Release Day for Mistake of Magic by Alex Lidell

I am so excited that MISTAKE OF MAGIC by Alex Lidell is available now and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Alex Lidell, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a Signed copy of the book, notebook, & swag, US Only and 3 eBooks of MISTAKE OF MAGIC, International, courtesy of Alex and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

About the Book:

Title: MISTAKE OF MAGIC (Power Of Five #2)

Author: Alex Lidell

Pub. Date: June 29, 2018

Publisher: Danger Bearing Press

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 193

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!!!

Three trials stand between Lera and exile. Unless the training kills her first.

Quint magic has never chosen a human before, and the Elders Council is convinced Lera is a mistake. 

When the quint refuses to be cleaved apart, the enraged elders give them a choice: exile from Lunos or demotion to the lowest of trainees. Subject again to the humiliations and deadly trials they endured centuries ago, the males now face a new challenge—training Lera to survive. 

River, Shade, Coal, and Tye will do whatever it takes to keep Lera safe. But Lera will do whatever she must to keep them together—even if it means putting herself in mortal danger.

About Book 1:

Title: POWER OF FIVE

Author: Alex Lidell

Pub. Date: May 4, 2018

Publisher: Danger Bearing Press

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 312

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!!!

Four elite fae warriors. One mortal female. A magical bond they can’t allow—or resist. 

Orphaned and sold to a harsh master, Lera’s life is about mucking stalls, avoiding her master’s advances, and steering clear of the mystical forest separating the mortal and fae worlds. Only fools venture into the immortal realms, and only dark rumors come out... Until four powerful fae warriors appear at Lera’s barn. 

River, Coal, Tye, and Shade have waited a decade for their new fifth to be chosen, the wounds from their quint brother’s loss still raw. But the magic has played a cruel trick, bonding the four immortal warriors to... a female. A mortal female. 

Distractingly beautiful and dangerously frail, Lera can only be one thing—a mistake. Yet as the males bring Lera back to the fae lands to sever the bond, they discover that she holds more power over their souls than is safe for anyone... especially for Lera herself. 

Power of Five is a full-length reverse-harem fantasy novel. 

Excerpt:

Four hours and then we’ll be there. Asking the Elders Council to accept our oath as a quint. My chest tightens, nausea shifting my stomach. If the rest of the Elders Council is anything like Klarissa- the gorgeous, manipulative viper who tried to have me killed- then the five of us are walking into a predator’s open maw.  

I’d expected that the decision to remain a quint would bring a calm finality with it. The knot on a braid’s end. It didn’t. If anything the knot is at the braid’s beginning, with the weave still to come. With snags to be untangled along the way.

My head spins as Shade reluctantly sets me on my feet, the enormity of the past quarter hour hitting me as brightly as the light. What in the bloody stars have I done, swearing to be a warrior that I can never become? A shiver runs down my spine. What if we never leave the Citadel, the males trapped here like caged animals because of me?

My body begs me to defend it. Something inside me rises to answer the plea, the sensation so native that I know the something inside me is mine- and yet I”m just as certain that I’ve never felt it before. Don’t even know what it is.

It’s all for me, I realize. The males’ willingness to endure humiliations that should be hundreds of years behind them. To drop to their knees on the hard council floor and accept runes that trap them in a place they despise. My throat constricts, a sense of belonging, of fierce connection, filling my soul. I don’t know how I can ever repay the four warriors for the gift, but I will.

About Alex:

Alex Lidell is the Amazon Breakout Novel Awards finalist author of THE CADET OF TILDOR (Penguin, 2013). She is an avid horseback rider, a (bad) hockey player, and an ice-cream addict. Born in Russia, Alex learned English in elementary school, where a thoughtful librarian placed a copy of Tamora Pierce’s ALANNA in Alex’s hands. In addition to becoming the first English book Alex read for fun, ALANNA started Alex’s life long love for YA fantasy books. Alex is represented by Leigh Feldman of Leigh Feldman Literary. She lives in Washington, DC.

Join Alex's newsletter for news, bonus content and sneak peeks: www.subscribepage.com/TIDES 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page | Book Bub | Instagram

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will win a Signed copy of the book, notebook, & swag, US Only.

3 winners will win an eBook of MISTAKE OF MAGIC, International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your Mid-Week Update for 06/27/18

I've always admired the gumption of thieves who do so little research.

If you're going to rob a house, make sure no one is home. Unless you're in the mood to kill - which...I get it - just be smarter.

We had an unexpected visitor over the weekend. James and I were lying in bed reading - genuinely reading; not code for sex. This time - when we heard the sound of the back door opening. Now, that is not an unfamiliar sound. Both of the kids have snuck in and out of the house on several occasions. But a quick look down the hallway told me Jason was still sleeping so James grabbed his flashlight and I got ready for some fun.

Cause here's the thing: criminals are fair game in my books. Genuine criminals who know what they're doing is wrong and still insist on breaking the law not out of necessity are totally acceptable kills. Now, whoever was breaking into our home might have had someone threatening his family; or perhaps he thought that was no other way to make money. But I just don't buy it.

And thus the thief was quickly subdued and tied to a kitchen chair.

Side note: Jason is a very heavy sleeper. That can't be healthy.

Our thief was in his early twenties and acting way tougher than he actually was. I put a knife to his throat and he laughed but he also 100% pissed himself. It happens more than you think - depending on how often you think about the soon-to-be dead excreting.

Which is worst word I could have used for that but now you have the image of what I deal with constantly. So many fluids.

You're welcome.

So...we'll call him Craig...Craig was tied to a chair, secretly terrified but threatenin and cussing is out like he was still in command of the situation. It baffles me how long it took to get him to open up. Two fingernails, a broken nose, and a cracked kneecap - not in that order - finally got him calling for his mother and he admitted he liked my car and thought we might have more “nice shit".

First of all: I love my car but it is a seven year old Kia. You do not break into someone's house for a seven year old Kia. Now that I understood just how misguided he was, I had to sit him down and talk about some of his life choices. I couldn't let him die without realizing how stupid he was.

Of course we then killed him and buried him in our favourite industrial park but I'm still thinking about Craig. What led him to the choices he made.

I wish we'd spoken more. But I was tired and wanted to go back to bed. So we wrapped it up and I got in a few more hours of sleep.

The lesson here is pretty simple, dear readers, don't break and enter and learn what an expensive car looks like.

Seriously.

As always, dear readers,

Stay Safe

Review of Cinderella's Necromancer by F.M. Boughan

I received Cinderella’s Necromancer by F.M. Boughan as part of the Rockstar Tour celebrating the release of book two in the series: Cinderella’s Inferno.

Title: CINDERELLA NECROMANCER

Author: F.M. Boughan

Pub. Date: September 5, 2017

Publisher: Month9Books, LLC

Pages: 324

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Find it: Amazon, B&N,  iBooks, TBD, Goodreads

CINDERELLA,NECROMANCER is CHIME meets ANNA, DRESSED IN BLOOD and was inspired by a real medieval grimoire of necromancy from 15th-century Germany.

Ellison lost her mother at an early age. But since then, her father has found love again. He’s happy and doesn’t quite notice that Ellison does not get along with his new wife or her mean daughters.

When Ellison discovers a necromantic tome while traveling the secret passages of her father’s mansion, she wonders if it could be the key to her freedom.

Until then, she must master her dark new power, even as her stepmother makes her a servant in her own home. And when her younger brother falls incurably ill, Ellison will do anything to ease his pain, including falling prey to her stepmother and stepsisters’ every whim and fancy.

Stumbling into a chance meeting of Prince William during a secret visit to her mother’s grave feels like a trick of fate when her stepmother refuses to allow Ellison to attend a palace festival.

But what if Ellison could see the kind and handsome prince once more? What if she could attend the festival? What if she could have everything she ever wanted and deserved by conjuring spirits to take revenge on her cruel stepmother?

As Ellison’s power grows, she loses control over the evil spirits meant to do her bidding. And as they begin to exert their own power over Ellison, she will have to decide whether it is she or her stepmother who is the true monster. 

**********************************

I’m feeling quite mixed about this novel. Cliffnotes version: Ellison loses her mother, gains an evil step mother and step sisters, just as she discovers a way to summon spirits or demons to do her bidding while she meets and falls in love with the Prince. It is a dark interpretation of the Cinderella fairy tale involving necromancy and secret family legacies.

The concept of a dark fairy tale – especially as the original tales can be quite dark themselves – is very appealing to me; however, this particular interpretation was not for me.

Reading into the research behind the necromancy elements, I found it very interesting and I really appreciate the work that went into it. The manner and methods in which Ellison interacted with the spirit world was well executed. What kept me from fully engaging with the story was the narrator.

Ellison is a sixteen year old girl who is facing loss, and change, and uncontrolled emotions so it’s understandable – even interesting – that I don’t agree with all of the choices she made. However, the voice that Boughan used to speak through Ellison was quite emotionally detached.

I had difficulty connecting with Ellison, though she is the narrator and definite protagonist of the story. She constantly repeated metaphors and chose to explain the action in the scene rather than how she felt within the moment. Her personality was very scattered – playing between demure and silent, and bold and quick with no motive that was made clear to the reader. All of the secondary characters in her life (for example, her dying baby brother), were more like props than fleshed out characters with feelings and emotions.  It didn’t seem as though Ellison earned the victories she gained simply because I didn’t care about her or the world she inhabited.

I think my frustration and occasional amusement comes out in my Random Notes While Reading:

• ·         Because we know how the story ends, this is a good way to immediately indicate why this story is different
• ·         Damn
• ·         A little cliché but I love the prose
• ·         Nothing like the love of a mother and daughter
• ·         How vain. How expositional.
• ·         How can you be extravagant and frugal? *whispers* hypocrite
• ·         I’m calling it: mind control
• ·         Ha, ha, you’re attracted to him
• ·         Well of course
• ·         *whispers* animated feature film
• ·         You use “curiosity” too much
• ·         No way
• ·         Aha!
• ·         Definitely not a children’s book but okay…
• ·         What?
• ·         See, why can’t we punch them?
• ·         I do appreciate how often she gets injured
• ·         Who’s faulting her?
• ·         I don’t begrudge you that. He is dashing
• ·         Jesus
• ·         How? Ugh
• ·         Why was it necessary to underestimate her?
• ·         You’re just a bad person. Own it.
• ·         What did you think would happen?
• ·         That did occur to me but I like that touch
• ·      
• ·         That…is a choice that will obviously have no negative repercussions
• ·         It’s dark but that’s the better choice
• ·         Nice!
• ·         I keep forgetting I’m a bad person
• ·         *inaudible squeak that is full of spoilers*
• ·         What do you mean “how”?
• ·         You are sickeningly naïve
• ·         This certainly is a twist on the tale
• ·         Okay thank you for explaining. I wouldn’t have gotten that
• ·         That’s your concern?

All that said: there was so much to love, if only I had grown to love Ellison first. There’s monsters, and magic, and charming Princes, and a fairy tale remake uniquely approached.

What I hope for the next book, Cinderella’s Inferno, is a better understanding of the world, described by a more mature and lyrical Ellison.

Release Tour for Chloe Shipton and the Quill of LeFay by Lynn Veevers

Title: CHLOE SHIPTON & THE QUILL OF LEFAY

Author: Lynn Veevers

Pub. Date: June 12, 2018

Publisher: Lynn Veevers

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 263

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

When fifteen-year-old Chloe mysteriously disappears, the rumors at Grammaire Hall point to murder, but spiritual entrapment isn’t the same as dead. In a library that’s believed to be nothing more than a myth, Chloe's spirit is separated from her body after witnessing another student's murder. Try as she may she can't remember what happened to her before she woke up as a spirit in the campus graveyard. As Chloe uncovers clues leading to the mythical library's location and her body, a secret the Magical Parliament doesn't want to get out, starts to unravel. Rogue sorcerers have infiltrated the school, intent on reinstating the Third Edict, and sorcery students are dying because of it. Destroyed long ago for horrific crimes against humanity, the return of the Third Edict would spell disaster for both magical and magicless societies. To prevent her own demise and the fulfillment of the Third Edict’s return, Chloe must find a way to reunite body and soul without giving the rogue sorcerers the weapon they need to succeed, a weapon only Chloe can activate.

About Lynn:

Lynn Veevers is originally from Washington State. With her mother being from Christchurch, New Zealand and her father being a well-traveled retired Navy Chief, Lynn has always had a fascination with different cultures around the world. An avid reader, she prefers books that take her to a place she's never been and teach her something new at the same time. The Young Adult Genre is her absolute favorite to read, so it comes as no surprise that it is also her favorite to write. Lynn, on average, pens two to three novels a year with the sequel to Pinnacle in the publishing process now!

Today Lynn lives with her husband and kids in Southeast Oklahoma. Her young adult and adolescent children are supportive and avid beta readers of her work and give her a straightforward and honest point of view about how authentic her characters voices and personalities are for their age group. What better reference than someone close to the same age as the main character. Her kids always have and always will be her greatest inspiration.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

One lucky winner will receive a $25Amazon gift card, International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

6/11/2018- Smada's Book Smack- Excerpt

6/12/2018- Mythical Books- Interview

6/13/2018- K.L. Knovitzke – Author- Excerpt

6/14/2018- BookHounds YA- Guest Post

6/15/2018- Hauntedbybooks- Guest Post

Week Two:

6/18/2018- The Desert Bibliophile- Review

6/19/2018- What the Cat Read- Review

6/20/2018- Tales of the Ravenous Reader- Guest Post

6/21/2018- Writer of Wrongs- Review

6/22/2018- Novel Novice- Excerpt

Week Three:

6/25/2018- Here's to Happy Endings- Excerpt

6/26/2018- Parajunkee- Excerpt

6/27/2018- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

6/28/2018- Jaime's World- Spotlight

Week Four:

7/2/2018- Lisa Loves Literature- Interview

7/3/2018- RhythmicBooktrovert- Spotlight

7/4/2018- A Court of Coffee and Books- Interview

7/5/2018- A Readers Life- Review

7/6/2018- FUONLYKNEW- Excerpt

Your Mid-Week Update for 06/20/18

The problem with doing these updates on the same day every week is that how I'm feeling in the moment isn't necessarily a reflection of the entire week.

There was something that happened last Thursday that was really bothering me and I really wanted to share it with you; now I can't for the life of me remember what it was.

I can barely remember what I ate for dinner last night.

Chicken!

One mystery solved.

But that's my point: it's getting harder to remember the little things. Maybe they don’t matter but they matter to me. Small moments in life are very important – not just because they could, clichédly, be your last – because they make up your life.

That’s more of a cliché.

I’ve lost the high ground in this conversation, haven’t I?

Whatever. Things happened this week, it’s not important anymore.

I’ve been sick for over a week now and I’m done with it. I’m getting better but I hate when my body isn’t 100%; it means I need to take more precautions when I’m killing and it sucks. Face masks and thick latex gloves and extra strength bleach are not game changes, just less convenient for fulfilling my needs. They get in the way. And they’re squeaky – the gloves.

Any cold remedy recommendations? I’m sick of…being sick.

Whatever.

As always, dear readers,

Stay Safe