Gabriel Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the GABRIEL blog tour! Today I'll be sharing my review of the book with you - and don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Gabriel (The Styclar Saga #2)
Author: Nikki Kelly
Genre: YA Paranormal
Release Date: October 27, 2015
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Rating: 5 Stars!

Synopsis:

The handsome Angel from Lailah gets center stage in this continuation of Wattpad sensation Nikki Kelly’s romantic and action-packed series about mortals, vampires, and angels.

Gabriel is an Angel Descendant. He's also an ally to a generation of vampires who want to break away from the demon who controls them. His faith in the power of good over evil wavers, however, when he discovers that Lailah, the woman he considers his only true love, may be both angel and demon. Is their love enough to overcome the dark forces who are ready to go to war with Gabriel, the vampire Jonah, and the angel and vampire forces? And can Gabriel compete with Jonah, who is also in love with Lailah?

Once again, Nikki Kelly looks deeply into the heart and soul of good and evil to create a romantic, action-packed reading adventure.

Gabriel is the captivating second book in a young adult paranormal series that continues to leave fans of the genre begging for more. It continues to follow Lailah - our main character - as she comes back to life yet again. Only this time, she knows her true nature and has accepted it, which allows her to retain the majority of her memories from the past few years, including the truth behind her connection with Gabriel and the dual nature of her being. Along with the truth and memories, Lailah is able to keep both her Angel and her Vampire attributes at the same time - meaning she's the only being that can retain her form in all three dimensions. Lailah and Gabriel decide to stay off of the Arch Angels and the Vampire's radars, because once they know she's alive again - both sides will come after her.

I read and absolutely loved the first book in this series, so I did have pretty high hopes and expectations for this second installment. I'm happy to say that I wasn't disappointed in the least. It lived up to any hopes I had and then blew them away. I loved every single bit of this book - from the characters to the various settings and time periods, to the vivid details and history of the vampires, the angels, and of Lailah herself. During the first book, I couldn't seem to get enough background about the Vampires or Angels - and most of all - the mystery of Lailah herself. My intrigue only deepened after finishing the first book and while reading this one. I devoured this novel in a few short hours because I seriously couldn't - and wouldn't - stop reading until I had completely finished. The characters continued to be complex with distinct personalities and made all the more realistic with their flaws and strengths. I loved getting to know even more about Lailah and her story - all of the lives she's lived, how she came to be a mixture of both realms, and all the other intricate details about her. Of course, I also continued to adore the other two major characters - Gabriel and Jonah - throughout the book. Watching them each grow personally along with their complex relationships with one another was fascinating. As I mentioned, the storybuilding was beyond fantastic. The vivid imagery along with all the details and descriptions made it incredibly easy for me to fall back into Lailah's world early on.

The plot was magnificent - it continues to be unique and completely different from most other stories out there, which is saying a lot because of the overwhelming amount of titles in the YA fantasy/paranormal genre. There were just a few times in the book that annoyed me for one reason or another - I can't even put them together collectively because they were each different reasons and didn't have an overall effect on my reading experience. I personally can't get enough of this series - I'm in love with every single aspect of it; the characters, story line, histories, romance - I could go on and on.  I seriously can't recommend this book (or series) highly enough to those who enjoy YA paranormal and fantasy, as well as readers who are looking for a unique and refreshing story among those like it in the genre. I'm seriously already dying for the next installment to see what will happen next. I honestly don't know how I'm going to survive the long wait until the next book is released. I need it now! Seriously though, you need to read this book (series) NOW, if you haven't already. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Follow the Gabriel by Nikki Kelly Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

I was born and raised only minutes away from the chocolately scent of Cadbury World in Birmingham, England. So it will probably come as no surprise that when I'm not dreaming in Vampires & Angels, I dream in chocolate! For the past ten years I have lived in West London with my hubby and two dogs, Alfie - the Pug & Goose - the Chihuahua.

LAILAH is my debut novel, and first launched in serial form to wattpad, a readers & writers community. Within just 6months, LAILAH had over a million reads and thousands of comments and votes.

Since then, The Styclar Saga has gone on to pick up a traditional deal with Feiwel & Friends, and LAILAH, the first book in the series is due for release on October 7, 2014.

These days I spend my time balancing my amazing job of writing fantasy fiction, with my other, very important role of Chocolate Connoisseur. I like to multitask and do the two together. It makes me happy.

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Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Bloodcraft by Amalie Howard

The wait is finally over! 

BLOODCRAFT by Amalie Howard, the sequel to BLOODSPELL (available NOW for only $2.99), will be releasing on December 15th, 2015!

Author Amalie Howard is also giving away TWO signed paperback copies of BLOODSPELL (book one- OPEN INTERNATIONALLY), and TWO eARC copies of BLOODCRAFT to TWO lucky readers. Contest details can be found at then end of this post.

And now... here is the cover to BLOODCRAFT.

BLOODCRAFT

Author: Amalie Howard

Release Date: December 15, 2015
Cover Design by Alan Pranke

Description:

All magic has its price, and no one knows that better than Victoria Warrick. Gifted with a centuries-old blood curse, Tori has finally learned to master her blood’s demands and has emerged triumphant with Christian Devereux, a vampire overlord, at her side.

But the worst is yet to come …

In the infamous City of Lights, home to both the Witch Clans and the Vampire Council, Tori enrolls at the exclusive Belles Fontaines school in Paris, where she is faced with a devastating choice: choose Christian and be an outcast, or choose the coven and secure her place with the witches.

When the fate of the supernatural world is targeted by a sinister new threat, Christian and Victoria must unite their two warring species to defeat it. Their bond will be tested, twisted, and sorely weakened, and Tori will find herself in uncharted territory—a dangerous place to be when her blood’s magic has its own dark agenda.

But to save them all, she may have no choice but to invoke its deadly power.

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If you'd like to be a part of the Blog Tour, you can sign-up HERE. 

For those new to the series, copies of Bloodspell will be provided, as well as Bloodcraft. 
Limited paperback copies of Bloodspell will be provided. 

ABOUT BLOODSPELL

Description:

The spell was simple...

Cruentus Protectum (Defend the Blood)

But what do you do if your blood is your enemy?

Victoria Warrick has always known she was different. An outcast at school, she is no stranger to adversity. But when she receives an old journal for her seventeenth birthday, nothing prepares her for the dark secrets it holds -- much less one that reveals she's a witch with unimaginable power.

What's more, when she meets the dazzling but enigmatic Christian Devereux, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. Enemies will hunt her. Friends will turn on her. The terrible curse that makes her blood run black will stop at nothing to control her. And Christian has a sinister secret of his own...

Without knowing whom to trust, can Victoria survive her blood's deadly desires? Or will she lose everything, including herself?

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AVAILABLE ON:

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ABOUT AMALIE HOWARD

AMALIE HOWARD grew up on a small Caribbean island (Trinidad & Tobago) where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. 25 countries, surfing with sharks and several tattoos later, she has traded in bungee jumping in China for writing the adventures she imagines instead. She isn’t entirely convinced which takes more guts.

An aspiring writer from a young age, Amalie’s poem “The Candle,” written at age twelve, was published in a University of Warwick journal. At fifteen, she was a recipient of a Royal Commonwealth Society Essay Award (a global youth writing competition). A Colby College graduate, she completed simultaneous Honors Theses in both French and International Studies, and graduated Summa Cum Laude/Phi Beta Kappa. At Colby, she was cited for research and criticism in Raffael Scheck’s article, “German Conservatism and Female Political Activism in the Early Weimar Republic,” and his subsequent book, Mothers of the Nation. She also received a distinction in English Literature from the University of Cambridge (A-levels) as well as a certificate in French Literature from the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, France. Traveling the globe, she has worked as a research assistant, marketing representative, teen speaker and global sales executive.

She is the author of several young adult novels critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Spring 2014 Kid’s INDIE NEXT title. Her debut novel, Bloodspell, was a #1 Amazon bestseller and a Seventeen Magazine Summer Read. As an author of color and a proud supporter of diversity in fiction, her articles on multicultural fiction have appeared in The Portland Book Review and on the popular Diversity in YA blog. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children. She is represented by the Liza Royce Agency and is a member of SCBWI.

Website † Facebook † Twitter † Instagram 

• This giveaway is sponsored by author Amalie Howard.
• This giveaway is open to INTERNATIONALLY
• Author Amalie Howard nor Good Choice Reading are responsible for any lost, stolen, or damaged mail. 
• Winner will be chosen at random.
• Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or else a new winner will be chosen. 
• Winner will be announced/contacted on rafflecopter, Amalie Facebook/Twitter, and via email. 

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Friday Reveal + Giveaway: Horror/Halloween - MG Edition

 

Welcome to this week’s M9B Friday Reveal!

This week, we present to you the

Horror/Halloween – MG Edition

presented by Tantrum Books/Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

 

Dead Jed is Shaun of the Dead meets Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Jed's not your typical junior high geek. He is, to use the politically-correct term, cardiovascularly-challenged. And while his parents have attempted to shield him from the implications of being 'different' for as long as they could (Jed was 8 and at a friend's sister's birthday party when he blew his lips off onto the cake in front of everyone, finally prompting the “Big Talk” from his parents and an emergency SuperGlue repair by his dad), 7th grade at Pine Hollow Middle School as a target of Robbie the supreme school bully and his pack of moronic toadies is rapidly becoming unbearable.

From being stuffed in a filled trash can as “dead meat” and into a trophy case as the bully's “prize,” to literally having his hand pulled off in the boys' room (Jed's always losing body parts. Luckily, a good stapler and some duct tape and he's back in the action) and a cigarette put in it and try to frame him for the recent reports of smoking in the school, Jed's had enough and is ready to plan his revenge. Besides, it's awesome what you can do when you're already dead!

Google Play | BAM | Chapters | IndieBound | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

 

The first part of seventh grade was rough on Jed, but things are looking up now that Christmas is almost here. As with past Christmases, Jed asks for the one thing he’s always wanted–a dog–and again, his parents tell him they’re not ready. But fate has a different plan when Jed sees a dog get run over by a car. Then, it happens. Jed suddenly has a pet, Tread, a zombie dog bearing his namesake–a tire tread down his back. Jed may have gained a dog, but he loses his best friend Luke, who fears the way Jed created his undead pet.

When Jed returns to school, he finds a mysterious group called the No Zombies Now Network spreading rumors of the dangers the undead pose to normal people. Forced to disprove Hollywood stereotypes, Jed has his work cut out for him as stories of a zombie dog begin to circulate. Jed could be expelled if he can’t expose the NZN Network as a fraud. Jed needs help from his kind of girlfriend Anna, especially after he discovers Luke has joined the shadowy group.

Once again navigating the treacherous waters of middle school, Jed does his best to stay in one piece. Only this time he’ll need even more duct tape and staples than usual.

Google Play | BAM | Chapters | IndieBound | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

 

Proud graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, have one son who will turn 18 in March 2013, now a features writer for The Arizona Republic.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter

 

The Corpses are up to something.

U.S. Senator Lindsay Micha has been kidnapped and replaced with a “dead” ringer, the sister to Lilith Cavanaugh, the Queen of the Dead. Now Will Ritter must go undercover in our nation’s capitol to ferret out the truth and try to stop this ambitious deader. But his mission becomes even more dangerous when he learns of a mysterious ten-legged monster that prowls the halls of the Capitol Building — a lethal monster with a taste for Corpse flesh.

The Undertakers: Secret of the Corpse Eater is book three in the wildly popular The Undertakers series from Ty Drago.

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Chapters | TBD | IndieBound | Google Play | BAM | iBooks

 

While away on an undercover mission, Undertaker Will Ritter has made an unthinkable alliance...with a Corpse! But though Robert Dillin (aka 'The Zombie Prince') is indeed one of those alien invaders who animate and possess the bodies of the dead -- unlike the rest of his kind, Dillin isn't evil. In fact, he wants to help. And Will needs that help, because the Queen of the Dead has learned the location of Haven, the Undertakers' secret HQ, and is planning a massive and deadly assault.

With the last day of the Corpse War finally upon them, Will and his friends find themselves in a desperate race to close the Rift between worlds and forever kill the Corpses. But can they do before Haven is overrun?

For that matter, can they do it at all?

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Chapters | TBD | iBooks | Google Play | BAM | Indiebound

 

Ty Drago does his writing just across the river from Philadelphia, where the Undertakers novels take place. In addition to The Undertakers: Rise of the Corpses,The Undertakers: Queen of the Dead, and The Undertakers: Secret of the Corpse Eater, he is the author of The Franklin Affair and Phobos, as well as short stories and articles that have appeared in numerous publications, including Writer’s Digest. He currently lives in southern New Jersey with his wife and best friend, the real Helene Drago née Boettcher.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

 

Lucas Mackenzie has got the best job of any 10 year old boy. He travels from city-to-city as part of the London Midnight Ghost Show, scaring unsuspecting show-goers year round. Performing comes naturally to Lucas and the rest of the troupe, who’ve been doing it for as long as Lucas can remember.

But there’s something Lucas doesn’t know.

Like the rest of Luca’s friends, he’s dead. And for some reason, Lucas can’t remember his former life, his parents or friends. Did he go to school? Have a dog? Brothers and sisters?

If only he could recall his former life, maybe even reach out to his parents, haunt them.

When a ghost hunter determines to shut the show down, Lucas realizes the life he has might soon be over. And without a connection to his family, he will have nothing. There’s little time and Lucas has much to do. Can he win the love of Columbine, the show’s enchanting fifteen-year-old mystic? Can he outwit the forces of life and death that thwart his efforts to find his family?

Keep the lights on! Lucas Mackenzie’s coming to town.

Chapters | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | Indiebound | BAM | Google Play

 

Steve Bryant is a new novelist, but a veteran author of books of card tricks. He founded a 40+ page monthly internet magazine for magicians containing news, reviews, magic tricks, humor, and fiction; and he frequently contributes biographical cover articles to the country’s two leading magic journals (his most recent article was about the séance at Hollywood’s Magic Castle).

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

 

Can one boy stop a nefarious plot to turn kids into super-mutants?

Maverick Mercury enjoys his life as the sideshow attraction known as “Gator Boy” at Grumbling’s Traveling Circus and Sideshow.

His freakish mutations are the result of some billionaire geneticist’s experiments gone awry. But life as a mutant is about to get worse, as Maverick uncovers a plot to kidnap kids, turns them into super-mutants, and sells their powers to the highest bidder.

Now, Maverick is on a mission to find the mad scientist who may have created him and destroy his sinister plans!

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Chapters | TBD |IndieBound | Google Play | BAM | iBooks

 

Samantha Vérant is a travel addict, a self-professed oenophile, and a determined, if occasionally unconventional, French chef. Over the years, she’s visited many different countries, lived in many places, and worked many jobs— always on the search for the one thing that truly excited her. Then, one day, she found everything she’s been looking for: a passion for the written word and true love. Writing not only enabled her to open her heart, it led her to southwestern France, where she’s now married to a sexy French rocket scientist she met over twenty years ago, a stepmom to two incredible kids, and the adoptive mother to one ridiculously expensive Bengal cat. When she’s not trekking from Provence to the Pyrénées, tasting wine in American-sized glasses, or embracing her inner Julia Child while deliberating what constitutes the perfect boeuf bourguignon, Samantha is making her best effort to relearn those dreaded conjugations.

Connect with the Author: Website | Book Site | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

 

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