Books: The Cheapest Vacation You Can Buy











Two Moons of SeraFrom Goodreads: Finally, the complete Two Moons of Sera novel in one edition! Read all four volumes in one collection.

In a world where water and earth teem with life, Serafay is an anomaly. The result of genetic experiments on her mother’s waterborne line Serafay will have to face the very people responsible to discover who she really is. But is she the only one?

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Two Moons of Sera—Omnibus, is the complete four part series all in one book. For me, it was like the element world met fantasy, complete with land dwellers–Erlanders, water dwellers–Sualwet, and even a fire dwellers–A’aihea. Segregated and at war with one another, Serafay knows little of any world. Half human and half Sualwet, and despised by both races, she’s lived her life in seclusion for her sixteen years. But today, everything she’s ever known is going to change.

This four part volume takes place over the course of about a week, beginning with Sera as she hems and haws about her mother not allowing her to go anywhere aside from their beach, however, a sighting of a strange Erlander piques her interest and is the beginning of the end of life as she knows it. Meeting Tor is a godsend in a way, because soon after, the war between Erlanders and Sualwet takes a turn for the worst, and Sera is forced to flee. Hand in hand with Tor, the strange Erlander she met on the beach, her adventures begin as they find themselves in many a precarious situation.

I loved learning about the different people of this world Tyler has created. The Erlanders are just like humans as we know them, living within the confines of cities, believing themselves superior, starting wars. But the difference here is the dystopian aspect—Erlanders are at the mercy of their government; they are matched with others, are given three chances to reproduce within their match, are assigned jobs, and are unable to make their own choices about basically everything. The Sulawet live underwater and are the equivalent to merfolk in my mind, but they also have the ability to walk on land. Their eyes and webbed feet give them away, and because land is foreign, most do not tread the ground often. They have their own distinct language, live in underwater cities, and disown/dislike any foreign object, people included. And the A’aihea are fire dwellers. The closest equivalent I was able to make in my mind was those who live near the equator. While the A’aihea people of Tyler’s story dwell in the mountains and deep underground, their lack of clothing due to heat, and their vast hatred of any and all foreigners, Erlander or Sulawet alike, made me think of a more tribal type of group.

Overall, the vast similarity between these groups is their hatred for any and all foreigners. And it is this was Tyler speaks about in her writing, though it’s more of a theme than a direct admonition of the world today.

I found the beginning of this novel to be a bit slow, but when Sera met Tor, the storyline began to pick up. As events unfolded, I found myself engrossed in the story, rooting for Sera and Tor and becoming quite protective of them as they found themselves on some fairly wild adventures with both Erlanders and A’aiheas alike. However, I must say that the very last volume left me wanting; there is minimal closure, and so I am sure that Tyler must be planning a sequel of sorts. While an epilogue does exist, it creates more questions than it answers, with the biggest of them all still left unanswered: what is Sera’s purpose the A’aihea spoke of? Overall, this is a great fantasy serial that I highly recommend, but know going in that this isn’t the whole story. Four stars.

4 stars

I received this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Amazon Paperback | Kindle

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SacrificeSacrifice: Book 5 in the Elemental Series

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Releases: September 2014

One misstep and they lose it all. For the last time.

Michael Merrick is used to pressure.

He’s the only parent his three brothers have had for years. His power to control Earth could kill someone if he miscalculates. Now an Elemental Guide has it out for his family, and he’s all that stands in the way.

His girlfriend, Hannah, gets that. She’s got a kid of her own, and a job as a firefighter that could end her life without a moment’s notice.

But there are people who have had enough of Michael’s defiance, his family’s “bad luck.” Before he knows it, Michael’s enemies have turned into the Merricks’ enemies, and they’re armed for war.

They’re not interested in surrender. But Michael isn’t the white flag type anyway. There will be blood on the ground tonight…

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Brigid Kemmerer HeadshotBrigid Kemmerer was born in Omaha, Nebraska, though her parents quickly moved her all over the United States, from the desert in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the lakeside in Cleveland, Ohio, and several stops in between, eventually settling near Annapolis, Maryland. Brigid started writing in high school, and her first real “novel” was about four vampire brothers causing a ruckus in the suburbs. Those four brothers are the same boys living in the pages of The Elemental Series, so Brigid likes to say she’s had four teenage boys taking up space in her head for the last seventeen years. (Though sometimes that just makes her sound nuts.)

Brigid writes anywhere she can find a place to sit down (and she’s embarrassed to say a great many pages of The Elemental Series were written while sitting on the floor in the basement of a hotel while she was attending a writers’ conference). Most writers enjoy peace and quiet while writing, but Brigid prefers pandemonium. A good thing, considering she has three boys in the house, ranging in age from an toddler to a teenager. You can learn more about Brigid and the Elemental boys at www.brigidkemmerer.com.

Follow Brigid:

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

Kemmerers Books____________________________________________

Elemental Kindle | Nook
Storm Kindle | Paperback | Nook
Fearless Kindle | Nook
Spark Kindle | Paperback | Nook
Breathless Kindle | Nook
Spirit Kindle | Paperback | Nook
Secret Kindle | Paperback | Nook

Sacrifice Kindle | Paperback

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Book Depository | iBooks | IndieBound

Pre-order your copy of Sacrifice today!



12322282From Goodreads: Jen is looking forward to spending an entire summer studying abroad on a cruise ship and she knows the experience will change her life. Then she sees something she wasn’t supposed to see, something she can’t explain. Jen finds herself thrust into a world she never knew existed and her life will change more than she imagined. That is, if she can survive the dangers lurking on the ship.

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I have always wanted to experience a semester of schooling aboard a ship.  But, because I have a fear of the ship sinking, I’ve never followed through—I’ve never even been on a cruise, to be honest.  Instead, I opted for educational semesters in Europe, Asia, and South America, so I can’t complain in the least, but… the semester aboard a ship—that’s the one that got away.

Kirke presents a magical world aboard this ship, one of vampires, merfolk, water and fire elementals, witches, and werewolves… and I can only imagine how much fun it would be to be on a ship with all these colorful characters.  However, Jen herself put a damper on my mood when it came to all the festivities and issues: Jen always seemed to need saving.  She didn’t listen to others and, on many an occasion, got others hurt because she wouldn’t listen and then wouldn’t be able to take care of herself. I’m more of a strong female lead enthusiast than a damsel in distress one, and so I held some animosity towards Jen and her inability to do anything throughout much of the text.  The other characters were great, and I enjoyed them very much, but Jen just wasn’t my favorite, which is a shame as she was the main character.  However, by the end she does learn to take care of herself a little bit—she’s growing, as it were—and I think she’ll be a much stronger character in the next installment.  Three stars.

3 stars

I purchased this novel from Amazon.



18811785Two lucky readers will win an ebook of the haunting horror novel, Demonica, by Will Davis in exchange for an honest review.  This novel is AMAZING and will stay with you long after it’s done.  Check out the synopsis below, as well as my 5 star review to get a closer look at this intriguing novel.  Good luck!

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Synopsis:

When spoilt eighteen year old Miranda suffers a terrible accident she survives, but her face is hideously scarred.

Unable to bear what has happened to her, she locks herself away. Her only companions are Veronica, her cruel and beautiful mother, and Nelly, the sympathetic housekeeper.

As time passes Veronica inflicts cruelty after cruelty on her disfigured daughter. Lonely and filled with despair, Miranda is astonished when Bernard, Veronica’s handsome younger boyfriend, takes an interest in her circumstances.

For Bernard believes there is an operation that can restore Miranda’s face. But it will involve committing an unspeakable crime. A decision that will haunt her for the rest of her life…

In the tradition of Angela Carter and Daphne du Maurier, Demonica is a terrifying modern fairy tale.

Read my 5 Star Review HERE.

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To enter this giveaway, you must:

-Be 16 years or older (or have parent/guardian permission)

-Fill in the mandatory question on rafflecopter (extra entries optional)

Click this Rafflecopter Link to Enter!

This giveaway is open to INTERNATIONALLY and will end at 12:01am EST on December 19th. Please only enter once. The winner will be announced later on December 19th, and will receive email notification! Please read my giveaway policy and leave me a comment!



{November 30, 2013}   {ARC Review} Demonica by Will Davis

18811785From Goodreads: When spoilt eighteen year old Miranda suffers a terrible accident she survives, but her face is hideously scarred.

Unable to bear what has happened to her, she locks herself away. Her only companions are Veronica, her cruel and beautiful mother, and Nelly, the sympathetic housekeeper.

As time passes Veronica inflicts cruelty after cruelty on her disfigured daughter. Lonely and filled with despair, Miranda is astonished when Bernard, Veronica’s handsome younger boyfriend, takes an interest in her circumstances.

For Bernard believes there is an operation that can restore Miranda’s face. But it will involve committing an unspeakable crime. A decision that will haunt her for the rest of her life…

In the tradition of Angela Carter and Daphne du Maurier, Demonica is a terrifying modern fairy tale.

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This is a novel of betrayal that runs deeper than any other I can think of. A mother who torments her daughter due to a lack of beauty; a daughter to obtains the ultimate revenge in the worst possible way against her mother. Any yet, neither find happiness in their evil ways, and it’s impossible not to hate them, but also impossible not to pity them as the story unfolds. The characters in this novel are awful, absolutely awful, but readers won’t be able to tear their eyes away as they learn of the tragedy that befalls Miranda, watching as she attempts to cope with her lot in life, especially as her mother torments her more each day. One would think that a tragedy like this would change a person, but in the end, it doesn’t, and like the bad accident that starts it all, readers just can’t look away.

I cringe to think that people really do harbor so much selfishness and hatred within themselves that they’d be willing to so utterly destroy another, and yet that’s exactly what Veronica and Miranda do to one another. It’s appalling; but so well written that it pulls the reader in and doesn’t let go until the very end.

Miranda’s very matter of fact way of telling her story adds a depth of poignancy that allows readers to truly see her heart, and though it’s hard to understand her actions and her hurt, her soul is bared wide for the reader.  In truth, the story is superbly written. I loved obtaining Miranda’s insights about the accident, and the fact that she knew how petty she was, and commented on it many a time, made her very real to me as a reader. Would I like to get to know her in real life? No. I’d probably be one of those people on the sideline that quietly thought to myself that she got what she deserved, but in the end, no one, not even evil, despicable Veronica–a woman not fit to be a mother—or Miranda—a selfish, unrepentant young woman—deserve what befalls them in the end.

This is a story that will haunt you as you read it, and keep you up way into the night wondering just how far a human can fall to allow these things to happen.  Five stars.

5 stars

Hashtag Books has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel prior to its release tomorrow, December 1, 2013, in exchange for an honest review.  This is a MUST READ.

Find it on Amazon.



et cetera
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