Book Review: Abandon by Meg Cabot

Abandon (Abandon #1) by Meg Cabot
Genre: Young Adult (Mythology / Romance)
Date Published: April 26, 2011
Publisher: Point

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

Abandon is the first book in the Abandon series by Meg Cabot. This is a Hades and Persephone story with a twist. For one, neither Hades nor Persephone are in this story. Instead, you have Pierce who has had some close encounters with death, and lived to tell about it. Well... sorta. There's also John, whose life is about death. I expected more of a romance, but we got so much more. The author flawlessly kept the essence of the original myth with all the darkness and foreboding, and she brought it to modern day. I feel like there is so much coming in the next books. I have to get my hands on them! 

Check out my reviews of other books by Meg Cabot!

Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.

She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.

Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.

Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.

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

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Release Day Blitz! Jewel of the Gods by Mary Bernsen

Jewel of the Gods (Beyond the Gods #2) by Mary Bernsen
Genre: Adult Fiction (Mythology/Fantasy Romance)
Date Published: December 19, 2017
Publisher: CTP Pulse

Sold at the age of seventeen to the king of the realm, Ursula has spent the last four years serving as his submissive concubine. She has grown to love him with a fierce loyalty, but when he orders her to kill a spirited young girl, she simply cannot obey.Her master does not take defiance lightly, so Ursula must find the girl she spared and return her to the king—or lose her own head. Her search leads to the girl’s former employer, a handsome man who introduces Ursula to a world of experiences and freedoms she has never known. Though thrilling and intoxicating, she knows this new lifestyle is only temporary.She must finish her quest and return to her master…before this new, softer kind of love has her questioning everything.

I recoiled as he reached out and brushed my cheek with the tips of his chewed on fingers.  “He has broken you.”
“What, my face?” I scoffed.  “Poseidon is not responsible for this brutality.  It was a trespassing whore that did this to me.”
His fingers trailed the length of my neck and stopped on my chest.  “I'm not concerned with your superficial wounds.  I can heal those in just moments.  But, I’m afraid I can do nothing to heal your heart.”
I blinked back tears that burned in response to the unexpected directness of this prisoner.  “You know nothing of the state of my heart, Chiron.”
“I know a great deal about it.  It's collapsing, my dear Ursula.”
“How can you suggest such a thing?  We have never had conversations with any degree of intimacy.  You have nothing to draw such nonsense from.”
“There was a time when you had spirit on our visits.  Once upon a time, there was a light in your eye.  Now they are empty, stone cold, and void of anything at all.”
“It was the light of youth you speak of.” I shrugged.  “I have aged.  Not everyone may have the gift of immortality.”
“What are you now, Ursula?  All but twenty?”
I nodded.
“Four years under Poseidon's reign has aged you drastically.  You look to be thirty, at least.  Look at you, dear thing.”
I stepped back — the impact of the insult had nearly toppled me.  Who was he to make such an observation out loud?  My head screamed to hurl hurt back at him, but my tongue was long ago tamed against such things.  Poseidon had seen to that.

Mary Bernsen is a southwest Florida native currently living in North Port with her two beautiful children and a third, much larger child that she affectionately calls husband. She is the Amazon Best Selling Author of Healing The Bayou, The Ganga Shift, and Beyond the Gods series.

She also writes young adult romances under her pseudonym, M.E. Rhines.

To learn more about Mary Bernsen and her books, visit her blog.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Release Day Blitz! Nectar of the Gods by Mary Bernsen, Plus Author Guest Post

Nectar of the Gods (Beyond the Gods #1) by Mary Bernsen
Genre: Adult Fiction (Mythology/Fantasy Romance)
Date Published: November 28, 2017
Publisher: CTP Pulse

Ambrosia has spent her life preparing for the day she would avenge her mother’s death. Working undercover as a prostitute, she draws in the man who took her mother’s life. Not realizing who Ambrosia is, the man admits to her that her mother is actually still alive—and he’s on a quest to finish what he started twenty-three years ago. Desperate to find the mother she’s never met, Ambrosia convinces him to let her help. It’s a partnership of necessity and founded in deception, but Ambrosia is faced with an uncomfortable truth: this man is not the monster she has always envisioned him to be. Worse yet, she finds herself drawn to him…craving his touch. How can she reconcile these intense feelings for the man who shattered her life?

The first novel in the exciting new Beyond the Gods series, Nectar of the Gods is a fantasy romance steeped in Greek Mythology and full of passion that will leave you breathless.

For the first time in ages, I woke up alone. One might think a woman who had spent months sharing her bed with countless strangers would be relieved at the change. I was troubled to find that I was suffocated by the empty space next to me. I only let myself linger in the sheets for a moment before I needed to get away from the feeling of emptiness.
But the disheartening dark cloud chased me as I wrapped myself up in the sheets and paced the room. Catching a glimpse of myself in the full-length mirror hiding in the corner was sobering. My eyes were glassy and hazed. My spirit was missing from them and had been replaced by throbbing red lines left behind by my night of tearful realization.
My newfound weakness was disgusting and terrifying at once. I tried to think back, to find the point where I had first become so desperately lonely. There was a time when I’d been completely indifferent to any company. The love of a man was the last thing I’d wanted, and I had guarded myself fiercely against it. I had always preferred to be alone.
Well, I supposed that was not completely true. When I was a child, I’d longed for the company of others to play with. I dreamed of escaping the prison of lessons and studies. Instead of learning to sharpen swords, I wished with all of my heart for another person my age to play pirates with using pretend ones.
I mourned for the confident, complete woman I had lost so suddenly. When had I become this lost, dejected little girl all over again?
I pointed a critical stare at my reflection. From the day I’d met Perseus, I had seen the savage destruction love had left him with. It was the kind of pain a shield couldn't protect against. Almost all the men who frequented the tavern wore the same shattered mask, and now, without a choice at all, I wore it, too. 

Top 5 Under-Used Paranormal Creatures

Vampires, zombies, werewolves; yes, we love them.  So much so that a simple search on Amazon will leave you with literally thousands of choices. You’ll never, ever run out.  I’m guilty of the fetish myself (I actually have a shifter romance coming out in April, so obviously I’ve been bitten!), but even I can only read so many love stories about fanged spawns falling for the hapless mortal female before I start rolling my eyes.  That’s when I start looking for variety.  There’s an entire spectrum of paranormal elements/creatures that tend to be left out, especially among romances, and I get super excited when I come across a book featuring one of these misfits.  Here are some of my favorites:

5) Gargoyles. Yep, these guys are made of stone, but do their hearts have to be? I don’t think so.

4) Jin (a.k.a.: djinn or genies)  Okay, how is the romance writing community not all over this?  A magical guy can give his love interest anything she desires.  Anything.  So much potential.

3) Harpies
These violent half-breeds of the Greek underworld weren’t always depicted as hideous monsters.  Maybe it’s time to bring back the original version: stunning but deadly.

2) Other shifters
I know, I know, we were going to stay away from the whole shifter thing.  But, there’s an entire animal kingdom just ripe for the picking.  Why do we have to be so stuck on werewolves and bears?  What about… I don’t know, bees?  Less sexy, but I bet it’d be interesting!

1) Ogres/Trolls Yep.  Shrek was one of my all-time favorite movies, simply because of its originality.  I love ogres; there’s something about their predatory nature that I think would work fantastically well in a romance.

Mary Bernsen is a southwest Florida native currently living in North Port with her two beautiful children and a third, much larger child that she affectionately calls husband. She is the Amazon Best Selling Author of Healing The Bayou, The Ganga Shift, and Beyond the Gods series.

She also writes young adult romances under her pseudonym, M.E. Rhines.

To learn more about Mary Bernsen and her books, visit her blog.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Book Review! The Hands of Time by Michelle Madow

The Hands of Time (Elementals #5) by Michelle Madow
Genre: Young Adult (Fantasy/Mythology)
Date Published: November 25, 2016
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

Time is running out. War will be waged. Sacrifices will be made.

Months ago, Nicole Cassidy’s life was turned upside-down when she discovered that she was a witch descended from the Greek gods. She and the four other witches gifted with elemental powers fought all over the world—and in another dimension—to battle the supporters of the Titans and fight for the people they love.

Now the Elementals must stop Typhon—the most dangerous monster in the world—from rising, and seal the portal to the dangerous prison world of Kerberos. But they won’t be able to do that without facing their hardest decision yet… a sacrifice so great that it may be one they’re not willing to make.

Get ready for the stunning, action-packed conclusion to the bestselling Elementals series, with twists and turns that you’ll never see coming! 

The Hands of Time is the fifth and final book in The Elementals series by Michelle Madow. This has been quite the mythological adventure, let me tell you. There's so much action, and bam! Bam! BAM! It just keeps coming! The whole series was that way. There are a few twists that'll take you by surprise in this book. We also get to meet some of the other gods which was fun. Did anyone else picture Negan as Ares after reading his description? Ha! I just couldn't help it.

It's pretty neat to think back on the characters and how they were in the beginning of the series to how they are now with their changes in maturity and skill. I really felt like I got to know them. I'm very sad to see this series end, but I like how it tied up everything nicely.

The ARC of The Hands of Time by Michelle Madow by Michelle Madow was kindly provided to me by the author for review. The opinions are my own.

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

Be sure to read more books by this author! Check out my reviews below!

She grew up in Baltimore, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida, where she writes books for young adults. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle went on a cross-country road trip from Florida to California and back 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 Instagram, Goodreads, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.