Saturday, November 30, 2013

Review by Hillary: True Loves First Kiss by Heidi Garrett (books 1-3) + Giveaway!


Today my wonderful reviewer, Hillary will be sharing her book review for True Loves First Kiss by Heidi Garrett, a bind-up novel for the series, Queen of the Realm of Faerie. I hope everyone will enjoy reading her thoughts on True Loves First Kiss. Also, be sure to check out below for a giveaway to be entered to win a copy of the book! 


Thank you Heidi Garrett & Candace's Book Blog for the review opportunity and for so generously offering a book for a giveaway on my blog. 


Title: True Love's First Kiss 
Author: Heidi Garrett 
Series: Queen of the Realm of Faerie Books 
1-3 of this five-book series in a single digital bundle 
Published: July 18th 2013 by Half-Faerie Publishing 
Paperback, 681 pages 
Genre: Fantasy 
Reading Level: YA



Half-Faeries and mortals. Black magic and genocide. Coming of age and coming into power.

~ Book 1 - NANDANA’S MARK ~

Melia longs to fly like the fullblood faeries...Her mortal father plots to bring war to the Enchanted World...Her faerie mother practices black magic behind closed doors...

Tainted by her father’s ambitions, Melia seeks aid from the Illustrator. She receives a strange mark on her forehead meant to bring her help. Before it arrives, tragedy strikes—and Melia’s dreams of flying coming true.

~ Book 2 - THE FLOWER OF ISBELLINE ~  
When a dark power seduces Melia’s sister...And the keys to power are at risk...The cost of denying true love will be apocalyptic...
Melia races against time to stop her sister from pursuing their father’s damning legacy.

~ Book 3 - THE DRAGON CARNIVALE ~    
In Illialei… A light queen practices black magic. In Tyrannis… The dragonwitch rises to power.In the Mortal World… Umbra pursues the halfbloods as vessels of incarnation. 

Energies in the Enchanted World are shifting and new alliances are forming; the Battle of Dark and Light has begun. Melia is desperate to make things right with Ryder, the young priest from Idonne, but first she must warn the halfbloods in the Mortal World that Umbra is coming for them--and face the powerful Dragonwitch and her spectacular Dragon Carnivale.
Purchase @ 


 

*Note to the author: Heidi, thank you for writing such an epic story and thank you for making me smile. I hope you always see the magic in your life as well.

Before signing up to review True Love’s First Kiss by Heidi Garrett and finishing up the compilation of the first three books in the series, I never knew what to expect from this story. I know I might say that often (most likely all the time), but this time was totally different. You see, I don’t read very many to hardly any young adult fantasy books. Paranormal, Dystopia, Supernatural, Contemporary, Science Fiction (sometimes), and anything around those genres, yes, but Fantasy? Well, let’s say the magical worlds some authors can come up with scares me. I know it is fiction, but sometimes the elements in those books are much, much more than other genres, that it used to feel like I couldn’t or wouldn’t be able to handle the aspects of those stories as well. Not until recently have I fallen into reading little by little more fantasy books. I felt like I was missing out on a lot when everyone else was reading those books and I didn’t. And gosh, was I right! I’ve been holding out on a lot and I’m definitely a little disappointed in myself. I will always be grateful for having given this book a chance and now I would like to share my reasons with all of you.

To start off, who doesn’t like the main character being the heroine? I think everyone always manages to feel similar or share common interests with the main character when it’s a girl and she has some of the same weaknesses you might have. I’m not saying that guys shouldn’t read this book because I think anyone would enjoy this story. Especially since it isn’t just from Melia’s point of view but a handful of other characters as well. I was very impressed with this fact once I realized the whole story wasn’t solely focused on Melia but other characters that were both protagonists and antagonists.

Another aspect that I couldn’t help but like in the story was that Melia and her two sisters had their true love’s out there somewhere. Without the curse their mother put upon them, they most likely wouldn’t end up with the right person. There wasn’t any love triangles which is great because those only help to confuse and frustrate me most often times. And speaking of true loves, Ryder, Melia’s other half was swoon worthy. At first I wasn’t sure what to think of him, not only because he’s a priest from a place called Idonne, but because I wasn’t sure how well a chemistry between both of them would bloom. I shouldn’t have worried though because the way they interacted with one another was adorable. You can see how inexperienced they both are with relationships and they helped each other grow as the story kept going. Ryder and Melia did have their moments where they would argue, but they always managed to find their way back to the other and I loved how Ryder was so understanding and wise. I don’t think there could have been anyone better for Melia than Ryder.

Earlier I said there were aspects in fantasy fiction that I’m yet to be accustomed to and I couldn’t be more right. Once the magical dragons came out, I was awed and I also had a tremendously hard time imagining exactly what a dragon that isn’t real would look like. A character named Sevondi, who is mostly known as the dragonwitch, was the only character able to conjure up these magical creatures. Magic itself is a major part of this story. From the moment Melia’s mother curses her and her sisters with a horrible spell, to the pixies (especially Melia’s best friend Tatou) that can enchant any creature, to the magical sword and basin that were created to summon an evil entity named Umbra, the mermaids (yes, there’s some mermaids in this story), and so much more it only helps but blow your mind away in awe.

The adventures and journeys throughout the story only helped create this world into something much bigger. Throughout the story I could see this world that is known as The Realm of Faerie. I was able to separate it from The Mortal World and only focus on the magical creatures that lived below. I could picture each character and I could tell how different their personalities were. I witnessed and felt the growth of not only Melia, but all the other secondary characters (except the antagonists). I especially liked the flow from book one to book three. One reason could be the compilation that includes the first three stories, but it could also do with Heidi doing an absolutely great job transitioning from one story to the other. The climax for each story was impressive because it grew and it is part of the ultimate climax I’m sure I will be seeing later on in books four and five. Whilst the antagonists worked to gain something for themselves, you always cheered on for the protagonists because they only care about making sure they’re home in The Realm of Faerie is returned to balance and isn’t split up more than it already is. The ending for book three definitely left me wanting to read more and I can only hope that I will be able to next year when book four and five are released.

True Love’s First Kiss by Heidi Garrett was an impressive story, amazing read, and an epic adventure. I can say without a doubt that Heidi did a fantastic job in creating these stories and the world within them. It was very apparent to me just how much thought and time was put into this world and the characters that live in The Realm of Faerie. The characters started out with their faults but learned and grew from every new experience they were forced to go through and it was admirable to see just how much growth they all had gone through by book three. I don’t think any author could have written such a complex and well thought out story as the one Heidi created with True Love’s First Kiss. This story is full of magic that also feels very real. I feel like these characters actually live somewhere in our own world and I could find them by finding the hidden doors. I highly recommend this story to anyone who’s a fan of fantasy, paranormal properties, and epic adventures. I hope more readers get to read this story and see just exactly what I’m speaking of. I feel that I haven’t given this story enough of the justice it deserves, but I can hope that an inkling of it was understandable enough.

 4.5! Totally Awesome! I loved it, would read again.



About The Author: Heidi Garrett

Find Heidi @
Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

When Heidi Garrett was a child, her mother was the most magical person she knew. Unfortunately, they were separated by evil forces and her mother died a premature death. However, Heidi never forgot Louise, so when she had the opportunity to reconnect with her beloved grandma she seized it, even though the price of that choice was exile from the land where she'd grown up. 

Her risk was was rewarded when she found herself, once again, in a world so unusual that it had to be enchanted. After all, her grandma, Elva, was an elf. When Elva joined her daughter, Louise, in the Unknown Beyond, Heidi was inspired to write fantasy stories that would remind anyone who read them what she'd never forgotten-- 

Once upon a time, you lived in an enchanted world… 
She currently resides in Eastern Washington State with her husband and their two cats. So far, she loves the snow. Being from the South, she finds it very mystical.


Prize: (1) one ebook copy of TRUE LOVES FIRST KISS
Open to everyone!

To enter please use the rafflecopter form below.


Book Spotlight: My Date From Hell by Tellulah Darling + Excerpt + Giveaway!

Hey everyone! Welcome to the book spotlight for the book, My Date From Hell by Tellulah Darling.  This series sound like a lot of fun. Definitely something I would love to read. :) I hope you all enjoy this post and before you leave be sure to check out the giveaway below to win an AMAZON GC and free copy of BOOK 1, My EX from Hell. haha. Don't you just love the names of this series. :)


Title: My Date From Hell by Tellulah Darling
Genre: Young Adult
Series: The Blooming Goddess Trilogy, #2



Sophie Bloom’s junior year has been a bit of a train wreck. After the world’s greatest kiss re-awakened Sophie’s true identity as Persephone (Goddess of Spring and Savior of Humanity), she fought her dragon-lady guidance counselor to the death, navigated mean girl Bethany’s bitchy troublemaking, and dealt with the betrayal of her backstabbing ex, Kai (sexy Prince of Darkness). You’d think a girl could catch a break.

Yeah, right.


With Zeus stepping things up, it’s vital that Sophie retrieve Persephone’s memories and discover the location of the ritual to stop Zeus and Hades. So when Aphrodite strikes a deal that can unlock Sophie’s pre-mortal past, what choice does the teen goddess have but to accept?


The mission: stop media mogul Hermes from turning Bethany into a global mega-celebrity. The catch? Aphrodite partners Sophie and Kai to work together … and treat this suicide mission as a date. Which could work out for Sophie’s plan to force Kai to admit his feelings for her–if she doesn’t kill him first.
Add to that the fact that BFF Theo’s love life and other BFF Hannah’s actual life are in Sophie’s hands, and suddenly being a teenager—even a godlike one—seems a bit like … well, hell. Whatever happened to dinner and a movie?


The YA romantic comedy/Greek mythology fireworks continue to fly in My Date From Hell. Love meets comedy with a whole lot of sass in book two of this teen fantasy romance series. Breaking up is easy; dating is deadly.

Amazon | iTunes | Kobo



Aphrodite pointed her gun at me again, kind of casually. “Your problem is you’re too hung up on the past. You gotta move forward with yer life.”
I heard Hannah give a smothered laugh.
“You got this cutie pie in love with ya, and instead of enjoying his company, all you do is whine.” With a quick flick, Aphrodite opened the cylinder to reload.
“He’s not in love,” I said.
She peered at Kai. “Whattya talkin’ about? Sure he is. Everyone knows Kyrillos loves Persephone.”
       “I’m Sophie,” I ground out.
She waved the gun around. “Ya ya. That too.”
That too? I took a deep breath, folded my fingers over my palms and looked slightly to the left of her in case I accidentally started blasting. Didn’t want to go down in history as the girl who killed the Goddess of Love.
“Nope. It’s just desire,” I said with faked calm. “Kai is so resistant to the idea of being in love with me that your arrows don’t work. Besides which, when he actually does fall so hard for me that he doesn’t know which way is up, I want him to know he chose that of his own free will. That he chose me.” I threw him a sweet smile.
“Chose you?” Kai got this look of “have we had this conversation before?” on his face. My smile got tight.
Aphrodite scooped up a saclike pink purse laying on the ground. She rooted around in it. “Desire is part of romantic love, silly,” she said to me.
She pulled out a handful of bullets and dumped them in Festos’ hurriedly outstretched hands before turning back to Kai. She gestured with the still-open chambered revolver toward him. “Your body knows what’s what. Stop fighting it.”
Kai glowered at her.
She laughed it off, reloading. “And you,” Aphrodite said to me, as she plucked more bullets from Festos’ hand to load into the chamber. “Yer just as bad with your own issues.”
She couldn’t know about my insecurities around Persephone could she? Aphrodite narrowed her eyes at me.
I gulped.
Aphrodite shot me a look of disgust and popped the final bullets into the chambers. She gestured at each of us in turn with one pink, sparkly manicured finger. “I’m gonna start gettin’ real mad about how youse is all dealin’ with love.”
“There’s a whole bunch of drags around here where love is concerned,” Festos agreed.
“Thanks so much for inviting him along,” Theo said to me.
I grimaced an apology at Theo, then shot back at Festos, “Seems there’s a whole bunch of dogs here, too.” I looked between him and Kai.
“Oh don’t forget Pierce,” Festos replied cheerfully. “He’s a total mimbo.” “He is not,” Hannah defended. “He’s pure love.”
Aphrodite threw her a fond smile. “I like you, girlie.” “Love in name, hormones in game,” Theo countered. “Look at us all in agreement,” Festos replied.
“No, because you’re talking about lust,” I protested.
“Lust is pretty good too,” Aphrodite said, “but it ain’t nothin’ like the real thing.” She clicked the cylinder into place and looked at me. “We got a deal? You’ll get Jack to kill the campaign?”
“You’ll undo the love thing?” I asked.
“Nope. You could do with a little love in your life. Kyrillos is obviously brimming with love for ya now,” she ignored Kai’s snort, “so you’re gonna enjoy it.”
“Meaning what?” I asked.
“A date,” Kai piped up. “I’d say I’m ready now.” He arched an eyebrow as if to say “ball’s in your court.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” I slid my arm around his waist and pressed myself up against his side.
A look of surprise flashed across his face. “Perfect.”
I could outdate him any place, any time. I brightened. This was going to be fun. The touching part wasn’t a downside either.
“The fate of the world does dee-pend on you loving each other,” Aphrodite said. “So, good. We’ll start with a date.”
“Still say it’s a euphemism,” Festos burst out. “And Kai doesn’t date.”
Kai snaked his arm around my waist before pressing his fingertips into my hip. “Never wanted to before. Sophie’s the exception.”
“The euphemistic exception?” Festos asked. “Shut up,” Kai and I fired at him in tandem.
Festos took it in stride, waggling his eyebrows cheerfully at Theo who pretended to look disapproving but totally wasn’t. Even Hannah didn’t bother to hide her smile.
“Only thing is,” I told Aphrodite, “I have to be back at school by Sunday morning. I have a meeting I can’t miss. So I’ll have to get this thing with Jack done quickly to have time for the date.”
“Going together to find Hermes is the date.” Aphrodite looked at me like I was an idiot. “You two need as much together time as possible.”
No way. I needed all my wits about me to handle Kai. Something that couldn’t happen if I had to track down Hermes at the same time. I tried a new tactic. “A date involves dinner and a movie. Something romantic. Finding Hermes hardly counts.”
She pinned me in her gaze. “Had so miny of them, Miz Expert? All a date is, is two people spendin’ time to deepen their attraction.”
“Or kill it,” Hannah piped up.
Aphrodite scrunched up her nose. “Huh?”
“There are far more first dates than second,” Hannah explained. “Which means that after spending time, those people realized they were not a match.”
“What she said,” I seconded.
Aphrodite narrowed her eyes at Hannah. “I don’t get ya. You talk like that but you’re so brim up with love.”
“I’m a confounding enigma,” Hannah replied cheerfully.
Aphrodite threw her hands up. “Enough’a this nonsense. You’ll go together to find Hermes. And you’ll be date-like doin’ it.”
That sounded like a threat.
“Almost like you planned it that way,” I said to Kai.
His smile grew wider as he gave my waist a squeeze. “Told you I get what I want. Feel free to let that sink in.”





Tellulah Darling

noun

1. YA romantic comedy author because her first kiss sucked and she's compensating.2. Alter ego of former screenwriter.3. Sassy minx.Geeks out over: cool tech.

Squees for: great storytelling.Delights in: fabulous conversation.Writes about: where love meets comedy. Awkwardness ensues.

Sassy girls. Swoony boys. What could go wrong?



a Rafflecopter giveaway


Friday, November 29, 2013

Black Friday Extravaganza | Featuring Author Eliza Tilton and her novel, Broken Forest + Giveaway! Win 1 of 4 $50 Amazon Giftcards


"I use Grammarly's grammar check because a misplaced word or spelling error can make even me, an instant comedian."

Hello everyone and welcome to the Black Friday Extravaganza!

The biggest names in Fiction are coming together to help YOU kick off your Holiday Shopping! 
Come help us spread the word for a chance to win one of FOUR $50 Giftcards!!! 
7 PM will kick off the LIVE Facebook Party where you can win one of 50 books, don't miss it!

Each blog on the tour will be spotlighting a different author. I myself am paired with Author Eliza Tilton and here's all about her novel, Broken Forest.



Broken Forest by Eliza Tilton
Paperback, 242 pages 
Published May 1st 2013 by Curiosity Quills Press 
Genre: YA - Fanasty



Hopeless he'll never be more than the boy who didn't save his brother, 17-year-old Avikar accepts his life as the family stable boy, trying to forget the past. But when his sister, Jeslyn, is kidnapped, the thought of losing another sibling catapults him on a desperate quest. With his best friend by his side, and using the tracking skills he learned from his father, he discovers Jeslyn has been taken, kidnapped by one Lucino, the young lord of Daath, a mystical place thought only to exist in fables. 

And Lucino has plans for Jeslyn.

His shape-shifting brethren feed off the auras of humans, and Jeslyn's golden hue is exactly what Lucino needs to increase his power. The longer it takes Avikar to reach her, the more entranced she becomes with Lucino's world, and the harder it will be for Avikar to set her free.

He failed his family once. He won't fail again.
Purchase @ Amazon | B&N | Kobo







About The Author: Eliza Tilton

Find Eliza @

Eliza graduated from Dowling College with a BS in Visual Communications. When she’s not arguing with excel at her day job, or playing Dragon Age 2, again, she’s writing. Her stories hold a bit of the fantastical and there’s always a romance. She resides on Long Island with her husband, two kids and one very snuggly pit bull. 


Now it's time for the giveaway!  Please the rafflecopter form below to be enter to win one of FOUR $50 Amazon Giftcards! Also be sure to attend to the facebook event for a chance to win tons of fun free ebooks by all these fabulous authors on tour. 

Authors on Tour:

Lisa Collicutt
Bethany Lopez
Jennifer Lane
T.M. Franklin
Diana DeRicci
Dawna Raver
K. A. Last
Tia Bach
Rick Chiantaretto
Andrea Heltsley
CL Foster
Samantha LaFantasie
A.M. Hargrove
JD Nelson
Sharon Bayliss
Alexia Purdy
Diane J Reed
Meradeth Houston
Leigh Talbert Moore
Erica Cope
C. R. Everett
N.L.Greene
Cherie Colyer
Diane J Reed
Shannon Mayer
Katie Jennings
Raine Thomas
Julia Crane
Lizzy Ford
Tawdra Kandle
Amy Harmon
SM Reine
JM Gregoire
Heather Hildenbrand
Eliza Tilton
Peggy Martinez
Nicki Elson
Faith Sullivan
JA Huss
Alyssa Rose Ivy
Jennifer Snyder
Liz Long
Hart Johnson
Cambria Hebert
Karice Bolton
Amber Garr
S. M. Boyce
Carrie Butler
Lynn Rush

Thanks for stopping by! 

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Guest Post w/ Author Joe Gazzam | WHAT SCARES YOU? Win a signed copy of Uncaged!

















Hi everyone! Today I am here to bring you a fun guest post from author Joe Gazzam. His debut YA novel UNCAGED was released on 10/22/13 and is thrilling readers everywhere. Joe will be sharing with my readers a guest post about what SCARES him. He has also agreed to give away 2 signed copies of his novel, Uncaged. Crazy awesome, right? 

About...

Uncaged by Joe Gazzam
Paperback266 pages
Published October 11th 2013 by Zova Books
Genre: YA Thriller 


Jason seems destined to screw things up. After capping off a burglary and a bar fight with a car wreck, he quickly finds himself on the wrong side of the law. And since his father's the governor, that means his punishment is about as public as it gets. Jason's thrown into the first Scared Straight program Florida has ever run in their updated, state-of-the-art Blackenbush Penitentiary. Along with a documentary crew led by Sasha, a young woman in way over her head, and a handful of other kids a year and a strike away from jail, Jason comes face to face with his inevitable future on the other side of a heavily guarded prison wall.


But that's just the beginning. The tour has barely begun when one of the inmates makes a move. Before long the entire penitentiary is under siege, surrounded by the feds and overrun with prisoners let loose from their cells. Jason slips away with Sasha in the chaos, but they won't be able to escape without help. And the only thing worse than being stuck in prison, is being stuck in a prison run by the inmates.

        With my new, scratch that, with my debut novel “Uncaged” coming out October 22nd, the folks at Bittersweet Enchantment asked me to write a few paragraphs about scary books or movies I like.  The good news here is -- they are one in the same – “The Shining.”
      In maybe his worst moment as a parent, my father let me watch this movie when I was eight years old and it completely blew my mind.  And not in a particularly constructive way.  For a solid year I was afraid to walk down hallways. And hotels?  Forget about it. You’d have to knock me unconscious to get me to step foot in one of those.
     But I think the reason it affected me so much is the same reason it’s such a great movie.  Because the characters were so rich and the subject matter so psychologically deep and disturbing, that it was almost impossible to shake off.  And the book, which I read a few years later, had the same effect. 
      Stephen King often talks about how his job is to create characters that we care about and then put them in harms way.  Which is what I attempted to do with “Uncaged.”  You see, there was another movie that blew my mind, although this one was a documentary.  It was called “Scared Straight.”  I also saw this one when I was about eight (it was a rough year).  It’s a documentary about the Scared Straight program in which they take repeat juvenile offenders and put the in a maximum-security prison for a day.  At some point they line them all up in chairs and let about twenty of the worst, most horrifying convicts in the room.  These are giant, mean looking guys, some of them missing an eyeballs.  And these convicts would just scream at these kids.  “If you were in here, I would to this to you and do that to you.”  Between that and the Shining, I’m surprised ever left the house again.
      But it did provide me with the subject for my book “Uncaged.”  Because in the documentary, there was always this imaginary line between the criminals and the kids.  You always kinda knew they weren’t really going to get violent with them.  Which led me to wonder, what would it be like if that imaginary line was removed?
     To me, that was the scariest thing in the world.



About The Author: Joe Gazzam

Find Joe @

Screenwriter/Novelist Joe Gazzam was born in Baltimore, MD, grew up in Fort Lauderdale, FL and graduated from the University of Florida.  Soon after college he moved to Los Angeles with one script under his arm, never having been to California in his life.  

Since then, due to good luck and the support of friends and family, he’s been a working screenwriter for 8 years.  Joe has worked on such films as: 21 Jump Street, Barbarella, Step Up: Revolution, Disney’s Hawaiian Adventure, It Takes a Thief, Anubis Tapestry, and many more.

He is repped by Harley Copen of ICM and managed by Ava Jamshidi of Industry Entertainment.  His debut novel, UNCAGED, will be released on Oct. 22, 2013! 

He currently lives in Southern California with his wife and son.
To be entered to win the giveaway below please use the rafflecopter form. 
Thank you Joe for hosting this giveaway on my blog win TWO signed copies of Uncaged. 

Open to US and Canada ONLY.

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