Devon Ashley's Blog, page 17
January 2, 2013
Contingency by Peggy Martinez
Contingency (Sage Hannigan Time Warpers #1)
Peggy Martinez
Eighteen-year-old Sage Hannigan wants to get back to her own time, preferably one that hasn’t been destroyed by an underworld plot brewing in Edwardian-era South Carolina. How hard can it be?
All she has to do is:
1. Learn to use newly acquired warping skills to bend time to her will.
2. Take out a few rogue vampires.
3. Join an ancient secret society.
4. Figure out who is putting the time stream in jeopardy.
5. Find and maim whoever invented the corset.
Sage never asked to be chosen by the Druid Priestess, Amerach, to become a Warper. She also never asked to have the future hanging on her shoulders or to warp a hundred years into the past. She certainly never asked to meet Dr. Aldwin Blake, who would make her question her desire to get back to her own time. But if she fails her mission, people will die, history will change, and the present she wishes to return to will be no more.
Sage Hannigan led a comfortable loner lifestyle in 2004, but when she felt compelled to purchase a necklace at an antique store, it sets her life in motion in a way she never expected. Inconveniently transfered to 1904, Sage is forced to take on a new life, finding guidance in a set of curious people with a few abilities themselves, all members of a secret society. Turns out Sage is a time warper, and she was transported back in time 'cause her ability was needed against a supernatural dilemma. Rogue vampires were on the loose and being able to stop time was advantageous in wiping them out. But poor Sage knows nothing about how to call upon her power, how to fight against supernatural beings, or how to act properly in the early twentieth century. Once schooled in all those things, she's sent to infiltrate the vampire society by becoming the leader's new assistant, and soon finds out she's in way over her head. Contingency was a pleasant surprise. The first half of the novel dragged out for me, but once Sage got past the training and was released into the world to do her job, the story picked up and demanded my attention better. She found herself becoming involved with two guys; one a member of the secret society training her, the other the vampire she's told to assist...and neither of the men are fond of the other, especially once they realize they're both interested in the same woman. Truth be told, I was a little confused as to why Sage was so determined to return to her life in the present, 'cause in the past she found friends, two possible lovers and a sense of purpose - all things she seemed to lack in her own timeline. She didn't have anything to go back to, so I was surprised she was anxious to finish the job and get transported back already. But still, there was plenty of action and romantic interest, so I was pretty happy with the way Contingency turned out in the end, so I'll most likely check out the next book.
Novel provided by author for honest review.
Peggy Martinez
Eighteen-year-old Sage Hannigan wants to get back to her own time, preferably one that hasn’t been destroyed by an underworld plot brewing in Edwardian-era South Carolina. How hard can it be? All she has to do is:
1. Learn to use newly acquired warping skills to bend time to her will.
2. Take out a few rogue vampires.
3. Join an ancient secret society.
4. Figure out who is putting the time stream in jeopardy.
5. Find and maim whoever invented the corset.
Sage never asked to be chosen by the Druid Priestess, Amerach, to become a Warper. She also never asked to have the future hanging on her shoulders or to warp a hundred years into the past. She certainly never asked to meet Dr. Aldwin Blake, who would make her question her desire to get back to her own time. But if she fails her mission, people will die, history will change, and the present she wishes to return to will be no more.
Sage Hannigan led a comfortable loner lifestyle in 2004, but when she felt compelled to purchase a necklace at an antique store, it sets her life in motion in a way she never expected. Inconveniently transfered to 1904, Sage is forced to take on a new life, finding guidance in a set of curious people with a few abilities themselves, all members of a secret society. Turns out Sage is a time warper, and she was transported back in time 'cause her ability was needed against a supernatural dilemma. Rogue vampires were on the loose and being able to stop time was advantageous in wiping them out. But poor Sage knows nothing about how to call upon her power, how to fight against supernatural beings, or how to act properly in the early twentieth century. Once schooled in all those things, she's sent to infiltrate the vampire society by becoming the leader's new assistant, and soon finds out she's in way over her head. Contingency was a pleasant surprise. The first half of the novel dragged out for me, but once Sage got past the training and was released into the world to do her job, the story picked up and demanded my attention better. She found herself becoming involved with two guys; one a member of the secret society training her, the other the vampire she's told to assist...and neither of the men are fond of the other, especially once they realize they're both interested in the same woman. Truth be told, I was a little confused as to why Sage was so determined to return to her life in the present, 'cause in the past she found friends, two possible lovers and a sense of purpose - all things she seemed to lack in her own timeline. She didn't have anything to go back to, so I was surprised she was anxious to finish the job and get transported back already. But still, there was plenty of action and romantic interest, so I was pretty happy with the way Contingency turned out in the end, so I'll most likely check out the next book.
Novel provided by author for honest review.
December 29, 2012
Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep (ARC)
Crimson Frost (Mythos Academy #4)
Jennifer Estep
Pub.: December 24, 2012
For a moment, a face flashed before my eyes—the most hideous face I’d ever seen. No matter how hard I tried to forget what had happened, I saw him everywhere I went. It was Loki—the evil god that I’d helped set free against my will.
I should have known that my first official date with Logan Quinn was destined to end in disaster. If we’d gotten into a swordfight, or been ambushed by Reapers, I’d have been more prepared. But getting arrested mid-sip at the local coffee hangout? I didn’t see that one coming.
I’ve been accused of purposely helping the Reapers free Loki from his prison—and the person leading the charge against me is Linus Quinn, Logan’s dad. The worst part is that pretty much everyone at Mythos Academy thinks I’m guilty. If I’m going to get out of this mess alive, I’ll have to do it myself…
Damned if you do, damned if you don't...Gwen just can't catch a break. Yeah, she goofed when she uncovered the dagger her mother had hidden so well, and let it get stolen and used to free the trickster God Loki before she could find a new hiding spot, but now the Protectorate, aka mythical police force, has decided to charge her with aiding his escape. Funny how they charge before investigating...but at least she can stay on campus under permanent guard as they do it. With Logan's dad leading the charge against her, to say their newfound relationship becomes strained would be an understatement. The stars just don't seem to wanna align for these two, 'cause the fates are about to throw them yet another whammy. But love may not even be the issue if the Protectorate's investigation turns up enough evidence against her, 'cause if she's found guilty at all, they'll execute the little gypsy girl. Refusing to sit idly by while the Protectorate refuses to investigate the claims that Loki's Champion Vivian is still out there planning against them, Gwen risks life and freedom to determine Vivian's next move. But it may already be too late, and another one of Gwen's loved ones are about to fall. There's something about the Mythos Academy series that I really love...but I can't quite put my finger on it. Nothing ever seems to shock or surprise me, and in fact, I figured out who the spy in the Protectorate was the moment the character was introduced, long before Gwen even realized one of them had to be an infiltrator, and I figured out why that certain person had taken on that role just as quickly. It didn't keep me from enjoying the story as it finally unfolded, but I wished these novels had a few tricks up their sleeves that weren't so predictable. Luckily, Gwen is so sassy and likeable I just don't care, and I can't help but root for her and her mythological Scooby Gang. If you haven't read any of these books yet, time to start, 'cause the fifth, Midnight Frost, comes out this August!
ARC provided by publisher for honest review.
Jennifer Estep
Pub.: December 24, 2012
For a moment, a face flashed before my eyes—the most hideous face I’d ever seen. No matter how hard I tried to forget what had happened, I saw him everywhere I went. It was Loki—the evil god that I’d helped set free against my will.I should have known that my first official date with Logan Quinn was destined to end in disaster. If we’d gotten into a swordfight, or been ambushed by Reapers, I’d have been more prepared. But getting arrested mid-sip at the local coffee hangout? I didn’t see that one coming.
I’ve been accused of purposely helping the Reapers free Loki from his prison—and the person leading the charge against me is Linus Quinn, Logan’s dad. The worst part is that pretty much everyone at Mythos Academy thinks I’m guilty. If I’m going to get out of this mess alive, I’ll have to do it myself…
Damned if you do, damned if you don't...Gwen just can't catch a break. Yeah, she goofed when she uncovered the dagger her mother had hidden so well, and let it get stolen and used to free the trickster God Loki before she could find a new hiding spot, but now the Protectorate, aka mythical police force, has decided to charge her with aiding his escape. Funny how they charge before investigating...but at least she can stay on campus under permanent guard as they do it. With Logan's dad leading the charge against her, to say their newfound relationship becomes strained would be an understatement. The stars just don't seem to wanna align for these two, 'cause the fates are about to throw them yet another whammy. But love may not even be the issue if the Protectorate's investigation turns up enough evidence against her, 'cause if she's found guilty at all, they'll execute the little gypsy girl. Refusing to sit idly by while the Protectorate refuses to investigate the claims that Loki's Champion Vivian is still out there planning against them, Gwen risks life and freedom to determine Vivian's next move. But it may already be too late, and another one of Gwen's loved ones are about to fall. There's something about the Mythos Academy series that I really love...but I can't quite put my finger on it. Nothing ever seems to shock or surprise me, and in fact, I figured out who the spy in the Protectorate was the moment the character was introduced, long before Gwen even realized one of them had to be an infiltrator, and I figured out why that certain person had taken on that role just as quickly. It didn't keep me from enjoying the story as it finally unfolded, but I wished these novels had a few tricks up their sleeves that weren't so predictable. Luckily, Gwen is so sassy and likeable I just don't care, and I can't help but root for her and her mythological Scooby Gang. If you haven't read any of these books yet, time to start, 'cause the fifth, Midnight Frost, comes out this August!
ARC provided by publisher for honest review.
December 19, 2012
Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop (INT)
Happy Christmas Everyone! Yep, I'm still working on fixing up our new home but I'm almost done, so I should be online again after the new year and getting to work on my Falling Away edits and get it out to you guys by Valentine's Day. :) Anyways, on to the giveaway! What's up for grabs? Anything you want! You can choose a book(s) of your choosing at the Book Depository or an ebook(s) through your ereader platform up to $20! a Rafflecopter giveaway
December 10, 2012
DUST Chosen Best I've Read 2012!
So yay! This is the second year one of my books have been named Best I've Read! Last year it was my urban fantasy novel Metamorphosis (The Immortal Archives #2) and this year my YA fae fantasy Dust (Of Dust and Darkness #1) got that honor, SO THANK YOU! :) If you don't know what Best I've Read is, it's a compilation of ten blogs that get together, name the best books they've read this year and spotlight them for you. Most of the novels chosen are by traditionally published authors, so it always amazes me how they manage to get their publishing companies to offer up so many giveaways! My host for the event is Books Complete Me, and my guest post went live this morning, where I'm offering an INT signed paperback/bookmark giveaway, and listing my own Indie Best I've Read list. If you'd also like to check out the schedule for all the sites, head over to Best I've Read and check out all the amazing authors and giveaways that'll be going on this week! If you haven't checked out Dust yet, go to the official home page here! And ebooks are now available in Brazil and Canada through Amazon!
November 7, 2012
October Winners and November Giveaways
Who-hoo! November is one of my favorite months. The leaves are turning and falling, and it's the beginning of the Holiday Season, which is my absolute fave! For those of you interested, Falling Away is most definetly gonna be written by Thanksgiving like I had planned, and will soon be in the hands of my beta readers. Blog tour sign-ups will go up in December, so if you wanna participate and haven't read Falling In Between yet, pick up a copy and get to it! :) Also, You can tell by the pic to the right that I had planned on participating in NaNoWriMo. Don't know how well that's gonna go over since I'll probably be doing mostly editing. But I do plan on working on Catacombs next, so maybe I'll get a little writing done afterall.
As for the rest of the year, things are gonna go a little slow here at the Crazy Dream blog. I'm moving cities at the end of the month so it pretty much cripples me to get anything done these last two months of the year. So bear with me if I'm a little late getting a post up (like this one!).
Anyways...here are last month's winners and November's giveaways. Also look at my header text to see which Writer's Block giveaways I've got going on.
Fangs: Levina G - she chose Black City
Fur: Judith-Pamela A - she chose Rift
Fey: Jessica J - she chose Dust
Grand Prize: Kelly F (signed copy & $25 Lush Gift Card)
Runner-up Prizes: Michelle L, Ashley AA, BK Walker, Candace S(ebooks)
ARC of the Scorpio Races: Theresa N.
November's Giveaway: (US only): Actually, this month I'm going to be doing a Cleaning the ARC Shelf giveaway instead. You can learn more about it here. Due to shipping costs, it's still gonna just be for US mailing addresses.
As for the rest of the year, things are gonna go a little slow here at the Crazy Dream blog. I'm moving cities at the end of the month so it pretty much cripples me to get anything done these last two months of the year. So bear with me if I'm a little late getting a post up (like this one!).
Anyways...here are last month's winners and November's giveaways. Also look at my header text to see which Writer's Block giveaways I've got going on.
Fangs: Levina G - she chose Black City
Fur: Judith-Pamela A - she chose Rift
Fey: Jessica J - she chose Dust
Grand Prize: Kelly F (signed copy & $25 Lush Gift Card)Runner-up Prizes: Michelle L, Ashley AA, BK Walker, Candace S(ebooks)
ARC of the Scorpio Races: Theresa N.
November's Giveaway: (US only): Actually, this month I'm going to be doing a Cleaning the ARC Shelf giveaway instead. You can learn more about it here. Due to shipping costs, it's still gonna just be for US mailing addresses.
November 1, 2012
Clearing The ARC Shelf Giveaway!
Wanna win a book to have in time to read over the Christmas holidays? Then read on!
click to enlarge So it's time to do a little winter cleaning. I've got lots of older copies of my books collecting dust on the bookshelves. Some of these are ARCs, some are proofs, and some just have older covers. I'm gonna tier these books so you know what you're getting into. Tier One: ARCs
Interiors: ARCsCovers: In Progress / Not Final These books are true ARCs and will contain grammatical errors in the story. Also, none of these have the final cover on them. Ordained in particular has a lot of errors because it was my first book and I was totally wet behind the ears. So if lots of mistakes bother you, I don't suggest you enter to win one of these. Also, I remember going in and making minor changes, but they weren't significant enough to alter the story. Falling In Between has some mistakes, but not nearly as many as Ordained. Metamorphosis is actually the final copy inside, but the outside cover was in progress, so I decided to stick it in this tier.
***If you win one of these, I'd appreciate it if you'd just throw it away when you were done.*** Tier Two: Almost Final Copies
Interiors: FinalCovers: Final, But Not Perfect
All of these have the final copy inside, but have covers that I didn't want to give out to winners. Ordained's cover had a dark print run and wrong font on 'one'. Metamorphosis was printed on a thinner paper, making the book thinner, so the spine bled over the front a little. The same thing happend to three of the Dust books; the fourth had a dark print run. Both of the Falling in Between books had lines mysteriously show up on the sides of the spine.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
click to enlarge So it's time to do a little winter cleaning. I've got lots of older copies of my books collecting dust on the bookshelves. Some of these are ARCs, some are proofs, and some just have older covers. I'm gonna tier these books so you know what you're getting into. Tier One: ARCs
Interiors: ARCsCovers: In Progress / Not Final These books are true ARCs and will contain grammatical errors in the story. Also, none of these have the final cover on them. Ordained in particular has a lot of errors because it was my first book and I was totally wet behind the ears. So if lots of mistakes bother you, I don't suggest you enter to win one of these. Also, I remember going in and making minor changes, but they weren't significant enough to alter the story. Falling In Between has some mistakes, but not nearly as many as Ordained. Metamorphosis is actually the final copy inside, but the outside cover was in progress, so I decided to stick it in this tier.
***If you win one of these, I'd appreciate it if you'd just throw it away when you were done.*** Tier Two: Almost Final Copies
Interiors: FinalCovers: Final, But Not PerfectAll of these have the final copy inside, but have covers that I didn't want to give out to winners. Ordained's cover had a dark print run and wrong font on 'one'. Metamorphosis was printed on a thinner paper, making the book thinner, so the spine bled over the front a little. The same thing happend to three of the Dust books; the fourth had a dark print run. Both of the Falling in Between books had lines mysteriously show up on the sides of the spine.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
October 31, 2012
Interview & Giveaway with Alexia Purdy, Author of Reign of Blood
This week on the Writer's Block we have cool chic Alexia Purdy, author of Reign of Blood (and so many others). Binge reader. Coke addict. Like's to freak out her kids. :) Let's take a few to minutes to get know this rabid vampire creator.
Blog
Website
GoodReads
Author Facebook
Reign of Blood Facebook
What was your favorite book as a kid? Wait til Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn
If you were stranded on a desert island what is the one book you couldn't be stranded without? Gone with the Wind
What is your favorite genre to read and what makes it so awesome? Contemporary Literary Fiction- Cuz real life stories are the best. Tell us your favorite author. Which book is your total fave from that author? I'd say it's a tie between Cassandra Clare The City of Glass and Alice Hoffman- The Third Angel
Any pet peeves you'd be willing to share? I hate it when people cut in line and don't say please. AND are clean freaks. Sorry, no one is THAT perfect.
If you could meet any dead person, who would you choose? Any particular reason why? Emily Dickenson. I want to know what she's like, what goes on in that head of hers.
If the Earth suddenly became uninhabital, would you rather live under the sea or in space? Under the sea.
What was your most favorite pasttime as a kid? Going to the Flea Markets with my dad or traveling around in our car with my family.
Take us through a typical writing day for you. Do you have anything quirky - like you have to have a certain pen to write with, or the desk laid out in a particular manner, does it need to be raining, do you require a certain food/drink/candy to work by? Will you have an absolute meltdown if the atmosphere isn't what you like? I need my laptop, lapdesk, coke, some sort of candy (starburst, sweettarts, kitkat, mambas) to munch on and lots of music. I don't have meltdowns while writing.
What do you do when you experience that lovely problem called writer's block? I read. I binge read. Like, lots.
When you were little, what did you think you'd be when you grew up? A writer, a nurse, and a dancer. I did all three. What is the craziest dream you've ever had? I was in some weird line with my two oldest kids, though they were little at that time. We were being shuffled along some sort of line that sent us to our deaths. Yeah, I have morbid dreams.
If you could live anywhere in the world you'd like, where would that be and why? Italy, anywhere in the country because it's beautiful and not here.
Do you have a secret obsession you'd be willing to share? I am a book hoarder. Enough said.
What food/drink would absolutely devastate you if they stopped production on? Coke. The actual Coke. Yes, I'd be so withdrawing.
Did you do anything special to celebrate your first book release? No, I just jumped up and down and ran around like a freak. My kids were weirded out.
Which is your favorite fairytale? King Thrushbeard
Which book are you most looking forward to reading this year? The Clockwork Princess, though it might be coming out next year, not sure.
Which do you prefer: ebook, hardback or paperback? I prefer, at the moment, ebook, though I still love paperback/hardbacks.
This or That
Underworld or Twilight
Original or Remake - Not sure, depends.
Sweet or Salty
Drama or Comedy
Fantasy or Romance
Spring or Autumn
Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston
Dirty Dancing or Footloose
Movie Theatre or Loveseat
Tea or Coffee
Rain or Sunshine
Skiing or Surfing
Tree House or Man Cave
Choose a challenge...if you dare! Write a sentence using all these words: Katniss, duct tape, shard, bread, explosives, rooster: The duct tape stuck to the shard of explosives that had already gone off all over the place made Katniss trip over the rooster, sending her bread flying. You know...I think you're the first one to attempt that question! :D
REIGN OF BLOOD BOOK TRAILER! GIVEAWAY!!!
Alexia is giving away one ebook copy of Reign of Blood for my peeps. It's an awesome vampire book with a little twist to the types, and you can check out my review here. You can check out all her books at the following sites: Amazon, B&N, Smashwords
a Rafflecopter giveaway
October 30, 2012
Reign of Blood by Alexia Purdy
Reign of Blood (Reign of Blood #1)
Alexia Purdy
Pub.: April 29, 2012
"Never tease anything that wants to eat you. My name is April Tate and my blood is the new gold. Vampires and hybrids have overrun my world, once vibrant with life, but now a graveyard of death shrouded in shadows. I fight to survive; I fight for my mother and brother. The journey is full of turns that I am quite unprepared for. And I'm just hoping to make it to the next Vegas sunrise..."
In a post-apocalyptic world, a viral epidemic has wiped out most of the earth’s population, leaving behind few humans but untold numbers of mutated vampires. April is a seventeen-year-old girl who lives in the remains of Las Vegas one year after the outbreak. She has become a ferocious vampire killer and after her family is abducted, she goes searching for them. What she finds is a new breed of vampire, unlike any she has seen before. Unsure of whom she can trust, she discovers that her view of the world is not as black and white as she once thought, and she's willing to bend the rules to rescue her family. But in trying to save them, she may only succeed in bringing her fragile world crashing down around her.
"Never tease anything that wants to eat you." Words to live by if you wanna survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Besides her mother and little brother, April Tate seems to be the last human left in Las Vegas after a virus caused serious mutations worldwide, turning humans into vampires. Her family seems to be immune, and being the last ones in the city makes it easy to raid the city for supplies during the daytime. That is until the day April went off to the drugstore alone, and came back to find her mother and brother gone. She immediately suspects the vampires found a way to collect them during the daylight hours and begins a long, exhausting campaign to check every building down the strip in order to find them again. Days later she's blown up several buildings with hives, but has yet to find her family. And the nights are no easier, as a strange group of vampires begin appearing outside her hidden bunker, who almost seem intelligent. When bombing another building, things go awry and April finds herself trying to survive her own blast, only to be saved by one of the vampires that had been stalking her homestead. Dumbfounded that a vampire was able to not only speak, but willing to save her life, she returns to the vampire's homestead when told they know about the whereabouts of her missing family. April slowly learns that nothing is as it seems, including her own mortality.
Reign of Blood isn't exactly a new literally concept, and in fact is strikingly similar to The Weepers and such, but there were a few new twists to the story that kept me intrigued. I was immediately curious as to why April and her family survived. They're nothing special, and the only reason April knew how to fight was because she buried herself in fighting How-To videos and stripped the hunting stores of their weapons once the world went to crap. And she's not the only one surprised by her survival. When a secondary, more intelligent, vampire type saves her life and explains that they are a vampire-human hybrid able to walk in sunlight, they too are curious and want to run tests on April's blood to see if her DNA might hold the key to curing them. Unfortunately for her family, they're being held by a rival group for the same purpose, but they're kept as prisoners whereas April is mostly allowed to roam free at her own risk (cause not every hybrid vampire is glad she's around).
Devising a plan to save her family, April is slightly distracted by Rey, one of the leaders of the hybrids. Maybe it's cause she hasn't seen a hot guy since they all went extinct, but she can't help but feel a smidgen of interest towards him, and him to her. Some might call this insta-love, but really it's cause a lot of the vampires become imprinted on one another, and even married couples split up and go for someone new. But humans don't imprint. And if April is actually imprinting on Rey, then maybe she's not as immune to the virus as she once thought, and just perhaps, there's a more frightening reason why she's managed to survive this long in a post-apocalyptic world full of blood-sucking vampires.
Novel provided by author for honest review.
Alexia Purdy
Pub.: April 29, 2012
"Never tease anything that wants to eat you. My name is April Tate and my blood is the new gold. Vampires and hybrids have overrun my world, once vibrant with life, but now a graveyard of death shrouded in shadows. I fight to survive; I fight for my mother and brother. The journey is full of turns that I am quite unprepared for. And I'm just hoping to make it to the next Vegas sunrise..."In a post-apocalyptic world, a viral epidemic has wiped out most of the earth’s population, leaving behind few humans but untold numbers of mutated vampires. April is a seventeen-year-old girl who lives in the remains of Las Vegas one year after the outbreak. She has become a ferocious vampire killer and after her family is abducted, she goes searching for them. What she finds is a new breed of vampire, unlike any she has seen before. Unsure of whom she can trust, she discovers that her view of the world is not as black and white as she once thought, and she's willing to bend the rules to rescue her family. But in trying to save them, she may only succeed in bringing her fragile world crashing down around her.
"Never tease anything that wants to eat you." Words to live by if you wanna survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Besides her mother and little brother, April Tate seems to be the last human left in Las Vegas after a virus caused serious mutations worldwide, turning humans into vampires. Her family seems to be immune, and being the last ones in the city makes it easy to raid the city for supplies during the daytime. That is until the day April went off to the drugstore alone, and came back to find her mother and brother gone. She immediately suspects the vampires found a way to collect them during the daylight hours and begins a long, exhausting campaign to check every building down the strip in order to find them again. Days later she's blown up several buildings with hives, but has yet to find her family. And the nights are no easier, as a strange group of vampires begin appearing outside her hidden bunker, who almost seem intelligent. When bombing another building, things go awry and April finds herself trying to survive her own blast, only to be saved by one of the vampires that had been stalking her homestead. Dumbfounded that a vampire was able to not only speak, but willing to save her life, she returns to the vampire's homestead when told they know about the whereabouts of her missing family. April slowly learns that nothing is as it seems, including her own mortality.
Reign of Blood isn't exactly a new literally concept, and in fact is strikingly similar to The Weepers and such, but there were a few new twists to the story that kept me intrigued. I was immediately curious as to why April and her family survived. They're nothing special, and the only reason April knew how to fight was because she buried herself in fighting How-To videos and stripped the hunting stores of their weapons once the world went to crap. And she's not the only one surprised by her survival. When a secondary, more intelligent, vampire type saves her life and explains that they are a vampire-human hybrid able to walk in sunlight, they too are curious and want to run tests on April's blood to see if her DNA might hold the key to curing them. Unfortunately for her family, they're being held by a rival group for the same purpose, but they're kept as prisoners whereas April is mostly allowed to roam free at her own risk (cause not every hybrid vampire is glad she's around).
Devising a plan to save her family, April is slightly distracted by Rey, one of the leaders of the hybrids. Maybe it's cause she hasn't seen a hot guy since they all went extinct, but she can't help but feel a smidgen of interest towards him, and him to her. Some might call this insta-love, but really it's cause a lot of the vampires become imprinted on one another, and even married couples split up and go for someone new. But humans don't imprint. And if April is actually imprinting on Rey, then maybe she's not as immune to the virus as she once thought, and just perhaps, there's a more frightening reason why she's managed to survive this long in a post-apocalyptic world full of blood-sucking vampires.
Novel provided by author for honest review.
October 24, 2012
Interview and Giveaway with Molly McAdams, Author of Taking Chances
Today on the Writer's Block, we have the spunky Molly McAdams, author of Taking Chances and From Ashes. Man cave invader. Easily distracted by Scottish men. And her pet peeve is how her hubby handles his pet peeve - interesting. Take a coffee break and get to know this cool chick. 
Blog
GoodReads
Facebook and Facebook
Tell us your favorite author. Which book is your total fave from that author? Ah, I have so many! But I'm going to have to go with Nicholas Sparks, as for favorite book by him? Now that's just not a nice question! Haha. No way I can answer that one.
Any pet peeves you'd be willing to share? Oooo...yes! When my hubby drives, he won't let people into our lane it they don't use their blinker, but gets mad when people don't let him into another lane even though he doesn't use his blinker! Drives me nuts!
If the Earth suddenly became uninhabital, would you rather live under the sea or in space? SPACE! Because in my mind there are no spiders in space and I don't like fish. haha
Take us through a typical writing day for you. Do you have anything quirky - like you have to have a certain pen to write with, or the desk laid out in a particular manner, does it need to be raining, do you require a certain food/drink/candy to work by? Will you have an absolute meltdown if the atmosphere isn't what you like? Well, I won't have a meltdown, but I want to be sitting in bed with only music playing and the lights off. For whatever reason, if we're watching a TV show I just can't concentrate, or start typing what they're saying instead of what my character's are actually talking about! And I'm a big cuddler, but I do not want to be touched when I'm writing. My poor hubby has definitely been snapped at during those times :(
What do you do when you experience that lovely problem called writer's block? I sit...and I stare. Then I sit and stare some more....it's quite a thrilling process. LOL. Thankfully the only time I've hit it so far, I called my friend to tell her I'd hit a wall, and as soon as I told her I'd hit my wall (after being there for a week) it all came rushing to me and I was able to finish the rest of the book -over half of it- in four nights!
If you could live anywhere in the world you'd like, where would that be and why? Scotland! Because I want to sit there and listen to the men talk all day. Oooo Scottish accents *shivers* yum!
Do you have a secret obsession you'd be willing to share? Watching Duck Dynasty! I swear I want to be best friends with the Robertson family! Jase is my FAVORITE!!! "Understanding Mountain Man...is kinda like Han Solo understanding Chewbacca."
What food/drink would absolutely devastate you if they stopped production on? Diet Dr. Pepper! *runs off to fridge to grab one*
If you could step into the shoes of any fictional character for one day, who would it be and why? Gwendolyn Kidd from Mystery Man by Kristen Ashley! Because she gets Hawk Delgado and I'm pretty sure he will always be, hands down, my book husband ;)
Do you like to listen to music when you read or write? Tell us a few of your favorites. I do! I have to have music playing when I write actually, and it really depends -different books- different music. Taking Chances -for example- had music like Hinder, Coheed and Cambria, Paramore and All Time Low. From Ashes is almost anything Country.
This or That
Underworld or Twilight: Team Bella-Trips-Over-Flat-Surfaces!! Anyone else do that? No? Just kidding...me neither ;)
Original or Remake: Oooo...that really depends on what is being remade!
Sweet or Salty
Drama or Comedy
Fantasy or Romance
Spring or Autumn: I love the way it smells outside, I love the color of the leaves, I just love everything about it!
Dirty Dancing or Footloose
American Idol or X-Factor or The Voice: Hello! It has Adam Levine!
Movie Theatre or Loveseat: That way you can pause it
Tea or Coffee: Iced Vanilla Latte please
Rain or Sunshine: Rain! Always!
Skiing or Surfing: Ha! Ha...ha...have you seen me try those? Yeah...neither
Tree House or Man Cave: Man Caves are usually pretty awesome, I'll go take over one!
Choose a challenge...if you dare! Write a sentence using all these words: wolfpack, mirror, pop rocks, cuckoo clock, Edward Cullen, hairspray: Bella began choking on her pop rocks when the cuckoo clock startled her, but the wolfpack was MIA and Edward Cullen was currently engrossed with his own reflection in the mirror as he hairsprayed his carefully styled hair; so no one was able to save her...omg that had to be the lamest sentence ever! I'm cracking up and my boss is looking at me like I'm crazy. And I think I lose points for saying "hairsprayed" :) ROFLMAO! I think that's the best sentence I heard yet!
GIVEAWAY!!! Molly is giving away 3 ebooks! Winners have the choice between getting Taking Chances now or waiting for the December release of From Ashes! You can check out my review of Taking Chances or head over to GoodReads to check out From Ashes. Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway
October 23, 2012
Taking Chances by Molly McAdams
Taking Chances
Molly McAdams
Pub: September 1, 2012
Eighteen year old Harper has grown up under her career Marine of a father's thumb. Ready to live life her own way and experience things she's only ever heard of from the jarheads in her father's unit; she's on her way to college at San Diego State University.
Thanks to her new roommate, Harper is introduced to a world of parties, gorgeous guys, family and emotions. Some she wasn't expecting yet, and others she never knew she was missing.
She finds herself being torn in two as she quickly falls in love with her boyfriend Brandon, and her roommate's brother Chase. Covered in tattoos, known for fighting in the Underground and ridiculously muscled...they're exactly what she was always warned to stay away from, but just what she needs. Despite their dangerous looks and histories, both adore and would do anything for Harper, including stepping back if it means she's happy.
Her first year away is turning out to be near perfect, but one weekend of giving in to heated passion will change everything.
Lordy...my chest was constricted for days after reading this novel.
Harper has spent her entire life around the jarheads at the base where her father works. She's never dated, never bothered with hair and makeup, never bothered to wear anything girly, and never even kissed a guy! Poor girl. Moving across country for college is the only way to get out there and begin a life of firsts. And boy, does she live. Her new roommate is more than happy to girlify Harper, and she soon turns the heads of two guys living at the house they're hanging out at every weekend. But which to choose? At first it seems easy, but as time passes and feelings grow, the boys begin playing tug-of-war with Harper's heart, and their choices are literally gonna have life and death consequences.
Let me just begin by saying that I knew two major spoilers before I began this novel. The biggie: I knew which character in this book was gonna die, and from the get-go, I really tried to dislike this particular person in order to detach myself emotionally and avoid the inevitable tear train that would follow. Epic fail. I don't think I have ever cried so much in my life over a character. Well, maybe Dobby. :) Even well after the death, every time this character's name appeared, I could feel the burn behind my eyes. Damn you Molly McAdams and your emotional rollercoaster. You kept me up for two nights straight cause this novel is sooo freakin' long and sooo freakin' addictive. I even had to switch out my kindle for my hubby's at three a.m. cause my battery died (DIED! 0%) and I just couldn't stop there. I had to know....!!!!!
Prepare to cry your little heart out, cause Harper's gonna experience a whirlwind of emotions and you're gonna get dragged along for every single one of them, cause it's impossible to put this book down.
PET PEEVE WARNING: I ain't gonna lie. The flow for a huge part of this book is basically switching scenes for a new makeout session. If you're not into that, please don't bother. You. Won't. Like. It. (I do...but that's neither here nor there). Also, there's a neverending use of the word LOVE, so if that annoys you, see previous suggestion.
Mature audiences only peeps. Lots of sexual content in this - and it is oh, so good.
Novel provided by author for honest review.
Molly McAdams
Pub: September 1, 2012
Eighteen year old Harper has grown up under her career Marine of a father's thumb. Ready to live life her own way and experience things she's only ever heard of from the jarheads in her father's unit; she's on her way to college at San Diego State University. Thanks to her new roommate, Harper is introduced to a world of parties, gorgeous guys, family and emotions. Some she wasn't expecting yet, and others she never knew she was missing.
She finds herself being torn in two as she quickly falls in love with her boyfriend Brandon, and her roommate's brother Chase. Covered in tattoos, known for fighting in the Underground and ridiculously muscled...they're exactly what she was always warned to stay away from, but just what she needs. Despite their dangerous looks and histories, both adore and would do anything for Harper, including stepping back if it means she's happy.
Her first year away is turning out to be near perfect, but one weekend of giving in to heated passion will change everything.
Lordy...my chest was constricted for days after reading this novel.
Harper has spent her entire life around the jarheads at the base where her father works. She's never dated, never bothered with hair and makeup, never bothered to wear anything girly, and never even kissed a guy! Poor girl. Moving across country for college is the only way to get out there and begin a life of firsts. And boy, does she live. Her new roommate is more than happy to girlify Harper, and she soon turns the heads of two guys living at the house they're hanging out at every weekend. But which to choose? At first it seems easy, but as time passes and feelings grow, the boys begin playing tug-of-war with Harper's heart, and their choices are literally gonna have life and death consequences.
Let me just begin by saying that I knew two major spoilers before I began this novel. The biggie: I knew which character in this book was gonna die, and from the get-go, I really tried to dislike this particular person in order to detach myself emotionally and avoid the inevitable tear train that would follow. Epic fail. I don't think I have ever cried so much in my life over a character. Well, maybe Dobby. :) Even well after the death, every time this character's name appeared, I could feel the burn behind my eyes. Damn you Molly McAdams and your emotional rollercoaster. You kept me up for two nights straight cause this novel is sooo freakin' long and sooo freakin' addictive. I even had to switch out my kindle for my hubby's at three a.m. cause my battery died (DIED! 0%) and I just couldn't stop there. I had to know....!!!!!
Prepare to cry your little heart out, cause Harper's gonna experience a whirlwind of emotions and you're gonna get dragged along for every single one of them, cause it's impossible to put this book down.
PET PEEVE WARNING: I ain't gonna lie. The flow for a huge part of this book is basically switching scenes for a new makeout session. If you're not into that, please don't bother. You. Won't. Like. It. (I do...but that's neither here nor there). Also, there's a neverending use of the word LOVE, so if that annoys you, see previous suggestion.
Mature audiences only peeps. Lots of sexual content in this - and it is oh, so good.
Novel provided by author for honest review.
