Tuesday, September 18, 2012

BTS Tour Presents: SHADOWS OF KINGS





TOUR SCHEDULE:



SYNOPSIS:

Steel and sorcery clash as the Harhn incursion sweeps through the Hugue. Mankind faces its greatest peril without the Order Knights of legend to defend them. Crusading deep in the frontier, the Order is unaware of the savage beasts threatening their homeland as the Hugue realms muster their armies for war.
Between a cunning Harhn sorcerer, and an alliance forged with the decadent Darkfey, the Horde threatens to extinguish the domains of Man. Only Lord Baudouin and Lady Lucia, a Dragon Maiden from the Order, stand in the enemy's path. One must find the strength to unify the realms. The other must discover the strength within her, while coming to terms with the agendas of her Order. But only together will there be any hope to repel the onslaught, and preserve the future for a mysterious girl they do not know.


MY REVIEW:


The first book in the Dragon Rising Series, Shadow of Kings is an outstanding read. I recently stepped out of my genre and began reading more than my usual paranormal / romance. In the beginning I felt it was a little slow and had to make myself continue reading. After the first three chapters I got into the rhythm of the story and it began to really pick up. I enjoyed the adventure and the different types of characters the author created, witches, sorcery, fey, out of this world creatures and dragons. In the world of fantasy, I love dragons!

At times with all the different characters being introduced throughout the story it was a little difficult to follow along and caused me to have to stop and think about who was who and how they were related to the story. There were characters I liked immediately, some I hated and others which had to grow on ya, one being Lucia. In the end, her character grew up and was more likeable. In the end, the author tied up each storyline and did not leave me hanging, wondering what if…except for one character. In this, I am assuming this character will show up in Shades of Virtues scheduled to be released spring 2013.

I really liked how Whitsel created his world. With his attention to detail and description of all the actions scenes, I knew exactly what was happening. The only drawback for me was there were so many battles that I was ready for the next scene so I could get on with what was happening with the characters. Overall, I really enjoyed the plot and look forward to book two. 

For my review, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

I was provided a copy of this book for the purpose of a blog tour. 




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jack is a native Californian, but has made Oregon his home since 1982. He holds a Bachelor's Degree of Finance from Portland State University, but studies medieval history in his spare time. His favorite genres are fantasy and historical fiction with a medieval emphasis. Shadows of Kings, the first novel of the Dragon Rising Series is the love child born of these two passions.

"I love the elements of fantasy when mixed with the gritty aspects of a medieval society. In the worlds I create, there are neither citadels of shimmering glass nor any utopian realms."

The final contributing catalyst to Jack's creative process comes from his two sons, Josiah and Noah. They remind him how important an active imagination can be, and are the first to hear his tales of diabolical wizards and valiant knights.

"Because of my boys, I still believe in Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and the tooth fairy."





Sunday, September 16, 2012

NDulgent Anniversary Hop







My personal indulgence is read hot and spicy paranormal romances. I can curl up with a good book and immerse myself into the fantasy for a couple hours and if I am feeling really indulgent, I may even read two or three in one 
day. 
a Rafflecopter giveaway 


In addition to each of our individual giveaways, the Ndulgent Bloggers are hosting a GRAND PRIZE of $100 GF from WINNER'S CHOICE of Barnes & Noble or Amazon. Here is the rafflecopter code for you to include for them to enter for the grand prize.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway







Sunday, September 2, 2012

SPOTLIGHT: Always Purrty Design


Tour Dates and Links:


Waste My Time Sept. 4
Susan Griscom Sept. 6
Talk Supe Sept. 14




I was excited to be asked if I wanted to participate in the spot light blog tour for Autum's ALWAYS PURRTY DESIGN.  

The first time I saw the results of her work I was amazed at her creativity. I absolutely love the way Autum came up with the ideas and put them all together to make beautiful blogs and other designs.  I for one cannot wait for her to begin working on my blog. 

Autum created Heart of a Wolf Series emblem for me.  I drew a picture and sent it to her as a general idea of what I was looking for. I told her I was not stuck on any certain thing. I gave her free reign to run with it and she did. I was very pleased with the results. 


I provided Autum with the cover of my book for Veiled Secrets along with the photos I used and she created several styles of bookmarks to choose from. Now she is working on others for me as well.  I cannot wait to get these in hand. 




For innovative design ideas contact Autum. She is very reasonably priced and does a wonderful job.  http://alwayspurrty.com/.


Here's an exciting rafflecopter giveaway:


a Rafflecopter giveaway