Emblem of Eternity by Angela Corbett Book Highlight
Eternal Starling
Book 1
A love so strong, even eternity can’t separate them.
Evie Starling has lived a relatively uneventful life hanging out with friends, gossiping about boys, and driving her 1966 Mustang. All of that changes when she moves to Gunnison, Colorado, to start college and meets two mysterious men.
For centuries, Alex Night and Emil Stone have yearned for Evie—but they each have their own reasons for wanting to be with her. When both men claim to be her soul mate and tell her about an unbelievable past, Evie learns that she’s not the person she thought she was. Soon, Evie finds herself in the middle of an age-old battle between the Amaranthine Society—the soul protectors, and the Daevos Resistance—the soul destroyers. With a past she doesn’t understand, and a future rife with danger, Evie has to decide who she can trust. But Alex and Emil aren’t the only ones who want Evie, and her soul is about to become the rope in an eternal tug-of-war.
Eternal Echoes
Book 2
She thought she stopped the evil.
She thought she was safe.
Everything she thought was wrong.
Almost four months have passed since Evie Starling learned she was a Tracker and helped defeat a Daevos Clan that was taking others like her—but that wasn’t the end of the abductions. As an unknown evil emerges, Evie vows to help solve the mystery of the missing Trackers, regardless of the risk.
With new powers she doesn’t understand and can’t control, she turns to Alex and Emil, her two soul mates, for help. But her feelings for them both are tearing her apart.
As the world around her is thrown into chaos, Evie is confronted with what could be a destiny-altering truth. Will she accept her history, her memories, and her role in this life, or choose to ignore the echoes of her past?
Angela Corbett graduated from Westminster College with a double major in communication and sociology. She started working as a reporter when she was sixteen and won awards for feature, news, and editorial writing. She has also done freelance writing. In addition to writing, she works as a director of communications and marketing. She loves classic cars, traveling, cupcakes, and U2. She lives in Utah with her extremely supportive husband and their five-pound Pomeranian, Pippin, whose following of fangirls could rival Justin Bieber’s.
She writes YA/NA titles under the name Angela Corbett, and adult titles under the name Destiny Ford. Author photo by Heather Zahn Gardner
Warrior’s Moon Book Blast and $50 Giveaway
Warrior’s Moon
Medieval Historical Romance by Jaclyn M. Hawkes
Summary
Never in all the kingdom has there been a more brave and protective champion. Nor such a loyal and capable maiden. And they loved each other desperately.
But is their love strong enough to withstand all their dark age holds—danger, feudalism, disease, and unfair oppression?
Yes, they truly loved each other desperately.
They loved their kingdom more.
Purchase
Amazon * Smashwords *Barnes & Noble
Praise for Warrior’s Moon
“This book has adventure, memorable characters, and tons of action. There is even romance! I absolutely loved it!!!” ~Laura (Goodreads)
“I loved this book! Great characters, I love a strong female lead. I really enjoy all of Jaclyn Hawkes books, but I must say this in one of my favorites!” ~ KMon (Amazon)
Author Jaclyn M. Hawkes
Jaclyn M. Hawkes grew up in Utah with 6 sisters, 4 brothers and any number of pets. (It was never boring!) She got a bachelor’s degree, had a career and traveled extensively before settling down to her life’s work of being the mother of four magnificent and sometimes challenging children. She loves shellfish, the out of doors, the youth and hearing her children laugh. She and her fine husband, their family, and their sometimes very large pets, now live in a mountain valley in northern Utah, where it smells like heaven and kids still move sprinkler pipe.
BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 2/10/14
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
Love Water Memory Blog Tour & Author Guest Post
Fire and Ice is thrilled to be today’s stop on the Love Water Memory Blog Tour hosted by Literati Author Services. We have Jennie Shortridge, the author here to tell us her top ten favorite books and there’s a giveaway for our readers!
Title: Love Water Memory
Author: Jennie Shortridge
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publication Date: January 14, 2014
Publisher: Gallery Books
Event organized by: Literati Author Services, Inc.
Summary
If you could do it all over again, would you still choose him?
At age thirty-nine, Lucie Walker has no choice but to start her life over when she comes to, up to her knees in the chilly San Francisco Bay, with no idea how she got there or who she is. Her memory loss is caused by an emotional trauma she knows nothing about, and only when handsome, quiet Grady Goodall arrives at the hospital does she learn she has a home, a career, and a wedding just two months away. What went wrong? Grady seems to care for her, but Lucie is no more sure of him than she is of anything. As she collects the clues of her past self, she unlocks the mystery of what happened to her. The painful secrets she uncovers could hold the key to her future—if she trusts her heart enough to guide her.
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Author Guest Post
Guestpost: Jennie Shortridge, Love Water Memory
The Books That Made Me Want to Become a Writer, AKA Great writers who influenced my own writing, sometimes without me even knowing it.
1. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.
I know, I know, everyone says it! But we love it because it was probably the first book we read as kids that actually felt achingly true. We felt everything Scout felt, from confused to ornery to hopping mad at the injustice she discovered in the world.
2. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. I loved the adventure and the adventurer. I loved the real voice of a boy in that era. I was incensed by the racial injustice (are you sensing a pattern here?) I felt that I’d learned something important when I was done.
3. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, by Anne Tyler. My first out and out dysfunctional family story, and I couldn’t get enough. I immediately read all of the books she’d written. I wanted more and more.
4. Six of One, Rita Mae Brown. It was the same with this one, but this time there was humor as well as dysfunction. I read everything she wrote until she started writing cat mysteries. I love cats, to be sure, but not books about them.
5. The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver. This story evoked so much more of the world than I knew when I read it, and so much that I wanted to know and do and feel. It felt important in an unassuming way, and I guess I would like to think I might be able to achieve that in my own work some day.
6. The World According to Garp, by John Irving. I loved this broadly funny and heartbreaking story. Just when I thought I was safely in the land of absurdity, I was crying my eyes out over a character’s loss. I read everything he wrote for the longest time.
7. Another Roadside Attraction, by Tom Robbins. Again, I was delighted at the absurdity, and felt I must be kin to this strange writer because he thought of things so oddly, so outside the norm. I always felt that way, that I was not quite on the same page as everyone else around me. Now I know everyone feels this way!
8. Yellow Raft on Blue Water, by Michael Dorris. This excruciating story told in three viewpoints (daughter, mother, grandmother) floored me in its execution, how each narrator was able to fill in the story for the reader as the other narrators couldn’t. Masterful, and an emotional read.
9. The Liar’s Club, by Mary Karr. A true story of childhood trauma, something I’d experienced but didn’t acknowledge for a very long time. I let Mary do some of the heavy lifting for me in my process, writing this harrowing and beautiful book.
10. And most recently, The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green. Rarely do books feel so real and painful, and yet so hopeful and true, in the best sense of the word. It is true that we can transcend our misfortunes. Read John Green if you don’t believe me. This is the way I aspire to write.
About The Author
Jennie Shortridge has published five novels: Love Water Memory,When She Flew, Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe,Eating Heaven, and Riding with the Queen. When not writing, teaching writing workshops, or volunteering with kids, Jennie stays busy as a founding member of Seattle7Writers.org, a collective of Northwest authors devoted both to raising funds for community literacy projects and to raising awareness of Northwest literature.
Connect with Jennie: Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads
Giveaway
January Kindle Fire Giveaway
Win a Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash ($229 value)
This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT!
Bloggers & Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HDX 7″.
The winner will have the option of receiving a 7″ Kindle Fire HDX (US Only – $229 Value)
Or $229 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)
Or $229 in Paypal Cash (International)
January Sponsors
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Giveaway Details
1 winner will receive their choice of an all new Kindle Fire 7″ HDX (US Only – $229 value), $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash (International).
There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire HDX 7″.
Ends 2/9/14
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
Book Review and Blog Tour: The Guardian 2 by Gerald N. Lund
I received this book for free from Deseret Book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Guardian, Book 2: To Run With The Swift
by Gerald N. LundSeries: The Guardian
Published by Deseret Book on November 7, 2013
Genres: Fiction, LDS, Young Adult
Pages: 587
Format: Hardcover
Source: Deseret Book
Buy the Book • Goodreads
After Danni McAllister and her family escaped from El Cobra and his kidnapping ring, they thought life would basically return to normal. Little did they know that their peril had just begun.
As secrets from the past begin to unfold, it becomes evident that the motives driving the attacks on the McAllister family go much deeper than money—and they're not going to stop anytime soon. Now, as Danni faces evils even more sinister than before, she has to wonder if even the Guardian will be equal to the dangers ahead.
The whole family will love this page-turning conclusion to the story of Le Gardien, the enchanted pouch that guides, protects, and teaches those who have it in their keeping.
Amazon Book Summary
From the bombed-out ruins of Munich, Germany, in the last days of World War II to a lavish present-day castle in Switzerland, this sequel to The Guardian (published in Fall 2013), weaves a vivid, heart-stopping tale of resilience, resolve, and revenge as Danni McAllister and her family discover the real reason they have been targeted by international terrorists. The astonishing secrets and unexpected powers of the pouch, dating back nearly two hundred years, take center stage in a plot filled with surprising twists and turns as Danni finds herself locked in an extraordinary battle of courage and fortitude that will determine the fate of her family and her role as the Keeper of the Pouch—or risk losing both forever.
From master storyteller Gerald N. Lund, this action-packed novel for the entire family originated as a series of bedtime stories told to his children when they were growing up. In the spirit of The Alliance, Freedom Factor, and Leverage Point, the author blends gripping, fast-paced adventure and suspense with a timeless message for readers of all ages.
Review
This is the first book I have ever read by Gerald N. Lund…I know, right?!! I jumped into book two of the series after a Deseret Book Blog Tour invitation, without reading book one, which I would not recommend. I think readers will miss a lot of the back story if they try to read out this series of order. But once I started to piece together names and the plot, and the circumstance surrounding the heirloom pouch called Le Guardian, I loved the writing. There is a ton of suspense, plenty of action and good family principles. The villains are villainous indeed, and the mysterious plot twists make it unpredictable. The main character’s first name is Carruthers which is one of my husband’s family names, so the story is that much more personal for us! The setting vacillates between small town Utah and Lake Powell, which makes it fun . If you like books with espionage, history and a bit of magic then pick up The Guardian series.
Excerpt
We stopped a few feet inside the mine to let our eyes adjust to the darkened tunnel.Cody started to push his way past Dad, but Dad’s arm shot out and held him back.
“Jean-Henri,” he cried. “Look!” He was pointing forward, directing his light at the floor.
I moved up to see better. Suddenly the chills were back, only this time they were hitting every cell in my body. The dirt floor was covered with footprints. No, not footprints. Boot prints. And none of us had worn that kind of boots when we were in here before.
About the Author
Gerald N. Lund received his B.A. and M.S. degrees in sociology from BYU. He also did extensive graduate work in New Testament studies at Pepperdine University, and studied Hebrew at the University of Judaism. He is a prolific author and speaker. His novels include The Work and the Glory Series, The Kingdom and the Crown Trilogy, Fire of the Covenant, The Undaunted, and his newest series,The Guardian. He has also written several books on gospel topics, including a doctrinal trilogy exploring our relationship with Heavenly Father and how He expresses His love to His children.
During his thirty-five years in the Church Educational System, Gerald N. Lund served as seminary teacher, institute teacher and director, curriculum writer, director of college curriculum, and zone administrator. His church callings have included servings as stake president and bishop. He also served as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy from 2002 to 2008. He and his wife, Lynn, are the parents of seven children.
“I write because I love to teach.”
– Gerald N. Lund
Book Breview: Endless by Amanda Gray
I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Endless
by Amanda GrayPublished by Month9Books on September 10, 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Time Travel, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley
Buy the Book • Goodreads
Jenny Kramer knows she isn't normal. After all, not everybody can see the past lives of people around them.
When she befriends Ben Daulton, resident new boy, the pair stumble on an old music box with instructions for “mesmerization” and discover they may have more in common than they thought. Like a past life.
Using the instructions in the music box, Ben and Jenny share a dream that transports them to Romanov Russia and leads them to believe they have been there together before. But they weren't alone. Nikolai, the mysterious young man Jenny has been seeing in her own dreams was there, too. When Nikolai appears next door, Jenny is forced to acknowledge that he has travelled through time and space to find her. Doing so means he has defied the laws of time, and the Order, an ominous organization tasked with keeping people in the correct time, is determined to send him back.
While Ben, Jenny and Nikolai race against the clock - and the Order - Jenny and Nikolai discover a link that joins them in life - and beyond death.
The first thing that drew me to Endless was the cover. Heaven! The beginning chapter was a little rocky for me as the character’s lines and choppy writing style didn’t connect well, but delving into the rest of the story was smooth and easy. This is a book rich with detail. If you were a fan of Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble, it’s another YA title to add to your shelves featuring the Romanov family of Russia.
Story in a Nutshell
Jenny is an artist who can feel and see people’s past by touching them so she remains recluse and immerses herself in her art. But suddenly a man she doesn’t know shows up in all of her paintings and begins to appear in her dreams. She has one true friend at the bookstore where they both work, but is suspicious of people. During her”spare time” works alongside her father as he renovates old homes. They meet Ben and his mother on one such job and Ben is just as standoffish.What Jessie and Ben find one day in the attic pulls both teens into a time travel mystery and a dangerous race for time in the present.
What I liked
I always like books with multi- layered elements of history. Abandoned homes that come to life, antiques with meaning in the present day, family history with links to the past
I loved that both the main characters parents were involved even in a minute way in the story line. These teens have angst, they have independence– but they also have parents who check in and care.
Jenny is navigating what it means to trust and open up to people. She finds true friendship and others that stand by her as she lets down walls.
The flashbacks and imagery of the Romanov family living in their own home as an exile and sewing their jewels into their clothing was so vivid and makes the bits of history real.
The pace clipped along without stalling which makes Endless interesting and easy to read.
What I Struggled With
I didn’t fall in love with main characters Jenny and Nikolai as they found each other in time. It seemed to be a pre destined romance but not as convincing or emotionally moving to the reader.
Ben, the other main teen character seemed to drop out of the story when Nikolai appears. I wanted to know more about his role in the past visions and what he is seeing and feeling. Would love to see a second novel or novella form his point of view in the future.
The mystical elements of ouija boards and mesmirization were weaved in to connect past and present, but along with the men in green robes that looked like monks, they just didn’t mesh with my vision of time travel and Russian history.
Content: mild swearing, moderate violence and one heavy kissing scene.
Trailer
About the author
Amanda Gray believes in magic and fantasy and possibilities. She is a team of two bestselling authors who live only miles apart but have never met in person. They talk on the phone and are the best of friends and between them have written more than a dozen novels and novellas and have had their work appear on television.
Peek Into My Postbox #11
Here’s a Peek Into My Postbox this week!
This Side of Salvation by by Jeri Smith-Ready
Echo in Time by C. J. Hill
Where the Rock Splits the Sky by Phillip Webb
Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
The Guardian, Book 2 : To Run with the Swift By Gerald N. Lund
Netgalley and Eidelweiss
Thanks so much to all the publishers who sent us goodies for blog tour and review!
Leave your IMM, Stacking the Shelves, PIP and Sunday Post links in the comments so we can all see what you have in yours!
Mercy River Blog Tour and Giveaway
On the heels of their hit album Higher, Mercy River is back with mesmerizing harmonies and upbeat vocal arrangements. Their new album features inspirational favorites and original songs that highlight the talents of this singing sisterhood.
Sing It Out
Speak Life
How Deep the Father’s Love For Us
Walk You Through the Night
Who I Am
Holy Ground
Restless
Reason For the World
Walking On Sunshine
Review
I first heard Mercy River onstage live at the Deseret Book flagship’s store Ladie’s Night. They are three moms with great voices and a inspirational message. The CD Come Alive has several cover tracks of songs I’ve heard before, but my favorite was Walk You Through the Night. How fun to see my old college roommate and friend Cherie Call have one of her original songs covered by another LDS artist! I also genuinely enjoyed the parts where the three from Mercy River sing acapella. Sometimes you don’t need loud, catchy music or synthesized instruments. You can just hear the tone and enjoy the clarity of human song. I’m grateful for what this group is trying to do which is give us an alternative to the “sirens” of the world and those things we wouldn’t let our family listen to. My children sang along after having only listened once, which means they enjoyed Come Alive. The jewel cover image shows how the singer’s happiness and goodness shines through. Great job again Russ Dixon! I can’t wait to hear more original songs from Mercy River in the future. Thank you Deseret Book for the review copy.
About Mercy River
With 13 children between them, it’s amazing that Whitney Permann, Brooke Stone, and Soni Muller have time for anything other than runny noses, sock hunts, and prying suckers off the van floor. But music has been a part of each of their lives since childhood, and is now a strong presence in their homes.
The three friends met while singing in the Jenny Phillips Choir and there found a common love for tight harmonies and sharing the gospel through song. Over the past five years, Mercy River has traveled all over the United States and Canada as a highly sought after ensemble, performing for thousands of people while testifying of the Savior. Each member of the group brings several years of experience performing, writing, and directing hundreds of firesides and concerts—as well as recording on dozens of inspirational albums.
Their self-titled debut album was released in May 2008. “Beautiful Dawn,” was released in March of 2010. Their third album, “Higher” was released with rave reviews in February 2012. Mercy River is back with mesmerizing harmonies and upbeat vocal arrangements in “Come Alive”.
Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 1/26/14
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
Photography Friday ~ My Favorite Moments of the Year
I’m bringing back my Photography Friday meme in 2014. Most of you probably know that I’m also a freelance photographer at Heather Gardner Photography. Last year two of my author photos were published in YA books *squee* with more to come in 2014.
I shoot mostly weddings, families and author photos with a Nikon D40 and D5200 and have my i phone handy at all time for instagram fun. I also sell artsy print in two shops on etsy. Since I’m totally a visual person and want a way to share photos with you readers every once in a while!
Some of my faves from 2013. Do you recognize any of the authors or bloggers?
And…a recap flipagram video of 2013 of bookish moments @fireicephotos.
Are you an instagrammer? If so, leave me your username I would love to follow!
Fabulous Finds From Fire and Ice~ New Year Ebook Deals
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Enjoy 2014 with some new e books!
Fabulous Finds From Fire and Ice.
Click on cover to download or learn more.
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