The Year of Lightning: Guest Post with Ryan Dalton

Today I have the pleasure of turning the blog over to author Ryan Dalton so he can talk a little bit about his upcoming release, The Year of Lightning (coming January 12!). As you guys know by now, I'm a big fan of all things time travel so I asked Ryan if he wouldn't mind giving us a little peek into that aspect of the story, and I love where he took my prompt. I hope you guys enjoy as much as I did!

3 THINGS NOT  TO DO WHEN YOU TIME TRAVEL

When people think about time travel, they usually start with all the crazy adventures they could have. Exploring ancient civilizations, seeing when we all finally get jetpacks, assassinating Hitler–you know, fun stuff like that. On the surface, time travel may seem like all DeLoreans and giggles, but I’m here to tell you it’s dangerous stuff! So if you ever find yourself traveling through time, here are three things you should never, ever do. I mean never. Ever. Seriously, ever.

1-Fight your past or future self. Literally no one wins with this one. Yes, Past You or Future You may totally have it coming, but that beating’s only going to splash back on you. One of two things is going to happen. Either 1) you’ll spend years anticipating the day Past You will show up to knock you senseless, or 2) you’ll put the beatdown on Past You, and with each punch you’ll suddenly have the memory of Past You getting pummeled by Present You. Just imagine remembering losing a fight to yourself while also being yourself and delivering said beating. Not only is it painful, but it introduces all sorts of existential crises. You don’t want that drama in your life.

2-Kill an insect. Or animal. Or person. Or maybe even a tree. You know what? Don’t do, say, touch, breathe on, or look at ANYTHING. If science fiction has taught us anything, it’s that the Butterfly Effect is just waiting for you to screw up so it can destroy the timeline as we know it. Oh, you stepped on a grasshopper in the Cretaceous Period? Get ready to arrive home and discover giant squids are now the dominant species. And that’s a best case scenario. Do us all a favor, don’t let the giant squids win. Take a peek outside your time machine, get a couple photos, then turn around and get back inside. For the good of humanity.

3-Make sports bets or invest in fledgling tech companies. We’ve all seen that one time traveler who’s just in it for the money. The guy whose grand plans go no farther than making his Past Self rich, thereby making his Current Self rich. There’s just one problem. If you do that for your Past Self, you’re going to spend the rest of your life feeling invincible. Untouchable. Charmed. You know how people act when they feel that way? Like jackasses. You’re about to turn Past You into an insufferable jackass, which will only compound over time and make Present You an even bigger jackass. And what do jackasses do when they travel through time? They violate rule #2, do something stupid like try to punch a T-Rex, and bring the Butterfly Effect down on all our heads. I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to end up a sacrificial offering to the Squid King. Not again.

If you want to be extra careful, print this post and keep it with you at all times. You never know when time travel might happen to you, and it never hurts to be prepared. Oh, and happy travels!

P.S. Want to read more about time travel with a healthy dash of mystery, rogue lightning storms, and creepy houses with no doors? My debut novel The Year of Lightning will be released on January 12, 2016. If that sounds like fun, you can find more info here:

 Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

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THE YEAR OF LIGHTNING

When 15-year-old twins Malcolm and Valentine Gilbert moved to a new town, they never imagined that the old house across the street could bring them so much trouble. A secret machine has reawakened inside, with the power to pierce time itself.

Meanwhile, lightning storms are breaking out all over town. They’re getting worse every week, and seem to enjoy striking kids who just want to pass science class and mind their own business. When Malcolm and Valentine discover a connection between the house and the storms, their situation goes from mysterious to crazy stupid dangerous. Someone is controlling the great machine, and their purpose is nearly complete.

In a race against time, the twins must uncover the chilling plan, the mastermind behind it, and the force that’s driving the deadly storms. They’ll hunt a powerful enemy that threatens their town’s existence, and the only clues are written in the sky.

Review: I've Got My Duke to Keep Me Warm

I'VE GOT MY DUKE TO KEEP ME WARM
The Lords of Worth #1
Kelly Bowen
Historical Romance
323 pages
Hachette
Available Now
Source: Bought
(Thanks for the recommendation Amanda & Felicia!)

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Where Secrets Smolder...

Calm. Cool. Collected. Gisele Whitby has perfected the art of illusion—her survival, after all, has depended upon it. Years ago, to escape an abusive husband, Gisele "disappeared." Now she must risk revealing her new identity to save another innocent girl from the same fate. But she needs a daring man for her scheme, and the rogue in question shows a remarkable talent . . . for shattering Gisele's carefully constructed façade and igniting her deepest desires.

...Passion Ignites.

This isn't the first time Jamie Montcrief has awakened naked and confused from a night of drinking. It is, however, the first time a stunningly beautiful woman offers him payment afterward. Gisele has a business proposition for him, a mission involving cunning thievery and a brazen rescue. How can he say no to a plot this dangerous . . . and a woman this delectable?

MY THOUGHTS
I’ve Got My Duke To Keep Me Warm has a deceptively light title and cover, a sweet, carefree young woman twirling in the snow a far cry from the horrors heroine Gisele was forced to endure at the hands of her husband. Though the packaging doesn’t quite fit the tone of this tale, the story itself is outstanding, giving us a woman brave beyond measure who’s determined to give other women the freedom the rules of society at this time deny them.

For much of this story we can only guess what physical, emotional and sexual abuse Gisele suffered thanks to her husband's sadistic streak before she faked her own death and made her escape, but we don’t need all the gory details to find ourselves in awe of her strength from the first page. When she learns he’s to marry again (years later) her first thought is of the poor woman to be passed from father to husband as property, and instead of allowing her memories and past trauma to rule her, she strides boldly forward to save his new bride just as she was able to save herself.

Despite all that’s happened to her, she surprisingly doesn’t have a crippling fear of physical intimacy, allowing her romance with new partner in life-saving crime Jamie to proceed perhaps more quickly than we initially might have thought. That’s in no way a complaint however, instead it’s refreshing to see Gisele try to rebuild that part of her life and reclaim ownership of her body and her desire, thus cutting the final threads that tie her to her husband.

The plan Gisele, Jamie, and a stellar group of secondary characters hatch to keep the wedding from moving forward as planned is a darkly brilliant one, and watching as Gisele ever-so kindly provides her husband the rope with which to hang himself is nothing short of immensely satisfying. Overall, I’ve Got My Duke to Keep Me Warm is a page-turner of a romance, the desire to see Gisele and Jamie together equal to the desire to see Gisele’s husband get what’s coming to him, driving us to read as fast as possible to get to our much needed happily ever after.

Rating: 4.5/5
 

Find Kelly:

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*I've Got My Duke to Keep Me Warm is currently only $.99 on Amazon! Win.

Top 5 of 2015

Happy Friday Everyone!

Since December is flying by at record speed (seriously, I'm pretty sure Thanksgiving was yesterday?) I thought I'd go ahead and share my top 5 reads for 2015. When I searched through all my ratings for the year I discovered I only gave three books a 5/5 and only a handful more a 4.5/5. Apparently I was impressively stingy with my high ratings this year. Whoops. Below are the three titles that absolutely blew me away and left me no choice but to give them the highest rating possible, and two more that were outstanding and secured themselves a place on my shelf of favorites.

SIX OF CROWS

I want to live inside Leigh Bardugo's mind for an hour. I won't be selfish and demand more time than that, just an hour so I can see what it's like. I was initially wary of this book as I tend to struggle when I'm bounced around from person to person, but Leigh made every single character so intriguing and rich in personality that I was desperate for more time with each of them rather than less. I couldn't recommend this book more highly.

Find Leigh

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A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES

Beauty and the Beast is my all-time favorite fairy-tale, so I jump at the chance to devour every retelling I can find. This version I thought was particularly well done, especially the final third where court politics really come into play and Feyre has to prove what she's made of. Sarah J. Maas can be brutal to her readers though, tearing beloved characters down again and again before building them back up, so I'm mildly nervous about what the next book holds in store but have no doubt it will be worth it:)

Find Sarah:

 

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THE START OF ME AND YOU

Contemporary YA is not my go-to genre; those of you who read this blog with any frequency know I tend to gravitate toward the paranormal and fantasy, but I will forever read anything Emery Lord decides to write. Her characters always feel completely genuine and lacking in any unnecessary drama to cause me stress as I read. If you've yet to read any of her books, I hope at least one goes on your letter to Santa this year!

Find Emery:

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MAGIC SHIFTS

Kate and Curran. I feel like that's all that really needs to be said about this one.

Find Ilona:

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THIS HEART OF MINE
 

This one would have passed me right on by if not for Candace inviting me to be a part of the tour, so THANK YOU CANDACE! I have a soft spot for stories where a character has been grievously wronged and continues to be so through a good chunk of the story because I can't wait for the moment when everyone realizes their error. Phoenix spent 17 years in prison for a crime she didn't commit, and when she gets out she continues to be a pariah in her small town. Despite that however, she shows no weakness or self-pity, and holds no ill-will toward those who are cruelest to her. Instead she holds her head up high for the sake of her son and her own self. LOVED it!

Find This Heart of Mine:

Goodreads • Amazon • IndieBound • B&N

Their Fractured Light Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway

I'm thrilled today to welcome authors Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner back to the blog as part of the promotional tour for the final book in their outstanding Starbound trilogy, Their Fractured Light. I absolutely adored the first two books in this series and can't wait for a little time off over the holidays to dive into this one uninterrupted:) For now though, I'll have to tide myself over with the few tidbits and hints dropped in this interview. I hope you guys enjoy!

LaRoux Industries and Roderick LaRoux are capable of monstrous things, and nothing makes me happier than when a villainous character finally gets his due. What one fictional villain made you flip pages at record speed to get to the moment where their evil finally caught up with them?

Wow, we really had to think about this! Ultimately, although villains are, you know, villainous, they need to be more than that to hold our attention. In Their Fractured Light we learn a lot about Roderick LaRoux – a lot of his history, and his reasons for doing the things he does. A really compelling villain usually has a motivation that, on one reading of events, sort of makes sense. A villain like that for us was President Snow from The Hunger Games. The guy was okay with the Hunger Games themselves existing, so obviously he was evil, but he was also… complicated. And that’s pretty awesome.

If all the three Starbound pairs could choose another group of epic sci-fi characters to team up with in their attempt to take down LRI, who would they most want to work with?

Aaaah, what a great question! Without a doubt it would be the crew of the Serenity, from the TV show Firefly. We’re both huge fans of the series, and Mal Reynolds and his gang would get along with Team Starbound like a house on fire. They’d be pairing up and comparing con jobs and weapons and making diabolical plans in no time! We’re pretty sure that Zoe and Jubilee would be instant besties. If they didn’t shoot each other first.

Gideon and Sofia have no choice but to work together in Their Fractured Light. Though it might pain them both to admit it, what’s one thing each admires about the other’s abilities?

It totally would pain them to admit it! Sofia’s an outstanding con artist, and Gideon admires her ability to keep a cool head and talk her way out of the most difficult of situations, pulling together what she has to somehow make it work. She’s like the MacGyver of con artists. Gideon’s a hacker, and he’s been single-mindedly pursuing his goal for years now. Sofia admires his intelligence, and his ability to pull together data and see things nobody else can. She also admires the fact that he works out. A lot.

If your teenage selves were able to read the Starbound series, which of the romantic pairings would have made you swoon the most?

You can’t make us choose! We love them allllllll! Honestly, we’d have swooned over them all for different reasons. Tarver and Lilac, because true love is an incredible thing to find. Flynn and Jubilee because they’re fighting for a chance to find out if what they have is love. And Gideon and Sofia because amidst the romance, these two are pure sass.

What one word would Gideon and Sofia each use to describe the secrets they uncover at LaRoux Industries?

Hrmmmmmm, let’s see. One would say ‘horrifying’ and one would say ‘unimaginable’, but we’ll let readers find out for themselves which is which!

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions ladies!

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THEIR FRACTURED LIGHT

A year ago, Flynn Cormac and Jubilee Chase made the now infamous Avon Broadcast, calling on the galaxy to witness for their planet, and protect them from destruction. Some say Flynn’s a madman, others whisper about conspiracies. Nobody knows the truth. A year before that, Tarver Merendsen and Lilac LaRoux were rescued from a terrible shipwreck—now, they live a public life in front of the cameras, and a secret life away from the world’s gaze.

Now, in the center of the universe on the planet of Corinth, all four are about to collide with two new players, who will bring the fight against LaRoux Industries to a head. Gideon Marchant is an eighteen-year-old computer hacker—a whiz kid and an urban warrior. He’ll climb, abseil and worm his way past the best security measures to pull off onsite hacks that others don’t dare touch.

Sofia Quinn has a killer smile, and by the time you’re done noticing it, she’s got you offering up your wallet, your car, and anything else she desires. She holds LaRoux Industries responsible for the mysterious death of her father and is out for revenge at any cost.

When a LaRoux Industries security breach interrupts Gideon and Sofia’s separate attempts to infiltrate their headquarters, they’re forced to work together to escape. Each of them has their own reason for wanting to take down LaRoux Industries, and neither trusts the other. But working together might be the best chance they have to expose the secrets LRI is so desperate to hide.

IndieBound • B&N • BAM • Amazon • iBooks

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AMIE KAUFMAN & MEAGAN SPOONER

AMIE KAUFMAN is the New York Times bestselling co-author of Illuminae (with Jay Kristoff) and These Broken Stars, This Shattered World, and Their Fractured Light (with Meagan Spooner.) She writes science fiction and fantasy for teens, and her favourite procrastination techniques involve chocolate, baking, sailing, excellent books and TV, plotting and executing overseas travel, and napping.

She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband, their rescue dog, and her considerable library. She is represented by Tracey Adams of Adams Literary.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Instagram

MEAGAN SPOONER grew up reading and writing every spare moment of the day, while dreaming about life as an archaeologist, a marine biologist, an astronaut. She graduated from Hamilton College in New York with a degree in playwriting, and has spent several years since then living in Australia. She's traveled with her family all over the world to places like Egypt, South Africa, the Arctic, Greece, Antarctica, and the Galapagos, and there's a bit of every trip in every story she writes.

She currently lives and writes in Asheville, North Carolina, but the siren call of travel is hard to resist, and there's no telling how long she'll stay there.

In her spare time she plays guitar, plays video games, plays with her cat, and reads.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr 

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GIVEAWAY

Three lucky winners will each receive a Starbound prize pack! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure and check out the other stops on the tour for more reviews, interviews and guest posts!

11/30: Fiction Fare - Review

12/1: Across the Words - Guest Post

12/2: Such A Novel Idea - Review

12/3: Two Chicks On Books - Q&A

12/4: My Friends Are Fiction - Review

Week 2:

12/7: Paperback Princess - Review

12/8: No BS Book Reviews - Cover & Makeup Matching

12/9: Love At First Page - Review

12/10: Supernatural Snark - Q&A

12/11: A Backwards Story - Review

Waiting on Wednesday: The Flame Never Dies

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!

THE FLAME NEVER DIES

The Stars Never Rise #2

Rachel Vincent

Paranormal Young Adult

Releases from Delacorte Press August 2016

From Goodreads:

ONE SPARK WILL RISE. Nina Kane was born to be an exorcist. And since uncovering the horrifying truth—that the war against demons is far from over—seventeen-year-old Nina and her pregnant younger sister, Mellie, have been on the run, incinerating the remains of the demon horde as they go.

In the badlands, Nina, Mellie, and Finn, the fugitive and rogue exorcist who saved her life, find allies in a group of freedom fighters. They also face a new threat: Pandemonia, a city full of demons. But this fresh new hell is the least of Nina’s worries. The well of souls ran dry more than a century ago, drained by the demons secretly living among humans, and without a donor soul, Mellie’s child will die within hours of its birth.

Nina isn’t about to let that happen . . . even if it means she has to make the ultimate sacrifice.

LOOK AT THAT GORGEOUS COVER! The Stars Never Rise had an equally beautiful cover, and I obsessed over the start to this series from the moment I saw it. Normally demon-related stories are not my thing as they absolutely terrify me, but Rachel Vincent never fails to suck me in with her gritty awesomeness. I'm really looking forward to seeing where things go, though I have to admit to being slightly alarmed by the last line of the synopsis. Rachel Vincent is an author who isn't afraid to emotionally eviscerate her readers, so I know this will be one of those instances where I flip immediately to the end and read it first ;-)

Amazon • Goodreads

Review: Sweetest Scoundrel

SWEETEST SCOUNDREL
Maiden Lane #9
Elizabeth Hoyt
Historical Romance
352 pages
Grand Central Publishing
Available Now
Source: Bought

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
SHE'S TAKING CHARGE

Prim, proper, and thrifty, Eve Dinwoody is all business when it comes to protecting her brother's investment. But when she agrees to control the purse strings of London's premier pleasure garden, Harte's Folly, she finds herself butting heads with an infuriating scoundrel who can't be controlled.

HE'S RUNNING THE SHOW

Bawdy and bold, Asa Makepeace doesn't have time for a penny-pinching prude like Eve. As the garden's larger-than-life owner, he's already dealing with self-centered sopranos and temperamental tenors. He's not about to let an aristocratic woman boss him around . . . no matter how enticing she is.

BUT LOVE CONQUERS ALL

In spite of her lack of theatrical experience—and her fiery clashes with Asa—Eve is determined to turn Harte's Folly into a smashing success. But the harder she tries to manage the stubborn rake, the harder it is to ignore his seductive charm and raw magnetism. There's no denying the smoldering fire between them—and trying to put it out would be the greatest folly of all.

MY THOUGHTS
Despite being the 9th installment of the Maiden Lane series, Sweetest Scoundrel easily stands on its own, giving us a damaged fighter of a heroine and a powerfully intense hero who together keep us riveted as they walk a long, slow path to the bedroom.

Eve is a young woman with baggage, fearful of dogs and even the barest of touches from a man she doesn’t know for reasons we can only guess for most of the book, but even at her lowest point she never appears weak. She goes toe to toe with Asa from the beginning, her position as her brother’s man of business when it comes to Asa's loan giving her the opportunity to show that he can neither charm nor strong arm her into seeing things his way. When things start to shift in a romantic direction, her innocent curiosity is nothing short of adorable, proving there is strength to be found in allowing someone else to guide you.

Asa is the type of man not as commonly found in historical romances in terms of his aptitude for protective violence and his filthy mouth, and he’s nothing short of swoon-worthy as a result. He’s rough around the edges in more ways than simply being a "rogue", completely dedicated to getting his theater reopened after it burned down and not above putting the fear of God in those around him in order to see the work gets done. While he doesn’t necessarily rein himself in with Eve, he does show a great deal of patience, recognizing the markers of past damage and respecting them while still pushing her to see that he’s a man she can trust with her mind and body. He never promises her heart is safe with him however, but the drama between them in the concluding chapters is just enough to give our hearts a painful twinge before our happy ending arrives right on cue.

Overall, Sweetest Scoundrel is everything we could want in a romance–no matter the genre–with Eve and Asa being the kind of couple we want to revisit again and again just for the flush they bring to our cheeks and the smile to our faces.

Rating: 4.5/5
 

Find Elizabeth:

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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.