Protector (Anniversary of the Veil, Book One) Blog Tour

Chapter Three Excerpt - Cold Protectors

 

“I’m so happy, Grisella.” Issa threw her arms around the old serving maid as she entered her chambers. “Father has managed to postpone my marriage.”

Grisella returned the hug, patting Issa on the back. “That’s wonderful news child. But I still say marriage to Thomma won’t be as horrid as you imagine. We were all in your place once. Such are things and such is the way.”

“I will sooner stay alone than be married to someone I don’t love.” Issa released her maid. She sat down by the mirror, untied the knot in her hair and started brushing it out. “But I will not stay alone much longer. My love is coming.”

The gorgeous young lord from across the sea would be in Cer’Ine any day now. Last night Issa dreamt of him standing near the shore. He was turned away from her, gazing across the sea with a traveling trunk by his feet.

Grisella looked up from where she was turning down Issa’s bed. “Who might this be, girl?”

“The handsome man I dream of most every night now. In the dreams we hold hands and stare into each other’s eyes for hours and days, and I can see all his secrets as he can see all of mine. And at other times we sit side by side and he has his arm around my shoulders and I lay my head against his chest and listen to his heartbeat, and I know all will be well until the end of days, just as soon as we are together.”

Grisella walked over and took the brush from Issiyanna. Her maid’s light brown eyes, for the moment not obscured by the folds of her face, were fixed on Issa’s reflection in the mirror in front of them. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, before finally saying, “Issiyanna, child, you are experiencing the Dreams of the Other Half. It is no more than that.”

“What are Dreams of the Other Half?”

Pity filled Grisella’s eyes as she looked away and started brushing Issa’s hair. “Your hair truly is lovely in the winter. The moisture in the air weighs it down and gives such magnificent shape to your curls. I almost do not want to brush them out.”

“The dream, Grisella?”

Her maid stopped brushing and looked at Issa again. “All right…I will tell you…I’d hoped your father had already done so by now…your mother never had the time…”

Issa waved her hand impatiently at the maid’s reflection. “Just tell me, Grisella.”

“We all have such dreams, Issa, in our youth and before we are wed. I too dreamt such dreams when I was your age. The boy I dreamt of had dark brown hair and beautiful green eyes, the color of the river after a hard rain and once the sun shines on it again. He looked much like Kae, really. He stood over two heads taller than me and his arms were strong and steady as he held me in the dreams. I always believed he must be from the north, from some village at the foot of the Mountains of Giants, where neither men nor women fear the twilight.” Grisella’s eyes were unfocused, as though she was seeing all the way back into her youth. “But after the priests wed me to dear, sweet Bern, the dreams stopped, and the longing vanished.”

It didn’t seem so to Issa. She could still hear the longing in the old woman’s voice and see it in her eyes.

Grisella resumed brushing her hair. “It’s said that the person who appears to you in these dreams is only a mirror reflection of your own self, but of the opposite gender. Once they start, it means that you are fit to be wed. You will see, when you are wed you will no longer dream of this young lord.”

Her love’s eyes were the color of the summer sea at dawn and his hair the color of wheat fields just before harvest. Issa’s own hair was the color of honey, her eyes the color of the sunlit summer sky. He was coming to her. When he did, a ray of the strong love they shared in the dreams would pass from one to the other, and back again. Then both would know that they were the one they seek, the one they long for and wish to wed and lie beside until the end of days.

Issa would be wearing her pale green silk dress when he came, the bodice of which was cut in a precise arrowhead shape. It accentuated her bosom, yet did not reveal too much and was lined with tiny pink pearls only found in the shells that lined the most dangerous parts of the cliffs. All Issa had to do was wait. Now that her wedding had been postponed, she had more time.

Grisella put down the brush and handed Issa her nightgown, “Here, child, it is getting late. Things will look brighter once twilight gives way to dawn.”

“Yes, yes, and such are things. Truly Grisella, there is good and light even at night. Why should we fear it?” Issa knew the answer before the maid gave it. What the priests taught, the lower folk believed.

About the Author

Vanna Smythe is the author of Protector, the first book in the Anniversary of the Veil fantasy series. She has been writing creatively since her early teens, though one could say her creative writing efforts started long before that. While still in kindergarten, she once tore up a library book to make alphabet soup, and has been fascinated with what words can do, the pictures and worlds they can create, ever since. Book two of the Anniversary of the Veil series, Decision Maker, is due out in Autumn, 2012.


 Tour Schedule

April 12 Tour Kickoff with a Guest Post and giveaway  http://closeencounterswiththenightkind.blogspot.com
April 13 Review/giveaway http://guiltyindulgencebookclub.blogspot.com

April 16 Guest Post and giveaway  http://ariannecruz07.blogspot.com
April 17 Guest Post and Giveaway  www.imogenenix.blogspot.com
April 20 Author Interview and Giveaway  http://cameorenae.blogspot.com
April 24 Guest Post www.salaciousreads.com
April 25 review/interview on Read Between The Lines  http://amdase.blogspot.com/
April 26 Excerpt  http://novellynice.blogspot.com/
April 28 Review  http://apmassie.com

Authors On Reviews - A Book Blogger Hop

Should Authors Comment On Reviews? Why?

When I was invited to participate in this, I actually really liked the idea of giving my opinion mainly because I'm a relatively new book reviewer/blogger. Besides that, I imagine that my opinion may differ greatly from others.

From my personal experience, I'd never received a comment on a review from an author until I joined an ARC list and began requesting the available books for review. I thought that it was really nice to receive a comment, but I certainly wasn't expecting it. Since then I have received comments from other authors who's books I've reviewed. The comments are usually just to say thank you for the reviews and/or to say that they are glad that I enjoyed their books. Although a short reply, I didn't mind. I'm grateful for any acknowledgement for the time I took to post the review.

Now, would I like it if more authors commented on my reviews? Yes, I think I would. Reviews help to influence buyers and that can be quite a big help in an authors sales, so even if it is a simple thank you that's better than nothing. However, the real question here is... should authors comment on reviews? Honestly, I feel it would be really nice of them to do so, but I don't know that I believe they should have to. Maybe they don't have the time to comment on reviews. Maybe they don't read reviews. There could be any number of reasons why an author doesn't comment. About the only time that I think an author should definitely comment on a review is when they specifically ask you to review their book. Maybe over time my opinion will change. I guess we'll see.

I'm very curious to read what the other bloggers in this hop think because I'd like to know what they expect from authors. I'm sure they all have been at this much longer than I have, so their expectations are likely to be higher than mine. And if you are an author, I'd most definitely like to know what you think.

This event is hosted by Reading Romances. Please have a look through the other participating blogs listed below.

Review: Familiar Ties by Naya Nikki

Title: Familiar Ties
Author: Naya Nikki
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: InkSpell Publishing (May 21st, 2012)
Get it: InkSpell Publishing


Goodreads Synopsis
Max West is a widower raising Phoebe, his four-year-old daughter. Phoebe has to live with the fact that the day she was born is also the day of her mother's death. As her fifth year without her mother approaches, Phoebe finds solace in her godmother, Amy Riley, and her daughter, Grace Crawford, another single parent family.

Amy Riley is a successful fashion designer who spends most of her days raising her four-year-old daughter, Grace, while her wayward boyfriend is traveling the world making the next best film. As the fifth year without her best friend looms, she finds comfort in her ex-boyfriend, Max, and his daughter, Phoebe.

These two “broken” families have a tough week to face as the dreaded day approaches. However, through their past, present and debatable future will their choices affect the outcome both parents clearly want and are simply denying? Or will Phoebe and Grace lose the only “whole” family they have ever known?


REVIEW

After the death of Max's wife, Anna, the day that his daughter was born, his life begins to start spiraling out of control. He isn't sure how he can raise their daughter alone and he misses his wife. But he wasn't really alone; Max had his best friend Amy helping him whether he realized it at the time or not.

Amy knew, more than anything, that she wanted to be a mother, and when her one-time best friend Anna died, she turned to her boyfriend, who was rarely ever home, for comfort. When she found out she was going to be a mother, it was the happiest day of her life. Unfortunately for Amy, Jack didn't feel the same way. For Jack, what was most important to him was following his dreams.

From the moment that Anna died, the tragedy brought Max and Amy closer together for the sake of both of their children. For whatever reasons though, neither one of them would admit how they really felt about the other. For Amy, it was primarily because she wanted what was best for her daughter, even if that was a father that rarely spent time with Grace and was thousands of miles away most of the time. She thought, for Grace's sake, that she needed to try to make things work with Jack.

Everything was going pretty well for both Max and Amy until Jack unexpected shows back up in their lives. When Jack realizes that Amy and Grace have feelings for Max beyond just simple friendship, he puts into motion efforts to win Amy over.

Familiar Ties is such a sweet, heart-warming story. I found myself reading it into the early morning hours in an attempt to get to the end quicker to find out what happens. The story goes back and forth between present and past events but are easy to follow along with. Just when I thought that a past event wouldn't be touched on, it was. I felt like most everything that you could want to know about Max and Amy's history together was told. About the only thing that I find myself still wondering about is what exactly happened to Anna. You know that Anna died on the day of Phoebe's birth, but it's never specifically stated that she died giving birth. They knew that Anna was at risk with the pregnancy but unless I just don't remember, I can't recall what exactly happened to her.

I found myself laughing out loud at times and crying at other times. I really enjoyed the interaction with the kids, and I could see an innocent child saying things like what you'll find in this book.

I have to say that even when things weren't going so well for Max or Amy, I envied their lives. The friendships they have, the loving family. I enjoyed being in their world for all the longer it took me to read the book. I can certainly see myself reading Familiar Ties again at some point.

Although there were some issues, overall it was a well written story, and I look forward to reading more from Naya Nikki.

** I received an eARC copy of the book from InkSpell Publishing for review.**

Find Naya Nikki Online
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What Books Would You Recommend + Updates

I recently won some Amazon credit, so I'm putting this out there ... what book(s) would you recommend? Seriously, I'd like to hear some suggestions. If you have a suggestion for me, please leave a reply with title, author, and perhaps why you recommend it. Although I do tend to go for paranormal or historical romances, I'm not limiting suggestions to those genres.


On another note, a little while back I created a couple more Persona images from book covers that I liked. So I wanted to post them here in case anyone is interested in using them. The Firefox browser is needed to use. Of course, they also work with the Mozilla Thunderbird email client as well. :)

Now, as I previously mentioned, I'd gone to an open casting call (for extras) for the movie Promised Land which is written by and stars Matt Damon and John Krasinski. Well, today I got a call from the casting agency and I'm scheduled for a two day shoot next week in a town not more than 10 miles from where I live. Plus, they've scheduled me for another shoot next month for a three, possible four, day filming. I'm so excited!

I have to admit that I was worried that I wouldn't be chosen because of the fact that I had skin cancer on my face a little over a year ago, and after having it removed and repaired, I'm left with a couple scars across my right cheek. So, I have a bad habit of thinking that I would not be selected because of that even though I'd already done two movies since the surgeries.

Maybe I'll post an update about how the filming goes. Of course, I won't be able to say too much. I'm sure I'll have to sign a confidentiality agreement. :)

Review: His to Possess by Su Halfwerk

Title: His to Possess
Author: Su Halfwerk
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: eXtasy Books (Jul 1st 2010)
Get it: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

Goodreads Synopsis
Stacy doesn’t know that a dashing ghost is in love with her, but when she conjures him one stormy night, he charms her to her core.

After weeks of watching Stacy turn the act of book appraising into a tantalizing experience, Jeremy—once untouchable and invisible—discovers that Stacy is more than just an infatuation. She’s all he wants, and she’s staring right at him, not through him.

A passionate kiss seals the deal and kindles their hearts with burning passion for each other. But if given the choice, will Jeremy selfishly have her join him in the realm of the dead, or allow fate to keep Stacy alive—and thus apart from him?

When Stacy searches deeper into their connection to discover the ultimate truth about their relationship, does she find out that this is another fateful blow to her heart or a new chance at love? As former lovers and thieves in the night attempt to tear them apart, their love is put to the ultimate test.

REVIEW

His to Possess is such a sweet and heart-warming paranormal story. I found myself tearing up by the second page, but that's me.

Jeremy is a ghost who is haunting a mansion that Stacy was hired to appraise the valuable collection of books within its library. Jeremy has been dead for seven years and Stacy is the first person he really felt connected to, and he's extremely lonely and just wishes that Stacy could hear him, talk to him.

Something happens to Stacy and afterwards she is able to see and hear Jeremy, much to his shock. Stacy feels as though she knows him, though they'd never met before. She doesn't even realize that he is a ghost at first. It takes an act of violence against her along with her will to live and Jeremy's will to keep her alive, even though he thinks they could be together in death, to bring Jeremy and Stacy closer together.

I think what touched my heart the most about this story was the loneliness that Jeremy felt all those years after his death. He loved having Stacy visit each day, talking to herself, asking questions out loud that Jeremy would respond to in order to feel as though she were talking to him, making him feel less alone. I suppose you could say that I can relate to that kind of loneliness thus making his emotions that much more real for me.

I really, really wished that the story had been longer though. Let's just say that there is something about Stacy that worries Jeremy, and I really wanted to know more about what happens in her life past the point where the story ends. Still, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Su Halfwerk.

Find Su Halfwerk Online
Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

Well, I would like to say that I hope everyone who celebrated Easter or Passover had a great time. My family just gathered for brunch. There were 11 of us total.

Being that this blog is still basically new, and I'm not used to blogging, I know that I don't post much besides reviews. At least I haven't lately. I've never been particularly comfortable talking about myself, but I'm going to try to post more than just reviews and see how things go. :)

Yesterday I went to an open casting call for extras for the movie Promised Land starring Matt Damon and John Krasinki. I must admit, I'm rather excited that Hal Holbrook is going to be in it, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will be called in to be an extra. Filming for the movie is to start on or around April 23rd if I'm remembering correctly.

This is the card that was being passed out to everyone after getting their picture taken.

I've actually been an extra in three movies previously, only one of which has been released as of yet, and that is Abduction starring Taylor Lautner. The others are Won't Back Down (although at the time of filming, the movie was called Steel Town) with Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Ving Rhames, & Holly Hunter, and the last one I did was The Dark Knight Rises with Christian Bale, Tom Hardy and a slew of other names. Unfortunately on the day I was there for The Dark Knight Rises filming, only Tom Hardy was present but it was still great. We were filming at a football stadium and the scene was set in the fall, so the weather was to be cold, but it was filmed in August and was hot as hell out, and we had to wear coats. ACK! Below is the second trailer for the movie which shows part of the stadium scene in it. It's awesome! Check it out. :)

 

Review: Air by Terra Harmony

Title: Air
Author: Terra Harmony
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Terra Harmony (Feb 15th 2012)
Get it: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

NOTE: Story is for mature readers due to sexual content, some of which is non-consensual.

Goodreads Synopsis
She carries more than just elemental powers. In ‘Air’, the sequel to ‘Water’ of the Akasha Series, Kaitlyn has a secret. One she won’t be able to hide much longer. As the strongest Gaia the planet has ever seen, she must face mankind’s greatest enemy as he campaigns for ‘One Less: Depopulation’. Everything depends on Kaitlyn fully embracing her role as Gaia. Her family. The Seven. The Earth. Something has to give, and it won’t be Kaitlyn.

REVIEW

If you've not read Water, book 1, it's probably best that you don't read this review as it's likely to spoil the story a bit. This is certainly one series that you need to read in order.

In this book, Kaitlyn is hiding the fact that she is pregnant from everyone except Susan, Micah's sister, because being that Susan's element is water, she could tell that Kaitlyn was pregnant. In fact, Susan was the one to initially tell Kaitlyn. But in book 1, Water, Shawn had kidnapped and raped her repeatedly while holding her hostage so she's afraid that the baby may be Shawn's and not Micah's. That's one of the reasons she keeps putting off telling anyone, especially Micah. With a little help from Susan, however, the secret is revealed not only to Micah but to Shawn as well.

Now Kaitlyn not only has to deal with being pregnant but her and the rest of the Seven are trying to locate Shawn and put a stop to his plans. While trying to train for battle and study up on anything that will help her learn how to control the other elements that she's not very familiar with, Kaitlyn does something that she thinks will help her greatly, but it has some negative side effects she didn't expect.

I felt that the book started out a little slow, perhaps, but apart from that I absolutely loved the interaction between Kaitlyn and Alex, who is the only non-magical one of the bunch. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the things Alex did or said. As for Kaitlyn, there was a time or two where I felt like she needed smacked up side the head for the things that she'd do that ended up backfiring on her. After all, she's pregnant and although she cares very much about her baby, she did things that really could have been harmful.

The book certainly picked up though and was a roller coaster of a ride. It's action packed with betrayals, secrets revealed, a serious battle, humor, romance, and a pretty major cliffhanger. I very much enjoyed the story and can't wait to read the third book in the series.

Find Terra Harmony Online

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I received a copy of Air from the author in exchange for a review of book 1 in the Akasha series, Water.