Seventeen-year-old Layla Labelle, though, is far from normal. Her delusions walk the earth. Her hallucinations hunt her, and her skin heats to a burn every time her anger flares.
Or is that all in her head?
Layla doesn't know what to believe any more because if none of that’s true, Max MacLarnon must be an illusion, and her heart must still be broken.
No matter how much she wants to believe Max is real, doing so would mean everything else is, too. How, then, is that possible?
The answers lie in an age-old legend the supernatural aren’t prepared to reveal, and with a curse that could tear Layla and Max apart forever—if it doesn’t kill them both first.
In TIED, book one in the Fire Born trilogy, learning the truth will mean fighting an arsenal of demons, and being with Max will put Layla on a path toward her own destruction.
Just how far will Layla go to protect the one she loves?
The answer may never be far enough ... away.
EXCERPT:
My window opened easily. The same way
it had so many times before. Climbing out on the ledge, I found the ground
empty and dropped from the second floor—a jump I'd made a hundred times. In
another life.
My feet sunk into the sand, and I
followed the well-worn pathway through the dunes. Even the strong evening winds
hadn’t misshaped the deep gully. The ocean's breeze lashed at my hair as the
moonlight glinted off the water’s surface. Seagulls flew up from their nesting
grounds. They should have recognized me, since I’d been wandering at night for
so long. Wrapping my arms around my knees to block the slight chill, I settled
in the sand, and the birds quieted in a tight huddle, the wind blowing their
feathers in awkward angles.
My gaze fell on a figure standing
beyond the dunes edge, a shadow hidden within the darkness. My pulse quickened,
but I didn't move. Another trick—an illusion. Weary of the games my mind
continued to play, I bit back tears and the catch in my throat. I should have
been immune to them—the hallucinations—the way they haunted me and followed me,
but I wasn’t.
Forcing myself to blink, I turned my
head away. The visions had grown worse as I’d become older. I’d tried to
convince myself they were nightmares—or weird dreams. Hoped for years they
were, but only people who sleep dream.
Unable, or unwilling to stop myself, I
glanced back over my shoulder, thoughts flooding my brain. Memories I knew
couldn’t be memories but I cherished all the same. For years I’d tried to shake
them away. To make myself forget.
I couldn’t.
#**#**#
A stone raps against my bedroom window.
I creep over and peer through the blinds.
"You’re late." I lean out
over the sill, grinning at the boy staring up at me.
"Come on, let’s go before she
comes," he says.
I climb onto the window ledge. "Be
nice. She’s my friend."
"Okay. Jump." He waves at me
to go faster.
"Move, and I will."
He takes one casual step to the side.
The jump isn’t too high; I make it all
the time.
He grabs my hand when I land beside him
in the soft sand. "Ready?"
I nod.
"One, two …"
"I’m going to tell!" Benny
runs across my yard toward me, her blonde pigtails flapping in the wind.
"You’re not allowed to talk to that boy, Layla! Your mom said!"
Max tightens his grip on my hand.
"Shut up, Benny! I'm old
enough."
"You’re only nine. Don't go!
"
"Three!" Max and I leave the
ground.
“You're going to get in so much
trouble.” Benny’s yell rings in the distance.
Our feet touch down in the wet grass of
the Otherworld, icy sea air whipping at my face.
"Hopefully, she won’t follow us
again." Max lets go of my hand.
"She won’t. I told her not
to." I lead the way down the cliff face to the ocean.
"She never listens to you."
My Thoughts:
"From the ashes of old,
They shall rise.
The last of the Ancients,
Foe and Ally.
The Legend lies in wait,
And bides its time.
Until at last the day comes,
For the children born of fire."
Layla Labelle feels like she is losing her mind. Haunted by dreams, or are they actually memories? Layla's not really sure. All she knows is that Max, the boy who plays a big part in these visions, seems to be real. The feelings she has for him sure seem to be real. But there are plenty of things being kept from Layla. Lies and betrayal. How will she feel once the truths start to surface?
I found Tied to be a little bit disjointed to start with. I wasn't quite catching on to what everything was meaning and I felt just as Layla did, a little confused and left in the dark. But then at around the twenty five percent mark, things started becoming clearer to me and I was able to settle in and really enjoy the book from then on out.
There are plenty of paranormal elements and beings throughout the story to really keep things interesting. As well as switching between worlds we get quite a few looks into the past to get a better understanding of what has lead things to be the way that they are in the present. There is also lots of action throughout the book and there really isn't ever a dull moment.
The romance between Layla and Max was sweet, and loving. Somewhat forbidden but unable to fight the pull and attraction they feel towards each other. Each of them will do whatever it takes to protect the other.
The supporting characters I felt where just that. While they impact on the story all to varying degrees, I felt that I didn't really get to know them all very well. Benny is probably the one that we get the most insight too. She is Layla's best friend but I have to say that I didn't really feel it. Layla seemed to be always trying to avoid her or getting cranky with her for her concern.
The title of the book really fits the story perfectly. I can't really say more than that without giving away a good portion of the plot, but I really loved how it all tied in together.
Overall I found Tied to be well written and the pace of things really picked up as we got more involved with the story. We are left with quite a bit of a cliffhanger but the scene is set for plenty of action in the next book. And I for one am looking forward to it!!
Many thanks to Laney McMann and J. Taylor Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Tied.
4/5 Stars.
Author Bio:
With a passion for the supernatural and all things magical,
Laney developed a voracious appetite for reading fantasy at a young age. A
vivid imagination helped set the stage for creating her own worlds and placed
her onto the writing path.
By the time she reached her teens, she'd accumulated
notebooks full of poems, which led to short stories and finally novels. Young
adult dark fantasy, paranormal romance, and mythology are among her favorite
genres.
A former classical dancer and chef, she grew up in sultry
Florida where she still resides with her family.
You can find my occasional ramblings on Twitter.
My Facebook Profile for inspiration and randomness.
Updates on The Fire Born Novels at my Facebook Author Page
My interests on Pinterest.
And I'm now on Tumblr ,too.
You can also contact me by email at:
laneymcmannyaauthor(at)gmail(dot)com
Thank you for hosting me today and taking the time to write a review. :)
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