COVER REVEAL: Fire by T.G. Ayer

And here it is - the long awaited
and highly anticipated
Cover Reveal of
FIRE (The Hand of Kali #1)
by T.G. Ayer!!

 
Title: FIRE
Series: The Hand of Kali Series
Volume: 1
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: (expected) July 2013
Format: Paperback, E-Book
ISBN-10:  TBA 
Publisher: Infinite Ink
Pages: 350
Add on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17264568-flame 

DESCRIPTION:
Normal people sneak out to a party and have fun. Maya Rao ends the evening by incinerating the guy who attacks her.
Nik Lucas, sexy, new in town and totally forbidden, happens to walk in on her. Normal guys would run for the hills. Nik knows a whole lot more than he's telling.
Maya doesn't believe the gods are real, doesn't waste her time with mere mythology. But when gods, demons and hellhound's become the new normal and wielding fire becomes her new skill, she must decide what it is she really believes.
Can Maya accept that normal is something she will never be because it isn't normal to be
...the Hand of Kali.

EXCERPT:
Fear spun Maya around on stricken feet. To defend her back perhaps. She just felt less vulnerable facing her attacker, where she could see his next move. He barreled straight at her. And for all her training in martial arts, she did the one thing her dad always said never to do. She ducked her head and hid her face with her hands. Hands out, as if she could fend off this vicious attacker merely with the soft skin of her palms.
Maya felt the heat before she saw it.
Byron was on fire. A living column of shimmering orange flames. She couldn't breathe. Was afraid to breathe. How did that happen? She glanced around the bathroom as panic filled her veins, her fear taking on a whole new level of hysteria. She had to put the fire out.
She turned to the faucet to fill her hands with water. And froze. In the mirror she saw the burning reflection of Byron disappear. Byron was there one moment and gone the next. Only a few burnt shards of fabric left to say he was ever there. But she remembered the last thing she'd seen before Byron became nothing: brilliant blue eyes turning a frighteningly blood-red.
And Nik, holding the doorknob, staring at the empty space on the floor behind her.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I have been a writer from the time I was old enough to recognise that reading was a doorway into my imagination. Poetry was my first foray into the art of the written word. Books were my best friends, my escape, my haven. I am essentially a recluse but this part of my personality is impossible to practise given I have two teenage daughters, who are actually my friends, my tea-makers, my confidantes… I am blessed with a husband who has left me for golf. It’s a fair trade as I have left him for writing. We are both passionate supporters of each other's loves – it works wonderfully…

My heart is currently broken in two. One half resides in South Africa where my old roots still remain, and my heart still longs for the endless beaches and the smell of moist soil after a summer downpour. My love for Ma Afrika will never fade. The other half of me has been transplanted to the Land of the Long White Cloud. The land of the Taniwha, beautiful Maraes, and volcanoes. The land of green, pure beauty that truly inspires. And because I am so torn between these two lands – I shall forever remain cross-eyed.

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Cover Reveal: Ascending The Veil by Venessa Kimball

Author: Venessa Kimball

Title: Ascending the Veil (Piercing the Fold, Book 3)
Release Date: Expected release September 2013
Genre: Mature Young Adult

Blurb

In Surfacing the Rim: Piercing the Fold, Book 2, an intersection between our galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy has been spurred at the hands of an enemy fellowship. With orders from its leader, Sondian guardian and Sam Crest opens a wormhole that traces through a black hole through the Andromeda galaxy and into another universe beyond ours.

What Jesca and the other Dobrian guardians do not realize is that the wormhole has pierced a barrier, a veil, that has successfully kept the beings of that universe from invading our world. Beings that have been considered mythical and fantastical since the beginning of time. Beings that symbolize the purest of evil and the purest of good. Beings that have been the product of the “illusions in reality” Jesca and the rest of the guardians have been tracking, dodging, and protecting humanity from for the past year.

To worsen the situation, Sam Crest attempts to take Jesca with him into the wormhole, but two of the most important men in Jesca’s life, Ezra Kahn and Nate Sera keep her from succumbing to it by sacrificing themselves. Their sacrifice protects her physically, but not mentally. Jesca is left broken in the arms of a man that she is beginning to fall for, Xander Crest; adopted son of Sam Crest.

Though Ezra’s and Nate’s sacrifice was noble, it was not enough to stop the global invasion and apocalyptical evolution the enemy fellowship intends to draw to our world. The fate of our world is bleak unless Jesca and the her fellowship of guardians can find a way for the human race to adapt, evolve, and survive amidst the invasion, as well as bring Nate and Ezra back from beyond the veil.

Ascending the Veil: Piercing the Fold, Book 3 takes you beyond our world and universe and back through the eyes of the characters in this series. Tragedies and blessings involving Jesca, Ezra, Nate, and Xander will be revealed, our favorite guardians of the Dobrian and Sondian fellowships will forge their paths in this universe and in another for the salvation of our world and each other, and heart-wrenching events will unfold when Jesca ascends the veil.

Author's Note:

The Piercing the Fold series is intended for Mature Young Adult and Adult readers due to the the paranormal and unorthodox scientific concepts addressed throughout. This series contains a rich mixture of the paranormal, science fiction, romance, adventure, and suspense.

Book Links:

Piercing the Fold, Book  One
AmazonPaperback

Kindle
PtFNook
Smashwords
Kobo

Surfacing the Rim, Book Two
Paperback

Kindle
StRNook
Smashwords
Kobo

Author Bio:

Venessa Kimball is currently writing the third book in her Mature Young Adult/New Adult Paranormal Science Fiction series, Piercing the Fold. Book 1 was released July 2, 2012. Book 2, Surfacing the Rim, released March 14, 2013. Ascending the Veil: Book 3 will release Mid-September 2013. And the final book in the Piercing the Fold series, Book 4 (Title TBD) will release Early 2014.

As for the future, Venessa has two projects unrelated to the Piercing the Fold series in the works. Both projects will highlight Venessa's versatility as a writer with her branching out from the Paranormal/Science Fiction genre of her current series. When Venessa is not writing, she is keeping active with her husband and three children, chaueffering said children to extracurricular activities, indulging in her love for running 5ks, and devouring the latest great reads.

Author Links:
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Summer Book Crush

Hot sun, hot sand, cool drinks, dark tans. Ahhhh. But your summer won’t be complete until you land a new BOOK BOYFRIEND, right? Lucky for you, we’ve got you covered!  

SUMMER BOOK CRUSH offers 50+ titles in many genres. This means 50+ chances to (fictitiously) fall in love. And the best part? Each of these gems is only 99¢, but for a limited time only. The SUMMER BOOK CRUSH event starts on June 26th and ends (yes, even the best things in life end at some point) on June 28th. So don't wait up! Mingle with our BOOK BOYFRIENDS and invite all your friends to participate too. There are plenty of BOOK BOYS to share!

Find your summer’s fling between the pages of a book. And don't stop on one - after all we have many BOOK BOYFRIENDS for you to mingle with.

* HAPPY READING * HAPPY SUMMER *

 

Book Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Title: Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2)
Author: Katie McGarry
Release Date: May 28th 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all...

My Thoughts

Katie McGarry really knows how to get that teenage voice spot on.
Both Ryan and Beth are really great characters, each with a healthy dose of angst and parental disillusion; both a little battered and bruised and carrying around their fair share of secrets.

The love between Ryan and Beth is so tender and sweet it’s impossible not to get all gooey over it. But they have their fair share of ups and downs too, and battle their way through some tough situations; but when it’s all said and done, they need each other.

Dare You To is full of great writing that engages your heart and a story that completely enraptures you, making it hard to put down; hard to stop reading.

Did I feel a little sorry for Isaiah, absolutely; but his story is yet to come and I know the wait will be worth it, I just hope the girl is to!

This author has once again broken my heart with her emotional portrayal of first love and yes, I cried a tear or two!
Heartfelt teenage love at its best 5 stars ~<;]

Book Review: Runes by Ednah Walters

Title: Runes (Runes #1)
Author: Ednah Walters
Release Date: May 20th 2013
Publisher: Firetrail Publishing
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

Seventeen-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s disappearance, her mother’s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her.

Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.

Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only are she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life.

My Thoughts

I thought that Runes was a pretty good start for a new YA series involving Norse mythology, even with a love triangle storyline (Gah - I’m kind of over the love triangle thing!).

I did find the writing to be a bit jumpy in places and I often felt mixed up, having to re-read portions in case I’d missed something; but for the most part Runes is well written with some interesting characters and ideas.

I thought Torin was a bit of a hottie, all that self absorbed brooding suited him well; but with the inconsistent writing flow I found it difficult to connect to the characters, most especially Raine.

The ending for me was a little rushed and almost too easy; I was expecting more from a bunch of angry ancient Norse Gods! But I am interested enough to want to find out what comes next.

Runes was a little bit wobbly for me, but gets a solid 3.5 stars :]

Book Review: Slow Burn by Anne Marsh

Title: Slow Burn (Smoke Jumpers, #2)
Author: Anne Marsh
Release Date: March 26th 2013 
Publisher: Brava Kensington
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

It’s not every man who’ll risk his life jumping into the flames of a woodland inferno. Then again, Evan Donovan isn’t like other men. No matter how great or how treacherous the challenge, he gets the job done. But when he agrees to look in on a friend’s ex-wife after a suspicious brushfire, Evan learns that some jobs are too hot to handle…

Faye Duncan is a photographer on a mission, shooting fires for a magazine. Her first encounter with a wildfire isn’t nearly as wild as her first night with Evan Donovan. Things really heat up when Evan learns she may have taken a photo of the arsonist setting the fires. Evan is determined to keep Faye safe—but first, he’ll have to open up his heart…

My Thoughts

I initially enjoyed Slow Burn but as I read on, I found it to be very slow moving.
There was a lot of internal dialogue going on throughout which slowed down the pace immensely, I would have liked more to actually happen rather than listen to the in-head mutterings of the MC.

The sexual attraction was okay but the overall relationship felt stilted and forced and I found myself skimming over a lot of it.

The suspenseful arson twist was rather underwhelming also.
Less of a complete giveaway as to the culprit would have been beneficial and added a lot more interest to a story that lacked overall impact; because giving away a major plot line so early on just lessoned the reading experience for me.

I enjoyed the first quarter but the rest was pretty uneventful and too slow for me.
2.5 stars :|