One More Problem
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
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. 
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Blood in the Valley by J.K. Hogan
Apologies for the delay in getting this post live. I didn’t fly back until Friday, May 3rd…and between jet lag and sheer exhaustion, I wasn’t able to drag myself to the computer until now. Thanks to both Reading Addiction Blog Tours and J.K. Hogan for asking me to participate in this tour. J.K. Hogan’s debut novel, FIRE ON THE ISLAND, surprised me with how much I truly enjoyed it. I had nothing but high expectations for the second book and I’m happy to say that it wasn’t a disappointment. Check out the guest post and review of BLOOD IN THE VALLEY.
A Day in the Life – Guest Post by J.K. Hogan
Oh, how things have changed in the last few months. I’ve not yet had the opportunity to ‘live the dream’ which would be endless time to write with no outside obligations like pesky day jobs. During the time I was writing both Fire on the Island and Blood in the Valley, I was a graphic designer by trade. I’ve always been the artsy type, and that was the most practical application for my talents.
These days, I find myself as something I never thought I’d be: a stay at home mom. So my day of writing consists of fighting for time in between the demands of my four-month-old son, Rowan. He gets awfully jealous of the laptop when it gets more time than him.
So my day of writing starts off with coffee—lots and lots of coffee. I do most of my storybuilding in my head, so that happens on car trips (when the kidlet is blissfully sleeping), in the shower, and unfortunately, at night when I’m trying to fall asleep. That is when the ideas come. There’s a lovely little Starbucks about 15 minutes from my farm that has the most amazing drive thru—the only one around. The drive puts the kidlet to sleep, and I get coffee and time to “write”. It’s a win-win!
The physical writing happens sporadically in between bottles and during naps, and often between the time that I go to bed (super early because I have a living alarm clock that never changes!) and the time that I actually fall asleep. Being an insomniac can be both a blessing and a curse!
The moral of the story is that I would be making up stories whether I was publishing books or not, so I squeeze the writing into my life wherever I can!
Blood in the Valley by J.K. Hogan
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing
Released May 2nd, 2013
The daughter of a Las Vegas hustler, Raven Sabatier grew up trusting nothing and no one—she doesn’t
even trust herself to stay in one place for longer than a minute. When her quest to find out the secrets
of her past leads her to the mountains of North Carolina, she’s set on a collision course with the one
man she thought she’d never see again.
In Appalachia consulting on an archeological dig, Anthropologist Dr. Drew Deveraux comes face
to face with the indomitable beauty who broke into his apartment a year ago, tilting his carefully
cultivated world on its axis.
Engaged in a fight with their demons, both imagined and real, the last thing either of them
expected to find was love. Together, they must unravel the mystery of Raven’s past and her connection
with an ancient race of witches, in order to save their future—and all of the souls hanging in the balance.
Please check out my review of the first book in the series (FIRE ON THE ISLAND) HERE, which I gave 5 stars.
I think overall BLOOD IN THE VALLEY suffered from the ‘second book slump’. It was a good book, however it wasn’t nearly as amazing as the first in the series. On every page and scene, I was reminded of why I loved FIRE ON THE ISLAND so much. I adored the chemistry between Isla and Jeremiah, the setting in Scottland, and the unique mythology. The beginning of BLOOD IN THE VALLEY starts out strong, but the meeting between Drew and Raven feels clumsy. Drew, in particular, felt off as a character and his narrative wasn’t enjoyable until the middle of the book. Drew is at such a disadvantage compared to many of the characters that he feels weak and whiny. As the book progressed and it felt like the author became more comfortable in his narrative – then I started to like him as a character.
I liked Raven from the very beginning. I enjoyed reading about how she thrived with such a difficult childhood, becoming almost too comfortable in the life of a con-artist and thief. Her faults are what make her so strong and I really appreciated how real a person she felt when she started to crumble mentally at the first sign of someone genuinely caring for her welfare. Her narrative would have been even more likeable if Drew’s narrative wasn’t as weak. It felt like she had to carry the first part of the book.
There is a third POV, which is Ray. The problem with his narrative is that he is pigeonholed as such an unlikeable guy early on in the book, so when he experiences hardship, it’s hard to feel sympathy for the guy.
The bad guy’s secret isn’t too hard to guess, but her motives are. I wasn’t exactly sure why she was so hell bent on catching and manipulating Raven until the last couple chapters, so there was a bit of mystery throughout the whole book.
The first book, FIRE ON THE ISLAND, definitely outshines BLOOD IN THE VALLEY, however fans of the series and the author won’t be disappointed by this sequel. It continues to explain the Vigalanti mythology and blends together both new characters and old in a romancy paranormal. I’m not a big fan of romances, so I’m happy that the romance/sex scenes never overpowered the plot or felt like fillers. If you haven’t read either book, you won’t get confused reading the second book. The author does a great job of putting the background and story points from the first book when needed and not a second sooner. A good book that would have been more of a favorite if I didn’t have the first book to compare. I will be eagerly continuing this series. B-
(I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.)
Excerpt
It had been just after midnight when she’d collapsed facedown on the surprisingly comfortable bed, dead to the world. It was close to three a. m. when she heard the first noise outside her door.
At first, it was a light thump followed by a muffled curse. Her eyes flew open, but she wrote it off as some drunk from the bar trying to find his room. She’d almost gone back to sleep when she heard a faint scraping sound, followed by the distinct turning of the handle.
Raven was instantly on alert but not overly worried, as no one else but Micah had a key to her room. Her whole body tensed as she heard the door pop open.
Her back was to it, so she couldn’t see. Not her typical sleeping position—she never put her back to the door—but she’d crashed so quickly. She kept still, not wanting to let on that she was awake and lose the element of surprise.
She sent a low frequency energy wave rippling through the air. It would send back visual information as it bounced off the intruder, a lot like sonar. Not enough detail to discern identity, but enough to let her know what she was up against.
Extremely tall. Six-five, maybe six-six. Long, rangy build. Not a body builder type, but plenty of muscle to work with.
She watched the shimmering outline the energy wave sent to her neocortex. He didn’t seem in too big of a hurry, and her internal warning system was not yet sensing a threat—other than the fact the guy had just broken into her room.
Raven perceived no immediate mortal danger so she decided to play dumb, let the guy think he’d caught her. Who the hell was it, anyway? Had The Watcher finally decided to show himself? Maybe he’d finally tell her what the fuck he wanted.
Footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor as the stranger walked over to the small writing desk. He grabbed hold of the spindly ladder-back chair that went with it, dragged it back to the door, and, presumably, sat down in it.
Hell, she hoped this guy didn’t think he was being stealth. He did surprise her by suddenly flicking on the overhead lights. Her eyes had always adjusted quickly to changes in light, and tonight was no exception.
She sprang upright in the bed, clutched a hand to her chest, and blinked as if she’d been jolted awake. Playing the startled damsel in distress should buy her a little time to figure out what was up.
When she glanced toward the door, Raven saw that the tall guy had wedged the back of the chair up under the door knob and was sitting back with legs stretched out and arms crossed over his chest. The dirty leather cowboy hat was pulled down over his eyes and obscured most of his face.
She barely suppressed a snort when she realized he actually thought he had her trapped in there. Guy had no idea who he was dealing with. Putting just the right amount of shake in her voice, she spoke to him.
“Wh-who are you? What do you want?”
The man leaned forward to rest his elbows on his thighs, lowered his head, and pulled the hat off. After he raked a hand through messy ash-blonde hair, he looked at her and sneered. “Gotcha.”
Raven gave him a hard stare. He was dressed differently, in a khaki work shirt and camo cargo pants, stuffed into steel-toe boots. All of it, including his skin, was covered in a fine layer of dirt.
The face was different. Harder, more world-weary than a year ago. But she recognized him. The good Dr. Deveraux had finally found her, and she never even knew he’d been looking. Touché. Well played, Doctor.
Raven dropped the act, seeing no point in it since he clearly knew who she was. With a toss of the covers, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and spun around to face him. She knew the jersey barely covered her lady bits, and she got a small sense of satisfaction watching his eyes zero in on the hem for just a moment before flicking back to her face.
So blue, she thought. Those eyes. A rich, sky blue. And that was enough of that. She could moon over hot guys when they weren’t holding her hostage, however ineffectively.
She tilted her head and let a small smile play over her full lips, giving him what Ray had always called her curious bird look. “You got me. Now what are you going to do with me?”
As she watched his eyes dart around the room, it occurred to her that he hadn’t thought this through any further than getting in the room. She decided to play along. For now. If she could get him talking, she might be able to get more information about what was in that book.
“Contrary to how it may look, Cliffdweller’s isn’t that kind of inn.” That surprised a laugh out of him that had her fighting the urge to smile back.
Leaning back in the chair again, he crossed his legs, like he was settling in. “Why don’t we start with your name.”
With no reason to lie, she shrugged a deceptively delicate looking shoulder. “Raven.”
“Raven…,” he prompted, and urged her to continue with a wave of his hand.
“Just Raven. For now.”
“Okay, Just Raven, why don’t we start with why you’re not the least bit scared of me, even though I broke into your room.”
She flashed him a smile designed to distract, to seduce. “Come on, Doc, you’re you’re about as stealth as a bull in a china shop. I think the whole inn knew what you were up to.”
One corner of his mouth tipped up in a half smile. “That bad, huh?” he said.
Raven noticed his voice slurred a little when he spoke. She narrowed her eyes at him. Bloody hell, was he drunk?
J.K. Hogan has been telling stories for as long as she can remember, beginning with writing cast lists and storylines for her toys growing up. When she finally decided to put pen to paper, magic happened. She is greatly inspired by all kinds of music and often creates a “soundtrack” for her stories as she writes them.
J.K. resides in North Carolina, where she was born and raised. A true southern girl at heart, she lives on a farm with her husband and young son, a cat, and two champion agility dogs. If she isn’t on the agility field, J.K. can often be found chasing waterfalls in the mountains with her husband, or down in front at a blues concert. In addition to writing, she enjoys training and competing in dog sports, spending time with her large southern family, camping, boating and, of course, reading!
J.K. Hogan is a member of The Romance Writers of America.
Follow Along With This Tour
Stalk me…
Tattoo Your Love for Me
Follow Another Way
What’s on my mind
Rating System
Hauntingly Beautiful
Near Perfection
Couch Companion
Red Pen Alert
Better Left Buried