May I Suggesst Blog Hop: Giveaway

                        

Today I'm excited to be part of the May I Suggest... blog hop hosted by Stuck In Books. The book(s) I want to Suggest are two of my favorite paranormal new adult books from this year, Heartless and Soulless by Kelly Martin. These books are part of a trilogy with the final book, Breathless, coming out June 19th!

    

Synopsis:
Some things can't be saved.

What would you do if your guardian angel wasn't sent to protect you from the world but to protect the world from you?

For thirteen years, Gracen Sullivan dreamed about a red-eyed demon named Hart Blackwell who tortured her every night. Her mother freaked when she found out about her daughter's "hallucinations" and forced Gracen to go to the doctor, who prescribed some very powerful medication which kept Hart out of her head for five years.

A week ago, Hart came back and brought a friend.

But something has changed, and Gracen is seeing Hart when she's awake too. And the other "friends" in her dreams? They have been found dead.

The police want to talk to her.

Her boyfriend has become distant.

Her dreams are becoming more and more intense.

Hell wants her.

Heaven has to stop her.

When push comes shoving, can Gracen fight the evil eating away inside her or will she be forced to embrace it and destroy the world?

    

Synopsis:
Sometimes all the wishing in the world doesn't change the fact that in order to save everyone, you have to destroy yourself.
Sometimes good doesn't always win.
Sometimes choices suck.
Sometimes people don't break their promises
Sometimes the thing we hate the most is the one thing that can save us.
Sometimes...
Sometimes love ruins everything. 

Author Bio:
Kelly Martin writes paranormal, contemporary, historical, and YA fiction. She has been married for over ten years and has three rowdy, angelic daughters. When she's not writing, she loves taking pictures of abandoned houses, watching horror gamers on YouTube-- even though she's a huge wimp-- and drinking decaf white chocolate mochas. She's a total fangirl, loves the 80s and 90s, and has a sad addiction to paranormal TV shows. {Basically, she likes creepy stuff.} Her favorite characters  are the flawed 'good guys'-- and 'bad guys' who don't know they are evil. She loves giving her readers books with unexpected twists and turns, but (here's a hint) most of her books have the ending spelled out int the first chapter. See if you can figure it out.

If you ever have a question or comment for her, feel free to email her at kellymartin215 @ yahoo . com
Stalk Her Here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KellyMartinAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/martieKay
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBSQGJ5gViQ- 0ajHRvWUqaA
Instagram: https://instagram.com/kellymartin215/
Newsletter: http://kellymartinbooks.blogspot.com/p/subscribe-to-our- newsletter.html
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/KMBooks
Blog: www.kellymartinbooks.blogspot.com
Tumblr: martiekay.tumblr.com
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1RiFqC4
 
Giveaway:
Two winners will receive a $5 Amazon gift card and all three Kindle ebooks in the Heartless trilogy (Breathless will be gifted June 19th when it is released, but Heartless and Soulless will be gifted immediately along with the $5 Amazon gift card). This giveaway is hosted by Barefoot Book Blog and they are responsible for gifting the prizes.

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When you're done signing up for the giveaway jump on over and visit the rest of the sites in the blog hop below.

Star Wars The Han Solo Trilogy: The Hutt Gambit by A. C. Crispin

Synopsis:

Here is the second novel in the blockbuster new trilogy that reveals the never-before-told story of the young Han Solo.  Set before the Star Wars(r) movie adventures, these books chronicle the coming-of-age of the galaxy's most famous con man, smuggler and thief.

Solo is now a fugitive from the Imperial Navy.  But he has made a valuable friend in a former Wookiee slave named Chewbacca, who has sworn Han a life debt.  Han will need all the help he can get.  For the Ylesian Hutts have dispatched the dreaded bounty hunter Boba Fett to track down the man who already outsmarted them once.  But Han and Chewie find themselves in even bigger trouble when they agree to lend their services to the crime lords Jiliac and Jabba the Hutt.  Suddenly the two smugglers are thrust into the middle of a battle between the might of the Empire and the treachery of their outlaw allies...a battle where even victory means death!

Review by Patrick:

So, the Imperial Navy didn't sit too well with Han. And who can blame him, those guys are jerks.

But then we get Chewbacca! The first book of the series introduced the Wookies to us, and we know how Han is fond of them, but this book is where we get to meet the iconic sidekick, and get to find out why they were together in the first place.

Okay, enough about the characters, what about the story line, you say? Well, pretty good. I mean you really get to find out what the Hutts have been doing. It ties back to the first book, but gives some really interesting insights on the politics surrounding the Hutts, the Imperials, their relation to each other, and the Outer Rim. This is also before Jabba is really in power, so we see him learning, planning, and ultimately becoming the slime ball we all know him to be in the movies.

Ah. I guess you can't explain the story without the characters. Anyways, the book was good. The plot built up with suspense, because you knew what was coming. The end of the book was going to be a battle, that's for sure. But then, ingenuity won the day, and Crispin created a battle plan that had guts, nerve, a barrel of luck, and some good strategy. The end of this book was movie quality, and I wouldn't mind paying the box office to see this one in theaters.

Disclaimer: There were no X-Wings in this book.

So, if you read the first book of this trilogy, keep reading. It's worth it. I'm giving this book a 4.5 for excellence in plot and character building.

Book Blitz and Giveaway: Heartless by Kelly Martin

Title: Heartless

Author: Kelly Martin

Genre: YA Paranormal

Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR

Blurb: Who is really the monster?

For thirteen years, Gracen Sullivan dreamed about a red-eyed demon named Hart Blackwell who tortured her every night. Her mother freaked when she found out about her daughter's "hallucinations" and forced Gracen to go to the doctor, who prescribed some very powerful medication which kept Hart out of her head for five years.

A week ago, Hart came back and brought a friend.

But something has changed, and Gracen is seeing Hart when she's awake too. And the other "friends" in her dreams? They have been found dead.

The police want to talk to her.

Her boyfriend has become distant.

Her dreams are becoming more and more intense.

Hell wants her.

Heaven has to stop her.

When push comes shoving, can Gracen fight the evil eating away inside her or will she be forced to embrace it and destroy the world?

Kelly Martin writes paranormal, contemporary, historical, and YA fiction. She has been married for over ten years and has three rowdy, angelic daughters. When she's not writing, she loves taking picture of abandoned houses, watching horror gamers on YouTube-- even though she's a huge wimp-- and drinking decaf white chocolate mochas. She's a total fangirl, loves the 80s and 90s, and has a sad addiction to paranormal TV shows. {Basically, she likes creepy stuff.} Her favorite characters are the very flawed 'good guys'--and 'bad guys' who don't know they are evil. She loves giving her readers books with unexpected twists and turns, but (here's a hint) most of her books have the ending spelled out in the first chapter. See if you can figure it out. If you ever have a question or comment, feel free to email her at kellymartin215 @ yahoo . com ♥ You can follow her writing adventure at www.kellymartinbooks.com

Author Links: Instagram: https://instagram.com/kellymartin215/

My "nerd" group on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1451773008377850/

Kelly's Heartbreakers (my official street team): https://www.facebook.com/groups/922087044551273/

Newsletter: http://kellymartinbooks.blogspot.com/p/subscribe-to-our- newsletter.html

Blog: www.kellymartinbooks.blogspot.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBSQGJ5gViQ- 0ajHRvWUqaA

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1RiFqC4

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KellyMartinAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/martieKay 

tumblr: martiekay.tumblr.com 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/KMBooks

Buy Links:

#Free with #KindleUnlimited Heartless (Book One): http://amzn.to/1P8YzVI

Soulless (Book Two): http://amzn.to/1Uu1ijs

Breathless (Book Three) Coming in September 4^th, 2016

Part of me is afraid I'm going crazy.

Part of me is scared I'm not, because if I'm not, if what is going on in my nightmares is real, then I've got 99 more problems to deal with.

That's why I can't tell Tina. It's why I can't tell anybody. There is something inside me that will not allow me to have a meaningful conversation with people. It's like part of me is missing. Not just the scary part either. It's like I'm missing some important part of myself that everybody else has and God forgot to put inside me. Like everyone else has a nice awesome soul and I have… Hart.

So not a fair trade.

I sit up straighter and place my hands on the keyboard, ready to tell Tina something without telling her anything at all. It's how humans communicate, right? I'll tell her that, yeah, I'm having some anxiety issues. It's the second full week of college, of living with Sam, of being away from home. College assignments are different from high school, and I'm a little stressed about doing well on them. I won't tell her about Sam or the weird fight we had last night. Almost like he wanted to pick it so I'd go upstairs and leave him alone. I'll tell her it's anxiety and not that I haven't slept more than two hours a night in a week. I'll tell her a lot of things because she is my friend and that's what friends do.

They lie to each other so they can make each other feel good.

@sullyGray I'm fine. Really. Just Monday morning, kwim? I'm ready for it to be Friday again. Whoot!

@tinaM Tell me about it! Mondays are so hard! Gotta go. Talk to you later. Have a great day!

@sullyGray You too!!!!!!

And then I add some smiley emoticons, because that's just what a person does. I hit send and lean back in my computer chair. Monday morning. Time for Professor Mitchell's class. Time to see Marcy, AKA the best Teacher's Assistant in the world, and listen to the professor talk about some random event that happened in the Civil War. Because that's what he does. He talks about random events that didn't matter to anybody but does it in such a way that you care. Professor Mitchell is one of those teachers who just makes you want to learn, makes you want to listen. He has something special about him. Something no other teacher has had, and I've only had him three times. I have his class Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. A great way to start the week, and a great way to end it.

Can't exactly say enough about Professor Mitchell. I mean, he's him.

Sweet, intelligent, awesome, and at least twenty years older than me. Handsome in that old guy way. Not that I'd want anything to do with him—not in that way. Not feelin' that, but I know some other people in the class wouldn't mind.

The professor loves talking about the Civil War. More than just the war, the families involved, the real people behind the "Hollywood machine," as he calls it.

I shut down my computer and stretch in my chair. Yeah, it's Monday, but it'll be a good Monday. It will. I'll go to class with a positive attitude. I'll listen. I'll take notes. I'll text Sam—funny how he's not sent me one before now—and I'll be happy.

Or, at the very least, I'll pretend to be happy.

That's all people really want, right?

Sunshine. Marcy, the T.A. for Professor Mitchell. Tina. Sam—somewhere. I'm living my life. I'm moving on. I'm totally ignoring Hart, who is currently whispering in my head about candles.

I'm fine.

I'm totally normal.

Review: Betraying Ever After by Kelly Martin

    

Synopsis:

The first time Vaughan Wexley, Earl of Brighton, eyes the blonde beauty from atop the balcony, he is taken. Once he confronts her, he finds himself in love. The mysterious woman seems out of place in the regular sea of husband nabbing debutantes. She posses a gentle spirit, wide-eyed innocence, and-- his favorite quality-- cascading golden waves around her elegant shoulders. In need of a wife of noble blood, Vaughan believes his search has ended.

Emma Hartwell's only mission at the ball is to deliver a message to the host from her employer. In and out. That's the plan until she sees beautiful sights she's only dreamed of and hears wonderful music that touches her soul. Dressed up as a noble woman by the young housemaid Elizabeth and knowing she'll never get this opportunity again, Emma lingers longer than she intended. Her amazement with the grandeur allows the devilishly handsome Lord Brighton to steal her attention and sweep her off her feet. He is a charming man who is obviously taken with her. Emma's heart doesn't stand a chance. If only she could tell him the truth.

An earl in need of an honorable wife.

A servant in love with a man she can't have.

An evil plan that was set in motion years ago coming to fruition.

Can love conquer betrayal? Or will Emma's fairytale end at midnight?

A Cinderella re-telling.

Review: Rating- 5
Betraying Ever After was truly an enthralling, gripping retelling of Cinderella. Kelly Martin wrote this retelling in a way that made the story completely new. I was hooked from the very beginning, the more I read the more engrossed I became.

I loved Emma, this sweet innocent clueless girl with a wicked right hook. You cant help but feel bad for her and all the other characters that are paying for their sins or the sins of their parents. Sins... Good ol' Mr. Dodsworth, call me whatever you want, but I'm captivated by Mr. Dodsworth. The puppeteer, the punisher, the pathetic lonely man. I want to know more about him, his story, I want to see someone take him on and best him in a way that wipes his smile from his face and makes him cast his eyes down.

This was a fantastic romance with so much depth and feelings. By the time you get to that climax your heart will be left on the ballroom floor as secrets start coming out and every character learns their part in this master plan for Justice.

Review: Soulless by Kelly Martin

    

Synopsis:

Sometimes all the wishing in the world doesn't change the fact that in order to save everyone, you have to destroy yourself.
Sometimes good doesn't always win.
Sometimes choices suck.
Sometimes people don't break their promises.
Sometimes the thing we hate the most is the one thing that can save us.
Sometimes...
Sometimes love ruins everything.

Sequel to Heartless
Book 3: Breathless (September 4th, 2016)

Review: Rating- 5
I have done nothing but rave about Heartless (book one) and seriously thought it was going to be my favorite paranormal/supernatural book of the year, but Soulless has won that spot. I don't normally read horror books and I honestly wouldn't classify these as such. Heartless was slightly closer to the horror side of things, Soulless definitely isn't. There was suspense, a touch of romance, and a ton of feels.

Soulless can be broken down in three parts. The first 50% of the book Kelly Martin screws with your (Gracen's) mind, putting in doubts and insecurities and blowing everything up in front of you. Then for the next 30% it's just anxiety, anxiety to turn the page because you don't know if you're going to love it or hate and you're honestly going to flip flop the whole time. Finally that last 20% is all feels. All. The. Freaking. Feels. All of them.

Gracen was created to let Hell loose and finds out she has the capacity to be one scary creature. This is the story of Gracen fighting that scary creature inside of her. To keep her own humanity. To not have her destroy the world.

I'm a sucker for dual point of view. I love it, especially when the other point of view is from the male in the book. Hart is one interesting demon and has a ton of secrets. I loved seeing what his part in all of this truly is and I'm curious to see where it leads him in the next book.

 Soulless is book two in a trilogy. Breathless (book three) comes out in September. Soulless does leave on a cliffhanger, but it's not one of those evil cliffhangers. There is an epilogue that was hands down everything I ever hoped to have in these books. This book was worth the wait. Now the wait begins for Breathless.

Favorite quotes:
Hell was real. And if I'm not stopped, I'll make it look like Disneyland.

"Tell me why you stay Sam." I push.
Hart lowers his head, averting looking in my eyes. "Because you love him."

"You need blood. I have blood. And I'm heading to your mother's house. So if you want to follow your free buffet, come with me. If not, find your own damn Happy Meal. I'm done."

We all have darkness inside us. Everybody does.

Review: Heartless by Kelly Martin

    

Synopsis:

Some things can't be saved.

What would you do if your guardian angel wasn't sent to protect you from the world but to protect the world from you?

For thirteen years, Gracen Sullivan dreamed about a red-eyed demon named Hart Blackwell who tortured her every night. Her mother freaked when she found out about her daughter's "hallucinations" and forced Gracen to go to the doctor, who prescribed some very powerful medication which kept Hart out of her head for five years.

A week ago, Hart came back and brought a friend.

But something has changed, and Gracen is seeing Hart when she's awake too. And the other "friends" in her dreams? They have been found dead.

The police want to talk to her.

Her boyfriend has become distant.

Her dreams are becoming more and more intense.

Hell wants her. Heaven has to stop her.

When push comes shoving, can Gracen fight the evil eating away inside her or will she be forced to embrace it and destroy the world?

Review: Rating- 5+
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And it was good and all the angels rejoiced.............. And then God got bored."

Kelly Martin does a marvelous job at putting you in Gracen's shoes. We follow along with Gracen and she knows very little about what is going on in the beginning, which means we know very little. As the story progresses things get jumbled and confusing in the best way possible. In the way that forces you to keep turning page after page, gasping and grasping at bread crumbs.

Every character introduced in this book will make you suspicious. Every character will have you second guessing other characters. I want to rant and rave and tell you everything about this book because it is so, so, so good, but I won't. I'll spare you that amazing feeling of reading a WONDERFUL book for the first time. Stop reading this review and go one-click this book, you won't regret it. I can't recommend this book enough!

About the book for anyone hesitant: From what I heard other people say about this book and from the first few pages I was expecting this to be full of horror and blood and gory things happening. I don't do scary, I don't do horror or gory, but there was something about that first page that called to me, maybe I saw that there would be more to this story. Maybe I knew it wasn't how it seemed. And I was right. It's more of a mystery with angels and demons and hints of horror. It's not nearly as grotesque as some might think after reading the first few pages. It talks about it and makes you feel the horror without being too gory.

I would definitely classify this as a new adult paranormal horror mystery. There's talks of sex (no sex in this book though), there are innuendos, and typical college flirting and lusting. Recommended age for reading is a mature 14 years and older.

This is a trilogy so be prepared for an epic cliffhanger in the epilogue. If you dislike cliffhangers then I recommend reading the final chapter and waiting to read the epilogue when you have book two, Soulless.

Star Wars The Han Solo Trilogy: The Paradise Snare by A. C. Crispin

 

Synopsis:

Here is the first book in the blockbuster trilogy that chronicles the never-before-told story of the young Han Solo. Set before the Star Wars movie adventures, these books chronicle the coming-of-age of the galaxy's most famous con man, smuggler, and thief.

The first book in this exciting new Han Solo series begins with a recounting of Han's late teen years and shows us how he escaped an unhappy adopted home situation to carve out an adventurous new life for himself as a pilot. Han Solo, the handsome rogue, is every girl's dream man, and every boy's hero. The Paradise Snare is another stellar Star Wars production, complete with original music and sound effect.

Review by Patrick:

Okay. So I'm a Star Wars fan. Actually, I'm a nerd of many different types, but Star Wars is one of them. So what better way to expand your nerdy knowledge than to read books in the saga?

The Paradise Snare gives the beginning of Han Solo's life, at least as far back as he can remember. This is very interesting to learn the childhood stories of the handsome smuggler. Later in the movies, Han says he's good at rescuing princesses. Well, it turns out he had to rescue himself first, then some friends. He's had some practice at rescuing. The book also set up some other themes that reoccur with Han.

The book by itself was good. It was interesting and was fast paced. There was good story building, spaceship flying with a brief encounter with pirates, blaster fights, and a lot more. Also, possibly Han's first love interest, and a new species that I hadn't heard of before, the Togorians, a feline species that are very formidable. It also wrapped up loose ends nicely, so even though this is part of a trilogy, it almost feels like a stand alone. Needless to say, I liked the book.

There were a few things that kind of irked me.  If you are a "Scoundress" shipper, you are just going to have to get over the fact that Han has a very diverse past, including women. The author made it feel like the Han in the book talked like and behaved like the Han in the movies. There were times I felt like I could hear the diolauge in Harrison Ford's voice. But I'm a little skeptical about how someone with this particular background could have so many specialties, like piloting, shooting a blaster, smuggling, learning alien languages in a matter of weeks, and other bits of his knowledge set. There's very little growth. He just comes from being a "slave" to rescuing himself with piloting a ship without controls. There were also a few questions that were not answered. One I think will be answered later in the trilogy, "why can't he remember anything before Garris Shrike." But other less minor ones. Like, "Why did the Ylesians want a Corellian to pilot?" and "Why did Bria ... spoilers, sorry?"

My recommendation, if you like Star Wars, space science fiction, the character of Han Solo, or a protagonist trying to overcome the punches that life throws their way, this is a good book. This book gets four stars from me.