paranormal – Book Rambler

BLOG TOUR | Excerpt: Secrets in the Dark, written by Darcy Coates

Hi everyone! Today I’m excited to participate in the blog tour for Secrets in the Dark – Book 2 in the Black winter series, written by Darcy Coates, published by Sourcebooks Fire and hosted by Midas PR.

COVER REVEAL: CRUSH( Crave #2) by Tracy Wolff

Hi everyone! Today I’m excited to host the cover reveal for Crush, the sequel to Crave by Tracy Wolff. Crush, a YA paranormal, will be published by Entangled Teen but the date has not yet been revealed!

Without any further ado, here’s the cover:

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Jaxon and Grace’s story continues in New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff’s captivating sequel to Crave.

I’m in the fight of my life. For my humanity. For Jaxon. And for the world I’ve only just begun to be a part of. I’m all in, even if saving the people I love means I risk losing myself forever.

ABOUT CRAVE:

My whole world changed when I stepped inside the academy. Nothing is right about this place or the other students in it. Here I am, a mere mortal among gods…or monsters. I still can’t decide which of these warring factions I belong to, if I belong at all. I only know the one thing that unites them is their hatred of me.

Then there’s Jaxon Vega. A vampire with deadly secrets who hasn’t felt anything for a hundred years. But there’s something about him that calls to me, something broken in him that somehow fits with what’s broken in me.

Which could spell death for us all.

Because Jaxon walled himself off for a reason. And now someone wants to wake a sleeping monster, and I’m wondering if I was brought here intentionally—as the bait.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Tracy Wolff is a lover of vampires, dragons, and all things that go bump in the night. A onetime English professor, she now devotes all her time to writing dark and romantic stories with tortured heroes and kick-butt heroines. She has written all her sixty-plus novels from her home in Austin, Texas, which she shares with her family. You can find her on Goodreads or her website

ARC Review: The Burning Shadow, written by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Burning Shadow, written by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Burning Shadow by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publication date: October 8th, 2019
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 649
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Buy:Book Depository | Wordery

Synopsis:

#1 New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns to the world of the Lux with The Burning Shadow, the steamy, shocking second installment of the Origin series that will leave readers reeling.

When Evelyn Dasher crossed paths with Luc, she was thrown headfirst into the world of the Lux―only to discover that she was already far more involved in their world than she ever suspected.
Because the Luxen aren’t the only ones with a hidden past. There’s a gap in Evie’s memory, lost months of her life and a lingering sense that something happened, something she can’t remember and nobody is willing to tell her. She needs to find out the truth about who she is―and who she was. But every answer she finds only brings up more questions.
Her search for the truth brings her ever closer to Luc, the Origin at the center of it all. He’s powerful, arrogant, inhumanly beautiful, extremely dangerous…and possibly in love with her. But even as Evie falls for him, she can’t help but wonder if his attraction is to her, or to the memory of a girl who no longer exists.
And all the while, a new threat looms: reports of a flu-like, fatal virus that the government insists is being spread by Luxen. A horrifying illness that changes whoever it touches, spreading panic across a country already at its breaking point.

– My Thoughts –

Today I’m going to be reviewing The Burning Shadow which is the sequel to The Darkest Star which is a spin-off of the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Obviously, there are going to be minor spoilers here so you know the drill…

*wonders*.. how did The Darkest Star end?

In The Burning Shadow, Evie is seen struggling with being Evelyn Dasher..she’s trying to figure out if Luc actually likes her or if he liked the previous her, the one who was Nadia. *I totally feel you girl* I mean She quite recently found out that her mom is an alien and that she is not “exactly” Evie..and that her best friend is an alien too. Also, her mom and Luc are never ever going to be Bffs foreva..so yeah, things are not looking so peachy in Evieland.

However, there’s no fear to be had when you’ve got ultra alien a.k.a. the origin Luc as your boyfriend. He does his best to recreate his and “Nadia”‘s old memories so that Evie can start to remember. Meanwhile in school, a classmate of Evie’s goes full psycho on everyone and had to be taken out in front of them. Rumours start to spread that the Luxen are the cause of this virus and tensions are on the rise.

This is quite a big book, not as big as The Priory of the Orange Tree or Les Miserables, but big nonetheless. This book covered a lot of things like the rising racism against the Luxen, Deadalus causing trouble yet again, reintroduction of old characters like Damon and Katy, and so many things ~~ohmygod the twist~~ that in the end, your jaw will drop as you close the book.

In the beginning, I was getting a lot of Damon and Katy vibes from Luc and Evie but as the story progressed, that feeling kinda ebbed away. As always, I got no complains about the amount of cheese and swoon I got from this book. I also got NO complaints about the action scenes *and there were a lot of them*. My only complaints would be why were we robbed of Luc’s POV? Why?

Overall, I would highly recommend this book if you’ve read and loved book one of the Origin series. If you haven’t yet started reading it yet then, “Do you not like Luc? The Origin Luc?” Well, okay! So, I obviously cannot wait for book three to get in my hands and destroy me. My body will be ready!!!

Thanks to the publisher for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

– About the Author –

Slightly unofficial bio

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Charles Town, West Virginia and she’s one of my favourite authors. A writer of two of my favourite “like to remain shirtless” guys a.k.a Damon(lux series) and Seth(TItan series)..and also of many fantasy, paranormal, YA and romance novels and novellas…

For more about the author, visit her website and her Goodreads page, or follow her on Twitter.

Thank you for reading! Have you read The Darkest Star? or, any book she’s written? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Of witches and their hunters…Serpent & Dove, written by Shelby Mahurin | ARC review

Serpent and dove by Shelby Mahurin

Publication date: September 3rd, 2019
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 528
Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Buy:Book Depository | Wordery

Synopsis:

Bound as one to love, honor, or burn.

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.

Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou’s, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.

The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou’s most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.

And love makes fools of us all.

– My Thoughts –

“Wicked are the ways of women — and especially a witch”

I first read Serpent & Dove as an eARC and I was mesmerized by the way the author combined some of my favourite tropes – enemies to lovers romance, Marriage of Convenience – to create a wonderful fantasy set against the backdrop of 17th century France.

After I got the physical ARC, I read it again and here are my final thoughts…

In the land of Belterra, witches are burned at the stake and the witch hunters or the Chasseurs along with their leader, the Archbishop are ruthless. Lou, a witch, has left her coven two years ago and is now trying to survive in the city of Cesarine either by lying, stealing or even killing. After remaining undetected for two years, a burglary goes wrong and it sets her past enemies after her. When Lou ends up in a “compromising” position with Captain (of the Chasseurs) Reid, the Archbishop comes up with a solution: go to prison for the rest of her life or marry Reid.

“Conscious of the Chasseurs’ eyes on me, I forced a smirk and bumped my husband’s hip, pretending that it’d all been a show. A laugh. That I’d just been goading him to get a reaction.
That I wasn’t a witch in Mass, standing amongst my enemies and worshipping someone else’s god.

Lou agrees to marry Reid, a witch-hunter, as he can also offer protection from those who are hunting her. Reid, despite his initial scorn towards Lou, agrees to marry her and protect her.

It was fun seeing the progression of their relationship; their good-natured bickering and Reid slowly welcoming Lou into his life. This slow-burning romance climaxed into an explicit sex scene which made me wonder why it was categorized as YA. The characters act mature enough and the themes justify this book to be placed under NA rather than YA.

There wasn’t much world-building to speak of and this is what I missed during my first read. Sure, the writing is magical and so is the romance; there are well-placed plot twists and lots of well-timed action that made this book very addictive. However, it could have been more magical if there was good world-building at play. The magical system was very unique; some witches used blood while others offered some sort of sacrifice in exchange for using magic. Since this is the first book in a series, I have high hopes that the world is going to expand and we’re going to get a deeper look into the world of Lou and Reid.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book if you love enemies to lovers, slow-burn and marriage of convenience tropes; fantasy about witches set in 17th century France, smartass and badass female characters, amazing female friendships, morally grey characters, an intricate magical system, and engaging writing.

Thanks to the publisher for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

– About the Author –

Shelby Mahurin grew up on a small farm in rural Indiana, where sticks became wands and cows became dragons. Her rampant imagination didn’t fade with age, so she continues to play make-believe every day—with words now instead of cows. When not writing, Shelby watches the Office and obsesses over her Twitter feed. She still lives near that childhood farm with her very tall husband, semi-feral toddlers, two dogs, and one cat.

Shelby’s favorite books include A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and, of course, Harry Potter.

Her debut novel, SERPENT & DOVE, will release from Harper Teen in Fall 2019, with a sequel to come the following year. She is represented by Sarah Landis of Sterling Lord Literistic.

For more about Shelby, visit her website and her Goodreads page, or follow her on Twitter.

Thank you for reading! Have you read Serpent & Dove? Is it on your wish-list? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Blog Tour: How the Light Gets In, written by Katy Upperman | Review & International Giveaway

How the Light Gets In, written by Katy Upperman

How the Light Gets In by Katy Upperman

Publication date: August 6, 2019
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Pages: 368
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Buy: Book Depository | Wordery

Synopsis:

Since her sister’s tragic death, seventeen-year-old Callie Ryan has basically given up. Her grades have plummeted, she’s quit her swim team, and she barely recognizes the people her parents have become.

When she returns to her aunt’s run-down coastal Victorian one year after Chloe’s death, Callie resigns herself to a summer of guilt and home renovations. She doesn’t expect to be charmed by the tiny coastal town or by Tucker Morgan, a local boy brimming with sunshine.

But even as her days begin to brighten, Callie’s nights are crowded with chilling dreams, unanswered questions, and eerie phenomenon that have her convinced she’s being haunted. Will Callie be able to figure out what her sister is trying to communicate before it’s too late?

– My Thoughts –

This book is SO good!!! How the Light Gets In is a perfect mix of YA contemporary, romance and paranormal. This haunting tale is about Callie who has lost her sister almost a year ago and she doesn’t know how to live on. Her father can’t see her spiraling so he sends her to live with her Aunt Lucy in Bell Cove, to help her renovate an old inn. When Callie arrives at the old inn, she meets a guy called Tucker Morgan and her dead sister.

I did NOT see this coming! The moment since Callie starts to find Chloe’s things in her room at Bell Cove, I was hooked. At first, she suspects her Aunt Lucy of playing tricks on her but later, she finds out how wrong she is. It seems that even in death, the sisters’ bond remains unbroken and that proves troublesome for Callie who finds herself in danger every time she converses with Chloe’s ghost. If this isn’t intriguing enough for you, then let me tell you about the slow-burn romance between Callie and Tucker, which is one of the best things about the book. Like the old inn, Callie lives in, Tucker is not without secrets and I didn’t expect his secrets to having a connection with Callie.

I’m not a believer in paranormal but I’ve seen people go to seances where they hope to communicate with their dead loved ones. It is said it helps bring peace and perhaps, closure. I don’t normally write my musings in my reviews but this book hit me hard. I know the feeling of wanting so badly to talk to a dead loved one for one last time. Katy Upperman has beautifully written characters dealing with the death of a loved one while piecing themselves back together. From the quiet small town with its secrets to the mysterious incidents in the house to Callie and Tucker’s romance felt real. It felt as if the book ended too soon.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book if you love Katy Upperman’s books, YA contemporary with a twist, romance with some angst, small towns with lots of secrets, and relatable characters. Please pre-order this order this book or request at your nearest library or borrow it from someone!! You won’t regret reading this.

Thanks to the publisher for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

– About the Author –

Katy’s debut novel, Kissing Max Holden, was published August 1, 2017, and her sophomore effort, The Impossibility of Us, released July 31, 2018. Her third novel, How the Light Gets In, will be out August 6, 2019. All three books are with Swoon Reads/Macmillan. She’s represented by Victoria Marini of the Irene Goodman Agency.

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