I don't know about you, but my summer is flying by! I guess that's just a sign that I am blessed to be so busy with my wonderful family & friends. For this surprise (even for me) giveaway I'm giving away $10 Amazon GC code along with a SURPRISE gift that will be mailed to the winner.
Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy (Book 2)
After barely surviving the onslaught of monsters that tried to kill him the day before his fourteenth birthday, Jack Templar leaves his hometown on a quest to rescue his father and discover the truth about his past. Joined by his friends Will and T-Rex, and led by Eva, the mysterious one-handed monster hunter, Jack sets out for the Monster Hunter Academy where he hopes to find answers to his questions. Little does he suspect that the Academy is filled with dangers of its own, many of them more terrifying than anything he’s faced so far.
My Thoughts:
This book was a fantastic sequel to the first book. It begins where the story left off in Jack Templar: Monster Hunter. From the very beginning of his journey, Jack faces huge obstacles to become the Monster Hunter everyone expects him to be. Jack is torn between his fear of what he will have to face and his duty to do what needs to be done to save the world. The other characters, Will, T-Rex & Eva are there to help him, along with a new frienemy named Daniel. I'd like to reiterate what a great series this is all ages, boys and girls. Jack is pragmatic and easy to connect to. I highly recommend reading this series. It's a lot of fun!
Jack Templar: Monster Hunter
Orphan Jack Templar has no memory of his parents and only the smallest details from his Aunt Sophie about how they died. The day before Jack's fourteenth birthday, things start to change for him. At first it's great: A sudden new strength helps him defend his nose-picking friend "T-Rex" from the school bully, and even his crush, Cindy Adams, takes notice. But then a mysterious girl named Eva arrives and tells him two facts that will change his life forever. First, that he's the descendent of a long line of monster hunters and he's destined to be in the family business. Second, that there's a truce between man and monster that children are off-limits...until their fourteenth birthday! Jack has only one day before hundreds of monsters will descend on his little town of Sunnyvale and try to kill him.
As if that weren't enough, things get even more complicated when Jack discovers that the Lord of the Creach (as the monsters are collectively known) holds a personal grudge against him and will do anything to see that Jack has a slow and painful death. To stay alive and save his friends, Jack will have to battle werewolves, vampires, harpies, trolls, zombies and more. But perhaps the most dangerous thing he must face is the truth about his past. Why do the other hunters call him the last Templar? Why do they whisper that he may be the "One?" Why do the monsters want him dead so badly? Even as these questions plague him, he quickly discovers survival is his new full-time job and that in the world of monster hunters, nothing is really what it seems.
Yeah, you read it right. I’m a monster hunter. Back before I actually became one, I would have thought that sounded totally awesome. And don’t get me wrong, in a lot of ways it is. But most of the time, I’m either running for my life or hiding in the shadows, praying the monster chasing me doesn’t pick up my scent. And I’m almost always scared to death. In a few pages, I think you’ll see why. But there are a few things I need to warn you about before I tell you my story. First, this isn’t a cartoon. These are bloodthirsty creatures who will stop at nothing to kill. They are scary. Very scary. Second, the only way to stop them is to kill them first…and that gets gross and messy. Third, this is all real. You think I’m kidding, don’t you? I can almost see you smirking as you read this. But this isn’t a joke. Monsters are real and the story I’m about to tell you really happened. If you’d rather walk through life believing that monsters are only found in books or on the movie screen, then you should shut this book right now and go do something else. I give you these warnings because the story I’m about to tell you isn’t for everyone. Not everyone can handle it. The blood. The gore. The monsters. This life was thrust onto me. I had no choice but to take up a sword and fight. But you can still walk away and pretend this dark world doesn’t exist. Or you can walk through the door that I’m about to open and find out the truth about the world around you. But I warn you (and this is a big warning), if you read this book, if you learn about the monsters that roam among us and the hunters who fight them, if you decide to learn the truth, then you will become fair game for the monsters to chase. Make sure you understand what I’m saying. If you read this book, you will be part of this world and the monsters will come after you too. You will start to see things that no other humans can see. The shadows will move when you walk near them. The creatures of the night will seek you out, testing the doors and windows of your house, looking for a way in. And, at some point, they will find you, just like they found me, and you will be forced to defend yourself. So, think carefully before you turn the page, because once you do, there’s no turning back. Ever. Once a monster hunter, always a monster hunter. See you on the other side. If you’re brave enough.
Awards for Jack Templar Monster Hunter
Book of the Year Finalist by Forward Magazine
Next Generation Indie Book Finalist
Indie Excellence Finalist
Parents Choice Recommended Book Award
Author Jeff Gunhus
Jeff Gunhus grew up in Cyprus, Greece, and Saudi Arabia where there was a distinct lack of television. He quickly found books were the gateway to incredible adventures, fascinating characters and unbelievable discoveries. Now, with five children of his own (all who watch too much television, in his opinion), he has enjoyed revisiting his old books and reliving those adventures all over again.
Nothing can stop Raine Cooper when she wants
something… Raine finally knows that her gorgeous neighbor, Torin St. James, is
a legend straight out of Norse mythology but that doesn’t stop her from falling
hard for him. Torin is crazy about Raine too, breaking the one rule he lives
by: Never fall for a mortal. The problem is he no longer remembers her or that
she saved him by making a deal with Norns—Norse destiny deities—the same Norns
who have now erased his memories of their past together to punish her. So Raine
comes up with a plan... She will make Torin forget his one rule a second time
and fall in love with her all over again. But before Raine can put her plan
into action, the Norns return. This time, they demand she protects Eirik
Seville, her best friend since childhood, from an evil so dark even the Norns
are scared. But you know what they say about well-laid plans… Caught between
protecting Eirik and convincing the stubborn, cocky Torin St. James that the
two of them are meant to be together, Raine's life slowly unravels. Friendships
are tested. Enemies become allies. Desperate, Raine makes choices that could
not only tear her and Torin further apart, but lead to the destruction of
everything and everyone she loves.
Release Date: August 5th 2013 by Firetrail
Publishing
And now for the big reveal...drum roll please.
What?!! TWO covers?! That's right! And you get to help choose. So go to the rafflecopter and get to pickin'!
EDNAH WALTERS grew up reading Nancy Drew and the
Hardy Boys and dreaming of one day writing her own stories. She is a
stay-at-home mother of five humans and two American short-hair cats (one of
which has ADHD) and a husband. When she is not writing, she’s at the gym doing
Zumba or doing things with her family, reading, traveling or online chatting
with fans. Ednah is the author of The Guardian Legacy series, a YA fantasy
series about children of the fallen angels, who fight demons and protect
mankind. AWAKENED, the prequel was released by Pill Hill Press in September
2010 with rave reviews. BETRAYED, book one in the series was released by her
new publisher Spencer Hill Press in June 2012 and HUNTED, the third
installment, will be released April 2013. She’s working on the next book in the
series, FORGOTTEN. Ednah also writes New Adult paranormal romance. RUNES is the
first book in her new series. She is presently working on book 2, IMMORTALS. Under
the pseudonym E. B. Walters, Ednah writes contemporary romance. SLOW BURN, the
first contemporary romance with suspense, was released in April 2011. It is the
first book in the Fitzgerald family series. Since then she has published four
more books in this series. She's presently working on book six. You can visit
her online at www.ednahwalters.com or www.ebwalters.com.
Connect with Ednah: Website:
http://www.ednahwalters.com/index.html Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4188120.Ednah_Walters Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/EdnahWalters Twitter: https://twitter.com/ednahwalters One last thing: Please, PUH-LEASE go vote for Torin in YA Crush Tourney!! http://ya-sisterhood.blogspot.com/2013/06/match-5-perry3-vs-torin6.html?m=1
The YA Crush Tourney is having its first round of voting. Catie, my awesome blog sister @ Forbidden Passions Reviews is the official advocate for Torin St. James the blue eyed, heart breaker from Runes by Ednah Walters. If you haven't read Runes well I can't help but feel sorry that you've missed out on this delicious piece of man candy! If Torin were real flesh and blood there would hair pulling, stiletto stabbing, clothes clawing riots in every city he visited.
Please, please, please, PUH-LEEEEEESE go vote for Torin at the YA Crush Tourney. Ednah is going to be doing a FAN-tastic giveaway soon in appreciation for all the love we give this beautiful specimen of Hunkiness. Stay tuned for that. Now go vote!!
On the night
seventeen-year-old Jeremy Glass winds up in the hospital with a broken leg and
a blood alcohol level well above the legal limit, his secret crush, Susannah,
disappears. When he begins receiving messages from her from beyond the grave,
he’s not sure whether they’re real or if he’s losing his grip on reality. Clue
by clue, he gets closer to unraveling the mystery, and soon realizes he must
discover the truth or become the next victim himself.
Lisa
Amowitz was born in Queens and raised in the wilds of Long Island, New York
where she climbed trees, thought small creatures lived under rocks and studied
ant hills. And drew. A lot.
When
she hit her teens, she realized that Long Island was too small for her and she
needed to escape. So she went to college in Pittsburgh. Go figure.
On
leaving college, Lisa became a graphic designer living in New York City. She
eventually married her husband of a zillion years, had two lovely children, and
was swept away to a fairy tale life in the Bronx, where, unbelievably there are
more trees and wilderness than her hometown. She can see the Hudson River from
her kitchen window.
Lisa
has been a professor of Graphic Design at her beloved Bronx Community College
where she hasshe been tormenting and cajoling students for nearly seventeen years.
She started writing eight years ago because she wanted something to illustrate,
but somehow, instead ended up writing YA. Probably because her mind is too dark
and twisted for small children.
BREAKING
GLASS which will be released in July, 2013 from Spencer Hill Press, is her
first published work. VISION, the first of the Finder series will be released
in 2014, along with an unnamed sequel in the following year. LIFE AND BETH will
also be released in the near future, along with graphic novel style art.
Now for my favorite part! I asked Lisa some questions about what she had in mind if her book was ever up on the silver screen. Here's what she thinks:
If your book were turned into a movie what actors/actresses
would you want to play the characters?
Wow!
Tough one. It’s funny, but I’m not sure. The closest actor personality-wise
that I think mirror’s Jeremy’s persona is a younger Jessie Eisenberg. But
Jessie is everywhere and a bit too over-exposed, so he would not be my first
choice.
But
this guy, Ephraim Ellis, looks more like Jeremy..
As
for Susannah, Jeremy’s obsession…wow—I had never heard of this actress Denise
Vasi,,but she IS Susannah!
As
for heartthrob Ryan—Jeremy’s best friend and Susannah’s cheating
boyfriend..This guy, Matt Barr:
(~H.O.T~)
2.
What scene would you want to see most on the big screen?
This
is going to be hard without giving too many spoilers. Probably the scene from
the first chapter where Jeremy rushes to his car and drives along the wet,
winding roads of Riverton in pursuit of Susannah.
3.
What, if anything, would absolutely NOT let them cut out of the movie?
The
terrible thing that happens to Jeremy that changes his life forever—which I
cannot divulge!
4.
What songs would you want on the movie soundtrack?
If you check out my trailer, you’ll hear
one.
I’m
sure there are others, but none come to mind at the moment. However, there is a
song that I associate with my next book, VISION, coming out in 2014—and it’s
Mumford and Sons, Lover of the Light.
As if it couldn't get any better...A giveaway!! Thank you Lisa so much for your time. You are one fabulous lady!
The YA Crush Tourney is getting ready to start its first round of voting. Catie, my awesome blog sister @ Forbidden Passions Reviews is the official advocate for Torin St. James the blue eyed, heart breaker from Runes by Ednah Walters. If you haven't read Runes well I can't help but feel sorry that you've missed out on this delicious piece of man candy! If Torin were real flesh and blood there would hair pulling, stiletto stabbing, clothes clawing riots in every city he visited. Catie is looking for Street Team members to help out so if you are interested, here is your assignment if you choose to accept it:
1) Change your Twitter, Facebook, Google+, whatever, avatar into the cover of Runes OR the button up top.
2) TWEET #TEAMTORIN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN and rally your followers!
3) If you have a blog, write a post on why you love Torin(so not hard to do) and all your favorite Torin quotes on the 16th. He battles on the 17th, so be sure to mention that too!
4) Put the button for Team Torin all over the internet.
I know Ednah Walters, the woman behind this drool inducing man, is going to be giving away some swag in appreciation for all the love Torin gets. So stay tuned for a giveaway in the near future.
Make sure you visit the Runes blog for all kinds of updates, memes and all around cool stuff.
Now come on peeps! Let's get this newbie his first YA Crush Tourney champion title!!
Orphan Jack Templar has no memory of his parents and only the smallest details from his Aunt Sophie about how they died. The day before Jack's fourteenth birthday, things start to change for him. At first it's great: A sudden new strength helps him defend his nose-picking friend "T-Rex" from the school bully, and even his crush, Cindy Adams, takes notice. But then a mysterious girl named Eva arrives and tells him two facts that will change his life forever. First, that he's the descendent of a long line of monster hunters and he's destined to be in the family business. Second, that there's a truce between man and monster that children are off-limits...until their fourteenth birthday! Jack has only one day before hundreds of monsters will descend on his little town of Sunnyvale and try to kill him.
As if that weren't enough, things get even more complicated when Jack discovers that the Lord of the Creach (as the monsters are collectively known) holds a personal grudge against him and will do anything to see that Jack has a slow and painful death. To stay alive and save his friends, Jack will have to battle werewolves, vampires, harpies, trolls, zombies and more. But perhaps the most dangerous thing he must face is the truth about his past. Why do the other hunters call him the last Templar? Why do they whisper that he may be the "One?" Why do the monsters want him dead so badly? Even as these questions plague him, he quickly discovers survival is his new full-time job and that in the world of monster hunters, nothing is really what it seems.
My Thoughts: I love the fact that this book appeals to several different audiences. Especially the 12 & up, girls AND boys dynamic. My daughter (12 yrs. old) isn't into "girly" books. She's going to love this book. It's got a snarky 14 year old that speaks the native language of teenager. It's full of adventure and Jack's reactions to what is happening to him are realistic. Characters that you can relate to are more fun to read about. In the beginning of the book Jack breaks the fourth wall to warn us about reading the book and being a possible cry baby. HAHA, love it! The other characters in the book are great support for Jack as well. Eva is an extremely strong female presence in the story that balances out all the boys and their nonsense. The whole story focuses on Jack finding out what and who he is so I can't wait to read the next book and see what happens. This book is a fairly quick read for an avid reader. For ages 12 & up Mild violence and a lot of monster descriptions No bad language or sexual content
Seventeen-year-old
Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father s disappearance,
her mother s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating.
The last thing she needs is Torin St. James a mysterious new neighbor with a
wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her. Raine is drawn to Torin s dark
sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks
and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something
inside Raine. Now she can t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she s not
sure whether to fall into his arms or run. Scared, she sets out to find out
what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers
something sinister about him. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology
and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only is she and her friends in danger, she
must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life.
My Thoughts:
This book is 100% awesome! First, the story is original. I've read books with Nordic myths as the focus, but nothing like this. I've mentioned before in other reviews that Ednah creates characters I love so much, I wish they were real people. Raine and Torin are no exception. However, they are EXCEPTIONAL! Raine is smart and brave. She doesn't take crap from anyone including powerful Nordic deities. No wonder she's attracted to Torin. He's the Holy Trinity of the boy your mother wants you to stay away from. Hot. Cocky. Dangerous. My Kryptonite! I loved Raine's friends. Eirik and Cora are loyal and great support for Raine when she needs it most. I can't wait to read the next book. I know this one just came out so I'm going to be patient. UGH! If you haven't read Ednah's other series The Guardian Legacy you really need to catch up!
Now...even if you haven't read the book yet (get to it PDQ) you will enjoy reading this part of Ch.1 in Torin's POV. Now if you haven't gone to one of the blogs that posted yesterday you'll be lost since they have the part that comes before this one. So hop over to www.forbiddenpassionsreviews.blogspot.com and read it before you dive into this part. I promise it will SO be worth the jumping around!
“My husband stepped
out for a moment,” she waved toward a mirror, “but he should be back any
minute.”
I frowned. I’d
never met her before yet I made her nervous. Or maybe it was something else.
“Is everything okay, Mrs. Seville?”
“Yes, of course.
May I offer you a drink?”
“That won’t be
necessary.” I gave the marbled grand foyer and its grand stairs a sweeping
glance and tried not to wince. It was so sterile. Even the paintings on the
walls and the sculptures displayed in niches belonged in a museum. Staying with
them would be a nightmare. I liked to come and go as I pleased, and work on my
bike without worrying about dirtying a place up. “I was told you’d provide me
with lodging until I find a more suitable place.”
“You are free to
stay here, of course,” the woman said, her eyes shifting to the mirror as
though hoping her husband would return. “We also have a house for sale a few
blocks from here. It is smaller and not furnished, but—”
“I’ll take it.” I
turned on the charm, took her hand in mine and flashed a smile. The effect on
her was immediate. She visibly relaxed. “Thank you.”
She smiled. “It’s
an honor to help. The problem is my son has the keys to the house and he’s not
home yet. He might be at his, uh, friend’s house.”
“Where does he
live?”
“She,” Mrs.
Seville corrected. “I’ll show you.” She pulled a runic blade from under her
sleeve, walked to the floor to ceiling mirror and quickly sketched runes on its
surface. The mirror shimmered and became grainy. It started to churn, the
surface coiling like a snake.
The portal took
forever to form. Why anyone would choose to be merely an Immortal was beyond
me. Their powers were limited, making them inept at performing runic magic.
Even creating a portal was a Herculean task for most Immortals. Since I had no
idea where we were headed and couldn’t speed things up, I kept my mouth shut
and waited, until the coiling surface formed a tunnel. Through it, I saw an
empty room on the other end.
Indie Excellence Finalist
Parents Choice Recommended Book Award
Seventeen-year-old
Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father s disappearance,
her mother s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating.
The last thing she needs is Torin St. James a mysterious new neighbor with a
wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her. Raine is drawn to Torin s dark
sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks
and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something
inside Raine. Now she can t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she s not
sure whether to fall into his arms or run. Scared, she sets out to find out
what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers
something sinister about him. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology
and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only is she and her friends in danger, she
must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life.
