Waiting on Wednesday: The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Shadow Prince

Into the Dark #1

Author: Bree Despain

Release Date: March 11th 2014

Publisher: Egmont

Haden Lord, the disgraced prince of the Underrealm, has been sent to the mortal world to entice a girl into returning with him to the land of the dead. Posing as a student at Olympus Hills High—a haven for children of the rich and famous—Haden must single out the one girl rumored to be able to restore immortality to his race.

Daphne Raines has dreams much bigger than her tiny southern Utah town, so when her rock star dad suddenly reappears, offering her full tuition to Olympus Hills High’s prestigious music program, she sees an opportunity to catch the break she needs to make it as a singer. But upon moving into her estranged father’s mansion in California, and attending her glamorous new school, Daphne soon realizes she isn’t the only student in Olympus who doesn’t quite belong.

Haden and Daphne—destined for each other—know nothing of the true stakes their fated courtship entails. As war between the gods brews, the teenagers’ lives collide. But Daphne won’t be wooed easily and when it seems their prophesied link could happen, Haden realizes something he never intended—he’s fallen in love. Now to save themselves, Haden and Daphne must rewrite their destinies. But as their destinies change, so do the fates of both their worlds.

A pulsating romance of epic proportions, Bree Despain’s The Shadow Prince will leave her fans breathless for the next book in the Into The Dark series.

Waiting on Wednesday: White Space by Ilsa J. Bick

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

WHITE SPACE

Dark Passages #1

Author: Ilsa J. Bick

Release Date: February 11th 2014

Publisher: Egmont USA

Ilsa Bick’s WHITE SPACE, pitched as The Matrix meets Inkheart, about a seventeen-year-old girl who jumps between the lines of books and into the white space where realities are created and destroyed – but who may herself be nothing more than a character written into being from an alternative universe, to Greg Ferguson at Egmont, in a two-book deal, by Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (NA).

This book sounds like it will be Fantastic! Bick's Ashes trilogy is great, so I know that White Space will be just as great. 

INFINITYGLASS Book Birthday | Myra McEntire | Reviews | Giveaway

Happy Book Birthday to INFINITYGLASS!

Infinityglass is the third book in the Hourglass series by Myra McEntire. The first is Hourglass followed by Timepeice. To celebrate the release of INFINITYGLASS, we have a fabulous giveaway to share with you!

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The stakes have risen even higher in this third book in the Hourglass series.

The Hourglass is a secret organization focused on the study of manipulating time, and its members — many of them teenagers -­have uncanny abilities to make time work for them in mysterious ways. Inherent in these powers is a responsibility to take great care, because altering one small moment can have devastating consequences for the past, present, and future. But some time trav­elers are not exactly honorable, and sometimes unsavory deals must be struck to maintain order.

With the Infinityglass (central to understanding and harnessing the time gene) at large, the hunt is on to find it before someone else does.

But the Hourglass has an advantage. Lily, who has the ability to locate anything lost, has determined that the Infinityglass isn’t an object. It’s a person. And the Hourglass must find him or her first. But where do you start searching for the very key to time when every second could be the last?

To Purchase All 3 Books in the Series Click Here

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About Myra McEntire:

Myra McEntire has had her nose in a book since she could hold one. She was once caught reading in the shower (true story) and only stopped when her father disconnected the hot water heater. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and two boys.

You can visit her online at www.myramcentire.com or follow her on twitter at @MyraMcEntire

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Giveaway Deets:

What can you win:

All 3 books in the series (HOURGLASS, TIMEPIECE and INFINITYGLASS) and a special item…. it’s perfect for a series that’s all about time travel — a “melting” clock that’s designed to “hang” from a bookshelf!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Check out each review for all 3 books in the series:

I have had Hourglass on my shelf at home for a while and I have to say that I am over the moon that I finally got to sit down and read it. Myra McEntire has written a wonderful story. In fact, I think it's so wonderful I can't figure out why it gets less than a 4 star rating on goodreads.com.

Hourglass centers around Emerson Cole whom at seventeen years old feels like a complete head case because she can see things that nobody else sees. She sees apparitions and has been seeing them since her parents death. Her older brother Thomas has been trying to help her for years, finally resorting to hiring a consultant with the Hourglass, a secret organization that specializes in time related abilities.

Michael Weaver makes Emerson feel safe and does everything he can to show her that she is not crazy. Michael and Emerson are just two people who posses the time gene and are known as Travelers. When two Travelers get together, they can move backwards and forwards in time with the help of a little dark matter. But they have to work in pairs and when they pair up there is electricity that fills the air around them. Their connection is so electric it literally blows out light bulbs and any electronics when they touch one another.

Michael needs Emerson's help to go back in time to set right something that once went horribly wrong, but they will have to be extra careful not to set the space continuum out of order. Everything must stay as close to what occurred six months ago as they can.

I'm becoming a fan more and more of books like this. A little science fiction, a little paranormal aspect and throw in a really adorable romance with just enough sizzle between your two main characters to keep your pulse racing and you've got yourself a hit in my opinion. The Hourglass is filled with wonderful characters. Obviously I love Emerson and Michael but we also meet Kaleb, Lilly, Dune and Nate in this story. Each has a wonderful background that gets shared as the series progresses. Pick up Timepiece to continue the Hourglass trilogy and look for my review shortly!

It just keeps getting better and better. I just can't get enough of this story. I was completely blown away when I realized that Timepiece is not from Emerson's or Michael's point of view. It's from Kaleb's point of view. I will say it felt a little strange at first, walking around inside Kaleb's head when we'd just come to fall in love with Em and Michael but this was a nice change of pace.

Kaleb is the tatted up and pierced, brooding bad boy of the Hourglass. He's got a strong heart but when his father died in a fire and his went into a coma, Kaleb turned to tattoos, booze and piercing parlors to deal with his grief. Then he turned to Emerson who fell in love with Michael, Kaleb's best friend. Now Kaleb's father, Liam, is back from the dead after Emerson and Michael's heroic rescue in Hourglass and Kaleb feels like he's still playing second son behind Michael. His father never trusts him with new information and rarely if ever asks his opinion, he just treats him like the child he once was instead of the capable young adult he has grown into.

The Hourglass team is back and they are fighting to repair the space continuum and try to put down Jack Landers in the process. Jack is responsible for all of their troubles but he holds over their heads the fact that he is now able to steal memories from each of them the way he did to Emerson when her parents were killed and likewise the way he stole Kaleb's mother's memories, causing her ultimately to sink into a coma from despair over Kaleb's father's death.

The stakes have never been higher for the Hourglass team. Kaleb ends up having to work with a girl who despises him for trying to put the moves on her at a Halloween party. Lilly Garcia is Emerson's best friend, but she is a feisty little thing who as fate would have it can locate things without seeing them, all she needs is a map. Lilly's locating skills and Kaleb's empathy create a dynamic duo and a force to be reckoned with where Jack Landers is concerned.

I love how the story has progressed from Hourglass. I loved how Kaleb and Lilly work together with their quick with and often playful banter back and forth. Their sizzle is subtle but it is there and I love how they both work it out in their head as to what is happening between them even though they still claim to dislike one another. I love how the team is working harder than ever together to try to right the wrongs with the time continuum and how hard Kaleb is fighting to save his mother's memories and also to protect Emerson from any more of Jack's wrath where her time line is concerned. Kaleb would do anything for his friends and that's what makes him one of my favorite characters in this series!

I am so glad that I read the Hourglass all at once and did not have to wait for any of the books to release because waiting would have made me crazy, that's how much I love this series. Myra McEntire has created such a unique and beautiful story and she makes you feel for each of her characters. Every emotion is there on the page and you're feeling it right along with the characters of her stories.

Infinityglass picks up where Timepiece leaves off. The Hourglass team has just found out that Lily has located the Infinityglass, something long believed to be a myth in the world of Horology. Dune is the hero of our story this time and he has been obsessed with all things relating to the Infinityglass for years. But he's stunned speechless when he finds out that it is in fact not a thing at all but rather a person. Not just any person, Hallie is a seventeen year old girl living in New Orleans who loves to dance and as he later finds out, can transmogrify or alter her appearance at will.

The Hourglass team is lead this time by Dune to New Orleans to protect the Infinityglass from falling into the wrong hands. They must figure out how to activate the time gene within Hallie and figure out how they can harness her power in order to right the time continuum before they all cease to exist.

What a powerful ending and such a fabulous way to wrap up this amazing trilogy. I was reading furiously this morning with bated breath but kept trying to slow down and savor all of the elements that have brought the characters to this time and place. It was a wild ride and I was sorry to see it end but as they say, "All good things must come to an end" and indeed they did. Bravo Myra, I am now and forever will be a fan of yours.

 gives all 3 reviews: 

Blog Tour: Triple Threat Blog Tour - Kate Ellison

Welcome to Stop #9 on the Triple Threat Blog Tour featuring Myra McEntire, Kate Ellison and Jennifer Lynn Barnes! Today we welcome Kate Ellison author of Notes from Ghost Town and The Butterfly Clues. Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this post for a great giveaway OUaT is hosting and for details on the Triple Threat Blog Tour grand prize giveaway!

The Triple Threat Blog tour is hosted by Media Masters Publicity and you can view the full Triple Threat blog tour schedule by CLICKING HERE.

Follow Kate Ellison via: Web • Blog • Goodreads • Facebook • Art • Etsy • Bio

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Kate Ellison's Notes from Ghost Town weaves tale of not just mystery and unspoken love, but mental illness as well. Kate share's her thoughts and personal experience on the topic:

Mental Illness in the Family

Though no one in my immediate family was mentally ill (or not in any diagnosed way, at least), I grew up around it in many respects. It was a sort of veil that seemed to hang over our heads. My mother always described her own mother as being more of a body than a mother, a woman who would lock herself in her bedroom all day and do the bare minimum required of parenthood, and of living itself, I think. She was later diagnosed as having a chemical imbalance, which she attempted to remedy through various means, included electroshock therapy, but none of which worked for very long. My mother's sister was also likely schizophrenic, and though I hadn't seen her since I was six years old (she died recently), would sometimes flare back into the family sphere by calling up in the middle of night for weeks at a time, making all sorts of insane claims about things which were almost certainly hallucinations or extreme paranoias, and for which she was seeking financial assistance. And—wow—not to make this a laundry list of my own familial craziness, but, I've also got a very close cousin who had an undiagnosed, but severe, case of OCD which plagued both of our lives, since I spent so much of mine beside her. All this to say, I suppose I do have a more intimate understanding of mental illness than some, though I also think that it's a common thread through many families, and not unique to mine.

Though I can't speak to living, personally, with mental illness, I can say that I think living with, or growing up very closely with, another person or people who suffer from mental illness, requires a great degree of personal strength, and also the choice to surround yourself with as many healthy, sane people as you can. You don't just have to be some rock-hard pillar of inner wellness, either, but also a person willing to explore your vulnerabilities, and your pain, and to talk about them. I'm not necessarily saying you've got to do this with a licensed professional—though I know many, many people who see them and find them very helpful—but you must at least be willing to get it out in some way, to work through it, to talk to someone.

Of course, there's no single way that every single person “overcomes” this, and even if there was, I wouldn't know it. I know that the people closest to me who've had experience living with mentally ill people, or with their own mental illness, have been quite shaped by them, and by how they chose to deal with it. Many of them moved far away from their toxic homes; many of them are in therapy; most of them are artists. I find art (all kinds) probably the greatest, and healthiest, way to work through what plagues you, and to help revel in what brings you joy. And then, somewhere along the way, or maybe from the very beginning, the work becomes the joy, and even if you are not “cured” or the people you love are still sick, you have these things you've created; you have that muscle. It will keep you strong. It will make you stronger.

***Please visit BookHounds on Monday for the next stop on The Triple Threat Blog Tour***

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Notes from Ghost Town purchase links: Amazon • Barnes & Noble • IndieBound

The Butterfly Clues purchase links: Amazon • Barnes & Noble • IndieBound

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The Triple Threat Blog Tour is also offering a COVER REVEAL GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY. The cover reveal is of Myra McEntire's last book in the Hourglass Trilogy due out this July – Infinityglass. To celebrate the Big Reveal each stop on the blog tour will have a “piece” of the cover. By stopping by each blog on the tour, you can collect all the pieces and submit the final image by 10pm on 2/12 to qualify to win the Triple Threat Cover Reveal Grand Prize – a library of works from Jennifer, Kate and Myra, the authors in the Triple Threat blog tour.

• There are a total of 15 pieces to the puzzle - one for each stop on the tour. 
• Collect all 15 pieces to reveal the cover of Infinityglass by Myra McEntire (publishing in July)
• Submit the assembled cover via the following link HERE by no later than 2/12 at 10pm ET. You will be entered to win the 6 book Grand Prize Giveaway of: Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Nobody and Every Other Day, Kate Ellison's Butterfly Clues and Notes from Ghost Town and Myra McEntire's Hourglass and Timepiece. 
• The puzzle can either be assembled electronically or a picture of the assembled printed pieces is also acceptable
• The winner and completed cover will be posted on Myra McEntire's blog HERE on 2/13.

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Thanks to the blog tour we are also offering a finished hardcover copy of Notes From Ghost Town & a new paperback edition of The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison, our featured author. Enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison

Tris & Izzie
Author: Mette Ivie Harrison
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Released: October 11th 2011
Review Source: Gifted
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) A modern retelling of the German fairytale "Tristan and Isolde", Tris and Izzie is about a young witch named Izzie who is dating Mark King, the captain of the basketball team and thinks her life is going swimmingly well. Until -- she makes a love potion for her best friend Brangane and then ends up taking it herself accidentally, and falling in love with Tristan, the new guy at school.

Tris & Izzie is a story of a girl who has always been around magic but was told she would never have it because it’s skipped her generation. Or so she thought. She has a friend who she considers a best friend but things start going downhill once a new boy comes into to town and captures Izzie’s interest. Izzie already has a boyfriend. They have a steady relationship and she’s in love, but when something terrible happens she’s magically attracted to this new boy and wants nothing to do with her boyfriend. Izzie begins to question her existence and but doesn’t have time to do so because she needs to save her school but with years of no training, how will she succeed?

I will begin with this; I am not familiar with the story of “Tristan and Isolde”. Therefore, I can only base my review on this book alone and can’t make a comparison. However, this story captured my interest from the beginning because of the characters. I loved how well they were written and the story line was a bit of a twist. Instead of a love triangle it was a love quadruple! It was interesting to see how the author would play that little scenario out and she did a great job. The sense of undying love, devotion and a little bit of magic can make for a great story, and this was it.

The plot was a little harder to get into, it seemed a little generic. Like I said I’ve never read “Tristan and Isolde” but this story did not have the WOW factor I thought it would have. Yes, there’s magic and yes, there’s romance but what else? There are no twists, with the exception of the love quadruple; it was inevitable that action part would happen otherwise the story wouldn’t have been a story. Don’t get me wrong it’s a good story; I just thought it lacked a little more WOW factor.

The writing of the story was crisp, clean and easy to read. It allowed me to breeze my way throughout the entire book in a day and that’s something I can’t say about a lot of these books. Overall, it’s a good story and I recommend it. Remember this is only my opinion. You may think it’s the best book around, so don’t get discouraged by my review and give it a shot! You never know you might like it!

Book Review: The Savage Grace by Bree Despain

The Savage Grace
The Dark Divine #3
Author: Bree Despain
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Paranormal
Released: March 13th 2012
Review Source: Egmont USA
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) A troubled soul. An impossible choice. A final battle. 

Wrestling with the werewolf curse pulsing deep inside of her, Grace Divine was finally able to find her brother, but it nearly cost her everything.

With her boyfriend, Daniel, stuck in wolf form and Sirhan's death approaching, time is running out for Grace to stop Caleb Kalbi and his gang of demons. If she fails, her family and hometown will perish. Everything rests on Grace's shoulders.

The final installment in The Dark Divine trilogy brings Daniel and Grace's love story to a breathtaking conclusion.

I have to start out by saying I loved this book!!! I didn't have a chance to re-read the first two books in the series before I received this book, but I have to say that Bree did a great job of recounting the most important bits of information from The Dark Divine and The Lost Saint to jog my memory on the parts I forgot since I read them last. Some authors spend too much time retelling parts from previous books, but this was just right. On a side note, if you don't have the first two books, they are available on Kindle through Amazon for less than $2.00 each right now. Great deal because this series is fantastic.

I loved the first two covers and I love this one even more, how is that even possible? Purple for TDD, blue for TLS and now red for TSG-such vibrant colors and so pretty to look at, and great if you are able to get the matching nail polish. :)

We start out where The Lost Saint left off, Daniel is a white wolf, which he turned into at the end of the last book to protect Grace. She spends the first part of this book trying to figure out a way to change him back to a human. All the while feeling like he is being pulled away from her...possibly for forever. Gabriel and her father both try to help her find a way to help her in this task, too.

Some of the Shadow Kings, Caleb's pack, began following Daniel at the end of the last book. We get to know many of these characters in this book and I really liked them. Some of the same old players are back, too-Talbot, Caleb, Jude. Some have changed-some for the better, and some for the worse.

Bree did a fabulous job of bringing together the loose ends for me. Some of the questions that came up while reading were answered. Grace is a very strong, female character, who for me is a cross between Rose from The Vampire Academy series and Nora from the Hush, Hush series. And while some may see her as small or tiny, she is a powerful young woman whose physical, emotional, and spiritual strength surpasses even some of the "strongest" male characters in this (and other series) I have read.

This book started off a little slowly for me, but it wasn't long before I just couldn't put it down (496 pages in 3 days--that says a lot when I also have a full time job and a family...and I have to sleep some time, you know). There were lots of ups and downs, twists and turns, moments of heartbreak and moments of joy, laughter and tears...this book had it all for me. Bree did an awesome job on this book (and the entire series) and I highly recommend that you read them. You will not be disappointed!

Book Review: The Shadowing: Hunted by Adam Slater

The Shadowing: Hunted
The Shadowing #1
Author: Adam Slater
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Paranormal/Mystery
Released: September 13th 2011
Review Source: Egmont USA
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) Once every century, the barrier between the human world and the demon realm begins to break down. Creatures gather, anxiously waiting to cross the divide, to bring death and destruction from their world to ours. This time is called The Shadowing.

Callum Scott has always known that there is a supernatural world out there—he’s seen ghosts for as long as he can remember. Lately, he’s had visions of children being brutally murdered by a terrifying creature. Then the visions start coming true, and Callum realizes that he’s being hunted, too.

Driven by a dark destiny, he must stand against the demons that threaten our world.

And The Shadowing is almost here. . . .

If you like short scary stories, then this book is for you. I have to be honest I had to read it only during the day because it scared me a little. The story was pretty fast paced and held my interest the whole time.

The story is set in an English country side, where Callum, the main character lives with his grandmother. Callum has been seeing ghosts ever since he could remember. He sees them everywhere, especially at the old churchyard. Then one night he has a horrible dream about a boy being murdered by a dark shadow and next to the boy is a message written in blood. After that night, things start to get weird. Several kids are being killed and no one knows why. Then all of a sudden, all the ghosts in town disappear – all but one. This ghost looks like a kid around Callum’s age and has a huge dog next to him at all times. Callum is skeptical about this ghost. He isn’t sure if this ghost he sees is the same one from his dream. Luckily he has a friend who will help him figure everything out. With her help, Callum will discover many secrets about his past and the war that is lurking around the corner. This war occurs once every century and it’s when the barrier of the human world and the demon realm meet. Good versus evil.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. It was really hard to put it down once I started reading it. The ending was a cliffhanger so I know there will be a second book. I will DEFINITELY read it when it comes out. I totally give The Shadowing two thumbs up!