Thursday, 10 April 2014

Book Blast: Win $50! HAWTHORNE by Sarah Ballance + Excerpt

Hawthorne by Sarah Ballance
Publisher: Astraea Press
Released: July 12th 2011
Genre: Paranormal Romance
After a terrifying encounter with the unexplained, it takes ten years and the news of her grandmother’s passing for Emma Grace Hawthorne to return to her childhood home. She seeks peace in saying a proper goodbye, but what she finds is an old love, a sordid family history, and a wrong only she can right.

Living in the shadow of Hawthorne Manor, Noah Garrett has never forgotten about Emma Grace. In a house full of secrets, his search for missing documents reveals a truth that can cost him everything. What he finds gave Emma the freedom to walk away from the mansion, her heart free and clear, but at what price to Noah?

Hawthorne will be FREE on Amazon from April 10th to 14th

Praise for HAWTHORNE

“This is a marvelous ghost story. The mystery, the suspense, the eeriness – all collaborate to weave a spell-binding tale . . . The story seamlessly flows to a shocking ending that is utterly brilliant.”
— Coffee Time Romance

“When I finished it, honestly, all I could do was sit there – a little awestruck.” — Kick Back & Review

EXCERPT
Noah closed in on the convertible, giving the nearby grounds a cursory look. The lawn was meticulous, the beds overflowing with sprays of purple garden phlox which trailed around the bend in the road and disappeared. A riot of white and rust-red irises backed the smaller purple flowers, their leaves deep green and glossy. Overhead, Spanish moss swayed only occasionally atop a maze of live oak, more likely a result of a passing swarm of insects than an actual air current. The land was still. If there were tourists snapping photos of the historic plantation — or doing anything else — he didn’t see them. But someone had been there. The car was certainly real, even if that too-familiar scream had been a figment of his imagination.

Wasn’t it always?

Resigned to another night alone with his memories, Noah pivoted.

And found himself nose to nose with Emma Grace.

Astounded, he opened his mouth, then closed it. He wanted to reach for her, but his arms refused the notion; they hung uselessly by his sides, the effort futile. His mouth wasn’t much on cooperation, either. Finally, he found his tongue. “Em—”

Her expression cut him off. Green eyes wide, skin pale, her small frame shaking, she spoke. “I saw her, Noah. She’s back.” The words, nearly soundless, seemed to catch in the thick air. Lingering. Threatening.

And ripping the heart from his chest.

About author Sarah Ballance


Sarah and her husband of what he calls “many long, long years” live on the mid-Atlantic coast with their six young children, all of whom are perfectly adorable when they’re asleep. She never dreamed of becoming an author, but as a homeschooling mom, she often jokes she writes fiction because if she wants anyone to listen to her, she has to make them up. (As it turns out, her characters aren’t much better than the kids). When not buried under piles of laundry, she may be found adrift in the Atlantic (preferably on a boat) or seeking that ever-elusive perfect writing spot where not even the kids can find her.

She loves creating unforgettable stories while putting her characters through an unkind amount of torture—a hobby that has nothing to do with living with six children. (Really.) Though she adores nail-biting mystery and edge-of-your-seat thrillers, Sarah writes in many genres including contemporary and ghostly paranormal romance.



Scroll down for the giveaway!


BookBlast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ends 4/30/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


Thanks for stopping by, and good luck! (: 






Wednesday, 9 April 2014

In My Mailbox #5: I AM FOREVER Prize Pack


Welcome to In My Mailbox (IMM)IMM is a weekly meme created by Kristi @ The Story Siren which features books bought/received in the mail, borrowed from the library as well as other awesome book-related goodies in your mailbox.


As some of my awesome readers may know, I've been away for the past two weeks and haven't been blogging much. I just got back from a school trip to Cambodia this Sunday!

On my second day there, my dad sent me a photo of a parcel I'd been awaiting and I knew right away that it was my I AM FOREVER prize pack from author Wynne Channing. I'd been absolutely thrilled when Wynne notified me of my prize because I'm a big fan of WHAT KILLS ME (book 1 of the series), and I've got I AM FOREVER (the sequel) on my Kindle already.



(The Instagram photo Wynne posted. I was so excited when I saw it.)

Anyway, here are my pictures!

I just LOVE Wynne's handwriting!

Here's how the notebook looks like when opened.


Green!

Also, the latest addition to my Kindle is The Aqua Secret (The Aqua Saga, #1) by L.L. Hunter.



I got it for 99¢ on Amazon US because Michelle from The Passionate Bookworms posted about it on Facebook yesterday and holy carp, the cover looked so breathtaking I just had to buy it. It's not a mermaid novel, but it's definitely got water in it! It's got 4 or 5-star reviews on Goodreads so far, so The Aqua Secret looks to be a great read.

On a completely random note (and because I'm totally starting to become a font nerd), I've noticed that the font on the The Aqua Secret cover is Yana Regular Swash, the same font used for The Selection series by Kiera Cass ;)

Well, that's all I've got in my mailbox this week! What have you got in yours? Leave a comment with a link to your post and I'll drop by!



Tuesday, 8 April 2014

Review: Tides (Tides, #1) by Betsy Cornwell

Tides (Tides, #1) by Betsy Cornwell
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Released: May 15th 2013
Format: Ebook
Source: Review copy provided by author
When high-school senior Noah Gallagher and his adopted teenage sister, Lo, go to live with their grandmother in her island cottage for the summer, they don’t expect much in the way of adventure. Noah has landed a marine biology internship, and Lo wants to draw and paint, perhaps even to vanquish her struggles with bulimia.

But then things take a dramatic turn for them both when Noah mistakenly tries to save a mysterious girl from drowning. This dreamlike, suspenseful story—deftly told from multiple points of view—dives deeply into selkie folklore while examining the fluid nature of love and family.

Sherlyn's note: I'd just like to congratulate Betsy on the paperback release of Tides on April 1st!

I first heard of the term selkies at age 11 when I read Half-Human, a short story compilation by Bruce Coville. Selkies have also surfaced in Karen Amanda Hooper's Sea Monster Memoirs series, which is mainly about mermaids. However, I'd never read a novel solely about selkies until Tides came along.

Now, that isn't the only reason why Tides is such a unique novel to me. It starts off quietly, softly dealing with tough issues like bulimia along the way, and there's even a lesbian relationship thrown into the mix. Towards the ending, the plot goes into high tide and you get a thrilling, action-packed finish.

Our main characters in Tides are Noah and Mara. Noah's interning at the Marine Science Research Center during his last summer before entering college, and he and his sister Lo go to live with their grandmother, Gemm, on the Isles of Shoals. Noah is endearing in his own geeky way, though he isn't exactly book boyfriend material. I could really understand his disappointment when he thought he was special to Professor Foster in the beginning. On the other hand, Mara, a selkie whose sister has been missing for many years, has to deal with the Elder of her selkie pod being unwilling to let the younglings grow up because of her sister Aine's supposed kidnapping. Mara's fascinated with humans, yet knows that she will never be allowed to properly make friends with them.

Tides gives an insight to selkie life and addresses the selkies' worst fear of having their sealskin stolen from them. The interaction between Cornwell's selkie and human characters are a beautiful representation of how fantasy and magic can be present in our everyday lives. I found Noah and Mara's first meeting so adorable. Their relationship takes a bit of time to actually start developing due to the plot's necessary setup, but I thought Cornwell showed Mara's headstrong personality brilliantly by introducing a major conflict between her and Noah in a later part of the novel.

I felt that the supporting characters could've been fleshed out more. Lo constantly struggles with her body image and is trying to recover from her bulimia. I would have liked to have stayed in her head a little longer, as towards the end it was quite of a touch-and-go as to how she started to overcome her condition. Ronan realising he couldn't do what he initially thought he could accomplish and learning his lesson was great, but I do wish Cornwell had written more about the younglings.

The lesbian relationship between Gemm and Maebh was something extremely new for me. It was pleasantly surprising to have an aspect of this novel focusing on the older LGBT set and this made it all the more sweeter on Cornwell's part, who introduced it in a nice, gradual way. Also, this relationship is the reason why the selkies in Tides are tied to our human main characters. However, though necessary, Gemm and Maebh's love story slowed down the pacing of the main plot quite a bit. It was a while before the main action and conflict could take off. 

I couldn't grasp the novel's villain entirely. While his motive made sense at first, it still seemed like an easy way to label him as a mental person who did what he did because he was plain desperate. I actually predicted who the villain was early in the novel even before his identity was revealed. I felt that I was supposed to understand Cornwell's reason for adding in the villain's flawed version of his selkie story, but I couldn't. He would have been a villain with more oomph if there'd been more insanity added to him (for example making him a real psycho killer who has a dark past with selkies or something – someone who was more cruel, ruthless and downright scary). 

Cornwell's fluid writing style grabbed my attention right from the prologue. She possesses the ability to simply yet vividly convey even the most abstract things, such as sunlight in water. I also love how she likens water to metal in her descriptions. However, while her multiple third-person POVs provide omniscience, they also take away elements of surprise, one of which is Noah finding out that Mara is a selkie (or perhaps it wasn't Cornwell's intention to surprise at all). Though the POVs are not confusing, I found myself a little more detached from the characters; the scenes were playing out in my head like a documentary and I felt something was missing – I can't pinpoint what, exactly.

With that being said, though, I think there's so much more to be explored in this world Cornwell has created. There was an awesome buildup to the ending, and Tides has been set up for a sequel, so I'm most eager to know what will happen between Noah and Mara next!

I personally think what makes Tides a beautiful story in its own right is that its real life issues (the older LGBT set, unconventional romance, foreign adoption, eating disorders) come together to show just how a little love and understanding can go a long way. Cornwell doesn't write about these issues smack-in-your-face, nor does she present them with socially destructive consequences. Though not written in-depth, these are gently treated with love between the characters of this novel. With all that being melded with fantasy elements, Tides is an ethereal summer tale of selkies, romance, and familial bonds set in the Isles of Shoals.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Betsy Cornwell grew up in the wilds of rural New Hampshire and graduated from Smith College in 2010.  She received her MFA in creative writing (with a minor in gender studies, you know, for fun) from the University of Notre Dame in 2012.  After grad school, she ran away to Ireland to live with the fairies, and that's where she lives now, with a dreamy horse trainer, a black cat named Fagin, and a varying number of pretty horsies.

She taught fiction writing and film & television studies at Notre Dame, and now teaches creative and critical writing at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth summer program, as well as working as a private tutor.  She's also been a columnist and editor for Teen Ink magazine, a radio DJ, a nanny, and a historical tour guide on a steamship replica.

When she isn't writing, Betsy enjoys traveling, knitting, cooking, and nerdy TV (especially Buffy the Vampire Slayer).  She is also really tall.

Betsy is represented by the amazing Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger, Inc.

Connect with Betsy: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Tumblr


Get your copy of Tides!
Amazon US | Amazon UK | The Book Depository | Barnes & Noble



PSST! For those eager to win a signed paperback of Tides, swim over HERE to enter Betsy's giveaway!