Witch Song by Amber Argyle Free for 4 Days

                                                Title: Witch Song

Author: Amber Argyle

Genre: Young Adult

Rating: * * * *

Publishers Date: Sept 1, 2011

Paperback: 325 pages

ISBN: 9781936850167

FTC Disclosure: Received an ARC from author for unbiased review

“The world is changing.
For thousands of years, witch song has controlled everything from the winds to the shifting of the seasons. But not anymore. All the Witches are gone, taken captive by the dark Witch, Espen.
As the last echoes of witch song fade, Espen grows stronger as winter and summer come within the space of a day. Now she’s coming for the one she missed—a shy, untrained girl of fifteen named Brusenna.
Somehow, Brusenna has to succeed where every other Witch has failed. Find Espen. Fight her. Defeat her.
Or there won’t be anything left to save.”



I’ve got to admit, when I first started the book, I wasn’t overly excited about the storyline. A young girl is raised by her mother and doesn’t know a lot about her real history. (Been there, done that, several times) Very quickly though, the story takes off and I was thoroughly entrenched in Senna’s adventure to find and release her mother and the other captive witches. At this point, I read non-stop till I finished this marvelous tale.
Her Guardian, Joshen helps her in her quest and adds a romantic interest that I enjoyed. I love the idea of magic being generated by song. Seeing the songs work with nature to both protect and defend the witches was totally fascinating. The strength of a small seed was overwhelming. The growth of Senna from basically an innocent untrained child of 14 to a determined young lady, was well done and very believable.  It was wonderful to see her take on the responsibilities and grow knowledgeable of the witching world. This book won’t be released until September and I’m already chafing to see if there will be more.
Normally, I don’t get overly excited about a cover, but the author definitely got a winner on this cover. The eyes were such an awesome color and draw you in.

Read Witch Song before the Sequel, Witch Born, comes out

Download on Amazon:
 http://www.amazon.com/Witch-Song-ebook/dp/B005K074SG/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1307047839&sr=8-1

The Vampire Dimitri by Colleen Gleason--- 4 *

Title: The Vampire Dimitri                   
Author: Colleen Gleason
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: * * * *
Publishers Date: April 19, 2011
Paperback: 384 pages
ISBN: 0778329828
FTC Disclosure: E-copy from Net Galley
 
“Regency London loves a society wedding - even if there are vampires on the guest list. Dimitri, also known as the Earl of Corvindale, should be delighted that the headstrong Maia Woodmore is getting married. His mortal ward and houseguest has annoyed - and bewitched - the Dracule nobleman too long, and denying his animal cravings grows more excruciating by the day. Marriage will give Miss Woodmore safety, respectability and everything else a proper young lady could wish for. Everything, that is, except passion. In the looming battle between Dracule factions, all pretences will shatter as Maia and Dimitri come together in an unholy union of danger, desperation and fiercest desire.”
At first I was a bit disappointed, because the first third of the book was essentially a retelling of The Vampire Voss, I thought. I then realized it was told from Maia’s point of view and she went from the bossy little know it all to someone who was desperately trying to hold her family together. I loved seeing Maia fight her feelings for Dimitri all the while realizing that he was indeed a vampire. There were several times that Gleason had me laughing out loud at Maia trying to come to terms with it. Gleason has done it again, built a world in Regency London that is totally captivating. I love historical paranormals and though this series isn’t quite as fascinating as Gleason’s “Gardella” books (which if you have not read is well worth your time), I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Regency Dracula
1. The Vampire Voss (2011)
2. The Vampire Dimitri (2011)
3. The Vampire Narcise (2011)

The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason – 4 *

Title: The Vampire Voss                    
Author: Colleen Gleason
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: * * * *
Publishers Date: March 22, 2011
Paperback: 384 pages
ISBN: 9780778329527
FTC Disclosure: E-copy from Net Galley

“Regency London - a dizzying whirl of balls and young ladies pursued by charming men. But the Woodmore sisters are hunted by a more sinister breed: Lucifer's own. Voss, also known as Viscount Dewhurst, relishes the sensual pleasures immortality affords. A member of the Dracule - a cabal of powerful, secretive noblemen marked with a talisman that reveals their bartered souls - the mercenary Voss has remained carefully neutral...until Angelica. Angelica Woodmore possesses the Sight, an ability invaluable to both sides of a looming war among the Dracule. Her very scent envelops Voss in a scarlet fog of hunger - for her body and blood. But he is utterly unprepared for the new desire that overcomes him - to protect her.”


Having read the “Gardella Chronicles” by Gleason and loving them, I was tickled to death to see her new trilogy of historical paranormals. While the level of mystery and suspense wasn’t there as it was in the “Gardella” books, the sex level was definitely sizzling. I love the world that Gleason has created and especially the albatross that is around the neck of every vampire. The first thing they see upon waking (cat, dog, diamonds, a bird) is something that weakens them and can be used to control them. This is definitely a darker read than a lot of paranormal romance out there and I love this darker vampire world.
While I didn’t care for Voss in the beginning, he did begin to grow on me and by the end I thoroughly enjoyed the bantering between him and Angelica. She is a much younger, livelier young woman than her sister, Maia, who is very straight laced. She’s funny and an excellent match for Voss.  This book was a very fast read for me and I pretty much read it from start to finish in hours. Luckily I have the next two books in this series and can start them immediately.

Regency Dracula
1. The Vampire Voss (2011)
2. The Vampire Dimitri (2011)
3. The Vampire Narcise (2011)