Fated (Soul Seekers, #1) by Alyson Noël Promotion!

The first book in a magnificent new series about a girl who can navigate between the worlds of the living and the dead by #1 New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noël.

Lately strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her, and glowing people appear out of nowhere. Worried that Daire is having a nervous breakdown, her mother packs her off to stay in the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico with a grandmother she’s never met.

There she crosses paths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes who she’s encountered before...but only in her dreams. And she’ll get to know her grandmother—a woman who recognizes Daire’s bizarre episodes for what they are. A call to her true destiny as a Soul Seeker, one who can navigate between the worlds of the living and the dead. Her grandmother immediately begins teaching her to harness her powers—but it’s an art that must be mastered quickly. Because Dace’s brother is an evil shape-shifter who’s out to steal her powers. Now Daire must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and find out if Dace is one guy she’s meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she’s destined to destroy.

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Hey, guys!  I just wanted to write this blog post about a new and exciting promotion from St. Martin's Press, publisher of the bestselling Immortals series and upcoming Soul Seekers series by Alyson Noël.  When fans pre-order Fated (Soul Seekers, #1) in any format (print, e-book or audiobook) and submit their receipt, they will receive a pair of Soul Seeker inspired earrings–while supplies last! 

St. Martin's Press will be mailing out the earrings approximately 4-6 weeks after Fated goes on-sale (5/22).

If you want to read more about Fated, you can read an excerpt and a special bonus scene on the St. Martin's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/soulseekersseries.

 

For more information and a complete set of rules, please visit http://stmartins.com/fatedpreorder.

The Eternal Ones (Eternal Ones, #1) by Kirsten Miller, Book Review

Haven Moore has always lived in the town of Snope City, Tennessee. But for as long as she can remember, Haven has experienced visions of a past life as a girl named Constance, whose love for a boy called Ethan ended in fiery tragedy.

One day, the sight of notorious playboy Iain Morrow on television brings Haven to her knees. Haven flees to New York City to find Iain and there, she is swept up in an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Is Iain her beloved Ethan? Or is he her murderer from a past life? Haven asks the members of the powerful and mysterious Ouroboros Society to help her unlock the mysteries of reincarnation and discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves, before all is lost and the cycle begins again. But what is the Ouroboros Society? And how can Haven know whom to trust?

Title: The Eternal Ones

Author: Kirsten Miller

Publisher: Razorbill

Pages: 432

Release Date: July 5, 2011

Source: Author

Format: Paperback

Rating: 5/5

Wow. The Eternal Ones--an amazing read! First of all, I would like to thank Kirsten Miller, the author of this wondrous novel, for personally sending me a signed copy of The Eternal Ones and the sequel All You Desire.

I loved everything about The Eternal Ones--the setting, the plot, the characters--literally EVERYTHING. One thing that I especially loved about this book was how it kept me constantly guessing. Most authors try to make their books mysterious, but I always know who the killer is or whatever mystery lies within the book, the Kirsten Miller kept me on my feet the entire book, and I applaud her for that. *applauds*

I highly recommend The Eternal Ones to anyone who enjoys romance, action, adventure, mystery, and thrills that remain with you long after you finish the book.

Also, I fortunate enough to interview Kirsten, so make sure to keep an eye out on the blog for that! I hope to post it soon!

Carrier of the Mark (Carrier Trilogy, #1) by Leigh Fallon, Book Review

Their love was meant to be.

When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRÍs.

But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction.

Title: Carrier of the Mark

Author: Leigh Fallon

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 342

Release Date: October 4, 2011

Source: Won

Format: Paperback

Rating: 5/5

Leigh Fallon introduces a new and exciting world to the shelves of YA paranormal romance. After moving to Ireland from America, sixteen-year-old Megan discovers her true destiny and powerful lineage while being faced with tough choices about which path in her life to take.

I really enjoyed Carrier of the Mark. I loved how the book was set in Ireland instead of America (seeing as how I live in America and read books set in the U.S.A. all the time!) I enjoyed learning more about the U.K. I also enjoyed reading about the ancient history of the druids and the elements (earth, air, fire, water, and spirit.) As a practicing Wiccan, I found the pagan-based principles to be interesting and enjoyed seeing how Fallon adapted those concepts into her own unique mesh of spirituality. I loved all of the characters; a few of my favorites were Megan, Adam, Aine (pronounced Awn-ya), Rian, Catelin, and Finn.

I highly recommend Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon, and cannot wait for the two proceeding sequels.

Sweep: Volume 3 (Sweep, #7-9) by Cate Tiernan, Book Review

Morgan Rowlands holds profound magickal power. . . a power that some will stop at nothing to obtain. Though she knows she has much still to learn, magick has brought her more than she could ever have imagined: the love of her soul mate. Yet her dreams uncover something else - a dark force threatening her entire world. As the darkness closes in, Morgan realizes that she must make a choice - light or dark; hatred or love. Is she strong enough to make the sacrifice and discover her true nature, or will the darkness consume all she holds dear?

Title: Sweep: Volume 3

Author: Cate Tiernan

Publisher: Speak

Pages: 592

Release Date: February 3, 2011

Source: Bought

Format: Paperback

Rating: 5/5

The discovery that she is a descendant of a long and powerful line of witches, finds Morgan Rowland battling the forces of dark and sinister magick.

Sweep: Volume 3 picks up where Sweep: Volume 2 left off. In Volume 2, Morgan and Hunter fought against Cal, Selene, and their evil corrupted ways, leaving them both dead. Now, sometime after, Morgan, Hunter, Bree, Robbie, Raven, and Skye head to New York City in search of answers to a string of bizarre recurring prophetic visions that come to Morgan in her nightmares.

While in New York and Hunter, Morgan's Seeker boyfriend, is pounding the pavement in hopes that he can find a secret coven of witches practicing the forbidden dark magick of shape-shifting. With Hunter distracted by his duties to the International Council of Witches, Morgan sees this as the perfect opportunity to do some sleuthing of her own. After meeting dead end after dead end, Morgan searches for answers about artifacts from Maeve's (her late mother) tragic and mysterious past.

I'm going to stop there, because I don't want to give too much away. Let me just say this: Sweep is my favorite book series, and Cate Tiernan is my favorite author. I think that the Sweep series is under-rated and not given the appropriate love and attention that it deserves. I wish desperately that the author had written more than fifteen books because they are so amazing and once I finish volume 5, I have no idea what I am going to do with myself! I have the Balefire bind-up of all four books in the Balefire series, and am going to buy the entire Immortal Beloved trilogy when the third book is released, so I suppose I have those to hold on to, but my life just simply will not be the same without Sweep.

I highly, highly, highly recommend Sweep to anyone and everyone. Even if you don't like paranomal romance, I recommend that you read this book just because it's amazing. I am left completely and utterly speechless with tears streaming down my face at the end of almost every book because I know I'm a little bit closer to the end, and that is a very sad and depressing future to think about.

-Casey

Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls, #1) by C.C. Hunter, Book Review

Don’t miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams, Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen…

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

Title: Born at Midnight

Author: C.C. Hunter

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Pages: 398

Release Date: March 29, 2011

Source: Author

Format: Paperback

Rating: 4/5

Interesting title...pretty cover...awesome story!

I received this book from the author, C.C. Hunter, a while back and I was so psyched! What made it even better is that she signed it! Eeep! I had a little fan-girl moment when I got it, and knew that it was going to be a fantastic book. I was right!

I tore through Born at Midnight in, like, a single day (almost in one-sitting!) Born at Midnight tells the story of sixteen-year-old Kylie Galen who has a pretty sucky life. I mean, she is right in that period of adolescence where your life is pretty much consumed by drama and boys. But Kylie has things super bad. Wonder how bad? Well, I'll tell you: after being dumped by her mega-hot boyfriend, Trey, he hooks up with some girl who, well, pleases her boyfriends (gotta keep it PG-13 here!) But it doesn't stop there! Kylie's grandmother also passes away, and her parents split. And then she attends a party where drugs and booze are involved, and she's taken downtown. After "acting out," Kylie is sent to Shadow Falls, a "camp for troubled teens." From the minute she boards the bus, Kylie knows she does not belong with those "freaks," (as she calls them!) If Kylie thinks the bus ride to Shadow Falls is weird, she's in for a rude awakening....

I loved the plot, characters, romance, and pacing of Born at Midnight. I felt as if the storyline flowed easily, quickly, and thoroughly, and the characters all had their distinct personalities. And the romance! Oh my Goddess, two guys, Derek, the uber-hot faerie, and Lucas, the sexy werewolf, each fight (literally!) for Kylie's affection. I enjoyed how Kylie was stuck-up and immature at first, but matured and grew into her character. One of the underlying themes in Born at Midnight that I really liked was the journey of self-discovery that Kylie goes on as she discovers not only who she is, but what she really is as well.

-Casey

Wings (Wings, #1) by Aprilynne Pike, Book Review

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful--too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

Title: Wings

Author: Aprilynne Pike

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 294

Release Date: May 1, 2009

Source: Bought

Format: Hardcover

Rating: 4/5

The first thing that instantly drew me to Wings in the first place was the cover. I mean, come on, how enticing (haha, inside joke...you'll understand after you read the book) is this cover? Ah, so beautiful!

I enjoyed more than the cover, though! First, the romance. Wings tells the story of a sixteen-year-old girl named Laurel who moves to a new town and enrolls in a public high school after being home schooled by her "hippie parents" in a much-smaller town than the one she moves to. The book opens with Laurel's first day, and on her first day she meets David, the cute (the really, really, really cute!) "boy next door." Now, in most paranormal YA books, the two lovers instantly fall in love and are more than willing to take a bullet for their one true love the second day they know each other. And, while that earth-shattering romance is great and all, my one complaint is that they always FALL IN LOVE TOO FAST! I mean, in Wings's case, we're dealing with fifteen/sixteen-year-olds here! What happened to that cute, innocent infatuation that grows and matures into that earth-shattering love? I don't know, but Apprilynne Pike unearthed it and brought it back to life, thankfully! Laurel and David start out as friends, and then they progress into close friends, and become closer and closer until they start to feel strong feelings for each other. I really liked that aspect because you really got to see them grow and mature together.

And then you have Tamani...or Tam, for short. Tamani is the tall, dark, handsome sex god faerie who protects the faerie world from ghoulish enemies who are hell-bent on the faeries' destruction. David and Tamani are like black and white, Yin/Yang. David is the cute, reliable, safe, caring third of the love triangle, and Tamani is the adrenaline-pumping, exciting, risky one. Throughout the book, Laurel juggles David and Tamani, constantly wondering who she'll choose and you go along that ride with her.

If you thought that was enough pressure on a fifteen-year-old girl, check this: Laurel is a faerie, a very important faerie, too, and a major decision lies on her shoulders and her shoulders alone. And while David and Tamani are there to support her and help her out, she herself has to go on a journey of self-discovery to find out who (and what) she really is.

Besides the romance, I loved the characters. I couldn't help but feel like they were real, three-dimensional people. Laurel, David, Tamani, and Chelsea were my favorite characters, and I found it uncanny how similar the character of Chelsea is to my real-life best friend Chelsea (both name- and personality-wise!)

I recommend Wings if you enjoy fairy tales mixed with romance, danger, action, and a ton of cute boy action! *wink*

-Casey

Immortal Obsession by Denise K. Rago, Book Review

As a young man in eighteenth century France, Christian Du Mauré impulsively follows his best friend into the complex and warring world of the Parisian vampires. Against the backdrop of the French Revolution and following an affair with a mortal aristocrat, he promises to watch over her daughter - only to learn the child is his. Now settled in Manhattan, only two descendents of his union remain, Amanda and her brother, Ryan. After Amanda witnesses a savage murder in Central Park, she is determined to find the ethereal stranger who saved her life. When their worlds inevitably collide, Christian finds he cannot prevent Amanda from becoming a pawn in a centuries-old struggle for power. As a confrontation between ancient enemies comes to a head, Christian must face a betrayal from his past that still haunts him and threatens the woman he loves.

Title: Immortal Obsession

Author: Denise K. Rago

Publisher: Createspace

Pages: 262

Release Date: September 27, 2o10

Source: Author

Format: Paperback

Rating: 3/5

Immortal Obsession by Denise K. Rago tells the story of a young woman living in New York City who, after witnessing a savage murder and almost becoming a victim herself, is rescued by a figure obscured in shadow. Years later, which is when the story really picks up, the young woman, whom is named Amanda, by the way, is on a quest to find the man who saved her, and the man who she saw slaughtered an innocent victim in Central Park right before her eyes.

I rated this book 3/5 because I really enjoyed the darkness and the Gothic, underlying themes that Rago so creatively used in the book. As I was reading, I couldn't help but think about the dark, macabre writing style of Anne Rice, which I enjoyed, seeing as how I am a Rice/Vampire Chronicles fan.

This book was told in third person, through two dominant perspectives: Amanda, a human, and Christian, a vampire. Even though Christian's part of the story was interesting, it was Amanda's perspective that I was really intrigued by. I loved Amanda, and as the story progressed, I found myself growing more and more fond of her, and I really enjoyed that factor.

Another thing I enjoyed about Immortal Obsession was the setting: New York City! I enjoyed the gritty, honest depiction of the city and felt as if I were the one walking the streets instead of Amanda or Christian.

I thought the pace of the book flowed smoothly, neither too rushed or too slow, and when I finished the book, I felt as if the story had been justified and I felt a sense of closure, and I was glad that I wasn't left with a million unanswered questions like some authors leave you with, although there was just enough room for thought to let the story thrive and live on in the mind of the reader after the story was finished.

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