Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Cover Reveal ~ Gravitational Pull By Marissa Carmel

Title: Gravitational Pull (Vis Vires Trilogy #2)
Author: Marissa Carmel         
Release Day: April 4th, 2013
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
Cover Reveal Host: Lady Amber's Tours
 
Blurb:
Touch me, and bring me to life...
 
How do you move on when you don’t even know where you were going in the first place?
 
The Spirit Stalker is dead and I have finally started to erect my life. But I quickly discover, that just because the structure is built doesn’t mean the foundation is sturdy. As much as I try to manage my abilities, I can’t completely control them. The physical impossibility of the relationship I have with Justice has reached a boiling point; our fundamental problem is my inability to control myself from absorbing his power, and his fears of touching me because of it.
 
As if that wasn’t deal-breaker enough, a new threat looms on my horizon - Darklings.
 
They are grim reapers of the immortal world who surface every five-hundred-years to feed off the souls of magical beings who are weak, aimless, lost; those who have given up and want to move on.
 
They also hunt power. Which means, they’re hunting me.
 
Abandoned by the one person I need the most, I find myself in Melenia’s realm.  There, I’m courted by Siberian, a dangerous pixie who covets me, hunted by Death personified; all the while hiding my powers and my ancient bloodline. The pixie prince is alluring, and I feel so broken and vulnerable. I know giving in to him means giving myself over to him. But right now, I don’t care. All I want is to feel anything other than the loss and rejection Justice left me with.
 
Anything other than pain.
 
So what do I do when I’m scared to be touched, even though I know it’s the only way to bring my soul back to life?
 
 
Excerpt- Justice’s POV
We land right outside the gates of Keelin Castle. Extinguishing ourselves, we descend on the palace.
Walking authoritatively, we make our way down the nave-like hallway of the castle to the huge, golden double doors at the end. The throne room.
“Are you sure that’s where she’ll be?” Derrin asks snidely. “She might be waiting in her chambers for you.”
“Well if she is, she’ll be waiting a while.”
“It could be a good way to get some of your frustrations out,” he says boorishly.
“There’s more than one way to release frustration,” I threaten him.
“Bring it, bitch,” he grabs his crotch, not intimidated at all.
Asshole.
I push open the throne room doors, and as expected, we see the pixie queen perched on her throne waiting for us.
Emery surveys us as we approach. Both Derrin and I give a small nod in due respect as we reach her, but don’t be deceived, we are the supreme strata.
“Your little human has caused quite a stir,” she says evenly, but I can see the danger flashing in her eyes.
“She was the one who was attacked,” I quickly defend Liv.
“Was she? Or did she bring it on herself?”
My look becomes more intense. “What are you talking about?”
“My brother has taken quite a liking to her you know,” Emery says randomly.
Yes, I’ve noticed.
“If your brother knows what’s best for him, he will disappear from her life,” I say through clenched teeth.
Or I’ll remove him myself.
Emery’s eyes become razor sharp at my comment - she’s realized something. She slips off her throne and stalks down the three slate stairs to the floor where Derrin and I are standing. Like Liv, she is tiny, with long hair blacker than night and almond eyes just like Melenia’s.
“What is so special about this human?” she looks up at me, searing the question straight into my soul.
“Nothing,” I snap, but Emery knows me. She sees right through my lies.
“Then it will be nothing if I send the royal guard to take care of her, and rid my land of such contaminants.”
“Do it, and I will burn this entire realm to the ground,” I growl.
Her eyes grow a little wider, but she doesn’t back down from my glare.
“You love her.”
“No.”
“You deny it?”
“Yes.”
No.
“You loved me once,” she says vulnerably.
“What we had was never love,” I bite, “just sex.”
Ouch. That was harsh, even for me.
Emery’s eyebrows crease, and I know I have hurt her deeply.
It’s not a lie, I never loved her. We did have an intense physical relationship that included some emotion, but it’s incomparable to what I have with Liv.
She backs away from me, shifting her eyes between me and Derrin.
Derrin clears his throat. “Not to interrupt this lover’s quarrel,” that I highly enjoy watching, he tells me telepathically, “but what exactly did you mean when you said she brought it on herself?”
Emery’s full attention falls upon Derrin.
“Siberian didn’t give me all the details, but apparently she used her powers on him, and what she did, he described only as provocative.”
I clench my jaw. Provocative?
Images of Liv and Siberian reel through my head. What did she do to him? What did he do to her?
The thought makes me furious.
I’ve damaged us so badly; she turned to a threat more dangerous than the Darklings. And the only thing I can do about it is blame myself.
“So, is she in trouble?” Derrin goes on. “Is there anything we need to be aware of?” he hints. “Besides you sending the royal guard and Siberian?”
Emery contemplates Derrin’s questions for a short second. “Besides Darklings, what else should there be?” She looks over at me as I stand there still-stocked, trying not to give away the anger boiling over in my chest at the thought of Liv and Siberian.
“Who is this girl, exactly?” she pries deeper now, and I know we are heading into hazardous territory.
“She’s no one you have to be concerned about,” I dodge the question. “We just need to know if you’ve caught wind of any unusual uprisings?”
She is simultaneously lost and absolutely intrigued as she stares at me decisively. “No, nothing.”
I nod, and release an almost nonexistent sigh of relief.
“Do I have your word she won’t be harmed while she’s in Devonshire?” I phrase it as a question, but she understands my query is so much more than that. It’s a threat.
She nods her displeasure with a small, irritated frown.
We’ve collected the information we came for, and I’ve had enough of Emery’s probing stares. Surrendering to the ever-present pull drawing me back to Liv, and preparing for the shit-storm I’m sure awaits me once I see her, I turn to leave.
“What should I tell my brother?” Emery calls, taunting me. “He wants her.”
I turn back and glare at her. “Tell him he couldn’t handle her, even if he got her.” Then I slam the throne room door behind me, the sound echoing throughout the castle.
That pixie prick is dead.
 
Author Bio:



Marissa Carmel has been writing since a young age and although it has always been for personal enjoyment, she finally decided breakout and share her imagination with the world. She hopes that her universe is as fun and intriguing to her readers as it is to her. Marissa Carmel is originally from NJ but moved to Maryland several years ago, she enjoys reading, writing, and catching up on her ever growing DVR library. She is currently working on the sequel to iFeel, Gravitational Pull and the third and final installment of the Vis Vires trilogy, Constellation

Links:
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5211765.Marissa_Carmel
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Marissa-Carmel/e/B005OKFXXU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1361243544&sr=8-2
Twitter: https://twitter.com/marissacarmel
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marissa.carmel.5
Web/Blog: http://marissacarmel.com/


Thursday, February 14, 2013

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

 
 
 
Author Ferris Robinson (http://easingintomyfifties.wordpress.com/) was looking for people to participate in the Next Big Thing Blog Hop and since I'm always looking for a good way to get Reviving Bloom out there I signed up.
 

Ten Questions about Reviving Bloom:

Was Reviving Bloom always the title of this book, even when it was a work in progress?

Pretty much, though the name didn't come about until I was on the verge of finishing it. The rest of the time I refered to it as The Story. I was afraid if I named it before I was close to being done I wouldn't finish it.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I’d been reading a lot of werewolf/shifter stories and one night the idea came to me. It all revolved around the wolf pretending to be a stray dog and not revealing himself to his mate until she needed saved. The idea hounded my thoughts for months before I finally broke down and outlined out the characters and wrote the lake scene.

What genre is your book?

Young Adult Paranormal

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Pike would be Ian Somerhalder and Bloom would be Amanda Seyfried.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Reviving Bloom is a sweet, sometimes funny, sometimes sad story about how Bloom finds her true self.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It's self published.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Almost a year, I didn't have a whole lot of time between work and my family and for the longest time I didn't know if I'd do anything with it, so I didn't try to rush it.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

There are alot of shifter/werewolf books out right now and I think each puts their own twist on the idea. Reviving Bloom would probably compare more with The Grey Wolves Series by Quinn Loftis or The Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater.

What inspired you to write this book?

I've always loved to read and write and deep down I knew I had ideas that would make for entertaining stories, it just took me a while to convince myself to follow that dream.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

The sass some of my characters give. I have one in particular who seems to be a fan favorite and honestly you never know what she's going to cock off.

Author Links
Here are some talented authors I’m tagging as the blog hop continues. Make sure you stop by their blogs and get to know these amazing individuals.

Brandi Kennedy:

 
 
Jennifer Blaney:
 
 
I’d like to thank Ferris Robinson, for tagging me and allowing me to participate. Please take a moment to visit her sites.
 
 

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Review - Half Blood

Earlier this week I adopted the fabulous Lauren Dawes for the adopt an author event being run by the Young Adult and Teen Readers facebook page. And I knew as her adopter I wanted to read and review her books. Lauren was sweet enough to give me copies for my honest review and below you'll find my thoughts on the first from her series Half Blood.

Synopsis: *WARNING: This book contains graphic scenes and sexually explicit content.*

"Swallowing her pained sounds, she forced the fear from her eyes. ‘You killed me,’ she breathed, swallowing down on the hard lump in her throat. It wasn’t often that someone got an opportunity to come face to face with their killer."

A battle for werewolf territory and rights has Rhett fighting for his life and for the survival of the pack. The last half blood—a half human, half vampire hybrid—has been found and Rhett has been chosen as her unlikely Guardian. The pack’s survival hangs on her completing her transformation, but a Sicarii—a vampire assassin—is hunting her to ensure that never happens …

Indigo’s hard exterior is nothing compared to the dark secret she carries within her. Her haunted eyes alone tell of her struggle and desire to live. But what she doesn’t know is that she is hard-wired for survival; the very blood in her veins and the legacy of her father demands it. But when her life takes a violent turn, her heritage and her fate may be the very thing to get her killed.

My Review:

Oh. My. Gosh!
 

I have to say I normally go for much lighter reads (I’m a big chicken when it comes to the darker stuff), but the world this author created was too well crafted for me not to love.  She unfolds the characters pasts one piece at a time instead of giving it to you all at once, which had me aching to click to the next page faster to find out what the next reveal would be. And trust me there were some biggies, her twist on the rapist completely surprised me.  And her spin on vampires and werewolves is a breath of fresh air that takes you back to when they were creatures to be scared of not cuddled up with.  That being said I’d still cuddle up with Rhett anytime. *sigh*

 
Anyway, back on task.

 
Indi is a broken soul, but underneath all the damage she’s taken in her life is a strong female lead you have to cheer for. She lets few people in (she doesn’t even give her real name out to the customers), but the one’s she does, she fights for. My favorite example of her unwavering loyalty and protection of the people she loves is when her brother Jerry asks, “Are you going to protect me Indi?” and she simply vowed, “Until my last breath.” There was no doubt in my mind the girl would give every last piece of herself to follow through with that vow.


Then there’s Rhett the hot, protective, dominant wolf chosen to be Indi’s guardian. Like Indi, he has his own demons, and they’re what keep him from pursuing something with Indi (even though it’s clear they have something special). The fact that she trusts him when she trusts few others should be enough to prove that. I so want these two to get together. They’d be a badass couple.


That all being said I’d highly recommend this to any adult looking for a good paranormal book.

About the author:

Lauren Dawes is a part-time ESL teacher, part-time promotion worker, part-time proofreader and full-time author. She put pen to paper when she realised that books like Stephanie Meyer's 'Twilight' were ruining the vampire genre Anne Rice so meticulously built.

She lives in Victoria with her husband and her cat, Oscar. She is currently working on her next book.




Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/authorlaurendawes?fref=ts

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lauren-Dawes/e/B007UWWNDI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6425337.Lauren_Dawes

Website: http://laurendawes.blogspot.com/

There is also a facebook event page set-up from now until the end of April. There are bookmark giveaways and if you review one of Lauren's books and post the review there you'll be entered for a chance to win a signed paperback. Find out more by joining the fun at: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/596074003743460/.