BLOG TOUR - Unhinged (Underworld #1) by Tempest C. Avery

Title: Unhinged

Genres: Teen Paranormal

Series: Underworld #1

ISBN: 9781301315116

Book Length: 312

Publisher: Tempest C. Avery

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17735501-unhinged

Buy Links

B&N | iBooks

DESCRIPTION/Blurb

Spencer Perry lost everything the day her boyfriend died. Even when he came back as a ghost, she was never able to return to her old self. Determined to find a way to bring both of them back--him from the dead and her from her depression--Spencer hops a ride with a Reaper across the river to the Underworld where she meets the god of the dead. Hadrian isn't what she expected Hades to be like, but when he agrees to a deal that can get her Micah back, she puts all caution aside and accepts. Too bad she didn't realize that she'd also just accepted a lot more than one gorgeous yet frustrating god. Bad things are happening all around her, and now she not only has to worry about keeping Micah's ghost status a secret from their friends, but also figure out who's behind all of the accidents. All signs point towards Hadrian, but something about that just doesn't feel right to her. Something that she hopes has nothing to do with her growing attraction towards him.

EXERPT

Excerpt option one:

“You love him that much?”

“I do.”

“And is there nothing else for you then?” he asked softly. There was something in his tone that she couldn’t place. “Nothing else for you to live for?”

For a brief second she thought of her parents, and of Quinn and Sydney. They would mourn for her for a little while, sure, but they’d get over it. Just like they’d all but gotten over Micah’s death already.

“No.” The second she spoke she knew things were different. Knew that something had changed between his comment and hers.

Hadrian shifted to lean forward in his throne, catching her eyes with his own and holding her there. A charming smile touched his dark pink lips. “Ok, Spencer Perry. A deal then. Seeing as how you seem so smitten with the Persephone story, I’ll make you a wager you simply can’t refuse.”

Think of Micah, she reminded herself. Anything is worth it for Micah.

“Six months.”

She blinked, having half expected him to ask for her immortal soul or something along those lines. “Excuse me?”

“Was that not plain enough for you?” In his eyes she saw he was silently laughing at her. “You’ll remain here with me in the Underworld for six months out of one year. What’s today? The third? Perfect. So until September fourth of next year, you give me six months of your life.”

“And if I do?” she hardly recognized the sound of her own voice it was so low and meek.

“I bring your boyfriend back. Good as new. Walking, talking, the whole nine yards.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tempest has been interested in pursuing writing since the fourth grade when she realized someone had to have written all of those books that her teacher read during story time. She writes stories that she hopes will help people escape the sometimes craziness of life, if just for a couple hours.  

Author (Contact Links)

Website: http://tempestchani.blogspot.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5171960.Tempest_C_Avery

REVIEW BLOG TOUR - Vivid (Vivid Trilogy #1) by Andrea Murray

Title: Vivid

Genres: paranormal/sci fi

Series: Vivid Trilogy # 1

ISBN: B00PL93JRG

Book Length: 142

Publisher: Booktrope Publishing

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13336979-vivid

Buy Links Amazon | B&N

DESCRIPTION

Her entire life she has feared her power and its connection to her mother’s murder.

When Vivian Cartwright was five years old, she witnessed her mother’s death. Now, sixteen-year-old Vivian only wants a normal life, hard to accomplish when you possess the power to control energy. She has kept her ability a secret from everyone except her guardian, Charlotte, who has hidden Vivian from the man responsible for her mother’s murder.

Her secret is safe until Vivian defends herself at school using her power. After this first use of her gift in many years, Vivian’s power seems to take on a mind of its own, increasing in strength and demanding to be used. This increase in power also brings dreams of her mother’s death and the mysterious man associated with it. In her desire to unlock her past, Vivian is forced to use her supernatural gift over and over. With each use, Vivian fears she is losing control and discovers her powers are growing—maybe too much—bringing her unknowingly closer to the man who murdered her mother.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrea Murray has been teaching English for longer than most of her students have been alive. She lives in a very small town in Arkansas with her husband and two children. When she isn’t watching bad science fiction movies, she spends her time reading. In addition to The Vivid Trilogy, she has written Omni, a young-adult dystopian novel.

Contact Links: Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

REVIEW:

Even though I don't read much young adult stories, I did find this one to be interesting and entertaining. We get to meet an interesting cast of characters along with the main character Vivian, including her best friend Abby, who I wanted to like but after her actions I really didn't care for her, although she comes through later on in the story. I liked Easton though, with all of his adorable awkwardness. Aunt Charlotte is awesome, becoming Vivian's surrogate mother after her sister (Vivian's mother) died when Vivian was younger.

And of course there is the antagonist in Tricia, the Queen Bee-otch of the school who doesn't like Vivian at all. Tricia sets up an incident aimed at Vivian and Abby, and Vivian manages to save the day by using her power.

Did I forget to mention that Vivian has a supernatural power? Yeah she does. And she let it loose. And that is when the story really begins to pick up steam. Overall this is a good story, although I would have preferred that Vivian would have had some troubles with using her powers, instead of being all proficient almost from the start. But I will plan on reading the other two books in the trilogy to find out what all happens.

RATING

Book provided in exchange for honest review.

BLOG TOUR - Legally Undead (Vampirarchy #1) by Margo Bond Colllins

Title: Legally Undead (Vampirarchy #1)

Author: Margo Bond Collins

Release Date: 27 May 2014

Genre: Urban Fantasy

SYNOPSIS:

A reluctant vampire hunter, stalking New York City as only a scorned bride can.

Elle Dupree has her life all figured out: first a wedding, then her Ph.D., then swank faculty parties where she’ll serve wine and cheese and introduce people to her husband the lawyer.

But those plans disintegrate when she walks in on a vampire sucking the blood from her fiancé, Greg. Horrified, she screams and runs—not away from the vampire, but toward it, brandishing a wooden letter opener.

As she slams the improvised stake into the vampire’s heart, a team of black-clad men bursts into the apartment. Turning to face them, Elle realizes Greg’s body is gone—and her perfect life falls apart.

EXERPT

The worst thing about vampires is that they're dead. That whole wanting to suck your blood business runs a close second, but for sheer creepiness, it's the dead bit that gets me every time. They're up and walking around and talking and sucking blood, but they're dead. And then there's the whole terminology problem--how can you kill something that's already dead? It's just wrong.

I was twenty-four the first time I . . . destroyed? dispatched? . . . a vampire. That's when I found out that all the books and movies are wrong. When you stick a wooden stake into their hearts, vampires don't disintegrate into dust. They don't explode. They don't spew blood everywhere. They just look surprised, groan, and collapse into a pile of corpse. But at least they lie still then, like corpses are supposed to.

Since that first kill (I might as well use the word--there really isn’t a better one), I've discovered that only if you're lucky do vampires look surprised before they groan and fall down. If you're unlucky and miss the heart, they look angry. And then they fight.

There are the other usual ways to kill vampires, of course, but these other ways can get a bit complicated. Vampires are notoriously difficult to trick into sunlight. They have an uncanny ability to sense when there's any sunlight within miles of them, and they're awfully good at hiding from it. Holy water doesn't kill them; it just distracts them for a while, and then they get that angry look again. And it takes a pretty big blade to cut off someone's head--even an already dead someone--and carrying a great big knife around New York City, even the Bronx, is a sure way to get arrested. Nope, pointy sticks are the best way to go, all the way around.

My own pointy stick is actually more of a little knife with wood inlay on the blade--the metal makes it slide in easier. I had the knife specially made by an old Italian guy in just about the only ratty part of Westchester, north of the city. I tried to order one off the internet, but it turns out that while it’s easy to find wood-inlay handles, the blades themselves tend to be metal. Fat lot those people know.

But I wasn’t thinking any of this when I pulled the knife out of the body on the ground. I was thinking something more along the lines of “Oh, bloody hell. Not again.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Margo Bond Collins is the author of a number of novels, including Waking Up Dead, Fairy, Texas, and Legally Undead. She lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, and several spoiled pets. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters. 

REVIEW:
So, this was my first time reading anything by Margo Bond Collins and I have to say that I'm impressed! Realistic for a fictional story, in the way that life still happened for Elle, even though it's not the life she envisioned. She's still going to school, and trying to avoid vampires; she's not the heroine who decides that the new course of her life will be her charging headfirst into the paranormal world. The vampire hunting team are great, although I would have preferred that Elle had some training in killing vampires; it's too pat how she's suddenly able to be a kickass vampire hunter right off the bat. But again, since it's fiction, I decided not to waste too much gray matter on small inconsequential things like that. I really enjoyed this start of the series and can't wait to see how the rest will play out.

RATING

Book provided in exchange for honest review.

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