BLOG TOUR - REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: The Devil's Metal (Devils #1) by Karina Halle

It’s the summer of 1974 and 21-year old Dawn Emerson has only three things she wants to do: compete one last time in the Ellensburg Rodeo, win back her ex-boyfriend Ryan, and become the best damn music journalist at Central Washington University. But all her plans are left in the dust when she’s contacted by Creem magazine to go on the road with one of her favorite groups, the up-and-coming metal band, Hybrid. 

At first the assignment reads like a dream come true. Not only will Dawn land some much-needed credibility as a female music journalist, but she’ll finally get to experience life from the other side of the stage, and maybe crack the drunken, enigmatic code that is guitarist Sage Knightly. Instead, Dawn finds herself on an aging tour bus filled with ego-maniacs, band politics and a whole lot of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. When monsters start showing up in dressing rooms and some of Sage’s groupies become increasingly strange and dangerous, Dawn discovers the band is not only going places – they’re going straight to Hell. 

And Dawn has a backstage pass.

Additional info: the Devil's Metal is a New Adult Paranormal Romance

Author Info:

Karina Halle is a music journalist and all around wino who resides in beautiful British Columbia. When she's not rocking out or taking a nap, she can be found writing her ghost-hunting Experiment in Terror Series. 

Links: Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts:

If there's one thing I love just as much as books, it's music. And really for me they are tied together. I'm a lover of words and the person who has the ability to write words that make me pause and allow me to lose myself in the beauty of them is someone who I consider pretty special. As with a book where I can lose myself for hours, so can a phrase in a song bring me the same pleasure with the emotions it can conjure. The Devil's Metal entwines words and music so perfectly!!

Be warned!! This is NOT a Young Adult novel. It is classed as New Adult and is full of sex, drugs and rock and roll!! The sex is descriptive, the drugs are readily available and the rock and roll is epic!! You can also add into that quite a bit of swearing. But damn if I didn't love every minute of it!!

It's the steamy hot summer of 1974 and Dawn Emerson has been contacted out of the blue by Creem magazine and been offered the gig of a lifetime. Her favourite band Hybrid are just about to go on tour and Dawn will be the journalist who writes about all their on road exploits. Dawn is thrust into the world of Hybrid and is seeing and experiencing things that she never has before. But she takes it all in her stride and doesn't take any crap from anyone. And how will she handle being in such close proximity to the man whose posters she has on her wall. The man who is her musical crush, Sage Knightly. But then not long into the tour she starts seeing and hearing strange things. At first she tries to write them off, but eventually they can't be ignored.

Karina Halle has written characters that are so different and diverse and so full of depth. Each one is very different from the next. And I loved them all. Dawn who has such a load to bear, who at times appears vulnerable and then at other times she is so incredibly strong. And then we have Sage Knightly. He oozes sex. But he's also broody, deep and mysterious. I loved that their wasn't an instant love. Attraction and lust? Oh, that's definitely there. But things between them move at a wonderfully teasing pace. And I loved that Sage would come out with these little snippets of conversation that would make me stop and go back just to reread what he had said...

"She's just people. We all are. Just because you're in a band doesn't mean you stop having human problems, Fame, money... that doesn't fix those things. Those things will always find you."

"To really understand music, to love it for what it is, you have to be open-minded and go into everything thinking you might find a new part of yourself. It can only make your heart bigger."

And the demons in the story, they were seriously creepy. Definitely not your usual paranormal fair. And at first things are just a bit off. Some things just don't feel right, but that escalates and you have these fantastic scenes of pure evilness!!

And while the ending isn't a super huge cliffhanger it definitely gives you an "oh boy" moment when you think about what could possibly be coming in the next book. Which by the way can't come quick enough for me!! I will definitely be reading more of Karina Halle's work. The Devil's Metal was simply awesome!!

5/5 Stars!

You can check out the rest of the stops on the tour at SupaGurl Tours

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GUEST REVIEW: Immortal Embrace (Embrace #1) by Charlotte Blackwell

Sophia Pierce has suffered since her brother left, and is unsure if she will ever get over it. That is until her family decided to move to Wenham, Massachusetts. Her and her siblings have been ordered to protect their little sister, and must return to High school. This is where Sophia finds her soul mate Nathanial and life as she knows it is about to change.

As a vampire, Sophia has always kept to herself, but as a high school student will she learn to step out of her comfort zone a little? Sophia has found a best friend in a powerful witch and a love to call her own. That is until something tragic happens and blood is spilled. Will Sophia be able to resist the sweet scent of her beloved's blood?

This is Sophia's story, a story of a girl who finds herself, love and everlasting friendship. The excitement of this story wraps mortals, vampires, witches, and shape shifters all into a romantic tale of young love, friendship, the meaning of family. The story of a girl who tries to finds herself when she thought it was all lost.

Review:

This is the story of a teenage girl named Sophia and her family, all of which are vampires.  Although they are vampires, they live among humans.  So that neighbors do not get suspicious of them, they have to relocate places to live about every 10 years.  Samantha and her family return to a town they once lived in before and get settled.  On the first day of high school for Sophia and her siblings, Sophia bumps into a boy named Nathaniel.  Their attraction to each other is instantaneous, intense and cannot be denied.  Sophia acknowledges her feelings for Nathaniel but struggles with them based on a prior incident that happened 30 years with her brother and his lover, a human woman.  Sophia would never want to harm Nathaniel.  As hard as she tries to fight it, she cannot deny that Nathaniel and she are soulmates.  She realizes she can no longer fight it and decides to give in to the fact that they are meant to be together.  For the first time in her long life, she is in love and feels happy and complete but she knows it cannot last forever.  Throw in the fact that each vampire has a special power, the family is friends with witches and that there are bad vampires lurking around and you have a great story.

This book is part of a series.  I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down!  It very much reminded me of parts of Twilight.  I loved the writing and the detail, as well as the characters and the story.  The relationship between Nathaniel and Sophia is so sweet.  They are so in love but Sophia realizes they cannot be together forever which is sad. It makes you wonder what will be the outcome for them in the next books- will Nathaniel be changed into a vampire or not.  The siblings’ relationships with each other as well as their parents and Nathaniel’s family are also very sweet.  I am ready to jump into book 2!!!

5/5 Stars!

Reviewed by 

Virginia Tesi Carey for YA Book Addict

Buy Links: Barnes & Noble l Amazon

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT & EXCERPT: Debra Chapoton

Debra Chapoton has taught kids of all ages in her main career as a teacher. She has a BA in Spanish and a Master of Arts degree in Teaching English. She started writing in 2002 and was surprised to find out that the characters quickly take over the action and dialogue in the stories.

Her first YA novel, Edge of Escape, was self-published and then discovered by Piper Verlag Publishing and translated into German. Stalking and obsession get a sympathetic twist in this story of physical and psychological survival.

Her second YA novel, Sheltered, detours into a different genre as she writes about five teens who confront supernatural forces. Two boys and three girls all harbor secrets which make some of them susceptible to demon possession. Embracing all things supernatural might protect them, but are they ready for the consequences?

Chapoton has also written eleven chapter books for middle grade kids and a non-fiction work for adults, Crossing the Scriptures.

When she’s not writing Chapoton enjoys the quiet of the full log home she designed and built with her husband. They live in the middle of 62 acres of beautiful woods in northern Michigan.

Edge of Escape
Emotionally impaired yet clever, Eddie obsesses over the most popular girl. He drugs her, abducts her and locks her away. She escapes, but that is part of his plan as he pretends to be her knight in shining armor. Will she accept his special devotion or reject his fragile love? Stalking gets a sympathetic twist in this story of fixation and fear. 

Sheltered

Living together unsupervised, five troubled teens confront demonic forces and are compelled to deal with their problems in distinctly different ways. Paranormal meets psycho meets Goth in this story of a supernatural haunting and budding love.

High school junior, Ben, hacks into his step-father's real estate holdings and provides rooms in an old two-story house to various outcasts: the schizophrenic kid, the angry Goth girl, and the homeless girl who worships him. When Megan needs a place to live she comes to the rooming house with a different set of problems and the ability to confuse and attract Ben.

One by one strange and mysterious occurrences stretch the teens’ beliefs in the supernatural. How they deal with demons, real and imagined, has tragic as well as redeeming consequences.

Excerpt from Sheltered:

 Prologue

Next Wednesday

Emily knew the precise moment that Ben returned, she felt him in her scars. She watched him carry some things to the house, heard the door close; she smiled when she heard him call out that Santa was here. He did that once before, in early December, insisting that she accept the gift he held out, not wanting her to wait until Christmas to use the mittens he knew she needed.

She went toward her door now, wondered what he had brought, and then heard Megan’s voice below. Oh no, he probably brought something for her. She scuttled back to her nest by the window and stared outside, was still staring fifteen minutes later when she saw them walk down the street, Ben shouldering a shovel, his other hand knotted with Megan’s.

She touched the skin on her arms, lightly at first, making it tingle. The image of Ben with Megan multiplied across her mind in broken mirrors, a repugnant picture that reflected her own self-loathing. She scratched at her scabs, felt the pricks of pain force away the ticklish sensations. She closed her eyes.

When she opened them she saw a figure standing at her door.

“Who–?” she started, but the figment waned to less than a shadow. Still, though, there was something at her door.

She rose slowly and held her hand out.

Its face was more womanly now, friendly, motherly. Yes, she knew this face. Its pearly white skin so shocking against the ruby lips, the stringy hair a match to her own. Her mother.

She stretched her fingers toward the face. The hallucination faded then sharpened. The eyes began to blaze. She drew her hands back to her own face. What’s wrong with me?  The delusion grieved Emily; all around her fluttered a longing.

And a deadly fear.

Links: 

Websites: www.edgeofescape.blogspot.com

                www.bigpinelodgebooks.com

Title: Sheltered

Purchase Links: Available in Paperback and Digital 

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008TQ0PB6

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Sheltered-Debra-Chapoton/dp/1475249993/ref=sr

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sheltered-debra-chapoton/1112412513?ean=2940014940177

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChapChica

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/DebraChapoton

COVER REVEAL: Forbidden Forest ( Legends of Regia, #1) by Tenaya Jayne

Book Blurb

Born in shame. Cast from society. Shape Shifter/Elf hybrid, Forest must fight for any respect she can get. Targeted in her youth by a vampire noble who placed an illegal slave mark on her, she is forced to obey him, no matter what.

Slipping the grip of her master and abandoning the prejudice of Regia, her native world, Forest takes a job on Earth, guarding the portal, using her skills as a warrior to enforce Regia's laws. Now, called home for a black ops mission, Forest must put aside her own prejudice to transport the vampire prince, Syrus, through enemy territory in a time of war. 

Prince Syrus, mage and master of the Blood Kata, wants Forest more than he's ever wanted anything. In spite of their mutual mistrust, their attraction cannot be denied. Through the danger of their mission, and the secrets they both keep, it doesn't matter what they feel. Forest is forbidden.  

Author Links

Purchase on Amazon

Website

Book Trailer

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT & GIVEAWAY: Tempest C. Avery

Tempest C. Avery recently graduated from college with a creative writing degree. Along with the Mirror Warrior Novels, she has a trilogy that she's been slaving away at. However, unlike with the M.W's, these books are for young adults. She loves to read and write, and TALK about reading and writing, so if you've read any good books lately, drop her a line! Questions and comments about her work is always appreciated, though try and be gentle. Criticism is great, as long as it's constructive. 

Where Thy Dark Eye Glances (The Dreamer Trilogy #0.5)

Three hundred years ago Lily Bryg was someone else. Now, she's dealing with demons from the past in the form of ghosts, fairies, and even a dream stalker bent on convincing her they belong together. As a witch, Lily has an advantage. But that all changes when she's summoned back to the third realm she she used to live. And where she died.

With the help of a Shade, a tattoo artist, and her three best friends, Lily tries to escape the faeries out to get her, and the evil king who wants to make her his consort. Ronan will stop at nothing to have her back, and she'll stop at nothing to keep that from happening. Too bad her life isn't the only one on the line, and returning to Bevain might be the only way to save herself, and the world. 

All That We See Or Seem (The Dreamer Trilogy #1)

Lily Bryg's just been sucked back into the realm where she was born. And where she died. Only problem is, that was well over three hundred years ago, and most of her memories of the place have disappeared. With an evil king out to make her his, and a prophecy looming over her head, can she and her friends find a way to stay alive and out of Ronan's clutches? 

Dodging witches, demons, faeries, dragons, and much, much more, the Four are just beginning to realize that having power comes with a lot of responsibility. And sacrifice. But one question stands out among the rest, haunting Lily through out the nights and days. Should she fight Ronan and risk everything, or should she give up her freedom to the gorgeous, yet wicked, king in order to possibly save her friends? 

Wanderers of the Night (The Dreamer Trilogy #2)

Seventeen year old witch, Lily Bryg, is about to realize there's more to the three realms then she thought. In the past month she's fallen for a werewolf, met a dragon, and found out her life was depicted in an age old prophecy. Now, she needs to figure out how to get into Sidhe, the realm of the fey, in order to rescue a kidnapped friend, all while trying to win a bet she made with an evil king hell bent on making her his queen. Lily doesn't know if she believes in soul mates, but she's torn between hoping he isn't hers and being eerily drawn to him. With the help of her three best friends, a raven, and a white wolf she needs to put her heart aside and focus on fulfilling the prophecy. Everything she knows about faeries tells her they can't be trusted, but when her own coven starts to break apart she's forced to rely on anyone she can get.

If Lily can't save her kidnapped friends and convince them not to fall under the sway of dark magic, she'll have to willingly go to the evil king Ronan. He's been trying to convince her they belong together for years, and she's starting to fear he might be right. Add in the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and Lily's task isn't looking any easier. If that weren't bad enough, it turns out she's just got a penchant for werewolves. 

Can Lily over come the three realms, or will she succumb to the wanderers of the night before she ever gets the chance?

The Coven: Uninvited

There were twelve founding families in all. Six of them left. Six of them stayed. 

Caley Leora is a witch. Has been her whole life. Sometime's, she regrets living on Wes Melas, an island where everyone knows who she is, and what she is. But for the most part, even with the demon's and the spirits, she likes her life, especially since she's just recently been appointed head of her coven. Suddenly, though, her world's flipped upside down with the arrival of six new families, or old families, and they have a coven as well. And they are not alone. Now, Caley's got to struggle between her attractions to Shia, this new coven's leader, and Bane who everyone tells her is evil. Not only that, but there's a killer on the island, hell bent on taking over. 

Can Caley and the others put aside their differences, and their families pasts, in order to save their home, and possibly the world? Separate, they aren't nearly strong enough, but together, they can form the most powerful sect of witches on the planet. They can form The Coven.

Download The Coven: Uninvited for free on Smashwords

Links: Goodreads l Blog l Smashwords l wattpad l Lulu

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BLOG TOUR - PROMO & GIVEAWAY: Bewitched (Heven and Hell #2.5) by Cambria Hebert

I'm so excited today to bring you a promo and giveaway for the latest release in the Heven and Hell series, Bewitched by Cambria Hebert. What I've read of this series so far is awesome and I can't wait to read more!!

For years, I accepted that Heven was more popular than me. I never liked it but I lived with it. I walked in her shadow, I stood by her when no one else would. When I finally thought her spotlight was mine things began to change. She began to change. Now she hardly ever calls me back, she spends all her time with her hot new boyfriend and everyone at school thinks she’s back on top. She had it all. But apparently she wants more. She wants Cole – my boyfriend. What’s worse is that it looks like she got him. I’ve had enough and she’s going to be sorry. Why?

Because I am bewitched.

Links: Amazon l Barnes & Noble

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A Bite of Magic BOOK BLAST & GIVEAWAY

Magic isn't a handful of sparkling dust, a star-topped wand, or a tame word captured on parchment.

It's alive. It has a mind of its own. And it's hungry.

To celebrate the release of Slippers of Pearl and Bitten: A Novel of Faerie, I'd like to offer a bite of magic to all those who love kidlit--and fairy tales in particular. There will be eleven winners and six different prizes available:

A Bite of Cobbler

3 Chapter Sample Here

Shoes, unlike magic, are predictable. They don’t change shape, bite, or alter a person’s destiny.

And that’s just how Faryn likes it.

But his Uncle Harvey has a bad habit of dying. While inconvenient, this hasn’t ever been a problem until now. Thanks to an evil witch and a poisoned apple turnover, Harvey is dead again—permanently this time.

As his uncle’s heir, Faryn has to give up shoemaking in order to accept and refine his magic.

Magic he never wanted.

Unwilling to let go of his dream, but unable to escape his destiny, Faryn combines the two and discovers a knack for making magical shoes. He also learns that turning a person into a goose is a lot easier than turning her back, and that he severely underestimated how much trouble magic can be.

The witch who killed his uncle is trying to control all the magic of the land, and it’s up to Faryn to stop her. If only he can get his magic to cooperate in time. 

an autographed copy of Slippers of Pearl

a magical pouch to keep it in

and a Slippers of Pearl bookmark

A Bite of Faerie

(Available October 2nd-ish)

Fourteen-year-old Cherrie Wilding stopped believing in fairies after her Grams had a stroke that left her a silent, empty stranger. But whether she believes in them or not, one of them bit her, and now the venom is spreading through her system and causing  . . . complications. Like an allergy to iron and a craving for milk.

It turns out that fairy venom has the power to turn mortals into small, winged versions of themselves. And it gets better. Grams's stroke was the result of her light—her fairy soul—being stolen. The fairy who bit Cherrie demands her to help steal Grams’s light back. 

As much as Cherrie wants to save Grams, her need to protect her older brother from the fairies and the rest of the real world wins out. Who knows what lurks in a world populated by winged menaces? But when the fairy talks Cherrie’s brother into going to the fairy realm, Cherrie mounts a rescue attempt to save him. To her surprise, it’s not her brother who needs rescuing—it’s the fairies. Someone is stealing their lights and imprisoning them, and it’s up to Cherrie and her brother to free them. But saving the fairies, keeping her brother safe, and returning home requires the help of the Phoenix. And the price for his aid doesn’t come cheap. If Cherrie wants to succeed, she must be willing to part with her greatest possession: her heart.

an autographed copy of Bitten: A Novel of Faerie

a faerie habitat

a Bitten bookmark

A Bite of Books

1 $25 Amazon Gift Card

Two Bites of Music

2 $15 iTunes Gift Cards

Six Bites of Braun Books Certificates

6 $10 gift certificates to Braun Books; redeemable in store or through Amazon

(A special thanks to Megan at Braun Books!)

To enter, leave a comment. Extra entries available through the Rafflecopter below.

Thank you to all, and best of luck!

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