Blog Tour | Review & Giveaway: Reaping Me Softly by Kate Evangelista

Welcome to Reaping Me Softly Official Blog Tour hosted by AToMR Tours. Special thanks to the lovely author Kate Evangelista for letting me participate in this tour. Once again, I got the awesome opportunity to join. Thanks to ATOMR Tours for including me in the stop even in the last minute. Thanks to everyone of you for being here today and joining me in this tour stop. If you are all looking for a good read this Halloween Season, Reaping Me Softly, published by Omnific Publishing will be a perfect choice! It's available now, October 30th! 

About the Book:

REAPING ME SOFTLY by Kate Evangelista

Publisher: Omnific Publishing

Published Date: October 30, 2012

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

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Ever since a near-death-experience on the operating table, seventeen-year-old Arianne Wilson can see dead people. Just as she’s learned to accept her new-found talents, she discovers that the boy she’s had a crush on since freshman year, Niko Clark, is a Reaper.At last they have something in common, but that doesn’t mean life is getting any easier. All while facing merciless bullying from the most powerful girl in school, Arianne’s world is turned upside down after Niko accidentally reaps the soul of someone she loves. This sends them both into a spiral that threatens to end Arianne’s life. But will Niko break his own Reaper’s code to save her? And what would the consequences be if he did?

About the Author:

When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she has four completed Young Adult novels. (Find her in the following sites: Website | Goodreads | Twitter)

MY REVIEW:

The first word that came to my mind when I first heard about this book was "reaper". I was intrigued and I was hoping that I'd be able to get a copy as soon as possible. This book did not disappoint. From the time I started to read it, I was hooked. It wasn't something I'd expected either and I appreciate a bit of surprise. I enjoyed it and I'm happy that I got the chance to be one of the first people to read this book.

Arianne can hear and see the ghosts of the dead eversince her traumatic experience inside the operating room. This wasn't fun at all and seeing them naked doesn't help either. Crushing on the gorgeous boy in school, Arianne doesn't know that Nikolas is a reaper of Georgia. Actually one of the best reapers Death has in his care and command. Learning about Nico and his world doesn't help things about her ill sister either. Not when Nico is the reaper assigned to reap her sister's soul when she die. 

Reaping Me Softly is a fast read that is exciting and gripping. A good start for an interesting paranormal romance series. The pacing is good, not boring and it doesn't drag. The characters, though I can't say that I loved then just the same as I loved Phoenix and the gang in Taste, Arianne and Nikolas are both likable enough. Plus, the story has some unexpected twists that made me appreciate it more. I can't say that it's particularly a unique story but this book is actually good, and I know that those of you who likes to read paranormal romance will likely enjoy this one too. I also liked the ending of this book because it didn't feel like I was left hanging. But there was a sudden turn of event that makes me anxious to see what will happen to the characters. I loved how the author pulled everything together to create such memorable ending. It was touching, heartbreaking yet beautiful. The next book will surely be something to look forward to.

THE GIVEAWAY (International):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here's the list of the other blogs who are participating in the tour or you can also visit AToMR Tours.

Book Review: EMBERS & ECHOES by Karsten Knight

Embers & Echoes (Wildefire #2)

Author: Karsten Knight

Published: August 28th 2012

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Summary | Add to TBR

Fan the flames: A teen goddess fires up her search for love and family in this sequel to Wildefire.

Ashline Wilde may have needed school to learn that she is actually a reincarnated goddess, but she’s ready to move beyond books. She leaves her California boarding school behind and makes for Miami, where she meets a new group of deities and desperately seeks her sister Rose, the goddess of war. But she’s also looking for love—because even though her romance with Cole had to be snuffed, Ash is a volcano goddess—and she doesn’t get burned.

My Thoughts:

You can't run someplace new and not fill up the new space with the old stuff. The things you want to leave behind are the very things you can't. - Ash 

I'm indestructible, Ash. That doesn't mean I'm incapable of feeling. I still experience love, and I can still experience pain. - Colt 

When we reached the ending of Wildefire, the first book in the series, we learned that Colt isn't someone we thought he was. He isn't human. He isn't the same Colt. With this horrible realization, Ash ran away from him and decided to find her sisters--Rose, the youngest of the Wilde sisters who is known to be very dangerous and whom she never met, and Eve whom she learned isn't dead but in Nether, held captured by the Cloak. In the process of finding her sisters, she met Wes, the hot and gorgeous Aztec God of Night, and Aurora, the Roman Goddess of Dawn. 

Embers & Echoes started exactly where the first book ended, and with that huge cliffhanger ending in Wildefire, expect another thrill ride, lots of suspense, actions, mysteries and of course romance. 

This was the second time recently she'd saved a boy from being chained and tortured. 

"Let's hope I don't regret saving this one," she whispered to no one at all. 

The looks that you and Wes have been exchanging the last forty-eight hours are so hot that I'm surprised you don't need sunglasses to keep from getting pregnant. - Aurora 

What I loved about Karsten Knight's books is the humor and wit. This book doesn't lack of those. It balances the story especially when the book is full of suspense and heart-throbbing actions. There are old enemies, old foes, new friends--all these characters are amazing and very well-developed. You just can't help but love and care for them. So when a character died, well… of course it wasn't pretty, and it was absolutely not fun at all. I have to say that this book is even more heartbreaking for me than Wildefire 'cos once again I lost my favorite characters. The author isn't afraid to kill his characters--characters that I loved ever since Wildefire and I think it was a brave move. I just hope Karsten will continue to create beautiful Gods and Goddesses in the next books--characters that I will love as much as I love the others (may they rest in peace *wink). And please… oh dear Author, please, can you at least spare me some pain and heartache by not killing any more of my favorite characters?

Not as much as I loved Wildefire, but this one is really good. More suspenseful than the first. The mysteries and twists are even more intriguing. I am not fully satisfied with the ending because for me it's tragic. But overall, this book is amazing. The secrets and the revelations aren't what I expected either. There are more secrets from the past that are yet to unfold and I'm excited to see them revealed on the next book. Yes, sometimes I got frustrated because I didn't know who to trust anymore--the characters are unpredictable! So expect betrayal, revenge, and murders. I enjoyed it and I am eagerly anticipating the third. Full of actions, mysteries, suspense, wit and even drama, this book will put you at the edge of your seat. 

You make a decision whether you want to spend your life staring at the dark horizons…Or whether you want to spend it catching every sunrise that you can. - Wes

My Rating:

Book Review: SHATTERED SOULS by Mary Lindsey

Shattered Souls (Souls #1)

Author: Mary Lindsey

Published: December 8th 2011

Publisher: Philomel/Penguin

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance

Summary | Add to TBR

A thrilling debut story of death, love, destiny and danger

Lenzi hears voices and has visions - gravestones, floods, a boy with steel gray eyes. Her boyfriend, Zak, can't help, and everything keeps getting louder and more intense. Then Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, who reveals that she's a reincarnated Speaker - someone who can talk to and help lost souls - and that he has been her Protector for centuries.

Now Lenzi must choose between her life with Zak and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. But time is running out: a malevolent spirit is out to destroy Lenzi, and he will kill her if she doesn't make a decision soon.

My Thoughts:

Lenzi can hear and feel the ghosts. She's trying to avoid them to the point of taking medicines to stop the hissing. Her boyfriend has been supportive to her eversince but even him couldn't understand and help her. It seems that only Alden, the mysterious boy he first saw at the cemetery is the only one that can truly help her. This created complications and ended up in a not so pretty situation with her boyfriend.

This book had been on my shelf for quite a while now and I'm glad that I finally knocked it off my shelf. It wasn't a super enjoyable read for me but over all it's still good. I just had too much expectations from the book so I was a bit disappointed when I ended up not loving it much. But as I said, this book is enjoyable and still good. The only thing that was off for me is the heroine--Lenzi Rose. From the beginning Lenzi didn't feel like a strong character for me. It was a little disappointing that I can't get myself to like her as much as I want to. For a reader like me, it is a great deal to be able to find myself connecting with the main characters and in this book sadly, it wasn't the case. When I finally meet Alden, it wasn't the super thrilling, extra-exciting kind of moment either. He is hot. Gorgeous. I get that. But the moment when they first meet didn't do it for me. It was ok, but not the memorable kind of thing for me. While I read the book I was hoping that Lenzi will come out of her shell and be the tough heroine I'm waiting to see. Alden is hot enough so I just need the female protagonist to compliment Alden's strong points. It didn't happen in this book and that disappoint me a little. I guess that's my only problem about this book. Nevertheless, the plot is intriguing, the pacing is ok, the setting is good. I still enjoyed it and I still liked it. Not a favorite book of mine but good enough.

My Rating: