Review: TEMPEST RISING

Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler
Book 1 of the Jane True series

Genre: UF, adult fantasy, paranormal romance

About Tempest Rising:

In the tiny village of Rockabill, Maine, Jane True—26-year-old bookstore clerk and secret night swimmer—has no idea that her absent mother’s legacy is entry into a world populated by the origins of human myths and legends. It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: vampires are not quite what we think; dogs sometimes surprise us; and whatever you do, never—ever—rub the genie’s lamp. For Jane, everything kicks off when she comes across a murder victim during her nightly clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean. This grisly discovery leads to the revelation of why she has such freakish abilities in the water: her mother was a Selkie and Jane is only half human. With this knowledge, Jane soon finds herself mingling with supernatural creatures alternately terrifying, beautiful, and deadly—all adjectives that quite handily describe her new friend Ryu. When Ryu is sent to Rockabill to investigate the murder, he and Jane fall hard for each other even as they plummet into a world of intrigue threatening to engulf both supernatural and human societies. For someone is killing half-humans like Jane. The question is, are the murders the work of one rogue individual or part of a greater plot to purge the world of Halflings.

Source: Info in the About Tempest Rising was taken from the author's website at http://www.nicolepeeler.com/the-jane-true-series/tempest-rising on 02/11/09.

Review:
The cover art is suggestive of YA, but this book is not for children. It is meant to be read by 18s or older. This is an adult book.

I had to read this book in spurts. The author's voice didn't sound so bad but the story telling quality did not hold my attention for very long. I find myself getting bored and my eyes wandering over to my TBR shelves for a better read. So I'd put this book down and pick up another. After sometime, say the following week or so, I'd pick this book up again and read where I left off. This went on until I finally finished this book. That was why it took so long to review it... so pace-wise I would say this book was not very fast for me at all. I like the character development though. I can connect with the main female protagonist. She sound so ordinary modern woman. Along with making decisions and behaving in, not the wisest course of action :) The story ended with a bang and a happily-ever-after which gives this book a lot of kudos! Below is my quantitative breakdown of this book:

Story telling quality = 3.5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Ending = 4
World building = 3
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = 2

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 cherries


I would like to thank Orbit for the review copy of Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler received.

Winner: Interview with the Duke of Granville + Giveaway

The Interview With the Earl of Granville & Giveaway (Part2) winner is....... (((drum roll)))

Stacey S.

Congratulations to our winner!! And thank you to everyone who entered the contest!! If you didn't win this time, there are more contests here, so make sure you grab your chance to win... it could be you on our next winner announcement :)

Stacey, please reply to my email and send me the snail mail addy where you want your book to be sent to.

Review: BELLADONNA

Belladonna by Anne Bishop
Book 2 of the Ephemera doulogy

About Belladonna:

In Sebastian, national bestselling and award-winning author Anne Bishop introduced a stunning new realm, a world of strange and magical landscapes connected only by bridges bridges that may transportt you where you truly belong, rather than where you wished to go. But only the magic of the Landscapers can protect this world from the entity determined to enshroud it in darkness...

One by one, the landscapes of Ephemera are falling into shadow. The Eater of the World is spreading its influence, tainting people's souls with doubts and fears, and feasting on their dark emotions. With each victory, the Eater comes closer to extinguishing Ephemera's Light.

Only Glorianna Belladonna possesses the ability to thwart the Eater's plans. But she has been branded a rogue, her talents and vast power feared and misunderstood. Determined to protect the lands under her care, Glorianna will stand alone against the Eater if she must regardless of the cost to her bodyy and soul.

But she is not alone. In dreams, a call has traveled throughout Ephemera: "Heart's hope lies within Belladonna." That call has traveled far from the landscapes Glorianna claims and reached Michael, a man with mysterious powers of his own. It awakens a fierce hunger within him to find the dark-haired sorceress he's dreamt of, over and over again a beautiful womann named Belladonna.

As Michael and Glorianna's hearts call out to each other across the Landscapes, together they may offer Ephemera the very hope it needs...

Source: Info in the About Belladonna was taken from the books' official website at http://www.annebishop.com/b.belladona.html on 24/05/2010.

My Review:
Fast-paced page-turner. Storytelling quality is 5 out of 5. The storytelling quality is very compelling. Anne Bishop is one of those rare story tellers who draws you away and run away with you that you forget the time. You forget to eat. You forget that you needed to have a break. She draws a reader in so deeply that you can feel and hear the vibration as the demon motorcycles go by... World building is incredible, a 4.5 out of 5. I imagined that it would be difficult to convince readers to believe in a world of shifting geography. I scoffed when I first encountered it. So it tells of the author's story telling skills that she has somehow managed not only to pull it off, but sell the book to boot! I'd give the "suspension of disbelief" a 4.5 out of 5. Character development? Is a 5 out of 5. Anne Bishop gives us characters who lingers on a reader's mind long after the book was read.

This book being the second book in a duology, is best appreciated if the first book is read first. I'm not sure how a reader's understanding would be if read on it's own or read first before the first book in the series. I would imagine it would be pretty confusing.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries

Interview With the Earl of Granville & Giveaway

Today is the first stop for the Sex & Subterfuge virtual book tour and we have with us the scrumptious Earl of Granville!

• First of all... please tell us a little more about yourself.

I am Lucien Harrington, Earl Granville, Viscount Harrington. You, my dear, (lifts hand to kiss the back of it) may call me Lucien. My parents have recently been murdered, and I’m searching for their killers, which is why I currently reside on my steamship, sailing from the upper regions of Canada, down the coast of the United States. My next stop is Philadelphia.


Unfortunately, I had to leave my beloved sister, Isadore, in England. She couldn’t travel with me after our parents’ murder, and while she’s with close friends, I don’t want her alone. However, I do have ways to keep in touch with her.

• Are you into reading books? If so, what is your reading list?

I tend not to have a lot of time to read, I’m very busy with my shipping business and currently with searching the entirety of North America for the mysterious Blackthorne line. Being a strong magicker myself, I also have to keep a low profile, there are a lot of people out there who will turn me in for the few pounds they’ll receive from the Witch Hunters. Still, I do enjoy Charles Darwin, an interesting fellow him, with interesting ideas, as well as Mr. Tolstoy’s War and Peace, Charles Dickens, Alexandre Dumas.


Between searching for magickers, smuggling them from the Witch Hunters, campaigning for more magicker freedom, keeping my own Druidic heritage secret, and now searching for the missing master line, the Blackthornes, my life is full. Pity, I enjoy a good drama.

• If you could have one superpower, what would it be? What kind of power would you choose?

My dear, I already have superpowers, as you call them. I control the water. I love the sea, always have, and it listens to my every command. Hurricanes and typhoons? I can sail straight through them with no problems. I can create storms, too, to lash out at any enemy ship.


I wouldn’t want to be gouache, however, and am very discreet with my powers.

• What is the scariest thing you’ve ever done?

Looking into my sister, Isadore’s, face when our parents were murdered and telling her I wouldn’t be there for her. That I was going to the Americas in a fruitless attempt to find a master magicker line that hasn’t been heard of in over 150 years.


However, the scariest sight I’ve ever seen is when I angered Isadore and her dearest friend, Raven. It was a day I’ll not soon forget and the day I learned that even the bravest of men can run for their lives. I was in my early teens, home from Eton. I have absolutely no idea what I did, but the two of them together, magicks all but sparking out of their fingertips, presented a sight I’ll not soon forget.

• :) If a powerful entity grants you one wish, what would your wish be?

To remove Sir John Corwin, Head Witch Hunter, from this earth. Not kill him, if it was that simple I’d do it today. No, I fear he’ll become a martyr for his cause if murdered, but I want him disgraced, embarrassed, plucked from this world as if he never existed.


However, my utterly selfish wish would be to speak with my parents once more, to hear my father’s boisterous laugh, to feel my mother’s energetic presence. And to apologize for not preventing their deaths. They died right in front of me at an innocuous picnic on our estate, and I was helpless to do anything to prevent it.

We are sorry to hear of your parent's death, Lucien! But we hope that you would be successful in your quest...

Sex & Subterfuge by Isabel Roman
Book 2 of the Dark Desires of the Druids series

About Sex & Subterfuge:

A master magicker, Morgana Blackthorne has a tenuous hold on her following. When a strange Englishman arrives on her doorstep with news of other druidic magickers, and magicker problems, she’s intrigued but suspicious. There hasn’t been contact between the American and European druids in over a hundred years. Plus she has her own worries and doesn’t need the handsome earl adding to them.

Lucien, Earl of Granville, left England to seek out the Blackthorne Druid line and discover what they’ve been up to since contact was lost. Once he and Morgana meet, their mutual attraction distracts him from his puropse. Embroiled in her problems, he finds himself more concerned with her welfare than is practical for a passing affair.

When I invited you into my bed, it never occurred to me I wouldn’t want you to leave.

There are darker forces at work and the hunger of a weak magicker desperate for power. Will Lucien convince Morgana of his true feelings before things spiral out of control? Or will the surrounding subterfuge tear them apart?

Source: Info in the About Sex & Subterfuge was taken from the author's website at http://isabelroman.com/SexandSubterfuge.htm on 21/06/2010.

Check out Isabel’s free Dark Desires of the Druids: Choose Your Own Adventure story!

Author Links:
isabelroman.com
blog
facebook
twitter
YouTube

Buy Link(s):

Giveaway: (CLOSED)
Part 1: Isabel will be giving away a Vice Versa beaded fashion purse, a summer shawl, and a box of Godiva chocolates to one randomly drawn commenter from the blog stops. To enter, leave a comment on the blog stops (listed below) -- enter at every stop each day to earn more entries!

This blog tour was courtesy of GoddessFish. The tour stops:
7/12/2010 Cherry Mischievous
7/13/2010 Alisha Paige
7/14/2010 You Gotta Read Reviews
7/15/2010 Tory Richards Romance With An Attitude
7/16/2010 The Romantic Journey
7/19/2010 Domistically Challenged Momma
7/20/2010 Fantasy Pages
7/21/2010 The Cozy Page
7/22/2010 Amber Scott Project
7/23/2010 Diary Of A Literary Goddess
7/26/2010 Bad Girl (And Bad Boy) Writer's Block
7/27/2010 Simply Sexy Stories
7/28/2010
7/29/2010
7/30/2010
8/2/2010
8/3/2010
8/4/2010 Kaily Hart, Writer
8/5/2010 Angela Kay Austin Romancing The Pen
8/6/2010 Authors By Authors

Part 2: Another lucky commenter will win a print copy of Sex & Subterfuge. This part of the giveaway is not part of the tour, but this is from me to my readers. I think this book is so sizzlingly good that I've pre-ordered it and I will buy another copy of the book and send it to a lucky commenter! So there will potentially be two winners here: one from the virtual book tour and one from me :)  This part of the giveaway is open to followers only, you have to be 18 or over to enter, open to international readers and ends on August 6. Winner will be notified by email, so please make sure that you leave a way to contact you or come back after August 6 to check if you've won.

*Disclaimer: Tour images were provided by GoddessFish. Book cover art was taken from the internet and is presumed to be in the public domain and is therefore under the Common License.

WW28: BELLADONNA

WW28
A chance to showcase your favourite!

• First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
• Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
• Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

WW28 book offering: Belladonna by Anne Bishop
Page 28, 1st Sentence:

And, in truth, he would deserve some of the blame.

About Belladonna:

In Sebastian, national bestselling and award-winning author Anne Bishop introduced a stunning new realm, a world of strange and magical landscapes connected only by bridges bridges that may transportt you where you truly belong, rather than where you wished to go. But only the magic of the Landscapers can protect this world from the entity determined to enshroud it in darkness...

One by one, the landscapes of Ephemera are falling into shadow. The Eater of the World is spreading its influence, tainting people's souls with doubts and fears, and feasting on their dark emotions. With each victory, the Eater comes closer to extinguishing Ephemera's Light.

Only Glorianna Belladonna possesses the ability to thwart the Eater's plans. But she has been branded a rogue, her talents and vast power feared and misunderstood. Determined to protect the lands under her care, Glorianna will stand alone against the Eater if she must regardless of the cost to her body and soul.

But she is not alone. In dreams, a call has traveled throughout Ephemera: "Heart's hope lies within Belladonna." That call has traveled far from the landscapes Glorianna claims and reached Michael, a man with mysterious powers of his own. It awakens a fierce hunger within him to find the dark-haired sorceress he's dreamt of, over and over again a beautiful womann named Belladonna.

As Michael and Glorianna's hearts call out to each other across the Landscapes, together they may offer Ephemera the very hope it needs...

Source: Info in the About Belladonna was taken from the author's website at http://www.annebishop.com/b.belladona.html on 24/05/2010.

WW28: REMEMBERING ASHBY

WW28

• First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
• Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
• Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

WW28 book offering: Remembering Ashby by Heather Long
Page 28, 1st Sentence: (plus a bit more)

"I would like that." Something inside her rang a warning bell as she slid her hand into his and let him lead her away from the tainted spring and moments of mad conversation between the Munro and the Sorcerer. But she ignored them all.

Sound familiar? :)

If you participate in WW28, place your site name and url in the MrLinky below to promote your WW28 offerings:

RYU INTERVIEW & CONTEST WINNER

The Ryu Interview & Contest has ended and the name which came out of the hat is....  ***drum roll please***

kittyism of Kittyism Is...

Congratulations!! Your book has been mailed to you... happy reading!

Thank you to all of you who participated and I hope you enjoyed the blog contests! And having Ryu with us for a bit!! I know I did :)
Also a big thank you to Nicole Peeler for being with us for the interview... luv yah!! (((muah)))