Shadow Embraced Blog Tour: Review, Book Trailer, Excerpt, Guest Post, & Giveaway!

A huge Thank You to Dark World Books for the opportunity to be a part of this tour! Also, to the author, Cheree Smith, Thank You for the ARC and for writing such an awesome story! And a Thanks to NetGalley for the Galley - I knew I had to read this book even before I knew about the tour! 

**To my readers: make sure to check out all the goodies on this post: there is so much to see and read! And don't forget to enter the Giveaway!**

Shadow Embraced
(Haven, #1)
by Cheree Smith
Published April 29, 2013
Published by Dark Cherry Press
Genre: YA Horror/Paranormal
Format Reviewed: Galley from NetGalley
Formats Available: eBook, Paperback ~234 pages

Book Blurb:
No escape.
Those words haunt Scar's dreams. She thinks the creature that terrorises her while asleep isn't real, but when she's abducted and taken to a reform school meant to contain creatures too dangerous to function in society, she starts to wonder whether she isn't some monster.

She turns to an underground fight club full of vampires, werewolves and witches established by the students to control her urges, and who is she kidding, she loves to fight.

When fighters begin to disappear, turning Scar into the prime suspect, she must race to prove her innocence before her true nature is exposed.

The only problem is that she's not entirely sure she's innocent.

Amazon – Smashwords – Barnes & Noble

Like many books lately, this book, Shadow Embraced, was nothing like what I thought it would be. I mean, hello? An underground fight club for supernaturals? I have seen it before in various mediums - mostly on television, but in print it is just something different and something awesome! Scarlet, aka, Scar has a penchant for violence. She likes to fight and doesn't really know why and keeps ending up in clubs with her friend Alex and inevitably gets into a fight. Not only is she in fights, but after her brawls have ended - with both parties alive - her opponents are ending up dead. Who or what is trying to frame Scar? And why? Well, after one too many she is caught by her police officer of a father and is forbidden to see her best friend. And we all know how well that works out right? *Insert sarcasm here* Of course, she ends up sneaking out with Alex, but without knowing why, she grows fangs and attacks Alex.

The next thing Scar knows is that she is being sent to boarding school - Haven a so called reform school. Oh, how I love boarding school stories! And not any boarding school, one for monsters: Vampires, Witches, and Werewolves. But Scar isn't quite a regular vampire; she is a Dhampir and is technically not allowed to exist because this means a supernatural and a Non (non Supe) got together and had a child which is very frowned upon. And not only is she different, she hears things and feels things greater than most. The words "No Escape" keep running through her mind and have been since she lived with her so-called 'parents'. So now, not only has she lost the only family she has ever known, she is in a new place where she isn't exactly welcome. Sucks to be Scarlett!

As a character, Scar is one that needs some love, but she can't even reach out to the mother she thought she knew. She has all the teen angst she can handle and now she is thrust into a world she knows nothing about. But, there is much more going on than she realizes and must figure it all out. And she fights, a lot. The book starts with fighting and it doesn't just stop when she enters Haven. At first I did not like Scar, but she grew on me little by little. That is how the whole book Shadow Embraced was for me; a new surprise/twist around every corner. There are a few secondary characters that I liked, but mostly the focus was on Scar and her mission to find a rouge killer, but I wouldn't do this review justice if I did not mention the swoon worthy boys, mean girls and the obligatory hateful teachers. What school could function without them? Plus, I love how nothing is quite stereotypical.

Overall, I found Shadow Embraced to be an exciting and incredibly fast-paced read. I was left wondering more about certain things such as the background of Haven and the supernatural world and I would have liked to see a little more romance. And what are the Ghosts and Centurions??But, for those who like the Hex Hall series and the Vampire Academy series, should definitely give Shadow Embraced a try! I am waiting for book two and hoping that all my questions will be answered! A great first book in this new series by Cheree Smith! 

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

Guest post by athor Cheree Smith!

Soundtrack of Shadow Embraced

When writing I like to write against music. The write music can give inspiration as well as help drive the story and defeat writer’s block, and when I start a new project I like to create a new playlist based on themes that are present in the story and songs that could represent a character’s theme song.

Here are the songs that belonged on Shadow Embraced playlist:

1. Down with the Sickness by Disturbed
2. Monster by Skillet
3. Fight by Icon for Hire
4. Monster by Paramore
5. Pieces by Icon for Hire
6. Never Look Back by The Nearly Deads
7. It’s the Fear by Within Temptation
8. Faster by Within Temptation
9. Throwing Punches by Paramore
10. Fight Inside by Red

Chapter 1

_____________________

THE PALE GIRL KNOCKS ME BACK AGAINST THE fleshy wall of the crowd with a couple of hard smacks. I scramble away from a woman in a purple dress, my eyes on my opponent. Over the pulsing music, the crowd keeps up their tribal chant:

“Fight! Fight! Fight!”

This is my first time at The Basement – innovative name for a club set up on the second-storey. The dim lights and smoky atmosphere make the graffiti on the walls blaze. Between the pinball machines, sagging lounges, and the close-pressed crowd, there isn’t much room to manoeuvre.

“What are you waiting for?” the girl hisses. She could be Snow White with her porcelain skin and long, raven hair. “You started this. It was between me and her.” She extends one long finger towards my best friend, Alex.

Alex watches from the side-line. This is becoming the norm. Whenever we go out she always gets in trouble and I’m the one to fix it – usually with some bloodshed.

I don’t know what Alex did to piss this poisonous cow off, but now I want blood.

My opponent launches at me. I shield my face from her punches. It all comes down to waiting for an opening. She’s fast, almost as fast as me. It’s difficult to maintain my balance long enough to strike back.

I duck under a right hook and seize my chance. I throw an uppercut and knock her pale ass to the ground.

A single word roars through the room. “Scatter!”

The tight circle breaks and chaos erupts. The girl springs to her feet. The need to fight still blazes in her eyes, but there’s something else emerging as well. Her eyes change to a deep crimson. I stumble back, trying to suppress the cold fear swimming in my gut.

The woman in purple looms closer. Her dress drags along the floor as she moves. Grabbing my opponent by the arm, she whispers something in her ear.

The woman’s gaze meets mine. Her eyes are as white as quartz with a translucent glaze. I can’t take my attention off of her. I hadn’t noticed the long black stick she carries until now. Her body twists in my direction and she pushes people out of the way with her stick as she nears, dragging the girl – who thrashes and screams – behind her. The girl’s red eyes still focused on me.

I can’t move.

The room plunges into darkness, leaving only the faint bank of emergency lights marking the stairs.

“Come on, Scar. We have to get out of here.” Alex seizes my arm, forcing me back into reality. She pulls me towards the scattering of kids that remain from the mass exodus.

By the time we reach the exit, sirens howl above the noise. The only means of escape is cut off and people charge back up the stairs, taking refuge on the darkened dance floor. The cops block the exit and seal the room.

A strong hand grips my shoulder and jerks me backwards into a group of girls. I fall to the ground and heavy individuals trample on my legs. A cop forces my hands behind my back and secures them in cool metal cuffs.

He pulls me to my feet and leads me down the packed staircase.

“I’ve got it from here,” a familiar voice says as a hand clutches my shoulder. “I’m sure they still need your help inside.”

“Okay,” the cop says, relinquishing his hold of me. “If you’re sure.”

“I am.” The new cop takes me over to his car and unfastens the cuffs. Opening the back door, he says, “You know, I can’t keep doing this for you.”

I open my mouth to say something, but he cuts me off.

“I don’t want to hear it. We’ll talk about this at home.”

I slide onto the vinyl seat and close the door. “Sorry, Dad,” I whisper.

I lean my head against the cold window of the car door and wait for the car to start up. It takes about five minutes before Dad’s sitting behind the wheel and we’re heading away from the club.

An involuntary shiver creeps up my spine as the image of the woman in purple comes to mind. It really looked as if she was coming for me. I don’t even want to think about what she wanted. Turning my attention to the passing scenery, I shake all thoughts of that woman out of my head.

The streetlights forge speech bubbles of illumination in the air. A faint glow from the moon casts eerie shadows behind the dark clouds. The early morning streets of Sydney are still packed with people coming and going from clubs. Most of the girls look like they borrow all their clothes from their little sisters. The guys, on the other hand, choose a different style; fighting hard to keep their pants from falling down. For some reason, they think it’s an appealing look.

I turn my head to face the back of Dad’s seat. His messy auburn hair pokes out from beneath his blue hat. He takes an occasional glimpse at me from the central mirror.

The car slams to the right as we turn a corner and my heart jerks against my ribs. We stop at the curb in front of an aging two-storey redbrick townhouse. Dad gets out and moves around to my door. He opens it and waits for me to get out – without saying a single word to me.

I glance at the house. Mum stands in the open doorway, and she doesn’t look happy. She still has her nurse uniform on. Strands of tangled sandy hair fall free of her ponytail.

I stop in front of her. “Hi, Mum.” My voice comes out as a whisper.

Mum stares at me with puffy hazel eyes for a moment before turning around and going back inside.

“You’d better get to your room.” Dad enters the apartment and leaves me standing in the doorway. “Your mother and I will speak with you later.”

I force my legs to continue moving, staring at the brownish carpet that lines the floor.

Gripping the banister, I launch myself up the stairs. The scent of lavender and bleach drifting around me brings a nauseous wave to my stomach.

I rush to my room, ignoring the loud conversation coming from my parents’ room, and close the door behind me. All the movie stars and bands from the posters covering my walls watch me with accusing eyes.

Wiping the tears away, I throw myself onto the bed without even bothering to pull the sheets down. Feeling the soft mattress beneath me, I draw my eyes shut. I can only muster enough strength to kick my shoes off before the endless abyss of sleep overtakes me.

* * *

The scene plays out as if I’m watching a movie. I stand in a church. Don’t ask me why – I’m not religious, and I’m not even sure if I’ve set foot inside a real one. Thin streamers of light drift through the dirt encrusted stained glass, making spider webs glisten high up in the rafters. The few pews that remain standing sag. The rest is kindling strewn across the floor.

I move down the aisle. The floorboards creak beneath my feet. Each step launches billows of dust through the air. I can see it. A single mirror stands at the far end beside a pedestal that holds a golden chalice. Believe me, I don’t want to be anywhere near it, but my feet have a mind of their own.

The mirror is not normal. Its surface casts no reflection. All I can see beneath the glass is a vast sea of jet-black nothingness, and yet, I know something is hiding there within the shadows. Something that waits for me, watching me. That’s what scares me the most.

‘No escape,’ a voice that doesn’t sound human sneers.

A scent drifts past my nose and makes my mouth water. It smells like cinnamon and honey, but I know it isn’t. My gaze dances around the hall, coming to rest on the chalice.

As I reach out, every nerve screams I must have it. Using my other hand, I try to stop myself. I don’t want it, I only have to tell my mutinous hand that. It won’t stop. I grip the smooth stem. It pulsates with warmth. The thick crimson liquid swirls within the bowl. I raise the cup to my mouth and my heart races as the warm liquid touches my lips.

‘No escape,’ the voice repeats in a low growl.

Cheree Smith lives in a country town in Australia as a high school English teacher where she writes paranormal, horror and dark stories for young adults. She enjoys listening to and learning about legends and myths, watching scary movies and dreaming up new worlds where monsters can come alive. When she is not in her writing cave she can be found listening to music, even dabbling in the occasional writing of music or reading.

Website – Blog – Twitter – Facebook – Goodreads

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Residue Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway!

Thanks to AToMR for the opportunity to participate in the Residue Tour and working with my while I am sick. Also, a huge Thanks to the author, Laury Falter, for providing the review copy! And to my readers, Thanks for reading and I hope you like Residue too & make sure to check out the 2 Giveaways!!

Residue
(Residue, #1)
by Laury Falter
Published: April 13, 2012
Format: eBook ~300 pages

Book Blurb:
When Jocelyn Weatherford is whisked away from a preparatory academy in upstate New York to live with her extended family in New Orleans, she is unprepared to encounter the dangers awaiting her. Yet even as she is thrust into an unfamiliar world of witches and voodoo magic, the greatest threat of all may be the boy she has fallen for.

While handsome and charming, he is also a Caldwell... a member of the family the Weatherford's have been feuding with for centuries. As their forbidden love grows it becomes the volatile spark that forever changes their world and everyone in it.

Amazon   -   Barnes & Noble

Residue is one of those books that I am always on the look-out for. Witchcraft, Voodoo, Romance... everything I love to read about! And what I found was something I didn't quite expect. I have not read Ms. Falter's Guardian books, but I must go back and read them now because I feel like I am missing something. But, despite that what I found in Residue is a fun plot, a likable protagonist, and a nice take on magic.

After Jocelyn has a seriously weird thing happen to her in class, she is sent to live with family in New Orleans. However, her family in New Orleans are witches and apparently she is too, but no one decided to tell her anything about it until now. Curiosity peaked for me when I found out that she was never told, but her cousins were. Why? What makes Jocelyn so special? So many measures are taken: the boarding school, the secrets, the spies... Again, why? I had to find out! But don't fret, I'm not giving anything away here!

The one thing she is told is to stay away from the Caldwells; they are the Weatherfords' family enemies and that she should never go near any of them. Kinda hard to do when they attend the same magic school, but they generally keep their distances from each other unless it is to start a battle. However, Jocelyn has never met any of the Caldwells and wouldn't know one even if she did. Which leads to the next part of the story: Jameson. A Caldwell. But when Jocelyn met him, she had no idea and well, she sort of fell for him. I love it! Romeo and Juliet at Hogwarts! And not only do the families not like the idea of even a friendship - love? - out of the question. And what is worse? The Sevens, the higher power of the magical have something against them being together too and have sent down Vires to keep them apart.

Residue is full of laugh-out-loud moments, action, and magic. I found the book a very fun and quick read despite its 300 pages. I like that it is a series and I can keep reading about the characters and see how everything eventually unfolds - those are definitely on my TBR pile! I really liked Jocelyn, she is a girl who stands up for everyone and is genuine in her intentions. I would liked to see more of Jameson as a whole, but it is just the first book. The writing was done well, no egregious errors that made me stop reading, and I was easily drawn into their world. Overall, it is a great book for YA Paranormal and Urban Fantasy fans and for anyone who wants a little magic in their lives!

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.

Laury Falter is the author of the bestselling Guardian Trilogy. She writes young adult paranormal romances and urban fantasy when she's not taking her stray dogs for a walk or enjoying a date night with her husband.
Laury has released two series, the Guardian Trilogy and the Residue Series (a spinoff of the Guardian Trilogy books), and is currently releasing her third series, the Apocalypse Chronicles.

Website  -  Facebook  -  Twitter  -  Goodreads

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The Breeders by Katie French Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway!

The Breeders
(Breeders, #1)
by Katie French
Published on August 1, 2012
Format: eBook ~276 pages
Tour Host: Kismet Book Tours
Genre: YA Dystopian

Book Blurb:
Sixteen-year-old Riley Meemick is one of the world's last free girls. When Riley was born, her mother escaped the Breeders, the group of doctors using cruel experiments to bolster the dwindling human race. Her parents do everything possible to keep her from their clutches-- moving from one desolate farm after another to escape the Breeders' long reach. The Breeders control everything- the local war lords, the remaining factories, the fuel. They have unchecked power in this lawless society. And they're hunting Riley.

When the local Sheriff abducts the adult members of her family and hands her mother over to the Breeders, Riley and her eight-year-old brother, Ethan, hiding in a shelter, are left to starve. Then Clay arrives, the handsome gunslinger who seems determined to help to make up for past sins. The problem is Clay thinks Riley is a bender-- a genderless mutation, neither male nor female. As Riley's affection for Clay grows she wonders can she trust Clay with her secret and risk her freedom?

The three embark on a journey across the scarred remains of New Mexico-- escaping the Riders who use human sacrifice to appease their Good Mother, various men scrambling for luck, and a deranged lone survivor of a plague. When Riley is shot and forced into the Breeder's hospital, she learns the horrible fate of her mother—a fate she'll share unless she can find a way out.

Amazon - Lulu

“When the Breeders come for ya, there ain't no escape. They strap ya to a bed and all ya hear is the thud of your heart and the cries of your friends as they wheel ya down to hell. Then the doctors come. You squeeze your eyes shut and pray you can forget. But ya never do.” 

The Breeders sucks you in to a world that has been ravaged by a poison that made girls a rarity. In order to "save" the human race, so called doctors kidnap girls and inseminate them in order to give birth to more girls. But girls aren't the only ones who are being taken. Young boys are being taken by a group called Riders that torture them in the name of the Great Mother. If you can't handle violence of both the bloody and sexual types, then this book may not be for you. The Breeders is an emotional roller coaster from beginning to end.

The setting is in New Mexico and the Wild West has reemerged after the near decimation of the human race. While I can picture everything in my head, I kept having to tell myself that this is the future and not the actual Wild West. The government is not spoken of, only Sheriffs and corrupt law men - so what happened to the make this new reality. While I do like the book and was able to figure out what had happened, the back story could have been fleshed out and then some things would make more sense.

The main character, Riley, is a girl who will stop at nothing to get her family back. While I found her to be believable in this setting, I found her a little too stubborn for her own good and because of that some people who she wanted to save were left behind because of her impetuousness. However, she is fiercely protective and fights with every ounce of strength that she has. Clay, her sort-of savior, is interesting. He is also protective and always tries to do the right thing, but his past and his guilt are his motivators.

There are some truly evil people in The Breeders and the author Katie French writes their characters so well that I wanted to take a gun and shoot them too. She is great at writing vivid scenes and is able to bring the story to life. I found The Breeders to be a very suspenseful and captivating book. The plot is set at an extremely fast pace and is a quick, but emotionally draining read. I will say that their could have been more editing done, but for the most part I was able to read over the typos and grammatical errors because the story went so quickly. There is non-stop action and Riley can't seem to catch a break as she is thrown from one terrifying scenario to the next. I did find the small bit of romance a nice touch. I like that it is not the theme of the book, but a sweet addition in the midst of everything.

I am a huge fan of Dystopian novels and The Breeders is one that I would recommend to people who want something that will keep them on their toes. There will be a sequel, but there isn't any real news on that front yet. The ending could have let it be a stand alone, but because of who Riley is, I feel that there will be many more injustices for her to fight. Just don't read it before bed like I did because my heart was racing so much that I couldn't fall asleep.

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.

 Nessa: A Breeders Story

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Katie French imagined herself an author when her poem caught the eye of her second grade teacher.
In middle school she spent her free time locked in her room, writing her first young adult novel. Though her social life suffered, her love for literature thrived. She studied English at Eastern Michigan University, where she veered from writing and earned an education degree. She spent nine years teaching high school English.
Currently she is a school counselor, doing a job that is both one of the hardest things she’s ever done and the most rewarding. In her free time she writes, reads great books and takes care of her two beautiful and crazy children. She is a contributor and co-creator of Underground Book Reviews, a website dedicated to erasing the boundaries between traditional and non-traditional publishing. She lives in Michigan with her husband and two children.

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

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The Thirteenth by G.L. Twynham Blog Tour: Review, Excerpt & Giveaway!

The Thirteenth
(The Thirteenth, #1)
by G.L. Twynham
Publication Date: November 20, 2009
Publisher: Self Published
Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Formats Available: eBook, Audio Book, Paperback ~336 pages

Book Blurb: Imagine starting at the end and finishing back at the beginning. This is the story of a teenage girl called Valerie Saunders who is about to be thrown through time and space. Being bestowed with abilities beyond her wildest nightmares, she discovers that she not only has to deal with turning eighteen, her first job and an unwanted tattoo, but also magical powers and intense urges to fall in love. She envisaged she would spend her life blending into the scenery, not blowing it up!

Val has a calling, but which side is dialling her number?

Amazon Kindle - Amazon Print - Amazon Audio Edition

Valerie Saunders (Val) is about to turn eighteen and she just got her first job working for an antique/first edition bookstore. She also starts having vivid dreams and mysterious pain. Then a tattoo just happens to appear on her arm on her eighteen birthday: the Zodiac symbols in a circle with a backwards 'y' with a dot above it in the middle. Then after an encounter at the shop, she realizes she has powers. Val has no idea what is going on so she turns to her best friend Delta and the owner of a tattoo parlor for help (who she doesn't know). No one knows what is going on but they will try to find answers, but what they get are more questions. Why is this happening? Where did the powers come from? Who is behind it all?

The beginning of The Thirteenth started out with a bang and I was hooked. Everything that happened to Val came at a frantic pace and just as one episode ended another began. I really liked the premise of the story: a girl with powers that found her that she can't run away from, but there were time that the plot became somewhat predictable. Each challenge she faces is more extreme than the next, but each trial is so short and could have been better explained. It isn't until the end that I am completely surprised by the events. I am baffled by who the bad guys are! I am even more surprised at the origins of Val's powers - sorry no spoilers!

The characters are likeable, but not quite fleshed out. I would have liked to see more interaction with her Scooby Gang. Then there was the fact that Val seems to trust nearly everyone she meets with her secret (except her parents). Then they all turned around and believed everything she said - not quite realistic, but it did make it easier for the story to progress. I know that this is fiction, but you still want things to feel like they could happen. Val also accepted her "powers" really fast, but when everything keeps getting thrown at her one right after another, she would have to acclimate quickly. My biggest pet peeve was the grammar and copy editing. I don't mind a few mistakes here and there, but when they are so distracting that it pulls me from the story, that is when I get annoyed. The Kindle formatting isn't the best either so you have to be hyper aware of who is speaking as there aren't correct paragraph cuts.

Despite my misgivings, I could not put the book down. I had to see what was to come of Val and her friends and see who it was that kept tormenting her. There are some really good things about The Thirteenth. I like the author's ability to add humor to dire situations and her metaphors and sarcasms are hilarious. I also really enjoyed the tiny hints that are left throughout the book. Looking back I can see how well she tied certain aspects together, but until you read the ending they don't always make sense. So, the ending is a complete turning point and I am excited to see what will happen next. Not only were there huge revelations, but the whole genre of the book expanded! There are three books out in the series - The Thirteenth, The Turncoats, and Nyteria Rising - and one due out this spring. I will definitely be reading on to see more of Val's adventures!

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.

Chapter 1

The Tattoo

A young woman stood alone looking up at the night sky, a cool breeze effortlessly caressing her slim frame as darkness closed around her. At long last it would be her turn to be part of something that had been her destiny since birth.

She moved on, passing the pond; she caught her reflection in the water and smiled. The time had arrived; the moon had reached the tops of the trees. On this particular evening, the shadows of the dense woods, mixed with the bruised sky made the adventure that lay ahead seem all the more exciting.

As she left the village behind and made her way into the woodland, her body filled with anticipation. She began to run.

Knowing instinctively where to go, she weaved like a needle in and out of the undergrowth, dodging the trees as if they were merely smoke trails rising in front of her.

She was moving swiftly when an unfamiliar sound suddenly stopped her dead in her tracks. A strange crackling in the air made every hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Something was very wrong. She span around, trying to find where it was coming from, but soon realized it was everywhere. Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped.

She had cautiously started to move forward again, when the silence was shattered once more by another wave of sound. In the confusion, her foot caught under a loose tree root, causing her to fall awkwardly into a pile of leaves. Before she had time to stand up, she heard violent screams coming from the distance. These weren’t joyful cries; the cries of pleasure and happiness she had been expecting. These turned her blood cold and left her paralyzed where she lay on the wet forest floor, her heart pounding.

After a few seconds, she gathered enough courage to slowly lift herself up and move forward again. She was suddenly very frightened, aware of the risk she was taking just by being there. She darted to an old oak tree, hiding for a moment in the shelter of its huge trunk.

Cautiously, she edged around it. Everything was quiet again so she leant the top half of her body out, to see if it was safe. In that split second a ball of light came towards her, travelling at amazing speed and growing as it came, until it seemed to be the size of a mountain.

When it hit her, its power engulfed her whole body and she was instantly lifted off the ground. She screamed helplessly as it raised her into the treetops.

Her ears filled with a piercing noise, like nothing she had ever heard before. Her whole body felt like it was burning up, yet still she kept rising and rising, until she was high above the trees.

Then the light and noise stopped as quickly and as it had started. Her upward flight came to a violent halt, and she began to fall. As she tumbled through the trees, the thick branches scratched aggressively at her clothes and face. The ground came towards her at terrifying speed. The scream that was struggling to escape her was silenced when she hit the ground with tremendous force. Her body filled with pain, the taste of warm blood filled her mouth, and she slipped into unconsciousness.

Born in Wellingborough in 1972, Georgia was brought up with her two older brothers in a sleepy Leicestershire village until at the age of fifteen, her parents decided to move abroad, taking her with them. A new country and a new language helped her come out of her shell and for eleven years, she lived and worked on the beautiful island of Menorca.
Georgia wrote short stories and poetry from an early age but her real passion for writing didn’t truly emerge until she was 31. Writing for her own web site and articles for magazines helped to support her and her daughter. After meeting her now fiancé, she was given the encouragement and opportunity to write full-time and the rest is history.
Georgia felt there was a need for a strong British female heroine. She also wanted a main character that had a normal family, with problems that most teenagers/young adults in this country might be experiencing and could relate to. And so Val Saunders, daughter to Mike and Susan Saunders, was born.
Georgia spends time with her daughter in their home in Leicestershire and her life is filled with promoting her books, writing and walking her dog Milly, the Jack Russell.

Website  -  Facebook  -  Twitter  -  Blog

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A Kiss For Emily Blog Tour - Review & Giveaway

A Kiss for Emily

(The Emily Stokes Series, #1)

by J.P. Galuska

Genre: Paranormal, Suspense, Young-Adult,
Publisher: Self
Ebook/Paperback Pages: 356

Purchase:

B&N | Amazon | Smashwords

Synopsis:
YA suspense driven paranormal romance.

Emily Stokes never thought that falling in love would put her smack dab in the middle of chaos, or have her questioning her sanity! But when strange occurrences turn unbelievable, it becomes a race to save Emily from none other than the good-guys.

A Note From The Author:

The first book in The Emily Stokes Series is entitled A Kiss for Emily. It's about a 17-year-old gal who lives in the heart of Kansas who's life is about to come unglued. It's YA, totally suspense-driven, and takes paranormal to a new level! If I tell you any more about the book, I'll have to include a spoiler alert because I can honestly say the less you know going into the story, the more you'll enjoy it! With that being said, here is the most I dare say:

Emily Stokes never thought that falling in love would put her in the middle of chaos, or have her questioning her own sanity! But when strange occurrences turn unbelievable, it becomes a race against time to save Emily from none other...than the good-guys.

  

My Thoughts:

At first, I thought the book was going to be about a girl obsessed with kissing. Thankfully, it was more. Emily Stokes has been given the terrible news that she must move from the city to the sticks and is not happy about it. She is a junior in high school and will have to spend her last year with people she doesn't know and in a country school at that. But first she has to get through the long, hot summer without going crazy. Her friends haven't called her - even though she is only 20 miles away - and she is bored to tears. Until...

Sam is a boy she happens to meet while exploring her new surroundings. If it weren't for him she would be lost for good. He is a boy unlike any others and she is completely smitten and is already thinking of how their first kiss will be. However, she has just had her heart broken by Alex, her crush for the last decade. Alex is suffering from the suicide of his father and isn't dealing very well. And with Emily trying to move on from Alex, she isn't answering his texts or calls. After ending up in the hospital for what Emily thinks is a fall in which she hit her head, things really start to get crazy.

A Kiss for Emily is very suspenseful and psychologically thrilling. There are so many things that occur that made me angry and frightened - and that was generally because of the people who were trying to "help" Emily. I was impressed with the storytelling. I liked the book and had to see how it ended. It wasn't difficult to read - a typical YA novel in that aspect - but what really was jarring for me was the over the top county colloquialisms. I don't live anywhere near the Midwest, but I know people who do and they do not talk like that. So maybe it was used for literary enhancement, but for me it was odd. 

Overall, I would have to say I would read it again. I am very interested in what book two will hold... I have a few theories on how things will turn out, but we will have to wait and see. This book is great for both suspense lovers and romance seekers. A Kiss for Emily will remind you of something you have seen or heard, but don't be fooled because there are things hiding around every page!

★ ★ ★ ★

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.

About the Author:

J P began writing her first novel back in 2009 after a work related injury took her out of the job market. Foreign to writing literature, her rough draft read more like torture than paranormal. Although the plot had been solid, not until she joined a local writer's group did the book really begin to blossom.

She currently enjoys a successful writing career and was recently featured as the April 2012 Author of the Month in the Paranormal Romance Guild.

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