Blog Tour: Lover, Divine by A. Star (Review & Giveaway)

 

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Lover, Divine by A. Star 
Release Date: February 25, 2014
Format: Paperback, 182 pages
Series: Mythos: Gods & Lovers #1
Source: Author in exchange for an honest review
Buy It: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads:
For fans of the Oracle of Delphi series...and for those who aren't...

Born into one of the wealthiest families in Ireland, Siobhan Law has status, privilege, and a secret: The Greek gods of Olympus and their kingdom in the clouds are real, and her family acts as one of their agents on Earth.

When the beautiful immortal celeste Liam Argyros shows up claiming to have come to Earth to deal in the affairs of the divine, Siobhan finds herself unable to resist his charms. New to the game of passion and seduction, she quickly ends up in over her head, sinking deeper with every attempt Liam makes to win her over.

But Liam’s divine mission is far more complex than she ever imagined and nothing is truly as it seems. Because Liam has a secret of his own: He is Apollo, Olympian god of the Sun, and his mission will never be complete until he has claimed Siobhan’s heart forever.

I am fascinated by Greek mythology. I think it's the coolest thing, and I have ever since I first started actually learning about it. And my favorite god? Apollo. Therefore, I pretty much needed to read this book. Lover, Divine was interesting, as I expected it would be, but it was also a whole lot of sweet, too.

Siobhan was a good narrator, and while I don't really see her as remarkable, I did kind of like her. She took everything with her own little stride and I liked that. Plus, she did become very accepting, which is fantastic because that meant she didn't turn all whining and needy--both things I hate in characters. 

Apollo was not your typical hero. He was MORE. Which isn't exactly surprising, considering he was a god and all. I was somewhat irked at first when his character didn't own up to being who he was at first, but then I kind of found it amusing. Because I totally knew who Apollo was the whole time, even in the beginning. But Siobhan didn't. So some of the stuff that happened early on were fun to read. And then his actual character...in general, he was someone I loved. He could be charming and friendly, but he could be so fierce, as well. I LOVED that.

The story as a whole told in this novel was pretty cool. I enjoyed seeing the mythological elements I know about, and I also liked how they were somewhat twisted in such a way to make this story unique. I didn't feel like I was reading just any ole Greek mythology love story. This one was fresh and it was fun, and I certainly had a good time reading it.

The romance kind of grew on me, as a whole. In the beginning, and in most of the book, I loved it. Romance usually rocks my socks off, and that was no exception in this book. But I had to adjust to the fact that this book IS in the realm of Greek mythology--where things can be odd. Specifically, gods have children. Lots of them. I generally get weird about characters turning out to have kids before the story begins with people who aren't their current love interest. There's nothing really wrong with it, I just have issues with it when reading and I have to get used to it. That's how it was in this book. I'm fine with it now--but I was weird about it at one point. Also, there are certain things about Apollo--like things he was destined to do--that picked at my nerves a tad. I'm over it now, but at the time I was irritated. All that said, I did like the romantic elements in this book, but they had to take some time to seep in at some points and make me feel happy.

Overall, Lover Divine is an interesting story that puts a fresh spin on Greek mythology, and I definitely enjoyed it. I liked the characters, the story held my attention the whole way through, and I just really liked this book. I will definitely be on the lookout for the next book in this series. :)

A. Star is a fan of dirty passion. She likes to read it, and she damn sure likes to write it. Her first adult romance/fantasy novella is called Invasion, an alien romance about sacrifice. Lover, Divine is the first release from the Mythos: Gods and Lovers series. Future releases under A. Star include, King, Desired (Mythos: Gods and Lovers #2), the Love & Steampunk series, the Purr, Inc. stories, and more.

Author Links: 

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

 

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Review: Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson

Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson
Release Date: October 9, 2012
Format: ARC, 352 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Won from Tera Lynn Childs!

Description from Goodreads:
Nothing ever happens in Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And maybe she’ll finally get out from under the shadow of her way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she’s there.

What Ellie doesn’t anticipate is Graham’s infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect something powerful and ancient to awaken in her and that strange whispers would urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, there’s suddenly a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it’s up to Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring Tuck—to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them.

Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl’s unexpectedly-epic coming of age.

I've heard so much praise about this book--the most prominent to me being from Anna from Literary Exploration, of course--so I was super excited when I got this book. Seriously, it messed up my to-read stack because I could NOT wait to start this. Which is okay because this book? EPIC.

This book is so different from others I've read. I am a huge fan of Greek mythology, which I'm sure I've mentioned before, but I haven't really paid much attention to Norse mythology. But now, thanks to Valkyrie Rising, guess who is officially VERY interested?

ME.

Yeah, me. It was awesome to read about the Valkyries and Ellie figuring out what she should do, and how she would get her brother back. Plus, we also have Tuck thrown in, which added so much more awesome sauce to this whole wonderful story.

Character Rundown:
Ellie: This girl is fierce. She knows what's up and she can kick some booty when she has to. Or she can take a hit, too. Either way, fierce is the perfect word for her.

Tuck: OHMYGOSH I LOVE THIS BOY. You want to laugh? Go find Tuck. This guy is great. He's hilarious, gorgeous, and so completely swoon-worthy. He does have a little...let's just say a little trick up his sleeve, but that makes him all the more adorable.

Graham: Hello, good big brother. I love reading about big brothers like this; it's so sweet! He does have to learn how to listen to Ellie, but still. This boy is a sweetheart.

Other characters: Grandmother...badass in disguise. Kjell. It looked like this guy could be a third point in a love triangle for a while, but don't let that fool you. How could anyone compete with Tuck? Astrid, she's just a badass. There is no disguising it. And Loki...hehe.

The plot. This was one of those books I loathed putting down to do things I NEEDED to do, like sleep or eat or something. I was literally consumed by this book. And goodness...I was surprised in some parts. Yay for not being totally predictable! Something worth saying: this book is not a bunch of info-dumps. Just so you know. The mythology that ties in with the story is given to us with good timing.

Relationships. Two relationships in particular: Ellie & Tuck and Ellie & Graham. Let's start with Tuck because I love that boy. Ellie and Tuck don't haev the run-of-the-mill relationship. It started out as something that would never ever happen, and grew until it was something that would be silly NOT to happen. I enjoyed very much watching this shift between them. It was so precious. And Tuck was amazing, too. Now, Ellie and Graham. Graham is so protective. At the beginning, a little TOO protecive, even. It was nice to watch their relationship change to become more open and les of something Ellie wishes she could change. Plus, I adore Graham. As I said, he's a sweeteheart.

The ending. OOOOOO! There's going to be a sequel, right? Becasue if not, I think I'm going to cry.

Overall, I loved Valkyrie Rising! If you're looking for something epic to read, go pick this one up right now!

♥Jessica(:

Teaser Tuesday! (20) ♥ Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Do you want to participate in Teaser Tuesdays? It's simple and hosted by MizB from Should Be Reading. All you have to do is:

-Grab your current read

-Open to a random page

-Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

-BE CAREFUL NOT T INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

-Share the title & author, too, so that the other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

Description from Goodreads:

There is need. And then there is Fate
Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her.
When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude or killing her.
When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

 

Teaser: "Seth snorted. 'I wouldn't give up being a Sentinel for the world. Or being the Apollyon. I rock.'

Laughing, I rolled my eyes. 'Wow. You're so humble.'

'Why should I be humble? I'm great.'" ~pg. 43

**This is from an ARC. Something may/may not have changed. Either way, this part made me laugh.**

 

What are you teasing people with? Link me up!

 

♥Jessica(:

 

Review: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout♥

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: October 18, 2011
Format: Paperback, 281 pages
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Series: Covenant #1
Source: Won in Jen's Deity trailer and Apollyon cover reveal giveaway! Thank you SO much, Jen! SO much.

Description from Goodreads:
The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

I have been literally DYING to read this book for the longest time. I love Jen (as you all probably know by now--VOTE HOUSTON!) and her books are so completely awesome, awesome really isn't a good enough word. And of course, Half-Blood just adds to this list of awesomeness.

This book has everything I could want in a book: a badass/kickass MC, a cute boy, another cute boy, scary things, creepy things, and GREEK MYTHOLOGY! I love Greek mythology. This book starts out as epic, and finished in a calm way that left me wanting more. Of course, there was a lot of butt-kicking and sweetness in between the two.

Character Rundown:
Alex: Okay. Alex. Alex is no Katy Swartz, let me tell you that. But then again, she's not supposed to be. I don't dislike Alex, but I did want to slap her a few times. Other than that, she was cool as a popsicle. She made me laugh quite a bit and I didn't mind reading from her POV at all.

Aiden: I have such mixed feelings for this boy! He's sweet, caring, and a total fighter, but...I don't know. I'm not so sure I'm on his team... Putting teams aside, though, he was a fun character to see, especially with Alex. They are so sweet together. I also like him as his own person. He's such a deep person, and I love that.

Seth: Now here's my boy. I'm kind of scared to choose his team, because I've heard not-so-great things about the later books, but since I've only read this one so far (I'm currently reading Pure!) I'm going with what I want. And I want Seth. He is the most epic element of this story. Where Alex and Aiden together are sweet, I think Seth and Alex together are the cutest. And Seth...he's not head-over-heels for Alex right now, so it's cool that he's just HIM. I want to learn more! He's so unique, being the Apollyon and all.

Other Characters: Caleb is a sweetheart. Leon...I like that dude, even though he's not in this all that much. He was nice to stick up for Alex, and I hope to goodness we see more or him!

The plot. I already covered this. IT IS EPIC. That is all.

Relationships: Alex & Aiden. As I said, they are sweet. Aiden does the white knight thing and puts Alex first, and Alex couldn't care about Aiden more. This isn't all that exciting, but it is so sweet to read.
Seth & Alex. I adore Seth right now. He and Alex are so cute together. They certainly have aways to go before an actual RELATIONSHIP will be here, but I'd love to watch them grow, together. There's so much possibility here! I have a doomed feeling, though, which is sad. Still, I shall keep hope for now!

The ending. The ending was peaceful. Kind of sad. But it was a nice growth for Alex compared to the beginning. And, as I also said, it left me wanting more. It did NOT, however, leave me hanging off the side of a cliff, thank goodness. It's obvious there's more to the story, but it doesn't end in a way that makes people want to be abusive. Well, it didn't make me want to punch anybody, anwyay.

Overall, this book just made me love Jen more. If you're a fan of Jen's writing, or if you're a fan of good books, you should 100% get your hands on this book and read it.

READ IT?

Yeah, that.

Remember, folks: vote Houston! And only once from each computer. Winning fair and square is possible. Please don't cheat. (There's a link on my sidebar! Just click the "I voted Houston" picture!)

♥Jessica(:

Review: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Series: Of Poseidon #1
Source: Bought!

Description from Goodreads:
Galen, a Syrena prince, searches land for a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. It’s while Emma is on vacation at the beach that she meets Galen. Although their connection is immediate and powerful, Galen's not fully convinced that Emma's the one he's been looking for. That is, until a deadly encounter with a shark proves  that Emma and her Gift may be the only thing that can save his kingdom. He needs her help--no matter what the risk.

Of Poseidon was an amazing book. Honestly, it amazed me. I was expecting it to be a really good book. I'd read countless reviews saying that this book was extraordinary and the description really caught my interest, but this book still surprised me. Mostly because I was expecting Of Poseidon to be just another one of THOSE stories. You know, boy meets girl, they fall in love, and then a bunch of other things happen that no one REALLY cares about, but it amuses us anyway. But that was SO not this story!

This book was incredibly unique. Essentially, it's a mermaid story, but they DO NOT like to be called mermaids. They're Syrena. Along with being Syrena, there's a tie-in to Poseidon, which attaches this book to mythology which fascinates me. Goodness knows that I'm one to get lost in the characters of most stories, but in Of Poseidon, the story in itself was more than enough to hold my attention. I really found this whole book interesing through and through.

The plot. Another aspect of this book that baffled me in the most amazing way. Some things I expected, but others threw me for a loop. Just as goodness knows about my character addiction, it also knows about my love for being surprised within the pages of books. I mean, who doesn't love that, right?

Character Rundown: Emma. The pretty girl who seems to be more than human. Completely stubborn and positively determined in everything she chooses to do. A very respectable character that I LOVED reading about from Galen's point of view. Now Galen. OH, GALEN. I have a thing for the name 'Galen.' Ever since reading Witchlight by L.J. Smith. If you can tell me the Latin root for the name 'Galen,' you will have my never-ending respect. Anyway, THIS Galen was incredibly awesome. I adore him, of course. Protective and every bit as stubborn as our girl Emma. Protectiveness (a healthy protectiveness, not an abusive one) always scores points in my book. He's caring and kind. Plus, his family and friends mean a lot to him--another thing that earns big points for me.

Sweetness. There is a love story within the Syrena story. It is incredibly sweet, but not an instant thing. No, there is no insta-LOVE. There is, however, an insta-connection. But that is different in my eyes. We actually watch Emma and Galen grow closer throughout the book and I truly enjoyed it. Emma and her stubbroness paired with Galen and his decisiveness just brings a smile to my face.

Something worth mentioning--this book does switch points of view, but it is only first person in Emma's POV. When we're looking through Galen's eyes, it's third person. I love this because I always like to see through more than one character's perspective, and the changing of POVs in this book is done in a way that is very easy to differentiate. It's not hard to turn the page and see that we're in Galen's head right now, or Emma's. Easy to follow.

The ending. I positively adored this marvelous book, but the ending killed me. Another cliff-hanger. I understand why it's there, but it is really torturous! We have to wait--and wait and wait and wait--to find out how it's going to continue. Grrrr.

Overall, this book is something you shoudl certainly read. Cliff-hanger ending and all, it's a wonderful story worth reading and a magnificent debu from Anna. I am highly anticipating reading more from this lovely author.

That's all for today, Friends! Have a wonderful Monday!

♥Jessica(: