Saved – Review

Saved by Allegra Skye

• Format:Kindle Edition
• File Size:183 KB
• Simultaneous Device Usage:Unlimited
• Sold by:Amazon Digital Services
• Language:English
• ASIN: B0057QNNP6
• Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Book Description:

“In SAVED (Book #1 of the Shadow Vampires), Keira and Amanda, twins, move with their family to a new town, and start their senior year at a new high school. But though they are twins, the girls have different fates. Amanda, beautiful, popular, is sought out by everyone. Keira, who has always lived in Amanda’s shadow, is smaller, awkward, different. Even her mother, who is so close to Amanda, doesn’t know what to make of her other daughter. Keira turns to books, and to her journal, for solace, and to find out about other worlds.

Amanda makes friends easily at the new school, and quickly finds a boyfriend, while Keira is left alone, an outsider. But very quickly, it is clear that something strange is going on in Everstock. The town and the school are very divided. The popular, rich kids act as if they own the school and have nothing to do with the other kids, who are poorer and live in a different part of town. Not only are the kids meaner here, but an unknown infection has gripped the town, with more and more people going to the hospital. Something here is terribly wrong. But things change suddenly, as there is a terrible accident involving the twins. Not only are Keira and Amanda’s lives changed forever, but a new dimension of life begins to open to Keira.

As Keira recovers, she begins to change in ways she can’t expect, receiving new and mysterious powers that no one can possibly understand. At the same time, a gorgeous, mysterious new boy, Cooper, appears at the school, who grips her imagination, and who refuses to tell her what secret he is hiding.

As Keira and Cooper grow closer to each other, it soon becomes apparent that destiny has brought them together—and that they may each have to sacrifice it all if they want to stay together…
Book #2 in the Shadow Vampire series (TOUCHED) is now also available.”

My Thoughts:

I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this book.  To my delight, this book was a really awesome read.  I could not put the book down.  I loved the story line and  loved the characters in the book.   I have never read anything by Allegra before but she is an awesome writer.  She writes with a lot of emotion and you can feel the emotion flow through her books and characters.

I really loved Keira.  I could tell from the beginning that she was very special  and  I felt the heartache she went through every day in having to try to live up to her twin sister, Amanda’s image.  Never being popular or fitting in like her sister does at school.  Never being truly loved and accepted by her parents for who she really was.  Despite everything, she truly loved her sister and parents.  Her character was amazing.  Keira never complained about her situation or tried to change who she was.  She just wanted her sister and parent’s love and acceptance.

After the accident, Keira starts changing and becomes stronger.  She develops special abilities and stands up to her parents.   Her image even changes.  Keira then meets Cooper and it’s love at first sight.  She starts dreaming about him and can’t stop thinking about him.  Cooper always acts so strange when he is around Keira and she doesn’t know what to think. Maybe Cooper doesn’t feel the same way she does?

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.  This book was awesome. I would recommend this series to anyone.  This book was outstanding.  I also love this author.  She has a way of writing with emotion.

Tori

       

Find out more about Allegra Skye and what she’s working on at her website!

Buy a copy of Saved at:

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

KOBO Books

iTunes – Apple Bookstore

 

The Way – Reviewed by Tori

The Way by John Whelan-Curtain

• Format:Kindle Edition
• File Size:225 KB
• Simultaneous Device Usage:Unlimited
• Publisher:Wolfspear Publishing; 1 edition (August 12, 2011)
• Sold by:Amazon Digital Services
• Language:English
• ASIN: B005H7LO1K

Book Description:

“Gray’s normal life is about to be shattered. Well… normal may not be quite the right term when you consider that he is the sixteen year old son of the world’s most powerful criminal overlord.

From this “normality” Gray finds himself descending into a world conspiracy and murder and as he spirals into a world of vampires, devastating powers and reincarnation.

The impossibly intense pace of the book follows Gray’s rise to power in a world dominated by what may be the founders of civilization and religion as we know it.”

My Thoughts:

As I have said before, I am not a big fan of short stories.  I find they are rushed and you don’t get a lot of details.  I gave this book every chance, but  I just could not get into the story.  The author jumped around so much in the book and I just couldn’t follow the story.  I didn’t really understand what was going on until the end.  I was getting very frustrated with the book and thought I would be unable to finish it.

The author had a good idea with the story line but it just wasn’t exciting or very interesting to me.  Maybe if the book would have been longer, with a lot more detail, a lot of action, and less jumping around, I would have enjoyed it.

Tori

 

Find out more about John Whelan Curtain’s books.

Buy a copy of The Way at:

Smashwords

Amazon.com

 

Obsidian – Spotlight & Review

 Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armintrout

• Paperback
• Publisher:Entangled Publishing, LLC (December 6, 2011)
• Language:English
• ISBN-10:1937044238
• ISBN-13: 978-1937044237
• Genre: Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Young Adult

Book Description:

“Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is. “

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book! Katy and her mom move to West Virginia to make a new start right before Katy’s senior year of high school and she’s resigned herself to having a pretty boring year. Then she get’s an eyeful when she sees her hot new neighbor! Things are looking up all of a sudden, that is, until he opens his mouth. I absolutely loved the chemistry between these two and the originality of the world-building involved in the crafting of this tale.

My only minor complaint is that I found some of the dialogue a bit choppy, but if you think about it, that is how a lot of teens talk now, so it’s realistic in that sense. The other characters in the book were a diverse group and well-rounded. I was totally absorbed in the story and in the characters’ situations. I found myself laughing out loud a couple of times at the great witty dialogue between Katy and Daemon and touched by the heart warming relationships being developed between Katy & Dee and Katy & Daemon.

Jennifer L. Armintrout has created a really interesting world with amazing characters and I can’t wait for the next book in the Lux Series. Fast pacing and the sparks flying between Katy and Daemon kept me flipping the pages until I was done. I would definitely recommend this series to all fans of young adult paranormal or sci-fi with romance!

     

To find out more about Jennifer Armintrout and what she’s working on, go to her Blog

Check out Obsidian on GoodReads

Pre-Order a copy of Obsidian at:

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

 

 

Tori Reviews – Blood Calling

Blood Calling by Joshua Grover – David Patterson

• Format:Kindle Edition
• File Size:394 KB
• Sold by:Amazon Digital Services
• Language:English
• ASIN: B005MGBD4E
• Genre: Paranormal

Book Description:

“When Lucy Leary turned 18, her life fell apart.  She crashed her car, her best friend abandoned her, her parents divorced, and her grandfather passed away, leaving her a single possession: A vampire slaying kit with a note that said, “THEY’RE REAL.  FIGHT THEM.”

Now Lucy must stop the oldest, most dangerous vampire in history, before it can kill her family.”

My Thoughts:

I found this book very interesting.  I love how the author portrays the vampires in this book. Instead of portraying them as the blood thirsty demons that are out to kill everyone, he portrays them as vampires trying to take the pain away from someone who is dying.  There were still some bad vamps in the book that just killed whoever they wanted to.

I love all the characters in the book, especially Lucy, who I thought was a very strong character.  Her home life was difficult and she just didn’t seem to fit in at school.  You could also tell how much she loved her grandfather and when she finds the kit to kill vampires, she pursues the truth despite the danger and warnings.

I also loved Washington and Emma.  I thought the author could have made both characters a lot stronger than they were portrayed, especially Washington but  I really liked his character.  I loved the chemistry that he and Lucy shared.  I wish the author would have pursued that a lot more than he did.  I felt that he loved her, especially when he chose to change her to save her life.  Washington was very protective of her I thought.  I thought the author didn’t bring out those emotions enough to the reader.

Emma was also an interesting character but I though she could have been a lot stronger too.  She seemed like she was very hard on Lucy at the beginning but then her attitude changed towards her.

I feel like the author could’ve had more emotion and bonding between the characters than what he did.  I just felt like that was missing from the book.  I like Lucy telling the tale from her point of view.  It made the story feel real and believable.  I did enjoy the story and I loved reading the book.  I found it most enjoyable.  I would like to see the author write other books but put more emotion into them.

Tori

   

Find out more about Joshua Grover – David Patterson at his Blog!

Buy a copy of Blood Calling at:

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

 

Jessica Sorensen Giveaway Winner

I know you’re all dying to find out who won the copies of Jessica Sorensen’s The Fallen Star and The Underworld, so I won’t torture you and make you wait, lol..  Random.org gave me #9, so the winner is Melissa Perea!!! 😀 Congrats! Please email me for details.

As always, many thanks to both Jessica Sorensen for coming by and for the giveaway copies of her books, and to all the wonderful readers & followers who commented. If I haven’t heard back from the winner in 7 days, a new winner will be chosen from the eligible entries.

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I’m still pretty much down & out with this never-ending flu. 😦 I have a few reviews and a guest blog lined up for tomorrow and next week, so bear with my lolly-gagging about because I am just slogging through my flu infested life right now.

Mortal Obligation – Spotlight & Review

Mortal Obligation by Nichole Chase

• Format:Kindle Edition
• File Size:792 KB
• Sold by:Amazon Digital Services
• Language:English
• ASIN: B005F9YGN8
• Genre: YA, Paranormal

Book Description:

“Ree will face the darkest form of betrayal before the year is out.

Seventeen year old Ree McKenna has three goals: get through high school, convince her crush she is more than his best friend’s little sister, and save money for college. Fate, though, has other plans for her. After the
untimely death of her older brother, Ree is haunted by dreadful nightmares and terrifying visions. To make matters worse, Ree has started to suspect that something dangerous is stalking her from the shadows.

A night full of frightening surprises leaves Ree with unsettling news. Gifted by the gods with unusual powers, she must devote herself to a battle that could very well lead to not only her death, but the demise of everyone she knows and loves. After all, Ree is the only mortal standing between the Earth and utter darkness.

Set in Savannah, Ga, Mortal Obligation is the first book of The Dark Betrayal Trilogy.”

My Thoughts:

I quite enjoyed this book and I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the trilogy! An interesting take on Gods, Immortals, supernatural powers and vampires. Ree, Payden and their circle of friends embark on a roller-coaster ride of a journey in discovering who they are, what they can do and what they could very likely have to do to save the world as they know it. I really liked the characters, the plot, the pacing, the dialogue came naturally and the paranormal twists were great! The little bit of a romantic triangle between Ree, Payden and Roland is really intriguing and I can’t wait to see what comes of it. Nichole Chase is a terrific new author with lots of potential.

The only things I can think of that could have made the story even better for me was that there could have been just the tiniest bit more in the “fleshing out” of the characters, and a tiny bit more written about the characters’ reactions and ramifications of the huge changes in their lives. It could be that the author has spread this information throughout the three book arc and I’ll be eating crow if that’s the case, lol. The second book is titled Mortal Defiance and I’m not clear on the release date right now, but I’ll be keeping an eye on Nichole’s blog for updates. 🙂

     

Find out more about Nichole Chase and what she’s working on at her website & her blog!

Buy a copy of Mortal Obligation at:

Barnes & Noble paperback or nook

Amazon.ca

Amazon.com

The Book Depository

Smashwords

 

Nichole Chase – Guest Blog & Giveaway

 

Today I’m happy to have debut YA Urban Fantasy author, Nichole Chase here with us at SVR to celebrate the release of her book Mortal Obligation! This is the first book in the Dark Betrayal Trilogy and I’ve just started reading it so look for a review soon. Nichole’s written up a great post about where she finds her inspiration. I don’t know about you guys, but I always find it fascinating to know an authors’ thought process when it comes to writing. So grab a coffee or tea and get comfy so you can read Nichole’s guest blog and make sure you stick around for the giveaway at the end of the post! 🙂

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Hi! First and foremost, I would like to thank Judi for inviting me to her blog today! I love meeting new readers and bloggers. My name is Nichole Chase, and I am the author of Mortal Obligation, Book One of The Dark Betrayal Trilogy. Mortal Obligation is a YA urban fantasy set in Savannah,Ga.

Since publishing, I have been asked hundreds of questions,but the one that I hear the most often is, “What inspired you?” or “Where do you get your ideas from?” The honest truth, is that Mortal Obligation began with a stray thought and my over active imagination.

I believe Nora Roberts once said that there is a story in everything; that is exactly how my mind works. One random image or normal scenario can snowball into a story idea. The mailman carrying a package wrapped in hot pink duct tape? Maybe it’s a gift from a little girl to her divorced father. He now lives a few states away and is at work, so the mailman left the package with her father’s new neighbor, the attractive woman that keeps odd hours. What will she think of the package wrapped in hot pick duct tape? Will she think it’s adorable? Will they have a “cute meet” that leads to something else? Or will it be a little darker? When she brings the package over, is she attacked by a creature but saved by the father who hears the commotion on his porch? Now I have to know why she has been attacked, what attacked her, and how she is going to deal with her unsuspecting knight in shining armor.

This is exactly how Mortal Obligation was born. I had the mental image of a girl walking through one of the lush squares that litter the downtown area. She was looking over her shoulder and right away I knew that something was following her. It was obvious from her expression that she knew she was going to have to do something about it. I was hooked at that point. I had to know what was following her and how she was going to save herself. And boy, have I not been disappointed! I spent a lot of time meshing the images in my head with the research I did on the different mythologies of the world. I took a lot of pains to try and include little details that would ring true for people, but keeping them fresh and new. The Dark Betrayal Trilogy was born from a single, random thought, but encompasses all of the things that I would want in a book. Since I love all things paranormal and urban fantasy, it was only natural that my book would fall into those categories.

I love the characters that developed with this story. They are fun, spunky, and so very brave. I also have to admit to having a teensy tiny crush on a couple of the guys, but I ‘ll let you guys figure out which ones I am referring to. Right now I’m working on book 2, Mortal Defiance, and thoroughly loving the chance to spend more time with my characters. I will be wrapping up this book in the next few weeks and then it’s off to my editor, Anne. It will be available in early December, and I can’t wait for everyone to read what happens to Ree and the gang.

Thanks again, Judi, for allowing me to take over your blog for a little while. I hope everyone enjoyed learning a little about my creative process.

Nichole Chase

Nichole’s Blog & Nichole’s Website

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Thanks so much Nichole! It was great to hear about your inspiration and thought process, as well as a pleasure to have you here. 🙂

Giveaway Details:

Nichole Chase has been gracious enough to supply two digital copies of her book, Mortal Obligation for a couple of my lucky readers! Contest is open to Everyone. I believe that Nichole will be popping by to respond to comments or questions as she’s able, so feel free to ask her questions as well.

Question: Do you ever people watch at the mall or some public place and wonder what kind of life those people lead? Or do you make up fantastical stories in your mind about people you see?

For one entry: Please leave a comment with the answer to the question.  (+1 entry)

For extra entries:

I’m going to streamline this, so for each follow on twitter, facebook, goodreads or subscription to my blog, you can add an extra entry but be sure to let me know in your comment along with your username at each of them.

If you tweet about this contest, post it on facebook or post about it in your blog, for each link you provide, you get an extra entry.

• Contest is open to Everyone and will run through October 18th until 11:59pm. The winners will be posted here on October 19th.
• Please leave your email addy in your comment for me to contact you if you’ve won, but please post it like wilmaflinstone(at)boomshakalaka(dot)com so you don’t get any spam. If I haven’t heard back from the winner in 7 days, a new winner will be drawn from the eligible comments. Winners will be chosen on www.random.org  by a random number generator. Good Luck everyone!

Please leave your links in one comment if possible. Thanks!

Queen Of The Dead – Spotlight & Review

 Queen Of The Dead by Stacey Kade

• Reading level:Young Adult
• Hardcover:272 pages
• Publisher:Hyperion Book CH (May 31, 2011)
• Language:English
• ISBN-10:1423134672
• ISBN-13: 978-1423134671
• Genre: Paranormal

Book Description:

“After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare – former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead – finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this – ugh “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.

Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.

Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the “clearly not” column. But Will is – ahem – willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea.

Packed with romance, lovable characters, and a killer cliffhanger, Queen of the Dead is the out-of-this-world sequel to The Ghost and the Goth.”

My Thoughts:

This is the second book in Stacey Kade’s Ghost & The Goth series and Will and Alona’s story continues on from the first book.  I really enjoyed it. Alona is a “mean girl” who really has a good heart. I love the developing relationship between her and Will. A fun and fast paced ride through the world that the author has created with wonderfully contrasting characters who play well off each other. Great plot line, pacing, mystery, danger, paranormal elements and a totally unexpected but intriguing cliffhanger at the end!

I highly recommend this series/book to anyone who loves a fun paranormal YA read with ghosts, a goth, some ghost hunters, a developing romance and a fascinating twist to keep things exciting.

– Sidhe –

     

Find out more about Stacey Kade and what she’s working on at her website!

Buy The Queen Of The Dead at:

Chapters/Indigo

Amazon.ca

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Jessica Sorensen – Guest Blog & Giveaway

   

Today we are happy to have debut YA author Jessica Sorensen here with us at SVR to celebrate the release of her second book in The Fallen Star series, The Underworld! She’s written up a great scene between some of the main characters in the series which had me laughing. This is a good way to get to know some of the characters and have a taste of Jessica’s writing.

Jessica has generously offered up print copies of both The Fallen Star and The Underworld to one lucky commenter! Giveaway details will be at the end of the post. Let’s give Jessica a warm welcome!  🙂

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Being in a jail cell sucks. Especially when you’re locked in one with a very annoying faerie/Foreseer, an overly emotional witch, a Keeper/vampire who just recently discovered his thirst for blood, and a Keeper who can make your skin heat in ways you didn’t even know were possible.

“What are we going to do?” Aislin whined with tears streaming down her cheeks. “This can’t be happening.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Aislin quit crying.”

She wiped her tears away. “I can’t. I mean, this is so bad—us being locked up in here.” She pointed at Alex and me. “And you two—you can’t be this close to one another.”

She was probably right. Alex and I were sharing a bench with one another. Plus, it was awfully electric in here. That was when I realized Alex’s hand was on top of mine. We both pulled away.

“It smells like feet in here,” Laylen suddenly said, looking over at Nicholas.”Really, really bad.”

Nicholas gave Laylen a dirty look. “It’s not my feet.”

I laughed. “Yeah, his feet probably smell like flowers.” Everyone looked at me and I furrowed my eyebrows. “Sorry, I have no idea where that came from…Well, actually I do. It’s because he smells like flowers.” I was being rude—I knew that, but I didn’t know why.

“It’s so hot in here.” Aislin fanned her hand in front of her face. “And Laylen looks really hot today.”

Awkward silence filled the air.

“Oh my God,” Aislin said. “I don’t know why I said that.”

“You said it because he does look hot today,” I told her and then felt my face heat.

Laylen looked back and forth between Aislin and me. “As much as I love the fact that both of you think I look hot, I think there might be something wrong.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s my feet that smell,” Alex said with his nose scrunched up.

Aislin and I gave Alex a grossed out look and Laylen shook his head and said, “Too much information, dude.”

“If this is what you guys sit around and talk about all day,” Nicholas said, “then I’m a little bit relieved I’m evil and don’t have to listen to it.”

“This is not what we talk about all day,” I informed him. “Mostly we just lie to each other about our feelings…well, that’s me and Alex. Laylen and I actually have very nice talks.” I slapped my hand over my mouth. Why did I say that out loud?

Alex looked both confused and hurt, and then suddenly, he was jumping to his feet. “Hold on a second.” He climbed up on the bench and peeked through a vent on the wall. “Crap.” He turned to us. “There’s a truth tank in there. The room is being ventilated with truth gas.”

“Great!” Aislin cried, nervously twirling her hair around her finger. “Now Laylen’s going to know I still have feelings for him.” Her green eyes widened and she looked down at the floor.

“We already knew that.” Alex gave me an angry look. “But what we didn’t know is that Laylen and Gemma have feelings for each other. At least, that’s what I think.”

“It’s true,” Laylen said, and then his eyebrows dipped down.

Alex looked at me, waiting for me to respond.

I tried to keep my mouth shut, but apparently, the truth gas was stronger. “Sometimes I think I do…I mean, have feelings for Laylen…But I have a lot of feelings for you too, and it’s all really confusing.” I wanted to shrink myself into a little ball and hide. This was so bad.

“You know, when I was little, I wanted to be a ballerina,” Nicholas said.

Okay, so maybe mine wasn’t that bad.

“A boy ballerina,” Nicholas clarified as everyone stared at him.

Alex cocked an eyebrow. “So you wanted to wear a tutu.”

Nicholas crossed his arms and looked over at the wall. “No, I just wanted to dance.”

“That’s great, Nicholas.” Alex gave Laylen an “okay” look.

“Boy’s can be ballerinas, Alex,” Aislin said. “I mean, when you were little, you begged me to teach you how to tap dance.”

“I liked the noise the shoes made,” Alex gritted through his teeth.

Laylen held back a smile. “Was that the only reason?”

Alex shot him an angry look.  “No, I—”

“How about we all just stop talking,” Aislin interrupted, “before something really bad slips out of one of our mouths.”

“Like the fact that you once kissed Nicholas,” Alex said, and Aislin glared at him. “That one was for the tap dance remark.”

“You kissed Nicholas?” Laylen’s bright blue eyes widened with shock. “When?”

“Don’t worry,” Nicholas told him. “It wasn’t when you two were dating or anything.” He paused. “And it wasn’t that great of a kiss…not like when I kissed Gemma.”

I shook my head. “That’s great, except I hated our kiss.” Before I could stop myself I added, “the only person I want to kiss is Alex…well, and sometimes I think about kissing Laylen.”

It got really quiet.

“Awkward,” Nicholas muttered.

“Yeah, I think about kissing you too,” Laylen mumbled with a perplexed look on his face.

“And sometimes I think about punching you,” Alex snapped, stepping toward Laylen.

“Same here,” Laylen bit back.

“Please make it stop,” Aislin wailed, looking up at the ceiling.

“Yes, please do,” I agreed, looking up at the ceiling too, wondering who she was talking to.

Suddenly there was a loud buzz, and then the cell door swung open.

“Times up,” a guard said.

Thank God.

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Thanks Jessica! That was awesome, lol. If you’ve already read the first book, then you know just how great this scene was. 😀

Giveaway Details:

Jessica Sorensen has been gracious enough to supply one print copy of each of her books The Fallen Star & The Underworld! That’s right, one winner will receive both of her books! Contest is open to Everyone. I believe that Jessica will be popping by to respond to comments or questions as she’s able, so feel free to ask her questions as well.

Question: Have you ever had a really awkward moment with someone you were really attracted to? Fess up and give us some details!

For one entry: Please leave a comment with the answer to the question.  (+1 entry)

For extra entries:

I’m going to streamline this, so for each follow on twitter, facebook, goodreads or subscription to my blog, you can add an extra entry but be sure to let me know in your comment along with your username at each of them.

If you tweet about this contest, post it on facebook or post about it in your blog, for each link you provide, you get an extra entry.

• Contest is open to Everyone and will run through October 12th until 11:59pm. The winners will be posted here on October 13th.
• Please leave your email addy in your comment for me to contact you if you’ve won, but please post it like wilmaflinstone(at)boomshakalaka(dot)com so you don’t get any spam. If I haven’t heard back from the winner in 7 days, a new winner will be drawn from the eligible comments. Winners will be chosen on www.random.org  by a random number generator. Good Luck everyone!

Please leave your links in one comment if possible. And yes I know I should get that Rafflecopter everyone’s using, lol.  Thanks!

 

 

Emma Raveling – Guest Post & Giveaway

We’re excited to have YA Paranormal author Emma Raveling here with us at SVR today to celebrate the release of the first book in the Ondine Quartet – Whirl.  She’s written up a fun guest blog of her interviewing the main character in Whirl, Kendra! So read on to learn a bit more about this book that definitely caught my attention and there’s a giveaway at the end of the post too! Let’s all give Emma a warm welcome. 🙂

Book Blurb: 

“Seventeen-year-old Kendra Irisavie is an ondine, a water elemental caught in the middle of an ancient war with the Aquidae, immortal dark demons who will stop at nothing to destroy the fragile balance of the Elemental world.

Fierce and independent, Kendra has always played by her own rules. Gifted with the powerful magic of Virtue and trained to be a deadly fighter, she has spent her life breaking hearts and getting into trouble.

When her life explodes one violent night in a northern California city, a dark stranger appears, promising answers to her mysterious past. Alone and with no one to trust, she must now navigate through a dangerous new world, face the temptations of a forbidden romance, and remain true to her duty and destiny.

All while the Aquidae continue to hunt her down, in the hopes of eliminating her forever…

An edgy urban fantasy/paranormal romance, Whirl is recommended for older teens and mature readers due to strong language and mild sexual situations.”

Welcome to SVR Emma!

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 Hi everyone. First, I want to thank Judi for having me on her blog. Today I’ll be interviewing Kendra, the main character of Whirl and the entire
Ondine Quartet series.

Emma: Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions, Kendra.

Kendra: Sure.

Emma: Tell us a little about yourself.

Kendra: Not much to tell. I’m a seventeen-year-old Ondine living in
California.

Emma: And what exactly is an ondine?

Kendra: An Ondine is a water elemental. Unlike our dessondine ancestors
(creepy immortal creatures that live underwater *shudders*), we’re
mortal because of our part-human blood and we live on land.

Emma: What’s the best part of being an ondine?

Kendra: Probably my Virtue, which is the magic of Empath. I have to admit,
it’s very useful.

Emma: Really? What do you use it for?

Kendra: Things like playing poker at a club or figuring out how guys think.
And, of course, knowing what a teacher is feeling makes it easy to come up with
creative ways of getting out of class.

Emma: You use other people’s emotions to gain information?

Kendra: *shrugs* Sure. I mean it’s the cornerstone of my tactical
training with my mom. Gather as much intel as you can so you have every single
option available to you. How can you plan effectively if you don’t have enough
info?

Emma: Don’t you mean scheme rather than plan? After all, you do get a
certain look on your face when…

Kendra: *rolls eyes* I do not have a look.

Emma: Um, actually in the book there were several moments where…

Kendra: Yeah, well. Just because you’re the writer doesn’t mean you know
everything about me.

Emma: I see. You’re very confident.

Kendra: *gives dangerous smile*

Emma: You also seem rather private. Do you allow others to get close to you?

Kendra: *long pause* Emotions are only useful for gathering
information. Having friends or forming relationships and attachments
creates…unnecessary complications. My mother taught me that.

Emma: Your mother, Naida Irisavie, trained you your entire life. Anything you
can share with us about that?

Kendra: She raised me to be a fighter. Being Rogue, we live among humans
outside of ondine communities. Those nasty Aquidae demons are crawling
everywhere – gotta be ready for an attack at any moment.

Emma: Besides pursuing your martial arts training, what kind of things do
you enjoy doing?

Kendra: I love prowling the city at night. It’s a whole other feeling, you
know? It feels like…I’m free. Alone and going to clubs – I really enjoy dancing
and working off restless energy with the guys I meet there.

Emma: Doesn’t your mother object to you running around alone at night? I
mean, with all the Aquidae out there…

Kendra: What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.

Emma: So you sneak around at night…

Kendra: *glares*

Emma: Oh, excuse me. I meant, wow. You are a shadowy warrior, a ninja
who stealthily makes the night her own.

Ninja Kendra

 Kendra: *sniffs* That’s better.

Emma: And now for the random portion – please answer as quickly as you can:

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Favorite clothing accessory: My dagger, given to me by my mother on my thirteenth birthday.

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Chocolate or vanilla: Neither. Not big on the sweet stuff.

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Red, pink, black, blue, or purple: Sky blue

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Most important value to you: Strength

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Your worst nightmare: Being caged or locked up

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Your greatest desire: To take out as many Aquidae as I can.

Emma: Thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Kendra: Anytime.

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Thanks so much Emma & Kendra! 🙂

Giveaway Details:

Emma Raveling has been gracious enough to supply a digital copy of her ebook Whirl to one of my readers! Contest is open to Everyone. I believe that Emma will be popping in to respond to comments or questions as she’s able, so feel free to ask her questions as well.

Question: We all know that Vampires, Weres, Demons & Angels have been some of the most popular paranormal characters out there and an Ondine is a relatively unknown supernatural being. What other supernatural or paranormal beings would you like to see more of in either books, TV or movies that aren’t one of the more popular ones? 

For one entry: Please leave a comment with the answer to the question.  (+1 entry)

For extra entries:

I’m going to streamline this, so for each follow on twitter, facebook, goodreads or subscription to my blog, you can add an extra entry but be sure to let me know in your comment along with your username at each of them.

If you tweet about this contest, put up on facebook or post about it in your blog, for each link you provide, you get an extra entry.

• Contest is open to Everyone and will run through October 5thth until 11:59pm. The winners will be posted here on October 6th.
• Please leave your email addy in your comment for me to contact you if you’ve won, but please post it like wilmaflinstone(at)boomshakalaka(dot)com so you don’t get any spam. If I haven’t heard back from the winner in 7 days, a new winner will be drawn from the eligible comments. Winners will be chosen by a random number generator. Good Luck everyone!

Please leave your links in one comment if possible. And yes I know I should get that Rafflecopter everyone’s using, lol.  Thanks!