Blog Tour + Review: Death is but a Dream by Erin Hayes

Death is but a Dream by Erin Hayes

Release Date: September 29, 2013
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Mythology
Pages: 272
Format: eBook
Source: Review Copy for Tour
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Caught between life and death, all Callie wants is to live again.

Homicide detective Callie Saunders knows that death isn’t all pearly gates and angels. After being hit by a bus, she finds that it's the ancient gods and goddesses of Greek mythology who are in charge of everything.

So when Hades offers her a deal, she accepts. If she wants to be brought back to life, she’ll have to figure out who is trying to kill his son. But if she fails, both her soul and the world will be destroyed.

With the odds mounting against her, it’ll take everything she has within her to wake up from death. But the rules are constantly changing. And someone wants her to stay dead.


I absolutely love a good mythological fiction. The characters and stories involved in the original mythology offer an incredible playground for authors to adapt and make their own with an already epic jump-off point. Death is but a Dream was definitely one such tale. Set primarily in the underworld with appearances by a number of mythological favorites, we follow Callie Saunders, who is tasked with protecting Hades and Persephone's son Plutus from an unknown enemy in order to earn her life back.

The investigation leads Callie on a wild ride through the hierarchy of the underworld and will leave you guessing. I only wished more of the story would have been set there, because the mortal world is just so boring in comparison.

As far as the players in the story, I especially loved the concept of Plutus' character. Although his parentage differed from classical mythology, he was still made lame and blind by Zeus in order to keep the distribution of wealth fair and those qualities in this story gave us a wounded, gorgeous man/god you can't help but love. His relationship with Callie was rife with tension and overcoming self-loathing and -deprecation. And because I'm a sap, I ate it up like nothin' else. I'm not above admitting he was my favorite part of the story.

The one struggle I had throughout this book was there were a lot of scenes where the editing felt rough. I tend to be a perfectionist and a stickler, so this can really be a deal breaker for me. Examples ranged from scenes where phrases would be repeated verbatim to dropped words and misused tenses. If you're like me and this gets on your nerves, be forewarned. With that said, I was wrapped up in the story enough that, even though my inner-editor cringed and twitched to whip out the purple pen, I kept reading till the end. The intricacies of the plot and characters were enjoyable enough for me that I could pass over the tough bits, but without them I probably would've tacked on at least an extra half star.

Death is but a Dream was an enjoyable, quick read with just the right blend of mystery, romance, and mythology to keep you interested. If any of those subjects interest you, check it out!

Check out the other stops on the tour here!

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About the Author

Sci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannabe manga artist Erin Hayes writes a lot of things. Sometimes she writes books, like the fantasy mystery Death is but a Dream and the sci-fi middle grade book Jacob Smith is Incredibly Average. You can reach her at tiptoegirl87@gmail.com and she’ll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars.

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Blog Tour: Sentinel by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Hey everyone! Welcome to day 5 of the Sentinel blog tour, featuring Elixir!

Check out the complete tour here.

Elixir (Covenant #3.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release Date: November 27, 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mythology, Romance
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Pages: 80
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Aiden St. Delphi will do anything to save Alex.

Even if it means doing the one thing he will never forgive himself for.

Even if it means making war against the gods.

Favorite Quotes

    "I'd completely understood that she needed to be moved and quickly, but I didn't agree with how Apollo had done it.
    He'd hit her with a god-bolt. And I'd punched him.
    I was surprised that I was alive.


    "Dont't get me wrong. I like Alex. I think she's a pretty cool kid," Solos went on. "But isn't it more humane to put her out of her misery instead-"
My fist connected with his jaw before I even knew what I was doing. His head jerked back as he staggered to the side. I shot forward, grabbing him by his shirt, and slammed him into the wall, rattling several paintings.
    "Aiden!" Marcus yelled.
    "We are not going to harm Alex," I snarled, lifting the Sentinel onto the tips of his boots.


    "You don't know shit. You sure as hell don't know the lengths I will go to to keep her safe."


    "As entertaining as you going all grrr on Solos is, we need to talk," came Apollo's booming voice from inside the den. "So knock it off, Aiden."


    "Oh, you going to hit me again? I kind of liked it that first time."


    "I am not one of your servants, brother. Next time I will break that finger off and shove it so far up your-"
    "We have an audience." Apollo gestured toward us, and I was sure we all wore the same expression of shock and awe. "And no one wants to hear about the things you like to do in your spare time, Dionysus."


    Apollo looked around the room for help. Solos stepped back, raising his hands. "Don't look at me - I'd like to keep my face in one piece, thank you."
    I smirked.


    "You've always been so strong - unique. Only you controlled your life. No one made decisions for you. But this - not even questioning or fighting what's happening - is weak."
    Alex's eyes flew open. "I am not weak."
    "Then prove it!"


    Apollo had said he knew what this kind of love was capable of. And I finally understood why Paris had risked his country and his blood for Helen. Selfish, yes, but I understood. I would burn down the world if that meant Alex would be safe.


    "Did I ever tell you about the first time I saw you?"
    She shivered. "No."
    Closing my eyes, I felt her snuggle closer. My hand curled into the thick material of her sweater. I rested my chin on her head. "I was sixteen and you were probably fourteen."
    "I can't remember fourteen."
    "That's okay. I remember for the both of us."


    "Did you know me then?" she asked sleepily.
    "No." I held her closer, as if I could somehow pull her inside me and keep her safe. "But I knew, in that moment, you were amazing."


    "Love is such a wild and reckless creature. It cannot be planned or threaded. It cannot be controlled. Love can coexist with Fate, or it can undo it. Love is the only thing more powerful than Fate."


    Solos still stared. "Aiden has gone Rambo on us."


    Alex would get no more doses, and when the Elixir wore off, I would do what I felt was the worst thing possible. I'd place her back in the cell, and then I'd wait.
    I'd fight.
    Alex. Seth. A whole slew of gods if necessary. No one was going to take Alex. No one was going to give up on her or hurt her - not even Alex.

Giveaway!

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About the Author

# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia.

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true.

Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don't Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen.

Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

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Blog Tour + Review: Creatura by Nely Cab

Creatura (Creatura #1) by Nely Cab

Release Date: August 6, 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Mythology
Pages: 291
Format: eBook
Source: Review Copy for Tour
Goodreads • Amazon • iTunes • B&N


Isis can control her dreams. Or she could-until recently. The creature in her nightmares has been haunting her for months. As if being dumped wasn't bad enough, now she dreads going to sleep. She decides to confront the creature and win back some of her peace; only, she finds that he’s not a monster and he’s not a dream.

A sacrifice for love, a shocking discovery and a jealous ex-boyfriend blur the lines between reality and dreams, making it hard to tell who the real monsters are.

Who would've known…that sometimes love is lethal?




Creatura had (at least to me) an interesting a unique mythological basis to the story. In the novel, we follow Isis, a girl who went from controlling her dreams to never wanting to fall asleep out of fear. Fear of a monster that she doesn't know, can't see, but that always finds her. Three months into this plague, everyone around Isis is desperate to help her, so she makes the decision to finally confront the beast. And her life will never be the same again.

The love story is one of initial resistance, sweet persistence, and ultimate acquiescence to Isis' feelings. There are parts that will make you shake your head and others where you're melt. There's corny poetry: some of it is adorable and at times, it edged on cringe-worthy, but it's everything we all wanted in young love, once upon a time. I definitely found myself rooting for the couple, even when they got a little too saccharine.

While I wasn't wowed, Creatura was a satisfying, absorbing read that will transport you to a world a lot like our own, but with a lot more magic. And, seriously; who can't get behind that?

Be warned: it ends on a completely-out-of-the-blue, what-the-f@#k-just-happened cliffhanger. You'll be frustrated, possibly even a little angry (I definitely fumed and ranted for a few minutes), but it will leave you wanting more.

Check out the rest of the tour!

Giveaway!

Open internationally

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About the Author

Nely Cab was born on December 9, 1974, in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. She has lived and resided in a small, quiet South Texas town most of her life. Putting her Computer Accounting skills to use, Cab worked in banking for several years. In 2001, the author relocated to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, where she dedicated time to the study of culinary arts and the art of oil painting. After her return to the U.S., Nely resumed her employment in banking and later transitioned to the field of Social Work.

Today, Nely Cab writes from the comfort of her home, where she lives with her husband and son. Her life goal is to check-off Bucket List Item No. 95,623,351: To Conquer the World. While she aspires world domination, Nely continues to work on her debut series Creatura.

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Cover Reveal: Death is but a Dream by Erin Hayes

Death is but a Dream by Erin Hayes

Release Date: Fall 2013
Genre: Adult, Fantasy
Goodreads

Caught between life and death, all Callie wants is to live again.

Homicide detective Callie Saunders knows that death isn’t all pearly gates and angels. After being hit by a bus, she finds that it's the ancient gods and goddesses of Greek mythology who are in charge of everything.

So when Hades offers her a deal, she accepts. If she wants to be brought back to life, she’ll have to figure out who is trying to kill his son. But if she fails, both her soul and the world will be destroyed.

With the odds mounting against her, it’ll take everything she has within her to wake up from death. But the rules are constantly changing. And someone wants her to stay dead.

About the Author

Erin Gulyas is an advertising copywriter. Erin Hayes is her alter ego that writes book in her spare time. This is the blog of Erin Hayes.

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Book Blitz: Creatura by Nely Cab

Creatura by Nely Cab

Release Date: August 6, 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Mythology
Goodreads
Amazon

Isis can control her dreams. Or she could-until recently. The creature in her nightmares has been haunting her for months. As if being dumped wasn’t bad enough, now she dreads going to sleep. She decides to confront the creature and win back some of her peace; only, she finds that he’s not a monster and he’s not a dream.

A sacrifice for love, a shocking discovery and a jealous ex-boyfriend blur the lines between reality and dreams, making it hard to tell who the real monsters are.

Who would’ve known…that sometimes love is lethal?

Excerpts from Creatura

DAVID CHIOS

Eros sighed and closed his eyes. “I cannot help you. I’m sorry.”

“Yes, you can, Eros. You must. You have no idea what it’s like to need someone like you need the flow of your own blood.”

“David, you will never be able to procreate from this relationship. It’s against the law. My answer is firm. I can’t help you.”

Eros pressed his temples as if attempting to release the pressure of my petition.

“Eros… I’ve done something to prove my love for her. But I see that your support is too much to ask, brother. I shouldn’t have come.”

“Wait. Hear my thoughts on the matter. To be in love with a human…that’s impossible. You know the prohibitions of such acts. The law is impenetrable.” He walked to the bar again to serve himself another glass of wine. “You mentioned you had done something to prove your love. What exactly have you done, Romeo?”

“Do you really have to ask?” I sighed.

“I need an answer if you want my help.”

“I gifted her something of mine.”

“O Mon Dieu…”

“The Star Crest-my life-it belongs to her now.”

“Merde.” Eros dropped his drink for a second time. “Dahveed, you have done the unthinkable.”

I stared at the shards of glass on the hardwood floor and nodded. “It’s done.”

“You’ve gone insane. It’s suicide!”

*     *     *

“Why can’t you believe that I am real?” he asked.

“Because you’re not. Look at you with your golden skin and wings, wearing a skirt. How can I believe you’re real?”

“I can prove it.”

“Oh, yeah? I dare you.”

“Do you, now?” David raised his brow.

“Double dare. And you should wear a skirt that looks more like pants for the occasion.”

“Your clever quips are very delightful, my lovely. Are you positively sure about this?”

“I’ve been waiting for this for three months.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Bring it on.”

“Very well. But I have to warn you, I’m quite the competitor.”

“Then there should be a prize for the winner to make it more interesting.”

“You’re proposing a wager?”I nodded.

“If I win, you’ll leave my dreams forever,” I said. He gazed at me for a moment. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I thought I saw a trace of a grin on his face.

“If I should win, you will believe me when I say I’m not a dream,” David said.

“If you say so,” I snickered. “I guess this is goodbye since I’ll be winning.”

“And...” he said.

“There’s more?”

“And...you will never again come here.”

“Okay,” I said. “Fair enough.”

“And...” he said again.

“That’s too many ‘ands’.”

“And...” he continued, “I bid you not farewell, but good morrow.”

David tipped his head as he disappeared, leaving behind a cloud of golden dust.

*     *     *

“It’s not working,” David said. “Why isn’t it working?”

“You don’t have much time. If the corrosion reaches her chest, she’s going to die,” Nyx said.

“I’m going to die?” I mumbled.

I always thought I would be afraid of dying. I carried that fear with me since I was twelve, after looking inside that coffin at my dad’s stiff, breathless body. But now that it was my turn, I was ready. This was the destiny that was written for me.

“I can’t do it, Mother. I have nothing to forgive her for,” David said.

If I was going to die, I needed to tell David something I hadn’t had the courage to tell him before.

I glanced at my arm. The decomposition was at my elbow and the tingling had crept up near my shoulder. I didn’t have time to waste.

“David,” I said, and he looked at me. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I needed you to know...to hear it.”

I could feel the tingling a few inches past my shoulder. Nyx pulled my shirt at the neckline exposing my collarbone and part of my shoulder.

“I love you,” I said. “I always have.”

“I’m so sorry I did this to you,” David whispered stroking my forehead.

I could no longer feel my arm, my shoulder and part of my chest. And then I felt it—a searing pain in the middle of my chest. I writhed in anguish, screaming at the top of my lungs. My whole body jerked, and then there was darkness. Everything was silent, including my heart.

A soft light surrounded me, cradling me in a tranquility I had never known existed. I struggled for a last breath, but it was too late. The end was here.

Giveaway!

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About the Author

Nely Cab was born on December 9, 1974, in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. She has lived and resided in a small, quiet South Texas town most of her life. Putting her Computer Accounting skills to use, Nely worked in banking for several years. In 2001, the author relocated to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, where she dedicated time to the study of culinary arts and the art of oil painting. After her return to the U.S., Nely resumed her employment in banking and later transitioned to the field of Social Work.

Today, Nely Cab writes from the comfort of her home, where she lives with her husband and son. Her life goal is to check-off Bucket List Item No. 95,623,351: To conquer the world. While she aspires world domination, Nely continues to work on her debut series Creatura.

Website   /   Goodreads   /   Facebook   /   Twitter

Review: Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

     Apollyon (Covenant #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout - 4.5/5 stars

Release Date: April 9, 2013

Thrilling.

***Warning: If you have not read Half-Blood, Pure, and Deity, there will be spoilers.***

"Fate isn't something to mess with and now, neither is Alex. Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods and Alex herself to bring her back. The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex's power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex's connection to Seth isn't the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole an Apollyon can't be killed theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries. Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer or she might become the God Killer herself."

It took me awhile to get around to reading this (because life and stuff), but I've been a huge fan of this series since about this time last year, when Aiden made his way into my life via the YA Crush Tourney. I'm a sucker for a tension-laced love story, as well as kick-ass, take-care-of-themselves heroines. This series has both. When I finally did get around to reading it, it was a slow start for me. When last we saw Alex in Deity, she'd just become the second Apollyon and connected with Seth. In the novella Elixir, told from Aiden's point of view, we watched him struggle to find a way to bring Alex back to herself. Thankfully, it didn't take long in Apollyon for Alex to be back to her old self (more or less).

There was, however, a very different feel to Alex's attitude through a large part of the book. While it was understandable (she's playing a key part in the fate of the world, after all), it was difficult to fully get behind an Alex that, whether she admits it or not, is finally scared.She's scared of what's happening in the world, what could befall her friends, and even herself - because, mot of all, she has no idea if she'll be able to keep from reconnecting with Seth and him from draining her power, thereby sealing fate. It's a tall order, so, again, I totally understood. But I missed the real-and-true feisty Alex. While her snark was never lost, it was definitely strained.

So, I struggled a bit to maintain interest. I wanted to keep reading to see how everything would unfold, but my heart wasn't really in the progression. I may have understood her fear, but I missed the Alex that would make me grin uncontrollably and want to fist-pump in triumph (in public, mind you) over her determination and bravery.

And then, it happened. It was like a cord snapped and Alex was still scared, but suddenly, she was the Apollyon and she freaking. Owned. That. Shit. The first legitimate fight scene of this book was amazing, and then it was like the storm had hit. I'd gone from low to astronomical on the emotional-involvement-scale in the space of a few pages. I was brought to tears, I laughed, I rooted for these characters that I really love. Just when I thought I was beginning to lose some of my love for this series, it hit like a tidal wave, knocking me on my ass and not letting me come up for air until it was done.

And then the ending. A cliffhanger that has me salivating for Sentinel, the final installment of the series. When I realized that was the end, I sat gaping like a fish for longer than is probably okay. At this point, I was also waiting in an airport gate, so I'm willing to better I looked especially silly. But, regardless, now I get to probably wait almost four months to see what happens (if I were to ever get ARCs from any author, I would absolutely want it to be JLA - between Sentinel and Origin, I'm a mess with all this waiting!). Woo.

Overall, I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who's enjoyed the rest of the Covenant series. You may experience, like me, that it's a bit difficult to get started, but, trust me, it will all be worth it! And, for anyone who hasn't read the series, if you enjoy butt-kicking heroines, adorable romance, snark, and mythology, this is a must-read!

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