Gilded Ruins Release Week Blitz

I am so excited that GILDED RUINS by Chantal Gadoury is available now and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Chantal Gadoury, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a $10 Amazon GC courtesy of Rockstar Book Tours & Chantal. So if you’d like a chance to win, check out the giveaway info below.

About The Book:

Title: GILDED RUINS (Blinding Night #2)

Author: Chantal Gadoury

Pub. Date: May 12, 2021

Publisher: The Parliament House

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 295

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, Kobo, iBooks

The Story Continues. . .

Summer and Darce are summoned by the order of Zeus himself to travel to the home of the Gods: Mount Olympus, where they're to face even more ancient Gods and Goddesses.

Summer braces to confront her mother again, illuminating secrets about the truth of her tragic pasts, while also persuading Zeus to allow her to stay with the God of the Underworld, her true love - Darce.

Aboard Poseidon's luxury yacht, Summer meets her mythological family, while also uncovering what exactly happened to her past lives - and the true roles her mother and Darce played.

When Darce and Summer suddenly find themselves separated, Summer must find her inner power and unite them together, before her mortal time runs out.

About Book 1:

Title: BLINDING NIGHT (Blinding Night #1)

Author: Chantal Gadoury

Pub. Date: October 2, 2018

Publisher: The Parliament House 

Formats: Paperback, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 289

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, Kobo, iBooks, TBD, Bookshop.org

What if you were the missing piece in one of the world’s most epic legends? 

Despite being an art history student, Summer isn’t thrilled to be stuck with her archeologist family all summer in Greece. While the rest of her college friends are posting a million selfies by the pool together, Summer is stuck alone, trying to entertain herself alone in a place where she doesn’t even speak the language. 

Upon her arrival to Greece, strange dreams and even stranger shadows seem to haunt Summer, leaving her to ponder the meaning of pomegranate seeds and twisted, darkened faces. 

Suddenly, her stay abroad leads to tragic twists, leaving Summer in the arms of a dark stranger, who claims to be the god, Hades, whom she feels like she knows from another life. In a whirlwind through the busy streets of Athens, Summer is seduced to the lowest point of Greece where Hades’ lair awaits…the Underworld. Determined to find out who she is and where she belongs in an age-old myth, Summer joins Hades to discover that the secrets about her past life are beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

Book Trailer:

https://youtu.be/cbZfOzDnNNQ

Excerpt:

“Have you heard the news?” Hermes asked as he came to pause in front of Darce.  

“There’s been a slight change of plans.” 

“Change?” Darce asked, brow arched. He crossed his arms against his chest and shook his head. “What do you mean?” 

“Do we get to go home?” I asked, doing what I could to keep the hope from my tone. Hermes chuckled and shook his head as he leaned lazily against the doorframe. 

“We’ve been invited to the Mediterranean Sea.” 

I didn’t miss the dark look Darce gave Hermes. 

“The Mediterranean Sea?” I asked, wrinkling my nose. “What about—” 

“Zeus thought it would be better for everyone to meet on more neutral ground.” 

“So he chose the sea?” Darce snorted, shaking his head. “Sounds more like he couldn’t resist an invitation to Poseidon’s superyacht.” 

“Wait a second,” I asked, looking skeptically between the two of them. 

“Poseidon has a superyacht?” 

The irony hadn’t been lost on me. 

“Yes,” Hermes said, flashing me a smile. “It’s a beautiful ship. There are several amenities I’m sure you’ll enjoy your time aboard. The hot tub is one of my personal favorite places there.” 

“I don’t think so,” Darce said, the muscles in his jaw tightening. “We’re not going.” 

Darce pushed himself from the wall and grabbed my hand. 

“But—” I started, feeling unsure. Was it so easy to just turn around and leave? Could we really go home? Just as Darce turned on his heel, and started towards the door, Hermes cleared his throat.” 

“You know you have very little choice in this, my Lord. You know if you snub your brother, he’ll not resist punishing you, and her too.” 

His words caused Darce to pause. Darce turned to look to Hermes over his shoulder. 

“He gave me no indication that we’d be meeting out at sea. It was agreed that I would go to Mount Olympus. He demanded that she go there. . .” Darce tried to argue. 

“Certainly you do not oppose a more neutral place-” 

“It’s hardly neutral, Hermes. You know that,” Darce hissed. “It’s a show. All of this is a show.” I could hear the growl in his voice as he slid his hands to his waist. 

“He obviously intends to make this meeting into nothing but a grand, dramatic performance.” 

Hermes seemed unbothered by Darce’s outrage. “I’m just the messenger.”

About Chantal:

Chantal Gadoury is an Amazon Best Selling Author who is originally from the countryside of Muncy, PA. Chantal likes anything Disney, plays a mean game of Disney trivia, enjoys painting and has a interest in British History. Chantal first started writing stories at the age of seven and continues that love of writing today. As a recent college graduate from Susquehanna University, with a degree in Creative Writing, writing novels is a dream come true.

Website |  Twitter | Facebook | Intstagram | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon Page

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon GC, International.

Ends May 19, 2020. Midnight EST.

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Atlantis Rising by Gloria Craw

****

From Entangled Teen:

We’ve stayed hidden too long…

I am different. I have always been different, but no one can know or my life will be in danger. So I hide in plain sight, wearing drab clothes and thick glasses and trying to be invisible. I’m so good at hiding, no one has ever noticed me. Until Ian…the mysterious and oh-so-cute boy I know I need to avoid.

Now I have been seen. And more terrifying still, I am wanted—by those who would protect me and those who would destroy everything and everyone I love. But if they’re all terrified about who I am, wait until they see what I can do…

Atlantis Rising makes it onto my best of 2015 list (so far).  I was in a heck of a reading slump until Entangled sent me this unknown book by an unknown author and I figured, what the heck.  Holy Thor, this book drew me in like Chris Helmsworth's abs and kept me just as captivated.  I love the cast of characters - Alison, Ian and Brandy and all the supporting cast are great.  The story is engrossing and fun and the perfect way to spend a day.  If you enjoy paranormal YA, I cannot recommend this book enough.  

Atlantis Rising is about a waning group of people who are the descendants of the inhabitants of Atlantis.  Of course, there's the clueless heroine, the hottie hero, the fun, crazy BFF and of course, the completely psycho villain.  All pretty typical, but Craw puts it all together in a way that will have you laughing, crying and rooting for the good guys.  Craw's created a fascinating mythology of Atlantis, and I hope there are more stories to come!

~Shel

God's Play by H.D. Lynn

* * * 

Sixteen-year old Toby was trained by a family of hunters to kill shape-shifters — but he has a unique weapon in his arsenal. With a touch of his hand, Toby can lift the magical protection shape-shifters use to disguise themselves as human. It’s an unusual skill for a hunter, and he prefers to kill monsters the old-fashioned way: with a blade.

Because of his special skill, Toby suspects he may be a monster himself. His suspicions deepen when William, a jackal-headed shape-shifter, saves him from an ambush where Toby’s the only survivor. And Toby doubts William helped him for purely altruistic reasons. With his list of allies running thin, Toby must reconcile his hatred of shifters and the damning truth that one saved his life. It’ll take both of them to track down the monster who ordered the ambush.

And Toby needs his unlikely ally because he has a vicious enemy — the infamous Circe, who has a vendetta to settle against the hunters. Toby has to unravel the mystery of his dual nature. And he has to do it on the run — before Circe finds him and twists him to her own ends.

You know you’re heading up sh** creek when the only person you can trust is your sworn enemy. Someone you’ve been taught to hate, hunt down and kill. And that’s the premise of God’s Play, about two least likely young men who find themselves in a bit of a predicament but who are smart enough to recognize that they could mutually benefit from working together to take down an enemy greater than either of them have ever experienced.

Meet Toby, who’s been taught from an early age by his hunter-mother all that he knows about shape-shifters and monsters.  He’s the lone survivor on the night that she and the rest of his family are killed. William, who’s a shape-shifter, happens to find him and rescues him.  Obviously, neither of them trust each other, especially with Toby’s special power that could put shape-shifters into serious jeopardy. But Toby is desperate to find his mother’s killer and avenge her death. William sees a partnership with Toby as an opportunity to rid himself of a particularly troublesome foe who so happens is responsible for Toby’s mother’s death. Where Toby is all gusto and bravery, William has always lacked the confidence to take care of business himself. Through a series of flashbacks that expose their personal histories, it's fun to see how their opposing personalities and priorities clash and then eventually compromise.

I found God’s Play engaging. I hadn’t read anything like it before and the uneasy alliance between Toby and William became more tense as that developed. The plot also involves other players that make the story more colourful and come alive. With three POVs providing plenty of history and mythology, everything made sense and felt satisfying when events and people finally connected.

I simply picked it up because I liked the cover and I was looking for a break from what I’d been reading lately. Mysteries, secrets, greed, friendship and surprises make this a riveting read. If you like your paranormal with a contemporary feel and some mythology, God’s Play will work for you! 

~ Bel

YA Mythology Giveaway Hop!

There are few people I know who are bigger fans of mythology related books than I am, so I was much too excited to discover the YA Mythology Giveaway Hop being hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and About to Read.  My only problem was deciding what to give away! 

 

We have had lots of giveaways featuring one of my favorite mythology series, the Mythos Academy by Jennifer Estep, so I thought maybe we should try something new.  Perhaps the Half-Blood series by Jennifer Armentrout?  Oh. My. Gods. or Sweet Venom series by the super sweet Tera Lynn Childs?  Pegasus by Kate O'Hearn?  The ever awesome books by Rick Riordan?  I could go on and on.

I honestly couldn't decide and you really don't want to know what my convoluted thought process was to get to my choices, but here you go -

 

 And

 

There are lots of blogs participating, so please check out their giveaways too!  Thanks for stopping by and good luck!

~Shel

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Dreamless by Jospehine Angelini

***1/2

From HarperTeen:

Can true love be forgotten?

As the only scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out—a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies' cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen's sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.

Josephine Angelini's compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding as an unforgettable love triangle emerges and the eternal cycle of revenge intensifies. Eagerly awaited, this sequel to the internationally bestselling Starcrossed delivers a gritty, action-packed love story that exceeds all expectations.

If you have been following the blog, you know that Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini was one of my top 10 of 2011.  I LOVED Starcrossed.  I could not read another book until I read it for a second time.  Given this, you can imagine how much I have been anticipating Dreamless.  I was thrilled when we got the ARC.  So, enough gushing, let's get to the review.

The Bad:

I was hoping we would get further into the story in Dreamless.  Don't get me wrong, there is a ton of action in Dreamless, but for such a long book (a whopping 496 pages), I was hoping to get further.  I was also really hoping for more Helen and Hector time, because they are definitely the comic relief in the series.  Hector is there, but not nearly enough.  In fact, most of the Delos family are only peripherally in Dreamless.  Their roles were small and mostly they were all angry at Helen, but I am not entirely sure why.  I also found Helen's father's obliviousness unbelievable, especially given how close the two were in Starcrossed. 

The Good:

Dreamless is lyrical and poetic.  Despite the length, I did not want the story to end.  I was completely enthralled.  So involved that there were a number of times I wanted to yell at Helen "Don't do it, it's a trap you idiot!" - Of course, I didn't because somewhere in the far reaches of my mind I actually realized she is a fictional character and could not hear me...

Setting the stage for the war to come the final installment of the trilogy, Dreamless moves more slowly than Starcrossed, but introduced us to many new characters, including some of the gods.  The mythology of this world portrays some of the gods as horrible creatures, which I never thought I would like, but the evil, ugly gods have grown on me (though I am hoping Apollo will still be beautiful if he is ever introduced).  The portrayal of Ares was creepy, disturbing and fascinating.  I enjoyed Dreamless and cannot wait to read what happens next and hopefully all of my questions will be answered!  Oh, and definitely more Hector and Lucas time.

~Shel

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

Jennifer Estep, author of two successful adult series, introduces a new young adult series.  Touch of Frost is the first book, released July 26, 2011.  First Frost is a prequel short story, which you can grab for free from most ebook sellers.  First Frost chronicles the events that lead to Gwen's attendance at Mythos Academy.  Touch of Frost picks up the story a few months after Gwen's admittance.  From Kensington Publishing:

My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy -- a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody’s head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I’m determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why – especially since I should have been the one who died …

We have already discussed my love of mythology, so it should not surprise anyone that I would be drawn to this book.  Mythos Academy sounds like an ideal high school to me. 

This book creates another whole world of alternate mythology which unites all cannons of myth to fight "The Chaos" led by the Norse God, Loki (very timely with Thor's release this summer).  Mythos Academy is where the children of myth learn the skills to wage the war against the Chaos.  After tragedy strikes, Gwen finds herself enrolled in Mythos.  She has no idea why she is there or why her family seemed to view her enrollment as inevitable.  After Gwen finds the body of a fellow student, she becomes obsessed with finding out why the popular, beautiful student was murdered and no one seems to care.

Gods, monsters and heroes, what's not to love?  The characters are snarky and sarcastic.  Like Buffy, except with mythology.  Jennifer Estep did an amazing job of honestly dealing with the emotional issues Gwen faces as she struggles to find her place among the students at Mythos.  I felt like Gwen was perhaps a little too accepting of certain things when I wanted her to stand up for herself, but this was a minor irritation in an otherwise fantastic book.  More than anything, this story is about empowerment, friendship and the lengths one will go to understand and deal with loss.  I give Touch of Frost 4.5 stars and encourage you all to pick it up! 

I also want to KISS someone at Kensington Publishing for only making me wait until November 29, 2011 for Kiss of Frost (Book 2)!  Thank you for only torturing me for a few months instead of a year!  Book 3, Dark Frost is scheduled for release June 2012 - I will forgive you for this because I only have to wait until November for Kiss of Frost.  Check out the awesome cover for Kiss of Frost -

I leave you with one of my favorite exchanges in the book:

"Are you actually ... going to eat lunch with me?" I asked.

"No," Daphne said, breaking a buttery breadstick in half and dipping it into the spicy marinara sauce on her plate.  "I'm a figment of your imagination.  You're only imagining that I'm sitting here eating with you.  Because I'm just so freaking awesome that people daydream about being seen with me." 

"Funny," I muttered.

The Valkyrie smiled at me and took a bite of her breadstick.

"But why?" I asked.  "You hate me."

Daphne chewed and swallowed.  "I wouldn't say hate, exactly.  You're kind of like fungus, Gwen.  After a while, you start growing on people."

"So I'm mold.  Wonderful."  p. 131 - 132.

~Shel