Teaser Tuesday with Affliction

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

AFFLICTION is the newest in the Anita Blake series by L.K. Hamilton. I loved the series right from the start, but these last books have been hit or miss. I like it when Anita is out there fighting monsters, especially fulfilling her duties as a Marshal. This one has promise, but it could be another political and relationship maneuvering one. A little of that is fine, but with the immense cast of characters in this series, it can get convoluted.

Here's your teaser:
"It's an old wives' tale that all shapeshifters need fresh meat after they shift," I said.
"Was that 'old wives' comment aimed at me?" she asked, her voice belligerent.

Review for That Fatal Kiss

Blurb:
When it comes to love, sometimes you have to cross the line...

Feared by mortals for his inexorable power, and loathed by his fellow Greek gods for the same, Hades rules the Underworld alone. A stark eternity looms before him until he discovers Persephone. Struck by the youthful goddess’ beauty, kindness, and spirit, he must have her. But Hades believes Persephone could never love him, and so he conspires with his powerful brother, Zeus, to take her by force.

Persephone too seeks a mate but her possessive mother, the goddess Demeter, frustrates her husband hunting. Then Hades abducts Persephone, tearing her away from the Upperworld she loves to reign with him in the dank depths below. Though outraged, Persephone cannot deny the desire ignited within her by the dark lord’s touch. And even as she hopes that Demeter will unearth her, Persephone aches to surrender to the heat in Hades’ immortal soul.

My review:
Hades rules the Underworld alone in the darkness. Only one light has ever attracted him. For years, he has watched Persephone and fallen in love from afar. He must have her as his wife. Conspiring with her father Zeus, Hades abducts the beautiful goddess and whisks her away the Underworld. Persephone is a creature of the light. She's goodness and compassion with a hidden wildness and streak of willfulness. She won't submit to Hades so easily even though she feels a powerful pull toward him. Hades struggles to show her how much he loves her, and she doesn't make it any easier on him. Will Persephone fall for the dark lord's charms or be one of the few to escape from the Underworld?

I'm already a fan of Greek mythology, and I love this telling of Hades and Persephone's tale. Even though I knew how it was going to end, the journey was amazing. I was sucked into the story right from the beginning and found it hard to put down my Kindle until the end.

What made this book so great is the characterization. The reader gets to see the gods as they've never been seen before. Hades isn't the cold and forbidding dark demon as some portray him. He's isolated yet yearns for companionship, demanding yet compassionate, and totally hot! I became enchanted by him. He's an Alpha male, but unlike many others in the genre. Persephone can be young and rash, but she's smart, strong, and sympathetic. The perfect complement to Hades. I especially liked her relationships with the other goddesses, particularly Hecate and Athena.

THAT FATAL KISS is a phenomenal debut for Mina Lobo. Her romance sizzles and her worlds are vivid with life. This is a love story I highly recommend.

You can purchase the book here:

Amazon * B&N * Smashwords * Paperback at CreateSpace

Stalk Mina here:

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E-book available for purchase at:
Amazon | B & N | Smashwords
Trade Paperback: Createspace - See more at: http://www.minalobo.com/p/my-writing.html#sthash.SvjnMOGW.dpuf

E-book available for purchase at:
Amazon | B & N | Smashwords
Trade Paperback: Createspace - See more at: http://www.minalobo.com/p/my-writing.html#sthash.SvjnMOGW.dpuf

Just over a week until Realms Faire 2013

Tighten your corsets and fluff those beards, it's almost time for Realms Faire 2013!

We have 9 amazing events with 9 chances to win prizes every day. Then there are grand giveaways at the end of the week. You can win fabulous ebooks and a Kindle. Woot!

THE EVENTS:

The Joust - M. Pax

 Masquerade Parade - Angela Brown

Collective Stage Performance - Samantha Geary

Dragon Hunt - River Fairchild

The Stockade Brigade - Gwen Gardner

Castle Jumble - Laura Eno

Phasers - Untethered Realms

Dueling Bards - Cas Webb

Soak-a-Bloke / Drench-a-Wench - Me!

My event is a quick and fun one. Each day a person is selected to be soaked with blog love. You click on the link provided and leave a blog comment for the lucky dunkee. Everyone who comments is entered into a drawing - one for each of the five days - and winner is chosen. For those people who participate all five days, they will be entered into a grand giveaway.

I'm also participating in the Joust this year. Please come cheer my champion, Sir Xanthus Ehrensvard. He'll be riding shirtless!

They All Fall Down blog tour - reviews plus a giveaway

For seventeen-year-old Abigail, one rash decision leads to an unexpected chance for redemption. At V'Salicus Academy, a unique institute where she trains to become an agent of heaven, she struggles with the pain of her past, the changes of the present and accepts a loveless future until her path – and heart – crosses with Basil’s.

Basil's off-chance slip of the tongue binds him to a life of servitude to the Devourer, the master of hell. His existence has no upside until a chance meeting with Abigail brings new perspective.

Keeping the truth of their present lives from each other brings disaster when secrets are brought to light and the life of Abigail’s mentor is put on the line.

Can Abigail and Basil save her mentor and salvage their love amid the chaos? Or will they lose it all, destined forever to NEVERLOVE?

My review:
Abigail's future had never looked more bleak. So when she tries to end her life, she receives one thing she never expected: a chance at a good future. At V'Salicus Academy, she trains to be a servant of Heaven to help escort souls to Judgement. She still must deal with the pain of her past, but she meets a cute boy named Basil in a coffee shop and he makes her feel good again. The secrets keep building, and when everything explodes, Abigail must decide between duty and love.

Angela Brown hooks the reader with a powerful beginning and doesn't disappoint with several shocks at the end. It's a dark and emotional tale that makes your stomach twist and your heart hammer in your chest. Abagail begins at the bottom in the darkest depths of her own nightmares and claws her way back up. She's real, lovable, and admirable. I'm an even bigger fan of Basil. Smart, compassionate, and a bit of a geek. I love he's not the bad boy we typically see in YA books.

The plot takes the reader on several twists and turns. To dark places and sweet moments. The imagery is astounding. I could picture even the most horrific things in my head like a certain throne!

I can't wait to read more in this series and to learn more about the fascinating mythos.

Buy NEVERLOVE here: Amazon.com, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de, Amazon.co.uk, Kobo, B&N

Abby and Basil: New love reaches new heights as they finally give in to their lust and desire for each other.

Q: Consumed by the Devourer within and his base need to claim Abby as his own.

The crave: What it all boils down to. A crave for souls. A crave to keep love intact beyond betrayals. A crave for a second chance. A crave for power and The Fall of mankind.

“Love can conquer all” is put to the test and salvation may be impossible when they all fall down.

 My review:
A normal life with the man she loves seems like too much for Abby to hope for. The past still haunts Basil and Abby. With Q still yearning to possess Abby, his dark tendrils reach out to destroy them. Their struggle just to be together stretches further to saving mankind as well. Can there be love and trust in a world sinking to the depths of dark desires?

An excellent second book in the Shadow Jumpers series. The characters and conflict have already been established, but the reader is taken to deeper and darker levels. Abby and Basil have grown as individuals and together. Yet their relationship is tested, twisted, and trampled upon. Your heart will feel like that going through the intense emotional journey with them.

My favorite bits were with the villain, Q. He's one of those bad guys you love to hate! Plus he kept the throne.

A fast moving plot with amazing imagery and a whirlwind of emotions. Angela Brown has taken us on another thrilling ride through a demented House of Horrors, and I'm left craving more.

Buy THEY ALL FALL DOWN on Amazon & B&N

Mark it to read on Goodreads 

Author Bio: Born and raised in Little Rock, AR, Angela now calls Central Texas home.

Reading and writing have been lifelong passions. It was around the time she gave birth to her forever-love, nicknamed Chipmunk, that she really took writing seriously. After all, how could she teach her child to follow her dreams if she hadn’t tried herself?
As a YA fantasy/sci-fi reader and author, she favors the magical, mysterious, the darker side of life…even harbors a secret fright for things that go bump in the night.

Website * Goodreads * Facebook * Twitter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday Five for November 1st, 2013 & Ribbon of Darkness cover reveal

1. First, another thank you to everyone who helped and followed along with my blog tour last month. It was a long haul, but so much fun. Don't forget to enter the final giveaway on Clare Dugmore's blog. There's still one chance left to win a signed copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection.

2. Today is the first day of NaNoWriMo 2013. I'm excited. I'm participating even though I don't have much time to write this month. And today I assist at my son's preschool, so I won't have any time to write the morning or afternoon. Our trick-or-treating was postponed to tonight since we had a huge storm pass through the state yesterday. If I'm lucky, I might get an hour or two to write after he goes to bed tonight.

3. I'll be taking a step back from blogging during November and December. I have a lot of pre-scheduled posts. (It actually doesn't look like I'm taking a break at all with how many there are!) I'll pop in now and then, but two weeks this month will be taken up by family visiting. We're getting in all the family visits this month so we can have a relaxing Christmas without any traveling. We did that last year, and it was fantastic. Our Christmas gift to ourselves to have a stress-free holiday week.

4. I'll be focusing on writing for NaNo this month and revising another novel in December. Then in January, I can fall back into my regular blogging schedule. You know, I still haven't settled into anything new after we lost Google Reader. That will be something I need to do too. A productive chore to do when I'm procrastinating about revising.

5. I will certainly be around in a few weeks for Realms Faire 2013. It's going to be tremendous! There are several events and giveaways planned. I'll be hosting the Drench-a-Wench / Soak-a-Bloke event. It's fast, easy, and tons of fun. I'm also participating in the Joust this year. Please come cheer my champion, Sir Xanthus Ehrensvard, and defeat last year's victor. Click on the badge below for all the details.

 

Now on to Decadent Kane's gorgeous cover reveal!

An old family secret draws Ribbon into an Elven world while Draven is forced to find a way to drag her back home to save Christmas magic.

Release date: December 13th, 2013

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Elf legends: Legends generally portray elves harmful to humans and their name comes from ancient Germanic word meaning nightmare. ( http://tinyurl.com/kcsbjtd )

Find out more about the author, Decadent Kane: 

Facebook * Twitter * Blog * Goodreads

The Final Day of the 13th Floor Collection blog tour

Happy Halloween!

And happy last day of the tour!

What a month it's been. I'm so thankful for all the support and encouragement from everyone. You guys rock!

A special thank you to all my tour hosts. You've made this the best tour ever.

We're ending big today.

I'm at the awesome Clare Dugmore's blog.

One more giveaway and the 13 biggest moments in the 13th Floor series. Come on over and tell us if you agree!

Don't forget Realms Faire 2013 next month.
It starts on the 11th, and I'll be participating in the Joust. I would love for you all to come cheer me on. How do you do that, you ask? It's easy. Head on over to the Joust on M. Pax's blog, and cheer for my knight, Sir Xanthus Ehrensvard. You must use the "key" words provided to cheer for my champion. I get a point for every time someone uses one of the words. You can cheer up to 3 times a day. Not only can you win prizes, but I can win a prize if Xan is the victor! Huzzah!

The 13th Floor collection blog tour is on fire!

Today I've distracted my dragonslayer with a mission out of state. I don't want him to know where I'm going. Not all dragons are evil, but I can't convince him of that!

I'm excited to be heading over to the great cave of Father Dragon. I'll be talking about the doubts I had while writing the 13th Floor series and how I managed to motivate myself to get past them.