Review: Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton

Series: Rebel of the Sands #2
Publication Date: February 2nd, 2017
Publisher: Fabel & Fabel 
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ TBD

Synopsis: This is not about blood or love. This is about treason.

Nearly a year has passed since Amani and the rebels won their epic battle at Fahali. Amani has come into both her powers and her reputation as the Blue-Eyed Bandit, and the Rebel Prince's message has spread across the desert - and some might say out of control. But when a surprise encounter turns into a brutal kidnapping, Amani finds herself betrayed in the cruellest manner possible.

Stripped of her powers and her identity, and torn from the man she loves, Amani must return to her desert-girl's instinct for survival. For the Sultan's palace is a dangerous one, and the harem is a viper's nest of suspicion, fear and intrigue. Just the right place for a spy to thrive... But spying is a dangerous game, and when ghosts from Amani's past emerge to haunt her, she begins to wonder if she can trust her own treacherous heart.

My Rating

4/5 stars

My Review

Traitor to the Throne is a fantastic sequel. It's just as good as the first and it definitely won't disappoint.

As Amani is healing in the secret rebel camp, the Sultan's army finally finds them and the war begins. Brave Amani conjures a sand storm in order to get everyone out, but ends up getting caught, and brought to the Sultan. With pieces of steel placed inside of Amani, the Sultan can control everything she does. Amani once said that we need another spy in the palace, who knew it would be her.

First let me talk about the cover. What happened? The first cover was so pretty, this one is okay but it does not match the first one at all. I'm a bit disappointed. 

I love Amani so much. I instantly fell in love with her in the first book, and that definitely did not change in the sequel. Even though she loses her powers (her powers are just one of the reasons I think she's awesome), she kind of ends up going back to the Amani we got to know at the beginning of the first book. Before you say it, her character development is constantly growing, she does not go back, don't get that confused. 
One of the things I forgot to mention in my review of the first book, is how much I love Amani's friendship with Shazad. Shazad is one of my favourite characters as well, and the friendship the two share really reminds me of me and my best friend. The two grow even closer in this book, and I absolutely love reading about the two of them together.

Since Amani is in the castle for most of the book, we don't get to see much of Amani and Jin. But fear not people, there is no love triangle in this book. Amani only has eyes for Jin, and it makes me really love them as a couple. 

I wish I could have given this one 5 stars. I was very happy that the author decided to throw in more surprises and other things that I thought could have been improved in the first book, but unfortunately that left a very long middle part that I found a bit slow and boring. There wasn't as much action and adventure in this book, so there were a lot of parts that I had to put the book down and just had no motivation to read it.

Overall, this is one of my favourite series and I will definitely be waiting for the final book to come out next year. I highly recommend reading this one if you enjoyed the first book, if you haven't then check out Rebel of Sands first.

Happy Reading,
Aneta.

Cover Reveal: Off Planet by Aileen Erin

Off Planet
Aileen Erin
Published by: Ink Monster LLC
Publication date: November 28th 2017
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult

Synopsis: From USA Today Bestselling Author Aileen Erin
Maite Martinez has always yearned for more than waitressing in a greasy diner on the polluted ruins of planet Earth. Hiding her special abilities is a full-time job on its own, even with the government distracted by the mysterious alien race – the Aunare.
When a SpaceTech officer gets handsy with her, she reacts without thinking. Breaking his nose might not have been her smartest move. Now she’s faced with a choice: serious jail time working in a chain gang on a volcano planet or join the corporate army to fight against the impending war with the Aunare. It’s really no choice at all.
As with everything in her life, Maite quickly realizes that the war with the Aurnare isn’t what it seems. And Lorne, the Aunare prince, keeps popping up everywhere she goes. Being seen with him could get her in even deeper trouble with her commanders, but he’s the first person who sees through the wall she’s built around herself and she can’t bring herself to send him away.
When the situation between SpaceTech and the Aunare escalates, Maite has a way to end the war before it even begins. There’s only one question: Can she stop the total annihilation of humanity without getting herself killed in the process?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

Author Bio:
Aileen Erin is half-Irish, half-Mexican, and 100% nerd–from Star Wars (prequels don’t count) to Star Trek (TNG FTW), she reads Quenya and some Sindarin, and has a severe fascination with the supernatural. Aileen has a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She lives with her husband in Los Angeles, and spends her days doing her favorite things: reading books, creating worlds, and kicking ass.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Waiting on Wednesday: The Savage Dawn by Melissa Grey

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Series: The Girl at Midnight #3
Publication Date: July 11th, 2017
Publisher: Delacorte Press 
Genre: YA, Fantasy 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ Book Depository

Synopsis: The sides have been chosen and the battle lines drawn. 

Echo awakened the Firebird. Now she is the only one with the power to face the darkness she unwittingly unleashed . . . right into the waiting hands of Tanith, the new Dragon Prince. Tanith has one goal in mind: destroy her enemies, raze their lands, and reign supreme in a new era where the Drakharin are almighty and the Avicen are nothing but a memory.

The war that has been brewing for centuries is finally imminent. But the scales are tipped. Echo might hold the power to face the darkness within the Dragon Prince, but she has far to go to master its overwhelming force. And now she’s plagued by uncertainty. With Caius no longer by her side, she doesn’t know if she can do it alone. Is she strong enough to save her home and the people she loves? 

Whether Echo is ready to face this evil is not the question. The war has begun, and there is no looking back. There are only two outcomes possible: triumph or death.

Cover Reveal: The Dark Lands by Christina Bauer

The Dark Lands
Christina Bauer
Series: Angelbound Origins #5
Published by: Monster House Books
Publication date: September 25th 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult

Synopsis: Nineteen-year-old Myla Lewis is loving life—she’s now a wife, mother, and Queen of the Thrax. Oh yeah, and being a super-powerful demigoddess who moves souls into Heaven or Hell doesn’t suck, either. In fact, everything is pretty much awesome. Until something craptastic happens.
Her honorary older brother Walker enters the Dark Lands, home to the rule-loving ghouls, and vanishes without a trace.
Now it’s up to Myla to solve the mystery of Walker’s disappearance. Of course, Myla likes interacting with ghouls about as much as elective dental surgery. To make matters harder, everyone thinks that Walker is simply taking a well-deserved vacation. But Myla and her Angelbound love, Lincoln, both suspect that the ghoul Oligarchy took Walker in order to somehow release Lucifer, the ex-King of the Angels and an all around nut job who really needs to stay locked up.
Long story short, Myla and Lincoln have just two days to rescue their good friend and stop Lucifer from taking over the after-realms. Even for them, this may be a too-tall order, especially when Myla’s own father allows his past friendship with Lucifer to threaten Walker’s future.

Goodreads / Amazon

Previous books in the series:

Author Bio:
Christina Bauer knows how to tell stories about kick-ass women. In her best selling Angelbound series, the heroine is a part-demon girl who loves to fight in Purgatory’s Arena and falls in love with a part-angel prince. This young adult best seller has driven more than 500,000 ebook downloads and 9,000 reviews on Goodreads and retailers.
Bauer has also told the story of the Women’s March on Washington by leading PR efforts for the Massachusetts Chapter. Her pre-event press release—the only one sent out on a major wire service—resulted in more than 19,000 global impressions and redistribution by over 350 different media entities including the Associated Press.
Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.
Be the first to know about new releases from Christina by signing up for her newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/CBupdates

Website / Blog / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn

Cover Reveal: Gate of Air by Resa Nelson

Gate of Air
Resa Nelson
Series: Dragon Gods #1
Publication date: July 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis: Frayka must find and convince the dragon gods of the Far East to appease the gods of her Northland heritage. If she fails, her own Northlander gods will destroy all the mortals who once promised to worship them.
The Far East is a mysterious place of legend to Northlanders like Frayka. Only an old map can show her how to get there. Once she arrives, all of Frayka’s sensibilities put her in danger. And every dangerous turn delays her from finding the dragon gods whose help she so desperately needs.
Although Frayka looks like a Far Easterner, she is a powerful Northlander warrior who is quick to voice her thoughts. She is trained to fight and won’t hesitate to do so.
But everything about Frayka puts her in deadly peril in the Far East, where the laws are strict and the punishment cruel.
Especially when the one being punished is a woman.

Add to Goodreads

Author Bio:
Resa Nelson is the author of the 4-book Dragonslayer series: The Dragonslayer’s Sword (nominated for the Nebula Award, finalist for the EPPIE Award), The Iron Maiden , The Stone of Darkness , and The Dragon's Egg . Her 4-book Dragonfly series takes place after the Dragonslayer series.
Her standalone novels include the mystery/thrillers All Of Us Were Sophie and Our Lady of the Absolute .
Resa has been selling short stories professionally since 1988. She is a longtime member of SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America), and she is a graduate of the Clarion SF Workshop. Resa was the TV/Movie Columnist for Realms of Fantasy magazine for 13 years as well as a regular contributor to SCI FI magazine. She has sold over 200 articles to magazines in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter

Review: Starfall by Melissa Landers

Series: Starflight #2
Publication Date: February 7th, 2017
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion 
Genre: YA, Fantasy 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ TBD

Synopsis: When Princess Cassia Rose fled her home world of Eturia to escape an arranged marriage, she had no idea her sudden departure would spark a war. Now after two years hiding as a ship hand, she is finally returning to her beloved home, but not in the way she imagined. Shackled by bounty hunters, she is violently dragged back to account for her crimes. Her only solace is that the Banshee crew managed to evade capture, including Kane Arric, her best friend...with occasional benefits.

Meanwhile, Kane and the rest of the crew of the Banshee plan a desperate rescue mission. But when they arrive on Eturia, Cassia isn't exactly in need of heroics—she's claimed her birthright as Eturia's queen, but has inherited a war-torn planet simmering with rebellion. Cassia must make alliances, and Kane, the bastard son of a merchant, isn't a choice that will earn her any friends. Kane knows he will never find someone to replace Cassia—and is certain she returns his feelings—but how can he throw away his own promising future waiting on a queen?

When the outer realm is threatened by the dangerous Zhang mafia, Cassia, Kane and the rest of the Banshee crew uncover a horrifying conspiracy that endangers the entire universe. In the face of unspeakable evil, Cassia must confront her own family's complicated legacy on Eturia and decide once and for all who her real family is.

My Rating

3/5 stars

My Review

“The truth hurt more than lies.” 

I've been so impressed with Melissa Landers' books in the past, with Starflight being my favourite, but this book was nothing close to her best. The characters weren't as good, the romance was annoying, and the plot had great potential, but unfortunately didn't deliver. 

Starflight was my favourite book for the two main characters, and the action packed plot. I absolutely loved Doran and Solara. Their romance, back story, character development... just everything about them was perfect. I was so excited to seem them in this book, but they were barely in it. They showed up here and there, but when they did, they barely had any dialogue, and most of the time they were just "sent off" to do some other task.

I didn't mind Cassia and Kane in the first book, but having the whole book focused around them got annoying really fast. This romance was a lot different than the author's usual books. The characters have already known each other, and been in love for a long time rather than meeting during the first half of the book. Even though I knew that Cassia and Kane would end up together by the end of the book, their romance got so annoying that I started shipping the other guy in the love triangle... And yes, unfortunately this book has one. Throughout the whole book the two main characters go back and forth between hating each other, loving each other, one person hating, while the other person in love, and vice versa. It gets so boring, so quickly, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of people gave up on this book because of it.

The plot behind this story was okay. It could have really been improved with some minor tweaking. We don't experience the intense action like we did in book one until the climax of the story. The plot before that had a bit of action but not enough to keep you wanting more, and stay up super late reading.

I was going to give this book two stars, but I decided on three due to the ending. This book does have a very good ending, and I'm happy with the way it ended. It was a fantastic ending to the duology.

With the slow plot, annoying main characters, and not including my favourite characters, I sadly didn't enjoy the book. While I love the world that Melissa Landers created in this series, I honestly don't know if its worth reading this one. Definitely read the first book in the series, and only read this one if you really liked Cassie and Kane.

Happy Reading,
Aneta.

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. With this amazing meme, you can check out which books I've gotten this past week.

Bought

Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra Clare
Would you trade your soul mate for your soul?

A Shadowhunter’s life is bound by duty. Constrained by honor. The word of a Shadowhunter is a solemn pledge, and no vow is more sacred than the vow that binds parabatai, warrior partners—sworn to fight together, die together, but never to fall in love.

Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides?

Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own.

When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear.

From netgalley

The Hundredth Queen by Emily R. King
As an orphan ward of the Sisterhood, eighteen-year-old Kalinda is destined for nothing more than a life of seclusion and prayer. Plagued by fevers, she’s an unlikely candidate for even a servant’s position, let alone a courtesan or wife. Her sole dream is to continue living in peace in the Sisterhood’s mountain temple.

But a visit from the tyrant Rajah Tarek disrupts Kalinda’s life. Within hours, she is ripped from the comfort of her home, set on a desert trek, and ordered to fight for her place among the rajah’s ninety-nine wives and numerous courtesans. Her only solace comes in the company of her guard, the stoic but kind Captain Deven Naik.

Faced with the danger of a tournament to the death—and her growing affection for Deven—Kalinda has only one hope for escape, and it lies in an arcane, forbidden power buried within her.

In Emily R. King’s thrilling fantasy debut, an orphan girl blossoms into a warrior, summoning courage and confidence in her fearless quest to upend tradition, overthrow an empire, and reclaim her life as her own.

Trade with Chelsea 

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.



Borrowed from Kristie 

Alex & Eliza by Melissa De La Cruz
Their romance shaped a nation. The rest was history.

1777. Albany, New York.

As battle cries of the American Revolution echo in the distance, servants flutter about preparing for one of New York society’s biggest events: the Schuylers’ grand ball. Descended from two of the oldest and most distinguished bloodlines in New York, the Schuylers are proud to be one of their fledgling country’s founding families, and even prouder still of their three daughters—Angelica, with her razor-sharp wit; Peggy, with her dazzling looks; and Eliza, whose beauty and charm rival that of both her sisters, though she’d rather be aiding the colonists’ cause than dressing up for some silly ball.

Still, she can barely contain her excitement when she hears of the arrival of one Alexander Hamilton, a mysterious, rakish young colonel and General George Washington’s right-hand man. Though Alex has arrived as the bearer of bad news for the Schuylers, he can’t believe his luck—as an orphan, and a bastard one at that—to be in such esteemed company. And when Alex and Eliza meet that fateful night, so begins an epic love story that would forever change the course of American history. 

Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Larson
On her eighteenth birthday, Princess Evelayn of Eadrolan, the Light Kingdom, can finally access the full range of her magical powers. The light looks brighter, the air is sharper, and the energy she can draw when fighting feels almost limitless.

But while her mother, the queen, remains busy at the war front, in the Dark Kingdom of Dorjhalon, the corrupt king is plotting. King Bain wants control of both kingdoms, and his plan will fling Evelayn onto the throne much sooner than she expected.

In order to defeat Bain and his sons, Evelayn will quickly have to come into her ability to shapeshift, and rely on the alluring Lord Tanvir. But not everyone is what they seem, and the balance between the Light and Dark comes at a steep price.

What did you guys get this week? Let me know in the comments.

Review: Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

Series: The Witchlands #1
Publication Date: January 5th 2016
Publisher: Tor Teen
Genre: YA, Fantasy 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.

Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.

Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.

In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch. 

My Rating

4/5 stars

My Review

“Those who win wars are those who write history.” 

There are so many things I loved about this book, the world and the plot were amazing, but the thing I loved most about this book was the undying devotion between best friends.

Safiya and Iseult have messed up bad. Now with a Bloodwitch tracking them, Safiya and Iseult have to either hide or go on the run, before he captures Safi for her rare power of being a Truthwitch, or Iseult and her strong powers of Threadwitch. 

Right from the first chapter, you can see the bond that Safi and Iseult share. Their bond reminds me so much of me and best friend, its probably the reason why I can relate to them so much. While Safi and Iseult are complete opposites in some ways, they complement each other so well. They're truly better, stronger and smarter as a pair.

The romance between Safi and Merik in this story is the only aspect I didn't really care for. The main point of this book for me was the adventure and the friendship between the two, I would have been happily content with this book if the romance was erased. I liked it, but it wasn't my reason for reading the book.. if that makes sense..

The world that Susan created is breathtaking. This is probably one of my favourite worlds ever created. Honestly the only thing I can compare this world to, would be a Sarah J. Maas world, so if you love her books, you definitely need to this one.

The action in this story was set at the perfect pace. There was some in the beginning, which made it exciting and not boring at all. Then, there was lots of action in the middle and end of the book, I could not put the book down, thats how crazy the action and plot of the story got. If I had the time, this probably would have been a book I could have read in one sitting.

Overall, this book was absolutely amazing. I can't wait to continue the series with book two. If you haven't yet read this one, I highly recommend it, especially if you love fantasy book and look SJM books.

Happy Reading,
Aneta

Book Tour & Giveaway: Cherished by Christina Bauer

Cherished 
Christina Bauer
Series: Beholder #3
Published by: Monster House Books
Publication date: May 30th 2017
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Synopsis: For Elea, there’s never been a better time to turn away from witch life. The Tsar is in exile. The Vicomte is dead. And Rowan? Falling for him only broke her heart. Instead of casting spells, Elea spends her days running Braddock Farm and enjoying the flirtations of the very handsome and non-magical Philippe. Everything is going perfectly, except for one problem.
Someone’s trying to kill her.
Shujaa is a Changed One, a Creation Caster mage whose mutated form makes him invincible in battle. Now that the Tsar and Vicomte are gone, Shujaa wants to rise and rule. To do so, he must eliminate all those powerful enough to oppose him, and Elea is top on his list. Anyone who offers her aid quickly ends up dead.
In the end, there’s only one person who can keep Elea safe while helping her defeat Shujaa: Rowan. Like it or not, Elea must team up with her old love. With Philippe along for the ride, Elea plans to team with Rowan without losing her heart this time. But that’s when all her plans fall apart…

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks

Monster House Books is celebrating the launch of the ebook version of CHERISHED! As a result, the first two books in the series are specially priced for a limited time! To find out more, visit: http://monsterhousebooks.com/blog/cherishedpromo

Excerpt

When I woke up again, it was still night. Rolling onto my side, I propped my head on my hand. For a time, I watched Rowan’s chest slowly rise and fall as he lay beside me. Moonlight shifted over his handsome features. He looked better, but still not back to full strength. 

He cracked open his right eye. “I can’t sleep with you staring at me.” 

“I’ll look away.” I didn’t, though. 

Rowan opened both his eyes and stretched his arms over his head. “How long have we been asleep?” 

“I’m not really sure.” 

Rowan frowned. “What has you worried?” 

“Your mother. She’ll try to cause trouble.” 

“Doubtless.” 

I stared at Rowan’s handsome face in the moonlight and then did what was possibly the most Zuchtlos action of my life. I leaned over and kissed him. Rowan’s mouth was as soft and delicious as I remembered. I suppose my impulsivity could have ended there, but it didn’t. I rolled atop him so our bodies lay flush against each other. Our kiss deepened. Rowan’s warm hands slid up my back. Words started tumbling from my mouth. “I’ve never slept with a man before.” 

Rowan narrowed his eyes. “What’s this about?” 

I moved to straddle his waistline. “You know what I mean.” 

“If we have sex, you’re as good as married to me.” Rowan’s gaze turned intense. “You have to choose this, Elea.” 

“I do. Really.” 

“Our bodies say otherwise. We haven’t shared energy.” 

A shiver of doubt moved up my spine. “Maybe we can’t.” 

“We already did. With Viktor.” 

“Your mother says it’s not possible for the energy to go both ways. You can only give me your power.” 

“In that case, we definitely can. If something is good for me, then she goes out of her way to ensure it won’t happen.” 

“She also says I drain you.” 

A muscle ticked along Rowan’s jaw. “That’s my choice.” 

“What do you mean? Please tell me.” 

“When you’re ready, we will bond. I have no doubt of that. And I want a real mating. One that changes everything. A true mating transforms how we kiss, how we fight. It’s worth waiting for. You’re worth waiting for.” 

My eyes stung with held-in tears. “How do you know that?” 

“You’ve been in love with me from the first time you saw me, same as I fell in love with you.” 

“That’s not possible.” 

“We’re both people with heavy burdens who carry them for others. We give much to our people, but for ourselves? We have only each other.” 

My hands were splayed on Rowan’s chest. I stared at my mating ring. “Then why can’t I share energy with you?” 

“For some of us, love is easy. But trust? That takes longer.” 

A chill crept over my skin. His words hit the mark inside me. When I spoke again, my voice was a rough whisper. “Trust does take longer. Tristan betrayed me.” 

“With the curse.” 

I nodded. “Everyone says that our relationship is impossible.” 

Rowan wrapped his hands around mine. “What do you want, Elea?” 

“I want to sleep with you.” 

A small smile rounded his full lips. “No.” 

“You’re a damned noble menace, you know that? Why can’t you take advantage of a girl like a normal person?” 

“You know why. And if the situation were different, you wouldn’t take advantage, either.” 

“Maybe I would.” 

“Then take me. I won’t stop you.” 

I reached toward the waistline of his leathers and stopped. “But you want to wait.” 

Rowan arched his brow. “You see? Pleasant as this would be, I know you too well. You’re only trying to prove that I’m as evil as everyone else. I take advantage and I lose you.” His gaze turned intense again. “And I won’t lose you.” 

All of a sudden, voices sounded from the courtyard outside the window. People were yelling. I rushed to the window and looked outside. Casters were scurrying about everywhere. Bells began to ring. 

Someone pounded on the door. “It’s Kade. Is Rowan awake?” 

“I’m up,” called Rowan. 

“You’re needed right away,” called Kade. “A battle is coming.” 

“There’s no point asking you to stay out of this fight, is there?” asked Rowan. 

“Not at all.” 

“Good.” He winked. “We make a good team.”

Author Bio:
Christina Bauer knows how to tell stories about kick-ass women. In her best selling Angelbound series, the heroine is a part-demon girl who loves to fight in Purgatory’s Arena and falls in love with a part-angel prince. This young adult best seller has driven more than 500,000 ebook downloads and 9,000 reviews on Goodreads and retailers.
Bauer has also told the story of the Women’s March on Washington by leading PR efforts for the Massachusetts Chapter. Her pre-event press release—the only one sent out on a major wire service—resulted in more than 19,000 global impressions and redistribution by over 350 different media entities including the Associated Press.
Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.
Be the first to know about new releases from Christina by signing up for her newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/CBupdates

Website / Blog / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn

GIVEAWAY!
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Waiting on Wednesday: Siege of Shadows by Sarah Raughley

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Series: Effigies #2
Publication: November 21st, 2017
Publisher: Simon Pulse 
Genre: YA, Fantasy 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ Book Depository 

Synopsis: There’s nowhere to hide.

Not when you’re an Effigy. No matter where they go, Maia and the other Effigies can’t escape the eyes of the press—especially not after failing to capture Saul, whose power to control the monstrous Phantoms has left the world in a state of panic. It’s been two months since Saul’s disappearance, and there’s still no sign of him, leaving the public to wonder whether the Sect—and the Effigies—are capable of protecting anyone.

When Saul suddenly surfaces in the middle of the Sahara desert, the Sect sends Maia and her friends out after him. But instead of Saul, they discover a dying soldier engineered with Effigy-like abilities. And although these soldiers seem to answer to Saul, Maia can’t help but wonder if he has outside help.

Yet the looming danger of Saul and this mysterious new army doesn’t overshadow Maia’s fear of the Sect, who ordered the death of the previous Fire Effigy, Natalya. With enemies on all sides and the world turning against them, the Effigies have to put their trust in each other—easier said than done when secrets threaten to tear them apart.

Book Blitz & Giveaway: Changing Tides Official Launch

Crimson Tree Publishing Launches New Romance Imprint

Changing Tides Publishing is now accepting submissions for category romance and erotic romance

Changing Tides Publishing is a new imprint of Crimson Tree Publishing focusing on publishing category romance and erotic romance. Though it’s a new division, we work with a team of editors, artists, and industry professionals with years of experience in finding, polishing, and promoting fiction. We combine our editorial and marketing expertise with your passion for your story to get it into the hands of the readers who will love it. Our team provides professional cover art, marketing support, sales materials, and more to both promote our authors as well as to help our authors promote themselves. We are currently building our list and are seeking authors with strong voices, fresh ideas, and contagious enthusiasm to join our team, authors who are eager to take an active role in building their careers with us.

We are also building our blogger and ARC reviewer team. Being part of this team will grant you access to advance review copies, exclusive author interviews, sneak peeks, special giveaways, and much more. If you’re interested in applying, you can do so here.

A little about how us:
Changing Tides is a digital first company. All titles accepted, regardless of length, will be released across all ebook platforms. If a title or series does well, we reserve the option to make it available in print and audio format as well—on a case by case basis. For shorter stories in series, we will create anthologies and digital box sets. What separates us from other digital publishers is that we will, for every book or anthology over 30K words, make a print edition available for the author’s personal use, to take to trade events, to sell at book signings, and to use for promotional giveaways. This allows us a greater flexibility on what titles we can accept as we are not limiting ourselves—or you—to what brick and mortar stores can shelf. Every title has a dedicated marketing and promotional budget and we work with each author to create a detailed marketing plan for each story.

We do not offer advances, but pay a higher royalty rate to compensate. We work with a team of the best cover artists, interior formatters, editors, and marketing people in the business, and unlike some companies who simply drop and dump titles, we will leverage our team to help you continually sell books.

Though we can’t make any promises, our goal is to make every single author on our team a USA Today Bestseller. And we will work with you every step of the way to try to make that goal a reality.
What we are looking for:
Changing Tides is currently looking for romance and erotic romance in any subgenre and at any heat level. Our ideal projects are: category romance stories that stand alone in a connected world or with a connected theme, prolific erotic romance authors who can release multiple short titles a year, or sweeping epic love stories that itch to be told in serial format.

We would love to see paranormal, comedy, cowboys, mystery cozies, bad boys, billionaires, sports romance, BDSM, LGBTQ, strong heroines, alpha males, workplace romance, shifters, space operas, and everything in between.

How to submit:
You can see our full submission guidelines on our website, https://www.changingtidespublishing.com/submissions/
If you’ve read our guidelines and think your book might be a good fit for our list, please send us your complete manuscript to submissions@changingtidespublishing.com

Changing Tides is also building our Blogger and Reviewer team. Signing up will grant you access to the best in romance books before they ever hit the shelves, as well as access to exclusive reviewer content, giveaways, and more. To join our team, you can sign up here: https://www.changingtidespublishing.com/review-team/

GIVEAWAY!
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Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. With this amazing meme, you can check out which books I've gotten this past week.

From Publisher

Ghostly Echoes (Jackaby #3) by William Ritter
Jenny Cavanaugh, the ghostly lady of 926 Augur Lane, has enlisted the investigative services of her fellow residents to solve a decade-old murder—her own. Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, Detective R. F. Jackaby, dive into the cold case, starting with a search for Jenny’s fiancé, who went missing the night she died. But when a new, gruesome murder closely mirrors the events of ten years prior, Abigail and Jackaby realize that Jenny’s case isn’t so cold after all, and her killer may be far more dangerous than they suspected.

Fantasy and folklore mix with mad science as Abigail’s race to unravel the mystery leads her across the cold cobblestones of nineteenth-century New England, down to the mythical underworld, and deep into her colleagues’ grim histories to battle the most deadly foe she has ever faced. 

Thank you so much Thomas Allen & Son for sending me a copy of this book. I've been waiting to read it for the longest time.

From the Library

Hunted by Megan Spooner
Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them. 

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance. 

Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

What did you guys get this week? Let me know in the comments.