Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway for Fields of Elysium by A. B. Whelan

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Title: Fields of Elysium
Author: A. B. Whelan
Published by: InMotion Capitol
Pages: 420
Source: Blog Tour
Format: ebook

Summary:  How can love mend a heart full of hate? Small town girl, Molly Bennett, moves to Los Angeles where she becomes an outsider while attending Beverly Hills High School. It seems life cannot be any more dreadful. Then one day after school, something magical happens. On a secluded hike in the Hollywood Hills, Molly chases her disobedient mutt and only friend into a hidden cavern. She stumbles upon a strange glimmering gateway that transports her to Arkana, a planet that is the cradle of an advanced human race. There, teenagers navigate amazing flying vehicles, compete in perilous games for glory, and possess supernatural powers. While Molly tries to wrap her mind around this unbelievable discovery, she meets the alluring and mysterious Victor Sorren. He is a Sentinel Apprentice, whose hatred toward people from Earth is beyond understanding. Yet every time Victor unpredictably saves Molly's life, his heart draws closer to hers, no matter how much he tries to fight against it. It further complicates things that their growing friendship is strictly forbidden. Earth people are prohibited in Arkana, yet Molly continues to cross through the portal to Arkana to see Victor. Torn between their double lives, they go down a dangerous path, from where there is no return and multiple endings. Fields of Elysium is a suspenseful, romantic tale full of forbidden secrets, unimaginable danger, deception, and the never-ending fight for true love.

My Review: Have you ever been behind on your trends compared to others?  This happens with me all the time and again the whole time travel/different world travel thing has never really interested me, but after reading Fields of Elysium I'm hooked.

Molly is a great character to lead us through our adventure.  She's brave and courageous, which often comes in hand when getting suck in perilous situations.  Good thing Victor was there to lend a helping hand.  The one thing I didn't connect with for Molly's character is how easy she fell into the ideas of different worlds.  I think I would have been more freaked out and a bit more skeptical.  

I really enjoyed the story line.  It was different and refreshing.  Plus I kept wanting to know more about this mysterious world and it's inhabitants, especially Victor.  While reading this story, I kept guessing it's direction, but was often surprised.  I liked that the author kept me on my toes and didn't always give me the expected.  

Overall I enjoyed this story and didn't want it to end.     

Extras and Giveaway!

Where to buy:
Amazon * Barnes & Noble

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PRAISE "The novel's take on otherworldly travel is a compelling one, and the romantic plot will likely appeal to Twilight fans." - Kirkus Reviews "I expected a good love story with a paranormal twist. I got so much more. I think you should take the chance and read it. Let this book take you on the adventure, fall in love." - Young Adult and Teen Readers "Fields of Elysium is a fabulous read. ... Whelan paints her faith into the fabric of her story with deft, light brushstrokes, making her work accessible to all, no matter their spiritual beliefs or background." - Readers Favorite "I escaped into this fantasy world, author, A.B.Whelan, created and I didn’t want Molly to go. From detailed descriptions, to sweet romance, and to all the twist and turns in the story, it had me captivated from page one." - Mary Ting, author of the Crossroads Saga "Whelan's writing is very vivid and descriptive. It's more formal than the average YA novel, but I enjoyed the lyrical and mesmerizing quality to it. I thought the overall story read like a fairy tale--very sweet." - Megan Thomason, author of Daynight

Author A.B. Whelan A.B.Whelan is a Hungarian born, American writer. She currently lives with her husband and two children in Southern California. While growing up in a wealthy Eastern European family, she had a chance to travel Europe. Later as an adult, she visited Africa and the Middle East and lived in Ecuador and in Crete.

Website * Facebook * Twitter</ b>

   Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash A gift bag of one signed copy of Fields of Elysium, a scrabble-tile pendant on a necklace, and a fridge magnet Ends 5/15/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://www.iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: The Devil's Triangle by Toni De Palma

Title: The Devil's Triangle (The Devil's Triangle, #1)
Author: Toni De Palma
Published by: Crescent Moon Press
Pages: 218
Source: Author
Format: ebook
Rating: 2.5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: When 17 year old Cooper dies in an attempt to burn down his school, he finds himself in the afterlife. Lucy, the Devil's sister who has crossed party lines, decides to give Cooper another shot at heaven. The deal? Cooper returns to Earth and has to find a girl named Grace. The rest is up to him.

While Cooper figures out his mission, he's thrown into the life he's always wanted. Great parents, a spot on the Varsity football team and a real future are all within reach. But what he really wants is Grace, a feisty girl with an abusive boyfriend who can pound Cooper into pulp if he doesn't watch out.

While Lucy plays demonic-puppeteer, clues to an unknown past between Cooper and Grace start to unravel. Cooper discovers that what's keeping him and Grace apart is far more sinister than anything this bad boy could have ever imagined.

An original story about what's in store for you when you deal with the devil, or his sister for that matter.

I have read stories about angels and demons, but I'm not sure if I've ever read one that dealt with the devil.  I liked that this story was a bit different than what seems to be mainstream YA right now.  It was unique and the idea of getting a second chance was hopeful, and yet Toni De Palma didn't make Cooper's journey a ride in that park.  He had to go through many obstacles and while at times I thought maybe his mission was hopeless, there seemed to be some subtle divine intervention at the perfect moments.

The characters in this story were a bit hard for me to like.  First, a lot of the characters were quite evil and vindictive.  This always rubs me the wrong way when someone gets controlling and hurtful.  Toni De Palma did a great job at making me dislike these bullies and even at times fear them...we are talking about the devil and his minions so some fear is to be expected.  However, I didn't feel like we knew enough about the 'good' characters to like them.  Cooper and Grace are the main characters and yet we see little into Grace's life, and Cooper's life is kind of jumbled so that makes it a bit hard to connect to him.  My favorite character ended up being Cooper's brother Ryan.  He seems like a genuinely great guy who has had a horrible hand dealt to him, yet he seems to take it all in stride.  I wish we got to see more of him.

With Cooper's life being as convoluted as it was, I had a hard time following what was going on.  I wish I would have gotten a little more back story to understand Cooper and Grace's past and the events that led them up to today.  The missing information made it hard for me to read The Devil's Triangle at times, because I wasn't sure what was going on.  Eventually most of it plays out by the end of the novel, but I'm still a little confused about a couple of things.  Maybe they will be explained more in the next novel.

I really enjoyed the unique plot of The Devil's Triangle, but with the hard time I had connecting to the characters and following the plot left me wanting more....hopefully the sequel will fill in some blanks for me. 
   

Blog Tour & Review of Socialpunk by Monica Leonelle + Giveaway

Title: Socialpunk
Author: Monica Leonelle
Pages: 180
Source: Author
Format: ebook
Rating: ★★★★

Summary from the Author: Ima would give anything to escape The Dome and learn what’s beyond its barriers, but the Chicago government has kept all its citizens on lockdown ever since the Scorched Years left most of the world a desert wasteland. When a mysterious group of hooded figures enters the city unexpectedly, Ima uncovers a plot to destroy The Dome and is given the choice between escaping to a new, dangerous city or staying behind and fighting a battle she can never win.

Socialpunk is edgy, fun, and hard to put down.

I must admit that at first I was confused.  I wasn't sure what was real or what was not in this world that Monica Leonelle created.  Things got scrambled and it took me a while to orient myself.  But never fear, because as the story progressed we learned more information and things started clearing and that is when this book hooked me. 

Ima is the type of character that you may not like at first, but she grows on you.  She starts to find her backbone and really come into her own as a character.  She's lived a hard life and when things get tough she knows that it is either time flight or fight.  Ima's name ends up getting changed a couple of times throughout the story.  At first I didn't really like this, but by the end I concluded that each name represented a different part of who she was.  I don't know if the author intended this or if it was just my conclusion, but it made sense to me.   

As for the other characters I enjoyed them as well, but didn't get to know them as well as Ima.  Hopefully in the next two books we will get to dig deeper into the other characters and connect with them more.  There isn't a love triangle per say, but it seems like all the men like Ima, expect the one she wants.  Poor girl! 

While, this book is short it is jam-packed with action.  There was a lot happening on each page and I wish that we could have dove a little deeper into each scenario and situation to really get an impact on how the characters felt and handled each situation. 

The ending leaves you not with a cliffhanger, but with a need to know more.  It's the peak of action and I can't help but wonder how Ima will proceed and who will join her in battle!

Don't forget about the generous giveaway from the author of Socialpunk, Monica Leonelle!
  a Rafflecopter giveaway