Cover Reveal: Love, Tink by Elle Strauss

Posted by Lizzy on Jun 19, 2013 in covers | 0 comments

Love, Tink: The Complete Set by Elle Strauss

Publication date: July 10th, 2013

Genre: YA Fantasy

Link:  Goodreads

 

Originally published as six separate novella episodes, Love, Tink the complete series is all six stories together in one volume.

Tink is hopelessly smitten with Peter, the leader of the Lost Boys who’d mysteriously arrived at Neverland two years ago. Unfortunately, Peter is tired of the adventure and especially tired of dodging Captain Hook who is after his head. He just wants to go back to New York City and live his life as a normal fifteen year old

Tink is the only one who can help Peter return, but it breaks her heart to do it. She just wants to make him happy, so she does the unthinkable and betrays the fairy king. Now her heart is filled with remorse. Should she go after Peter? Should she follow him to his New York?

 

Cover designed by Steven Novak

One More Problem

Posted by Lizzy on Jun 18, 2013 in reviews | 10 comments

CRASH

(Uh oh…)

I think my kid got a hold of it last night and dropped it.  Not the first time.  I “thought” the Kindle touch was child proof, but I appear to be mistaken.

I woke up to my kindle looking like this:

Looks like I’ll be upgrading to the Paperwhite sooner than I imagined.

The Trickster’s Totem: Review and Dunkle the Imp

Posted by Lizzy on Jun 7, 2013 in guest post, reviews, tour | 2 comments

This post was originally suppose to be published on 5/22/13.  My apologies to H.B. Bolton and CBB for the delay.  Please check out my review of the first book in the series, THE SERPENT’S RING, which I reviewed last year.  Thanks for the amazing guest post from one of my favorite characters from the series, Dunkle the Imp.

Meeting Evan for the first time—from the POV of Dunkle the imp

by H.B. Bolton

photo credit: Luis Hernandez – D2k6.es via photopin cc

Why did Evan return to this place? He should have known better than to visit a closed exhibit, but there he is, sneaking around the professor’s home and peeking under the back porch. The nerve of that impetuous boy; he acts as if he owns the place.

Is the door locked? I am certain it is locked. Better still if I check.

“Oh, my, my, my …” I whisper to myself, scurrying along the roof’s eaves. I climb down a column and rush through a secret door known only to me. Carefully, I inch my way toward the porch door. Until suddenly, I freeze. Evan is peeking through the window! What am I to do?

I race to the professor’s secret lab, entering through the backside of a mahogany cabinet. I wait and wait, but there is no sign of Evan Jones. Thank goodness he did not discover the hidden whereabouts of the Serpent’s Ring. I have kept it well hidden for almost 100 years, and the last thing I need now is for him to find it and cause me trouble.

Dust clouds swirl around the room, and I am trying not to cough. That could mean only one thing. But wait! No, it cannot be. Evan has managed to locate the secret entrance. I knew this day would eventually come. I have prepared for his arrival since before he was born, but this is not a good day for it. Not in the least.

He is studying the drawings on the chalkboard. Surely, that will keep him busy enough. At least until I can figure out a way to remove the Serpent’s Ring and find a new location to hide it. Oh, no, no, no! He has noticed the illustration of the Midgard Serpent. Why is that boy climbing on that desk and messing around with things that do not belong to him? This is outrageous!

Oh my goodness — the table is about to break. What will the professor say? Just then, Evan and many of the professor’s illustrious possessions tumble to the floor. And worse yet, Evan has found the Serpent’s Ring. The Relic has already begun to glow, and soon … well, Evan will never be the same.

“What are you doing in here?” shrills a female voice from the doorway, and I nearly jump out of my skin. “You are going to be in sooo much trouble when Mom and Dad find out. You aren’t supposed to be in here. Didn’t you read the sign that said ‘Restricted Area’?”

Claire? What is she doing here? Lovely — now I have to deal with both of them.

“Claire, the jewels on this ring are starting to glow. Way cool!” Evan places the Serpent’s Ring around his forearm.

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Claire says, rushing to Evan, but as soon as she reaches him, the entire room fills with blinding light. Claire is cast against a bookshelf, and she is bombarded by tumbling objects. Thank goodness Evan has enough sense to help her.

There is nothing more I can do here. I suppose it is time for me to inform the other protectors. The first sign of the prophecy has come to light, and now the Relics are in terrible danger.

The Trickster’s Totem (Book #2 The Relics of Mysticus)

Book Links:  Amazon | GoodReads | Barnes & Noble

Released April 15th, 2013.

Life has returned to normal for fourteen-year-old Evan and his older sister, Claire. That is until Dunkle, a clever but stinky little imp, pays an unexpected visit to their school. He has come to take the siblings back to Sagaas, the mythical realm of the gods. Once again, a Relic from the ancient Mysticus Orb has fallen into the wrong hands. Only Evan and Claire, with their unique mystical abilities, can help find it.

Through the power of the Trickster’s Totem, a coyote trickster has escaped. His laughter echoes throughout the realm, as he spreads mischief and mayhem. He burns an entire crop of popcorn, carves his grinning image into sacred artifacts, and things really get interesting when he shape-shifts into Evan’s friends.

Claire and Evan must capture the Trickster, retrieve the Totem, and be careful not to become sidetracked by robotic Steampunk animals, “sweet” pixie-like Pains, and a problematic mermaid … all while dodging Mothman-like aces. Most surprising, Evan discovers the true reason dragons exist in the Native American Spirit World.

The Serpent’s Ring (Book #1 The Relics of Mysticus series)

Book Links: Amazon | GoodReads | Barnes & Noble 

Released July 29th, 2012.

Evan and Claire Jones are typical teenagers, forced to go with their parents to yet another boring museum … that is, until something extraordinary happens to make their day a little more than interesting. After following a strange little creature into a closed exhibit, Evan and his older sister, Claire, discover the Serpent’s Ring, one of the magical relics formed from the shattered Mysticus Orb. Purely by accident, they have awakened its powers and opened a portal to Sagaas, land of ancient gods.

Before the siblings can comprehend what has happened, the Serpent’s Ring is wrenched from Evan’s hand by an enormous fish and flown back to Aegir, the Norse god of the sea. Evan and Claire, accompanied by a band of unlikely heroes, must retrieve the Serpent’s Ring before Aegir uses its immense powers to flood all the lands on Earth.

H.B. Bolton scores full marks for her sequel, THE TRICKSTER’S TOTEM, in the Relics of Mysticus series.  Claire and Evan are adjusting to life in the normal world (although they still have their powers acquired from their first adventure) when Dunkle the Imp interrupts their school day with grave news: another relic has been stolen.  Unlike many MG fantasies, this is not about good verses evil.  This concept of gray characters and cause and consequence doesn’t typically exist in books written for this age level, but the underlying morals are cleverly hidden beneath a fast-pace and entertaining quest.  It’s refreshing that adults/elders are respected and good role models.  Claire and Evan come from a good family and have no problem with authority – unlike Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.  It’s a clean read that is appropriate for all age levels.

The interactions between Claire and Evan make them come to life.  Evan has self-centered tendencies, where he focuses only on what he wants to achieve and not how his actions will influence the lives of others.  Claire is quick to point out her brother’s mistakes and make him seem more of a jerk than he actually is.  She wins brownie points from their comrades for being the more mature and better behaved of the two, although she isn’t perfect herself.

I felt that THE TRICKSTER’S TOTEM was far more polished than its predecessor, although I think that THE SERPENT’S RING is a must read for you to understand how the siblings are tied to the magical world.  I read the book in full the moment I received it.  The book ends with just enough closure to tie up the reason for their return trip and then a teaser for the next adventure for the siblings.  If you enjoy MG fantasy or prefer “clean fantasy”, then I recommend that you check out book one and two in the Relics of Mysticus series by H.B. Bolton.

(I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review.)

A magical part of H.B. Bolton’s childhood was being swept into worlds of enchanting characters, fantastical creatures and extraordinary powers—simply by picking up a book. As a mother and a teacher, she was compelled to create imaginary worlds of her own in order to share them, not just with her children, but with all children. H.B. Bolton lives in Florida with her supportive husband and two highly spirited children. Shh, can you keep a secret? Not only does she write books for the young-at-heart, adventurous sort who yearn to dive into a good young-adult fantasy story, she also writes spellbinding, heart pounding women’s fiction. These particular books are written under the name Barbara Brooke, but that’s another story, altogether.

Books by H.B. Bolton:
The Serpent’s Ring (Relics of Mysticus, Book One)
Breaking Down (a short story)
Hungry (a short story)
Coming May 1, 2013
The Trickster’s Totem (Relics of Mysticus, Book Two)

Author links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter  | Goodreads | Pinterest | Amazon Author’s Link 

You can check out the full tour schedule from CBB book promotions

HERE.