Excerpt: Astarte’s Wrath by Trisha Wolfe – BATH SCENE: XARION’S POV


I’m happy to announce that Astarte’s Wrath has hit 48 reviews on Amazon! YAY! To celebrate, author Trisha Wolfe has released Xarion’s POV of the Bath Scene. Here’s a small taste:

Star narrows her eyes at me, her full, bottom lip puckering out the way it does when she’s in serious thought—and though I’m listening to her words, all I want to do is trap that bottom lip between my teeth. Nip it and caress it with my tongue.

“I knew you’d say that,” she says. “And that is precisely why I didn’t want you to know.” She raises her hand from my chest and swipes the wet hair from my forehead. Her body subtly moves against mine as she does, and it drives me wild. “A possible retaliation by the guardians is just one more weighted burden on top of the many you already carry. You don’t need the added strain. Let me deal with Candra and the Kythan. They’re my kindred. As long as I’m their equal—in both power and status—I can protect you.”

This woman—the woman I’ve loved my entire life—is my protector. She not only guards against physical threats, but watches over my mental wellbeing. However, I cannot allow her to carry all my problems alone anymore. I want to be her guardian, to be the one to comfort her when she’s fearful, and protect her against this world.

I tilt my head and suck in a deep breath. “This is why you won’t be with me.” I want her to admit it. If she finally confesses that our titles and her battle with the right course of action have been the only reasons for her kept affections, then by Gods…help me from laying her out on this tile and taking her. I won’t stop.

She nods.

“This is the only reason.” She nods again, and that is all the conformation I need. “Then I refuse to let them keep us apart for one more moment.” I grasp her face between my hands and claim her lips with mine.

Her lips are soft and warm as I achingly coax them into a fevered kiss, unable to hold back my desire for her. I had planned for our first kiss many times, imagined it over and over. The way I would caress her lips slowly and lovingly, conveying my affections. But every emotion I have ever felt for Star rushes to the surface all at once, and I can’t slow. I won’t. I won’t allow her a moment to question our actions, to reconsider us. I’m going to kiss her senseless—kiss the reason right out of her infuriatingly rational head…

warning: this is part of a new adult fantasy novel and the rest of the excerpt contains mature content. If you still wish to view it, click here.

No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop!


no strings May

Welcome to the No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Portrait of a Book! For the hop, one lucky winner will have the chance to select one book from the list below.

Here are the Rules:

  1. You must be 13 years or older to participate. Giveaway is open internationally.
  2. Fill in your name and email in the form below (one entry per person, please – duplicates will be deleted).
  3. The No Strings Attached Giveaway will close at 12:01 AM, May 28th.
  4. No following or retweeting required, but much appreciated. Also feel free to leave a comment below if you would like, I love meeting new people!

Good Luck!!

Click here to follow the No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop and see what other great giveaways are occurring!

Manic Monday: Weekly Sum Up (38)


 

Books I Reviewed:

  1. Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Books I Read (Reviews to Come):

Books I Purchased:

  1. School Spirits (School Spirits #1) by Rachel Hawkins
  2. A Shade of Blood (A Shade of Vampire #2) by Bella Forest

Books I Received:

Giveaways:

  1. May 2013 Monthly Raffle Giveaway (INT) – Open until 12:01 AM, May 23rd.
  2. Love in Bloom Giveaway Hop! (INT) – Open until 12:01 AM, May 23rd.
  3. Coming this Week: No Strings Attached (INT) – May 21st – 27th.

Book Review: Half-Blood (Covenant #1)


Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Genre: YA paranormal, fantasy
Published: October 18th 2011
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Pages: 281
Source: Purchased Paperback

Goodreads Summary:

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1: Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she’s crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn’t her biggest problem–staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

My Rating of this Book – 4 out of 5 stars

My Review:

Over the past few months, I’ve heard quite a bit of praise for the Covenant series, and I have to agree, Half-Blood was an amazing book. However, I didn’t find it nearly as captivating as Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Obsidian of the Lux series. Half-Blood moved at a much slower pace. The characters didn’t ask as many questions I would have liked at the beginning, plus things I found odd were sometimes ignored by the main characters until later in the novel. I kind of found that a little frustrating at time.

As for the main character, Alex was definitely an interesting character to follow, but she didn’t capture me like Katy from Obsidian had. I didn’t feel one with her thoughts nor could I really fit into her shoes. I did feel for her, though. All the stuff she had to face. All the tragedy. Yet she was strong in character, a bit of a big mouth, and a little kickass—all of which I enjoyed.

I did love Aiden. He was a cool guy. I liked how he was all tough and hard on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside. But I didn’t find him as swoon worthy as Daemon in Obsidian. I missed the playful taunts, the verbal duals. Oh, and Seth! Ugh! In my opinion, he was just a plan jerk in Half-Blood. No playfulness or being a tease. I didn’t like his attitude at all.

Yet despite Seth and the few other things I didn’t like, as a whole the plotline was captivating. I was drawn into this world of demi-gods and diamons, wanting to learn more about the pures and half-bloods. I wanted to know what each of their lives was like with all the rules about forbidden love. I was even curious what it’s like for the diamons. What they feel. What they think. What were they plotting? And though Seth, presently, is not on my good side, I’m fascinated by the situation he and Alex found themselves in. With the role Alex has to play, I’m curious how she’s going to handle all the pressure and feeling in future novels.

All in all, it wasn’t the Lux series—it didn’t steal my heart, or take my breath away—but it is a storyline that I’m addicted to. I had that one taste of aether, and now, I can’t stop until I consume the last book.

Love in Bloom Giveaway Hop!


Welcome to the Love in Bloom Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Portrait of a Book! For the hop, one lucky winner will have the chance to select either a Kindle or Nook version of one of the books listed below.

Here are the Rules:

  1. You must be 13 years or older to participate. Giveaway is open internationally.
  2. Fill in your name and email in the form below (one entry per person, please – duplicates will be deleted).
  3. The Love in BloomGiveaway will close at 12:01 AM, May 23rd.
  4. No following or retweeting required, but much appreciated. Also feel free to leave a comment below if you would like, I love meeting new people!

Good Luck!!

This Giveaway is now Closed. :)

Click here to follow the Love in Bloom Giveaway Hop and see what other great giveaways are occurring!

Book Blitz and Giveaway: The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard


The Forgotten Ones
 
The Danaan Trilogy
 
Book One
 

Now available exclusively on Amazon!

And until May 19 it’s only 99 cents!

 



Allison O’Malley’s plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she’s been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison’s mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn’t trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother’s sanity.

***Giveaway***

For a chance to win one of 5 E copies of The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard, click here to enter -> a Rafflecopter giveaway

Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

May 2013 Monthly Raffle Giveaway


Monthly Raffle

Welcome back to my Monthly Raffle Giveaway! One winner will have the chance to select a book from my ‘Monthly Raffle Book List,’ your choice. Here are the rules:

  1. You must be 13 years or older to participate.
  2. Fill in your name and email in this month’s form below (one entry per person, please – duplicates will be deleted).
  3. Giveaway is open internationally.
  4. The May 2013 Monthly Raffle Giveaway will close at 12:01 AM, May 23rd.

Good Luck!!

This Giveaway is now Closed. :)