Blog Tour with Review and Giveaway: Ever the Brave by Erin Summerill

About the Book:

Title: EVER THE BRAVE (Clash of Kingdoms #2)
Author: Erin Summerill
Pub. Date: December 5, 2017
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 464
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD, Goodreads

Ever the Divided. Ever the Feared. Ever the Brave. 

After saving King Aodren with her newfound Channeler powers, Britta only wants to live a peaceful life in her childhood home. Unfortunately, saving the King has created a tether between them she cannot sever, no matter how much she'd like to, and now he's insisting on making her a noble lady. And there are those who want to use Britta’s power for evil designs. If Britta cannot find a way to harness her new magical ability, her life—as well as her country—may be lost. 

The stakes are higher than ever in the sequel to Ever the Hunted, as Britta struggles to protect her kingdom and her heart.

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed the first book, but I have to say I think I enjoyed this one a bit more. Gone were the niggles I had about Britta and her indecisiveness. While she is still exploring who she is and what she wants, she is more assured in the former and is still willing to figure out the later. This made the book go smoother for me and I became curious as to what conclusion this duology will lead. There is a hint of a love triangle that may make those who absolutely hate them hesitate, but to those I say wait. Read the whole book, you will be satisfied. There is reason for the triangle, but you will like the conclusion that Britta makes in the end.

I also enjoyed the insight into King Aodren's and Cohen's POV and this also expands the adventure even further. Britta's POV was more insightful than the previous book and it shows how much she has grown. My niggle in this book is that with the expansion of Aodren and Cohen's POV it felt as if Britta's role and badassery was diminished which became my niggle in this one. Toward the end I see that there was a reason for it, but I still would have liked Britta in a more forceful role in the beginning.

I give this book 4 stars. I really enjoyed this book and it satisfies in so many ways. The questions of the first book were answered, the adventure was captivating, the two suiters were well placed and the conclusion to that will satisfy most (I don't think there ever will be an all). The ending, which I am often most critical, was well done and feels complete.

⚔

Also check out my review for the the first book, Ever the Hunted, HERE.

Title: EVER THE HUNTED

Author: Erin Summerill

Pub. Date: December 27, 2016

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Pages: 400

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads

Seventeen year-old Britta Flannery is at ease only in the woods with her dagger and bow. She spends her days tracking criminals alongside her father, the legendary bounty hunter for the King of Malam—that is, until her father is murdered. Now outcast and alone and having no rights to her father’s land or inheritance, she seeks refuge where she feels most safe: the Ever Woods. When Britta is caught poaching by the royal guard, instead of facing the noose she is offered a deal: her freedom in exchange for her father’s killer.

However, it’s not so simple.

The alleged killer is none other than Cohen McKay, her father’s former apprentice. The only friend she’s ever known. The boy she once loved who broke her heart. She must go on a dangerous quest in a world of warring kingdoms, mad kings, and dark magic to find the real killer. But Britta wields more power than she knows. And soon she will learn what has always made her different will make her a daunting and dangerous force. 

About Erin:

Erin Summerill was born in England. After spending years bouncing between Air Force bases in Hawaii, England, and California, her family settled in Utah, where Erin graduated with a B.A. in English from Brigham Young University. She had aspirations to write the next great American novel, but writing proved tougher than she first thought. So she grabbed a Nikon and became a professional photographer while crafting manuscript after manuscript. The scenic detour of shooting weddings across the United States, as well as internationally, provided world-building inspiration. It gave her the vision to draft her debut YA fantasy, EVER THE HUNTED. Now when she isn’t writing, or shooting a wedding, she’s chasing her four kids, two dogs, one cat, and five chickens. This could be why she downs massive amounts of Coke Zero and Hot tamales.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway Details

3 winners will receive a finished copy of EVER THE BRAVE, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

11/27/2017- Bibliobibuli YA- Interview

*11/28/2017- Books and Things- Review

11/29/2017- Novel Novice- Guest Post

11/30/2017- YA and Wine- Review

12/1/2017- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

Week Two:

12/4/2017- Emily Reads Everything- Review

12/5/2017- BookHounds YA- Guest Post

12/6/2017- Dani Reviews Things- Review

12/7/2017- Never Too Many To Read- Interview

12/8/2017- Book Briefs- Review

⚔

Dual review: Ramses the Damned #1, #2 by Anne Rice and Christopher Rice

Series: Ramses the Damned #1
by Anne Rice
436 p.
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 5/6/89 (first publishing)
Source: Own

Ramses the Great has reawakened in opulent Edwardian London. Having drunk the elixir of life, he is now Ramses the Damned, doomed forever to wander the earth, desperate to quell hungers that can never be satisfied. He becomes the close companion of a voluptuous heiress, Julie Stratford, but his cursed past again propels him toward disaster. He is tormented by searing memories of his last reawakening, at the behest of Cleopatra, his beloved queen of Egypt. And his intense longing for her, undiminished over the centuries, will force him to commit an act that will place everyone around him in the gravest danger.

My thoughts:

I decided to reread the book I read a million years ago (or so it seems) since I knew I wouldn't remember much. I actually read this series before I read any of the vampire series. Although I did have problems with Ramses in the beginning, he did win me over in the end. I felt that although Ramses grew throughout the years,  his "affliction" of immortality sometimes made him prone to selfishness and gluttony. While these were problems and he was infuriatingly dense when it came to true love, he did finally learn after one HUGE blunder after another. Now you might think that this would make me not like the book, but the journey in his fascination in the new age as well as the secondary characters within really pulled me along in the book for a second time. It also made you hunger for the next book with a open ending. So happy that finally happened.

I give this one 4 stars. It was a fun reread and helped me remember how I saw it the first time and how things changed for me this time around. While I would have given it 5 stars before, I would say that the main reasons I removed a star is that I would have liked more emphasis on him as a counsellor he was to Pharaohs in the past rather than the bumbling researcher he was in the first book. Still, I really liked who he became in the end.

🌅

Series: Ramses the Damned #2
by Anne Rice and Christopher Rice
416 p.
Publisher: Anchor
Published: 11/21/17
Source: From publisher and NetGalley for review

Ramses the Great, former pharaoh of Egypt, is reawakened by the elixir of life in Edwardian England. Now immortal with his bride-to-be, he is swept up in a fierce and deadly battle of wills and psyches against the once-great Queen Cleopatra. Ramses has reawakened Cleopatra with the same perilous elixir whose unworldly force brings the dead back to life. But as these ancient rulers defy one another in their quest to understand the powers of the strange elixir, they are haunted by a mysterious presence even older and more powerful than they, a figure drawn forth from the mists of history who possesses spectacular magical potions and tonics eight millennia old. This is a figure who ruled over an ancient kingdom stretching from the once-fertile earth of the Sahara to the far corners of the world, a queen with a supreme knowledge of the deepest origins of the elixir of life. She may be the only one who can make known to Ramses and Cleopatra the key to their immortality—and the secrets of the miraculous, unknowable, endless expanse of the universe.

My thoughts:

Finally! Finally got to find out what happened after the ending of the last book. I was afraid there would be great leaps in the time and we would have to catch up again to what is happening like it often happens when large amounts of time go between books in a series. Plus this one was supposed to continue, then not and now it has! You can be relieved to know that this book starts right after the first book ended and so flows easily after my reread.

The biggest difference I felt was the "feel" of the book. While it still felt like the same author wrote it, it also felt more mature and a much fuller experience. It could be because the author has changed in how she writes or because her son has now come aboard and co-wrote it with her. Whatever the cause, it did flow a bit better for me than the first.

The adventure was still very interesting and I really liked that the history of the elixir was finally told as well as more about the other day-walker immortals that also roamed the earth. We got glimpses of tales of day-walker immortals in the vampire books but no information. While there are still some lingering questions, it does feel like a much better explanation and a much fuller history in the book.

I also enjoyed that questions were unanswered for the immortals themselves with Cleopatra and how she was resurrected and what or who she is now. The uncertainty of her future opens up the series to more books but even if the series ended with this one, it would be enough answers we could let it end in a more satisfying way than the first book.

I give this book 4 stars and I think this is a better book than the first. I would still suggest reading them in order as a large number of characters are established in the first book.

🌞

MIA

Sorry to have disappeared on everyone like that, but as my post of my pup went up my mom went to the hospital. All precautions but will result in other medical intervention. I don't want to say more since my mom is a very private person but I have been trying to help her out more so I've been spending very little time online and I've been admittedly quite tired.

Other things happened... but they were quite minor, but it did add to the stress so I took a bit of time off. Anyone have extra energy to spare? I'll take it! (I'm sure I'm not alone in that) Hopefully I'll be back to visiting everyone's blogs soon. Just trying to find the brainage to spare. Unfortunately I'm not sure I had much in stock. lol

Will be posting a few reviews soon but things may be a bit spotty at best. Thanks for sticking around. I hope to be more interesting soon... or least try... 😜

😷

Holiday Post: Halloween!

Hope everyone had a good Halloween!

Thought I'd give you a quick look at how monster pup dressed. 

Pic taken by Terri at PetCo

If you can't tell, she is a Gryffindor student! I made her costume with a toddler's shirt (I really needed a larger one as she barely fit when it was time to wear it! I swear it fit when I tried it on her when I finished... one week ago!).  I did eliminate the hood as it would have been a chew toy. I also made her a collar, leash and poo bag to go with the outfit. 

A better look:

The collar and leash say "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" and the poo bag says "Mischief Managed".

Heh... I think I was the only one who laughed at that. *sigh* LOL All are done in glitter canvas and I'll see how it all holds up over time.

The big boy didn't dress up so he was saved that humiliation but was ready to share any treats she got. I did take her to PetsMart where they were having a photograph with a big costumed pup (guy in costume) but she took one look at him and noped it out of there. I didn't force it. She needs more bravery so that is why I put her in that house... although she is cunning enough to be in Slytherin. LOL Yea, I put too much thought in it but it is all in fun. 

Hope you all had a safe and fun holiday!

🎃