Day After Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

Day After (The 19th Year #2)
Author: Emi Gayle
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Release Date: May 6, 2013
Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing

Description:

Demon crypts. Vampire lairs. Glowing angels. Sexy sirens. The stuff of fiction.

Or so Winn Thomas always thought.

Since being accepted into the fold of the supernatural, he knows better. None of what he imagined is true, but everything he feared is, and binding himself to his Changeling girlfriend until her nineteenth birthday will give him an education far beyond what he’d get at his human high school.

Luckily, Winn’s not giving up, he won’t back down, and he definitely isn’t going to run away with his tail between his legs. After all, only werewolves have tails. Right?

In this, the second of the 19th Year trilogy, Winn’s facing the challenge of one lifetime. If he doesn’t learn the truth about mythological creatures, his girlfriend Mac Thorne won’t either. That means, in six months, when she chooses her final form, she won’t know what to pick.

Winn, though, has his own ideas about Mac’s final selection—plans she knows nothing of.

He intends to have her pick human.

Whether she can or not.  

Demon crypts. Vampire lairs. Glowing angels. Sexy sirens. The stuff of fiction.

Or so Winn Thomas always thought.

Since being accepted into the fold of the supernatural, he knows better. None of what he imagined is true, but everything he feared is, and binding himself to his Changeling girlfriend until her nineteenth birthday will give him an education far beyond what he'd get at his human high school.

Luckily, Winn's not giving up, he won't back down, and he definitely isn't going to run away with his tail between his legs. After all, only werewolves have tails. Right?

In this, the second of the 19th Year trilogy, Winn's facing the challenge of one lifetime. If he doesn't learn the truth about mythological creatures, his girlfriend Mac Thorne won't either. That means, in six months, when she chooses her final form, she won't know what to pick.

Winn, though, has his own ideas about Mac's final selection; plans she knows nothing of.

He intends to have her pick human.

Whether she can or not.

Sitting in front of the twelve most powerful non-humans on the earth would have shaken a lesser guy. In my case, I'd almost thrown up. Twice.

"Don't worry," Mackenzie Thorne, my girlfriend, had said. "It's just a formality."

She hadn't known I'd have to go alone.

Only the intake and exhalation of air in the room made any sound. Eerie light flickered from the tips of candles mounted along dark, oak-paneled walls.

I refused to look anywhere but ahead of me. To the long, wooden, medieval-length table.

Waiting.

Watching.

Holding my own breath.

For a moment, it seemed the walls began to close in on me.

At almost midnight on the first day of the year, I prepared to accept a fate no other human had ever taken on, been given or even offered. In response, sweat pooled under my armpits as alternating cold and hot ran through me.

The scratch of wood against wood had heads turning. Mine included.

Nahir, the oldest of the twelve, rose from his chair. "Winford Richmond Thomas, please rise." His voice had a gravelly, hoarse sound.

I did as requested, my knees pressing against each other.

Nahir moved closer to me, his grandfatherly, human form disappearing under protruding scales of deep green. His arms lengthened into dinosaur-like paws and hit the rock floor, making the room around us shake. Thick wings extended from his body, and a tail lashed out against the wall behind him, rattling the candles.

A dragon, in the color of tropical ocean water, stood before me, huffing air from horse-sized nostrils.

Oh. God. I'm going to die.

Not going to die. It's part of the test. Remember, you have to see them all. Mac's words flowed through my mind.

Keep breathing.

"Master Thomas." Josie, a siren and one of the most beautiful women I'd ever met, rose, her long flowing gown matching the color of her reddish-gold hair. I couldn't help but stare at her. "You've been asked by our current changeling, Miss Maya Mackenzie Thorne, to be her teacher. Have you willingly agreed to take on this duty?" As Josie talked, she stalked forward, shimmering, shifting, the already-pretty woman becoming deadly man-hunting female - according to the legends I'd read.

Vibes ebbed from her like the rocking tide. If she sang, throwing up would be the least of my worries. I'd be dead by sexual self-implosion.

With a rough cough, I gathered my wits. "Yes. I have accepted. Willingly." Every nerve ending in my body urged me to go to Josie, to let her take me and do with me whatever she wanted. A groan built in my throat, tension straining my limbs, most particularly, my crotch. Not now! The need to shift what grew sent heat to my cheeks even as Mac's words played through again. Force yourself not to react to any of them. They'll think you're stronger than you are since you're only human.

Only human. Problem number one.

Day After is the second book in a fantastic young adult paranormal romance series that switches gears to follow the new main character Winn Thomas as he deals with his newfound knowledge of the supernatural world that simmers below the human realm. Alongside his girlfriend, Mac, Winn must learn all he can about mythological creatures so Mac can decide on her final form in six months. If Winn doesn't learn about them, Mac won't either, and she won't be able to make a decision. Winn has a secret card up his sleeve about Mac's final form - one that even she doesn't know about yet. He plans on having her choose a human final form, whether it's possible or not. Will he be able to convince her in time?

This is a fun and unique second book that continues to prove to be an addicting paranormal series. The character of Mac is witty, sarcastic, and very accessible to the reader. She's realistic and believable, which makes it easy to side with her throughout the novel. I really enjoyed the backstory and details of the Changelings and the other paranormal beings, as well as their culture and politics. It gave an intriguing depth to the book that definitely sets it apart from others in the genre. Winn is the narrator in this installment, which makes things interesting - seeing the supernatural world through his eyes and mind gives fresh insight into the world the author has built and the other characters in the series - including Mac. The plot itself was very well written with a great flow and a fast pace. I got sucked into the story on the first page and didn't stop reading until I was finished. There's something for everyone in this book - paranormal, action, mystery, adventure, and romance. Overall, this second installment proves that this series is one that I highly recommend and one that you won't want to miss!

Emi Gayle just wants to be young again. She lives vicariously through her youthful characters, while simultaneously acting as chief-Mom to her teenaged son and searching for a way to keep her two daughters from ever reaching the dreaded teen years.

Ironically, those years were some of Emi's favorite times. She met the man of her dreams at 14, was engaged to him at 19, married him at 20 and she's still in love with him to this day. She'll never forget what it was like to fall in love at such a young age — emotions she wants everyone to feel.

http://www.emigayle.com  

a Rafflecopter giveaway