Sunday 31 October 2021

October 2021 Wrap up

 Hello everyone!!

It is that time again... The time when I wrap up October and tell you about the books I read. This month I read 9 books (7 physical books & 2 ebooks) and I am currently in the middle of another two. In October I started and finished a trilogy and I also continued with some favourite series and started some new ones.


Let's start...

The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash #3) - Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book 3 of the Blood and Ash series was another 5 star read for me. I really really liked it and I am really curious for the sequel. The last chapters were just amazing.

Rating : 5 Stars











Well, they are gone, and here  must I remain  - Samuel Taylor Coleridge

This little book belongs to the Penguin Little Black Classics  collection (No35) and it is a poetry collection.

Rating: 2 Stars












Tunnel of Bones (Cassidy Blake #2) - Victoria Schwab

The second book in the series and now we follow Cassidy to Paris and experience her adventures with a naughty poltergeist. 
I really enjoyed reading it. It is cute and a little bit spooky.

Rating: 4 Stars












Blood & Honey (Serpent & Dove #2) - Shelby Mahurin

The reviews that I had read for Blood & Honey were very conflicting so I started reading it with lower expectations. At the beginning the book was a little bit slow for my liking but after awhile it picked up and I couldn't put it down.

Rating: 4 Stars

Read my full review here









Letter to my mother - George Simenon

This one belongs to the Penguin Modern Collection (no 39) and it is a letter written by George Simenon to his mother after her death where he tries to understand her and her behavior.
I enjoyed reading it and now I am intrigued to read more of his work.

Rating : 3 Stars










Dark Rise (Dark Rise #1) - C. S. Pacat

This was the first time I read something from C. S. Pacat and I loved everything about it, her writing style, world building, characters and of course all the plot twists at the end. 

Rating: 5 Stars

Full review to come pretty soon.










Bridge of Souls (Cassidy Blake #3) - Victoria Schwab

This is the finale to the trilogy and this time we are exploring the haunted New Orleans and try to defeat death with Cassidy and her friends. I liked this one more than the previous two. Friendship is the major theme in this one and I really liked it.

Rating: 5 Stars











Gild (The Plated Prisoner #1) - Raven Kennedy

I had heard many good things about this book and I went in with high hopes and thankfully I wasn't disappointed. It is dark and full of plot twists and really addictive. I cannot wait to read book 2.

Rating: 4 Stars












1821: An illustrated journey towards freedom (1821: Ένα εικονογραφημένο ταξλιδι προς την ελευθερία) - Maro Vasiliadou & Ilias Kolovos

This is an illustrated book for younger readers depicting the Greek Revolution of 1821. It has great illustrations and included everything you need to know about this important period of Greek history.

Rating: 5 Stars










This were the books I read in October.
Have you read any of them? What did you think?

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!
Athina














Thursday 28 October 2021

Blood & Honey (Serpent & Dove #2) by Shelby Mahurin - A Review

 


Hello everyone!!

Today we are reviewing Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin. This is the second book in the Serpent & Dove trilogy on September 2020 by HarperTeen. If you didn't know it is a YA Fantasy book.

You can find my review for book 1 Serpent & Dove here.

The reviews that I had read for Blood & Honey were very conflicting so I started reading it with lower expectations. At the beginning the book was a little bit slow for my liking but after awhile it picked up and I couldn't put it down. 
In this book there was more character development than in the previous one and we got to learn more about the characters. 
There was also more world building that I loved as we learned more about the Dames Rouge, the werewolves and the other species. 
I also liked the writing style of Shelby Mahurin and I cannot wait to read book 3 Gods & Monsters.

Rating: 4 Stars

About the book
WHERE YOU GO, I WILL GO
Lou and Reid are reunited. But after a narrow escape from Morgane’s dagger, they are pursued on all sides by coven, kingdom, and church. Their time—and luck—is running out.

WHERE YOU STAY, I WILL STAY
Together, they were sure they would be able to conquer anything. But as Morgane baits them into a lethal game of cat and mouse, they are forced to turn to La Voisin—Queen of the Dames Rouges and sworn enemy of Lou’s coven—for help.

FOR AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE
As Lou explores a shadowy side of magic that she believes is necessary to protect her husband and her friends, Reid reluctantly explores his own newfound power. They are bound as one for the rest of their days...

BUT DEATH COMES FOR US ALL.

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!
Athina


Wednesday 27 October 2021

Home with You by Claudia Burgoa and Grahame Claire - Cover reveal

 

An imaginary hedgehog fairy made me famous.
A blizzard made me fall in love.
Home with You, an all new second chance romance from USA Today bestselling authors Claudia Burgoa and Grahame Claire is coming November 16th and we have the stunning cover!

When I was a kid I used to doodle pictures of my best friend.
Well, my best imaginary friend: Harley the Hedgehog Fairy.
Turns out that making up stories about her catapulted me into children's book stardom.

Now I'm living my dream and working from home.
I’d rather spend my time creating stories than face the real world.
Except, my agent has other plans. He's booked me on a signing tour across the country.
Six weeks outside of my comfort zone.

I thought that was painful - until I saw Morgan Bradford entering a bookstore holding the hand of a little girl.
He told me he didn't want commitment.

But I guess he didn't want commitment with me.
After five painful minutes, I see him off and hope we never cross paths again.
I’m not that lucky.

A blizzard, a car accident and a concussion send me back to Winter Valley...
And under Morgan's care.

Maybe I am that lucky.

Reserve your copy today!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3pERf23
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Read the first book in the series today!
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About Claudia Burgoa

Claudia is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author.
She writes alluring, thrilling stories about complicated women and the men who take their breath away.

She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and her youngest two children. She has a sweet Bichon, Macey, who thinks she’s the ruler of the house. She’s only partially right.

When Claudia is not writing, you can find her reading, knitting, or just hanging out with her family. At night, she likes to binge-watch shows with her equally geeky husband.

Connect with Claudia

Facebook: http://bit.ly/CBFcbook
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About Grahame Claire

Grahame Claire is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance.
A writer. A blogger. United by our love of stories and all things romance. There was definitely some insta-love. Hello? Books involved. A little courting. A lot of writing. The result...Grahame Claire.
Soulmates. Unashamed of our multiple book boyfriends. Especially the ones that rooted in our heads and wouldn’t leave us alone. Don’t worry. We’ll share.
Pleased to meet you.
Want to find out what we're up to?

Connect with Grahame
Facebook: https://bit.ly/2PvwpPc
Twitter: https://bit.ly/31uStPH
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Instagram: https://bit.ly/33AEla6
Website: https://www.grahameclaire.com

Man for Me by Laurelin Paige - Blog tour

 

Man for Me, an all-new, must read novella from New York Times bestselling author Laurelin Paige and 1,001 Dark Nights is out now, and we have an excerpt!

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Laurelin Paige comes a new story in her Man In Charge series…

Brett Sebastian is the very best kind of friend.

Who else would get me a job at one of the biggest corporations in America?

And hook me up with his uber-rich cousin to boot?

And let me cry on his shoulder every time said cousin blows me off?

Okay, it’s pretty obvious that Brett cares about me in a different way than I do for him, but he seems fine with how things are, and our friendship works.

Until one fateful night when I'm mooning over his cousin, and Brett utters four words that should make me happy for him, should make me relieved, should balance out our uneven relationship:

“I met a girl.”

Suddenly my world is crashing down around me, and I’m forced to ask myself—am I only interested in Brett now that he’s taken?

Or have I been looking at the wrong man all along?

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

Grab your copy today exclusively on Amazon!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xqfMIo
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/ManfoMe

Excerpt

How may I help you?” I asked when she finally crossed over to me because I wasn’t going to scream at her from several yards away, no matter how lost she looked.

“Yes, I have an appointment with Scott Sebastian.” The maliciousness I’d thought I’d seen must have been imagined. Now all I sensed was friendly professionalism with maybe a trace of nervousness. “Tess Turani with Conscience Connect. Ten a.m.”

I pulled up Scott’s calendar, realizing this was the first time I’d looked at it all day. In fact, I’d barely looked at it all week. In the past, I would have had each hour memorized, searching for the best times to pop into his office with made-up paperwork to sign or a question that I already knew the answer to. 

I really was over him, wasn’t I?

I’d spent my energy this week thinking about Brett instead, but pining for him looked a lot different than pining for Scott. I’d tried very hard to act natural around him, like the night we’d spent together and his follow-up rejection hadn’t affected me in the least. He needed time to see that I wasn’t into Scott anymore, and hard as that was for me to give, time was what he’d get.

My surprising self-discipline had kept me from stalking his calendar. Which was why, when I didn’t find Tess Turani on Scott’s, I had to do a search for her name to find she was on Brett’s.

“Oh, there you are. You’re not meeting with Scott; you’re booked with Brett.” My ribs felt tight. As if there was something lodged in between them. He’d called up earlier to tell me where he’d be for his pitch meeting today, but he hadn’t given any indication that it was with a woman.

A young, attractive, big-eyed, beautiful-skinned woman. 

Well, hello, Green-Eyed Monster, my old friend.

About Laurelin Paige

With millions of books sold worldwide, Laurelin Paige is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author. She is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Killing Eve, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She's also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn't do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio.

Connect with Laurelin
Website: https://laurelinpaige.com
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For More information about 1,001 Dark Nights Visit
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Tuesday 26 October 2021

2021 New Releases Weekly - October 26th

 Hello everyone!!

Well, it's time for this week's new releases post. This time we look at books published in the week of October 26th. There are a lot of books that are in my most anticipated list, but as I said before this list is of course incomplete as it includes only books that I am interested in and the majority of them are in the Fantasy genre.




Let's start...

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets - Minalima Edition

A stunning new edition of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, with beautiful full color illustrations and eight interactive paper craft elements featuring the Whomping Willow, the Weasleys' Burrow, and more. A gift to be treasured by Harry Potter fans and book lovers of all ages! 

Prepare to be dazzled by this new edition of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, designed and illustrated by MinaLima. With over 150 full-color illustrations and eight exclusive, interactive paper craft elements, readers will travel via the Floo Network, watch out for the Whomping Willow, reveal the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office, pull Mandrakes from their pots, and more.



Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan

New York Times #1 best-selling author Rick Riordan pays homage to Jules Verne in his exciting modern take on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Ana Dakkar is a freshman at Harding-Pencroft Academy, a five-year high school that graduates the best marine scientists, naval warriors, navigators, and underwater explorers in the world. Ana's parents died while on a scientific expedition two years ago, and the only family's she's got left is her older brother, Dev, also a student at HP. Ana's freshman year culminates with the class's weekend trial at sea, the details of which have been kept secret. She only hopes she has what it'll take to succeed. All her worries are blown out of the water when, on the bus ride to the ship, Ana and her schoolmates witness a terrible tragedy that will change the trajectory of their lives.

But wait, there's more. The professor accompanying them informs Ana that their rival school, Land Institute, and Harding-Pencroft have been fighting a cold war for a hundred and fifty years. Now that cold war has been turned up to a full broil, and the freshman are in danger of becoming fish food. In a race against deadly enemies, Ana will make amazing friends and astounding discoveries about her heritage as she puts her leadership skills to the test for the first time.

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Publisher: Disney - Hyperion

Powers & Thrones - A New History of the Middle Ages by Dan Jones

An epic reappraisal of the medieval world--and the rich and complicated legacy left to us by the rise of the West--from the New York Times bestselling author of The Templars.

When the once-mighty city of Rome was sacked by barbarians in 410 and lay in ruins, it signaled the end of an era--and the beginning of a thousand years of profound transformation. In a gripping narrative bursting with big names--from St Augustine and Attila the Hun to the Prophet Muhammad and Eleanor of Aquitaine--Dan Jones charges through the history of the Middle Ages. Powers and Thrones takes readers on a journey through an emerging Europe, the great capitals of late Antiquity, as well as the influential cities of the Islamic West, and culminates in the first contact between the old and new worlds in the sixteenth century.

The medieval world was forged by the big forces that still occupy us today: climate change, pandemic disease, mass migration, and technological revolutions. This was the time when the great European nationalities were formed; when our basic Western systems of law and governance were codified; when the Christian Churches matured as both powerful institutions and the regulators of Western public morality; and when art, architecture, philosophical inquiry and scientific invention went through periods of massive, revolutionary change. At each stage in this story, successive western powers thrived by attracting--or stealing--the most valuable resources, ideas, and people from the rest of the world.

The West was rebuilt on the ruins of an empire and emerged from a state of crisis and collapse to dominate the region and the world. Every sphere of human life and activity was transformed in the thousand years of Powers and Thrones. As we face a critical turning point in our own millennium, the legacy and lessons of how we got here matter more than ever.

Genre: Non Fiction History
Publisher: Viking

The Grimrose Girls (Grimrose Girls #1) by Laura Pohl

Once Upon a Time meets Pretty little liars.

Four troubled friends, One murdered girl... and a dark fate that may leave them all doomed.

After the mysterious death of their best friend, Ella, Yuki, and Rory are the talk of their elite school, Grimrose Académie. The police ruled it a suicide, but the trio are determined to find out what really happened.

When Nani Eszes arrives as their newest roommate, it sets into motion a series of events they couldn't have imagined. As the girls retrace their friend's last steps, they uncover dark secrets about themselves and their destinies, discovering they're all cursed to repeat the brutal and gruesome endings to their stories until they can break the cycle.

This contemporary take on classic fairytales reimagines heroines as friends attending the same school. While investigating the murder of their best friend, they uncover connections to their ancient fairytale curses and attempt to forge their own fate before it's too late.

Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

These are some of the new releases of this week.
Are you excited about them?
Do you have other ones on your radar that I should know of?

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!
Athina


Sunday 24 October 2021

The Secret Garden on 81st Street: A Modern Retelling of the Secret Garden - Ivy Noelle Weir - Book Tour & Review

 


Hello everyone!!

Today I am really excited to share with you The Secret Garden on 81st Street: A Modern Retelling of the Secret Garden by Ivy Noelle Weir. It is a mddle-grade graphic novel and was published oNnOctober 19th by Little Brown & Company.


My Review

This is kind of a retelling for the Secret Garden but in a graphic novel form and brought to our times. 
It tackled serious issues such as anxiety and depression very good and managed to get through positive messages.
I also loved the illustrations

Rating: 4 Stars



Synopsis of the book:

The Secret Garden with a twist: in this follow-up to Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, this full-color graphic novel moves Mary Lennox to a New York City brownstone, where she and her very first group of friends restore an abandoned rooftop garden…and her uncle’s heart.
Mary Lennox is a loner living in Silicon Valley. With her parents always working, video game and tech become her main source of entertainment and “friends.” When her parents pass away in a tragic accident, she moves to New York City to live with her uncle who she barely knows, and to her surprise, keeps a gadget free home. Looking for comfort in this strange, new reality, Mary discovers an abandoned rooftop garden and an even bigger secret…her cousin who suffers from anxiety. With the help of her new friends, Colin and Dickon, Mary works to restore the garden to its former glory while also learning to grieve, build real friendships, and grow.

Add the book on your Goodreads TBR here 

About the Author:

LIvy Noelle Weir is a writer of comics and prose. She is the co-creator of the Dwayne McDuffie Award-winning graphic novel Archival Quality (Oni Press), the upcoming The Secret Garden on 81st Street (Little, Brown for Young Readers), and her writing has appeared in anthologies such as Princeless: Girls Rock (Action Lab Entertainment) and Dead Beats (A Wave Blue World). She lives in the greater Boston area with her husband and their two tiny, weird dogs.

Author Links:


Friday 22 October 2021

A Shadow In The Ember (Flesh and Fire #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout - Blog Tour

 

“Jennifer L. Armentrout has absolutely blown me away.”
-- Larissa Ione, New York Times bestselling author
A Shadow in the Ember, the much anticipated fantasy romance set in the Blood and Ash world from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is available now!

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns with book one of the all-new, compelling Flesh and Fire series—set in the beloved Blood and Ash world.

Born shrouded in the veil of the Primals, a Maiden as the Fates promised, Seraphena Mierel’s future has never been hers. Chosen before birth to uphold the desperate deal her ancestor struck to save his people, Sera must leave behind her life and offer herself to the Primal of Death as his Consort.

However, Sera’s real destiny is the most closely guarded secret in all of Lasania—she’s not the well protected Maiden but an assassin with one mission—one target. Make the Primal of Death fall in love, become his weakness, and then…end him. If she fails, she dooms her kingdom to a slow demise at the hands of the Rot.

Sera has always known what she is. Chosen. Consort. Assassin. Weapon. A specter never fully formed yet drenched in blood. A monster. Until him. Until the Primal of Death’s unexpected words and deeds chase away the darkness gathering inside her. And his seductive touch ignites a passion she’s never allowed herself to feel and cannot feel for him. But Sera has never had a choice. Either way, her life is forfeit—it always has been, as she has been forever touched by Life and Death.

Grab your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3bROCSS
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Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3gCGatH

Excerpt

She reached back, curling her arm through mine. The unexpected contact caused me to  flinch, and I was suddenly grateful for the veil. Like any of the Chosen, my flesh should not  encounter another’s unless related to my preparations. It spoke volumes that Lady Kala had  touched me.  

She led me through the twisting, endless halls of nothing but doors and numerous blazing  candle sconces. I had just begun to wonder if she was lost when the hazy outline of two silent  figures draped in black appeared by a set of doors. 

Shadow Priests.  

They’d taken their oath of silence to all new heights, having stitched their lips closed. I  always wondered how they ate or drank. Based on their wraithlike, sunken frames under the  black robes, whatever method they used wasn’t exactly working out that well for them.  

I suppressed a shudder as each of the Priests opened a door to reveal a large, circular  chamber aglow with hundreds of candles. A third Shadow Priest seemingly appeared out of thin  air, taking Lady Kala’s place. The bony fingers didn’t touch my skin but pressed into the center  of my back. The contact still bothered me, made me want to pull away, but I knew better than to  step away from the coldness of his fingers seeping through the thin layer of cloth. Forcing myself to breathe, I stared at the etchings carved into the otherwise smooth stone. A circle with a line  through it. The symbol filled each stone tile. Having never seen it before, I wasn’t sure what it  meant. My gaze lifted to the wide dais before me. The Priest guided me down the aisle, and some  of the pressure returned to my chest. I didn’t look at the empty pews. If I had truly been Chosen,  those benches would be full of the highest-ranking nobility, the streets outside alive with cheers.  The silence of the room chilled my skin. 

There’d only ever been one throne before, constructed from the same stone as the Temple.  Shadowstone was the color of the deepest hour of night, a marvelous material that could be  polished until it reflected any source of light and whetted into a blade sharp enough to pierce  flesh and bone. The throne was the glossy sort, absorbing the glow of the candlelight until the  stone appeared as if it were full of dark fire. The back of the seat had been carved into the shape  of a crescent moon.  

The exact shape of the birthmark I bore just above my left shoulder blade. The telltale sign  that even before I was born, my life had never been mine. 

Tonight, there were two thrones. 

As they led me to the dais and helped me up the steps, I really wished I had asked for that  glass of water. Guided to the second throne, they sat me there and then left me alone. Resting my hands on the arms of the throne, I scanned the pews below. Not a single soul  from Lasania was in attendance. None even knew that their lives and their children’s lives all  hinged on tonight and what I needed to do. If they ever discovered that Roderick Mierel—the  one the histories of Lasania called the Golden King—hadn’t spent day and night in the fields  with his people, digging and scraping away land ruined by war until they revealed clean, fertile  soil… That he hadn’t sown the land alongside his subjects; his blood, sweat, and tears building  the kingdom… If they learned that the songs and poems written about him had been based on a  fable, what was left of the Mierel Dynasty would surely collapse.  

Someone closed the doors, and my gaze stretched to the back of the chamber, where I could  make out the shadowy forms of my mother and Tavius in the candlelight. A third figure stood  beside them. King Ernald. My stepsister, Princess Ezmeria—Ezra—stood beside her father and  brother, and I didn’t need to see her expression to know that she hated every aspect of this deal.  Sir Holland wasn’t here. I would’ve liked to have said goodbye to him, even though I didn’t  expect him to be here. His presence would raise too many questions among the Shadow Priests.  

Would reveal too much.  

That I wasn’t the beacon of Royal purity, but rather the wolf dressed as the sacrificial lamb. I wouldn’t just fulfill the deal that King Roderick had struck. I would end it before it  destroyed my kingdom. 

Determination filled my chest with warmth as it did whenever I used my gift. This was my  destiny. My purpose. What I would do was bigger than me. It was for Lasania. 

So, I sat there, ankles crossed demurely beneath the gown, hands relaxed on the arms of the  throne as I waited.  

And waited some more.  

Seconds ticked into minutes. I didn’t know how many passed, but tiny balls of unease  formed in my belly. He’d been summoned to his Temple. Shouldn’t…shouldn’t he be here? My palms dampened as the knots grew, stretching into my chest. The pressure increased.  What if he didn’t show? 

Why wouldn’t he? 

This was his deal.  

When King Roderick had grown desperate enough to do anything to salvage his lands ruined  by war and save those who were starving after already suffering so much loss, I imagined he’d  expected a lesser god to answer his summons—which was far more common for those bold  enough to do such a thing. But what had answered the Golden King was a Primal.  

And when he’d granted King Roderick’s request, this was the price the Primal of Death had  requested: the firstborn daughter of the Mierel bloodline as his Consort.  

The Primal had to come. 

What if he didn’t? My heart pounded as my fingers curled against the chilled stone of the  throne.  

Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Hold. 

If he didn’t arrive, all would be lost. Everything he’d granted King Roderick would continue  to come undone. If he didn’t come for me, and I failed to fulfill this, I would doom the kingdom  to a slow death at the hands of the Rot. It had started upon my birth, first with just a small patch  of land in an orchard. Unripe apples had fallen from trees that had begun to lose their leaves. The  ground below had turned gray, and the grass, along with the roots of the apple trees, had died.  Then the Rot had spread, slowly taking out the entire orchard. In the time that passed, it had  devastated several more farms. No crop could be seeded in the soil and survive once tainted by  the Rot.  

And it wasn’t only affecting the land. It had changed the weather, making the summers  hotter and drier, the winters colder and more unpredictable.  

The people of Lasania had no idea that the Rot was a clock, counting down. It was an  expiration date on the deal the Golden King had made, one that had started with my birth. There  was a good chance the Golden King hadn’t realized the bargain would expire no matter what.  That was knowledge gained in the decades after the deal had been struck. If I failed, the kingdom  would— 

It started as a low rumble, like the distant sound of wagons and carriages rolling over the  cobblestone streets of Carsodonia. But the sound grew until I felt it in the throne I sat upon—and  in my bones.  

The rumbling ceased, and the candles—all of them—went out, plunging the chamber into  darkness. An earthy-scented breeze stirred the edges of the veil around my face and the hem of  my gown.  

In a wave, flames sparked from the candles, surging toward the pitched ceiling. My gaze  fixed on the center aisle, where the very air itself had split open, spitting crackling white light.  A mist seeped out from the tear, licking across the stone floor and seeping toward the pews.  Tiny bumps erupted all over my skin in response. Some called the mist Primal magic. It was  eather. The potent essence that not only had created the mortal realm and Iliseeum but also what  coursed through the blood of a god, giving even the lesser, unknown ones unthinkable power. 

I blinked. That was all I did. I blinked, and the space in front of the dais that had been empty  no longer was. A male stood there, garbed in a hooded cloak and surrounded by pulsing,  churning tendrils of deep shadows laced with luminous streaks of silver. I didn’t allow myself to  think of what Tavius had said about him. I couldn’t. Instead, I tried to see through the wispy  mass of smoky shadows. All I could tell was that he was unbelievably tall. Even from where I  sat, I knew he would tower over me—and I wasn’t short by any means, nearly the same height as  Tavius. But he was a Primal, and in the stories written about them in the histories, they were  sometimes referred to as giants among mortals.  

He appeared broad of shoulder—or at least that was what I thought the deeper, thick mass of  darkness was that took the shape of…wings. His hooded head tilted back.  I forgot those breathing exercises in an instant. I couldn’t see his face, but I felt the intensity  of his stare. His gaze pierced straight through me, and for a brief, panicked moment, I feared that  he knew I hadn’t spent seventeen years preparing to become his Consort. That my tutelage went  beyond that. And that the meekness, the submissiveness I’d been taught, was nothing more than  another veil I wore.  

For a moment, my heart stopped as I sat on the throne meant for the Consort of the  Shadowlands, one of the Courts within Iliseeum. Looking up at the Primal of Death, I felt real  terror for the first time in my life. 

Primals couldn’t read mortals’ thoughts. In the back of my mind, where some bit of  intelligence still existed, I knew this. There was no reason for him to suspect that I was anything  other than I appeared to be. Even if he’d watched me grow over the years, or if spies had been  sent to Lasania, my identity, my heritage and bloodline, had been kept hidden. No one even  knew there was a Princess of Mierel blood. Everything I did had been carried out in highly  planned secrecy—from training with Sir Holland to the time spent with the Mistresses of the  Jade.  

There was no way he could know that in the two hundred years it had taken for me to be  born, the knowledge of how to kill a Primal had been obtained.  

Love.  

They had one fatal weakness that made them vulnerable enough to be killed, and that was  love.  

Make him fall in love, become his weakness, and end him.  

That was my destiny.  

Gaining control of my hammering heart, I pulled from the hours spent with my mother,  learning what would be expected of me as his Consort. How to move, speak, and act in his  presence. How to become whatever he desired. I was ready for this—whether or not he was  covered head to toe in the scales of the winged beasts that guarded the Primals.  

My fingers relaxed, my breathing slowed, and I allowed my lips to curl into a smile—a shy,  innocent one. I stood in the glow of the candlelight on feet I couldn’t feel. I clasped my hands  loosely across my midsection so nothing would be hidden from him, just as my mother had  instructed. I started to lower to my knees as one would upon greeting a Primal.  

The stir of air was the only warning I got that the Primal had moved.  

Shock silenced the gasp of surprise before it reached my lips. He was suddenly in front of  me. No more than a handful of inches remained between us. Swirling light rippled the air around  me. He felt cold, like the winters to the north and east. Like each winter here in Lasania slowly  became with each passing year. 

I wasn’t sure I even breathed as I looked up into the void where his face should be. The  Primal of Death shifted closer, and one of the shadow tendrils brushed across the bare skin of my  arm. I gasped at the icy feel. He lowered his head, and every muscle in my body seized. I wasn’t  sure if it was his presence or the innate instinct we all had that warned us not to run. Not to make  any sudden movements in the presence of a predator.  

“You,” he said, his voice smoke and shadow and full of everything that awaited after  someone took their very last breath. “I have no need of a Consort.” 

My entire body jerked, and I whispered, “What?”  

The Primal pulled back, the shadows retracting around him. He shook his head. What did he  mean? 

I stepped forward. “What—?” I said again.  

The wind whipped from behind me this time, pitching the chamber into darkness as the  candles whooshed out. The rumbling was weaker than before, but I didn’t dare move, having no  idea where he was. I wasn’t sure where the edge of the dais even was. The earthy scent  disappeared, and the flames slowly returned to the candles, sparking weakly to life… 

He no longer stood before me.  

Faint wisps of eather wafted up from the now-sealed opening in the floor.  He was gone.  

The Primal of Death had left. He hadn’t taken me, and in a deep, hidden part of me, relief  blossomed and then crumbled. He hadn’t fulfilled the deal.  

“What…what happened?” My mother’s voice reached me, and I looked up to see that she  was before me. “What happened?” 

“I…I don’t know.” Panic sank its claws into me as I turned to my mother, wrapping my  arms around myself. “I don’t understand.” 

Her eyes were wide and mirrored the storm brewing inside me as she whispered, “Did he  speak to you?” 

“He said…” I tried to swallow, but my throat tightened. The corners of my vision turned  white. No amount of breathing exercises would help the alarm that took root. “I don’t  understand. I did everything—” 

The burning sting of my mother’s slap came as a shock. I hadn’t expected it—hadn’t even  prepared myself for her to do something like that. Hand trembling, I pressed it against my cheek,  standing there stunned and incapable of processing what had happened—what was happening.  

Her dark eyes were even wider now, her skin a ghastly pale shade. “What did you do?” She  pulled her hand back to her chest. “What did you do, Sera?” 

I’d done nothing. Only what I’d been taught. But I couldn’t tell her that. I couldn’t tell her anything. Words failed me as something shattered inside me, shriveling up. “You,” my mother said. While her voice was not smoke or shadow, it was just as final. Her eyes glistened. “You’ve failed us. And now, everything—everything—is lost.”

About Jennifer L. Armentrout

#1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was an Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.

Connect with Jennifer L. Armentrout

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2xSL7u5
Instagram: @jennifer_l_armentrout http://bit.ly/33GWn8R
Twitter: @JLArmentroutnews http://bit.ly/2QvDYpT
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3dnOSIi
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2U5Jemy
BookBub: http://bit.ly/2U2Fe63
Stay up to date with Jennifer by joining her mailing list: https://bit.ly/2qBce5m

Tarnished Crown by Robin D. Mahle & Elle Madison - Book Tour

 


Hello everyone!!

Today I am really excited to share with you Tarnished Crown by Robin D. Mahle & Elle Madison. It is a YA Fantasy Romance and the second book in The Lochland Feuds series. The book is already out (it was released today)!

Buy Tarnished Crown here

Add The Lochland Feuds series to your Goodreads TBR!


TITLE: Tarnished Crown
SERIES TITLE: The Lochlan Feuds, Book 2
GENRE: YA Fantasy, Fantasy Romance
TRIGGER WARNINGS: N/A



A reckless princess. An unexpected enemy. And a mistake that could cost her everything.

Synopsis (For book 1 to avoid spoilers):

Princess Rowan thought she knew her place in the world.
She never expected to feel like an outsider.
She certainly never imagined she would fall in love, least of all with a man from a barbarian kingdom half a world away.
But when she is charged with an emissary mission to ensure peace between Socair and her own kingdom, she is forced to reconsider everything she thought she knew about both lands.
And about herself.
After a lifetime of animosity between the kingdoms, will the Socairans ever accept her as one of their own?
Or will her mistakes push her people into yet another war?
This enthralling story from the Lochlann Realm takes place after The Lochlann Treaty, but can be devoured and enjoyed all on its own.


If you like Adrienne Young, Elise Kova, Brigid Kemmerer, Kiera Cass and Alisha Klapheke, you will love this one too.

There is also an international giveaway running until October 30th. You can find out more and enter on my Instagram post @booknotes_athina

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!
Athina

Thursday 21 October 2021

The Godborn and the King by Kaitlyn Davis - Cover Reveal

 


Hello everyone !!

Today I am really excited to share with you the cover for The Godborn and the King by Kaitlyn Davis. It is the fourth book in The Raven and The Dove series and it will be published on May 22nd 2022.

You can find the preorder link here
There is also a preorder campaign here
Also for today October 21st and tomorrow October 2nd there is a sale for the first two books in the series. You can find book 1 for 0,99 $ and book 2 for 2,99$.

Without further ado let's get to the beautiful cover...


TITLE: The Godborn and the King
SERIES TITLE: The Raven and the Dove, Book 4
GENRE: YA Epic Fantasy, Fantasy Romance
STEAM/HEAT LEVEL: Mild
TRIGGER WARNINGS: N/A


Return to the world of The Raven and the Dove, where winged people rule the skies, a lost kingdom livesat sea, and two star-crossed lovers hold the fate of each in their palms.

Synopsis: (For book 1 to not spoil ther series for anyone else)

Four fates collide in this avian-inspired, epic fantasy retelling of Tristan and Isolde perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas,Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo!
A princess longing to be free...
On the dawn of her courtship trials, Princess Lyana Aethionus knows she should be focused on winning her perfectmate, yet her thoughts wander to the open sky at the edge of her floating kingdom. One final adventure calls. Uponfleeing the palace, the last thing she expects to find is a raven prince locked in a death match with a dragon.
A bastard aching to belong...
Reviled son of a dead king, Rafe would do anything for his beloved half-brother, Prince Lysander Taetanus,including posing as him in the upcoming courtship trials. When a dragon interrupts their secret exchange, he ordershis studious sibling to run. After suffering a fatal blow, Rafe is saved by a beautiful dove who possesses forbiddenmagic, just like him.
Fate brought them together, now destiny will tear them apart...
Unknown to the world above, on the foggy sea ten thousand feet below, a young king fights a forgotten war. Hebelieves Lyana is the queen prophesied to save the world, and with the help of his favored spy, hidden deep in thehighest ranks of the dove royal house, he will stop at nothing to have her.


If you like books like Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas, An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, and Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi you will love this one too.



There is also an international giveaway that runs until October 27th. You can learn more about it and enter on my Instagram post @booknotes_athina

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!
Athina

Wednesday 20 October 2021

Dreams of Ice and Iron by Kayla Edwards - Book Tour

 


Hello everyone!!

Today I'm excited to share with you  Dreams of Ice and Iron by Kayla Edwards! This fast-paced epic fantasy is the first book in an exciting new YA Fantasy series, perfect for fans of Holly Black, Julie Kagawa, and Sarah J Maas!

The book was released on August 31st and it is self-published. 
You can purchase the book here  and add the book on your Goodreads tbr here .



Locked inside an iron mask by the King of the Fey, Sable has waited ten years for freedom—and to take revenge on those who cursed her. Princess Avalon is more than familiar with how it feels to be trapped, so she doesn’t hesitate to travel land and sea with the help of her kingdom's Captain of the Guard, collecting seven magical jewels that have the power to undo Sable’s curse. But the king will stop at nothing to take back what was stolen from him through violence and vengeance.



Book Synopsis 

Locked inside an iron mask by the King of the Fey, Sable Erwyn Sylvana has waited ten years for freedom—and to take revenge on those who cursed her. But with every second that passes inside the mask, her soul begins to fade farther away. The memories of her loved ones and her former life become a blur, and soon she cannot even remember her own name.
As the princess, Avalon Edenstone knows how important it is to obey her father, the King of the Fey. So when she finds a mask while wandering the catacombs beneath the House of Ice, she knows exactly how much trouble she would be in if she took it—never mind agreeing to free the mysterious warrior whose soul is trapped inside it. But Avalon is more than familiar with how it feels to be trapped, so she doesn’t hesitate to help the warrior whose thoughts begin to accompany her own—and who has an uncanny ability to save her from danger precisely whens he needs it.
With the help—and muscle—of Hadrian Courts, the Captain of the Guard, Avalon travels land and sea, collecting seven magical jewels that have the power to undo Sable’s curse. But the king will stop at nothing to take back what was stolen from him through violence and vengeance. And as he closes in on them, Avalon discovers she is not only on the verge of losing her freedom, but also her life…as an ancient evil believed to be dead is stirring awake. One that could bring life as they know it to a sudden and terrifying end.

There is also an International giveaway that runs until October 28th. You can learn more about it and also enter at my post on my Instagram @booknotes_athina .

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!
Athina

Tuesday 19 October 2021

A Shadow In the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout - Release Blitz

 

“One of the best fantasy worlds I have ever read.”
-- Carrie Ann Ryan, New York Times bestselling author
A Shadow in the Ember, the brand new fantasy women’s fiction set in the Blood and Ash world from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is available now!

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns with book one of the all-new, compelling Flesh and Fire series—set in the beloved Blood and Ash world.

Born shrouded in the veil of the Primals, a Maiden as the Fates promised, Seraphena Mierel’s future has never been hers. Chosen before birth to uphold the desperate deal her ancestor struck to save his people, Sera must leave behind her life and offer herself to the Primal of Death as his Consort.

However, Sera’s real destiny is the most closely guarded secret in all of Lasania—she’s not the well protected Maiden but an assassin with one mission—one target. Make the Primal of Death fall in love, become his weakness, and then…end him. If she fails, she dooms her kingdom to a slow demise at the hands of the Rot.

Sera has always known what she is. Chosen. Consort. Assassin. Weapon. A specter never fully formed yet drenched in blood. A monster. Until him. Until the Primal of Death’s unexpected words and deeds chase away the darkness gathering inside her. And his seductive touch ignites a passion she’s never allowed herself to feel and cannot feel for him. But Sera has never had a choice. Either way, her life is forfeit—it always has been, as she has been forever touched by Life and Death.

Grab your copy today!

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/ShadowEmber
Nook: https://bit.ly/2R1qDIY
Hardcover: https://bit.ly/2S6RP9Z
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3eyxHoD
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3aGWsxR

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3gCGatH

About Jennifer L. Armentrout

#1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was an Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.

Connect with Jennifer L. Armentrout
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2xSL7u5
Instagram: @jennifer_l_armentrout http://bit.ly/33GWn8R
Twitter: @JLArmentroutnews http://bit.ly/2QvDYpT
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3dnOSIi
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2U5Jemy
BookBub: http://bit.ly/2U2Fe63

Stay up to date with Jennifer by joining her mailing list: https://bit.ly/2qBce5m