Despite my impossibly hectic schedule, I couldn't pass the opportunity to host and read these amazing books. Loved them both!
Today's post is brimming with new things:
reviews, a guest post, contact info and giveaways.
HAVE FUN!
THE DEMON LORD
What an alluring world the author has created! I love it as much as the sensuality that drips from every elegant line of the writing.
The world was occupied by demons, but the destruction that came with them was too much to bear. So, Goddesses crafted a way to protect the remaining world by ostracising the demons to their own territory.
There was too much devastation, too many deaths. It all weighs heavily on Allia's conscience. She loves the wonders of this world, and the inner beauty and strength of humans. That's why she concedes to a plan to seduce and enslave the Demon Lord. Thoush she never envisioned falling for him.
I relished the concept of demons hunting for a forever mate, and that the Goddesses were their intended lovers. It was touching and scorching hot how Allia and the Demon Lord's relationship develops. Allia is a serene, sensitive, loving creature. Her dangerous lover, on the other hand, is worth swooning over.
Another thing that charmed me was the power that a Goddess harnesses over the rain, its meaning and scope. I'd very much like to delve more deeply into the worldbuilding of these two races. I think the adventures and drama to come are worth exploring.
**
THE DEMON LORD
by Paula Altenburg
Blurb: The Demon Lord has conquered the mortal world
and sampled its pleasures. Now all he needs is to conquer the goddess who is
meant to complete him. She, however, has other plans.
Allia
is sent by her goddess sisters to win the heart of the Demon Lord and make him
her slave. But Allia soon discovers that the Demon Lord’s heart is not easily
given, and that in order to win it, she must sacrifice her own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR...
I’d like to be able to say I always wanted to be a writer, but the truth is I
thought it looked like a lot of hard work. Life, however, sometimes leads us
down paths we never intended to take.
From
the very beginning, my parents encouraged my love of books. When a Grade One
teacher suggested I wrote too many “thrillers,” my mother, an English teacher,
said I could write – and read – whatever I wanted. My high school English
teachers later backed her up on that. In university, I received a Bachelor of
Arts degree in Social Anthropology. At the time it was a whim, but it’s amazing
how much that little piece of paper has benefited me over the years. Researching
the history of civilizations has led to many intriguing worldbuilding
possibilities.
When
my children were babies and money was tight, my mother, grandmother, and
husband bought me an electric typewriter for my birthday because they knew I
was bored and wanted me to be happy. My mother became my very first critique
partner, willingly reading pages and pages of manuscripts no one should ever
have to suffer through. She researched markets for me, and introduced me to a
journalist friend, who in turn introduced me to the Writers Federation of Nova
Scotia. My brother and my brother-in-law introduced me to Thieves’ World, David
Eddings, and Piers Anthony. My sister gave me my first computer.
My
grandmothers believed if something’s too hard, you aren’t working hard enough.
My brother and sisters have all successfully followed their dreams, and my
husband and two sons offer me proof every day that hard work is something to be
embraced, not avoided. With these people behind me, how could I possibly stray
from a path on which life seems to have planted them as guardrails:
**
angel kin
I wanted to read this book because I'm keen on angels, and this one promised to deliver twins. That's a hook for me!
An exciting combination of action, paranormal creatures and politics, Angel Kin has been a great discovery.
Cain is harsh, don't-ffol-with-me kind of angel, a half-breed actually. It was a bit difficult to connect with him at a romantic level at the beginning for his abrupt behaviour towards Katie. Rest assured that it all changes for the better. How much steam? Oh, enough, I promise!
Both Cain and his evil twin Abel are charismatic characters. The whole story around what happened to them as kids is a very engaging element of the angelic folklore that makes up for the politics plot in motion. I loved everything that had to do with the Directorate of Heaven, the Renegades, and especially the Angel powers. There are really thrilling to have. Quite shilling, but oh so full of potential.
I liked Katie all right. She doesn't let herself be bullied even though she's sorruounded by truly dangerous creatures in dire circumstances. And there are plenty of them. Mobster vampires, lychanthropes, dark elves... add depth and incentive to the urban fantasy feel of the city.
Regarding Abel, I had mixed feelings. He's the villain here. A murderer all right, but his cool demeanour and his vendetta made me think that he was biding his time. Whenever he'd tire of so much bossing around by his masters, he'd break hell loose on earth. I relished that feeling of expectation. Still, I harboured the tiniest hope of seeing him redeemed.
I was really invested in the brothers' relationship. I so much wanted to know whether they were going to patch up or destroy each other. Also, the Renegades pose an awesomely wicked challenge to the world and the Bound, the good angels. I'm dying to find out the outcome.
It was a lot of fun to read the from the start to the ending: the writing is feisty, with funny remarks, a creepy, intense first chapter, thrilling body-to-body fights, biblical conspiracies, an amazing clash of titans between brothers, and a steamy romance.
**
DON'T MISS THIS FANTASTIC GUEST POST FROM
TRICIA SKINNER
THE POWER OF UNLAWFUL
HEROES AND HEROINES
V. Black Widow. Captain Jack Sparrow. Nikita.
Jericho Barrons in Karen Marie Moning's Fever series, or Zoe in Firefly. Sarah
Connor. What they all have in common is the "hell yeah" factor that
makes heroes and heroines fresh and vibrant in today's urban fantasy and
paranormal romances, television shows, and movies.
The draw to characters that will do
anything necessary to reach their goals is what makes them so interesting to
watch and read. Don't you sit a lit straighter when reading how the hero or
heroine plans to get information from a source. They're not planning to have a
nice chat. They plan to break some bones, possibly threaten a few innocent
people, all to get what they need.
This type of hero comes in many shades of
gray. We pay close attention to their motivations, and we crave tiny morsels of
information that provide a clue to their way of thinking. What happened to them
to make them so scarred inside? How could a woman be so hardened she doesn't
think twice about spying on people who trust her?
Often the character has been through
unimaginable pain and heartbreak. The affect on a child's psyche, as with
Dexter Morgan, could turn them into monsters as adults except for an outside
influence. In this case, Dexter's adopted father.
But there are other characters that seem to
revel in their chaotic nature. Captain Jack Sparrow couldn't walk a straight
line, whether sober or full of rum. It's not his nature, and it wouldn't have
made him as endearing to audiences if he was a clean and straight laced as the
admiral, by comparison.
In my novel, Angel Kin, Cain is a good man,
but he's learned hard lessons since childhood. With his family killed and
himself taken to Heaven to train as an assassin, Cain struggles with his
choices. He kills, but has good reason. When his way of life is threatened and
the woman he's falling in love with is in danger, Cain faces both sides of
himself, never sure which will win out.
That's the kind of story that should suck a
reader in. Never knowing when the hero or heroine will slip into their darker
selves to complete a mission makes for great reading or viewing material.
ANGEL KIN
by Tricia Skinner
Tagline: The thief will steal his heart...
While channeling
Robin Hood’s “steal from the rich and give to the poor” attitude at a local
politician’s house, ex-con Katie Logan witnesses a forced suicide. Dirty or
not, supernatural or not, he didn’t deserve
to die, especially not by his own hand. But with her record, stepping forward
as a witness isn’t an option. On the run from the police and the murderer, she
turns to The Bound Ones for help.
When a beautiful
woman comes to The Bound Ones, half-angel assassin Cain is immediately drawn to
her. But when she fingers him as the killer, he can come to only one
conclusion. The twin he thought was dead is very much alive…and trying to send
him a message. Unfortunately, that message is: “You’re next.”
It’s a race
against time as Cain fights to save the woman he’s falling in love with before
his brother Abel destroys them both.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR...
I’m Tricia Skinner
and I write Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. I’m a former journalist who
discovered my inspiration to write fiction as an escape from “real life.” My
reading tastes are all over the place, but I’m mainly drawn to fantasy (and its
subgenres), paranormal, sci-fi, and history.
When I’m not
writing, I’m a newbie “green” practitioner, fitness procrastinator, and a
technology geek. I’m a mother and a wife. My family includes two Great Danes. I’m
also a gamer. I enjoy interacting with my fellow geeks and helping other
writers, especially through the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Chapter of
Romance Writers of America where I’ve served as Newsletter Editor. I’m
represented by Laurie McLean of Foreword
Literary.
GIVEAWAY TIME
Who is your favourite unlawful hero or heroine?
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