Review: The Beautiful and The Cursed by Page Morgan

Image from Publisher

Title: The Beautiful and the Cursed
Series: The Dispossessed
Author: Page Morgan
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Publication Date: 2 May 2013
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 3.5/5

Synopsis from Publisher

Ingrid Waverley is a young woman to be reckoned with. Faced with her brother’s mysterious disappearance after an abrupt move to Paris, she is determined to discover what has happened to him. Soon she and her sister Gabriella are drawn into a Parisian underworld more terrifying than they could ever have imagined, but watching over them are two impossible (and impossibly handsome) young men. Luc is a ‘Dispossessed’, an ancient gargoyle whose sworn duty it is to protect the humans who inhabit his abbey. Nolan has secrets of his own too. He is a member of the Alliance – a shadowy group dedicated to keeping Paris safe from the demonic forces that threaten to destroy it.

Secrets, danger and hidden powers stalk the girls in this beautifully imagined paranormal romance that will keep readers gripped from beginning to end – and one thing is for sure – you’ll never look at a gargoyle in the same way again…

REVIEW BY BETH

I accepted this novel because it’s described as a must-read for fans of Libba Bray and I am definitely a fan of Libba Bray. Page Morgan’s novel has an interesting theme, plenty of climactic cliff-hangers and intriguing hints to keep the reader engaged.

I’m not a big fantasy/paranormal reader so those elements of the novel, which are of course plentiful, didn’t particularly do it for me but I have no doubt they’d be a huge hit with anyone who does love the genre as Morgan simply writes so engagingly.

Morgan immerses her readers into late 19th century Paris and mixes it up with the introduction of gargoyles. Yes, gargoyles. They are the protectors of the humans in this area of France and are fascinatingly created, showing Morgan’s brilliant and creative imagination. The novel sees Ingrid, the leading human character in the novel looks for her brother Grayson whilst dealing with her own personal shames, one of the reasons the whole family upped sticks and moved to Paris in the first place.

Despite some of the key elements of the plot not being to my taste (gargoyles and monsters etc are really not my thing) I simply can’t knock Morgan’s talent and her ability to create a dark and brooding scene as well as a fast moving plot which is engaging. Her characters are fantastic too, with a touch of forbidden romance which also goes down well.

Fans of the genre will not be able to put this book down.

Spotlight & Give-Away: Tragic by J A Huss

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Image Received from GCR Book Tours

TRAGIC: Rook and Ronin, #1

By J. A. Huss

New Adult Contemporary Romance

Published May 15, 2013

Science Future Press

Rook Walsh is TRAGIC

Because life so far – just sucks. Some girls get parents. Rook got the foster care system. Some girls get Prince Charming. Rook got an abusive frog. Some girls get lucky…

Rook got a second chance.

And she took it. Because when fate throws you a bone – you grab it with both hands and run.

Antoine Chaput knows the minute he spies Rook in his photography studio that she’s got The Look. The dark and desperate look he must have to land the exclusive TRAGIC media contract.

Rook is paired up with top model, Ronin, and he’s everything her abusive ex-boyfriend wasn’t. Patient, gentle, happy, attentive, and sexy! He knows exactly what to do to make Rook blush for Antoine’s camera.

Rook’s luck changes in an instant and suddenly she’s the darling of the modeling world. It’s a dream job to go with a dream guy and all she has to do is look pretty and follow directions. But there’s always a price to pay – and Rook is about to get the bill.

New Adult Contemporary Romance *Mature Content* Recommended for ages 17+ due to sexual situations and language usage

**Does contain strong language

I gather up all my clothes and stick them in the stackable washer in the closet just off the bedroom. The breeze caresses my naked limbs and gives me the chills, but I enjoy it. The goose bumps travel up my arms and spread out to my whole body. I shiver for a second and then head to the kitchen.And stop dead in the living room.Ronin fucking Flynn is sleeping on the couch.

What is he doing here? My eyes track to the front door and I suppose it’s my fault, I left it open. There’s nothing but a screen door between this apartment and the terrace. My gaze wanders back to the sleeping man. He’s lying on his stomach, his one arm tucked underneath him, the other falling over the edge of the cushion, and he’s shirtless.

And then I realize I’m naked.

“Shit!”

He stirs and I make a break for the bedroom. It’s one thing to let him see me naked half hidden in darkness and quite another to be fully illuminated by the bright morning sunshine. I wrangle the sheet around my body and then head back to the living room, wistfully looking at the washer that contains every single article of clothing I own.

“Ronin!” I say loudly.

Nothing except a half-muffled snore from him. Lord, this man has the most perfectly chiseled and muscular back I’ve ever seen. Both hands pull up and go under his face, like he’s blocking out the sunlight, and this gives me the perfect opportunity to study his flexing biceps. The muscles are thick and hard-looking near his shoulders. They curve down, dip into a little valley, and then climb once again.

I lean down and smell him.

“Why are you sniffing me?” he asks groggily.

“Uh—” Because you smell delicious, the inner Rook says. But luckily the outer Rook says, “I’m checking to see if you’re drunk. Why are you sleeping on my couch?”

He peeks up, opening one eye in my direction, squints, and then croaks out some words. “I love your outfit.” He grins, winks, and then drops his head back down into his arms.

“Are you leaving?” I ask, frustrated and confused at the same time. “I mean, why are you here?”

“I told you I’d come back with dinner. But when I got here, the lights were on and you were in bed. I only sat down for a second to think up a rational excuse to wake you up, but I guess I fell asleep.” He raises his head again, grins sheepishly, and then rolls over on his back, tucks his hands behind his neck, and flashes his perfect body at me as he closes his eyes, probably confident that I’ll be checking him out.

I do check him out. It’s quite hard not to notice that he’s got the perfect six-pack abs and that absolutely adorable fuzzy happy trail you see on a shirtless designer jeans model. Hmmmm… maybe he is that model? “You have no shirt on.”

Yes, after all that gawking, I finally manage the obvious.

He opens the one eye to look at me again. “Neither do you.”

Tantalising Trailers: Melody Burning by Whitley Strieber

Purchase your copy

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.

J. A. Huss likes to write new adult books that make you think and keep you guessing. Her favorite genre to read is space opera, but since practically no one reads those books, she writes new adult science fiction, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and books about Junco (who refuses to be saddled with a label).

She has an undergraduate degree in horses, (yes, really–Thank you, Colorado State University) and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida. She used to have a job driving around Colorado doing pretty much nothing but shooting the breeze with farmers, but now she just writes, runs the New Adult Addiction and Clean Teen Reads Book Blogs, and runs an online science classroom for homeschoolers.

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Review: Inhale, Exhale by Sarah M Ross

Image Received from InkSlinger PR

Title: Inhale, Exhale
Author: Sarah M Ross
Publisher: Self Published
Publication Date: 4 May 2013
Source: Review Copy – Ebook
Rating: 3.5/5

Synopsis from Amazon

**Warning: Contains very strong language, and sexual situations.**

Jillian had a plan: celebrate the end of her first year of college with an amazing summer full of beaches, barbeques, and bonfires. When her mom insists she needs a summer job, and her boyfriend spends more time with his band than with her, Jillian’s plans go down the drain.

Grant had a plan: finish his Masters, get a great job at Google, and get the hell out of Georgia. He might be giving up some of the fun of his youth, but he knows his all work and no play method would be worth it when his dreams came true.

But things never go according to plan.

When temptation brings them together and tragedy tears them apart, Jillian and Grant will be forced to choose: fight for their dreams, or fight for each other.

REVIEW

The book starts with a very powerful prologue that really grips your attention and makes compulsive page turning necessity in order to try to match the rest of the story to the prologue.

Told in dual first person narrative (my favorite as I can get inside the head of both characters). Jillian is a little bit of a daydreamer but a truly nice person, she is very family orientated and a wonderfully loyal friend. However, she does tend to see her boyfriend, Christian, through rose colored glasses justifying their relationship even though she feels they are drawing apart. Grant is responsible, having been forced to grow-up quickly following his mothers death. He has terrific values even if they do get slightly warped with the plan he has for himself in his head.

There is an instant attraction between Grand and Jillian even though they both try to fight it. The intensity of their attraction both frightens and exhilarates them. they have so much in common and interact so well the idea of soul-mates blossoms within the imagination. Don’[t get me wrong this isn’t a case of insta-love more like insta-lust that develops into love.

As their friendship develops we get to see more of Grant’s romantic side that even he didn’t know existed providing some very swoon-worthy moments. The story is quite fast paced and gripping. It is a really quick read while still providing a connection to the characters that stays with you after the last page.

There are a number of surprise events that add tension to the story. Yet aid the realization that you can’t plan all of your life, sometimes life throws you off the path you have set in order to put you on the path you need to be on. Sometimes it is easy to forget what is truly important in life and events seemingly throw a spanner in the works actually lead us to where we should be. Once that happens all the pieces fall into place. It was a joy to follow the pieces falling into place for Grant and Jillian.

Inhale, Exhale is a great starter for those dipping their toes into New Adult Romance; quick, fast paced and yet utterly romantic.

Book Love – May 2013 – YA Edition

Take a look at the yummy books I have my eye on this moth In no particular order as this seems to have been an issue lately.

Image from Fantastic Fiction

Title: If I Should Die
Series Revenants #3
Author: Amy Plum
Publisher: Atom
Publication Date: 2 May 2013

Synopsis from Fantastic Fiction

I will not lose another person I love. I will not let history repeat itself.

Vincent waited lifetimes to find me, but in an instant our future together has been shattered. He was betrayed by Violette, someone we both called a friend, and I lost him. Now Violette is determined to rule over France’s immortals, and she’s willing to wage a war to get what she wants.

It shouldn’t be possible, none of it should be, but this is my reality. I know Vincent is somewhere out there, I know he’s not completely gone, and I will do anything to save him.

After what we’ve already fought to achieve, a life without Vincent is unimaginable. He once swore to avoid dying – to go against his nature and forsake sacrificing himself for others – so that we could be together. How can I not risk everything to bring my love back to me?

Image from Fantastic Fiction

Title: Loki’s Wolves
Series: Blackwell Pages #1
Author: Melissa Marr and Kelly Armstrong
Publisher: Atom
Publication Date: 7 May 2013

Synopsis from Fantastic Fiction

In Viking times, Norse myths predicted the end of the world, an event called Ragnarok, that only the gods can stop. When this apocalypse happens, the gods must battle the monsters–wolves the size of the sun, serpents that span the seabeds, all bent on destroying the world.

The gods died a long time ago.

Matt Thorsen knows every Norse myth, saga, and god as if it was family history–because it is family history. Most people in the modern-day town of Blackwell, South Dakota, in fact, are direct descendants of either Thor or Loki, including Matt’s classmates Fen and Laurie Brekke.

However, knowing the legends and completely believing them are two different things. When the rune readers reveal that Ragnarok is coming and kids–led by Matt–will stand in for the gods in the final battle, he can hardly believe it. Matt, Laurie, and Fen’s lives will never be the same as they race to put together an unstoppable team to prevent the end of the world.

Image from Fantastic Fiction

Title: Sweet Peril
Series: Sweet Evil #2
Author: Wendy Higgins
Publisher: Harper Collins US
Publication Date: 15 May 2013

Synopsis from Fantastic Fiction

Anna Whitt, daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father–polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a claim. She’d been naive about a lot of things.

Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.

When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?

Image from Goodreads

Title: The Originals
Author: Cat Patrick
Publisher: Electric Monkey
Publication Date: 6 May 2013

Synopsis from Fantastic Fiction

17-year-olds Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey Best grew up as identical triplets… until they discovered a shocking family secret. They’re actually closer than sisters, they’re clones. Hiding from a government agency that would expose them, the Best family appears to consist of a single mother with one daughter named Elizabeth. Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey take turns going to school, attending social engagements, and a group mindset has always been a de facto part of life…

Then Lizzie meets Sean Kelly, a guy who seems to see into her very soul. As their relationship develops, Lizzie realizes that she’s not a carbon copy of her sisters; she’s an individual with unique dreams and desires, and digging deeper into her background, Lizzie begins to dismantle the delicate balance of an unusual family that only science could have created.

Image from Author Website

Title: Between The Lives
Author: Jessica Shirvington
Publisher: Harper Collins Au
Publication Date: 1 May 2013

Synopsis from Author Website

Sabine isn’t like anyone else. For as long as she can remember, she’s had two lives. Every twenty-four hours she ‘Shifts’, living each day twice. She has one life in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and another, completely different life in Roxbury, Boston.

THE PERFECT LIFE
In Wellesley, Sabine has everything she could ever want. Glamorous friends, a designer wardrobe, perfect grades and the guy everyone wants to be dating. Her future is nothing less than charmed.

THE PERFECT LOVE
In Roxbury, Sabine’s family are short of money, her friends are considered rebels – and when her secret is revealed, her options look hopelessly grim. But then she meets Ethan. He’s gorgeous, challenging, and he makes her feel like no one ever has before.

All Sabine has ever wanted is the chance to live one life. When it seems like this might finally be possible, Sabine begins a series of dangerous experiments to achieve her goal. But is she willing to risk everything – including the one man who might actually believe her?

Tantalizing Trailers: The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Image from Fantastic Fiction

Title: The School of Good and Evil
Series: the School for Good and Evil #1
Author: Soman Chainani
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books
Publication Date: 6 June 2013

Synopsis from Fantastic Fiction

At the School for Good and Evil, failing your fairy tale is not an option.

Welcome to the School for Good and Evil, where best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

With her glass slippers and devotion to good deeds, Sophie knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and join the ranks of past students like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Meanwhile, Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks and wicked black cat, seems a natural fit for the villains in the School for Evil.

The two girls soon find their fortunes reversed – Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School for Good, thrust among handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.

But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are . . . ?

The School for Good and Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one.

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