The Faerie Prince - A Review

I received an ARC from one of my wonderful blogging friends - Rachel Morgan!

I'm very pleased to be sharing my review of "The Faerie Prince" by Rachel Morgan as part of her "The Faerie Prince Blog Tour".  She's seriously an incredible writer and I love the world she's created!  The writing is flawless and unstoppable.

Title: The Faerie Prince
Author: Rachel Morgan
Publisher:  Amazon Digital Services
Publication Date: May 30, 2013

Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy

Plot: First, here is the summary of "The Faerie Prince" from Amazon - Guardian trainee Violet Fairdale is just weeks away from one of the most important occasions of her life: graduation. After messing up big time by bringing a human into the fae realm, Vi needs to step up her game and forget about Nate if she hopes to graduate as the top guardian of her year. Everything would be fine if she wasn’t forced to partner with Ryn, her ex-friend, ex-enemy, current ‘sort of friend’. They might be trying to patch up their relationship, but does she really want to spend a week undercover with him for their final assignment? On top of that, the possibly insane Unseelie Prince is still on the loose, free to ‘collect’ as many specially talented faeries as he can find—and Vi is still at the top of his list. Add in faerie queens, enchanted storms, complicated not-just-friends feelings, and a murder within the Guild itself, and graduation is about to become the least of Vi’s problems.

After messing up things, Vi attempts to refocus on her impending graduation and being top guardian in her year. When paired with her on-and-off-friend/enemy Ryn, her final task is just begun.  Nothing is as it seems. Nothing. Violet's world is rocked by a secret she never dreamed and feelings buried beneath the surface. With the introduction of a new character, the world she loves is about to become darker and smaller.  Vi will have to keep her wits about her before everything changes and her life will never be the same.

The relationship between... well, I can't even tell you about the romance in this book! It would ruin parts of the story for you and I can't do that.The betrayal in the first book leaves Vi vulnerable and guarded, but she can only protect her heart for a while before she begins to see what is right in front of her. 

The Faerie Prince is a dangerous and thrilling novel, complete with romance and a good deal of humor!  Seriously, I laughed and sat on my bed biting my nails as I read.  The beginning picks up right where we left off and this is a book you will not be able to put down!  I read it in one sitting and the next day I read it again.  The characters are very well written, with depth and wonderful dialogue!  The ending (no spoilers) - I was left yelling "No!" and will be desperately waiting for the final book!  I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for action, a dark twisting tale, and an ending which might have you desperately stalking the author for information on the next book!  I will be. :)

About the Author:

Rachel Morgan was born in South Africa and spent a large portion of her childhood living in a fantasy land of her own making. After completing a degree in genetics, she decided science wasn’t for her—after all, they didn’t approve of made-up facts. These days she spends much of her time immersed in fantasy land once more, writing fiction for young adults.

You can find out more about her on her website and purchase her book from the links below!  Congratulations Rachel!  

Amazon US | Amazon UK  | Barnes & Noble  | Apple iBookstore  | CreateSpace (print)

Favorite Faerie Tale Prince Blogfest

To celebrate Rachel Morgan's newest release, The Faerie Prince, she's asked us to name our favorite fairy tale prince (or princess).

My favorite prince is:

Prince Eric from "The Little Mermaid."

Why?  If you look at him one way, Prince Eric is a very flat character.  We learn nothing about his family or his past, other than he is looking for the right woman to marry. He falls in love with her quickly, even falling for a witch by a singing seashell spell. (Say that 5 times fast.)  I guess he's my favorite prince because I always wanted to be a mermaid growing up. I love how he waits. Prince Eric could have settled for a young lady of character and class, but he waited for the one true love. I'm also a sucker for his dark hair and beautiful blue eyes. :)

Since I'm single, I hope that my "prince" is waiting for me. Patiently and always watching the ocean for me. Maybe.  If not, I'll just get a beagle. :)

In celebration, The Faerie Guardian is on sale for a limited time!

**GIVEAWAY**

There will be a giveaway running from now until the end of the blog tour (Sun 9 June). A giveaway where FOUR people could win something! The prizes are a signed copy of The Faerie Prince (or The Faerie Guardian, should the winner prefer that), an Amazon gift card, a mini book pendant and necklace, and a Creepy Hollow pin badge. Check out the pic below!
Giveaway is open internationally

Enter here or on Rachel's site!  CONGRATULATIONS Rachel!

Who is your favorite prince or princess?

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Come back on Wednesday, June 5th - I'll be sharing my review of  "The Faerie Prince"!!!

June Goals

I can't believe it is June already!  May just flew by!  I realized today that I barely posted last month.  It was a nice break from blogging, but I better go catch up with everyone. :)

Here are my goals from May:
* Complete first round of revisions for "Breathless"

* Finish critiquing CP's book - "Black and White"
Call me a bad critique partner. I'm not done yet. :(  I've been so distracted - I just need to sit down and finish! :)

* Read "The Oracle and the Vampire - The 13th Floor #5 and #6" by Christine Rains
Wonderful book!  I didn't love it as much as the last one, but it was still great! :)  Four stars!!

* Relax

 Sadly, I only finished two of my goals for last month.  I didn't even get to the last one.  Relax.  It was a crazy stressful time at work, though it shouldn't have been.  I'm glad to have at least finished my first round of revisions for "Breathless".  I enjoyed rereading the book and I'd be very interested if anyone wanted to read it someday.

Goals for June:
* Complete another round of revisions for "Defiance"
Revising dialogue and "ing" verbs, making active not passive.

* Read "Wake" by Amanda Hocking

* Finish CP's book - "Black and White"


I gave myself on three goals so I can hopefully accomplish all of them this month! I've been itching to start a new novel, but I'm trying to hold myself off.  I need to get some of this done before I can start writing "Twisted".

How did your goals go for last month?  What are your goals for this month?  If anything exciting happened for you in May, please let me know - I'd love to congratulate you, even if you only wrote 100 words on a book! :)

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Come back on Wednesday, June 5th - I'll be sharing my review of "The Faerie Prince" by Rachel Morgan and celebrating the release of her new book!

Best/Worst Movie Remake Blogfest

I've taken a lovely two weeks off of blogging and writing/editing after completing the A-Z Blogfest and the April session of Camp NaNoWriMo.  But I'm back!  It's time for another awesome blogfest, hosted by Alex Cavanaugh, Stephen Tremp, Livia Peterson, and Al Diaz.

The Rules:

When Hollywood runs out of ideas, they remake older films. Sometimes this works, and sometimes it fails miserably. On May 17, list the best remake you’ve ever seen and the worst. 


Let's start with the WORST remake *in my opinion*

WORST Movie Remake

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) - remake of Spider-Man (2002)

So many things wrong with this movie - the original was MUCH better!  Spider-Man suddenly became a hipster geek who is incredibly attractive and everything works in his favor.  Here's an honest trailer which sums up most of it...

Honestly, the movie was alright.  The original Spider-Man is wonderful, this one... not so much.  And during one of the biggest scenes (swinging between buildings and cranes), instead of focusing on the action, all I could think about was that the music sounded exactly the same as Titanic.  I looked it up when I got home.  James Horner.  Same guy did the soundtrack for both movies.  He might need to think of changing his compositions not to be so similar...  To sum up, Spider-Man is better.  Though while looking up the info for The Not-So Amazing one, I saw they are making a sequel in 2014.  Darn.

BEST Movie Remake

Star Trek (2009) - Star Trek (1979)

Though I love the original films and watched them with my dad when I was little, I love what they did with this new film!  Granted they have rewritten cannon to read a new timeline and new events for the characters, but I'm excited for the new adventures!  And a hopeful lack of Khan.  Never really liked Khan.  Anyway, I think this new remake has a lot of great things to come!  Here's a few thoughts on it - same guy, but a better honest review of the trailer. :)

One - Chris Pine is incredibly attractive.  Two - Still very attractive.  Three - I LOVE Star Trek!  Super excited for the new movie, which I will hopefully get to see tomorrow!  :)


Do you agree with my choices?  I'm off to read all the rest of the entries!  Hope I at least amused you! 

My name is Krista and did you hear they are making another Jane Eyre?  I'm kidding, but seriously how many remakes of it do we need?  Have a great Friday!

Friday Night Alibi Cover REVEAL!

Today is the cover reveal for Cassie Mae's book, FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI - so I will turn it over to her!

Let's all dance together!

I'm super thrilled to show you all my cover for my New Adult debut, FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI, published by Random House Flirt. This baby comes out on July 29th, but you can buy it now! And it'll just zap onto your ereader the day it's released.

Wanna know what it's about? Well, it's about this pig who learns how to fly, but only on friday nights and he grants wishes to people who are not where they're supposed to be, to get them out of a bind. You know I'm totally joking. I just wanted to see how many people just skipped over all these words to get to the pretty cover, lol. You mention the pig in the comments and you get cyber gold stars.

Here's the blurb :D

Rising star Cassie Mae introduces New Adult readers to a practical soon-to-be college freshman who seems to have everything—until a special guy shows her what she’s been missing.

In the wealthy town of Sundale, Kelli Pinkins has hatched the perfect plan to capitalize on her sweet reputation. For a generous fee, she will be every trust-fund baby’s dream: a Friday-night alibi, the “girlfriend” or “BFF” that parents dream about. With college approaching in the fall, Kelli’s services are in demand more than ever, which means that her social life is nonexistent. But Kelli is A-okay with that. She’s raking in cash for school. Besides, relationships are tricky, and sometimes very messy. She’d rather be at home on Xbox LIVE, anyway. Then the unexpected happens: She meets college stud Chase Maroney.

Chase isn’t like the preppy, privileged guys Kelli usually meets in Sundale. For starters, he’s twentysomething, always wears black, and he shoots back one-liners as fast as she can dish them out. But Kelli’s attempts to drive Chase away falter when she realizes that he treats her like he really knows her, like he cares about knowing her. When Kelli finally gives in to the delicious kiss she’s been fighting for so long, she faces a tough decision: make Chase a real-life boyfriend and risk her heart . . . or keep her clients and lose her first true love.

Advance praise for Friday Night Alibi

“Totally entertaining with as many swoon-worthy moments as hilarious ones, Friday Night Alibi is a must-read.”—Jolene Perry, co-author of Out of Play

“A fun, funny, and fantastic story, this is one you will read in a day, and pick up to re-read again the next.”—Kelley Lynn, author of Fraction of Stone

Oh, and stuff about me too.

Cassie Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other nerds who find love. Her angel children and perfect husband fan her and feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.

And now the pretty!

You can buy this book HERE, and it takes you to all the places it's available. Yay! My first published book with MY NAME ON IT! Squee!!!


Congratulations Cassie! I can't wait to read it! :)  Though I oddly feel like getting a pet pig first...

May Goals & IWSG - I can't write kissing scenes

Whew - it is May and the A-Z Blogging Challenge is over!  Though I admit it doesn't feel like May in Iowa.  The temperature high for Friday is 46 with a low of 36.  BRR!  Hopefully the weather will stop being stupid soon and we can enjoy the coming summer.  I'm doing this as a double post, so scroll down if you are here for the IWSG!

Here are my goals from April:
* Complete the April A-Z Blogging Challenge

* Write to 30,000 words on my Camp NaNo novel, "Breathless"
I made it to 30,050 words!  DONE! 

* Run/walk my first 5K on April 20th
FAIL.  I didn't walk or run it.  I gave up due to knee strain and it only got worse. Turns out I have runner's knee.  Once it heals, I will start some running again.  Even if I don't run a 5K, exercise is really important. :)

I finished 2 out of 3 goals, definitely an accomplishment!  Okay, doing the A-Z Challenge and Camp Nano at the same time was crazy and I'm super excited it is over!  :)  I wouldn't do it again, but I love my manuscript and it's nice to have the idea done. Now to revise it!  I did so much last month!  I critiqued two of my critique partner's novels in addition to everything.  I didn't think I'd even have time for them until May.


Goals for May:
* Complete first round of revisions for "Breathless"
Revise, adding scenes and fixing timeline errors.  Send to critique partners. :)

* Finish critiquing CP's book - "Black and White"

* Read "The Oracle and the Vampire - The 13th Floor #5 and #6" by Christine Rains

* Relax


I'm really looking forward to the last of my goals. :)  I'm definitely ready to relax and maybe take a day off of work to just relax and have a nice long weekend where I'm not stressed and busy.

How did you goals for April go?  Did you complete the A-Z Challenge?  Did you write a novel or begin one for Camp Nano?  Congrats to everyone who participated in either or both!

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Anyway, it's time for another installation of The Insecure Writer's Support Group, which posts on the first Wednesday of every month and is run by our Ninja Captain Alex Cavanaugh.  Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!  Seriously, I love this support group!

I'd like to talk about the dreaded fear I have.  I'm insecure about my.... KISSING SCENES.  Yep, I'm not good at kissing scenes.  I don't have a lot of experience with kissing and I'm not really one to make-out with strangers, so there goes my practicing.   I like writing them, but at the same time I write them and laugh first, then roll my eyes, delete it once, rewrite the scene and face-palm. 

If anyone has an advice, I'd love it. :)  As a side note, I don't write smutty scenes, just some romantic passionate kissing scenes that talk way too much about tasting like oranges and chocolate frosting.  Oops?  Help?

How do you write a kiss scene?  Do you base it on personal experience or are you just that awesome when it comes with writing make-out scenes?

Z is for Ziva David

Ziva David, my favorite ex-Mossad assassin, who kicks butt and I totally named my car after her.

Me and Ziva, my first car.

 Yes, I'm that nerdy.  You should know that by now. :)  NCIS is my favorite television show. 

Ziva is beautiful and she kicks butt!

Ziva begins as a liason for Mossad and no one really trusts her.  Except Gibbs, because he trusts his gut and he witnesses her loyalty when she kills her own brother to protect Gibbs and because he was a traitor to their country.  She changes at NCIS as she develops friendships with Tony, McGee, Abby, and Ducky.  Ziva goes through several painful experiences; her friend and lover is killed by Tony, she is captured and tortured for months, her father is hard for her to communicate with (especially after he didn't save her), and so on.  Ziva never gives up.  The experiences change her, but for the better.  I love her character.  I also love the friendship between Ziva and Tony.  (BTW, I'm totally all for Tiva if they ever allow them to get into a relationship on the show.)  :)

Tiva: Tony + Ziva = AWESOMENESS!

One of my favorite things about her is her struggle to understand English idioms - they are hard!

And that's Z.  The A-Z Blogging Challenge is complete and now I'm ready for a short blogging break! (Though I still will be posting my updated goals tomorrow like always!) Thanks to everyone for joining me and reading about my "Awesome Nerd-ness"!

Thanks and congrats to everyone who finished!  WE DID IT!