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Saturday, February 27, 2016

Book Review! A Kindled Winter by Rachel L. Demeter




A Kindled Winter by Rachel L. Demeter
Genre: Adult (Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: November 1, 2015
Publisher: Black Lyon Publishing, LLC

“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.” 
— Dale Evans

A week before Christmas, Jeseca Reed sets off for Blue River, Oregon—her childhood home and a vault of tender memories. However, fate takes an unexpected turn when she’s left stranded in the mountains’ vast, untamed wilderness. Desperate and alone, she seeks shelter at a cottage and finds herself in the arms of a mysterious stranger.

Dr. David Drake was once a renowned cardiovascular surgeon. But a devastating tragedy has left him scarred both inside and out, unable to use his hands to operate again. For the past five years, his Blue River cottage has been his sole escape—a safe haven where he can shut out the world, bury himself in his grief, and reunite with his son’s memory.

Together they are summer and winter. Fire and ice. And yet a poignant connection forms between them. Jeseca awakens David and thaws his heart with a romance hot enough to melt snow. But before David and Jeseca can fully embrace each other, they must wade through darkness and confront the ghosts of their pasts …

Equal parts steamy and heartfelt, A Kindled Winter brings the spirit of the holidays to life with a passionate story of second chances and healing love.

A Kindled Winter by Rachel M. Demeter is the perfect book to grab on a cold winter night. Jeseca and David were like two halves of a whole to me. They both have things they really need to work through, but they complete each other as well. They just fit. For such a short book, it really packs a lot of story in there with it's emotions all over the place and the steamy romance. My goodness. Not that I'm surprised. I'm already a big fan of this author.

The ARC of A Kindled Winter by Rachel L. Demeter was kindly provided to me by the author for review. The opinions are my own.



David’s enchanting voice swelled the darkness, surrounding Jeseca, gripping onto her senses with a thousand beckoning fingers. They held her captive—and she readily surrendered her freedom.

“We’re like day and night. Summer and winter. Fire and ice. And yet something about you whispers my name and echoes inside me …” His mouth found her pulse point. Damp, hot lips nibbled on her skin and sent her wits reeling. “You should have never come in here. It was a mistake.”

“Then tell me to leave and I’ll go,” she replied through a breathy whisper. Her voice sounded thick with desire, hoarse … she hardly recognized it as her own. “And I don’t believe we’re complete opposites,” she said, her words husky and guttural. “I think the real you is hiding.”

Impenetrable silence took hold. Only the howling wind and David’s heavy breathing breached the quiet.

“Should I leave?”

Please, don’t send me away. Don’t shut me out.

More silence. “No. I need you … I need you to stay with me.” The words emerged from the darkness and wrapped around Jeseca’s heart with the force of a lasso.

Then he plunged a hand beneath the bathrobe, which had fallen halfway open, and a jarring whoosh of air slammed against her skin. His tongue swirled along her collarbone, branding her flesh with slick, wet shapes. Her heart hammered, and she clutched at the bedsheet as his mouth ventured lower … lower … skirting across the V-line of her plush pajama top. Then his fingers were working the buttons, quickly undoing them and sweeping the soft material aside. Cold air tightened her naked breasts, causing gooseflesh to prickle her skin.

“Stop me if I’m going too fast,” he breathed against her.

Yes, she should stop him. This was wrong. Totally wrong. Instead, all rational thought melted away and she found herself arching against his mouth and tongue. She wanted more—not less. And she wanted him to go faster—not slower …



Also check out my reviews of more fantastic books by Rachel L. Demeter!

author
Rachel L. Demeter lives in the beautiful hills of Anaheim, California with Teddy, her goofy lowland sheepdog, and her high school sweetheart of eleven years. She enjoys writing dark, poignant romances that challenge the reader's emotions and explore the redeeming power of love.

Imagining dynamic worlds and characters has been Rachel's passion for longer than she can remember. Before learning how to read or write, she would dictate stories while her mother would record them for her. She holds a special affinity for the tortured hero and unconventional romances. Whether crafting the protagonist or antagonist, she ensures every character is given a soul.

Rachel endeavors to defy conventions by blending elements of romance, suspense, and horror. Some themes her stories never stray too far from: forbidden romance, soul mates, the power of love to redeem, mend all wounds, and triumph over darkness.

Her dream is to move readers and leave an emotional impact through her words.

To learn more about Rachel L. Demeter and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on GoodreadsFacebookGoogle+, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Friday, February 26, 2016

Book Review! The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow




The Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals #1) by Michelle Madow
Genre: Young Adult (Fantasy/Mythology)
Date Published: January 26, 2016
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals is the first in a new series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love! 

When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly … she’s apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers—and, to her dismay, by Blake—the school’s notorious bad-boy.

Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle’s wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.

When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect—it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it’s up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town … and possibly the world.


The Prophecy of Shadows is the first book in The Elementals series by Michelle Madow. This was a great first book in a new paranormal series. I enjoyed Nicole's character tremendously. She takes everything pretty well considering it's not every day you find out you're a witch. Who signed her up for her magical homeroom class in her new school though? I kept wondering about this. Did I miss where she got her Hogwarts letter? *wink*

I liked the supporting characters quite a bit too. They make a good team and are pretty darn entertaining. I think Blake will grow on me too. Hopefully he mans up when it comes to Danielle soon. Sure, she's a scary little thing, but dude, get it over with. I'm pretty excited about this series! There's so much that seems to be going on, and I love the magic and mythology that was weaved into it.

The ARC of The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow was kindly provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley for review. The opinions are my own.


“Run!” Blake yelled, grabbing my arm and pulling me off the merry-go-round.

It spun under our weight, and I held onto the metal bars, pushing off them to leap over the edge. The cedar chips on the ground cushioned my landing. The car was behind us, which would mean running towards the monstrous hound, so I bolted for the playground, hurrying up a ladder of rubber tires that led to the closest platform. Blake followed close behind. The second he was up he took the lighter out of his pocket and aimed a blue fireball at the tires. They melted to the ground seconds before the hound reached them.
It looked up at us and growled—a low, menacing sound that if I spoke dog I would have assumed meant “I’m going to have you for dinner”—and tried to jump onto the platform. It missed by only a few inches.
Blake flicked on his lighter and threw a fireball at its chest, but the hound jumped to the side to get out of the way. It turned all four of its eyes up at us, one head letting out a deep roar as the other snapped its teeth together, taking bites out of the air.
My hands shook, and I gripped one of the log posts behind me for support. “Have you learned how to fight these things in homeroom?” I asked Blake, my voice rising in panic.
He threw another fireball, and it missed the hound again. “No,” he snapped, the flames lighting up his face. “Fighting legendary creatures isn’t on the syllabus.”
“Maybe it should be,” I said as he launched another ball of fire, hitting the hound on its front paw. Both of its heads yelped in pain. The scorpion tail lowered between its legs, and it growled again before turning away from us and running around the side of the playground, woodchips flying behind it as it gained speed.
My heart pounded, and I looked around to figure how to get off the platform. The exit was a slide that dropped off at the monkey bars. I could get down and run to the car, but I didn’t know where the hound was, and leaving the platform could give it the perfect opportunity to pounce.
Then the hound growled again. I turned around, spotting it clamoring up a ladder of logs that led to a nearby platform. Only a wobbly bridge separated that platform from our own. My entire body shook, and I moved closer to Blake, grabbing his arm for support.
The hound reached the top of the platform, and its glowing eyes narrowed, ready to attack.
Not having anywhere else to go, I launched myself down the slide and hurried to the monkey bars, climbing up the ladder and hoisting myself on top of them. Gripping the sides, I crawled to the center bar, but the ground spun beneath me, my lungs tightening as I looked down. I had to take a few deep breaths to steady myself. A six-foot fall wasn’t deadly. Now wasn’t the time to let my fear of heights get to me.
Blake scrambled behind me, and I turned around to make sure he wasn’t hurt. Sweat dripped down the sides of his face from the flames, but other than that he looked okay. He took his lighter out again, holding it up in preparation to create another fireball.
I looked back at the hound in time to see it run along the bridge and hurl itself towards us. It bared its teeth as it flew through the air, its arms outstretched as it came closer to the monkey bars. But it must not have had enough force behind the jump, because it fell to the ground with a loud thump. It stood and shook the woodchips off its fur, a low growl coming from somewhere deep in its throat as it turned its heads up to look at us.
Before I could say anything to Blake about how completely screwed we were, he threw two balls of fire towards the hound, hitting both of its faces. It howled and collapsed, whimpering as it buried its snouts in its paws. The smell of burnt skin filled the air. My stomach swirled with nausea, and I lifted a hand to my nose to block out the smell.
Only a few seconds passed before it stood up again. The fur on its faces had changed into a charred grey. Its yellow eyes glowed brighter now, both snouts chomping madly in the air, strings of saliva dripping to the ground as it waited to devour whichever one of us lost our balance first.

Check out my reviews of the books in this series!

Be sure to read more books by this author! Check out my reviews below!
http://www.whatsbeyondforks.com/2014/01/book-review-secret-diamond-sisters-by.html

author
Michelle Madow grew up in Baltimore, graduated Rollins College in Orlando, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida. She wrote her first book in her junior year of college, and has been writing novels since. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.

To learn more about Michelle Madow and her books, visit her website. You can also find the author on InstagramGoodreadsPinterestFacebook and Twitter.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Cover Reveal!! Lost by Alyssa Rose Ivy





Lost (The Allure Chronicles #2) by Alyssa Rose Ivy
Genre: New Adult (Paranormal Romance)
Date Published: March 10, 2016
Publisher: Self

When all that you love is left behind, you are lost…

Owen is devastated. He was willing to give up everything for Daisy, but she refused. He wants to believe there is a way to bring her back, even if it means getting help from the unlikeliest of sources.

Daisy is numb. She has lost any ability to feel human emotion. Her dreams are her only escape from her dull existence, and even those are fading.

Owen and Daisy are both lost, and only their love for each other will bring them back together.

Haven't started reading The Allure Chronicles yet?  The prequel novella Seduction's Kiss is free and Lure (The Allure Chronicles #1) is on sale for 99¢!


Check out my reviews of the the books in this series!


If you haven't done so already, you need to read Alyssa Rose Ivy's books!! While you're at it take a peek at my reviews too!

author
Alyssa Rose Ivy is a New Adult and Young Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

To read more about this author, visit Alyssa Rose Ivy's Blog and Website. You can also find her on GoodreadsPinterestFacebook and Twitter.


You'll want to read ALL of the Chronicles!

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Book Review! Slumber by Christy Sloat





Slumber (The Slumber Duology #1) by Christy Sloat
Genre: Young Adult (Fractured Fairy Tale/Fantasy Romance)
Date Published: March 16, 2015
Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing

Not all princesses get their happily ever after...
They tell me I killed my boyfriend Phillip in cold blood. I stabbed him twenty one times. I’m only seventeen years old, and I am serving life in Spindle Ridge Asylum for the Criminally Insane.
I don’t remember killing him, so it’s really hard to believe I’m capable of murder. In fact I don’t remember anything before I came to Spindle Ridge, not even my boyfriend.
I can only grasp onto my realistic dreams while the madness of the asylum threatens to pull me under. I dream I’m a beautiful princess and there is an evil faerie named Maleficent who is bent on my destruction. The dreams are the closest thing I have to memories of my life, except they aren’t real.
I’m crazy. I’m not a princess. 
They’re the mad illusions of an irrational teenage girl, right?
They’ve assigned me a new doctor, and she says I can trust her, and that she’ll help me see the truth of who I really am. 
When she arrived she brought a new patient, Sawyer, who is everything Spindle Ridge isn’t: exciting, mysterious and beautiful. He promises he’s here to rescue me. Trusting either of them frightens me.
Could it be possible that my dreams are more than just the imaginings of a delusional girl? Could they be truth? 


Slumber by Christy Sloat is book one in the Slumber Duology. There were things I liked and things I didn't. I know this was a re-telling of Sleeping Beauty, so some things would be predictable by default, but I felt like this story never truly grew into its own. You get a lot of Maleficent's story too, which, I felt, closely followed the movie, Maleficent, in many ways. All the predictability left me disappointed. With that being said, it still had that literary enchantment that kept me reading.

Instead of being under a sleeping curse, Rory was imprisoned in an asylum. This was a unique idea, and could have made for a much more terrifying curse than sleeping. Not that Rory had it completely easy in the asylum, I guess I just expected a little more asylum type injustice from it. Sawyer was swoony. I enjoyed his character, Rory's memories of him, and their moments together in the asylum. I can tell the chemistry between them is pretty hot and heavy. I don't think this author is afraid of killing characters off, so I worry about him. I also enjoyed the fact that not all princes are charming, and there's not always a happily ever after for everyone.

I do want to know what happens next, so I'll probably read the second book, but I really hope there's a little more unpredictability thrown into it. Judging by the ending, I really think there will be.

Slumber by Christy Sloat was kindly provided to me by YA Bound for review. The opinions are my own.



Not all princesses get their happily ever after…

They tell me I killed my boyfriend Phillip in cold blood. I stabbed him twenty one times. I’m only seventeen years old, and I am serving life in Spindle Ridge Asylum for the Criminally Insane.

I don’t remember killing him, so it’s really hard to believe I’m capable of murder. In fact I don’t remember anything before I came to Spindle Ridge, not even my boyfriend.

I can only grasp onto my realistic dreams while the madness of the asylum threatens to pull me under.  I dream I’m a beautiful princess and there is an evil faerie named Maleficent who is bent on my destruction. The dreams are the closest thing I have to memories of my life, except they aren’t real.

I’m crazy. I’m not a princess.

They’re the mad illusions of an irrational teenage girl, right?

They’ve assigned me a new doctor, and she says I can trust her, and that she’ll help me see the truth of who I really am.

When she arrived she brought a new patient, Sawyer, who is everything Spindle Ridge isn’t: exciting, mysterious and beautiful. He promises he’s here to rescue me. Trusting either of them frightens me.

Could it be possible that my dreams are more than just the imaginings of a delusional girl? Could they be truth?


author
Christy Sloat is a SoCal born girl who resides in New Jersey currently with her husband, two daughters and Sophie her Chihuahua. Christy has embraced the love of reading and writing since her youth and was inspired by her grandmother's loving support. Christy passes that love of reading, writing, and creativity to her daughters, family, and friends. When you do not find Christy within the pages of a book you can find her being mommy, wife, crafter, and dear friend. She loves adventurous journeys with her friends and can be known to get lost inside a bookstore. Be sure to venture into her Past Lives Series, The Visitor's Series, and watch for many more exciting things to come.

To learn more about Christy Sloat and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.