The Green Rose by Stephanie Burkhart - Review and Giveaway

Fantasy Romance

This review is done in conjunction with a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Stephanie will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. You can see the other stops on the tour by clicking the tour banner.

On the continent of Gaia, evil is brewing. Turncoat wizard, Balthyser, kidnaps the kings of Dahaka and Tapin. He wants the green rose, a source of powerful magic.

Princess Sonia of Tapin is forced to hunt down the rose in exchange for her father's life. It's the ultimate betrayal of Gaia's peace, but she has no choice if she wants to save her father.

Prince Ivánstan of Dahaka accompanies her on the journey. Both face challenges and obstacles that test their strength of character during the hunt for the rose. Dare Sonia put her trust and faith in a man she hardly knows to secure Gaia's peace or will the continent's harmony be shattered forever?

My review:  I read this book cover-to-cover in one afternoon.  I was honestly surprised that I did, and it's a credit to the author's voice because, honestly, it's not a deep book, nor does it have a particularly challenging conflict.  However, I was fully engaged in the honestly written characters, once I got everyone sorted out -- there are a LOT of people here and, especially in the beginning, I found myself having to go back and figure out just who was who and how they all fit together!

The story is pretty simple and involves a quest of sorts as do most fantasies.  Ivan and Sonia are instantly attracted, and other than a difficulty in trusting men and the chance that their fathers may not give them permission to marry, there wasn't much keeping them apart.  I honestly never worried that they'd not be together, but I really enjoyed Ivan's straightforward behavior -- I'm certain that's why he was able to win Sonia's trust fairly easily.

The quest, too, wasn't particularly fraught with danger or worry.  Things seemed to be fairly simple for them, despite their footsteps being dogged by Sonia's ex-fiancé.  Still, again, it was engaging and so smooth to read. 

This is the second book by this author that I've read, and I'm truly impressed by her ability to craft characters that I care about.  Her plots may not be the most nail-bitingly suspenseful or particularly complex, but they're strong enough to keep my attention and the time I spend reading her books just flies by.  I wasn't a fan of the few words she used quirky spelling on, like "myles" instead of "miles" and "fyte" for "foot".  It wasn't necessary and was one of the few things that really distracted me as I read.

All-in-all, though The Green Rose was a book that engaged me, entertained me, and left me with a smile. What more can I ask?

This book easily earned 4 Flowers from me -- This was a very good book! I'd recommend it to my friends.

 

Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. She was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire. She served 11 years in the US Army and currently calls Castaic, California her home. Stephanie was married in Denmark in 1991 and has two young sons. She adores chocolate, is addicted to coffee and enjoys early morning walks. She's also an assistant den leader for her son's Cub Scout den and is a Boy Scout mom. She writes paranormal, contemporary, and steampunk romance and has two children's books published with 4RV Publishing.

FIND ME ON THE WEB AT:

WEBSITE:
http://www.stephanieburkhart.com

TWITTER:
http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart

FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor

GOOD READS:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart

YOU TUBE CHANNEL:
http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee

PINTEREST:
http://pinterest.com/sgburkhart/

BUY LINKS FOR THE GREEN ROSE:
PUBLISHER'S SITE
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-280/The-Green-Rose-Stephanie/Detail.bok

AMAZON KINDLE:
http://amzn.com/B007QUBU2E

BARNES & NOBLE NOOK:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1109853031

ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS:
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thegreenrose-769936-143.html

SONY EBOOKS:
http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/stephanie-burkhart/the-green-rose/_/R-400000000000000673505

Wind's Aria by Tess Stockton - Virtual Review tour and Giveaway

(Short, fantasy romance)

This review is done in conjunction with the author's virtual tour with Goddess Fish Promotions.

Tessa will be awarding a $50 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so comment today AND follow the tour (if you click on the tour banner above, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win an awesome prize!



Elected as the Songstress, Aria takes her place on the sacred platform to sing before every dawn. As long as she does so, peace and abundant life belong to her people. One morning, amidst a strange wind that brings with it a curse in its eerie howl, Aria loses her ability to make music. But the encroaching death that transpires isn’t her biggest tragedy. It’s that she adores the cause of her blunder, for he’s a magnificent winged creature who’s stolen more than her voice.

With evocative imagery and clear description, author Tessa Stockton takes us to a world where the sun rises in a cloudless sky every day and there is never drought, thanks to the songstress, Aria.  But then, one day she stutters in her song and everything changes.

Aria was a simple, sweet girl who didn't seem strong enough to do the tasks eventually given her.  She was focused and pure, was never to marry and would live her life to sing to the Sacred One.  That she begins to question things makes her an enemy of the state, and that she believes her behavior is the cause of the destruction of her land is a heavy burden of guilt to bear.

The Il Bora is a fallen angel, follower of the serpent and tasked with Aria's destruction.  But he, too, begins to question and he, too, doesn't discharge his duty as charged.  Instead he gets to know Aria, and he falls in love.

The change from idyllic to dark is rapid and frightening for Aria.  Everything she believes and understand changes.  I admired her fortitude for stepping up to do what needs to be done, no matter her fear and worry.  She is stronger than she appears.

The Il Bora never felt evil, despite his origins (and his master).  There was never a question that he'd do what was right which, had he been written differently, might have made the conflict stronger.

Still, Wind's Aria is an eloquently written fantasy that had enough story to have been a much longer work. I think, had there been just a few more pages,  it would have better met its potential, as some parts felt a bit rushed.

I did truly admire the author's writing skills, though, and would be most willing to read work by her again.

4 Flowers - This was a very good book! I'd recommend it to my friends.



Now enjoy an excerpt:

Fog continued to dance around them covering most of his body, to her dismay. Just curious, she convinced herself. She closed her eyes and squeezed the bridge of her nose to concentrate . . . something that seemed hard to do at that moment.

“Feeling better?” The smooth notes of his words swam through her ears.

“Mmm.” She nodded. “I guess.”

He continued to stare.

Aria cleared her throat. “Um . . . can I ask you a question?”

“You may ask . . .”

“But will you answer?”

“That depends.”

“Oh. Well. How did you get to be so huge when all the Meleyans are rather small? And why haven’t I seen you before?”

“That’s two questions.”

“S-sorry.”

He exhaled a steady stream of air, adding to the mist, as if deliberating.

Aria felt the strength of his breath, blowing strands of her hair across her face.

Slow, yet with precision, he lifted a lock from the curve of her mouth and rubbed the strands between his fingers. He murmured, “Soft and orange, like the petals of prairie-tails.” Then he bent and smelled her hair, closing his eyes. “And sweet like the honey of bees.” Again he held her gaze. The corner of his mouth twitched upward. “Do you have a sting?”

“I asked you a question first—”

“Two,” he corrected. Then he smiled.

A veteran of the performing arts and worldwide missions, Tessa Stockton also contributed as a writer/editor for ministry publications, ghostwriter for political content, and she headed a column on the topic of forgiveness. Today she writes romance and intrigue novels in a variety of genres. In addition to her fantasy romance, WIND’S ARIA, she’s the author of suspense/thriller, THE UNSPEAKABLE, political intrigue/romance, THE UNFORGIVABLE, and a literary short story, LOVE AND LULL, with more in the works.

www.TessaStockton.com
https://twitter.com/TessaStockton
https://www.facebook.com/tessastockton

Publisher's Bookstore: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/winds-aria/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Winds-Aria-ebook/dp/B00B1FEC2A/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358431989&sr=1-4&keywords=tessa+stockton

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/winds-aria-tessa-stockton/1114146612?ean=2940016000206

Wind's Aria by Tessa Stockton - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

Today we're visiting with author Tessa Stockton on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the Inspirational Fantasy Romance, "Wind's Aria".

Tessa will be awarding a $50 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during this tour and her reviews tour, so comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner above, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a really cool prize!

Elected as the Songstress, Aria takes her place on the sacred platform to sing before every dawn. As long as she does so, peace and abundant life belong to her people. One morning, amidst a strange wind that brings with it a curse in its eerie howl, Aria loses her ability to make music. But the encroaching death that transpires isn’t her biggest tragedy. It’s that she adores the cause of her blunder, for he’s a magnificent winged creature who’s stolen more than her voice.

“Who are you?”

He pushed further back into the shadows as she strode closer. “Someone you need not know.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

When he didn’t answer, she sighed.

“What a strange, terrible day,” she mumbled. “Well, at least tell me your name . . .”

He stood, speechless, knowing he shouldn’t be there at all—conversing with a Meleyan—especially not their musical deliverer that he was set to doom the day after tomorrow.

A peculiar grumbling interrupted her insistence, to his relief.

“Sorry.” She patted her stomach. He could see, even in the blackened night, how her face turned a deeper shade of red than her hair. “I’ve forgotten to eat. I guess I’m hungrier than I realized.”

He plucked an apple from the tree he’d nearly become a part of and held it out to her. The girl approached tentatively. She reached for the fruit but recoiled when her fingers brushed his.

“Is touching me so horrible?” he asked.

Her jaw dropped open and her delicate brow furrowed. She inclined her head. “It . . . hurt.”

“How?” he asked, for her fingers felt good to him, soothing. Warm. He wanted to try again.

“I don’t know how to explain . . .”

“Hum.” Unsatisfied with the answer, he tossed the apple to her and watched as she crunched her teeth into it.

A veteran of the performing arts and worldwide missions, Tessa Stockton also contributed as a writer/editor for ministry publications, ghostwriter for political content, and she headed a column on the topic of forgiveness. Today she writes romance and intrigue novels in a variety of genres. In addition to her fantasy romance, WIND’S ARIA, she’s the author of suspense/thriller, THE UNSPEAKABLE, political intrigue/romance, THE UNFORGIVABLE, and a literary short story, LOVE AND LULL, with more in the works.

www.TessaStockton.com

https://twitter.com/TessaStockton

https://www.facebook.com/tessastockton

Purchase links:

Publisher's Bookstore: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/winds-aria/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Winds-Aria-ebook/dp/B00B1FEC2A/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358431989&sr=1-4&keywords=tessa+stockton

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/winds-aria-tessa-stockton/1114146612?ean=2940016000206

Wicked Paradise by Erin Richards - Review tour and giveaway

(Full length fantasy romance)

This review is done in conjunction with the author's virtual tour with Goddess Fish Promotions.

Erin will award one commenter at every stop an eBook copy of her paranormal romantic suspense novel, "Chasing Shadows"(published by Ellora’s Cave Blush imprint);and one randomly drawn commenter on the tour will receive a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card, winner’s choice, so comment today AND follow the tour (if you click on the tour banner above, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win an awesome prize!


Balanced between the future and the past lies a pre-utopian paradise that may be mankind’s last hope for survival. Yet the island hides a sinister secret…a fearsome demon from ancient Ireland is imprisoned there and it’s about to escape to the twenty-first century.

Desperate to save a future post-apocalyptic world from total destruction, sorcerers send the most powerful sorceress from medieval times, Morgan of the Druids, through time to an island prison to kill WindWraith, the long-imprisoned Fomorian demon.

After a deadly squall tosses Druid-assassin Ryan O’Rourke into the Pacific Ocean, he washes ashore on an unchartered island brimming with magic. Ryan’s determined to find a way to return to Earth’s wasteland to battle the resurrected Fomorians plaguing the dwindling human race. When he stumbles across the enchantress who tantalizes his dreams to the point of madness, his plans turn upside down. For she stirs in him a hunger that puts his life’s purpose at risk.

Morgan has no choice but to kill the Fomorian before it kills her. But Ryan has other plans for the demon . . . Now Morgan and Ryan must decide between love and duty in a perilous race against the evil that could destroy Earth.


Fascinating!

Truly, Ms. Richards did a wonderful job painting a picture of the worlds we visit in this book.  We start in Avalon of long ago, end up in a time, post-apocalyptic, but on an idyllic island full of charm and beauty (oh, and a demon ... yeah, maybe not so idyllic), and we also see a bit of the world outside the island,  all but destroyed by Formorians.

There was seldom a time I was bored.  I admit to being a bit skeptical of the romance at first -- I'm not a fan of books with "predestined" love affairs, and this one had all the earmarks of that -- but the author gives us a twist, and doesn't have the protagonists fall into bed or into love, despite their overwhelming desire and ultimately admiration for each other.  This denial of lust builds the sexual tension to a near-frenzy and was exactly the kind of thing I look for in a love story.

Honestly, I was surprised at how much I really enjoyed this book.  It's well-written, has three dimensional characters, plenty of action and suspense, lots of smoldering heat and a thread of fear throughout along with an ending that is completely satisfying.

I've never heard of the author before, but I'm sure glad I have now.  She's truly talented and has an incredible imagination.  I can't wait for more!

4.5 flowers - This was a very good book! I'd recommend it to my friends.

Now enjoy an excerpt:

“Run.” Ryan gently pushed her in front of him. “Keep to the right.” She tore off in the direction he pointed, heedless of the limbs and plants lashing her arms and legs, snagging her clothing, reaching for her and trying to cling. Was the island also afraid of the Fomorian?

“There’s a path down the cliff you flew off earlier. It leads to a naturally shielded cave.” He nudged her from behind, his hand firm in the hollow of her back.

Tornado howls grew deafening. Morgan tripped over a crumbling log, and Ryan grabbed her waist from behind to prevent her from planting her face in a prickly bramble. Hot and solid, his hands pulled her against his slick torso. Wretched jungle! You wasted no time to push us together again.

“Thank you.” Waning energy forced her to wheeze out the words. Before she lost all her stamina and wilted to the ground, Ryan picked her up, cradled her to his chest. His heart pounded against her shoulder, his internal fire wrapped around her, turning her muscles to mush. “Is it much farther?” She gave into his strength. So be it, island. You’ve had your say for now.

He shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, shame flirted with his immutable arrogance in the downturn of his mouth. He veered to the left and headed down a short, steep incline. “I shouldn’t have been a power-tripping jackass.”

A voracious reader since childhood, it was no hard leap to recognize that Erin wanted to be a writer at a young age. After bemoaning the lack of young adult books to read, Erin wrote her first novel at the age of eighteen hoping to shift the tide. Then everyday life took its toll on her writerly dreams until 2003 when she couldn’t ignore the writing bug any longer. By then, she had immersed herself in reading adult fantasy and romance novels. Writing paranormal & fantasy romance was a no brainer. Her first novel CHASING SHADOWS, a paranormal romantic suspense, is now available in print for the first time. Crimson Romance released her second novel WICKED PARADISE, a fantasy romance, on August 13, 2012. Erin will finally realize her lifelong dream of publishing a young adult novel when VIGILANTE NIGHTS debuts in July 2013.

Erin Richards lives in Northern California where she drafts and negotiates high-technology contracts during the day. When she’s not working or writing, she enjoys reading, photography, and American muscle cars.

Readers can reach Erin at:
Website: http://www.erinrichards.com
Blog: http://erinrichards.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ErinRichards.Author
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2994743.Erin_Richards
Twitter: @erinrichards

WICKED PARADISE Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Paradise-ebook/dp/B008MMVNIG

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wicked-paradise-erin-richards/1112305024?ean=9781440554315

Sony eReader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/erin-richards/wicked-paradise/_/R-400000000000000756888

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Wicked-Paradise/book-7HRff8YsDEe5GhDFfx1xNA/page1.html?s=2l93ahOImUKMdT6U5zBIsg&r=1