Deviate by Tracy Clark

I'm going to open with a very bold statement:  I think Deviate was even better than Scintillate!  And you'll remember that I did enjoy Scintillate very much.  A lot of times, the middle book in a trilogy can feel a bit flat, like it's only there to set up the grand finale.  But not Deviate!  Deviate definitely has it's own plot and excitement, and the reader gets to know all of the characters better.

*A quick note: this is a review of a sequel, so there may be slight spoilers to the first book.  If you haven't yet read Scintillate, you can check out my review here.

In Deviate, Cora and her friends and family go on the offensive against the Arrazi.  Cora is determined to not spend her life hiding, and she can't stand the thought of sitting idly by while Arrazi roam the world, killing innocent people.   Cora, Giovanni, and Grace know that they're special; do they hold the key to taking down the Arrazi once and for all?  With the help of friends, they seek answers no matter the cost.

Among many things that I loved about Deviate, the setting definitely stands out.  This entire book takes place in Ireland!  I could hear the Irish lilt in all the conversations.  I loved it!  Every time Finn interjected a "fookin,'" I smiled involuntarily.  A hottie with an Irish accent?  Sign me up!

Speaking of Finn, in Deviate he gets his own point of view.  The chapters loosely alternate between Cora's point of view and Finn's.  This way the reader gets to follow the action of both the scintillates and the Arrazi.  This is something I love about YA lit:  the lines between the "bad guys" and the "good guys" starts to get blurry sometimes.  Through Finn's eyes, we see him struggle with his identity.  The author does a great job with his voice; his actions are never sugarcoated, but yet I was somehow left feeling some compassion for him.  And it wasn't just because of his presumably adorable accent; he feels very real.  A teenage boy coming into his own, and having to struggle with right and wrong.

The third point of the love triangle  is more fully developed in this book too.  I'm still not sure how to feel about Giovanni.  Like Finn, Tracy Clark does an excellent job in keeping him real.  We only see him through Cora's eyes, and I'm left a bit conflicted about him.  Yes, he's a hot Italian scintillate who's trying to help Cora, but there are some things revealed about his past in this book that gave me pause.  I'll be going into the third book without picking "Team Finn" or "Team Giovanni."

Fascinating love triangles aside, the true gem at the heart of this book is the plot.  It feels much deeper in this book, of course.  The reader is right alongside the characters as they learn more and more about themselves and the world of scintillates and Arrazi.  I thought the action was a little more intense--maybe because I know Cora better and care about her more?  I absolutely love seeing her grow so much.  She went from being a timid, overprotected girl at the beginning of Scintillate to a very confident young lady who wears a slightly risky dress to a masked ball all by herself in Deviate.  She is fiercely loyal to her friends and family, and my heart broke for her whenever the danger hit too close to home.  Isn't that the mark of a great novel?  I was able to feel Cora's confusion; her love for her friends; her fear; her bravery.

I love that there was a definite story in Deviate, with all the build-up and then resolution you would want in a standalone.  Yet, there was deep character development, building off of the first book's introductions, and a hint at the end of what will come in the third and final novel.  I know that I'm hooked and ready for the third novel!

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 auras, Entangled, Fantasy, Light Key Trilogy, Love amp; Romance, Publisher, Review, Tracy Clark, young adult  Leave your mark

Scintillate by Tracy Clark

Scintillate manages to pack an action- and romance-filled punch into this YA trilogy-starter!  Are you a fan of fantasy, especially concerning auras?  Got it.  Are you a fan of romance, and need your main characters to be not only smoking hot but also have sexy accents and have stolen kiss moments?  Got it.  Are you a fan of action and adventure, especially when it involves travel?  Got it too!

At the heart of the matter, Scintillate is the story of Cora, who after an intense illness is able to see auras around people.  This is all very new to her, so she tries to seek answers from doctors and then from a New Age bookseller.  Her dad, who is a scientist and very cold-hard-facts oriented, tries to discourage her from pursuing any information on this new "talent" of hers.  I think this is the first book I've read where aura reading has played such a key role.  I think Tracy Clark did a great job showing how overwhelming this ability could be, at least at first.  In the first couple of days, Cora has difficulty maintaining eye contact and feels like the visuals are overstimulating.  I imagine I would also feel out of sorts if I suddenly started seeing auras around everyone!  There's a lot of neat descriptions that accompany this whole aura-seeing thing.  Beautiful descriptions of warm, sunny auras around good people and angry, red, pulsing auras around the bad guys, and everything in between.  Almost made me wish I could see auras!

I know the love triangle is much maligned these days, but I still kind of enjoy it.  Especially when it's done well.  And I know from working with teens in a library that many teens still seek out swoons in their books!  Scintillate takes it all up a notch by adding foreign hot love interests for Cora!  Oooh.... I could just hear the accents leaping off the page!  There's Finn, who is Irish and Giovanni, who is Italian.  No wonder Cora has trouble deciding!

And last but not least, Scintillate definitely doesn't disappoint in the action & adventure arenas.  Cora, a California girl, is taken on a wild chase to Ireland as she searches for her mother (who disappeared 12 years ago) and more information about her newfound ability to see auras.  It's nonstop!  From the very first pages, the reader is kept on the edge of their seat as Cora narrowly escapes harm.  In fact, my only tiny gripe with Scintillate is the pacing:  for me, it felt a little too fast; like the author tried to fit in a little too much.  But I really can't say much; the book definitely hooked me and didn't let go until the very end!  Even if a few plot points were a little too convenient or tidy, it's still enjoyable.

A final bonus point:  #diversityinYA!  Cora was born in Ireland to an Irish mother and Chilean father.  She is described as curvy with wild curly hair.  Yay for diversity in YA!  (I know that the hand on the book cover is decidedly white.  Cora is also described as being Irish-fair, so this is still true to the book.)

In early March, I'll be reviewing the sequel, Deviate, and hosting Tracy Clark for a When I'm Not Writing post.  I'm so glad that I don't have to wait a full year to find out what happens next with Cora!

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Action amp; Adventure, auras, Entangled, Fantasy amp; Magic, Light Key Trilogy, Love amp; Romance, Purchased, Review, Tracy Clark, young adult  1 Person left their mark

The Girl and the Clockwork Cat by Nikki McCormack

It's no secret that I love reading steampunk. However, I personally think if you're invested in writing a steampunk novel, you have to dedicate a lot of time in world building. I was intrigued by the synopsis (and the cover art) of the THE GIRL AND THE CLOCKWORK CAT, and obviously the title of the book screamed steampunk. In reality this story could have been set in any world or any time. Except for the occasional mention of airships and the clockwork cat, there really wasn't much point in setting this story in a steampunk world. In my opinion, the world building was almost non-existent.

Maeko, a half-Japanese girl has been roaming the Victorian London streets for almost a decade and now, because of a newly formed attachment to a cat, has stumbled upon a missing person's investigation turned murder investigation. The initial mystery is intriguing but I find everything goes downhill from there. She gets captured by the Lit (a type of police force), placed into jail, escapes, and the following night gets placed in jail again. Yep, you guessed it, she escapes a second time, however this time with a new friend, Ash. Together, Maeko and Ash try to find and help Ash's family that has unfortunately gotten involved in the murder investigation. A good amount of the novel is spent searching for the cat and for family members. It felt like everything was on repeat, probably because it was. Fast-paced action is usually a good thing, however in this novel, the action was so fast that it was hard to keep track of everything, and didn't let the reader appreciate the story.

I'm relieved the characterization was a little bit better than the world building. Maeko, the main character, is intriguing because of her Japanese heritage and because of her troubled past. The author could have expanded a little more on Maeko's past in order to really understand what drives this teen to take such risks with her life. She calls herself a street rat but whenever someone points it out, her first instinct is to say, "I'm not a street rat!" She's a little bit immature but her association with Ash actually helps her see the world from a different point of view. All of a sudden, life is more than pick-pocketing and living off scraps. She see the possibility in having a better life, of living off the streets, and she has a hard time deciding what is best for her.

Ash, the good looking boy she's trying to help, might be the first boy that sees her as a girl. All the other boys on the streets know that she's a girl and belittle her for it, but Ash is the first one that makes her blush and makes her think about the possibility of romance. Chaff, her pick-pocketing mentor, also becomes interested in Maeko, probably because he gets jealous and doesn't like the idea of losing her to someone like Ash. Regrettably, the almost-there love triangle is a tease because is it doesn't result in much.

Overall, THE GIRL AND THE CLOCKWORK CAT wasn't for me. It left me wanting and confused about the direction of the plot. It's not clear if this novel will have a sequel or not, and if it doesn't, the ending is unsatisfying and incomplete. The novel seems to have mixed reviews on Goodreads since some people seemed to have liked it. Personally it doesn't rank very high on my list of YA steampunk.

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Clockwork, Entangled, Nikki McCormack, Publisher, Review, steampunk, YA, young adult  6 People left their mark

Love Potions by Michelle M. Pillow

I don't review books I don't finish very often, mostly because I usually stop fairly early in the novel, but I read 60% of Love Potions before I decided to give up and I taught it deserved a review.

Love Potions is about an immortal warlock who falls in love at first sight with Lydia, mortal granddaughter of a self-proclaimed witch, and his terrible attempts at seducing her. I have some big issues with this novel, and the first signs of trouble appeared when Lydia first met Erik. She was all wet and bothered the first time she sees him on the street and she almost gave him a blowjob the second time she saw him, on the same day, albeit this time because of a spell going wrong. None of this felt natural and it bothered me. Speaking of spells going wrong, this one isn't the only one, and the other ones don't sit so well either.

Aside from the falseness of Erik and Lydia's romance, my main issue was the almost nonexistent plot. I'm afraid to say the bit about shadow forces trying to control Lydia to destroys Erik's family is just a sorry excuse to support the shaky romance. Even after 60% read I felt like the story wasn't going anywhere, which is why I stopped altogether. My shelf is full of great books waiting to be read, I just didn't want to invest more time reading this one, unfortunately.

On a positive note, I enjoyed Lydia's personality. She is funny, independent, strong and resourceful. I also liked the light banter the MacGregor siblings had going on and Charlotte's loveable character. Michelle really created a great bunch of characters so it's that much more disappointing that the plot was poorly executed.

Did you finish this book? What did you think? Would my opinion be any different had I persevered?

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Entangled, Fantasy amp; Magic, Magic, Michelle M. Pillow, Netgalley, Paranormal Romance, Review, Warlocks, Warlocks MacGregor  4 People left their mark

"When I'm not writing" with Mark Henry + giveaway

Our guest today is the incredibly funny Mr. Mark Henry! You may be familiar with his Amanda Feral zombie novels published by Kensington, or his YA books under the name Daniel Marks. He's on tour right now to celebrate his new series, which kicks off this fall with PARTS & WRECK, the first of what will hopefully be many Parts Department novels from Entangled Covet.

I hear a lot of writers talk about their work as the great love of their life, that thing they “have to do” like breathing or sex, and I love writing to, it’s fun, I enjoy it, but it’s not my “Great Love.” That’d be cooking. My mother was a great cook in her day and as an only child, she’d have me with her most all of the time, teaching me everything she knew and lots of stuff that to an outsider would have seemed far beyond my capabilities. Spice combinations, technique, the difference between baking soda and powder, that kind of thing. By the age of nine, I was the resident bartender at my parents cocktail parties. Shit, it was the seventies, don’t make that face.

So I cook. It comes natural and I do it every day. I love it. It’s how I relax and think. I set up my laptop on the kitchen table with my work-in-progress open to whatever it is I’m tinkering at and start my mise en place (despite being a professional writer, I have no idea how to put those little accents where they need to go on French words). I’ve come up with some pretty amazing plot twists while cooking. It’s calming, inspirational and, yeah, fattening.

Which brings me to the internet. I’m hugely guilty of producing #foodporn (seriously, follow me on instagram.com/mark_henry. I’d feed you if I could but since you’re probably not living on my street I just have to share when a dish turns out so right. And then the recipe requests come…

Here’s one that I always get requests to reveal. It’s easy-ish and a really quick fix if you realize (on the day of) that the holiday party you’ve been invited to is actually a cookie exchange. I got this recipe a few years back from Angela James of Carina Press fame and since then I’ve had fun changing it up. It’s super flexible and magically delicious!

CrAcKeR CaNdY

(serves: 24 polite eaters or 1 holiday binge-eater)

1. Preheat oven to 350.


2. Line a jellyroll pan (cookie sheet with a surrounding lip) with tinfoil, coat with non-stick spray. Place a single (tight) layer of crackers (any kind will do, I’ve tried both Saltines and Ritz, Townhouse, whatever). If you use a round cracker, break up some pieces to fit in the bare spots of pan.


3. In a saucepan, combine 1 and ½ sticks of salted butter and 1 and ½ cups of brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring over medium high heat. When the mixture is rolling in the pot, pour it gently and evenly over the crackers. Spread it around but don’t worry about getting it perfect.


4. Bake for 5 -10 minutes until the whole thing is bubbling and evenly spread. Remove and add two cups of candy chips. Traditionally, semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips are used, but I find that semi and butterscotch is my go-to. You can use any variation, white chocolate, peanut butter, whatever, as long as it’s chips.


5. Crumble top. You can use a cup of crumbled crackers, nuts, crushed candy canes. Whatever. It’s going to taste amazing.


6. Refrigerate pan until it’s set. Break up into single servings or just eat the whole damn thing like the pig you are!!!

You will not regret making this! Oh wait, yes you will, because it’s like crack and by the end of the day you’ll be shirtless, covered in chocolate and laying on the floor with an empty pan promising sexual favors for more.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

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Thanks so much for visiting us, Mark! I'm definitely going to try out this recipe!

Check out the links below for more Mark or click on the banner for other tour stops:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Here's the scoop on PARTS & WRECK:

Wade Crowson, a brutish and brooding playboy and veteran vivisectionist for the Parts Department, runs into more than he bargained for in new partner, Lucid Montgomery, a quirky beauty with a bizarre secret and a string of psychiatric diagnoses she tries hard to keep hidden.

Loving Luce will stamp a demonic target on her back and thrust Wade into a frenzied whirlwind of hilarious misunderstandings and, quite possibly, a stripping gig for emptynesters. Can they withstand the savagery of an exorcism (with or without the split pea soup) and come out alive and …in love?

Read an excerpt (scroll down)

Purchase: Amazon

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Mark and Entangled Publishing are giving away a whole mess of stuff: signed copies of his adult and YA books and PDFs of some of his work!

Follow the Rafflecopter instructions to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Do you guys have suggestions for who you’d like to see featured on the blog? If so, you can make your suggestions on this page. No guarantees that your favourite authors will be able to participate but we’ll try!

Authors, would you like to visit  us? Please email me at jenn (at) tyngasreviews (dot) com and we’ll set it up!

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Posted by Tynga at 00:00

 Entangled, giveaway, Mark Henry, When I'm not writing  6 People left their mark

A Kiss of Revenge blog tour: Guest post by Natalie J. Damschroder + giveaway

 Today I'm pleased to welcome Natalie J. Damschroder to the blog. She's the author of A KISS OF REVENGE, a paranormal romantic suspense novel that came out last month from Entangled Publishing. Her book sounds absolutely delicious and I'm hoping to try it soon.

Natalie is here today to talk about living vicariously through her characters.

Please join me in welcoming Natalie to the blog and make sure to enter the tour-wide giveaway at the end of the post!

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Thank you so much to everyone at Team Tynga’s for being a part of the blog tour for my latest release, A Kiss of Revenge.

My heroine, Reese Templeton, has been married four times. She started when she was young and alone, and was subconsciously convinced that she needed to conform to her husband’s interests and needs in order to keep him. So each time, she took on her husband’s hobbies or supported his business. Consequently, she has only recently discovered who she is as her own person, and it’s not something she wants to lose.

That conformation obviously isn’t a good thing for her. But it was great for me, especially when I was writing the first draft of the book. I’d given myself carte blanch to just have fun with the story, so Reese originally had SIX husbands. The first five gave her myriad skills and hobbies that…confession alert…I wish I had.

Husband #1: Joey Bastiani
Occupation: Cop

Poor Joey was killed on the job only 9 months after he and Reese got married. But in that short time, living in New York City, he made sure she learned basic safety, to be suspicious of everyone, and how to use a gun.

I’ve taken self-defense classes and have lived in cities, but I’ve only ever used a gun once. All issues of danger and violence aside, since I’ve been writing romantic adventure, the grace and mechanics of weaponry has appealed to me. I really want to learn the skill of shooting. “So find a local range,” you say? I know, right?! But that would take time and, I assume, money, so I’ll just write about characters who know how to shoot instead. At least for now. :)

Husband #2: Martin Idler
Occupation: Survivalist

Martin didn’t make later drafts of the story. He fell into a spiked pit (that does some damage, finding your husband of two years in a trap of his own making). From Martin, Reese learned how to live in the woods, hunt, skin, and cook animals, and essentially how to be MacGyver. None of those skills turned out to be valuable on her vengeance quest, so he hit the cutting room floor.

But really, he existed just because I want to be MacGyver. I *loved* that show when I was a teenager, and I’ve always wished that I had the right mix of knowledge—science, math, technology, and outdoorsmanship, not to mention a resourceful and innovative mind—to do things like patch a radiator by cracking an egg into it or defuse a bomb with a paper clip.

Husband #3: Erik Booth
Occupation: Medical Supplies Sales

Reese helped Erik with his business stuff, which is where she got the know-how to run a successful bakery even while distracted by trying to track down her would-be murderer. He had kind of unusual hobbies. His family owned horses, so Reese learned (and loved) to ride. He also competed in archery, and Reese found an outlet in the precision and control of it, so she continued these after he died in a car crash, and even combined them so she could fire a bow from the back of a horse.

Wouldn’t that be COOL?!

Husband #4: Pete Kryszka
Occupation: Ski Patrol

By the time Reese met Pete, she was tired of subjugating herself to her husbands, and she thought telling him she didn’t like to ski was a positive step in her personal growth. But then he ran off with a downhill Olympian, and that kind of reinforced some of her less conscious beliefs.

I skied my senior year of high school and a little bit through college graduation, but it was too expensive to continue once we had kids. I miss it like crazy, but I really think I’d make a fool of myself if I tried again. LOL

Husband #5: Trey Van Arden
Occupation: Mountain Climber

I don’t know how mountain climbing was supposed to be an occupation. In the first draft, Reese had actually tried climbing as a hobby for herself, and met Trey that way. The only reason I created Trey was to explain how Reese could climb a wall. LOL I don’t think his last name even made it into the book.

I “climbed” one real mountain in my lifetime (really just hiking). Mt. Katahdin in Maine, at the end of the Appalachian Trail. It was incredible! Incredibly hard and exhausting, but so gorgeous and satisfying. Putting this in the book was more nostalgia than living vicariously, I have to admit.

So how many of you *read* books to live vicariously through the characters? To “experience” something you don’t have the time, money, or ability to try in real life?

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 Thanks for visiting, Natalie! You can see the other stops on Natalie's tour by visiting this page.

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Here's the scoop on A KISS OF REVENGE:

Marriage is completely over-rated, especially after Reese Templeton’s quadratic failure. She’d rather settle down to a solitary life of owning a bakery—after she tracks down the man responsible for her husband’s death and making her a human Taser full of enough electricity to short out a city block or send a man into cardiac arrest with just one kiss.

But alluring P.I. Griffin Chase is stirring up those feelings of need again. Only this time, her desire to be in his arms has nothing to do with her fear of loneliness and everything to do with the current charging through her body every time he looks at her…touches her.

Griffin hasn't remained at Reese's side just because of the spark that has nothing to do with her super-human talents. He's willing to compromise his rock-solid principles so she can find closure. But before they can move on, he must help her catch her late husband’s killer, staying on track before she has a chance to exact her revenge. Because leading Reese to jail in handcuffs may just break his heart for the final time.

Read an excerpt

Purchase: Amazon | Kobo

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There is a tour-wide giveaway of one (1) iFrogz GoLite – 2600 mAh Battery and Flashlight. It only ships within the U.S. so an alternate prize (TBD) will given if the winner is international. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Natalie J. Damschroder is an award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance—Love with a Shot of Adrenaline. She sold her first book in 1999, and 2014 will see the publication of her 15th novel. She grew up in Massachusetts and loves the New England Patriots more than anything. (Except her family. And writing and reading. And popcorn.) When she’s not writing, revising, proofreading, or promoting her work, she does freelance editing and works part time as a chiropractic assistant. She and her husband have two daughters she’s dubbed “the anti-teenagers,” one of whom is also a novelist. (The other one prefers math. Smart kid. Practical.) You can learn more about her and her books atwww.nataliedamschroder.com.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

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Posted by Tynga at 00:00

 Entangled, giveaway, Guest Post, Natalie J. Damschroder  2 People left their mark

"When I'm not writing" with Nina Croft + giveaway

Today we have a nice post about animals -- and amazing pictures! -- from Nina Croft. Nina is the author of a variety of paranormal titles and she's on tour promoting her latest release, OPERATION: SAVING DANIEL from Entangled's Covet line. Please join me in welcoming Nina to the blog!

I grew up in a small town in the north of England, and all I ever wanted was to live in the countryside and have a pony and lots of other animals. I never really grew out of that, but life took me first to London, then Africa, then a few years of travelling whenever we could find the time and the money. Pets weren’t really an option.

When we finally did decide to settle down, we chose an almond farm in the remote mountains of southern Spain. I have to admit that we don’t actually do much farming (almond prices are so low that it’s a pointless exercise) but it has given me the opportunity to live out my childhood dreams.



What do I do when I’m not writing? I read a lot. In the summer quite often floating on the pool. In the winter cuddled up in front of a big log fire. But when I’m not reading or writing, then I spend time with my animals. So I thought maybe I’d talk about them today.



I have a few, but the biggest and most time-consuming is Gencianna my mare. She’s big and white and, right now, quite furry (she looks a little like a polar bear in the winter). I ride most days, and she’s great for getting away from my computer and taking a break. But I also use riding time for discussing any plot problems I might have. The best bit with talking stories through with Gencie, is she never feels the need to point out that it’s not real (as my husband has been known to do.)



Gencie is an only horse, and because I didn’t want her to get lonely, she has two pet goats, Tigga and Blondie. Both were rejects from our shepherd neighbor, abandoned by their mothers, and bottle-fed by me. I consider goats to be close relations to Satan, but Gencie quite likes them. Much of my time when not writing is occupied by chasing them around the mountainside as they are both escape artists and spend their lives plotting how best to get over, under, or through the fence.



Then there are the dogs. I have three, Lola, Pinkie and Grunt. Lola we got as a puppy; she’s big and brown and part wolf. Pinkie is a rescue dog and a real cutie, and Grunt turned up one morning and refused to leave. Eventually we decided it was easiest to let him stay, because really he is the best dog ever (but don’t tell the others I said that). The dogs will interrupt my writing every few hours with nudges to let me know it’s time for a walk.

Next are the two cats, Poppy and Ginger, who only hold up my writing when I have to pause and remove one of them from my keyboard—obviously a cat’s idea of a perfect sleeping spot.



Finally, there’s Piggles, my three-legged Vietnamese potbellied pig. Piggles is a total sweetie. She has her bed across the room from my computer, where she’s quite happy to sleep most of the day. Occasionally, she’ll wake up, roll over, and suggest (quite loudly) that I stop writing, get up, and tickle her tummy. Usually, I oblige.

So that’s what I do when I’m not writing. I ride the horse, chase the goats, walk the dogs, move the cats, and tickle the pig.

Do you have any animals, and if not why not?

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Thanks so much for visiting us, Nina! To get more Nina, check out the links below or follow the rest of the tour by clicking on the tour banner.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Here's the scoop on OPERATION: SAVING DANIEL:

At eighteen, Melissa seduced her best friend Julia's brother only to run away shortly after. While Daniel was her fairytale prince, Lissa didn’t believe in happy ever afters.

Ten years and a near death experience later, Lissa is ready for a husband and family. But a cry for help from Julia puts that dream on hold. Daniel is acting weird and he’s about to marry his long term girlfriend—AKA The Evil One. Someone needs to save him.

Daniel has never stopped loving Lissa. Ten years ago when he gave her a little freedom, he always intended that one day they would be together. Right up until the moment he was bitten by a werewolf. Now, Daniel has to hide what he is. He won’t risk anyone else, especially the woman he loves.

But Lissa is back. Their attraction is stronger than ever and Lissa is nothing if not tenacious.

Read an excerpt (scroll down)

Purchase: Amazon

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Nina is giving away $25 Amazon gift card to a lucky tour follower. Just obey the Rafflecopter instructions to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Do you guys have suggestions for who you’d like to see featured on the blog? If so, you can make your suggestions on this page. No guarantees that your favourite authors will be able to participate but we’ll try!

Authors, would you like to visit  us? Please email me at jenn (at) tyngasreviews (dot) com and we’ll set it up!

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Posted by Tynga at 00:00

 Entangled, giveaway, Nina Croft, When I'm not writing  13 People left their mark

Novella November: Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout

It's very hard to place when is a good time to read this. Chronologically, it takes place before OBSIDIAN even begins. We learn the basics of what it is to be a Luxen and an Arum, how they fight, their general history. It's very interesting to say the least. But the kicker is that we meet Dawson. If you read this book after book one, OBSIDIAN, you still will have no idea who Dawson is. You won't find out until book two, so this is necessary background information for later in the series, but if you read this book before or after book one, you still won't have an idea about who the main character really is. Scratch that, you'll have an idea, but he won't have been introduced in the main series yet. Confusing, I know.

I have read the novella after reading the first three books. I like how it turned out for me in this case. I met Dawson on my own, I made my own conclusions and inferences, and then I got a background story that filled in all potential blanks. While it's not meant to be read in this order, I'd highly suggest others to do what I did.

To give a spoiler to those who have not read the series yet, Dawson is obviously Daemon and Dee's brother. It's unavoidable to review this novella without saying that. Later in the series you will find out some things about him that are rather shocking. This novella chronicles those events and gives some background information to some major bombs later in the series.

As the synopsis suggests, the love interest is a human girl named Bethany Williams. Forbidden love at its finest. While I loved Bethany's character and Dawson's character, they reminded me too much of Daemon and Katy. Dawson and Daemon have very similar thought processes even though neither are willing to admit it, and Katy and Bethany often have similar experiences, though Katy is more hardheaded than Bethany. The comparisons are slightly bothersome because the characters don't stand on their own.

To make it worse, I didn't like the progression of the relationship in this one. Time indicators were not included often and when they were they were thrown in haphazardly in the beginning of a chapter. I have no idea how long this book lasts (perhaps three months at most), but I was getting some serious insta-love vibes from this.

With all of that in mind, this is something that you would expect from Jennifer L. Armentrout. It will not wow you to the same degree as OBSIDIAN, but it'll certainly satisfy any fan of hers. A novella is not meant to be on the same level as a novel, but for a novella, this is pretty solid.

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Posted by Tynga at 01:06

 Alien, Entangled, Fantasy, Free, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Lux, Purchased, Review, young adult  Leave your mark

"When I'm not writing" with Kristin Miller + giveaway!

This week, we're welcoming Entangled author Kristin Miller to the blog as part of her virtual tour for FOUR WEDDINGS AND A WEREWOLF, the second book in her Seattle Wolf Pack series. She's put together a really neat post for us today, which I think you'll enjoy. And there's a nice tour-wide giveaway with some exciting prizes so make sure you toss your (virtual) hat in the ring!

 



Hello, I’m Kristin Miller, and I have an obsession with all things Titanic.

Whew. I feel better admitting that aloud.

Seriously though, I’ve been an avid collector of Titanic memorabilia since the late 1980’s, well before Jack, Rose, and the “Heart of the Ocean” came on scene. I read my first Titanic book in fourth grade, and was so intrigued by the building of the ship, the disaster, and the separation of classes during the sinking. I convinced my mom to take me to the used bookstore so I could find more books on it. (New bookstores didn’t have books on the Titanic like they do now.) In that used bookstore, I found my second book on the Titanic with a copy of the deck plans folded in the back cover sleeve.

I. Was. Hooked.

Over the next twenty-four years, I purchased every Titanic book I could find, keeping an eye out for 1912 first editions, international printings included. (You wouldn’t believe some I’ve found! The biggest gems came from garage sales!) I became a member of the Titanic Historical Society. I purchased coal from the wreck site. Replicas of first class china. Postcards sent from the ship during its maiden voyage. In 1998, I was even invited to take part in a trip to the site where the Titanic sank to watch explorers and THS members bring up a piece of the hull.

Interest bleeds into obsession very quickly.

Since James Cameron’s Titanic hit the big screen, floods of books about the sinking have released, and there’s no possible way I can collect them all. (My bookshelves are STUFFED!) So instead of collecting every book, I only buy first editions. I scour eBay and hunt Craig’s List. I watch Titanic auctions and ALWAYS search the shelves of used bookstores for Titanic books when I pass by them.

I was lucky enough to travel to Ireland this summer with my family.

One of our stops was Queenstown (now Cobh), and was the last stop the Titanic made before pushing out to sea. I’m including a picture of the actual dock, where the passengers embarked on a smaller boat that took them to the Titanic deeper in the Harbor. Look at the original wood! The passengers stood there. Right there!



We also stopped in Belfast, Northern Ireland where the Titanic was built. In the picture below, I’m standing overlooking the dry dock where the Titanic was fitted. In the distance you can see Samson and Goliath, the Harland & Wolff Shipyard cranes that helped build the ship.



We went into the Titanic exhibit (I’ve been to the one in Las Vegas, too…twice), and I brought home a couple souvenirs. I walked the slipway. I stood beneath the cranes. I walked the narrow streets of the shipyard, imagining life for the men who worked on the ship. I was living in a dream.

So what do I do when I’m not writing?

I read, search, and collect. Most importantly of all, I remember.

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Thanks so much for visiting us, Kristin! This is such a great post. There's a nice Titanic exhibit here in St. John's. :)

For more on Kristin and her books, check out these links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

You can also check out the other stops on her tour:

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Here's the scoop on FOUR WEDDINGS AND A WEREWOLF:

To have and to howl… Logan Black, former Marine and bodyguard for the Seattle Wolf Pack, hates weddings and has no plan to walk the path to matrimonial misery. But when he’s hired to protect a hot-to-trot wedding planner with a werewolf stalker, he’s forced to put his feelings aside. Not such an easy task when the damsel can turn him on with a single smoldering glance. Wedding planner Veronica Vale knows werewolves exist, but hates them. One bit her sister, changing their lives forever. When a sexy Marine shows his gorgeous face at one of her wedding appointments, Veronica finds it hard to focus on the task at hand. The chemistry drawing Logan and Veronica together seems fated, but with Logan’s playboy attitude, Veronica’s hatred for werewolves, and a stalker lurking in the shadows, these two need more than passion to keep them together.

Read an excerpt (scroll down)

Purchase: Amazon

And here's where it all began:

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Kristin is giving away a custom keychain with wolf vows plus Kindle OR $69 gift-card if international.

Follow the Rafflecopter instructions to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Do you guys have suggestions for who you’d like to see featured on the blog? If so, you can make your suggestions on this page. No guarantees that your favourite authors will be able to participate but we’ll try!

Authors, would you like to visit  us? Please email me at jenn (at) tyngasreviews (dot) com and we’ll set it up!

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Posted by Tynga at 00:00

 Entangled, giveaway, Kristin Miller, When I'm not writing  4 People left their mark

Guest blog by Tiffany Allee + giveaway!

Today we have a guest post from Tiffany Allee, author of several paranormal romance novels. She's here today to celebrate the release of VAMPIRES GAMES, the fourth novella in her Otherworlder Enforcement Agency series.

Please join me in welcoming Tiffany Allee to the blog, and make sure to stick around for the giveaway!

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Top Five Most Fascinating Supernatural Dudes
by Tiffany Allee

I don’t think that I’m alone in my love for the tough, sexy, intelligent men that can be found in paranormal romance and urban fantasy books. In fact, I daresay that’s a big part of the draw of these books for many of us.

The hero of my latest release, vampire Claude Desmarais, is certainly a bit of a mystery to the heroine, Beatrice. And she has a few secrets of her own. But when their pasts collide, it will send them both into a fight for their lives.

So without further ado, here are some of the supernatural men I find most fascinating.

Listed in an order that changes every five minutes or so:

5. Bran Cornick (Mercy Thompson)

Bran is the only non-love interest to make my list of most fascinating. Why? Because he’s a badass. Mysterious. Not alpha looking in the traditional sense. He sneaks up on people because he appears so…harmless. I love that.

4. Anyan (Jane True)

The man is protective and loveable and has taken care of Jane for far longer than she realized. Plus, he turns into a dog. And in my head, he’s freaking adorable.

3. Barrons (Fever)

Barrons is mysterious. Tough. Unattainable. Getting to his core, touching on his story, took several books and a whole lot of craziness. But he was totally worth the wait. Even after reading the Fever series in its entirety, I feel like we’re still scratching the surface of this very complicated man—not to mention the rest of his crew.

2. Zsadist (Black Dagger Brotherhood)

Uhh…somehow I managed to not start the BDB series until very recently. I have no explanation for how this happened, but it’s being corrected, don’t you worry. Zsadist is now one of my favorite characters of all time. He’s so broken, yet strong. I love characters with real imperfections, real problems. And I can’t think of any as troubled as Zsadist. Which makes his story all the more touching.

1. Terrible (Downside)

Speaking of imperfect heroes, I never thought I’d find a drug dealer’s enforcer amazing and sexy and wonderful until I read the Downside series. Terrible is a perfect mix of imperfections. And the way he and the heroine, Chess, interact will make you fly and break your heart. I’ve never had such an emotional reaction to characters as I do with these two.

Who are some of your favorite supernatural dudes in fiction?

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Thanks for visiting, Tiffany! For more Tiffany, check out the links below:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

And don't forget to visit the rest of the tour for more information on Entangled Ever After's October releases:

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Here's the scoop on VAMPIRE GAMES:

She’s seen the past…

OWEA Agent Beatrice Davis is haunted by the death visions that help her solve crimes. When Detective Claude Desmairis, her vampire ex-lover, asks for her assistance on a case, she’d rather help him than take the mandated leave to stave off her burn-out.

The truth won’t stay buried…

Pressed to solve a series of crimes before the perpetrator blows the vampire world apart, Claude turns to a woman he thought he’d been able to leave behind. But he was wrong, and his feelings for her will only bring trouble in an investigation this dangerous.

As their passions reignite, they see a possible future together. Until her visions show her the face of the murderer—a man Claude can never betray.

Read an excerpt (scroll down)

Purchase: Amazon

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There's a tour-wide giveaway of a $20 Amazon gift card. Check the Rafflecopter for details.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Entangled, giveaway, Guest Post, Tiffany Allee  24 People left their mark

Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

It's always difficult to write a review for a book that you've been stalking for as long as I've been stalking Origin. It's hard to step away from your own sense of hype and excitement and really examine the book for what it was, which is what I'll try to do with this review. Opal and I got off to a rough start, but with that ending - whoa - I've been waiting on Origin for what feels like forever! So when I finally got my hands on it, I couldn't have been more excited. I had the same sort of experience with the first 1/3rd or so of Origin as I did with Opal - and that was just a general feeling of "let's get on with it, already". Not because anything happening was boring, just because I felt like I kept tripping over myself to try to get to the 'big reveal' that these last few books seem to thrive on.

For the most part, I did enjoy the dual POVs that switched between Katy and Daemon. Especially as the story progressed, I thought that it added a cool new layer to the story. Was I expecting a bit more from it? Sure. Normally when an author switches to a dual POV, it's to demonstrate the differences in how the characters are perceiving the same situation. Or to up the angst when the reader knows that one character is hiding something from the others, etc. (Imagine if we'd had Blake's POV in Opal - how incredibly tense would that have been?)

Instead, it was used as another device for us to see that all that Katy and Daemon think about are each other. And I love them as much as the next fan-girl, I really do, but at the end of the day, I get it - you're in love. You'll burn the world to save her and punch anyone that gets in your way, and all that jazz. I can't deny, there were some super sweet moments, but overall, I didn't feel that the dual POV really added much to the story. It was strange actually, because at first, I was completely riveted by Katy's experiences in jail - but towards the end, I really felt like her narrative faded and got a bit bland compared to Daemon's.

All of that said, much like Opal, by the time I got to the end of Origin, I was about frothing at the mouth for the next book. The Lux series has no lack of drama and high stakes, and I absolutely love that about it. Do I think Opal and Origin probably could have been combined to be one big, incredibly mind-blowing book? Yeah, probably. But I'm also okay with them as they are.

It probably sounds like I've got lots against Origin, but I really don't. This is a series that I have thoroughly enjoyed, and will continue to follow faithfully. Something about the way that the main characters, and even the secondary characters (looking at you, Archer!) are written will just have you falling in love with them constantly. I wish we didn't need to wait another whole year to find out how everything shakes out! Things definitely got downright chaotic by the end of Origin, and Daemon and Katy definitely have quite a mess to clean up.

One thing is for damn sure though, the last book in this series is going to be EPIC!

 

Read an excerpt

 



 

 

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 aliens, Entangled, Fantasy, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Lux, Purchased, Review, young adult  Leave your mark

Luck of the Dragon blitz: Interview with Susannah Scott + giveaway!

Today I'm pleased to welcome Entangled Covet author, Susannah Scott, to the blog. I bought her book a little while ago because it sounded really fun and now we have her visiting the blog as part of a one-day blitz in support of her debut novel, LUCK OF THE DRAGON, which came out in June. Please join me in warmly welcoming Susannah to the blog, and make sure to enter the tour-wide giveaway at the end of the post. But make sure you read the interview, so that you can get the scoop on LUCK OF THE DRAGON and get to know Susannah a bit better!

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Welcome to Team Tynga's Reviews, Susannah!
Thanks so much for helping me celebrate the release of my fun, Paranormal Romance, Luck of the Dragon!

To start, can you please tell us a bit about yourself and your book?
I am a happily married, mother of three small boys, with a non-writing second job, and a huge family! We live in the Southern Missouri Ozarks.

Luck of the Dragon is the first in my Las Vegas Dragon series. In it, Alec Gerald, my uber hot, Joe Manganiello-looking hero owns a high-end casino which provides a hidden-in-plain-sight sanctuary for his dragon-shifting people. Alec’s only problem is the sexy gem appraiser trying to steal from him just might be his mate. All's fair in love and when you’re playing with Lady Luck!

Please describe Lucy and Alec, the two protagonists in LUCK OF THE DRAGON, in one sentence each.
Meet Lucy: "She was a contradiction: A brainy Ph.D, whose curriculum vitae read like a woman who didn’t get out much, in a dress that proclaimed she never stayed home."

Meet Alec: "Gerald’s playful words, five o’clock shadow, and slightly long hair all seemed to suggest a man of desultory casualness...But her instincts told her this was wrong. Gerald was a serious man who only pretended to be lighthearted and casual.”

Dragons seems to be more and more popular in paranormal romance and urban fantasy these days. Why did you choose dragons and why do you think they appeal to readers so much?
I love dragons. I love that they can fly, and I love that they are over-the-top powerful! The added human-dragon shifter element is wonderful because their bestial nature is in constant conflict with their human reasoning. I loved getting to know Alec better by watching how he dealt with his competing impulses. I think this resonates with readers as well, the internal struggle to control themselves. But, mostly I think it is the flying, and fire, and power!

Vegas really does seem like the perfect place for your dragons to hide. How did you decide to set LUCK OF THE DRAGON there?
Vegas is sexy, and I love being there for about 3 days--after that I am worn out. But, if I had to define what makes it work for the dragons, it is the foil of the condensed opulence against the harsh dessert. It gives the place a feel of being out-of-time, that reality is truly pushed away to the edge of the green-watered lawns, so that anything--even dragons--are possible.




Did you have to do a lot of research for Lucy's career as a gemologist or is this an interest you share with your heroine?

Who doesn’t love gems! I did do quite a bit of research for Lucy, but it was Grade “A” fun!

Time to get personal! What is your...

...biggest vice? Impatience. *Le Sigh* I work on this every single day!

...favourite movie? We just saw the Life of Pi, I thought it was so well done and thought provoking. I have not read the book, which I understand was even more spectacular.

...funniest memory? One is from when we were kids and our border collie was snapping at the tail of our horse and got her teeth caught. The horse swung her around and around in circles, like a roller coaster ride, until she broke free and flew—FLEW—like 30 feet through the air. She quit harassing the horses after that!

...most dreaded activity? I’m not the greatest bathroom cleaner, and I have boys. Who can’t aim to save their life!

What was the most surprising aspect of your journey to publication?
How important author promotion is! Luckily, it turns out I really like interacting with readers and bloggers. :)

What are three things about you that might surprise your readers?
I live on a working farm. I went to a high-falutin prep school on a full scholarship. I can only write with swimmer’s ear plugs in my ears.

Can you give us a short excerpt from Luck of the Dragon with the set-up?
Alec and Lucy have some really great arguments. This one in Alec’s office is one of my favorites:

 ***

Alec opened the door to face 130 pounds of fury.

“I am a respected professional and you are manhandling me and treating me like a criminal!” Luciana yelled at him.

Alec handed her the drink and sat in a deep-seated leather chair. The chair sighed with ease when he leaned back. He crossed his ankle at his knee and took a sip. “Luciana—”

“Oh, please, all my captors call me Lucy.” She glared at him. “You sound like a priest hearing confession when you call me Luciana.”

“Well, we can’t have that.” Alec chuckled and sipped his own drink, the taste of mellow corn mash and oak barrels tingling over his tongue. Alcohol did not affect dragons in the way it affected the feeble humans. He drank the bourbon purely because he liked the taste.

“Does this have something in it?” Luciana held the drink to the light.

“I wouldn’t harm you.” Alec took a second sip of his drink, and it fired down his throat to his belly in a pleasing trail.

Lucy set her drink on his desk, untouched. “I’m not the trusting sort.”

Alec gave her what he hoped was a charming look. “You can trust me. I can help you.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Lucy said in a voice used to stopping cabs.

“Fine, don’t trust me, but I need you to start your appraisal tomorrow,” Alec said in a voice used to calling stretch limos.

Lucy’s face flushed. Her collarbones rose and fell under her pale skin in elegant lines.

He wanted to kiss her, to see if the zing of electricity was a fluke, or if the fates had gone mad and paired him with a human mate.

She might bite him.

He might like it.

***

Finally, on your website, you mention that the next book in the series will be STOP DRAGON MY HEART AROUND. Can you share a bit more about it? Please say it will be out soon!
Oh yes! I just turned Stop Dragon my Heart Around, to my editor. It is Leo and Tee’s story. A fun, friends to lovers tale with lots a sexy bantering. Tee is part of the Las Vegas Paiute tribe so there is a cool theme of “belonging” that runs through the story too. What is means to belong to the dragons, to a tribe, to each other?

Thank you so much for having me and giving me a chance to connect with your readers.

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For more Susannah, you can visit her website or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

You can also check out the other stops on her tour:

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Here's the scoop on LUCK OF THE DRAGON:

Luciana de Luca has a PhD in sass and gemology—and a problem. Her twin brother’s gambling debts have gotten out of hand, and a mob enforcer is blackmailing her to rob the latest, greatest mega-casino on the Strip. Although Lucy has worked her whole life to get away from her family’s grifter past, to save her brother, she dons three-inch heels and a sluts-r-us dress and struts into Alec’s Gerald’s casino, determined to put her long-forgotten thieving ways to the test again.

Alec Gerald, a shape-shifting dragon, has built the Crown Jewel casino to provide sanctuary for his people amongst the flash and awe of Las Vegas. Unfortunately, the sexy little thief trying to rob his gem exhibit turns out to be his mate, and he must woo her before he loses his dragon form forever. With enemies in every corner, and the all-important mating ceremony looming, Alec and Lucy must learn to trust each other, before time runs out for Alec and the rest of the dragons.

Jenn's thoughts

Read an excerpt (scroll down)

Purchase: Amazon

---------------

There's a tour-wide giveaway of one (1) $25 Amazon gift card.

To enter, obey the Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

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Posted by Tynga at 01:55

 Entangled, giveaway, Interview, Susannah Scott  3 People left their mark