A Moment by Marie Hall – Review and Giveaway

Today I am pleased to bring a new offering from Marie Hall to the blog.  Please read on to learn about A Moment, and be sure to check out the other stops on the tour (listed below)

A Moment
Marie Hall
Moments Series, Book 1
Marie Hall Publishing
ISBN: 978-1301602438
Pages: 328
Genre: New Adult Romance (18+)
Stars:  5
Purchase Now:  Amazon § Smashwords § Barnes & Noble §   Kobo

About the Book:
Ryan Cosgrove and Liliana Delgado are on a collision course with destiny. They don’t know it yet, but before the night is over their lives will be forever changed.

Spending Valentine’s Day at a burlesque bar, hadn’t been Liliana’s ideal way of spending a Friday night. She’d much rather be back on campus doing homework… until she meets Ryan. Tall, athletic, and gorgeous, Lili can’t keep her eyes off him, and despite his gruff manners and drunken disposition she’s intrigued.

Ryan’s got demons, and they’re deep, dark, and eating him alive. Regardless of his attraction to the petite brunette he’s tired of fighting, of pretending the last fifteen years haven’t been a daily struggle just to get out of bed every morning. That night he decides to end his pain, to leave it all behind and float away into the blessed darkness of oblivion. But fate has other plans for him, Lily finds and rescues Ryan, determined she’ll not only save his body, but his soul too.

This is their moment…

Marie is giving away the following prizes when the tour ends. US RESIDENTS ONLY!

GRAND PRIZE: $50 dollar gift card to either Amazon or B&N
2ND PLACE: an A Moment journal and a Kingdom Keychain
3RD PLACE: an eBook copy of The Kingdom Collection: Books 1-3 including Her Mad Hatter, Gerard’s Beauty, and Red and Her Wolf.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Review:
In a story that is vastly different from previous reads from her,  Marie Hall brings us a contemporary, New Adult story that is romantic, heart wrenching, difficult and fully geared to readers who are over 18.  

In each of the stories that I have read from Marie, she imbues her characters with such lifelike qualities and issues that they literally could walk among us, and probably do.  This is a twist, in which she deals with some very serious elements for her characters, and yet each is presented with care: allowing the reader to slowly digest the information and start to develop empathy for the characters before the secrets are uncovered.

Both Lili and Ryan are likable characters: Lili is far more sympathetic and easy to relate to.  Often I was relying on her innate sense that there was something and someone worth knowing in Ryan to not want to skip over his sections of the story.  I’m glad that her belief in Ryan kept me reading, his backstory and the secrets he held deep within are just waiting to burst out and bring forward a resolution.  This story demanded that I read through to the end, even the darker elements were treated with detail and care, with character voices and reactions being realistic and even refreshing to read for those who may have been in similar situations.

This is the start of a series of “moments” in time for characters – although I do hope that we return to Lili and Ryan’s story, the conclusion was satisfactory and did tie up any hopeful questions I would have had for their ongoing relationship.   Certainly a book for adults, the story is emotional and difficult to read at times, but situations are real, gritty and possibly relevant to many readers today.

I received an eBook copy from the author for purpose of honest review as part of the Indie Authors Rock promotion at I am, Indeed. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility. 

 

About the Author:
Marie Hall has always held a dangerous fascination for creatures that go bump in the night. And mermaids. And of course fairies. Trolls. Unicorns. Shapeshifters. Vampires. Scottish brogues. Kilts. Beefy arms. Ummm… Bad boys! Especially the sexy ones.

Then the day came she realized apart from the sexy bad boy she married, there’d be no vampires/shapeshifters/mermaids/fairies/or even stinky trolls in her future unless she wrote about them. More often than not she can be found roaming the wild, lush tropical forest she calls her backyard (a.k.a. Hawaii) and day dreaming constantly about her latest project.

Find Marie at:  Website  §  @mariehallwrites §  goodreads.com

TOUR STOPS!

6/04 – Brynna Curry’s In Shadow’s Guest blog

http://brynnacurryguests.blogspot.com/

6/05 –  United by Books

http://unitedbybooks.blogspot.com/

6/05 – Trine’s Review Cave

http://trinesreviewcave.com/

6/06 – Book Monster Reviews

http://www.bookmonsterreviews.com/

6/07 – Jessie’s Book Place

http://xjessiexbellex.blogspot.com/

6/08 – Cocktails and Books

http://www.cocktailsandbooks.com/

6/09 – The Reading Café

http://thereadingcafe.com/

6/10 – Got Fiction?

http://gotfiction.com/

6/11 – I Am, Indeed

http://iam-indeed.com/

6/12 – LITERAL ADDICTION

http://www.literaladdiction.com/

6/13 – Christina’s Blog

http://www.shebookblogs.com/

6/14 – Books-N-Kisses

http://www.books-n-kisses.com/

6/15 – Fetch Me My Fainting Couch

http://www.fetchmemyfaintingcouch.blogspot.com/

 

Indie Authors Rock Review of New Release: A Moment by Marie Hall

Today I am pleased to bring a new offering from Marie Hall to the blog.  Please read on to learn about A Moment.

A Moment
Marie Hall
Moments Series, Book 1
Marie Hall Publishing
ISBN: 978-1301602438
Pages: 328
Genre: New Adult Romance (18+)
Stars:  5
Purchase Now:  Amazon § Smashwords § Barnes & Noble

About the Book:
Ryan Cosgrove and Liliana Delgado are on a collision course with destiny. They don’t know it yet, but before the night is over their lives will be forever changed.

Spending Valentine’s Day at a burlesque bar, hadn’t been Liliana’s ideal way of spending a Friday night. She’d much rather be back on campus doing homework… until she meets Ryan. Tall, athletic, and gorgeous, Lili can’t keep her eyes off him, and despite his gruff manners and drunken disposition she’s intrigued.

Ryan’s got demons, and they’re deep, dark, and eating him alive. Regardless of his attraction to the petite brunette he’s tired of fighting, of pretending the last fifteen years haven’t been a daily struggle just to get out of bed every morning. That night he decides to end his pain, to leave it all behind and float away into the blessed darkness of oblivion. But fate has other plans for him, Lily finds and rescues Ryan, determined she’ll not only save his body, but his soul too.

This is their moment…

The Review:
In a story that is vastly different from previous reads from her,  Marie Hall brings us a contemporary, New Adult story that is romantic, heart wrenching, difficult and fully geared to readers who are over 18.  

In each of the stories that I have read from Marie, she imbues her characters with such lifelike qualities and issues that they literally could walk among us, and probably do.  This is a twist, in which she deals with some very serious elements for her characters, and yet each is presented with care: allowing the reader to slowly digest the information and start to develop empathy for the characters before the secrets are uncovered.

Both Lili and Ryan are likable characters: Lili is far more sympathetic and easy to relate to.  Often I was relying on her innate sense that there was something and someone worth knowing in Ryan to not want to skip over his sections of the story.  I’m glad that her belief in Ryan kept me reading, his backstory and the secrets he held deep within are just waiting to burst out and bring forward a resolution.  This story demanded that I read through to the end, even the darker elements were treated with detail and care, with character voices and reactions being realistic and even refreshing to read for those who may have been in similar situations.

This is the start of a series of “moments” in time for characters – although I do hope that we return to Lili and Ryan’s story, the conclusion was satisfactory and did tie up any hopeful questions I would have had for their ongoing relationship.   Certainly a book for adults, the story is emotional and difficult to read at times, but situations are real, gritty and possibly relevant to many readers today.

I received an eBook copy from the author for purpose of honest review as part of the Indie Authors Rock promotion at I am, Indeed. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility. 

 

About the Author:
Marie Hall has always held a dangerous fascination for creatures that go bump in the night. And mermaids. And of course fairies. Trolls. Unicorns. Shapeshifters. Vampires. Scottish brogues. Kilts. Beefy arms. Ummm… Bad boys! Especially the sexy ones.

Then the day came she realized apart from the sexy bad boy she married, there’d be no vampires/shapeshifters/mermaids/fairies/or even stinky trolls in her future unless she wrote about them. More often than not she can be found roaming the wild, lush tropical forest she calls her backyard (a.k.a. Hawaii) and day dreaming constantly about her latest project.

Find Marie at:  Website  §  @mariehallwrites §  goodreads.com

Favorite Reads of 2012: Marie Hall, author of The Kingdom Series

Who doesn’t love a fairy tale?  For many of us, those tales were our first introductions to a short story that sparked imagination.  Today, I am pleased to present Marie Hall with her Kingdom Series.  Drawing from early influences such as Alice in Wonderland, The Brother’s Grimm and even Disney classics, this has become one of my favorite series of Fairy Tales all grown up.

With a fairy godmother who is part martinet and part yenta, with a distaste for the “bippipty boppity boo” antics of her disney-esque cousins, Danica is addicted to her bad boys, and desperately wants to give them their happily ever afters.  The Kingdom series follows each of the boys in their quests as they encounter dangers, incredible worlds and their ‘true love’.

The most recent release is Jinni’s Wish, read on to find out more

Title:  Jinni’s Wish
Author:  Marie Hall
Series: The Kingdom, Book 4
Publisher:  Marie Hall Publishing
Format:  eBook
Pages:  130 (approx.)
Purchase:  Amazon §  Barnes & Noble

About the Book:

A long, long time ago there lived a man. A Jinni, who had one wish. To know love. But the woman he thought he knew betrayed him and the love he thought they shared. Tortured for his crimes, he was cast out of Kingdom, stripped of all his powers, left to langour in pain and solitude, until eventually he becomes nothing but a ghost…

Paz Lopez is an artist with a dream. To buy a ridiculously large penthouse in the swankiest section of Chicago. But there’s just one hitch, she has no man to share her dream with. A fateful visit to a carnival and Madam Pandora’s tent sends Paz on a mission to find the love of her life before it’s too late.

But the Madam forgot to tell Paz one very important detail… to meet him, Paz will have to die first.

My Review:    I give Jinni’s Wish  5 out of 5 stars.

This is the 4th book of the Kingdom series, and is more character-driven than the others in the series, providing an interesting wrap-up to the story of the boys with a softly drawn romance.

As with all of the books in this series, the author has pulled a female character from our time who is just slightly unsettled in her life, usually in terms of love. Paz is no different, a talented artist with a dream of a love that mirrors the one her brother has found, she is thrust into a story beyond all logical bounds that tests her willingness to believe love will find her.

In beautifully detailed and poignant scenes, we travel the cosmos with Paz and Jinni as he uses the last of his life force to prove his love for her. With a touch of fairy godmother interference, and more than a touch of Danika’s kick-butt attitude, she demands Jinni fight for love, for Paz and for the future that he believes is undeserved.

Another winner in this series, the switch to a more character-driven plot suits the characters and their story perfectly. Jinni has been a recurrent character in the other 3 stories, but always on the sidelines without a major part. Providing a background for him, explaining his motivations and his oft bad attitude and snarky approach to the other boys in Danika’s group of four, the story revealed in this book made all of his previous interactions make sense. A great wrap-up to a series that is certain to please many adults who enjoy romance and a touch of fairy tale.

I received an eBook copy from the author as a beta read, and was not compensated for this review. All conclusions are my own responsibility.

About the Author:
Marie Hall has always held a dangerous fascination for creatures that go bump in the night. And mermaids. And of course fairies. Trolls. Unicorns. Shapeshifters. Vampires. Scottish brogues. Kilts. Beefy arms. Ummm… Bad boys! Especially the sexy ones.

Then the day came she realized apart from the sexy bad boy she married, there’d be no vampires/shapeshifters/mermaids/fairies/or even stinky trolls in her future unless she wrote about them. More often than not she can be found roaming the wild, lush tropical forest she calls her backyard (a.k.a. Hawaii) and day dreaming constantly about her latest project.

Find Marie at:  Website  §  @marieha62547480  §  goodreads.com

 

Be sure to look for the other books in the Kingdom series:

Her Mad Hatter
Book 1 – The Kingdom Series
Purchase:  Amazon  §  Barnes & Noble

Gerard’s Beauty
Book  2 – The Kingdom Series
Purchase:  Amazon  §  Barnes & Noble

Red and Her Wolf
Book  3 – The Kingdom Series
Purchase:  Amazon  §  Barnes & Noble

Kingdom Collection:
Books 1 – 3
Purchase:  Amazon  §  Barnes & Noble