BHSV – Kelly Gay Guest Blogs + International Giveaway!

 

As I write this, the temperature outside is 95 degrees with a heat index topping 100. In other words: *#!@$! Hot! J Summer always comes early to the south and spring always ends up being a ‘blink and you missed it’ kind of event.

Nonetheless, I love summer. And during this time, my taste in the imaginary usually turns to lighter fare. You know, fun, romantic stories full of laughs and heart and

depth. See, ‘lighter’ doesn’t always mean a lack of depth. When I talk about this term, I mean light as in uplifting. Works that make you smile, laugh, tear up… Works that are snarky, smart, sexy, funny.

While I write (and read) a lot of dark fantasy and paranormal, I also really enjoy taking a break from my usual genres and delving into romantic comedies and contemporary single titles. So if any of you read in these genres or just feel like you need

a break from what you normally read, I thought I’d share some of my all-time favorite authors who I think are perfect summer fare. They are masters at bringing out all those wonderful emotions. They can make me smile long before I even realize I’m doing it.

They write stories filled with relationships, friendships, family, personal growth, love, laughter, fears, and even sorrow.

Okay, enough gushing! Here are some of my top summer picks:

• Jennifer Crusie: MAYBE THIS TIME. BET ME.

• Kristin Higgins: CATCH OF THE DAY. TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

• Susan Donovan: TAKE A CHANCE ON ME. PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION.

• Susan Elizabeth Phillips: BREATHING ROOM. AIN’T SHE SWEET. NATURALBORN CHARMER (because, really, when a book opens on the heroine marching down the side of the road wearing a rented Beaver suit, her flat tail smacking the ground with every angry step… Totally my kind of book!).

Those are just a few of my favorites. So if you’re looking for a change in genre or just something new, give these authors a try. You might find yourself smiling, too. Hope everyone has a great summer. Stay cool. And Happy Reading!

~ Kelly

Win a SIGNED Copy of “Darkness Becomes Her”

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ARC Review: Darkness Becomes Her {Gods & Monsters, #1} by Kelly Keaton

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

From Goodreads.

• Publisher: Simon Pulse
• Release Date: February 22nd, 2011
• My Copy: Received From Simon Schuster Galley-Grab Program.
• Pages: 288  
• Series: Gods & Monsters Series 
• Genre: Paranormal Y.A. 
• Author's Website
• Buy This Book:

Darkness Becomes Her

*NO Spoilers

I am a big fan of Kelly’s Books as Kelly Gay, so when I found out she was releasing a new Y.A. novel under the Kelly Keaton name, I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Thanks to Kelly and the Simon Schuster Galley-Grab program I was able to read this book early and I am so glad I did!

Darkness Becomes Her is an awesome YA read with all the elements that compose a great novel: An awesome heroine, great world building, action, mystery and a romantic interest.

Ari has been in foster care for as long as she remembers and it has definitely been a wild ride. Now she is finally living with a family that cares for her, but she also has a chance to find out about all that she has ever wanted to know about her biological parents and the mystery surrounding her and her family. Her hunt brings her to New 2, a dystopian look at New Orleans. It is never clear if New 2 is the result of Katrina or if another disaster hit the area and turned it into the New 2 we meet. The story takes place in 2026, so the latter might be the safest bet.

In New 2, Ari meets a cast of characters that will help or hinder her in her quest for the truth, she also makes some new friends. I couldn’t help but love Sebastian, Db, Crank, Henry and specially Violet, with her adorable weirdness. Kelly Keaton has done a superb in building the world Ari lives in and the way she combined Greek Mythology with it was incredible!

To be honest the only complaint I have about Darkness Becomes Her, was that I felt the little romance there is in it, was a bit rushed. Other than that, Darkness Becomes Her is an Amazing Paranormal YA read and I absolutely recommend to every fan of the genre out there! I can’t wait for the sequel and I so hope it becomes a series!

 

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Author Guest Post & SIGNED Book + Swag Giveaway w/ Kelly Keaton

Hey everyone! I have a very special treat for you today… It’s with immense honor that I welcome to my blog today author Kelly Keaton, in her YA Debut Novel, “Darkness Becomes Her” Tour!

I am the first stop in the tour and you can check out the rest of the scheduled stops at the end of her post…

Kelly has also been super awesome and is offering an International Giveaway! Don’t forget to stop by this Monday for my review of “Darkness Becomes Her”, coming out Next Tuesday {Feb. 22nd}.

Enjoy…

I’m so happy to be here again at Larissa’s fabulous blog (thank you for having me)!

I thought I’d do my post today on the gods. Just those two words, ‘the gods’ inspire such power and majesty and intrigue. I can’t even say the words without a dramatic flare. :)

 

In DARKNESS BECOMES HER you’ll discover the world of New 2, which has become a sanctuary for beings descended from gods, made by the gods, cursed by the gods, or enemies of the gods.

After the time of ancient Greece passed, there have been wars—pantheons against pantheons, creatures once loyal, turning on the gods who made them. And now, thousands of years later, there is one goddess who stands above all the others, one who controls the few gods left with an iron fist and who is determined to wipe out the monsters she has created or use them to her advantage.

So what, I asked myself, in the vast time period between ancient Greece and present day, have the gods been doing? Surely not ignoring mankind. They are known meddlers!

If the Greek gods were real, I believe they would’ve grown with civilization, experienced it, just like we humans have. Back in the day, they took part in culture, music, art, dance, the language. They mingled with man and man’s culture. So why not the culture of subsequent civilizations?

The gods’ personalities, loyalties, and loves would also change—maybe vastly, maybe only slightly. But they would be different than they were, say, three thousand years earlier.

I had this blank canvas, this long time period where there was nothing new written about the gods. So, I had to fill that space – and if I was bringing or even showcasing a god in my near future world, I had to think of how she would be now, not then. I had to bring her through thousands of years of history and into the future, and determine how those years would have shaped her and affected her.

And, let’s not forget, her enemies live in this time period; she’d be an idiot not to understand them, their world, or the weapons they might employ. And we all know this particular goddess is no dummy. She’d make it a point to submerge herself in our culture if only to defeat her enemies.

The goddess in DARKNESS BECOMES HER follows this path of growth, moving along with the rise and fall of civilizations, continuing her interactions with mankind. She’s this wonderful mix of old and new, and there is method and heartbreak behind her madness. So it seems natural to me that she’d partake in the music of this century, the fashion, the technology, and even the slang. I personally think she’d totally dig some Bryan Ferry and a little Godsmack. :) Just like she probably dug some hot ancient Greek musician back in the day…

 

 

The tour schedule is HERE:

1. Larissa's Bookish Life - Guest post/Giveaway - February 18th 2011
2. The Bookish Type - Interview/Giveaway - February 20th 2011
3. The Book Butterfly - Interview/Giveaway - February 21st 2011
4. Paper Cut Reviews - Interview/Giveaway - February 22nd 2011 
5. Fantastic Book Review - Book Summary/Excerpt/Interview/Review/Giveaway - February 21st-24th 2011
6. Dark Faerie Tales - Interview - February 23rd 2011
7. Wicked Awesome Books - Interview - February 25th 2011
8. Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf - Interview - February 25th 2011
9. Girl about Books - Interview - February 26th 2011
10. Good Choice Reading - Guest post - February 27th 2011
11. Once Upon a Twilight - Grand-prize Giveaway - February 28th 2011

 

 

Find Kelly Keaton Online:

Website | Goodreads

Twitter | Facebook

Pre-Order / Buy Kelly’s Book:

Amazon US | Barnes & Noble

Book Depository

 

Check Out My Review of “Darkness Becomes Her”!

 

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International!

Ends February 28th!

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Don’t Forget to Vote for Next Week’s {Feb 20th} Theme for

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