Blog Tour (Review): The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

Title: The Ghost Bride
Author: Yangsze Choo
Publisher: William Morrow Books (HarperCollins)
Release Date: August 6, 2013
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
"One evening, my father asked me if I would like to become a ghost bride..."

Though ruled by British overlords, the Chinese of colonial Malaya still cling to ancient customs. And in the sleepy port town of Malacca, ghosts and superstitions abound.

Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family's only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a terrible price.

After an ominous visit to the opulent Lim mansion, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor, but also by her desire for the Lim's handsome new heir, Tian Bai. Night after night, she is drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, with its ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, vengeful spirits and monstrous bureaucracy—including the mysterious Er Lang, a charming but unpredictable guardian spirit. Li Lan must uncover the Lim family's darkest secrets—and the truth about her own family—before she is trapped in this ghostly world forever.

My Review

Being as a tend to read a lot of young adult novels, it is easy for me to forget out delicious a well-written piece of literary fiction can be. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo is a beautiful novel that satiated my adult reading hungers. Journeying with Li Lan through the spirit world and watching her meet various spirits unfold the mysteries surrounding the Lim family and her own was mesmerizing.

Cover Reveal (Giveaway): Ruin by C.J. Scott

Title: Ruin (A Summer in Winter #1)
Author: C.J. Scott
Cover Design: Razzle Dazzle Designs
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Cover Reveal Organizer: Xpresso Book Tours
Kate Bell isn't perfect. Not even close. The things she got up to in college would cause her parents to fall off their pedestals in shock. Home for the summer vacation, Kate settles in for a long, boring break in the tiny backwater of Winter with folks who still treat her like she's twelve.

Then Ben Parker arrives and suddenly Winter gets interesting. He's hot, mysterious and good with his hands. Kate falls for him instantly, but her cop father warns her to stay away. But how can she stay away from someone as compelling as Ben? Someone who thinks she's perfect just the way she is?

When Ben's secrets catch up to him, not only is Kate's heart in danger of being broken, but Ben's entire future could be ruined.

RUIN is a new adult contemporary romance intended for mature readers. It contains strong language and sexual situations.

Book Blast (Giveaway): Persephone the Daring by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams

Persephone the Daring (Goddess Girls #11)
Mortal rock star Orpheus steals the spotlight in this Goddess Girls tale of love and lyres!

Orpheus is a mortal rock god, and the girls at Mount Olympus Academy are wild about him! With his lyre and singing voice, Orpheus can charm pretty much anything—even things like stones and trees. But Hades and the other MOA boys aren’t charmed. In fact, they are less than thrilled that the girls are so gaga over this guy.

His fans are especially excited about his latest song about the girl he loved and lost, Eurydice. Orpheus was devastated when he lost Eurydice to the Underworld, so he asks Persephone to help get her back. Though it means breaking some very serious Underworld rules, Persephone pushes Hades to return Eurydice to the living world. But restoring Orpheus’s one true love might jeopardize Persephone’s own chances with her biggest crush...

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Praise for the Goddess Girls

“…a clever take on Greek deities…” - Booklist

"Readers familiar with Greek myths should get a kick out of this plucky restaging." - Publisher's Weekly

Promo (Excerpt & Giveaway): Claimed by Stacey Kennedy

Title: Claimed (Club Sin #1)
Author: Stacey Kennedy
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotica
Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Loveswept (Random House Publishing Group)
Release Date: August 5, 2013
A novel of erotic discovery and forbidden desire that goes beyond Fifty Shades of Grey.

Presley Flynn is ripe to experience her secret fantasies . . . and Dmitri Pratt wants nothing more than to fulfill them. Once inside the elite Club Sin in Las Vegas, Presley is nervous but excited—and determined to surrender to her every desire. Dmitri is her Master, and his touch is like fire. With each careful, calculated caress, he unleashes her wildest inhibitions, giving her unimagined pleasure.

Presley is different than the other submissives Dmitri has mastered. The BDSM lifestyle is new to her, and so are the games they play at Club Sin. From the start, Presley stirs emotions in Dmitri far beyond the raw purity between a dom and the perfect sub. For the ecstasy they share goes beyond the dungeon, igniting a passion that claims the very depths of the heart.

Claimed is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

Excerpt (18+ ONLY)

“Master Dmitri doesn’t expect sex.” Cora grunted. “You’ll keep your clothes on.”

Presley Flynn scanned the foyer of the snazzy mansion and looked for something to hold on to as her roommate, Cora Adams, hustled her down the corridor. With a little shove, Cora added, “You wanted this, remember?”

Cover Reveal (Excerpt & Giveaway): Chaos by Christine O'Neil

Today Christine O’Neil and Entangled Teen Ember are revealing the cover for book 1 in The Kardia Chronicles series, CHAOS - coming out this August! Enter to win an ecopy below!



Title: Chaos (The Kardia Chronicles #1)
Author: Christine O'Neil
Publisher: Entangled Teen Ember
Cover Reveal Organizer: Rockstar Book Tours
Release Date: August 19, 2013
My name is Maggie Raynard. After sixteen years being just plain me, suddenly I can kill people when I lose my temper. Turns out I'm a semi-god, descended from Aphrodite. Sounds cool in theory, but when I accidentally put my ex-boyfriend in a coma, things go downhill pretty fast.

Now some new guy named Mac Finnegan has made it his mission in life to continually piss me off. I'm stuck learning how to use my new powers while also dealing with regular high school problems, and with this--annoying and super-hot--guy all up in my business, I'm about to flip out.

But it gets worse. I just learned there's this council for semis that wants me dead. They think I'm bad to the bone and when my ex suddenly dies, it's like everyone is determined to take me out. Mac might turn out to be my only salvation, but he's got secrets of his own--that may just kill us both.

Excerpt

I was done with guys.

Not in that fake, I-say-that-but-deep-down-I-really-want-a-boyfriend kind of way, but in, like, the seriously-I'd-rather-eat-maggoty-cheese kind of way. No relationships. Not for me. Not now and maybe not ever. Who I am…what I am, and what I’m capable of? Everyone’s better off this way.

Celebrate Entangled Publishing Bliss' 1st Anniversary!

It’s been an amazing year as Bliss released over 20 titles and have plenty in store for everyone going forward. Bliss couldn’t have gotten to where it is without all of the wonderful readers out there.

To say thank you and welcome to new readers August will be filled with special events. Here is the lowdown for the #BlissBall celebration:

• #BlissBall Twitter Party: Wednesday, August 7, 9-10pm EST: Join 10 Bliss authors for a Twitter party and be ready to win some #BlissBall bling!

• Pin It to Win It Pinterest giveaway: Sunday, August 11: Showcase which Bliss books you can’t wait to read. Follow BlissEntangled and stop by to find out how to win a $25 Amazon gift card on Sunday.

• Blogger Love: August 19-30: Of course we think Bliss books are so sweet and sassy that readers can't help but love 'em but don’t just take our word for it. Fans will be posting why they love Bliss books and readers will have a chance to win a "Sweet" grand prize package. Follow Bliss on Facebook for each stop.

• Bliss Ball Facebook Parties: Join Bliss for not one but two Facebook parties with the lovely Bliss authors. August 27 and August 29 from 8-10pm EST we will be chatting with Bliss authors, readers and there will be more great prizes to win!

Kayla's Favorite Bliss Books

Falling for Her Fiance by Cindi Madsen
Playing at Love by Ophelia London
Act Like You Love Me by Cindi Madsen

Find more information and learn about other titles
on Bliss at Entangled!

Blog Tour (Guest Post & Giveaway): Oracle of Delphi by Diantha Jones

Tour Schedule

Why Pythia?
My Reason for Choosing the Oracle of Delphi
Diantha Jones
To be honest, the answer to why I chose to create a series around the Oracle of Delphi is simple: Because no one else did.

Sure, the Oracle makes steady appearances in Greek myth series, but she's never truly been in the spotlight. She's been under-represented, if you ask me. In ancient society, entire ways of living were formed around prophecies and omens. Nothing the Oracle said was taken lightly, as she was a medium for the gods themselves. Ignoring the Oracle would be like ignoring the gods, and no one wanted to find out how the gods reacted to being ignored.

Review: Black Spring by Alison Croggon

Title: Black Spring
Author: Alison Croggon
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Release Date (US): August 27, 2013
In a savage land sustained by wizardry and ruled by vendetta, Lina is the enchanting but willful daughter of a village lord. She and her childhood companion, Damek, have grown up privileged and spoiled, and they’re devoted to each other to the point of obsession. But Lina’s violet eyes betray her for a witch, and witches are not tolerated in a brutally patriarchal society. Her rank protects her from persecution, but it cannot protect her from tragedy and heartbreak. An innocent visitor stands witness to the devastation that ensues as destructive longing unleashes Lina’s wrath, and with it her forbidden power. Whether drawn by the romantic, the magical, or the gothic, readers will be irresistibly compelled by the passion of this tragic tale.

Inspired by the gothic classic Wuthering Heights, this stunning new fantasy from the author of The Books of Pellinor is a fiercely romantic tale of betrayal and vengeance.

My Review

Promises of a willful daughter, wizardry, and vendettas brought me to Black Spring by Alison Croggon. I've never read Wuthering Heights because everyone says I should, but the idea of a retelling excited me nonetheless. Sadly, I found Black Spring to be a very dull and unsatisfying read. I was nearly convinced to give up on the book about five pages in, but I enforced my fifty page rule. Thankfully, the narration of poor little rich boy, Hammel, did not last long. The majority of the story was told by Anna, the best friend and servant of the doomed Lina.