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Monday, August 31, 2015

Review: Voice of Gods by Eleanor Herman

Goodreads // Amazon 
Kindle Edition
Prequel to LEGACY OF KINGS

As the end of an age approaches, gods whisper horrors, families scheme for power, and one woman may hold the secret to a lost legacy.

At 19, Ada of Caria yearns to take the Snake Blood throne from her mad older siblings—and seeks the help of a young orphaned girl named Helen, the first True Oracle to have walked the earth in more than three hundred years. 

Helen may be able to channel the voice of the gods, but she hates her gift, and will do anything to get rid of it—even lie to her best friend, Myrtale, the priestess-princess of Epirus who is destined to marry King Philip II of Macedon even though she loves another. And in the shadows lurks a handsome green-eyed stranger who has more at stake—and more to lose—than anyone could possibly imagine.Amid jealousy and heartbreak, torrid affairs and secret rendezvous, it is spoken by the gods that either Helen or Myrtale —newly named Olympias— will carry the destiny of the known world within her womb.
The prequel to LEGACY OF KINGS, VOICE OF GODS traces the intricate web of love and betrayal that led up to the birth of history’s most powerful leader, Alexander the Great.


VOICE OF THE GODS is the story of Helen and the Queen before she was re-named and called queen. Steeped in the magic and yearning for power that the first book in the series, LEGACY OF KINGS, is, VOICE OF THE GODS brings together the tale of two women desperate for something more than what they’ve been given, and what they’ll do to achieve it. However, though this book promises a gorgeous entry to the series, I am left less than stunned. Much like my reaction to LEGACY OF KINGS. Though, fewer than five or six points of views is ALWAYS welcome.


While I appreciate the backstory I was actually hoping for, I do wish for a little more seduction and promises of power. (I know; I know) I love the idea of Snake Blood more than the actual thing itself. Though I love the explanation of it in the prequel and the showing of how it lends itself to LEGACY OF KINGS, I wasn’t stunned. The world building, as was in book was, was lovely and I couldn’t get enough of it. And the progression, I thought, of the prequel was done much smoother and (easier?) than in LEGACY OF KINGS.

But, I don’t know. There was something missing. And it wasn’t more point of views. I got more than enough earlier. *chuckles*

I guess I wish the characters (Helen and Myrtle) were more rounded and fleshed out. I know it’s a short beginning, but I should still get to feel a connection to them, you know? I was to sympathize and love and fall and feel hurt and betrayed. Instead, I really felt, well, nothing. So that was disappointing. Majorly. Maybe my heart really is made of ice and coated in loathing. Could you make said heart melt though? Pretty Please?

All that being said though, I did still enjoy reading it.


Sunday, August 30, 2015

ARC Review: Turn of the Moon by L. P. Dover

Published August 24, 2015 // L. P. Dover
Amazon // Goodreads 
ARC via author for an honest review

One girl. Two wolves. Promised to one. Destined for the other. 

To escape the cruel, overbearing, Kade, the Yukon Pack alpha she’s been promised to, Bailey Whitehill flees her home in search of a new life, one of freedom where she can make her own choices. However, Kade will stop at nothing to make her his and begins the hunt. 

As Bailey starts her new life, everything she’s known to be true, is not. Time is of the essence and choices have to be made or consequences suffered. Not only does Bailey fear Kade, but another danger lurks deep in the recesses of the forest. Unbeknownst to her, that danger is what she’s been searching for all along. At the turn of the moon, her fate hangs in the balance . . . and it’s up to her to make the right choice.


Want to know a secret? It’s really not that big of a secrets, but come on, who doesn’t love that kind of beginning. Okay. Okay. FINE! I’ll get to it. Ready? I FREAKING LOVE WEREWOLVES. There I said it! Wow. I can’t believe how free I feel now that I got that off my chest. Is this how people feel after they admit to murder? Not that I have anything to admit. . .

Okay! New subject! Wait-no. Back to werewolves.

So I may have an obsession with wolves who can turn into people. I may have a secret board on Pinterest for all things wolfy. And it may be my favorite board. TURN OF THE MOON did nothing to curb this obsession. None what so ever. That cover drew me in, and the writing kept the pages turning. One sitting? Why, yes I did. AND I REGRET NOTHING.

For me, this was actually a little different take on werewolves than I’m used to. Their actually changing was a kind of magic, like you could see it running out, instead of just being. If that makes sense. I liked it. It was different.

About halfway though the book, it felt like it was all coming to an end. But it wasn’t. The story continued and suddenly everything wasn’t all roses and daisies. Thing happened. Things like dead people not being dead and the whole crazy people gifted with magical abilities. Things like sexist pigs *grumbles about equality and grins a little bit a lot* and redemption. Ah, redemption. Such a delightful concept.


Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It was cute with drama (but not a total overdose in a not-so-wonderful way) and a dash of true love. What can I say? I’m a romantic.


Saturday, August 29, 2015

Blog Tour: Top 5 Places to Get Married (or be told you still are) with Marina Adair



Welcome one and all! Welcome to the lovely blog tour for A TASTE OF SUGAR by Marina Adair. There's a giveaway, an excerpt, a top five awesome wedding places and it'll be lovely. 

A TASTE OF SUGAR by Marina Adair (August 25, 2015; Forever Mass Market; Sugar, Georgia #3)
A blast from her past…
Charlotte Holden, Sugar’s favorite pediatrician, knows better than anyone that love only leads to heartbreak. Instead, she’s focused on creating the Grow Clinic, an outpatient center for children. All she has to do now is to host the best Founder’s Day Parade in the history of Sugar, Georgia, to win over a big-city donor. Easy as peach pie. Then sexy Jace McGraw blows back into town and utters those three words every woman dreads: we’re still married.

…leads to tantalizing trouble
Jace McGraw was making an offer on his dream business in Atlanta when he was told that his wife had some credit issues. Wait, his wife? The annulment went through years ago—or so he thought.  He’d walked away only to keep his troublemaker reputation from ruining her dreams. But now that they have a second chance, Jace offers Charlotte a deal: he’ll grant a discreet divorce in exchange for 30 days and nights of marriage. Because this time he isn’t going to let her go without a fight.

Marina Adair is a lifelong fan of romance novels. Along with the Sugar series, she is also the author of the St. Helena Vineyard series and the upcoming Shelter Cove series. She currently lives in a hundred-year-old log cabin, nestled in the majestic redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, with her husband and daughter. As a writer, Marina is devoted to giving her readers contemporary romance where the towns are small, the personalities large, and the romance explosive. She also loves to interact with readers and you can catch her on Twitter at @MarinaEAdair or visit her at www.MarinaAdair.com.









Top five places to get married (or be told you still are!)

5~Big Daddy’s Antiques in San Francisco. I was walking by one day and noticed a couple sitting in the window dressed as if a part of the display. Only they were in wedding attire. As it turned out, it was their wedding. I found out that this big, historic building with a bazillion windows is one of the top “antique” wedding spots in the city. 


4~Nesldown in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Surrounded by redwoods and beautifully landscaped gardens, this place has it all. Including Snow White’s house. Yes, they have a replica of Disney’s favorite house that sits at the head of the train that runs through the property. They also have several ponds, gardens, orchards, and a beautiful barn for dancing. Romantic, whimsical, and one of the prettiest weddings I have gone to.


3~ The Napa Valley has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever lived. Surrounded by miles of rolling vineyards, oak trees, and a breath-taking landscape that speaks to its history, wine country is made for romance. You can get married on the wine train, on a vineyard, or even in a wine cellar that is carved into the hillsides.  


2~ Union Station in the middle of a flash mob!


1~ An old fashion southern barn. Down home or dressed up, it doesn’t get more romantic than saying “I do” in a barn. 



E X C E R P T 

“You can’t work here,” she said, angry that he hadn’t called to warn her he was coming home. He at least owed her that.
“Can and do.” He grabbed a rag off the hood of the car and wiped off his hand, then stuck it out. “Jace McGraw, Sugar’s newest resident mechanic.”
She swatted his hand away. “Since when?” Because Jace didn’t do home visits. And he didn’t stick around one place long enough to be a resident of anywhere.
“Since today.” He cupped the bill of his hat and pulled it lower on his head. “Let me guess, you’re here as the official Sugar welcoming committee. Where’s my pie?”
“What pie?”
“Pie? Something in a covered dish? You know, all those neighborly things people are supposed to do when someone comes to town.” He looked at her empty hands and then without a word his eyes dropped to her skirt and there went the other dimple—and her good parts. “Unless there’s something I can do for you, Charlie?”
The way he said her name in that low, husky timbre, almost whispering it while flattening the vowels, reminded her of a different time, a time when she naively thought he’d meant it. But she wasn’t that wide-eyed woman anymore. She knew what he was offering, and what he wasn’t capable of giving.
After all, once upon a time she’d been married to him. Yup, Charlotte Holden had fallen in love with and married the town’s biggest bad boy. Not that anybody except the two of them knew, since it had ended as fast as it had begun. But those few weeks as Mrs. Jace McGraw had been the most amazing of her life—and what had followed had nearly broken her.
“Yes,” she said. “You need to leave.” Because wasn’t that what he did best?
The briefest frown flashed across his face, and he grabbed some kind of wrench doohickey and busied himself with tinkering under the hood. “Wish I could, but it seems like my services are needed in Sugar for a bit.”
Charlotte didn’t know what hurt more, that he wanted to leave as much as she wanted him gone—which was ridiculous since him being here, during the most important time in her career, was a disaster waiting to happen—or that, after all the time she’d spent praying he’d come back to Sugar, he finally had. Only it wasn’t for her.
“That doesn’t work for me,” she said.
“Well, this isn’t about you. Now is it?” He wasn’t even looking at her but tightening some bolt inside the engine. 
Which was a good thing since she was pretty sure her eyes went glassy at his comment, because at one time he’d made her believe that everything he did was for her. Including walking away from their marriage. 
“I need to go. So if you could just point me in the direction of my keys.”
 “See here?” Jace walked over to her car and squatted down. She did her best not to notice the way his jeans cupped his backside—tried and failed. He filled out a pair of Levi’s like nobody’s business. “Teeth marks. Looks like you got yourself a raccoon or possum problem.” 
Seems she had lots of pest problems these days. “So can you just throw some new tires on it and I can be gone?”
“You don’t need new tires, what you need are new valve stems.” And wasn’t that just like a man, telling her what she needed. “Which for your sporty, two-door tiara on wheels is a special order. Imagine that.”
“So what you’re telling me is that I’m stuck here? With you. And my car won’t be ready until—”
“Best-case scenario, end of the week.”
She let out a completely undignified huff and resisted the urge to stomp her feet. She’d begged the universe for a way out of dinner, and apparently whoever was in charge of granting wishes had chosen today to listen.
She looked at her phone, considered calling Ben, and then realized she could only handle one man from her past at a time. Plus, he was on a date with the new nurse from radiology, which meant Charlotte was stranded. Something that must have shown on her face because Jace set the tool down and stepped closer—so close he was all up in her personal space, which did crazy things to her emotional space.
“I can take you home.” He looked at her buttons and back into her eyes. “Or I can take you across the street to the Saddle Rack and buy you a drink.”
Then he did something he hadn’t done in over four years, he cupped his palms around her hips and drew her to him, and damn it if she didn’t shuffle closer.
“Why would I let you buy me a drink?” she asked quietly, although her brain kicked off a hundred and one reasons on its own. The first being that was how their relationship had started.
Charlotte had been a stressed-out resident in Atlanta, lonely and so homesick it hurt, when she’d walked into a bar and seen Jace. He flashed her that bad-boy smile, bought her a drink, then another, and before she knew it he had sweet-talked her into his bed, then down to the Justice of the Peace.
“Because I think you could use a shot of something strong right now,” he said. “And we need to talk.”
“You lost the right to tell me what I need a long time ago. As for that talk you want, you’re about four years too late.”
“Not according to the great state of Georgia,” he said, and her stomach dropped. “Since legally we’re still married.”


Friday, August 28, 2015

Friday Favorites {08.28.2015}



WELCOME BACK ALL YOU LOVELY FOLKS! It's Friday!

Well, to give you an update, my first official last first week of high school is OVER at the end of the day. Ah, college is just around the corner. So are exams and applications and housing and bills and LIFE. OH MY GOODNESS.

I'm growing up.

What am I supposed to do with this information? *freaks out*

*chuckles* We'll just focus on the Friday Favorites right now. Sound good?

M U S I C 

I just love music so stinking much. *weeps a little* OKAY. Y'ALL. I HAVE DISCOVERED SOME NEW FOLKS I LOVE. First off, YOU + ME (it's a band and it's perfect) is lovely and you need to listen to ALLL of their songs. I was talking to some lovely people on twitter about them and they all agree with me. They're gorgeous and worthy of a listen. So go listen. My favorite songs are you+me (duh), No Ordinary Love, and Love Gone Wrong

Others? 

Woman by City and Color
Hide Away by Daya
Can't Feel My Face by The Weekend

F O O D 

Isn't food just, like, the absolute best? I do love it so. So very, very much. It's actually kind of necessary to life. Huh. Who'd a thought. *giggles* 

Okay, so my mommy made this fruit cobbler thing with raspberries and apricots and peaches and sweet lordy, it was pretty dang fantastic. 

B O O K S 

I bought a few books on my Kindle this week. What books, you ask? Well, I bought the entire LOVE ME WITH LIES series by the amazing Tarryn Fisher. I read her book MUD VEID and it seriously SLAYYYED me. Goodness, that book killed me. I'm still a little dead inside. 

I also bought a book I've been looking for a reason to buy: THICKER THAN BLOOD. I was talking to some people who didn't particularly love the dystopian aspect of the novel. Of course, we shall have to wait and see what I think. I'm super dee duper excited. 

B L O G  P O S T S 

OHHHH. I love all you bloggers who are brave enough to share your thoughts. But, these are my favorite of the week. 



SOOOOOO. How did your week go? 


Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Mara Dyer. Noah Shaw. And Drowning.



First off, how are you? What are you doing? Flying to the moon? Dreaming of world peace? Conquering the Milky Way Galaxy? At school? I hope it's sunny where you are. Or if you like rain, I hope it's raining. 


The thing I love the most about the MARA DYER series by Michelle Hodkin are the questions. The questions like: who is Mara Dyer-really? What really makes them different? Are they the product of an experiment, or genetically born this way? Also….what exactly do you mean when you say ‘you will love him to ruins?’ What does it mean to be selfish?

It’s no question that I’ve loved this book from UNBECOMING. I mean who wouldn’t love a book with a boy like Noah Shaw and a girl like Mara Dyer in it. Noah heals and Mara kills. They’re the perfect compliment of the other. They’re like dynamite and destruction and have I mentioned this series SLAYS me? Have I? Well it does. The books are so up and down and all across. There’s action and romance and beautiful words. Like, insanely beautiful words. The kind that people want to fall asleep to.

But this book, in all seriousness, touches on something that I think in kind of hard to broach easily. What is it? I actually don’t really know how to put it into words. But what I am talking about is what we as humans are willing to turn a blind eye to. Things that, in the end, probably will better society but hurt those who it will immediate impact. Like experimentation. Like the depths of the human minds and all of it’s black holes and nightmare-ish experiences. Like the past and how for some reason some people think that turning a blind eye to it will cease it from reoccurring. (it won’t)

Not only are totally valid questions brought up in the MARA DYER trilogy, but it’s got all these paranormal aspects with a hint of humor and a super-dee-duper awesome romance. I mean, y’all, Mara and Noah are just everything. Light and dark. They’re in total opposition but they bring out the best and the worst and they just totally work. They work in a way that is so believable. None of the love at first sight crap or let’s get married in Las Vegas stuff. Their relationship is so believable. (his computer password made me awh)

I think that although the trilogy is steeped in paranormal aspects, it also touches on what happens to the people in the world that society rejects. Maybe I’m flinging far-fetched ideas into an oblivion. But here is the thing. With the whole human aspect (love and falling and everything in between) I think that Hodkin is able to grasp the importance of people having people and trusting and having someone to trust.

So there you have Mara Dyer and some Noah Elliot Simon Shaw. So what about drowning? There is this quote in the last book that is as tragic as it is beautiful. And it makes me want to be in love as much as I desire to be independent. The quote is: like you’re the ocean and he’s desperate to drown. I think my reaction would mirror Mara’s if I were encountered with the situation. She’s shocked and scared and the fear isn’t for herself but for Noah. And what he’s feeling and the vastness and deepness of it all.




So what does that have to do with the world? I think that this book depicts that without Mara there would be no Noah. And without Noah there would be no Mara. And as much as I love that, I don’t think I would ever want to be like that. I find it utterly romantic, but it also makes me feel like there’s someone handcuffing me to them. And, hello? I like my privacy. What do you think? It loving someone to ruins like drowning or is it like a life raft?








*the picture at the top (below the words) is not of my own taking. via Michelle Hodkin's Tumblr