Book Blitz: The Summer Marked by Rebekah L. Purdy (Excerpt, Guest post & Giveaway)

The Summer Marked by Rebekah L. Purdy 

(The Winter People #2) 

Published by: Entangled: Teen

Publication date: September 22nd 2015

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:

The sequel to the chilling Winter People returns to the world of Faerie, and is a romantic and enchanting follow-up.
Salome left humankind behind to be with her boyfriend, Gareth, in the Kingdom of Summer. But now forces of darkness are rising. Her happily-ever-after is coming apart, and the Kingdom is on the brink of war.
Newly-single Kadie Byers is on her way home for Thanksgiving, imagining a visit filled with hot chocolate, a hot guy for a little rebound action, and some girl time with her bestie, Salome. Except she receives a message from Salome with two important words: PLEASE HURRY.
When Kadie rushes to help Salome, she’s ripped from the human world and pulled into the kingdoms of Faerie, where she’s shocked to learn that Salome’s monsters are real, and that she’s now at the mercy of one extremely vengeful Winter Queen…
Now both Salome and Kadie must find a way to survive the deadly chaos…or lose themselves to Winter’s deadly, icy grasp.

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EXCERPT 2 SALOME:

Bubbles and foam rose from the river floor as if there was an eruption below. Water sprayed my left cheek. A gurgled snort sounded beside us as a great black horse rose from the depths, river-weed tangled in its mane. This was no ordinary horse. It was a Kelpie. It turned to face me, eyes blazing like hot coals. The beast’s lips peeled back to reveal blood covered teeth. Crap. If I could reach the saddlebags, then maybe I could pull out the sword Gareth had gotten for me. I leaned to the side, reaching for the buckles. Moving at this pace and bouncing around, I couldn’t get hold of it.

Come on. 

Adaba jerked to the side in an attempt to get to the shore. But it was too late. In one swift movement, the Kelpie latched onto my arm.

“No!” Pain shot through me like a bullet. I fought to stay in the saddle. My horse kicked out his hind legs, catching the Kelpie in the side. Still the creature wouldn’t release me. 

Instead, it tugged harder ripping me halfway off my saddle. My knees tightened around Adaba’s sides, my fingers loosened as water slickened what grip I had. The Kelpie’s teeth sunk deeper into my arm. My hands slipped; my hold lost. Horror washed over me when I plunged into the dark, icy depths of the river. The coldness stung my skin. The creature dragged me deeper, and I kicked my legs, thrashing to free myself from it. Above me, all I saw were the distorted images of the sky as it faded from sight.

Guest Post:

Writing From Two POVS (Point of View):

I had a blast writing The Summer Marked (book two in the Winter People series), but mostly because I got to create the story from two different characters’ points of view. Kadie and Salome are SUCH different people. Kadie is more bad ass and hardcore, where Salome, who can be tough if she needs to, is a more “soft” kind of character. She kind of wears her heart on her sleeve and cares SO much about people. So it was nice being able to see how each character reacted to their environments.

But these two girls are both in very different types of places within Faerie. Kadie has been dropped right into something out of a horror flick or a fairytale gone wrong. Winter is filled with so much darkness, violence, and nightmarish stuff—a very macabre place. It was tough to write Kadie’s character, because we see how all this evilness is starting to break her down. She’s struggling to remain strong and protect her friend at all costs. But her whole situation seems helpless. It’s like every ray of hope that she has just keeps getting sucked away.

Salome, on the other hand is in Summer. When I was creating Summer all that kept popping into my head was something out of Tolkien novel, kind of like Rivendell. Summer is a HUGE contrast from Winter. It’s beautiful, with fountains, waterfalls, flowers, trees, castles etc. But underneath all the beauty there is a danger for Salome as well—and she learns quickly that not everything that’s “pretty” is nice. She has her own battles to fight, especially since not all the Fae like humans. She trying to find her place in a world where she really doesn’t totally belong or fit into. I had a different kind of fun writing her character. I liked showing her contrast from Kadie. How she had her own “horrors” and political issues she was dealing with. But also showing her grow more of a backbone and into her own so to speak.

The great thing about duo povs is being able to give the reader a bigger look at the setting and characters your writing about. To give them an idea of things outside just the main protagonist’s thoughts. I seriously love this book and hope the readers do as well.

AUTHOR BIO:

Rebekah was born and raised in Michigan where she spent many late nights armed with a good book and a flashlight. She’s lived in Michigan most of her life other than the few years she spent in the U.S. Army. At which time she got a chance to experience Missouri, Kansas, South Carolina, and California. Rebekah has a business degree from University of Phoenix and currently works full time for the court system. In her free time she writes YA stories, anything from YA Fantasy to YA Contemporary Romance. Rebekah also has a big family (6 kids) she likes to consider her family as the modern day Brady Bunch complete with crazy road trips and game nights. When not hiding at her computer, Rebekah enjoys reading, singing, soccer, swimming, football, camping, playing video games, traveling, and hanging out with her family and gazillion pets.

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Giveaway:

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WWW Wednesdays #1 (10th September 2014) by Rinny

I have decided to do something different this week. I have found a new meme to try! Hosted by Miz B at Should be Reading. Let me know in comments if you would like to see more of these.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

I am currently reading 

BLURB

Daniel Zurenski feels like a total loser, but he's about to encounter a crazy array of characters who are going to change his life forever. It starts with Fred Zimmerman (and his unique pet) who scrubs pots at The Spaghetti Barn restaurant and accidentally sets off a disastrous chain of events. There's the volatile restaurant manager Paolo and his greasy head chef nephew Tony. Then there's a fanatical sports reporter named Bruce Jagerski who dreams of winning a marathon if only he didn't have such a bizarre running style. All come together during marathon race weekend in this hilarious tale which will keep you guessing right to the finish line. 

Goodreads

I plan to start reading this today fingers crossed. I managed one page yesterday before the puppy distracted me by being a little devil lol.

I recently finished reading

BLURB

Salome Montgomery fears winter—the cold, the snow, the ice, but most of all, the frozen pond she fell through as a child. Haunted by the voices and images of the strange beings that pulled her to safety, she hasn't forgotten their warning to "stay away." For eleven years, she has avoided the winter woods, the pond, and the darkness that lurks nearby. But when failing health takes her grandparents to Arizona, she is left in charge of maintaining their estate. This includes the "special gifts" that must be left at the back of the property.
 


Salome discovers she’s a key player in a world she’s tried for years to avoid. At the center of this world is the strange and beautiful Nevin, who she finds trespassing on her family’s property. Cursed with dark secrets and knowledge of the creatures in the woods, his interactions with Salome take her life in a new direction. A direction where she'll have to decide between her longtime crush Colton, who could cure her fear of winter. Or Nevin who, along with an appointed bodyguard, Gareth, protects her from the darkness that swirls in the snowy backdrop. An evil that, given the chance, will kill her.

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My Review

I enjoyed this book a lot. Click My Review above to read my detailed review of this book. I would not be shocked if this makes it into my top ten reads of 2014.

I think I will be reading this next

BLURB
The end of the world just might be their perfect beginning…

Glenview, North Carolina. Also known―at least to sixteen-year-old Ava Pegg―as the Land of Incredibly Boring Vacations. What exactly were her parents thinking when they bought a summer home here? Then the cute-but-really-annoying boy next door shows up at her place in a panic…hollering something about flesh-eating zombies attacking the town.

At first, Ava’s certain that Cole spent a little too much time with his head in the moonshine barrel. But when someone―or something―rotted and terrifying emerges from behind the woodpile, Ava realizes this is no hooch hallucination. The undead are walking in Glenview, and they are hungry. Panicked, Ava and Cole flee into the national forest. No supplies, no weapons. Just two teenagers who don’t even like each other fighting for their lives. But that’s the funny thing about the Zombpocalypse. You never know when you’ll meet your undead end. Or when you’ll fall dead over heels for a boy…

Goodreads

I recently was approved an arc copy of this on netgalley. I am excited to read this something different for me. This book is scheduled for release on the 29th of September 2014.

Do you have your own WWW Wednesday link it below in the comments (If you do not have a blog comment yours below). Have you read any of these books what were your thoughts? Again comment below. Would you like us to make this a regular meme on the blog comment below. Have a nice day :)

Rinny Reviews :The Winter People by Rebekah L. Purdy

Disclaimer : I was Provided a free ARC copy of this book from Entangled Publishing in return for an honest review.

                    

                                                                 

    Releases (2.9.2014) today!!!!

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Blurb

Salome Montgomery fears winter—the cold, the snow, the ice, but most of all, the frozen pond she fell through as a child. Haunted by the voices and images of the strange beings that pulled her to safety, she hasn’t forgotten their warning to “stay away.” For eleven years, she has avoided the winter woods, the pond, and the darkness that lurks nearby. But when failing health takes her grandparents to Arizona, she is left in charge of maintaining their estate. This includes the “special gifts” that must be left at the back of the property.
 


Salome discovers she’s a key player in a world she’s tried for years to avoid. At the centre of this world is the strange and beautiful Nevin, who she finds trespassing on her family’s property. Cursed with dark secrets and knowledge of the creatures in the woods, his interactions with Salome take her life in a new direction. A direction where she’ll have to decide between her long time crush Colton, who could cure her fear of winter. Or Nevin who, along with an appointed bodyguard, Gareth, protects her from the darkness that swirls in the snowy backdrop. An evil that, given the chance, will kill her.

Review

Before I start can we just take a moment to take another look at the cover for this book........ It is gorgeous and fits the book so perfectly. One of the best covers I have seen this year. I was not sure what to expect from this book going in I had not previously read any of the author's work and I find fae books can be hit and miss. I struggled for about the first four/five chapters not with the author's writing, world building or even really the plot. I struggled because at first it seemed a little slow and that it was going to be one of those books to yet again have a love triangle/quartet. I was wrong Salome does have a few males interested in her but in no way is it the dreaded boring love triangle/quartet and not everyone or their intentions are what they seem to be. This book ended up hooking me so much I ended up neglecting everything from my family, chores and the blog! I honest to god went from meh to omg this book is fantastic in the space of a few chapters. 

I found the author's writing beautiful, elegant and powerful. Even before I got hooked on the book I knew I would finish it, because the writing had that special pull to me. The way she described the world around Salome made me feel like i was there in the woods freezing taking in the beauty and the sense of danger around me. She builds us this beautiful, spooky world of ice, and then continues taking us through the seasons with a sense of eerie foreboding what's going to happen? However I did have some minor issues with the dialogue at times mainly repetitiveness. 

I found the plot for this book refreshing and original, a modern day fairy-tale. The book is filled with mystery, magic, twists and suspense.  I have to say I did not exactly see how the ending would work out if at all. However the ending was perfect and exactly as I would have hoped for in a way but also not predictable. We are given an ending that is tied up neatly, although I do feel that a couple of the things that happen throughout the book could have done with more explanation and enlightened as a little more. This does not detract from the story but might leave some readers with unanswered questions about a couple of the characters making said characters hard to engage with and understand (Colton ).

The story is told through our heroine Salome. I liked her as our main character and heroine. She grows through the story in so many ways. Although I do think that the way she handled some of the situations were not as I would see her or a heroine doing. Instead of seeking answers about the curse. It felt like she thought that she should just ask questions over and over to people in a more passive approach. She gets there in the end and instead of the weak, vulnerable young girl we meet at the beginning, she blossoms into a strong brave young woman. I am also glad she does not compromise her morals and beliefs throughout the book even though she has been through and goes through so much.  I think that the book being from another POV or multiple would have left the book lack lustre and destroyed some of the mystery and suspense. 

I found that the characterization was overall good a couple of the characters felt not as developed as others. I also feel that in particular with the three important men in the book, we could have done with some more background and explanation especially when it comes to Colton and his actions. The three men Nevin, Colton and Gareth seemed OTT at first. As the story progresses you learn each is important in their own way and not for the way you might think.  The characters felt real enough to be believable and to form some sort of bond with each of them. Even the side characters were developed enough to seem believable and endearing. I think Salome's grandmother is even for her faults and not so helpful helping ways is adorable. I try to keep my reviews spoiler free but I just can't help but mention I feel that Kadie and Salome should have been tied up slightly better. They were best friends and I do not think the ending should have happened without some thought of Kadie by Salome. If I had to pick a favourite character it would be Gareth. He is just so intriguing, strong and likeable for many reasons. Even though I identify most with Salome because I too have had severe fears to overcome because of trauma, Gareth is the character out of the book I would most like to have as a friend.

Our villain the witch, was brilliantly written so scary, creepy, she could have her own companion novel and I would be first in line to read it. Some of her scenes scared me so much lol and beyond any doubt were some of the best in the novel. I honestly cannot pick just one or even three scenes as my favourite from this novel. There are so many scenes that are important or just amazing in their own way.   Even though the book is a standalone they're is at least three companion novels I could imagine and would love to see in the future. 

I enjoyed this book immensely. I went through so many feels including tears! One minute I would be laughing, the next I would be scared and then a second later angry. I would recommend this book to my family, friends and anyone who enjoys a magical story filled with mystery, suspense and everything you would expect in a great fairy-tale. I think I might have to pick up some more of this author's work soon including a copy of this for my shelf.

My Rating: 

Good Luck Rebekah L. Purdy with the release. We wish you the best success now and in the future.

About The Author & Links

I was born and raised in Michigan (just look for the mitten-shaped state on the map). I’ve lived here most of my life other than the few years I spent in the U.S. Army.  At which time I got a chance to experience MO, KS, SC, and CA.

I work full time for the court system and in my free time I write YA stories. Pretty much any genre within the YA realm is game for me, but my favorites are fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, thrillers, light sci-fi, and some time travel.

I also have a big family–I like to consider us the modern day Brady Bunch. When my hubby and I met and got married, he had 3 children from a previous marriage, I had 2 and we have 1 together. It’s a lot of fun though.

And I can’t forget my other family members–yep, we’ve got some pets: 4 dogs, 3 cats,  and 1 turtle. Everyone in the family has one…I won’t bore you all with their names (unless you really want to know). Okay, you talked me into it! Jack, Pearl, Grr…(yes that’s my dog’s name), Callie, Shadow, Mooshoo, Grouchy, and Sorbert. Other than writing some of my other hobbies include: reading (mostly YA of course), singing, swimming, football, soccer, running, camping, sledding, church, hanging with my kids, and traveling.

I belong to a fabulous writing group called YA Fiction Fantatics (YAFF) and you guessed it we all write YA!

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Have you read this book? Are you planning on reading this book? Any thoughts or comments? Don't be scared comment below :)