Blog Tour: Review, Excerpt, #Giveaway + More: Gravel Ghost by Charyse Allan

 

 

 

Gravel Ghost

Gravel Ghost Series Book# 1

By- Charyse Allan

Genre- YA Thriller

Publication Date- December 16th, 2014

 

Seventeen-year-old Payton Morros is a killer. Adopted as a child, and groomed into the profession by her new parents, she longs for a normal life. But lethal assassins at the top of their game can’t exactly quit their day job. Her only escape from her predetermined destiny is spending time with her best friend Conner, if only for a little while.

When Payton is sent to Chile for an assignment, she discovers a devastating truth that challenges everything she knows about herself and her family. Abandoning the mission, and on the run, she must unravel the secrets of her past before she loses all sense of herself. Or worse, before she jeopardizes everyone she cares about.  

   

 

Watch the Trailer Here! 

                          

EXCERPT

            I realize he isn’t kissing me just because I’m hot or because he wants to get in my pants. No, he’s kissing me because he sees me. I’m so unbelievably transparent, and I should feel vulnerable, but him reacting this way makes me feel stronger than ever. I draw warmth and confidence from him.

A light knock on the door forces us to pull apart. His gaze is smoldering, and we’re both breathing hard. He tugs my shirt back down then leans his head back against the headboard, trying to catch his breath.

            “That’s the food.” I sound all breathy; I barely recognize my own voice.

            Getting to the door, I look through the peephole. You can't be too safe. A tall, thin man with dark hair and skin stands behind a cart of food. He’s wearing a suit, which appears to be a hotel uniform, so I feel safe letting him in. Opening the door, he greets me with a smile.

“You ordered room service?” he asks in a thick accent after staring at my bruised cheek for a long second.

“Yeah,” I nod, leading him inside the room.

He glances at Conner, and they nod at each other. Unloading the food from the cart, he silently places it on the desk. As he’s doing this, I go to the bathroom to get some money from my backpack for a tip.

“Payton!” Conner yells, sounding panicked. There’s a grunt then a loud thud.

I reach for the door but jump out of the way, falling into the tub as several bullets pierce the door. Shit! I have to get out of this bathroom. I have to protect Conner; that is, if he’s still alive. I shake the thought from my head; I can’t think like that. I stay in the tub while more rounds go off, splintering the door and piercing the wall, sending shards of tile and glass everywhere. The shots are muffled; he’s using a silencer. He’ll have to reload soon…hopefully. That will be my window. I close my eyes and breathe as the last of the bullets come. I can do this. I have to.

And here is Charyse's Dream Cast for Gravel Ghost 

For most of these, I based it strictly off of the way the actors or actresses look, so they are closest to what the characters of the book look like as I imagine them.

For Payton, the MC, I would love for Crystal Reed to play her, because she not only looks kind of like what I imagine, but she has also already played a badass chick on Teen Wolf.

For Conner, the sexy best friend, I would say Daniel Sharman is perfect. He looks almost exactly what I imagine Conner to look like, he was also in Teen Wolf and even played as Crystal Reed’s boyfriend for a little and he’s dreamy!

Had to go with the sexy surfer pic...you’re welcome ;)

For Cadmar, Paytons all-too-serious dad, I have to go with Luke Evans. First of all, because yum, but also because I can totally see him playing Cadmar!

 

Am I right???

For Scarlet, Payton’s hateful mom, I’m going to go with Eva Green. She’s not even blond, as Scarlet is in the book, but Eva Green is awesome at playing the bitchy woman.

 

 

Finally, for Reiley, the youngest of Payton’s four sisters, I’m going with Emma Roberts. She isn’t a redhead like our sweet Reiley, but she has that sweet, innocent look, while being able to portray a badass chick and she could probably pull off red hair :)

 

 

CHARACTER BIOS

Payton Morros lives in Colorado and loves the scenery and clean air. While she’s one of best assassins in her family, she would much rather pursue a career, which allows her to use her skills in science. She hungers for knowledge and the simple life of the average teen girl. Because most everything in her life is controlled, including her meals, she takes any chance she can get to eat greasy French fries and drink the sweet nectar that is Dr. Pepper. When she isn’ on an assignment, she enjoys going on long runs, painting her nails bright colors, driving fast cars and hanging out with her favorite sister, Reiley and secret best friend, Conner. She loves all things girly!

Conner Evans lost his mother at a young age, so he was mostly raised by his dad, who expects him to go to college and join the family business when he graduates. He does have a knack for science and particularly enjoys studying entomology, but he would much rather be caught up in an underground fight. Along with the boys he grew up with, he’s training to be a professional cage fighter. Along with fighting, he also loves snowboarding during the winter. He enjoys rebelling in almost any way possible, especially by sneaking into bars with the fake IDs he makes and having a glass of Guinness. He particularly enjoys the bars when he’s able to hang out with his very attractive best friend, Payton.

Cadmar Morros says very little of his past, but he’s known to be able to kill a man with his bare hands in under two minutes. He is also intelligent enough to have fashioned most of the family’s unique weapons. While this cold, calculating man is usually the only one to be seen, he does have a more sensitive, laid back side, who enjoys listening to Frank Sinatra while reading a good classic novel. He also likes to stay current on the latest young adult novels in order to know what his daughters, whom he loves very much, are reading. He may usually be seen eating healthy food, but his secret favorite indulgence is a plate of nachos with pickled jalapenos and a cold beer.

 

PLAYLIST

I love music and it plays a huge part in my writing! It isn’t so much specific songs which help me write certain things, but more music puts me in my own little world where I can create complicated characters, who may or may not have the same taste in music :)

 

The Used (In Love and Death)

My Chemical Romance (I Brought You My Bullets You Brought Me Your Love)

Lorde (Pure Heroine)

Those were the main albums I listened to, with some Imagine Dragons, Florence + The Machine, Of Monsters and Men, Lindsey Stirling and Tegan and Sara mixed in. My absolute favorite song for writing about assassins was Paper Planes by MIA.

SOUNDTRACK

 

Because the life of a teenage assassin is extremely complicated, the album I imagine for Gravel Ghost has a lot of my favorite alt rock bands in it, mixed with some romantic songs showing the hope and care Payton has for her relationship with Conner.

The Used: “Listening”

The Used: “Take It Away”

My Chemical Romance: “Vampires Will Never Harm You”

Tegan and Sara: “Walking With a Ghost”

The Postal Service: “This Place Is A Prison”

MIA: “Paper Planes”

Lorde: “White Teeth Teens”

Imagine Dragons: “Demons”

City and Colour: “Confessions”

Lumineers: “Ho Hey”

Florence + The Machine: “Shake It Out”

Lindsey Stirling: “Moon Trance”

Lindsey Stirling: “Crystallize”

REVIEW

I was really eager to read this book. It sounded fascinating and exciting, and it opened with a bang. I was on the edge of my seat, as the nail-biting scene unfolded. It was fast paced and thrilling, and it moved along very much at the same pace the entire way through.

I have always been intrigued by assassin type stories, and this story delivered on the action. It was interesting how quickly it took a detour and how easily alliances were broken while others were formed.

The only thing that stopped me from enjoying this book completely was that the characters were a bit flat. Payton and her sisters had such different personalities, but I felt like Allan told this more than showing it. For me, connecting with a character in a story is a huge part of me loving it, but I had a hard time feeling anything for the characters in this story, which was a pity.

 

About the Author
 

Charyse Allan grew up in Arizona dancing and riding horses. She is an avid reader, but didn’t become one until high school. This is also when she realized her passion for writing, however it wasn’t until a couple years into her marriage that she tried her hand at writing a novel.

 

When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found in Northern Arizona, tending her garden with her husband and best friend, while their two kids and two crazy dogs run around the yard. Charyse is also a big fan of Holy yoga, juicing and being a vegetarian—she misses bacon like nobody’s business.

   

Website: charyseallan.com or charyseallan.net

Blog: shortandsweetcma.blogspot.com   

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