And now....a GIVEAWAY!!!!

Good people! If you've read my last post, you will find a review for Cathrina Constantine's, "Wickedly They Come." What better way to follow up a review than with a GIVEAWAY!!! So read on, if you're on the prowl for some good, solid reading!

Introducing:

Haunting visions, unusual strength, and special paranormal talents are the norm for Seeley and her sixteen-year-old daughter Jordan. Their lives become perilous when the leader of The Black Order stalks them, trying to fulfill a prophecy to consecrate Jordan to his lord—Lucifer.

Previously homeschooled and naïve, Jordan is inducted into the social culture of teendom at Elma High, where she encounters Mark, a mysterious new classmate, who is hell bent on keeping her unscathed from the forces of evil. But the battle between Heaven and Hell is escalating—and Earth is their battleground.

And if that blurb and cover don't capture your attention, go a little bit further and read an original poem and excerpt from the book:

WICKEDLY THEY COME

Eyes like embers burn into my soul

As gnarled fingers stretch to sow seeds of terror

Weaving a realm of pandemonium

Nightmares pour a viscous poison upon sleep’s tangled web

And on and on the vision’s dance:

I saw the world blind and hollow

Floating in the void of space

Feeding upon the vapors of some

Translucent suspended beast

Disjointed bodies then did appear

Sprinkling death and devouring life

Coaxing earth into silent slumber

Blazing eyes again emerged

Red brightness true to hellish fire

Fixed upon my wandering eye

Flames burst upon the scene

Wild and wily, leaving not one piece to fix upon

Except for those eyes of ember…

The woman cackled. Ghoulish forms erupted from her clothing like scary jacks-in-the-boxes. “We know about your…shall we say…spiritualism, and Jack’s daughter has been called the warrior. Then there’s the prophecy: ‘The warrior will be one with Lucifer, and God will weep…’

“Mr. Trebane is somewhat…curious. You see, Jack was raised as a son of Satan, and you, a daughter of your deity. Now, to set the record straight, Jordan must be consecrated to our lord. Disciples are assembling as we speak.”

“No,” Seeley gasped. “I won’t allow it.”

“Mr. Trebane expected your reluctance.” The woman withdrew a small wooden box, like one that held tea bags, and offered it to Seeley.

Seeley looked at the item, leery of the contents, and the long sharp nails.

“Take it,” the woman said, jiggling the box.

Seeley frowned. The belligerent woman’s mouth twisted sideways and shadowy ghouls scuttled back through her lips. Under duress, Seeley opened her hand. The woman slapped the box into her palm, scratching her wrist in the process. Seeley ignored the swelling welts. The box teetered as if it were alive.

Tentatively she raised the lid.

Peering in, she was repulsed, lancing acid burning her throat. Inside was Jack’s bloody finger, the wedding ring still attached. The sight triggered Seeley’s gag reflex. Snapping the lid shut, she felt her breath come in short spurts as tears jumped to the surface. Covering her mouth in hopes of smothering her cry, she shook with tremors, envisioning Jack’s pain as they cut off his finger.

“I almost hope you don’t come. I’ll take pleasure in snipping off every appendage on his body and rejoice in his howling. And then I will slice the throat of the bastard who turned his back on—on us.” Gratified with Seeley’s cavalcade of emotions, the woman tossed her head backward and let loose a high-pitched chortle. Pivoting on her heels, she strode away.

Sounds good, doesn't it?  I had the honor and pleasure of reading Wickedly They Come and I can tell you, you won't be disappointed. So go ahead and leave a comment here on this blog post and you can enter to win a print copy of the book or a $5.00 Amazon gift card! 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway


Want to find out more about Cathrina Constantine? Here is a list of where you can stalk...er, find her!

http://www.cathrinaconstantine.com
http://cathrinaconstantine.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook/www.cathrina.constantine.3
https://twitter.com/cathconstantine
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/16051029-cathrina-constantine
Twitter: @cathconstantine



 

Introducing Wickedly They Come by Cathrina Constantine!

Hello there everyone! The summer is almost over so now's the time to scoop up some new books! And speaking of which, I've had the honor and pleasure of reading debut author, Cathrina Constantine's Wickedly They Come. It's a young adult paranormal story full of fire and brimstone, angelic wisdom and bloody battles for a young girl's soul...literally! So read on for my review and pick up your copy of Wickedly They Come today!

3.5 stars out of 5

 

            *I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.*
            With a title like this, you just know there’s going to be some good, ol’-fashioned evil versus good shenanigans going on and boy, are there ever!
      Wickedly They Come comes to us from Black Opal Books’ debut author, Cathrina Constantine. It tells the story of young Jordan, an exceptionally beautiful sixteen-year-old who’s been battling demons alongside her mother, Seeley, for a good chunk of her young life. Literally locked in a battle against Lucifer and his minions, Jordan and Seeley constantly struggle against disturbing visions and demonic attacks in an effort to thwart the devil’s dark plans. But the two women have help on their side, namely their own supernatural abilities as well as guardian angels.
      Constantine’s writing is a sure thing. She moves the story along, including teen conversations that we all have been a part of at some point of our lives. You can feel the love and protectiveness that Seeley has for her daughter and her reluctance to let her out of her sight, especially with the supernatural mayhem going on. Although I found Jordan to be a self-assured, strong female character, which I normally love, I had a hard time liking her. I don’t know if it had to do with the fact that she fell almost too easily in with the queen bitch of her high school or the fact that there were some moments where she didn’t seem to really care about any of her non-supernatural friends. It seemed odd that as much as Jordan wanted to have some semblance of normalcy in her life, when she finally had it within her grasp, she suddenly preferred the supernatural aspect instead.
      As I’m a sucker for detail, I thought that there were a lot of descriptions that could’ve had more meat to them. On the flip side, it helped move the story along.
      As a debut novel, Wickedly They Come is quite a ride, full of heart, fire and hope and I can’t say enough about the cover. I absolutely love it!

Cheers!

 

Book Review Time Featuring Jenn Gibson!

Destiny by Jenn Gibson

3.5 out of 5 stars

 I was given a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Destiny by Jenn Gibson was a very entertaining story. It comes to us as the third part of a series by Gibson, the first book being Sway, followed by Compass and now Destiny. All three books follow the life of Jessie McIntyre, who by all intents and purposes is a normal teenager. But there’s something that makes her stand out from the rest that I’m not going to tell you because that would ruin it!

Let me say this though—it’s not very often that you come across a book written from the point of view of someone with a very real problem. Most young adult books nowadays are filled with heroines who are burdened by some blossoming magical power or a boyfriend who grows fangs and claws on the full moon. Destiny is a refreshing change in that our protagonist is so normal and what burdens her is very real.

            Jessie is at a disadvantage straight out of the gate, with just about everyone---her teachers, her classmates, her potential employers. The frustration she feels towards the adults in her life is just as potent as the mistrust the adults feel towards teenagers in general. Gibson does a very good job at catching the volatile mood swings that plague a teenager’s temperament. The people Jessie encounters outside of school seem to be more accepting of her, which is usually the case anyway, especially when one is trapped in the hell that is high school. But the animosity and the cruelty Jessie faces on a day-to-day basis is nothing short of genuine.

            The thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was her relationship with Ethan. It was too perfect. Is it possible for a boyfriend to be too perfect? The way he was written made me distrust him which made me feel like I was missing something because Jessie trusted him with absolute certainty and her parents treated him as one of their own. I also felt that Gibson could’ve done a better job at showing emotions rather than telling. Emotions were rampant through-out this book; there was enough of them going around that she didn’t really need the words to say it.

            Overall, I enjoyed this book. As I said before, it was a refreshing change. I rooted for Jessie the whole way through. She endured and survived when it would’ve been so easy for her to drift away into the darkness.