Book Review: THE ETERNITY ROAD by Lana Melyan

Title: The Eternity Road
Author: Lana Melyan
Category/genre: Young Adult Fantasy
My Star Rating: 4/5

Goodreads Blurb:
On her eighteenth birthday, Amanda has a dream that feels strangely lifelike. When Amanda recounts the experience to Melinda, the faithful housekeeper who has looked after her since her mother’s death, she assures her it’s meaningless, with no significance at all. But Melinda isn’t telling Amanda the truth.

Craig, the older brother of Amanda’s friend Hanna, has loved Amanda from afar for years. But a deep secret, going back centuries in time, keeps him from ever making a move.

When Melinda, who has a secret of her own, tells Craig about Amanda’s dream, it changes everything between them. Two vampires posing as men are pursuing Amanda, and Craig is devoted to keeping her safe. Luckily Craig and his sister are Hunters, the only supernatural creatures able to defeat the evil beings.

Craig and Hanna will do anything to protect Amanda, because they know that their friend has a special mission … even though she doesn’t have any idea of what’s happening around her or who she truly is.


My Review:

This was a unique, imaginative tale that captivates the reader and keeps you engaged.  The second half is even better than the first half, but you'll have no problem getting into the book from the get-go.  Even the prologue (I generally hate prologues and wish most authors would omit them entirely) is a necessary part to the tale.  There is no filler here, which is awesome!  My major issue with this book, however, is the lack of a thorough professional edit.  There are a good number of typos, and I'm afraid the sentence structure itself is a struggle in most of the book.  Simply replacing all the formality would do wonders; for example: Most people don't say "I am" they say "I'm" (as a general rule)...if the author went through the manuscript and applied contractions, it would be so much easier to read!  I could look past it though, simply because the story itself was magnificent. 

**I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily offered a honest review**

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Book Review: SECRETS OF ARTEMIS by C.K. Brooke

 

                                                              Secrets of Artemis (Teen Goddess #1)
                                                                                by C.K. Brooke
                                                                    Genre: YA Romantic Mythology
                                                                    Release Date: October 29th 2015

                                                                              My Star Rating: 5/5 

 

Summary from Goodreads:

Not even the god of gods could command my heart not to love…

In Ancient Greece, the goddess Artemis was venerated as a maiden huntress, swift with her bow and arrows, and eternally chaste. But could there be more to her story? Perhaps Lady Artemis had envisioned quite a different destiny than the one her father, Zeus, had chosen for her. What if she hadn’t merely pined after the giant huntsman, Orion, but had secretly partaken of a forbidden romance with him?

From prolific fantasy writer C.K. Brooke comes an original divine novel, in which Artemis’s classic myths are retold as never before, in her own voice, as the young goddess sets the record straight and reveals the true account of her immortal life – and love. 

Add to Goodreads

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Artemis-Goddess-Novel-Goddesses-ebook/dp/B017BZXTKY/

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secrets-of-artemis-ck-brooke/1123104250?ean=9780692541081

BAM: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Secrets-Artemis/C-K-Brooke/9780692541081?id=6145510849157

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27393590-secrets-of-artemis

My Review:

Once again, C.K. Brooke has impressed me with this incredible, breath-taking romance. I loved how each of the Greek Gods & Goddesses retained so much of their traditional myths, but had fresh, almost human qualities about them as well. Complex, well-developed characters made me their friend. When the unthinkable happened, I gasped. When tragedy struck, I mourned. And when it all came together for a happily ever after, I celebrated. The love story between Orion and Artemis was unique yet classic, intimate and rebellious I've mentioned this in another review for C.K. Brooke, but I feel it warrants repeating: her writing style is what truly draws me into her stories. There's such an natural flow to the story-line, and every word, no matter how simple, plays on your heart strings. Secrets of Artemis is a beautiful tale that I would read again and again.

*I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily gave a honest review*

About the Author

 

C.K. Brooke is a 2015 Shelf Unbound Notable Indie author with a five-star rating by Readers' Favorite. She holds numerous fantasy and romance publications with 48fourteen, Limitless Publishing, and Elphame Press. Her lifelong passion is books - reading, writing, editing, publishing and blogging about them. When not blissing out in literary land, she enjoys info-tainment podcasts, singing, songwriting and playing the piano. She lives in Washington, Michigan with her husband and young son. There's tons to check out at the new CKBrooke.com, so come and see what she's up to! Check out her V.I.P. Readers Club (Subscribers get a free eBook!)

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook│Amazon Page

 

 

Book Blitz: CODE RED by Janie Chodosh

Excerpt Reveal: A WAY BACK INTO LOVE by Veronica Thatcher

  Title: A Way Back Into Love Series: Love Series #1

By: Veronica Thatcher

Publication Date: February 15, 2017

Publisher: Notion Press

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover Designer: Notion Press

Derek let out a frustrated sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. "Em…I mean that…It’s just this person you have become. The Emily I used to know didn’t hit on random guys at the bar."

Emily crossed her arms over her chest and gave Derek a glare. "Five years is a long time, Derek. Maybe I have changed," she said, "And besides, why do you care so much?"

Derek glared back at her as he replied harshly, "Oh, so you have changed so much over the last five years that now you throw yourself at random men like a…” he trailed off, not finishing his sentence.

Emily’s mouth fell open and her eyes widened as she let Derek’s words set in. She couldn’t believe her own ears for a minute. Had Derek really accused her of being a slut? She couldn’t believe it – it all felt like a nightmare.

"What did you just say to me?" Emily whispered, her voice sounding foreign to her own ears. "What did you just say to me?" Emily asked in a louder voice this time.

Derek didn’t say a word as he continued to look at Emily coldly.

Emily took a step towards Derek and narrowed her eyes. Poking Derek’s chest with the index finger of her right hand, she said in a soft yet acerbic voice, "You don’t get to call me a whore. You’ve no right to judge me. Do you hear me? You’ve no fucking right to judge me." The anger, the jealousy and the heartache combined with the alcohol she had consumed gave Emily a newly acquired courage. She felt more emboldened than she had felt in her entire life, and so, she didn’t hold back in letting out her pent-up exasperation. "You broke me," Emily continued, her words slurring slightly, "You broke me, but I am all glued up together now. And I make no apologies for how I chose to repair what you broke. You don’t get to call me a whore." Emily finished her diatribe, her breaths coming in short pants as a result of her outburst.

Derek looked into her eyes, the anger and bitterness in his eyes now replaced by confusion. "I broke you? What do you mean?" he asked in a bewildered voice, his eyebrows shooting up.

Emily stepped back from him and shook her head. "Oh, you know damn well what I mean. You know what, Derek? I’m done having this conversation with you. I’m so done with this conversation and I’m so done with you," Emily spat out angrily before brushing past him.

"Emily, wait," Derek said, catching her by her arm. "Where are you going?"

Emily spun around and gave him a bitter look before looking down at his hand gripping her arm. "Leave my arm," she said in a low yet threatening voice, "And why do you care where I’m going? It’s none of your business."

Derek didn’t leave her arm in spite of her warning and said, "Em, you’ve had too many drinks. You can’t drive in this condition. I’ll drop you home."

Emily jerked her arm free from his grasp and replied in a bitter voice, "Thank you, but no. I’m perfectly capable of getting myself home on my own. I don’t need you to drop me home. Do you get it, Derek Thorpe? I DON’T NEED YOU!" Emily yelled the last words, causing a few people to look their way.

Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes, uncertain. People, irrational. But love…well, that makes everything complicated. And when you are caught in a tangled web of secrets, lies, and complex affairs, someone is bound to get burned. Emily Stevens is a spunky, spirited college girl whose life gets turned upside-down when she realizes she's in love with her best friend of fifteen years, Derek Thorpe. As Emily prepares to confess her feelings to Derek, something happens one night which changes her life forever. Five years later, Emily finds herself in Boston, alone and heartbroken. Will she ever be able to forget the past? And what will she find when she returns home...to the man she left behind?

Veronica Thatcher is an exciting new contemporary romance author. Ever since she was very young, she’s dreamed of becoming a doctor when she grew up. While still forging ahead with that, majoring in pre-med in college, she unwittingly stumbled upon a new dream—becoming a published author. Some may call her an introvert or a wallflower, but she has always found she could express herself better in written, rather than spoken, words. However, never in her wildest dreams had she envisioned she would pursue writing as a prospective career, not just a hobby. Her love for writing goes hand-in-hand with her love for a good romance novel—whether it be a feel-good, sweet romance or a dark, suspenseful one. When she’s not studying, reading, or writing, she is usually found blasting her favourite songs, sometimes singing and dancing along to them. She dabbles in a number of activities, including painting, karate, singing and dancing. She is a huge chocoholic – probably the biggest – and she is an ice-cream junkie too. She considers herself technologically handicapped forever and has no shame in admitting that. She also deems chocolates her boyfriend, Patrick Dempsey the love of her life, and Friends her life! Her first book, A Way Back Into Love, is slated for release in February 2017, and she hopes readers will enjoy it as much as she enjoyed writing it. You can reach Veronica through Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Wattpad and Gmail.

Social Media Links

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/61582321-veronica-thatcher Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authorthatcher/ Twitter - @merderlover1 Wattpad - https://www.wattpad.com/user/merder32

Email - veronica32321@gmail.com

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New Release: SILVERWITCH by Tamara Grantham

NEW PRINT RELEASE:

Silverwitch Tamara Grantham (M.D. Series, The Olive Kennedy) Published by: Crimson Tree Publishing Publication date: February 6, 2017 Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

It’s Faythander’s legend of King Arthur. And it’s not for the faint of heart.

Olive Kennedy, Fairy World MD, isn’t ready to go back to work. But when her dragon stepfather shows up on her doorstep with bad news of the world-ending variety, that’s exactly what she’ll have to do. He wants her to stop the elven queen from obtaining seven weapons of King Arthur fame, and he wants her to break into a dragon’s vault to do it.

One problem. Silvestra, the silverwitch of Dragon Spine Mountain, guards the weapons. And she’s not willing to give them up. With the help of Kull, her newly reunited, half-crazed Viking boyfriend, she’s hopeful they’ll stand up against the dragon. Plus, she’ll have the help from Kull’s warrior princess sister and a professional thief.

But Olive has never had great luck. What starts as a routine quest quickly turns into a life or death fight. And one of her companions won’t make it out alive…

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

EXCERPT:

“I fail to see how we’re lucky. We’re trapped in an unfamiliar world with no way of returning home. The staff is gone, and I have a suspicion that if we find it, we will not live long enough to return it to the sky king.”

Maveryck gave me a condescending smile. “Perhaps you will not live long enough,” he said as he stood, and without further explanation, he limped away from me and down a narrow hallway. I hesitated before following him. Navigating alone through a tomb like this would be suicide, so I reluctantly trailed him, barely keeping my temper in check.

“Where are you going?” I demanded.

“To find a way out of here.”

“What then?” I asked. “Where will we go? How will we find the staff? How will we return home? Have you the magic to create portals?”

He rounded on me, his jaw clenched. “First, and listen very clearly, I’m not in the habit of answering questions—not from you or anyone else. Second, I’m not your friend, nor am I trying to help you. For the time being, we share the same goal, so I will work with you in order to bring the staff back. After that, our partnership will be dissolved. I’ve never lost an object before, and it won’t happen now. If you impede me in any way, I will aid you no more.”

“Have you forgotten who my brother is? Should you return to Faythander without me, what do you think the king will do to you?”

“I don’t care.”

“You might care when you’re rotting in the Wult dungeons.”

“I doubt he would throw me in the dungeons for leaving you. In all honesty, I believe he would reward me.”

Now he’d pushed too far. I’d had an ill feeling about this man from the moment I’d met him, and I would tolerate his superior attitude no more. I shoved him against the wall, pressing the weight of my body against him, making the stacks of skeletal remains rattle behind us.

“Enough,” I hissed. “I will not tolerate being spoken to in such a manner.”

Instead of shying away as I expected, he clamped my wrists in his hands. He used no magic, but the calculated look he gave me sent shivers down my spine. “And I,” he said, “will also not tolerate being spoken to in such a manner.”

Fear made my heart beat wildly. Who is this man? It was at that moment I realized how very little I knew about him. Where did he come from? Where did he live? Who were his kin? His gaze locked with mine, and sparks of purple danced in the gray of his irises. I knew he possessed magic, but he’d led me to believe his powers were limited. Had he lied?

Author Bio:

Tamara Grantham is the award-winning author of more than half a dozen books and novellas, including the Olive Kennedy: Fairy World MD series and the Shine novellas. Dreamthief, the first book of her Fairy World MD series, won first place for fantasy in INDIEFAB’S Book of the Year Awards, a RONE award for best New Adult Romance of 2016, and is a #1 bestseller on Amazon in both the Mythology and Fairy Tales categories with over 100 reviews. Tamara holds a Bachelor’s degree in English. She has been a featured speaker at the Rose State Writing Conference and has been a panelist at Comic Con Wizard World speaking on the topic of female leads. For her first published project, she collaborated with New York-Times bestselling author, William Bernhardt, in writing the Shine series. Born and raised in Texas, Tamara now lives with her husband and five children in Wichita, Kansas. She rarely has any free time, but when the stars align and she gets a moment to relax, she enjoys reading fantasy novels, taking nature walks, which fuel her inspiration for creating fantastical worlds, and watching every Star Wars or Star Trek movie ever made. You can find her online at www.TamaraGranthamBooks.com.

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