Showing posts with label Author- L. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Author- L. Show all posts

Review & Giveaway | TO DREAM IS TO DIE by Sarah Lampkin





Title: TO DREAM IS TO DIE
Author: Sarah Lampkin
Pub. Date: January 8, 2019
Publisher: The Parliament House
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 296
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N

Eighteen-year-old Brenna Whit is entering college as a freshman and starting to meet new people, but she hides a dark secret. Because of an accident that happened three years ago, her spirit wanders the Fade whenever she falls asleep. It's something she wants to keep hidden from the world, but when she sees someone watching her in spirit form, she fears the secret's out. With new friends, possibly new enemies, school, and a new crush, Brenna has too much to worry about for just her freshman year of college.


My Review:
One is the eternal question human beings revolve around:
What happens after death.

Well, I have to admit, this brand new series by Sarah Lampkin is giving a quite interesting interpretation of what exists beyond our dreams and imagination. And, she did make sure the plot accompanying that interpretation would be exciting and intriguing.

But, first things first. Let's start with our main character, Brenna. A former party-girl who used to enjoy life a little too much, until that fateful day of her death. Although, she managed to force her spirit back to her body, the Fade, the spiritual plane that exists out there, never really let her fully escape. In fact, every time she fall asleep she returns back to it in spirit form.
And, she never encountered any problems. Before now, that is.
Damon, the irritating guy she met at college is just the first of her problems, which seem to just escalate from there.

Brenna is a strong heroine, with lots of sarcasm and attitude, but not in an over-the-top and annoying way. She is very proud and doesn't like asking for help. In other words? If you're looking for a heroine that is no damsel in distress, look no further. This is the book for you.

The setting of this novel is in a college, a fact that I particularly enjoyed as I love reading or watching movies about US colleges, that are so different than the ones I'm used to.
And, of course, I couldn't forget mentioning the amazing characters surrounding Brenna, all of whom we're meeting slowly, gradually, at the same pace that our heroine does, making them all more lovable, and feeling like they are actually our friends and college acquaintances.


All in all, 4 stars for a book very carefully crafted and well-written by the author. 
I can't wait to get my hands on the second installation of the series.


About Sarah:
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Sarah Lampkin is a 2015 graduate from Lynchburg College with a master’s degree in English. Since graduation, Sarah moved to Northern Virginia to work in the IT field as a Technical Writer while continuing her research for her graduate school thesis. When she isn’t work, Sarah continues her Celtic mythology research and Gaelic studies, while working on the Dead Dreamer series.
Although she currently lives in Northern Virginia, Sarah frequently travels back home to Richmond to visit family, friends, and her godchildren. During the winter months, she is in Richmond more frequently to spend time in the woods hunting and contemplating the meaning of life. She doesn’t always succeed in both endeavors, but the music of nature is worth it for peace of mind.
In her free time, she likes to play RPG video games, and rock climbing. To make sure she can make the most out of her day, she wakes up at 4am every morning to work on her fitness, so in the evening she has time to continue writing. Her passion for writing has been around since high school where she wrote her first short story. It continued as she worked towards her bachelor’s degree, and that is where the Dead Dreamer series began. Although only self- published via online, Sarah’s dream is to write for a living and continue to create fictional worlds where her mind can reside.
Her work mainly focuses on Celtic themes, mixed with elements from the spiritual world. And her characters always have a flair of attitude and sarcasm because writing damsels in distress is something she just can’t do.



READ THE CHILD DREAMER PREQUEL HERE



Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a signed finished copy of TO DREAM IS TO DIE (when available) and a Dead Dreamer Hoodie, US only.

Rafflecopter Code:

Rafflecopter Link:


Tour Schedule:

Week One:
12/31/2018- jrsbookreviews- Excerpt
12/31/2018- Jaime's World- Spotlight

1/1/2019- Texan Holly Reads- Excerpt
1/1/2019- Owl Always Be Reading- Excerpt

1/2/2019- Sweet Things- Excerpt
1/2/2019- Bookbriefs- Excerpt

1/3/2019- Smada's Book Smack- Excerpt

1/4/2019- BookHounds- Excerpt
1/4/2019- Parajunkee- Excerpt

Week Two:
1/7/2019- Reese's Reviews- Review
1/7/2019- Sincerely Karen Jo- Excerpt

1/8/2019- Book-o-Craze - Review
1/8/2019- Good Choice Reading- Excerpt

1/9/2019- Loie Dunn- Review
1/9/2019- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt

1/10/2019- Book-Keeping- Review
1/10/2019- Confessions of a YA Reader- Excerpt

1/11/2019- Adventures Thru Wonderland- Review
1/11/2019- Whatever You Can Still Betray- Excerpt


Review & Giveaway | Mistake of Magic by Alex Lidell



About the Book:
Title: MISTAKE OF MAGIC (Power Of Five #2)
Author: Alex Lidell
Pub. Date: June 29, 2018
Publisher: Danger Bearing Press
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 193
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!!!

Three trials stand between Lera and exile. Unless the training kills her first.

Quint magic has never chosen a human before, and the Elders Council is convinced Lera is a mistake. 

When the quint refuses to be cleaved apart, the enraged elders give them a choice: exile from Lunos or demotion to the lowest of trainees. Subject again to the humiliations and deadly trials they endured centuries ago, the males now face a new challenge—training Lera to survive. 

River, Shade, Coal and Tye will do whatever it takes to keep Lera safe. But Lera will do whatever she must to keep them together—even if it means putting herself in mortal danger.



My Review


Alex Lidell has managed to write a completely addicting novel again, providing us with the kind of addiction that makes you put the book down after more than three hours of non-stop reading in the early hours of the day, only because your device died from battery. And, of course, it has you starting reading right from where you left off, the second you wake up the next morning.

If I thought the first installment of the Power of Five (PoF) series was an amazing read, I was in for the most pleasant surprise with Mistake of Magic (MoM).
In fact, it might have been the second in a series, but it was even more amazing than the first book! It was exactly what the second book should always be (and in most cases isn't, which makes it all the more awesome)! It extends the story line, the base of which was set on PoF, and strengthens both the plot, the twists and turns, the action and, of course, the relationships between the heroes.

Inevitably, my review for MoM will extend to the whole of the series so far, but that's an amazing thing for this series. Because, these books fall under the genre of Reverse Harem, but they are much much much more complicated than that. Our heroine, Lera, doesn't simply form a bond with all her guys right from the beginning, and certainly not right from the first book. Instead, it is a gradual process, which takes into account the unique personality of each of the characters. And, I couldn't love that more!!!

So, in the first book we thought Lera had gotten closer to Tye (at least around the end), but oh, the author liked to tease us during MoM, turning the tables, and surprising us around every corner. But, even if I was initially confused by the turn of events and the order with which everything happened (and despite the fact that I loved all of it), one thing I've learned to do while reading this series is to never doubt how thoroughly the author has thought out and set everything. And, I was right to do so!

I can't really go on without spoiling everything left and right from my excitement, but I definitely recommend this book to absolutely everyone (who is 18+, that is *wink wink*).

All in all, 6 out of 5 stars for a read that utterly amazed me, 
packed with action, sexiness, clever, playful, protective and brooding males and 
a female lead that became stronger and stronger with each passing page, 
blossoming into a person who rightfully belongs to the second most powerful quints of all time!

~~~

About Book 1:

Title: POWER OF FIVE
Author: Alex Lidell
Pub. Date: May 4, 2018
Publisher: Danger Bearing Press
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 312
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon



Four elite fae warriors. One mortal female. A magical bond they can’t allow—or resist. 

Orphaned and sold to a harsh master, Lera’s life is about mucking stalls, avoiding her master’s advances, and steering clear of the mystical forest separating the mortal and fae worlds. Only fools venture into the immortal realms, and only dark rumors come out... Until four powerful fae warriors appear at Lera’s barn. 

River, Coal, Tye, and Shade have waited a decade for their new fifth to be chosen, the wounds from their quint brother’s loss still raw. But the magic has played a cruel trick, bonding the four immortal warriors to... a female. A mortal female. 

Distractingly beautiful and dangerously frail, Lera can only be one thing—a mistake. Yet as the males bring Lera back to the fae lands to sever the bond, they discover that she holds more power over their souls than is safe for anyone... especially for Lera herself. 

Power of Five is a full-length reverse-harem fantasy novel. 


About Alex:
Alex Lidell is the Amazon Breakout Novel Awards finalist author of THE CADET OF TILDOR (Penguin, 2013). She is an avid horseback rider, a (bad) hockey player, and an ice-cream addict. Born in Russia, Alex learned English in elementary school, where a thoughtful librarian placed a copy of Tamora Pierce’s ALANNA in Alex’s hands. In addition to becoming the first English book Alex read for fun, ALANNA started Alex’s life long love for YA fantasy books. Alex is represented by Leigh Feldman of Leigh Feldman Literary. She lives in Washington, DC.

Join Alex's newsletter for news, bonus content and sneak peeks: www.subscribepage.com/TIDES 



Giveaway Details:

1 winner will win a Signed copy of the book, notebook, & swag, US Only.

3 winners will win an eBook of MISTAKE OF MAGIC, International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Rafflecopter link:



Tour Schedule:

Week One:

7/2/2018- RH WhyChoose- Review
7/2/2018- Book Briefs- Review

7/3/2018- Love in a time of Feminism- Review
7/3/2018- BookHounds- Excerpt

7/4/2018- Bri's Book Nook- Review
7/4/2018- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt

7/5/2018- Books a Plenty Book Reviews- Review
7/5/2018- Book-o-Craze- Review

7/6/2018- Simply Daniel Radcliffe- Review
7/6/2018- The Booknerd Dragon- Review

Week Two:

7/9/2018- Smada's Book Smack- Review
7/9/2018- Parajunkee- Review

7/10/2018- Adventures Thru Wonderland- Review

7/11/2018- Book-Keeping- Review
7/11/2018- Fall Into Books- Excerpt

7/12/2018- books are love- Review
7/12/2018- K.L. Knovitzke – Author- Excerpt

7/13/2018- The Hermit Librarian- Excerpt
7/13/2018- Wishful Endings- Excerpt


New Release & Giveaway | Mistake of Magic by Alex Lidell



I am so excited that MISTAKE OF MAGIC by Alex Lidell is available now and that I get to share the news!
If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Alex Lidell, be sure to check out all the details below.
This blitz also includes a giveaway for a Signed copy of the book, notebook, & swag, US Only and 3 eBooks of MISTAKE OF MAGIC, International, courtesy of Alex and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

About the Book:


Title: MISTAKE OF MAGIC (Power Of Five #2)
Author: Alex Lidell
Pub. Date: June 29, 2018
Publisher: Danger Bearing Press
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 193
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!!!

Three trials stand between Lera and exile. Unless the training kills her first.

Quint magic has never chosen a human before, and the Elders Council is convinced Lera is a mistake. 

When the quint refuses to be cleaved apart, the enraged elders give them a choice: exile from Lunos or demotion to the lowest of trainees. Subject again to the humiliations and deadly trials they endured centuries ago, the males now face a new challenge—training Lera to survive. 

River, Shade, Coal, and Tye will do whatever it takes to keep Lera safe. But Lera will do whatever she must to keep them together—even if it means putting herself in mortal danger.





About Book 1:

Title: POWER OF FIVE
Author: Alex Lidell
Pub. Date: May 4, 2018
Publisher: Danger Bearing Press
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 312
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon



Four elite fae warriors. One mortal female. A magical bond they can’t allow—or resist. 

Orphaned and sold to a harsh master, Lera’s life is about mucking stalls, avoiding her master’s advances, and steering clear of the mystical forest separating the mortal and fae worlds. Only fools venture into the immortal realms, and only dark rumors come out... Until four powerful fae warriors appear at Lera’s barn. 

River, Coal, Tye, and Shade have waited a decade for their new fifth to be chosen, the wounds from their quint brother’s loss still raw. But the magic has played a cruel trick, bonding the four immortal warriors to... a female. A mortal female. 

Distractingly beautiful and dangerously frail, Lera can only be one thing—a mistake. Yet as the males bring Lera back to the fae lands to sever the bond, they discover that she holds more power over their souls than is safe for anyone... especially for Lera herself. 

Power of Five is a full-length reverse-harem fantasy novel. 

Excerpt:
Four hours and then we’ll be there. Asking the Elders Council to accept our oath as a quint. My chest tightens, nausea shifting my stomach. If the rest of the Elders Council is anything like Klarissa- the gorgeous, manipulative viper who tried to have me killed- then the five of us are walking into a predator’s open maw.  

I’d expected that the decision to remain a quint would bring a calm finality with it. The knot on a braid’s end. It didn’t. If anything the knot is at the braid’s beginning, with the weave still to come. With snags to be untangled along the way.
My head spins as Shade reluctantly sets me on my feet, the enormity of the past quarter hour hitting me as brightly as the light. What in the bloody stars have I done, swearing to be a warrior that I can never become? A shiver runs down my spine. What if we never leave the Citadel, the males trapped here like caged animals because of me?

My body begs me to defend it. Something inside me rises to answer the plea, the sensation so native that I know the something inside me is mine- and yet I”m just as certain that I’ve never felt it before. Don’t even know what it is.

It’s all for me, I realize. The males’ willingness to endure humiliations that should be hundreds of years behind them. To drop to their knees on the hard council floor and accept runes that trap them in a place they despise. My throat constricts, a sense of belonging, of fierce connection, filling my soul. I don’t know how I can ever repay the four warriors for the gift, but I will.






About Alex:

Alex Lidell is the Amazon Breakout Novel Awards finalist author of THE CADET OF TILDOR (Penguin, 2013). She is an avid horseback rider, a (bad) hockey player, and an ice-cream addict. Born in Russia, Alex learned English in elementary school, where a thoughtful librarian placed a copy of Tamora Pierce’s ALANNA in Alex’s hands. In addition to becoming the first English book Alex read for fun, ALANNA started Alex’s life long love for YA fantasy books. Alex is represented by Leigh Feldman of Leigh Feldman Literary. She lives in Washington, DC.

Join Alex's newsletter for news, bonus content and sneak peeks: www.subscribepage.com/TIDES 



Giveaway Details:

1 winner will win a Signed copy of the book, notebook, & swag, US Only $25 Amazon Gift Card, US Only.

3 winners will win an eBook of MISTAKE OF MAGIC, International.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review & Giveaway | Power of Five by Alex Lidell


POWER OF FIVE
About the Book:
Title: POWER OF FIVE
Author: Alex Lidell
Pub. Date: May 4, 2018
Publisher: Danger Bearing Press
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 312
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!!!

Four elite fae warriors. One mortal female. A magical bond they can’t allow—or resist. 

Orphaned and sold to a harsh master, Lera’s life is about mucking stalls, avoiding her master’s advances, and steering clear of the mystical forest separating the mortal and fae worlds. Only fools venture into the immortal realms, and only dark rumors come out... Until four powerful fae warriors appear at Lera’s barn. 

River, Coal, Tye, and Shade have waited a decade for their new fifth to be chosen, the wounds from their quint brother’s loss still raw. But the magic has played a cruel trick, bonding the four immortal warriors to... a female. A mortal female. 

Distractingly beautiful and dangerously frail, Lera can only be one thing—a mistake. Yet as the males bring Lera back to the fae lands to sever the bond, they discover that she holds more power over their souls than is safe for anyone... especially for Lera herself. 

Power of Five is a full-length reverse-harem fantasy novel. 



My review:

This is the very first novel of a brand new series. And, what an introduction to the series!
Lera and her quint's story had grasped my undivided attention from the very first paragraph, so well-written and adventurous from the first 'till the last chapter, making you craving for more and urging you to get the next book right away.
It's really no wonder I read "Power of Five" in one sitting.

At this point you might be wondering what I meant by "Lera's quint" earlier. So, first things first.
Our story starts with the four male Fae mighty warriors watching over the newly (and magically) appointed part of their group. They are called a quint, which should always consist of 5 Fae members.
So, what is going to happen to their quint when magic decides that Lera, a mere 20-year-old female mortal should join them?

The short answer? A truly earth-shattering sequence of events.

The only thing that is certain is that this bond can prove dangerous not just for the mortal Lera, but for everyone, in many different ways.

At this point, I would also like to add that, although this book is a reverse harem, it surely isn't just for fans of this particular genre.
In contrast, if you like anything from fantasy and Fae, to strong, independent women and tall, brooding males, you will positively adore this novel.

It was also so well-written and -structured that it only made me more itchy to find more of the author's works and add them to my TBR pile immediately.


All in all, 5 stars for an amazing read that kept me 
glued to my kindle until "The End" and
a story I can never recommend enough.





About Alex:
Alex Lidell is the Amazon Breakout Novel Awards finalist author of THE CADET OF TILDOR (Penguin, 2013). She is an avid horseback rider, a (bad) hockey player, and an ice-cream addict. Born in Russia, Alex learned English in elementary school, where a thoughtful librarian placed a copy of Tamora Pierce’s ALANNA in Alex’s hands. In addition to becoming the first English book Alex read for fun, ALANNA started Alex’s life long love for YA fantasy books. Alex is represented by Leigh Feldman of Leigh Feldman Literary. She lives in Washington, DC.

Join Alex's newsletter for news, bonus content and sneak peeks: 
www.subscribepage.com/TIDES 



Giveaway Details:

1 winner will win a $25 Amazon Gift Card, INTERNATIONAL.


Rafflecopter Embed Code:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Rafflecopter link:




Tour Schedule:

Week One:
5/7/2018- Bri's Book Nook- Review
5/7/2018- RH WhyChoose- Review

5/8/2018- Love in a time of Feminism- Review
5/8/2018- BookHounds- Excerpt

5/9/2018- Books a Plenty Book Reviews- Review
5/9/2018- A Dream Within A Dream- Excerpt

5/10/2018- Pervy Ladies Books- Review
5/10/2018- Book Briefs- Review

5/11/2018- What's Beyond Forks?- Review
5/11/2018- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt

Week Two:
5/14/2018- Le Petit Photograph- Review
5/14/2018- Under the bookmark- Review

5/15/2018- Smada's Book Smack- Review
5/15/2018- Book-o-Craze- Review

5/16/2018- Paperback Princess- Review
5/16/2018- Hauntedbybooks13- Review

5/17/2018- Reese's Reviews- Review
5/17/2018- BroadwayWorld- Excerpt

5/18/2018- The pages in-between- Excerpt
5/18/2018- Writer of Wrongs- Excerpt
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