Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Marked Beauty by S.A. Larsen Review + BLOG TOUR


Marked Beauty by S.A. Larsen

Welcome to my stop on the Marked Beauty Blog Tour! I would first like to thank Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours for including me in this blog tour, and providing me with a review copy for an honest review - I am so glad to be back once again on another blog tour! I absolutely loved how the author started out the book - it was strong and immediately threw you into the world of Ana and Viktor and the conflicted pasts that haunt them. We are presented with Josh, Viktor, and Sebastian as possible love interests for Ana right off the back, a solid 30% into the book, which I for one loved. Complicated love lives are my weakness in the Young Adult world, and as soon as I sensed the tension between these three boys, I knew I would be in for a treat. I also really enjoyed all of Ana and Viktor's interactions throughout the book, especially in the beginning, such as when they were in the woods together or when they ran into each other at the bookstore. It's these little moments between them that make their relationship progress in such interesting ways. The author does a fantastic job in building the world that our main character lives in as well as creating the unique personalities of each character, distinguishing between the characters and their actions. I have to say that I absolutely fell in love with this book and the world that the characters lived in - it was exciting and suspenseful until the very end. I will definitely be reading more of S.A. Larsen's books in the future! I highly recommend this novel to fans of Hush, Hush and Fallen.

Title: Marked Beauty
Author: S.A. Larsen
Publisher: Ellysian Press
Release Date: October 2017

Uncovering hidden secrets can sometimes kill you . . . or worse, steal your soul.

Anastasia Tate has a secret. She can feel the emotions of others through their life energy auras. Not a welcome gift for a teenager. Especially when a sinister presence begins stalking her.

Viktor Castle also has a secret. He’s tasked with protecting humanity yet cursed by an ancient evil to destroy it.

After Viktor saves Ana’s life, her abilities grow stronger. Drawn together, she senses Viktor has answers to lifelong questions. Only he shuns her at every turn, knowing he has saved her only to put her in more danger.

As Ana struggles with her attraction to Viktor, he tries everything to bury his unexpected feelings for her. But they must find a middle ground. For only together can they combat the dark forces threatening both their lives . . . and their souls.




S.A. LARSEN is the author of the award-winning novel Motley Education, the first book in a fantasy-adventure series for middle grade readers. Her work has appeared in numerous local publications and young adult anthologies Gears of Brass and Under A Brass Moon by Curiosity Quills Press. Marked Beauty is her debut young adult novel. Find her in the land of snowy winters and the occasional Eh’ya with her husband of over twenty-five years, four children, a playful pooch, and three kittens. Visit her cyber home anytime at www.salarsenbooks.com.



Giveaway Details:
Blog Tour Giveaway:

 One (1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card (INT)






Release Party Giveaway:

What better way to celebrate a book birthday then by a giveaway! There are many ways to enter, which you'll find below. You can win an iTunes, Amazon, or Starbucks gift card, an authentic Vera Bradley Little Crossbody in Cobalt Tile, an assortment of bookish swag, and even a KINDLE Fire HD 7! The giveaway runs from release day, October 17, 2017 to December 5, 2017. Winners will be announced via social media December 7, 2017.

*No purchase necessary to win*

However, if you have read Marked Beauty or purchase it and read you can earn extra entries by posting a review on any major online retail bookstore and Goodreads! All the information you'll need is in the form below.
BUT there's more...
FOR WRITERS!

Writers who enter can WIN a first five pages critique!



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Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Hair in All the Wrong Places 2: The Perils of Growing Up Werewolf Review + BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY


The Perils of Growing Up Werewolf by Andrew Buckley

I would first like to thank Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours for including me in this blog tour and providing me with a review copy for an honest review, as well as Month9Books for contacting me about reviewing this novel! The first installment of this series, Hair in All the Wrong Places, is a great read that is quick-paced and will have you turning the pages as you follow along the story of a teenage werewolf and the complications that he has to live with in his daily life. I really enjoyed how much character development that Colin went through throughout this book, and I liked how the author involved Becca, Jeremy, and Colin's other friends into his story in Elkwood. This is such a fantastic read if you are looking for something fun and quick, while still having an interesting plot line and characters that are all unique in their own ways. Towards the end of the book, I liked the predicament that Colin was in, as well as Becca, was resolved, and that the fact that their feelings for each other were never put on the line when Colin was in trouble or when he was off fighting some unknown source of evil at that time. I also really liked how the introduction of Colin's new principle was written out - the results were unexpected and truly had me interested in his character development throughout the story. The story picked up right as the first novel ended, and the author did a very good job of staying consistent with details from the first novel as well as adding in new details that allowed the second installment to add onto Colin's story. I highly recommend this series to fans of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling and fans of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. You can see my review of the first novel, Hair in All the Wrong Places, as well, posted here!


 

The Perils of Growing Up Werewolf (Hair in all the Wrong Places #2)
by Andrew Buckley
Publication Date: October 3, 2017
Publisher: Tantrum Books

Being a werewolf is no picnic. Colin’s constantly hungry, spends a ton of time shaving, and fights to keep his emotions in check to avoid turning into a giant, drooling, hairy, smelly, howling wolf. But Colin's not the only creature hanging around the town of Elkwood. Vampires, zombies, goblins, ogres, and other questionable visitors and their various shenanigans have got everyone on edge.

Colin just wants to live a normal life, date, and get his homework done on time. But the town of Elkwood needs him. So when a secret government organization asks for his help, will he be able to control the animal inside, or will he give in to the perils of growing up werewolf?


Purchase Links:






Andrew Buckley attended the Vancouver Film School’s Writing for Film and Television program. After pitching and developing several screenplay projects for film and television, he worked in marketing and public relations, before becoming a professional copy and content writer. During this time Andrew began writing his first adult novel, DEATH, THE DEVIL AND THE GOLDFISH, followed closely by his second novel, STILTSKIN. He works as an editor for Curiosity Quills Press.

Andrew also co-hosts a geek movie podcast, is working on his next novel, and has a stunning amount of other ideas. He now lives happily in the Okanagan Valley, BC with three kids, one cat, one needy dog, one beautiful wife, and a multitude of characters that live comfortably inside of his mind.

Andrew is represented by Mark Gottlieb at the Trident Media Group.



Giveaway Information:
 One (1) winner will receive a Werewolves The Pact Game (INT)