Review + Giveaway: Passion Potion by Mary Beth Daniels

I recently participated in a Cover Reveal Blitz for the book Passion Potion and after that I got contacted by Mary Beth Daniels, asking if I was interested in reviewing her book. Now who am I to refuse such a sweet request, so I gladly accepted and you can read my review down below. Mary Beth was even so kind to share her inspiration for Passion Potion and I can completely find myself in that ever wondering what if question. Also to celebrate the release of Passion Potion, Mary Beth is giving away a cash prize, some signed books and both of her ebooks.

Passion Potion by Mary Beth Daniels
As a young girl, I was crazy influenced by love stories. I remember very well the song Love Potion #9 and the idea was very alluring. Could someone really make someone fall in love with them with a potion?

Obviously I never grew out of this, as just a few months ago I picked up a pheromone concoction that supposedly makes people attracted to you. I told my girlfriends who were with me that I just thought it was hilarious, but that little girl in me still wondered – what if?

I got home and sprayed it to see if maybe my cat would love me a bit more, but the scent was HORRIBLE. Nobody would want to be within twenty feet of me! Especially my cat!

I threw it away.

But the notion persisted, and I’m thrilled to have released a book where my dream became a story-reality, even if it has the most disastrous consequence imaginable in the book!

I had a blast writing it, and I’m giving away so many things with my release! If you comment on the blog, I’ll see it, and I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear what celebrity you would use a passion potion on, if you could get away with it! (Chris Hemsworth! Swoon!)

Passion Potion is 99 cents for a few days only!

Find it on Amazon, BN, Kobo, AllRomance, and signed paperbacks.

You can find me on Twitter, Tumblr, or Pinterest. I especially love witchy pins and image shares!

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Jet is a Nix, the daughter of an Enchantress who went outside her bloodlines. No one helps a Nix, and even though her father is in deep trouble with Dei Lucrii, a Dark Enchanter who paid her family an extraordinary sum to make a passion potion, Jet has no way to fix the powerful spell that killed her mother.

But someone is watching her. A very handsome someone whose face appears in a pewter bowl her mother always kept close by.

Could the boy be the secret to avoiding the curse of the Nix? Or is he the sort of distraction Jet REALLY can’t afford at a time like this?

Passion Potion is a paranormal new adult romance from the author of the romantic comedy hit Heteroflexibility.

Review:
Passion Potion is very fast paced and doesn't allow any BS. It's written very straight to the point,  mostly dialogue and action, without too much description. This all gives it a very Young Adult kind of feeling, except there are some sexy scenes which are not so suited for the younger audience. But I liked this combination; the passion from new adult without the angst and the action from young adult without the chemistry being too platonic.

So when the story starts you pretty much get thrown in and you better start swimming if you don't want to drown. Jet just discovers she's a witch, kind of. She's a Nix, which means she's half enchantress, half human and this somehow makes her dangerous to other enchanters. Apparently she has to make this potion, which her mom failed at, to save her dad and her home.

Considering Jet's got about a week time to do this, she will need some help. The only problem, no one is willing to help her. Her dad knows nothing, her mom's talking ferret refuses to help and if anybody else wants to help they can't or they may lose their magic. So she's pretty much stuck on her own, trying to figure things out.

Except maybe there might be one person who will risk helping her. Among her mom's stuff is a pewter bowl in which Jet can sometimes sees a very handsome guy, named Caleb. Now Jet and Caleb are connected and the attraction between them causes some major sparks, literally. Caleb can't fight how he feels about Jet and tries to help her in any way he can.

Still not everything is as clear as it seems; making the potion, give it to the seller and everything is okay. Yeah, not that simple. Jet has to make a Passion Potion, which is forbidden because they are not allowed to interfere with love. Since Jet knows nothing about the enchanter world, she still has so much to learn and unfortunately for her there isn't the time. So she's entitled to a couple of hysterical moments, but overall she's keeping it strong.

Her lack of knowledge does keep getting her into trouble while she's trying to make that potion. Now people are after her, she may or may not have found her future husband, finding out she's a Nix is only the beginning as more and more secrets get revealed. All in all she has become a magnet for trouble.

Passion Potion was a very fast paced and fun read. Sarcastic comments are flying all around, we've got magic, romance, action, a heroine who is kind of fearless, conspiracy theories...what more could you want!

It's actually 3,5 stars for this book!

**GIVEAWAY**

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Excerpt + Giveaway: Spirit (Elemental #5) by Shauna Granger

This week Spirit, the fifth installment of the Elemental series, by Shauna Granger was released. To celebrate this I've got an exclusive excerpt and we're giving away an ebook copy of your choice in the Elemental Series, so be sure to enter!

Not even a guardian angel is more powerful than Death.

Always careful to watch out for others, Shayna put too much trust her abilities to keep herself safe and has been cut down by crazed man. Now she is trapped in the land of the dead, watching as her two best friends suffer the consequences of her death; their powers are fading and soon they will too. Shayna is desperate to return to the land of the living to save them from a similar, cold fate. To save her friends Shayna must turn away from the Light and, in doing so, sacrifice her wings.

But the longer Shayna stays among the dead, the further she slips from sanity. If Shayna cannot find her way back she will be condemned and lost forever among the restless souls of the dead. With nothing left to lose, she will do whatever it takes to fight her way back, with or without her wings.

Excerpt:

On the night I died, when Liam had walked me away from my friends and the wreckage of the house, the tips of my wings had dragged along the ground. I thought maybe that, though dead, I was still an earthbound angel. I thought I would get to stay, and I just had to wait for someone, like my guardian angel, to show up and tell me what I was supposed to do.

But that’s not exactly what happened. My guardian angel did show, in a burst of blinding light, glorious in his power with his wings spread behind him as he floated. I felt warmth radiating from him and the tunnel of light, trust and some form of relief rushing through me, making me believe I hadn’t been abandoned while falling through the crumbling house. He held out a hand for me as he came close to the ground, his feet landing silently. I started to lift my hand to take his, I always took his hand when he reached for me, but the closer he came, the closer the Light came. I felt the pull of the Light somewhere in my center. I suddenly knew if I touched him, took his hand, let that Light envelope me, I would leave this world and my friends behind.

“Wait,” I said, snatching my hand back and taking a number of steps backward, nearly tripping over my wings.

“Shayna, what are you doing?” he asked.

“What happens now?” I curled my hands into fists and kept them close to my chest.

“What happens now?” he repeated. By the look on his face, it was obvious no one had thought to question him before. “We go into the Light, you join our ranks, and you become the guardian angel you were meant to be.”

“And Jodi and Steven?” I asked. “What happens to them?”

“They are alive and well.” He shook his head and started to take a few steps toward me. For every step he took forward, I took one backward, keeping my distance.

“No,” I said, “what’s going to happen to them? Are they going to be all right?”

“Shayna, that’s not our concern,” my angel said, making the bottom of my stomach drop out. I felt as if the world had turned on its side, and I thought I was going to fall over. “You were my charge; they are not your charges, so you cannot concern yourself with their fates.”

“But something is going to happen, isn’t it?” I pressed. “My dying, that is going to do something to them, isn’t it?”

“Shayna, just come with me.”

“Why won’t you answer me?”

“Shayna!” He rushed forward, his hands outstretched. I dodged, hitting the ground and rolling in a mass of limbs and wings. He tumbled forward, losing his balance when I suddenly wasn’t there. Getting to my feet was difficult, but when I finally did, I ran, flexing my wings behind me, working them desperately, lifting and bobbing awkwardly in the air. I heard him yelling for me, still tangled where he had fallen since he didn’t have the same desperate need fueling him. The Light sliced through the air and trees easily. My back warmed as it touched me, and the sensation to turn toward it pulled at me.

“No!” I screamed, willing myself to go faster, farther, just get the hell away from it. That’s when the burning began.

Connect with Shauna Granger:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

      

 

**GIVEAWAY**

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Book Blast: Blood Destiny Series by Helen Harper

Book Blast time!!! Today we present the Blood Destiny Series by Helen Harper to you. We've got an exclusive excerpt of Bloodfire and in honor of this book blast, Helen Harper will award a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Mack might be, to all intents and purposes, a normal looking human, but she lives with a pack of shapeshifters in Cornwall in rural England after being dumped there by her mother when she was just a young child. She desperately wants to be accepted by her surrogate family, not least because a lot of them hate her for merely being human, but for some reason her blood just won't allow the transformation to occur.

With a terrible temper to match her fiery red hair, Mack is extraordinarily useful in a fight, and when her pack alpha is brutally and abruptly murdered, she swears vengeance. Unfortunately, his murder also draws in the Brethren - the leaders of the shapeshifter world - who will slaughter everyone in Mack's small rural pack if they discover her true identity. Unfortunately Corrigan, the green-eyed muscle-bound Lord Alpha of the Brethren, doesn't let much slip by him...

Excerpt:

I scanned the bookshelves again, looking for something that might help and was about to pull down a precious gems and magical objects encyclopaedia when I suddenly heard voices and the slamming of doors from outside. Bugger it. Quickly closing down the computer, I stepped back into the outer office. I was just in time because Staines came suddenly striding in with the Lord Alpha. They were in mid conversation and didn’t see me at first.

Interview + Review + Giveaway: Influential Magic (Crescent City Fae) by Deanna Chase

Influential Magic got released last month and I'm very happy to participate in Deanna Chase's virtual book tour! First I have an interview for you, Deanna tells us all about the inspiration for the book, what we can expect next, who her dreamcast would be etc. I also had the chance to read the book, so I've included my review and peeps you're going to want to read this book so badly. To top it all of, we've also got a major tour wide giveaway!!! Make sure to enter because the goodies are awesome :D

What was your inspiration to write Influential Magic?

Hmm, this seems like it should be an easy question to answer, but it's really not. I started Influential Magic back in early 2011 before I decided to self publish Haunted on Bourbon Street, which was already written. Influential Magic took a major back seat once I started publishing the Jade Calhoun series, but I always knew I wanted to come back to it. So the actual inspiration is hard to pin down. I'm a huge fan of urban fantasy books and decide to write about the types of creatures I love: vampires and fae. Then I started wondering what the city would've been like after Katrina if vampires had moved in and how an earth-loving faery could survive among the darkness I love so much about NoLa. New Orleans is an odd mix of destruction, crime, and a bunch of goodhearted quirky, resilient characters, while also being very creative and vibrant. I think it's safe to say Influential Magic encompasses all those traits. At least I hope it does.

As for specific detailed inspirations, I love that Willow is a magical baker. You see, in my own life, I'm allergic to sugar. The horror, right? It gives me terrible migraines. So I don't get to eat very many desserts. Having Willow be able to make special candies that alter people's reality is sort of my way of having fun with something that is normally off limits to me.

Link is based off my dog Duncan. He's actually half shih tzu and half lhasa apso. Or so we assume. He was supposed to be half shih tzu and half maltese, but Duncan is twenty-five pounds and looks and acts just like a lhasa. We're pretty sure the litter had two daddies. It's all good, though, because Duncan is perfect just the way he is even with his over protectiveness, just like Link. Did you know shih tzus and lhasas are from the wolf family? That's how the wolf connection came about.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

Making all the connections come together. I'm what we writers call a pantser. I don't work from an outline. Man, do I wish I did. My life would be so much easier. I've tried many times to write one and stick to it, but when I do, I find myself going off the rails by the second chapter. It turns out I'm much more productive if I just let my creative mind take over and run with everything. The only problem with that is it takes extra time to go back and make sure all the connections fit and all the loose threads are tied up...or at least addressed if not answered. This is a series after all.

Influential Magic is the first book in the Crescent City Fae Series, can you give us any information on the upcoming books please?

Book two, Irresistible Magic, will focus more on Talisen's new magical discovery. His magic plays a somewhat minor role in Influential Magic, but he does hint at a discovery. I don't want to give anything away here for those who haven't read it yet, though. Irresistible Magic revolves around Willow and Tal's relationship, their struggles to keep their magic out of the hands of those who want to exploit them, and of course the tension between Willow and David. Eadric and Asher will play a bigger role as well as we find out more about Willow's abilities. I hope that's not too vague. As I said, I'm a pantser, so everything is subject to change, but this is the plan. I am working on it now.

If your book was made into a TV series or Movie, what actors would you like to see playing your characters? 

Willow: I love the idea of Emma Stone. Mr. Chase is lobbying for Amanda Seyfried.

David: Ian Somerhalder - Best vampire ever. Am I right?

Talisen: Chase Crawford - He just looks like how I picture Talisen.

Phoebe: Ksenia Solo - she plays Kenzi on Lost Girl. Man, I love her.

 

You don't just write, but also make beautiful beads and jewelry, are any of those inspired by your books and where can we find them?

Ahh, yes, I make lampwork beads in my spare time (excuse me while I laugh hysterically). My spare time is almost non-existent these days. I have made beads inspired by New Orleans. Unfortunately, not many and I don't have them anymore. When Haunted on Bourbon Street came out, my husband made a companion collector's marble that went with it. One of our loyal customers has it in her collection.

Hubby has made other New Orleans themed pieces. Here is one I love:

You can find all my newest work at www.cdlampwork.etsy.com

If Willow and David had to describe each other in five words, what would they say?
David's take on Willow:
Sweet
Talented
Loyal
Brave
Naive

Willow's take on David:
Complicated
Sexy
Damaged
Protective
Sincere

Connect with Deanna Chase:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*

It’s tough being a faery in New Orleans, a city fraught with vampires… especially when their very existence drains your life-force.

Willow Rhoswen, owner of The Fated Cupcake and part-time vampire hunter for the Void is having a rough week. Four years after her twin brother’s mysterious death, Willow’s life is threatened and the director saddles her with a new partner—her ex-boyfriend, David. To her horror, he’s turned vamp, which causes her physical pain whenever she touches him… and any other specimen of the undead.

In order to save Willow’s life, David agrees to turn double agent against the most powerful vampire organization in New Orleans. Or so he says. And she’s convinced they know something about her brother’s death. Unsure where David’s loyalties lie, she turns to Talisen, her childhood crush, to help her solve the mystery.

Caught between two gorgeous men and a director who’ll stop at nothing to control Willow’s gifts, she’ll have to follow her instincts and learn who to trust. Otherwise, she risks losing more than just her life.

Buy at Amazon

Review:

"Living breathing things filled me up, left me powerful and strong, while metal, concrete and death sucked me dry."

Willow has this special ability, meaning she can sense when vampires are near. So usually when she goes out with her partner Phoebe, who's a witch/vampire hunter, she just points to where they are and Phoebe will take care of the rest. Fighting vampires herself is useless, because Willow's magic is based on life and vampires are death, so whenever they get too close the pretty much drain her without having to suck her blood.

Now Willow receives a new assignment and partner. Apparently someone is out to get her and together with David, her ex-boyfriend now turned vampire, is going to act like double agent to help her. The last time she saw David he was very much human and now it doesn't just hurt emotionally to be near, but also physically, so how will she ever get through with this.

"He hadn't stopped caring. If anything, he'd cared too much."

Willow quickly realizes that even with David being a vampire, she still holds some hope. She realizes though that he's not the same guy she fell in love with a year ago. He's hardly recognizable and has changed so much, too much, but once in a while she gets to see a glimpse of his old self.

Very slowly through the story you get to know David better and get to find out the reasons why he became a vampire, how Willow is all involved, how he felt/feels about her. He's not a bad guy, but he's still a vampire, so it's not like he's a good guy. David now represents dead (to put it very black and white), while Willow is all about life and that could be the biggest hurdle to overcome if David ever wants to convince Willow of his love for her.

"Being with him, alone and on my bed, evoked fantasies I hadn't entertained since we were teenagers."

David will have to fight hard, because he's not the only guy who has feelings for Willow. Talisen was Willow's brother's best friend and after Beau died he kind of took over the role of big brother. Except a big brother shouldn't have certain thoughts about his little sister the way Talisen sometimes thinks about Willow. With all the crazy things going on in her life right now, she calls on Talisen to help and he comes immediately. Now Willow always had a bit of crush on Talisen but never acted on that because of her brother and because she doesn't want to lose him. Will Talisen be able to convince Willow that he could be that guy for her?

"Knew how much it hurt. And he'd had the answers the entire time.""

So some crazy boy drama on top of everything else and everyone would go a little crazy. The plot to harm Willow is far more complicated than she could ever guess. Nothing is as it seems and she doesn't know who she can trust, who is telling the truth and it seems everyone has been keeping secrets from her. More secrets than she could have ever guessed.

Influential magic is quite the roller coaster read; Willow constantly being torn between her feelings for David and Talisen, the shocking secrets that are revealed one after another, at least five or more near death experiences, a dog with anger management problems when it comes to vampires, vampires with total lack of respect of life, manipulating and influencing all the world and his wife... So yeah quite the entertaining read!

Are you Team David or Team Talisen? 

**Tour Wide Giveaway**

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SupaParty: Ageless Sea by M.R. Polish

          Today marks the first month that Ageless Sea has been out and I am excited about it. I am so excited that I want to give you an ereader with the cover of Ageless Sea on it, AND I will even sign it! It is just a small token of my appreciation. BUT I have even better news, I will let the winner pick if they would like a Kindle (to use with Amazon) OR a Nook Touch (to use with Barnes & Noble)!!! That's right, should you win, YOU get to pick!

             Now, on to the good stuff! How can it get any better than winning an ereader? Well, getting a look at the book that started this awesome giveaway of course! First, let's set the mood...

            

I think this song fits so well for the whole book. If you have read it - do you hear it? I can hear Brady singing  it to Karis lol. I listened to this song while writing Ageless Sea and it is on my playlist over on Spotify, should you want to listen to the whole "soundtrack" I used. 

Can you pick out any songs for certain scenes???

          

While writing Ageless Sea I didn't sleep much, my keyboard became my pillow. From beginning to end, my characters kept me on my toes. They changed into amazing people that I am happy to share with you. Ageless Sea started off with a dream I had in the middle of the night. I remember rolling over and grabbing my phone to take notes because it was perfect and since then I haven't been able to get Karis or Brady too far out of my mind. One thing I didn't realize until I started writing, was that Brady was funny. I laughed out loud many times while writing and my family would look at me with that 'she's losing it' look and move on. 

Here is a part of one of the first scenes where he shows his humorous side:

“What is that?”

Karis looked up from the fire with a scowl. “Dinner. What did you think it was?”

“Oh no, I’m not eating that, that thing.” Brady pointed at the sea urchin she held in her hands.

She let her shoulders droop. “We don’t eat the whole thing, just this part.” She dangled a small portion of it with her fingers.

“Oh hell no!” He held his hands up. “I won’t eat Rocky Mountain Oysters, what makes you think I’d eat them off a sea creature.” He placed a hand over his mouth. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

She laughed. It never crossed her mind that eating that part of the urchin would be distasteful to him. She’d eaten them for so long it was like second nature.

Karis shrugged. “We could go fishing if you prefer?”

“Yes, I prefer.” He glanced at the urchin one more time and cringed. “Can you please just toss it out or something? I can’t believe you eat those.”

Karis rolled her eyes at him. “For such a strong guy, you’re sure weak.” She picked up the basket of urchins and laid them aside.  “So are you fishing or am I?”

He grabbed the fishing basket and started down the trail. “I think I can figure it out.”

***

I love to write fantasy, so it was fun to create the world's inside this book. Romance with fantasy, that is my favorite, so that is what I did. I can't tell you how much you all mean to me. I love that you enjoy my stories as much as I do and how excited you get with your favorite characters... or sometimes even the messages about how you lost sleep because you couldn't put the my book down, makes me happy. I love hearing from all of you and can't thank you enough. I really hope you love Karis and Brady and their journey as much as I do!

M.R. Polish Don't Forget to join us Tomorrow May 2nd for the LIVE Blog Talk Radio Show!! You can call in and talk to us and listen in on the fun. The Winner of the Giveaway will also be announced!!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/supagurl/2013/05/02/ageless-sea-by-mr-polish-par-tay

Call in to chat with us 

(718) 664-9345

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Kindle: Ageless Sea for Kindle

Nook: Ageless Sea for Nook

Paperback: Ageless Sea Paperback on Amazon

Also, if you would like a signed paperback, you may email me at m.r.polish.author@gmail.com and I would love to do that for you as well. It is 15.00 and that covers S&H.

Stalkers find me here:

Facebook: M.R. Polish

Twitter: @_MRPolish_

www.mrpolishauthor.com

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