Monday, 1 September 2014

Review: Dreaming of the Sea by Heidi Garrett


 
 


Dreaming of the Sea (Novella)
by Heidi Garrett
 
Series- Once Upon a Time Today # 2
Genre- Contemporary Fairy Tale Retellings


 
Years ago when her mother traded her to the Sea Witch for a love potion, she became the witch's apprentice. Now Gia Chantal must find her own apprentice. If she doesn't, the Devil won't take her soul when she dies, and she'll spend eternity tormented for every spiritual crime she's ever committed. However, it's the 21st century, and Gia doesn't know where to begin when it comes to finding her replacement. She'll turn to social media mastermind Cole--an exiled mer prince--to help her.


Ten-year-old, Miriam, an orphan with visionary tendencies, sought refuge in a convent to escape a life on the streets. Now a young woman, the walls and rules that have kept her safe for over a decade feel constricting. When she comes across the ad to be the wealthy Gia's caretaker, she's never wanted anything more in her life... until she meets Cole.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22550994-dreaming-of-the-sea

http://www.amazon.com/Dreaming-Contemporary-Fairy-Tale-Today-ebook/dp/B00KHFEDCY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1404231180&sr=8-3&keywords=Heidi+Garrett


REVIEW


I was immediately drawn to this book when I saw the cover. It is just too gorgeous! And thankfully, so was the story behind the cover. This was definitely one of those times when it was okay to judge a book by its cover :)

From the very first page I was sucked into this mystical fairytale. I wanted to know all about Gia and how she had come to owing her soul to the devil. Her story broke my heart, because she had been given no choice in the matter, but when she gained power as the sea witch her whole personality changed. Perhaps it came with the territory, but I was hoping she'd be different.

I was intrigued to see how she'd find her apprentice, and how the new girl would shape the future of the seas. Would she become an evil and selfish wench like Gia or would she be the difference this fairytale needed for its happily ever after.

The romance between Cole and Miriam, although swift, was beautiful. However, they seemed to be star-crossed lovers, bound for a future without each other. When Miriam took everything in her stride, it almost felt too easy. She hardly put up a fight and I was waiting for that one explosive moment that would change this story completely. I was pleasantly surprised when that moment came and then Miriam's selfless act of love broke all barriers.

This really was a great new fairytale romance. A story of love, hope and staying true to one's self. Deserves a spot amongst the world's most beloved fairytales.






About the Author
 
Heidi Garrett is the author of the contemporary fairy tale novella collection, Once Upon a Time Today. In these stand-alone retellings of popular and obscure fairy tales, adult characters navigate the deep woods of the modern landscape to find their Happily Ever Afters.


She's also the author of the Daughter of Light series, a fantasy about a young half-faerie, half-mortal searching for her place in the Whole. Heidi's latest project is a collaboration with B. J. Limpin. They're cooking up a yummy paranormal romance!


Signup for Heidi's newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/wWKUj for discounts on all new releases!


Heidi was born in Texas, and in an attempt to reside in as many cities in that state as she could, made it to Houston, Lubbock, Austin, and El Paso. She now lives in Eastern Washington state with her husband, their two cats, her laptop, and her Kindle.


Being from the South, she often contemplates the magic of snow.


Links-
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/heidigwrites



Excerpt Hop + #Giveaway: Guardian by Courtney Cole #GUARDIAN




I am super excited to be taking part in this Excerpt Hop for Courtney Cole's GUARDIAN! 


Each day, for the next few days, 4 Blogs will reveal a section of an excerpt, so be sure to check out the Hop Schedule below!!


There's also a fantastic giveaway!

Guardian


** Amazon ** iBooks ** Kobo ** 

Barnes and Noble (coming soon!) 


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22838820-guardian

Sometimes, things that go bump in the night are real. 


My name is Whitney Lane.  I’m sixteen years old and at first, I thought I was crazy. 


I kept seeing shadows move along walls, and hearing whispers around corners, but whenever I looked, there was never anything there.  


Until one day, there was. 


Our world isn’t what we think.  There are things around us, good things, bad things, scary things.  


Things that we tell ourselves aren’t real, but they are.   


They’re very real, and they’re terrifying. 


I’ve been swept up now, in a battle of good and evil, confused about love and what is supposed to be love, but isn’t.  I don’t know what to think anymore.  I can’t trust my emotions and I don’t know what is true.  


There’s only one thing I know for sure. 


Nothing is what it seems.


Guardian Available now




EXCERPT 1




SECTION 3:


“Let’s just give your mom a chance to work through this on her own- to figure out how she’s going to handle it.  She loved your dad more than life itself, so of course she’s going to be devastated now.  It’s natural. Everyone grieves in their own way.  I promise you, no one is going to try and take you from your home.  That’s ludicrous.”
I bite my lip.  I can’t decide whether to try and better verbalize my concerns.
On the one hand, I knew that Grandma Ava’s right.  My mom had loved my dad more than everything in the world rolled up together.  Just as I had told Mr. Blaine, anyone would be devastated. But on the other hand, I know in my heart that her behavior isn’t normal. She isn’t going down a path that’s going to end well. 
The expression on her face when she’d glared at me in the night from my doorway lingers in my memory.  No, it definitely wasn’t normal.
My grandma clucks and bemoans and says all of the dramatic things that you’d expect from a Latina grandmother. I imagine her on the other end of the phone waving her hands around, then wringing them, as she speaks to me half the time and relays our conversation to Grandpa Vin the other half. He’s always a solemn voice of reason and I suddenly hear his deep voice speaking from behind Grandma.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR


HeadshotCourtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people. Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.     





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Excerpt Hop Schedule


September 1-Excerpt 1


September 2-Excerpt 2


September 3-Excerpt 3


September 4-Excerpt 4


September 5-Excerpt 5


September 6-Excerpt 6


Release Day Blitz + #Giveaway: Let Me Know by Stina Lindenblatt

Let Me Know release day blitz banner 4
 
 
Today we have the release day for Stina Lindenblatt's gorgeous Let Me Know. Read down to find out all the info on the book and release day launch!
 
 
Blogs Taking Part in the Release Day Launch
 
 
Novel Grounds
Love Us Some Books
Addicted Souls
 
 
    Let Me Know
 
 
This shouldn't be happening again…


Amber Scott thought her screaming nightmares would end now that her stalker is locked up and awaiting trial. But they return when her slam-dunk case starts to fall apart. Explicit letters she allegedly wrote surface, suggesting she was the mastermind behind her assault, a willing victim.


Amber only feels safe in the arms of her boyfriend Marcus, the one person she can lean on. Until damning evidence from Marcus's past collides with the case and the media circus drags them both down. To protect Amber's reputation, Marcus has only one option: end their relationship. He won't risk further damage to her case, even if it means breaking her heart.


Amber has to find the strength to step into the spotlight and bring awareness to victims' rights before she's convicted in the court of public opinion. And she's really not sure what's worse—that her kidnapper could walk free, or that the seemingly endless attention and speculation will drive Marcus away permanently


See how it all began for Amber and Marcus in Tell Me When.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
JOIN IN THE FUN AT THE FACEBOOK RELEASE PARTY!!
 
 
https://www.facebook.com/events/911693622193407

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
7333747


Born in England, Stina loves to travel, and has lived in England, the US, Canada, and Finland. She spent a semester in graduate school living in central Finland, and a summer during her undergrad degree working in Helsinki. She has a Master’s of Science degree in exercise physiology and has worked with elite athletes. In her free time, Stina is a photographer, mother of three adorable kids, and devoted wife. She currently lives in Calgary, Canada.  


Website/blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest    


 
Enter Stina's giveaway!!
 
 
 
 
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Book Blitz: Spirit Warriors: The Scarring by D.E.L. Connor

 
 
 


Spirit Warriors: The Scarring
 
Spirit Warriors Book # 2
 
By- D.E.L. Connor

 
Genre- YA Fantasy
Publication Date- July 21st
Published By- Booktrope Publishing

“One of us would finally end what had been started by the machayiwiw so many years ago. I would have to kill him. It was just that simple. I never thought I would want to kill anybody or anything, but maybe I never had anything worth killing for before.”
-Emmeline Rima Belrose, The Scarring (Spirit Warriors, Book 2) 

In the majestic beauty of a Montana summer, Emme and her friends celebrate her near-drowning survival and their defeat of the powerful evil spirit, the machayiwiw. But even as they rejoice, things are amiss. Emme watches helplessly as her family divides, and her friends struggle to hold their relationship together. Worse yet, the love-of-her life, Charlie, announces that he will move back to the reservation, without Emme. Different nightmares take over and Emme realizes she must fight and kill—or watch those she loves be killed. Friends from the reservation reach out to Emme and show her what evil can steal from her. Emme believes that evil can never break her bond with the Spirit Warriors or the love she shares with Charlie. Or can it?

  

Review: Beautiful Beautiful by Heidi Garrett

 






Beautiful Beautiful (Novella)
by Heidi Garrett
 
Series- Once Upon a Time Today # 1
Genre- Contemporary Fairy Tale Retellings


 
What is beauty? When is it nourishing... and when is it treacherous?


Every night, Kerrin tells her daughter a fairy tale. Mirabella's favorite is beauty beauty--the story of when her mother met her father. As Kerrin spins the tale wrapped around the darkest and equally light period in her life, she remembers...


Indie-film director, Kerrin Mayham is the frontrunner for the Golden Pinnacle's "Director of the Year." Winning means generous financial backing for her next project, and the most beautiful men in the industry competing for the leading role. The opportunity Kerrin has sacrificed to achieve is within reach. So are her personal demons.


The novella is a retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen tale "Beautiful." (Adult language & situations, no explicit sex) (90 pages)
 
 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22550949-beautiful-beautiful

http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Contemporary-Fairy-Tale-Today-ebook/dp/B00GMOXV72/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1404232527&sr=8-2&keywords=Heidi+Garrett
 


REVIEW

It too me a bit of time to get into this story, and to see where it was headed. I enjoyed getting to see Kerrin with Mirabella, but also getting to see a younger Kerrin and all the life changes and decisions that brought her to where she was.

This book was a little dark and even the story Kerrin told Mirabella was quite disturbing. I loved the fairytale elements that blended so well with Kerrin's real life, and how she was able to turn them into a lesson her daughter could learn from.

Another great fairytale retelling that will grab your attention and hold you captive.


 
 


About the Author
 
Heidi Garrett is the author of the contemporary fairy tale novella collection, Once Upon a Time Today. In these stand-alone retellings of popular and obscure fairy tales, adult characters navigate the deep woods of the modern landscape to find their Happily Ever Afters.


She's also the author of the Daughter of Light series, a fantasy about a young half-faerie, half-mortal searching for her place in the Whole. Heidi's latest project is a collaboration with B. J. Limpin. They're cooking up a yummy paranormal romance!


Signup for Heidi's newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/wWKUj for discounts on all new releases!


Heidi was born in Texas, and in an attempt to reside in as many cities in that state as she could, made it to Houston, Lubbock, Austin, and El Paso. She now lives in Eastern Washington state with her husband, their two cats, her laptop, and her Kindle.


Being from the South, she often contemplates the magic of snow.


Links-
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/heidigwrites


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