Book Blitz: The Trouble with Flying by Rachel Morgan- Excerpt & Giveaway

Welcome to the Promo Blitz for The Trouble with Flying by Rachel Morgan thanks to Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours! As someone who is a Rachel Morgan fan, and who considers her a friend, I'm thrilled to help her celebrate the release of the first full length book in her new Trouble series! I also just finished reading The Trouble with Flying and I have to say it was AWESOME! Review to come :)

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When introvert Sarah boards a plane to fly home after an overseas holiday, the last thing she expects is Aiden, the guy sitting next to her who’s never flown anywhere before and refuses to shut up. Hours of random conversation later, they part ways. Sarah can’t stop thinking about Aiden, though, and wondering if she made a terrible mistake letting him go.

Should she abandon her safe, predictable life and go in search of him, or would she be chasing a happily ever after that could never exist in real life?

Add on Goodreads!

Purchase:

Amazon or Smashwords

 

From The Trouble With Flying....

CHAPTER ONE

I don’t make friends on aeroplanes. I know there are people who like to strike up a conversation with the complete stranger sitting next to them, but that’s not me. It’s not that I’m an unfriendly person. It’s more the fact that the conversation centre of my brain seems to seize up in the presence of strangers, and I can’t for the life of me figure out what to say. And even if the other person is happy to simply babble on while I pretend to listen and be interested, I’d really rather be doing something else. Like reading. Or watching a movie. Or sleeping. Or trying to figure out how to stop crying.

Yes. Crying. Because if being shy and awkward isn’t enough, today I’m adding red eyes, tears, and suppressed sobs to the embarrassing mix.

I stare out the tiny, oval window at the patches of reflected light on the wet runway and silently ask God to leave the seat next to me empty. I can’t deal with a chatty neighbour right now. I’d rather watch the black sky and incessant rain until we reach cruising altitude. Then I’ll close my eyes and let sleep take the pain away.


Oh, STOP IT. It’s not like someone died.
I wiggle around a bit in my seat and sniff, trying to listen to my inner pep-talk voice. Think of the good things, I tell myself. I’m on my way home. I’m leaving behind the dreary, wet weather for a sunny, summer climate. That, at least, should make me happy. But thinking about home leads to thoughts of who I’m flying towards, and that only makes my stomach twist further.

I hear the sound of a bag being dumped onto the seat at the end of my row. There are only three seats between the window and the aisle—mine and two others—so there’s a fifty-fifty chance this person is about to plonk him or herself down right next to me.

I angle myself more towards the window and swipe my fingers beneath my eyes. I start the furious tear-banishing blinking. Stop crying, stop crying, stop crying. All I need now is for someone to see my blotchy, wet face and start asking me what’s wrong.

I hear someone settling into a seat. I don’t feel movement right beside me, so it must be the aisle seat. Fantastic. I send up a quick thank-you prayer and remind God that it would be spectacularly awesome if He could keep the seat next to me empty.

A tickle inside my left nostril alerts me to the fact that my nose is dribbling. I sniff, but it doesn’t help.Crap, where are my tissues? I lean forward and reach down by my feet for my handbag. Brown strands of hair fall in front of my face and block my vision, but if I can just get the zip open and feel past my purse to the tissues—

No. Too late. Now it’s trickling down my lip and I’m digging around in the bag and I can’t feel the stupid tissues and a drop of tear-snot just landed on my hand and yuck! I haul the ridiculous handbag—I told Jules I didn’t need something so big—onto my lap with one hand while holding the back of my other hand to my nose. And there the tissues are. Right next to my purse. Perfectly easy to find. I rip one from the packet and jam it against my nose to stop the tear-snot flood.

And that’s when I catch a glimpse of the guy sitting in the aisle seat. A quick sideways glimpse, but enough to tell me he’s cute. Excellent cheekbones, a strong jawline, and perfectly messy dark brown hair. Terrific. My nose is dripping snot in front of a cute guy. Not that I should care that he’s cute, or that he’s a guy, because it’s not like I’m going to talk to him, and it’s not like I’m even available—am I? I don’t actually know. And thinking about that makes me want to cry all over again—but STILL. I don’t want to look blotchy and snotty in front of a cute guy.

....Want more? Be sure to pick up a copy of The Trouble With Flying!

 

The prequel novella to The Trouble With Flying, Forgiven is currently FREE!

Download your copy from Smashwords or check out my review!

 

Rachel Morgan was born in South Africa and spent a large portion of her childhood living in a fantasy land of her own making. After completing a degree in genetics, she decided science wasn’t for her—after all, they didn’t approve of made-up facts. These days she spends much of her time immersed in fantasy land once more, writing fiction for young adults.

Visit Rachel:

Website | Goodreads | Twitter  Facebook

 

 

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I want to say a BIG CONGRATS to Rachel on her new release and urge you all to pick up The Trouble with Flying!

Free Ebooks!

Hello lovelies,

It's that time again! I've got some great FREE reads from Amazon to share with you this week :) Enjoy!

 

Did you manage to snag something new? I know I did!

Book Blitz: The Camelot Code by Mari Mancusi- Giveaway

Welcome to the Book Blitz for The Camelot Code by Mari Mancusi thanks to YA Reads Blog Tours! Today I have all the book info and a really cute giveaway to share with you guys--enjoy!

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All fourteen-year-old gamer girl Sophie Sawyer wants to do is defeat Morgan Le Fay in her favorite Arthurian videogame. She has no idea the secret code sent via text message is actually a magical spell that will send her back in time to meet up with a real life King Arthur instead.

Of course Arthur’s not king yet–he hasn’t pulled the sword from the stone–and he has no idea of his illustrious destiny. And when a twist of fate sends him forward in time–to modern day high school–history is suddenly in jeopardy. Even more so when Arthur Googles himself and realizes what lies in store for him if he returns to his own time–and decides he’d rather try out for the football team instead.
 Now Sophie and her best friend Stuart find themselves in a race against time–forced to use their 21st century wits to keep history on track, battle a real-life version of their favorite videogame villain, and get the once and future king back where he belongs. Or the world, as they know it, may no longer exist.

Add on Goodreads!
 

Purchase:

Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Paperback) | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Mari Mancusi always wanted a dragon as a pet. Unfortunately the fire insurance premiums proved a bit too large and her house a bit too small–so she chose to write about them instead. Today she works as an award-winning young adult author and freelance television producer, for which she has won two Emmys.

When not writing about fanciful creatures of myth and legend, Mari enjoys goth clubbing, cosplay, snowboarding, watching cheesy (and scary) horror movies, and her favorite guilty pleasure—playing videogames. A graduate of Boston University, she lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Jacob, daughter Avalon, and their dog Mesquite.

Visit Mari:

Website | Goodreads | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr

 

Giveaway: Arthurian charm necklace (US ONLY)

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Book Shelf: Forgiven (The Trouble Novella) by Rachel Morgan

 

Heartache, humour, and first love collide in this sweet romance novella ...

Three hundred and six days ago, Julia ran away from home. Abandoning her family, friends, boyfriend, and university plans, she fled with no explanation. She can't hide forever, though, and now it’s time to face the mess she left behind.

More info on Goodreads.....


Review:

Forgiven is a lovely short, but well written, introduction to Rachel Morgan’s new Trouble series and a perfect taste that will leave you ready to read more of this new adult contemporary series!

Having already read Rachel Morgan’s Creepy Hollow series it’s suffice to say that I’m a fan, but I was still impressed by this quick read that was so very different from what I’ve read by her before. Introducing us to her new series, as a novella Forgiven is short but sweet, yet Morgan manages to pack a lot of emotion and longing into its short 80 pages.

Told through the eyes of Julia and following her return to her home town of Durban in South Africa, Forgiven is a story of love and life, as Julia returns to the town she fled from almost a year ago with no notice, no reason. Julia had it all; she was popular, she had a wonderful boyfriend and a family that loved her dearly, and yet she ran away from it for reasons unknown. Even though the story is told through Julia’s eyes, we as the reader don’t know what past event triggered Julia’s flight response, and it’s not until towards the end of the story do you learn the startling event that made her run.

Personally I liked Julia. She was nice to follow and the kind of person whom you can’t help but like. I liked Julia’s sisters Sarah and Sophie and am excited knowing they’ll be featuring in two of the Trouble books as the main characters. We only get to meet them momentarily in Forgiven, but thanks to this short novella I’m already looking forward to reading their tales.

A short but sweet story, Forgiven is a tale you will breeze through! Rachel Morgan starts her series off excellently with this clean, but tempting introduction and has me ready and waiting for the rest of the series! Definitely worth a read!

Rating:
Source: Sent for review by the author (Thank you Rachel!)
Format: Kindle ebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords
My Recommendation: If you please to read this series, grab a copy of this prequel novella first
Cover: Nice, but unassuming.
Will I read sequel/continue with series: Yes

Book Tour: Cursed by Trakena Prevost- Guest Post & Giveaway

Today I'm pleased to be participating in the book tour for Cursed by Trakena Prevost thanks to Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours! Yesterday I posted a review of Cursed thanks to Trakena and today as part of the tour I have a fabulous guest post where Trakena shares some interesting facts you might not know about Cursed & I have a giveaway to share.

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Half-succubus Jazz Watkins spends her days navigating the halls of Moreland High and her nights knee deep in Chicago drug dens hunting Suecai – an evil kind of incubi and succubae who devour the souls of humans. But when a leader of the Suecai curses her, Jazz has to track him down. Either she kills him before the curse burns through her, or she’ll become a full-fledged, out of control, soul sucking monster.
She’s got a handful of weeks, absolutely no leads, and her sexy best guy-friend and team member, Khan, covering her back. But will the growing attraction she feels for Khan get in the way of her mission to save her own life?

Add on Goodreads or check out my review!

Purchase:

Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Paperback) | Smashwords 

 Barnes & Noble

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Cursed

by Trakena Prevost

1. My concept for Cursed came from me asking myself a simple question, “What if the drug problems of the world had a supernatural cause?”

2. The first scene where I envisioned my main character, Jazz, was the first scene of the book that I wrote. In that moment, I fully understood who Jazz was and she was so vivid to me.

3. Writing Cursed was probably one of the easiest books I’ve written because all of my characters and their motives were so clear to me.

4. I like to outline before starting a new story, and Cursed changed dramatically from the outline. The first kiss between Khan and Jazz came about 3 chapters early, and was a complete surprise.

5. I had a difficult time getting one of the guards names down in my first draft, and had to go back to make sure that I decided on one name in the end.

6. In my first outline, what fueled the love triangle was a lie told by some people close to Jazz (who were not really there to tell her the lie, but were illusions). But I made some changes and didn’t apply that to Jazz.

7. When researching Chicago for Cursed, I relied heavily on a close friend who lives there. She supplied pictures and insight into the warehouse district I was mainly focusing on. It was a great help!

8. I originally wanted the Dorgai headquarters to be in the old Chicago Post Office in the center of downtown. I saw the building when visiting my friend in Chicago. We were riding through downtown and passed through the bridge that goes through it…and it was beautiful! I decided to go another way, but I definitely plan to use the building in some way eventually.

9. My favorite relationship in Cursed, besides Jazz and Khan’s of course, is what Jazz has with Gorde. They have such a great camaraderie that I can’t help but to enjoy their every interaction.

10. To be completely honest, I’m not fully sure who Jazz will end up with in the end. I like both Khan and Cal for different reasons. And I like not knowing. I think it’ll give a realness to her confusion if I’m right there with her.

Trakena Prevost was born and raised in the great state of Texas, where everything IS bigger and the people are very friendly. She spends most of her time oscillating between being completely obsessed with reading and Korean dramas (to her wonderful boyfriends chagrin) and writing down the fantastic tales rumbling around in her head. When not reading and writing, Trakena spends her time working in HR for a major medical system in Houston, and hanging out with her family and friends.

Trakena has always loved the many worlds she's found in books, where everything was possible. As a child, you would often catch her enjoying a good story in the comfort of the AC, instead of wilting in the Houston heat (she showed great intelligence...even then). It didn't occur to Trakena that the fanciful stories she made up for fun could one day be out in the world, but now that they are she can't imagine it any other way!

Visit Trakena:

Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

 

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Book Shelf: Cursed (The Guardian Chronicles, #1) by Trakena Prevost

Half-succubus Jazz Watkins spends her nights knee-deep in Chicago drug dens hunting Suecai—an evil kind of incubi and succubae who devour the souls of humans. But when a leader of the Suecai curses her, Jazz has to track him down. Either she kills him before the curse burns through her, or she’ll become a full-fledged, out of control, soul-sucking monster.

She’s got a handful of weeks, absolutely no leads, and only her sexy best guy-friend, Khan, covering her back. But will the growing attraction she feels for Khan get in the way of her mission to save her own life?

More info on Goodreads.....


Review:

Cursed is Trakena Prevost’s debut novel, and the first in her new Guardian Chronicles. Detailing a magical world of action and danger, Cursed explores succubae and witch magic in a fast paced and gripping storyline that is a great start to a new series!

Personally I found Cursed to be an enjoyable read. I enjoyed Prevost’s concept, and considering I haven’t read many books where succubae feature, I enjoyed having the chance to explore them in this book. Adequately written and deeply action based, Cursed features a bunch of great fight sequences and follows heroine Jasmine "Jazz" Watkins and her battle against the evil succubae known as Suecai who prey on humans and absorb their energy. As a Dorgai—a non-lethal succubae, Jazz it one of the only things that stands between the Suecai and the innocents they prey on.

Having spent her life learning to train, hunt and kill Suecai, Jazz is lethal and has a personal vendetta against the Suecai; something that does manage to get her in trouble from time to time, but with the help of her best friend and comrade Khan, Jazz manages to thrive. Until a Suecai leader decides to turn Jazz into the one thing she despises…. one of them, and Jazz’s only chance is to branch out on her own and hunt down the person who cursed her to begin with.

Reading the story through Jazz’s eyes was an exciting experience. Jazz is a stong capable young woman and is really quite deadly. She has a sharp tongue and attitude and uses this as a blade. I really enjoyed the diversity in Cursed and liked that our heroine is a coloured woman. Honestly I don’t think there enough main characters with this kind of heritage and have to applaud Prevost for not shying away from this

I felt this story continued to move forward well and that Prevost showed enough of her world to keep me entertained, but I really feel like this is only the tip of the iceberg and that there’s still a lot more to see. As Jazz and her best friend/love interest Kahn delve into the magician’s world and that of the Suecai, Prevost ensures her readers will want to know more.

Overall Cursed is a good introduction to a promising new series and I look forward to reading more!

Rating:
Source: Sent for review by the author for review (Thank you Trakena!)
Format: Paperback
Buy it: Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Paperback) | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble
My Recommendation: This will appeals to fans of Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead and similar tales.
Cover: I think the cover is awesome!
Will I read sequel/continue with series: Yes, I'd like to see where Trakena Prevost takes the series.

Book Blitz: Five Ways To Fall by K. A. Tucker- Excerpt & Giveaway

Today I'm taking part in the Release Day Blitz for Five Ways To Far by K.A. Tucker thanks to Ink Slinger PR! I'm soooooooo excited to be a part of this. I kinda haven't posted my reviews for the first three books in this series yet but I ADORED them and I'm super, super excited to read Five Ways To Fall as soon as my review copy arrives. Below I have an amazing excerpt featuring Ben and an INCREDIBLE giveaway to win a Kindle as well as signed copies of Five Ways To Fall!
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Sometimes you can’t change—and sometimes you just don’t want to. Discover Ben’s side of the story in this fourth novel by the beloved, top-selling indie author of Ten Tiny Breaths, One Tiny Lie, and Four Seconds to Lose.

Purple-haired, sharp-tongued Reese MacKay knows all about making the wrong choice; she’s made plenty of them in her twenty-odd-years. So when her impulsive, short-lived marriage ends in heartbreak, she decides it’s time for a change. She moves to Miami with the intention of hitting reset on her irresponsible life, and she does quite well…aside from an epically humiliating one-night stand in Cancun with a hot blond bouncer named Ben. Thank God she can get on a plane and leave that mistake behind her.

Football scholarship and frat parties with hot chicks? Part of charmer Ben Morris’s plan. Blown knee that kills any hope of a professional football career? So not part of the plan. Luckily Ben has brains to go with his knockout looks and magnetism. After three long years of balancing law school with his job as a bouncer at Penny’s Palace, he’s ready to lead a more mature life—until his first day of work, when he finds himself in the office of that crazy, hot chick he met in Cancun. The one he hasn’t stopped thinking about.

If Ben truly were a smart guy, he’d stay clear of Reese. She’s the boss’s stepdaughter and it’s been made very clear that office romances are grounds for dismissal. Plus, rumor has it she’s trouble. The only problem is, he likes trouble, especially when it’s so good-looking…

Add on Goodreads!   Purchase: The Book Depository | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

From Five Ways To Fall....

Ben

 

I love the angry ones.

Of course, anyone who knows me would argue that I love any and all women, and I can’t exactly disagree. But I love the angry ones the most. They’re a challenge to be conquered, the reason for their fury usually fitting neatly into three buckets: insecure, scorned, hormonal.

And this chick gazing up at me with fire in her caramel eyes?

I’m betting on bucket number two.

“My, what an awfully bright red shirt you have on,” she pushes out between gritted teeth, as if she’s trying to be polite but can’t hide her disdain.

I didn’t know what I was walking into when the punk-rock chick with the crazy-ass muscular body waved us over, but her friend with the purple hair and her back to me had me intrigued. Now that I’m getting a good look at her face, I know who I’m spending my last night with in Cancún. She’s not what some would call traditionally “pretty.” Her eyes are slightly too big and far apart, her nose is slightly too long and slender, and her lips—though nice and wide—are on the thin side. Yet something about all of that put together makes her sexy as hell. Maybe it’s the little nose ring. Or maybe it’s the way her decent-sized tits are pressing up against me, her low V-neck tank top—a casual shirt, telling me she’s not trying to pick anyone up—giving me a fine view of her cleavage. Whatever it is, my dick is certainly pleased. “You like it?” I ask.

An irritated glare flickers to the material. “No.”

I can’t help but chuckle at her candor. “Will you at least give me a head start before you gore me?”

Those thin lip curls into a condescending smirk. “Bulls don’t see color. That’s a myth.”

The only thing I love more than an angry girl is a smart, angry girl.

This is going to be fun.

“Well, how about I solve the problem for you.” I take a step back from her and swiftly yank my shirt off, exposing six days of suntanned skin and an upper body that I know looks damn appealing because I work my ass off to keep it that way. The random catcalls from the tables around confirm it.

And then I simply stand there and grin like the cocky ass that I am as Angry Girl can’t keep her eyes from scanning the muscles I’ve honed since my college football days, her lips parting ever so subtly. I see the shift in her, the moment where she realizes that, though she’d prefer to castrate the entire male species right now, she can’t ignore her attraction to me.

At least, that’s what I want to see.

   

Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

Visit K. A. Tucker: Website | Goodreads | Twitter  Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

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This is an ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL NA series and I urge you all to pick up the first book Ten Tiny Breaths if you haven't already and work you way though to Five Ways To Fall!
 

Owl Post #35

Inspired by The Story Siren's In My Mailbox, Owl Post allows us bloggers to showcase the books we've bought, won or received throughout the week and is hosted by Brodie over at Eleusinian Mysteries. We all know that the Owl Post is the fastest way to send and receive mail and they certainly make me happy every time they drop a book off.
Hi guys!

Hope you've all had a great week in books--I know I have :)

For Review:

From Allen & Unwin:

 

-  The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
Alright. First off that cover is beyond beautiful! And that's not even taking into considering how amazing the story sounds--can't wait to read this one!!

- Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier
I've only ever read one book by Justine Larbalestier previously, Team Human, but I did enjoy it. That being said, this sounds interesting, but maybe not my kind of thing; we'll see.

....... Thank you Lara!
________________________________

 From Bloomsbury Australia:

- Flirty Dancing by Jenny McLachlan
Hadn't heard of this one before I received it, but I may read it one day :)

...............Thank you guys!
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From Simon & Schuster......

 - Twisted by Emma Chase
I haven't read the first book in this series, Tangled yet, so I'd have to read that one before I even contemplated giving this a go.

- The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su & Kate Rorick
Although I haven't read the original Pride & Prejudice novel I've seen the movies and I like the idea of the modern twist promised in this book. I may have to try and worm it into my reading schedule!

- Jane's Melody by Ryan Winfield
This book wouldn't normally be normal kind of read but I'm really intrigued by the concept of this. Plus it's written by a male author--I'm caught!

- Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie McGuire
Squeeeeeeeeeeeeee! The first book in Jamie McGuire's new Maddox Brothers series is finally here and I'm super, SUPER excited to read this. I'll be starting it today and I am very looking forward to Trent's story!

........Thanks guy!

I Bought:

 

- Lick by Kylie Scott

I'd been seeing this book in K-mart for the passed few weeks and seemed to be torn between bying and not. It was like the book was taunting me saying buy me, buy me....well and finally caved, considering so many bloggers I love and respect seem to love this series and have been recommending it. I'm talking to you Michelle ;) Glad I finally caved; I've already devoured this (review to come) and can't wait to read the rest of the series!

 

And that's me!

What have you received this week?

 

 



Free Ebooks!

Hi guys!

I hope you've all had another great week :) I've got a bunch of fantastic FREE reads to share with you!

I hope you managed to find something new!

Book Shelf: Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender

21st century girl. 18th century ghost. Heads will roll!

The city of light just got a little darker. . . .

Colette Iselin is excited to go to Paris on a class trip. She'll get to soak up the beauty and culture, and maybe even learn something about her family's French roots.

But a series of gruesome murders are taking place across the city, putting everyone on edge. And as she tours museums and palaces, Colette keeps seeing a strange vision: a pale woman in a ball gown and powdered wig, who looks suspiciously like Marie Antoinette.

Colette knows her popular, status-obsessed friends won't believe her, so she seeks out the help of a charming French boy. Together, they uncover a shocking secret involving a dark, hidden history. When Colette realizes she herself may hold the key to the mystery, her own life is in danger. . . .

Acclaimed author Katie Alender brings heart-stopping suspense to this tale of revenge, betrayal, intrigue -- and one killer queen

More info on Goodreads......


Review:

Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender was a lush and at times unsuspecting ghost tale set in the beguiling city of love and is awash in history and French culture.

Receiving a copy of Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer was a bit of a surprise for me. I’d never heard of it before, but once I read the premise I was really excited to read it; I mean the ghost of Marie Antoinette killing people in Paris? Yes, please!

Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer follows Colette Islan, an American teenager on the journey of a lifetime to Paris, France who finds her sightseeing plans thwarted when some of the wealthy elite, and who’s who of Paris start being murdered in what can only be described as a grisly manner; bye-bye heads. Unexpectedly Colette finds she might have a connection to the murders and soon discovers more about her family’s history than she could have ever imagined, including their connection to the famous Marie Antoinette, dead queen of France.

Katie Alender does a really fantastic job with the setting and overall atmosphere of Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer. From the moment our main character Colette steps off the plane in Paris you can practically smell the croissants and baguettes. The atmosphere is brilliant and this is something that transpires throughout the entire novel with Alender maintaining the authenticity of the book from beginning to end. Katie Alender’s attention to detail enhances the reading experience and as Colette races to learn just what is happening, Alender’s descriptions and inclusion of some famous French monuments….Versailles, the Champs Elysees, the Louvre and of course the Eiffel Tower only make it more addictive; I felt like I was living vicariously through Colette.

For the most part I liked Colette, but she did irritate me at times. I felt she was shallow, and though I understand the purpose of this within the story, witnessing how much importance Colette put on money, social status and popularity was a bit much at times. I couldn’t believe how Colette let those around her, most notably her "friend" Hannah, treat her; Hannah was manipulative, selfish and cruel and Colette was so desperate to be her friend that she allowed material things to be more important that friendship and kindness. Colette was so driven to be popular that she was willing to be whatever Hannah wanted her to be, even if she didn’t feel the same way.

Luckily over the course of the book, with the help of the enigmatic Jules and confidant Aubrey, Colette does grow, learning what it really important and learning to stand up for herself against the likes of Hannah. Alender blends together sweet romance with chilling danger as the ghost of Marie Antoinette runs rampant in Paris.

Featuring a unique and fresh premise, Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer is a good all-round read, that will make you feel like you're literally in Paris as main heroine Colette races to stop the ghost of Marie Antoinette from taking any more lives.

Rating:
Source: Sent for review by Scholastic Australia (Thank you Sarah!)
Format: Hardback
Buy it: Bookworld | The Nile | The Book Depository | Amazon
My Recommendation: If you want a different ghost/mystery story with plenty of culture, this is for you!
Cover: I think this cover is awesome!
Will I read sequel/continue with series: This is a standalone novel but I wouldn't hesitate to read more by this author.

Blog Tour: I Become Shadow by Joe Shine- Guest Post

Welcome to the blog tour for I Become Shadow by Joe Shine thanks to the guys over at Soho Press! Today Joe is stopping by to talk about how be came into writing and I also have a tour wide giveaway to share.

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Ren Sharpe was abducted at fourteen and chosen by the mysterious F.A.T.E. Center to become a Shadow: the fearless and unstoppable guardian of a future leader. Everything she held dear—her family, her home, her former life—is gone forever.

Ren survives four years of training, torture, and misery, in large part thanks to Junie, a fellow F.A.T.E. abductee who started out as lost and confused as she did. She wouldn’t admit it was possible to find love in a prison beyond imagining, but what she feels for Junie may just be the closest thing to it.

At eighteen they part ways when Ren receives her assignment: find and protect college science student Gareth Young, or die trying. Life following a college nerd is uneventful, until an attack on Gareth forces Ren to track down the only person she can trust. When she and Junie discover that the F.A.T.E. itself might be behind the attacks, even certain knowledge of the future may not be enough to save their kidnappers from the killing machines they created. 

Add on Goodreads!

Purchase:

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I came to writing late in life which I believe is a bit unique in this world.  I think when you speak with most writers they’ll tell you they’ve loved writing since childhood, or that it’s been so long they can’t remember life without it.  Many will attribute this young start to a parent, or teacher who encouraged them.  The only encouragement I got concerning writing was from my English teacher who ‘encouraged’ me to drop AP English because I was so horrible at it.  So for most of my youth I saw writing as something I did because school required me to do it and nothing more.  I got no pleasure from it, and all it did was stand in the way of something else I’d rather be doing.  This feeling lasted for far too long and possibly never would have changed had it not been for grad school.

In order to keep our brains from melting my grad program had a required creative writing class stuck in the middle of it.  The idea made me smile.  Required creative writing.  Wasn’t writing supposed to be organic, fun, inspired?  The idea of the class being required did nothing to help change my feelings towards writing and I dreaded taking it.  Once again I was being forced to write for school with no choice in the matter.  Ugh.

 

Our first assignment was to write down three ideas for stories and then the class would vote on which one we would use for our project.  I didn’t even get the final say in what I would write?  This was going to be horrible.  Once our story was chosen we were to write out a one page summary outlining the major plot points.  Something very strange happened to me when I sat down to do this later that evening.  I wrote five pages instead of one and enjoyed every moment of it.  The next assignment was to turn our one page outline into a more detailed five pages.  I wrote 20.  And I was officially hooked.

Many years later I sat down with a computer, took a deep breath, and decided to take a stab at writing a book.  I BECOME SHADOW is what came out.  

 

Joe Shine grew up in Austin, TX (the greatest city ever) and is a graduate of Texas A&M University. He has a MFA from the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California, and after brief stints in Los Angeles and Washington DC Joe returned home to Austin (repeat: the greatest city ever). Joe has a normal human job like most everyone else but hopes to become a full time writer one day, and this is where you, the reader, must do him a really big solid and love I Become Shadow, his debut novel.

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