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Giveaway!!

Win a signed paperback copy of Released!!  Just click on the clink below to enter the awesome contest and read the fabulous review!!

The Violet Hour

Biggest Giveaway Ever!!

Book Lover Mind of Magical Urban Fantasy Reads is hosting a HUGE giveaway from a multitude of amazing authors.  I wanted to do my part and help spread the fantastic news!  This giveaway offers more than just a free ebook copy!  You can win signed paperbacks, swag and ebooks!  

Click on this link below for your chance to win!

Giveaway

This is probably one of my favorite reviews!  That Bookish Girl is totally awesome and I may stalk her to review my other novels, so what out girl! :o)  JK

Her blog is pretty cool as well, so definitely check it out, you won't regret it and follow too cause she obviously has splendid taste. :-P  Just kidding again, as you can see I started my day off with a cherry slurpee, so please ignore the hyperness.

REVIEW:

Released by Megan Duncan had me at hello (yes, I did go there).  Honestly, from the first page I was completely hooked into the story. The plot, the writing, the characters - everything just worked. You know when you reading a book and suddenly you look at the clock and hours have gone by? You completely forget to eat, to go to the bathroom and heaven help anyone who tries to talk to you - you just cannot put the book down. That's exactly how Released was for me folks.

Granted, that's probably because there is nothing about the book setup that I didn't like. I for one, have a huge weak spot for post-apocalyptic stories, especially ones that feature tough heroines. Duncan manages to keep things fresh by trading the traditional zombie villains in for a truly terrifying demon set. She does such a wonderful job creating the different demons and all I can say is I hope I never come across one.

Continuing on that note, the world building is absolutely superb. I could envision Abby's world perfectly, down to every last detail. The main characters of the story are also well-developed and easy to like. There is Abby - a seventeen-year-old girl who tries to keep a brave face on in the world that is crumbling around her; Carter, her older brother who acts as the ringleader of the teenage band, Max, Abby and Carter's longtime friend and finally Taya, an unlikely but interesting addition the group picks up along their journey. The four main characters are all diverse and they each add a different flavor into the mix. It is interesting to see how they each deal with their feelings and I cannot wait to see how they progress in the upcoming sequel.

The pacing was spot on; things progressed quickly, but never felt rushed. I also enjoyed the fact that the author didn't water down things too much - it's a messy, gritty story and it reads accordingly. There are definitely elements of the story that are not for the faint of heart, but that's to be expected with a post-apocalyptic story that involves demons taking over the earth. 

Honestly, I do not really know what else to say - besides telling you that I adored Released. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic stories and/or strong female leads, then give Released a chance. I would double-recommend it to fans of Zombieland (the movie) and Hollowland (by Amanda Hocking).

4 Book Review

I first want to say that, Two Readers Reviews, is a gorgeous website and you should definitely pay it a visit.  That said the marvelous and splendid Missy, recently read Released and wrote me a sparkling review, which I of course couldn't wait to share with everyone.

Missy's take - 

I have been so in love with dystopian novels lately. It all started with The Hunger Games last year. Released just made my love for dystopians continue to grow!

Released takes place in a world where demon animals roam the Earth. There are several different types and we learn about them as the story moves along. The most common are the demon hounds. These demon creatures hide everywhere and survive off of eating humans.

Our MC, Abby, is one of the few living humans left. She along with her brother Carter and his best friend Max, decide they are going to leave the safety of the home that they have been staying in and head to New Mexico where radio transmissions have promised safety and help by the military. Abby is a fantastic lead. She was both strong and weak. She kept the weakness inside though and only let her strength show. Although I have obviously never been in the situation she is in, I can totally see myself feeling and reacting in similar ways. I felt like I was really able to connect with her as a character.

The world the author created was both intriguing and incredibly frightening. All of the people they manage to find make them suspicious of their motives. In a world with so few people there is still an issue of trust.  You have to be extremely smart and prepared for any situation in order to survive.You never really know who or what is out to get you at any one time.

The story moved very along smoothly. Nothing seemed forced. There was action at all the right times and it had me on the edge of my seat just about the entire time. The action scenes were fantastic and there was such great detail that you almost feel like you are right there fighting off the demons with them.

Overall, I thought this was a fantastic read. If you are looking for a the kind of book you can read in one sitting then this would be the one! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. We are also left with a nice cliffhanger too. The next book in the series is due out this fall!

Awesome Giveaway! Win Released or Hollowland by Amanda Hocking!

I wanted to start spreading the word about this really awesome giveaway!  The grand prize is a copy of my book Released and a copy of Amanda Hocking's book Hollowland!  Enter now folks, this is an amazing dystopian giveaway!

Link to Giveaway

Meet the Characters in Savor!

I thought it might be fun to share some images of what I envision some of the characters in Savor to look like.  I got some great advice from a fellow indie who told me using images helps her write and it definitely works for me because I am a very visual person.  These are the images I used to help create my characters.  It will be fun to hear your thoughts, especially after you read the story and tell me what your imagination has created.  Enjoy!

For my Leading Lady meet Claire!

Claire's vampire bestfriend, the abnormally bubbly Robin,

Claire's nemesis, the beautiful but deadly Ana,

And now for some studs!  There is a romantic love-mystery in this story so I am not going to reveal any spoilers!  Sorry! :o)  But at least they are nice to look at.

Dmitry is a vampire fascinated with humans and incredibly intelligent.  He is definitely an ally you want on your side.

Luka is Dmitry's brother, he is Ana's boyfriend and her partner in her evil deeds, but is he driven by his love for her or is he truly that evil?

And last but not least, the mystery man, whose name I will not reveal mwhahahahahahaha