Showing posts with label Destiny. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Destiny. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Review: Alpha & Dark Goddess

Alpha Goddess by Amalie Howard
Book 1
Published March 18, 2014 by Sky Pony Press
Reviewed by Terri
5 Celestial Stars!!

Synopsis:

In Serjana Caelum’s world, gods exist. So do goddesses. Sera knows this because she is one of them. A secret long concealed by her parents, Sera is Lakshmi reborn, the human avatar of an immortal Indian goddess rumored to control all the planes of existence. Marked by the sigils of both heaven and hell, Sera’s avatar is meant to bring balance to the mortal world, but all she creates is chaos. A chaos that Azrath, the Asura Lord of Death, hopes to use to unleash hell on earth.

Torn between reconciling her past and present, Sera must figure out how to stop Azrath before the Mortal Realm is destroyed. But trust doesn’t come easy in a world fissured by lies and betrayal. Her best friend Kyle is hiding his own dark secrets, and her mysterious new neighbor, Devendra, seems to know a lot more than he’s telling. Struggling between her opposing halves and her attraction to the boys tied to each of them, Sera must become the goddess she was meant to be, or risk failing, which means sacrificing the world she was born to protect.
destiny

Alpha Goddess (Alpha Goddess #1)Alpha Goddess by Amalie Howard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There is nothing more entertaining than reading a book with a strong female lead who acts like a normal person. When that book is a YA book, it is even more impressive. Howard develops a story with a teenage goddess who is destined to save the world, but unlike many of the other stories like this, Sera acts like a real person. She has faults and struggles to find her way. I do not know much about Hindu mythology, but I still enjoyed the story. It was very easy to "feel" these characters. There was a bit too much exposition expressed as dialog but I think the author felt so compelled to make sure the reader understood everything there was to understand about this story. The author uses this story to challenge the ideas of fate and free will. I think these are ideas that we all struggle with no matter what our religious beliefs. I look forward to reading the next one.

Reviewed by Terri of the GothicMoms Review Team

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Dark Goddess by Amalie Howard
Alpha Goddess Book 2
Publication Date February 6, 2018 by Sky Pony Press

Synopsis:
After an epic struggle that unseated the Asura Lord of Death and placed Serjana Caelum’s best friend, Kyle, on his throne, the Mortal Realm is peaceful and the balance between good and evil—which Sera is sworn to protect—has been restored.


But signs of a new threat to the world of men quickly begin to appear: A scourge of demons descends on the Mortal Realm, and Sera is beside herself trying to locate their source. She sends word to the gods for help, and their answer comes in the form of Kira, the living incarnation of Kali, goddess of destruction.


Stunning and dangerous, Kira plans to protect the heavens at all cost, even if it means destroying the entire Mortal Realm. Soon Sera and Kyle find themselves fighting not just the demon plague, but Kira and her twin. But when an even more sinister threat arises—putting not just the human world but all planes of existence in jeopardy—they must all learn to work together or lose everything they sacrificed so much to save.

Dark Goddess (Alpha Goddess #2)Dark Goddess by Amalie Howard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This exciting story picks up a few months after the first one ended. I think it's possible to read this without reading the first, but I believe reading book one will make this easier and more fun to read. It's easy to forget character arcs in subsequent stories. However, I feel like this author did a great job of pushing her characters to new levels. She also added a few new characters to push this story to a whip rousing ending. Having established the worldbulding in book one, it felt like the author trusted her readers to understand more of the story. She used the mythology and histories to enhance this story and not define it. This created a much richer story that I think was better than the first.

Reviewed by Terri of the GothicMoms Review Team


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Monday, October 2, 2017

Review: Hooked on a Witch

Hooked on a Witch by Zoe Forward
Keepers of the Veil Book 4
Published September 11, 2017
Reviewed by Tiffany
4.5 Magically Induced Stars!


Synopsis - 

Pleiades witch Shannon Randolph has been framed for a theft she didn't do. She has one week to return a stolen relic to the god it belongs or she'll be executed. What's worse? Evil magic-wielding wackos are coming out of the woodwork after her to get it. But the biggest danger is Merck. This sexy, dangerous witch-hunter who understands all forms of magic might be her only hope. Enlisting his help may require she be a very naughty witch.

The moment Shannon strolls back into Jason Merck's life he's in trouble. There's something about the witch he can't resist, but he must. The witch hunter can't fall for the witch. (Goodreads)



Review:

First off, I've been following this series since book one and cannot believe I missed book three! This is a series that definitely needs to be read in order to be able to fully enjoy it, but, having read the first two and only missing the one directly prior to this one I was still able to follow along. Sort of like your favorite soap opera, even if you miss a week of episodes, after a few minutes in you still get the gist of what's going on, but you know you missed something really good that was critical to the plot at large. All in all it was still a great read.

Shannon has lost not only both of her brothers, but her mother as well within the span of a year, leaving just herself and father behind. If that isn't enough, the mantle of being the leader of the Pleiades witches is now hers to bare. Add onto that someone is out assassinating the very Goddesses they descended from, her father, the leader of the Druids bound and sworn to protect her and the other Pleiades, wants to keep her under lock and key where he knows she's safe and sound, and the fact that they all are under the threat of death until they find Poseidon's Trident. Not much pressure there right? Her mother's final words brings her back to her old home to find help. And who better to help her than someone with ties to the very water God himself?

Merck is the Enforcer, soul bound to be the policeman of all things magic. Anyone using black magic must answer to him, and most do not live to tell about it. He knows his judgement day is coming soon, so a relationship is just plain out of the question. Until a certain blonde literally stumbles back into his life. But she brings with her more complications than he could have imagined. She's on a mission to find the Trident that she and her people have been accused of stealing. And it just so happens he recently learned that his ties to Poseidon are a lot closer than he ever knew. Coincidence? Whenever the Gods are involved, there isn't really such a thing is there?

Fans of this series will enjoy going on this roller coaster ride with Shannon and Merck as they give in to the fact that destiny is real, and sometimes it doesn't completely suck. The only thing keeping this from being a five star is everything wasn't wrapped as tight as I would have liked, which I know all too well is not an easy thing to do, and one of those things could have just been something that I missed; like why did Shannon seem to seem to have such a fear of drowning? But the biggest was Merck's parents; the big reveal of who they were didn't end up with a big reunion. 

This is a great series for lovers of all things magic and deity related. While it can be read as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading the series as a whole, in order. Each book ties into the next, so don't cheat yourself, or the author, by just grabbing a random one out of order. 

Friday, September 1, 2017

Review: Of Fame and Fate

of Flame and Fate by Cecy Robson
Weird Girls Book 8, Flame Book 2
Publication Date September 26, 2017
Reviewed by Terri
5 FLAMING STARS!

Synopsis:

Taran Wird, who commands the power to wield fire and lightning, is an oddity in the supernatural world. But neither Taran nor her unique sisters compare to the bizarre entity known as Destiny. And Taran is assigned to protect her.

Born of two witches, Destiny is revered among the supernatural elite for her acute ability to predict the future. Her biggest prophecy involves Taran’s sister, Celia, whom Destiny decreed will bear children strong enough to take on the evil that’s rising. Yet Destiny is not alone in her predictions, or individuality.

When Johnny Fate, a rock star among humans and a male version of Destiny is discovered, his powers and Destiny’s clash, triggering the start of Destiny’s demise and altering the fate of Celia’s unborn children.

Taran, her werewolf lover Gemini, and their allies must determine if it’s Fate who will decide what will become of Celia’s children, or if their lives and the world will perish with Destiny. (Goodreads)


Review: 

I read Cecy Robson's first book in this series a couple of years ago. I read the next two as fast as I could. Then every time the next book released, I ordered it and read it within a day. There was a lag between a couple, and I found a few other series, and I lost track of this series. When I came across the chance to review this book, I realized there were two books I had not read. So I quickly read those two, so I could catch up in this series. I think this book CAN be read as a stand alone, but it is a lot better if you read the whole series or at least the two books right before this. 

The women in this series are as kick-ass as any I've read. The spotlight is on Taran in this book. She struggles with accepting that unconditional love is not only possible, but she is worthy of it.  The passion she feels for Gemini is strong, and it will help her through anything if she remembers to trust and rely on it. Robson has created such life-like characters I feel a strong connection and would totally take them all out for a beer if I could.

The fast-paced action pushed me to read "just one more chapter" until I finished it. The world building is so solid; it was easy to SEE this book as if I was watching a movie.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Guest Blog: S. M. Spencer


Destiny 
Absent Shadows Trilogy 
Book One
S M Spencer

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Date of Publication: October 2014

ASIN: B00O6WL9IA

Number of pages:  208
Word Count:  75,000

Cover Artist: BookPOD 

Book Description: 

Destiny: ‘The predetermined or inevitable path a person must follow.’

When nineteen year-old Lili McIntyre decides to trade her California summer for a mid-winter visit to Australia, it’s in hope of finding inspiration and direction in the country where her father was born.

But when she arrives in Melbourne, the first thing she finds is the last thing she’s looking for—a brooding man who makes her heart race every time she sees him.
Against her better judgement, Lili finds herself drawn into a relationship that tests her very beliefs about life, reality and fantasy. But the real test is how to follow her destiny as she faces some of the hardest decisions of her life.

Using a modern theme, the author tells an old fashioned love story that you won’t want to put down, even when you’ve finished the last page.

Available at   Amazon    Brag Medallion




Excerpt:

Sometimes, when something bad happens, time seems to slow to a crawl. 

Like that time I was running to visit my friend who lived down the street. I was only about ten at the time, but it seemed like it was yesterday. I remember exactly how it felt as I ran down that street toward her house. And how, when I was only part way there, I stepped on an acorn and my foot rolled out from under me. As I fell, the pavement got closer and closer to my face—in horrible slow-motion. I hit the ground with my hands stretched out in front of me, scraping the skin off both palms. They barely bled but man they hurt like crazy. 

Yes, I could replay that memory like a slow-motion movie in my head even now—years later. 

But this … well, this wasn’t like that. 

What happened next was like a series of still photos. Tom flew out of the bedroom in a blur, but stopped just long enough for the image of his face to be burnt into my mind. His eyes were no longer soft brown, but were instead a glowing red, and his normally tanned complexion was now pallid grey. 

But what really stood out was the blood that ran down from the corner of his mouth. 

Then I heard Sam’s voice—loud and harsh. ‘Go!’ 

Tom was gone and I heard the door slam.

I closed my eyes for no more than a long blink—it couldn’t have been more than a second—but when I opened them, Sam was in the bedroom, bending over Claire. Was he doing something to her neck? She was so still. 

I ran to the doorway but stopped short of going in. I couldn’t draw a breath to scream or talk. I just stood there, frozen.


Guest Blog:
BEHIND THE STORY - Destiny, Absent Shadows Trilogy, Book One

Hello my name is S M Spencer and I’m the author of the YA paranormal romance trilogy called Absent Shadows that takes place (predominantly) in Melbourne, Australia.

The story is completely fictional; however it is set in real locations. Most of the story takes place in what are some of the oldest parts of Melbourne, namely the Queen Victoria Market and the Flagstaff Gardens. 

I’d like to share with you a bit of the history of this area so you will understand where the inspiration for some of the ghosts that feature in the story came from.

~~***~~

A few years ago, I was working around the corner from Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market, up near the Flagstaff Gardens. One day while walking around at lunchtime, I started sensing that I the area was the perfect setting for a story about ghosts and vampires. There had been a strong resurgence in the popularity of vampires and ghosts, and I’d always been keenly interested in both. In fact, I’d done a late night ghost tour through the area just a few years earlier. It was on this ghost tour that I first learned the history of the cemetery under the market’s carpark.

When I set out to write the story, I decided to do a bit of research on the area. Of course I headed straight to Google and WIKIPEDIA. I read numerous accounts of the market and the gardens, and although not everything I read appeared to be consistent, the general gist of it was that the area we now call the Flagstaff Gardens was originally referred to as Burial Hill. In the early 1800’s, not long after the colony of Melbourne was established, this became the site of Melbourne’s first burials. 

A few years later a proper cemetery was built, the Melbourne Cemetery, in the area that is now the Queen Victoria Market. This cemetery was used from 1837 until the early 1850’s but was felt to be too small for the growing population. As such, in the early 1850’s, what is now referred to as the Melbourne General Cemetery was built. 

In the early 1900’s there were plans to expand the Queen Victoria Market, so a number of bodies (approximately 900) were exhumed from the Old Melbourne Cemetery and relocated to other cemeteries. Poor records, deterioration of headstones, and numerous other factors prevented the remaining bodies from being exhumed however.

Although there is no doubt that a large number of bodies still remain under the market carpark, the exact number seems somewhat debatable. Some accounts suggested that there were originally over 10,000 bodies in the Old Melbourne Cemetery, so with only approximately 900 having been relocated there would still be in excess of 9,000 remaining.  However, another report suggests that due to a fire in 1864 that destroyed early records, the 10,000 bodies cannot be verified. 

Regardless of the exact number, there is no argument that not all the bodies were exhumed, and when you walk across the carpark, you are walking over the top of some thousands of bodies that reside as little as six feet below. 

Now, with the Melbourne City Council in the midst of massive redevelopment plans for the area, the controversy lives on.

You can read all about the history by simply Googling “Old Melbourne Cemetery”. It makes for some very interesting reading, indeed. 


About the Author: 

S M Spencer was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

As a young teenager her mother introduced her to the world of romantic suspense by encouraging her to read the works of authors such as Daphne du Maurier and Mary Stewart. These books stirred a passion in her that would last a lifetime—to become a writer. 

Feeling the need to experience life before embarking on a writing career, Ms Spencer completed a business degree. Her career eventually landed her in Melbourne, Australia, where she has lived ever since. Yet her true passion to be a writer never abated. 

SM Spencer now writes from her home in the outskirts of Melbourne, where she lives with her husband, horses, cats and dogs. 



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