Interview: Sara Larson + Defy

Today I'm hugely excited to welcome author Sara B. Larson to the blog to answer a few questions about her young adult fantasy debut, Defy (released yesterday from Scholastic). Defy was a book I picked up not knowing much about it, and I found myself madly in love after pretty much the first chapter. As soon as I finished, I sprinted to the computer and sent a dubiously coherent fangirl email to Sara requesting an interview, and she oh-so graciously waded through my ramblings and agreed. I'll be posting my full review on the blog tomorrow!

It’s your first day of training with Alexa and the rest of the guard. How many bruises would you estimate you’ll be sporting tomorrow? Will there be more or less than are decorating the bodies of your opponents? 

Oh man, if I had to spar against Alexa, she’d totally kick my trash. I mean, I work out and I do kick boxing, so I think I could hold my own in a fight. But we’re talking about sword fighting with Alexa. Yeah, I’d be a mess of bruises the next day. But I’m stubborn, so I’d keep practicing in hopes that I could try to hold my own against her eventually.

If you found yourself in Alexa’s shoes, having to maintain the guise of being male, what do you think you would have to work hardest at to keep from giving yourself away? 

Hmmm, that’s a very interesting question! Well, for one, if someone were to scare me in the dark (did I mention I’m afraid of the dark?), I tend to scream and either drop to the ground, or lash out. Pretty sure that would give me away in a hurry since Antion can be a very scary place, especially at night.

What was the very first piece of Defy to pop into your head? Do you remember where you were when it came to you? 

I do, it actually came from a very difficult period in my life, when someone I loved had just passed away from cancer. He was just 24. I was so upset by his loss that I couldn’t write anything. But a friend of mine told me to stop trying to write a book and just write was I was feeling. So that’s what I did, and what I wrote was the very first scene of what later became DEFY. (Hint: it is not the first chronological scene in the book.) From there, the story took on its own life, though. It became a story of survival, a story of what true courage and strength is, and a story about love and hope (even in the most desperate of situations) and risking everything for the chance of a better future.

If you suddenly woke up tomorrow in Antion, which modern amenity would you miss most? What aspect of this fantasy world would make life without that amenity worth it? 

Oh boy, that’s a tough one! I do love my modern conveniences. Probably my computer, because I can’t keep up with my thoughts otherwise. I’d have claw fingers all the time from hand cramps if I had to write all my stories on parchment with a quill and ink. When I try to use pen and paper, I write as hard and furious as I can, but I just can’t do it. But Damian and Rylan would DEFINITELY make up for it. Oh, wait. I’m happily married (do I get to take my husband with me?), and there’s Alexa to compete with…so, uh, let’s go with the sorcery. If I could be a sorcerer, I’d totally be willing to give up my computer.

Alexa and her brother Marcel are extraordinarily close. What’s one small thing about her that makes Marcel proud to call himself her brother? 

Though he gives her a hard time about it, he admires her stubbornness. Once she has a goal, nothing can stop her, and that not only makes him proud—it’s saved her life more than once.

What tip or trick would Alexa give to anyone like her who needed to hide in plain sight? 

If you act like you know what you’re doing, everyone goes along with it. People only question something if you act like there’s something to question.

Alexa is proficient with a variety of weapons and is the best fighter on the prince’s guard. If she were to face a character from another young adult novel in a battle for position on the guard, who do you think might give her a good run for her money? 

I think Katsa from Graceling would definitely be an amazing match-up in a fight. Can you imagine? *stares off into space imagining the epicness of that battle*

It’s fair to say that both Rylan and Damian see something special in Alexa. What one word might each of them use to best describe her? 

Oooh, that’s tricky, making me limit it to one word, since she’s a very complex person. Hmmm….Rylan might describe her as fierce and I could imagine Damian describing her as indomitable.

*Jenny leaves to go Google "indomitable"* ;-)

• • • • • • • • • • •

DEFY

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

Amazon • B&N • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • 

SARA B. LARSON

I love writing, reading, and dessert--but the order varies by the day. I wrote my first book in second grade about a woman who had a premature baby, complete with a "to scale" drawing of the baby's size--while my mom was pregnant. To say I was a bit precocious is putting it lightly. Now that I'm an adult, I write books for teens that have magic and romance and kick-butt girls (and very few premature babies). I live in Utah with my husband, two young sons and baby girl. I write during naptime and the hours when most people are sleeping. My  husband claims I should have a degree in "the art of multitasking." On occasion you will find me hiding in a bubble bath with a book and some Swedish Fish. I am represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary and my YA debut DEFY is coming January '14 from Scholastic!

 Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

Rome Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

ROME
Marked Men #3
Jay Crownover
Contemporary New Adult
384 pages
William Morrow Paperbacks
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Cora Lewis is a whole lot of fun, and she knows how to keep her tattooed bad boy friends in line. But all that flash and sass hide the fact that she’s never gotten over the way her first love broke her heart. Now she has a plan to make sure that never happens again: She’s only going to fall in love with someone perfect.

Rome Archer is as far from perfect as a man can be. He’s stubborn and rigid, he’s bossy and has come back from his final tour of duty fundamentally broken. Rome’s used to filling a role: big brother, doting son, super soldier; and now none of these fit anymore. Now he’s just a man trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life while keeping the demons of war and loss at bay. He would have been glad to suffer it alone, until Cora comes sweeping into his life and becomes the only color on his bleak horizon.

Perfect isn’t in the cards for these two, but imperfect might just last forever . . .

MY THOUGHTS
Rome is perhaps the most highly anticipated installment of the Marked Men series to date, his status as a military veteran struggling to claw his way free from the phantoms of blood, sand, and death that weigh him down causing an instant connection to form, protective instincts flaring and the desire to see happiness find its way to him at an all-time high. There is of course some wariness as well given the fact that huge drama and dark, broken characters tend to be staples of the new adult genre, but Ms. Crownover has a talent for ensuring her books pack an emotional punch without yanking our hearts from our chests and crushing them beneath the heel of her boot. We're invested in the outcome of Rome and Cora's relationship without dreading the turn of every page–wondering if what's awaiting us next is the moment we'll be made to bleed–and we're beyond grateful for the strong focus on communication in all her stories.

Cora is a young woman we certainly like well enough in the beginning, though her determination to hold out for a non-existent “Mr. Perfect” thanks to a painful romantic history is cause for some concern as we look ahead to what it could mean for her relationship with Rome. If she were paired with any guy other than Rome in this story, her lingering hurt after being cheated on by a man she thought was her endgame would create in us no shortage of sympathy, but in the first third of this book her heartbreak, while neither easily dismissed nor negligible by any means, just doesn't quite stand up against the pain and darkness Rome faces on a daily basis courtesy of his time in the military. As a result we find ourselves more firmly attached to Rome from the onset, a little unsure of Cora since the reasons behind her hesitancy to start something with Rome seem to carry less weight when pitted against all that Rome is dealing with, but luckily it doesn't take too long before Cora wins us over.

After spending just a little time with Rome, Cora quickly comes to see how impractical her campaign to wait for the perfect man–a man with no assembly and no effort required to fit snugly into her life–truly is, and the moment she decides to own up to her misguided way of thinking and take a chance on Rome we can't help but root for her. She's the type of person who's always upfront, not one to mince words or play games, and just as she often gets Rome to admit when he's made a mistake or taken a misstep, she's quick to admit her own missteps as they slowly start down the path of a serious relationship. When her past and the fear it tattooed across her heart and mind rear up on occasion and threaten to make a hypocrite out of her after everything she's said to Rome about needing someone who's as invested in a shared future as she is, there's only the briefest of moments for us to get frustrated before she recognizes the damage she's caused and sets out to do everything she can to fix it. The two of them have significant baggage that trips them up now and again as they try to move forward, but luckily for us both of them are fighters at their cores, willing and able to do battle for what they want with very little collateral damage.

Overall, Rome is another strong addition to the Marked Men series, Rome and Cora a beautifully flawed pair who make us both laugh and cry, and leave us with hearts light and happy as we turn our eyes to Nash in eager anticipation.

Rating: 4/5
 

Buy Rome:

  

Amazon • Amazon UK • Amazon CA • B&N • iTunes • IndieBound 

• • • • • • • • • • • 

JAY CROWNOVER

I’m supposed to share interesting details about myself so that my readers get to know me so here we go in no particular order: I’m an natural redhead even though I haven’t seen my real hair color in years, I’m a big fan of tattoos and have a half sleeve on either arm and various other pieces all over the place, I’ve been in the bar industry since I was in college and it has always offered interesting insight into how men and women interact with each other, I have 3 dogs that are all crazy, I live in Colorado and love the snow, I love music and in all reality wish I could be a rock star not a writer or a bartender but I have zero talent so there is that.

I love to write, love to read and all I’m interested in is a good story with interesting characters that make the reader feel something.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

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TOUR + GIVEAWAY

The fabulous team at Literati Author Services has put together an amazing tour for Rome, so be sure and check out the full list of participating blogs so you don't miss out on all the Rome and Cora fun. There's also an epic tour-wide giveaway including prizes like an iPod, Amazon gift cards and of course, the Marked Men books. Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter!

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Series Review + Giveaway: The World of Nightwalkers

Today I'm thrilled to kick off the promotional tour for Jacquelyn Frank's adult paranormal romance series, The World of Nightwalkers; a tour celebrating the series as a whole but with particular emphasis on Forsaken (book 3), which releases on January 7th from Ballantine Books. Normally in this situation I would write one review for the entire series, but since each book focuses on a different couple, I decided to split them into separate shorter reviews. Because I was new to this series, I started with book one, Forbidden, put book two on hold in the interest of time management, and then skipped ahead to Forsaken, which is why you'll find only two reviews below. 

Be sure and check out the bottom of the post for all the details on how to win a copies of all three books!

FORBIDDEN
The World of Nightwalkers #1
Jacquelyn Frank
Adult Paranormal Romance
352 pages
Ballantine Books
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from TLC Book Tours)
The unexpected happens in an instant. On her way to work, secretary Docia Waverley hurtles into a crashing crossroads, and she quickly begins to suspect that things will never be the same. Then, when a tall, blond, muscular stranger intervenes on her behalf, telling her it is his duty to protect her at all cost, what is just a feeling turns to proof positive. That is, as long as Docia’s savior doesn’t turn out to be a crazed kidnapper.

When Ram finds Docia, he has no doubt that she is his queen. But as this golden warrior sweeps in to protect her, he feels something more than body heat every time they touch. He is overwhelmed by a searing connection that goes deep into the twin souls inside him. A desire rises in him that is forbidden—this woman is his queen, the mate of his king, his leader, his best friend. And yet Docia is so vulnerable and attractive that she awakens a hunger in Ram that is undeniable, a carnal craving he cannot yield to . . . not without risking the very survival of the Bodywalkers.

MY THOUGHTS
Forbidden is a story that gets off to a bit of a rocky start, perhaps due in part to it being the first in new paranormal romance series (though set in the same world as Ms. Frank’s Nightwalker books), therefore bearing the burden of introduction and explanation. Instead of the explanation of the supernatural aspect of this world being seamlessly woven into the narrative, the first hundred-plus pages feel more informative than anything as we’re bounced around to several different characters instead of getting to spend much-needed time with our romantic hero and heroine. Though Docia and Ram are the main focus of this initial book, it could be said that their story is as much her brother Jackson’s as hers, our time equally split between the three of them despite the fact that Jackson is the hero of book two.

After about the halfway point however, things begin to settle down and Docia and Ram start to inch their way to the forefront, finally allowing us the chance to emotionally connect to them rather than simply digest their story as it’s detailed for us on page. Docia is a touch tricky at times, her reactions to the major upheaval in her life almost frustratingly youthful, her snarky outbursts clearly meant to be endearing (as Ram finds them), but to us she just comes across as peevish. She undoubtedly earns a freak out or two given all she goes through in a short period of time, it’s just the way she expresses her fear and anger that keeps us from fully embracing her. Much like the story itself though, Docia settles in the second half and becomes someone we’re actually rooting for, making Forbidden a book that ends far stronger than it starts.

Rating: 3.5/5

FORSAKEN
The World of Nightwalkers #3
Jacquelyn Frank
Adult Paranormal Romance
352 pages
Ballantine Books
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from TLC Book Tours)
As a mercenary, Leo Alvarez has signed on for a lot—but he never signed on for his best friend becoming host to the soul of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. Jackson is now inhabited by a Bodywalker, and Leo is forced to grapple with a realm of supernatural beings far more dangerous than anything he’s ever encountered.

But when Jackson is wounded by an attack from a demon god, Leo must team up with another supernatural creature—a Night Angel—to save his friend from utter destruction. With skin as black as midnight, hair as white as snow, and a body of pure perfection, the Night Angel arouses a burning desire in Leo, even as he refuses to be intimidated by her power—or the power of those who would destroy his friend. An unusual alliance is forged, electrified by sexual temptation, and together the two must unite their strengths to bring down a supreme evil.

MY THOUGHTS
Forsaken is free of one of the main issues that plagued book one, focusing almost exclusively on Leo and Faith–with only a couple deviations into the laughably terrifying existence of a villainous imp god–rather than bouncing us to a third protagonist as was the case with Jackson in Ram and Docia’s story. As a result it feels as though we get to know Leo and Faith far better than we did our very first couple, and Faith in particular is someone we can’t help but feel grateful for knowing on a deeper level. She’s strong of both mind and body, quick to call Leo on his petty nonsense as he attempts to push her buttons and proceeds to cut her off at the ankles with his scathing criticism of anything supernatural. Her mental and emotional strength does wane a bit as her feelings for him grow, her attachment making her vulnerable in a way she wasn’t in the very beginning, but even vulnerable she continues to stand tall and take the sometimes brutal blows she’s dealt without flinching.

Leo, for his part, is someone we want desperately to like given the horror he experienced in book two (something that is recounted in gut-wrenching detail for us in the beginning of this third book), thoroughly understanding his hatred of all things paranormal after the torture he endured at the hands of a uniquely sadistic bodywalker. For most of this story the push/pull nature of his relationship with Faith more than makes sense, his physical scars just beginning to heal and his mental ones still as raw as they were the moment they were inflicted, so his struggle to come to terms with the fact that Faith is a Night Angel is one we feel to our cores. It’s in the late chapters however when our feelings begin to shift, Leo’s caustic remarks and painful offhand comments becoming far less justifiable as Faith continues to prove that her otherworldliness does not sentence her to the same vile category as his torturer, and he comes startlingly close to running out of page time before he can make amends.

As a result of his continued and lengthy internal debate as to whether or not all supernatural entities deserve to be painted with the same brush as the one who hurt him, the conclusion of this third installment feels quite rushed. All of his struggles seem to find resolution quickly and easily in the last chapter, detracting from the believability of his love for Faith given we’ve seen nothing but evidence contrary to such feelings. That being said however, up until that point their relationship is ripe with the addicting kind of tension that stems from the knowledge that these two people, so different in so many ways, are going to find happiness in one another eventually, and we just have to sit back and enjoy watching as the chasm between them grows ever-narrower.

Rating: 4/5
Ending: 3.5/5

The World of Nightwalkers:

Forbidden • Forever • Forsaken

• • • • • • • • • • 

JACQUELYN FRANK

Jacquelyn Frank is the New York Times bestselling author of the World of Nightwalkers series (Forbidden, Forever, and Forsaken), the Three Worlds series (Seduce Me in Dreams and Seduce Me in Flames), the Nightwalkers series (Adam, Jacob, Gideon, Elijah, Damien, and Noah), the Shadowdwellers novels (Ecstasy, Rapture, and Pleasure), and the Gatherers novels (Hunting Julian and Stealing Katherine). She lives in North Carolina and has been writing romantic fiction ever since she picked up her first teen romance at age thirteen.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

• • • • • • • • • •

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to TLC Book Tours and Ballantine Books I have a set of all three World of Nightwalkers books up for grabs to one lucky winner! To enter, please just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US addresses only.

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Excerpt + Giveaway: Unbound by Georgia Bell

Today I'm thrilled to have author Georgia Bell stop by the blog to share an excerpt from her paranormal young adult novel, Unbound. She's also brought with her a very generous giveaway, so be sure and check out the bottom of the post for entry details. Welcome to Supernatural Snark Georgia!

UNBOUND EXCERPT

“I know you’re there,” I said, pitching my voice towards the darkness. It echoed down the empty street. “We need to talk.” I waited, forcing myself not to move away, not to look away. My heart pounded in my ears and I took a deep breath to steady myself. A car moved down the road towards me and I watched it pass, the headlights glaring and then receding as it rounded the corner of the next street.

His shadow stretched out before him as he moved on to the sidewalk under the glow of the streetlamp. He said nothing, only stared at me with a bemused expression. I wanted to say something else, but found that now I could only stare back. He wore the same long dark coat and gloves he always wore, his clothes tailored, but nondescript, his hair disheveled, but not untidy. The familiar feeling of tranquility settled on me as he moved closer and my head swam as if each of my thoughts was sinking slowly through deep water. Looking up at him, his stormy grey eyes were as sad and as haunting as I remembered them.

We stood staring at each other silently, as if the other was something new and remarkable. I was puzzled by my lack of speech. After all of this time, there were so many things I had wanted to say to him. Why wasn’t I talking? Reaching up to touch my throat, I frowned, trying to remember how to voice the questions that waited patiently for articulation. Seeming to notice my confusion, his expression became strained and his eyes guarded. He stared down at his gloved hands as if he was unable to bear witness to my struggle for words.

Minutes passed and neither of us moved. 

Distantly troubled, I watched as he confronted whatever demons were wrestling within him. Eventually, his shoulders slumped in defeat and he nodded to himself – an acknowledgement that a decision had been made.

Moving slowly, he took off his gloves and placed them in his coat pocket, raised his hand towards my face with infinite care, and lightly touched my cheek. He let his fingers trace the line of my jaw, his expression now unfathomable as a shiver raced down my back.

“Hello,” he said.

I finally found my voice and my eyes locked on his. “Who are you?”

“My name is Eaden,” he said.

I nodded. It was a start.

“We need to talk,” I said again. It was unlikely that I had ever been guilty of such an understatement.

He stepped closer, our bodies almost touching. I was aware of every inch of him, as if somehow he had become an extension of me, another limb once lost and now recovered. My heart rallied and sped up as I tilted my head to study him. Sighing, he raised his eyes to the sky and then closed them, shaking his head before looking back down at me, a hint of a smile dancing around his lips.

“I’ll see you in the morning, Rachel,” he said and then turned and walked away. Within a few heartbeats he was hidden amongst the shadows once again.

“Eaden,” I said and went inside.

• • • • • • • • • • •

UNBOUND

After her father dies, Rachel realizes she is scared and stuck. Scared of heights, of cars, of disasters harming the people she loves. Stuck in a life that is getting smaller by the minute. Stuck with a secret she has kept all her life: Someone has been watching over her since birth. Someone who tends to show up when she needs him the most. Someone she believes is her guardian angel.

Eaden is a 1,500-year-old immortal who wants to die. Drained by a life stretched too thin, he has requested his final reward – a mortal sacrifice bred specifically to bring him death. But something went wrong. Rachel’s ability to grant death has mutated in ways that threaten to upset the uneasy alliance between mortals and immortals. And utterly beguiled, Eaden discovers that although Rachel is the key to his death, because of her, he no longer wants to die. And he will do anything to protect her.

Swept into a world of legends, caught between the warring political factions of immortals, and carrying the future of mortal kind in her flesh and bone, Rachel must risk everything to save her world and the man she loves.

Amazon •  Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • 

GEORGIA BELL

Georgia Bell was raised on a steady diet of science fiction and fantasy, courtesy of her father, a man who loved his family, fishing, scotch, and science (although not necessarily in that order). Georgia is an avid reader of young adult fiction, and a lover of good wine, music, children, and cats (although not necessarily in that order). She's currently working on Unknown, the second book in the All Good Things trilogy.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • 

GIVEAWAY

Georgia is kindly offering up e-book copies of Unbound to two lucky winners! To enter, please just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. As these are e-books, this giveaway is international provided you have an e-reader.

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Review: Darkest Fear

DARKEST FEAR
Birthright #1
Cate Tiernan
Paranormal Young Adult
368 pages
Simon Pulse
Available January 7th
Source: e-ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Vivi has known the truth about her family—and herself—since she was thirteen. But that doesn’t mean she’s accepted it. Being Haguari isn’t something she feels she’ll ever accept. How can she feel like anything but a freak knowing that it’s in her genes to turn into a jaguar?

Now eighteen, Vivi’s ready to break away from the traditions of her heritage. But all of that changes with the shocking, devastating deaths of her parents and the mysteries left behind. Vivi discovers family she never even knew she had, and a life open with possibility. New friends, new loyalties, and even romance all lay ahead—but so do dangers unlike anything Vivi ever could have imagined.

MY THOUGHTS
Darkest Fear is a tale that begs lovers of paranormal stories to pick it up, promising a closer look at a lesser-known shifter than the werewolves who are so prevalent in supernatural fiction, and while the jaguar-shifter element holds us fascinated throughout, this first installment feels more like a novel-length prequel rather than the opening book in the series. We’re introduced to a variety of different plot threads–not so many as to be frustrating luckily, just enough to give the story a well-rounded feel–but unfortunately not a one of them finds resolution before the end. Whenever we pick up book one of a series, we know not all our questions will be answered by the time we reach the last page, but with Darkest Fear we’re like runners warming up for a big race, working our way up to the starting line fully prepared to make swift progress toward our ultimate destination, but then the gun never even goes off and we’re instead left behind the line wondering what happened.

Vivi is a young woman who can be a challenge at times, her disgust and rather violent aversion to her Haguari (jaguar shifter) heritage something that’s a touch confounding for us as readers. If Vivi had just discovered her ability when we first meet her, her confusion, anger, and fear would be completely understandable, but we come into this story years and years after her parents have–quite unsuccessfully–brought her into the Haguari fold. Trying to come to terms with the fact that you can change bodily forms is certainly not something that everyone would rejoice over upon discovery, so in the beginning we can't help but give her a bit of a break and attempt to give her the benefit of the doubt as we get to know her. There’s many a moment in which it seems as though our faith in her has been appropriately placed, with Vivi starting to realize how childish and hurtful her complete rejection of her heritage had been to her parents and continues to be to those around her, but then as soon as an opportunity to embrace the Haguari in her presents itself, she backs away from it so quickly we practically get whiplash trying to follow.

This pattern repeats again and again over the course of the story, Vivi simultaneously finding comfort in the presence of the Haguari relatives she never knew she had and yet running away from all that they hold dear when they try and share it with her. It’s not to say Vivi is unlikable however, she’s quick to recognize this behavior in herself even though she doesn’t make a huge effort to change it until the end, so our time with her is not time we necessarily regret spending. It’s clear Vivi’s growth and the gradual discovery of who she is both as a human and a jaguar is going to be a prominent aspect of this series as it continues, so hopefully the Vivi of future books will be the fierce and proud young woman we so desperately wanted her to be in this one.

The lack of resolution in terms of Vivi’s acceptance of her heritage, though at times frustrating, is not one of the reasons this book feels so much like a prequel, that honor lies with the remaining unresolved plot threads: the romance with her boss at work, the murder of her parents, the discovery of a couple key family secrets, and the dissolution of her relationship with both her aunt and her human best friend due to the lies she continues to feed them (though her reasons for not telling her best friend about being a jaguar shifter make sense). We’ve made hardly any progress on the above items when we suddenly find ourselves on the last page, a semi-cliffhanger leaving us scratching our heads as to why this particular moment was the moment chosen as a stopping point. Overall Darkest Fear, while entertaining enough, is a touch disappointing in the end when all the promises made go unfulfilled, but perhaps book two will step up to the plate and make good in the way we’d hoped this first one would.

Rating: 3/5

Find Cate:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon 

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Cover Reveal: Deceiving Lies by Molly McAdams

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

I'm kicking off 2014 with a little fun in the form of a cover reveal, something that always makes me happy because I happen to be mildly obsessed with type, design, and covers in general. So today I'm very excited to share with you the cover for Deceiving Lies, the upcoming sequel to Forgiving Lies from new adult author Molly McAdams.

From Goodreads:

Rachel is supposed to be planning her wedding to Kash, the love of her life. After the crazy year they've had, she's ready to settle down and live a completely normal life. Well, as normal as it can be. But there's something else waiting—something threatening to tear them apart.

Kash is ready for it all with Rach. Especially if all includes having a football team of babies with his future wife. With his line of work, he knows how short life can be, and doesn't want to waste another minute of theirs. But now his past as an undercover narcotics agent has come back to haunt him ... and it's the girl he loves who's caught in the middle.

Trent Cruz's orders are clear: take the girl. But there's something about this girl that has him changing the rules and playing a dangerous game to keep her safe. When his time as Rachel's protector runs out, he will turn his back on the only life he's known, and risk everything, if it means getting her out alive.