Review: My Lady Mage by Alexis Morgan

Publication Date: July 3rd, 2012
Finished Date: November 26th, 2012
Publisher: Signet Eclipse
Format: Paperback
Pages: 316
Series: Warriors of the Mist #1
My Rating: 3.5/5

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Blurb from Goodreads:
A cursed destiny. A band of warriors. And one troubled kingdom. It is whispered in Agathia that the legendary warriors of the mist—cursed by the gods—can be summoned only when a champion is needed and the cause is just. Gideon, their captain, knows this to be the one path that will lead his men to redemption—lest they face an eternity of damnation. Years have passed since anyone has journeyed to the river's edge, but times are desperate. Oppressed by a cruel guardian whose dark magic threatens to destroy her people, the beautiful and courageous Merewen calls upon the bespelled warriors. In Gideon she finds more than a champion, and in his arms, more than protection. However, their enemies are fighting with a power darker than anything than they imagined, and should Gideon fail, she will lose everything she holds dear—including her heart.

My Review

MY LADY MAGE was a very nice blend of High Fantasy and Romance. There was a development of plot where we were initially plunged directly into the fear that Merewen constantly lives with, and how she found her way to the river where she could summon the warriors of the mist.

Just a brief summary of the story (a little more detailed than the official synopsis which might contain spoilers):

(view spoiler)In times of dire need, when a person deemed worthy by the gods stands beside the lake and summons the legendary Damned warriors of the mist, six champions will rise up and help rid the world of its evil. It has been centuries since the last time the gods have granted a request.

An evil has been growing in the heart of Agathia, but bringing it closer to home for our protagonist, Merewen, daughter of the recently-deceased Lord of a keep a few days ride from the capital of Agathia, her keep isn't in good shape at all under the government of her uncle, the new lord of the keep. Her uncle is a selfish ruler, a cruel husband, and just inherently a cold man who enjoys watching his subjects squirm and cower in fear or pain, or both. It is a bad time for Merewen and her people, and in the dusty tomes of her father's rather expansive library collection, she stumbles upon an ancient spell to summon help from the river.

Captain Gideon and his men has been asleep in the cold, winter river for many centuries and only been slightly jolted awake a few times by failed summons, however, this time his gods are allowing them to rise up from their sleep and allowed time on land for three months. Three months to feel the sunshine on their face and smell the scents of fresh grass - and to rid the land of an evil far larger in scale than just Merewen's uncle. If the warriors fail, him, his men and Merewen would have to spend the rest of eternity wandering the cold depths of the Afterlife together. Gideon has enough on his mind so far, but add in to his plate is a brash but kind, loyal and sweet woman who has opened his heart up after all these lonely centuries...

END of summary.


MY LADY MAGE was an enjoyable read, very relaxing and engaging, however, it is quite a typical High Fantasy novel plot-wise, and the romance was ummm...it could have been developed a little more. I mean, where's the sexual tension and suspense? Not that I'm against the attraction at first sight stuff, but I would've preferred if it was dragged out a little more, and if they didn't started kissing and all quite so soon after they met.

The characters were lovable! Merewen was the usual courageous and headstrong heroine now commonly found in High Fantasies and more often than not, Urban Fantasies and Paranormal Romances, even Contemporary and Historical fictions; Gideon and his men were very, VERY similar to the dudes in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward! Especially Kane! Kane was the ultimate doppelganger of Zsadist, I swear! With that dark mage mark on his cheek, that mysterious, you-mess-with-me-and-I'll-skin-you-alive-dice-you-into-pieces bad boy thing going on. He's cool. And add to that, each of the warriors had an avatar that can be called to life from their shields, which were animals that could form a mental link with each of the warriors. All the avatars had a personality of their own which was very endearing. And of course, Kane had the coolest avatar. (view spoiler)[Highlight to read (spoiler)] A GARGOYLE!! *swoon* haha.

Morgan was writing mainly in the selective third person POV, but often switching from one character to another. It was mainly Merewen's and Gideon's, but she does switch to the other warriors' and Alina's (Lady of the keep) and even Fagan's, Merewen's evil uncle. It didn't get confusing at all throughout the entire novel and I thought that that spoke a lot about Morgan's stellar writing style.

Overall, I thought that MY LADY MAGE was a light and enjoyable read, some quite-intense fights here and there (not reaaaaally considered battles), and a few intimate scenes, and the building of an even greater plot up ahead in the following sequels. It wasn't as intense as I first expected it to be, that's why I didn't give it 4 stars.

My Rating

 

Quickie Review: Blood Fever by Veronica Wolff

Publication Date: August 7th, 2012
Finished Date: August 19th, 2012
Publisher: NAL Trade
Format: Paperback
Pages: 290
Series: The Watchers #3
My Rating: 4/5

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Blurb from Goodreads:
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME—EVEN IF HOME IS WHERE THE DEAD LIVE...

It’s the start of the fall semester, and a new crop of Acari and Trainees have descended on the Isle of Night. Watcher training has intensified, and Drew has a new roommate named Mei-Ling. But Mei-Ling harbors a dangerous secret that drove the vampires to abduct her against her will. Drew knows she shouldn’t get involved, but she can’t seem to leave her roommate to fend for herself.

Luckily, Drew has other things on her mind—like vampire Carden. A blood bond to a brawny, eighteenth-century Scottish bad boy tends to preoccupy a girl. And though she’s still figuring out what this bond means, one thing has become clear: She craves him in a major way.

But then bodies start turning up on the island. All the evidence points to the existence of a rogue vampire, and the sinister vampire Alcántara is gunning for Carden, even though Drew has proof that Carden had nothing to do with the murders. Now she has to find the true killer—without endangering Carden, Mei-Ling, or herself…

My Review

Wolff is one talented and imaginatively sadistic author; BLOOD FEVER had so much more bloodshed, action and, not surprisingly, romance! (Carden!! GAH!) Everything was back more intense, and the storyline was a little more complex with a confuddling riddle at the end!

Drew is back at the Isle of Night after her hard-won mission with Alcantara, at which one mysteriously attractive Carden McCloud was rescued. Drew's having a tough time dealing with the bond that she unknowingly forged with McCloud, craving for him and his blood and all, plus the newest assignment that the vampires dumped onto her - to ensure the safety of her new roommate, Mei-Ling. There's something a little off with Mei, not in the psychopathic-pyromaniac way that her previous roommate Lilac was, but Mei didn't come to the Isle of Night willingly. Not like Drew or the rest of the Acaris that were outcasts in society. Thing is, Mei isn't even an outcast in society with a family that wouldn't miss her even if she were gone. She had a loving family and a loyal boyfriend. Mei was abducted. But why? The only thing that Mei have in common with the she-wolves at the Isle of Night is that she has a gift, a very peculiar and dangerous gift that the vampires are interested about. Mei's good at playing musical instruments, and Drew's going to find that out what's so special about it.

Also going on at the Isle of Night are strange killings that are happening around the island. Random people are turning up exsanguinated and nobody knows the how and why. And the Directorate seems to think that Carden's the culprit.

So, on top of finding out why the vampires are so interested in Mei, Drew's got to protect her from Masha, the other Guidons and Acaris AND protect her own hide from her hate club at the island (which surprisingly has a huge fan base) AND figure out the nitty gritty of her bond with Carden AND clear his name to save him from a possible public staking.

I love all those private moments between her and Carden. They're reaaaally sweet together. But what makes this book different from its predecessors is the amount of bloodshed! I'm still reeling from all the fights that Drew had been pitted through in BLOOD FEVER! Especially at the end. It was one fight after another after another traumatic accident. More, much, much more people are going to die and when they do, a new mystery pops up and Drew's in deep enough that she's going to figure it all out.

This series gets more and more interesting and intense that once you pick ISLE OF NIGHT up, you know you're a goner till the series ends. This Watchers series is similar to The Hunger Games series, but in my opinion, better and much more intriguing. Gripping till the end! Can't wait till next June for the next and fourth instalment in the series, THE KEEP (which, very aptly, is the new mystery that Drew has to solve. Is it where all the dead girls are brought?? OH MAN, I can't wait to read it!!!)

My Rating

       

Quickie Reviews: Vampire Academy and Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Publication Date: August 16th, 2007
Finished Date: May 19th, 2012
Publisher: Razorbill
Format: Paperback
Pages: 332
Series: Vampire Academy #1
My Rating: 3/5

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Author's Website

Blurb from Goodreads:
St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

My Review

Not bad! There was plenty of obstacles and trials for our two heroines, both in the form of mortal peril and high-school drama. However, one thing that derailed me from giving VA a higher rating is the heroine's, Rose's, for lack of a better word, bitchy attitude! She flirts and makes out with guys just for the fun of it, and she's too into revenges for her own good. But she did mature as the story progressed, and what she did for her friends, Lissa and Christian, at the end was really respectable.

Strangely addictive and exciting, though a little cliched! It has a certain similarity to Half-blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout, or rather, Half-blood has a certain similarity to Vampire Academy. The same running away and after that being hunted down and brought back to a school by a hot love interest, then being forced to be trained by said love interest because of how much schooling and training having missed and then having a final epic showdown.

My Rating

Publication Date: April 10th 2008
Finished Date: May 20th, 2012
Publisher: Razorbill
Format: Paperback
Pages: 327
Series: Vampire Academy #2
My Rating: 3.5/5

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Blurb from Goodreads: Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose...

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price...

My Review

Frostbite didn't fail to deliver! Vampire Academy was quite a good start to a series, and Frostbite had the same amount of danger and action that VA had, more intense emotions, heartbreaks and heartaches, more secondary characters and love rivals and interests come into play! I won't peg this as one of my favourite series, but there's just this something that makes it so addictive. I'm literally gobbling this series up one book per day! Which is seriously jeopardizing my exams tomorrow, but that's just it! It's too, goddamned addictive. (Sorry for the language.)

Might be Dmitri, might be the new hot guy in town, Adrian, might be how Rose knows how to kick some serious ass, might be how Rose's mom is THE coolest female dhamphir guardian in this era and she's now in the picture, might be...... As you can see, this book is packed with SO MANY awesome factors, so yes, it was a thrilling and gripping novel. In this cliched, vampire-novel kind of way. You might think this is a good thing, or bad, depends on how you see it. But now, there's no time to lose; I'm off to reading the next book, Shadow Kiss! ;)

P.S. For those who read my reviews regularly, I'm not going to be writing any full length reviews for quite some time cause Junior College life in Singapore is hardcore to the max. No time to do anything but MUG. Means studying and cramming over here, by the way.

My Rating

      

Author Interview + Excerpt + Giveaway: Shadow Eyes by Dusty Crabtree

Introducing...

Dusty Crabtree!

About Dusty

I am a 9th grade English teacher at Yukon High School in Yukon, Oklahoma. I am also the author of the young adult, urban fantasy, Shadow Eyes, scheduled to be published by Euterpe – Musa Publishing on February 3rd, 2012. When I’m not teaching, writing, or reading, I’m doing my best to be a good wife to my wonderful husband of 8 years and a loving foster mother to two precious children.
--Cited from Dusty's Website

Connect with the author: Author's Website | Goodreads | Facebook

And her debut novel...



Shadow Eyes

The Blurb

Iris Kohl lives in a world populated by murky shadows that surround, harass, and entice unsuspecting individuals toward evil. But she is the only one who can see them. She’s had this ability to see the shadows, as well as brilliantly glowing light figures, ever since an obscure, tragic incident on her fourteenth birthday three years earlier.

Although she’s learned to cope, the view of her world begins to shift upon the arrival of three mysterious characters. First, a handsome new teacher whose presence scares away shadows; second, a new friend with an awe-inspiring aura; and third, a mysterious and alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend.

As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, she must ultimately revisit the most horrific event of her life in order to learn her true identity and become the hero she was meant to be.

Musa Publishing | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords | Goodreads

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An Interview with Dusty Crabtree

CYP: Hi, Dusty! Thanks for coming to the blog today! For starters, can you tell me about yourself, say, in 1 sentence?

Dusty: Hmmm…let’s just list my many titles, shall we? English teacher, wife, foster parent, author, worship team member, drama team member, and youth sponsor…not necessarily in that order.

CYP: Wow, lol, you're really active in the community, aren't you? What do you like to do when you're not being an author?



Dusty: Besides reading, I LOVE movies, probably because they are so similar to books. You can fall in love with them, analyze them, appreciate their artistic qualities, or all of the above. I also love to go out to dinner with my husband, and I play Dance Central on the Kinnect when I have time to exercise. Yes, a teacher dancing… I know.

CYP: I used to love movies too! But now I only watch the occasional action movies or drama serials that my friends recommend. Books are much more enticing, if you know what I mean. :P Haha, has your dream always been to be an author?

Dusty: Surprisingly, no. I never thought I would be an author. I wrote a few things when I was younger, but nothing from high school on until I got the idea for Shadow Eyes. I must have had the writer gene lurking around inside me for a while, though, because it didn’t take long for me to realize my passion for writing.

CYP: What were your previous dreams, then? Which ones came first?

Dusty: At one point I wanted to be an astronaut, then an interior designer, then something in advertising, and then a drama/debate coach. I even toyed with majoring in business communications but soon realized that I was way to nice and non-confrontational to survive (or at least live happily) in the cut-throat business world.

CYP: Lol, talk about diversity! I can see how your aspirations start to be more and more of the practical world as you grew older. But anyway, what was the hardest part in your path to becoming an author?

Dusty: I’d say writing too much was the hardest part. I was always the one who would write 15 pages for a 13-15 page paper or even seven pages for a three-five page paper. I think I’m just naturally wordy. I had to cut quite a bit form the original manuscript before sending it to publishers.
To help me do this, I had friends read it and help me decide what was essential and non-essential, because an outsider’s view is critical for determining that. As the author who knows everything already, I had no idea what was necessary or what could be left out. I also reread it several times and asked myself over and over, “Is this phrase, sentence, paragraph, or even scene, absolutely essential to keep the plot going?”


CYP: I'm naturally wordy too!! My narrative essays in school would usually be approximately 1300 words when the word limit was 500-750! Haha. What did you have to research on to write Shadow Eyes? Is this your area of expertise? Or your interest?

Dusty: I didn’t have to do a whole lot of research for Shadow Eyes because the setting is a typical high school. Since I work in a high school and since teenagers are truly my passion, I already had plenty of experience to draw from for the setting and much of the plot. It was really fun writing from the perspective of a 17-year old girl! The fantastical elements of Shadow Eyes mostly just came from my head, along with some general spiritual elements I was already familiar with.

CYP: What was the inspiration behind Shadow Eyes?

Dusty: The inspiration actually came from a screenplay idea I had a few years prior. The movie would have been about a cast of intertwined characters going about their lives and making mistakes with dark, creepy shadows (demons) hovering around them, whispering to them and influencing them to do evil things. Only the audience would see the shadows, though. The characters would be completely oblivious. It would have been like a Christian horror movie, if there ever was such a genre! However, my friend was really the one who inspired me to write the book as it was her suggestion and encouragement that made me even consider the mammoth task.

CYP: Now that you say it, it really does play out like a screenplay! Haha, I can imagine the lightings and everything! Did you base any of your characters on real life people/experiences? Which ones?

Dusty: The main character, Iris, has a little of my personality, in that she’s a perfectionist, overly organized, and sarcastic. However, I don’t have anxiety issues like her and haven’t been through most of what she goes through in the story. The science teacher Mr. Keller was actually based off of one of my science teachers in high school. He was hilarious! The spelunking scene with him is mostly a true story as well. Not so funny then, but really funny now! A few other small things from my life are thrown in as well. Sometimes it’s just easy to write about what you know. ☺

CYP: Haha, I like sarcasm. That's probably how my friends would describe me as. :P Which was your favourite scene or quote in Shadow Eyes?

Dusty: Oh, goodness, there are so many! Most of which I can’t share because it would give away too much (there’s a lot of mystery in Shadow Eyes). Besides the big reveal near the end with the mirror, one of my other favorite parts would have to be when Iris’s friend Kyra and Patrick meet for the first time in the cafeteria and get into a heated argument. It was so fun to write! I just loved the tension and mystery that was created at the same time. Let me also throw in a couple of my favorite quotes…mostly about Patrick:

It was as if his green eyes were my kryptonite, making all my defensive powers of wit and sarcasm useless. I was exposed and vulnerable. But for some reason, with Patrick…I liked it.

“Well, yeah. Since you have a boyfriend, nothing I say or do to you is meant to have any deeper meaning than harmless flirting.” He softened his voice as he leaned in closer to me and began tracing his finger from my hand up my arm to my shoulder. “Now, if you didn’t have a boyfriend…well, let’s just say, you could read as deeply into my actions as you wanted to.”

…a devious grin played on his face as if he knew I was nothing but a mere marionette easily manipulated by the slightest twitch of his master fingertips and that I was his favorite puppet to play with.

…the second shadow tilted its head back and opened the dark abyss of its mouth. What came out was the most horrible noise I had ever heard. It sounded like the echoing cackle of a demon drowning in a deep well. As piercing as nails on a chalkboard yet as murky and surreal as a nightmare.

Indie Authors Spotlight (7) + Giveaway - Featuring Lily: The Story of a Life

Indie Authors Spotlight is a BRAND NEW weekly meme that will be held every SATURDAY. It is hosted by Beckie @ Bittersweet Enchantment & CYP @ A Bookalicious Story. The idea of this meme is to promote indie authors and to help them and their books get recognized. This will be a great way for book bloggers to take part in helping these authors be spotlighted for their hard work.


Introducing...

Lili, The Story of Life

The Blurb

Stephen Flashman loves sex. As a womanizer, he’s been using women for sex all his life. Flashman is what we would call in these latter days an amoral creature, a free and independent operator looking for nothing more than the next score. As far as the ugly side of casual hookups is concerned, Flashman is ruthless and unmoved: he experiences none of the emotional fallout from casual sex, for he has detached his heart from the all-important business of satisfying the libido, which as he sees it, is simply the calculus of getting one’s needs met in an increasingly individualistic society—it is what every mature person seeking fortune and pleasure must inevitably do.

But there are two women who leave an indelible mark upon Flashman’s life, two women whose memory he somehow cannot lay to rest in a sea of forgettable conquests. Diane Densher is one of those women: she is incredibly smart, savvy and ambitious, possessing in abundance all the traits Flashman has sought so arduously to develop in himself; she is an Ivy League graduate and a successful executive with a budding career on Wall Street—in short, she is everything Flashman had always aspired to be. No matter how many times Flashman sleeps with her, he never manages to possess her, to gain the upper hand as it were; there is something about her which tells Flashman that she secretly despises him, a subtly veiled conceit which regards him as not quite her equal, as someone she will eventually detach from and discard as she moves onward and upward, just as Flashman himself has done to so many women in his past. Diane does in fact break up with Flashman, suddenly and without warning: Flashman treats it like just another breakup, but deep down her rejection of him conjures forth insecurities from his past he had long kept repressed, along with a terrible nagging feeling which haunts him incessantly, that he could not keep her because she recognized him as a failure and unworthy to be her mate—to Flashman their parting is not a matter of simple disconnect between lovers but a judgment, a verdict upon his whole life and self-worth, and he is tormented ceaselessly by the need to somehow win her back. Noelle Cummings is just the opposite of her ambitious and serious-minded predecessor: she is a free spirit from her head to her toes, carried along by a simple and insatiable zest for life itself, to live each day as if it were her last. Where Flashman is cerebral and cynical, Noelle is tactile and sanguine and eternally hopeful; for her life is not a matter of acquiring or achieving but experiencing, of living from moment to moment with contagious cheer and joyful expectancy, and she casts a wistful light into Flashman’s bleak inner world. After breaking up with Noelle, Flashman is torn between his affections for both women when a sudden development turns his life upside down: Noelle reveals to him that she is pregnant with his child, but is anxious and fearful about raising a child on her own; she tells Flashman that she is thinking of terminating the pregnancy.

For Flashman it is the moment which sears his heart, which tears at the very core of his being: with Diane showing signs of renewed interest, should Flashman continue to give chase to her, or should he devote his energies to Noelle and do all he can to ensure the birth of his child, while knowing his life will never be the same again?

Goodreads | Amazon

About the author: I approach writing principally as I have come to approach life, as a communal experience, a journey in which I evolve by sharing the insights life has taught me and by absorbing and assimilating the insights of others. I am somewhat saddened when I witnessed our country so polarized, so hardened and trenchantly shackled by our ideology that we cannot even bring ourselves to talk to one another; it is as if America has come apart at the seams into little camps, walled cities who have nothing but contempt for one another. As regards myself I do not believe that I am a kind of sage who can bring the masses to the light, so to speak; although many weighty, serious matters get treated in this novel, I never seek to express that treatment in the form of some kind of dogmatic pronouncement, as if to say, "this is how things are; this is what truth is; and there is no other view than my own". For that matter I would not claim to have captured reality, but rather to have simply shared a perception of it--it is my hope that the novel itself would then become a communal enterprise, in that the shared reflections and feedback of readers would cast a light upon the experiences I have shared; and in this way we might grow together. The character of Lily is haltingly, even unconsciously attempting to make his way out of a spiritual darkness, to actualize his humanity in some way; and I think the struggle will find resonance with readers because it is the principle struggle of human life itself, the thread of commonality which all people share and contend with. Some of the content of this novel might come across as controversial, or even repugnant; but I am merely interested in presenting a particular snapshot of reality, a certain depiction of the human condition, in the hope that I might facilitate a discussion amongst readers, or bring them to a place in which they might perceive things differently. And this is because at the juncture in life in which I find presently myself--I am now somewhat older--I do not think that the years have brought me wisdom per se, but perhaps only the wisdom that I need to open myself, to see gray areas and tear down barriers in order to actualize my own humanity. It is my wish that the novel Lily might serve as a catalyst for that exchange, that process through which growth takes place.

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A Commentary by Samuel

To A Bookalicious  Story Readers: this is Samuel Bagby, the author of Lily, and I would like to take the opportunity to shed some light upon the themes which lay at the heart of the novel, as well as to give you a needed bit of context to interpret attitudes and personalities in the story that might seem offensive at first glance. To begin with it is obvious that the character of the novel, Flashman, is a chauvinist who is looking to use women. He is not a likable, attractive character; one might have pity for him, because in many ways he has had a hard life, but nevertheless it is a challenge to have much affection for him. Flashman is someone who would offend any morally sensible woman or man: but he does not even have the moral compass to recognize that he has so woefully lost his way.

For the moral and spiritual state of a human being does not happen by itself, or in a vacuum; Flashman’s mother had died early in his childhood, and he was left to his father, whose sexist and abusive ways subsequently shaped Flashman into the unsavory young man we meet in the narrative. Flashman was never taught to love and respect women because his father had never loved and respected them: but there is a part of him that desperately yearns to do so. Flashman looks to fill himself up, to fulfill himself with sex: but he is too damaged, to emotionally crippled, to open up and truly love a woman in the sexual act; he is too inhibited to articulate to a woman the deep spiritual soundings he can neither repress nor fully comprehend. Flashman seems chauvinist, and to some degree he is—but in his deepest heart he was fulfilled by women, first by his mother and then by his daughter later in the novel. He skulks about strip clubs and ravenously devours pornography at night, but in a pathetic way his inner self is only groping about in a kind of existential darkness to find somehow a wife and from her a child that would give him what he had lost so many years ago when his mother had left him.

Flashman himself is a type of the greater American culture around him, he is its sort of incarnation, a man who wishes to use women as casual objects for his pleasure, but who somehow, no matter how many partners and affairs he has, never seems content, never seems satisfied or fulfilled. Flashman dutifully follows the philosophy handed down to his generation from those before, doing all the things American society tells its young people to do in order to be happy, and yet remains somehow empty, at a loss; the novel seeks to apply no sort of moralistic assessment or formula to the state of things, but to ask respectfully whether the culture has perhaps gone off kilter somehow, to ask whether the present sexual mores honors women and men and honors sex itself—the greatest gift human beings can share with one another.

I would be remiss, very much so, if I didn’t relate that there is some amount of political commentary in the book—but then again it isn’t really political commentary per se, but a reflection upon American politics itself. That is to say there is no intent in the book to promote a certain ideology, to advance either liberal or conservative ideas, or even to criticize them—for it’s my own contention that America as a nation benefits from both liberal and conservative thinking, they are like the relatives of a common family who as much as they bicker and fight still need each other. Rather the book seeks to cast a light on this sort of rabid partisanship we see so often now, in which left and right alike seem interested only in lashing out at each other with a kind of unthinking cruelty that unhinges the public debate into an ugly slogging match which ultimately does no one any good. It cannot be a salutary state of affairs that American politicians and citizens alike are so consumed with partisan rancor that they cannot bring themselves to speak to one another openly and with respect; reputations are sullied, the insults fly and in the end we the American people are the victims, with our problems left to fester unsolved; and it is this sort of endless “gotcha” game that the political passages of the book seek to draw attention to.

I approach writing principally as I have come to approach life, as a communal experience, a journey in which I evolve by sharing the insights life has taught me and by absorbing and assimilating the insights of others. Although many weighty, serious matters get treated in this novel, I never seek to express that treatment in the form of some kind of dogmatic pronouncement, as if to say, "this is how things are; this is what truth is; and there is no other view than my own". For that matter I would not claim to have captured reality, but rather to have simply shared a perception of it--it is my hope that the novel itself would then become a communal enterprise, in that the shared reflections and feedback of readers would cast a light upon the experiences I have shared; and in this way we might grow together. The character of Lily is haltingly, even unconsciously attempting to make his way out of a spiritual darkness, to actualize his humanity in some way; deep in the abyss of himself he is seeking a greater love, for meaning and belonging, but he stumbles into all the various snares and traps that modern culture insinuates into the minds of young people—the mindset that objectifies and debases, the mindset that is popular and easy and makes a fat profit for cynical people, while burying over our fundamental identity as spiritual beings who love and need to be loved. I believe that the struggle of the character will find resonance with readers because it is the principle struggle of human life itself, the thread of commonality which all people share and contend with. As I mentioned before some of the content of this novel might come across as controversial, or even repugnant; but I am merely interested in presenting a particular snapshot of reality, a certain depiction of the human condition, in the hope that I might spark a discussion amongst readers, or bring them to a place in which they might perceive things more clearly, or meaningfully. And this is because at the juncture in life in which I find presently myself--I am now somewhat older--I do not think that the years have brought me wisdom per se, but perhaps only the wisdom that I need to open myself, to see gray areas and tear down barriers in order to actualize my own humanity. It is my wish that the novel Lily might serve as a kind of catalyst for that exchange, that process through which growth takes place.

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Giveaway Time

Samuel is so kindly giving away 20 ecopies of Lily: The Story of a Life! Just fill in the Google Docs form below and you're good to go! No requirements to enter. Giveaway is international and ends in two weeks, on May 20th.

The Shapeshifter's Secret Blog Tour: Character Interview with Julia

Introducing...

Heather Ostler!

About Heather

The Official Biography

Heather Ostler grew up near the mountains with a rambunctiously entertaining family. She majored in English at Utah Valley University, and soon began composing stories about masquerades, water nymphs, and shapeshifters. She and her husband, Kellen, reside in Highland, Utah with two remarkably pleasant pugs.

The Fun Biography

I like fortune cookies, lucky pennies, shooting stars, and implausible coincidences. I’m always cold and have at least 5 different flavors of hot cocoa on hand at all times. I’m a sucker for happy endings and like to eat dessert first. I think Muppets Christmas Carol is one of the best movies ever, along with The Parent Trap. English accents, cloudy days, and family inside jokes make me smile. I am a writer, and I love finding inspiration in art, music, nature, seasons, and relationships.

---Cited from Heather's Website

Connect with Heather:

Author's Website | Blog | Goodreads

And Julia from:

The Shapeshifter's Secret

The Blurb

Julia is finally discovering what–not who–she is.

Like any sixteen-year-old, Julia's used to dealing with problems. From her overprotective father to her absent mother to a teacher who definitely has it in for her. But everything changes when Julia's reactions become oddly vicious and angry---more animal than human. This action-packed adventure has it all: humor, romance, and a plot that will keep you guessing to the very last page.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository

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An Interview with Lead Cast, Julia

Julia enters with a big smile and gestures a small wave. She sits down and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

CYP: Hi Julia, thanks for coming to the blog today!

“Thanks for having me. I’m sorry I can’t stay long, my dad said I have to get back to homework soon.” She rolls her eyes.

CYP: Haha, I'm seventeen, I get it. *rolls eyes too* Ok, for starters, tell me a little about yourself, say, in 5 words.

“Oh, that’s tough. Maybe shapeshifter, overprotected, in love.” Julia grins. “White tiger, and good friend. I guess that was a little more than 5 words.”

CYP: Ohhhhh!!! My favourite color's white!! That's so cool!!!! I've read a little about you from reviews by other reviewers. Tell me, how do you feel knowing that people around the world are reading about you and your inner thoughts?

“It’s really strange. My life has taken so many crazy turns lately. I’m sure readers find my family’s past a little twisted. Hopefully they understand the reasons behind my actions, like why I snuck into the haunted ballroom, or why I kept my relationship with Terrence secret.”

CYP: -.-? "Haunter ballroom"? Haha, I'm sure they would. (No sarcasm intended) What do you like to do in your spare time? (Besides being with Terrence :P)

“I like to practice shapeshifting whenever I get the chance. I’m getting pretty quick at it! And Sierra and I love exploring Lockham Castle too, it keeps us entertained.”

Defy Blog Tour: Promotional Post + Giveaway Deets

Introducing...

Raine Thomas!

Brief Bio

Raine Thomas is the author of a bestselling series of YA fantasy romance novels about the Estilorian plane, including the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy and the upcoming Firstborn trilogy. She is a proud member of Romance Writers of America and is a contributing blogger to The Writer's Voice. When she isn’t planning weddings, writing or glued to social networking sites, she can usually be found on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches with her husband and daughter or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.

Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Website | Blog

And her up-and-coming novel:

Defy
Firstborn series #1

The Blurb

Seventeen-year-old Tate is about to make her parents’ dreams come true. Unfortunately for her, their dreams foretell her death.

Eager to explore more of the Estilorian plane and prove her abilities, Tate goes against her parents’ wishes and leaves the area of protection surrounding her home. Her choice puts her on a deadly path…one that leaves her alone, severely injured and battling for her life.

Her possible savior arrives in the form of Zachariah, a male who has removed himself from Estilorian society for more than fifty years. Fighting an unexpected connection to Tate, he must decide whether saving her life is worth destroying his.

As Tate struggles to find a way home, she ends up drawn into a dark Mercesti plot involving multiple murders and a powerful ancient artifact. With the unpredictable Zachariah as her only source for aid, she’ll soon find out if her abilities are strong enough to help her defy her Fate.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

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The Writing Cave(s) of Raine Thomas

The first of my writing “caves” is my office. It’s the tech loft on the second floor of my home. Complete with two large, flat-panel monitors and the ability to hook my laptop up to the display, I often feel like the commander of a starship when I’m sitting here!

My second favorite writing spot is on my La-Z-Boy sofa. I can recline here with my laptop and not feel so removed from my family. Typically, I sit here while working on all of my author tasks, and reserve the office for when I’m doing my book writing.

 There are several things I like to keep handy while writing: a glass of ice water, my character naming sourcebook, and some form of music. It’s also important that I’m comfortable so that I can focus, so I wear my favorite casual clothes and keep the temperature reasonable. Once these needs are met, I’m off and writing!

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~~Giveaway Details~~

Thomas' having a grand prize giveaway for the duration of this tour. You can stand a chance to win

Signed paperback of Defy

Signed Paperback of Becoming

Signed Paperback of Central

Signed Paperback of Foretold

Custom Defy Hair Decoration valued at $100

Swag!

Awesome, huh! Haha, the only mandatory requirements are that you follow Thomas on Goodreads, and you tweet this giveaway. Open to US only! Open for 12 days only; Hurry and enter below!

Review: Black Howl by Christina Henry

Publication Date: Febuary 28th, 2012
Finished Date: March 25th, 2012
Publisher: Ace
Format: eCopy for Review 
Series: Madeline Black #3
My Rating: 3/5

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Author's Website

Blurb from Goodreads:
Something is wrong with the souls of Chicago's dead. Ghosts are walking the streets, and Agent of Death Madeline Black's exasperating boss wants her to figure out why. And while work is bad enough, Maddy has a plethora of personal problems too. Now that Gabriel has been assigned as her thrall, their relationship has hit an impasse. At least her sleazy ex-fiance Nathaniel is out of the picture--or so she thinks...

My Review

I was hard-pressed to get the ARC of BLACK HOWL after reading book 2, BLACK NIGHT, which was amazingly engrossing, and looking at that cover? It potrays everything that I thought Maddy was - strong, badass and all ready to kick some demon butt. I was going crazy waiting for a reply from Henry's publisher (it took 1 to 2 days, but it was like a small eternity to me at the time), and when I got it, I jumped into it as soon as I could.

All that said, I'll be honest and say that BLACK HOWL did not meet my expectations. There were parts of it that dragged, were dull or just really monotonous.

HOWL started off slowly, with our heroine, Madeline "Maddy" Black, doing her first and foremost duty of being an Agent of Death, leading some poor soul who had a heart attack to The Door. However, much like the previous two instalments, her life takes a serious nose-dive straight off the beginning. It started with a visit from the infamously hostile Jude, second-in-command of the local wolf pack. Looks like Wade (alpha of said wolf pack) and the kids were gone, and one of the last things Wade told Jude to do was look for Maddy if something went wrong. Jude's not going to defy his alpha, even if it means visiting one of Lucifer's spawn, whom he hates with a terrible vengeance. Being the compassionate soul that she was, she agrees to help him even when Jude was being all rude and annoying. Now that's actually putting it lightly when all he does is question her, threaten to kill her, insult her, and express his reluctance to cooperate when SHE was the one helping HIM. Seriously, I don't see why Maddy puts up with his shit.

But anyway, along with J.B, Beezle, and an aloof Gabriel, they set off through a demon portal at the site where Wade and the cubs disappeared and starts to look for clues. Along the way, many curveballs are thrown at them, which I shall not spoiler, including twists in her ever-confusing love life.

Speaking of love life, everything happened so fast! Gabriel was actually being his mercurial self - one moment aloof, distant and annoying, another hot, passionate, and protective - when something happened that changed him and Maddy forever. And that something happened to be one of Lucifer's scheming plans. It was a real shocker, and one I didn't know how I felt about because it was quite literally thrown into my face. And then when the ending came... Let's just say that I wasn't too happy about it. That's putting it lightly; More like, furious and mortified; It was totally uncalled for! I can't believe Henry could be so cruel! All I can say is, it wasn't a happily ever after, and I'm holding onto my hope that there is something bigger planned for Maddy. Something fantastical and phenomenal that will either eclipse what happened or reverse what transpired, or really, heads will start to roll. The only good thing about the ending was how beautifully it was written. Vivid descriptions which it evoked deep feelings within me and made me cry a little.

I mentioned that HOWL was slow-paced, and that encompasses many aspects of the book - the action, plot, and romance. Oftentimes, there wasn't much progression, or if there were, there would be an interruption and everything would revert back to square one (referring to a certain making-out scene). Henry tends to describe too much sometimes, about the scenery, the details and whatnot. Like in Amarantha's castle laying in ruins (find out why it's in shambles yerself, lads ;P), the forest, and others. Imagery is important, yeah ok, but anything in overdose is still an overdose. Henry's writing style, though, is quite typical of an Urban-Fantasy author. The same first-person "I" of a snarky heroine.

The characters were pretty much the same as in the other books - Maddy: Tough, badass, sometimes too kind for her own good; Beezle: Cute, sarcastic, just the way I love him; J.B: Annoying boss, sexy love interest. The only two characters that changed much was Jude and Gabriel. Jude was initially still being an out-of-this-world pain-in-the-butt, but as the story progressed, there were things that were revealed that justified his annoying ways. At the end, I was actually starting to like him. Gabriel...ugh, let's not start about him. He was, I don't know how, even more annoyingly indifferent to Maddy. He keeps trying to distance himself from her in this way that makes me want to reach into the book, strangle him and give him a piece of my mind to "treat the woman nicer!" I know what he's doing is to follow the law, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Maddy's screwing the law for him, why can't he do the same? But then, there was that shockingly epic thing that happened which I mentioned in Paragraph 5, and he changed drastically. It was kind of unnerving, but it was definitely an improvement to how he was treating Maddy. (Let me enlighten you a little: He was giving in to his passion for her! Finally!)

Nathaniel was back, and his intentions seemed to be genuine and sincere initially, but Maddy just had to continue bringing up the past. A past where an illusion of Nathaniel had debased her. An event that came to past with Natheniel being powerless to stop. So she shouldn't be such a bitch to him over it since he had no hand in whatever happened.. He is the proud right hand angel of Azazel, after all. He's handsome, powerful, and wealthy, and she practically trampled all over him, which made him change in demeanour quite drastically. I was rooting for him actually, even though he isn't as morally upright as Gabriel, but at least Natheniel had a backbone and had fought for what he wanted, not cower and hide like Gabriel.


All in all, I was numb when the book ended because seriously, anyone else would too. It was unexpected to say the least, more like a punch-in-the-face jack-in-the-box. I'm holding out on my judgement for this, and I'm expecting something big to salvage the situation. Real big. It was a major cliffhanger, and because of which I do recommend that if you haven't read HOWL, you'd better wait for BLACK LAMENT (which happens to have a very nice cover! Very nice cover, indeed. ;) to be out first before you start on it.

*eARC courtesy of Ace via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating

Blog Tour: Excerpt from Dark Mercy by Zoe Winters

Introducing...

Dark Mercy!
By Zoe Winters

The Blurb

1955, Las Vegas, Nevada

Angeline has been on the run from her sire, Linus, for centuries. She’s tired, and she’s lonely. High from mescaline-induced blood, she sees a sign—a church that seems to glow in the distance—and she knows. Her future mate is in that building.


Important Author’s Note:

Dark Mercy is the beginning of Hadrian and Angeline’s story, not the end. Their HEA will happen later in their own full-length novel. This story is important both for the overall series and for this couple, but it’s not their HEA. Just a mild disclaimer so no one goes in with false expectations for this story.


About Zoe Winters: Zoe Winters writes quirky and sometimes dark paranormal romance. Her favorite colors are rainbow and clear.

Zoe's goal as a writer? "I want to write a book that makes you almost pee your pants because you dont want to put it down long enough to go to the bathroom. I want to write a book that you miss meals for. I want to write a book you miss bathing for. I want to grab hold of you and not let go until the very last page, where you crumble to the floor in a blissful heap, ask for a cigarette, and say: "Damn, was it good for you too," then tell 300 of your closest friends about it on Twitter."
--Cited from Winter's Website

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An Excerpt from Dark Mercy

Copyright 2012 Zoe Winters

“A-Angeline. I haven’t seen you here in awhile.” Could he not get that schoolboy stutter out of his voice?

“I was fighting temptation,” she replied coyly.

Hadrian cleared his throat. “And did you succeed?”

“No.”

She glided closer—or floated. The length of her dress made it impossible to tell which. She stopped mere inches in front of him. He should have taken a step back, should have excused himself, but her strange eyes locked with his. They drew him in, hypnotizing him.

If he were another type of man, he would have proclaimed she was a witch putting him under a spell, but it was just as much his responsibility as hers for not moving away. It was his fault for not finding a replacement for midnight Mass.  His mind became fuzzy.

What was I just thinking about?

Her eyes pulled him in, making the rest of the room swirl around him in a slow blur. If he’d looked down to find them both floating and spinning in the air, he wouldn’t have been surprised. He was dizzy from the delicious scent emanating from her.

Her voice was a siren’s song when she spoke again. “Forgive me, Father, for I’m about to sin.”

Angeline’s mouth tasted like hot cinnamon candy as her lips descended on his. Her lip gloss left his mouth tingling. She might burn him alive with a single kiss. She chuckled as she continued her exploration of his mouth, as if he’d stated his thought aloud and she found it amusing.

Somewhere deep inside him was the place that was screaming that this must not happen, but it sounded like it was shouting from far away down a long, dark hallway, disappearing into a tinny echo. Quickly overtaking that voice was one penetrating thought that refused to release him.

I want her. I want her. I want her. I want her. The thought happened in rhythm to the beat of his heart.

Her lips left his mouth and made a burning trail over his cheek and up to the lobe of his ear. “Father Hadrian.” It was a breathy pant that held all the promise of a new universe unfolding.

He couldn’t remember what she said after that or even if she said something after that. The pounding of his own blood rushing through his ears—and other blood racing south in response to her nearness—had drowned out his ability to think or hear anything else but the lilting magic of her voice calling his name.

“Father Hadrian… ”

Her tone had gone from that of an angel to a writhing serpent as she rubbed her sinewy body against him. This was wrong. The thinking part of him clawed to get out. Something was all wrong about this, beyond the breaking of a vow. But he couldn’t form a coherent thought.

I want her. I want her. I want her.

“And you shall have me. Forever,” she said.

Had he spoken out loud? He wasn’t sure.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me right now,” he said, as her fingers slid under the Roman collar.

It startled him. His collar. Where were his vestments? There were more layers of clothing, or there had been a few moments ago. He glanced down to find the vestments somehow on the floor of the sanctuary. He started to pull away.

“No, Father. Eyes right here on mine. Stay with me.”

His gaze shifted back to her eyes and his will merged with her again. He didn’t realize his shirt was off until the air from the chilly room hit his bare chest.

“Oh, what a surprise. You must work out. Don’t be shy, Father Hadrian. It’s a crime you never get to be inside a woman with this body.”

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What I have to say about Dark Mercy:

“ Just from the excerpt alone, I'm scorched. Haha, seriously, it has Winters' trademark all over it! If you don't know, Zoe Winters is a pen name for Kitty Thomas, and since I've only read Kitty books, I can see the similarities of her erotica novels in here. I haven't read Dark Mercy yet, but I can tell you, with her books, it's gonna be hot, intense, and downright exhilarating. ”

See anything that caught your eye? You can find out more about Winters and her books at these sites:

Author's Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Or, you can subscribe to her newsletter by sending a blank email to freekept@gmail.com. You will receive a free novella and you can enter her fabulous contests!

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This tour is hosted by

The Last Girl Blog Tour: Review + Excerpt + Giveaway Deets

Introducing...

The Last Girl
By Kitty Thomas

The Blurb

Six years ago strangers broke into Juliette’s house; she was home alone and only thirteen. She kept her eyes closed, praying that if she didn’t see anything, she wouldn’t be killed. No one harmed her. In fact, one of the thieves protected her. Now Juliette’s dreams are haunted by him.

Christian has waited to take her, resisting the urge each night. It always ends badly with human pets. They’re too fragile. The longer he can wait, the better, because the moment he takes her, the clock on her life starts ticking down.

Then she’ll be gone forever.

AUTHOR NOTE:
This is a work of fiction, and the author does not endorse or condone any behavior done to another human being without their consent.

Warning: This book is meant for a mature audience and contains master/slave, group sexual activity, sadomasochism, girl-on-girl, oral and anal play, exhibitionism, blood play, edge play, as well as one other thing I’m not warning you about because it would be a spoiler... but it’s not a big taboo.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

About the Author: Kitty Thomas writes dark literary erotica that explores power. This work is fiction and meant for an adult audience. The author does not endorse or condone any of the behavior carried out by characters in her stories.

Her work is not “erotic romance”. Often on some level it is about love and/or obsession. Often the couple in some way ends up “together”, but the work should not be expected to follow the conventions of any type of genre romance, erotic or otherwise.

Inspiration for Kitty’s work comes from many sources including Story of O, Nine and a Half Weeks, and the work of Claudia D. Christian.

Author Website & Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon

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~~An Excerpt from The Last Girl~~

copyright 2012 Kitty Thomas

I feel absurd being a nineteen-year-old virgin, a fossil from another time. Part of me is just glad to do the deed and get the fucking thing over. I feel like I’ve got a white V emblazoned on me, or as if I give off some type of scent. I don’t like the idea that something that should be private feels as if it’s somehow being broadcast.

I open the door a little bleary-eyed, my hair still mussed from oversleeping.

“Did I wake you?”

He’s got this stupid grin on his face. And flowers. I want to smack him. I know this is all because I’ve decided to give in and put out after three months of dating. I feel like I should love him if I’m going to do this.

I run my hands self-consciously through my hair.

“You look great,” he says, holding out the flowers.

No I don’t. I know it. He knows it. He’s just so happy to be getting laid tonight that he’s seeing me through horny-guy glasses. I’m still too sleepy to be annoyed.

I put the flowers in a glass of water and slip some flip flops on. It’s Southern Florida. Flip flops are a year-round joy here.

He’s got something romantic planned at the beach. Black cloth goes over my eyes as we get out of the car—a blindfold. I almost panic, but then I realize if I make a fuss, it will invite questions I can never answer. So I smile shakily and allow him to lead me down to the beach. My flip flops are still in the car. I breathe slowly in and out, listening to the waves crash against the shore, inhaling the crisp, salty scent of the sea, feeling the instability of sand collapsing beneath my feet.

“Don’t move. I’ll be right back. I’ve got to get a couple of things.”

I try not to be in that dark closet. I try, but I can’t help it. I’m there again, my eyes squeezed tightly shut, silently begging not to be found, not to be killed. A hand is on my arm again, leading me away and I come out of the fog, remembering I’m here with Devon. Everything’s okay.

“Where are we going?”

“Shhh”

My heart starts to hammer faster in my chest. Then it pounds and vibrates in my head. My entire being is one rapidly thudding heartbeat with no slowdown in sight. Something is wrong here, but I can’t make myself remove the cloth from my eyes.

You’re being ridiculous. It’s just Devon. He has a surprise.

I find myself in the passenger seat of a car. It’s not Devon’s car. I just know. Even blindfolded I know. This is the point where I should rip the scrap of fabric off and run. There is no evidence this person has a weapon, and he or she hasn’t spoken to me yet. But before my hands can move to the blindfold, the driver’s side door is shut and the car has started.

It’s so fast, I assume there must be more than one person involved. Tears gather and absorb into the thick cloth covering my eyes. Terror freezes me, keeping me from taking off the blindfold, from trying to leap out of the car that’s moving too fast now anyway. I’m suddenly thirteen again. The dream is real, and I believe that if I don’t see them, they won’t kill me.

I’m silent and they are silent. The only sound is the wheels scraping against the rough road and the occasional bump. My tears are coming harder now. Why can’t I fight back? Scream? Beg? Try to escape? Just take the fucking blindfold off! But I can’t do it. I may as well be tied up because I’m so scared I don’t know what to do or what to think.

A little while passes and the car stops. Again, too fast for me to react, my door is open and someone is helping me out. How many are there?

I cringe away but find my feet moving in the direction I’m being led. “Don’t hurt me. Please.”

Then I feel stupid. What if it’s Devon? What if this is part of some stupid frat thing he’s gotten himself into? It would be just like him to combine my deflowering with a secret frat party or something.

I expect someone to start giggling or say I’m a spaz, but fingers gently grasps my wrist, lifting my hand. I feel the planes of his face as he guides me to see him. I shake my head in disbelief.

No.

I was good. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t tell anyone anything. This can’t happen. I did what I was supposed to do. But it’s him. It’s my nightmare.

“I missed you, Juliette.”

Christian.

One of my favourite, most palm-sweating part of the book!! :D:D It incited such a deep sense of foreboding and yet anticipation of the best kind. I don't even know how to describe it!

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What I had to say about TLG:

“I loved the vivid descriptions that Thomas wrote. She has this way of writing that can paint a clear scene in my head.

Christian was a damn fine hero-villain to the story, mostly. He was the dark, mysterious, powerful, ancient, handsome, commanding (maybe a little too commanding sometimes) vampire that I prefer, it was just sometimes he wasn't as brooding and person-of-little-words as was my personal ideal. But still, I still liked the way he was with Julia - caring and tender at times, and domineering and sexy in others.

I think that all of Thomas' books have their own specialty and unique feature about them. In COMFORT FOOD it was the psychological play that she did on the readers and heroine's mind, in this it was the haunting past that connected her to a vampire obsessed with her. Someone who had so much power over her, and someone who stalked her and knew everything about her for years. Someone who was as much looking out for her as preventing her from being touched by other males.
... I'd recommend this to fans of dark erotica and BDSM. ” (See full review HERE)

Giveaway Details!

Kitty is giving away 5 signed copies of COMFORT FOOD (note: Not The Last Girl, but Comfort Food, another dark erotica).

Here's the details on her website: "When a tour stop is announced, readers who tweet or facebook or blog about that stop (and then use my contact form at the top of the site here to tell me about it), will be given an entry into this contest. You can get three entries for each tour stop (facebook, blog, tweet). At the end of the tour, I will use Random.org to select from all the entries, 5 winners of signed print copies of Comfort Food.

I will be putting a sidebar image of the Last Girl book tour on my site here along with a link to the tour stops. Anyone who posts this image with the link to tour stops on their own blog will get an additional 3 entries into the contest."

ALSO, don't forget to subscribe to Kitty's newsletter by sending an email to kittythomas29@gmail.com with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. Kitty runs amazing contests for her followers!

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Thanks for stopping by! Follow the rest of the tour HERE.