Cover Reveal: Silent Echoes (Games of Zeus #2) by Aimee Laine

 

Silent Echoes 

Games of Zeus #2 

by Aimee Laine 

Release Date: March 11, 2013 

Target Reader: Adult 

Keywords: Paranormal Romance, Romance

Book Description:

For years, Ian Sands has enjoyed his life as a bachelor, taking advantage of singlehood and exploring his own definition of passion—whoever she may be. Blonde. Brunette. Tall. Short. Hot. Not. Five months ago, all that changed. 

 Ian’s been celibate, frustrated and desperately seeking answers to why one woman, who doesn’t play by girls’ rules, haunts his every waking moment. 

As a renovations specialist, Taylor Marsh lives, works and breathes construction—a profession her southern belle of a mother would rather Taylor not touch. The same goes for Ian; Mama Marsh would never approve of him. 

Like Ian, though, each time he and Taylor draw near, something compels her to get closer. 

Something else tells her to run away. 

 Fast. 

 As much as their histories suggest they shouldn’t be together, neither Taylor nor Ian can deny the pull, and the two succumb, indulging in a relationship that brings pleasure to body, mind and soul. 

 Doing so, though, also ushers in a series of events both should have foreseen as well as one final outcome neither expected. 

Publisher URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/26 

Other Books in this series include: Hide and Seek

Goodreads Links:

Hide and Seek (Games of Zeus #1)
Silent Echoes (Games of Zeus #2)

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Wow! I absolutely adore this cover!! :D I love the house in the background and the girl in the forefront! It's just so beautiful visually, and completely intrigues me. :D I'm also extremely curious because Ian is a total playboy in Hide and Seek...and hearing he's celibate in this one because of Taylor...well, that really intrigues me! ;) I also can't wait to get glimpses of Tripp and Lexi!!! :D 

So, what do you think of this cover? 

Have you started this series yet? And if you haven't, does it sound like the type of book you'd like?

Review: Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett

Source: Received an ARC from Thomas Allen and Sons for an honest review.

Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books

Release Date: Already Released.
Number of Pages: 320 (Hardcover)

(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

Ariadne is destined to become a goddess of the moon. She leads a lonely life, filled with hours of rigorous training by stern priestesses. Her former friends no longer dare to look at her, much less speak to her. All that she has left are her mother and her beloved, misshapen brother Asterion, who must be held captive below the palace for his own safety.

So when a ship arrives one spring day, bearing a tribute of slaves from Athens, Ariadne sneaks out to meet it. These newcomers don’t know the ways of Krete; perhaps they won’t be afraid of a girl who will someday be a powerful goddess. And indeed she meets Theseus, the son of the king of Athens. Ariadne finds herself drawn to the newcomer, and soon they form a friendship—one that could perhaps become something more.

Yet Theseus is doomed to die as an offering to the Minotaur, that monster beneath the palace—unless he can kill the beast first. And that "monster" is Ariadne’s brother . . .

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The minotaur is probably one of the most well-known figures in mythology, and in Dark of the Moon, Tracy Barrett the myth of the minotaur and makes it her own. Knowing the myth, I expected it to go in certain ways, but Tracy kept me surprised throughout the book and I really enjoyed that. I also loved her little hints towards the original myth and the jokes that she made about them. The black sails in particular made me chuckle. :P

I really liked Ariadne and Theseus, but I could not stand Prokris...then again, I don't think I was supposed to. :P I expected there to be more of a romance angle in the story, but it focused more on the characters' striving for their freedom and survival, which I was okay with...although I do love me some romance. So, just a heads up...if you're looking for a romance, this isn't one, but it's still an interesting story. :)

My favourite aspect of the book was the way that things were misinterpreted, which kind of gave you the idea of how the myth could have evolved. For example, on his journey to Athens Theseus supposedly (in the myth) did all of these great feats, and in Dark of the Moon, nothing at all happened on his journey, at least nothing eventful. However, when he arrives in Athens he embellishes what happens and tells these incredible and pretty much impossible encounters, encounters that match up with the actual myth. This is just one example, and I loved that Tracy incorporated details of the myth into the story this way, it added an element of realism that you don't often see with mythological retellings.

Overall, I really liked Dark of the Moon. I would've liked more romance, but other than that everything was fantastic. I think that fans of mythology will like this one, especially if you enjoy thoughtful retellings that add a realistic feel to traditional myths. :)

Have you heard of the Minotaur myth??
Has anyone else read Dark of the Moon? Thoughts?
If you haven't, do retellings of myths, or even fairy tales, interest you? (I personally love 'em! :D)

Review: Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Source: Received an ARC from Simon and Schuster Canada for an honest review.

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Release Date: July 26, 2011
Number of Pages: 393 (Hardcover)

(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

Every flame begins with a spark.

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

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Wildefire pretty much had everything I love in a book going for it, and I definitely loved it! It had a sassy and strong heroine, who wasn't perfect, which is nice. I'm not going to lie, it can get annoying when a character is perfect...or a tad Mary Sue-ish. I can definitely say that Ashline was not a Mary Sue, at all. She was super awesome, that's what she was. :D Along with Ashline, Wildefire had hot guys, mythology, and an amazing story line. This book kept me on my toes, and I loved the back-story. One of the things that always keeps me hooked with a book is a great history, and Wildefire definitely has that.

The characters were full of life and vibrant, and I wouldn't have been surprised if they'd managed to just walk right off the page. I loved getting to know them, and learning their secrets! Karsten Knight did a fantastic job with his characters, and with Ashline. He gave her such a unique voice. She's defintiely one of those heroines that stick out in your mind, although for some people it might not be in a good way. She's the kind of girl that you either admire and wanna hang out with, or you are immensely annoyed by. As you can tell by this review so far, I'm from the former category. I really liked Ashline, and to me, she was fantastic! A bit much at times, but her confidence definitely made her someone that I would love to get to know. She was so spunky, and I think she'd be really fun to meet. Now the guys...all of them were pretty dang awesome. Ashline's love interest, Colt, was definitely my favourite! I absolutely loved him! He was clever, and pretty adorable...although I did wonder why a college guy would want to date someone in high school...not going to lie, that's always something that's a bit skeevy in my opinion. I guess he wasn't way older, just a like 2 or 3 years, but still. If you like them that much, just wait a few years. :P

The whole mythology concept behind Wildefire is genius, and so fascinating! I absolutely loved that Karsten included a mixture of mythology from different cultures and races, and that it comes from all over the place, rather than one specific spot. Also, I just have to mention the title! The title is awesome! Ashline's last name is 'Wilde' and there is a certain amount of 'Fire' in this book. You might be able to guess how the fire comes into play, but I'll let you find out about it on your own. Anyways, so you put Wilde and Fire together and WHAM! you get the title. I'm probably the only one who's this excited about the book's title, but that's okay, I don't mind being the only one. I just thought I'd mention it to see if anyone else thought it was an awesome book title, too! :D

The storyline itself was great. It definitely left a lot of things open for the following books though, so I wasn't shocked to learn that it's the first in a series...although I honestly have no clue how long the series is going to be. The cliffhanger for this book was intense, but I wasn't too surprised. I'd kind of expected it all along...what you want to know what it is?? Sorry, my lips are sealed! You're just going to have to read Wildefire for yourself and find out about the ending for yourself! :P

I thought that Wildefire was a fantastic debut by Karsten Knight, and I definitely encourage you to give it a shot! It was an amazing story with very vivid characters and a remarkable history behind it...plus the title is awesome! :D

Will you be reading Wildefire when it comes out on July 26?
And if you've already read it, what did you think?

Happy Reading!!!

♪♫ Ambur