquaintance, the handsome and mysterious Max Petersen, Lacy travels across Germany, Austria and Hungary, to a shattering discovery in Budapest.
Along the way, she meets three women from Igor's past. As Igor's story unfolds through them, Lacy is less and less certain who her husband really was. Who can Lacy trust? Will she survive to find out?



Review: Blair McDowell is a new author for me, but one I'm really glad I picked up. I do think I've sen a few of her books around before, but when I read the blurb for Romantic Road there was no question that I'd finally be taking the plunge and reading one of her books. And it absolutely did not disappoint. This was one of the best romantic thrillers I've read all year, maybe ever. It did a great job of following some of the best tropes of the genre while still managing to surprise the reader, which is always impressive.

Romantic Road follows Lacy, who recently lost her husband... which unfortunately, is only the beginning of her problems. She has more than her share of secrets, and it looks like her husband may have had a few of his own, which doesn't make it easy for her to move forward. Thankfully, the wonderfil Max Petersen is there to help, and boy am I glad he is. Lacy is tackling some big stuff here as she tries to follow the clues Igor left behind, and it will take her directly into the path of government officials that she may be better off not getting in the way of. But that wouldn't make for a very good story, now would it? So Lacy and Max team up, and everything explodes from there.

The story is fantastically paced, and it's easy to root for every one of these characters. A must read for anyone who likes a little steamy romance mixed in with their intense mysteries!

Tuesday 3 November 2015

Blog Tour: The Sand Prince (Promo + Excerpt)


0956870345642About the Book “When the storm came, it was made of magic, not rain, and when it had passed, the life and the city Hellne knew were changed forever.” In Kim Alexander’s debut novel she weaves a witty, epic fantasy brimming with diverse characters and plenty of intrigue.
Two worlds 
On the war-ravaged demon world of Eriis, Hellne, the fierce young queen, fights to keep her people alive, and to keep her son’s parentage a secret. On the green and gentle human world of Mistra, the demons have faded into myth. Only a handful of old men and children still guard The Door between the worlds. Bound by magic Rhuun, the Prince of Eriis, uncovers a sultry book written by a human, sparking an obsession with the other world. When he is forced to flee Eriis, he must travel through The Door or pay the price in blood.
Divided by a door 
The humans of Mistra are not what Rhuun was expecting—and one insufferable young woman in particular is about to find out that the demons of Eriis are not mythological after all . . .

An exclusive excerpt from the book!
Rhuun learns a couple of important lessons:

"Where are your little friends, Beast?" called Niico. "No girls to protect you today? No one to hold your hand?" His friends were holding each other up laughing, and sending short, sharp blasts at his legs. Niico took a great leap into the air, instantly sprung his wings and hovered directly above Rhuun. His hands were cupped, no doubt preparing a bolt. "Hey, look up here! I'm talking to you!"
Niico, rather than using his flame, dumped a double handful of ash on Rhuun's head. For a long moment he could neither see nor breathe. But he could hear them laughing.
"Freak! Beast!" they shouted.
Do it now, said Ilaan's voice in his head. Or do it never.
He stood. He reached up. He reached all the way up and caught the tip of Niico's wing as he swung past. Instead of a graceful arc carrying him up and away, Niico's momentum carried him face first into the dirt. Momentum was just as interesting as Rhuun hoped.
Rhuun realized he was still holding the first flange of Niico's wing, now dislocated and twisted completely behind his back. He stretched it out and brought his foot down on it, crushing the fragile bones and delicate membrane under his heel. A leathery shred came off in his hand. Niico screamed like a new fledged girl and lay still. His friends had vanished.
It was the most intensely pleasurable moment of Rhuun's life.
Aelle and Ilaan joined him in the blowing smoke of the play field.
Ilaan said, "You've made an enemy for life. About time." Then he helped a sobbing Niico to his feet, saying, "Oh, I know, it looks bad now, but I'll have you back in the air in no time…."
Aelle merely looked at him. Finally she said, "I'll see you later," and left without another word.



Kim Alexander grew up in the wilds of Long Island, NY and slowly drifted south until she reached Key West. After spending ten undocumented years in the Keys, she moved to Washington DC, where she lives with two cats, an angry fish, and her extremely patient husband. THE SAND PRINCE is Kim’s debut novel and begins the fantasy series THE DEMON DOOR. Find her Online


Saturday 31 October 2015

Blog Tour: Antidote by Taylor Hondos

antidote cover

Life sucks, and then you rot. No one knows how Dermadecatis is contracted, but its existence has changed everything for 18-year-old Lena, in this riveting debut from Taylor Hondos.

No contact with other people.
Masks must be worn in public at all times.

Four months ago men, women and children alike began to rot from the inside out, and the world as we know it changed forever. Life goes on, but now everything revolves around the need to survive and find a cure for Dermadecatis, the disease that Lena Alona's father discovered. Unfortunately for Lena and everyone else who is desperate to survive, her father's secrets died when he did.



taylor banner

Review: This is the most amazingly awesome cover I have seen in a long time, so there's something super fitting about posting my blog tour entry to celebrate the launch of this book on Halloween. Everything about the world of Antidote is super creepy, especially because it doesn't seem that far fetched as a possible future for our society.

Dermadecatis rots you from the inside out which is obviously not something to look forward to so the whole world has reshaped itself around this disease. Antidote focuses on two things, the reprecussions of Dermadecatis and... finding an Antidote. Shocking, I know. The main character, Lena is in an interesting position through all of this as her father had played a pivotal role in the history of the disease... at least until he was murdered.

This book will hook you right away with a really intense opening that perfectly brings the world to life, but from there things slow down a bit, really building the tension over the course of the narrative. Have I mentioned that this book creeped me out? (In a good way!) Anyways, I won't give anything away but this book was great and there is so much potential here for a really amazing series that blows away conventional ideas about dystopian/apocalyptic stories.

I had a look on Goodreads, and the title for book two has already been released so hopefully that's coming soon!



About the Author... Taylor Hondos Professional life-contemplator, book enthusiast and coffee drinker. Taylor Hondos lives in North Carolina with her family and dog, Blackie. When she am not writing, you can find her reading in the corner, searching endlessly for new books to read or binge watching Sex and the City. “Antidote” is her first novel. Learn more at - http://www.taylorhondos.com/ 

Friday 9 October 2015

Review - Fallen Angel, Part 1



About the Book
On the first day of her holiday to Washington, DC, Brooke Stiles meets Robert Stone.
Dark eyed, damaged and dangerous - Stone has never had a normal relationship for fear of his past being exposed. Not knowing how to respect nor love, he struggles with his feelings for a woman who makes him question everything that he is.
Brooke falls in love with him and as their relationship grows she learns who he really is. Her future is set. She is to heal her man and mend his broken soul. But can she do the one thing that he asks?
This is a story of an ordinary woman who falls in love with an extraordinary man and has to discover whether she is strong enough to forgive him his past.
Contemporary romance for readers over the age of 18.

Review
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review Part 1 of the Fallen Angel series by Tracie Podger. I absolutely loved this story and will be continuing with the series!

Where I didn't agree with the story is saying that Brooke is an ordinary woman falling in love with an extraordinary man. I really enjoyed Brooke's character, and feel like calling her ordinary is underselling her quite a bit. Both of these main characters were dynamic and easy to root for. I loved them both together and apart. I also really enjoyed Sam and thought she was a great support system for Brooke.

There are some steamy bits, but they aren't a central element to the story. This is romance through and through, and a must read for anyone feeling the need to swoon.