Deadly to Love by Mia Hoddell Blog Tour and Giveaway

Hey everyone I just want to take a moment to talk to you about the novel Deadly to Love by Mia Hoddell.
Check out all the info below: 

Title: Deadly to Love (Elemental Killers #1)

Author: Mia Hoddell

ASIN: B00BDQ3QGA

ISBN: 9781291319170

Genre: YA/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy/Romance

Description

There is a love that is so dangerous, so powerful, so intoxicating that it embraces your heart and smothers your mind until it leaves you defenseless.

Serena knew that but still, it didn't stop her. His name was Kai. He was the most beautiful, irresistible man she had ever encountered. Their attraction was too compelling to fight and she knew she would go to the end of the world beside him. That is love.

However behind the allure was hidden a deadly secret – a secret that threatened her fragile life... But secrets best left unsaid never remain hidden forever. When Kai reveals his true identity, she is exposed to a frightening world she had no idea existed. Controlled by powerful Elemental forces her life is placed in mortal danger.

Unbeknown to them, their lives have been entwined from the beginning and it leads her to discover an even greater secret about who she really is. As the pieces begin to unravel and death becomes a reality, Serena is forced to decide what is more important...her love or life.

Teasers

She only took one look at my face when her eyes creased with concern and worry.
“Serena what’s wrong?” ~ Page 17

As I took my notes out he continued to stare, and I tried to calm myself, not wanting him to know that sitting near him was making me want to flee the room. ~ Page 66

When the bus reached Chloe’s house she simply got up saying, “remember what I said about Kai,” before she walked off the bus without the usual hug and smile.
Sighing I stayed on the bus until my stop and when I reached my house I trudged to my room, nervous about what I would or wouldn’t find. ~ Page 100

We arrived on the outskirts of the city, quicker than I thought possible, to find smoke billowing above the buildings. I could just about see the enormous flames dancing in between the houses, while the smoke spiralled up. ~ Page 193

I turned my head, searching all the possible places he could be hiding but saw no sign of him. That’s when I felt two strong hands plant themselves firmly on my shoulders, causing me to yelp in surprise and fear. ~ Page 246

Buy Links:  

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Paperback (Lulu) and will be available on Amazon soon

About the Author

Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading and her preferred genre is Young Adult, Paranormal Romance. Before 2009, Mia wouldn't even pick up a book and was more interested in sports. However she finally found some novels that captured her interest and developed a love of both reading and writing. Mia began with poems and after getting two published in separate anthologies she moved on to short stories. Although she enjoyed this, Mia found she had too much to tell with too little space, so later on she created her first series The Wanderer Trilogy and from there other ideas have emerged which she hopes to turn into novels as well. Elemental Killers is her second series and book two will be out soon.

Author Links

Blog: http://miahoddell.blogspot.com

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mia-Hoddell-Author/421368247889610?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiaHoddell

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/miahoddell

What people are saying:

“I read this book in one sitting as I just couldn't put it down. The story line was original, intriguing and made you feel like you were part of the action.  As well as this there were many twists and turns that kept me hooked and the book was really well written with a solid plot. The book didn't reveal everything straight away which was great as it left in suspense right up until the end.” ~Lucy M 5/5

“ I found that it's surprisingly original concept was quite common in real life but not so much in books. I found it a delightful read that I will look forward to reading in the future. And the new cover! Marvelous.” ~ Kathy H 5/5

“All I can say is WOW! This book was amazing and different. I love the twist and detail she used I was instantly pulled in and felt like I was there with the characters.”  ~Brianna 5/5

Tour Wide Giveaways

•        1 ebook copy of Deadly to Love  through amazon kindle (INT)

•        Deadly to Love Swag (UK ONLY)

Swag giveaway code

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much to Mia Hoddell for hosting the tour and asking me to be a part of it! Enjoy everyone!
See you soon!
Paige

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Oath of Servitude by C.E. Wilson

Synopsis from Goodreads.com: This is the story of Teague and Cailin, two teenagers who have been brought together by fate. Teague, a human, struggles to come to terms with the consequences of a recent accident that has destroyed the happy life that he had once enjoyed. Cailin, a pixi, is trying to stay true to herself while fighting against forces beyond her control that have exiled her from her home into this strange world of humans. She fears the darkness. He cannot escape it. But when the two of them are thrown together, they begin to discover the light inside of themselves.

Number of pages: 159
My review: Literally the first words that came out of my mouth when I finished this book was "NOOO!" I'm apparently having bad luck with books lately because all the one's I've been reading keep ending on cliffhangers! Disregarding the cliffhanger component though this was a really good book-solid story, plot, characters, setting, fantasy element. This book had it going on.
Also, it's the first book I've ever read about pixi's so it was cool to explore this whole new world and then see how they interacted with humans. I liked how there was sort of that mystery element that went along with the mystical world of the pixi's as the reader tries to figure out what happened in Cailin's father's past.
Something else that I really liked and that you don't see too much in other books, or if you do it isn't done very well, is quite a large emphasis on other characters, besides the main characters. This was done without the book becoming confusing. Like we learned bits and pieces here and there about Teague, his father Owen, also Cailin's father Nolkrin and all her sisters and the people they are associated with, not to mention we are keeping up with all the rules of this world and the backstory of a few of the characters. I mean in that sentence right there I probably just made it a lot more confusing than it ever was in the book!
The internal struggles that each of the characters go through, not just Cailin and Teague, are really interesting to read, and in your mind you sort of have your own battle with yourself over what each character should do (like if they should do something to benefit themselves or others around them). Again, I probably made that way more confusing than it needed to be. 
I think my main point here is go read this book! It's a lot deeper than it sounds from the synopsis and way before the end of the book you will start to care for these characters as if they were your own friends. It's short and sweet, so check it out!
See you soon!

P.S. Thank you to the author for providing this book to me to read and review! And that cover is so gorgeous! 

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Bite Me! by Melissa Francis

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 296
I wanted to like this book, I really did, but right off the bat it was sooo dry and a tad boring. Our story starts off with AJ being at her mom's wedding and she's considering how unfair it is that she will no longer be able to date her boyfriend, Ryan, because he is now her step brother (Awkward!). Anyways, she still obviously has feelings for him and he still has feelings for her but she pushes him away in the hopes that they will be able to move on from each other. AJ is also a vampire, but no one except her mom and twin sisters know because they are also vampires.
When AJ attends a party that night, on the last day of summer, she consumes some alcohol and is unsure of whether or not she turned one of her fellow classmates into a vampire. So, already within the first few chapters AJ is going through a huge amount of inner turmoil, but it just seems so...fake. Like she wasn't really all that fazed by it, and it didn't come across as real to me. I also didn't like the way she handled some situations. She could have been a really strong, central, female character but the way she is written is so...dumb. AJ sounds like a typical dumb blonde (not that I'm saying blondes are dumb, just stating the stereotype). I also didn't like how the story was a little too unbelievable; like that she was able to sneak out that easily or defy her mom that many times and get away with it. 
Anyways, AJ decides to go into some research from her past, all while trying to keep her two friends from fighting, coping with the fact that she can't show anything more than brotherly affection towards Ryan, and trying to hide the fact that she is a vampire. 
Something I really did like about this book though was AJ was already secure in the fact that she was a vampire and didn't really whine about it too much like "I'm so different! Wahhh!" or, "I have to drink blood and do all this other vampy stuff". It was just a fact; she was a vampire. Done deal.
But the rest of the story was dry, it never got exciting (although it definitely attempted to have some plot twists which were way too easy to see ahead of time). The cover really enticed me on this one, and it really shouldn't have. Sad to say, the story within is as tacky as the cover itself. There's also a sequel, but I won't be picking it up because the supposedly "cliffhanger" this one ended on doesn't compel me enough to buy the next one.
See you soon!
Paige

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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Read a synopsis here!

Number of pages: 249

Wow this book creeped me out. But in a good way! Sometimes I would be reading this at night and I'd have to set it down and burrow deeper under the covers because it would make me feel a little safer. No book has really creeped me out like this so it was cool to read a book like that.

I absolutely loved the incorporation of pictures along with the text. It made the story seem so much more real and gave more depth to the story. The pictures themselves also thoroughly creeped me out and sometimes I would have to cover them while reading an adjoining page because the looks in some of their eyes scared me. The scare factor definitely upped the rating on this book for me, it just made it that much better.
Anyways, the main character Jacob sets out on an adventure to find Miss Peregrine and her home of peculiar children after his grandfather dies in an extremely mysterious and suspicious way. The authorities chalk it up as rabid animals but Jacob knows that something else is going on because he saw them. The monsters.
Jacob finds the house on a lonely, tiny, island and all hopes seems to be lost as he travels through the ruined house that has been eaten away by animals, and overgrown by nature with trees and plants growing straight through the house. However, by a slight chance Jacob may be able to meet the peculiar children who once lived here after all.
This book is so hard to put down into words! It's so amazing, and quirky (and I think there might be a sequel...) There's definitely nothing else like this book; meaning, it's not too often that you see a young adult picture book. Nevertheless, this just shows that more authors should break the status quo and try something new because the pictures worked really really well! They didn't overpower the book, because the plot could definitely stand on its own without the pictures but it just added the extra creepy element to the story.
If there is a second book, then I cannot wait to get my hands on it because I'd expect it to be just as fantastic as this one!
See you soon!
Paige

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Entangled by Nikki Jefford

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 303
Holy. Crap. What a fantastic book! (And a beautiful cover to pair it with) When I first started I didn't think I would like it because it felt sort of rushed for the first like quarter but in the end I though that was a good thing because it led to, not only, more character development later on, but also let the story move and flow faster. 
The cover was what really drew me into this book, and once I started reading I couldn't stop! The plot never slowed down for a second and I kept wanting to find out more and more. So here's what happens:
Graylee and her twin Charlene are both witches (so is their mom and a few other people in the town, and they often meet to practice and master their magic) and the twins don't get along very well. Graylee feels that Charlene is annoying and over-dramatic and Charlene feels that their mother dotes on Graylee more than herself. Charlene is also one of the most popular girls at school while Graylee blends into the crowd.
Right from the start we learn that Charlene's boyfriend has broken up with her and she plans to get revenge on the girl that stole her boyfriend, Blake, away. Around the same time Graylee dies in her sleep very suddenly.
Graylee doesn't realize this and one day wakes up in Charlene's body, but then learns from her mom that Charlene is not gone; the sisters are stuck sharing the same body. Graylee gets to be present every other day. Seeing this struggle that Graylee has to overcome while being in Charlene's body and dealing with her "rules" was interesting to see. Even though they are twins they act very differently within their own bodies and that was cool to see the characters overcome.
This obviously leads to complications within the girls' lives (i.e. whose friends to hang out with, what clothes to wear) and all the while Graylee is trying to figure out how she died. Graylee enlists the help of Raj who is a warlock (or a "healer" as his mom prefers to call themselves) and so begins the journey of a very confusing, roller-coaster ride of a friendship. Raj may be harboring hidden feelings for Graylee while Graylee believes that he despises her and will only help her if she teaches him her invisibility spell. 
The pair set out on the task of finding out how Graylee died and how she can live on her own, in either her own body, or a different girls' body.
This book was just so, so, so, GOOD! I like how the characters accepted the use of magic around their other friends who knew about it and could also perform magic, yet still managed to hide it from the general public. I also liked how real the story felt; as if this could happen to anyone. The settings could have been described a little better (but that's what imagination is for right?)
I know there are two more books after this one and I cannot wait to read them! (The rest of the covers are just as beautiful too) I am extremely impressed with this book and it is definitely classified as one of my all time favorites.
See you soon!
Paige

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Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 343
So, I know this book was on my "To Read list of 2013" but I just couldn't get through it. I got to about page 60 or so and just gave up. I actually put off writing this review for awhile because I thought what's the point? I didn't like it. But I digress.
 I was waiting for it to get a lot more fast paced and for something to actually happen but nothing did. Perhaps I should have given it a few more pages but I just couldn't bear to continue on. I felt the characters weren't described well along with the setting, and I never like books that start out in the middle of an event happening. In this case, the twin girls' fathers funeral. That always confuses me.
This book was definitely a lot darker than I expected it to be. If I could summarize it in one word I think it would be gothic.
One of the good points was that it was a historical fiction novel (which I'm always looking for more of) but other than that I just couldn't get into it. Some of the characters (whose names I can't even remember because they weren't all that memorable) plain creeped me out. Which is good, I guess, but it was the sort of creep out that makes you not want to read a book and shove it in a corner where you won't have to try again until a much later date when you discover the novel in the back recesses of a shelf or cabinet. 
Will I try reading this again? Maybe during Halloween next year when I'm in sort of a creepy/spooky mood but not for awhile. It was just too weird for me. 
The style of this book sort of reminds me of Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves so I guess if you liked or disliked that book it will give you a good indication of whether or not you will like or dislike this one. (As you may recall I did NOT like Slice of Cherry and also gave up about 60 or so pages in)
See you soon!
Paige
P.S. I do like the cover though. It's very beautiful.

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Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 505
I had really high hopes for this book and I REALLY wanted to like it, but it thoroughly disappointed me. I actually thought it was going to have more of a horror element (I mean look at that gorgeous, yet creepy, cover). However, it actually took on more of a...underdeveloped theme. Let's make a list of what was underdeveloped: the characters, the plot, the setting, the conversations between the characters, the back story...everything? 
I felt that the back story was described WAY too quickly and I barely understood who the main characters were. The main characters themselves were so infuriating and I couldn't connect with them at all. The plot could have been way scarier, or have more of a horror theme and the setting was so under described that 150 pages in, I still couldn't tell you where they lived or what their house looked like. 
I will admit that I tried my best to push through and make an attempt to finish this book but I could only go 150 pages before I finally called it quits. Normally I really try to finish a book even if it's pretty bad, but I just couldn't do it.
I may try again in the next few months, but trying to get out of a reading slump and this is the first thing you read? Not exactly a great idea. 
Anyways, sorry for the short review, still trying to get back into the swing of things.
See you soon!
Paige

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Painted Blind by Michelle A. Hansen

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 331
I was thoroughly disappointed by this book. So much that I couldn't even finish it. According to my Kindle, I got about 35% through before I said enough is enough. 
Even though this is young adult fiction, I found it too unbelievable...or relatable. I thought the characters fell in love too quickly, there wasn't much of a set up for a back story (I would have loved to hear more about Eric and his mother's strained relationship and more about Psyche's life). The story was set up so quickly and in a way that just threw the reader into the next things that were happening. I felt that I read about a novels worth in one chapter and that there wasn't enough to provide for much of a background.
Many things weren't described fully enough too; for example, Eric's castle could have been given a chapters worth of descriptors, but instead was giving very few. I hardly know what Psyche herself looked like because there was few descriptors about her too. 
Eric and Psyche's love (this isn't a spoiler, it says in the synopsis that they fall in love) was extremely hard for me to believe too. Eric was always saying that the mortals' world moved so quickly and that he didn't like it, yet he talks about marrying Psyche and taking her to his kingdom. That's a little fast for either world, if you ask me.
The plot itself wasn't going anywhere either for awhile. Even when things started to get "exciting" I couldn't get into the story. It was so dry. The premise of the story sounds amazing, but it wasn't executed well enough I believe.
See you soon!
Paige

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Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 351
So, as I was reading this book I was thinking about what a fantastic and joy-filled review I was going to write for this book...however, then I finished the book. It was such a weak ending and it really disappointed me. I felt that things were just quickly resolved and the way things were resolved wasn't very strong. There was too many flaws (thankfully there's a second book). The first half of this was absolutely fantastic! The book moved along at a great pace and things were exciting but then the events started to become less and less...intriguing. I stopped caring about some of the characters and they seemed more distant to me as a reader. 
The story also seemed like it was dragged out really long and it felt sort of like it was repeating itself over and over. Don't get me wrong I loved the story line, but this book had some serious issues with pacing and just having a basic story line, that really flowed.
The title also sets the story up for failure. I would have taken this book way more seriously if it had a less...childish title (also the covers picture is pretty bad too). Going into the story I didn't expect this to have any literary value at all so I was extremely surprised when I actually liked the story (until I got towards the end).
It's a good story line; basically there's a girl, Jessica, who is living the stereotypical "teenage life" and a tall, dark, handsome, stranger who shows up in town. Soon, Jessica finds out that she is a secret vampire princess (which she vehemently disagrees and doesn't believe) and this stranger, Lucius, is her betrothed, and has been since their birth. However, Jessica doesn't want to marry Lucius and so, he begins to pursue her.
There is many twists in the story and things change, which is what kind of disappointed me about this book. Maybe it just didn't go the way that I expected so that's why I didn't like the ending. But it's up to you to decide now!
See you soon!
Paige

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Fallen by Lauren Kate

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 452
This book was...amazing!!! I seriously had my doubts about it, and I'm not really sure why. The story was fantastic! A lot of people think that it's really similar to Twilight but I didn't think they were THAT similar. Twilight does not set the precedent for a book where a girl does not believe a boy is not mortal/human. I'm like 99% positive there were books like that before Twilight came out (Actually I'm 100% sure of it because the Night World series and Vampire Diaries series were written before Twilight, in the 90's so ha!).
Anyways, staying on topic, Fallen was great! And it ended on a total cliff-hanger! I can't wait to go out and buy Torment so I can see what happens next.
So, in Fallen, Luce is sent to a reform school which is really strict, but all the kids get away with doing things that are against the rules anyways (sneaking out of school grounds, holding parties, sneaking in forbidden contraband like food and electronics). So Luce befriends one of the craziest most bizarre girls, Arriane, and a girl that she can really relate too, Penn. Luce's love interest include Daniel who she really likes but he is extremely mysterious with her and sends lot's of conflicting signals. A boy that genuinely shows interest in her is Cam, whom Luce can't decide if she likes or not because of Daniel (yes this story has a slight love triangle but it's not too over the top). The characters were all boat loads of fun too. All of them had so many different quirks and such different personalities that they all meshed together somehow and it worked. The end of the story may have you reaching for some tissues...(I really want to tell you guys!!! Go read this and see what I'm talking about!!!)
Anyways, there are a lot of circumstances that lead too Luce trying to find out more about Daniel and this is how she gets herself in some deep trouble. I don't want to say too much more for fear of spoiling it but there was tons of twists and turns in this story and just when you though one thing was going to go one way...BOOM! It totally veers off in another direction! Very exciting read!
Like I said before it also ended on a cliff-hanger so reading the next book will be a must for me. I can't wait to see how things get resolved. This book had tons of action, romance, twists, and overall just bad ass fun! I hope the next books follow that same pattern too!
Definitely one of my all time favorite books!! (I also like that this isn't about vampires it's about...well you can figure that out on your own too once you read the book!)
See you soon!
Paige

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Forbidden by Ryan James and Syrie James

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 410
This book was AMAZING! It was super easy to read and I finished it so quickly because, time just flew by while I was reading. The story follows Claire through her adventures of meeting Alec, an angel at her high school and she discovers the powers that she has as well.
Typically, I'm not drawn to books like this because they're usually all the same; girl meets immortal/fantastical boy, they fall in love, they are separated, girl mopes around, get together in the end. This story went sort of a different route. Claire wasn't a "Mary-Sue" (no description of character, is made so that any person reading feels they can be this person, she has no emotions it seems, and complains a lot about the boys in her life-think Bella from Twilight)
Anyways, Claire actually interacted with her friends and told them what was going on in her life, and they supported her and believed her! This was totally new for me because no other books I've read like this have taken that approach. Claire also stayed true to her schoolwork which was refreshing because in many of these books people seem to blow off school a lot. She also didn't become completely self-absorbed with Alec, she participated in other school activities, and even seemed so human to me when she was confused whether she even liked him or not (Mary-Sue's typically fall immediately in love with the male counterpart).
Alec, was also an amazing character and he seemed so adorable. The pair's relationship seemed totally believable despite the unbelievable circumstances, and the way they worked through different obstacles was very...refreshing. The whole way the book was written seemed to take a different stance than most teen paranormal romance novels and I really appreciated that.
Overall, I loved this book and I can't wait to buy it and have it for myself (I checked it out from the library). Also after meeting Syrie James, herself at the L.A. Time Festival of Books, I loved this book even more! Definitely 5 stars!! Check it out for a good quick read!
See you soon!
Paige

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Evermore by Alyson Noel

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: ???
Okay I have to admit I didn't get past page 50 of this book. Maybe I'll try it again some other time like next year, but it just was not that great. The story progressed to slowly and I was bored with the story line. It didn't feel fresh or new to me. The only thing I really like about this book is the cover which is gorgeous but I guess that proves don't judge a book by its cover!!
I'm going to try some of Alyson Noel's other books that are not part of the series but honestly not any time soon because this book is like putting me off her for awhile. I think I had a problem with a lot of the characters. Ever and Damen were Mary Sue's and Gary Sue's (very stereotypical characters with little development that makes you believe you can be the character)
Not a fan. So, as much as I hate giving bad reviews, this was not my cup of tea and I would not give this a Paige-Turn! Like I said though, maybe I'll try it some other time!
See you soon!
-Paige

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