Wonderland Wednesday: Centaur Legacy By Nancy Straight

Title- Centaur Legacy

Author- Nancy Straight

Publisher- Smashwords

Release Date- Already Released

Amazon-   http://goo.gl/jQF0YS

BOOK SUMMERY:

Camille and Drake are on the run from the head of the Centaur Council, seeking the mythical pasture of Thessaly and a family heirloom that may keep them safe. As their journey progresses from the rolling hills of Ireland to the snow covered forests of South Dakota, Cami learns more about her mother’s secrets, including a twin brother and a Centaur legacy that puts a death warrant on her entire family.

Camille and Drake don’t know who to trust or where to hide. Camille’s family is quick to come to her aid, but who among them can be trusted?

A supernatural benefactor forces Drake to choose between being the man he wants to be and the Centaur warrior Camille needs him to be.

 MY THOUGHTS:

I think by now we all know by now how much I love reading novels by Nancy. She has a way in engaging me thought out the whole book. I don’t think of her books, just as romances, they are so much more. The romance is in the book yes, but I also think there’s an amazing plot in each of her books. Time flies by while reading her books and before I know it, I’m finished!

Centaur Legacy starts where we left off Drake and Camille are on the run hiding from her grandmother. I love these two together; I am so glad that they ended up together. Though out this book, I felt their connection even more. They are definitely a team that I am rooting for.

We learned a little more about Camille’s brother, Beau, and I really enjoyed his story line. Beau went through a lot and had a lot to figure out and I like how things ended for him. It was nice to be able to relate to the other characters in the book through their storylines; Nancy does a really great job in having the multiple POV to accomplish this.

I have always been a huge fan of mythology and learning about them. I think that is another reason why I like these books so much. Nancy did a great job incorporating more if it in Centaur Legacy. She did this by not only having centaurs in the book, but also having the character interact and refer to numerous gods.

Wonderland Wednesdays: Greta and the Glass Kingdom by Chloe Jacobs

Title- Greta and the Glass Kingdom

Author- Chloe Jacobs

Publisher- Entangled Publishing

Amazon-   http://goo.gl/GKrYU2

BOOK SUMMERY:

Once upon a dark time…

Greta the human bounty hunter never quite fit into the shadowed, icy world of Mylena. Yet she’s managed to defeat the demon Agramon and win the love of the darkly intense Goblin King, Isaac. Now Isaac wants her to rule by his side—a human queen. And the very announcement is enough to incite rebellion…

To make matters worse, defeating Agramon left Greta tainted with a dark magick. Its unclean power threatens to destroy her and everything she loves. With the Goblin King’s life and the very peace of Mylena at stake, Greta must find a cure and fast.

Her only hope lies with the strange, elusive faeries in the Glass Kingdom…if she can get there before the evil within her destroys everything.

MY THOUGHTS:

“Not when she’d finally realized how rare and special what they’d started together was. No king and queen anywhere were going to be as good together as they would be. She was finally going to prove that not only was she good enough for Isaac and good enough to stay in Myena, she was good enough to rule Myena.”

My second grade class has been working on their fairy tale unit in Language Arts where they have been writing their own twists on the fairy tale of their choice. So, I way beyond excited to receive an ARC of Greta and the Glass Kingdom! I loved reading the first book and I think I loved this one even more!

Ms. Jacob again does a great job illustrating this new world. I could really imagine and see all the different settings and creatures, she described in vivid colorful images.

This installment was very action packed from the very beginning!! This of course made me keep reading on. Poor Greta and Isaac, they cannot catch a break, I don’t think things could have gotten any worse than it did for these two. I do like that Greta never gave up, she is such a strong character and has changed so much!!

The ending of this story was great too!!! I hope I do not need to wait too long to find out what happens next for all the character! I even think there might be a second romance brewing, but I’m not positive.

Mad Mondays: Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs

Title- Greta and the Goblin King

Author– Chloe Jacobs

Publisher- Entangled: Teen

Amazon–   http://goo.gl/1LMKnR

BOOK SUMMERY:

While trying to save her brother from a witch’s fire four years ago, Greta was thrown in herself, falling through a portal to Mylena, a dangerous world where humans are the enemy and every ogre, ghoul, and goblin has a dark side that comes out with the eclipse.

To survive, Greta has hidden her humanity and taken the job of bounty hunter—and she’s good at what she does. So good, she’s caught the attention of Mylena’s young goblin king, the darkly enticing Isaac, who invades her dreams and undermines her will to escape.

But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena. An ancient evil knows she’s the key to opening the portal, and with the next eclipse mere days away, every bloodthirsty creature in the realm is after her—including Isaac. If Greta fails, she and the lost boys of Mylena will die. If she succeeds, no world will be safe from what follows her back..

MY THOUGHTS:

“You’re deluding yourself if you think you can know who I am or what I want from spying on me in my dreams. Therein lies a realm of fantasy, and while it’s an interesting place to visit every once in a while, we both have to live in the real world, don’t we?”

My second grade class has been working on their fairy tale unit in Language Arts where they have been writing their own twists on the fairy tale of their choice. So, I way beyond excited to receive an ARC of Greta and the Glass Kingdom, the only problem was I didn’t read Greta and the Goblin King yet. Luckily, I already had a copy of the book in my Seven- Out- Of- This World box set from Entangled Publishing. After finishing this book, my first thought was, Why in the world did it take me so long to read this story?!?!?!

Greta saves her brother by pushing him out of the way of a witch’s fire in a gingerbread house (sound familiar?), but in the process, Greta falls into the fire and ends up falling into the dimension of Mylena, full of goblins, gnomes and other mythical creatures. I think this was a grand idea for a paranormal story and so different from the normal vampire and werewolf stories. We never really see a story where the main character, other than the human, to be a fairy or a goblin for that matter.

Ms. Jacob’s does a great job illustrating this new world. I could really imagine and see all the different settings and creatures, she described in vivid colorful images. She even makes the story interesting by adding and element where an eclipse changes the creatures in Mylena to their most vicious forms, and how a creature can stay in that form and become labeled as “Lost”.

Greta’s relationship with Isaac, the Goblin King was quite interesting, he would peruse her, and she would reject him time and time again. I also liked that Goblin’s in this story were portrayed in this story differently than I have seen in the past. Instead of the mean, vicious animals they are often written as, in this story they had quite the charm, especially Isaac.

Lost Energy by Lynn Vroman

Lost Energy (Energy Series #2)

by Lynn Vroman

Release Date: 02/03/15

260 pages

Add to Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon

Book Summery:

Last spring, Lena discovered who she was.

Now all she wants to do is move on—and find a way to be with Tarek, the new Warden of Arcus and the love of her life. Even though worlds separate them now, she holds onto the hope they’ll be together again. Until then, Lena focuses on being truly happy for the first time in her life…this life. She has new friends, an apartment free from her abusive father, and the chance to live a normal life.

But for Lena, the past never stays gone.

A woman from another lifetime reveals Cassondra, Exemplian’s new authority commander, is seeking revenge against Tarek for killing her brother. There is only one way to end this new threat…

This time, it will take more than Wilma to keep the monsters away. It’ll take an entire army–an army who remembers Lena from her past life, and who might just want her dead, too.

Lena’s past will shape her future more than she could ever imagine.

Book Summery for Tainted Energy:

For seventeen-year-old Lena, living in the trailer park with the rest of town’s throwaways isn’t exactly paradise. Dealing with a drunken father who can’t keep his fists to himself doesn’t help matters either. The only good thing in her life, other than track, is the mysterious man who visits her dreams, promising to find her.

When a chair burns her arms, Lena chalks it up to stress-induced crazy. Yet as bizarre incidents escalate, even being crazy can’t explain it all away… until one day dream guy does find her.
Tarek lost Lena seventeen years ago after she was accused of treason and marked Tainted. He finally discovers her reborn on Earth into a life of suffering as punishment for her crime.

However, someone else has already found her… and wants her dead. Willing to sacrifice everything, he fights to keep her safe so she can live the only life she’s ever known—even if that life doesn’t include him.

Add to Goodreads

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble

Book Excerpt

Closing my eyes, I struggled to relax as I sunk into the bed. The fight was useless–the excitement I felt every night at this exact moment never abated.

Like clockwork, I heard him.

So, I’m saddled with Wilma for a while.

I smiled, Tarek’s rich voice swelling my heart, tingling my spine. Didn’t matter what he said; he could’ve been talking about the hibernation practices of snails.

She’s not all bad, bitching about the animals, mostly.

A gap wedged into the conversation after that–something he had a habit of doing. How I missed those annoying pauses.

She said you’re doing better against Farren. Remember what I told you about him. Don’t forget the bum right knee. Play a little dirty, and you’ll get him on the ground in no time.

I snuggled deeper under the covers, hugging the same pillow I held every night–the one that still wore his shirt–thinking about apples and lilacs.

Wilma said you’re happy. He chuckled. Complain too much, but happy. I could almost feel his sigh against my ear as it echoed in my brain. I miss you.

“Miss you, too.” That part of the one-sided conversation I always said aloud, willing him to hear it, know it.

As usual, he changed the subject to something lighter. My giant always made me smile…even when he was worlds away. I guess Zander’s still driving Teenesee crazy. He won’t stop asking questions. Wilma avoids him when she goes. She says he complains more than you.

The tears started to well, and no matter how hard I tried to stop them, they’d come. They came every night.

The river hasn’t raged in weeks. Even the squid are behaving for the most part. Wilma only had to kill one this time.

Tarek told me once that his mood controlled the environment. He’d spent the better part of his time trying to rein in his emotions to make the place better. Wilma said our midnight talks helped.

It’s cold as hell in the castle, regardless how high I build the fire. Pause. But I finished the place in the woods, close to the bank. I’ll sleep here tonight; Wilma can sleep on the floor.

I imagined the cabin by the bank, imagined us there together, surrounded by the vibrant colors.

I’m going to let you sleep now. Wilma’s banging on the door. She’s not finished harassing me, I suppose. Be safe… I love you.

Tears dripped on the pillow as I hugged it closer to my heart.

“Love you, too.”

Wonderland Wednesdays: Atlantis Rising by Gloria Craw

Title- Atlantis Rising

Author- Gloria Craw

Release Date- January 6^th, 2015

Amazon- http://goo.gl/zJvZAU

Book Summery:

I am different. I have always been different, but no one can know or my life will be in danger. So I hide in plain sight, wearing drab clothes and thick glasses and trying to be invisible. I’m so good at hiding, no one has ever noticed me. Until Ian…the mysterious and oh-so-cute boy I know I need to avoid.

Now I have been seen. And more terrifying still, I am wanted—by those who would protect me and those who would destroy everything and everyone I love. But if they’re all terrified about who I am, wait until they see what I can do…

My Review:

“My time in foster care had taught me the heartache of losing someone I loved. With all the other uncertainties in my life I just couldn’t go down that road”

I thought Atlantis Rising was a very intriguing idea; it took me a little time to get into the story. After I figured out what was going on I could not put the book down. I wanted to know more of what was going on in Alison’s life but also her species as a whole. I always like to look for character development while reading and I defiantly saw some in with in Alison and her friends.

I also liked that I was wrong about some things in the story and didn’t see some of the twists; I was surprised about whom the mole in the story was and I was wrong about Connor, Alison’s lab partner.

Ms. Craw did a great job in writing a story that engaged me until the very end and I truly hope there is another book in the series. I would love to see what is in store for Alison and her friends next!!!

Book Review: Tainted Energy by Lynn Vroman

Title: Tainted Energy

Author: Lynn Vroman

Release Date: 2014

Amazon: http://goo.gl/vLuiKe

BOOK SUMMERY:

For seventeen-year-old Lena, living in the trailer park with the rest of town’s throwaways isn’t exactly paradise. Dealing with a drunken father who can’t keep his fists to himself doesn’t help matters either. The only good thing in her life, other than track, is the mysterious man who visits her dreams, promising to find her.

When a chair burns her arms, Lena chalks it up to stress-induced crazy. Yet as bizarre incidents escalate, even being crazy can’t explain it all away… until one day dream guy does find her.
Tarek lost Lena seventeen years ago after she was accused of treason and marked Tainted. He finally discovers her reborn on Earth into a life of suffering as punishment for her crime.

However, someone else has already found her… and wants her dead. Willing to sacrifice everything, he fights to keep her safe so she can live the only life she’s ever known—even if that life doesn’t include him.

Add to Goodreads

BOOK REVIEW:

What a great book, Tainted Energy had a very unique plot in my eyes. The story had me guessing from the very start. It was interesting reading POVs from two people of different dimensions, not to mention when one of them has no idea the other exists, but the other is longing for to be with her.

Once Lena was reunited with Tarek it was interesting to see them interact, the author did a great job having Tarek explain what was really going on with Lena or as much as he could say. It helped me as a reader understand what was really going on. The author also painted very vivid images with her descriptions, like mini elephants and a giant octopus full of vibrant color.

It was very interesting to see the struggle Lena faced with her life as she has always know to the life that she has just found out she is a part of. I mean she lived in a world where she and her mother and physically abused to finding out that she is a guide that never dies but changes energy cycle, kind of hard to wrap your head around if you were here. I thought that she was a extremely strong character as well, and her home life only made her stronger.

I would defiantly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading YA Science Fiction, I cannot wait to read more in this series and more from Lynn Vroman.

About the Author:

Born in Pennsylvania, Lynn spent most of her childhood, especially during math class, daydreaming. Today, she spends an obscene amount of time in her head, only now she writes down all the cool stuff.

With a degree in English Literature, Lynn used college as an excuse to read for four years straight. She lives in the Pocono Mountains with her husband, raising the four most incredible human beings on the planet. She writes young adult novels, both fantasy and contemporary.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

GIVEAWAY:

Click HERE to win a $20 amazon gift card plus a swag pack

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Wonderland Wednesdays: Christmas with a Bite by Patricia A. Wolf

Synopsis

Sometimes the holidays totally bite…

This Christmas, Mara Livingston is determined to start over. But as she’s driving to her “new” home, a freak winter storm forces her off the road. Now she’s stranded in the middle of nowhere. Then he shows up. And there’s something strangely familiar about him…

Connor Reece never expected to see Mara again. Nor is he prepared for the onslaught of emotions―including an unimaginable rush of desire―she stirs within him. Now he has a chance to claim the woman he’s always wanted. Except, there are a couple of small details that Mara doesn’t know. The first is that Connor is a vampire. And the second is that if his family finds out about Mara, she will most certainly be killed…

MY REVIEW

This story was a great paranormal holiday romance, around this time it is always great to read a quick novel where you can cozy up under the blankets with hot coco. This was a great book to do this with. It has a little bit of everything; romance, a hot leading man that has something to hide, a woman that other woman can relate to and of course some hot sexy scenes.

Both Mara and Conner were drawn to each other, and it seems that this was not the first time they have been brought together, it must be fate! I love that Mara had such an open mind when it came to Conner. As soon as she stepped into his cabin she opened her mind to everything he offered even though her past is one that might not allow her to do so. I completely felt their chemistry and how much they couldn’t stay away from each other.

Mad Mondays: The Darkest Past by Trisha Wolfe

Title: The Darkest Part

Author: Trisha Wolfe 

Age:  NA

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Amazon- http://goo.gl/UFcrPR

Goodreads

BOOK SUMMERY:

Pressing the boundaries of both the psyche and the heart, Sam and Holden embark on a dangerous journey that will test the limits of love.

Sam Wintry’s life used to be almost perfect. She was engaged to her childhood best friend and high school sweetheart, Tyler Marks, planning an amazing cross-country honeymoon during her college break. But after a hit-and-run leaves her in ruin, she begins seeing Tyler’s fractured, ghostly presence, and her family believes she’s losing her mind. Not until she completes their journey, stopping along the way to scatter Tyler’s remains, will Tyler be able cross over. Only…is Sam ready for him to leave her?

When the black sheep of the Marks’ family, Holden Marks, returns to check on Tyler’s case, Sam convinces him to give her his brother’s ashes. Despite their shaky history, she needs him…plus, he owes it to Sam and his brother. What she doesn’t count on is Holden’s relentlessness to go on the trip.

On the road, Holden realizes just how unhinged Sam has become. Dealing with her psychosis forces him to confront his dark past, making it harder to keep secrets hidden that should remain buried. Especially from Sam, the only woman he’s ever loved. And as Sam starts to unravel the truth, she begins to question if the brother she’s unwillingly falling for again is in an even darker place than her.

MY REVIEW:

The Darkest Past was a great contemporary romance with a little darkness mixed into it. I think that the fact that there was a bit of a mystery in the book really made me keep reading. I had all my own speculations on how Tyler was killed and how Tyler and Holden’s mother died, or course I needed to know if I was right or not. That wasn’t the only reason why I enjoyed the book, but it was a plus.

I completely felt the connection between Sam and Holden, Tyler and Sam I felt that love was a little forced. Though the flashback and Sam’s talks with Tyler’s ghost, I felt there was a little bit of a competition. I don’t think Tyler really wanted to lose Sam as a friend and that was the reason he set a claim on her.

There was also a bit of a paranormal within the book, for people who enjoy those types of books. I think Trisha Wolfe did a great job intergrading Tyler’s ghost and different facts that Sam had read in books.

Major points for having a Black Veil Brides mentioned in the book, most of the music selection was great!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

From an early age, Trisha Wolfe dreamed up fantasy worlds and characters and was accused of talking to herself. Today, she lives in South Carolina with her family and writes full time, using her fantasy worlds as an excuse to continue talking to herself.

For more information on Trisha Wolfe and her works, please visit: www.trishawolfe.co.

To be the first to hear about new releases and sale events, sign up for Trisha Wolfe’s Newsletter: http://bit.ly/1rXTKI7.

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Wonderland Wendsdays: Twisted Dreams (The Dhampyre Chronicles #1) by Marissa Farrar

Title- Twisted Dreams (The Dhampyre Chronicles #1)

Author- Marissa Farrar

Publisher- Warwick House Press

Rating- 3.5 Stars

Synopsis

Born of a vampire father to a human mother, Elizabeth Bandores’ life was never going to be normal, so she can’t image why she thinks starting college will be any different.

Having grown up in the affluent Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles and desperate to escape, she decides on the small college town of Sage Springs. With dreams of being a writer, she joins the college newspaper and is introduced to blond, confident Flynn Matthews, Sage Springs’ rising swim star.

But a carnival has set up in the small town, and the boy running the Waltzer catches her eye. Dark-haired, leather-jacketed Riley is rude, with an air of danger. Elizabeth can’t help but notice him. And when an accident thrusts them together, she discovers he’s noticed her, too.

Sage Springs isn’t the quiet little town Elizabeth had hoped for. The forests bordering the town harbour a dark secret—one some of the residents have been trying to protect, and the leaders of the carnival have set in their sights…

Review

I have a bit of mixed feeling about this book, I really enjoyed the concept. It was interesting having Elizabeth being half vampire and half human and seeing how she deals with her situation. She also had to deal with having powers where she is either able to see what is about to happen to someone or has already happened to them, but she never know which vision she is seeing.

I also did not really see a connection between all the characters. I am not sure if it was because the book was a bit on the short side and there wasn’t as much time to have character development. There was also a bunch of mystery with in the book which could have been an attribute to the lack of connections.

However, the story kept me engaged and I had to keep guessing what was going to happen until the very end of the story. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, something happened, where I was left in the dark again.

Review: The Gates Legacy Series by Lorenz Font

Titles- Hunted and Tormented

Author- Lorenz Font

Publisher- The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing

Review for The Hunted

There is a plague in vampire community, and the Vampire Council will stop at nothing to stop it and that means they are all after, Harrow Gates. He did not know he was the people who started this vampire disease until Pritchard took Harrow in and explained everything to him. Pritchard has taken him in as one of his own; feeding him, going him a place to stay and giving him clothes to wear, but there’s more to Pritchard then he first says and he seems to be hiding something. Then there is Jordan, a girl with an agenda she has made known, kill the man who turned her. This may not be as easy as she thought it would, she now has a friend and has an attraction to Harrow, which she can’t explain.

I haven’t really read many vampire books, to be honest the only one I have read was Twilight. This book was nothing compared to that. Lorenz Font did a great job creating a world that was very vivid and imaginative. It was very interesting to read a story where they explain why and how humans and vampires are different and how they are the same. Also the vampires seemed like humans; they got dirty, showered, they didn’t glitter in the sunlight, and they got sick. I thought that having a disease that was plaguing the vampire community was very interesting!

There were numerous POV and it confused me at times, the change of POV sometimes just happened. There was no indicator on who the POV was on now, it would just switch and I would have to figure out through reading who the story line was now following. Once I got past the confusion, I enjoyed the numerous POV, but still wish there was some sort of warning when the new view came into play.

I really enjoyed reading this novel and I can’t wait to begin reading the second book in the series! I know it will keep me engaged just as much as the first one did!!

Review for  Tormented

Tormented takes place where Hunted left off, Allison, Harrow and the rest of the survivors are morning the loss of their beloved Pritchard Tack.

I didn’t think I would like another book in this series a much as I enjoyed the first book, but Lorenz Font, did a great job with this one as well. There was so much action that kept me guessing and engaged. I loved the new characters that were introduced and development of old characters. It was very interesting to get more of the POV some of the vampires in Goran’s Harlem.

Of course I missed hearing Harrow and Jordan’s story as the bulk of the book, but I enjoyed hearing about Allison and Tor. Finally, seeing Tor’s past to see who he really is and things he went through in the past. WOW!

Jordan and Harrow continued to take on their new parental roles. I adored Gail and the relationships she has with all the people in her family, and she certainly has a BIG one