Winners of Leanna Renee Hiebers Strangely Beautiful books 1 and 2

The winners, as always were chosen completely by random by random.org, and as usual I'm late in getting this posted. :)

Congratulations goes to:

throuthehaze

for winning The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker (book 1)

and to

Blodeuedd

for winning The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker (book 2)

If I don't hear from the winners by 11:59pm Saturday May 14th, I will unfortunately have to pick new ones.

ARC Review: The Legend of Michael by Lisa Renee Jones

  

Title: Legend of Michael 

Author: Lisa Renee Jones

Genre: Sci Fi/Contemporary Romance

Series; Zodiac #1

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Number of pages: 416

Source: Advanced Review Copy

Publication Date: May 1st

 

One of an army of human soldiers injected with alien DNA, Michael is a legend within this new race, split between good and evil. Untamable, he has walked on the dark side and returned to the light. Feared and misunderstood, he leaves everything behind, including the one woman destined to be his mate.

HE IS HER ENEMY…AND HER DESTINY…
Fate leads Michael back to Cassandra Powell, for she holds the key to defending his comrades. With their loyalties divided between duty and the people they love, only together can Cassandra and Michael overcome insurmountable odds to save humanity from the wrath of a madman.

But no ordinary woman can control a creature such as Michael, and only one thing is clear—the world will never be the same…(from goodreads)

 

 I wanted to read The Legend of Micahel because it just sounded different.  Michael is a soldier and he and other soldiers are given this alien dna that turns them into super soldiers, who among other things can come and go with the wind. (I thought that was really cool.) While I liked all the characters, I thought the romance got lost in the world building. The story centers around a special group of elite soldiers who like Michael, were given alien DNA that was found from an alien spacecraft  crash on earth awhile back.  The story starts off taking place in Area 51, which I thought was really cool. Cassandra and Michael are immediately drawn to each other even though they know they shouldn't be together because she is the psychologist assigned to the GTECHs. (the name the soldiers go by.)

The main problem I had was when I would get involved with the romance, the story would jump ahead in time. The Red Dart storyline (something both sides wanted) just lost me. I didn't really care which side had it, and I could see why both sides wanted it and felt like neither side were as evil as I think we were supposed to believe they were. 

Even though I didn't really care for this storyline, I really think this series has potential. I also think this books romance just got lost in the world building. At some point I'll give this book another try-it's just for now I didn't have the patience this book needed given to it.

Curran Crush Meter: Low

Barrons Hero Hotness Meter: Medium 

Ethan/Merit Sizzle Meter: Low

Finn Sidekick Meter: Medium (I really liked Caleb.) 

Author Interview: Lori Foster, author of When You Dare (Chatting with Buckeyes)

Please help me welcome New York Times Best Selling author, Lori Foster to Chatting with Buckeyes, the series where I interview a different author from Ohio every month. 

1. Can you tell us about your newest book, When You Dare?

 Sure. It hit stands on the 26^th and introduces the series. I got the idea for this series after seeing the movie “Taken” with Liam Neeson. In the movie, he was forced to leave some captive women behind so that he could find and rescue his daughter. I wanted a hero who saved them all – and an idea was born. The book opens with the hero leaving Mexico with the woman he went in to save – and another that he hadn’t counted on. 

2.  When You Dare is the first book in the Men Who Walk The Edge of Honor Series, how many books are planned for the series?

There will be 4. “Trace of Fever” is the 2^nd book, available May 31^st and “Savor the Danger” is available June 28^th. The 4^th book, “A Perfect Storm,” will be out in May 2012.

3.  The 7th Annual Author/Reader get together that you host in Cincinnati is this June 3-5th, how did it get started? For those who aren't familiar with it, can you explain what it is?

My good friend Dianne Castell and I started it as a thank you to the community for readers and authors to interact in a very casual and affordable atmosphere. For only $50 you get plenty of time to chat, take photos, share books, a giant booksigning with over 100 authors, raffles galore (proceeds from the raffles benefit the One Way Farm – http://www.onewayfarm.org/ ) a Friday night pizza party with games, a Saturday continental breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet, and a Saturday party that is themed as a “Sock Hop” this year. Newer authors can meet readers, agents, editors, publishers, and other industry professionals. Wear your jeans, or whatever you’re most comfortable in, bring your stash of books to get them signed, bring your camera for lots of fun photos!

4. What influenced you to write romances?

Reading them! I didn’t “discover” romances until I was older, married and with 3 sons. As soon as I started reading them, I was hooked! LOVE the character-driven storylines, the action, the emotion, and that guaranteed happy ending.

5. Under LL Foster, you write Urban Fantasy novels-is it difficult switching genres?

[Lori said:] Not at all. I love to jump from one to the other. I think it helps to keep me fresh.

6. Do you have a favorite hero/heroine or series?

Lots of them! I loved all of Linda Howard’s Mackenzie books, all of Catherine Coulter’s Sherbrook books, all of Johanna Lindsey’s Mallory stories, and most recent everything Kresley Cole has written about the Immortals After Dark.

Ohio Questions

1. Do you have a favorite Ohio Sports team that you root for?

My favorite sport is MMA, so anyone from Ohio who competes interests me. Rich Franklin is a top favorite. But I have a lot of favorites in the UFC who aren’t from here.

2. Where is your favorite place in Ohio to go?

 Hocking Hills! We LOVE the area and get there at least a couple of times a year. I could wander from one amazing landmark to another. Favorites there are Ash Cave and The Rock House, but they’re all incredible.

I also enjoy parking our RV at a beautiful park in New Paris, Ohio. It’s so very peaceful!

3. Do you have a favorite C City-Columbus, Cincinnati, or Cleveland?

 I have a ton of writerly friends in Columbus, so it’s always fun to go there. But being Cinci is so close, I’d have to say I love it best.

4. Do you have a favorite food or drink that's native to Ohio? (For example, I love Buckeye Candy)

 Oh, I love Buckeye Candy too! There’s an Amish store in Hamilton, Ohio that makes the very best sandwiches! All fresh and loaded with goodness. I also love Skyline Chili and Gold Star Chili.  Blue Ash Grill is incredible. We discovered it when our friends – Chris and Janeen (radio DJs for WGRR 103.5) took us there. Wonderful atmosphere and incredible food.

5. What would people be most surprised to find out about Ohio?

 Visitors always seem surprised by our wildlife. Deer are everywhere. Hawks. Turkey vultures. On our property we get regular visits from coyotes, deer, skunk, possum, raccoons, etc... Crane and hawks “fish” daily in my pond, often catching a giant goldfish for dinner. (sad!)And we get the most amazing variety of birds, but big, chubby turkey vultures to tiny sparrows and wild canary. It’s a beautiful site if you enjoy wildlife – and we do!

I just wanted to say that it's official-I'm going to Lori's Author/Reader get together and I can't wait!! :)

Where to find Lori's Author/Reader Get together:
Website

Facebook

Where to find Lori on the web: 

Website 

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Library Things

Where to find When You Dare:
Amazon
Barnes and Nobles 
Powell's
Book Depository

ARC Review: Love, Drunk Cowboy by Carolyn Brown

Title: Love, Drunk Cowboy 

Author: Carolyn Brown

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Western

Series: Spikes and  Spurs #1

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Number of Pages: 384 

Source: Sent to me by the publisher to read

Publication date: May 1, 2011

She's a self-made city girl...
High-powered career woman Austin Lanier suddenly finds herself saddled with an inherited watermelon farm deep in the countryside. She's determined to sell the farm, until her new, drop-dead sexy neighbor Rye O'Donnell shows up... He's as intoxicating as can be... Rancher Rye O'Donnell thinks he's going to get a good deal on his dream property-until he meets the fiery new owner. Rye is knocked sideways when he realizes that not only is Granny Lanier's city-slicker granddaughter a savvy businesswoman, she's also sexy as hell...Suddenly Rye is a whole lot less interested in real estate and a whole lot more focused on getting Austin to set aside her stiletto heels...*from amazon.com*

My thoughts on this book are all over the place, and honestly I think I was able to like this one as much as I did because I was so traumatized by the book I read before it that I just needed a nice, sweet contemporary romance-and this one delivered just that. 

 I really enjoyed all the characters-Austin was really likable and Rye was super hot. The romance between them was really sweet.  I spent the first half of the book wondering if maybe this wasn't really an inspirational romance instead of a mainstream one and I'm not really sure why, except for the fact that there were a lot of religious lines thrown in and not a lot of action. (like th is line here; Pg. 123:  A stone the size of Gibraltar replaced his heart. He hoped that she'd drop everything and go with him. But that was a fool's thinking.)
However, that all changed in the second half of the book and it left me confused because the two were texting each other some racy stuff and just seemed out of place for the characters. Even though it seemed out of place, it still worked for where Austin and Rye were in there relationship if that makes sense.

The secondary characters in this book were great. I really loved Molly and Greta-friends of Austin's Grandmothers who she met every Friday for ice cream, and all of Rye's brothers and sisters. They added a lot of humor to the story

There was one thing though that kept from enjoying this book more,  and that was what I called country-isms. Every time I would get really into the romance between Rye and Austin something like this would be said:


 Pg. 126  He slapped his thigh and and turned around three times in his motel room. She cared enough to worry about him?
Or this: 
pg.127 He did a few fast moves of a  line dance in happiness.


I know a lot of readers enjoy western romances, but for me these lines were really distracting  and I had to put the book down before I could get back into the story again. There was one last thing that bothered me though, and maybe it's because I'm kind of from the country-how could Austin have lived to be 30 and not have been to a carnival or festival???   Despite the countryisms though, I enjoyed seeing Austin finally learn to stick up for herself to her mother and the struggle she went through before she knew what she really wanted to do with her life.

Some of my favorite what I called country-ism lines:

Pg. 114:  It would take a special man to ever put me in a corral.

Pg 117: She slammed the car door with enough force to rattle the angels out of heaven.

Curran Crush Meter: Low

Martini Sigh Meter: Low

Barrons Hero Hotness Meter: Medium-low 

Finn Sidekick Meter: High 

Ethan/Merit Sizzle Meter: Medium 

Review: Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill

Title: Hard Bitten 

Author: Chloe Neill

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: Chicagoland Vampires #4 

Publisher: NAL

Number of Pages: 350

Source: Library

 

Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals--and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are ... tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else. Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn't help that she can't tell who's on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who's tall, dark, and part of underground vamp group that may have some deep intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the heady, dark heart of Chicago's supernatural society--a world full of vampires who seem too ready to fulfill the protesting human's worst fears, and a place where she'll learn that you can't be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands. (from goodreads)

Every once and awhile a book series comes along where you instantly fall in love with the characters, and it doesn't matter how long you've been apart from them when you open the first page of the book, it's like you're returning to old friends. That's how I feel about Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampire Series. Here is my favorite quote of the book:



pg. 88  Ethan to Merit: 

You can run. You can keep running to the ends of the earth. I won't be far behind you. ""Ethan-"

"No. I will never be far behind you. "

When I sat down to write this review, I wasn't sure how to do it. Luckily for me, Tasha from Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Books had an excellent idea: Lolz cats. Here is what I was feeling while reading Hard Bitten:

edited on 7/29/12 Due to potential copyright issues, I took down the lol cats. 

Then I braved Twitter where Bells from Hanging with Bells and Julie from Yummy Men and Kick Ass Chicks consoled me:

I'm now counting down the days till Drink Deep!

Curran Crush Meter: Off the charts! 

Barrons Hero Hotness Meter: Off the Charts

Martini Sigh Meter: High (That's right, Ethan actually had some sigh moments in this one!) 

Ethan/Merit Sizzle Meter: Well, the meter is named after the hero/heroine in this book, so: Super, Duper High 

Finnalicious Side Kick Meter: Off the charts high! 

Double Cross Swear Meter: High. Did I mention high?

Author Interview & Giveaway: Leanna Renee Hieber

Please help me welcome the very talented Leanna Renee Hieber to A Buckeye Girl Reads. Her third book, The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess was just released this week and she's here to talk about it and the Strangely Beautiful Series.

 Can you tell us a bit about the series and your newest release, The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess?

The Strangely Beautiful saga is Gothic Victorian Fantasy with a rich cast of characters and a central theme: light triumphing over darkness. That may sound like a general theme, but I’m quite literal about it – and the ways in which those battles are fought is very specific. The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess is a prequel, a behind-the-scenes look at the complex Prophecy that threads books one and two. Here secrets are now revealed with mythic choices and consequences, the hands of the gods are foced, and incredible sacrifices are fought for true love. All with a lot of ghost-busting and action. For those who have not read books one and two, you could begin with this prequel and continue into the first two.

Do you have a favorite character?

That’s like picking a favorite child. I love each of my Guard characters fairly equally, I am in love with Alexi, but Percy is the reason for it all – even in the prequel the brief glimpses of her are so powerful for me. I was surprised, though, how swiftly the Goddess and Iris Parker, in this prequel, became my new darlings.

 

 Have you been surprised at the love Percy has gotten?

 

Hmm… Speaking just about Percy, solely, as a character, I suppose every author hopes her heroine will be loved and adored, so when Percy is loved, I rejoice more than anyone. But I’ve also discovered that my books are not for everyone, not everyone is ready to go on the ride that the Gothic novel style requires.

 

Some aren’t exactly sure what to do with Percy, how to think about her, because she isn’t a typical heroine. She looks very different than your average person. I don’t think people really understand that on a visceral level, even though I describe her often. One reviewer who rated the book poorly mentioned that she didn’t understand how a pale girl with blue eyes would be treated poorly in Victorian England – she simply did not see just how different Percy is and what that truly, realistically would have meant for her. I’m not sure everyone understands just how eerie she is, yet I want her not to be criticized for her difference but accepted regardless. I’m so grateful so many readers do just that; accept her and cherish her differences. But for those who may wonder, it’s why I have the picture of her on my website, so that people can truly see just how unique she is. Personally, I think she’s beautiful but in no way could someone say she’s ordinary. This is a distancing quality for some readers; we’re used to seeing ourselves as the protagonist in some ways, relating to her, rooting for her on a deeply personal and relatable level. I think her sweet nature, her awkwardness and passion is something everyone can relate to, but visually it’s hard to capture.

 

She is the woman she is because she came into my mind just as she was, and I was captivated by her from the start. I felt I was presented with a wonderful and exciting opportunity to make us all think about beauty and redefine it through Percy, through the eyes of us; the beholders. I’ll be continuing this discussion all year with blog posts and presentations at conferences I’ve titled: “Non-traditional Heroines: The Joys and Struggles of Being Different”

 

It will be very interesting to see what people think about The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess because Percy is not in the book other than a few visions and the tale of her birth. In spending so much time with her, I came to love the Goddess as much as I love Percy, and I hope readers will see in both the Goddess and in Iris Parker threads of Percy’s heart and soul. This is a book truly for and about the series itself, the why and how, the triumph and sacrifice, this book is the bigger picture, with Percy planted as a little rosebud waiting to grow into a ghost-white flower.

 

As for any love this series as a whole has attained, I couldn’t be more excited about gaining a readership – for those who are on board with this series; I hope you know what an honour it is to have you along. I take your readership very seriously, with gratefulness and joy.

How many books do you think will be in the series?

No more than 4 and a half books, the half being “A Christmas Carroll” novella in A Midwinter Fantasy, (essentially book 2.5) At the end of the day, Strangely Beautiful really is, at heart, about the Goddess and Phoenix and how their vendetta plays out in Percy, The Grand Work and how eternal love plays out in the lives of the Rychman family. And their story draws to a close as their mortal lives do. So I simply cannot continue the series without them.

 

I am very excited to be launching a new series in November, Magic Most Foul, a Gothic Paranormal set in 1880 New York City. 17 year-old Natalie Stewart, who suffers from Selective Mutism, is drawn into the world of a haunted painting, becoming bound to the soul of the trapped young English Lord therein. She must find her voice for she's the only hope to reverse the horrific black magic threatening her and the compelling man she's fallen for.

 

What is your favorite Alexi/Percy scene?

 

ll of them. (Jokingly) No, seriously. Depends on my mood. Their waltzes in the first book will always be magical in my heart, but then the passionate release of their first kiss and the recreation of it in book two are just really, really fun. Also, I love their small scenes in “A Christmas Carroll” because we see them at their best, when they’ve relaxed into themselves and their love and can just be their entirely opposite yet somehow complimentary selves. I love it when they're clever and amusing together.

 

Do you have a favorite book in the series?

 

LRH: Again, depends on my mood and like picking a child, I can’t. Different books for different reasons. The first book is full of magic for me, the second book fulfills passions and the thrill of ghostly war, the third is full of action, sweet longing and sacrifice (and has some of my favourite Whisper-world scenes).

What's the one thing you want us to know about the series?

As I mentioned with Percy earlier, want people to think about beauty differently; to allow it more room and definition. But I also hope readers can see that these are really and truly the books of my heart. I think I’ve progressed technically as a writer as I continue to write other books and worlds, but I can honestly say I’ve never loved characters more than I love these characters and this world. When I have trouble sleeping, I imagine myself all done up in Victorian regalia (not hard to imagine since I own a bunch). I descend the stairs to the garden-level entrance of La Belle et La Bete café. There my friends, my Guard, greet me warmly, there Alexi takes my hand, and there I find my happy mental place – a place that’s been with me for over a decade now, a place I am so very blessed to be able to share with all of you.

Where to find Leanna Renee Hieber: 
Facebook
Twitter
Home
Blog

Thanks so much again for answering all of my questions!! Leanna is being nice enough to give away one copy of the first book in the series-The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker 

and one copy of book two in the series-The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker 

 The giveaway will be open until 11:59 Monday May 9th. The giveaway is open to US/Canada residents only, sorry! Please state in the comments if you are entering the giveaway and which book you would like. Winners as always, will be chosen by random.org. If I don't hear from the winner (s) within two days of contacting them, I will unfortunately have to pick new ones.  If your email isn't on your blogger profile, please leave it so I have a way of letting you know that you've won. You don't have to be a blog follower to enter, but it would be nice! 

I'm guest blogging about my favorite highlander-Jamie Fraser over at Jo Jo's Book Corner for her and Tigris Eden's 30 days of highlanders.  Go and see what book they are giving away from Kimberly Killion today!

ARC Review: The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess by Leanna Renee Hieber

 Title: The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess

 Author: Leanna Renee Hieber

Genre: Historical Fantasy/Romance

Series: Strangely Beautiful #3 (Prequel) 

Publisher: Dorchester
Number of Pages: 320 

Source: Netgalley

Release Date: May 2, 2011

The Goddess:
In the beginning, there were lovers: a winged deity of power and light, and a queen of grace and beauty. Phoenix was murdered, his beloved stolen away to the Whisper-world. But their passion inspired the Muses. Through great sacrifice, it could live again. 

The Guard:
There are always six, mortal hosts for the divine. Battling spirits through the ages, they defy Darkness, Lord of the Dead. In 1867, a shadow rises. The tide turns against them, and all hope falls on a child of prophecy, an eerie, snow-white girl yet to be born. But her path must be cleared. A Great War is coming, and song, wind and stars whisper that the eighteen-year-old Beatrice Smith must give everything to prepare. (from Goodreads)

Thanks to Netgalley, I was able to get an early copy of the third book in the Strangely Beautiful Series by The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess. Words really can't describe how beautiful this book truly is. It's one of the best prequels I've read for a series. This book is not a stand alone-if you haven't read the other two, you'll be a bit lost.


I'm not even sure where to begin with my review on this book except to say that it really was just a fantastic read. The book begins with the Goddess Persephone and her love story with the Phoenix-keeper of balance. Things go horribly wrong, and the guard is formed. We fast forward to 1867 when the Cairo guard-for those of you familiar with the books, it's the guard before Alexi's is chosen. We are then introduced to each member of the guard-Beatrice (First in command) Ibrahim (the and second in command) Verena (healer)  Belle, Abraham, and George. (Artist) The POV changes from Beatrice's, to Persephone and then in the second half of the book from Alexi's POV as well.

I know it sounds confusing, but it's not. The point of views change seamlessly, and I found myself engrossed in all of the story lines. I really enjoyed learning more about Beatrice and the guard before Alexi's. So many questions were answered that I had from the previous book. We find out why Alexi wears a red tie, and how the guard are chosen for their jobs. I also loved the story of Persephone and how she got involved with the guard and her heartbreaking love story. There wasn't as much action in this book as there was in the previous ones, but I hardly noticed I was so wrapped up in everything going on. This is a must read for everyone who has read books one- The Strangely Beautiful tale of Miss Percy Parker and Book Two-The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker.  I want to go on and on about this book, but I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say again how much I adored this book and the entire series.