Blog Tour: The Guardian Of Bastet - Jacqueline M. Batisti / Giveaway & Review (128).

The Guardian of Bastet

by Jacqueline M. Battisti

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Carina Press

Date of Publication: 8/20/2012

ISBN: 978-14268-9424-4

ASIN: B0088NH1Z8

Number of pages: 237

Word Count: 84,000

Amazon  Barnes & Noble

Carina Press - http://carinapress.com/blog/coming-soon

Book Description: 

Cat-shifter Trinity Morrigan-Caine has discovered a demon is killing supernaturals. Magically challenged, she has every intention of letting handsome Alpha werewolf Gordon Barnes handle it. But after a dying vampire gifts Trinity a mystical amulet, she is drawn into the fray as the legendary Guardian of Bastet, a warrior born when the need arises.

Though Trinity initially rejects the role, she warms to the idea when Gordon agrees to train her—and their passion for each other grows as he teaches her to embrace her animal instincts.

As she begins to accept her destiny and believe in her growing powers, Trinity realizes the danger is even closer to home than she ever imagined—and she and Gordon are going to have to face the demon in a fight to the death...

The Guardian of Bastet Short Excerpt:

Like a good girl, I try to say my prayers every morning. This morning was no exception.

“Goddess, it’s me, Trinity Morrigan-Caine. Could you please let me get through today without pissing off too many people or wanting to kill anyone? And would you please grant me patience for the idiots I meet and guidance to keep my mouth shut when they say something really freakin’ stupid? Thank you.”

Afterward, I felt better. Today was just one of those days. I slept through the alarm. My familiar, a longhaired Birman feline named Bronwyn, had to wake me up and there is nothing like being swatted in the face with a clawed paw first thing in the morning. I showered and then realized I had no clean work scrubs. Crap. I put on already worn scrubs which didn’t smell too bad. The only brightness of the morning was my cousin and roommate, Lily, had made a pot of coffee and saved me some before she left for work—and probably on time, of course.

Once again, I was late and I knew my boss was going to have kittens because of it. Okay, not literally, although the thought of that made me giggle aloud. No, I was the one who turned into a furry feline once a month. She was just a human pain in my ass.

I grabbed the travel mug and took a swig of the coffee I had heated up before leaving. I didn’t even care I burned my lips on the brew. I let out a deep sigh. Ah coffee, the elixir of gods and humans. There was just nothing better than the jolt of caffeine to wake up to. I drove to work whistling. 

My Thoughts...

I'm a big fan of paranormal books featuring shifters of any kind and this book was no exception.
Trinity is a veterinarian with a gift, she can understand what animals are saying and thinking, that's because she has the ability to shift, the daughter of a witch and a father who can shift into a puma, the only thing she can shift into is a house cat and her magical abilities are pretty much non-existent.
All of a sudden people from different supernatural factions in their community are being murdered and they discover that a demon who has been summoned is responsible, not only that but Trinity discovers that she's crossed paths with this demon but had no idea at the time.

The local vampire Vincent comes to her one night injured after fighting the demon and informs Trinity that she is the Guardian Of Bastet and he's been waiting for the last three-hundred years for her to come along and to gift her with an amulet which holds power for whomever is the current Guardian, of course it takes Vincent a while to convince her that his story is true.
It then becomes Trinity's job to get rid of the demon for good, of course not before getting a crash course in witchcraft from her grandmother and tagging along with Gordan the local alpha werewolf to learn how to work with a pack.
I loved the characters in this story especially Trinity who finally came into her own after feeling like a failure to her parents.
And I like the relationship she found with Gordan, they make a good couple.
I would love it if this was to become a series, it's quite an interesting story that I can see continuing throughout further books.
A great new addition to the Urban Fantasy genre.
I give this 4/5.

Tour Wide Giveaway

5 free copies of The Guardian of Bastet - Winners can choose epub or .pdf format

3-Pewter Egyptian Bastet Cat Pendants, The Goddess Bastet (cat goddess) is an important role in The Guardian of Bastet

Open to North American Shipping

Please fill out the Rafflecopter to win

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Author Bio:                           

Jacqueline Battisti was raised in Little Falls, New York where she met and married her high school sweetheart. They have two children and live near Rochester, New York where she is a stay at home mom and writer of the paranormal and urban fantasy of her vivid imagination.

Her first novel, The Guardian of Bastet, is being published by Carina Press August 20, 2012. She is currently working on a sequel as well as a dystopian paranormal.

Her life has taken her from the trials and tribulations of working as an administrative assistant at various companies, back to college as an adult student, and then into the adventurous world of motherhood.

Jacqueline began writing seriously in 2007 after attempting NaNoWriMo for the first time. It was the first time she had disciplined herself to finish a novel. From there, her supportive critique group was formed and attended, and then she attended RT Booklovers Convention in 2009. Jacqueline attended their aspiring authors workshops and met with many talented writers who inspired her to continue writing.

Flash forward to today: Jacqueline has two children who are very outgoing and keep her on her toes. Cub Scouts, Daisy Scouts, play dates, school activities for the kids...then writing, reading current authors, following blogs, facebook, household chores, gardening and exhaustion for mom. Add in a new puppy, two furry feline children and fish and you have the craziness that is the Battisti household.

www.jacquelinebattisti.com

https://www.facebook.com/jacquelinebattisti.author   

Twitter:@jmbattisti

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/jacquelinebattisti

Mailbox Tuesday.

Tuesday's Mailbox...
I've decided that I will stop participating in In My Mailbox, the reason being I seem to get a lot of books every week and it takes me forever to put them all together in one post and link them up.
So I will be doing Mailbox Mon-Fri every week.

Brought...

Heaven (Halo #3) - Alexandra Adornetto

The Raft - S. A. Bodeen

The Shadow Queen (The World Of Hetar #5) - Bertrice Small

Mailbox Monday....

Mailbox Monday....
I've decided that I will stop participating in In My Mailbox, the reason being I seem to get a lot of books every week and it takes me forever to put them all together in one post and link them up.
So I will be doing Mailbox Mon-Fri every week starting today.

Review...

(ARC) Amarok - Angela J. Townsend
(Spencer Hill Press)
My photo of this book (and I took many) would not show up the right way, they were either on the side or upside-down, hence the picture!

Total Recall (Movie Tie-In Edition)
(Hachette Australia)

Brought...

Howl For It Anthology - Shelly Laurenston & Cynthia Eden

Blog Tour: The Interrogation Of Ashala Wolf, Guest Post & Giveaway

Today is my stop on The Interrogation Of Ashala Wolf Blog Tour.

I have featured a Guest Post and a giveaway open to AU/NZ only.

The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf (The Tribe #1)

by Ambelin Kwaymullina 

The Reckoning destroyed civilisation. Rising from the ashes, some people have developed unique abilities, and society is scared of them. Guided by the ancient spirits of the land, Ashala Wolf will do anything to keep them safe. When Ashala is captured, she realises she has been betrayed by someone she trusted. When her interrogator starts digging in her memories for information, she doubts she can protect her people forever. Will the Tribe survive the interrogation of Ashala Wolf?

Published July 2012 by Walker Books Australia

Purchase At:   Fishpond + Booktopia + Dymocks + Angus & Robertson

Add It On Goodreads: The Interrogation Of Ashala Wolf

Guest Post: Inspiration Behind The Writing Of Ashala Wolf

I’ve said before about writing Ashala Wolf that sometimes you find a story, and sometimes a story finds you. The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf was the story that came to me. The primary source of inspiration for the novel were the characters themselves – Ashala and Ember and Georgie, Connor and Jaz, the saurs, the Serpent and the Firstwood. Ashala’s reality is different from mine, of course. To understand her world, I drew on things I knew. I can point to specific things that influenced what I wrote – the tuart forests of the south-west of Western Australia inspired the Firstwood; and the saurs are loosely based on a species of Australian megafauna that lived thousands of years ago. But beyond all the small details of Ashala’s reality were the characters themselves, telling their own story and teaching me of a world that I always felt I discovered more than created.

It’s a great responsibility, to tell a story. You owe your characters all your skill and knowledge. And you have to be brave. Firstly you’ve got to believe that you can do it, and that can be hard, to continually maintain that belief in yourself through every draft and long rewrite. Secondly, you have to prepared to suffer some pain. When I wrote this novel I lived everything I wrote, experiencing Ashala’s journey as she did. It was often a shock to me to look up from the computer screen and find myself sitting in my house, rather than surrounded by the towering tuarts of the Firstwood, or the white walls of the detention centre. Ashala’s best and worst moments were my best and worst moments too – when she was happy I was happy, and when she despaired, I despaired. So there’s moments in the book that it hurt to write. I love Ashala and all the rest of the Tribe so much that I didn’t want any of them to be in trouble. I wanted them to be happy and carefree and safe. But that wasn’t the story they came to tell me, at least, not yet.

People sometimes ask why I write. I feel like they might as well ask why I breathe! It certainly isn’t easy – like a lot of other authors, I don’t have the luxury of being a full time writer. I write whenever and however I can. Usually it’s late into the night, when everything is quiet and still, so it’s just me and the steady tapping of my fingers on the computer keyboard, not to mention many, many cups of coffee. Writing can be a lonely business. But, like Ashala herself, I am never truly alone. I have Ash and Ember and Georgie, Connor and Jaz and the rest of the Tribe, and the Firstwood and the saurs and Serpent. To me, these are people and places worth knowing about, and worth fighting for. And I am proud to consider myself their friend.  

Make Sure to Stop By The Next Stop On The Blog Tour At Shiirleyy's Bookshelf

 Giveaway.

1 Copy Of The Interrogation Of Ashala Wolf

Open To AU/NZ Only.

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Book Review (127): Blood Storm - Rhiannon Hart

Blood Storm (Lharmell #2)

by Rhiannon Hart

Publication: 1st August 2012

Publisher: Random House Australia

Pages: 384

Genre: Fantasy

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

**Warning This Review Contains Spoilers From The Previous Book In The Series**

The rain wanted to be ocean; the ice in the mountain caps wanted freedom. I never knew that water held such longing. The clouds above my head rumbled like a growling wolf, impatient to release their burden. I held the rain there a moment longer. I turned to Renata, heard her gasp and knew my eyes glowed blue.

I spoke a single word. 'Rain.'

In the Second Book of Lharmell, Zeraphina and Rodden must travel across the sea to find the elusive ingredients that will help them to win the coming battle against the Lharmellin – but shadows from Rodden’s dark past may come back to haunt him. And while she learns to harness her new abilities, Zeraphina still fights the hunger that makes her crave the north – not to mention avoiding her mother, who wants to see her wayward daughter married to a prince at all costs.

My Thoughts..

Why it has taken me so long to read this series is definitely beyond me, it's full of adventure, humour and a great sizzling tension between out heroine and hero, Zeraphina and Rodden.

The first book Blood Song was so good and this one was as good as the first, but with a killer ending that left me jaw-droppingly speechless and desperately needing and wanting the third book to read, unfortunately it won't be released till next year.

It's been five months since the end of the last book, Zeraphina has stayed in Pergamia, training with Rodden to eventually defeat the Lharmellen's, her seventeenth birthday is drawing near and her mother Queen Renata is back home in Amentia searching for a husband (preferably a Prince) to marry Zeraphina now that she will be of marrying age, but Zeraphina is not interested in marrying somebody just to produce heirs, she want's to marry someone of her own choosing, she's also in love with Rodden but he doesn't seem to reciprocate her feelings.

'Me and Rodden nothing. I'm marrying a limp-wristed inbreed and I can't wait.'

Rodden has discovered a lot of mysterious deaths outside of Pergamia which point to Harmings, he and Zeraphina journey to these places to investigate and also to collect materials to make up the poison which is fatal to all with Lharmell blood, there is a lot of action and adventure in their travels and nothing ever really runs smoothly, there is an incident at home in Armentia when they arrive to visit the mines, Zeraphina's betrothed has been chosen by her mother, and he's a extremely awful character who you only wish bad things for especially after what occurs between them both, we also find out Rodden's back story and how he came to have Lharmellen blood flowing through this veins, and it's such a tragic story, you feel so bad for him and I can definitely understand why he's the way he is.

And then the end, I don't know what to say, this book would have to have one of the biggest cliffhanger's I've ever read, and I've read a lot!

It's just cruel to have us read that and then expect us to have to wait soo long to see it resolve itself, and it had better because I just don't think I could handle it if it doesn't.

Fingers crossed the third book comes out in a hurry!

I give this 4.5/5.

A Big Thanks To Random House Australia.

Cover Reveal: The Elementals - Saundra Mitchell

The Elementals (The Vespertine #3)

by Saundra Mitchell

AETHERBORNE is the third and final book in Saundra Mitchell's trilogy that began with THE VESPERTINE.

Expected publication: June 4th 2013 by Houghton

Book Review (126): Blood Song - Rhiannon Hart

Blood Song (Lharmell #1)

by Rhiannon Hart

Publication: 1st September 2011

Publisher: Random House Australia

Pages: 290

Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

I wanted to turn but I was held captive by the song on the wind. I’m coming, I told the voices. Please, wait for me.

When her sister becomes betrothed to a prince in a northern nation, Zeraphina’s only consolations are that her loyal animal companions are by her side – and that her burning hunger to travel north is finally being sated.

Already her black hair and pale eyes mark her out as different, but now Zeraphina must be even more careful to keep her secret safe. Craving blood is not considered normal behaviour for anyone, let alone a princess. So when the king’s advisor, Rodden, seems to know more about her condition than she does, Zeraphina is determined to find out more. 

Zeraphina must be willing to sacrifice everything if she’s to uncover the truth – but what if the truth is beyond her worst nightmares?

My Thoughts...

Zeraphina is Princess of a land called Amentina, but the kingdom run by her mother Queen Renata is falling into disrepair, their crops are failing due to extreme cold weather, they have no money and the only way to survive is to have Lilith, Zeraphina's older sister marry a wealthy Prince.

Lilith's fiancee dies and after a brief period of mourning, Prince Amis of Pergamia requests her hand in marriage, encouraged more by her mother than her own desire to marry him she agrees, encouraged by Zeraphina who feels a pull towards the north where Pergamia is.

I was thinking of blood again so I went to practice my archery.

The pull that Zeraphina feels isn't normal, she craves blood and after a childhood illness which changed her hair and eye colour she knows she's not normal, she wants to find out more about what happened to her and feels going with her sister will give her some answers.

Once there she becomes accquainted with Rodden, the King's advisor, who has the same hair and eye colouring as she does and she realises that he's the same as she is and that he knows what they are and more about Lharmell where people like them are from.

Zeraphina and Rodden have an antagonistic love-hate relationship, their encounters with each other are quite funny and provide a lot of amusement throughout the story.

'Don't talk to me, don't look at me, and don't touch me,' I said, taking my arm back as soon as we reached the high table.

He snorted, 'That's rich, coming from someone I found only yesterday hiding under my bed.

Zeraphina takes it upon herself to find out anything and everything to do with Lharmell and tha war they have going on against Pergamia, after Rodden isn't forthcoming with information about the situation.

I loved the original and intriguing aspects to this story, and Hart has invented a world that had me captivated the whole way through.

I look forward to reading and discovering more of this series and the furthering of the will they-won't they relationship between Zeraphina and Rodden.

I give this 4/5.

Blog Tour: Amateur Angel - Karri Thompson / Review (125).

I'm happy to be today's stop on the Amateur Angel blog tour, hosted by Young Adult Novel Reader.

Amateur Angel

by Karri Thompson

Publication: 1st May 2012

Publisher: Comfort Publishing

Pages: 250

Genre: Paranormal

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Only 18-years-old, Ashley is no ordinary teenager. Not only is she dead, but upon her death, she mistakenly enters the wrong line in the afterlife, a line meant for trained, guardian angels. With a pair of wings on her back, Ashley is sent to Los Angeles to replace another angel whose "assignment" was none-other-than Cannon Michaels, a current member of the band Sendher, the sexiest man alive, and Ashley's celebrity crush in life.
While exposed to Cannon's selfish, judgmental behavior and his reckless, rock-and-roll lifestyle, Ashley is far from meeting the requirements of a true guardian angel. She misses her family and friends. Will she ever be able to accept her own death? What will she do when she jeopardizes her position as an angel and Cannon's physical safety by falling in love with him?

My Thoughts...

Nooo..... please tell me there is going to be another book, you can't leave us hanging like that! I really liked this book it's a cute, adorable and a fast read, a great addition to all the angels books out there.

The fact that it was such a different take on angels made it fresh and exciting.

Ashley has died in a car accident on her eighteenth birthday, she finds herself in Heaven, she is ushered into a line all the while in disbelief that she's dead, instead thinking that she's dreaming, she finds herself wandering into a line not her own, next thing she knows she's sent back down to Earth into the middle of a guy's massage, who just happens to be Cannon Michaels the lead singer from Ashley's favourite band Sendher.

She learns from the masseuse Claire's angel that she is now Cannon's guardian angel, responsible for his safety.

But Ashley soon finds that Cannon is nothing like his public persona, he is definitely living the Hollywood lifestyle and seems to be on a downward spiral.

Gradually Ashley learns how to do the basic things like learning how to fly and touch things,  and things she shouldn't like having Cannon see her and feel her, which leads to his manager Jonathan thinking he's imagining her.

 And then the ending, well I sort of had an idea of what would happen but there was also a part I never would have guessed and that left me hoping and wishing for another book.

I loved all the characters and especially with Ashley through learning about her job as a guardian angel also had her growing up and knowing that she can't fix everything.

I urge everyone to read this book, it's really good!

I give this 4/5.

About Karri Thompson

As a first-time author, I cannot express- not even in words- how excited I am about the release of my debut novel, Amateur Angel.  It took a lot of hard work and sleepless nights.  There were many disappointments and rejections along the way, but in the end, my persistence and determination eventually paid off.  In many ways, I think writing a novel is easier than finding an agent to represent it and then a publisher to buy it.  Two years ago, I almost gave up on my dream to become an author, but then my son, Kyle, wrote a special poem for me, and it inspired me to write a new book and try again.  The new book was Amateur Angel.

Here is his poem:

        You fail and you fail,

        You fix and you fix,

        You wait and you wait,

        Until you succeed.

I hung this poem in my closet and read it every day when I was getting ready to go to work and each night before I went to bed.  It is still there and always will be.  I know what I’m about to say will sound like a cliché, but based on my own personal experience, the best advice I can give anyone is to always believe in your abilities, hold your head high, swallow your pride, accept criticism and then learn from it, and most importantly, never give up.

I grew up in San Diego County and attended San Diego State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s degree in education, and my teaching credential.  I am a high-school English teacher in the East County of San Diego where I also live with my husband, our son, and two dogs.

Being a lover of Victorian literature, my favorite author is Charles Dickens although I haven’t quite finished reading all of his books.  Someday I’ll finally finish David Copperfield- I promise.  If you are one of my students, you are either laughing or shaking your head at this.

I lead a very busy life, but when I’m not teaching, grading papers, or attending my son’s soccer games, I find time to write novels, my greatest passion.  

Author's Links:

Website

Purchase on Amazon

Purchase on Barnes and Noble

Facebook

Twitter

Last Days Of Freedom Giveaway Hop.

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Feature And Follow Friday (39).

Q: What blogger inspires you? It can be any kind, it doesn’t have to be a book blog.

I wouldn't say that I've been inspired by just one blogger but by a whole heap of you, when I decided to start up my blog it's because of all the different blogs I came across that were so interesting and well put together.

Cover Reveal: Wicked Kiss - Michelle Rowen

Wicked Kiss (Nightwatchers #2)

by Michelle Rowen

MY KISS CAN KILL. 

I used to be ordinary Samantha Day, but that's changed. Now, after one dark kiss from a dangerous boy, I can steal someone's soul...or their life. If I give in to the constant hunger inside me, I hurt anyone I kiss. If I don't...I hurt myself. 

Bishop is the one whose kiss I crave most, but if I kiss him, I'll kill him. Then there's another boy, one I can't hurt. One whose kiss seems to miraculously quell my hunger. They're both part of a team of angels and demons that's joined forces in my city to fight a mysterious rising darkness, an evil that threatens everyone I know and love. I just wonder if I'll be able to help Bishop-or if I'm just another part of the darkness he's sworn to destroy.... 

NIGHTWATCHERS 

When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising...

Expected publication: February 26th 2013 by Harlequin Tee

Waiting On Wednesday.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine where you can spotlight an upcoming release that you're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on....

Also Known As

by Robin Benway

ALSO KNOWN AS is the story of Maggie, a gifted teenage safecracker, who works alongside her parents as a spy for the mysterious entity known as the Collective. When she's assigned to infiltrate a private Manhattan high school, she's forced to make friends, investigate the mysterious Jesse, and solve the case, all without blowing her cover. 

Expected publication: February 2013 by Walker

The Fairest Beauty

by Melanie Dickerson

A daring rescue. A difficult choice.

Sophie desperately wants to get away from her stepmother's jealousy, and believes escape is her only chance to be happy. Then a young man named Gabe arrives from Hagenheim Castle, claiming she is betrothed to his older brother, and everything twists upside down. This could be Sophie's one chance at freedom—but can she trust another person to keep her safe?

Gabe defied his parents Rose and Wilhelm by going to find Sophie, and now he believes they had a right to worry: the girl's inner and outer beauty has enchanted him. Though romance is impossible—she is his brother's future wife, and Gabe himself is betrothed to someone else—he promises himself he will see the mission through, no matter what.
When the pair flee to the Cottage of the Seven, they find help—but also find their feelings for each other have grown. Now both must not only protect each other from the dangers around them—they must also protect their hearts.

Expected publication: December 24th 2012 by Zondervan

Sanctum (Guards of the Shadowlands #1)

by Sarah Fine 

"My plan: Get into the city. Get Nadia. Find a way out. Simple."

A week ago, seventeen-year-old Lela Santos's best friend, Nadia, killed herself. Today, thanks to a farewell ritual gone awry, Lela is standing in paradise, looking upon a vast gated city in the distance – hell. No one willingly walks through the Suicide Gates, into a place smothered in darkness and infested with depraved creatures. But Lela isn't just anyone – she's determined to save her best friend's soul, even if it means sacrificing her eternal afterlife. 

As Lela struggles to find Nadia, she's captured by the Guards, enormous, not-quite-human creatures that patrol the dark city's endless streets. Their all-too-human leader, Malachi, is unlike them in every way except one: his deadly efficiency. When he meets Lela, Malachi forms his own plan: get her out of the city, even if it means she must leave Nadia behind. Malachi knows something Lela doesn't – the dark city isn't the worst place Lela could end up, and he will stop at nothing to keep her from that fate.

Expected publication: October 16th 2012 by Marshall Cavendish Children's/Amazon Children's Publishing