Review: Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

Can true love be forgotten?

As the only scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out—a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies' cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen's sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.

Josephine Angelini's compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding as an unforgettable love triangle emerges and the eternal cycle of revenge intensifies. Eagerly awaited, this sequel to the internationally bestselling Starcrossed delivers a gritty, action-packed love story that exceeds all expectations.

Dreamless, the second of three from the Starcrossed trilogy, debuted just a few days ago and oh my god was it amazing.  It picks up just a few days after the events that occurred at the end of Starcrossed.  Helen now must face even greater challenges than before.  She must descend, alone into the Underworld every night with the quest of finding the furies and freeing the scions of their curse.  In doing this not only will she be helping all of the houses, but the rogues and outcasts, including Hector, as well.  Descending has become her personal live nightmare and Helen feels that she is no closer to finishing her task than she was before she began.  Now, she has to do all of this without the comfort of Lucas.  She tries to avoid him and forget her feelings for him but the fates seem to have a different plan, constantly drawling them together.  Just when she thinks that she can’t do this anymore a mysterious guy saves her in the underworld but she is thrown back to her room before she can see him.  Dreamless is full of light, darkness, love, family, friendship, fantasy, and war the most supreme levels.  I could not put this book down and literally read it in less than fifteen hours and just a little more than twenty four hours of its release.

  I really liked the new side of Lucas in this book.  In Starcrossed, he was so in control of himself, light, and so good.  In Dreamless, while his character is still all of the things that make him Lucas, he is now broken and becoming something darker.  Josie really did a fantastic job of showing the reader just how dark and broken Lucas had, and can still, become.  What can I say, I love characters that are broken and beautiful.

The Underworld really transformed for me in this book.  In Starcrossed I didn’t really get it.  It seemed to me that anytime Helen descended she was walking in circles never really making any progress.  I didn’t understand why anyone would be able to or want to go there and by the time I got to the end of the book and you learn that the only way to free the scion of the furies is for Helen to go to the Underworld and find them I really had no idea where Josie was going with story. 

I absolutely loved some of the new characters introduced in this book.  Orion may have surpassed all of my previous book character crushes.  He is the descendent of Adonis, Aphrodites favorite lover and “the pinnacle of male beauty” with that, his awesome talents, and sexy wit what’s not to love?  Morpheus, the god of dreams, Hades, god of the underworld, Persephone, Hades queen, Ares, the god of war, and a few other mythological beings make an appearance as well.

Lastly, I really loved how it ended.  It was so “shit hit the fan” that I have no clue what is going to happen next.  The ending was so mind blowing and I didn’t even see it coming at all.  I’m already dying for the third and final book to come out!!!!

Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

Insurgent, the sequel to Divergent by Veronica Roth, picked up shortly after where the first one had left off.  Tris has made it to Amity where she, Four, and several others are staying as hidden refuges.  But they are now being hunted by Dauntless traders and are forced to turn to others for safety, even those that seem the most untrustworthy.  Tris is being swallowed with the grief of her parents dying and the guilt of killing her friend, Will and she and Four/Tobias can’t seem to keep on the same page with all the things that have taken place.  Insurgent is that fabulous sequel to the dystopian Divergent.  It has love, betrayal, excitement, fear, and unexpected events that will leave you dying for more.

I was very excited for this book to come out ever since I read the first one last summer and it didn’t disappoint.  I loved that you really get a feel for Four/Tobias.  In the first book you know him as Four, the hard dauntless trainer with only four fears.  Later in the book you know him as Tobias the guy who saves Tris and was a transfer from abnegation who had a nightmare for a childhood and fellow divergent.  In Insurgent you really see what he’s made of.  You also see the dynamics of Tris and his relationship change which was interesting because frankly who wants to read about perfection especially when it comes to love.

I love that you get to know Caleb, Tris’s brother, who is only introduced in the first book.  In Insurgent, he is now the only family she has left and she seems to hold on to that.  I really can’t talk more about him though without giving away some major stuff so you’ll just have to read it :]

The only thing that made this not the best think I've ever read is that it had the typical feel of the second book in a dystopian trilogy. The main character has been through hell and back and you really feel that in the second book of a lot of dystopian books; a bit doom and gloom with a glimmer of hope at the end.  I hope that that glimmer of hope is to lead to a happy ending unlike The Hunger Games ending that was so very bitter sweet.

Have you all read this book?  Or the first one?  What do you think about these books being up for a movie?  I think they’ll be pretty good myself.

Guest Post: Tiffany Allee

Hello everyone!
Today I am super excited for you guys to see the interview I did with Mac from the book Banshee Charmer by Tiffany Allee. If you didn't notice, I also have the review up! Unfortunately, I didn't get my hands on Succubus Lost, the second book in the series soon enough to review it today, but I promise I'll have it out soon! So stay tuned.

 Now without further ado... Meet Mac!

1)      The only thing that comes to mind when I think about Banshees is that episode in Charmed where Piper turns into one. Is that idea an accurate one when it comes to what full blooded Banshees are like?

Well, as a detective in the paranormal unit, I don't have a lot of time for television. But luckily, I happen to have seen that one. I would say that the banshees in Charmed are a bit different than the real ones I descend from. They're depicted as evil creatures, whereas banshees in my world are like most people—both good and bad. But they do have to keep their distance from humans because their screams can kill.

2)      I know you would rather be human than the supernatural being you are, but you also mention that you would rather be a sensitive than a half-Banshee. Why?

Oh I think that being a sensitive would be great. You can feel or see the otherworlder energy around you. I'm not entirely certain how the powers work—you'd have to ask our department's sensitive, Astrid—but they sound like they'd come in handy more often then a stunning scream.

Of course, Astrid might disagree with me. Quite forcefully, if I'm not mistaken.

3)      The relationship between you and your parents (father and step-mother) is strained. Do you think you’ll ever be mended?

I don't think that's any of your damn business. But if you put a gun to my head, I guess I'd have to say that the more I learn to accept who I am and find my place in the world, the less strained that relationship will be.

4)      Staying in the subject of family, will we ever get to see a bit of your real mother? Have you ever seen your mother?

That would be pretty damn awkward. My stepmother wouldn't appreciate me bringing it up for one—I mean my mom and dad had to have felt something special for me to exist. Not sure my stepmother would want to be reminded of that. And I think my life is complete the way it is. I guess someday I might look her up, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

5)      What are some of the most dangerous paranormal species you deal with on a regular basis?

The most dangerous that I usually see aren't frightening because of their species, but are dangerous in the same way people are—immoral, desperate, or sociopathic people are good to look out for. That being said, I wouldn't want to tangle with a powerful vampire or an angry lycan for anything. A shapeshifted lycan is a frightening thing. A Covenant witch would be…interesting as well.

6)      Do you think humans will ever be fully comfortable with the idea of paranormals living among them? Or will there always be some kind of fear barrier?

I think that as time passes, normals will get used to us. There will always be fearful, small-minded people who can't deal with new ideas, let alone living next to a vampire. But for the most part, acceptance seems to be moving in the right direction every generation.

7)      You managed to piss off the other cops and those in ranks above you, but is your job still secure? Will we be seeing more of your kick-ass detective skills in books to come?

My job is secure—at least until I piss Lieutenant Vasquez off beyond what I can recover from. Catching a serial killer didn't hurt me any. I don't think you'll see much of my skills in books to come—not on the page anyway. But I'll be kicking ass and taking names in the background until I'm too damn old to scream a goblin down.

8)      Lastly, there is no question about how sexy Aidan is, but the question on everyone’s mind is, will you keep him around? (If our word counts for anything, we REALLY want you to.)

The man is sexy as hell, and seems to like my company. As long as he keeps his hands off my books, I suspect we'll get along just fine. 

______________________

Thank you so much Tiffany for letting Mac stop by, I can't wait to read the next book and I wish you the best of luck with your release! 

Review: Banshee Charmer by Tiffany Allee

“When she’s sent to a crime scene and finds her second dead woman in as many weeks, half-banshee detective Kiera “Mac” McLoughlin is convinced a serial killer is on the loose. Incubi are extinct, her boss insists. But what else can kill a woman in the throes of pleasure? When her partner is murdered after using witchcraft to locate the killer and Mac is thrown off the case, her frustration turns to desperation.

Certain the killer is an incubus, Mac works behind her department’s back to chase down slim, sometimes perilous leads. While the killer eludes her, she does discover handsome Aidan Byrne, an investigative counterpart from the enigmatic Otherworld Enforcement Agency. Mac typically runs her investigations fast and hard, but with Aidan at her side, she’s running this one “hot” as well. But Aiden knows more than he’s letting on—something that could shatter their blazing romance and add Mac to the killer’s growing body count…”

 When this book came across my e-mails from Roxanne from Bewitching Book Tours, I knew this was one I had to get my hands on. My first attraction was the focus being banshees and succubi, such a much needed change from your normal faeries and vampire take on the Paranormal YA genre. 

Everything was well described and carried through to the end. When dealing with the supernatural world, everyone has their own unique take on the subject. For instance, just because vampires can be outside in Being Human, doesn’t mean Angel or Spike won’t burn in the Buffyverse. Especially when you deal with a species that people aren’t as familiar with, it’s very important to set up your background and carry through. Tiffany did just that. 

Mac makes for a kick-butt protagonist too. Sassy and sure of herself, she isn’t afraid to put people in her place or go against the grain to accomplish her goals. As for Aiden, I had quite the time going back and forth trying to make up my mind on whether or not he was the good guy or the bad guy. Only one thing was clear, he was quite the hunk!

My Rating for this Book:

This book was a great paranormal mystery with just enough humor, one I would recommend to everyone.

Note: There are a couple of sex scenes, but they were done in a very tactful, intimate fashion.

Tiffany Allee currently lives in Phoenix, AZ, by way of Chicago and Denver, and is happily married to a secret romantic. She spends her days working in Corporate America while daydreaming about sexy heroes, ass-kicking heroines, and interesting ways to kill people (for her books, of course). Her nights are reserved for writing and bothering her husband and cats (according to them). Her passions include reading, chocolate, travel, wine, and family.
 

Review: First Visions by Heather Topham Wood

"Two years ago, 21-year-old Kate Edwards became deathly ill and slipped into a coma. While unconscious, she crept into the mind of a missing boy and awoke with the knowledge of his location. Friends and family were skeptical and wary of her new ability to see into the minds of others. Their fears prompted Kate to keep her psychic powers a secret. Feeling alienated, she dropped out of college and spent most of her days holed up at her mother's home.


Now another child has been abducted. Police detective Jared Corbett seeks out Kate for her help in solving the case. Reluctantly, Kate agrees and they must work together to bring 8-year-old Cori Preston home to her family. Although attracted to one another, Jared has a girlfriend with ties to the abduction case and Kate is sarcastic and guarded since her coma. With visions she can't control and an uncontrollable attraction to the detective, she wonders if she can leave the past behind and finally stop hiding from the world. Otherwise, Cori may be lost forever."

After a rather unexpected illness, Kate wakes up with a new ability: she has visions. Not just ordinary visions, either. She now has the ability to see into the memories of people around her in her dreams. Unfortunately, she has no control over whose memories she looks into or when these visions come to her and she isn’t able to see the future – only the past. This new ability of hers comes in handy when a little girl goes missing and the police have no clue where to look for her. First Visions has a story that will grab you from the very beginning and won’t let you go until the last page. 
 

I rate this book: 

This book was a refreshing change for me, after reading so many books with a multitude of mythical creatures and monsters. It was nice to read a story about a normal girl trying to deal with something paranormal like having a psychic ability. I also really enjoyed that, as the reader, you are able to see things from the main character’s point of view in this book. I like books that do this because it makes it easier for me to step into the character’s shoes, allowing me to relate to that particular character easily. This type of writing makes it really easy to get into the story and First Visions didn't disappoint in this aspect at all. If you’re looking for an engrossing, quick, and interesting read, you should definitely pick up First Visions. 


Heather Topham Wood graduated from the College of New Jersey in 2005 and holds a bachelor’s degree in English. Working full-time as a freelance writer for publications such as USA Today, Livestrong.com, Outlook by the Bay and Step in Style magazine, she writes fiction novels in her spare time. She resides in Trenton, New Jersey with her husband and two sons. First Visions is her debut novel and the first book in the Second Sight series. Follow Heather on Twitter (https://twitter.com/woodtop255) and her blog (http://authorheather.wordpress.com/).
 

Review: Songs of Thunder by J.L. Bryan

"A rock & roll fairy tale.
Jason plays guitar in a teenage garage band called the Assorted Zebras, but they have no fans, no gigs, and they're going nowhere. Even worse, Jason has a crush on their lead singer, but she doesn't seem interested in him at all.
Then Jason steals instruments from the fairy world. Soon the band is enchanting crowds, and Jason is a step closer to the girl of his dreams, but the new gear is brimming with dangerous and destructive magic they can't control.
Their shortcut to success has cost a troupe of innocent fairies their livelihood and turned Jason and his band into enemies of the powerful Queen Mab, who sends hunters to track them down, including one of the most dangerous creatures in Faerie...a small unicorn named Buttercake.”

Songs of Thunder is the first book in J.L. Bryan’s Fairy Metal Thunder series.  The members of the Assorted Zebras (AWESOME band name by the way) have all the makings of a rockstar without an audience. So if you had the opportunity to steal some magical instruments which could help your band succeed wouldn’t you? Jason does, but little does he know the danger he’s placing himself, his band mates and anyone who comes into contact with his music. There are much more to these instruments than meets the eye.

In this book, mini portals lead from our world to the world of Fairy. Thanks to a little goblin Grizlemor (also really cool name)  we find that there are not only doors to the other side, but mini rings of mushrooms that can draw children in by music. J.L. Bryan did a great job of twirling the worlds together in a refreshing way.

Who doesn’t love a bit of innocent, awkward teenage romance? Reminding us how pure we all were when our first loves came along, that’s what Jason’s love for Erin helps us reminisce. Did I mention I really want to know more about what’s going on with this Mrs. Dullihan? Because I do.

Directed towards a much younger audience than The Paranormals Trilogy, Mr. Bryan has given us a story of music, magic and teenage love that’s perfect for middle and high school students.

My Rating for this Book:

Although this book was a bit young for my general tastes, for the audience Song of Thunder was directed to I think the book was great. The whole time I was reading it I wanted to go to my younger brother-in-law and be like, “Dude, I know you don’t like to read, but read this, you’ll love it!”. So keep that in mind when you pick this one up.

Sidenote: Meg is always yelling at me because I don’t give younger books a chance. She says it’s all about the storyline, not just the audience, and although I tend to disagree with most of the things she says, she wasn’t too far off.

 

Review: Great Hexpectations by H.P. Mallory

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t read To Kill a Warlock or A Tale of Two Goblins, you may want to hold off on reading this review!

“A misunderstanding turned deadly.
A fairy in law enforcement who won't stop until the truth is uncovered.
A vampire who seems to be her ally but appearances can be deceiving
And a partner who would put his own life on the line to defend hers.

Dulcie O'Neil knows she's at fault for failing to arrest a wanted criminal but when her partner gets pinned for the crime, she'll stop at nothing to ensure his innocence.”

Remember the complaint I had in A Tale of Two Goblins that Dulcie just wouldn’t give in and make up her mind on a man? Scratch that, not only is her mind made up but she doesn’t disappoint us with her decision of the sexy Loki, Knightly Vander. After the sacrifices he made for her in the last book, we can understand why. However, after a pretty intense argument between the two of them, Knight disappears. And Dulcie must find a way to get to the Netherworld to save him before he gets murdered for a crime he didn’t commit.

H.P. manages to pull it off again with Great Hexpectations. I laughed, I cried, I gasped in "WHAT? THAT DID NOT JUST HAPPEN!".

My rating for this book:

Some great things you can look forward to in this book are more of the same great characters along with an introduction of a new ANC badass. There will be twists and turns, introductions to a whole new world and even the "L" word from Mrs. O'Neal herself! You think that sounds good? Wait until the last page. H.P. has given us an ending that will have you tripping over yourself to buy book 4, Wuthering Frights.

Note: There is a bit of sex, language and even the possibility of rape so if that offends you, here's your warning.

Review: City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

The New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments continues—and so do the thrills and danger for Jace, Clary, and Simon. Can the lost be reclaimed? What price is too high to pay for love? Who can be trusted when sin and salvation collide?

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge.

Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

-barnesandnoble.com 

Jace is still missing and the Clave no longer cares.  They are more concerned with finding Sebastian than Jace.  Clary’s only hope in finding him is to use the bell that was given to her by the Seelie court, leaving Jace’s fate in the hands of the queen.  As usual the queen is less that helpful only looking to gain for herself.  When Jace shows up in the middle of the night at Clary’s house she immediately knows something is off.  He is now tied to Sebastian.  What hurts one hurts the other.  Jace also isn’t himself.  Since when does Jace Lightwood follow orders?  The only way to that Clary could possibly get him back is to plunge into unknown without the safety and comfort of her friends.  City of Lost Souls is the newest installment to The Immortal Insturments series, filled with love, loss, fantasy, fighting, and genius writing that we have come to know from all of Cassandra Clare’s other books.

My absolute favorite part of this books\ was Sebastian.  Yes there is probably something deranged and wrong about me but ever since City of Glass when you find out that he is really the real Jonathon Christopher Morgenstern I wanted to know more about his guy.  Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Jocelyn, and the whole lot of them think that he is evil, and yes he’s done horrible things, but I see him as a victim mostly.  I feel sorry for him.  He didn’t choose to have demon blood, it was chosen for him and because of it he has missed out on what life could have been.  And I agree with him; what kind of mother hates their child, no matter what they’ve done or in this case what was done to them?  I’m curious to see how the rest of this place out and I’m still pulling for a miracle where he is concerned.

I like that in this book you see more of Alec and Isabel’s POV.  You really get a feel for both of them.  In the first three books all you see about Alec is him trying to get a grip on which he really is.  He also thinks that he’s in love with Jace.  In City of Fallen Angel’s you see that his relationship with Mangus is new but in City of Lost Souls you get a to see all of his struggles.  Not only does he deal with the feelings that one would have when they’re dating century’s old warlocks that still look babeish but also the backlash of him telling people he is gay.  Isabel on the other hand, shows her vulnerability a bit more.  In the first two books Izzy is a strong, independent, beautiful, careless teenager.  But slowly you see that really that’s not all she’s about.  The most important thing to her is her family.  She feels she’s failed them because first Max dies and now Jace is gone and then there’s the secret she’s been carrying for her mother for years. She is also really falling for someone for the first time and doesn’t really know how to act.  She’s always kept people that weren’t family at arm’s length.  I love how much I’ve seen her grow as a character up to this point. 

There really isn’t a single thing that I could think of that I didn’t like about this book.  I devoured it in less than 48 hours and will probably reread it and the whole series.  I’m completely obsessed with these books. 

Cassandra Clare is the writer of the best selling TMI and ID series.  She buds with Holly Black whom she is/has co wrote a new series with and will be starting her third shadowhunters series before long.  She is a fan of Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings (base off twitter).

Have you guys read this book yet?  What did you think?  I need discussion guys! I want to know all of your opinions about this book and the turn of events.  PS the book trailer is pretty amazing.

Review: Ascend by Amanda Hocking

“Wendy Everly is facing an impossible choice. The only way to save the Trylle from their deadliest enemy is by sacrificing herself.  If she doesn’t surrender to the Vittra, her people will be thrust into a brutal war against an unbeatable foe.  But how can Wendy leave all her friends behind…even if it’s the only way to save them?
The stakes have never been higher, because her kingdom isn’t the only thing she stands to lose. After falling for both Finn and Loki, she’s about to make the ultimate choice…who to love forever. One guy has finally proven to be the love of her life—and now all their lives might be coming to an end. 
Everything has been leading to this moment.  The future of her entire world rests in her hands—if she’s ready to fight for it.”

In the final installment of the Trylle trilogy, Wendy is forced to rule the Trylle while her mother is incapacitated. Even though she isn’t technically the queen yet, she still has to take on all the responsibilities that go with the title. This includes dealing with an impending war with the Vittra. It’s no wonder that she believes that, in order to make it all stop, she has to make the ultimate sacrifice to save her people. But can she do it? More importantly, will it be enough to stop the Vittra from waging war on the Trylle? Ascend ties up all of the loose ends of the Trylle trilogy in a way that readers will never expect. It’s a book that is completely impossible to put down. 

I rate this book: 

There aren’t many books that I purchase the day that they are released, but I really couldn’t wait to read Ascend. And it was so good that I finished it the very same day. I loved that it was so fast-paced and entertaining. But I especially loved that nothing in the entire story was predictable. Thanks to that, I was never bored while reading it. The plot-twists throughout the entire novel kept me guessing until the very end. And even the ending was satisfying, too. I was sad that it had to end at all, but I also felt like it was a fitting ending for the series. If you haven’t read this series, you’re definitely missing out on a good read. For those of you who have read the rest of the Trylle trilogy, you should really pick up Ascend. You won’t regret your decision, that I can promise you.

Amanda Hocking is the USA Today bestselling author of the Trylle trilogy and six additional self-published novels. After selling more than a million copies of her books, primarily in eBook format, she is widely considered the exemplar of self-publishing success in the digital age. She lives in Minnesota, where she’s at work on her next book. Visit her at www.amandahocking.blogspot.com or www.trylleseries.com.

Review: Haunted by Dana Michelle Burnett

“Becca has accepted the horrors of her past life, and emerged with her ghostly love Alastor at her side.  But her happiness is short lived when she realizes that balancing her past and present won't be easy...


Becca has already decided that it's Alastor that she loves, but now, as their uncommon relationship limits Becca's future, Alastor must decide if he's willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for Becca's happiness....And will Becca's sanity survive?”

Following after Spiritus, this book continues to tell the story of Becca as she proceeds to live a normal life, while being able to see and hear the ghost of Alastor Sinclair, her husband from a past life – a life in which she was responsible for his death. She struggles with her love for Alastor and her desire to lead the life of a normal young woman and the two warring forces within her threaten her ability to stay sane. Haunted is a chilling tale that will leave you wanting more with its amazing detail and gripping plot. 

I rate this book: 

After reading Spiritus, I absolutely could not wait to read Haunted. However, since the book had yet to be released at that time, waiting was the only option I had. And I have to say that this book was well worth the wait! It held my interest with the same intensity that the first book of the series did. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in one day. I loved that Haunted was written in a completely different style than Spiritus was. It made the story more interesting and helped to move the plot along at a rather brisk pace. Haunted is different than Spiritus, but it’s a good kind of different – one that makes it a quick and engaging read. If you’ve read Spiritus, then you must pick up Haunted. And if you haven’t picked up the first book in this series, then you should definitely check it out. You won’t be disappointed with either of these books.

Dana Michelle Burnett was born and raised in beautiful Southern Indiana. She spent most of her life writing short stories and sharing them with family and friends. Over the years, her work was published in numerous commercial and literary magazines, including Just Labs, Mindprints: A Literary Journal, Foliate Oak, and many more.  Her short story John Lennon and the Chicken Holocaust was included in The Best of Foliate Oak 2006.  Burnett still lives in Southern Indiana. She continues to manage NanasAtticStore.com and works on her writing every day. Her site, DanaMichelleBurnett.com, has more information about upcoming projects and appearances, or you can also check her out on Facebook.

Click here to see an interview with Dana Michelle Burnett.

Feature Friday: Interview with Dana Michelle Burnett

Today we have Dana Michelle Burnett here with us to talk about her new book, Haunted. Everyone, please welcome Dana...

In your book, Alastor Sinclair is a ghost from the Civil War-era. Is his character modeled after a real-life Civil War soldier or is he completely your creation?  He is completely my own creation.  While I was dreaming him up and researching the Civil War, I was always looking at pictures of the soldiers from both sides.  It didn't matter which side they fought on, they all had this same intense look and in those old photographs, blue eyes look almost white and really draw your eye.  I think if there is anything about those pictures that stuck in my head, it was those eyes, so of course, my fictional soldier had to have those same eyes and intense look.

While Spiritus was narrated solely from Becca’s point of view, parts of the story are told from the point of view of a new character. What made you decide to write the story of Haunted from the perspectives of two different characters?  For Haunted, I really felt that the story of Becca and Alastor needed an outside observer to push it forward.  It's one thing to read about Alastor coming to Becca, but what does it look like from the outside?  I wanted the reader to experience that mystery and see the effect this relationship has had on Becca from the outside as well.

Why did you choose to add the element of voo doo to the story of Haunted?  I've always loved the idea of voodoo and New Orleans.  It's all so mysterious and romantic at the same time that I couldn't resist putting it in the story.

What inspired you to write such a ghostly series?  The old houses of Corydon were my inspiration.  I have to drive through Corydon to go to the grocery, so I'd see those old houses and wonder who used to live there, bit by bit the story took shape.

Becca’s struggle to keep a strong grip on her sanity in Haunted is something that I didn’t expect to encounter, especially after I read Spiritus. What made you decide to turn the story in that particular direction?  How could you have a relationship with a ghost and not go a little crazy? 

Your descriptions of Alastor as a ghost are incredibly vivid and make the reader feel as if he is real. Do you find it difficult to write such striking descriptions?  Not at all.  Alastor was easy to write for because he is so dashing and teasing.  It was really easy to picture how he would move and react.  I consider him to be almost a force of nature and I guess that's why I compare him to thunder or clouds so often.

What motivated you to create a character like Becca?  Becca seemed a perfect match for Alastor.  I couldn't really picture one without the other.  There might even be a little bit of myself in her as well.

Becca is Alastor’s wife from over a century ago. Why did you decide to include the aspect of reincarnation in both Spiritus and Haunted? I loved the idea of a ghost coming back for a lost love, but that had been done again and again.  I was waiting for my daughter one day at her dance class and heard the term "old soul" in a conversation.  I began to think more about my Alastor and Becca, why couldn't he come back because she is his wife reincarnated, but then why wasn't he reincarnated?  That's when I came up with the twists and turns in their relationship.

It’s very obvious that Becca and Alastor share a love that surpasses the span of time. Do you think a happy ending is possible for them?  It won't be your typical happy ending, but yes, there will be a happy ending for them in the next book.

Thank you so much for stopping by to chat with us today, Dana! I hope you all enjoyed that interview. Be sure to pick up a copy of Dana's Haunted, too. Click here to see our review of the book.

Review: A Tale of Two Goblins by H.P. Mallory

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t read To Kill a Warlock, you may want to hold off on this review!

“The murder of a dark arts warlock. A shape-shifting, ravenous creature on the loose… When a warlock is murdered and Dulcie was the last person to see him alive, she must uncover the truth before she's either deported back to the Netherworld, or she becomes the next victim. Enter Knight Vander, a sinfully attractive investigator sent from the Netherworld to work the case with Dulcie. Between battling her attraction to her self-appointed partner, keeping a sadomasochistic demon in check, and fending off the advances of a sexy and powerful vampire, Dulcie's got her hands full. As the body count increases, Dulcie finds herself battling dark magic, reconnoitering in S&M clubs and suffering the greatest of all betrayals.”

A Tale of Two Goblins is book two in H.P. Mallory’s Dulcie O’ Neal series. We welcome the return of our favorite characters in book one, as well as some new ones. While we get a whole new storyline with this goblin taking so many lives, targeting specifically for people close to Dulcie, not everything is said and done after Quill’s betrayal. Dulcie is dealing with the consequences, not only through the ANC, but inside herself as well. H.P. does a great job taking us on the emotional rollercoaster Dulcie is going through as she starts out a wreck and slowly pulls back into her normal self.

Welcome new character Dia! She is easily my new favorite with her sassy, diva ways. She brings a whole new light onto the ANC and is someone I really hope is around to stay for several more Dulcie novels.

My Rating for this Book:

Although the beginning didn’t reel me in too quickly, I really enjoyed reading this book. It had my emotions up and down with an ending I didn’t see coming. I just got really tired of the back and forth, testing the waters on a relationship that Dulcie did between Bram and Knight. Part of me just wished she would pick one, let go of some of those hesitations of being hurt in the past and give it a shot. That or just drop them altogether…

Another thing that bugged me a bit was that there were times when I felt the book too casual. I love a good tale where you can sit down and feel like you’re in the world the characters are in, but when there is so much side narration, I feel like it can really take away from the strength of the story.