Thursday, January 30, 2014

Giveaway ~ Carnelian (Chalcedony Chronicles #1) by Kristin McMichael ~ Book Blitz ~ Excerpt



Carnelian by B. Kristin McMichael
(Chalcedony Chronicles #1)

Publication date: January 10th 2014
Genres: Time-Travel, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Everyone has a past, but for most it isn’t so far in the past as Seth Sangre. His past is literally from thousands of years ago. Seth’s past led him to the present seeking something that might help him save his country from destruction. He has been in the present for over three years now and just found exactly what he has been looking for.

Mari had dreams of college being a fresh start, one where she would start over and not fall for the good looking player like high school. Unfortunately for her that’s exactly what ends up falling into her lap on the first day she moves into the dorms. Now she has to hold to her promise to herself and not fall for the handsome Seth. But he doesn’t plan to make it easy for her. Seth has already marked her as his next conquest. As the semester progresses, Mari learns that Seth might just have a past of his own that’s literally in the past. Suddenly Mari finds her future along with her past put into question. She’s connected to Seth far more than she ever wanted to be and maybe the player isn’t who she thought he was. If Mari can trust her heart enough to follow him, Seth will lead Mari on an adventure of a lifetime and reveal family secrets she never knew existed.










Excerpt

“I don’t need luck. I know you feel it, too. There’s something between us, whether you want to admit it or not, and I intend to make you mine. Don’t forget that when you go hugging other guys.” My mouth dropped open, and he pushed it shut with one feather light finger. Seth Sangre had more confidence than every guy I had ever met combined. He leaned even closer with his face only a breath away from mine. I glanced at his lips. He was too close. He was close enough to kiss, and yes, I did want to find out what it would be like to kiss him.

“You’ll be mine soon,” he said with a sparkle in his dark eyes.

I spun around him, past his arm that had just been touching my face, quickly before he could kiss me as I wouldn’t be able to refuse him with the tingles growing throughout my body.

“We’ll have to wait and see about that,” I called back to him as I hurried away and back to my table with Ty and Sim. I couldn’t help but glance back to the shadow. He stood in the dark, but I could still see him. He almost glowed slightly. His smile was brilliant as he chuckled at me making my way away from him. Something was really different with Seth Sangre, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what it was.



AUTHOR BIO
Originally from Wisconsin, B. Kristin currently resides in Ohio with her husband, two small children, and three cats. When not doing the mom thing of chasing kids, baking cookies, and playing outside, she is using her PhD in biology as a scientist. In her free time she is currently hard at work on multiple novels. Every day is a new writing adventure. She is a fan of all YA/NA fantasy and science fiction.

Author Links:
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Monday, January 27, 2014

#Giveaway ~ The Appeal of Evil Book Tour by Pembroke Sinclair ~ Review and Excerpt



The Appeal of Evil
The Road to Salvation Series
Book 1
Pembroke Sinclair


Genre:  YA Paranormal

Publisher:  Booktrope

Date of Publication:  January 17, 2014

ASIN:  B00GURYUDA

Number of pages:  275

Cover Artist:  Ida Jansson


Book Description: 

Katie wants to invest her heart and soul in love, but she may lose both to Hell.

Katie, a senior in high school, is torn between loving the “good” guy, her childhood friend Wes who makes promises he doesn't keep and abandons her when she needs him the most, and the “bad” guy, the new kid at school Josh who is also a real demon from Hell.

Katie wants someone who pays attention to her and puts her first, but what is she willing to give up to find him?






This book has given me some mixed feelings. Let’s start with the good. Overall, this story is captivating, interesting and gets you hooked. IF you can stand the main character, Katie, which I couldn’t. She was a whiny, selfish shallow person. The overall writing was pretty good, except a few things I talk about below. I really liked Wes and Randy, and Hated Josh. It was a quick read for sure, with the biggest cliffhanger ever too. Just fair warning, boy I hate cliffhangers.

As for the bad: There are a few things that I didn’t like, one of them is the tiresome inner dialogue that goes on and one, we are in very immature teenage girls head. She will go on and on about “what if’s” that seem to never stop. Even Katie, would think to herself that she could drive herself crazy with all the “what ifs”. Well if it didn’t drive her crazy, it sure did me.

I also didn’t like the nonsense filler info. Mostly on her actions, just too much. For example:

She turned to her bowl and shoveled the food into her mouth. Mom disappeared upstairs to finish getting ready. When Katie was done eating, she brushed her teeth and grabbed her backpack from her room. She unplugged her phone from the charger and turned it back on, placing it in her pocket as she headed out the door. After pulling the door closed, she turned and stopped on the porch.

That whole paragraph is so unnecessary. There are so many instances in that useless info, mostly of movements and actions etc. 

Don’t get me wrong, overall the story is still interesting, and will appeal the younger crowd. This all happens pretty early in the book, so it’s not too bad later on.

I am still giving this book 4 stars because what didn’t appeal to me, will to others. I know the biggest issue for me is me disliking Katie, so it puts me off her from the start then I get a bit nit-picky, sorry for that, can’t help it and want to be honest.

I realize that the title is the Appeal to Evil, but I guess I didn’t really think that she would like evil, lol, I should pay more attention to titles and the meanings.

I still do recommend this book to those who like a quick easy evil against good type book, and do not mind the mind of a teenage girl, who “thinks” to much, lol

I was provided a copy of this book for my honest review.

This review is also posted at Amazon , here. and Goodreads, here.




CHAPTER 1

“You used to have a crush on me, ya know.”
Katie stopped dribbling the tennis ball on the court and focused on the speaker. Wes stood in front of her and to the left. He crouched, his forearms resting on his knees, his tennis racket twirling in his hand. When he glanced over his shoulder at her, a sly smile covered his lips. She remembered when his hair was blonde, but recently he had dyed it black and cut it into a short spike. It made his skin look paler than normal; his thin lips looked redder. The corners of his brown eyes wrinkled as his smile widened.
She set her jaw. There were so many things she could say to him, the first and foremost that he was an idiot, but she pressed her lips into a line. Why would he bring that up at that particular moment? What did it matter? With a shake of her head, she faced forward and threw the ball in the air. Pretending it was Wes’s head, she smashed her racket into it with all her might. It sailed over the net, and her opponent moved to the right to intercept it. A forehand shot sent it back toward Katie and Wes. It was beyond her court realm, so she let Wes get it. Inwardly, she kind of hoped it would hit him in the mouth, maybe swell up his lips so he couldn’t speak. It didn’t. He was ready and backhanded it over the net. The two teams volleyed a few more times, then the girl on the opposite side hit the ball a little too hard, knocking it out of bounds.
“Yeah!” Wes pumped his fist in the air, then approached Katie for a high five.
Reluctantly, she gave him one. The other team readied to serve, but the bell rang. Thank goodness, Katie thought. After leaving the tennis courts, she followed the rest of her class into their respective locker rooms.

Not being one to dilly-dally in the locker room and catch up on the latest gossip, it didn’t take Katie long to shower and change. Being naked around other girls made her nervous. She was more developed than they were, and the way they stared and huffed at her, like she could control nature, made her uncomfortable. The sooner she could cover up her body, the happier she was. She stopped at the bathroom mirror to quickly run a comb through her hair. With her dark brown hair wet, it looked black. It touched her shoulders, so it didn’t take long to get the comb through. She made sure the part in the middle was straight. Her hazel eyes caught the fluorescent lights and glittered for a moment. She leaned closer to the mirror and applied chapstick to her pouty lips. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she turned and headed out of the locker room.
As she stepped out the door and headed for the gym, someone grabbed her wrist from behind. The touch was familiar, and, if she was honest with herself, expected. Especially after what happened on the courts, an apology was in order. The action didn’t surprise her, and she didn’t cry out. Instead, she allowed herself to be pulled toward the storage area near the girl’s locker room that held the gymnastic mats. Her wrist was released and she turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. Wes hopped onto a stack of mats. It was typical of him to bring her someplace private, away from prying eyes, after making a spectacle in public. Wes was good at apologizing, but he was horrible about admitting he was wrong in front of others.
“Sorry about what I said on the court, but you needed some motivation. They were creaming us. I figured the best way to get you to play better was to make you mad.” He smiled.
Katie rolled her eyes and turned to walk away. She didn’t make it very far. Wes wrapped his legs around her thighs and pulled her backward. He draped his arm across her left shoulder and rested his hands on her ribs, right below her breast. She shuddered. His mouth was right next to her ear; his breath tickled her lobe.

“Why don’t you still have a crush on me?” he whispered. He traced his fingertip gently across her shoulder and down her arm.
Goosebumps rose on her flesh. Her stomach fluttered; a chill ran down her spine. The smell of soap and mint drifted into her nostrils. The heat from his body radiated through her, making her feel safe. It was a short-lived sensation though, and the flutter in her stomach quickly turned into a lump. She lifted her arm and dug her elbow into his side. He grunted and let go. Without a word, she stomped toward the gym.
Wes caught his breath and jumped off the mats. “Katie, come on. Come back. I’m sorry.” She turned around, her face red with anger. “Just leave me alone!”
She tried to keep her emotions in check, but the words came out louder than she expected. She spun around quickly, not wanting Wes to see how upset she was. As she did, she ran into someone. Jerking back, she opened her mouth to apologize, but the words stuck in her throat. Bright blue eyes met hers, then quickly flicked over her head. She took in the boy’s short light brown hair styled with gel, the full lips that turned down in a frown. The muscles bulged beneath his shirt, and she fought back the urge to place her hands back on his chest. Josh Evers.
“Everything all right, Katie? This guy bothering you?”
Oh, my God! she thought. He knows my name. Josh Evers knows my name!
It took her a moment to find her voice. “No, I’m fine. Thank you.”
The redness in her face that had been there from anger quickly turned into embarrassment. The desire to run and hide from both boys overwhelmed her.
“Hey, Josh, why don’t you mind your own business? Katie and I were having a private conversation.”

Katie glanced over her shoulder. Wes had placed his hands on his hips but hadn’t moved forward. She looked back at Josh.
“If you ask me, it doesn’t look like she wants to talk to you at all.” He balled his hands into fists at his sides, a gesture that didn’t go unnoticed by Wes.
“Oh, really? What are you going to do about it, Josh?” Wes spit the name out before taking a step forward.
Josh also took a step, and worry coursed through Katie’s body. The tension in the air was palpable. She didn’t want them fighting on her account. Although, in the back of her mind, the action flattered her. Especially coming from Josh. He had just transferred to their school at the beginning of the semester. As the captain of the baseball team, he was the desire of every girl in the school and the envy of the boys. Katie hadn’t thought he knew she existed. Yet, there he was coming to her rescue and calling her by name. It was enough to make her swoon. And she would have if the situation had been different. As it was, she needed to stay alert. A teacher could come by at any moment. She didn’t want them getting in trouble for her. She had no idea what she would say, but she could probably come up with something if she really needed to.
Not that she had anything to worry about from Wes. He’d never do anything to hurt her. He wasn’t lying when he said she used to have a crush on him. She’d liked him since they were in kindergarten. At times, Wes even made it seem he liked her back. Then, at other times, he made it perfectly clear he didn’t reciprocate her feelings. Those moments crushed her, sent her home crying on more than one occasion. But those moments of tenderness, the ones that made her believe he liked her, sustained her, kept her hoping that maybe someday something would happen between them. He had toyed with her emotions for their entire school career.

By her senior year in high school, she’d had enough. She couldn’t take the roller coaster of emotion, didn’t want to feel like she was being strung along. She resolved to stay away from Wes, convincing herself she could do it. Only one more year, then she’d leave for college, and she’d never have to see him again. But he showed up her in homeroom, then in her gym class. She wanted to burst into tears when he took the desk next to her. Why was he making this so difficult? Still, she wasn’t going to let her resolve fail. She would ignore him, pretend he didn’t exist.
When Josh showed up, he made pretending Wes wasn’t there so much easier. On top of that, he was standing up for her honor, defending her against a rival. As he stood in front of her, so close to her body she felt the heat radiating from him, thoughts of wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing him ran through her mind. She imagined how firm his muscles would feel under her hands, how soft his lips would be. She inhaled deeply and the spicy tang of aftershave caressed her nostrils. It took every ounce of self-control to keep from molesting him.
 Josh took another step closer to Wes. Without thinking, she placed her hands on Josh’s stomach to stay him. As she suspected, the muscles were hard under her fingers. The seriousness of the situation flooded back into her mind. If she didn’t say something, a fight could ensue and someone might get hurt.
“Josh, no, please. He’s not worth it.” She glanced over her shoulder and stared at Wes with narrowed eyes.
Wes held his hands out to his sides. Hurt crossed his face.
Without saying another word, Josh wrapped his arm around Katie’s shoulders and escorted her into the gym away from Wes.



 About the Author:

In 2009, eTreasures Publishing published my first novel, a sci fi adventure story.  Since then, they have published my two YA zombie novels, my religious zombie novella, two children’s picture books, and two novellas with romantic elements.  I have an urban fantasy novel about dragons and a vampire novelette that was published by MuseItUp Publishing.  Musa Publishing has published my novelette with romantic elements and a collection of short stories.  I have a middle grade urban fantasy novel that was published by Little Devil Books.  My nonfiction book about slasher films was published by Scarecrow Press.

Writing is my passion.  I enjoy creating fantastic worlds and memorable characters.  I’m an active promoter of my works and love to talk to readers at book signings and readings.  Doing giveaways on Goodreads has been an exciting experience, and having contests for readers has been fun.  I actively promote various authors on my blog and participate in blog tours to promote my own work.

I write under several different pen names.  For my children’s titles, I write under J.D. Pooker, and for my YA and adult novels, I write under Pembroke Sinclair.  My nonfiction work is done under my real name.

I am a member of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and am on a committee to create membership criteria for iPAL, which is a sister group to the Published Authors Liaison group and focuses on independent and self-published authors.  I am also a member of the ALA and really enjoy doing library visits.

Author Links


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This tour is brought to you by Bewitching Book Tours, you can find the rest of the blogs on this tour, here.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The Gatekeeper's Challenge (Gatekeeper's Saga #2) By Eva Pohler ~ Book Review

The Gatekeeper's Challenge (Gatekeeper's Saga #2)
by Eva Pohler 

Edition: Audible Audio Book

Ten agonizing months have gone by since Therese faced off against her parents’ murderer at Mount Olympus, and she suspects Thanatos’s absence is meant to send her a message: go on with your life. She tries to return Pete’s affections even though her heart aches for the god of death, but when Than shows up to take her hamster’s soul, she becomes infuriated when he says he’s “been busy.” In cahoots with her new friend, who's gotten in with the Demon Druggies at school, Therese takes a drug that simulates a near-death experience, planning to tell Than off so she can have closure and move on, but things go very, very wrong.

Eventually she learns Than has been busy searching for a way to make her a god, and he’s found it, but it requires her to complete a set of impossible challenges designed by Hades, who hopes to see her fail.



About the Author
Eva Pohler 

I write fiction for teens and adults and teach writing and literature at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where I live with my husband, three kids, two dogs, and two rats (Katniss and Prim, of course). I'm also an avid reader and book reviewer. I've always said I never want to give up reading for writing or vice versa. I want to do both. My favorite authors are Tracy Chevalier, Ann Patchett, Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, Rick Riordan, and Stephanie Meyer. I have too many to name, but those are a handful of them. When I'm not spending time with the family, working, reading, or writing, I can be found watching The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, The Middle, and NCIS.

I love to interact with readers and have recently added features to my website at http://www.evapohler.com with this in mind. If you email me your art and/or stories based on The Gatekeeper's Trilogy, or on Greek mythology in general, I will post them on my website for others to enjoy. I have also added a short video on the Olympians and a fun Jeopardy Game to test your knowledge. Please visit my website for more details.


Thanks for taking the time to read about me and my writing!




I really enjoyed this 2nd installment in the Gatekeepers Saga. I remember when I listened to the audio book of the first that I was a bit unsure, but I think in part that was my adjustment to listening to a book vs. reading it. But also part in just getting to know the characters and such. The biggest issues I think I had is that the main character, Therese is 15 in the first book, and it seemed a bit unrealistic that an ancient Greek God, Thanatos would fall so deeply in love with her. It’s major robbing the cradle to me, lol. But I try to look past that, and think in a more supernatural way. So once I put that out of my mind, I was able to get into the book. And then continue to care about these characters in this book.

The excitement really picks up in this one. Therese has challenges that the Gods set for her, to earn their respect and immortality to be Thanatos’s wife (still too young, she’s just now 16, a child!). She is a strong and compassionate girl, and you can’t help but like her. She really cares for animals, and so do I, so that really helps me connect with her.

As for this being an Audible audio book, I think the reader did a great job, and has a pleasant voice. Easy to listen too.

I highly recommend this book and series to anyone who likes to dip into the mythology world, and doesn’t mind the main character being so young. This book ended in a huge cliffhanger too! Man do I hate cliffhangers! But I have the rest of the saga, so can now start the next, yay!

5 out of 5 stars. It’s a captivating story.

I was gifted an audible audio book from the author, for my honest review. (Thanks Eva!!)

This review is also at Goodreads, and Amazon as well as Audible


Get the first book, The Gatekeeper's Sons Free for Kindle at Amazon, just click the photo below.

Gatekeeper's Son
Buy Link's





Saturday, January 18, 2014

The Lunangelique Series by Kristin R. Campbell ~ Reviews ~ Book Tour ~ Excerpts


Kristin R. Campbell - Lunagelique Series - Anniversary Virtual Book Tour



Lunangelique (Lunangelique #1)
by Kristin R. Campbell
This one is FREE on Kindle at Amazon!
And FREE for Nook at B&N

For Alexis and Alex life has been great. They have loving parents, great friends and live a life every teenager dreams. However, they are adopted and Alexis struggles with wanting to know who their real parents are and not wanting to hurt her adopted parents. Then, a stunning guy moves across the street from them. One who has a secret past and seems to know things about Alexis. One who does mysterious things and leads her to other mysterious persons. One who pushes her to discover her extraordinary birth family and the truth between mythology and religion.

My Review (written Nov 2, 2012 before I got the other books)


WOW, I loved this book so much, and was so happy that the sequel Sleeping Gods was out and bought it right away! Man, its just as good as JLA's Covenant Series. Story is totally different, but I mean as the meshing of modern day with some mythology in  here and some angels too. This book was different in a great way.
Kristen is a brilliant author. I predict her career to be long and successful!

I won’t say too much spoiler type things, because you need to discover the wonder of this story yourself.

Alexis and Alex (Alexander) are twins, who were adopted when they were babies. Its starts with Alexis (Lexi) wanting to find out about her biological parents. Alex tries to convince her that there is no need, as they love their adoptive parents, as they are great.
Well, not long after she starts to discover many things, and meets a few new people who are more than the normal, but she doesn't know this at first. When she meets a really good artist (she is also a great artist) who could be an older twin of her brother Alex, she starts to wonder if she just found a relative or something. I won’t say more on that, you will find out.

Cole seems to be a great guy, and was wondering if he would turn out to be bad, and then Oliver, I was always un-sure of him. 


I like Lexi, she is a strong female character. I was able to relate to her, but was a bit jealous of her great talents, but there is a reason for it, lol.

Here is a small taste to get your interest up:

“Just let me go, ******. Tell the others I got away. They won’t know the truth.” He watches me slip one hand out of a cuff, looking at me with wonder in his eyes again. “What are you? Just tell me,” he pleads. I keep eye contact with him as he lets me slip the other hand out of the cuff and I stand up, rubbing the impressions left behind by the cuffs.




If you like any modern day angel, fallen angel, or mythology books, you will love this. It’s written well, better than well, brilliant!

I can't wait to get back to Sleeping Gods now. Check it out. You won’t be sorry.

5 out of 5 stars for me, and highly recommended!

I received a copy of this book from the author for my honest review.



This review is also posted at Amazon, and Goodreads



Excerpt
 (About halfway into the book, a part where Lexi is trying to learn some more about what is going on, who she is etc)

I’m about to come around the corner and break up a fight that seems inevitable, but decide to wait it out. I have so many questions about Cole and I know, for sure now, that Ollie knows him from somewhere. Maybe I’ll get some answers tonight.
Cole doesn’t answer any of Ollie’s questions. Instead he asks him, “Where is your brother?” He says brother like it implies something.
“Looking for more of your kind to rip apart,” Ollie spits at him.
Cole winces, but I don’t know if it’s from what he said or how he said it. “What are you going to do to me Samson?” His voice sounds worn out. “You’ve already ripped me apart. I have nothing. You’ve stripped me of everything.”
Ollie laughs wickedly and then turns serious. “I noticed Lexi was given someone’s wings,” he says with understanding. “I didn’t imagine it would have been yours. It never even occurred to me.  Didn’t think you had it in you; to part with something of yourself.” He must be talking about the necklace. Uh, oh. That means he’s figured out we’re dating.
He walks up closer to Cole and grabs him by the hair, pushing him down to the ground. Cole doesn’t even struggle.
“What do you want with the girl? Who is she to you?” His voice roars so loud, I’m afraid others might hear and come running back here to see what is happening. I look back to see if anyone is behind me, but thankfully, there is no one.
“Again, I’ll remind you that you can’t do anything more to me. You can’t kill me. Why don’t you just leave me alone?” Cole asks Ollie defiantly.
Ollie lets go of Cole’s hair and pushes him into the ground. “Who is she?” he asks again.
Cole stands back up and wipes the dirt from his clothing. He takes his time, avoiding the question. After he is done cleaning himself off, he stands up straight and keeps his arms to the side with his hands formed into fists while Ollie circles him. Ollie is either studying him or trying to intimidate. I have to admit, I feel intimidated and I’m not the one he’s circling.
“Why would you think she’s anybody?” Cole finally says, making my heart start to sink, but then it rises when he continues, “Why would you assume she’s anyone besides someone I just want to be with? Why do you always assume there has to be an ulterior motive?”
“Because you are always plotting. Because you don’t do anything except work towards accomplishing a goal that is a huge scam. A hoax that your ‘master’ has convinced you, and all the other fallen idiots, is true.”
“You’re the idiot, Samson. One day you will see that. I don’t understand how you’ve been so blind all these years. The truth has been all around you.”
Ollie shakes his head in remorse. “Why are you with her, Astaroth?” Ollie asks one more time.
“Because I love her.”
My heart is beating frantically in my chest. I don’t know how to breathe all of a sudden. Did Cole just say what I think he said?
What about all the other things that were said.  I wanted answers and all I’m getting is more questions. What did Ollie mean ‘more of your kind, someone’s wings, master, accomplishing a goal?’ And there was mention of ‘fallen’?
He said he loved me! Does he really or is Ollie’s assumption true, that he has an ulterior motive? Is he using me?
Thoughts start to merge and take form in my mind. The pieces are putting themselves together, but I don’t think I like it or believe it. More importantly: what am I going to do about it?

Sleeping Gods (Lunangelique #2)
by Kristin R. Campbell


Alexis must pick up the broken pieces of her heart and pull herself together because she has a mission: To awaken the sleeping gods. When she is at the point of giving up, wearing her pretend smiles and feels like there is nothing left of herself, her friend becomes her savior. Patryck helps put Alexis back together again and in return Alexis sees him as something more than a friend… 

Together with her brother, Alex, her father, Edmund, and a team of angels they make their way to Mount Latmos, to awaken the gods. But obstacles are in their way, one of them being Cole, the traitor, the one who shattered Alexis’ heart. 

New friends and family she never thought she would meet will come to aid Alexis.

… And a love will blossom that will redefine the saying, “Love you forever.”

My Review of Sleeping Gods

This story just keeps getting better and better. I had a big gap of time in reading book one, and this one, just got too busy and never got back to it, so I started this one over, and also read the last few chapters of book one to get my memory triggered, and it worked, and just loved this one. I am now glad I didn’t finish this one back when I first bought it, as I would have went crazy from that cliffhanger ending. I was glad I was able to pick up Awakened Gods (Book #3) right away.

This story continues pretty much where book one left off. Its gets really interesting from there. I wont get into the story too much, so not to spoil it for you.

Trust me if you like mythology type books, or angel ones, you will love this series.

I give it 5 out of 5 stars, and highly recommend it.

I did get a copy of this book with the tour sign up, but I already had bought this book from Amazon.


This review is also at Amazon, and Goodreads

Excerpt
 (Parts of the first few chapters)

(Alexis Point of View)

Cole is gone. And that is why I am a “robot, or maybe it is a zombie.” I don’t care which one I have become. All I know is that the brain is still functioning, telling the body its basic needs, how to move its limbs, how to talk. But my heart is dead. No. Worse. My heart has been ripped out of my chest, stomped on and is rotting away somewhere for the birds to pick at. I don’t know where it is. I don’t know where Cole is. I’m the Tin Man and all I want to do is find a heart. My heart. My Cole.
“Cole, come back,” I whisper to myself as I stare out the living room window towards his house. My hand instinctively moves to the angel-winged necklace around my neck. The necklace Cole gave me when we first met; made from the wings that were once a part of him. At least there is something left.
A tear escapes my eye. I reach up and touch it and look down at it, dumbfound. I haven’t cried in months. I used to cry. I cried a lot when Cole first disappeared, left. I cried when I went to bed so I could hide my tears from my family. I didn’t want them to worry. I didn’t want my dad to ‘couch’ me and use his psychiatry skills. I acted normal. I was ‘okay’, in the day time. But at night, my pillow would be my best friend as I sobbed into it. I know Alex heard me but he wouldn’t mention anything.
*************************
(Cole point of view)

I can see Lexi, staring right at me through her living room window. She doesn’t even know I’m watching her as I stand farther back from the window in the home right across from her. She couldn’t even imagine that I never stayed away for very long.
Her arm is outstretched towards the window and my heart feels like it has collected a new crack, adding to the hundreds more crossing the small organ. I can see her with crystal clear clarity with my angel eyes. I can see her silvery blond hair, her wide, beautiful, haunting blue eyes, her flawlessly pale skin, her mouth that moves as if she’s talking to someone, but I can see there is no one else in the room with her.
She reaches up and grasps my wings. Made into a pendant for a necklace I gave her. She’s never taken it off and my heart warms, knowing she still loves me.
A tear streaks down her cheek and between that and the gesture of touching the pendant, I almost break my resolve and rush over to comfort her. To beg forgiveness and make new promises that I will never leave her again.
But I can’t! I punch the wall in frustration, earning another hole in the wall. I’ve been having these same internal battles from the moment I left. Warring between giving her what is best for her and what she wants now. So far, what is best always ends up winning. Part of my redemption.
Neither one of us can have what we want. That’s my punishment for the betrayal I committed.  I’m just sorry Lexi has to pay for it. It won’t last long, though. That’s what I keep telling myself. Lexi will eventually move on. She’s still so young.
I have to keep reminding myself of that at times like these when I see her hurting so much. She’s young. She’ll move on. Her heart will heal. But this isn’t normal. I’ve seen millions of teenage girls cry over a guy but within a few weeks to a month, they’ve moved on. So why hasn’t, Lexi?
It’s not normal. That’s it. I need to stop doing this to her and go over there.
I march over to the bedroom door and swing it open purposefully. This is my chance. I need to talk to Lexi. Beg for forgiveness. Let her beat the crap out of me if it makes her feel better. Anything to take the haunted, depressed expression off her face.
I make it to the top of the stairs and hear my phone go off from the nightstand where I left it next to the bed. No, Dammit! Why now? With a sigh of defeat I drag my feet back to the room. I know who it is. It’s who it always is. Kakabel. He’s probably calling with another mission, but I can’t complain. It’s my redemption and it could be worse. So much worse.
“Astaroth,” I answer indifferently.
“There’s a sighting of activity to the west. Along Route 58, near the private airport. Check it out,” Kakabel’s demeaning voice commands me.
“Right on it, sir.” I end the call and throw the phone down on the bed where it bounces off and crashes to the hardwood floor. Fortunately, it doesn’t break.
Dammit! I swear it’s like he knows when I’m about to slip up… I freeze at that thought. Shit! He does know!
Patryck frickin’ Phanuel, interpreter of revelations.
They are so not playing nice. Everyone knows Phanuel isn’t supposed to mess with the future. How much of Lexi’s future has he messed with? I want to kill that bastard!
And how could Kakabel let this happen? How could he use Phanuel in such a way? Not that he’s probably complaining. They’ve practically been planning a betrothal with Lexi for years. Kakabel loves the golden haired pervert. And that’s exactly what Phanuel is, a frickin’ pervert.
He doesn’t love Lexi. He just wants to get between her legs and into her father’s heart. Phanuel has never been anything more than a suck-up; trying to manipulate his way up in rank. All the way to Kakabel’s right hand man.
Selene is going to kill Kakabel when she finds out he’s been using Phanuel to mess with Lexi’s future. Has he forgotten her wrath? I hope I’m in town to see that show. If we ever get her out of that cave.
I look back out the window and watch Kaitlyn guide Lexi into her car. She holds onto Lexi as they walk and then opens the passenger door for her and helps her inside.
What is Kaitlyn thinking? What is Lexi doing? She’s stronger than this. She’s survived so much more.
“Shit!” I scream out before punching another hole into the wall.

Awakened Gods (Lunangelique #3)
by Kristin R. Campbell


Lexi has fulfilled her destiny and now the gods have awakened, but is that a good thing?

Now, Lexi lives in a world that is on a global collapse. The gods are angry that they have been forsaken and are seeking revenge on humanity. The oceans are in turmoil, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcano eruptions and famine are causing global chaos, and the sun is being held hostage in an astrological phenomenal, never-ending solar eclipse by the avenging Helios. 

Then, there is the problem of Zeus’ threat. Lexi must choose between giving herself to him or watching the “abominable” angels die by his hand. Not to mention, Hera, Zeus’ wife, is proposing her own jealous-driven proposition to Lexi: stay away from her husband or the angels and everyone dear to her will die. Lexi sees no way out of either predicaments and it puts a strain on her relationship with Cole. Will she lose him either way?




My Review of Awakened Gods

Wow, I didn’t see that ending coming, that’s for sure. I am not sure how I feel about it. I was shocked, but not really disappointed either.

I will try to keep this spoiler free, but I am sure if you had not read the first 2 book, there will be some spoilers for them, just about impossible to write a review on a 3rd book and not have some spoilers for the previous books.

I loved this series for sure. The world that the author creates in modern day is amazing, the different realms and all that. Olympus and the Underworld were described with great detail without over doing it. I felt like i was there.

I was on the edge of my seat through most of Awakened Gods. So much happens, its intense. And the awful things pour Alexis goes through sure shows how tough she can be.

I love Cole even more in this book. I always was rooting for him anyway, but you learn so much more about him in Awakened Gods. It’s very interesting, and you would never guess it. He is more than we knew in the first 2 books. He is a “special” angel, not like the others, you will find out what I mean when you read the book.

I liked how much Alexis’ twin brother, Alex grew in this book. He really grew up and took control. I liked seeing that.

Overall it’s a great series, and a great ending to it. I hate to see it end though.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars, just like the previous 2. I am really glad I had waited to read Sleeping Gods after I had read book one, as I would have gone nuts after the ending to Sleeping Gods if I didn't have this book on hand. I would have hated waiting, as it had a cliffhanger and it was nice to just pick up Awakened Gods after I finished.

If you like mythology and angels in modern day setting, with great characters and all the excitement, you will love this series. So check it out.

I was provided a copy of this book from the author for my honest review.


This review is also posted at Amazon, and Goodreads.


 
Excerpt (Just the Prologue so to keep spoiler free)
Prologue
“Things are going to be different now,” the man turns to the elder woman and proclaims.
“Yes, but it needs to be done,” she agrees.
“They won’t be accepting of their destiny at fist. It will take a lot of persuading.”
“I know you will succeed. Failure is not an option.” The woman walks towards the blooming roses and stops to inhale their scent. “She is willful and will turn away at first. She is smart, though, and will see the need.”
“What about the other one?” The man stands behind the woman and glances at their surroundings. There is nothing to see in the never-ending landscape, except the roses.
The woman stands up and looks across the land at where the man is gazing. A building appears out of nowhere. “He will be the alternative if all else fails.” The man turns back to the woman and looks at her with thousands of questions in his eyes. “Part of the alternative,” she says with a shrug. 
“You think it will come to this?”
“I see a course being set that could lead to this, yes.” She shakes her head and turns back to the roses. “I hope there will be roses here, again, someday. I have a feeling this will be my new favorite world.”



About the Author

Currently living in Utah with her husband and two children, Kristin is prior military and has pursued Religion, History and Legal Studies before finally settling with a Bachelor degree in Criminal Justice. An author herself and self-proclaimed workaholic, she also loves hiking, traveling, spoiling her babies and, of course, reading and writing.


Author Links


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At Amazon: Book one Lunangelique is Free for 

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