Doe Eyes by Staci Hart Release Day Blitz

 Doe Eyes by Staci Hart

Aphrodite knows better than anyone how the heart works. Just don’t ask her to figure out her own.

She’s been away from Olympus for weeks, which wasn’t near long enough for her move on from everything that happened, to get past the betrayal and loss. She has no idea what she’s walking into when she gets back other than a new competition, this time against Artemis. The goddesses have never been friends, but now they have more in common than ever, though they’d rather face eat ambrosia straight than admit it.

Artemis can’t help but be smug. Her player, Josie, is a private investigator who’s lost more than she’s won. Every waking moment is consumed by her fire to catch the man who killed her partner, and when Jon comes back into town after leaving her without a word, it’s more than she can handle. She’ll never let him in. Not again.

But Jon only did what he thought was right, and he’ll do anything he can, give her everything he has to give to prove that he can be trusted with her heart again.

With Adonis gone and the threat of Ares around every corner, Aphrodite’s past presses on her, leaving her more alone than she’s ever been. She can’t help wondering if she’ll ever escape, and how much pain she’ll endure before the whole ordeal is behind her.

   

THE BEST BOOK IN THE SERIES SO FAR!

Artemis is the newest competitor in the games, and she is determined to win against Dita. This time her player can't go wrong. Josie is a private investigator who has lost everything in the past three years. The love of her life left her for his ex girlfriend and their baby. And recently her best friend was murdered by the guy they were trying pin down for the murder of a sixteen year old girl. Artemis soon comes to realize just how closely related she is with her player and how she's still bitter about her own past with love.

Aphrodite woke up in the last book - falling hard and losing her way. Now, picking up the pieces she is distracted from the current game against a spiteful and bitter Artemis. Trying to find herself again and struggling, Dita's game is a little off this time round. Dita's player is Jon, Josie's ex boyfriend, the one who left her for his ex girlfriend, the mother of his child. Jon knows he handled Josie wrong all those years ago, but he really does still love Josie - and he's going to prove it. No matter what it takes.

This is my favorite book so far. Josie is pig-headed like you wouldn't believe. But she is independent, and she's hanging in there even with the murder of her best friend. Gosh, you really feel for Josie though. All the crap that life's thrown at her and she's still standing.

Jon messed up. He left Josie to help support his ex girlfriend and their baby. He never stopped loving Josie though. His heart was in the right place when he left the Dear John letter that never reached Josie. He messed up, but he knows that and he spends the entire book trying to fix it. I like Jon, and I'm his side throughput the book. But Josie can't deal with him and trying to find Anne's murderer. So it's definitely a conflicting situation.

Artemis is bitter. She doesn't see the use of love and she blames Dita for her own lost love eons ago. She is determined to beat Dita this time, and the fact that Dita chose Josie's ex boyfriend, well, Artemis knows she has this win. But the longer the games go on the more she doubts herself. And Artemis is just soreckless, it's incredibly frustrating. She underestimates humans and their emotions.

Dita, gods you really feel for her. After what happened in Snake in the Grass Dita's life is all topsy-turvy. She has a lot to figure out in this book, and its a real strain playing the game as well. Artemis's plays at her and hiding from Ares puts a real dent into Dita. Her life is just a whirlwind in this book.

I love, like LOVE, this book. It's my favorite of the series so far. Each of the books has its own feel to it, and this one is the darkest. I love how each plot in all of the books are so different, telling their own story. So often you find books in a series being the same or similar.

Doe Eyes is without a doubt the darkest of the books so far. It's completely different from the other ones. This book has more mystery to it than the others. One of the things I loved was the anticipation. I was kept on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was awesome.

There is a crime-story feel to this book, which I'll admit I'm not normally into, but it works with the way the series has been going and the way the game is with the characters. It's different, but a good different. And of course it fits Josie and Jon since they're both private investigators.

I love the characters in this one. You can really connect with them, even if like me you don't have all that much in common with them. Some of the things are tragic and horrifying, and you feel sympathy for the characters. But you also really hope that they end up together, and there are several close calls in the book where I had to put the book down and pace the room to get my emotions down. Gods, the feels in this book. They're something else.

There was nothing I disliked about Doe Eyes. It was the most amazing book so far, and I am already excited to read the next book. The wait will be horrible, but I will endure it happily.

Doe Eyes captivated me from the very first page and the anticipation to find out what would happen very nearly killed me. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who enjoys a good book with some romance and mystery. It is a spectacular read and you will be dying for the next one.

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TEASER LOVE!

 

 

SERIES SALE - JULY 24-27
To celebrate the release of book three, get all three novels for 99c each, and the short story for FREE!

Deer in Headlights| Snake in the Grass| What the Heart Wants| Doe Eyes

Learn more about the series at www.stacihartnovels.com

AUTHOR BIO

Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life -- a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom; she has three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife; even though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey. Her favorite word starts with f, ends with k, and there a uc in there. Just saying. From roots in Houston, to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's sleeping, cleaning, or designing graphics. But let's be honest, she's mostly writing.

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Waiting on Wednesday #38

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, started @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Date Published: October 21st 2014
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Series: Marked Men #5
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

After the only girl he ever loved told him he would never be enough, Rowdy St. James knocked the Texas dust off his boots and decided he was going to do everything in his power to live up to his nickname. Life was all about a good time, good friends and never taking much too seriously. Rowdy learned his lesson early on, when you care that much about anything it can destroy you, and he never wants to risk feeling like that again. Only now he has a new coworker, a ghost from the past who’s making him question every lesson he ever learned.

Salem Cruz grew up in a house with too many rules, too many regulations, and no fun allowed. That never worked for her so she left it all behind as soon as she could, but she never forgot the sweet, blue-eyed boy next door who’d been in love with her little sister. Fate and good intentions from an old friend have placed her right in Rowdy’s path and she’s determined to show him he picked the wrong sister all those years ago. A mission that is going along perfectly until the one person that ties them together shows up and could very well tear them back.

  

I love this series, but what I really want to read is an action-packed story with a little romance on the side. For instance, I recently read this book about a librarian who was really a CIA agent. It was delightful. And she had a hunky Navy SEAL boyfriend on the side. Now if only I could find more books like that...

Deer in Headlights by Staci Hart

Deer in Headlights by Staci Hart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher: Promise Socks Publishing
Date Published: February 14th 2013
Genre: New Adult Fantasy Romance
Source: Author

In this book their are two worlds that live side-by-side; Olympus and the mortal realm. The story starts in Olympus, where Aphrodite is up to bat for the games the Olympians play. The games, where the god for that turn has to go up against all of the other gods in the selected gods' craft. This time it's Dita's turn, and of course her specialty is love. Her first opponent? Apollo, who has a long-standing rivalry with Dita for killing Adonis and Dita turning Daphne into a tree.

Dita chose Lex, an artist and poet with abandonment issues as her player in the love game, and Apollo chose Dean, a screwed up guitarist and singer/songwriter. Dean sleeps with everything that moves, not knowing how to say no, and Lex already has a boyfriend. An impossible match, right?

Each god has a month to make or break the mortal couple. And the winner gets a favor from the other. Apollo is desperate to get a favor from Dita so he can get Daphne back, but Aphrodite never loses. Will Lex and Dean beat the odds and make it? Or will Apollo do the impossible and get his love back?
This book was not what I was expecting.

Just wanted that out there. When I first heard about it, I was like eh, another Greek God book? I have read a lot of them, and I did believe I had seen it all.

I was so wrong.

This book is so many things. Light, fun, fluffy, and at times, heart wrenching. Yes, it is another Greek God/mythology book, but it's different than any others I have read. It was the best kind of surprise.

During a good portion of the book I was torn between rooting for Lex and Dean and between rooting for Apollo. It's a hard choice, and I kept crossing my fingers that Aphrodite would be kind and lose on purpose so Apollo could get Daphne back and hoping that Lex and Dean made it. It was such a struggle.

Despite making me chose sides and bite my nails in uncertainty, it was still a fun, light read. Yes, you got attached to the characters, but you weren't about to tear around the room wrecking things because one of your favorite characters died (I hate that about Mockingjay. That book did a number on me, seriously). It's the perfect book for summer.

Things I loved:
1) The gods - they were fun and silly and serious all at the same time
2) Lex and Dean - they were perfect for each other
3) Aphrodite's forgiveness - in a lot of Greek myths the gods don't forgive easily, so it was nice knowing she had a heart
4) Perry - she is like THE best friend. I'll never look at her the same in mythology. And I love ice cream too ;)
5) The feels - oh my goddess, the feels. Whoa, just wow
6) The cover - it screams Dita to me
7) Heff - he wasn't in the big picture of the book, but I liked what little of him I did see and I hope he becomes a bigger character in books to come

Characters I didn't like:
1) Adonis - he reminds me of those guys who think of their girlfriends as accessories rather than living beings
2) Ares - I guess what he did is expected from him, but still

I honestly can't think of anything I didn't like about this book. It was great. I'm going to have to get started on the next one real soon :)

View all my reviews

Synopsis:

Aphrodite never loses, not when it comes to love.

Immortality has its perks and its downsides. Boredom, for one, is unavoidable, but instead of playing Backgammon, the Greek gods devised a game using humans as pawns. Remember Shakespeare? That was Apollo. Bonnie and Clyde? Aphrodite versus Ares.

Aphrodite is on deck, and she’ll defend her domain of love by using her magic to get the two human players together. Time is not on her side, and she’ll have her work cut out for her as her opponent does everything in his power to keep the players apart.

Game one is against Apollo, who chooses the loner Dean, a rock star who takes dark and brooding to the next level. His band has finally gotten a break, and he can’t screw it up, not for another one night stand, and especially not with his new drummer’s girlfriend. He swore to the band that he’d keep it together, but from the minute he first sees Lex, it takes every bit of willpower he has to stay away. But Dean’s will is nothing for the Goddess of Love, who’s certain she has a fighting chance to win with Lex as her player. The artist and poet is perfect for Dean, if only she can open her heart and find a way to love for the first time.

There’s always more at stake than winning the game when you’ve lived for thousands of years. The Olympians are the original dysfunctional family, surviving eons of love and lust, betrayal and lies, as friends and enemies, through feuds and wars. From the douchebag Ares, who’s forever trying get Aphrodite into bed, to her best friend Persephone, who she can always count on for a hearty helping of bacon on a bad day, the gods will take you on a lighthearted trip as they toy with humans, laugh and fight, lose love and gain power.

Secrets of the Moon by Kristy Centeno

Secrets of the Moon by Kristy Centeno
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Publisher: Inkspell Publishing            
Date Published: July 7th 2013
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Honestly? I was incredibly surprised by this book. It blew me away. And that's saying a lot, considering how many werewolf books I've read. Werewolves are my favorite supernatural/paranormal/fantasy creatures. But this book, oh boy, they were so different from any of the other werewolf books I've read.

Marjorie Emery was in a car crash because she was driving way above the speed limit and she was drunk. It didn't help that a herd of deer and a huge furry beast appeared in the middle of the road. All of her friends came out alive, as well as Marjorie, but one friend who (very stupidly) wasn't wearing a seatbelt could no longer walk and of course she blames Marjorie.

Skip forward thirteen months later and Marjorie is a changed person. And then walks in Kyran. Hottie, and suddenly a possible love interest for Marjorie. Quiet, and not so interested in the people around him, well, except for Marjorie, Kyran is a mystery. As events unfold and people go missing, animals get mauled to death things start to click in place for Marjorie.

Okay, so this is probably the most grotesque teen werewolf book I've ever read. And if I'm being completely honest, it's a nice change from all of the sappy werewolf books where the werewolves are as dangerous as little puppies. This is a real werewolf book. There is the romance, but there is also a probable werewolf. It's a believable story.

The things I think could've been improved: When her dog and her horse die Marjorie doesn't seem all that concerned. She thinks something along the lines of 'Yeah, that dog is definitely dead.' And 'The horrifying site of my mauled horse.' But no real despair. If something had happened to my dog or one of my horses, or even one of my chickens, I'd be in tears for days. Though I can understand that she was more concerned with her life at that moment, but still. There are gaps in the story. I kept wondering 'Which one ate her horse?' And 'Who is stalking her here, and who is stalking her there?' A fair few questions were left unanswered, so I sincerely hope there will be another book to answer those questions. If there isn't I will be severely disappointed.

Now for the things I liked about the story: The characters were believable. I hate it when authors make them transparent and clichéd. This story had real characters that I can picture in my head. As I said before, the werewolves felt more believable than any werewolves in any story I've ever read before. I liked the love story. Though I hope there isn't a love triangle between Marjorie and Kyran and Alexis. I liked both Kyran and Alexis, but I have no idea whose side I'd be on if it came down to that.

I also think I know who the alpha of the rogue werewolves is. I'm not going to voice my suspicions, in case I am right. Read the story yourself and come up with your own conclusions.

Overall, a wonderful story that I hope will continue into another book. A story doesn't have to be perfect and polished and full of light to be a good story. This book has a dark side to it, and I think that's part of what made it a good book. I think it gave a different side of pseudo-reality that you simply don't get in most young adult werewolf books. Now there are plenty of horror books with scary werewolves, but this isn't a horror book. This is the real werewolf YA.

View all my reviews

Synopsis:

Teenager Marjorie Emery eluded death. As she struggles to get her life back on track, she believes her efforts are paying off. Yet, when a black dressing, unfriendly, and incredibly handsome hottie walks into her classroom, she’s forced into a tailspin. Marjorie has no idea how much his presence is going to shatter what little tranquility she’s achieved.

Kyran Rousseau’s gloomy nature has a name, one that is potentially fatal under the right circumstances. His family harbors secrets and does everything to protect Kyran. While, he doesn’t want to ruin Marjorie’s normal life, love has a way of changing his plans.

Falling for Kyran is the least of Marjorie’s worries. With a faceless threat hunting her and a boyfriend who's as dangerous as he is good looking—how can Marjorie and Kyran keep all hell from breaking loose before it’s too late? 

 

Amazon Paperback / Kindle / Barnes & Noble / Inkspell

That really was an awesome book. I hope some of you guys read it because it's not getting a lot of attention but I know it deserves a ton of attention. It really is a great book, and I plan on helping to promote it a bit with social media. I'd love it if you guys could read the book and help me promote it, because I'm sure you'd love it.

Thanks! And happy reading!



Kacii 

Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Date Published: August 27th 2013
Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi/Supernatural/Fantasy Romance

Origin most definitely displays a rollercoaster of emotions. I actually had to run around screaming to calm down before beginning to write this review. That ending is a cliffhanger that's going to make you scream "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY???????" about a thousand times over.

The story picks up where it left off in the last book with Katy being held by the DOD. Of course, Daemon being Daemon, decided that the best thing he could do was join Katy in her confinement. At first I thought it was a really idiotic idea, but eventually I realized his genius.

We finally find what Luc is, and it is a pretty interesting find. Unfortunately, my lips are sealed, so you'll be getting no info on that lovely discovery. I will say that Daemon holds his promise to burn the world down for Katy or rather *cough, cough* Vegas. But you'll have to read Origin to figure that part out too.

Let's get the bad things about this book out of the way first. To start off, I actually cried, screamed, and caused bodily harm to both myself and my poor bedroom door by hitting it repeatedly. The emotions in this book are INTENSE. It should come with a warning label. I suppose it could be considered a good thing that JLA's writing is powerful enough to make me (and possible others?) react so strongly. But I haven't been this crazed by a book since I read Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I hit a wall that time.

The awesome things about this book are endless. Like I said, powerful emotion could be considered good or bad, depending on your viewpoint. Same with the cliffhanger. It makes me want to hit my door again with the way the book ended, but there's a guarantee that I'll be reading the next book. So I guess it's good for business.

Other great things: Blake goes bye-bye! Finally (though I do feel a twinge of guilt for that). Daemon and Katy have awesome make-up-for-lost-time sex. Yay! Love make-up-for-lost-time sex. It's usually better than the first time they have sex. JLA borrows a little bit from Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins (genius idea, BTW). Considering that Sweet Evil is my favorite demon/angel/neph series, I can appreciate the awesomeness of that.

There's so many other things that happen that would blow your socks off, but, in Katy's words "I'm trying to keep the mystery alive." You'll read that quote in Origin :) and I think it fits so I'm borrowing it from Katy.

Overall, this book is wonderful, it'll keep you on the edge of your seat and I'm sure my family is glad that I've finished reading so the mood swings from crying to screaming to being increasingly violent will stop. Too bad for them I plan on reading it again *cue evil laugh*

Trust me, you're going to love it ;)

View all my reviews

Synopsis:

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.

Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything.

But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on?

And will they even be together?

Amazon Paperback / Kindle / Barnes & Noble (Nook & Paperback)

I hope you guys will all read this book! I really loved it. Any of you have other books by JLA that you'd recommend? I've read Frigid, Wait For You, all of the other books in the Lux series, and Obsessed. I don't know all that much about her other books. Suggestions? You're welcome to recommend books that are totally unrelated to JLA as well.


Kacii