Aug 31, 2012

August RAK Wrap-up

Book Soulmates
Hello All!This is my RAK Wrap up.

I did not receive any RAKs-- which is OK because I am overloaded with books!

But I sent Damaris an Ebook of The Knight of the Rose (Dark Secrets) by AM Hudson, she is at GoodChoiceReading.
That's all for the wrap-up. 

Happy RAKing!

Blog Tour: Excerpt #3 -- Pledged by Gwynneth White

Another EXCERPT! Here is #three of three the last excerpt for the month. Coming in September...the Trailer. :)

 


PLEDGED by Gwynneth White 

 

EXCERPT THREE: Meet Caleb and Talitha . . . 

Erin flicked her hair behind her ear and watched Caleb straighten his clothing. He took a deep breath and entered the hut. They followed right after him, drifting through the closed door as if it didn’t exist. Seth laughed, holding his hand up to Erin for a high-five  – until he noticed that Caleb’s Gefallen had also wafted into the cabin with them. Even though he had no idea how to defend Erin from a ghost, he stepped in front of her to protect her. But the wraith ignored them and sailed over to Caleb.
     A tall, blonde-haired girl with almond-shaped brown eyes was waiting for Caleb. For Erin, the recognition was instantaneous; it was Talitha. “She’s so beautiful!”
     “She’s okay,” Seth replied, looking her over critically. “But I don’t think Caleb’s here for her looks.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You said yourself that Caleb’s a good-looking guy. I bet he could have any girl he wants around here.”
Erin frowned; then she smiled as understanding dawned. “So, in guy-talk, you’re saying he loves her?”
Seth chuckled as he picked up Erin’s hand and put it on his heart. “Tell me what you’re feeling?”
Erin gasped at a disconcerting pulse thrumming in Seth’s chest, over-riding his own heartbeat. “It’s . . . no . . . It’s not possible.”
 “I’ll bet it is. It’s Caleb’s heart beating.”
“How do you know it’s him? It could be Talitha.”
“It started the moment I saw him. It’s like it’s there to stop me denying that he and I were once friends. And I was watching Talitha when he walked in. She smiled, and it felt as if someone had just shot a thousand volts through him.”
“It’s amazing you’re so connected that you can feel him.”
Seth wasn’t so sure he agreed; it made being here just a little too real.
Erin felt her own heart and could faintly discern Talitha’s heartbeat; it was nowhere near as strong as the thump in Seth’s chest, but then, she figured, she wasn’t in denial the way he was.
 They fell into silence as Caleb opened his arms to embrace Talitha. She draped her arms around his neck, twisting the dark curls tumbling onto his shoulders. He kissed the nape of her throat and ran his lips up her neck, over her chin to her mouth.
“This is awkward,” Erin murmured, looking away.
“You don’t say. All this way just to watch them making out.”

About the Author

I have spent my entire life living in a parallel universe of make-believe characters, only coming back to reality for long enough to check that no one burnt the house down in my absence. A few years ago I decided to commit some of those ‘friends’ and their stories to paper. The Soul Wars Saga is the result of those efforts. Before that I co-authored two non-fiction travel books – The Complete Guide to 4x4 Trails and The Ultimate 4x4 Guide. Both books became instant best-sellers in South Africa. And before that even, I studied a degree in African History and Politics at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. When I’m not writing, I am a wife to Andrew, and a mom to Stephanie, Erin, and Kate, our teenage daughters. My family and I live in Cape Town with two dogs, a cat, a horse, and some neglected fish. Now that you know a little about me, I would love to get to know you. 

Find the Author

Aug 30, 2012

Recent Reads: Rift by Andrea Cremer

Rift: A Nightshade NovelRift: A Nightshade Novel by Andrea Cremer
Available: Now
Publisher: Listening Library (Audio) 
 
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Background: Ember is a noble daughter of a Lord who has been promised to Conatus upon her sixteenth birthday. She is whisked away by the Knights of Conatus and begins her destiny there. Set in the time period of the Great Schism and the 100 Years War, darkness is brewing throughout their lands, and the Guard of Conatus stands to save them. But lurking in their ranks is someone also partaking in the dark magic and something must be done to stop them.

Review: I have not read the Nightshade series but was blown away by this prequel. I LOVED it. I received this copy as an Audio book from Random House Audio and could not wait to get back into my car to finish listening…and for the record I HATE driving so that was awesome! Ember is our main character who is strong, independent, clever, and brave. Barrow Hess, her mentor is strong, masculine, and apparently very good looking…
Following Ember as she is taken from her home (willingly) where she was under her father’s thumb to this adventure of a life in the ranks of Conatus was wonderful. I was nervous when she was and frustrated with her when her father was an idiot. Her and Barrow’s relationship was also fun to follow, I was not sure if it was going to progress at all or if the characters stubbornness was going to draw a line, you will have to read to see. :)
Being a huge nerd, I loved the historical references to the Schism and the War in this novel; even jokes were made about them, which I was laughing out loud about in the car. I am eagerly awaiting Prequel #2 Rise.

Copy received from Random House Audio in Exchange for and Honest review.
View all my reviews

Trailer

 

Recent Reads: Batula by Marco Cinello

BatulaBatula by Marco Cinello
Available: NOW!
Publisher:  Image Comics

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Background: Livingston is just your ordinary Fruit Bat, nothing special, even his bat friends don't see him. One day he is attacked and turned into a Vampire and then shunned from the group. Livingston must become Batula to gain back all he has lost.

Review: This was a very cute graphic novel about a sad bat who thinks he doesn't fit in and searches to find himself, only to turn into something else -- a vampire. Livingston is a cute main character who is spunky and wants more adventure as many of us do. The question arises, how much do you have to change as a person to achieve that adventure, and Livingston's story tells us we can be anything and change for the better.

A beautifully drawn and colored comic, vivid use of color and shows the action of the tale well. Enjoyed thoroughly.

View all my reviews

Aug 29, 2012

Cleaning the Shelves Giveaway!!!!

CleaningButton



So my husband has been getting a little upset with the number of books in our very small condo...and there are a lot more now that I am blogging. So in order to appease him and have space for new books I am Cleaning the Shelves and making my loss YOUR gain.
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Up for grabs are three packs:
Young Adult Pack
Includes:
Fallen by Lauren Kate
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
&
Divine By Mistake by PC Cast

Adult Pack
Includes:
Last Night at Chateau Marmont by LaurenWeisberger
Molly Fox's Birthday by Deirdre Madden
&
Three Cups of Tea by

The Last Vampire
Black Blood
Red Dice



Waiting on Wednesday #13: Lullaby (Watersong #2) by Amanda Hocking

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I am waiting on...


Lullaby (Watersong, #2)

Lullaby (Watersong #2) by Amanda Hocking

Harper only wanted a safe, normal life. But when her younger sister Gemma runs off with a dangerous clique of beautiful girls, Penn, Thea, and Lexi, everything changes. Vowing to get her sister back no matter what the cost, Harper must face dangers unlike any she's ever experienced. Fortunately, she has Daniel by her side, a gorgeous guy who's devoted to helping her find her sister—and who's immune to the girls' dark powers.

While Harper searches for her sister, Gemma struggles to adjust to her new life. Gemma's powers are growing by the day, and the longer she lives with her new "sisters," the harder it is to resist entering their magical world. It's a realm both dark and beautiful, and where she's plagued by strange hungers and unspeakable needs. Just as she's drifting far away from her old life, Harper and Daniel find her...but no one can deny how much she's changed. All she wants is to return to her family and the mortal world, but how can she do that when she's become something else entirely—and will they still love her once they learn the truth?

Prepare to fall under the spell of Lullaby, the second book in the Watersong series from New York Times bestselling author Amanda Hocking.
(Goodreads Synopsis)

Expected Release: November 27th, 2012

What are you waiting for?

Aug 28, 2012

Blog Tour: Excerpt & Giveaway --The Vampire Hunter's Daughter

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: The Complete Collection by Jennifer Malone Wright


Genre:YA paranormal
ISBN: 978-0615650081
ASIN: B008ASVXR8

Number of pages: 217 paperback
Word Count: 78,734
Amazon      B&N

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 1 available for free at  Amazon   B&N

Synopsis:

This special edition of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter contains parts I-VI, the complete collection. Fourteen-year-old Chloe witnesses her mother’s murder at the hands of a vampire. Before the vampire can kidnap her, there is an unexpected rescue by a group of vampire hunters.

Overwhelmed by the feeling of safety, Chloe passes out and they whisk her away to their small community. When Chloe wakes, she comes face to face with the only other living relative, besides her mother, whom she has ever met: her grandfather. Chloe’s mother kept her hidden from the family; now, Chloe tries to unveil the family secrets.

Through her grandfather, she learns her mother was a vampire hunter. In fact, her entire family is descended from the powerful bloodlines of vampire hunters. Chloe agrees to join the family she has never known for one reason only: Chloe vows to kill the vampire responsible for her mother’s murder. With vengeance in her soul, Chloe is even more determined to follow through on her vow when she discovers the true identity of her enemy and how he is connected to her.

Experience the world of vampires hunter’s, vampires and mythology with Chloe in this exciting series.

Excerpt 

“Come on. You said you wanted a demonstration of the water element.”
“Oh, cool.” I followed him through the trails until we reached a clearing where a tiny stream ran into a rather quaint little pond. Oddly enough, the pond wasn't frozen. Perhaps it wasn't cold enough.
“This is pretty,” I told him.
He just nodded and said nothing while he set down his bow and backpack on a large old tree stump. I watched while he turned toward the pond and narrowed his eyes.
“Look at the water, Chloe, not at me.”
“Oh.” I changed direction quickly.
The stream poured out of the woods and into the pond with gently running ripples of water. I almost didn't notice when the water in the center of the pond began to swirl. The swirling gradually picked up speed and grew larger until it looked like a whirlpool. But whirlpools go downward into the water. This whirlpool began to rise up out of the water. It rose up maybe six feet and then the water spilled over from the top like a fountain. I glanced at Gavin. He stood stock still, silent, his eyes focused on the water.
Slowly, the swirling fountain of water receded back into the pond. I stood there, enthralled by the magic Gavin could do with his power.
“You‟re amazing,” I whispered to him.
“No,” he shook his head, “I'm not amazing. I can just do amazing things.”
“Well… I think you‟re amazing.”
He turned his head and caught my eyes. “I think you‟re amazing, and you haven‟t done anything like that.”
Oh, little did he know. For some reason, his comment made me want to show him what I could do, but I didn't even know if I could do it on command. So far it had only happened when I was angry.
He stared at me so deeply I felt naked.
“Gavin, what I just saw was magical. You make magic.”



About the Author

Jennifer Malone Wright resides in the beautiful mountains of northern Idaho with her husband and five children. Between the craziness of taking care of her children, whose ages range from fourteen all the way down to six months, and being a homemaker, Jennifer has little time left for herself. The time she does have left, usually leading far into the night, is spent working on freelance work or her beloved fiction.

When she grew up, Jennifer always had her nose in a book. She has been writing stories and poems since grade school. This love of the written word and her strong interest in the paranormal is what has led to her first novel “The Birth of Jaiden.”

In addition to being a mother and homemaker, Jennifer is also a very proud military wife. Moving around the country for the last ten years has made her a bit of a nomad and she finds it difficult to be in one place for too long.

Jennifer is also the author of The Birth of Jaiden, a paranormal novel filled with action, suspense, and even a love story.

 

Find the Author

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Aug 27, 2012

Blog Tour: Giveaway and Excerpts -- Mad World: Epidemic by Samaire Provost

 

Mad World: EPIDEMIC
By Samaire Provost


Mad World  Book One
Genre: YA Paranormal Dystopian

ISBN:  978-1478317371
ASIN:  B008PO969O
Number of pages:  160
Word Count:   44,700

Synopsis:


The Black Plague is ancient history. It killed 100 million people nearly seven centuries ago, halfway around the world from the technologically advanced research center at Stanford University. Scientists there have recently begun examining samples of bone marrow from plague-infected corpses unearthed in Europe. All the necessary safeguards are in place. What could go wrong?

Alyssa and Jake are away with their class on a highly anticipated year-end trip to Broadway with their senior acting class when all hell breaks loose at home. Traveling back, and trying to find their families, they encounter deadly results. Riots are breaking out. People are being evacuated. And they have no idea what's happening to their families.

Horrific ordeals, heart-pounding tragedy, and chance encounters harden them for what lies ahead. Faced with tormenting decisions, they're forced to follow their instinct for survival at any cost - even when the cost is a heart-wrenching decision of life or death.

A harrowing adventure of frightening discoveries, horrifying confrontations and narrow escapes in Epidemic, the first installment of the Mad World series.
Find out what's got everyone so terrified.

 Excerpt:


The seven of us made a scraggly group as we walked across the parking lot and through the double doors of the hospital. The inside of the hospital seemed deserted. I led us down the corridor calling out, “hello’s” every dozen feet or so. Finally, a haggard-looking nurse peeked out at us from behind a mostly closed door.
“Are they gone?” she asked, looking up and down the corridor. At this, I began to feel a prickly sensation as the hairs on the back of my neck rose.
“What do you mean?” I asked. “We just drove down from Fresno. We have an injured little girl with us. What’s been going on here?”
“Alyssa, I don’t think we should be here, it doesn’t feel safe,” Jacob said. “I’d like to at least go get the shotgun,” he looked around as he spoke.
Before I could respond, my thoughts were jolted by the sound of screaming. It was coming from the end of the corridor, where we had come in. Whipping around to look, we saw another nurse running. Behind her were three people. They were running after her, but staggering as they ran. One was a man in a business suit with what looked like half his face covered in blood. One was a woman in a torn blouse who was dragging her left leg, which was also bloody. The third I couldn’t make out clearly until I looked again. Then I gasped in horror. The man’s scalp was torn half off, and it hung down over the side of his face and flapped as he ran after the nurse. They all had the same dark grey skin color as the others had had, and they were coming toward us. Fast. The nurse they were chasing screamed as the man in the business suit caught up to her and grabbed at her. She fell heavily to the ground and skidded a few yards, then scrambled to her feet as the zombies reached for her. She was fast and although they grabbed for her, and got hold of her sweater, she ran on and peeled the sweater off as she ran. It came off of her and the zombies tore it apart with their teeth, but that gave the nurse the seconds she need to sprint away.
The nurse who had opened the door to talk to us cried out, “Stacy!” and screamed, “Run! They’re coming again!” as the three crazed zombies took up the chase once more. As the nurse called Stacy ran toward us, the other nurse who had called out to her gasped and disappeared behind the door again. We heard a growl very close to us, and as we watched as a zombie with yellow pus running down her face grabbed the nurse from behind. She had been in the room with her all along. This all happened in less than a minute.
Jacob grabbed my arm and yelled, “Come on, guys!” then began to run down the length of the other corridor. DeAndre scooped up Risa, and we all ran together away from the chaos behind us. The corridor swerved to the right, and we soon came upon a bank of elevators. There was another corridor off to the left that looked deserted.
“Which way?” I cried. As if in answer, we heard a growl coming from the left corridor and what sounded like someone slapping against a wall. Not waiting to see what had made that noise, I pulled us all into the alcove and punched the elevator buttons repeatedly. Nothing happened. Elevators always took so long. My heart raced, and adrenaline flooded my system. The nurse running from the three crazed zombies had nearly reached us, but the creature that had once been a businessman was right behind her. As she ran up to us, he grabbed her hair from behind and yanked her off her feet. Screaming, she flipped backward just as the elevator doors opened. We piled inside as she screamed, the man clawing at her face. Blood was everywhere. Making sure we were all inside, I frantically punched the floor buttons, but it seemed to take an eternity for the doors to close.
Meanwhile, the zombie had lowered his face to the nurse called Stacy and began to bite her. The other two zombies ran up right then; one fell beside the man and started biting the nurse’s arm. She screamed again and struggled all the more frantically. The businessman jumped on top of her knees first and held her down, and her screams began to sound liquidy. The third zombie ran up and tried to grab one of her flailing legs, but she kicked him. Dazed, he looked up at us just as the doors to the elevator began to close. He seemed to sense prey – to sense us – and lunged at the doors. His arm came through as the elevator doors finished closing, but the sensor detected an obstacle, and they began to open again. Risa screamed, and Jacob kicked at the intruder. My breath caught in my throat. DeAndre landed a kick at the zombie’s midsection which threw him off balance. He fell backward, landing across the threshold. Jacob grabbed his legs and flung them out as I pressed the floor button again. Suddenly the zombie, flailing on his back as he tried to right himself, let out a scream so piercing it seemed almost supersonic. I gasped. I had never heard such a sound issue forth from a human being before. The doors began to close again just as the thing rolled over and got to its feet. As he turned toward us again, the doors closed on the sight of him reaching out in our direction, grasping and flailing at the air. But this time, he was an inch too far away, and the doors closed before he managed to reach us. As we began to ascend, we heard him screaming in frustration and pounding on the metal doors that had just closed.
Breathing hard, we checked each other for wounds.
“My God!” cried Holly, clutching her round belly, “Oh my God!!”
 

About the Author:

Samaire Provost lives in California with her husband and son.
Her love of paranormal stories, odd plots, and unique tales as well as the works of Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, Madeleine L'Engle and Stephen King has deeply influenced her writing. 

Mad World : EPIDEMIC her first novel. The second in the series is entitled "Mad World: SANCTUARY"

 

 

Find The Author:


Giveaway!!

Details: Tour Wide Giveaway four signed copies of EPIDEMIC open international

 
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Aug 26, 2012

Building the Book Pile #17

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Welcome to Building the Book Pile! A Weekly meme inspired 
 here at Cover2CoverBlog.

Coming Up this Week:

Blog Tour: Mad World: Epidemic by Samaire Provost
Blog Tour: The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: The Complete Collection by Jennifer Malone Wright
Waiting on Wednesday
Review: Rift by Andrea Cremer

What I got:

For Review

Monstrous BeautyLiesl and Po The Heroes of Olympus: The Demigod Diaries
Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama from Macmillan Audio
Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver from Random House Audio
The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan from Random House Audio

Purchased
Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, #1)Crescendo (Hush, Hush, #2)

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Did you miss anything?

Aug 24, 2012

Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway -- Degrees of Wrong by Anna Scarlett

Degrees of Wrong 

Degrees of Wrong by Anna Scarlett (aka Anna Banks)

Format: Paperback, 212 pages
Available: August 28th 2012 
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
ISBN 978-1619210424

Synopsis

This time, the straight-and-narrow path could be the road to ruin.

Dr. Elyse Morgan’s mission: find the cure to the HTN4 virus. The compensation, courtesy of the United Nations: a lab stocked with hi-tech goodies, limitless resources and enough chocolate to make her rear look like a cellulite farm. Bonus: she gets to live.

Rescued (kidnapped) and secreted (imprisoned) on an undersea warship, Elyse adjusts to her assumed identity as a cadet with the finesse of a toeless ballerina. Her sulfuric temper and blatant insubordination capture the unwanted attention of the ship’s captain, the gorgeous, infuriating, engaged Nicoli Marek.

Elyse would rather perform her own autopsy than become the other woman, but Nicoli—who’s as full of himself as he is of secrets—regards his impending marriage as a mere political transaction. And Elyse as fair game.

As Elyse’s suspicions about the UN’s true agenda mount along with her attraction to the relentless, chronically shirtless captain, she must choose between the murky path to everything she’s ever wanted, or the squeaky-clean path of self-sacrifice—which could mean taking the secrets of the virus with her to the grave.

Warning: Features a strong, chocolate-loving heroine who takes no prisoners on the way to saving the world from an epidemic and winning a captain’s heart



Review

Degrees of WrongDegrees of Wrong by Anna Scarlett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Background: Dr. Elyse Morgan is kidnapped, sort of, and forced to finish finding the cure for the new Black Death. While working she is designated to an underwater ship owned by the government. While aboard she meeting Captain Marek, who is...well...engaged but determined to gain Elyse's affection.

Review: Wow not what I expected-- what I thought would happen, I would be upset because an engaged man was being creepy and trying to sleep with another women, and maybe even a little weirded out if there were sex scenes... happily surprised by this whole story.

Elyse is hilarious and her whit and aggressiveness kept me reading. Marek's attempts toward her really bothered me at first for the above reason but later you learn a lot about him and the situation changes greatly and you have no choice but to swoon over him. Happy to say that there were not sexy scenes looming over the pages...even though they may have been fun. This was a great example of a romance, fantasy, as well as a mystery. I never knew where it was going to go and I was pleasantly surprised. Degrees of Wrong surpassed all of my expectations. I would say this is more of an adult read however the sarcasm and cleverness of the characters would really make in enjoyable to a wide audience, older YA's as well as adults.

Ebook provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author

(From Goodreads)
Anna Scarlett"Anna's first published work was a letter to the editor of her local newspaper complaining about stingy tippers-she was a 17 year old waitress. The letter got her a free dinner at the restaurant where she worked, and dirty looks from all the stingy tippers. Now that her mother has passed away, Anna feels it's safe to reveal that she also wrote other students' term papers for prom money in high school. Her favorite pastimes include reading, writing, drinking wine, and reading and writing while drinking wine. She can shoot a sling shot, speak with a southern accent, and take a nap in the middle of the day, any day of the week-at a moment's notice, no less. She cannot rollerblade, apply liquid eyeliner, or find her keys. Ever.

Anna lives in Florida with her husband, daughter, and the fictional characters in her head. Feel free to drop her a line at byannascarlett@gmail.com, or chat her up on Twitter: @byannascarlett.

You can also get chummy with her on Goodreads. She loves fan mail and gift certificates to Panera Bread."



Find the Author

Email: byannascarlett@gmail.com

Giveaway!!! X2

Details: An Ebook of Degrees of Wrong will be awarded to the winner via an account with Samhain Publishing. The Prize will be awarded by the Publisher.

Details: Signed bookmarks and chocolate from the Author
 

Aug 23, 2012

Early Reader Review: Once Upon a Time Maching by Lee Nordling

Once Upon a Time MachineOnce Upon a Time Machine by Lee Nordling
Available: October 10th
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
 
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Background: Once Upon a Time Machine is a collection of children’s tales retold through the guise of the future. The collection includes classics like, the three little pigs, Goldilocks and the three bears, and Pinocchio.

Review: This was a masterfully done piece, the short stories were engaging and beautifully illustrated. I loved that they were all set in a futuristic world; it was a very interesting take on each of the tales. In between each there were even pieces of art depicting some of the tales not put into short stories here in the collection, for example The Gingerbread Man, The Little Mermaid, Red Riding Hood etc. They were even done up in this futuristic fashion. There were even some stories I was unfamiliar with, which were a pleasure to read. I was able to read the stories quite quickly and enjoyed them very much. They are for a more adult audience, not to share with children as there is some violence in some of the stories.

E-Copy provided by Netgalley and Dark Horse Comics for review.

View all my reviews

Aug 22, 2012

Blog Tour: Excerpt, Review, & Giveaway! -- Frozen Heart by Annabelle Blume

Frozen Heart

by Annabelle Blume


Release date: August 7, 2012

Summary:

A decade surviving on her own. Three days with the enemy. Can love conquer all?

Cressenda knows how to survive. With her sled dogs as her only companions, she’s spent the past ten years hiding in the snow covered wilderness from the oppressive regime of the Affinity. When a routine trip to civilization takes a turn for the worst, Cressenda is forced to take refuge with the enemy or lose her life to the frozen countryside.

But Beckett, a Guard of the Affinity, is more than a man in uniform. His desperate need to help Cressenda escape both the blizzard and the Affinity, makes her feelings for him all the more troubling. Will Beckett be true to his word and set Cressenda free? Will her heart let her leave after all they’ve shared?


Frozen Heart Excerpt:

“You…you’re a...sympathizer.” It sounded dirty as the words passed between my lips. I wanted to snatch them back and swallow them down again. The sting of my insult was evident in the painful expression that settled on his face.
“It doesn’t matter what I am. You want to be free, don’t you? Then go.” His authoritative facade crumbled and the innocent hurt of a young boy dripped from his soul as he spoke. “You won’t get far enough if you don’t get out now.”
I placed my hand over his, unlatching his fingers one at a time from the tender inside of my bicep. My steps were measured and controlled as I backed away from the Guard. I neared the clear walkway of the Trade Path just as a shrill alarm sounded. Every transaction halted and everyone held their breath for a split second, merchants and traders alike. In the blink of an eye, the entire population of the Path turned to the entrance and moved hurriedly, as if they were trying to contain a generalized franticness.
“What is it? Where are they going?” I asked no one in particular.
“It’s a blizzard warning.”
I cursed. A blizzard. I’d never make it home now. Conditions would be impossible: no visibility, forty-foot snowdrifts, and gale-force winds. The boys and I would never survive. I stood, motionless, while bodies spun and twirled on the periphery of my consciousness. I was stuck in the Collective with nowhere to go and, worse, nowhere to hide.
“Come with me,” the masculine timbre commanded over my shoulder before lacing his fingers in mine. His gentle hold of my hand gave me comfort and lulled me into a hypnotic state. The Guard led me forward until I broke from my daze.
“Let me go!” I yanked my hand from his. “I have to get out of here. I have to beat the blizzard.”
Before I could break into a sprint, the Guard whirled me around. I teetered, stunned by the force. He moved in close and arched over me while he spoke. Not to intimidate but to cover me, protecting me from the eyes around us.
“You’ll never make it. Never. Come with me. You can wait out the storm at my cabin. When it’s over, you’ll be free to go.” His eyes searched my person for the answer to the question in his mind. Wherever it is you live.
I stared at him, doubtful and distrusting. I had only seconds to decide if this tall, hulking citizen of the Collective, official of the Affinity, could really, truly be a sympathizer.

Review:

Frozen Heart by Annabelle Blume
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Frozen Heart
Background: Cressie lives with her sled dogs in the wilderness, escaped from society and an Outlier, trying to stay alive and not be captured by the Affinity. Upon a trip into the Trade Post, Cressie is confronted by a guard of the Affinity who finds her out but does not turn her in. Now she must decide what she makes of the situation, is he trustworthy, and why does she have these feelings for someone she barely knows.

Review: I received an e-copy of this book for a blog tour, and have had it for a while. I did not know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Cressie was a strong female character and this short read, almost a novella, really immerses you from page 1. Beckett the male character is interesting and hard to gauge, but this made for a more interesting plot. Cressie is thrown into turmoil as she must decide on emotions or well being when she realizes she has feelings for Beckett, but needs to get back to her life and safety in the wild. On that note, this is not a YA read, I think it is geared more toward adults, due to sexual content in some places and that threw me off a bit, but not in a bad way, I just wasn’t prepared. I loved the interaction Cressie has with her two dogs, and how they play with her, it was adorable.
I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and entertaining. I think that it could have used more plot building when it came to explaining the Affinity, and maybe even needed a bit more pertaining to the Cressie/ Beckett relationship… but overall, good read.



View all my reviews  

About the Author:


Annabelle is a Science Fiction and Urban Fantasy Romance author, that is, when she's not checking homework or begrudgingly cooking dinner. Wife, mother, and creator of alternate worlds, Annabelle has a penchant for that which is outside the norm.

Her Sociology degree did nothing to progress her writing skills, but has given her the ability to construct worlds that exist only in her head and translate them passionately to the page. The time spent studying individuals, interpersonal relationships, and particularly, women, within the constraints of our society led to Annabelle's unabashed ability to talk about sex as it fits into our modern lives.

She's also the author/personality of The Bombshell Mommy at Vitacost.com, where she expounds her knowledge of being a vixen clad in sweatpants.
  

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