Space, Shifters, Romance and Sales

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about any single book or series. Well, let’s be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve posted a lot of anything. But since life with a new baby in the house is starting to settle down, and since I’m again finding a daily groove, I think it’s well past time to once again begin posting about books. So…

Last year I saw an ad for a sci-fi/fantasy book about space travelling dragon shapeshifters. At the time, I thought “what the heck, let’s give it a try?” and I bought Abducting Abby by S.E. Smith. The story of Abby Tanner and dragonshifter Zoran Reykill, leader of the Valdier, kicks off the Dragon Lords of Valdier series. From there it branches off with the related series: Curizan Warriors, Sarafin Warriors and Marastin Dow, and the Dragonlings of Valdier – a second generation series from the other series I just listed. When I started reading I had no idea what I was getting myself into. However, I was in for a pleasant surprise.

As I followed Abby, Cara, Trisha, Ariel, Carmen and the other women from Earth as they met and fell in love with the various warriors who claim them, I was happily entranced with the stories. For someone like myself who firmly believes that there is life “out there” the imaginative possibilities presented by S.E. Smith was like giving an unlimited supply of candy to a kid. And what’s even better, is that these books are interesting enough that I can re-read them over and over.

But you know what’s really great?

Right now – September 1-3, 2017 – all of Smith’s e-books are on sale for just 99 cents. So right now is a really great time to stock up… and read! Explore the titles of all S.E. Smith's series here.

S.E. Smith Facebook

S.E. Smith Twitter

S.E. Smith G+

And you can find even more ways to fan-stalk Smith, in all the good ways I mean, on her website!

S.E. Smith Website

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COVER REVEAL: Darkness Savage by Rachel A. Marks

 Darkness Savage by Rachel A. Marks 
The Dark Cycle #3
Published by: Skyscape
Publication date: October 13th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

The forces of Darkness have only gotten stronger as Aidan struggles to control his newly awakened abilities that seem to be his only hope for fixing the mess he made by waking up his little sister, Ava, who seems to think it’s all a game as she taunts him and begins a torturous game of cat and mouse. And while Rebecca isn’t sure where she fits in the fight, one thing she does know is that something has gone very wrong inside her. And uncovering what it is could upend any hope Aidan has to save the lives of everyone he’s grown to love.

Everything he’s built, everything he’s fought for until now, hangs in the balance—as well as the fate of the world. Now Aidan and the Lights he’s brought together must take their true place to fight the forces rising from the shadows at a startling rate, forces trying to tear them apart. But when Aidan can’t save the one thing he needs the most, he begins to wonder if he’ll have anything true left to hold on to in the end.

Goodreads

 

Pre-order Your Copy of DARKNESS SAVAGE here.

AUTHOR BIO:

Rachel A. Marks is an award-winning author and professional artist, a SoCal girl, cancer survivor, a surfer and dirt-bike rider, chocolate lover and keeper of faerie secrets. She was voted: Most Likely to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, but hopes she'll never have to test the theory. Her debut series The Dark Cycle, described as Dickens' Oliver Twist meets TV's Supernatural, is now out through Skyscape, beginning with DARKNESS BRUTAL.

Author links:

http://www.rachelannemarks.com/

https://www.facebook.com/RachelAnneMarks

https://twitter.com/rachelannemarks

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4094113.Rachel_A_Marks

Reading Recommendations With Daily Featured Books

Here we are again rounding up the books featured on our social media sites this week and putting them all in one place, one list... Just for you.

It's basically been a week of paranormal romance and fantasy.

Hope you enjoy and happy reading!

FIRE BOUND by Christine Feehan

Book 5 - Sea Haven, Sisters of the Heart Series 

Flame-haired Lissa Piner is a skilled glass blower whose delicate gift conceals a burning inner strength that can destroy as exquisitely as it can create. Commissioned to design chandeliers for a string of luxury hotels, her remarkable skills have taken her to Italy. But Lissa’s real mission there is a secret. For her entire life has been a lie, leading to a chance to avenge a terrible wrong.

Enlisted as her bodyguard is Casmir Prakenskii, a trained assassin living off the grid. In Lissa, he sees a kindred spirit—something unexpected and wicked, mysterious and sensual. But more than desire is about to bring them together: because both of their pasts cry out for revenge. And for two people with this many secrets, this much passion, and this many enemies, someone is bound to get burned.

Released this Tuesday, FIRE BOUND takes us back to Sea Haven - filled with magic, mystery and love that's soul deep. Get your copy and fall in love! 

PREY by Chloe Cole

Book 1 – Montana Wolves Series

When a gorgeous stranger rescues her from a vicious wolf attack, curvy nature photographer Amalie Baptista can’t seem to fight the attraction to her savior. What she doesn't know is that giving in to him could mean giving up life as she knows it...
Alpha male Liam Albrecht is breaking every rule for the curvy, captivating Amalie, risking his place within the pack and his own life to protect her. As discord among the clans reaches a fever pitch, he must find a way to save her from the monsters among them.

Enter Cole’s world of wolf-shifters and more in PREY today for FREE!

NATHAN’S HEART by Minx Malone

Book 1 – Brotherhood of Bandits, Mating Fever Series

Nathan Drake cares about only one thing. Money. As a recovery agent (cough thief) he'll take any job that gets him the green. His brothers don't call him Heartless for nothing. But a heart doesn't keep food on the table. Living on the outskirts of dragon shifter society has taught him that. Whether it's drugs, jewels or weapons, he'll recover whatever the client wants, for his cut of the loot of course.
Until the night a storm pushes him off course and he’s forced to take his cargo back to his den. Locked inside fighting the mating fever he discovers the crate isn’t filled with diamonds or jewels at all. Instead it contains the one thing he can’t ignore.
A girl.

In this world where dragon-shifters are known to exist, rumors swirl widely, an unworthy dragon king rules and the rightful heir is almost ready to step up. Discover the Bandits and feel the fevers heat in NATHAN’S HEART today.

IAN’S FALL by Minx Malone

Book 2 – Brotherhood of Bandits, Mating Fever Series

When Ian Drake is shot down after visiting dragon territory, his only thought is to warn his brothers of the coming danger. Attacked with some kind of chemical weapon, he is unable to shift into his dragon form. For the first time in years, the protector finds himself vulnerable and his salvation comes in a form he’d never expect.
A woman.
Morgan Hall is not beautiful or charming but armed with her knowledge of herbs and her healing touch, she’s vital to her small community in the Virginia mountains. She leads a quiet life but one filled with purpose. Nothing exciting ever happens to her and she’s okay with that.
Until a dragon crashes into her backyard.

The Drake brother’s stories continue in IAN’S FALL (picking up right where book 1 of the series finished off)… Get your copy today and have fun with these dragon-shifters.

GAVIN’S CURSE by Minx Malone

Book 3 – Brotherhood of Bandits, Mating Fever Series

Gavin Drake has spent years mourning the mate he lost far too young. After a lifetime of searching he’s finally discovered how to break the mate bond. Despite the risks, he’s determined to test it on himself, figuring nothing could be worse than continuing to live without the other half of his soul. Until he takes the serum and discovers that there is something far worse.
Discovering that his mate is alive and has chosen not to be with him.
Kia Warren has spent her entire life at the mercy of her madman of a father, subject to his experiments and hidden away from the world. Her only solace has been in the imaginary love of her dreams that she is starting to suspect is very real…

The last of the Drake brother’s has his day and we find out how he fares in GAVIN’S CURSE – get your copy today!

Saturdays with Princess

 

THE UNWANTEDS by Lisa McMann

Book 1 – The Unwanteds Series

When Alex finds out he is Unwanted, he expects to die. That is the way of the people of Quill. Each year, all the thirteen-year-olds are labeled as Wanted, Necessary, or Unwanted. Wanteds get more schooling and train to join the Quillitary. Necessaries keep the farms running. Unwanteds are set for elimination.

It’s hard for Alex to leave behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted, but he makes peace with his fate—until he discovers that instead of a “death farm,” what awaits him is a magical place called Artimé. There, Alex and his fellow Unwanteds are encouraged to cultivate their creative abilities and use them magically. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it’s a wondrous transformation.

But it’s a rare, unique occurrence for twins to be divided between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron’s bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artimé that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate magical battle.

Another wonderfully imaginative book that parents, children and teens can share and enjoy together or on their own. Get your own copy of the THE UNWANTEDS today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

And there we have it. This week's featured books. Please note that the Ups & Downs Shop will be completely updated once this post is live and as always you can find ALL the books that have been featured. But please remember that some of the sales and free books are offered for a limited time only - the books will remain as featured but the initial sales/freebies may have expired.

Next week the books of the day will begin to be shared daily here on the blog - I'm changing this because of the way that FB policies have changed so that I can continue to promote and share books to you all. 

I hope you've had a great weekend... Keep on reading!

It's a SALE! Get PHOENYX RISING for just $0.99!

PHOENYX RISING

by Kolleen Fraser 

Urban Fantasy 

On SALE until MAY 6th for just $0.99!

"As a danger to the world, I’ll be locked away here forever. Afraid to move on, afraid to start my life, I have no idea who I was or where I belong, only that I am a killer."

About the book: 

When Phoenyx Ember woke up in the burning remnants of a crater, she couldn't remember anything except her name. She is haunted by the blackness that envelops her past and the limitless power of fire coursing through her veins.

She is charged with a murder she doesn't remember committing and shipped to the Academy, a home for the violent offenders and orphaned children of power.

There, she will fight the darkness inside herself and look for answers to who she is and why her past was erased.

Some secrets are meant to stay hidden.

Get Your Copy Today - On Sale ONLY Until May 6th!

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TRBJWK2
iBooks: https://itun.es/ca/CXW7bb.l
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/phoenyx-rising-1
Page Foundry: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/9eb77f0a-2dbf-4598-a43a-b9cc9dc79b05
Amazon CA: http://www.amazon.ca/Phoenyx-Rising-Demigods-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00TRBJWK2/
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/Phoenyx-Rising-Demigods-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00TRBJWK2/

Take 'The Challenge' and Unveil the Cover - COVER REVEAL

 

Writing Through the Ages - Cockney Slang? THE HEARTBEAT THIEF BLITZ

This is more or less a guest post from author AJ Krafton, but is also the final post in the interview series for the day of blitzing for THE HEARTBEAT THIEF on the blog. 

Have a great night everybody and enjoy this last post of the day!!

Speaking “English” English: Cockney Rhyming Slang

The Heartbeat Thief is a historical fantasy that follows the journey of a girl who learned a secret that was quite dangerous for an English girl in 1860s Surrey: the secret of immortality. 

As a writer, I faced a challenge. Not only was I writing a historical, but one that would span many different time periods, in various countries. What had I been thinking? : ) This wouldn’t just be a case of making up a story—this was going to involve serious research.

I don’t mind research. (In fact, writers tend to do it without even realizing it—everything we see or hear or read or experience is potential research for a book.) However, I’m easily distracted when doing Internet research. One page leads to another and another and the next thing I know I’m three hours away from my original query (but a happy, happy reader, nonetheless.)

One particular scene in The Heartbeat Thief involved Senza’s stay in Whitechapel in late 1888. You hear the neighborhood, you hear the year…you must know the story.

It wasn’t enough to research names, dates, maps of East London during the time. When I write, I hear the characters conversing in my head. Trouble is, I didn’t spend much time in Whitechapel in the late 19th century, so I needed to research the sounds of Whitechapel.

Every region has its own dialects and slang. In East London, there was a particular slang that grew amongst criminals and dodgy folk. They used the slang as code—that way, they could speak without their information being overheard by the wrong ears. Some of it was to hide vulgarity and some of it was just fun to say.

Whitechapel and Spitalfields were considered Cockney neighborhoods, so the characters we meet in The Heartbeat Thief would have been fluent in Cockney rhyming slang. A country-born manor-bred woman such as Senza Fyne was sure to be completely bewildered the first time she encountered one of the residents and attempted conversation.

Cockney rhyming slang

When I came across this dialect, I realized that there was an entire separate world of English to be discovered…and, once I delved into the phenomenon of Cockney rhyming slang, I was completely hooked. It would days before I got back to actually working on my manuscript and by then, I was using the slang so much my family thought I’d suffered a minor stroke.

My research also put to rest lingering questions I had from the first time I watched Austin Powers: Goldmember. (Yes, I know I just dated myself by referring to a movie from 2002.)  Remember this scene with Myers and Caine?

Austin: Listen, dad, if you are going to say naughty things in front of these American girls then at least speak English English.

[Nigel looks back at girls]

Nigel: All right, my son: I could've had it away with this cracking Julie, my old China. (Subtitle: I was about to make love to this pretty girl.)

Austin: Are you telling pork-pies and a bag of trout? Because if you are feeling quigly, why not just have a J. Arthur? (Is this true? If you were aroused, why didn't you pleasure yourself?)

Nigel: What, billy no mates? (What, alone?)

Austin: Too right, youth. (Indeed.)

Nigel: Don't you remember the crimbo din-din we had with the grotty Scots bint? (Remember Christmas dinner with the Scottish girl?)

Austin: Oh, the one that was all sixes and sevens! (The insane one?)

Nigel: Yeah, yeah, she was the trouble and strife of the Morris dancer what lived up the apples and pears! (She was the wife of the dancer who lived upstairs.)

Austin: She was the barrister what become a bobby in a lorry and... (A lawyer who became a policeman in a truck) [inaudiably] (????????)...

Austin & Nigel: --tea kettle!

Nigel: And then, and then--

Austin & Nigel: She shat on a turtle!

Of course, when I first saw the movie the only thing that made sense was the last line…and that didn’t really make any sense at all. (But at least I knew what a turtle was.)

After a bit of researching, I was able to translate Austin Powers all by myself (I thank you) and even tried a hand at the lingo myself.

*Ahem*

In The Heartbeat Thief, Senza was the most innocent ribbon and curl when she went to Whitechapel. Her very best china was a brass nail but then some bushel of coke took a shovel and spade to the birds they knew and the next thing you know, it’s off to the overcoat maker. Again. Poor fing can’t catch a break.

So, anyway that’s Cockney rhyming slang. And it’s a whole different kind of English than the kind we speak here in eastern Pennsylvania. (Although…we do have a unique slang of our own in these parts. How’s this for a linguistic cage match: Cockney verses Coal Region Speak http://www.coalregion.com/speak/speaka.php)

As much fun as it was to learn more about Cockney rhyming slang, you won’t find large portions of The Heartbeat Thief written with it. Unless you’re well versed in the dialect, you’d need a reference or two to translate it all—and in the process, you’d get as distracted from reading the story as I did when I was writing it! 

But when you’re reading a passage from Senza’s stay in Whitechapel, I hope you’ll hear the characters conversing in your head while you read. If you do, then all my hours of watching mini-series and movies and reading novels research totally paid off.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25153751-the-heartbeat-thief?ac=1

Purchase:

(the first two days of release will be selling at 99cents)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Heartbeat-Thief-AJ-Krafton-ebook/dp/B00UZC9W7U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433904408&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Heartbeat+Thief+Krafton

The Mini-Interview Continues in Part 3 with AJ Krafton - THE HEARTBEAT THIEF BLITZ

Inspiration is always a topic that interests me and one that I always try to touch on when talking with other writers. See what more AJ Krafton has to say about her personal inspirations in this third instalment of our blitz interview!.. 

How did the work of Edgar Allan Poe inspire this story?

I’ve been a Poe fanatic from an early age. There is something about that tragic man that keeps me captivated: his unwavering stare into the depths of the shadows that filled his life, his penchant for beautiful, melodramatic language, his undying devotion to the people he’d loved and lost.

My favorite Poe spots are in Baltimore (where he’d once lived and is interred) and in Philadelphia (where one of his homes has now become part of the National Park Service [http://www.nps.gov/edal/index.htm]). It’s believed that his story “The Black Cat” was inspired by the basement of that house. (I have a black cat Webkinz that I would love to stick into a hole in the wall there but the husband says NO THAT’S VANDALISM AND JAIL and other husband-type warnings. Such a party pooper.)

A few years ago, I had the chance to visit the Rare Books department at the Philadelphia Free Library, where they had Poe’s work on display. I could have spent a week in there, with only a thin pane of glass between my hand and the pages touched by Poe’s very pen. The original manuscript of Rue Morgue was inches away from my face. I was in complete thrall. (The husband rolled his eyes and moved me along.)

While my short stories and poetry often pay a small tribute to him, this is the first full-length work that I’ve devoted to his style. I let all the wonderful macabre shadows creep in and take over while I was writing. The Heartbeat Thief also includes specific references to “The Masque of the Red Death”.

In “The Masque of the Red Death” a wealthy lord turns his home into a sealed fortress in an effort to protect himself and his close friends from the Red Death, a plague that was spreading through the country. One night he threw a party for his guests…but someone unexpected showed up. The unexpected guest was dressed as a ghoul bathed in blood and everyone fell dead at its feet. (The End.)

Elements of “Masque” are present throughout The Heartbeat Thief. Excerpts from Poe’s story are used in the section introductions, setting the tone of the chapters to follow. The novel’s structure was also loosely based upon the flow of Poe’s story—Prince Prospero's seven apartments now become the seven major settings of the story. I used color references and allegorical context to connect Senza's journey through time to the passage of Poe's ill-fated party goers, right the very last black room, where Death awaited them all.

Overall, I hope that the theme, the atmosphere, and the character’s obsession with life and death would do my idol proud. I hope to visit Baltimore again soon, just to stop into Westminster Burying Ground [http://www.eapoe.org/balt/poegrave.htm] for a moment to say hello, to offer another bit of thanks for his unending inspiration, and to leave a few pennies on his gravestone. 

Check in with us a bit later when AJ shares some insight into historical slang use in writing. 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25153751-the-heartbeat-thief?ac=1

Purchase:

(the first two days of release will be selling at 99cents)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Heartbeat-Thief-AJ-Krafton-ebook/dp/B00UZC9W7U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433904408&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Heartbeat+Thief+Krafton

AJ Krafton Mini-Interview Part 2 - THE HEARTBEAT THIEF BLITZ

And we're back with the 2nd question from the mini-interview with THE HEARTBEAT THIEF Author AJ Krafton. 

Again, enjoy! 

Where did the characters get their names?

One character was named by a fan on Facebook, one name was inspired by a song, and one simply named himself.

Felicity Keating is a close friend of the main character, and was named in an impromptu contest I held on Facebook. I had a name for her but I felt like doing something spur-of-the-moment. I loved the suggestion of Felicity because it was so fitting for the character and what she symbolized. (The Facebook Friend who suggested the name is mentioned in the Acknowledgements section of the book.)

The main character is Miss Constance Fyne, who prefers her nickname “Senza”. Her given name, Constance, alludes to the word “constant”. The suffix con- means with. 

Senza is Italian for “without”.  

Her last name Fyne is a play on fine, or fin: French for end.

Senza Fyne is a play on the Italian word senzafine, which means “endless”. Fitting name for a girl who seeks the secret to eternal youth.

I love the word senzafine. I learned it when I heard the Italian metal band Lacuna Coil sing their song of the same name. It’s my absolutely favorite LC song.

One line of the song, when translated into English, fits Senza perfectly: I’m standing still in this moment of pure madness…I don’t know if I wish for good or evil although perhaps sin will give me more…

Playing opposite to Senza is a tall, mysterious stranger who teases her with secretive smiles and suggestions of magic. From their first meeting, he calls her bien-aime, which is French for “beloved”. When she demands his name, he listens to the tolling of a nearby church bell before calling himself Mr. Knell. 

But he has an older name. A much older name. And it will take Senza a very, very long time before she realizes just who he truly is.

The song “Senzafine” fits him, too. One particular verse fits Senza’s dark seducer perfectly. There is no life without me. There is no choice without me. 

And Senza utterly believes him.

We'll be back in a while with another question and answer from the author!!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25153751-the-heartbeat-thief?ac=1

Purchase:

(the first two days of release will be selling at 99cents)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Heartbeat-Thief-AJ-Krafton-ebook/dp/B00UZC9W7U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433904408&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Heartbeat+Thief+Krafton

Mini-Interview Part 1 with AJ Krafton - BLITZ

Author AJ Krafton answers some questions about THE HEARTBEAT THIEF, her writing processes, motivations and inspirations. Here is the first of the questions answered in the mini-interview with the author! 

Enjoy!!

What inspired the story of The Heartbeat Thief?

It started with a single scene, a conversation between a young woman and a mysterious stranger who steals up beside her at a funeral. 

A lot of my stories start out like this, a single scene with no other context. It’s as if I happen across a conversation between strangers and only see one tiny snippet of their story. Sometimes, the scenes get written and tucked away in an “ideas” folder on my hard drive, lying dormant. Sometimes, a trickle of life stirs within, and a story grows out of that tiny seed. 

Sometimes, the seed germinates and grows and blooms into a novel. That’s what happened with that first passage—it was the seed that grew into The Heartbeat Thief.

I went back to the oldest draft of the story and found that original seed. Here is the passage as I’d first written it:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That frightens you, doesn't?

She didn't turn to look at him. His presence was like a thick fog, tenuous yet flowing, something she felt along her skin. She didn't need to look at him—she knew right where he was. That sense of nearness, something she recognized even for all his strangeness. 

She knew him. Didn't know why, or how. And she didn't care. It was simply what was.

She pinched her lips together, watching a woman bent in grief, clutching a handkerchief to her mouth. “Doesn't it frighten everyone? Dying--in such a sudden way—“

Ah, it's not the suddenness, or the surprise, or even the shock. It's the brick wall at the end of the road of life. You don't like the ending, no matter how it comes.

She tilted her head, just enough that she could capture him in her periphery. “No. I don't like the ending.”

He drifted closer, hovering just over her shoulder, like an umbrella. His mouth close to her ear, he chuckled a sonorous tone. Why would you? Your beauty, faded? Your charms, withered? Your friends and admirers, all gone away? You'll die alone, bienaimee. Everyone dies alone.

She tugged her shawl tighter about her shoulders. “Don't say that.”

But it is truth. Oh, if only there was a way to avoid all that.

“No one lives forever.”

Do they not?

His voice held such a curious tone, a tease in the words that caught her attention. “In the afterlife, yes.”

In this life.

She faced him, locking her gaze with his. His dark eyes glittered and a smile tugged at the corners of him mouth. “Why would you say things, here?”

Where better to admit the truth? He stole behind her, trailing his finger along her shoulders. In this place, life meets death. They stare each other in the face. The only difference between them is that the dead no longer care.

He drew back, his sudden withdrawal leaving a cold mist on her skin. The only question that remains is…do you still care, bienaimee? 

She wrinkled her nose. “Of course, I still care.”

Then, he said, his voice deepening into a throaty chuckle. Don't die.

She turned to admonish him for his audacity but, when she spun around, he was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No way could something like this stay dormant in a dusty old file. The stranger’s mystery and his shadowy threat and the promise of eternal life simply held me captive, and I knew it would haunt me until I wrote it.

That was where The Heartbeat Thief came to life.

Come back later to see more of the mini-interview with Author AJ Krafton. 

Purchase:

(the first two days of release will be selling at 99cents)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Heartbeat-Thief-AJ-Krafton-ebook/dp/B00UZC9W7U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433904408&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Heartbeat+Thief+Krafton

Life at Any Cost?? THE HEARTBEAT THIEF - BLITZ

The Heartbeat Thief by A.J. Krafton 

Publication date: June 12th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult

Synopsis:

Haunted by a crushing fear of death, a young Victorian woman discovers the secret of eternal youth—she must surrender her life to attain it, and steal heartbeats to keep it.

In 1860 Surrey, a young woman has only one occupation: to marry. Senza Fyne is beautiful, intelligent, and lacks neither wealth nor connections. Finding a husband shouldn’t be difficult, not when she has her entire life before her. But it’s not life that preoccupies her thoughts. It’s death—and that shadowy spectre haunts her every step.

So does Mr. Knell. Heart-thumpingly attractive, obviously eligible—he’d be her perfect match if only he wasn’t so macabre. All his talk about death, all that teasing about knowing how to avoid it…

When her mother arranges a courtship with another man, Senza is desperate for escape from a dull prescripted destiny. Impulsively, she takes Knell up on his offer. He casts a spell that frees her from the cruelty of time and the threat of death—but at a steep price. In order to maintain eternal youth, she must feed on the heartbeats of others.

It’s a little bit Jane Austen, a little bit Edgar Allen Poe, and a whole lot of stealing heartbeats in order to stay young and beautiful forever. From the posh London season to the back alleys of Whitechapel, across the Channel, across the Pond, across the seas of Time…

How far will Senza Fyne go to avoid Death?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25153751-the-heartbeat-thief?ac=1

Purchase:

(the first two days of release will be selling at 99cents)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Heartbeat-Thief-AJ-Krafton-ebook/dp/B00UZC9W7U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433904408&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Heartbeat+Thief+Krafton

AUTHOR BIO:

AJ Krafton is the author of New Adult speculative fiction. Her debut The Heartbeat Thief is due out on Kindle in June 2015. Forthcoming titles include Taking' It Back & Face of the Enemy. She's a proud member of the Infinite Ink Authors. AJ also writes adult spec fic as Ash Krafton. Visit Ash at http://ashkrafton.com

Author links: 

https://twitter.com/ajkrafton

http://ajkrafton.blogspot.ca/

https://www.facebook.com/AJKrafton

Be Entranced by the Fire of the Sea - REVIEW

Fire of the Sea by Lyndsay Johnson
Publication date: March 24th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Sharp, sleek, and golden. Like the dagger she has worn since childhood, eighteen-year-old Aeva is all three of these things. But there is something else that this mermaid and her prized weapon share – they are both hunted.

Hidden within the caves off Iceland’s dark shore, Aeva waits to take her place as the next ruler of the Mermaids. But when Aeva uses her potent and alluring song to save a drowning human, she disrupts a delicate balance. Realizing she has unexpectedly bound herself to Gunnar, Aeva is torn between duty and love.

Aeva severs one life to begin another, and soon finds herself not only rejected by the sea, but also stalked by an old enemy. As the worlds of myth and man intertwine, Aeva will challenge fate to protect her own sacred relic and the man she loves.

But legend and lies cast an intricate net. With time and safety quickly unraveling for Aeva and Gunnar, there is only one clear course: Find and defeat Delphine before she can shift again.

Goodreads

 

REVIEW

To anyone who has taken an opportunity to look back in the archives of this blog and seen the titles of the books that I have in the past read, reviewed or discussed, it’s pretty apparent that while I read almost only romance novels, within the genre my interest ranges wide and far.  I’m too much of a sucker for a HEA to really enjoy anything but romance, though I do on occasion pick up something non-fiction.  However I’ve always viewed reading as an opportunity for escape from my everyday life and so it is safe to say that I’m utterly fascinated by fiction. 

Whether a story is set in medieval Europe, Australia in the late 1890’s, Regency England, the Gold Rush era in America, 1800’s Westerns, space-based futures, time travellers, sci-fi contemporaries, paranormals that span centuries and worlds, or whatever, I simply love them all and I don’t know that I could pick a specific subcategory of romance that is my favorite.  But I will admit this: any romance story that has at least some basis, or includes some aspect of, myth or legends is usually a story that gets placed at the top of the TBR pile.  I simply adore any inclusion of myth, however it’s adapted, in romance.

Knowing this, it shouldn’t come as any surprise to you, my friendly readers, that Fire of the Sea was a novel that instantly, immediately and completely caught my eye. It’s not too incredibly often that I stumble upon stories of mermaids, selurs, selkies and the like.  I couldn’t pass up the opportunity, and my own personal need, to read and review this story.

And what a story it was. 

Sometimes when you’re reading you have to push yourself to accept the reality that the author is creating for you.  Other times, you slip into the story as if it was written for you.  From the moment we first meet Aeva I was... entranced.  To see how this young meriad (aka mermaid) suffers and grows, to see how she’s unsure of herself and yet determined at the same time, and to see her make the hard choices she’s faced with – well, it was amazing and just so well done.

Right from the start you’re introduced to Aeva’s two best friends: Merrick and Sissel, and you can see the dynamics between them. You can feel the bonds of friendship that tie the three together.  You know the lengths that they’d be willing to go for one another, and you can be pretty certain of the soul-deep loyalty they hold for the others.  The truly fascinating and wonderful part of this trio is that they are young, so young to have formed such concrete bonds, and yet you can believe that though they may struggle, and though their faith may waver, those bonds will forever be true.

Then there’s Gunnar.  He fell from the sky, was nearly swallowed by the sea, and led Aeva to land.  Instantly you realize that there is something special about Gunnar, something that makes him special to Aeva, and you can’t wait to see how the journey for these two unfold.  Because really, it’s difficult to imagine how a mermaid and a human can have any kind of future, any kind of path that has them side by side. Yet that is exactly the story that Lyndsay Johnson has written.

Rich in myth and legend, ripe with emotion and the vagaries of real life, Fire of the Sea is simply a wonderful story and, just in case I haven’t made my feelings about it clear yet, I really, really loved it. I loved the depth of the characters, the complexity of the storyline and the way in which (Norse and some Greek) mythology was melded in to it.  From the brightness of Aeva and Gunnar’s heart, to the darkness of Delphine’s nature, there is really nothing that I can complain about, nothing that I could criticize, and nothing that I would see changed.  

So if you’re looking for a truly great story to read, I absolutely recommend Lyndsay Johnson’s Fire of the Sea. You won’t be disappointed and I honestly believe that you’ll fall in love with the story as I have.

 

Feel the Pull in The Siren's Realm - REVIEW

The Siren’s Realm by Megan O’Russell 
(The Tethering, #2) 

Publication date: April 29th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Jacob loves Emilia Gray, but things aren’t always that simple in the world of Magickind…

The war has begun.

The Dragons are gaining power, and the Gray Clan stands alone. Desperate to find a way to stop the Pendragon, Emilia is forced to seek answers from someone who hasn’t been seen in seventeen years . . . Her mother. Embarking on a magical journey filled with witches, wizards, centaurs and a dangerous and powerful Siren, Jacob and Emilia must take a leap of faith to a land neither could have ever imagined . . . and hope they can then find their way home.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23445448-the-siren-s-realm?ac=1

THE REVIEW

They were only children when they found each other but even then they were inseparable. When Emilia is injured during a childhood accident and then heals before Jacob's very eyes, she's forced by magic-kind law to leave him, though she promises him that someday she'll return and leaves with him one of her most prized possessions. 

She keeps her promise to him. Years later she returns and introduces him to a world, and a war that he never knew existed. 

For Jacob, Emilia was all that mattered and he would do anything to prove himself worthy of her. He would do anything to protect her, to keep her safe. Nothing would stop him from saving her when she's kidnapped by the rebels of the magic world. Yet in saving her, he's also inadvertently tied them together in a bond that only death can sever. 

[The above is a brief summarization of book 1 of the series THE TETHERING.]

What was once a magical life suddenly becomes a dark dream and Emilia and Jacob have to face some hard truths. They have to make choices that affect not just themselves but other members of their family and their household.  And they must accept the changes of their world. 

For me, the bond between them was obvious right from their first meeting in Tethering. It was a natural affection and love for one another, one that through their tethering is only amplified. Jacob has always loved her, even while she was with Dexter, and throughout THE SIREN'S REALM he struggles with the knowledge that though indivisibly bound, Emilia doesn't feel the same way for him. He can't leave her and wouldn't even if he could. It is, however, delightful to watch and see as this second story in the series develops and Emilia begins to see the truth in her own heart. 

I loved watching these two teens struggle with their emotions, while also struggling with the weight of responsibility they both feel for the other members of their household and family. For all of man- and magic-kind, actually. They make some poor decisions along the way and perhaps they don't always fully think through the consequences of the actions they take, but being who they are, and bound as they are, they do the only thing they truly believe they can. 

In the end what they did may save them, or it may just hasten their ruin. 

I definitely recommend THE SIREN'S REALM as the next story you read. I do however recommend that you read book 1 of the series THE TETHERING first. For one: the story in SIREN'S REALM picks up almost directly from the end of THE TETHERING. And for two: a good majority of the backstory (found in TETHERING) is necessary in order to understand and follow the story in SIREN'S REALM. Characters casually mentioned, yet vastly important in book 2 are only ever introduced, described, and discussed in book 1. Emilia's history is practically the basis of the story line in the second book and is introduced and first explained in book 1. 

Bottom line, read both books. You won't be disappointed and furthermore, you'll love every minute of your reading time 

Purchase:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sirens-Realm-Tethering-Book-ebook/dp/B00V8RYJKQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1432150189&sr=8-2&keywords=Megan+O%27Russell+tethering

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sirens-realm-megan-orussell/1121821248?ean=2940151498821