T.R. Graves's Blog: T. R. Graves, Author, page 19

The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (5 Stars)

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  The Iron Fey Series is a great series.  The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4) does not disappoint when it comes to action (especially the action), adventure, and love. 

No longer abstract or vague, 'the end of the world' has a whole new meaning after reading The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4). For the rest of my life the phrase will immediately remind me of Julie Kagaw...

Witch Hunt Blog Tour Giveaway

Today, I'm honored to be the host of the Witch Hunt Blog Tour for K.C. Blake, author of the newly released Witch Hunt.  K.C. and I participate in a YA Indie Author Club  weekly post about diverse topics.  Her perspective on our topics is always unique and enjoyable.  Following K.C.'s lead, I'm doing a different type of interview.  I thought it would be fun to get to know the real K.C. by posting a snapshot of her desk and allowing K.C. to...

The Iron Queen (Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Queen (Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (5 Stars)

The Iron Fey Series is the kind of series I love, and The Iron Queen (Iron Fey #3) is an amazing read.  Believe it or not, this series gets better and better with each tender moment...each dangerous adventure...each phenomenal book.  I'm sure some part of the growing fondness has to do with the fact that I've grown to love Meghan, Ash, and Puck.  Oh, and how could I forget Grimalkin, the impossibly brilliant cat, and Razor, the Dobby-like gremlin?  I love them all.

Without feeling like I've just been preached to, I admire the morals and ethics deeply embedded within the characters of these stories.  They  work together and put the City of Faery, The Seelie Court, and The Unseelie Court before themselves.  Their journeys are amazing, and their sacrifices are great.  Given this book's relationship cliffhanger, I'm dying to read The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4).

I can't stress enough how good these books are or how highly I recommend them to readers of all ages.

The Iron Daughter (Iron Fey #2) by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Daughter (Iron Fey #2) by Julie Kagawa
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (5 Stars)

My love for this series was sealed with this book.  I adored everything about it.  The love triangle is so complicated that I can't blame Meghan for falling for two wonderful people.  Both guys are completely unique and endearing.  Prince Ash is...well, Prince Ash, a committed and passionate man with an undeniable greatness.  Puck would instantaneously give his life for her and knows her better than she knows herself. 

Making this my favorite book of the series (so far), Julie Kagawa brought in new characters, and I love every one of them.  She even took time to change our minds totally about a few who returned from The Iron King (Iron Fey #1).  I'm a fan of this technique because I'm a firm believer everyone has the power to change who they are and what they do.  When an author is successful in her efforts, and I end up loving a character I hated before, I'm always impressed.  Only a gifted storyteller can do that, and Julie Kagawa is just that.

When I reviewed The Iron King (Iron Fey #1), I said I immediately downloaded the rest of the series.  I'm glad I did.  As soon as I finished The Iron Daughter (Iron Fey #2), I began The Iron Queen (Iron Fey #3), so far, I've not been disappointed.  

YA Indie Carnival - Spring Break

It's that time of the week again, and the YA Indie Carnival sponsors are sharingspring break scenes. This is a great topic for me since The Warrior Series is set inbeautiful Galveston Island, the perfect spring break location.  
Having worked as a nurse at UTMB (the Island's onlyhospital) for years and since I still reside near the very touristy destination, I'velearned more than some (less than others) about the gulf city's rich, colorful,and - at times - traumatic past. In fact, I have used (or will use) every single morsel of the place'shaunted history to build the paranormal world within which Allison La Crosse and The Disciples of the Cross live.
Because Galveston and its citizens have become silent and endearing characters within the series, fans of the books have embarked upontours to explore the unique places mentioned (see post YA Indie Carnival - Favorite Fan Experience).
Take a few minutes to enjoy Allison's weekend of swimming and body surfing with Brody while reading this excerpt from Warriors of the Cross  (The Warrior Series, #1).

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I dashedinto my room.  I forgot about James andhis sadness the second I thought about being in so few clothes in front ofBrody. 
I found ared and white two-piece with tags still intact and – as luck would have it – mysize.  Like every other time that I wentto the beach, I applied liberal amounts of sunscreen.  Diligent, I massaged it from the top andworked my way down: face, ears, neck, shoulders, arms, legs, and feet.
Once Ifinished proactively preventing skin cancer, I found a phenomenal whitecover-up with red embroidered stitching. I slipped it over the swimsuit, looked into the mirror, and decided itwas as good as it was going to get.  Ibraced myself and exited the room.
"We aregoing out the front.  That way we won'tbe stopped by James or The Sisters,"he said, intertwining his hand with mine and showing me how to sneak out thefront of the house. 
On thebeach, I had a renewed sense of confidence after discarding the cover-up.  Brody's approval was obvious as he inspectedme from my feet up to my eyes.  His scanwas as calming and gentle as the strokes to my arm the night before.
Ofcourse, seeing him shirtless for the first time, I performed my own quickglance.  With it, I appreciated hissculptured physique.  The accenting shadowsunderneath his bulging muscles were as much a part of him as his strikinglytanned skin. 
He tookmy hand, and we waded out into the waves where he began teaching me how to bodysurf. 
"Theperfect wave needs to come to your shoulders. Once you find it, let it hit you from behind and carry you all the wayto the beach," he coached, seriously. 
Making itinto the deeper part of the warm water, I swayed with the battering of a fewlarge swells.  With my wavering, Brodygrabbed my waist and give me time to stabilize my foot-hold.
"Better,"he said protectively.
He waitedfor my nod before releasing his hold.
This wasthe first time I had done anything more than walk through the beach sidewater.  Despite that detail, I had astrong sensation that I had spent my entire life swimming the foamy waves.  Brody and I rode them until the instant thatI saw someone mounting an elaborately designed surfboard.
Speakingwithout thinking, I asked, "Brody, do you have a surf board I could use?" 
"Yeah,give me a few minutes.  I'll go get acouple," he said, as if he had been inspired also.
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1.Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series2.Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series3.Heather Self4.T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series5.Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga6.Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy7.Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog 8.K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed9.Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series10.Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy11.Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews 12.Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey13.M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping 14.Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind15.Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls16.Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler17.Gwenn Wright, author of Filter18.TG Ayer19.Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy20.Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga21.Roots in Myth, PJ Hoover22.Courtney Cole Writes23.Four Seasons of Writing: Variable like the Employment

Forbidden Mind & 9 Free Books

She reads minds.He controls minds.Together, they might get out alive.
Everyone loves to dabble in the forbidden, which is why Evolved Publishing is giving you a free teaserinto the award-winning Forbidden Trilogy by author KimberlyKinrade.
On Tuesday, March 27th, ForbiddenMind , a YA paranormal thriller/romance and winner of the Forward National Literature Award, willbe FREE onAmazon, on the same day the sequel, Forbidden Fire , launches!
Read a free sample ofForbidden Mind and get it FREEhere>> http://amzn.to/GS1F2
Check out some of these reviews:
"...a thrilling, dark and deeplyromantic read that had me sitting on the edge of my seat and eagerly awaitingthe next installment."- Refracted Light Young Adult Book Reviews
"Do not make any plans on the day youbegin, as once you start, you will not be able to put it down." - L.M. Stull
"...hooked me in from thebeginning." - L.E.Manning
"Forbidden Mind is beautifullywritten and worth your reading time." - BookWormSans
About Forbidden Mind
Sam thinksshe's months away from freedom. After spending her life in a secret school,rented out to the rich and powerful as a paranormal spy, she is ready to headto college like any normal eighteen-year-old.
Only Sam isn'tnormal. She reads minds. And just before her big going-away party, she links tothe mind of a young man who changes everything.
Drake wasn'traised as a 'Rent-A-Kid.' He was kidnapped and taken there by force. But hisexceptional physical strength and powers of mind control make him verydangerous, especially to Sam.
When they meet,Sam is forced to face the truth of her situation, and to acknowledge that notall is as it seems in her picture-perfect world. For what awaits her on hereighteenth birthday isn't a trip to college, but an unexpected nightmare fromwhich she may not be able to escape.
To survive,they must work together.
But will theirpowers be enough to save them before it's too late?
Get it FREE here> http://amzn.to/GS1F24 ***More Forbidden?

Do you like to have the next book in a series ready to gobefore you read the first? Have you already read Forbidden Mind and are chomping at the bit to find out what happensnext?
The sequel, ForbiddenFire , officially launches onTuesday as well. Twice the length as ForbiddenMind, with more of the characters we love: Sam, Drake, Lucy and Luke! Soget Forbidden Mind for free and pickup the sequel at the same time.
Read a sample and getForbidden Fire here>> http://amzn.to/GQENvy
About Forbidden Fire
She escaped, but she'll never be free.
"Time heldno meaning as my mind darted in and out of memories. Past and present collidedto create a full-sensory collage out of my life: playing hide-n-seek with mybest friends Luke—who always cheated by walking through walls when he was aboutto be caught—and Lucy; Mr. Caldrin critiquing my sketches and offering ideas tomake them more realistic; targets changing faces, blending into the sameperson, their thoughts rippling through my mind like waves. Through it all, ademon stalked me from the shadows of my memories, never quite showing its face,but crouching, waiting.
And then Idreamed...."
Sam and Drakemay have escaped, but they aren't free—not with a powerful Seeker after them.As Sam struggles with the ethics of her new powers and embraces a blossomingphysical relationship with Drake, Lucy and Luke face challenges of their own.
With forcescoalescing inside and outside the Rent-A-Kid dorms, it's only a matter of timebefore the fire they started forces each of them to make choices they can'tundo. But will it be enough to save them?
Read a sample ofForbidden Fire and get it here>> http://amzn.to/GQENvy
***More FREE books?

Yup! It's not over yet! Evolved is offering 8 more freebooks on Tuesday, in addition to ForbiddenMind, including Kimberly Kinrade's children's illustrated fantasy chapterbook, LexieWorld . http://amzn.to/xxMzaA
Written for 4-9 year olds, but great for all ages, Lexiediscovers the consequences of her littering. Lexie World is overrun by GarbageGoblins and she and her sisters must cross the Waters of Waste, climb theMountain of Lost Clothes, and retrieve a piece of the Mirror of Ice, in orderto break the curse and save the world.
With the help of her new Unicorn friends, Lexie must findthe courage to face her fears and find her true self in this wonderfuladventure book for children.
Read a sample of Lexie World and get it FREE here>> http://amzn.to/xxMzaA
And if you like this book, check out the next in the series, BellaWorld . Bella learns important lessons about sharing and anger from amisunderstood Dragon in Bella World.
Read a sample of Bella World here>> http://amzn.to/GOdZl0
Want another YA paranormal fantasy, a zombie western, anepic fantasy, a psychological thriller, an inspirational memoir, a NativeAmerican historical fiction and an anthology for FREE as well? Check them out here>> http://bit.ly/zXJER7
Wow! What a day. Fillup your kindle for FREE and enjoy 9 great books, plus pick up 2 sequels.
No Kindle? No problem! Amazon offers free apps for your PC,Mac, iPhone, iPad or smart phone right under the BUY button on the productpage. Just download and enjoy a ton of FREE books.
Enjoy all these great books and come back and tell us whatyou thought. We'd love to hear about your favorites.
Forbidden deals neverlooked so good!

The Lost Soul by Suzy Turner

Join me in checking out my friend and fellow author's final book in The Raven Saga, The Lost Soul.  It is now.... AILABLE!!                                                                                                                   The Lost Soul  (The Raven Saga #3)  by Suzy Turner
BLURB:
December and Lilly have got their work cut out for them. Not only are they desperately trying to figure out the identity of the Lost Soul, and track him down, they've also got to investigate why Powell River's newest resident has got all of their men falling at her feet.
But when they learn that the Nephilim might be involved, it becomes clear that they're all in extreme danger...
EXCERPT:
The stench of something rotten filled the air as the man tried to lift his heavy head. Opening his eyes, it took a moment for them to adjust to the strange dull light of a new day.
Wincing, he managed to hold his head up just long enough to notice the smell belonged to a rotting corpse to his side. He heaved, but there was nothing left in his stomach. He hadn't eaten in days.
Weak, cold and hungry, he curled into a ball on the mossy ground and sobbed.
When he no longer had the strength to even do that, he stared up at the sky; the orange and yellow hues entwined in a rainbow effect as far as his eyes could see.
The only sounds that could be heard were his rough breathing combined with the gentle whooshing of the silver trees that surrounded the deep ditch within which he found himself.
A hummingbird appeared from nowhere, hovering above him, flying up and down and around his face. The man tried to focus his eyes upon it but his vision had become blurry.
When the bird came to an abrupt halt almost touching his nose, he realised it wasn't a bird at all.
A faint giggle erupted from the creature, making him jump.
"No, this can't be," he whispered, hoarsely.
The little creature with large blue wings nodded back, "Yes, it can," she responded, "I can see you are in dire need of help. I will gather my friends and we will return to get you out of here. You will be safe. Do not worry."
Disappearing out of sight in a flash, the man collapsed once more before he fell into a deep sleep.

December Moon by Suzy Turner

Join me in checking out my friend and fellow author's final book in The Raven Saga, The Lost Soul.  It is now.... AVAILABLE!!                                                                                                  December Moon (The Raven Saga #3)  by Suzy Turner  BLURB: December and Lilly have got their work cut out for them. Not only are they desperately trying to figure out the identity of the Lost Soul, and track him down, they've also got to investigate why Powell River's newest resident has got all of their men falling at her feet.
But when they learn that the Nephilim might be involved, it becomes clear that they're all in extreme danger...  EXCERPT:  The stench of something rotten filled the air as the man tried to lift his heavy head. Opening his eyes, it took a moment for them to adjust to the strange dull light of a new day.  Wincing, he managed to hold his head up just long enough to notice the smell belonged to a rotting corpse to his side. He heaved, but there was nothing left in his stomach. He hadn't eaten in days.  Weak, cold and hungry, he curled into a ball on the mossy ground and sobbed.  When he no longer had the strength to even do that, he stared up at the sky; the orange and yellow hues entwined in a rainbow effect as far as his eyes could see. The only sounds that could be heard were his rough breathing combined with the gentle whooshing of the silver trees that surrounded the deep ditch within which he found himself. A hummingbird appeared from nowhere, hovering above him, flying up and down and around his face. The man tried to focus his eyes upon it but his vision had become blurry. When the bird came to an abrupt halt almost touching his nose, he realised it wasn't a bird at all. A faint giggle erupted from the creature, making him jump. "No, this can't be," he whispered, hoarsely. The little creature with large blue wings nodded back, "Yes, it can," she responded, "I can see you are in dire need of help. I will gather my friends and we will return to get you out of here. You will be safe. Do not worry."  Disappearing out of sight in a flash, the man collapsed once more before he fell into a deep sleep.

The Iron King (Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa

The Iron King (Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (5 Stars)
Let me start off by saying this is a wonderfully written book, and Julie Kagawa has created a great new world within it.  It took me a little longer than usual to really get into it, but that was about me and not the book or the author.  Once the story took a turn and Meghan Chase and Puck made it to the world of fairies, I was forced to ignore my day-to-day stresses and focus fully on the story.

Meghan is my favorite kind of heroine.  She cares more about her family's and friend's safety more than her own.  She proves this time and time again in ways that make the story interesting and intriguing...and worth continuing.

I love the triangle between Meghan, Prince Ash, and Puck and look forward to seeing Puck's next move.  He does not seem like the kind of man to go down without a long and hard fought battle.

This book is so good that I immediately bought the next three in the series in order to find out where Meghan's promises - and heart - take her next. 

The Iron Daughter (Iron Fey, #2) review coming soon.

YA Indie Carnival - Luck of the Irish Excerpts

In honor of the religious holiday, the YA Indie Carnival sponsors are showcasing St. Patrick's Day excerpts. 
As the parents of two beautiful strawberry blond-haired kids, my husband and I celebrate this holiday with a vengeance.  In fact, we've all come to think of the day as one celebrating their most unique traits: stunning porcelain skin, light-catching copper highlights, and enviable sprinklings of freckles.  My husband and I - who have dark-brown hair - still can't believe our luck (times two) and celebrate our good fortune by treating St. Patrick's Day like it a March Valentine's Day.  We shower our children with love for the Irish embedded deep within their genes and their souls.

Now, I can't say I have any sort of excerpts related to luck, but I do have those detailing the traditionally Irish physical characteristics of the heroine of The Warrior Series.  Allison La Crosse's every trait was created to make sure my daughter - fourteen at the time - understood her looks were those of the gifted and special, and they should be preserved rather than hidden or covered up.  My daughter just turned eighteen and - thankfully - she is very comfortable in her skin. 

Enjoy the excerpt.

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Ratherthan endure another reprimand, I kept my next round of thoughts to myself.  I mulled over a few of the lifelong questionsasked by friends and neighbors.  Everyonealways noticed I bore no resemblance to my siblings, parents, orrelatives.  As much as I hated to admitit, they were right.
Most ofmy physical traits were unique.  Besidesbeing distinct, they were puzzling because they were unheard of within the LaCrosse or the Etue Families.  I know thisbecause my regular searches throughout the last one hundred years of my Indianand Cajun family ancestors have come up empty.
At 5'11', I had grown taller than any woman in my immediate or extended family.  The only visible quality shared with mysisters was the hour-glass shape and strong arms and legs.  My thick, straight, strawberry blonde manewas inimitable.  And, no one known by myfamily had the same light colored and sparsely freckled skin as mine.
"Rememberwhen we were little and played dress-up? It was so much fun to make believe that we were different people," Iblurted out unexpectedly.
"Yeah.  You remember how we thought you were really aprincess because of your birthmark.  Iused to envy you for havin' that.  It'sso lovely.  I'm still convinced there issome reason you have it," she confessed, smiling in a fond and faraway daze.
She wasright.  I had a blood red, raisedbirthmark in the shape of a cross within the soft trough below my righthipbone.  Given my last name, La Crosse(the cross), its presence seemed more purposeful than coincidental.  At times, I felt special for having such asignificant symbol naturally tattooed on my body.  Other times – like now – it throbbed like itwas a living entity.  Today, I couldalmost feel its beat speeding up the closer we got to Galveston.  The less of a distance there was between meand the island the more aware I was of its existence.

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1.Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series2.Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series3.Heather Self4.T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series5.Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga6.Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy7.Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog 8.K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed9.Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series10.Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy11.Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews 12.Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey13.M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping 14.Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind15.Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls16.Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler17.Gwenn Wright, author of Filter18.TG Ayer19.Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy20.Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga21.Roots in Myth, PJ Hoover22.Courtney Cole Writes23.Four Seasons of Writing: Variable like the Employment