{Guest Post & Author Spotlight} Sabrina Ramoth

For my last post of my 3-Year Blogiversary Celebration I'm spotlighting YA Author, SABRINA RAMOTH! So let's dive right in...

Hi all! My name is Sabrina Ramoth, and I am the author of the Bruel Witch Series, which I will be telling you about in just a few minutes, but first I wanted to say thank you Taylor for having me over on her blog.

The Bruel Witch Series is a three (maybe 4) book series that follows the story of Vivienne Davenport as she discovers that she's a witch and is at the very center of a curse that has plagued her family for generations.

In the first book, The Curse of the Bruel Coven, Vivienne discovers that not only is she adopted but she is also a witch and she must learn to control her powers to save her birth mom from a Coven of Witches that wants to see the Curse on Vivi's family come to pass. 

There is really so much more to the story than that but I don't want to give anything away. So I will tell you how I got the idea for this series. As I mention in my answers below, my best friend convinced me to read this book called Twilight, and it ruined my life in all the best ways LOL

See, after reading Twilight, I couldn't get enough of paranormal YA and started binge reading anything else I could find. Then one day while driving my oldest daughter to a birthday party, I got this totally random idea about a man and a woman who were in love but separated by a curse. I remember sitting at a traffic light as I jotted the idea down on a piece of scrap paper I had found on the floor of my car. I didn't immediately start writing it either because up until that day, I had never written a book before so I wasn't even sure it was something I could do but the story kept nagging at me until I eventually got to the point I had to write it. The story has evolved much from the simple idea I jot down on the scrap paper that day, but the core of it is still there in Lizette and Oliver's Story.

Q&A with Sabrina...

1. Who is your favorite character in this book?

My favorite character in this book. Wow that's hard. So hard. That's like picking a favorite among my own kids. And now I sound crazy... LOL But if I HAD to pick just one.... ehhhhh I guess I might have to say Desmond. I just love his character. He's honorable and easy going and he is so easy to write because for some reason while writing him, he just takes over.

2. Which came first, the title or the novel?

Oh the novel for sure. In fact I had several working titles before officially titling the book.

3. What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

There is a fight scene I think in chapter 18 or 19 that I am especially proud of. I think that scene stands out to me because it was the hardest for me to write... What can I say, I am not a fighter LOL In the early drafts there was simply a placeholder note that said *FIGHT SCENE GOES HERE* and every time I came back to that scene in the drafting process I just couldn't write it. When it came time to write my final draft I remember giving it one last try and still it just wasn't working. Nothing I came up with felt right so I scrapped the whole fight scene and found some alternate way of working out the climax of the book that did not include a fight between the two covens. I then submitted the book to my editor for final edits and the book was done. Or so I thought. Then one night while I was doing my final pass and approving the edits my editor sent me, something clicked and I rewrote that entire chapter to include the battle scene that is in the final version of the book. And had to send my editor an apology for giving her more work to do before we could send the book off to publication.

4. What upcoming book release are you most looking forward to?

Hmmm. Well I am exciting about the Rite to Reign Box Set that I am part of. It has been an amazing experience collaborating with other authors and I've been learning a lot about marketing. We are also aiming to hit the USA Today's Best Seller list which is super exciting because should we reach our goal, it will be my first time making that list. I am also excited about, The Curse of the Voodoo Bones, which is the sequel to The Curse of the Bruel Coven. I know people have been waiting a long time for that so I am really looking forward to getting that out to my readers as soon as possible. Plus, it's been a lot of fun writing this story, since Vivi is much more settled into the world of magic.

5. What is your most recent favorite read?

Recent reads. Well this is embarrassing but I haven't gotten much time to read recently since I am behind the wire on deadlines, but I have the new CoHo (Colleen Hoover for those that do not know) on my night stand waiting for me to get sucked in.

6. What are you working on now?

Well as I mentioned above I'm working on The Curse of the Voodoo Bones and Rite to Reign. My contribution to Rite to Reign is in the Bruel World and follows a young Delphine as she rises to power. I am also working on an entirely new series, called the Huntress Saga. I am about 40% through my first draft on the first book, City of Smoke. So as you can see I've got a lot going on.

7. What authors, or books, have influenced you?

Well I guess if you could tale a look at my bookshelf that would be the easiest way to answer that question. I've got lots of Kami Garcia, P.C. Cast, L.J. Smith, Lauren Kate, Anne Rice, Charlaine Harris. But if I had to say what books were the most influence, I would have to say Stephenie Meyer Twilight Saga. I had been a while since I had read any paranormal or witchy books and my best friend convinced me finally after months and months of begging to read this book called Twilight. After reading it my love for all things paranormal were reborn and I couldn't get enough, which eventually lead into my idea for The Bruel Witch Series.

8.What is your favorite part of the writing process?

NOLA research trips? LOL No but really... I love researching for a novel. Especially when it means going somewhere and seeing the world inside my head come alive in some way. Plus I am all about the Beignets so any reason to go to New Orleans is my favorite thing!

For a limited time, you can get The Curse of the Bruel Coven for just $0.99 on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Curse-Bruel-Coven-Witch-Book-ebook/dp/B01F3X3J8S

Join Sabrina's mailing list to say up to date on new releases and projects in the works. She also run giveaways from time to time. http://www.sabrinaramoth.com/

Thank you Sabrina for stopping by to help celebrate my 3-year blogiversary! 

Book Review: The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Blurb:

Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic meets the Salem Witch trials in this haunting story about three sisters on a quest for revenge—and how love may be the only thing powerful enough to stop them.

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

My Review:

Every summer the locals of Sparrow, Oregon dread and the tourists delight in the return of the Swan sisters - three sisters who were drowned as witches more than two hundred years ago. Each summer on June 1st they return to get their revenge by invading the bodies of local girls and drawing unsuspecting boys to their watery grave. 

Penny Talbot knows the Swan Season is more than a silly legend or a game, but she has more important things to worry about, like her mother who lost her mind after Penny's father disappeared three years earlier. 

The last place she wants to be is the annual Swan party on the night before the beginning of the Swan Season but she can't say no to her friend Rose. When a newcomer, Bo Carter, saves her from a local bully she reluctantly lets the outsider return to the island she lives on with her mother for a job in exchange for room and board. 

Then the Swan Season begins and soon the bodies begin showing up in the water. Bo doesn't believe in the Swan sisters, but he's about to. Meanwhile, Penny can see which local girls have a Swan sister inside them, but why? What secrets is she hiding? What really happened to her father and caused her mother to lose her mind? And why has Bo really come to Sparrow? 

They both have secrets they don't want to share and they definitely shouldn't be falling in love. Does Penny hold the key to stopping the Swan sisters from coming back ever again? And can Bo ever forgive Penny when he finds out the truth about what she's hiding?

The Wicked Deep is a beautifully written gem of a book. The story grabs you from the first page, mainly told in the perspective of Penny Talbot although there are chapters that take you back two hundred years to the reason the Swan sisters return every summer. 

I loved every minute of this book, it was a quick but powerful read that I didn't want to put down. This book really tugged at my heartstrings, especially at the end. This book is slated as Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic meet the Salem Witch Trials, which I definitely saw hints of but it wasn't a take off or a copy of those but it's own breathtaking story. Yes, the Swan sisters were branded as witches and killed. Yes, Penny lives on an island away from everyone else with her mother, but this book is more than that. It's about love and loss and sacrifice. It's about small towns and being judged for being different. It shows that when times get tough, we really haven't evolved much as a society at all.

Overall, this is a book you definitely should read as soon as possible. Shea Ernshaw is an author to look out for because her debut was absolutely perfect. 

My Rating:

★★★★★

5 of 5 Stars!

Book Review: By A Charm and A Curse by Jaime Questell

By A Charm and A Curse by Jaime Questell

Blurb:

Le Grand’s Carnival Fantastic isn’t like other traveling circuses. It’s bound by a charm, held together by a centuries-old curse, that protects its members from ever growing older or getting hurt. Emmaline King is drawn to the circus like a moth to a flame…and unwittingly recruited into its folds by a mysterious teen boy whose kiss is as cold as ice.

Forced to travel through Texas as the new Girl in the Box, Emmaline is completely trapped. Breaking the curse seems like her only chance at freedom, but with no curse, there’s no charm, either—dooming everyone who calls the Carnival Fantastic home. Including the boy she’s afraid she’s falling for. 

Everything—including his life—could end with just one kiss.

My Review:

When Emma goes to the carnival with her friend Juliet she has no idea that she won't be leaving anytime soon. While waiting in line she locks eyes with a boy across the way who is helping a girl with a horse, but when a tumbler distracts her and she has a chance to look again, he's gone. Inside the carnival she tries to fit back in with her friend Juliet after years away from town. But when Juliet wants to reintroduce her to old friends Emma hangs back, deciding to get a fortune from The Boy In The Box Instead. 

But the boy in the box is no ordinary teenager and a bottle of wine and a kiss atop the Ferris wheel changes Emma's life forever. Suddenly she's the new Girl in the Box, the magic keeping the carnival running smoothly. Because of the person in the box, the rest of the carnies don't age, get sick, or get seriously injured as long as the person in the box is near by. And the only way to pass on the curse is to kiss someone else. 

This is the last thing Emma wanted from her first kiss, to be trapped in a transformed body where she can't feel anything with the only way out to inflict the same fate on an unsuspecting boy. Especially once she begins having feelings for Ben, one of the boys with the carnival, a boy with desires of his own to leave the carnival life behind for good. 

Is there another way to break the curse? Or will Emma be trapped as The Girl In The Box for  the rest of her life?

I requested this book because I loved the cover  and the blurb appealed to me. I was hoping for a book along the lines of Caraval or Freeks, which I didn't find but even so, By A Charm and A Curse was still an enjoyable, quick read.

This story reminded me a little of Pinocchio, which admittedly wasn't my favorite Disney movie, but I suppose it was a unique idea all the same. I liked the friendships Emma eventually found with Gin and the others and I liked Emma's romance with Ben, although it seemed a little rushed. Wouldn't you be a little cautious of anyone from the carnival, especially a guy, after the whole experience with her first kiss with the boy in the box? And the ending seemed rushed as well. 

Overall, I liked this book but it didn't stand out for me. I liked the carnival theme but the book doesn't seem like something that if you asked me a few months from now I'd easily be able to recall the details. It's a like, not a love.

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟

3.75 of 5 Stars!

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #103

This "WIR"-Wednesday I'm halfway through my ARC reading for this month. I can see some quality time with some of the new releases I've picked up recently in sight so I'm pushing through with my second to last eARC. This week I'm halfway through...

By A Charm and A Curse by Jaime Questell

Blurb:

Le Grand’s Carnival Fantastic isn’t like other traveling circuses. It’s bound by a charm, held together by a centuries-old curse, that protects its members from ever growing older or getting hurt. Emmaline King is drawn to the circus like a moth to a flame…and unwittingly recruited into its folds by a mysterious teen boy whose kiss is as cold as ice.

Forced to travel through Texas as the new Girl in the Box, Emmaline is completely trapped. Breaking the curse seems like her only chance at freedom, but with no curse, there’s no charm, either—dooming everyone who calls the Carnival Fantastic home. Including the boy she’s afraid she’s falling for. 

Everything—including his life—could end with just one kiss.

Why I Requested This Book | What I Think So Far:

I first heard about this book when the cover was revealed on YABC and fell in love. Black and hot pink are two of my favorite colors and I love the typography on the cover. And the blurb? The blurb sounded fantastic and reminded me of Freeks by Amanda Hocking which I read last year and loved. I was so excited when I found out I got approved for an eARC and started this book earlier this week. So far I'm liking it, although I thought the beginning was a little rushed. I'm sure it will be a quick read though and I'm interested to see how I feel about the book overall at the end. 

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #93

It's been a long, stressful few days for me both personally and creatively and that flowed over into my reading. I tried three books over the weekend before finally starting and loving...

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Blurb:

Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic meets the Salem Witch trials in this haunting story about three sisters on a quest for revenge—and how love may be the only thing powerful enough to stop them.

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

Why I Chose This Book | What I Think So Far:

I was so excited to get an ARC of The Wicked Deep! When I first heard about it, it went to the top of my 2018 TBR list. Initially, I was trying to make myself wait until October because I thought it would be a great book to read around Halloween, but I needed something I could sink my teeth into and get lost in for a while. Let me tell you, The Wicked Deep is definitely the perfect book to get lost in! The writing and worldbuilding are fantastic, the legend and history are well plotted, and I honestly don't want to put it down. But enough gushing, this is an ARC read and I don't want to give too much away! All I can say is - this is a book you NEED to read! 

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #46

Alright, lately it seems like I'm in a half-book slump. I pick up books that sound fantastic or are by authors I've read books by before and loved then end up sending those books to the DNF pile. Case in point, last week's WIR-Wednesday book, Splintered by A.G. Howard. It wasn't that I didn't like it per se, it just didn't keep me engrossed and since I have five other library books to get through by November 7, I'll set it aside for now. In the meantime, I've read two ARCs I loved but you'll have to wait to read about them for one-two more weeks ;) This "WIR"-Wednesday I'm reading...

Compulsion (Heirs of Watson Island #1) by Martina Boone

Blurb:

Three plantations. Two wishes. One ancient curse.

All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lived with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt's South Carolina plantation instead--a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.

Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family's twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn't what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.

Why I Chose This Book / What I Think So Far:

I kept seeing this trilogy mentioned on Goodreads, so the last time I was at the library I spotted it and decided to give it a try. From what I've heard it's been billed up to be like Beautiful Creatures, which was a series I loved so I'm giving it a try. So far I'm finding it to be an easy read and I'm eager to find out what's going on on Watson Island. The character names are a bit out there... Pru and Barrie seem a bit antiquated and Seven and Eight are just plain unusual, but overall the storyline is easy to follow, I'm just hoping this book will be one to hold my attention until the end. 

Book Review: Reawakened by Colleen Houck

Reawakened (Reawakened #1) by Colleen Houck

Blurb:

When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification. And she really can’t imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe. But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world. 

My Review: 

17-year-old Lilliana "Lily" Young's well-controlled life is about to implode. Seeking a break from the decision her parents insist she must make during her spring break - pick a college and a major, starting college undecided is absolutely out of the question - she finds refuge in her favorite place, The Met. 

As she sits in the closed off Egyptian exhibit (a perk of her family being rich: not only does she have a lifetime pass, she also can hang out anywhere in the museum) she hears something in the curtained off area. Thinking it's a tourist lost in the exhibit Lily goes to investigate. 

What she doesn't expect to find is a gorgeous guy in a white pleated skirt looking for "his" canopic jars. When he can't find them he insists that Lily help him. Thinking he's a crazy person Lily attempts to leave but not before the guy has a chance to cast a spell on her binding them together. Lily manages to lose the guy, who calls himself Amon, for a little while but when he gets hit by a car Lily feels compelled to help him. 

At first, Lily thinks Amon is crazy or possibly sick, but soon what he's telling her and what he's able to do confirm what he is saying is true. Amon is a 1000+-year-old Egyptian demigod that is tasked with stopping the god of chaos, Seth from destroying the world. Amon needs Lily's energy because his canopic jars containing his organs have been stolen so she must travel with him to Egypt to reawaken his brothers so they can perform a ritual to stop Seth. 

As Lily reluctantly goes down the figurative rabbit hole with Amon, she finds herself changing. Prim, controlled Lilliana would have never accompanied Amon to Egypt but the person she's becoming is someone she likes a whole lot better. "Lily" is up for adventure and is embracing things as they happen. Not only that but her feelings for Amon are growing into something she never expected. Could a relationship between a mortal and a mummy/sun god ever really work out? Does Amon care for Lily the way she cares for him, and if so why does he keep pushing her away? 

Will Amon be able to reawaken his brothers and stop Seth? Will he drain too much of Lily's energy? Or will Seth finally succeed? 

Reawakened is an action-packed Egyptian adventure. At first, I wasn't sure I liked Lily because she reminded me a little of the uptight Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl, too concerned by what other people thought of her. But by the time Amon finally convinced Lily he wasn't crazy, sick, or lying I was hooked on the story. I needed to see what happened next. Amon's discovery of every new modern thing was hilarious.

When they reach Egypt the reader is swept into a place that is both the past and the present, filled with rich history and exciting Egyptian mythology. The story kept me riveted but the only thing I didn't like was that as Lily and Amon encountered new complications, woke his brothers, and their feelings for one another began to alter and grow, Amon became less and less of his cheerful self and more like a man that had the world resting on his shoulders. At that time Asten became the goofball of the group. I know it probably had to be that way for the plot to work but I loved seeing Amon's cheerful side. The end left me tearful and sad, but also hopeful that things will change in the next book. 

Overall, the characters and the story were easy to fall in love with, I thought the book was very well researched, and I can't wait to see if Amon and Lily will meet again in Recreated. 

Quotes I Loved From Reawakened:

"I do not understand. Then who will wash me?" - Amon, pg. 59

Amon rose immediately. "Yes. We will take a flying chariot to Egypt." - pg. 78

"I will not bend my body to fit into a chariot so small. My sarcophagus was more spacious." - Amon, pg. 102

My Rating: 

4.5 of 5 Stars