{Release Day Post + INT Giveaway} The Bound (Ascension #2) by K.A. Linde

The Bound (The Ascension #2) 
by K.A. Linde
Release Date: October 25th, 2016

Genre: YA Fantasy

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 
Author Website: K.A Linde

 

Cyrene Strohm is a Queen’s Affiliate, a high-ranking official of the court of Byern, with power and privilege to spare. But she’s also a keeper of dangerous secrets: like the fact that she holds the heart of the King, and that she possesses magic in a world where magic no longer exists.

Determined to discover what this means and how to use her newfound abilities, Cyrene sets off for the distant land of Eleysia. An island nation where Affiliates are strictly forbidden from entering.

But the journey is perilous, and the destination may mean utter ruin, as Cyrene comes to learn that everything she’s been told her whole life – about her court, her homeland, and even herself—are bound in a beautiful lie.

5 Fun Facts about The Ascension Series by K.A. Linde.

1. The idea for the Ascension series came when I was reading a non-fiction book called Sex with Kings by Eleanor Herman. I was reading about a French mistress in the 17th century who was beautiful, intelligent, a strategist, an advisor, linguist, etc. She was so much more than her beauty, and she helped the King rule. That was when I decided I wanted to write about a world where women were highly valued for their intelligence and achievements. Thus the Affiliate program came about.

2. Two maps are included in The Bound that I actually drew myself. One shows the entire world of Emporia and the other is a country level map of Eleysia.

3. There are three characters in The Bound that are based off of people I know in real life. Ahlvie was inspired by a college friend of mine who was always wild and adventurous and knew how to have a good time. Matilde and Vera are based off of two sisters I lived with when I worked on the presidential campaign in 2012.

4. The prologue was actually the last chapter that I wrote. As with The Affiliate, I wrote the entire book before deciding whose point of view I wanted to open the book with. The prologues in these books set the stage for a major point that comes back full circle by the end. Sometimes it helps to see the entire thing before realizing who will be speaking.

5. There is an epic love story in this book! When the romance begins, I always envision the scene from Sleeping Beauty where the prince and Aurora are singing Once Upon A Dream. So that is the song I listened to on repeat while I wrote their romance.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Bio of K.A Linde. 

K.A. Linde is the USA Today bestselling author of the Avoiding series and the All That Glitters series as well as seven additional novels. She grew up as a military brat traveling the United States and even landing for a brief stint in Australia. She has a Masters degree in political science from the University of Georgia. An avid traveler, reader, and bargain hunter, K.A. currently live in Lubbock, TX, with her husband and two super adorable puppies.        

{Review + Giveaway} The Affiliate (Ascension #1) by K.A. Linde

Posted by Donna
Release Date: September 15th, 2015
Finished Date: May 31st, 2015

Publishers: Self Published
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Source: For Review
Format: eARC

Pages: Unknown
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US

On the day of her Presenting, in front of the entire Byern Court, seventeen-year-old Cyrene Strohm's lifelong plans come to fruition when she's chosen for one of the most prestigious positions in her homeland—an Affiliate to the Queen.

Or so she thinks.

When Cyrene receives a mysterious letter and an unreadable book, she finds nothing is as it seems. Thrust into a world of dangerous political intrigue and deadly magic, Cyrene's position only grows more treacherous when she finds herself drawn to the one man she can never have...

King Edric himself.

Cyrene must decide if love is truly worth the price of freedom. Find out in this first book in USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde’s new Ascension series.

The Review: I love how many YA fantasy stories are popping up lately and The Affiliate is an even more special book for me because it’s written by K.A. Linde – one of my favourite bookish friends. With the author being such a huge fantasy fan I was excited to see her take her hand to it and I can’t say I was disappointed! I think K.A. Linde did a fantastic job with The Affiliate and I hope to see many more fantasy stories from her.

The Affiliate is a unique read. I’ve read many fantasy stories and the ones that I have loved, have each been for their own reasons. The reason for me loving The Affiliate is because it’s so unique. I’ve simply not read anything like it. Cyrene’s story is brave tale, one about a girl heading into an uncertain life that is full of mystery, danger and politics and magic. Magic plays a big part of this story and it’ll certainly wrap you up in the mystery around it. It’s rich in detail and woven into the story perfectly and the mystery surrounding the letter that Cyrene receives will leave you dying to know more.

Like all great stories there has to be a great love and The Affiliate definitely delivers in that way. Cyrene’s love interest is one so forbidden it makes the story even more dangerous but also a suspenseful one too – yep, she falls in love with the King. King Edric! And even though he has his faults, I couldn’t help but fall in love with him. Theirs is a love story you can’t help root for – my favourite kind and I just can’t wait to see what happens next.

So if you haven’t already added The Affiliate to your TBR list. Do it now. You don’t want to miss out on this adventurous tale by a stunning writer!

Thank you to K.A. Linde for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Review} Gold (All that Glitters #2) by K.A. Linde

Posted by Donna
Release Date: July 7th 2015
Finished Date: July 1st, 2015

Publishers: Self Published
Genre: NA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: eARC

Pages: Unknown
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

The prey becomes the predator.

Love. That cursed four-letter word no longer belongs in Bryna’s vocabulary. The only four-letter word she knows now is gold.

…and fuck.

She’s well acquainted with that one. And that’s exactly what she plans to do. She’s no longer the golden girl, and when she meets a businessman who promises everything she could ever want from the arrangement, she intends to get her money’s worth.

Follow the conclusion to Bryna’s gold digging story in this scandalizing, duplicitous second book to the USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde’s All That Glitters series.

The Review:  Gold is the stunning follow up to Diamonds by author K.A. Linde and what a fantastic read it was! 

Bryna's had her heart-broken once and she's determined not to let it happen again. She's decided to become the very thing Jude accused her of being – a gold digger and now Bryna has set her sights a guy she’s just met who loves plashing cash about. Buy Bryna knows she needs to play this one cool if she wants the results she’s looking for. So let the game begin……

I didn’t know what to expect before heading into Gold. Bryna’s story blew me away in Diamonds and I couldn’t help love the girl and want the best for her. But Bryna’s life is never easy so I couldn’t have expected it to be all hearts and flowers. She definitely doesn’t make things easy on herself. She can be cold, serious and deceiving at times but then she can be this fun girl that is completely her opposite. I really loved both Bryna’s. Of course I liked her more when she’s being herself but there’s something so mesmerising about the serious Bryna. The way her mind works, wow. She’s smart and not afraid of speaking her mind. She knows what she wants and definitely isn’t afraid to go after it. If I’m honest I was torn to which Bryna I wanted to come out on top at the end. But like I said before, I wanted the best for her so I knew a life of gold digging couldn’t make her truly happy. 

Bryna always has so many men in her life that it’s such a whirlwind to keep up. In Gold alone there’s a handful of different guys – who the hell do you root for? But for me it was between Hugh and Eric and maybe even a little bit for Jude. Ssh, don’t hate me. I would have loved for Jude to realise his mistakes and be a better person. And Hugh was just lovely. It was great getting to know him! And Eric was this big thing that just came out of nowhere. I certainly wasn’t expecting Eric. 

Gold isn’t just about Bryna’s gold-digging life though. It’s about her self-discovery and finding true happiness.  It’s a seductive and tantalizing read – one that’s hard to put down once starting and, it’s a story that K.A. Linde has written well. So in all, definitely a hit for me and it’s one I think you should all pick up. 

Thank you to K.A. Linde for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} Diamonds (All that Glitters #1) by K.A. Linde

Posted by Donna
Release Date: April 19th, 2015
Finished Date: June 29th, 2015

Publishers: Self Published
Genre: NA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Bought
Format: eBook

Pages: 189
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

Bryna feels his eyes on her. 

Hot, seductive, enticing. 

He’s at least ten years older than her seventeen years, and he knows exactly what he’s doing to her with that look. Walking away would be the smart thing to do… But she can’t. Not that first night when he takes her home and claims her body. Not when he shows up in her life again with expensive gifts to win her trust. Not even when she’s falling for him, and everything else is falling apart… 

Find out how Bryna goes from golden girl to gold digger in this tantalizingly scandalous book.

The Review: Diamonds is the first book in the All that Glitter series by K.A. Linde. It can be read as a prequel to the next book in the series Gold or, you could dive right in and start with Gold but I'd highly recommend you do start with Diamonds - it's worth it, trust me.

Bryna is a seventeen-year-old high school student that comes from a dysfunctional family, she's the Queen at her school and has one of the hottest boyfriend who is an upcoming movie star but still, she finds herself feeling alone in her life. Her heart is empty. So when Bryna meets an older, attractive guy that she forms a deep connection with, she can't help just go with it. He makes her feel special and loved, but they each know the other is hiding secrets and soon their secrets will reveal themselves and make everything crash around them.....

This was a great introduction into Bryna's story. It's such a fast paced story that drags you in and Bryna is definitely one unique character. I went into the story not knowing what to expect from her and even though she has her moments, I really liked her. I loved how honest and outspoken she was. Deep down she puts on this front with people and tries to be someone she isn't, when really she's just looking for someone to love and take care of her. Her family problems cut deep and so she seeks attention elsewhere. It might not always be the best elsewhere but when she meets Jude she finally thinks she's found the right person. It's clear that Jude was hiding secrets but so was Bryna so of course I wanted some sort of happy ending for them. It's safe to say I didn't expect the way the story ended. I'm hoping there is some sort of happy ending for both of them in Gold. 

In all, Diamonds is a great introduction to the All that Glitter series and I can't wait to see Bryna shine in Gold! 

Blog Tour for Avoiding Responsibility (Avoiding, #2) by K.A Linde; Review + Giveaway

Posted by Donna
Release Date: December 1st, 2012

Finished Date: December 28th, 2012

Publishers: Self-Published
Source: Bought 

Format: Kindle 

Pages: 350
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

Lexi has finally given up her once destructive relationships and moved onto bigger and better things with a sexy new man in town. Just when she is starting to figure it out with him, her world is tilted once again with a phone call from none other than Ramsey Bridges. A year after his entrance into her life, Ramsey is trying to make amends and does the one thing she never expects—invites her to Jack's wedding.

The wedding she had evaded at all costs. But no matter what she does, Lexi can't seem to escape her past with Jack. But does she really want to?

Despite the explosive chemistry between Lexi and Ramsey, she is skeptical about trusting him after everything that has happened. When things are amiss with him, she starts questioning his motives. Can Ramsey be the one to remove Jack from Lexi's life permanently or should she move on with her blossoming new life?

The Review: I couldn't wait to dive into Avoiding Responsibility as soon as I got my new Kindle for Christmas and honestly, I love this series, I really do. It's emotional, highly charged and sexy but it's so very, very frustrating too. 

Avoiding Responsibility brings more drama from the awesome gang, Lexi, Ramsey and Jack. This time Lexi is trying to move on with her life by trying to forget about the two men that plague her thoughts, but that's harder said than done. When Lexi reconnects with Ramsey, he invites her to his sister's and Jack's wedding - O oh! As you can guess, more drama is on it's way for the gang - but can Lexi really move on once and for all?

As soon as I finished this book the first thing I thought was "HOW FRUSTRATING!" And yes, I'm frustrated with you JACK!!! I love you, I really do, but PLEASE GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER! How is it possible to love and hate a character all at the same time? I was hoping Jack would grow into himself, become more responsible with his feelings and how he acts towards Lexi, but if anything, he's so much worse and I'm honestly not sure how or if  he can redeem himself from this. I can see why Lexi loves him so much - even though he treats her badly, but this series is about Lexi and Jack....it has been from the start and just don't see what the point of it all was, if they don't end up together. This journey for them has to mean something. It has got to count for something! I hope so, because I like Ramsey but I don't believe he's the one for Lexi, honestly, I don't. 

“We have such a long history that when I look into his eyes that's all I can see. I forget the stupidity of what we've done and who could get hurt. I just remember the man who loved me once” 

Despite my frustration with Jack, Avoiding Responsibility is a fantastic sequel. It wasn't as good as the first book - I found there was more of Lexi's wandering thoughts during conversations that I would have liked to have been cut down but otherwise, it was great. I find myself wondering about the third book now - what will the ending be like? Will Jack and Lexi get they're happily ever after? And if Bekah gets a real slap in the face? And I honestly can say, I just don't know. K.A Linde makes this series so unpredictable with her nail biting story line that it's just one you can't predict. Honestly, this book was awesome! Read it and love it people, read it and love it! 

Author Bio: 

K.A. Linde graduated with her Masters in political science from the University of Georgia in 2012. She also has a bachelors in political science and philosophy. She wrote her first two books, Avoiding Commitment and Avoiding Responsibility, while struggling through advanced statistical modeling and writing her thesis. She enjoys dancing and founded the Georgia Dance Team in 2010.

You can follow her page on facebook and fictionpress (craziebabe45) to get the scoop about her upcoming releases.

A Review for Avoiding Commitment by K.A Linde

Posted by Donna
Release Date: August 1st, 2012

Finished Date: October 28th, 2012

Publishers: Self-Published

Source: For Review

Format: Kindle

Pages: 359
Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US 

Jack and Lexi never had a typical relationship. After 2 years without speaking, she receives a phone call that changes everything. He unexpectedly asks her to convince the new girl, Bekah, that he's ready to commit. Jack is calling now after everything they had been through because there is another woman. She can't believe it. Follow Lexi in this heart wrenching drama as she relives her past relationship, or lack thereof, with Jack, and not just in her own mind, but to his fiance-to-be. Throw in Bekah's hot brother who always seems to be in the right place at the right time, a past with more secrets to unravel than you can even imagine, and you get a recipe for disaster. Find out what happens to Lexi as she travels to Atlanta to get the closure she so desperately desires from Jack, and how the bumps of life seem to keep getting in the way.

The Review: Recommended to people over the age of 17+

Avoiding Commitment is a book that I really wish I hadn’t read! Yeah, you heard me, I wish I hadn’t read it because it was an absolutely fantastic read and now I’m going to spend the next few months, eagerly awaiting for the release of book two and then, I’ll be in the same position again waiting for the release of book three. I could cry – really, It’s painful waiting for the next book. Not only that but it’s been nearly 24 hours since I finished and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it ALL DAY and to top it off, I have no desire to pick up another book, I just want more of this wonderful and emotional story and all I can think of how much of an emotional wreck K.A Linde’s has turned me into today.

I have so many thoughts swirling around my head about Jack and Lexi because as characters they both completely consumed me. They have such an intense relationship that you honestly don’t know if you’re coming or going with it. They’ve known each other for years and since they first met, they’ve had a very deep connection that neither of them can deny, however they have a lot of problems. Their relationship has always been based on lies, cheating and pain – neither one seems to want to trust the other, but for whatever reason, they always end up back in each other’s arms. It’s like they have a hurtful relationship and that’s it – one hurts the other and then soon the other follows, but Jack, mainly is the one that does it the most.

Jack is a very tricky character and I have to admit, I still can’t figure him out. Good Jack vs. Bad Jack – it’s a constant battle. I don’t know if he is really a good guy that has a lot of problems or if he really is everything he comes across as. When he’s with Lexi he’s so loving and tender and you honestly swoon over him, you can see why Lexi loves him so much but, then once he’s away from her and had time to think, he becomes another person. It’s like he almost doesn’t want to be alone and even though he wants Lexi, he can’t commit – even though he’s tried too and boyfriends/girlfriends get in way. Just when I feel we’ve finally seen the light from Jack, that he’s going to change in his ways, he manages to hurt Lexi even more, and it really rips you to shreds as you watch her go through this awful pain.

“I couldn’t bear her knowing what I’d done to you, how I’d broken you. And I see it now. I see that I broke you into a million pieces and then left you there.” - Jack

Lexi – what to say about her? Well, she’s one strong woman that’s for sure. I’ve read a few reviews and seen some people thought she was a weak character because she allowed Jack to do wrong by her so many times, but I have to disagree with that. When you love someone, you love them, it’s plain and simple. You can’t turn it off your feelings and you can’t just shut someone out of your life by the snap of your fingers. Lexi is consumed by Jack, just one look turns her weak at her knees and she can’t control her emotions around him either. To be that in love with someone, weather he be a good guy or bad guy, how can you expect her to walk away without it physically killing her? She has hope – hope that one day things will be different and no matter what, she keeps going back for more because she loves him. Just because you love someone it doesn’t make you weak. Is that a healthy relationship? Not really, but when you love someone you try and try and try until you physically can’t try no more and that’s what Lexi does. Yes my heart breaks for her, I cried with her but I do have hope for her and for them as a couple. I refuse to believe that there will be no happy ending for them at the end of this series. What would be the point of it all for them not to end up together? They need to learn to trust each other, they need to spend time with each but mainly Jack needs to realise that Lexi is all he really needs.

“I did those things because of my lack of control. When you touch me Jack, I completely succumb to you. I give into your every whim.” - Lexi

There are other key players in this book, one’s I didn’t really care for. I didn’t care for Bekah or Ramsey. Yeah they were good characters to be added into the mix but really, are they right for their partners? NOT AT ALL! No matter what, I am on Lexi and Jack’s side – I really think that can overcome anything despite the drama we’re witnessing now. So Team Jack all the way!

Avoiding Commitment is a heart-wrenching and unputdownable read, one that you won’t be able read without a tissue and I can only guess that there will be many more emotional times ahead too but I can’t wait to read what happens next and I highly recommend you do too.

A big thank you to Taryn who recommended me this book to me, and a big thank you to K.A Linde who gave me the opportunity to review her book.