(Hand)Bag O’ Books Giveaway!

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The prize (US only, sorry!) – a purse stuffed with books, and maybe some other stuff.

The Withering World of Amelia Gray. Guest post by author Amanda Stevens.

Today I'm thrilled to be able to give this blog over in the capable hands of Amanda Stevens, author of the spine chilling paranormal romance series called the Graveyard Queen. If you haven't read the first books yet you're in for a real treat!

The Withering World of Amelia Gray

When I was little, cemetery exploration was a favorite pastime. My house was situated between two graveyards and I spent many a Sunday afternoon wandering through the maze of headstones and statuary. One of the cemeteries was abandoned and I wasn’t allowed to visit there alone. Naturally, it became a favorite escape. Nestled in a deep forest and shrouded by shade, the forgotten graveyard was a place of enchantment, a mysterious necropolis of sunken graves, crumbling headstones and fallen angels. The burials were old—pre-Civil war—and the symbols carved into the headstones intrigued me. I could daydream there for hours.

There’s a term for graveyard fascination—taphophilia.  From the Greek words taphos, meaning tomb and philia, meaning love or obsession.  A love of tombstones and cemeteries.

When I decided to write a paranormal series, I knew I wanted the protagonist to have an unusual skill or occupation. So I did an Internet search for strange jobs and up popped cemetery restorer—the perfect vocation for a character that would share my passion for graveyards. She would be Southern (also like me) and a loner because her ability to see ghosts had isolated her from human companionship. Her first name would be Amelia because it’s Southern and old-fashioned, and her surname would be Gray to symbolize the twilight world of ghosts.

Amelia became so real to me that I knew I had to create a worthy love interest, someone dark and mysterious and charismatic to lure her from the safety of her graveyard kingdom and tempt her into breaking one of her father’s cardinal rules: never associate with those who are haunted.

Papa’s rules are broken in The Restorer; the past is revealed in The Kingdom; and the future is foreshadowed in The Prophet. Set against the withering backdrop of abandoned and forgotten cemeteries, The Graveyard Queen series offers peeks into the lush dreamscape of restless souls, deranged killers and doomed lovers.

I’ve just been given the go-ahead for three more books in the series and I would like to invite you along on Amelia’s journey as her graveyard kingdom becomes ever darker and more mysterious.

…………..

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Book Trailer:



Check out the first three novels in Amanda's Graveyard Queen series!

The third novel, The Prophet, releases this April!

Carlo Rispoli's Treasure Island A Novel Adaptation

http://www.icontact-archive.com/Bw5umGrR7wP1sQ06dy18yYvpOJBsJ6cc

hush, hush -Graphic Novel

IN STORES APRIL 18th CONTAINS AN ALL-NEW ORIGINAL STORY WRITTEN BY BECCA FITZPATRICK

HUSH, HUSH Graphic Novel Preview WWW.SEALIONBOOKS.COM

Blog Tour+Giveaway: Amy Plum's Top 10 Most Romantic Places in France

Today I'm super exited to welcome Amy Plum here on Escape In A Book! Unfortunately I believe I'm posting this a day late, for that I'm very, very sorry but hey better late then never, right? Amy is doing a blog tour hosted by the one and only:

Just click the banner to visit this wonderful site.

Without further ado Amy Plum's Top 10 Romantic Places in France(giveaway details at the end of this post):

1. The Medici Fountain in Luxembourg Gardens (Paris). It shows the jealous giant Polyphemus discovering the lovers Galatea and Acis.
2. La Pointe du Raz. 
3. The Christmas market in Strasbourg.

  4. The village called Baux de Provence.

5. Gordes

6. Honfleur

7. Menton- I've actually been to Menton myself and it's such a beautiful place!

8. The Mont Saint-Michel

9.Saint-Malo

10. Annency Lake

If these picturesque scenes doesn't set you in the romantic mood for this weekend I don't know what will. Thank you so much for sharing this with us Amy! These places were just breathtakingly beautiful.

Giveaway:

Would you like to win a copy of Die for Me and Until I Die(pre-order)? Just leave a comment telling me the most romantic place that you know of and a way for me to contact you. The giveaway ends 8/4.

March New Release Giveaway Hop Mar 15th-30th

Welcome to Stop #6 of the 

March New Release Giveaway Hop!

The  March New Release Giveaway Hop

  is hosted by 

Book Twirps 

and 

 Refracted Light Reviews.






Winner may choose one (1) of the following!

Wanted: Undead or Alive

Sins of the Son

Now or Never

The Werewolf's Wife

Deadly Is the Kiss

Oracle's Moon 

My Lord Vampire

Nightborn

The Modern Fae's Guide to Surviving Humanity 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GIVEAWAY RULES

  For the most part these will apply on all blog hops 

except where limited by host.

  Except when shipping books from me or limited by publishers,

 all giveaways will be open internationally.

- Click on the "Read More" to take you to Rafflecopter--

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generally refreshing the page will fix it.

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as soon as contest is completed and are never, ever given out except 

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for 5 additional entries.

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request it when notified of win. You may also change your mind on book choice at this time.

- Winners will be notified no later than 7 days after closing of contest

and have 72 hours (3 days) to respond to email. If no response within 72 hours a new winner will be chosen.

Book review: The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens

Amanda Stevens is back with her second novel in the creepiliciously   good Graveyard Queen series. Do you enjoy a good urban fantasy/paranormal romance ghost story that make you shiver almost non stop? Look no further you've just discovered your new favorites series! Welcome to Amelia Gray's world of mysteries and cemetery restoring. This review is SPOILER FREE.

Amanda has been asked to restore a cemetery in the foothills of Blue Ridge Mountain, more exact in the dying town of Asher Falls, South Carolina. A perfect excuse to runaway from problems back home in Charleston. Upon Amelia's arrival she instantly feels a disconcerting connection to the place. After discovering a hidden grave nearby the cemetery Amelia gets in trouble with the towns citizens, the dead and an ancient evil residing in the mountains. Not only will Amelia have to solve a mystery, she will also have to dig deep into her own family history trying to discover who she really is.

My thoughts:
The second book in a series is more often than not the place where I decide whether it is worth continuing on with the series or not. Needless to say I was nervous before diving into The Kingdom... because I'd already asked if Amanda would like to make a guest appearance here on Escape In A Book. Luckily for me I was completely sucked into the world of Amelia Gray and the tranquility of the peaceful cemetery in Asher Falls.

However that good feeling didn't last very long, Amanda Stevens started wielding that masterful skill of hers that is creating that utterly spine chilling feel, Amelia feels it and the reader perhaps even more. I normally don't like being scared but author Amanda Stevens writes in a way that gets me completely hooked on the story and it is almost impossible to put the book down. I was like "ok, I'm so taking a break for the night when the story is getting to scene where I can calm down and breathe(and not be to scared to turn off the light and go to sleep LOL)", but there rarely ever happened.

The Kingdom offers up a continued story about the mystery evolving Amelia and why she can ghosts. What is she? In addition to that we have a mystery that will be a closed case by the end of this novel(well almost, one loose thread still hanging in the air). That means you can read on without fear of a big cliffhanger ending.

The characters in this story are all very interesting, Amanda Stevens knows how to give enough from her characters to make for interesting people, it never gets too much. I was invested in every character because they all had their personal story to tell. My favorite character would be a dog named Angus, I'm guessing he will be a regular member of the cast in the series as of now on. Angus was a poor little creature who had been used as a bait dog for dog-fighting. Still Angus has much to offer Amelia, unconditional love and protection is just something you can never have enough of in her world.

There is a gush of love in the air, but will it blossom into something more?

Check out my review of the first book in this series, The Restorer.


My rating of this book:

- FIVE silvery moons for Amanda Stevens and her wonderful character Amelia Gray. I want more!

By the way I want to say a big CONGRATULATIONS to Amanda for being nominated as a 2012 RITA Finalist in the Paranormal Romance genre for her first novel in this series, The Restorer.

 I think you should follow Amanda Stevens on Twitter and visit her homepage!


This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and on-line book stores such as Amazon or The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store does by the way have free shipping to about 100 countries.


I got my copy for review from the publisher via Netgalley.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Intern by Dillon Khan

 
The Intern by Dillon Kahn is a story about a boy named Jay who gets the coolest job ever as an intern in The Beat's, a fictional music television channel if I understand it correctly. This is so far away from my usual read in the fantasy genre but that makes the book sound all the more interesting.


Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

When Jay Merchant lands an internship for the best job in music television, he is given a backstage pass to the biggest gig of his life. The velvet rope to the biggest VIP parties and hottest celebrities has been lifted and now he's got to capture it on camera. But with only six months to turn his intern dream into a real job, does he have what it takes? It's time to face the music... 

Add The Intern to your Goodreads shelf
Check out The wonderful Intern homepage, it has such a nice and clean looking design + a lot of extra stuff to offer the reader and the potential intern.

Published by: Puffin

Release date: April 5th 2012.

What are you waiting for this week?

"Waiting On" Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This event spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. Please visit Jill's blog to find out what other book bloggers are waiting for.

WELLLLL - WE'RE WAITING WEDNESDAY #33

What's your WELLLL- WE'RE WAITING book for this week?

Title: Insurgent

Author: Veronica Roth

Genre: YA

Hardback: 496 pages 

Publisher: Katherine Tegen (May 1, 2012) 

ISBN-10:0062024043

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

Title: Lethal Rider
Author: Larissa Ione
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Paperback: 400 pages 
Publisher: Grand Central (5/22/12) 

ISBN-10: 0446574503

Thanatos, the most deadly Horseman of the Apocalypse, has endured thousands of years of celibacy to prevent the end of days. But just one night with the wickedly sexy Aegis Guardian, ReganCooper, shatters centuries of resolve. Yet their passion comes with a price. And Thanatos must face a truth more terrifying than an apocalypse-he's about to become a father.
Demon-slayer Regan Cooper never imagined herself the maternal type, but with the fate of the world hanging in the balance she had no choice but to seduce Thanatos and bear his child. Now, as the final battle draws closer and his rage at being betrayed is overshadowed by an undeniable passion for the mother of his child, Thanatos has a life-shattering realization: To save the world, he must sacrifice the only thing he's ever wanted-a family. 

Book review: Night School by C.J. Daugherty.

Night School by C.J. Daugherty is a great young adult novel that will have you turning pages well into the night. I was never quite sure what I was reading and for that I loved this story. Is it a thriller or a paranormal mystery? I'm not sure yet, the jury will come with a verdict but that will have to wait until the next book in this series is out.

Allie is not doing so well after the disappearance of her older brother. She has been keeping the grief at bay by acting out, now she has done so one time too many. Allie's parents has had enough and they believe that sending her away to boarding school, the Cimmeria academy, might do Allie some good.

Cimmeria is one weird school but in spite of herself Allie quite enjoys life there. That is until the day she discovers that she has been surrounded by a bunch of liars. What is really going on at the Cimmeria academy?! Weird sounds, shadows in the night, people breaking into Allies room. Who can Allie trust?

My thoughts:
Are you ever charmed by cute guys with a sexy French accent? Do you like an author that can write a kissing scene that gives you that fluttery feeling of butterflywings in your stomach? Do you enjoy a boarding school setting where both students and teachers have their secrets? If the answer to any of these questions is yes then you have to go out now and grab yourself a copy of Night School. This has been one exiting and mysterious read. In addition to that I think C.J. Daugherty writes about dealing with grief in a great way. People react so differently. No, this is not a particular sad read but the novel do touch upon the subject early on.

This is a YA that stands out in the crow, it will have you turning pages and wondering where on earth the last few hours went off to.

Check out the book trailer:





My rating of this book:

/- I'm eagerly awaiting a sequel(which I know that C.J. just recently finished)!

I think you should follow C.J. Daugherty on Twitter and visit her homepage! For more thought out and eloquent reviews of Night School check out these fab bloggers Vivienne and Brodie.


This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and on-line book stores such as Amazon or The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store does by the way have free shipping to about 100 countries.


I purchased my copy from The Book Depository.