My Book Boyfriend (#32): Daniel from Telesa-The Covenant Keeper + Take Daniel home-International Giveaway!

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme, hosted by Missie at TheUnread Reader. What is My Book Boyfriend you might ask.  Well it is a weekly meme where we talk about a literary crush including stats, a picture of what you imagine he looks like and some quotes from him that make you swoon.  If you are interested in participating please check out the My BookBoyfriend Introduction Page over at Missie's blog The Unread Reader. 

So, I'm back. With a vengeance.  Heh. It's been a long time. Happy March everyone. I previously read a book for review named Telesa-The Covenant Keeper and fell in love with a beautiful Samoan. It made me want to visit Samoa just for him. His name is Daniel, and he's a sexy Samoan college rugby player.

Description: Daniel is 19. He's part Tongan, part Samoan. He's tall with dark hair, and has an intricate tattoo down his left bicep to his wrist. His shoulders are broad, and he has abs. He plays the guitar, sings and he's the star of the SamCo rugby team...*sigh*




Quotes:..."But when you're so close to me like this and you touch me like that, I keep thinking of things I shouldn't. That I promised myself I never would." "Things?" I whispered the question so softly that he had to lean closer to catch it. "Yeah things. Like...this." He leaned close, so close I hardly dared to breathe. I kept still, so still. His breath was hot against my skin as, hesitantly, his lips met my cheek, lingered and then danced to my mouth."


"He wore a brief piece of elei tied at the hips. His burnished chest was bare save for the single bone carving. His whole body gleamed with glistening coconut oil and his tattoos spoke their story clearly in the sunlight. He was the noble warrior of every myth and legend."

"Daniel turned and before I could move to join his grandmother in the workroom, he pulled me to him and moved us both out of sight. Into the jasmine-fragranced darkness. "What?" my query was still as he enveloped me in his arms, gently running his hand through my hair to tilt my head back so he could bring his lips to mine. He was shirtless and I could feel every inch of him through the thin fabric of the lavalava that separated us."

"I love you. And I can't be without you anymore. I want to be everything to you. But if you can't then I'll be what you want me to. Your friend. Your debate sparring partner." A crooked smile as he paused before proceeding. "Your designated driver. The guy who picks you up the next time you pass out in the hallways. Heck, I'll even settle for being the guy who gets his eyebrows flamed-just so I can give you my shirt when you burn your clothes off."

Right, ladies, that's Daniel. Pretty tasty huh? He's being modeled by New Zealand rugby star Ezra Taylor. Author, Lani Young made this choice, and he's pretty perfect for Daniel. He definitely brought Daniel to life for both of us.

Right, so onto the giveaway. Lani Young has kindly offered to giveaway 2 e-copies of Telesa to 2 International winners!! That's right, two of you lucky ladies could be in with a chance of taking Daniel home with you. Trust me, you want to. ;)

To be in with a chance of winning, just fill in the rafflecopter form below. There are a couple of mandatory fields, a tweet, and a Facebook like to be done. Nothing else. Giveaway is International and ends on March 30th. Winners will be announced via the Rafflecopter form and emailed about their win.

UK Giveaway for The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

We've got a very exciting giveaway for you lucky UK followers. Courtesy of Gollancz Publishing we have five copies to giveaway of The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan which is book three in The Forest of Hands and Teeth series. 
Neither me or Jess has read this series, so we'd love to hear your thoughts because it sounds great! So a huge thank you to Gollancz Publishing for donating these prizes. 

Want more details of the book? 
Here are the details: 

The Dark and Hollow Places 
by Carrie Ryan 

Release Date:  March 15th, 2012 

There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters. 

Annah's world stopped that day, and she's been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn't feel much different than the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again.

But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah: can she continue to live in a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

Rules

* UK Only

* End Date: 12th March 2012

* Winners prizes will be sent by the publishers NOT Book Passion for Life

* Extra entries are optional (not required to win) 

So want to enter? 

All you need to do is fill in the Rafflecopter form below and that's it! 

Good Luck! 

Dusty Reads (#9)

Dusty Reads is a weekly meme, hosted by Xpresso Reads featuring a book that has been sitting unread on our shelves for some time. To participate and more information, click here.

Jess's Dusty Read

Divergent

by Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

Jess's thoughts: That's right! I'm probably the only person in the world left who still hasn't read this! I love Dystopian, and I don't know why I haven't read this yet. I bought it last summer and it's been stuck on my shelf for nearly a year now. I will get to it, very very soon. Now with book 2 having been released I won't have to wait so long.

Donna's Dusty Read

The Predicteds 

by Christine Seifet 

Daphne is the new girl in town and is having trouble fitting in. At least she has Jesse... sort of. He wants to be more than "just friends," but there's something he's not telling her about his past. Something dangerous. When a female student is brutally attacked, police turn to PROFILE, a new program that can predict a student's capacity for drug use, pregnancy, and violent behavior, to solve the case. As the witch hunt ensues, Daphne is forced to question her feelings for Jesse–and what she will do if her first love turns out to be a killer.

Donna's thoughts: I've had this book since my birthday last year and I still haven't managed to read it yet. It's had some mixed reviews but I'd still like to try it this year, so hopefully I will get the chance. I adore the book cover!

So that's our Dusty Read's for this week! Don't forget to leave us your thoughts below. 

Happy Reading!

A Review for The Reluctant Dom by Tymber Dalton

Posted by Jess

Published Date: February 16th, 2009

Finished Date: March 2nd, 2012

Source: Recommended

Format: Kindle

Pages: Unknown 

The Blurb from Goodreads: Love hurts...if you're lucky. Kaden knows he's dying, but before he goes, he has one problem he needs to solve - he must ask his oldest friend Seth to take over as his beloved wife's Dom and Master after his death. Seth has always seen himself as the perpetual screw-up and Kaden as the strong and steady one, so his friend's request rocks his world. Now Seth finds himself immersed in a role he's far from comfortable with: inflicting pain to provide emotional comfort for the woman he's secretly loved for years. Can he deal with his crushing grief and learn the skills he must master in time to become THE RELUCTANT DOM?

The Review: "I love you, bro." "I love you too. Still not doing you." -Kaden and Seth

Ok, people, don't judge me lol. No-one knew I was reading this (unless you have me on Goodreads). This was part of my secret stash of Erotica that I have on kindle lol. 


After reading Fifty I found out I had a passion for Erotica (you can all thank Christian Grey for that!). Anyway, I was just looking for more Erotica, not necessarily anything revolving around BDSM. This book was recommended to me by a friend on Goodreads, and I'm glad she did.

Let me start by saying, I haven't cried like that at a book since I read Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. The Reluctant Dom is an extremely emotional book, that focuses on 3 people coming to terms with the fact that one of them is dying of cancer.  

It's Kaden that is dying, and he asks his best friend, Seth to become his wife's new husband and Dom after he passes. Kaden completely struck me from the moment I started reading. I felt for him. Seth was a complete sweetheart, listening to what his friend has to say, and not judging him in anyway. He later agrees to let Kaden train him in the art of BDSM and lets him move in with him and his wife Leah.

Don't be deceived by the the cover or the title of this book. It deals with a lot more than the lifestyle of BSDM. The Reluctant Dom, deals with BDSM as more than just a lifestyle, it deals with it being the help that these three people need. I know that may seem weird, but it's really hard to explain without giving much away, you'll just have to read it to see for yourself.

I pretty much fell in love with this story, it touches your heart completely and it was Seth's inner turmoil and his guilt over his friend that begins to break you apart. It was his moments of crying himself to sleep, or crying in the shower at remembering that his best friend is dying that begins to get to you. And it's Seths' selflessness to give up the life he knew to help his best friend make the transition from old Dom to new Dom easier for his wife, Leah. Leah is a very complicated character, she relies on the pain from BDSM to deal with her inner emotions of having a traumatic childhood. And Seth has been in love with Leah from the day he met her, Kaden knows this, and so knows that Seth is perfect for the job. He sees that Seth will be able to look after Leah, in more ways than one. Giving her what she needs to help her survive once Kaden passes.

Tymber Dalton, managed to create a story surrounding a personal tragedy and entwining a lifestyle that you would never associate with said tragedy. It's a wonderful story, and it truly moves you to tears, I believe I read through wet eyes for the last half of the book. You know what's coming and you're waiting for it, but nothing can prepare you for when that moment comes, it was slow to build and the descriptions of Kaden's decline in health and his jaundice that started me. I went completely over the edge! Nothing can prepare you for Kaden's end. Nothing at all. It's extremely emotional and heartfelt. You'd be cold hearted if you didn't cry. 

I do recommend this book. However I recommend you read Fifty Shades of Grey first, as that will ease you into the BDSM lifestyle. This book is extremely powerful and centres around personal tragedy and sacrifice. 

Also, this book is for older readers, it does have a  lot of graphic sex in it, including male/female/male ménage. So please, please...only read this if you are 18+. 

Other than that, it's a wonderful story, and I don't regret reading this at all. However you will need to at least read some fluffy YA after all the emotion, heart ache and crying.

On a high note; here's a line that had me roaring with laughter:

“In a fit of Christmas spirit, Kaden had equipped her with a red and green holiday collar, complete with several jingle bells. Their own little pornographic elf.” -Seth

In My Mailbox (#43)

It's the first Sunday in March already? Wow, the weeks are flying by! and for those who don't know yet we turned 1 on March 2nd so it's been a super exciting week for us. We're so proud! Don't forget to check out our international giveaways too. Anyway, I've got some awesome books to show you this week, so let's get started! 

Donna's In My Mailbox

For Review:

Fever (Wither #2) by Lauren DeStefano (UK giveaway coming soon for the extra copy)

When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle 

Fury by Elizabeth Miles 

Thank you to HarperCollins UK and Simon and Schuster

Gifted:

Torn by Amanda Hocking. 

Thank you Nat - your so awesome!!! 

Bought: 

Kindle Skin - beautiful isn't it? ;) 

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

 £2.81 for a brand new copy off Amazon  - bargain!!

eBooks bought off of Amazon UK 

(Click on the book covers to be taken to Goodreads) 

   

   

I'm on a huge kick for contemporary romance books right now, so what better way to continue with some awesome kindle books? I'm super excited to read The Marriage Bargain as it was recommended to me, plus it was only £1.96 on Kindle. And The Summer of Skinny Dipping was on sale for £1.02 too ;)

eBooks for Review off of NetGalley

(Click on the book covers to be taken to Goodreads) 

   

I'm so, so excited about these books. The Meridian Series by Amber Kizer is one of my favourites, so I cannot wait to start and I loved Juliet Immortal, so I have high hopes for Romeo Redeemed.  A huge thank you to NetGalley, Random House & Macmillian. 

So that's it for me this week, 

What is your mailbox? 

Leave me your links below. 

A Review for The Proximity Power (Final Legacy #1) by Carrie Ann Maxwell

Posted by Guest Reviewer Melanie

Published Date: January 28th, 2012

Finished Date: February 28th, 2012

Source: For Review from Author

Format: Kindle

Pages: Unknown 
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The Blurb from Goodreads: Wray was just minding his own business when he encounters a girl jumping off of a bridge--a girl no one else can see. By helping her, he finds himself crossing a line into a different world, with its own set of rules. And whatever was after the girl he saved is now after him! If he wants to live to see 17, he has to learn how to control his new 'powers', fast!
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The Review: This was quite a good book in which we find Wray, a teenager whose life is blown apart when he rescues the girl from his dreams after she dives of a bridge, he has to give her the kiss of life and then she disappears. With her sudden reappearance Wray realises a few things – He seems to be the only person who can see and hear her, she is definitely not from here, she has been visiting him in his dreams and has now brought havoc into his life after the life-saving kiss causes transference of power. A power that everyone wants, a power that draws people to it and that some will stop at nothing to possess, turning Wray into the ‘hunted’.

This was a good debut novel by Carrie Ann Maxwell, it was a ‘run & chase’ book with a supernatural good vs. evil feel. The main characters are Wray – a young man who was working in a diner until he meets Daeda and by saving her he accidently takes her powers. He spends the book trying to fathom out just what is going on whilst trying to get control of his power and trying to avoid being killed. Daeda was the former owner of the power and has taken it upon herself to see that he masters it and tries to help him in any way possible along with her friend Randy who is transgender, living as a woman with the voice of a man who is along for the ride with them. All good characters but I feel we could have had a lot more from them as we didn’t really get to know them. They spent the book reacting to the here and now so we didn’t really get a feel for who they really are – not a bad thing though, just something I would like to see for future character development because they seem to have a lot to give. Randy was quite unique and random, it’s the first I’ve read of a character like that, not sure why there was a need for it but it made a nice change.

The storyline was really good and quite original especially when you find out what the power is meant to be (if I got it right). The threats posed and from whom were quite sinister and scary, they were really fitting to the origin and use of the power and coincided with what Wray was beginning to understand. The plot kept moving all of the time as they are put in constant danger and you were always aware they were being followed and the urgency to keep moving to get where they needed to be, there were no lulls in it and that made a nice, easy, smooth read. The whole books is pretty imaginative especially with Wrays dreams being woven throughout the journey, they left me wondering what was real and whether it was actually happening. It also made the threats that much worse because it could happen anytime, in dreams or awake –Freddy Krueger style. I didn’t really ‘get’ the spaces use though and felt like it could have been explained more – were they like time vacuums? How did they work for travel? Were they in a different dimension? Why couldn’t people breathe in them? Again nothing major and doesn’t interfere with the enjoyment of the book, I’m just curious.  Needless to say it all appealed to me and has good potential as a series; I enjoyed it a lot and will be looking out for the sequel to find out what’s next for Wray. 3.5 out of 5.

A Review for Lily (The Quest For Reason #1) by LM DeWalt

Posted by Guest Reviewer Melanie

Published Date: February 1st, 2012

Finished Date: February 27th, 2012
Publishers: Central Avenue Publishing

Source: For Review 

Format: Kindle

Pages: 302
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The Blurb from Goodreads: Lily is a tragic and lonely vampire, unwittingly brought into her existence by Ian, a selfish but beautiful maker who has captured her heart for decades, even though he left her with no compass on how to navigate her strange new world. When she meets a coven of vampires that takes her in and treats her like family, all she thought she knew is brought into question. Things are further complicated when she finally finds love – Christian, a human man. Just when she's finally found happiness, Ian reappears, threatening to destroy everything Lily holds dear. When he once again removes all her choices, Lily is thrown into a world where Ian's ongoing sins are unstoppable and her family and new found love seem lost forever.

The Review: This was a really nice read; it tells the tale of a lonely vampire Lily who is detached from the world around her, leading a very solitary life. She has been alone since her maker – Ian – left her many years before, leaving her heartbroken and having to learn how to exist as vampire on her own. Even after all the years that have gone by she is still bitter about the abandonment and has never let herself get close to anyone again for fear of being hurt and rejected again. That is until she makes a hasty exit from her current home and finds herself on the doorstep of a coven of vampires who are more than willing to accept her into their family and stranger still, her acceptance of that. Then she meets a man by chance and even though he’s human and everything about the coupling would be wrong, she is drawn to him and begins to feel something she didn’t know existed anymore within herself but that happiness is short lived when her maker turns up and threatens everyone she cares about, causing Lily to make some drastic decisions in the effort to keep everyone safe.

As I mentioned, this was a really nice read and so easy to get into. At first I wasn’t really impressed with Lily’s character; she came across as cold and unfeeling because she had detached herself from society and spent a lot of time alone. Thankfully she came to the realisation that she did indeed need some interaction with people, even if they were humans and that’s what set her off on her journey but she was unprepared for what she would find. She blossomed as an individual throughout the book, it was nice to share her personal discoveries with her and my fondness of her character grew as she became more aware of herself. Her relationship with Christian was sweet as well; they were inexplicably drawn to each other with Christian not believing his luck and Lily, struggling with her emotional awakening through him and afraid that with every touch or date that he would be running for the hills. The coven was a nice touch and gave her somewhere to call home and others to call family, helping to bring out a different side to her. I’m curious about most of the coven members and although we get snippets of whom they are and what they can do, I hope in time we get some of their back stories in following books. I also liked how all of the vamps have powers but that they vary for the individual - that could make for some interesting discoveries further down the line also. Although the book wasn’t really fast paced it held all of my interest and I found it hard to put down, there is something about it that makes you want to keep reading.  You feel the threat to Lily throughout the book as she tries to work out what is going on & who to trust whilst coming to terms with her changing self emotionally and finding out just what she is capable of in the name of love. Whilst the book isn’t really unique and you will probably have read similar plots, it is really enjoyable and a nice straight forward, easy read which has you routing for their happy ending and wanting to know what’s next for Lily and I will definitely look out for book 2.

Book Passion for Life's 1 Year Blogoversary!

HAPPY 1 YEAR BLOGOVERSARY TO US!!!!
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Wow, can you believe it's been one year today since we started up the blog. This year has gone super quick and lets just say it's been a fantastic year -  we've never had so much fun. 

We wanted to start a blog because we have a passion to share books with other people and all the amazing bloggers, authors, followers and publishers that we've met over the last year each mean something to us. You've all helped us become successful and for that, we are truly grateful. We'd like to say a very special thank you to our guest reviewer Melanie for all her help with some of the review books - we couldn't do it without you! ;)

We've had so many big highlights this year from author interviews, epic books and fantastic giveaways, so to celebrate our 1 year, of course we have an awesome giveaway planned for you amazing people....so let's get started with another fantastic giveaway! 

UK/EU/IRE Giveaway!
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1st Place

1 x signed paperback copy of Jessica Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey plus Vampire Academy book mark/pins/key ring and a selection of  signed bookmarks and badges. 
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2nd Place

1 x paperback copy of Ghost Town by Rachel Caine + MV tattoo plus 2 x Andrea Cremer/Jeaniene Frost bookplates plus a Jeaniene Frost bookmark

International Giveaway!

1st Place

2 x winners will win their book of choice for the value of £7 from TBD

2nd Place

1 x Haunting Violet tote bag, lip balm and book mark oh and badges too ;)

3rd Place

2 x Andrea Cremer book plates, 3 Jeaniene Frost bookmarks (mixed), 1 signed book plates by Jeaniene Frost
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So there you guys have the prizes now let's go over the rules; 
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Rules
* UK/IRE/UK can also enter the international giveaway.
* Books from The Book Depository are only open to people that TBD deliver too. 
* You must be a GFC follower to enter
* There is loads of extra entries so feel free to do as many as you like, they are not required to win but will increase your chances
* Winners will be announced on the rafflecopter form and winners will be emailed. A reply within 48 hours will be needed otherwise a new winner will be picked. 
* Giveaway ends March 31st. 
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GOOD LUCK! 
And thanks again for everyone's love and support over the last year. We cannot wait to see what the next year has in store for us.

A Review for Wither (Wither #1) by Lauren DeStefano

Posted by Donna
Published Date: March 22nd, 2011
Finished Date: February 29th, 2012
Publishers: HarperCollins
Source: Won - 2012 TBR Reading Challenge
Format: Hardback
Pages: 358
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The Blurb from Goodreads: At age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years to live. Thanks to a botched effort to create a perfect race, all females live to be twenty, and males live to age twenty-five. While geneticists seek a miracle antidote, orphans roam the streets and polygamy abounds. After Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she is desperate to escape from her husband's strange world, which includes a sinister father-in-law in search of the antidote and a slew of sister wives who are not to be trusted. On the cusp of her seventeenth birthday, Rhine attempts to flee--but what she finds is a society spiraling into anarchy. 
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The Review: **Minor Spoiler**
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I have wanted to read Wither for a while now, so when I managed to get book two ‘Fever’ for review, it was a great opportunity for me to finally read Wither – which has been sitting on my shelf for over a year. And after reading it, I’m pleased with how much I enjoyed it.  

Lauren DeStefano did a fantastic job creating an imaginable and cruel world with Wither and I especially loved how easy it was to slip into the story. Not once did I feel confused or overwhelmed with details of how the society works or how the genetics of the races works and I felt it was at a steady and easy pace – one that made me enjoy it all the more.

Now onto the characters.

Rhine:  I loved her as our heroine. I loved how strong she remained through-out the book and how she took to being a Sister wife. Me personally, I don’t think I would have been able to go through the things she did and keep my mouth shut. I was dying for her to really tell Linden what was going on the in Mansion but she is such a patience character and it really paid off for her. I also loved how caring she was despite what Linden’s father has done to her, she still manages to feel for Linden a little bit and I think deep down, she could truly love him.……one day.

Gabriel: I really like Gabriel but he wasn’t a major part of Wither. He was more of a secondary character and even though there is a hint of romance between him and Rhine, the author doesn’t really focus on it in this book, so I’m hoping for some more of him in book two so we can finally see what kind of guy he really is. We know he cares about Rhine but that’s about it so far, so definitely more Gabriel.

Linden: Where to start with him? I have a love hate relationship wit him because at first I thought I was going to really like him. But as the story progresses it’s hard to really love him. His father plays a key role in the way him behaves because he has been lied too so much but I cannot condone the way he acts with the Sister wives. I understand that he has two other wives other than Rhine, but I hated the way he was jumping in and out of bed with two of them which leads to one of them getting pregnant; one a girl of the age of 13 - and then all the while, classing Rhine as his first wife. It really made me angry and I was so hurt for Rhine to have to witness it all. So you can see where the hate comes in.

Overall, I really enjoyed Wither and I really enjoyed the direction this book takes….so now onto Fever. 

A Review for Telesa (The Covenant Keeper) by Lani Wendt Young

Posted by Jess
Published Date: October 19th, 2011
Finished Date: February 29th, 2012
Publishers: Self Published by author
Source: For Review
Format: Kindle
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The Blurb from Goodreads: When Leila moves to her new home, all she wants is a family, a place to belong. Instead she discovers the local ancient myths of the telesa spirit women are more than just scary stories. The more she finds out about her heritage, the more sinister her new home turns out to be. Embraced by a Covenant Sisterhood of earth's elemental guardians - what will Leila choose? Her fiery birthright as a telesa? Or will she choose the boy who offers her his heart? Daniel - stamped with the distinctive tattoo markings of a noble Pacific warrior and willing to risk everything for the chance to be with her. Can their love stand against the Covenant Keeper?

A thriller-romance with a difference. If you enjoyed Twilight, then you will be enthralled by Telesa as it blends the richness of Pacific mythology into a contemporary young adult love story that will stay with you long after you have turned the final page.

The Review: "Give me another chance. To show you a better side of Samoa. Of me?"-Daniel. 

When Lani Young contacted me personally to review her book, I was flattered and totally intrigued after reading the blurb for the book. 

This book is set in Samoa, which is just so refreshing from your bog standard YA novels set in the US. It was a nice change of pace, and Lani Young did extremely well with describing the Samoan landscape, it's smells, and the language used in that part of the world. It didn't feel like you were reading a travel guide of the Island. 

Let me begin with Leila, she's extremely kick ass and strong. She's immediately likeable, she has a little temper on her which she tries to control when she moves to Samoa in search of answers about her mother. She meets Daniel (*sigh*). He's this super hot, rugby star at SamCo (Samoa College) and Leila at first doesn't like him and judges him far too quickly. But they both soon learn that they both aren't what they thought and after much talking (like Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett) they form an attachment, which leads to a kiss, which leads to Leila bursting into flames...literally. The romance between these two was slow to progress, there was no insta-love, and that's the way I like YA romances to be. Not instant, but slowly built over the course of the novel. 

Although I slugged through some parts, most of this novel will keep you wanting to read more. The plot and the story is intriguing. Lani Young has managed to include myth and legend bringing to life a tale of wonder. 

There was a nice little twist at the end, which leaves you wanting book 2 straight away. But alas, we must wait, not long though, after March I believe book 2 is set to be released. 

There isn't a lot I can say about this book, but I'm unsure as to why it hasn't been picked up by a publisher yet, it's a shame because it's a great story, it's new it different, it has everything that a YA novel should have. A kick ass protagonist, a hot boy (actually 2 hot boys...Jason is there too), wicked friends, evil woman spirits, an exotic country full of mystery and legend. 

All I can is that, I think you should most definitely read this book. Give it a go. You may just be pleasantly surprised by how much you'll enjoy it. I know I was.

Thank you to Lani Young, for allowing me to review this. I enjoyed it and I early anticipate book 2, When Water Burns.

A Review for Dead Radiance (A Valkyrie Novel) by T.G Ayer

Posted by Guest Reviewer Melanie
Expected Published Date: February 25th, 2012
Finished Date: February 12th, 2012
Publishers: Evolved Publishing
Source: For Review
Format: Kindle
Pages: 381
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The Blurb from Goodreads: For as long as she can recall Bryn Halbrook has seen a golden aura around certain people, and it is only when her new best friend Joshua dies that she understands the glow means death. Bryn struggles to adapt to a new town and a new foster home while trying to deal with the guilt of being unable to save her friend. Until mysterious biker-boy, Aidan Lee arrives.

When Aidan unexpectedly takes off he leaves behind a shattered heart, a tonne of unanswered questions and a mysterious book that suggests Bryn is a Valkyrie. Bryn is faced with questions about Aidan’s real identity, the real reason he came to Craven, and that Odin, Freya and Valhalla just might be real.

As if accepting her new wings, new life and new home in Asgard isn’t difficult enough, Bryn is forced to find and return the precious necklace of the Goddess Freya. The only problem is – if she fails, Aidan will die. The mystery of a Mythology is easy to enjoy. The reality is much harder to accept.

The Review: Bryn Halbrook is alone. Has been really since her father died in suspicious circumstances and her mother rejected her. She is passed around the foster care system and lands in Craven and finally gains a friend in Joshua. That is, until he starts to glow, brighter and brighter. Soon Bryn comes to realise that this glow means death,  Joshua is going to die and there is nothing she can do about it but watch as he brightens day by day and when he does die, she is alone again. Trying to wade through the turmoil of emotions and the towns’ rejection of her, she starts to despair. . . . Until she hears the rumble of a motorbike, announcing the arrival of her new foster brother - Aiden Lee.
She is inexplicably drawn to this mysterious young man and him to her, she opens up about her ‘gift’ but soon after he leaves and she is alone again. What he really leaves though are answers to why he was really there and who he really is and it rocks Bryn’s world to the foundations as she finds out that she could be a Valkyrie, a beautiful, winged warrior of Norse mythology. He is not the only one to think so either and when her life is put in danger she is whisked away to somewhere she never dreamed of , thrust into a different way of life and sent on a quest with a huge stake – if she fails, Aiden will die!

Well, what can I say except this book was brilliant! I couldn’t put it down and loved everything about it. The characters – Bryn, poor Bryn, all alone in the world after the death of her father at 13 years old. Her mother had left when she needed psychiatric help for her ‘glow vision’ and never returned, nor did she want her when her father died so Bryn has that lonely, rejected feel to her. It seems like she always will wherever she goes, she never fits in and people are always willing to see her in a bad light. She clings to first Joshua and then Aiden who actually show her some friendship, craving them. It’s quite sad how she is for the first part of the book but that all changes as the discoveries are made and she finally feels like she belongs somewhere. There are always going to be people who have it in for her but she starts to feel enabled and brave and in the end she has something to fight for and will stop at nothing – quite the transformation. She is of course the stand out character, so well written that it was so easy to empathise with her, feel everything she was going through and all the other characters compliment her effortlessly. Aiden is an excellent pairing for her, just as tragic, with parental issues and an expert where she is concerned. The connection between them was just lovely.

The plot was also excellent. The story line, how it came about, what she learned about herself, there was always something going on, finding out new things and facing challenges, I was never bored – the pacing was great and it was jam packed with information on the mythology involved. This is one of those books where you can tell the author has put a huge amount of effort and research into combining all the elements that have gone into making this story believable and educating the reader in Norse mythology backing it up with evidence all the way. It was great to read something other than Greek mythology and the Norse has really got me curious. I had known only of Thor, Odin and Loki so it is all new to me and really piqued my interest so I did a little research and you would not believe how factual this book really is, down to the names and owners of property. Bryn’s namesake is even known as the chief Valkyrie in Robert Wagner’s works, I’m really blown away by it all. I loved that we have a modern day Valkyrie and how it came about, very plausible and it’s a shame we can’t meet her father and get answers. This has been an amazing read that has kept me on my toes as we follow them on their journey, learning about the new world they’ve become a part of, Bryn learning about herself, what she may be capable of, trying to save lives, doing the right thing and finally feeling as if she belongs somewhere. It takes you through times of happiness, hope, love, sorrow, faith, despair, determination – a real emotional rollercoaster that had mine all over the place and my heart beating in time to theirs as if I was going through it with them, I was that involved. I could gush on and on about my love of this book, but I won’t. . . .  I’ll leave it for you to discover for yourself. Just know that this is an awesome first book in a series that is fresh and new, using Norse mythology as a backdrop with both modern day and old world characters that will captivate you as you search for the answers to the puzzle of who is Bryn Holbrook & just what is she capable of? Oh, did I fail to mention the most heinous of cliff-hangers? Well yeah, there’s one of those too.