Review: The Scarring (Spirit Warriors #2) By D.E.L. Connor @del_connor @writeawaybliss #Giveaway

The Scarring
(Spirit Warriors #2)
by D.E.L. Connor
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Booktrope
Published: July 21, 2014
Length: 244 pages

Blurb:

"One of us would finally end what had been started by the machayiwiw so many years ago. I would have to kill him. It was just that simple. I never thought I would want to kill anybody or anything, but maybe I never had anything worth killing for before."

-Emmeline Rima Belrose, The Scarring (Spirit Warriors, Book 2)

In the majestic beauty of a Montana summer, Emme and her friends celebrate her near-drowning survival and their defeat of the powerful evil spirit, the machayiwiw. But even as they rejoice, things are amiss. Emme watches helplessly as her family divides, and her friends struggle to hold their relationship together. Worse yet, the love-of-her life, Charlie, announces that he will move back to the reservation, without Emme. Different nightmares take over and Emme realizes she must fight and kill-or watch those she loves be killed. Friends from the reservation reach out to Emme and show her what evil can steal from her. Emme believes that evil can never break her bond with the Spirit Warriors or the love she shares with Charlie. Or can it?

Goodreads

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Although this is the second book in the Spirit Warriors series, it can be read as a stand alone novel.

My Review: The Scarring

I received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.

Emme and all of her friends Charlie, Ollie, Jack and Bets are back still grieving the loss of their friend Lily. Emme has a lot more to worry and be sad about than just losing a friend Charlie has told her that he is moving back to the reservation and that they cannot be together anymore. Emme doesn't want to hear or talk about her and Charlie not being together anymore that they are not meant to be together. She loves Charlie and she will always love him and nothing and no one will ever stop her from loving him. Charlie feels the same way about Emme but he knows that they can't be together.

Emme's mom and little brother Ben have both moved to Los Angles temporarily so that Ben could be on talk shows and have someone help him to be a better musician. She misses Ben and her mom very much but her and her dad are making it just find on their own at least she has her friends and her animals to help her deal with everything. And now have everything else Emme's friend Bets no longer wants to be her friend she has taken to hanging out with their worst enemies. Bets is hanging out with one of the cheerleaders who just happens to be a bully and was mean to Lily. She is also dating Lily's brother who hurt Lily too. Every time she sees Bets she tries to talk to her and be her friend but Bets won't talk to her. Everyone deals with death differently and I think this is just Bets way of dealing with Lily's death. She probably just can't take being around the people who reminded her the most of Lily.

There is a powerful evil spirit, the machayiwiw that has been a threat to Charlie's tribe for many, many years. Emme learns that she must fight and kill the machayiwiw she is the only one who can kill it. But Emme doesn't believe that she can kill anyone even if it is an evil spirit, well maybe she could if she was real mad. But she learns real quick like that she can kill if someone she loves is in danger or about to be killed.

Emme and her dad are out riding their horses one day when they find their fence has been cut. They go looking to see if they can find any clues that might tell them who cut the fence. They run into some poachers and end up having to fight them. Emme's dad falls off of his horse and hits his head and is knocked out. Emme has to fight the poachers all by herself. After the fight she learns that she can and will kill to save someone she loves.

There is no way that you can help falling in love with all of the characters in The Scarring. You feel their heart ache, their love, their happiness or whatever it is that they feel. You feel as if you have been drawn into the story with them and are running right along beside them. One minute you feel all the love they have for one another and then the next minute you feel their pain and you are crying right along with them. Emme, Charlie, Jack, Ollie, Bets all make you wish for friendships like theirs. You want to be a part of their circle.

You could read The Scarring without reading the first book The Concealing and know what is happening but I don't recommend it because then you would miss out on getting to know who and what kind of person their friend Lily was. Lily was just as great of a person as any of the other characters. Lily was the greatest friend with a whole lot of heartache and pain. She was a very strong person who was kind and kept all her secrets to herself. She never bothered anyone with her problems.

The Concealing
(Spirit Warriors #1)
By D.E.L. Connor
Release Date: November 24, 2013
Length: 191 pages
Publisher: Booktrope

Blurb:

Sixteen-year-old Emme Belrose has it all: four best friends, a horse of her own, a hidden tepee hangout, and a blossoming romance with tall and handsome Charlie. These friends also have a secret. They can move their spirits into animal bodies: an osprey, a mustang, a grizzly, a mountain lion and a coyote.

But when Charlie, who has a gift for seeing the future, has a vision of Emme drowning in the icy Yellowstone River, the Spirit Warriors must train their animal bodies to kill an enemy they know is coming… but know nothing about. Suspenseful, romantic, and awash in Native American magic, Spirit Warriors captures the tragic enchantment of the American West-and confirms the power of friendship.

Goodreads

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Read my review of The Concealing

About the Author:

Della was born in South Dakota and raised in the vastness and beauty of Montana on a farm. When she longed for the big city life, she moved to Texas where she attended college and received a PhD in nursing. When not nursing people back to health you can find Della huddled over her Mac writing the stories that have occupied her mind for so many years, or traveling with her best friends, the NOLA's, riding bikes across the Golden Gate bridge or exploring botanical gardens. She is the proud mother of a champion triathlete, two aging dogs and 1 grand-cat. Della has admittedly confessed to her coffee addiction and swears that her two hour coffee crawl while on vacation in Seattle -was the best two hours of her life!

Twitter | Facebook | Website | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads Author Page

Giveaway:

Enter to win 1 of 5 eBook Copies of The Scarring (Spirit Warriors #2) by D.E.L. Connor

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Blog Tour: Eyes of the Enemy BlackMyst Trilogy By Kelly Hess @GHBTours #Giveaway

Eyes of the Enemy

BlackMyst Trilogy

By: Kelly Hess

Genre: YA/MG Fantasy

Publication Date: August 26, 2014

Published By: Booktrope Publishing

When a rogue band of the dreaded Sorak attacks his village, twelve-year-old Beynn Firehand escapes into the darkness of BlackMyst Forest to find help. During his quest, Beynn discovers his own powerful magic abilities.

The price of his newfound powers, however, may be higher than he ever imagined.

  

And now an Excerpt from 'Eyes of the Enemy'-

It was late afternoon when they finally reached the clearing. This was where Beynn and his father had always camped during their travels to his uncle's house. Beynn set up camp while Fritz went to gather wood for a fire. Beynn was pulling blankets from his pack when he heard a scratching sound. He looked up, thinking Fritz had returned with firewood. Instead, he found a six-foot long gorkin staring at him from the middle of the clearing. Gorkins were large grayish-green lizards that inhabited BlackMyst. They were fast runners and packed a viscous bite. Although not poisonous, they were well known to bite off people's limbs with their razor-sharp teeth.

Beynn stayed crouched and continued to dig in his pack blindly, unwilling to take his eyes off of the gorkin. Finally he found his knife, and gripping it firmly, he stood up and backed away from the predator. He moved slowly around the edge of the clearing until he faced the area of the forest where Fritz had gone to gather wood. The lizard turned in place, matching Beynn's every step. He and his father had encountered a gorkin once before, and Beynn tried desperately to remember his father's tactics to kill the great lizard. He knew better than to try to attack the beast head-on. There were rumors that, because the lizard's eyes were on the sides of its head, it couldn't see forward very well. This faulty bit of information had led to a great number of travelers' deaths over the years. Beynn knew that the gorkin's only blind spot was directly behind. The problem became how to get behind a gorkin. For one person, this was virtually impossible. But maybe not for two.

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Release Day: The Dybbuk's Mirror By Alisse Lee Goldenberg @AliLGoldenberg @badassmktg

It's here! The sequel to Alisse Lee Goldenberg's The Strings of the Violin is here!

Here's what fans of Young Adult Fantasy said about book 1 of The Hadariah Chronicles, The Strings of Violin:

"The characters quickly come to life in the reader's imagination…it's very easy to get a feeling for the fantastic world they are in. …funny and charming …exciting and fantastical. ….the book touched the hope that there really is some magic out there--just waiting to be discovered by those who still believe in it." -- Kim Anisi for Readers' Favorite

"…a highly enjoyable read. I loved the characters and the story. I have always enjoyed a good fantasy novel, and this one really fed my child-like wonder of all things magical." - Amanda Price, Amazon Reviewer

"A sweet and enchanting little story about best friends, growing up, and just a bit of magic. I was quickly swept away on an adventure to a magical world full of fairy tale creatures both good and bad. …a wonderful chapter book for older kids that love fantasy and magic." - Melanie Rovak, Amazon Reviewer

Start the series! Get your copy of The Strings of the Violin on Amazon.

About The Dybbuk's Mirror

It has been nearly two years since the events in The Strings of the Violin, and Carrie has adjusted to life as a university student far from her friends. However, when the path to Hadariah is sealed, she starts to fear malevolent forces may be behind the other strange occurrences around her. Trying to contact Lindsay and Rebecca to get help in unraveling the mystery, Carrie discovers that her friends are in fact missing. With no way of knowing who to trust, Carrie must find a way back to the land she once saved to rescue her friends from the dybbuks' clutches.

Reuniting with the dybbuk princess Emilia, and finding a new friend in the mysterious farmer Mikhail, Carrie must once again do battle with Asmodeus's forces, and help stop the chaos that threatens to overtake the land while striving to save both Lindsay and Rebecca. For the first time, Carrie is working without the two friends who have helped her through every major decision in her life. Carrie must learn to rely on herself, and find her own strengths to save those she holds dear.

Genre classification: YA Fantasy

Find The Dybbuk's Mirror on Amazon and Prizm Books.

About Alisse Lee Goldeberg

Alisse Lee Goldenberg is an author of horror and Young Adult fantasy fiction. She has her Bachelors of Education and a Fine Arts degree, and has studied fantasy and folk lore since she was a child. Alisse lives in Toronto with her husband Brian, their triplets Joseph, Phillip, and Hailey, and their rambunctious Goldendoodle Sebastian.

Find Alisse on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Release Day Blitz: Perfect for You By Ashelyn Drake @AshelynDrake @swoonromance @NereydaG1003

Perfect for You

by Ashelyn Drake

Release Date: September 2014

Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Meg Flannigan isn't very self-confident, but what girl would be after her sophomore-year boyfriend dumped her by making out with another girl in front of her locker? 

Now a senior, Meg catches the eye of not one, but two gorgeous guys at school. Sounds good, right? What girl wouldn't want to be in Meg's shoes? One cute boy happens to be her boyfriend, and the other? Well, he wants to be. And Meg? She't torn between Ash, the boy she's been with for nearly five months, and Noah who is pretty irresistible. 

But Meg is playing with fire. Pitting two boys against one another, even if she doesn't intend to, could end badly if she isn't careful. PERFECT FOR YOU is a teen romance from bestselling author Ashelyn Drake, where one girl will risk everything to find her perfect match.

Available from:

Excerpt:

As the sun lowers in the sky, I lie back on the tennis court and think about Ash. After five months, my stomach still gets butterflies every time I see him. His touch makes me want to smother his lips with mine, and he has a way of making me feel like I'm the only girl in the world-at least to him. He's perfect in just about every way.

"You're tense, Flannigan. I can tell," Noah says, his head mere inches from mine. He turns to give me one of his killer one-dimple smiles and I melt, the way I have since I first laid eyes on him two years ago.

Why did he have to wait until now to show an interest in me? I'm falling in love with Ash. I know I am. But Noah…

"Am I making you nervous?" Noah invades my personal space, something he's made a habit of doing over the past week. He's the best player on the guy's tennis team, and he's helping me improve my game. We get along really well because we have a lot in common, but we're just friends. That's all, because that's all we can be. He leans forward, and I forget to breathe as our faces get closer and closer. Is he going to kiss me? He reaches one hand behind my back and lifts me closer to him. He is going to kiss me! Holy crap! I can't do this.

"Noah, I-"

Before I can finish, he's pushing me back down again, and I feel a tennis ball under my shoulder blade.

"Now lie still for a few minutes, relaxing the muscles around the ball. It should get rid of that tension. You've probably got a knot from all the extra practice you've been putting in."

Yeah, but it's not the knot in my shoulder I'm worried about. It's the one in my stomach. The one that formed when I thought Noah was going to kiss me, and I didn't really want to stop him.

This is bad. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be in a situation where I think a guy might kiss me. Where I think I might let him. Ash doesn't deserve this.

About the Author

Ashelyn Drake is a New Adult and Young Adult romance author. While it's rare for her not to have either a book in hand or her fingers flying across a laptop, she also enjoys spending time with her family. She believes you are never too old to enjoy a good swing set and there's never a bad time for some dark chocolate. She is represented by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary Agency.

Author Links:

   

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Cover Reveal: AN INTIMATE MURDER by Stacy Verdick Case @SVerdickCase @GoddessFish #Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions to show off the cover for AN INTIMATE MURDER by Stacy Verdick Case.

Stacy will award a signed ARC of An Intimate Murder (US only) to THREE randomly drawn winners via the rafflecopter at the end of this post.

Check out this awesome cover!

Now find out about the book:

A Catherine O'Brien Mystery.

When Jonathan and Susan Luther are murdered in their home, St. Paul homicide detective Catherine O'Brien and her partner Louise discover this isn't the first time the Luther family has been visited by tragedy. Is it a case of bad family luck or is there something more?

Here's an excerpt!

The world as a whole is a strange place, and the people who inhabit this world are even stranger. The Luther's neighbors proved to be the strangest I'd encountered in ten years of law enforcement. Considering the whackos and ice-blooded murders I'd run into, these neighbors could be proud of their over achieving ways.

The street looked benign, an affluent tree lined parkway with a BMW or Mercedes in every other driveway. The neighbor across the street had a pickup truck in their drive, but it turned out to be the yard man's, who happened to be cleaning up the left behinds from the oak and maple fall deposits. Pretty to look at until they rotted into brown slime piles on your grass.

We questioned every neighbor on the block but no one heard the gunshots. They lived behind triple pane glass where the temperature was never too hot or too cold. Only one had dared to steal a glance out their insulated glass when an older car, rusted in too many places and not carrying the pedigree of a classic automobile, sped down the street.

"I knew right away they were up to no good." Bernice Leigh, who claimed a relation to Janet Leigh, rocked on the edge of her tufted, chintz ottoman.

"Well maybe not right away." She rolled her hand dramatically in the air. "At first I thought the car could belong to one of the boy's friends who visit the Luther's from time to time."

"Did you know the Luther's very well?" Louise nibbled the edge of a Ginger Thin Mrs. Leigh had fanned out on a china plate, and placed on the coffee table in front of us.

Bernice Leigh shook her head with such force that her hair, which had been so obviously a wig, dislodged itself and canted to one side. Bernice righted the wig without as much as a second thought.

Stacy Verdick Case was born in Willmar, Minnesota. After a brief stint as a military brat, where she lived in Fort Sill Oklahoma and Fort Campbell, Kentucky, her family moved back to Minnesota.

Stacy has written all her life earning a High School Writer Award and a Daphne Du Mauier Award for excellence in Mainstream Mystery/Suspense.

Stacy currently lives in a suburb of St. Paul with her husband of twenty-years, her five-year-old daughter, and their two cats.

An Intimate Murder is the third book in the Catherine O'Brien series.

Visit Stacy on the web:

www.StacyVerdickCase.com

Twitter @SVerdickCase

https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Grand-Murder/265021126858004

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5094848.Stacy_Verdick_Case

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