Meradeth Houston's Blog, page 17

Cover Reveal: THE BOWL AND THE STONE by Bish Denham

It's always a treat to share lovely writing peep's new books, and I have a fun one today! Check out what Bish has been up to:

Pirates. Explorers. And spooky ghost hunters.
It’s 1962. Sam and her best friend, Nick, have the whole island of St. John, in the U. S. Virgin Islands, as their playground. They’ve got 240 year-old sugar plantation ruins to explore, beaches to swim, and trails to hike.
But when a man disappears like a vapor right in front of them, they must confront a scary new reality. They’re being haunted. By whom? And why? He’s even creeping into Nick’s dreams.
They need help, but the one who might be able to give it is Trumps, a reclusive hunchback who doesn’t like people, especially kids. Are Sam and Nick brave enough to face him? And if they do, will he listen to them? 
Their carefree summer games turn into eerie hauntings, and Sam and Nick learn more about themselves and life than they could ever have imagined.
Pre-order today and enter the ghostly tale as soon as it releases.Amazon: Smashwords About the Author Bish Denham, whose mother’s side of the family has been in the Caribbean for over one hundred years, was raised in the U. S. Virgin Islands. She still has lots of family living there whom she visits regularly.She says, “Growing up in the islands was like living inside a history book. Columbus named the islands, Sir Francis Drake sailed through the area, and Alexander Hamilton was raised on St. Croix. The ruins of hundreds of sugar plantations, built with the sweat and blood of slave labor, litter the islands. Then there were the pirates who plied the waters. It is within this atmosphere of wonder and mystery, that I grew up. Life for me was magical, and through my writing I hope to pass on some of that magic.”The Bowl and the Stone: A Haunting Tale from the Virgin Islands, is her third book and second novel. You can find Anansi and Company: Retold Jamaican Tales and A Lizard’s Tail, at Amazon.com.To learn more about Bish, you can visit her blog, Random Thoughts. She can also be found on Facebook, and Twitter @BishDenham.

Book Blitz: FAERY MARKED by Mary Waibel

I have another BookFish Books release to chat about today, this time by the lovely Mary Waibel. Mary's a wonderful author with a great deal of fun novels to read, not the least of which is FAERY MARKED:
No one ever warned her magic came with a price.

When Callie Rycroft wakes to purple flames on the ceiling, she discovers that not only does the Faery realm exist, but she is the human who must save it. Chosen as Champion by the Faery Queen, Callie is tasked with finding the Cordial, a magical elixir to strengthen the portal between the Human and Faery realms.

The upside? Reece Michaels, the boy she's been crushing on for years, is assigned as her Guardian. Callie hopes by spending time together, he'll start to see her as more than just his best friend's sister.

The downside? She's in a race not only against time, but another Champion and Guardian-a Guardian who stands to threaten her developing relationship with Reece.

Magic, mistaken identities, and hidden agendas are the least of Callie's worries when she learns the Cordial requires a sacrifice. Will Callie be willing to risk all, even Reece, to complete her task as Champion, or will she let the portal fall, destroying both realms?

Guess what? The novel is on sale for just 99 cents! A steal of a price. Definitely snag a copy!

After Reading: RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard #amreading #audiobook

Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood—those with red and those with silver. Mare and her family are lowly Reds, destined to serve the Silver elite whose supernatural abilities make them nearly gods. Mare steals what she can to help her family survive, but when her best friend is conscripted into the army she gambles everything to win his freedom. A twist of fate leads her to the royal palace itself, where, in front of the king and all his nobles, she discovers a power of her own—an ability she didn't know she had. Except . . . her blood is Red.

To hide this impossibility, the king forces her into the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks her new position to aid the Scarlet Guard—the leaders of a Red rebellion. Her actions put into motion a deadly and violent dance, pitting prince against prince—and Mare against her own heart.

From debut author Victoria Aveyard comes a lush, vivid fantasy series where loyalty and desire can tear you apart and the only certainty is betrayal. (Goodreads)

I've heard such awesome things about this book and have looked forward to reading it for ages. That hadn't managed to happen until I realized I was going to be in the car for utterly ages driving to my family reunion, which was the perfect excuse to listen to this. I really enjoy audiobooks, though I don't listen to them nearly enough, so this was a really fun treat for me. The narrator, Amanda Dolan, did a superb job with the voices and inflection of the tale, wrapping me up in the story almost more effectively than if I had been reading it myself. And what a story it was! All kinds of twists and turns and generally a fascinating world to begin with. I flat out loved the dichotomy between the reds and silvers, and in particular the way they reflect the tension in our world today. There were a few things that seemed to echo the Hunger Games in places, but that didn't bother me. And yes, there's several love triangles and competition for Mare (weird side note: my nickname has been Mer for most of my life, so it was quite odd to hear the MC referred to with basically my name--kind of amused me :), but I liked the way it was handled, and Mare's ability to express her own feelings. Overall I loved this and can't wait for the next book!

Have you had a chance to read this novel?

After Reading: TOUCH THE DARK by Karen Chance

Can you ever really trust a vampire?

Cassandra Palmer can see the future and communicate with spirits - talents that make her attractive to the dead and the undead. The ghosts of the dead aren't usually dangerous; they just like to talk ... a lot.

The undead are another matter.

Like any sensible girl, Cassie tries to avoid vampires. But when the bloodsucking mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with vengeance on his mind, she's forced to turn to the vampire Senate for protection.
The undead senators won't help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members, a dangerously seductive master vampire - and the price he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay ..... (Goodreads)

Whoa, welcome to August everyone! I can't believe the summer is winding down. It always goes far too quickly!

I really enjoyed this book! I've been up for some summer reads: fun and interesting, allowing me to fall into a story and just enjoy it. While this was a little dark for a beach read, it definitely kept me entertained. The world Chance builds is intricate and she does a great job explaining all the ins and outs of how it works. Lots of action and twist and turns to keep the story moving. It was a little strange that the novel is basically just a few long scenes that are full of all kinds of little asides and stories, which sometimes did bog down the pacing a bit, but it still kept me reading. If you're up for a fun paranormal romp, this is one I definitely recommend!

How's August starting for you all? Any fun plans this month?

Picture Post #summertravel

I recently returned from a little jaunt to a family reunion in southern Utah. I took a few photos that I figured I'd share here, just for fun :)
This is my grandfather's place by the lake and it was really good to visit and remember him. We hung some prayer flags in his honor. So good to reflect on how wonderful he was. 
Panguitch Lake. I've fished quite a few times here :)
The grasses on the lake shore were pretty amazing. I kind of love this pic :)
I *may* have had a lot of fun with my camera while exploring. 
Cedar Breaks was so beautiful, even Kate the Great was jumping for joy.
Holy crud was it HOT out. There was lots of ice cream consumption. 
I may *really* (and I do mean REALLY) not agree with the LDS church, mainly due to once being a member, but the Temple certainly is pretty. I'll give it that :)

After Reading: A LOVE THAT DISTURBS by Medeia Sharif

Maysa Mazari is alarmed by her mother’s talk about arranged marriage. As a hijab-wearing Pakistani-American, she wants to find love on her own. Her judgmental Muslim clique has protected her from racist taunts, although the leader is turning on her as Maysa strays from the group because of her attraction to Haydee.

Haydee Gomez is a former gang member and juvenile detention student. Now living with a clean-cut aunt, she wants to turn her life around, even though one person will never let her forget her roots—Rafe, her abusive pimp. Haydee attempts to pull away from a life of prostitution when she develops feelings for Maysa, although Rafe isn’t willing to give her up too easily.
Finding themselves in danger from Maysa’s friends and Haydee’s pimp, it’s apparent their love disturbs everyone around them as they fight to stay together. (Goodreads)

I've really enjoyed Sharif's other novels--she's a prolific author with an amazing range--so I had high hopes for this novel. I was not disappointed! The story and characters were rich and facing issues that were incredibly complex (and sometimes horrifying). I'll admit that I did have a bit of a hard time identifying with the characters as they were in situations so vastly distinct, but that didn't detract from the story. My only other minor quibble is that the relationship between the two women felt a bit like insta-love, which is something that bothers me no matter the parties involved. While I could tell that they were definitely in love, I guess I like things to build more in a relationship, which I feel is more realistic. Still, I liked seeing the two of them together, and the clear bond between them. And the ending...yeesh! Without giving things away, it was crazy intense. Overall, I definitely enjoyed this read and look forward to more from Sharif!

After Reading: CHANGELESS by Gail Carriger

Alexia Maccon, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears; leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. So even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can. She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.

CHANGLESS is the second book of the Parasol Protectorate series: a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking. (Goodreads)

I loved this book. It was exactly what I needed to read--light, funny, a snappy Alexia, a fun mystery, and just basically one of those great books to curl up with and forget the world. I enjoyed the first book in this series a great deal, but the second was definitely better--the characters felt more fleshed out and I felt like Alexia had come into her own. Plus, it was quite amusing to see her dealing her position as Lady of a large pack, and all that goes along with that, coupled with Victorian England. Ahh, seriously, all kinds of fun. I'm absolutely looking forward to reading more in this series!
Have you had a chance to read any of the books in this series?

My New Website Home #authorlife

I've known for a while that I needed to update my website. It was looking pretty old ad outdated, which is what happens when over five years pass since you last put it together :) So, with some awesome help from my writing buddy S. Usher Evans (who has an amazing collection of books out!), the changes have been made and it's looking pretty incredible if I do say so myself!

See? All kinds of pretty. And it's on wordpress, which is amazingly easier to work with than messing with Cascade, which is how I put together my last one (even though coding is pretty fun, just a whole lot more tedious and time consuming).

So, go check it out! Let me know thoughts :) Maybe sign up for my newsletter while you're at it?

Also, hang in there with me as I migrate my blog over to wordpress. This is going to be something that happens in the near future, but I haven't had the time to go change my billion links across the internet so it's still in-progress!

Blog Tour: THE CHASM by S. Usher Evans

They survived The Island, but can they cross The Chasm? Four months after Prince Galian was discovered alive on a remote island, he's adjusting slowly to life at the hospital under the Kylaen media's glare. His promises to Theo remain unfulfilled as fear of his father keeps him from taking concrete action. And the more he learns about the machinations in Kylae, the less sure he is that it's possible to make a difference. Across the great Madion Sea, Major Theo Kallistrate struggles to navigate the tricky political waters of Rave's presidential staff. To make positive change for her people, she must remain relevant and interesting to the Raven media and to the president. When he asks her to deliver a speech on her supposed two-month imprisonment at Mael, she's not sure she can stomach the lies. The Chasm is S. Usher Evans' breathtaking, fast-paced follow-up to The Island, which readers say is "not to be missed."
Buy Direct (signed): Paperback | HardcoverAmazon: Kindle | Paperback | HardcoverBarnes and Noble: Nook | Paperback | HardcoverBook Depository: Paperback | HardcoveriBooksKoboSmashwords  <a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Sneak PeekTheo "Bayard won't be back for at least two hours," Emilie said, glancing at her watch. "We will probably need to tweak his talking points based on his discussions with the Jervan president. Wesson, take the lead on that."He nodded and scribbled in his book."Aruna," Emilie said, nodding at a younger girl I'd seen in a few meetings. She paled at being called on, but held her pen ready. "Find Cannon and tail him. Make sure he stays on message and doesn't dally in anything…embarrassing." She paused, a disgusted look crossing her face. "And if he does, make sure nobody knows. Talk to Wesson for crowns if you need it."She nodded with a small smile. She might take that mission a little too seriously."And 'neechai," Emilie said, grabbing my attention. "You and I will spend the afternoon working on your speech. I trust that you've resolved whatever…issues you were having."I dipped my head, even as dread coiled in my stomach. Emilie moved on to someone else, so I pulled the speech out from the calf-pocket of my jumpsuit. I'd practiced it once or twice while sitting in the pool, reading quietly to myself and envisioning what it would be like to speak in front of the Madion nation leadership.But even in my head, I still stumbled through the parts about Mael. Stumbling wouldn't cut it for Emilie, so I prayed for a miracle."What's going on out there?" Emilie said, squinting to her left. I followed her gaze and saw a crowd of people standing at the hotel's entrance, craning over each other to get a look at whatever was outside.I stood with the rest of the Ravens and walked into the lobby. The crowd grew more frenzied and then the front doors of the hotel opened.The crowd pushed in then parted, and in strolled the last person I'd ever expected to see again."Amichai."He was beautiful, a wide smile on his face and his gait confident. His brown hair was clipped shorter and he no longer wore the beard I'd grown accustomed to seeing on our island. He paused in the middle of the lobby to talk to two journalists who'd approached him, then threw his head back and laughed.Then his eyes locked with mine.It was as if everything and everyone disappeared. The corners of his mouth turned up and I suddenly forgot how to breathe. Electricity crackled in the hundred steps that lay between us, and I could've sworn I knew exactly what he was thinking. If I'd had any doubt about his reason for arriving in this city, in this hotel, on this day, it vanished in that moment.As desperately as I wanted to run to him, for some reason, my legs wouldn't move. Something was keeping me from going to him, but for the life of me I couldn't remember what it was…"What in the world is the princeling doing here?" Cannon's voice pierced my bubble, and I wrenched my eyes away from Galian's. Where I was, who I was with, and my purpose rushed back to me like waking from the best dream into a nightmare.I found my voice. "I have no idea.""I doubt he's meddling in the summit. He'd be stupid to disobey his father." Cannon shrugged mightily. "Then again, the princeling's never been too smart.""Right, he's an idiot," I said.Stupid, stupid princeling. How could he be so irresponsible as to come to Jervan? Especially after his father had forbidden anyone from Kylae to attend, or so Emilie had told us in a meeting earlier that week. And he just walked through the front door, announcing to the entire world that he was there.I realized I was still watching him when Cannon's voice again interrupted my thoughts. "Come now, kallistrate, don't be star struck. He's just a prince."I nodded hastily and turned away from him so I wouldn't be tempted to stare. "Just a prince, right."And my amichai.Galian She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.I drank in the sight of her: the way her velvet lips parted, how her big brown eyes widened slightly. Her hair pulled back into a bun, her Raven uniform immaculate. The shape of her body. How her dark skin had grown pale. "If you're trying to pretend you don't know her, perhaps you shouldn't stare," Martin snickered beside me. "I'll stare at her for you. She's a lot cuter than I remembered.""Right," I said, turning away. "So do you think it worked?"I had just finished talking to a reporter, feigning ignorance about any sort of summit or why the leaders from three of the four Madion nations were in this city. I'd made sure to talk about my plans to drink heavily and meet some hot Jervanian girls, just to play the part.I attempted to keep the giddy smile off of my face as I checked into the hotel. When I snuck another glance at her, she'd turned away from me, but the rest of the Ravens kept staring at me, pointing and discussing amongst themselves. I wondered what they were saying."I apologize, Your Highness," the clerk said with all the sincerity of a wet mop. "All of our suites have been reserved by delegations to the summit. The only rooms I have are the basic rooms.""I doubt I'll be sleeping in my own room anyway," I said with an overly confident grin.The clerk, predictably, rolled his eyes in disgust.I caught Martin's eye, and he snorted."Your keys, Your Highness," he said, sliding over two access cards. "Please be advised that there is a two hundred crown cleaning fee for any…destruction."I winked at him then motioned for Martin to grab our bags. I would've carried my own, but it would've been contrary to the part I was playing."You sure faked that well," Martin said, tossing my bag to me once we were safely in the elevator."I wish I could say I've never been that much of an asshole before," I said with a small grimace.About the Author S. Usher Evans is an author, blogger, and witty banter aficionado. Born in Pensacola, Florida, she left the sleepy town behind for the fast-paced world of Washington, D.C.. There, she somehow landed jobs with BBC, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic Television before finally settling into a “real job” as an IT consultant. After a quarter life crisis at age 27, she decided consulting was for the birds and rekindled a childhood passion for writing novels. She sold everything she owned and moved back to Pensacola, where she currently resides with her two dogs, Zoe and Mr. Biscuit. Evans is the author of the Razia series, Madion War Trilogy, and Empath, published by Sun’s Golden Ray Publishing. Check her out on the below social medias:
WebsiteFacebookTwitterPinterestInstagramGoodreads

After Reading: WITCH OF THE CARDS by Catherine Stine

Fiera was born a sea witch with no inkling of her power. And now it might be too late.

Witch of the Cards is historical, supernatural romantic suspense set in 1932 on the Jersey shore. Twenty-two year-old Fiera has recently left the Brooklyn orphanage where she was raised, and works in Manhattan as a nanny. She gets a lucky break when her boss pays for her short vacation in Asbury Park. One evening, Fiera and her new friend Dulcie wander down the boardwalk and into Peter Dune’s Tarot & Séance, where they attend a card reading.

Fiera has always had an unsettling ability to know things before they happen and sense people’s hidden agendas. She longs to either find out the origin of her powers or else banish them because as is, they make her feel crazy. When, during the reading, her energies somehow bond with Peter Dune’s and form an undeniable ethereal force, a chain of revelations and dangerous events begin to unspool. For one, Fiera finds out she is a witch from a powerful sea clan, but that someone is out to stop her blossoming power forever. And though she is falling in love with Peter, he also has a secret side. He’s no card reader, but a private detective working to expose mediums. Despite this terrible betrayal, Fiera must make the choice to save Peter from a tragic Morro Cruise boat fire, or let him perish with his fellow investigators. Told in alternating viewpoints, we hear Fiera and Peter each struggle against their deep attraction. Secrets, lies, even murder, lace this dark fantasy. (Goodreads)
This was such an awesomely fun read! It took me a few pages to wander into the 1930's, with its lingo and other details, but then Stine wraps the reader into a fabulous world filled with intrigue and interest. I have heard about the paranormal hunters--those out to shut down the sham mediums out to fleece people, and found that angle to be quite interesting, especially when they come up against a real witch: Fiera. I loved the friendships Fiera forms and the relationships beyond just the romantic one. And then there's Alyse, who is one freaky villain (I won't say more due to spoilers, but yikes!). There were a few spots where the timeline caught me up a bit ("had that only been the day before" kind of stuff), but mostly that was easily overlooked. In the end, this was a really fun read, and I quickly devoured it! Highly recommended beach read :)