Review & Giveaway: Shooting Scars (The Artist Trilogy #2) by Karina Halle

 

 

Shooting Scars (The Artist Trilogy #2) by Karina Halle

Expected Publication Date: August 20th 2013

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

About the Book: Sometimes the right choice can be the deadliest.

When Ellie Watt made the ultimate sacrifice for Camden McQueen, she never thought it would be easy. But walking away with her ex-lover, Javier Bernal, in order to ensure Camden’s safety has brought a whole new set of dangers. With Javier’s plans for Ellie growing more secretive by the moment, Ellie must find a way to stay ahead of the game before her past swallows her whole.

Meanwhile, Camden’s new life is short-lived. Fueled by revenge and pursued by authorities, he teams up with an unlikely partner in order to save Ellie. But as Camden toes the line between love and retribution, he realizes that in order to get back the woman he loves, he may have to lose himself in the process. He might just turn into the very man he’s hunting.

Told in dual POV from Camden and Ellie.

My Thoughts:
I loved Sins & Needles and On Every Street so the bar was set pretty high when I picked up Shooting Scars. It did NOT disappoint!  Shooting Scars was just as riveting if not more so than the first books.  Karina Halle’s writing was brilliant and addictive.  Danger, simmering chemistry, twists and turns kept me glued to the pages.  I read it in one day!

Shooting Scars picks up right where Sins & Needles left off.  Camden and Ellie are on their own paths with the story in their alternating POVs. It was a treat to get into Camden’s complicated mind, as well this time.  Both Ellie and Camden face their own challenges and dangers with thoughts of each other always in the forefront.  Javier has plans for Ellie, but she has no idea what they are and the dread of what they might include has her nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs! She’s frightened and always playing figurative chess with Javier, trying to stay one step ahead of him.  Ellie’s one consolation is she knows in her heart she did the right thing (for once) for Camden by sacrificing herself so he could have a second chance with his family. 

Camden is back with his family but going after Ellie and rescuing her is never off the table.  He’s determined to get her back. 

 I was going to find Gus. And then I was going to find Ellie. And nothing, absolutely nothing would get in my way.*  

I absolutely love every twisted thing about Camden.  He has a passionate personality and feels everything intensely.  To be honest, he comes off a little unhinged at times in his pursuit of Ellie, and it’s shocking some of the lengths he goes to, to find her.  Let’s just put it this way, he will never be the poster child for sanity.  BUT he brings out the best in Ellie, and believes underneath all her lies and cons is a good person with a true heart. 

For all she’d done, for the heartless, cruel, selfish person she could be, there was an innocence deep inside—there was still a ten-year-old girl who’d lost everything, who never learned to love without repercussions, who never let her real self free. That was the Ellie I had seen all through high school.*

Even with their separation for much of the story, their chemistry is palpable with a clever use of flashbacks and dreams. Love the dreams!  Camden is one sexy, tattooed hottie!  FYI, the glasses just enhance the whole picture!

It’s no secret I’m not a fan of Javier (Team Javier fans, avert your eyes! Sorry, Arlene!) I think he possesses a magnetism and charisma that would charm the pants off of anyone, but I also think he’s a narcissistic egomaniac.  IMO, he can care for someone up to a point, but his lust for power and desire for revenge trump any supposed feelings he has for anyone else.  A chivalrous man he is NOT or he would never have put Ellie in the position he does.  You will see what I mean.

Dear Ellie,

*sigh* I feel for you, and yet I’d love to smack some sense into you! Yes, you did a very fine thing sacrificing yourself for Camden’s happiness, your intentions are good.  But have some resolve woman! Your weaknesses and self-doubt are hurting the ones that TRULY love you, and have the potential to ruin your chances at a happy future!! Put your BIG GIRL PANTIES ON and STICK to your convictions!! The ONLY reason I’m letting you off is because I can understand how you felt and thought at the time.  You know what I’m talking about….  

Love,

Rachel ♥

You’ve noticed I haven’t said much about the plot?  Well, it’s best to experience it knowing as little as possible beforehand.  I will say I was on pins and needles the entire read! Tension, suspense, and anticipation had me clicking through the pages eagerly.  As I said before, I read this in one day.  You’ll want to free up some time before starting.

 Shooting Scars was an amazing sequel, making this series one of my all-time favorites.  I can’t tell you how many times I’m stalking Karina or checking twitter each week just to see little tidbits or teasers. I guess Camden and I have a few personality traits in common, lol!  I never said I was the poster child of sanity either. ;)

5 Suns

 

 

 

 

 

 



A copy was provided by Grand Central Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

*Quotes taken from an uncorrected proof and may change in the final copy.

 

 

 

 

About the Author: The daugh­ter of a Nor­we­gian Viking and a Finnish Moomin, Karina Halle grew up in Van­cou­ver, Canada with trolls and eter­nal dark­ness on the brain. This soon turned into a love of all things that go bump in the night and a rather sadis­tic appre­ci­a­tion for freak­ing peo­ple out. Like many of the flawed char­ac­ters she writes, Karina never knew where to find her­self and has dab­bled in act­ing, make-up artistry, film pro­duc­tion, screen­writ­ing, pho­tog­ra­phy, travel writ­ing and music jour­nal­ism. She even­tu­ally found her­self in the pages of the very nov­els she wrote (if only she had looked there to begin with).
Karina holds a screen­writ­ing degree from Van­cou­ver Film School and a Bach­e­lor of Jour­nal­ism from TRU. Her travel writ­ing, music reviews/interviews and pho­tog­ra­phy has appeared in pub­li­ca­tions such as Con­se­quence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNo­mad Travel Guides. She cur­rently splits her time between her apart­ment in down­town Van­cou­ver and her sail­boat, where a book and a bot­tle of wine are always at hand.

Dark­house is her first novel and the first one in the Exper­i­ment in Ter­ror Series. Things only get bet­ter from here on in. She is also the author of The Artists Tril­ogy (Hatch­ette) and The Devil’s Metal.
Karina is rep­re­sented by Scott Wax­man of the Wax­man Leavell Lit­er­ary Agency

 

 

Follow Karina:

 

Website  |  Goodreads  |  FaceBook  |  Twitter

 

I'm giving away an e-Copy of Shooting Scars through US Amazon or US Barnes & Noble to one lucky reader.  The book doesn't release until August 20th and that's when the contest will end and the winner will be selected.  Just fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win.  Good luck and thanks for visiting Waves of Fiction!  

 

 

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Upcoming Release GIveaway: Burn by Maya Banks

Thanks again to the wonderful people at Sullivan and Partners we are giving away another awesome upcoming release!  We just ended and announced our winner for Fever and Rush for Maya Banks and now we are giving away her newest release Burn!  This is the final installment in the Breathless trilogy and this one gives us Ash!  I have been craving his story from the get go so I am super excited to participate in this giveaway.  I am sure whoever wins it will love it!  

Burn (Breathless #3) by Maya Banks

Expected Publication on August 6, 2013 by Berkley

About the book

Ash, Jace, and Gabe: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Ash, it’s the woman who changes everything he’s ever known about dominance and desire...

When it comes to sex, Ash McIntyre has always explored his wilder side—extreme and uncompromising. He demands control. And he prefers women who want it like that. Even the women he’s shared with his best friend, Jace.

But Jace is involved with a woman he has no intention of sharing. And now even Gabe has settled into a relationship with a woman who gives him everything he needs, leaving Ash feeling restless and unfulfilled.

Then Ash meets Josie, who seems immune to his charms and his wealth. Intrigued, he begins a relentless pursuit, determined she won’t be the one who got away. He never imagined the one woman to tell him no would be the only woman who’d ever drive him to the edge of desire.

To enter just fill out the Rafflecopter form below!

Open to US/Canada residents only.

Good luck!

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Waves of Sunday #41 Winner Announcement & Giveaway

Welcome to our weekly edition of Waves of Sunday where each Sunday we spotlight a book that has been making waves in the book scene or has simply caught our attention causing a riptide on our TBR. Don't forget if you let us know which book has caught your attention this week, you have a chance to win our new feature giveaway! Just leave us a comment or quote in the comment section. All new suggestions in the comments below will be considered for August's Winner, so please leave us your most anticipated ADULT read. Please refer to our "about" and "rating and review" page to see what genres are appropriate for choices. No Young Adult picks or previously reviewed picks. Thank you. 

This week we are picking our July winner! After a lot of consideration we decided to spotlight krg's pick from July 7th!

An Easy Dare by Rosalie Rosseaux
Published on July 9, 2013

About the book
Cat loved Gabe from the time she was five years old. She thought it would be easy: fall in love with your childhood sweetheart, get married and live happily ever after. But as the years go on, the fairy tale soon falls apart. At twenty, Gabe – penniless, unable to find work, and drinking himself into a bad reputation – leaves New Orleans, believing that Cat is better off without him.

She doesn’t hear from him for three years.

Not until her bachelorette party, when he sends her a $400 bottle of Champagne the night before she’s set to marry Cort Belrose, a wealthy restaurateur that Gabe despises.

It seems the past three years have treated Gabe well. He’s now mysteriously wealthy and the picture of a perfect Southern gentleman – a gentleman who is quietly seeking vengeance on the man who forced him out of the city and stole the woman he loved.

With Gabe’s return, the sweltering heat of New Orleans becomes even more stifling as Cat struggles with the truth about her malicious husband and her consuming lifelong love for the vengeful and troubled Gabe.

Brandie's Thoughts:
I had never heard of this book, but I will admit that as soon as I read the synopsis - I immediately went to Amazon and purchased it!  This sounds SO good and like something that is right up my alley.  I love books about an old love coming back into the picture, and even better is a book with some mystery and suspense!  This sounds completely different than anything I've read lately and I'm anxious to read it!

Crystal's Thoughts:
OOHHH!  I want to know why Gabe left the city so bad!!  I love that Gabe and Cat have known each other for years, but I can't lie the mystery behind this really caught my attention.  I am really loving this type of book lately and with the added suspense added in I am totally sold!  Plus I want to know what Gabe has been up to for the past 3 years!  Also as a side note I love New Orleans so I am really going to enjoy reading about places I have been =)

Review: Rock Her by Rachel Cross

 

 

Rock Her by Rachel Cross

Publication Date: June 17th 2013

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

About the book: She’s a small town nurse who had to grow up fast. He’s rock music’s most infamous guitarist. When a day at the beach turns life or death, their worlds collide, and no one will ever be the same.

Kate Gibson’s life has been all about family. She spent her high school years taking care of her dying mother, and her college years raising her younger sister.

Alec Sawyer’s past was an excess of everything: drugs, parties, rock, sex, and money. His downfall had been long, spectacular, and public.

Thrown together by fate and the media, Kate and Alec find themselves falling in love. But dating in the spotlight has its downside, and some secrets are better left in the dark.

My Thoughts:
Rock Her was an exciting and quick read full of suspense, but most notably a sweet romance.

Twenty-five year old Kate has put her romantic life on hold for the most part.  She had to step in as mother and provider to her eleven year old sister at the very young age of eighteen when her mother dies.  Her father is a real piece of work (certainly a piece of something!) and so she is basically on her own with Emma, her sister.  This makes romance and boyfriends the least of her worries through the years.  But with Emma off to college, her life is open to new possibilities.  Performing a heroic rescue puts Kate right into the path of Alec Sawyer and he quickly disrupts her life in both good and bad ways.   

Alec Sawyer was part of a hugely famous rock band, and lived life on the edge with drugs, alcohol and women, until one of his band mates overdoses.  Real life and consequences smack him in the face waking him up to the big picture.  Now ten years sober, he stays out of the lime light and lives a quite life in the little town of Cielito.   That is until Kate stumbles into his life and gives it a little shake.

It’s fun to read about reluctant lovers slowly losing their battle against falling in love. Kate and Alec have some emotional hurdles to get over, but nothing too frustrating or drawn out. Their attraction is not easy to ignore.  Every time they're around each other, fires ignite!  Kate is sweet and innocent, but also smart, and accomplished, putting herself through nursing school.  If anyone deserved an exciting lusty romance, that would be Kate!! She gets that and more from Alec.  He’s quite a bit older at thirty-eight, and has the experience to prove it! Oh my….Even with all his experience Alecs’s surprised by how much Kate affects him:

“his feelings were impossible to ignore. This was different.  She was different. He racked his brain, trying to remember if he’d ever felt this tender affection and wonder for another soul.  It was like being stripped bare.”

Besides the romance, there is excitement and danger that make you want to read through to see how things turn out. There is some definite creep factor with a stalker and a criminal father!

I have to say, I was disappointed with both Kate and Alec in a couple of spots; Kate for being a pushover with Alec, and Alec for being a jerk. Emma, Kate’s sister was very annoying thorough most of this read, and I really wanted to give her a good smack for being so selfish. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this addictive and sexy read!

 

 

4 Suns

 



 

 



A copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

About the aurthor:

Fueled by black jelly-beans and Pinot noir– never together–Rachel Cross writes sexy, sweet contemporary romance. She lives by the beach in California with her surfer-dude/helicopter pilot husband and two daughters. Before becoming a romance author she was a professional firefighter, paramedic, clinical research manager, small business owner and Weekly World News tabloid ‘model’.

Rachel grew up in a suburb of Washington, D.C with three sisters who, like her, were all voracious readers. Much to her mother’s chagrin, Rachel discovered Barbara Cartland and Harlequin Romance as a teen and never went back to young adult books.

A portion of the earnings from Rachel’s debut novel — ROCK HER – will be donated to her local Hospice. Thank you for your purchase and contributing to the care and support of families facing life-limiting illnesses.  Connect with Rachel on her:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
 

 



 

Team Review: Thief by Tarryn Fisher

Today, we are excited to share our reviews for Thief by Tarryn Fisher. As you probably know by now, a couple of us on the Waves Team are HUGE fans of the Love Me With Lies series. When this final installment was release, you can bet we all rushed to download our copy and read this highly anticipated installment. 

For our post today, we have three perspectives of the book, which you'll quickly notice was a huge hit for all of us, and we have a playlist for the series. Enjoy!

Don't forget to enter our giveaway!

Thief (Love Me With Lies #3) by Tarryn Fisher

Published July 21st 2013

About the book
Note to Self

Love is patient; love is kind.
Love doesn't boast or brag.
There's no arrogance in love;
it's never rude, crude, or indecent-it's not self absorbed.
Love isn't easily upset.
Love doesn't tally wrongs.
Love trusts, hopes, and endures no matter what.
Love will never become obsolete.
I'll fight for her.

Thief

Caleb Drake never got over his first love. Not when he got married. Not when she got married. When life suddenly comes full circle Caleb must decide how how far he is willing to go to get the aloof and alluring Olivia Kaspen back. But for every action in life there is a consequence, and soon Caleb finds out that sometimes love comes at an unbearably high price.

Arlene's Thoughts

Thief stole my heart! Well worth the wait and the journey...

"That was the exact moment my heart threaded with hers. It was as if someone reached down with a sewing needle and stitched my soul to hers. How could one woman be so sharp and so vulnerable at the same time?"

Wow! Now that’s how you end a series… thank you very much! Thief marks the final installment to the Love Me With Lies series, which I have been waiting for since the beginning of the year. I can’t tell you how many conversations and emails I’ve had with my reading buddies speculating and anticipating over this book. Well let me just say… it was worth every moment. True perfection!

In Thief, we round off the epic trifecta of narratives where Caleb takes the stage for the final act of this trilogy. He takes us back and propels us forward to the present as he makes an attempt to bring some sort of semblance to his mangled life. After divorcing Leah and finding out the truth about Estella, Caleb just needs time to put the pieces of himself back together. All of that comes crashing to a halt when the verdict for the Dobson case is announced and the leading defense attorney comes knocking on his door for comfort. Olivia and Caleb have not seen each other for months. She’s content in her marriage with Noah, but as the last ten years of their history constantly proves to repeat itself, they always find their way back to one another when they are the most “messed up” and “need a hiding place.” However, their collisions never fail to leave a wake of destruction and heartbreak with every encounter.

First off, I have to say… I’m not a nail biter. If I took a pic of my thumbnail right now and showed you what this book did to me, you’d probably say OUCH! Yes, it hurts like hell! This book was such an emotional roller-coaster that had me up all night and at the edge of my seat through the entire journey. I told my reading buddy that when I downloaded my eBook, I was just going straight for the last page to see how it ends… Well when it was all said and done, I couldn’t.. Just couldn’t. I’m all for spoilers, but Caleb and Olivia deserved more and I’m glad I decided to read it in one sitting without looking ahead or searching for answers before I earned them.

I had my own idea of how I wanted this series to end, but leave it to Tarryn Fisher to prove she can deliver a book above and beyond my expectations. She out-did herself with Thief, and I feel I got what I was searching for, while at the same time having to work for every reveal, every moment of progress and every heartbreak from constant setbacks. I have not met two characters that have gone through such a journey of self-destruction, lies and deceit only to find their way out of the hurricane in the hopes of accomplishing some semblance of peace. ~deep breath~ Emotional to a level that’s note-worth!

Also, I must point out that choosing to end this series with Caleb’s perspective was brilliant because it gives us insight into Olivia’s character. I always wanted to know what drew him to her with such a magnanimous force when they collide and he explained it perfectly when is said:

I like her darkness, her ever present sarcasm, the way she makes me work for every smile – every kiss. I like how strong she is, how hard she fights for things. I love how weak I make her. I might be her only weakness. I earned that spot and I very much want to keep it.

As you can see, there were some poetic moments in this novel that had me re-reading passage after passage, and it’s those moments that help me understand why Tarryn Fisher refused to publish this book before it’s time. She was crafting her story in a way that will leave a mark with her readers, and I truly believe she accomplished that in every way possible.

Fisher introduced me to some “beautifully broken” characters that had to fight for every happy moment and small accomplishment that came their way. She took me on a journey that left me emotional vested with compassion and connection to her cast. Why this author hasn’t been picked up by a notable publisher is beyond me. As an avid reader that’s been exposed to all sorts of fiction, Tarryn Fisher has earned a top spot on my list of great writers with an amazing ability for story-telling. Well done Fisher… Well done!

5 Suns

Crystal's Thoughts

Where do I even begin! This whole series has been an emotion roll a coaster and the final book was definitely no different. I swear at one point I stopped breathing because I was tense and stressed out! If you are a reader then you know having this kind of reaction to a book lets you know that you are reading something amazing.

The Thief is Caleb's POV and we get to see so much from reading his voice. I loved that Ms.Fisher took us back to the past because it let me see a whole new side to not only Caleb but Olivia as well. We got to see what drew Caleb in in the first place and we get to see just how messed up he was over her. It was not easy reading his POV because he was so obviously broken from so many things and to know that the one thing he wanted was beyond his reach just broke my heart. Was he innocent in everything no, but he did pay the price just like Olivia and in some ways I think he paid more than she did.

I loved that he fought for her. In my head I kept going "It's about time!" He needed to fight for her and Olivia needed to let him in all the way. They have a very twisted past and with so many things working against them I just didn't know if they would ever pull through. I won't say if they did or not but make sure to bring your tissues because it is one hell of a bumpy ride for them.

Leah oh Leah that woman takes the top spot as the most vile character I have ever read. She is beyond what you would ever expect from a hate filled person and I have no love for her at all. There is one scene between her and Olivia that I yelled out loud "WOOHOO" when it happened. My only wish is that I could have reached in and done what Olivia done myself.

If you haven't picked this up yet then you need to. I am typically drawn more towards the creepy side of books these days and this series scared me more than the scariest book I have ever read. It was intense, heartbreaking, loved filled, and just amazing. Tarryn Fisher definitely has a way with words and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!

5 Suns

Rachel's Thoughts

Thief was a perfectly imperfect ending to a series I will never forget. I felt like my heart and head went through the spin cycle from all the highs and lows I experienced, but I loved every minute of it! I think one of things that stand out about this series is the realistic way it showed the deep hurt felt from heartache, regret, and loving “the one,” and then screwing it up. It’s easy to see and relate our imperfect selves in each of these characters, well maybe except for Leah, I hope….

After all the years and going back and forth with Olivia, Caleb commits to Olivia being the only girl for him and he intends to be with her for good. One huge problem is that she moved on and married someone else, Noah. After all the years, and the fact that Caleb chose to stay with Leah after Olivia bared her heart to him, she gave up, and resigned herself to the fact Caleb and her would never be together. Noah came along and even though Olivia knew she could never love anyone as much or like Caleb, she had to let go. So she let down her defenses and allowed some of her heart to love Noah. Caleb has his work cut out for him, but he is DETERMINED:

“This is the last time I’m going to say this, so listen carefully,” I can smell her skin. “You and I are happening. No one is keeping us apart again. Not Noah or Cammie, and least of all, f**king Leah. You are mine. Do you understand me?”

I’m not a fan of cheating stories, but to be honest I was rooting for Caleb the whole time. I felt a little justified in this because Noah married Olivia knowing she would never truly love him with her whole heart. I think on some level Noah knew that they wouldn’t and couldn’t last. I could just care less about Leah, she had no heart in my opinion, and I was so happy Caleb finally saw through all her schemes at the end of Dirty Red. Leah (gag!) finally gets a little of what was coming to her and I couldn’t have smiled bigger in that scene!

I loved getting Caleb’s POV. Being in his head showed me that he was just as obsessed with Olivia as she was with him. It also showed me that they were a perfect match. He loved her faults and all. In fact her faults may have made him love her more. It cracked me up when he would call her things like “my little prude” or “the little witch” showing how he really adored the weaknesses in her. Love this quote:

“You’re crazy and erratic and mean, but I’ll never complain about your taste in music.”
“I’m sorry,” she says, setting down the iPod and staring at me. “Aren’t you supposed to be charming me this weekend?”
I grab her knee and squeeze. “That’s what I’m doing, Duchess. A compliment with an insult. Just the way you like it.”

Both Olivia and Caleb left a path of destruction and hurt, and have the scars to show it. But after all is said and done these two still are in love with each other, obsessed with each other, and really are complete soul mates! I think they needed all this time to grow and learn to really appreciate their once in a lifetime love and connection. 

I’m so sad to say good bye to this series. This is a series I won’t, and can’t forget. The emotional lows gutted me and the highs left me soaring! I have so many passages highlighted (11 pages on my kindle) and every time I go back to look at a quote I end up highlighting more!! I’ve pimped this story out to whoever will listen and if you haven’t yet picked up this series, you are missing out!! Thank you Tarryn!

5 Suns

Waves of Fiction Playlist

Series Song 

Clarity by Jedd ft. Foxes (Song Link)

Caleb on his way to live in Paris.

Up in the Air by 30 Seconds to Mars (Song Link)

Olivia when she goes after Caleb in Paris.

Someone Like You by Adele (Song Link)

Demons by Imagine Dragons (Song Link)

Mirrors by Justin Timberlake (Song Link)

What I've Done by Linkin Park (Song Link)

Lessons in Love by Neon Trees (Song Link)

We are giving away an e-Copy of the complete Love Me With Lies series: The Opportunist, Dirty Red, and Thief. Winner will have a choice of an eBook from either US Amazon or US Barnes & Noble. But that’s not all, we’re including a T-shirt (see picture below) from the series!! Just fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win. Good luck and thanks for visiting Waves of Fiction!

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Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Pretty When She Dies by Rhiannon Frater

Today on Waves of Fiction we are participating in the blog tour for Pretty When She Dies by Rhiannon Frater hosted by Xpresso Tours.

Pretty When She Dies by Rhiannon Frater

Published on November 24, 2008 by Createspace

Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

About the book

Amaliya wakes under the forest floor, disoriented, famished and confused. She digs out of the shallow grave and realizes she is hungry...

... in a new, horrific, unimaginable way...

Sating her great hunger, she discovers that she is now a vampire, the bloodthirsty creature of legend. She has no choice but to flee from her old life and travels across Texas. Her new hunger spurs her to leave a wake of death and blood behind her as she struggles with her new nature.

All the while, her creator is watching. He is ancient, he is powerful, and what's worse is that he's a necromancer. He has the power to force the dead to do his bidding. Amaliya realizes she is but a pawn in a twisted game, and her only hope for survival is to seek out one of her own kind.

But if Amaliya finds another vampire, will it mean her salvation... or her death?

My Thoughts:
Pretty When She Dies is not your everyday ordinary vampire story.  This book is filled with dark, gruesome, and might I say some very sexy moments.  I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into when I started this, but I am happy to say that it was an enjoyable read.

The story starts off with a huge BANG!  Amaliya wakes up in her own grave with no recollection of what happened to her.  Going on instinct alone she finds herself slowly walking back to her dorm room.  Things get stranger and stranger when she feels a weird pull towards a frat house.  What she discovers is a very interesting party and well what happens next is not what I expected at all. The story takes off from there and we learn that Amaliya is a vampire and has the worst luck ever.  She runs into so many awful people that when she finally meets Cian she isn't sure if she will survive being a vampire.  Cian takes her in and does the only thing he can, he teaches her how to survive and in the process of this he finds his long sleeping dark side awakening again.  These two are like gasoline and fire to each other.  With one match they will ignite, but with so many other obstacles in the way their story may be the shortest one in vampire history.

I really enjoy the originality of this story.  It wasn't a cookie cutter cutsie story.  There were some very gruesome scenes that made my jaw drop and *fans self* the steamy scenes were beyond hawt.  Amaliya was a little hard for me to connect with at the end of the story, but overall I did enjoy her character.  She wasn't trying to drive a wedge between anybody and she wasn't trying to steal things that weren't hers.  She simply just wanted to live the best way she could.  I give her a lot of credit for her actions early on because it showed strength and respect for herself.

Cian was amazing!  I loved his character and I couldn't wait for him to let his dark side out. He felt so restrained in the beginning but when he finally came together with Amaliya WOW is all I can say.  I am so excited to read more about him.

Overall this was an enjoyable book.  There were a few bumps along the way for me that dropped my rating a bit, but they are all probably just me.  Some of it was the writing style and some of it was the overall descriptions.  I sometimes felt like there was too much filler and I wanted the author to just get down to it.  For the most part though this was a fun read that I am very much looking forward to continuing on with the series.

3 Suns

About the Author

Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies trilogy (The First Days, Fighting to Survive, Siege,) and the author of three other books: the vampire novels Pretty When She Dies and The Tale of the Vampire Bride and the young-adult zombie novel The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters. Inspired to independently produce her work from the urging of her fans, she published The First Days in late 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following. She won the Dead Letter Award back-to-back for both The First Days and Fighting to Survive, the former of which the Harrisburg Book Examiner called ‘one of the best zombie books of the decade.’ Rhiannon is currently represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry + Literary Media agency. You may contact her by sending an email to rhiannonfrater@gmail.com. 

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

  

Other Books in This Series:

Pretty When She Kills

Purchase: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Pretty When She Destroys

As part of the tour we are excited to share this tour wide giveaway with our readers!  Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

Good Luck! 
Us/Canada Residents Only

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Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Unlocked (The Alpha Group #3) by Maya Cross

 

 

I’m so excited to be part of the Cover Reveal for Unlocked by Maya Cross because I’ve loved this series from the beginning!  I can’t wait to find out how things turn out for Sebastian and Sofia!  It’s been an exciting, sensual and suspenseful ride.  Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post to enter in the awesome giveaway provided by Maya!! Without further ado here is the GORGEOUS cover:

 

 

 

Unlocked (The Alpha Group #3) by Maya Cross

Expected Publication Date: August 18th 2013



About the book:

The breathtaking conclusion to the USA Today best selling Alpha Group Series.

 

Who is Sebastian Lock?

 

The heart can lead you to dangerous places. Abandoned by the man she loves, with nothing more than sweet words and riddles for an explanation, Sophia Pearce felt like her life was crumbling before her eyes. And then they came for her. Now, things will never be the same.

 

Confronted with the truth about Sebastian’s identity, she’s thrust into a high stakes world beyond anything she could have imagined. A world that threatens much more than just her feelings. Sebastian’s enemies will stop at nothing to get what they want, and they want her.

 

The energy between them is as intense as ever, but as the danger mounts, and loyalties are tested, Sophia must answer one simple question. What is she willing to risk for love?

 

This book will be approximately 45,000 words, or about 160 printed pages. It contains erotic content and a dominant man who always gets what he wants in the bedroom. It is intended for readers aged 18 and over.

Teaser (Note: Text may change a little before publication)

The third or fourth time I woke, it was with a sob. Moonlight cast the room as a series of jagged silhouettes, and despite knowing that I was somewhere safe, the unfamiliarity of my surroundings sent something sharp skittering through my chest. Suddenly, it felt like everything was closing in around me. I let out another cry and burrowed deeper under the covers, feeling fresh tears welling in my eyes. I didn’t want to be this person, this person who cried at shadows, but I didn’t know how to deal with the emotions that were roaring up inside me.

 

I felt another bolt of fear as I heard the door open, but in a moment there was a familiar weight on the bed, and then Sebastian’s arms were circling my body from behind.

 

“It’s okay,” he said softly. “Let it out.”

 

I have no idea how he knew I was in distress, but in spite of everything that was still unresolved between us, I loved that he’d come. The sheer strength of his presence dwarfed everything else, dulling the fear. He was like an anchor, and I clung on for dear life lest I slip back below the surface again.

 

He didn’t say anything else, and so neither did I, but just the act of being together was enough. I lay there, listening to the sound of his breathing, enjoying the sensation of that solid chest rising and falling against my back. Gradually, my turmoil began to dissipate. I had no idea how he had such a calming effect on me. When we were together, nothing else seemed to matter.

 

He felt like home, and for just that night, I pretended like he still was.

 

Links to Other Books in the Series:
 

Locked (The Alpha Group #1)

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble

 

Lockout (The Alpha Group #2)

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble

 

About the Author: Maya Cross is a writer who enjoys making people blush. Growing up with a mother who worked in a book store, she read a lot from a very young age, and soon enough picked up a pen of her own. She’s tried her hands at a whole variety of genres including horror, science fiction, and fantasy, but funnily enough, it was the sexy stuff that stuck. She has now started this pen name as an outlet for her spicier thoughts (they were starting to overflow). She likes her heroes strong but mysterious, her encounters sizzling, and her characters true to life.

She believes in writing familiar narratives told with a twist, so most of her stories will feel comfortable, but hopefully a little unique. Whatever genre she's writing, finding a fascinating concept is the first, and most important step.

The Alpha Group is her first attempt at erotic romance.

When she's not writing, she's playing tennis, trawling her home town of Sydney for new inspiration, and drinking too much coffee.



 Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 

 

 

Cover Reveal Giveaway

 

Maya has generously provided 10 copies of Locked + Lockout (books 1 & 2 of the series)!! Just fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win.  Good luck and thanks for visiting Waves of Fiction!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway