17 Feb 2016

Book Tour - Allerleirauh by Chantal Gadoury



Title: Allerleirauh
Author: Chantal Gadoury
Genre: Fantasy Romance / Fairytale Retelling / Young Adult

Once upon a time...
A king makes a promise to his dying wife to marry only someone with her golden hair. The king finds his eyes are turned by his maturing daughter. Ralizing her Father's intentions, Princess Aurelia tries to trick her Father by requesting impossible gifts: Dresses created by the Sun, Moon and Stars and a Coat made of a Thousand furs. When she discovers his success, Aurelia decides to sacrifice her privileged life and escapes the Kingdom disguised in a cloak, and under a new name, "Allerleirauh". Aurelia enters the Kingdom of Saarland der Licht where she is taken under the wing of the handsome Prince Klaus. Aurelia must face herself, her past and her fears in her journey of self discovery. Allerleirauh is a Retelling of the Grimm Brothers' Fairy Tale classic.

My thoughts:


I have never heard about the story of Allerleirauh before, but since I’m not a huge fairy tale fan, it is not surprising at all. ’I’m not a huge fan’ means I’m not consciously looking for such tales to read, not that I avoid or hate them.

I was intrigued by the summary of the story, especially the creepy ’king wants to marry his daughter’ part that caught my attention; let’s face it, it is a shocking premise (and why would we expect less of a German fairy tale?). Because of the above mentioned element in the plot some pages in the beginning of the book sent shivers down my spine. I sympathized with Allerleirauh and wished her a happy ending.

The rest of the novel(ette?) was sweet and hugely satisfying after such a gloomy beginning. The story was fast paced (it had to be as the book is very short) and Allerleirauh’s character developed very nicely – she turned from a naïve girl into a strong heroine by the end of the novel. The prince was sensitive and caring, a bit too perfect, but hey… this is a fairy tale retelling after all. The side-characters were well crafted, although not very detailed – which problem could have been solved by making the book just a tad bit longer. I think I don’t even have other negative things to say of Allerleirauh but this: it was too short. Although on the whole it is a perfect light and fast read for fantasy and fairy tale lovers.
 

Author Bio

Chantal Gadoury is a young author who currently lives in Dover, Delaware with her two cats, Theo and Harper and her fiance, Robert. Originally from Muncy, PA, Chantal appreciates the beautiful mountains and enjoys visits back to her family. She also loves anything Disney and has a reputation of beating anyone at a mean game of Disney trivia. When Chantal is not writing, she enjoys painting, watching British History Documentaries, drinking iced-coffee and spending time with loved ones. Chantal first started writing stories at the age of seven and continues on with that love of writing today. Graduating from Susquehanna University with a creative writing BA, writing novels has become a dream come true.




Links

a Rafflecopter giveaway

10 Feb 2016

Book Tour - New York Night by Stephen Leather



Title: New York Night (Jack Nightingale #6)

Author: Stephen Leather

Rating: 3/5 stars
 
Synopsis:

Teenagers are being possessed and turning into sadistic murderers. Priests can’t help, nor can psychiatrists. So who is behind the demonic possessions? Jack Nightingale is called in to investigate, and finds his own soul is on the line.


My thoughts:

Detective stories mostly bore me these days; I have read quite a lot of Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle when I was a teen and there was a point when I felt the crime genre cannot show me anything that would grip my attention anymore. With New York Night I was in luck, because this book is not simply a detective novel, but also a paranormal piece of writing.

I liked the relationship between our protagonist, Nightingale, and Perez, the policewoman who was helping him. I was very glad they didn’t get entangled with each other, I think the book was better for the lack of romance.

The story would make a good episode of a paranormal show on American TV, it had the structure and feel of a Supernatural episode. The investigation process the reader is led through in the book was mostly built up with care, although there were some connections that must have been obvious to Nightingale and Perez way before they discovered them. All in all however, those who enjoy novels that revolve around an investigation would like New York Night.

The book is part of a series, therefore there were some conversations that suggested continuity,
but it absolutely works as a standalone too.

(Beware, reader, New York Night is extremely violent in places due to certain paranormal creatures going on a rampage in the city. If you are squeamish, avoid this book, because I’m certainly not, and even I was shocked at times.)

On the whole, New York Night deserves three stars from me.


 Amazon 

Author:




28 Jan 2016

Book promo - Thirst - Blood of my Blood by R. P. Channing




240+ Pages

WITH BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPHS



~ Kira Sutherland ~

After a near fatal accident (and getting cheated on by her 'boyfriend'), and beating up the lead cheerleader (with whom the boyfriend cheated...), and being labeled as having 'issues' in her school because she, uhm, sees ghosts, Kira is left with two choices:


 1. Continue her 'therapy' (where she's told the ghost is a hallucination and also gets her legs ogled too often...)

Or

2. Go to Starkfield Academy, a boarding school for "Crazies and Convicts" (as the social media sites call them.)

She chooses the latter...


~ Cory Rand ~


Cory Rand has not had an easy life. His mother died in a car accident when he was twelve, and so did his mother's best friend...sort of. You see, Janice made a promise to take care of Cory just before she died, and so she lingers. Undead. A ghost that watches out for him.

Brought up in an abusive home, Cory quickly falls into a life of disreputable behavior. After his third offense (which was prompted by a girl, as usual - he has a weakness) he's left with two choices:

1. Be tried as an adult and share a cell with a guy named Bubba (he thinks...)

Or

2. Go to Starkfield Academy, which Cory is pretty sure is run by vampires. But, hey, at least he'll get an education.

He chooses the latter...

It's at Starkfield that Kira meets Cory Rand, a boy with an insatiable Rage who sees ghosts, too. As well as other things, other things from his past, things that confuse him, things like fire and witches and demons.

Things he's always ignored.

Until now.

Genres:

Young Adult Romance
Paranormal Romance
High School
Vampires, Demons, Witches
Dark Fantasy
Horror 

Buy Links

Kindle Unlimited

$20 Amazon Gift Voucher Giveaway

At the back of the book there is a giveaway link. Once the book hits fifty reviews on Amazon, one of those reviewers will win a $20 (US Dollars) Amazon Gift Voucher!

Author Bio

R P Channing started writing three years ago, but never published anything even after churning out over a million words of fiction. Thirst: Blood of my Blood is the first book he dared to publish. When asked why, he said, “Because it’s the first thing I wrote that my wife actually enjoyed reading.” When not hammering away (most literally) at his keyboard, he can be found buried in a book, reading anything from romance to horror to young adult to non-fiction to comedy.

Author Links

Twitter
Amazon