Demons by Heather Frost: Book Spotlight and Giveaway

“Demons” 

by 

Heather Frost 

UPDATE: To read part one of the Prologue, go here.

Prologue (Part 2)

Fear Dearg
Present Day—Midnight
New Mexico, United States

I waited. There had been so much waiting the past few weeks. But it was nearly over now.

I stood in a small city park, just beside the pool of yellow light cast by the lone street lamp. It was a quiet night—no cars could be seen, and even the sounds from the highway were distant, as if muffled by the dark. Humans were asleep in their homes, unsuspecting of the evil that lurked in their midst. Unaware of me.

All at once I heard a car approaching down the otherwise quiet street. I straightened, angling my long body toward the sound. In seconds a pair of headlights flashed across me as the car came out of a side street and pulled toward the park, coming to rest against the curb. The lights switched off, but the car continued to run. I heard the power locks disengage, and I stepped up to the passenger door in front of me. I pulled it open before ducking smoothly inside.

There was no illumination in the car, yet from the glowing light outside I could see the scarred face of the driver. A man I’d seen many times but never really spoken to. Takao Kiyota was his name.
He was reaching into his jacket, pulling out a thin spray bottle. It appeared to be innocent perfume, though I knew differently.

He handed it over sleekly, skipping a greeting and moving on to the warning. “There isn’t much. Only one guaranteed potent dose. You cannot fail.”

I took the bottle and stuffed it into my own pocket without bothering to study it. “I never do.”
Kiyota’s head dipped once, allowing that, before he continued. “The Demon Lord assures me your target will be susceptible. Romero reported as much when his Seer saw him at the club last week.”
“I’m sorry I missed O’Donnell. I was in the area.”

The Demon Lord’s personal Seer smiled, but it was completely chilling. It was a smile I knew well, for it was identical to mine. “Yes, that was a pity, wasn’t it?”

I glanced out the windshield, my words firm. “I will be doing this differently than originally discussed.”

“How differently?”

“I’m unwilling to approach O’Donnell so directly. This situation requires a bit more finesse.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?”

My nonanswer was answer enough.

The Demon Lord’s Seer spoke deeply. “Very well. But you must not forget the stakes. There is more than the Demon Lord’s fury to risk.”

“I’m perfectly aware of the risks. That’s the reason I’m here. I would not entrust this Seer to anyone else. Kate Bennett is mine.”

The Seer seemed to consider his words carefully. When he spoke, his voice was low. “You’re sure she’s the one?”

“I’m positive.”

His lips compressed into a thin line. “If you’re right, she’s worth more than the Demon Lord first imagined.”

Again, I didn’t bother to comment. Instead, I got right to the point. “I could use your talents, if you can spare a couple of days.”

Kiyota’s answer was immediate. “My orders were to see that you have everything you need.”

I smiled darkly, fingering the bottle in my pocket. “Excellent.”

Giveaway:

Heather has kindly offered an e-copy of Demons for one lucky reader! So comment away for a chance to win.

Where to find Heather:

Website: http://heatherfrost.com/ 

Facebook Fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seers-The-Official-Fan-Page/158893460846605?ref=ts

Goodreads Author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4983261.Heather_Frost

Wistful Wednesday

Lacrimosa: Review

I wanted to like this book, I really did. It had everything I love: a paranormal theme, angels, demons, kickass heroines and to die for heroes. Unfortunately, they just didn't work for me in this story. I think part of the problem might be that the formatting of the book was so bad, I felt disconnected from the story. The main problem with the formatting was the fact that it went from a larger size font to a very small font at the beginning of every chapter and in so doing, chopped off some important pieces. The big font always ended in the middle of a sentence and the small font always began at the beginning of a new paragraph - with nothing linking it to what was previously read. If this happened only once, I would have forgiven it and marked it off to a glitch in the formatting. But where it happened with such frequency, I couldn't overlook it. As a result, I spent more time trying to adjust to the issues than getting to know the characters and that's bad. The last thing an author wants is for their readers to be alienated from their characters, especially so early on in the story. I found myself so frustrated with the formatting issues that I quickly lost interest in Nesy and her quest.

Sadly, for me, this was a DNF.

Tantalizing Tuesday

Embracing the Shadow

by

Christine Fonseca

“The shadow is very much a part of human nature, and it is only at night that no shadows exist.”
~Carl Jung, Psychology and Religion: West and East (page 286)


I am so happy to be on the Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem blog today. In honor of all things dark, I thought I’d write about Embracing the Shadow – or, “why I write the dark stuff”.

Probably the most common question I get from readers and writers alike is why do I like to write dark stories. For me, the answer is simple—I write the dark stuff as a way of understanding that aspect of humanity, and in doing so allow others to understand it too. It is sort of my version of being some great exploring on a quest. As a writer, I get to excavate all of human emotion, take it apart, and look at it. In doing so, I no longer fear those elements of humanity, at least not in the same way.

So, how do I achieve this lofty goal of looking at all aspects of humanity and writing about that experience? How do I embrace my own shadow and enable myself to write about the dark stuff? The answer for me is in the question—I embrace my shadow. Literally. So I create dark characters, complex characters, tortured characters. I try to see the world through their eyes, understand the motivation behind their crimes. I let their voices seep into my thoughts. And then, I write their stories. For me, it is the only way to stay authentic in my writing. And every time I get scared to “go there”, every time I pull myself back, I smile because I know I am getting to the good stuff…the root of human nature. So I jump back into the story. And keep writing.

Before I end, I want to share one more quote from Jung:


“If you imagine someone who is brave enough to withdraw all his projections, then you get an individual who is conscious of a pretty thick shadow. Such a man has saddled himself with new problems and conflicts. He has become a serious problem to himself, as he is now unable to say that they do this or they do that, they are wrong, and they must be fought against. He lives in the “House of Gathering.” Such a man knows that whatever is wrong with the world is in himself, and if he only learns to deal with his own shadow, he has done something real for the world. He has succeeded in shouldering at least an infinitesimal part of the gigantic, unsolved social problems of our day.”
~Carl Jung, Psychology and Religion: West and East, page 140


How do you embrace your shadow?

Short Blurb for LACRIMOSA:

As if casting out demons isn’t hard enough, five-hundred-year-old Nesy has to masquerade as a teenage girl to do it. Nesy is the best of the warrior angels called Sentinals. She never makes mistakes, never hesitates, never gets emotionally involved. Until she meets Aydan.

He is evil incarnate; a fallen angel that feeds off the souls of others. Everything Nesy is supposed to hate.  But she can’t, because he’s also the love of her former life as a human girl—a life that ended too soon, tying her to emotions she was never supposed to feel.

Now Nesy must choose between doing her duty—damning Aydan to the fiery depths of hell—or saving him, and condemning herself.



Author Endorcement(s):

“LACRIMOSA reaches out, grabs readers by the heart, and takes them on an emotional journey from the first page to the last. The last novel you’ll need to read to understand true sacrifice.”
~Elana Johnson, Author of POSSESSION

Availability:

Publisher: COMPASS PRESS
ISBN: 0984786368 (ISBN 13: 9780984786367)
Hardback and Digital formats from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and fine retailers.
Hardcopy buy link, Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Lacrimosa-Christine-Fonseca/dp/0984786368/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0
Hardcopy buy link, Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lacrimosa-christine-fonseca/1109329729?ean=9780984786367
Kindle buy link– http://www.amazon.com/Lacrimosa-Requiem-Series-ebook/dp/B007HEVTS4
Nook buy link -  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lacrimosa-christine-fonseca/1109329729?ean=2940013923256

Additional Titles in the series include DIES IRAE (a Requiem Novella), LIBERA ME (Oct 2012) and REQUIEM (March 2013).


About Christine Fonseca

School psychologist by day, critically acclaimed YA and nonfiction author by night, Christine Fonseca believes that writing is a great way to explore humanity. Her debut YA Gothic series, The Requiem Series, including DIES IRAE and LACRIMOSA, examines the role of redemption, sacrifice and love. Her nonfiction titles include 101 SUCCESS SECRETS FOR GIFTED KIDS and EMOTIONAL INTENSITY IN GIFTED STUDENTS.

When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, she can be sipping too many skinny vanilla lattes at her favorite coffee house or playing around on Facebook and Twitter. Catch her daily thoughts about writing and life on her blog.

For more information about Christine Fonseca or the series, visit her website – http://christinefonseca.com or her blog http://christinefonseca.blogspot.com.

Watch for my review of Lacrimosa, coming soon!

Wistful Wednesday

Seers by Heather Frost:

A Review

When Kate Bennett survived the horrific car accident that claimed her parents' lives, she knew her world would be forever changed. But she never could have imagined how dramatic these changes would be. Feeling like a freak, Kate tries to hide her unwelcome new ability to see people's auras – that is, until she meets Patrick O'Donnell, who seems to be able to disappear at will. When Kate and her remaining family begin to be haunted by Demons, her only hope is to stay close to Patrick and other Guardians like him. Somehow, Patrick lies at the center of the mystery, and Kate soon realizes that both she and her heart are in big-time trouble. Caught up in a war she barely understands, with enemies only she can discern, Kate quickly learns that in war everybody loses something...or someone. (Blurb taken from NetGalley.com)

What I thought:

From the blurb I thought this book had promise. An interesting premise, the basis for a fascinating paranormal world, potentially engaging characters. Sounds good to me. I really enjoy this type of book. But as I delved into it, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd read it before. Something about it was oddly familiar. The horrific car accident that killed her family but that she, somehow, survived. A new "ability" she didn't have prior to the accident. A mysterious new guy in her life who seems to know more about her abilities than she does and disappears and reappears in her life at will. Yes, this all seemed very familiar. And then I realized why: I had recently read a book by a well-known author that begins with almost exactly the same premise - horrific car crash, only the heroine survives, new psychic abilities, mysterious new guy in her life. 




I must admit that I was tempted to stop reading this book because I feared it was going to be a rip off of the book I'd recently read with the strikingly similar premise. But something about it kept me reading. As bothered as I was about the familiarity factor, I was curious to discover if this author could differentiate herself from the other one. And while I wasn't blown away by this book as I was by the other one, it still had its merits. Namely, the hero, Patrick. I have to tell you if I ever develop mysterious new abilities I know nothing about and am suddenly dogged by beings that might want to use me/them, I want a Patrick to come into my life to aid me! He is, quite simply, a drool-worthy hero and from the outset, you can't help but root for him and hope he achieves his goals - and gets a happy ending. Then there's his friend/accomplice Tony. What can I say about Tony except that he's a character and a half? He may provide a lot of the book's lighter moments, but when the chips are down, he's there to provide assistance. And Kate was okay, but not a spectacular character. Maybe that's one of the reasons I struggled with this book - because I kept wondering why I should care about this character. Still, I have high hopes for her - maybe she'll evolve more and blossom in the next book.




The villainous aspect of Seers was interesting, too, but I had my issues with it, too. Without giving too much away, I was kind of disappointed with the way it (sort of) resolved itself. I felt like it happened too quickly. The villain was steadily built up throughout the story and then...it just didn't live up to its frightening potential. It just...stopped. I would have liked more fight, more action, more - something. Maybe more of Kate actually being responsible for saving herself. It was almost like she did so by default, not so much effort on her part. And although I'm all for the heroine saving herself scenario, in this case, I would've been more satisfied if the hero actually saved her. I love you, Patrick, but seriously, where were you?


So although the book did start out in similar territory as another, wildly popular book, Seers did manage to differentiate itself from its predecessor. Somewhat. And despite my initial reservations with it, despite its flaws, I did end up enjoying it and wishing for more Patrick and Tony. It's a good, light read for anyone who enjoys paranormal romances in the vein of Mari Mancusi, Alyson Noel, and Stephenie Meyer. Will I read the next book? Sure, I'd love to see where the author is going with this story. If nothing else, it will give me more Patrick. And Tony. Can't lose with that combo.




(ARC provided by NetGalley)

Starlight Saturday

Book Review:Spell Bound 

by Kelley Armstrong

"Sexy, smart, and action-packed! Kelley Armstrong is truly one of the greats in this genre." 

-Richelle Mead, author of the bestselling Vampire Academy series 

"Kelley Armstrong's bewitching ability to entertain remains as strong as ever." 

-www.alternativeworlds.com 

"Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld goes beyond standard paranormal fiction . . . moving from one set of characters to another through the books, yet intertwining their stories to provide a rich background for the readers." 

-San Francisco Book Review 

"Armstrong is quite deft at making Savannah simultaneously formidable, sympathetic, and real-or at least as real as a girl who flings hex bolts and has a necromancer on speed-dial can be." 

-The Miami Herald 

"Savannah is a gutsy, shrewd, and accomplished protagonist who will immediately capture the reader's intelligence." 

-Library Journal 

"Armstrong is a master of suspense, romance, and bad girls who know how to kick a little badder-guy tail and look good while doing it. Getting a new Armstrong book is a guarantee that you're going to be up all night reading, because you're not going to be able to stop until it's done." 

-The Parkersburg News and Sentinel

With reviews like this, I was eager to jump into this book and immerse myself in the world the author had created, even though I hadn't read any previous books in the series. I was hoping it was one of those books that could be read as a stand-alone, and while some might consider that to be the case, I was just...lost. I felt like I had stepped into the middle of a conversation at a party where everyone knew each other except me. The book was filled with references to people and storylines from previous books, which made me wonder several times whether or not I should finish reading this book. Still, something kept me going and before I knew it, I had finished the book. One thing in its favor is that it's a fast read. If it wasn't, I probably would have given up on it because like I said, I was lost in a conversation I knew little about and felt like I was desperately trying to play catch up.

Setting aside the fact that this is part of a very long series (this is book number 12), there were things to recommend it for hardcore paranormal/urban fantasy fans. A kickass heroine, a hero who's loyal to a fault, but still very alpha, a cast of supernatural characters stirring up trouble. All the stuff you'd need or want in a book of this type, right? Pretty much. I was disappointed that the romantic elements weren't played up that much. In fact, they were written like an after-thought to the point that I began to wonder how these two characters found themselves in a relationship. And when they did, it was just kind of...meh. No sparks whatsoever, nothing to sigh for or make the reader root for them to be together. But since I didn't read any previous books in the series, I don't know whether this is just the way the author writes her romances or if they are just after-thoughts for her and she's more interested in the story.

As to that, the story itself is rather interesting. A witch unwittingly giving up her powers in a deal with some unknown force to protect an innocent child? Sounds good so far. So then said witch, Savannah, embarks on a crusade to get her powers back and leads her faithful hero, Adam, on a wild chase that has more twists and turns than a corkscrew. Okay, still with it. But even as I'm reading, sometimes I can't help but think, Who cares? Savannah is kind of bratty and likes to get her own way a lot. She's also something of a control freak, which is what, I think, freaks her out the most about losing her powers. She's no longer in control. For the first time in her life, she has to rely on her wits and her physical attributes to get out of certain situations, rather than depend on the quick fix of being able to cast a spell. The saving grace for Savannah (and this story) is that the loss of her powers sends Savannah on a journey of self-discovery. I won't spoil the results of that journey, but I will say that it made this book worth reading.

All in all, I liked the cast of characters, the story itself was intriguing, and the writing was tight and flowed so easily off the page, sometimes you forgot you were reading a book. Those are the criteria of a good book for me. Will I pick up another in this series? Very possibly.

GIVEAWAY ALERT: I'm going to give my copy away - and hey, it came with two Otherworld tattoos - to  a lucky commenter.

(Note: I received this book from the publisher for review.)

Starlight Saturday

Weekly Book Review

When I first started reviewing books, I had a limiting factor to my reviews that I didn't quite understand - personal bias. I noticed that some of my ratings were weighted differently because of a personal bias.

Sure, everyone has personal biases - what we like, what we don't like - but these shouldn't come into play when "judging" or "rating" an author's book.

Why?

Just because one reader likes or doesn't like something about storyline, doesn't mean that all other readers will react to the same book in the same way. For example, in my review last year of Jay Asher's book, part of my personal experience (or personal bias) came in to play with this book and made it very hard to relate to the main female character, much less like her. This book wasn't bad writing nor was it a poor quality story. It's just that my own personal personal bias about the subject matter made it difficult for me to really believe the main character. Some people liked it and took it for what it was, and others, like me, found themselves wondering what he was doing and how did he figure that could work.

What does all this have to do with Nora's Soul?

Well, my personal bias has to do with god and religion. I find it annoying when what looks to be a decent battle between good and evil turns out to be more of a issue of "lost faith".

I'm not religious, nor have I ever pretended to be, and that's just it, these are my tastes and not the tastes of either the hero, heroine or the secondary characters, which makes it a personal bias of mine.

What's the point of all of this?

I bring this up because I don't like to let my personal biases cloud my reviews of books I read and I strongly encourage other reviewers not to let their personal biases cloud yours. Some reviewers don't, but

The more books I review, the better I am at identifying my personal biases and keeping them from clouding my reviews. However, there are times when I do bring up my personal biases because they are so strongly embedded in my nature that I can't avoid them. Even though I may not have been able to avoid my dislike of tying religion and god to good and evil, I haven't let it skew my review of this book. If I did, it would have less stars.

Despite the fact that god (again, I realize that others may not feel the same as I do, and I can respect that, so please respect that this is a personal feeling of mine, thank you) has a minor presence in this book, Margay has managed to create some wonderfully deep and complex characters that I have come to care about and want to read more of, despite my aversion to the religious tie. Nora, Kyle, Kyle's sister and Nora's best friend, Dante (Bad Angel) and Peter (Good Angel) combine to offer a page-turner with very interesting plot with some distracting (in a good way) plot twists.

I would definitely call this book inspirational because it does offer some very important messages - everyone that wants to can be saved because everyone is worth it and that everyone has a match, it just may not be who you first thought it might be. These are very important messages because they might be able to offer someone renewed hope for some aspect of their life, which is a definite bonus to any book.

This brings me to the main reason for the storyline, Nora herself. Nora was a very firm believer in god and loved all things angelic, until her brother died. Then, she went the opposite and couldn't bear to have any of it around. That's how we find Nora in the beginning of this book. She's struggling with the fact that she doesn't believe what she just saw, an angel. It's not that she truly believes that they don't exist, she's just been trying to convince herself that they don't since her brother died, which makes this storyline one along the lines of crisis of faith.

Now, for this book having a "crisis of faith" undertone, it wasn't as predominant in the book as it could have been. There is no "preaching" done from the author to the reader, only from Peter to Dante and, at the end, Peter to Nora. It was this aspect that allowed me to prevent my personal bias from clouding my review of this book.

This book had plenty of mystery to keep me flipping pages. There were always the questions of when Peter and Dante were next going to appear, and what kind of chaos Dante would create. As a reader, I was always curious to see how Nora would handle that chaos. Plus, it was interesting to follow Nora on her journey to find love and her way. This is a romance book, so it does have an HEA (happily ever after), but is it the one you want? If not, then you know that Margay has made you care about the characters she has created. That's what happened to me.

At the end of the book, I found myself saying, "What? That's it? What about Dante? Why didn't he do more in the book?" At first I thought this was a knock on the book and I quickly slapped my hand against my head in a "duh" moment.

What is that "duh" moment?

Margay did it, she got me to like her characters so much that I wanted more of them! That's not a knock against a book. If anything, it's a testament to how well created her characters are!

Which brings me to my rating of this book. As this is an inspirational romance, there isn't the heat that you'd find in other romance novels, nor the detail for those scenes either. While there's enough mystery created to make this a page turner, it's not the crux of the story either. What I'm getting at here is that many of my reviews usually include a scale gauging these different elements. Today, I'm just giving my overall review for this book:




Well done Margay! Can't wait to read Dante's story! Can I get an ARC of that??? Lol!

[Please check out my review of Nora's Soul on Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem's group page at Goodreads!]