Book Review: The Deep End Of The Sea by Heather Lyons

 

Category/genre: New adult/Fantasy Romance

My star rating: 4/5

Goodreads blurb:  What if all the legends you’ve learned were wrong?

Brutally attacked by one god and unfairly cursed by another she faithfully served, Medusa has spent the last two thousand years living out her punishment on an enchanted isle in the Aegean Sea. A far cry from the monster legends depict, she’s spent her time educating herself, gardening, and desperately trying to frighten away adventure seekers who occasionally end up, much to her dismay, as statues when they manage to catch her off guard. As time marches on without her, Medusa wishes for nothing more than to be given a second chance at a life stolen away at far too young an age.

But then comes a day when Hermes, one of the few friends she still has and the only deity she trusts, petitions the rest of the gods and goddesses to reverse the curse. Thus begins a journey toward healing and redemption, of reclaiming a life after tragedy, and of just how powerful friendship and love can be—because sometimes, you have to sink in the deep end of the sea before you can rise back up again.

THE RAVE-WORTHY: I have a book coming out soon about Medusa's daughter (no, she didn't have one according to the myth.  But hey, it's my story, so, yeah she did).  So as you can imagine, I was SUPER excited to read this.  It was a sweet, emotional love story that I really, really enjoyed even though it was nothing like I expected.  It read perfectly, as if you were right inside Medusa's mind.  Honestly, I was pulled so strongly into the story heart actually ached for her, and then celebrated for her.  Heather handles the touchy subject of rape very delicately.  At first, I was a little afraid this would be one of those stories who give the heroine the damsel take...and in a way, it sort of did.  She cried...a lot.  And she relied on Hermes...a lot.  But it was redeemed when she met Granny and began getting her life together for herself.  And that twist at the end?  Loved it!

THE GRUMBLE-WORTHY:  There wasn't much dialogue at all. I found myself skimming through the pages, looking to get out of Medusa's head for just a minute.  I would've liked to have seen more interaction with the other characters. 

 

Blog Tour & Review: Vampire Masquerade by Olivia Starke

Title: Vampire Masquerade

Author: Olivia Starke

Genre: Paranormal Erotic Romance (F/F/F)

Publication Date: January 20, 2014

Tour Host: Dreams Come True Promotions

It may be too late for Natasha to escape two she-vamps with one big secret…

You are cordially invited to the event of the year
The Vampire Masquerade Ball
Sincerely, Aleese and Eaven

When Natasha Edwards receives a personal invitation to the exclusive Vampire Masquerade, it's exactly the break she's been waiting for. It's her chance to impress national news syndicates, not to mention an opportunity to do some snooping into the disappearances of several women who were last seen within the Underground sect. But the two she-vamps have other plans for her.

Aleese's infatuation with the sexy news reporter cannot be denied, and Eaven has never been one to ignore her wife's desires. The blonde beauty is perfect for their plans, and once she's inside their home, the trap is set. Natasha is easy prey. She's responsive to their touch, and sweet as honey to taste. They want nothing more than to indulge their fantasies in every way imaginable.

Natasha finds exquisite pleasure of a kind she's never experienced with the two dangerous vampires. But when she stumbles upon the truth behind the missing women, will it be too much for one small-town reporter to handle?

Content Warning: contains explicit language, graphic sex, F/F/F+ ménage, BDSM, oral sex, spanking, toy play, and voyeurism

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Star rating: 4/5

THE RAVE WORTHY:  Generally I don't read erotica with out some kind of strong emotional element to it.  I really wanted to read and review this one because it seemed outside of my comfort zone and I wanted to push my 'literary boundaries'.  Holy spicy tamale were my boundaries toppled!  This book was sexy, sexy, sexy from page one on.  As has been the trend over the last few years we were introduced to a world where vamps and humans exist together without much issue (save the occasional disappearing damsel blamed on the sharp-toothed rascals), but this story takes you deeper.....waaaay deeper into the world of inhibited sex and explorations of the immortal.  Olivia does a good job taking you through a detailed, fast-paced plot with a lot of errm..action that will leave you panting for more.  Hubby thanks you for the mood elevator, Olivia ;-)

THE GRUMBLE WORTHY: Okay, so I'm a stickler for details and plot holes, and there were just a couple of  things that I got hung up on here, particularly during the masquerade ball.  For example:  It's odd to me that Nat could read the she-vamps expressions when their faces were covered by masks.  I know their lips were showing, but I know that I purse my lips when I'm angry, confused, and a bunch of other times so I don't know that realistically she could decipher much from them.  Not a huge deal, and most people will probably be so into the story that they won't even notice.

Olivia Starke calls the Ozarks home. One of the most beautiful areas in the country, she loves hiking trails with her dogs, kayaking on the numerous waterways, and enjoying southern Missouri's fresh air and sunshine.

She's also 'Mom' to four dogs, a growing number of kitties that show up at her door, and four VERY spoiled horses that do little to earn their keep. Not that she'd ever hold that against them.

She's a HUGE fangirl of Doctor Who and to a lesser extent Supernatural, and has a pretty interesting love triangle (or square?) going on in her head between the Doctor and the Winchesters. She is also sort of completely in love with BBC’s Sherlock.

1. I have green eyes even though both my parents have blue eyes.
2. I can tie shoelaces with my toes.
3. It took me FOREVER to learn how to skip as a kid.
4. When I was five years old my favorite color was black (the Trans Am in Smokey and the Bandit was black!)
5. I’m scared of heights.
6. I worked as a reporter on my high school newspaper.
7. I had a poem about the holocaust published in a poetry collection when I was in high school.
8. My favorite movie is Jurassic Park II.
9. I think bow ties are cool.
10. I’m a big ol’ introvert.
11. As a kid, I wanted to be a veterinarian or a paleontologist when I grew up. Both required too much math (math sucks!) but I LOVED science like a maniac.
12. I never curse unless I’m really mad.
13. I’m allergic to birds.
14. I’m an only child.
15. I hated Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers as a kid.
16. When I was five my favorite shows were The Incredible Hulk, Dukes of Hazzard, and The Benny Hill Show (Mom let me stay up late Saturday nights to watch it on PBS, thanks Mom!)
17. I didn’t get braces until I was in my twenties.
18. I <3 rugby!
19. I’m a Whovian.
20. I used to be in a bellydance troupe.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authoroliviastarke
Twitter: http://twitter.com/OliviaStarke
Author Website: www.authoroliviastarke.com
Author GoodReads: http://goodreads.com/Olivia_Starke
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Olivia%20Starke&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1czv8O6

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vampire-masquerade-olivia-starke/1118082258?ean=2940148261735

All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-vampiremasquerade-1400574-182.html

Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/vampire-masquerade


Beachwalk Press: http://beachwalkpress.com/vampire-masquerade/


KOBO: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Vampire-Masquerade/book-tz1aBSjaykS8GTan_ncrBQ/page1.html?s=c1bIIjNRkkacSUkHGz9WdA&r=1

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Cover Reveal and trailer: DIVIDE by Jessa Russo

Jessa has been revealing the cover of her new novel DIVIDE over the last ten days piece by piece across the blogosphere, and today we get to see the whole thing!  But first, let's take a look at the story itself...

Blurb:

From senior class president to dejected social outcast, with just the flick of a match.

After accusations of torching her ex-boyfriend’s home are followed by the mysterious poisoning of her ex-best friend, seventeen-year-old Holland Briggs assumes her life is over. And it is. But not in the way she thinks.

As Holland learns the truth about her cursed fate—that she is descended from the Beast most have only ever heard of in fairytales—she unites with an unlikely ally, good-looking newcomer Mick Stevenson. 

Mick knows more about Holland’s twisted history than she does, and enlightening as it is to learn about, his suggestion for a cure is unsettling at best. Holland must fall in love with Mick in order to break the spell, and save their future generations from repeating her cursed fate. Having sworn off love after the betrayals of her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, this may be difficult to accomplish. 

Complicating things further for Holland and Mick, time runs out, and Holland’s change begins way before schedule. With Holland quickly morphing into a dangerous mythical creature, Mick struggles to save her. 

Should they fail, Holland will be lost to the beast inside her forever.

 

Add DIVIDE to your Goodreads

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**Side note** I LOVE fairytale re-tellings. I can't wait to review this for you guys! Okay, Okay. I'm done stalling. Here is the beautiful cover and trailer:

 

 

 

Cover Reveal w/ Excerpt: GIRL LOST by Nazarea Andrews

Title: Girl Lost

Author: Nazarea Andrews

Release Date: May 1st, 2014

Category/Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance


Blurb:

Northern was supposed to be a fresh start—a place where people didn’t know who I was or how I had spent years in and out of mental institutes. People didn't know about my parents death or the island no one heard of. But when Peter sits next to me in lit class, I can’t stop the memories, and I don’t want to. He looks too much like the boy from the island, and despite my best intentions, coaxes my secrets from me.
He’s gorgeous, irresistible, a little mad, and completely lost—we are a pair of broken cogs in a world neither of us truly fits into. And he listens when I talk, about the past and the terrifying future. He is somehow gentle and fierce, heartbreaking in his devotion and savage in his defense.
When Belle, his best friend, shows up, pale and lovely and sick, Peter pulls away from me, a startling withdrawal. It’s a relationship that scares and confuses me. She is at times warm and friendly, and other times is violent and unpredictable.
Peter says that he wants me, but refuses to let himself get close. And there are secrets, surrounding both of us, that border on nightmares. As the memories close in, as Belle gets sicker and more violent, I’m torn between what is true and what I believe, and what this magical boy knows about my mysterious past.

*Suitable for 17+. A romantic contemporary retelling of the boy who never grew up.

Author Information

Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog.

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GIRL LOST BY NAZAREA ANDREWS
Excerpt:

I shrug. "Because I can't help but trust you. Even though it's stupid and I have no good reason for it--I want to trust you. I want you to be someone I can trust." I open my mouth, to tell him about the boy, about why it is so important to me. Why I should stay away from him, and why I can't seem to. 

Peter speaks first. "I don't know who your father is. I don't know why you want to run from your past. But the thing is, Gwen, I don't care. I want to be part of now. I'll fight tooth and nail to be part of now." 

"What if now is temporary?" I ask, thinking about my aunt and my tenuous grasp on sanity and all the reasons I should step away from Peter. 

"Then we enjoy what we have," he murmurs. I shudder as his voice wraps around me, as warm as the hand curving around my neck. He makes a low noise, and lifts me, until I'm sitting in the circle of his crossed legs. 

 Pressed against him. I can feel his heartbeat through his shirt, the unsteady pounding. His fingers are still pressed against my hips, still holding onto me despite having me where he wants. 

I should move back, put distance between us, so he knows that this isn’t ok. I sit still and silent in his arms and wait for the chiding voice, telling me it’s wrong. 

The voice that has drown out every thought and feeling, every time a boy has touched me. 

But it’s silent, oddly absent—maybe it is as charmed by Peter’s appearance as I am. 

“What is Lane, to you?” he asks, breaking my thoughts. 

I shrug, looking at the pulse point pounding in his throat. “A friend.” 

“I don’t want you near him.” He says. 

There is a part of me, slight but there, that is annoyed by his pronouncement. But the bigger part is smirking, leaning in so that my lips tickle along his neck. Peter goes very still, as I whisper, a hairs breath from his skin, “Are you jealous?” 

His voice is low, gravelly, “Yes. Fuck, yes I am. I don’t want any man near you—I hate Micah for being your brother. I want you with me, always.” 

His voice is so fierce, wild. It’s a savagery that is at odds with the soft circle of his arms, the gentle press of his fingers on my back. 

That is all tenderness and fragile care.

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