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Thursday, June 16, 2016

Audible Book Review: Birthright: Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective, Book 4 by E.J. Stevens


I was more engaged with this installment and really enjoyed all the dangers navigated by Ivy and her friends.
Birthright: Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective, Book 4
Written by: E.J. Stevens
Narrated by: Melanie A. Mason, Anthony Bowling
Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
Series: Ivy Granger, Book 4
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:05-12-16
Publisher: Sacred Oaks
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranomral, Detective
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0



Publisher's Summary
Being a faerie princess isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Ivy must go to Faerie, but the gateway to the Wisp Court is through Tech Duinn, the house of Donn - Celtic god of the dead. Just her luck.
Unable to share her secret with Jinx, and with Jenna called away on Hunters' Guild business, Ivy must rely on Ceff and Torn to lead her to Death's door, literally, and back again. As if that wasn't dangerous enough, there's no saying what horrors lay in store within the Faerie realm. Too bad the Wisp Court is the one lead Ivy has in the search for her father - and possible salvation.
Maybe hiding away and dodging sidhe assassins isn't so bad after all.
Birthright is the fourth full-length novel in the award-winning Ivy Granger urban fantasy series by E.J. Stevens. The world of Ivy Granger, including the Ivy Granger Psychic Detective series and Hunters' Guild series, is filled with action, paranormal mystery, magic, dark humor, quirky characters, bloodsucking vampires, flirtatious demons, sarcastic gargoyles, sexy shifters, temperamental witches, psychotic faeries, and snarky, kick-butt heroines.
©2015 E.J. Stevens (P)2016 E.J. Stevens


Review:
Ivy has saved Jinx but she has to leave her behind protected by Forneus. Ivy can’t tell them where she is going as she sets off to follow the clues to find her father. She cannot continue to hide out pretending to be dead so she has to find a way to convince the Faerie court to drop their death order on her. Ceff and Torn are by Ivy’s side to face the dangers as they journey through Faerie land. If they can travel through the water and the forest safely, they hope to find the house of the Celtic god of the dead. If he does attack first, they hope to find the secret door to Wisp.

Each step poses its own dangers and surprises. Some channels recognize Ivy’s blood as the royal blood of her father the former King of the Wisps – this could be for good or ill.

I really liked the dynamics between Ivy and Ceff which is growing deeper. Torn is along to add his usually snark and insouciance. Although there seems to be a little repetition within the story, there is plenty of action that keeps the story moving at a good pace. We meet new characters, some villains and some friends. There is a new hearth brownie who is an especially fun addition. Ivy has to go through heartache and the twists in the story are well done as dark secrets are revealed.

Now that I have read books 3 and 4, I do want to read more in the series. I have book 1 for Kindle so I will get to that at some point. I recommend this series to urban fantasy fans who enjoy adventures in the mixed world of humans and paranormals (although this one is mostly paranormals).

Audio Notes: I have to admit that I didn’t realize that Anthony Bowling was not the same male narrator as Book 3. He did a fine job with the numerous male characters while Melanie A. Mason continued to a portray the females with distinct voices. Mason manages to convey Ivy’s pain as well as her strengths. The narration definitely enhances the story experience for me.

I received this audiobook from the author for an honest review. It adds to my Audio Challenge. Please check my review of Burning Bright, Book 3 and don’t miss the Giveaway feature.

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Giveaway Celebrating Audiobook Month and Audio Release of Birthright, Ivy Granger Book 4

[Please see the prior post for MBS review of Burning Bright, Ivy Granger Book 3. Review of Birthright will be posted tomorrow.]
FROM E.J. Stevens:
Happy Audiobook Month!  To celebrate Audiobook Month and the audio release of BIRTHRIGHT, the fourth full-length novel in the award-winning Ivy Granger urban fantasy series, we're giving away an Ivy Granger swag pack.


Birthright (Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective #4) by E.J. Stevens, narrated by Melanie Mason and Anthony Bowling.

Birthright (Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective #4) by E.J. Stevens, narrated by Melanie Mason and Anthony Bowling.

Being a faerie princess isn't what it's cracked up to be...

Ivy must go to Faerie, but the gateway to the Wisp Court is through Tech Duinn, the house of Donn—Celtic god of the dead. Just her luck.

Unable to share her secret with Jinx, and with Jenna called away on Hunters' Guild business, Ivy must rely on Ceff and Torn to lead her to Death's door, literally, and back again. As if that wasn't dangerous enough, there's no saying what horrors lay in store within the Faerie realm. Too bad the Wisp Court is the one lead Ivy has in the search for her father—and possible salvation.

Maybe hiding away and dodging sidhe assassins isn't so bad after all.


BTS Red Carpet Award winner for Best Novel, finalist for Best Cover, PRG Reviewer's Choice Award finalist for Best Urban Fantasy Series, and winner of the PRG Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Urban Fantasy Novel.

Buy Now at Amazon, iTunes, Audible UK, and Audible.

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Whispersync for Voice Ready

Add to Goodreads.

About the Author:

E.J. Stevens is the author of the HUNTERS' GUILD urban fantasy series,the SPIRIT GUIDE young adult series, the award-winning IVY GRANGER urban fantasy series, and the upcoming the DARK ARCANA urban fantasy series.She is known for filling pages with quirky characters, bloodsucking vampires, psychotic faeries, and snarky, kick-butt heroines.

BTS Red Carpet Award winner for Best Novel, and winner of the PRG Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Paranormal Fantasy Novel, Best YoungAdult Paranormal Series, Best Urban Fantasy Novel, and finalist for Best Young Adult Paranormal Novel and Best Urban Fantasy Series.

When E.J. isn't at her writing desk she enjoys dancing along seaside cliffs, singing in graveyards, and sleeping in faerie circles. E.J. currently resides in a magical forest on the coast of Maine where she finds daily inspiration for her writing.

About the Narrators:

Melanie A. Mason is a voice actress known for Ghost Hunt, Fairy Tale, Blassreiter, and Case Closed.
Anthony Bowling is a voice actor knownfor Samurai 7, Baka and Test, Sekirei, Ultimate Otaku Teacher, Is This A Zombie?, and The Devil is a Part-Timer.

Birthright Audiobook Release Swag Giveaway

We are giving away a button, pen, custom earbuds, and a signed Birthright mini poster to one lucky winner!

To enter, please use the Rafflecopter form below.  This giveaway is international.  Giveaway ends June 29, 2016.


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Good luck!


Audible Book Review: Burning Bright: Ivy Granger Book 3 by E.J. Stevens

The primary character in this fun listen has a lot of sass and courage.
Burning Bright: Ivy Granger Book 3
Written by: E.J. Stevens
Narrated by: Melanie A. Mason, David Wilson Brown
Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
Series: Ivy Granger, Book 3
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:10-20-15
Publisher: Sacred Oaks
Genre: Detective, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0


Publisher's Summary
Burning down the house....
Things are not going well at the offices of Private Eye. Jinx is having demon problems, the city is overrun with pyromaniacal imps, and Ivy's wisp powers are burning out of control, attracting the attention of both the Seelie and Unseelie courts.
Along came a faerie queen.... It's the worst possible time for the Green Lady to call in a favor, but Ivy's bound by her deal with the glaistig. Too bad there's no wiggle room in faerie bargains.
Ivy must rid the city of imps, keep Jinx from murdering her one solid link to Hell, and fulfill her bargain with the Green Lady - with sidhe assassins hot on her tail.
Just another day's work for Ivy Granger, psychic detective.
©2014 E.J. Stevens (P)2015 E.J. Stevens


Review:

Ivy Granger has a very unique, and rather difficult psychic gift which has helped her build a successful Private Eye business. Ivy and her assistant, Jinx, usually stay busy with the business but Ivy has been distracted spending funds and energy trying to find her father. Meanwhile Jinx has gotten trapped in a life-draining situation. To save Jinx Ivy makes a bargain with the Green Lady which requires Ivy to kill Kaye, a powerful witch who has helped Ivy and become a friend.

Ivy is half human and half ‘wisp’ princess. She was abandoned by her father, the King of the Wisps, so she never learned how to control her abilities. The current, ruling faerie court view her as a risk to maintaining the secrets of the paranormals in the human world. Accordingly, they have sent an enforcement team to “eliminate” her.

Not only is Ivy dealing with these personal issues but suddenly fires are popping up all over the city. Ivy has discovered that pyromaniacal, demon imps have gotten loose and she needs help to stop them. Along the way to that task Ivy rescues a “runt” of a fire imp who is being played with by the clan of Cats.

Ivy gets support from her boyfriend, Ceffyl, who is the local Kelpie King. She also gets backup from another “ally”, if not exactly a friend, Torn, the leader of the Cats. Ivy also calls on Forneus who is a demon lawyer -- as in a lawyer who happens to be a demon. Ivy doesn’t exactly trust Forneus, but she knows he is interested in Jinx and will help protect her if they can rescue.

Ivy needs to find a way to kill Kaye without really killing her while also keeping herself from being killed so she can save Jinx from her kidnapper and save the city from burning. The tasks all blend together and keep Ivy and her 'friends' on the run in creative and dangerous situations.

Even as Ivy stumbles through some of her exploits, I soon realized that being a rescuer is a big part of who she is. I liked the steady support from her strong water Kelpie boyfriend, Ceff, and the flirty, suggestive snipes from Torn and Forneus which add another fun element to the mix. You might not think a demon is cute, but little imp “Sparky” is really an adorable character with an importance that Ivy didn’t know when she saved him. I am expecting/hoping he will grow into a helpful member of the team. There are other fun characters, including Father Michael, Humphrey the Gargoyle and a  mischievous hearth brownie.

I might have more easily and more quickly related to the characters if I had read/listened to the first two books of the series. However, I think I finally adjusted to them and was able to pick up on the important characters, elements and tensions as presented in this third book. I enjoyed the fun and by the end I was looking forward to listening to the current release, Birthright (which I enjoyed even more than book 3 - review coming soon).

Audio Notes: I enjoyed the team narration by Melanie A. Mason and David Wilson Brown. Melanie presents the female characters and aspects and David adds depth and counterbalance with the male characters. They both did a good job with the different character voices and the teamwork made the narration a fuller experience which I liked.

I received this audiobook from the author for an honest review. This qualifies for my Audio Challenge.

Please see the next post for a GIVEAWAY CELEBRATING AUDIOBOOK MONTH and RELEASE OF IVY GRANGER BOOK 4!

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Sunday Post June 12, 2016/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday June 13, 2016



I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading now at The Book Date.
Thank you to Sheila for the years that she handled this meme.
Thank you to Kathryn for taking up the baton.
What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

This week was better in the office. Heather was back and Meghan was out visiting her mother. I am still playing catch up but getting better I think.
We are still having warm weather with on and off rain.


I did pretty well with reading and got at least three reviews posted, one with giveaway and another with guest post. I finished three books --two audio and one ebook. I posted my usual memes, with an extra Sharing Beyond Books which was late.

I enjoyed visiting Monday and Tuesday nights but didn't get back after that.
Thanks as always to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:
  • Book Review: Cast Adrift by Mannah Pierce; Sci Fi; my rating 4.5.

Finished Reading:
1. eBook/Kindle (iRead)


Regina Shen: Resilience
by Lance Erlick
My review is linked above.
I received four books for this tour;
through iReads Book Tours.
The next review will be 6/23.
Click on book title for full description.



2. Audible/MP3 (ABB)


Dangerous and Unseemly: A Concordia Wells Mystery, Book 1
Written by: K.B. Owen
Narrated by: Becket Royce
I enjoyed this engaging historical mystery.
I received this audio title from the narrator through AudioBook Boom.
Click on book title for full description.



3. Audible/MP3 (Author)


Birthright: Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective, Book 4
Written by: E.J. Stevens
Narrated by: Melanie A. Mason, Anthony Bowling
I liked this second book, full of Ivy sass and action, even more than the first.
I will be hosting the tour Giveaway and review this week.
Click on book title for full description.




Currently reading:
1. eBook/Kindle (Author/Publicist)


Guardian of Paradise
by W.E. Lawrence
I enjoyed Chakana: Encounter In The Sacred Valley and I am glad to read another adventure by this author.
Click on book title for full description.



2. Audible/MP3 (ABJ)


Beware the Little White Rabbit
Written by: Shannon Delany, Judith Graves
Narrated by: Rhiannon Angell
I am looking forward to listening to this collection.
I received this audio through
Audiobook Jukebox.
Publisher's Summary
Curiosity often leads to trouble....
Thirteen powerful voices in young adult fiction invite you to journey into startling new wonderlands in this nod to the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll's timeless character, Alice.
Mystery. Madness. Mayhem...
Each story in this collection will intrigue, bewitch, and enchant. Through rich historicals, castles and keeps, wild wormholes, secret workshops, deadly plagues, and gritty urban explorations, we present new tales of Alice and her white rabbit.
Whether an intrepid reporter, a would-be car thief, or the last human in a world ruled by machines, at the heart of each story Alice is a girl discovering who she really is in worlds that never fail to surprise.
What wonders await, oh curious listener? Leap down the rabbit hole and discover the truth....
Contributing authors: Charlotte Bennardo, C. Lee McKenzie, David Turnbull, Christine Norris, Jacqueline Horsfall, Medeia Sharif, Laura Lascarso, Tom Luke, Jessica Bayliss, Crystal Schubert, Holly Odell, Jennifer Moore, and Liam Hogan
©2015 Leap Books (P)2015 Leap Books



3. eBook/Kindle (NG)


Laos File (The Shake Davis Series)
by Dale Dye
I was invited to read this and it sounds interesting.
Military Writers Society of America 2011 Book Award winner: From the bestselling author of Platoon comes a military thriller about one Marine’s quest to leave no POW behind.
The death of a salty old senior noncommissioned officer who ran special operations in Vietnam leads US Marine Gunner Shake Davis on a shocking and potentially lethal mission to find out what happened to hundreds of American prisoners of war. Written by bestselling author Dale A. Dye and based on Oliver Stone’s classic film.
With “plenty of action and lots of military detail” (Vietnam Veterans of America), Laos File is a great read for fans of Tom Clancy and W. E. B. Griffin.



4. Audible/MP3 (Narrator)


The Pit Stop: This Stop Could Be Life or Death
Written by: Carmen DeSousa
Narrated by: Michelle Babb
This sounds like an engaging mystery.
I received this from the narrator.
Publisher's Summary
When what seems like a normal pit stop turns into more than just gas and food, a lost traveler finds himself searching for the truth of a 20-year-old mystery.
Detective Gino Canale doesn't believe in a hereafter, let alone ghosts looking for closure. But when his reoccurring dream implies that his grandparents' deaths might actually have been homicides, not to mention that he's hearing bells that don't exist and smelling a pipe when no one is smoking, he realizes he's either connecting to the other side - or going crazy.
And he's not sure which thought scares him more.
©2012, 2016 Carmen DeSousa (P)2016 Carmen DeSousa



June 5, 2016 - Current with Reading The One Year Bible again along with my husband and others from our church. I will also be listening (sometimes) to the companion commentary online.

I posted three reviews last week so I still have four pending reviews due.

I am finally getting to the five nine, now seven nine (again) back to five four author ebook reviews committed with no specific dates.
My NetGalley shelves are back up to seven with one of those pulled in this week.



I have two upcoming releases going up on eTreasure's NetGalley this week.



Welcome to Mailbox Monday.
Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) and after a tour of hosts has returned to its permanent home at Mailbox Monday. Thanks to the ladies sharing hosting duties: Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit and Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

This week I received three ebook titles, two from NetGalley and one from the author.
I resisted kindle titles other than the usual free ones.

Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

I was invited to read these two titles through NetGalley:

A License to Wed
by Diana Quincy
"...a sizzling tale of forbidden love between a socialite and a scholar—who might just be an infamous spy."


Machinations
by Hayley Stone
"...action-packed science-fiction debut introduces a chilling future and an unforgettable heroine."

I received this title from the author:

Dead Lawyers Don't Lie: A Gripping Thriller (Jake Wolfe Book 1)
by Mark Nolan
"...a gripping thriller is full of suspense, plot twists and surprises."


Won
NONE

Purchased

NONE
Free

Over the past week I only added 38 free Kindle titles to my library. Titles found linked through Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Ignite Your Book, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.

Sunday Words of Encouragement June 12, 2016

Once again we had a good Sunday School, wonderful worship and nice service. Then we enjoyed a nice fellowship lunch together as a church family.

Pastor’s sermon was titled "When to Ask and When to Believe?" First, he reminded us not to allow ourselves to be dulled to God’s blessings. The he directed us to John 16 where Jesus gave “prayer promises”. Jesus was instructing the apostles to ask the Father in the name of Jesus. We ask in two ways: by way of inquiry and for assistance. Once Jesus left this earthly life, the Comforter (Holy Spirit) came to speak and intercede on our behalf. The Holy Spirit knows the mind of the Father. We are to ask, receive and our joy can be complete. John 16:24.

Ask in prayer, believe that you have received, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24. God gives gifts but man does not always use the gifts as given – to be shared in love. All our worldly power is nothing without Love. 1 Corinthians 13:2.

I feel compelled to add a requirement as directed in 1 John 5:14: ask according to His will.
(See lesson on Three Keys to Effective Prayer by Paul J. Bucknell.)
This is consistent with Luke 11:9.
Ask -- in prayer;
Seek -- according to His will;
Knock -- by faith believe you will receive the promise.

This is the wonderful song I was led to use today: Testify to Love!
A Verse for Today
1 Corinthians 13:2 NIV
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

Lord, please help me to love my neighbors/others as myself. Help me always, in every circumstance, to show your great love and mercy.

[An extra word: Happy Birthday to my sister! I thank God that we share a strong faith.]

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