Nefertiti's Heart Blog Tour: Review

"Thank You" to Ashley at Bookish Brunette Book Tours for being an awesome host and for giving me the opportunity to participate in this tour. Another "Thank You" to A.W. Exley for providing a copy of Nefertiti's Heart for review.

Nefertiti's Heart
by A.W. Exley
Publication Date: February 14, 2013
Published by Curiosity Quills Press
Formats: eBook, Paperback ~280 pages
Genre: NA Steampunk, Fantasy, Egyptian Mythology

Book Blurb:
Cara Devon has always suffered curiosity and impetuousness, but tangling with a serial killer might cure that. Permanently.

London, 1861. Impoverished noble Cara has a simple mission after the strange death of her father - sell off his damned collection of priceless artifacts. Her plan goes awry when aristocratic beauties start dying of broken hearts, an eight inch long brass key hammered through their chests. A killer hunts amongst the nobility, searching for a regal beauty and an ancient Egyptian relic rumored to hold the key to immortality.

Her Majesty’s Enforcers are in pursuit of the murderer and they see a connection between the gruesome deaths and Cara. So does she, somewhere in London her father hid Nefertiti’s Heart, a fist sized diamond with strange mechanical workings. Adding further complication to her life, notorious crime lord, Viscount Nathaniel Lyons is relentless in his desire to lay his hands on Cara and the priceless artifact. If only she could figure out his motive.


Self-preservation fuels Cara's search for the gem. In a society where everyone wears a mask to hide their true intent, she needs to figure out who to trust, before she makes a fatal mistake.

Amazon - Barnes & Noble

For those of you who know me, I love pretty covers. I usually lean toward the ethereal or the Gothic styles, but there was something about the cover to Nefertiti's Heart that drew me in. While it blatantly presents the Steampunk genre, there was something else to it that made me take a second look. Maybe it was the Ankh, maybe it was the mystery of what the heart contraption meant, but all I know is that I had to read this book.

Now, if you want to read about some simpering girl who is always rescued by a man then this is NOT the book for you! However, if you want a kick-ass heroine who knows her way around a gun and will not hesitate to use it, then Nefertiti's Heart is one you can't miss! 

"My friend here, Mr. Smith, also wants you to leave...Mr. Smith has his own friend, Wesson."

Cara Devon is not your typical Victorian lady. She hates to wear skirts, always has a gun strapped to her, and the mouth on her would make anyone blush. She is one of my favorite female characters of all time. After being brutalized at the hands of a man who her father sold her to in order to pay off his gambling debts, she was taken in by her Grandmother and has lived a life very different from the girls she played with as a child. While they had debutant balls and coming out parties and are being courted by a gaggle of suitable gentlemen callers, Cara travelled the globe learning how to become someone who will never be hurt again - and all the while wearing *gasp* pants! Now she is back in London to settle her father's estate after he was killed by an Asp bite. Quite curious of a death for one not in Egypt, but he is dead nonetheless. Cara is not about to shed a tear for dear ole' dad, but there are a few things that she needs to do. The first is getting a notebook containing her father's prize possessions and then the second is to sell off his precious items one by  one. 

However, there is someone else who wants his collection: Viscount Nathaniel "Nate" Lyons; a man with great means and very little morals. He has ideas of scaring and coercing Cara into giving him what he wants, but after sending his henchmen to strong arm Cara into giving away her secrets, he quickly learns that she is not one to trifle with or one to push around. In fact, when it comes to Cara, Nate has to learn quite a few things...The romance in Nefertiti's Heart is definitely steamy and Nate is swoon worthy and not the man I thought he would be. And especially with Cara's past, she isn't one who likes intimacy - or to be touched, in general - but, like most humans, she craves to be cared for and loved. I so love that Nate is a gentleman and is able to slowly break down enough walls to let someone else into her world. I love that the romance is not rushed. Cara is like a fine wine and must be decanted slowly in order to bring it to its full potential.

Cara is also under suspicion for killing her father. It isn't a great secret as to what happened to her years ago and it is perfectly reasonable to think that the killing may be revenge, but little do the Enforcers know, that there is a much bigger picture to be looked at. Young women are being murdered, stabbed with keys as if they are being unlocked. And there is a connection between all of the victims, just not in the way you might think. I wavered back and forth throughout the novel as to who was the culprit and I was close. I love the way that the author wove Egyptian mythology, Steampunk mechanics and a serial killer together to create the mystery in Nefertiti's Heart. 

Overall, I love the mixing of genres to create such a unique book. I love the mechanical horses and the intricate corsets. The writing is beautiful and elaborate and you can picture yourself in each scene. I am always thrilled when a writer can put me into the story and not just have me looking through a window. This book has the obvious Steampunk themes as well as a exciting mystery and suspense that will keep you guessing until the very end. Plus, the romance is hot and is most definitely at least in the New Adult - Adult category due to sexual content. I would recommend Nefertiti's Heart to who wants something exciting and creative!

FTC Advisory: I was given a copy of this book from the author for an honest review as part of a blog tour. No backroom deals or whispered promises were made.

Books and writing have always been an enormous part of my life. I survived school by hiding out in the library, with several thousand fictional characters for company. At university, I overcame the boredom of studying accountancy by squeezing in Egyptology papers and learning to read hieroglyphics.
Today, I write steampunk novels with a sexy edge and an Egyptian twist. I live in rural New Zealand surrounded by an assortment of weird and wonderful equines, felines, canine and homicidal chickens.

Blog   -   Twitter   -   Facebook

Astarte's Wrath by Trisha Wolfe Book Blast

Amazon † Barnes and Noble

Astarte's Wrath is the companion novel to... 

Check out Trisha Wolfe's other books...

“I’ve found you.”

I turn to see Xarion leaning against the frame of my terrace door. A slight smile curves his beautiful lips, and his arms are crossed over his bronze muscled cuirass.

Feeling brave, I slip close and wrap my arms around his waist, the brass studs of his belt pressing against my stomach. “I wasn’t hiding,” I say, looking up into his face. I can see his exhaustion there, in the dark crescents under his eyes, though he’s putting on a good front. “I’d never tempt a great hunter.”

He chuckles as he steps away long enough to slip off his breastplate, then he embraces me. Leaning down, he whispers in my ear, “You’re always tempting.” Running his thumb over my cheek, he lowers his face before mine, his breaths shallow. “In fact, your power of seduction is having its desired effect on me right now.” His lips softly brush mine, sweet and inviting at first, then he deepens the kiss.

I realize that anyone could walk in, and I begin to pull away. “Xarion, my room is not secure,” I say between his kisses.

He groans against my lips, and the deep rumble sends my hands into his hair, pulling him to me. I feel him smile. He scoops me into his arms, his lips never leaving mine, and walks us inside.

My sense breaks through, and I whisper, “Lunia or Phoenix could come looking for me and—”

“That’s what locks were designed for,” he interrupts.

I laugh. “Oh, that will not stop either of them.”

He turns the bolt on my door, keeping his arm sturdy beneath my legs. Then he takes me to the bed where he lays me down. I let my head fall back against the coverlet as he hovers above me, his fisted hands pressing into the mattress on either side of my head, his knees parting my legs.

Suddenly he bounds up, and I think he’s come to his senses. My stomach tumbles as I realize how much I don’t want him to be responsible—but we can’t chance it here. Only he grabs the chair from my desk and kicks the back. My eyes widen in surprise. He places one of the panels against the door, securing its ends in the torch brackets.

“That should give them some difficulty,” he says as he unbuckles his belt, the action making my heart beat wildly. “And give me enough time to hide in your dressing room like a clandestine lover.”

A smile twitches at my lips. “You mean, like exactly what you are?”

Shaking his head, his dark hair falling against his eyes, he counters, “I’m offended.” He strips off his leather armor. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth as my eyes slip over him, and a crooked smile hikes his face. “Ah, but that does it for you, huh? You like stealing kisses in the shadows, the constant fear of being caught.” Climbing onto the bed, he positions himself above me. “I bet your heart is pounding hard right now, the adrenaline claiming your body”—he presses his palm over my heart—“with a need only your clandestine lover can satisfy.”

I’m the author of the YA Steampunk DESTINY'S FIRE (Omnific Publishing), the upcoming YA Utopian FIREBLOOD (Spencer Hill Press, Oct. 2013), and a new YA Dark
Fantasy series releasing June 2013, OF SILVER AND BEASTS.

I’m the creator of YA Bound, a promotional blog for the Young Adult genre. A proud member of the SCWW and The Apocalypsies. And I’m also a business owner, partnered with my
partner, my husband. When I’m not busy doing all of the above, I’m a wife and the mother of a gorgeous teen boy who's the sounding board for my male characters.

Check out my website TrishaWolfe.com for more on my books and bonus material. You can also follow me on Twitter @TrishWolfe or like my Facebook page for updates.

********************************************************

 GIVEAWAY IS OPEN INTERNATIONAL! 

Must be 13 or older to enter. 

Contest ends March 18th! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast Hosted by...

Freak of Nature by Julia Crane Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway!!

Freak of Nature
(IFICS, #1)
by Julia Crane
Publication Date: February 2, 2013
Published by: Valknut Press
Formats Available: eBook, Paperback ~284 pages

Book Blurb:
Donate Body to Science. Check.

When seventeen-year-old Kaitlyn checked the box, she never suspected she’d have her life–and her body–stolen from her. She awakens one day in a secret laboratory to discover that her body is now half-robot and is forced to hide her own secret: that she still has human emotions and a human mind. If the scientists who made her find out, they’ll erase what remains of who she was.

Kaitlyn finds an unlikely ally in Lucas, a handsome, brilliant scientist who can’t get over the guilt he feels knowing she was once a vibrant, beautiful young woman. He never expected a science project to affect him the way she does. As he tries to help her rediscover her past, he finds himself falling for the brave girl struggling to find her place and acceptance between the human and computer worlds.

Amazon  -  Barnes & Noble  -  Kobo  -  iTunes

Despite owning many of Julia Crane's novels, this is the first one I have actually read and I am so glad I did! The first thing that caught my eye about this novel was the cover. It seems that Julia Crane is incapable of having a less than stunning cover. I love cover and the picture of this pieced together girl who has been split at the seams. And the pale skin tone and teal colors, while I didn't know at first, have meaning to the novel. The second thing that caught my eye was the title: Freak of Nature. I know at times I have felt these very words and I had to see what they meant to this girl on the cover.

Within the very first chapter the author had me questioning the consequences of something that people contemplate everyday: to put the check the box or put the donate sticker on your driver's license or not. Well our main character Kaitlin checked yes. And that one tiny check mark changed her fate forever. Instead of dying like she should have, she was given to science and has been turned into something quite unnerving: a cyborg girl that still looks like Kaitlin, but there have been a few changes made. And after each operation to turn her into this thing, she lost more and more of what made her human.

"By the second operation she stopped laughing. By the fifth, she stopped smiling entirely."

She has no pain sensors or taste buds, but with her new body she can do extraordinary things: run like the wind, fire a gun with precision, and processes everything in her newly programmed brain with ease. However, there is still something left inside; a piece of Kaitlin is still inside and she has to hide it or else she may die a second time. But there are feelings left and that is something quite unacceptable. She shouldn't feel anything, not sadness nor happiness, not the way her skin tingles when she is around Lucas, or feel like she has a best friend with Quess. But it is there and she is keeping the one thing she has left of her old life to herself.

The IFICS and their experiment make me sick. And the people that worked for them were worse. How did they justify this experiment and how could you take a teenage girl do that to her without being a monster - or worse - someone who just cares about progress. But then there is Lucas, a super-smart kid who just wants to do cool things, but has a conscience - one that lacks in action, but it is there. He feels for Kaitlin and regrets the loss of a girl he never knew when she was truly alive. And I loved that we got to see what things are like through his eyes too. And through him we see his feeling for Kaitlin, ones that make him feel weak in the knees.

"How could you possibly think I'm beautiful? I'm repulsive - a freak of nature."

I loved the burgeoning romance between Kaitlin and Lucas. And though she finds herself a freak, they are both broken in some way. What I loved about Freak of Nature was that it wasn't just a Science Fiction novel or a YA Romance, there was more depth to it that is so hard to explain. Julia Crane has created a world full of mad scientists, hormonal teenagers (robot or not), and gave the readers something to think about well after they finish: what do our choices really mean? There is light action, but the book is about strength, love, and friendship. There are a few things I could get nit-picky about here and there. One of which is that Kaitlin is supposed to be super intelligent, but when given an iPhone or the idea of Facebook and she completely goes blank. Um. shouldn't the super machine know about technological advances? But aside from that I enjoyed reading Freak of Nature and am curious to see what will take place in book two.
*For mature teens due to some sexual content.

4.5 Candles for Freak of Nature

FTC Advisory: I was given a copy of this book from the author for an honest review as part of a blog tour. No backroom deals or whispered promises were made.

Q) Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

A) I do some research, but mainly I just go where my mind takes me. Ideas come out of nowhere it seems.    Like for Freak of Nature, I saw my daughter making a cyborg image on photoshop and I though I’ve got to write a book about a cyborg.


Q) Is there a message in your novel/novels that you want readers to grasp?

A) I don’t think of that when I write. I’ve always believe that any book opened there is at least once sentence written for the reader. I hope there is something that makes my readers think about it later even if it’s just one line that reached them.


Q) What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing your characters to life?

A) I can’t think that deeply into writing if I did it would freeze me up. I’ve gotten to know a lot of different personalities over my lifetime and I draw from that. I’ve also been lucky enough to travel extensively so I think that helps.

Julia Crane is the author of the Coexist: Keegan’s Chronicles. She has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Julia has believed in magical creatures since the day her grandmother first told her an Irish tale. Growing up her mother greatly encouraged reading and using your imagination. Although she’s spent most of her life on the US east coast, she currently lives in Dubai with her husband and three children.

Website - Blog - Twitter - Pinterest - Facebook - Goodreads

********************************************************

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Games of Fire by Airicka Phoenix Blog Tour: Review & Excerpt

Games of Fire
by Airicka Phoenix
Published: February 14, 2013
Formats Available: eBook ~475 pages
Format Reviewed: eARC
Tour Host: Lady Amber's Tours
Buy Link: Amazon 

Book Blurb:
Sophie has enough problems in her life without Spencer turning her blood to fire, without his eyes freezing and burning her, without his hatred of her. Since his migration into the house next to hers, Sophia Valdez isn’t sure whether she wants to toss him under a bus or kiss that smirking mouth of his. But even as the temperature rises around them, leaping flames of passion, want and desire,everything either has ever known will be shattered by the lurking shadow hounding their every step, wanting revenge.

Spencer Rowth moves to the sleepy town of River Port with his mother and twelve year old sister, Suzy, to escape a deceitful father, an unfaithful girlfriend and a life crumbling much too fast for him to grapple onto only to be smacked upside the head by the last thing he wanted again. Sophie was everything he refused to want. Her temper, her wit, her laugh, her smile, the way her entire body goes up in flames under his hands are things he would rather slam a lid on and forget. Instead, he finds himself falling for the smart-mouth next door. But how long will he have before the evil chasing them catches up? How long before the very thing he never wanted becomes his only thread to sanity? And who is after them? What do they want and why do they want Spencer and Sophie dead?

    

This is my first book by Airicka Phoenix and I have to say I am impressed. When I started Games of Fire I thought it was going to be a paranormal romance type book, but it wasn't and that was a good thing because it was different, but no less exciting. The beginning, while it hooked me was very similar to Twilight and I'll tell you why. Girl meets boy, boy is a jerk. Girl is almost killed by a car, boy saves her. Girl tells boy, "You regret saving me, don't you?" But thankfully, this is where the similarities with Edward and Bella end and Spencer and Sophie's story begins. This is a love story with kick. Sparks fly every time Spencer and Sophie are together, no matter if they are arguing or kissing. Then add in a psycho stalker who wants to possess Sophie for himself and will stop at nothing to get her. Definitely a book I didn't want to put down!

The characters are well drawn and dynamic. Even creepy little Suzy who gives me the heebie-jeebies every time she was around. Can you say Children of the Corn? Actually, Spencer's whole family is broken in one way or another. Spencer is complex and has so many layers to get through to see the real boy hiding underneath. What I love is that nothing happens instantly and Sophie takes her time getting to know Spencer. My favorite statement by Sophie is, "You can have all of me or none of me," meaning that if they are going to be together it is mind and body and nothing in between. No insta-love here, only a real mature relationship that takes time and effort for it to work. Sophie is great and realistic character too. She has friends who are hilarious (the point system!) and does not ditch them at the first sight of a boyfriend. She has real parents and a regular family dynamic; meaning parents are in charge and not the other way around.

Ms. Phoenix's writing style is perfect for the Young Adult/New Adult genre. This is for those over 16/17 due to some seriously hot scenes. She is witty, funny, and can make a scene pop off the page. She also has a knack for creating suspense. The way the book is written is genius. Not only do we get to see the aftermath of the stalker's threats and attacks, but we get cut-aways into the head of the stalker, and the workings of the mind of the stalker gave me serious chills. And while I kinda thought I knew who the stalker was, I had to keep reading to find out if I was right!

The copy-editing was near flawless and I read an ARC. I was very impressed with the story that she wove. Each character had a story and everything happened for a reason - even the smallest of conversations or glances. My only pet peeve was the ending, it was so abrupt. With the book being almost 500 pages, the ending was condensed into about 7% of the book. I wanted more explanations and more 'what happens nexts' but, overall I was extremely happy with Games of Fire. I shall be reading all her books as soon as my TBR pile allows!

Smoking hot read! Almost breathless.

FTC Advisory: I was given a copy of this book from the author for an honest review as part of a blog tour. No backroom deals or whispered promises were made.

“I won’t bite,” he said, probably meaning it as a joke.

“Oh if only that were my only problem,” she sighed under her breath.
“What?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”

She took his hand, slipping her icy fingers through his. The electric sparks tore a fiery path down the length of her arms, nearly melting the ice beneath their feet. She shivered involuntarily and felt his fingers flex.

“All right?” Had his voice always been so husky?
She dampened her lips. “Yeah…” The single word died in her throat as she was pulled towards him. Her heart tripped. Her lungs stilled. The heat of his body rushed over her with the subtle scent peppermint, leather, spices and smoke.

A soft mist blew around them. Raindrops glistened in his hair, shimmering under the pale glow of the light post. His eyes were shadowed beneath wispy fringes, but the silver in them glinted like pools of liquid mercury. Her breath caught. It must have made a sound because his fingers tightened. His shaky exhale caressed her flushed face.
“This,” he whispered so quietly she almost didn’t hear him. “Is why you are so bad for me.”

Airicka Phoenix is the best-selling author of the Touch Series with short stories in Whispered Beginnings: A Clever Fiction Anthology and Midnight Surrender Anthology. When she's not hammering away at the keyboard, she can be found banishing pirates or crawling through the attic looking for lost treasure with her kids. She loves baking, gardening and reading. She also likes to travel and take pictures of everything she comes across. When asked, Airicka describes herself as a sarcastic basket case that has an unhealthy addiction to chocolate, old movies and really bad jokes. She loves to laugh, make friends and write. If she could have one wish granted, it would be to spend one day as a fly-on-the-wall inside Stephen King's mind. If she could have two wishes granted, she would ask for a castle dedicated entirely to her overwhelming collection of books.
For more about Airicka, also on how to win giveaways, read author interviews and reviews, visit her on all her sites.

Website  -  Twitter - Facebook - FB Airicka's Mystical Creations - Goodreads - Pinterest