Book Tour: Reaper's Fall by Joanna Wylde

Author: Joanna Wylde
Series: Reapers MC #5
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: November 10th 2015
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

He never meant to hurt her.

Levi “Painter” Brooks was nothing before he joined the Reapers motorcycle club. The day he patched in, they became his brothers and his life. All they asked in return was a strong arm and unconditional loyalty—a loyalty that’s tested when he’s caught and sentenced to prison for a crime committed on their behalf.

Melanie Tucker may have had a rough start, but along the way she’s learned to fight for her future. She’s escaped from hell and started a new life, yet every night she dreams of a biker whose touch she can’t forget. It all started out so innocently—just a series of letters to a lonely man in prison. Friendly. Harmless. Safe.

Now Painter Brooks is coming home… and Melanie’s about to learn that there’s no room for innocence in the Reapers MC.

*Disclaimer: I was offered an e-ARC of this copy from Netgalley and TRSOR Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

The latest installment in the Reapers MC by Joanna Wylde is out and I could not be happier. I've been waiting for this story ever since I read Silver Bastard, because the Painter/Melanie scene in that book took me by surprise. A lot!

If there's one thing I love most when it comes to book series is being surprised. Not in a "I did not see that one coming" way, but in a "I did not think I'd like that character" way. I have to admit that I was not one of Painter's biggest fans in previous books. He was always the guy I couldn't figure out, the one who seemed like the guy who can't make up his mind and then gets bitter once an opportunity is gone. It was frustrating to watch/read. But then this book came out and now I can say I love the guy. I get it now. I feel the need to just give him a bear hug, because boy, does he need it. Sure, he made some mistakes in this book that made me want to smack him a little bit, but then he managed to redeem himself. Plus, he's an artist and there's the cutest scene involving wall painting and he just won my heart with that one.

Melanie is one of the sweetest girls I've read about and she really needed a happy ending to her story. She's one of the characters that you just want to protect. London, the woman who would later become Picnic's old lady, took Mel in when the situation with her parents turned from bad to worse. Her family history played a huge role in her relationship with Painter, especially in the second part of the story, and I really can't blame her.

Another surprise came from Jessica. She really was a changed person and I can't wait to see if she'll get a story soon, because the poor girl has been through enough. I also keep my fingers crossed that Kit will get a story, because it's going to be funny to see someone try to tame her.


This book was filled with romance, hot sex and drama, but there were some incredibly funny bits too, that had me laughing out loud a lot. And all in all, it proved, once again, that Joanna Wylde writes some of the best MC books out there.

Comic Book Tuesday #2: True Blood

You might remember this story, but the Southern Vampires Mysteries series by Charlaine Harris was my first trip in the land of current urban fantasy. Up until that point I only had the 70s image of a "modern" vampire, as portrayed by Anne Rice. About 2 years after I discovered Sookie Stackhouse, the TV show True Blood came out. I was in nerd heaven, not only because I was excited to see some of my favorite characters on TV, but also because it was a good story, that deserved some screen time. While I did give up on the show and I haven't yet finish reading the series, I still get a bit excited when I remember about Bon Temps and the characters that live there and around the town. So when I saw that there were some comic books with the TV show characters, I decided to try them out.

First, let me start by saying that the one thing I did not miss was the ever-present "Sooookeeeh" that Bill said about...oh, roughly 5 million times an episode. As far as story goes, both of them used the TV show depictions of the characters. Not that I mind, since we got to see the hunk that is Eric Northman in the first one *drool*. I did quite enjoy the Tainted Love story a bit more, as it was more centered on Jessica, at least the first issue. I really liked Jessica, even though she was a new character, that wasn't in the books, and while I was watching the show I wanted more scenes with her, as she was a really interesting addition to the story. And I am curious to see how the story in the comic book ends, so I plan on buying the rest of the issues.

Both books have really beautiful art and with both of them you can kind of see that the artists tried to make the characters resemble the actors. I was a bit disappointed by that aspect, but then again it is understandable that the characters would be drawn to resemble the actors playing them.

If I were to rate these first issues, I'd give them three cups each. I do however have to say that reading them made me want to go back and read the series from book one. And I do plan to re-read them soon.

Teaser Tuesday: Bloodcraft by Amalie Howard

Bloodcraft by Amalie Howard
Series: Bloodspell #2
Genre: Upper YA/NA (mature content), Fantasy
Publication: December 15th, 2015

Cover Designer: Alan Pranke

All magic has its price, and no one knows that better than Victoria Warrick. Gifted with a centuries-old blood curse, Tori has finally learned to master her blood’s demands and has emerged triumphant with Christian Devereux, a vampire overlord, at her side.

But the worst is yet to come …

In the infamous City of Lights, home to both the Witch Clans and the Vampire Council, Tori enrolls at the exclusive Belles Fontaines school in Paris, where she is faced with a devastating choice: choose Christian and be an outcast, or choose the coven and secure her place with the witches.

When the fate of the supernatural world is targeted by a sinister new threat, Christian and Victoria must unite their two warring species to defeat it. Their bond will be tested, twisted, and sorely weakened, and Tori will find herself in uncharted territory—a dangerous place to be when her blood’s magic has its own dark agenda.

But to save them all, she may have no choice but to invoke its deadly power.

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Teaser

Victoria shivered, wrapping her arms about herself and staring toward the forest lost in thought. She wasn’t afraid of Christian or the fact that he was a vampire. After all, she was more of a monster than he could ever be.  

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Book #1, Bloodspell

The spell was simple...

Cruentus Protectum (Defend the Blood)

But what do you do if your blood is your enemy?

Victoria Warrick has always known she was different. An outcast at school, she is no stranger to adversity. But when she receives an old journal for her seventeenth birthday, nothing prepares her for the dark secrets it holds -- much less one that reveals she's a witch with unimaginable power.

What's more, when she meets the dazzling but enigmatic Christian Devereux, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. Enemies will hunt her. Friends will turn on her. The terrible curse that makes her blood run black will stop at nothing to control her. And Christian has a sinister secret of his own...

Without knowing whom to trust, can Victoria survive her blood's deadly desires? Or will she lose everything, including herself?

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~ About Amalie ~ 

AMALIE HOWARD grew up on a small Caribbean island (Trinidad & Tobago) where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. 25 countries, surfing with sharks and several tattoos later, she has traded in bungee jumping in China for writing the adventures she imagines instead. She isn’t entirely convinced which takes more guts.

An aspiring writer from a young age, Amalie’s poem “The Candle,” written at age twelve, was published in a University of Warwick journal. At fifteen, she was  a recipient of a Royal Commonwealth Society Essay Award (a global youth writing competition). A Colby College graduate, she completed simultaneous Honors Theses in both French and International Studies, and graduated Summa Cum Laude/Phi Beta Kappa. At Colby, she was cited for research and criticism in Raffael Scheck’s article, “German Conservatism and Female Political Activism in the Early Weimar Republic,” and his subsequent book, Mothers of the Nation. She also received a distinction in English Literature from the University of Cambridge (A-levels) as well as a certificate in French Literature from the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, France. Traveling the globe, she has worked as a research assistant, marketing representative, teen speaker and global sales executive.

agold-authorShe is the author of several young adult novels critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Spring 2014 Kid’s INDIE NEXT title. Her debut novel, Bloodspell, was a #1 Amazon bestseller and a Seventeen Magazine Summer Read. As an author of color and a proud supporter of diversity in fiction, her articles on multicultural fiction have appeared in The Portland Book Review and on the popular Diversity in YA blog. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children. She is represented by the Liza Royce Agency and is a member of SCBWI.

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