Friday 27 April 2012

Fifty Shades Freed - E L James



Fifty Shades Freed - E L James 

About the book:
When unworldly student Ana Steele first encountered the driven, damaged young entrepreneur Christian Grey it sparked a sensual affair that changed both their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and ultimately repelled by Christian’s singular sexual tastes, Ana demanded a deeper commitment; determined to keep her, Christian agreed.

Now, together, they have more – love, passion, intimacy, and a world of infinite possibilities. But Ana always knew that loving her Fifty Shades would not be easy, and being together poses challenges neither of them ever anticipated. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian’s opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own integrity, identity or independence; Christian must somehow overcome his compulsion to control, and lay to rest the horrors that blighted his past and haunt his present.

Just when it seems that together their love can conquer any obstacle, misfortune, malice and fate combine to make Ana’s worst nightmares come true. Alone and desperate, she must face down the poisoned legacy of Christian’s past.

Seductive, shocking, sad and funny, Fifty Shades Freed is the compelling final volume in the Fifty Shades trilogy

5/5

My Review:
Hitting the third and final instalment of the Fifty series, i found that not only could i not put it down i really didn't want the series to end. Finding out more about Christian and why he is who he is and what drives him forward both in his personal and professional life, left me in no doubt how much i had come to grow and love this character. Taking him into your heart and leaving you with a feeling of loss when the book ends. Ana grows and learns so much more about herself in this book too, leaving you following everything she says and does with and open heart and feeling everything as she does, always wanting more. All i can say is James has smashed it again managing to pull me in, captivate me and make me never want to leave. Holding on to every word she writes, feeling everything the characters do. Everything that i loved from the first two books plus more all rolled into this final instalment of the Grey trilogy. The sex, the "goddess within", the characters everything about this series just leaves you panting for more, wanting to re read the whole series again just because once you hit the end the sense of loss felt for the characters is immense, i really do urge anyone to go and try this series of books, believe me i don't give away my heart to characters easily but boy Mr Grey has me hook,line and sinker. 

Wednesday 18 April 2012

Forsaken series blog tour



The Forsaken Series
By Elise Whyles and Ciara Lake

Series Overview:
Among us walk immortal beings – cursed to hide within the shadows they live along side us as they have for centuries. Using, feeding, living off the mortals so reviled for their weakness – yet there are some who will be awakened and immortality will be given.
Now, an ancient evil stirs – rising to threaten not only the Immortal Realms but the mortal world. A cursed vampire General stirs, plotting his revenge on those who have forsaken him…but he’s forgotten about the innocent, who like him have been punished.
There are those who are Forsaken.
It could be anyone among us…
Series Website   Elise Whyles Facebook   Ciara Lake Facebook

The first book, Forsaken Heart by Elise Whyles is set to release in April 2012. The second book Curse of a Dargon’s Claim  by Ciara Lake will release shortly after.
   
 Forsaken Heart
Punished for sins not her own, can a mortal claim her vampire mate?
The world of immortals must unite to save both themselves and the mortals they co-exist with from an ancient evil.
For Bede MacTaggert this means trusting in the warrior sent for her sister—a man of mystery, of power, and one who could easily sweep her into a world she's destined to be part of.
An imperial guard to the king of vampires, Gawain has always tuned out the needs of the flesh. Dedicating himself to the service of the royals, he's lived on the fringes of his people for centuries. Now he's forced from the shadows and into the arms of a woman who will awaken his heart and body to a passion unequaled.
Content Warning: sexy alpha vampire, explicit sex, violence

Excerpt
"Frails are not to be toyed with," Gawain ground out and grabbed the girl, spinning her away, his sword at the ready as the man heaved upward, a dagger clutched in his hand. Gawain's sword rested easy on his palm, ready, the surface slicked with blood as he faced the coward.
"She's mine to do with as I choose." He gurgled, collapsing to the ground, his weapon falling from pudgy fingers. "Paid ten pieces of gold for 'em both, and I aim to get a might of use out 'em."
"Now she's mine," Gawain declared. Raising his sword, he drove it through the man's chest, pinning his twitching frame to the ground. He stepped back, his gaze sweeping the clearing. Males such as this did not travel alone, his cohorts would be close. He'd need to find and kill them…
Searing pain lanced through him, splitting his chest. Gawain glanced down. The thin, sharp tip of a blade stuck from his chest. He touched the blade and snarled. The metal was warm, when it should have been cold. Shock slammed into him as the blade began to glow, turning a searing red before changing back to normal, or as normal as it could be with blood racing down the weapon.
Whirling, his hand already scrabbling for the dagger's hilt in his back, he grabbed his assailant by the throat and lifted. Grunting as he pulled the weapon free, his lips curled upward. "You'd do well, wench, to know your place."
"If you think I mean to let you do her harm…" Sputtering, her nails digging into his wrists, the girl's brown eyes stared into his. Fear lay within the depths but something else stirred. Something dark, dangerous, easily recognized if one knew what they were looking for.
His fingers moved, tightening, loosening as he pulled her against him. Inhaling, he caught the faint scent of blood, fear, sweat, fire, and something sultry, sweet, and light on his tongue. Drawing the scent deep, he wallowed in it, his body responding to the aroma he'd dreamed of but never found.
Gawain inhaled slowly, his muscles tightening, burning. Using the tip of her dagger, he pushed the material of her shift aside. The scrolling marks of a serpent flared before his eyes. It coiled and danced beneath the girl's flesh.


Character Interview: Gawain – of the Vampires

What’s your favorite food(s)? (Isn’t limited to humans – if you write paranormal can be anything you want it to be.)
Food? Why I don’t imbibe food of the earth. Frankly its revolting, tasteless, and as appealing going in as out. Now a nice, warm, cup of the sweetest blood? Oh yes, that’s simply divine. Of course, the sweetest is from the veins of my chosen one.

Who was your first boyfriend/girlfriend and how old were you when you met?
My first was Bede of the Woods. I was eight hundred and twenty one years old.
How long have you worked at your current job?
Since I was one hundred and sixty five years old. It was my calling, my life until I met Bede who has become my life.
What’s your greatest pet peeve with you Mother/Father? Why?
Pet peeve with my parents? What in the Stylox…oh yes, I see it’s a human custom isn’t it? Well, there were no issues with my parents growing up. Mother and father have both been kind to me. They took pride in all I did and still do.
If you could meet anyone living or dead who would it be and why?
Bede’s father – I’ve the desire to rip out his throat with my claws and stomp on his beating heart for the treachery and brutality to Bede and her young sister.
Who’s your favorite artist, singer, etc.?
I do so love the songs of Selene – lullabies sung to the young for generations. They’re calming, soothing and fill one with the hope of life.
Name two things about Bede you’d change and tell us why?
Two things…hmmm. Well, firstly I’d change her desire to constantly nag. I swear the woman hasn’t stopped nagging me about going back to Amuliana’s realm since she discovered my minor falsehood weeks past. I always keep my word and having her worrying and fussing is frustrating.
Her pesky habit of helping those who are undeserving of her kindness. She has been talking to the Queens, seems she’s feeling the urge to nest and since she has not grown into her immortality enough to reproduce an offspring of our own – she’s taken in every child with a wing, a fang, a claw…all while using her wiles to keep me distracted.




Sunday 15 April 2012

Fifty Shades Darker - E L James




Fifty Shades Darker - E L James 

About the book:
Daunted by the singular sexual tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house. 

But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades. 

While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.

5/5

My Review:
Well what can i say about this the second book in the series other than wow, James really has managed not only to captivate me from the first book but continue to do so as i go through the series. Again we continue the ever changing and growing relationship between Grey and Ana. I loved bot h characters before but find that with every chapter of this book i grow to love and understand them more. We find out more about Grey's past and at times you want to hit him but the majority of the time you will love him for who he is and what he stands for. Ana just seems to grow and grow throughout the book meeting every challenge head on, even when the odds seem to be against her. The story line continues to captivate, entice and titillate the senses. The sex scenes well you need to read them for yourselves to really appreciate the work and depth put into them. I love the "goddess within" oh and don't we all have one of those. As for this series i recommend you go out and try them, really give them a go they are so worth your while. Even if this is not a genre you normally read i can't shout out enough about how much EVERYONE needs Grey in their live, even if you don't want to admit it. Oh Mr Grey and his twitchy palm has me captivated in a way that i will admit borders on obsession. A must read and all credit for that goes to the author, me you will find me locked away with Mr Grey and the next instalment.  

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Shadow Path P.L Blair - Blog Tour




Please welcome P.L Blair to the blog :



Writing By the Seat of Your Pants
By P.L. Blair

Fiction writers seem to fall into two camps – plotters and pantsers.
Plotters are the ones who make meticulous outlines, planning their books from start to finish before they ever type “Chapter 1” on a page. Some even keep statistics for their characters on those 3-by-5 notecards – information on things like the character's name … where he/she fits into the story … hero or villain ...
Pantsers are the ones who just sit down and start writing.
I fit into that second category. At heart, I think, all writers are storytellers, and each of us gravitates to the process that helps us tell our stories most easily.
I've occasionally wished I was more of a plotter. In some ways, it seems the easier path … everything laid out all nice and neat, a little map that would show me exactly where I'm going, so I could get from Point A to Point B by a direct route instead of wandering all over the landscape …
But plotting doesn't work for me. I've tried it, and I either get bogged down in the middle, without a clue as to what will happen next, or I get bored and abandon the WIP before it even becomes a WIP.
What works best for me is simply sitting down and growing the plot – organically, the way you grow a garden. Drop the seeds in the ground, and see what comes up. I like to watch the plot evolve from my characters' actions.
“Pantsing” does hold hazards. Without an outline as guide, it's easier to lose track of where the plot is going … to forget about characters you've introduced – or introduce them again … easier to either forget key elements or repeat them unnecessarily …
I keep what I call my “running outline,” a log/list of plot elements I've introduced, twists that I either have or plan to introduce, characters that can become significant later on – basically anything that I don't want to lose track of.
The payoff, for me, is that … I'm the first person that I tell my story to, and it feels fresh and spontaneous. In some ways, it feels very much like watching a movie play out in my head.
I do admire those who plan out their books in advance. I'm just not one of them.
And that's okay, too. We all have our styles, as individual as we ourselves are. That's the beauty of writing: There really is no “right” way or “wrong” way, there's just the way that works best for each of us.


About the Author
A native of Tyler, Texas, P.L. Blair spent nearly 30 years as a full-time newspaper reporter before writing Shadow Path, book 1 in her Portals fantasy/detective series. Now semi-retired – and still writing (part-time) for a newspaper in South Texas – Blair divides her year between Sheridan and Rockport, Texas, where she has family. She is companion to two basset hounds, a long-haired dachshund and a cat – all rescues. She writes a regular column and is a book reviewer for myshelf.com, and writes occasional articles for the Wyoming Business Journal.

P.L. Blair can also be found at the following places on the web:


The Shadow Path book trailer is also available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tJ8jqtW0Dc

Holly Silverstone - Jay Ellis



Holly Silverstone - Jay Ellis

About the book:
Meet young Holly Silverstone, the girl who sees daisies turn to butterflies ... who dreams of places that she has never been to ... who is invited to study at the elusive and enchanting Highlands Academy of truth and excellence.

4/5

My review:
This is the first book in a new series by a really great author and story teller. I must admit throughout this book i did get a feeling of a literary whiplash, but once i got into the whole story-line this was a really good read. With believable and interesting characters a story-line that captures and intrigues you to continue reading. I found the start of the book hard to follow with a lot of skipping about between characters, but as soon as that was settles the book was a really good read. I love the character of Holly she is well rounded, interesting and most of all she has that nosey streak that is always going to land her in trouble one way or another. The mix of the different worlds over lapping is a great introduction to the story and i can't wait to find out more about how it will all progress as the series goes along. I love that we can follow Holly from her first day at her new school, learning everything with her as she goes along. I really enjoyed reading this book and my thanks go to Jay for letting me review it. I know i love his other work and i am hoping that i will grow to love this series too, rather than just really liking it. Credit goes to you Jay for another great story and i can't wait to hear more. 

Saturday 7 April 2012

Willow Cross Blog Tour: Guest Post




Willow Cross has stopped by the blog today for her tour of Inheritance! She's left a great guest post and shared her links. Enjoy the read and be sure to follow her via her links and on the rest of the tour!

Deciding a topic for my guest post was ridiculously hard.(Almost torturous really.) After careful consideration and with much nail biting trepidation, I chose to reveal some info you won’t see or hear anywhere else.
I am frequently asked which of my characters are my favorite. When the question arises, I generally give the same glib answer: “I have no favorites.I love them all the same. In all honesty, I feel like a mother who was just asked which of her children held her highest esteem.We must never have favorites, right? It could seriously damage the psyche of a child to find out they aren’t the fav.

Now, I’ve decided to come clean and reveal a shocking truth.I do have a favorite character! And as attached as I am to all the MC’s, it’s not who you might think.I have a thing for Pete Indera (Inheritance).
Pete isn’t anything spectacular. He’s not gorgeous, rich, charismatic, or even very ambitious. Before he met Sarah, he had no life plan at all. He followed orders and went along with the pack. It’s what happened to Pete after he met Sarah that sets him apart from the rest.When he fell, he fell hard. Not just the whole I-love-you-and-I-will-die-without-you thing.We see that all the time. It’s nothing new in life or literature. He became loyal in a way that probably only a human/wolf hybrid could.The more time he spent with her, the more resolute he became to committing to her. Even after realizing she would never belong to him, or reciprocate his love, he was determined to protect her.With his life if necessary.Pete’s relentless care for Sarah raises him far above the common man. He is proof that anyone can become a hero, and that to become one, you don’t need to be in the limelight.Regardless of the pain it caused him, he diligently worked to bring joy back into her life.

Now another secret:I didn’t write Pete to be that way.He grew into himself without any coaching from me.As crazy as that sounds, it’s true! I wish I could explain how this happens, but I haven’t the foggiest idea.He inserted himself into the story and decided not to leave, so it is what it is.

So there you have it.The mindless ramblings of a lunatic, or quite possibly the unintentional channeling of an entity who refuses to lay dormant in someone’s thoughts. Either way, Pete is my fav and I will applaud and adore him until the day I die. ;)

http://willowcrossbooks.weebly.com/index.html
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Willow-Cross/185071804869279
http://www.amazon.com/Birthright-The-Dark-Gifts-ebook/dp/B0052F7IHQ/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2



Thursday 5 April 2012

Fifty Shades Of Grey - E L James



Fifty Shades of Grey - E L James
FIRST I WANT TO PUT A WARNING IN HERE. THIS IS AN ADULT BOOK WITH ADULT THEMES

About the book:
When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind - until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time. 

The unworldly, innocent Ana is shocked to realize she wants this man, and when he warns her to keep her distance it only makes her more desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her - but on his own terms. 

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey's singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success – his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving adoptive family – Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a passionate, physical and daring affair, Ana learns more about her own dark desires, as well as the Christian Grey hidden away from public scrutiny. 

Can their relationship transcend physical passion? Will Ana find it in herself to submit to the self-indulgent Master? And if she does, will she still love what she finds? 

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

5/5

Me Review:
Ok so first of all, this book has received a lot of press over it's content so as such i was a little wary to add to all the hype, but i decided to review it anyway. 
What can i say about the book other than i loved it, i got lost in the story-line, the characters and the emotions of the book. The characters are well written Christian is enigmatic, charismatic, intimidating but most of all it is his dark side that you have to worry about. I found myself falling in love with him even though throughout the whole book there were many, many times that i just wanted to smack him and ask him what on earth was he thinking. This said it makes for a more in depth and heartfelt character that really draws you in and grabs hold of you not wanting to let you go until you have finished the book. Ana well what can i say about her the sweet naive women that she is when she meets Grey, yet she shows courage, love, forgiveness and most of all she shows that she is an independent women, all be it one that has fallen lock stock in love with the wrong man (Grey). She will have you laughing, crying and feeling every emotion she goes through, driving you through the book always wanting more. 
I also believe that throughout the book eye rolling and lip biting bring on a whole new meaning than they ever did before, i know i would be in trouble.
The story-line well the author has gone all out to write an amazing story, that is well written, captivating, enticing and exciting. Yes there is a lot of sex in this book and it will not be to some peoples tastes, but with it being so well written and fitting into the story-line so well this also makes the book what it is. Really i can not shout enough about how much i loved this book and will continue with the series. For people who read and love erotica check out the description it is exactly what it says. For anyone else if you think you can read it please do this is an amazing story that i know i will want to read again. I am obsessed, captivated, charged, moved and possessed by this book, it has a way of doing that to you. I know i am going to lose a few days to the rest of the series, and right now i can't think of a better way to spend my time.