Time for the Wrap Up!! #TackleTBR Readathon

Can you believe it? We have arrived at the last day of the read-a-thon!!! 

This is your last day to read, so let's all try to finish strong! Laura @ and I want to thank you for joining us during these past two weeks. We think it has been a fabulous time! As a group (all 92 of us), we have gotten a ton of reading done!

I will be posting my final update tomorrow. You can link your final update to this post or to that one, whichever you prefer.

Many of the giveaways are still open, so go ahead and enter any that you are interested in. Here is a look back at all the hosted challenges, posts, and giveaways for this read-a-thon:

9/9 (Challenge): Michelle @ Snarky Mom – Scavenger Hunt and giveaway

9/10 (Author Post): Shawn Martin – Shadowflesh post and giveaway. Interview on Colorimetry.

9/11 (Challenge): Joana @ Joana In The Sky With Books – Book Covers Challenge & giveaway

9/12 (Author Post): Jordan McCollum – (I, Spy) Cover Reveal, also on Colorimetry. 

9/13 (Challenge): Caroline @ Book Cracker Caroline – Survey Challenge and giveaway

9/14 (Author Post): Kaitlin Bevis – Persephone post and giveaway. Interview on Colorimetry.

9/16 (Author Post): MJ Braden – Smoke, Wings & Stone post and giveaway. Highlight on Colorimetry.

9/17 (Challenge): Olivia @  – Treasure Hunt

9/18 (Author Post): Kim Foster – A Beautiful Heist post and giveaway. Spotlight on Colorimetry.

9/19 (Challenge): Jen @ YA Romantics – Book Photo Challenge and giveaway

9/20 (Author Post): Karen and Rachel – Legend Unleased post and giveaway. Interview on Colorimetry.

Here are the finale giveaways if you haven't had a chance to enter them. Winners will be drawn Sunday night. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Give yourself a pat on the back for making it to the end! Happy reading, everyone!

Note from Laura:

I want to add a big POOOOF of confetti full of THANK YOU!!! to Tressa for organizing such a GREAT readathon!!!  I have really enjoyed participating in the fun. The challenges are so creative and the giveaways are soooo great!! Plus... I LOVE adding to my TBR even as I am reading thru it!  :-D   Thank you, Tressa!!  You totally rock!!

I'm heading into a crazy week of awesomeness... what with the tour for Hero launching tomorrow! and Anne Elisabeth's new novella's blitz!!!  :-D

So let me add my reading wrap up real quick... 

I read Enchanted by Alethea Kontis... and then Hero. It's rough "working" for the tours, but *sigh* I am up to the challenge. ;-)  All I can say is that I'm glad I agreed to do a tour for Alethea BEFORE I became awe-struck over her writing. So eloquent. So quotable!!  Plus... all those fairy tales crammed in there?!  Hilarious. Creative. FUN!!  Yep. I've had a good time reading.

I also started WARP, progressed on the audio of The Two Towers... read bits of future tour books... Oh, Resiliant!  I read that, too. Then I added a bunch of books to my TBR:

 - These Broken Stars
 - Charmed
 - Cold Blooded
 - The Iron Traitor
 - Rags & Bones
 - Wisdom For Everyday Living
 - Legend Unleashed
 - Fang Chronicles: Amy's Story
 - The Reluctant Bachelorette
 - Letting Go

*cough* I think I'm missing a few, too. Obviously I have a problem. I can only read a couple books a week, at the most, right now and yet, I'm acquiring them at 4x that speed. What's a reader to do, hey? I love books!!!  And I'll be signing up for the next Tackle Your TBR readathon next year, Tressa, ya better believe it!!  :-D

Legend Unleashed by Latimer Ridley - Giveaway and Interview! #TackleTBR

Unleashed

by Latimer Ripley

When an infamous criminal is unleashed from his prison, it has consequences for everyone in Carwick. Temperance Levinthal in particular…

Temperance is satisfied with her ordinary life. Dealing with her eccentric, childlike parents is all the excitement she needs. That changes when Alastair Byron returns home.

After a failed matchmaking attempt by her father, sparks fly between her and Alastair-just not the good kind.

They are forced together though, when they are implicated in a grisly murder. Their search for the truth leads them to a secret world beneath Carwick, filled with werewolves, wizards and other magical faey.

However, uncovering the truth is far more dangerous than they’d ever imagined.

There are secrets within secrets.

Even Alastair may be more than he seems…

 Goodreads * Amazon US * Amazon UK * Smashwords * CreateSpace Page * Cranmer Publishing * Legend Unleashed Page

Latimer (Karen) and Ridley (Rachel) are two eccentric best friends with far too many obsessions and a frightening addiction to tea. When they aren't reading stories filled with magic, passion and adventure, they're writing them. A writing duo for the last nine years, they've always dreamed of sharing their imaginary worlds and quirky characters with others.

While they live in Ireland, they would love to spend their lives travelling the world. But for now, they can be found happily wandering the internet.

For a much much longer biography: http://mlatimerridley.com/about

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Trailer * Deviantart

Please welcome Karen & Rachel to Colorimetry!

What inspired you to write Legend Unleashed?

We’ve been writing for many years together and we’re always coming across things we want to write about or explore.  A lot of our stories come out of ‘what if’ scenarios, or ‘wouldn’t it be great’ and then we wander or steam roll on from there! We always wanted to write about werewolves, for many years it was a favourite fantasy creature of ours, Ridley’s in particular! We had the plot for Legend Unleashed written for quite a number of years though as we worked through our writing ‘to do’ list. Legend Unleashed is actually the fifth book that we’ve written, the other four are part of a separate fantasy series that will need quite a bit of editing before it’s seen by anyone else!

How does it work to write together?

It’s quite easy. Well I suppose we would think that after nine years of writing together and settling into a routine. We come up with a plot and character names and generally most of the book together. This has to be one of the most fun processes of the whole thing, we end up laughing and joking and drinking buckets of tea through most of it but somehow the work always gets done and we end up with, if not a full, but most of the plot by the time we’re finished. Though sometimes, ‘by the time we’re finished’ can often be over a few days or a full weekend. Then the plot gets divided out into chapter summaries. Usually we each get two chapters at a time-the book hopscotches between us-one of us writes her chapter stint, the other critiques it, we decide on any changes that may be needed and then once we’re both happy with those two chapters, the book is passed over to whichever one of us is next and then this is repeated until it’s written. The way we write means that we both get a chance to be partial readers of our novels, which is a rare gift for an author!

Do you have a favorite scene?

Ridley: I love our naked werewolf scene. My inner fangirl jumped up and down, squee-ing, when we decided to write it. That is what we do though, we write books that we’d love to read ourselves, we try really hard to give those squee-,and swoon-worthy moments to anyone who reads anything by us.

Latimer: I really love the first time we go to Temperance’s home and meet her mother and father as they are preparing for their winter solstice party; I just love those two characters so much, they make me smile

Lol. What fun answers!!

Share something personal! Pets? Hobbies? Quirks?

Ridley: We both love art, you can see some of our stuff here at deviantart, I also play the guitar, badly, and try to learn different languages, also badly.

I love animals. I’ve three hyper dogs, two little ones (the twins) and a big ‘un. One of the little terriers is so dopey he could easily replace one of the seven dwarfs, but he’s a loveable little fella, I just wish he’d learn the different between patio door open and patio door close but with see through glass. :) I also have a cat. I really wanted to call her Cleopatra or Crookshanks (Latimer: I wanted Ridley to call her Dobby!), but everyone at home vetoed my suggestions, so I named her Pigeon because she’s grey and because I was told you ‘can’t name a cat after a bird’…oh no? :D  She didn’t mind. She’s basically the Queen of the dogs, they protect her from other cats that try and fight her. She runs down the wall towards our garden with enemy cat chasing her-deliberately leading them into a trap. Pigeon jumps down straight into the middle of three dogs; enemy cat applies some serious brakes, hisses and stares on in horror as three dogs rear up and start barking at her, all the while Pigeon sits beside them with a smug expression. An evil genius really.

In terms of quirks, now are we talking the major-keep it quiet so people don’t stare at you- type quirks or just the small endearing ones where people pat you on the head and call you cute? I have both! :D  I’m a chocolate and ice cream addict, both of which can’t be left alone in the same room as me, unless you want them to disappear. I also love stationary, it’s become a fetish at this point, I just collect beautiful notebooks and stare at them. It would be a thing of horror to me if you, you know, used them as they were meant to be used, and wrote in them (as a child I used to love buying new A4 pads and pens for school).

Latimer: I love drawing, reading and writing. I get obsessed about random things all the time; and I go off and learn as much as I can about them and as a result end up with all this random information about lots of unrelated stuff. Current obsession – comics (All New X-men is so good!) and buying art material (paper mostly) I may never use!

I love science but on the other side of it, I also love the fantastical! I’m a pretty big fan of history and I love visiting museums; the best museum I’ve been to is York museum in England. :)

A quirk I have, hmm – this might not be a quirk, so much as a magical power (a useless one mind!) – I can flick channels on the TV watch about five seconds of a movie that is already at the mid-way point and tell you what the movie is, even if I haven’t seen it before. See, magic!

I also have a bamboo plant called Herbert and used to have a cactus called ‘Asterix Han Solo’. :)

You guys are too fun!!  I'm so glad you stopped by. I knew I'd want to chat. Now I must read your book!!!  KEEP WRITING!!!

Giveaway - 

4 Winners - eCopy of Legend Unleashed  (Int'l)
Sept 20 - Oct 7

See rafflecopter or my About tab for giveaway regulations. Thx!


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A Beautiful Heist by Kim Foster - Giveaway on the #TackleTBR Readathon!

Another great author joins the readathon 

with a great post about the Health of Reading and a copy of her book to share!

A Beautiful Heist
by Kim Foster
Paperback, 320 pages
Published June 6 2013 by Kensington Publishing

Everyone has a talent. Some are just more legal than others. Cat Montgomery steals jewels for AB&T, the premier agency for thieves in Seattle. Career perks: good pay, great disguises, constant adrenaline rush. Drawbacks: the possibility of jail time…or worse. Now she’s taken on a lucrative side job—recovering a priceless Faberge egg for an alleged Romanov descendent. 

Though Cat is working solo, there are plenty of interested players. Her FBI ex-boyfriend is nosing around, as is her former mentor-turned-nemesis. Then there’s the sexy art thief helping—or is he hindering?—her mission. If her luck holds out, this could be the case that allows Cat to retire with her conscience and her life intact. If not, it’ll be her last job for all the wrong reasons…

Goodreads * Amazon

Kim Foster

Some writers receive their calling in childhood, and chart their course from there. I received mine at a rather more inconvenient life stage: while I was in first-year medical school.

Growing up, reading and writing fiction had always been my first love. My second just happened to be performing dissections in biology class. And because my scientific inclinations received just a smidge more encouragement from guidance counsellors, teachers, parents, random people on the street…well, you can see how these things happen.

But it wasn’t a mistake going to medical school. Throughout my years as a medical student and a resident I continued writing. That’s because: no matter what path one chooses, no matter how sensible and practical, a burning desire to write can never be fully quashed.

I am now a practising physician, a writer, and a mom. I’m also an active health blogger and writer. (You can read those blogs here, and here.)

After thirteen years stitching people’s lacerations, treating their sore throats, and checking their blood pressure, I recently became a published author. I have a wonderful agent, Sandy Lu of L. Perkins Agency, and a 3-book deal with Kensington Books. Myfirst novel was published in June 2013, and the sequel is slated for release in June 2014.

I would love to hear from you! You can contact me here.

Website * Blog * Twitter * Facebook

A Beautiful Heist: Chapter One

 

Everyone breaks the rules eventually. It’s just that some of us make a career out of it.

Lingering by the bar, I sipped my Veuve Clicquot and, with the utmost subtlety, tugged at the short neoprene wetsuit concealed beneath my cocktail dress.

The warm September evening air swirled with lush jazz; the chime of crystal mingled with the laughter of socialites and millionaires. It was a graceful affair. But I, for one, was far from relaxed. My eyes roved the party restlessly and my nerves sizzled with anticipation. And fear.

My safety that evening hinged on my skills of deception. On my ability to conjure the illusion that I belonged at this party. Whether I got my assignment done, however, depended on an altogether different sort of talent: the particular skill-set I happened to be born with.

As always, I needed to keep my fear in check and stay focused on my goals. Do the job, Cat. Make it out of here alive. Don’t get arrested.

I tucked a short lock of my platinum blond wig behind my ear. A saltwater breeze teased the hem of my black Dolce & Gabbana gown. The party occupied the lido deck of a 280-foot luxury yacht moored in Seattle Harbor. Which should explain the wetsuit. Rule number one for every professional thief: always have as many getaway options as possible.

Now—before you judge too harshly, consider this: everybody in this world is guilty of something. Everybody has dirty truths they keep tucked in linen closets and shoe boxes, secreted away in diaries and letters and the dark alcoves of their minds. Maybe yours isn’t anything all that grievous. Maybe you just cheat a little on your taxes. Maybe you sneak into a different movie once you’re inside the theater. Or, perhaps your dark secret is something worse. The point is, sooner or later, everyone behaves badly. Some of us are just better at it than others.

Continue reading the first chapter... 

The Health Benefits of Reading

I’m an avid reader and I always have been. So when someone says to me, with a vaguely superior air (and this happens surprisingly often): ”Oh, I don’t read fiction. I don’t have time for that. I’m too busy; I have more important things to do…”

Continue reading this awesome post...


Giveaway!

WIN on eCopy of A Beautiful Heist by Kim Foster. Int'l.  Sept. 18 - 27

See the About tab for giveaway rules... or check out the Rafflecopter small print!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sign up has been extended through Thursday... join the readathon!!  (You are reading, aren't you?!)


Readathon Giveaways:

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#TackleTBR Mid-Tour Update!

We are at the mid-point of the Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon! Can you believe it? One week down and one to go. You can still sign up through Monday by going here.

Let's look at last week's mini challenges and author posts and giveaways!

9/9 (Challenge): Michelle @ Snarky Mom – Scavenger Hunt and giveaway

9/10 (Author Post): Shawn Martin – Shadowflesh post and giveaway. Interview on Colorimetry.

9/11 (Challenge): Joana @ Joana In The Sky With Books – Book Covers Challenge & giveaway

9/12 (Author Post): Jordan McCollum – (I, Spy) Cover Reveal, also on Colorimetry. 

9/13 (Challenge): Caroline @ Book Cracker Caroline – Survey Challenge and giveaway

9/14 (Author Post): Kaitlin Bevis – Persephone post and giveaway. Interview on Colorimetry.

And this is what to look forward to this week:

9/16 (Author Post): MJ Braden – Smoke, Wings & Stone post and giveaway. Highlight on Colorimetry.

9/17 (Challenge): Olivia @ Bookcomet – Treasure Hunt

9/18 (Author Post): Kim Foster – A Beautiful Heist post and giveaway. Spotlight on Colorimetry.

9/19 (Challenge): Jen @ YA Romantics – Book Photo Challenge and giveaway

9/20 (Author Post): Karen and Rachel – Legend Unleased post and giveaway. Interview on Colorimetry.

Daughters of Zeus series by Kaitlin Bevis on the #TackleTBR Readathon! Plus giveaway!

Welcome read-a-thon-ers and book-lovers!!  Here's a great book to add to your TBR while you are busy catching up on it!  :-D  Thank you, Kaitlin!


Persephone
by Kaitlin Bevis
ebook, 237 pages
Published July 12, 2012 by Musa Publishing

There are worse things than death, worse people too

The “talk” was bad enough, but how many teens get told that they’re a goddess? When her mom tells her, Persephone is sure her mother has lost her mind. It isn’t until Boreas, the god of winter, tries to abduct her that she realizes her mother was telling the truth. Hades rescues her, and in order to safely bring Persephone to the Underworld he marks her as his bride. But Boreas will stop at nothing to get Persephone. Despite her growing feelings for Hades, Persephone wants to return to the living realm. Persephone must find a way to defeat Boreas and reclaim her life.

Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Kaitlin Bevis

I spent my childhood curled up with a book, and a pen. If the ending didn’t agree with me, I rewrote it. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, and I spent high school and college learning everything I could so that one day I could achieve that goal. I graduated college with my BFA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing, and am pursuing my masters at the University of Georgia.
My young adult fiction novel “Persephone,” will be released this summer. I also write for Athens Parent Magazine, and truuconfessions.com. I have also published several short stories, my latest, Siren Song, is available on amazon.com.

Website * Blog * Amazon * Goodreads * Authorgraph * Facebook * Tumblr * @kaitlinbevis * Pinterest * LinkedIn * Google +

Please welcome Kaitlin Bevis to Colorimetry!  She is sharing her Daughters of Zeus series and I had to ask about Persephone and how it all began!

Love your cover!! How did you come up with your cover?

My cover artist, David Eschaw is amazing! With Musa, we have a pretty good say on what we want on the cover. I asked my friend (Kelly Johnson of Gothic Glitter, also very talented) to help me come up with a rough draft of a  cover that captured the elements I wanted on the cover. I knew the pomegranates were going to be important, and I knew I wanted a hand on the cover, but I had more of a sleeping-beauty thing in mind, which is what her cover showed. He took that, and everything I wanted and came up with the cover I have now. I LOVE it, it's so pretty.

Here's the original, which will be on the audio book when it comes out soon. I'm so lucky to have so many helpful artistic people helping me.

Why Greek gods?

I'm just really interested in Greek mythology. Particularly the Persephone myth. That myth was the first one I learned, almost everyone knows it. It keeps resonating through our culture as Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, and a billion other retellings. I think its because the story feels incomplete. We never get Persephone's perspective. The myth doesn't even hint at her reactions. We see Demeter searching for her, Hades, abducting her, and even get Zeus' take on the abduction. But at no point within the myth does Persephone so much as speak.

Do you have a favorite scene?

My favorite scene is in the second book. I just love the slow reveal of it, and I'm so proud of myself for writing it. You have no idea how many drafts it went through. I'm including it here, but fair warning, spoilers ahead.

I swung by my house after I left the park. I didn't spend much time at home anymore, but I had to drop by at some point, otherwise Mom would get mad. I was so exhausted from my night out with Aphrodite that I almost forgot my book bag in the car. I hurried back to my trunk and grabbed it. If she figured out I wasn't in school anymore, she'd be furious.

"Mom, I'm home!" I dropped my book bag on the floor by the door. I didn't have a lot of time to hang out at the house. I was due in the Underworld soon.

"Mom?" I rounded the corner into the kitchen, anticipating my after-school snack. Sure, she couldn't be trusted to tell the truth, and she was scheming and manipulative, but she always made a good snack.

A Reaper was sitting at the table in her place. I came to a surprised stop, aware of two other Reapers slipping behind me. "Where is she?" It took more effort than I cared to admit to keep my voice from trembling.

The Reaper picked up a note from the table and read in a ridiculous falsetto voice. "Persephone, went to Buford with Minthe to shop. Cookies are in the oven. See you in the morning."

I threw a quick glance at the oven to make sure the house wasn't going to catch on fire. It was off. She must have left them in there just to keep them warm.

Shit. Buford, Mall of Georgia, the Melting Pot, and outlet malls. Mom would be home late. Again. She'd been out almost every day lately. It's all our fighting, I realized with a sudden clarity. She was avoiding me too, just like everyone else.

"Looks like we have you all to ourselves," the redheaded Reaper said with a grin.

I shrieked in pain as one of the Reapers grabbed me from behind, fingers digging painfully into my ribs. Something in their touch was different. I actually felt it. Not just a tearing feeling at my soul, but actual hands on my actual flesh.

It hurt like hell.

"Happy Halloween," one of the Reapers hissed.

I screamed as they dragged me through my house. One of the Reapers bumped into a chair and knocked it down. That never happened. Were they corporeal?

"Let me go!" I lashed out and landed a blow on one of their shoulders. It hurt me, I was still touching him after all, but for a second I thought I saw the Reaper wince.

"Swear fealty to Zeus."

I shook my head, and he wrapped his hand around my neck, sending shock waves through my body. I couldn't breathe. I clawed desperately at his hand, and his grip tightened. The world spun around me in a dizzying wave. He released his hand and slammed me into the wall. "Swear fealty to Zeus!"

"No!"

His fingers dug into my jaw, and he lifted my chin until I was staring into his eyes. "You think this hurts? We're just getting started."

His lips found mine in a cruel, bruising kiss, tearing at my soul. There was no desire in his kiss, no attraction at all. It was just supposed to hurt. I struggled against the pain, trying to kick my way free, but the other Reapers shifted, one grabbing me roughly by the arms, the other taking hold of my legs so I couldn't lash out. I couldn't even throw up a shield since they were already touching me.

Light sparked in the redhead's fingertips. I wasn't sure what that meant, but it couldn't be good. Suddenly his fingers passed through my flesh. My screams ricocheted off the walls, and one of the Reapers clapped his hand over my mouth. With strength I didn't know I possessed, I wrenched free. I was out the door in a flash and halfway to the driveway, car keys in hand, when I smacked into a solid wall of flesh. I shrieked and fell backward, scrambling away.

"No! Please! Don't!" I lashed out, blind with panic.

"Persephone! Stop, it's me!" Hades pulled me to my feet, and I threw myself into his arms.

Hades! Hades was here. The Reapers wouldn't touch me if I was with him. I wouldn't have to feel that horrible pain again.

"What happened?" Hades held me at arm's length and looked me up and down. "You're as white as a sheet! Are you okay? Persephone, talk to me!"

I tried to answer, but couldn't stop gasping for breath. Horizontal lines zigzagged in my vision. A high-pitched whine sounded in my ears, and my knees gave way. Hades caught me before I hit the ground. He glanced toward the house then back at me and swore.

"Okay, I'm here now." He kept his voice soothing, but I could hear the panic beneath his words. He pushed my hair off my neck, fingers fumbling for a pulse. "What the-" Hades jerked me toward him and traced something on my neck, shifting my necklace to the side.

"Is she okay?" The redheaded Reaper emerged from the house, trying and failing to sound concerned.

My grip tightened on Hades, and I glanced around for the other two Reapers.

"Is the house clear?" Hades demanded. When the Reaper nodded, Hades hoisted me into his arms and walked toward the house.

"No!" I tried to get free, but a wave of dizziness pushed me back into Hades' arms.

"It's okay." He flung open the door and looked around before laying me down on the couch. The Reaper followed on his heels, eyebrows pinched together in fake concern.

"Put your feet up," Hades demanded, grabbing the sofa pillows and stacking them under my feet. He pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over me.

"What's wrong with her?" the Reaper asked.

"She's in shock. Where's Demeter?"

The Reaper indicated the note on the kitchen table. Hades snatched the note and made a disgusted noise. "What happened?"

The Reaper shrugged. "She was sleeping and freaked out. Must have been a nightmare or something."

I glared at the Reaper, cursing their ability to lie.

Hades turned to me. "Is that what happened? Did you forget to shield your dreams again?"

"No." I barely managed the one word answer, my voice was so hoarse.

"So you're trying to tell me this was just a run of the mill nightmare?" Hades asked the Reaper, his voice dripping with skepticism. When the Reaper shrugged, Hades asked, "Where are the others?"

"They went to get you. I stayed behind to protect her."

"No one else was here? You're absolutely certain."

"Not that I saw."

"Persephone, was anyone else here beside the Reapers?"

I shook my head.

Hades knelt and pried the car keys from my grip. "So when she wakes up hysterical, grabs her keys, runs out of the house, your plan was to let her get behind the wheel of a car?"

The Reaper narrowed his eyes. "What did you expect me to do, restrain her? In case you've forgotten..." He waved his hand in my direction. I flinched. "I can't touch her."

Hades' hand shot out, snapping the Reaper's wrist. "Do not lie to me." He tightened his grip. "What really happened?"

The Reaper gasped, face paling. "I told you, she woke up and went nuts..."

Hades twisted the Reaper's arm, using it to steer him into the wall. "Then why are there bruises around her neck?"

The Reaper's eyes went wide. "I - I don't know. Someone must have..." He trailed off, noticing Hades had gone very still, gaze riveted to the Reaper's arm.

A single strand of my hair clung to the Reaper's sleeve, shining like a golden beacon against the dark material. Hades yanked the Reaper's sleeve back, exposing the scratches decorating the Reaper's wrist.

"What did you do?"

"I can explain."

"Did you touch my wife?" Hades' voice was low and dangerous.

"Yes, but..."

Hades' fist slammed into the Reaper's face. A shield dropped. I blinked, staring at the place where Hades and the Reaper had been. My vision was swimming. I felt lightheaded, a wave of dizziness overwhelmed me, and my eyes rolled shut.

"No you don't." Hades was beside me in a flash. I bolted upright, looking behind Hades for the Reaper. He was at the table; a shield had formed around him, gluing him in place. His face was puffy, like Hades had used it for a punching bag.

"It's okay." Hades' voice was soothing. "It's going to be okay." He gently kissed my forehead, searching for echoes of pain and panic. His fingers traced a sensitive spot on my neck. I flinched, feeling the network of bruises laced around my throat from the Reaper's grip. He pushed my sleeves to the side following the red impressions left by the Reaper's fingers. His jaw clenched when he found the handprints on my side.

Healing warmth spread through his palms, erasing the pain wherever they touched. His fingers brushed the bruises on my leg. His gaze went dark. I could feel the rage coursing through him. He was like a powder keg, ready to explode. When his fingers traced my bruised lips, he took a deep breath, struggling to maintain his temper. He clasped a hand to my cheek, probing further. For a second I could feel my soul as solid and certain as any other part of me.

"Gods," Hades swore as he assessed the condition of my torn and battered soul. I felt a flash of power, and it fell back into place, whole and unharmed.

Behind him, the Reaper gasped for breath. He looked different. The light wasn't bending around him the same way it usually did. "What's happening to me?"

Hades stiffened and pulled away. He studied me for a moment, and I knew he wanted to make sure I was okay before he dealt with the Reaper. I nodded and Hades stood and pivoted toward the Reaper.

"I've brought you back to life." Hades' voice was cold.

"What?"

"Don't get too excited. The condition is temporary." Hades gave the Reaper a dark grin. "You seem like the type of guy that likes to experiment. You got real creative tearing my wife's soul to bits. Surely at some point you must have wondered what it felt like."

"N-no." The Reaper looked like he wanted to say more, but couldn't. Thanatos must have found some way to bind him. He looked to me, eyes wide in desperation.

Sucks, doesn't it? I sat up on the couch, flashing the Reaper a savage grin.

He read my thoughts on my face and gulped. "You don't understand. It wasn't just-I didn't... There's more-" His voice gave to an anguished cry when Hades reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Please! Stop!" he screamed, writhing in agony.

"How many times did she say that?" Hades demanded. "How many times did you make her beg?" His hand turned white, and it plunged through the Reaper's neck.

The Reaper let out a guttural cry.

"How long could a normal human soul survive this? Did you ever wonder that?" Hades shook the Reaper; he moved limply, like a rag doll. "Let's find out."

There was a bright flash of light, and the Reaper was gone.

Ha!  Wow!!!! That is incredible! What a scene... now I gotta read your books!!!!

Character?

At the moment, Aphrodite is my favorite character. The next trilogy focuses on her, and she's introduced in the second book. She's just so different from Persephone that it's fun figuring out what she'll say or do next. She's the exact opposite of my personality, so it's been an adventure. 

Share something personal!! Fav Food? Fav book? Fav Greek god? :-D

Favorite food is pizza. I could eat it every day. Favorite book is Tamsin by Peter Beagle. Favorite Greek God?  hmmm, that's a tough one. Right now, I'd have to say Hades.

The Daughters of Zeus series continues...

Click the covers to go to Goodreads!

   

On Sale for $.99 - a novella from Kaitlin Bevis!

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Go to Kaitlin Bevis' blog for her post on the Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon today! ...and enter to win Persephone:

Giveaway:

WIN an eCopy of Persephone by Kaitlin Bevis

Sept 14 - 24
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Update! Snapshot! #TackleTBR read-a-thon update and Classic Pick o' the Day!

Update!

I started Enchanted this week and I'm carrying my Nook around with me EVERYWHERE in case I find a stray minute to read! I'm on pg 143. It's more ominous than it sounds.

I LOVE SUNDAY!!! She's just the right amount of discontent and passionate. I think I love Alethea Kontis more, though... how many times am I going to laugh over the twisted fairytale references stuffed in every corner!!!  Love!!!

The more I read, the harder it is to go fast, too... the writing is so deliciously beautiful and multi-layered. Fav quotes so far:

Pg 39 - "Rivulets of blood wept from scratches in his skin and cracks in his desiccated lips." 

Pg 58 - "No pale glow of moonlight fell from the heavens to light false paths in the darkness." 

Pg 87 - "He looked at his hands still clasped around his knees, his fingers gray with ash, the soot caked in black lines along his knuckles, under his nails... He could not change the man he had been, but these hands would make him the man he could be."

Pg 92 - "Sunday might have laughed if she hadn't felt so old and tired, as if every muscle in her body realized that one small laugh from one small girl would never change the course of the universe and was therefore not worth the effort." 

I'm also reading WARP, which is (also) impossible to put down. I'm on pg 128 and I HATE, HATE, HATE Albert Gerrick. Just heard how he took out Jack the Ripper, sharing his victory coated in blood. WHILE... he's sneaking down a chimney to knock off a group of unsuspecting FBI agents. Yikes!

I started this originally to preview for my 9 yr old... and I'm not going to let him listen to the audio version. Lol. I'm going to say this is a 13+ or older book due to amount of blood. My 9 yr old would probably love it, but that bothers me. I haven't read the Artemis Fowl series, but now... if the writing is anything like WARP, I must!


In addition... I'm listening to The Two Towers in the car.

I had switched which audio version I was listening to and missed a few key phrases and got lost. Getting lost in Tolkien's world is downright dangerous!!!  I'm starting the book again in the same audio I listened to for The Fellowship of the Ring. Plus I picked up the book to follow along. I think I got lost when I read it the first time back in high school... and frankly, I need answers to questions, now... like how this ring effects everyone and where Gandolf disappeared to and how did he come back? and how... is the enemy so aware of where everyone is?!  *shudder*



Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. The rule is to share photos you, or someone you know, took. The following is from my or my husband's camera the first weekend in Sept this year...

Snapshot - Classic Pic o' the Day

Here's a picture of a classic vehicle... so you can have a great day!  :-D

Here's a Studebaker from the 50's turned "Gasser"... it's modified (obviously) with the blower out the hood and exhaust comin' out the sides. I especially love this paint color... such a deep maroon that gets darker in the shadows. Is the top chopped a bit? or do these come so squatty-mean-lookin'?

Yes! Those are "suicide doors"!!  And yes... the wheelie bars and parachute mean "fast" (and a bit of a gaudy statement about it since this is a "street" vehicle.  It wouldn't be allowed on the street if it required those additions.)

The name, Suicide Doors, comes from the amount of injuries... getting caught under a moving door facing that direction sorta scoops you... where? Underneath. The name does NOT come from the doors being whipped open by the speed of forward movement as some say. When were suicide doors most used? Not at the same time as speed!!  Nowadays... they are a cool modification that requires a lot of alignment work and different hinges, etc.

Note the door handles are "shaved".  :-D  There are none. Also a lot of work. The glass-like reflection across the body even where things like door handles used to be sings of sweet bodywork!

The above shots were taken on the Long Beach, WA street where we cruise all weekend long (and lots of cops hang out making sure we all remember our manners). Here's the actual show with a rare spotlight of sunshine!!

And there you have it!  Your Classic Pic o' the Day!!

Next, check out the Chevy C-10 that won the Dyno contest!