Zara Hoffman's Blog: Zara Hoffman's Goodreads Author Blog, page 19

Beautiful Books: 2017 Writing Goals

click for original post & link up Brought to you by Cait from Paper Fury and Sky of Further Up and Further In. You may remember my Beautiful Books 2016 post (and the update) from October 2016, and I found that I really like this link-up (I might be biased since they're both my friends online), so I'm bringing it into the new year with me.

This time, the topic is 2017 Writing Goals. We're already into the 2nd week of 2017, and I have done no writing for The Matchmakers whatsoever (*shields face from being pelted with rotten tomatoes and eggs). I know, I know—I'm a bad author. I've been busy finishing work for an internship, sleeping as much as I can, and preparing to start over at a new school (no biggie) in the middle of the school year (what was I thinking?!). In addition to being late on resuming writing on that, I'm also late on joining this link up, but my philosophy is "better late than never"!

Anyway, read the questions and answers below & feel free to comment some of your own answers, or make your own blog post & join the link up. What were your writing achievements last year? I revised, edited, and published  The Belgrave Legacy , and fully outlined and wrote more of  The Matchmakers .What’s on your writerly “to-do list” for 2017? Finish and publish The Matchmakers, finish at least one draft of Shattered Glass ( Fearful Fairytales , 1).Tell us about your top-priority writing projects for this year! The Matchmakers is a YA Dystopian romance set in an apocalyptic world after WW4 (which may soon be our future in America) where knowledge rules above all (I take it back, this will not be the USA's future with the incoming government) and Matches are arranged to keep the peace. Shattered Glass is my Cinderella retelling, the first in a series of contemporary non-magical fairytale retelling series: Fearful Fairytales.How do you hope to improve as a writer? Where do you see yourself at the end of 2017? I want to learn to not rush through things. A lot of my reviews for The Belgrave Legacy talk about how certain aspects (plot or character, depending on the person) felt rushed—something likely due to my collapsing 3 books into 1 cohesive story. With The Matchmakers, when I started writing it in my creative writing workshop during my senior year of high school, I worked very hard on fleshing out the settings & that's something I need to continue improving on. By the end of 2017, I hope to be as comfortable with pacing and writing setting as I am writing character and dialogue.Describe your general editing process. In 2 words: a mess. More in depth... once I start editing, I go to where I know changes need to be made, make them, and then go back to the start to read the whole thing, making new notes as I go along. Then I make those, flip back to page 1 (and repeat). It's long, slow, and probably could be more efficient, but it works for me.On a scale of 1-10, how do you think this draft turned out? I think the first draft of The Matchmakers started out great, and then due to all the delays, the plot became more and more filler so that when I was writing, I could say I wrote words (although I don't think many of them are good). The people on Wattpad seem to disagree, but I know that once I finish the draft, I'll be eviscerating most of the middle and changing stuff in the beginning... basically, a reboot will be the first thing to happen. So, I'm predicting I'll say a 3 (only because Wattpaders seem to like it). Otherwise, I'd say 2.What aspect of your draft needs the most work? The sagging middle (which is really a pacing problem more than anything else.What do you like the most about your draft? The opening (even though I'm going to change some things) and the characters.What are your plans for this novel once you finish editing? More edits? Finding beta readers? Querying? Self-publishing? Hiding it in a dark hole forever? More edits, then probably more edits, then finding beta readers, editing/revising again (repeat as necessary), and eventually self-publishingWhat’s your top piece of advice for those just finished writing a first draft? Take a break (if you read/sing this in Phillipa Soo's voice as Eliza from Hamilton like I did, I like how you think). You deserve it. But don't let your work rest so long that you find yourself dragging your feet when the time comes to return to your WIP. You did a lot of work, and it'd suck if you did all that work just to never finish it because you got too lazy to reach the finish line.​
​What about you? Like I said above, feel free to comment about any of my answers (or provide your own answers) below, and consider making your own blog post to add to the link up.

Book Review: Aflame by Penelope Douglas

My ReviewThis is what I wanted at the end of Bully and  Until You . I think I now realize my biggest issue with Tate and Jared's relationship is that he never really changed. She just agreed to date him, almost rewarding him for all his bad behavior. Whereas here, she really makes him work for it.

​I also loved that his mom calls him out on being a bully—finally!

"You've always bullied her" ... “But she was a girl then, Jared, and she’s a woman now,” she stated matter-of-factly, her tone growing harder. “A man who stands in front of a woman does nothing more than block her view. She needs a man standing next to her, so grow up.”

And Jared acknowledges when he's being a little shithead, too:

No matter how much I liked to think that I had grown up, being around Tate brought out the bully all over again.

I will admit that while I enjoyed this book a lot more, and was glad to see Jared's POV as well as Tate's, I do feel the book description is a bit misleading. It sounded like she was leaving him in the dust, and then the cover implies they get back together. But this novel was a lot more about how he saw her moving on, and then how he reacts (and how she reacts to him reacting).

But at least it's well-matched, the guys (Jared, Madoc, and Jaxon) have a group, and Tate has their wife and girlfriend (Fallon and Juliet—read Falling Away to understand the new name, respectively). There's a certain race in the story that pits the two sexes against eachother, and it's great​.

So, while I initially thought myself weak for caving in and reading this (pretty late, but whatever), I'm glad I did because it made me happy to be able to justify Tate and Jared in my mind like I can Madoc and Fallon, and Jaxon and Juliet—even though they're all a little messed up if we're telling the honest truth.
About the BookTitle: Aflame
Series: Fall Away, 4
Author: Penelope Douglas
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Publication Date: April 21, 2015

The tables have turned. Now I have the power—and it’s his turn to beg…

Everyone wants to be me.

Maybe it’s the sway of my skirt or the way I flip my hair, but I don’t care. Even though their attention is the last thing I crave, I just can’t stop. I dominate the track, the speed rattles my bones, and the wind and the crowd screams my name.

I’m her. The girl driver. The queen of the race. And I’m surviving—something he thought I’d never do.

They all still talk about him. Did you see Jared Trent on T.V? What did you think of his last race, Tate? When is he coming back to town, Tate?

But I refuse to care too much. Because when Jared does come home, I won’t be here.

Tatum Brandt is gone. I’m someone new.
Other Books

Book Review: The Earl's Return by Callie Hutton

My ReviewThis was an entertaining book. I liked Darius. He really tried to do everything right, and the circumstances were just against him. I, mean, that father in law and late wife! Snakes! Both of them. I just wish something worse had happened to them.

I liked Mary, but was frustrated with how she handled her unwanted attraction to Darius. If she had truly been dedicated to her sister, I would have hoped she would have truly rejected Darius' advances (given what she thought). I think it reflects more poorly on her than him. That doesn't mean I don't like her. I did feel for her, and I'm glad that she ended up happy.Together, they made a nice couple. Plotwise, I was expecting a bigger deal to be made about Mary's secret. It was a big deal... and then it was solved. Without so much as a blip. And that, plus my issue with Mary's flimsy loyalty, robs this 4-star read of 1 star. About the BookTitle: The Earl's Return
Series: Marriage Mart Mayhem, 7
Author: Callie Hutton
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Publication Date: August 22, 2016

London, 1819. Four years ago, Darius, the Earl of Redgrave fled London two weeks before his wedding to Lady Mary’s sister and married another woman. Now a widower, he has returned to seek a new wife.

One woman catches his eye . . .

At first, Lady Mary doesn’t recognize the handsome lord as the cad who ran out on her sister. After giving him the cut direct in a London ballroom, she finds herself running into him everywhere she goes, and fighting a forbidden attraction. Not only has Mary sworn off men, Redgrave is so very wrong for her. But she cannot stop thinking of his kisses. Redgrave means to stay away from Mary but it is impossible. Passion between two people who can never be together is a dangerous game.
Other Books

OneWord365 2017: Success

It's been a hell of a year for me (and everyone, politically). I accomplished a lot in 2016: I pulled myself out of depression, published The Belgrave Legacy, and got admitted to BU, just to name a few. I'm finally ready to move on toward bigger and better things, and I think the perfect word for that in 2017 is "success." And not as in grades, or necessarily traditional measures of success (although I won't be completely forsaking them), but what I personally consider successes. This past year taught me to celebrate the small victories and successes, because when you're feeling down, you don't remember anything good—even if you have a multitude of them to draw on.

What do you think? What's your OneWord365 for 2017? Comment below and don't forget to formally claim it on the official site.

Book Review: Textrovert by Lindsey Summers

My ReviewLet me start off by saying that I am so happy for Lindsey Summers for getting her book published. I loved  The Cell Phone Swap  on Wattpad, and devoured it and everything related to it (the short stories: TCPS Tales , Talon's POV shorts: iAmTalon , and the in-progress sequel that tells Zach's story: Gambling With Hearts ).

Second, I received a print ARC from the MaximumPop because I (and others) won a giveaway. My opinions here are my own, and not influenced by the fact that I received a free copy of the book.

I liked how this was streamlined from the Wattpad version, but I think removing the main reason Kelley breaks up with him in the middle (of the Wattpad version) had a lot more gravitas than just the issue that was toward the start of the Wattpad story and was kept.​Despite that, I liked this a lot. Zach seemed like less of a jerk (I do miss a certain conversation they have about why the twins drifted apart), Nicky was less annoying (but didn't seem as good a friend as she had on Wattpad because there wasn't as much time spent with her or opportunities for her to prove her friendship to Keeley—I particularly miss the "stages of denial" pack she made for Keeley), and I think the romance here was sweeter (because Talon wasn't as manipulative here, due to the absence of the main conflict that I mentioned earlier). If you read the Wattpad version, still read this one. It's different enough to be worth a shot. Those who have never read Keeley and Talon's story: get ready for a cute contemporary high school romance that made me smile and laugh throughout.

The end of Textrovert doesn't have the same lead-in/cliff-hanger for Book 2: Gambling With Hearts, so I don't know if the publisher is planning to continue publishing the series, but I sincerely hope so. Or, at the very least that Lindsey will continue to write it on Wattpad once Textrovert is officially released on May 2, 2017.

I think had I not read The Cell Phone Swap, and came into Textrovert as a newbie, this story would have gotten 5 stars. But because it cut out some of the parts I loved, it gets 4.
About the BookTitle: Textrovert
Author: Lindsey Summers
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Publisher: KCP Loft
Publication Date: May 2, 2017

Add on Goodreads Buy on AmazonIt’s bad enough when high-school senior Keeley grabs the wrong phone while leaving her small town’s end-of-summer fair. It’s even worse when she discovers that the phone she now has belongs to the obnoxious, self-centered Talon and that he’s just left for football camp … with her phone. Reluctantly, the two agree to forward messages for a week. And as Keeley gets to know Talon, she starts to like him. Keeley learns there’s more to Talon than the egocentric jock most people see. There’s more to Keeley, too. Texting Talon, she can step out of the shadow of her popular twin brother. Texting Talon, she can be the person she’s always wanted to be.

Sparks fly when the two finally meet to exchange their phones. But while Keeley has been playing a part online, Talon has been keeping a secret. He has a different connection to Keeley — one that has nothing to do with phones, and one that will make their new relationship all but impossible. Knowing what she now knows, can Keeley trust him? And can love in the present erase mistakes of the past?
About the Author Lindsey Summers is self-proclaimed bookworm. Growing up, she begged for new books rather than clothes. It wasn’t until Wattpad that she gained the courage to start writing her own stories. Her first novel, The Cell Phone Swap, has received more than 85 million hits online.

Lindsey credits her aversion to toe closed shoes to being born in Hawaii. While she’ll always be a local girl at heart, she now lives in Los Angeles, California. When not writing, Lindsey can usually be found drinking coffee or at the beach with her nose in a book. ​

Book Review: Everything For Her by Alexa Riley

My ReviewI'm going to start off and say I almost didn't buy this book. With everything happening with Passengers (issues of consent, rape culture, etc), I was 99.99% sure I didn't want to read a story whose description explicitly states from the male POV that "the day I let her go, I set down a path for her. A path to me." BUT... the only reason I'd even heard about the book was a recommendation of an author friend... and my curiosity got the better of me.

​This is clearly the better written, vanilla version of Fifty Shades of Grey because it has a rich business man who is obsessed with a girl right out of college, wants her to be his intern, wants to make her his, and isn't above stalking and controlling her in classic abusive style that should raise every red-flag, but somehow gets a rep for being romantic in a romance novel.
Maybe it's because Trump is now President Elect, or maybe I've just smashed my bullshit meter so bad in 2016 that I no longer tolerate the manipulation of women by men, the stealing of their autonomy now turns my stomach.

The first page brings up issues on its own, where the reader learns that Miles first sees Mallory when he's 22, and she's only 17. The age gap isn't bad on its own if he was 32 and she was 27, but given he's in college and she's in HS, I kind of felt like he was robbing the cradle (though obviously not as badly as Edward Cullen did in the Twilight saga—the inspiration for FSoG—or any of the other human-vampire romances out there, like The Vampire Diaries).

He doesn't give his real name to her, understandably (for the plot), but I didn't like the deceit. I did like that he said "Oz," given he had said that he felt like Dorothy entering the technicolor Oz once he saw her, and she keeps referring to him as "Oz, the man behind the curtain"—she doesn't know how true that statement is. I will say that amidst all the issues, having that little joke (and the Captain America/Peggy Carter references) were nice to grab onto whenever they popped up.

There are obviously a few differences between E.L. James' novel and Alexa Riley's:There's a revenge plotThe female does work for the male lead (Ana turns down the internship in FSoG)It's 1 book vs 3+the guy's POV
But one other thing they share in common is the increasingly annoying inner female monologue which repeatedly acknowledges how messed up the guy is before falling even more in love with him.

He's coming on strong. Part of me likes it. Another part of me is scared. Oz could probably steamroll right over me and my heart.

And, even more Ana-like:

This should worry me, but again, the stupid butterflies in my stomach have a mind of their own. This can't be healthy.

Luckily, Everything For Her at least features an episode where Mallory is super pissed and Miles "Oz" and makes him work for it. The comparable scene in Ana and Christian's story doesn't really happen until Book 3, but that may be because they got 3 books and this one is a single volume.

Plot wise, another thing that also docks points is the fact that the biggest excuse for Miles' stalking is that it's protecting Mallory... and I was expecting that to pay off in a big way in the end. Spoiler alert: it didn't. It wasn't awful in it of itself, but when a whole novel is banking on a super dangerous guy coming after the male lead's love interest, and then the bad guy doesn't so much as lift a finger to go after her... you have to wonder "what was the point?"

If you took out all of Miles' controlling tendencies, there'd be no story, so I'll say that if you removed his stalking, isolation technique of making Mallory always be accessible via phone, and Phantom-and-Christine-level obsession with Mallory, I think Miles is a sweet guy. BUT... I couldn't get past how abusive he was so this book gets 2 stars. About the BookTitle: Everything For Her
Series: For Her, 1
Author: Alexa Riley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication Date: December 27, 2016

USA TODAY bestselling author Alexa Riley's first full-length novel shows just what happens when a strong, possessive man finds the woman of his dreams.

I'll never forget the way she looked, so confident and sure of herself. I watched her from a distance. She wasn't ready for me yet. I didn't approach her and I didn't disturb her, but I never once took my eyes off her.

Mallory Sullivan is ready to start her new life. After graduating at the top of her class, she's landed one of the most coveted internships in the United States. Hard work and determination have gotten her to this moment of living the life she only dreamed of while growing up in foster care.

From the start, I knew that she would be my greatest achievement, so the day I let her go, I set down a path for her. A path to me.

She never expected Oz to be the greatest culmination of those dreams. But sometimes fate determines who you fall in love with. Who makes you lose control. Who owns your soul.

And then you realize it wasn't fate at all…

I've wanted to care for and protect her since the first moment I saw her. I've constructed everything in our lives so that at the perfect moment, I could have her, could give her the life she deserves.

The time has come.
About the SequelTitle: His Alone
Series: For Her, 2
Author: Alexa Riley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication Date: Month Day, Year

Ryan Justice may be her boss, but nothing will stop him from making her his. USA TODAY and #1 ebook bestselling author Alexa Riley entices with a brand-new, full-length novel.

She thinks I'm perfect. A good boss, a good man. She thinks that I play by the rules.

She has no idea who I truly am. Why I'm really here.

Paige Turner is trying to outrun her past, but there it is, tossed back in her face anytime she manages to get two steps ahead.

She has no idea what a man like me will do to get what he wants.

Her need for Ryan got in the way of revenge, took her off course. Redirected her focus. Before she knew it, he'd made his way into her life. Into her heart.

I'm dirtier than she knows. She thinks I'm good to the core, but she doesn't know the things I've done. The things I would do for her.

True love doesn't let secrets as big as these stay buried. And when the truth about Paige's father is finally exposed, Ryan will do anything to fix everything. Paige has always been his and his alone.

2016 End of the Year Sale & Giveaway

It's the first night of Hanukkah and Christmas Eve which means it's time for a 99¢ sale! And, to sweeten the deal, I'm also running a giveaway for a Caleb candle.a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Day Blitz: The Room Mate by Kendall Ryan

New York Times bestselling author Kendall Ryan brings us  a brand new standalone—The Room Mate! When someone is off-limits, it's hard to resist.About the BookTitle: The Room Mate
Series: Room Mate, 1
Author: Kendall Ryan
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: January 24, 2017

The last time I saw my best friend’s younger brother, he was a geek wearing braces. But when Cannon shows up to crash in my spare room, I get a swift reality check.

Now twenty-four, he’s broad shouldered and masculine, and so sinfully sexy, I want to climb him like the jungle gyms we used to enjoy. At six-foot-something with lean muscles hiding under his T-shirt, a deep sexy voice, and full lips that pull into a smirk when he studies me, he’s pure temptation.

Fresh out of a messy breakup, he doesn’t want any entanglements. But I can resist, right?

I’m holding strong until the third night of our new arrangement when we get drunk and he confesses his biggest secret of all: he’s cursed when it comes to sex. Apparently he’s a god in bed, and women instantly fall in love with him.

I’m calling bullshit. In fact, I’m going to prove him wrong, and if I rack up a few much-needed orgasms in the process, all the better.

There’s no way I’m going to fall in love with Cannon. But once we start…I realize betting against him may have been the biggest mistake of my life.

The Room Mate is a full-length standalone romance.
About the AuthorA New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world.

She's a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she appeared #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world.

Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.

Visit her website for the latest book news and fun extras.

Book Review: A False Proposal by Pamela Mingle

My ReviewI enjoyed this story a lot. The two main characters, Cass Linford and Adam Grey, were three-dimensional, interesting in their own rights, and played well with each other. They respected and helped each other, and shared some really nice chemistry. The side characters, especially Cass' brother, sister-in-law, and Adam's brother, were entertaining while revealing new information about the main characters.

The main plot wasn't exactly unique, but Adam's backstory was seemed very fresh (at least in the context of fake engagement/marriage stories) and was handled artfully.The main thing that prevented this from getting 5 stars was that the main obstacle between the two lovebirds is Cass' belief that she is to blame for her last betrothed's death. It's an over-emotional, nonsensical excuse to begin with, but sticks out like a sore thumb even more given how "intelligent" Cass is portrayed to be throughout the whole book. If she had been described as more dim-witted, this would have made sense, but I also probably wouldn't have enjoyed the book as much had that been the case.

​All in all, a fun book, but with a pretty flimsy obstacle when it comes down to it.
About the BookTitle: A False Proposal
Author: Pamela Mingle
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Publication Date: June 20, 2016

London 1812

War hero Adam Grey returns home with a burning ambition to run for Parliament. But he needs the support of the local baronet, who controls the seat. Adam’s plans are thwarted by his dissolute father, who has promised him to the baronet’s daughter in return for forgiveness of his debts. Adam wants nothing to do with marriage or his father’s problems, so he fakes an engagement to Cass Linford—his best friend’s sister.

Cass has been through hell since she last saw Adam. Her betrothed committed suicide, forcing her to withdraw from London society. Heartbroken, she’s given up on marriage. So when Adam suggests a temporary engagement, she agrees. He needs help with his campaign, and Cass can’t resist his charm or the chance to be involved in politics. It all seems so easy, until she finds herself falling in love with her fake fiancé.

Book Review: Blood of Stars & Gods by Melissa A. Petreshock

My ReviewI can't believe it's taken me so long to read this story. It came out on October 4, and I literally had NO chance to read it because I was bogged down in papers, exams, and then final papers and final exams, not to mention needing to pack up my dorm room to get it stored for my transfer in January. Anyway, I love this book just as much as I did when I first beta'd it a while back (sometime around 2014, when I was Melissa's PA & she was actively drafting Book 2—which meant I read each chapter as it came out with bated breath).Let me just say this: everything I loved about the first book returns here, multiplied 10x over so that it has so many good things about it in spades that I could spend hours talking about it. For the sake of this review, I'll cut it down to just a few things.The world is expanded, introducing new characters, rules, and customs that I felt as I had fallen through a portal into this world. Some people have complained the first book had too much worldbuilding, but I totally disagree—you need to know the details of such a well-fleshed out world to make it feel real. And, luckily, readers have Cait as our entry point to ask for (ahem, demand) answers from dragons and demigods alike.Plot twists... one after another. I can't say too much about these without giving away the book (obviously), but when I first read them, I gasped. As someone who prides themself on guessing twists... these were not ones I saw coming (kind of the last one, but only as a lucky guess). And they don't come out of left field either, but emerge from the strong mythos of the world, which is fantastic.Let's talk new characters: Falcon, the "big scary dragon" if there ever was one, asshole, and the first dragon to appear from one of the Catalyst houses (read the book for a fuller explanation). I kind of love this jerk, despite his prickly nature. The way the other dragons treat him is kind of funny, especially when compaired to how Cait treats him.Agtos... a pain in everyone's ass, but differently than Falcon. He annoyed me when I read the draft, and more so in the published version, but not because he's badly written—on the contrary, he's supposed to make you want to shake him (despite him being bigger than both Theo and Oliver... aka huge).Let's return to the old favorites: Corrin, the would-be legendary vampire king. He was such an ass in the first book, and definitely reminded me of some not-so-great people from middle school, but by the end of that book, he had wormed his way into a special part of my heart, and continues to be an interesting (albeit mostly minor) character in this story.
Dante, demigod and only son of the Goddess Dana. I'm so glad I got to spend more time with this dreamy, moral, great guy. Melissa has him dream cast as James McAvoy, and that right there is a point for him. His struggle in this story is so complex and made my heart go out to him.Theo, I LOVE this dragon-shifter. Who wouldn't? He's handsome, sexy, a dragon, and an True Alpha male (can't say more or I'll spoil important story points). And... let's just say there are some GREAT sexy times that rival those in the first book (and those were fiery—get it?).Cait, the heart of our story, the North Star of the Dracopraesi, the evil elves' target, and the love of 3 men's lives (refresher: Theo, Dante, and Corrin). Sassy as ever, and growing more powerful, she is one fierce heroine & I can't wait to see how her story continues.Okay, so, that's it (for now). If you can't already tell, I LOVE this book, and can't wait for the next book in the series. I know the author has had some changes in her life recently that have placed writing on the back burner, so I don't know when Book 3 will come, but when it does, I will devour it as fast as Claaron can an elf.
About the BookTitle: Blood of Stars and Gods
Series: Stars & Souls, 2
Author: Melissa A. Petreshock
Genre: NA Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Publication Date: October 4, 2016

Forever does not go on unchanged.

Caitriona Hayden’s destiny as the Dracopraesi dragon’s North Star is no clearer to her than it was weeks ago. However, Cait’s eternal future seems a minor concern while the vengeful elves continue taunting the dragons, now using violence against the human population in their desire for war.

Battles of war aren’t the only ones fought.

King Corrin struggles to make peace with his coming end, and as his family bonds heal, stronger relationships and alliances form among Cait and her dragons. Theo may have won her heart, but Oliver fills a void long left by the passing of her uncle, and each dragon is a part of Cait’s family.

But a darkness bleeds through to change their world.

When faced with decisions of life and death, Cait, Theo, and demigod Dante must choose unpredictable paths, chance outcomes of eternal consequences, and make dubious promises. As Cait displays unexpected abilities, complications arise, more details of her destiny are revealed, and she discovers the inherent risks of fearing change.

Every era has a beginning and an end. There are things in the world no one is meant to stop.

Blood of Stars and Gods is book two in the exciting Stars and Souls trilogy, sequel to Amazon #1 Contemporary Fantasy: Fire of Stars and Dragons !
About the Author Romance author Melissa A. Petreshock lives in the Greater Atlanta area, writing whatever strikes her fancy and submitting on unnatural doses of coffee, sarcasm, and music. Spending most of her time weaving reality and imagination into fantastical romantic tales, Mel often loses track of reality and is admittedly more than a tad eccentric.

Look for future works in the Stars & Souls trilogy as well as additional projects of contemporary romance and whatever else the muse sends Mel's way. About Book 1Title: Fire of Stars and Dragons
Series: Stars & Souls, 1
Author: Melissa A. Petreshock
Genre: NA Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Publication Date: April 29, 2014

A dragon's fire cannot be tamed.

In 22nd century sovereign America, women should be seen and not heard. Unfortunately, twenty-one-year-old Caitriona Hayden didn't get that memo!

Determined to make her way in the world following the death of her uncle, being "seen" is the least of Cait's problems.

Someone's trying to kill her.

Ordained to guard and protect her, when Theo Pendragon claims Cait as his ward, he finds more than he expects as the flames of passion ignite within the dragon for the first time. But Theo is not alone in his desire, and he must learn to fight for what he wants, even if it costs him his best friend.

Dante, a powerful demigod and beloved friend to Theo, has spent centuries pursuing intellectual endeavors rather than indulging in the heat of desire. But everything changes when Cait arouses an attraction he cannot deny.

But Dante isn't the only one with a vested interest in Cait's future.

America's monarch, an ancient vampire named Corrin, puts no stock in the frivolity of love, and yet a proper queen would boost his approval rating amongst the people. Marrying Cait could hold the key to his survival.

Now, love, desire and need force Cait into an impossible situation with dire consequences.

Soon, Cait goes from studying for college exams to fighting for a future she never knew she wanted with a man she never imagined she could love. But the key to her future is held in the one secret she has yet to uncover.