Guest Post: Sherry Soule

Guest Post by Sherry Soule
#MMBlogTour

Hi everyone, I’m Sherry Soule—waving from Castro Valley, California, where it gets foggy even during the summer months. But even with the fog burning off by afternoon, I’m relaxing on the sofa and blabbering on Twitter about my life-long obsession with books.

It’s a real honor to be a guest here today as part of my Moonlight Mayhem Blog Tour this summer and meet all of you awesome booklovers.

For those of you who haven’t heard about my epic blog tour it’s not too late to join the fun!

Hashtag Twitter - #MMBlogTour

Okay, today’s entertaining post has a special feature from author, Sherry Soule! She has complied a few of her favorite moments and quotes from the first two YA books in the thrilling Spellbound series, BEAUTIFULLY Broken and MOONLIGHT MAYHEM. *pg numbers are from the mass market paperback edition*

Now let me introduce this turbulent, yet starry-eyed couple:

Shiloh Ravenwolf and Trent Donovan.

Quote from BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN – pg 14 “Initial Glimpse”:

Trent turned his head, his gaze capturing mine. My face flamed, interrupting my ogling. His eyes widened, then narrowed. His arms dropped to his sides. Once those hypnotic green eyes seized mine, the atmosphere shifted, and for a moment, my heart ceased to beat. His gorgeousness silenced the thoughts and whirling emotions inside my head. The lingering anxiety from earlier vanished. 

Finally, Trent turned away. I exhaled. He kept his head down like he had something to hide. Something he didn’t want people to see. Something he didn’t want me to see.

Quote from BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN – pgs. 77 -78 “Meet Charm”:

I leaned out the window and lifted the kitten. She purred and I rubbed her soft fur against my cheek, tension that had snapped my spine straight when I’d heard the eerie cry easing with the each rumbling purr. “Ah, poor baby. Are you hungry?” She loudly meowed.

Trent returned with a bowl of milk and set it on the floor. I lowered the kitten and watched her greedily lap the milk. 

“She’s cute,” Trent said. “What should we name her?”

The ball of fluff raised her head, licking white drops off her mouth.

“Charm.” I hoisted the kitten and cuddled her in my arms. 

Trent scratched her under her white chin. “Charm?”

“Yeah. It’s perfect.”

He scratched the cat behind her ears. “I’d rather have a dog,” he teased.

“Shhh, Charm will hear you.” I covered the cat’s pointy ears with my hands.

Trent grinned, taking the kitten from my arms and surprising me by kissing Charm’s head. 

Quote from BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN – pgs. 86 -87 “A Kiss”:

I went to snatch my hand away, but Trent caught my hand in his, startling me. I looked up to see warmth on his face. His smile held the promise of happiness. He scooted closer and held my gaze for a breath, glanced down. He leaned forward, as if he had no control over his actions. I inhaled his nice, soapy-clean scent, and all coherent thought left my head.

His hands gripped my waist and Trent yanked me against him, his mouth covering mine in a deep kiss. The caress of his lips was softer than I’d imagined. An unfamiliar rush of excitement engulfed my senses. My hands wrapped around his neck, fingering his silky tousled hair. His moist lips seared a path from my lips to my neck, igniting a blaze of desire that flooded my skin everywhere his lips and roaming hands touched. Boys had kissed me before, but not like this. Never like this.

Yes, yes…this is what I want and yearn for—affection. To fall in an impetuous head-over-heels kind of love. Let myself go. Surrender my heart…

Quote from ARC of MOONLIGHT MAYHEM – pgs. 85 -86 “Nervous Belly”:

Luna Pizza wasn’t super busy yet, when the door opened and swoon-worthy Trent Donovan sauntered into the restaurant with a guy I didn’t recognize, which meant I had no place to hide. I felt the air whoosh from my lungs. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened them, I swear my body froze. My heart stopped beating. A volatile, relentless thrill shot through my veins, and I shuddered. Messy blond hair, startling emerald eyes, cocky grin on his face… 

Quote from ARC of MOONLIGHT MAYHEM – pg 224 “Hero Intercedes”:

His hands flickered upward, and before I knew it, they were cupping my face. So, damnably fast now. Demonic-like fast. Trent reeled me closer. Our foreheads joined. He held me, while I trembled in his arms. I was vaguely aware of Evans and Maxwell watching, although it didn’t seem important. Nothing seemed important whenever he did this. It felt like we were enclosed in our own personal bubble made only for the two of us. Trent murmured something in my ear. We stood like that until my shaky legs gradually regained strength. I shut my eyes and pretended my body wasn’t sizzling with heat-lightning because Trent stood so close. My hormones always decided to rebel whenever he put his arms around me. And it wasn’t totally awkward and uncomfortable. No, it felt like the best thing I’d experienced since before Dad’s death. And that’s saying a lot.

Quote from ARC of MOONLIGHT MAYHEM – pg 224 “Zombie Encounter”:

Her pale brow furrowed. Her skin veiny and colorless. Sheesh, she’s a hot mess. Zombie Girl tilted her head and raised her arms. “Ashley—hag!” 

“What! Did that corpse just call me a hag?” Ashley sounded more like her usual bitchy self.

 “No, I think she means hug. It’s zombie lingo. I’ve read online that zombies can be affectionate, but hugging one often leads to, well, having your brains eaten,” I said.

“Yuk!” Ashley backpedaled, scrunching her thin face. “Beyond gross.”

Zombie Girl giggled, but it sounded choked, a mere gurgling rumble in her throat. She had these nasty bloody scrapes on her arms and legs. Her right calf had deep teeth marks. Her feet were dirty and bare, her movements jaunty and slow.

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Book Blurb: 

Otherworldly Creatures. Dazzling Magic. Fiery Romance.

Shiloh Ravenwolf thought she was getting used to the strange events in Whispering Pines, until the full moon brings another surge of supernatural threats to her coastal town. Ferocious wolves, deadly necromancers, and shambling zombies have descended upon the neighborhood, so Shiloh needs to gain control of her magical abilities—fast! 

It sucks that she has a crippling fear of the dark, which for a demon hunter can be an epic problem.

When her classmates are attacked by a mysterious creature and her father is murdered, Shiloh vows vengeance. Forcing her phobias aside, she forms an unlikely coven of supernaturally gifted teens to help her eradicate this menace. Except that's not all Shiloh has to worry about. She’s battling a different monster within herself and struggling not to become the very thing she fights: evil. 

But with demon blood inside her—anything can happen…

Moonlight Mayhem is the second novel in the epic Spellbound series

Where you can find author, Sherry Soule online:

Official Blog: http://www.sherrysoule.blogspot.com/

Official Spellbound Series Universe: http://thespellboundseries.blogspot.com/

Twitter @WriterSherry: http://twitter.com/writersherry

Book Trailer/YouTube: http://youtu.be/5uqVXKygvUs

goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11634793-beautifully-broken

Sneak Peek Saturday (7)

I've decided to host a brand new meme called Sneak Peek Saturday (similar to Teaser Tuesday hosted by Should Be Reading only this one's on Saturday, obviously lol).

The premise is much the same: Just grab your current read and share 1-2 sentences from a random (or not) page with us along with the title and author. This will give us an interesting sneak peek into whatever book you are currently reading. And, if you like the sneak peek enough, maybe you'll find some new books to add to your TBR list. Be careful not to ruin the book by being too spoiler-y!
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My Sneak Peek:

"'You're all right with this? Stealing from the Institute?' 

'If it means finding Jace,' Isabelle said. 

Alec nodded. 'Whatever it takes.'" 

Pg 38, City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

 What's your sneak peek? Link it in the comments!

Feature & Follow Friday (25)

Feature & Follow Friday is a meme hosted by Parajunkiee's View & Alison Can Read. Check out their blogs and the two Featured Bloggers of the week! This is great for finding amazing new blogs to follow and for gaining followers yourself!

This weeks question is: 

"If you could unread a book, which one would it be? Is it because you want to start over and experience it again for the first time? Or because it was THAT bad?" 

My answer: 

I think I'd unread all of Twilight just because when I read them I was in 7th or 8th grade. I basically became obsessed with them and am extremely embarrassed of that fact. I'd probably read them now since they wouldn't have the same effect. 

What about you? Leave your answer to this weeks question in the comments below.

Waiting on Wednesday (12)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we can not wait to read! This meme is the perfect way to add books to your TBR list. Along with upcoming releases, I sometimes include books that I have not had the chance to read or buy even if they have already come out. 

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The book I am anxiously awaiting is...

Title: Between the Lines

Author: Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer
Release Date: June 26, 2012

What happens when happily ever after…isn’t?

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.

I've only read one book by Jodi (Change of Heart), but I loved it and can't wait to see what she does with this one for teens. I'll definitely be picking it up!

Review (31): The Fairytale Keeper: Avenging the Queen by Andrea Cefalo

The Fairytale Keeper: Avenging the Queen

by Andrea Cefalo

Series: The Fairytale Keeper series

Other Reviewed Titles: None
Release Date: June 1, 2012

Publisher: Scarlet Primrose Press

Pages: 280

Source: ARC from Author

Challenge: None

Author Website 

My Review: 
Avenging the Queen is book one in the new series by Andrea Cefalo. At first I thought it would only be a retelling of the classic Snow White, but the more I read, the more Grimm characters started to pop up. I don’t want to give away which character is who, but I will say that there are appearances by Snow White (obviously), Cinderella, the Shoemaker from The Elves and the Shoemaker, and a few others. They are woven so well into the story and I loved when new backgrounds were introduced. 

But anyways, on to the actual book. Adelaide, nicknamed ‘Snow White’ by her mother due to her snowy complexion, dark hair and bright red lips, must bury her mother after she passes away from the fever that has upset their home in Cologne. Thousands more have been taken, but few are given the Last Rites they deserve which is why Adelaide’s father must bribe the local parish priest to make sure his wife has a proper burial. However, the ceremony goes horribly wrong which prompts thoughts of revenge in Adelaide’s mind. She gets herself and the people she loves into quite a bit of trouble as the story progresses. The beginning was a little slow for me and it took a while to get into the story, but by the middle I couldn’t seem to put the book down! 

Adelaide has to deal with things normal 15 year olds wouldn’t even dream of and she handles it all extremely well. Considering the time period, she is also very outspoken and refuses to bow down to what people tell her to do when she knows they are wrong. She was smart, clever and very brave which I liked a lot. Ivo, her best friend and love interest, was also a great character. He was so sweet and caring that I couldn’t stop myself from constantly going “awww”. Both had their own set of problems, but together seemed to strengthen each other. 

I love the cover of the book, it would have definitely caught my attention had I seen it on the shelves of my local bookstore. And the fact that it was designed by the author herself just makes it that much better!

I am very excited for the second book in the series. I can’t wait to see what happens next to Adelaide and what prompts her to become the Snow White we know and love today.

Rating: * * * *

Click here to read the 1st chapter!

Click here to read Andrea Cefalo’s author interview!

And thank you to the author for sending me a copy for review.

Sneak Peek Saturday (6)

I've decided to host a brand new meme called Sneak Peek Saturday (similar to Teaser Tuesday hosted by Should Be Reading only this one's on Saturday, obviously lol).

The premise is much the same: Just grab your current read and share 1-2 sentences from a random (or not) page with us along with the title and author. This will give us an interesting sneak peek into whatever book you are currently reading. And, if you like the sneak peek enough, maybe you'll find some new books to add to your TBR list. Be careful not to ruin the book by being too spoiler-y!
_______________________________________________________________________

My Sneak Peek:

"I don't want the nice lady to die,' Poppet says, tugging gently at Celia's skirt.

Celia stops walking, putting out a hand to keep Widget, who is oblivious to anything other than his popcorn, from continuing along in front of her. 

'What do you mean, dearest?' she asks Poppet.

'They're going to put her in the ground,' Poppet explains. 'I think that's sad."

Pg 125, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  

 What's your sneak peek? Link it in the comments!

Feature & Follow Friday (24)

Feature & Follow Friday is a meme hosted by Parajunkiee's View & Alison Can Read. Check out their blogs and the two Featured Bloggers of the week! This is great for finding amazing new blogs to follow and for gaining followers yourself!

This weeks question is: 

"Happy Father's Day! Who is your favorite dad character in a book and why?" 

My answer: 

Oh gosh, this is as hard as the Mother's Day question. I really have no idea! Unfortunately it's easier to remember books with absent mothers and fathers than books with great ones. Maybe Luke from The Mortal Instruments books? He was a good father figure to Clary. Or maybe Ron Weasley and his father. He had great parents.

What about you? Leave your answer to this weeks question in the comments below.