Cover Reveal: Extracted by Sherry D. Ficklin & Tyler Jolley

Extracted
Sherry D. Ficklin & Tyler Jolley
(The Lost Imperials #1)
Publication date: September 8th 2016
Genres: Steampunk, Young Adult

Two opposing factions of time travelers vie for control of the future in this thrilling steampunk series opener dubbed “Interesting” and “Unexpected” by Kirkus Reviews.

Lex and Ember—two time travelers with no memories of their lives before being recruited into the time war—are torn between the factions. When Lex accepts a mission that lands him deep within the heart of the Telsa Institute, he meets Ember, and the past that was stolen from them comes flooding back. Now armed with the truth of who they were, Lex and Ember must work together to save the future before the battle for time destroys them once again.

Website / Goodreads / Amazon

Author Bio:

Sherry D. Ficklin is a full time writer from Colorado where she lives with her husband, four kids, two dogs, and a fluctuating number of chickens and house guests. A former military brat, she loves to travel and meet new people. She can often be found browsing her local bookstore with a large white hot chocolate in one hand and a towering stack of books in the other. That is, unless she’s on deadline at which time she, like the Loch Ness monster, is only seen in blurry photographs.

Author links:
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

--

Tyler H. Jolley is a sci-fi/fantasy author and full-time orthodontist, periodontist (see: Overachiever). He divides his spare time between writing, reading, mountain biking, and camping with his family.

Author links:
Website / Facebook / Twitter

Review: Game of Fear by Glede Browne Kabongo

Game of Fear by Glede Browne Kabongo

Release Date: February 24, 2016

Genres: Young Adult, Suspense, Thriller

Pages: 398

Source: E-book Gifted by Author

Goodreads Description:

The sophistication of Gossip Girl meets the nail-biting suspense of James Patterson

A desperate act, an explosive secret, and a diabolical enemy—all part of a treacherous game with no limits.

Overachieving good girl Abbie Cooper has her future all planned out. As senior year at her elite private school kicks off, she has one simple goal: get into the Ivy League. But at St. Matthews Academy, nothing is ever simple. The pressure is overwhelming, the secrets are dirty, and the games are wicked. Abbie has a dirty secret—one that could destroy her chances of getting admitted into Princeton, and the lives of those closest to her.

One morning, she discovers a note in her locker with the warning, “I know what you did”. Then a photo arrives in the mail. It captures her most shameful deed—the shocking blunder she can never erase, in glorious detail. Someone is out to ruin her, but who and why? The answer lies with the sender of the photo, a mysterious girl known only as The Avenger. For a price, she assures Abbie her secret will remain safe. There’s only one problem: The Avenger may not exist at all. If Abbie doesn’t uncover her true identity before acceptance decisions are made, it’s game over…

Notes about the book:

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Quote:

“I never once thought it was going to be easy with you, Abbie. I knew you were amazing the first time I saw you. I had just transferred to Saint Matthews. We were at general assembly. You had this look on your face like you were ready to take on the world, yet there was something sad about you. Anastasia Cruz was still here. The way she and Callie and Frances rallied around you, I wanted to know more abut the girl who could inspire such fierce loyalty from her friends."

 

My Review

This book immediately reminded me of the Confessions series by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. I really wanted to like this book more than I did. The suspense definitely had me from the very start. However, it just fell flat.

At the start of the book we are told about something that happened in Abbie's past, but we're not given all the details. We're eventually given the details of what was left out at the beginning. But I just felt like it could have been connected to present day better (and more completely). Throughout the rest of the book there is action that happens behind the scenes. We are not told directly about this action. It is mentioned as an afterthought. Sometimes this worked ok. But most times I felt cheated by how it was revealed.

I didn't connect well with the lead character Abbie. I just really didn't like her. I didn't like the boy she chose or the fact that she gave in to said boy when she was so adamant that she wouldn't go out with him. I do have to admit that the first kiss scene was good. I also have to say that Christian was a smooth talker. But I never liked Christian and wanted her to pick another boy.

I did like the suspense. I was a bit disappointed about what it was that the Avenger had against Abbie. But I suppose if it was anything worse Abbie would have been a hated character. I had my own theory about what was happening and I was wrong. So the author got me there.

However, I did not like the ending at all. I was disappointed that the Avenger just got away with everything. I also didn't feel that the events that took place after the graduation ceremony were realistic. I don't want to give away the details of the book. I felt like the author made an event happen in order to write another book.

This book had several moments where it could have been great (like the quote above), but it always seemed to fall short. The quote above is Christian professing his interest in Abbie. If he had continued in this vein, I would have fallen in love with Christian. However, he reverted to his old antics and became a player in my book even thought by this point Abbie was blind to it by this point in their relationship. I was really disappointed that they took their relationship to this level.

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes&Noble

Book Tour, Review, and Giveaway: Between the Bleeding Willows by D.A. Roach

Title: Between The Bleeding Willows

Series: The Demon Hunter Series Book 1

Author: D.A. Roach

Genre: YA Paranormal

Published: March 8, 2016

At eighteen years old, Cassidy has suffered more loss than most… 

At the end of her senior year, her boyfriend, Jace Peters, was killed in a car accident, and her grandmother died only weeks later of a heart attack. Emotionally lost, Cassidy desperately searches for an heirloom her boyfriend was wearing in the crash—her mother’s gold ring. But during her search, Cassidy discovers more than her ring. 

She finds a gate to the Demon Realm….

A battle is brewing, and Killian—head of the Demon hunters—preps his Clan for the approaching conflict. They’ve been working to secure the gate between his realm and the mortal world. But it’s been nearly impossible since Rya—a voracious demon on a quest to expand her power—devoured the soul of his Clan’s necromancer. Now Rya is possessed with the necromancer’s powers and she may break through the gate at any moment with her demon army.

Apparently Rya isn’t the only one Killian has to worry about…

When Cassidy accidentally crosses into the Demon Realm, Killian can’t understand how a human girl survived the transition. Now he has to find a way to return her to her own world, or risk her being caught in the crossfire, which is a complication he definitely doesn’t need.

Once back in the Human Realm, Cassidy readies herself for battle. She signs up for Krav Maga classes, where she meets Tyler Romaitis—a handsome, tenacious, humble guy. He seems almost perfect, but nothing is ever that easy.

And as the balance between good and evil shifts, Cassidy finds herself—and her ring—at the heart of the conflict for the survival of mankind.

"... I seriously loved ever minute and I am so looking forward to reading the next book in this series." ~Hashtag Minxes Love Books

"The plot is fast-paced and packed with tons of action and emotion.  I would recommend it for anyone who reads paranormal/action novels, or anyone who simply loves to read books from a very talented author."  ~Brooke's Review

"Omgosh this book was so great!  I couldn't put it down.  It has such a great story line that just grips you from the beginning."  ~Liz's Review

 

MY REVIEW

4 Stars

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and found it difficult to put it down after reaching a point where the action picked up. When I reached 75%, I was afraid to read it on my lunch break as I had been doing because I was afraid I would get to a point that I just couldn’t stop reading.

The book started out a little slow for me and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to give the book a good review. But then we’re introduced to the demon/demon hunter world and it got real interesting. I haven’t read many demon hunter books and was confused about some of the terminology used in the story and had to google it. Surprisingly enough there appears to be a lot of information in the world wide web about hunting demons.

The main female character Cassidy really seemed to grow throughout the book. At the start of the book I had the impression that she was a meek and shy girl. But as the book goes on she seemed capable of kicking some ass! I'm really looking forward to seeing what she learns to do with her newfound abilities and connection to the demon hunter world.

I enjoyed the struggling relationship between Cassidy and Killian, but was a bit disappointed we didn’t get to see them connect more. But I guess maybe there was more of a focus on the demon hunting. I was disappointed to see the bond between the two removed and actually a bit surprised to see that it could be done. I hope the bond is introduced again. I’d like to see how it could affect the two characters.

I was disappointed that the book ended without resolutions to several things and without a happy period ending. I know things need to be unresolved to continue the series into multiple books. I just wish there could have been a way to end the book on a break between bad things of sorts where people are happy and things are looking up.

I hope I don’t have to wait too long to read book 2!

D.A. Roach has been telling stories since she was a young girl in the suburbs of Chicago. In college she met the man of her dreams, her happily ever after, and married him 2 weeks after graduating. They have 3 kids together and a pet cockatiel named Gimli. D.A. did not find a love for books until after college. Her parents were immigrants from Lithuania and found tv and radio easier ways to hear stories so they did not do much reading or encourage it. But once she finished college and D.A. had free time, she discovered how amazing it was to get lost in a story. D.A. is a full time mom and wife. When she is not doing domestic things (laundry, bills, etc) she is writing, reading, creating mixed media art, and helping beautify her kids' school landscape. Oh, and she is ALWAYS listening to music. Her favorite authors include Rebecca Donovan, Richelle Mead, Larissa Ione, Stephanie Meyer, E.L. James, and Sylvia Day. Reading great works from authors like these has motivated D.A. to write her own stories. She hopes to make positive changes in the world with her art and writing.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

HOSTED BY: