Book Review: Shift (The Protector #2) by M.R. Merrick

Goodreads Summary:  Devastated by a terrible loss, Chase is trying to balance the life he’s been left with, a family he’s still getting to know, and power he never thought he’d have. He doesn't understand why the Goddess has named him the Protector and granted him two gifts: the Mark, a tattoo that now covers his back, and the ring. But between getting interrogated by the Circle and psychic attacks from Riley, the Mark is the least of his concern. There’s a demon inside Rayna that’s fighting to be released, and it’s not her inner witch. It’s something else—a monster threatening to tear her apart. 
As Chase struggles to control his magic, his enemies are closing in. Everyone has staked a claim on his ring, and destroying it may be his only chance to stop Riley. But Chase must decide if stopping him is worth risking the lives of everyone he cares about, or if protecting the ring will be enough to save his world.

Title:  Shift
Series:  The Protector #2
Author:  M.R. Merrick
Publisher:  Self Published
Release Date:  February 2012
Source:  Author via blog tour - Thank you so very much

Well, what’s to say! Book 2 in The Protector series certainly maintains the high intense, action packed adventure that book 1 began with. M.R. Merrick did an amazing job continuing the story and the characters in this book and the third is certainly going to be epic to continue Chase’s journey.

Chase is still struggling with the idea that his father is trying to invoke the powers of an evil God. His father’s ideas are crazy and go against every belief that Chase was told during his childhood. After surviving their last encounter, Chase is left devastated and trying to control his new abilities.

The Circle has requested a meeting, but Chase has his doubts as to their motives. After receiving gifts from the Goddess to help defeat his father, everybody seems to want control of the powerful ring. As the meeting continues, their ideals don’t change and Chase becomes outraged; a showdown is imminent.

All of the Underworld factions are up against each other and Chase seems to be stuck in the middle. Rayna is fighting a monster within and Willy was bitten by a werewolf during a scuffle. Everything seems to be going extremely wrong and Chase only has one thing in his sights. HIS FATHER!

Chase is trying to control his powers, support Rayna with her monster that’s trying to rip her apart, deal with Marcus and his betrayal all besides being tracked down by vampires, hunters and the Dark Brothers. Chase’s dreams are being invaded by the Dark Brother’s and what happens in his dreams seems to hurt his physical body. Nothing is going as to plan….

Will Chase be able to get control of his powers? Will he understand the ring and keep it safe? Can Rayna and Chase overcome their problems to realise their feelings for each other? Can Chase and Marcus gather enough followers to fight against the army of pure-blood demons?

This is like Indiana Jones meets Underworld. Chase goes on an adventure of self-discovery in order to learn more about himself and how to stop his father. Along the way, realisation takes place that everybody is not as they seem and family is not only made by blood. Shift is full to the brim of action, destruction, betrayal, magic, life changing epiphanies and even a little romance. This is an amazing read, fast paced and with twists along the way that keeps you guessing. Just what is going to happen in book 3, Release? The descriptions of the beasts are so unusual and the other dimensions are so vivid you can almost reach out and touch them. One of my favourite parts was at the Witches store and how the owner appears old and blind only to change into a young lovely witch. Awesome!! Everybody needs to read this series.

5 STARS - AWESOME

About the Author: M.R. Merrick is a Canadian writer, and author of Exiled, the first instalment in The Protector Series. Having never travelled  he adventures to far off lands through his imagination and in between cups of coffee. As a music lover and proud breakfast enthusiast, he's usually found at the computer, between a pair of headphones and in front of a large bowl of cereal. 

You can find more on M.R. Merrick's books on Amazon, Goodreads,Kobo and Matt himself on Twitter, Facebook and his website.

Blog Tour - GPS with Benefits by Vanessa Morgan

I am lucky enough to have Vanessa Morgan on my blog today. Vanessa is celebrating the release of GPS with Benefits.

GUEST POST: AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Where do you call home?
Belgium.

What is the title of your most recent book?
GPS With Benefits.

Where did you get your inspiration for GPS With Benefits?
The inspiration for GPS WITH BENEFITS came to me when I was in the car with a friend. We made jokes about the GPS and imagined what it would be like if the device was aware of the driver and his thoughts. I immediately knew that this could be turned into a hilarious story. I won’t reveal more, but GPS WITH BENEFITS has some twists and turns that you won’t expect and that will have you laughing out loud.

What's the genre?
GPS WITH BENEFITS is a hilarious, light-hearted comedy. My other books are all supernatural suspense.

Who's your favorite author?
Carol Drinkwater.

Your favorite book?
"Elementary Particles" by Michel Houellebecq.

What book are you currently reading?
Ken Greenhall's "Childgrave". Ken Greenhall is the American pen name of British author Jessica Hamilton who is best known for her eighties books "Baxter", "Elizabeth" and "The Companion".

Do you have a book you would recommend?
Daph Nobody's "Blood Bar" and "L'enfant nucléaire", for their original subjects and because he's a good friend.

How do you pick your books?
By author or by cover.

Advice for other authors?
Be willing to learn. I once read that it takes about 1,000 hours to become competent at any skill, about 5,000 hours to master any skill and between 25,000 and 35,000 hours to become world class. Having a great mentor and being focused greatly speeds up this process.

Do you write under a pen name?
Yes. As I write in English, French and Dutch, I needed a name that was easy to pronounce in any of those languages and my real name - which is Dutch - is impossible to pronounce in EVERY language.

Where do you write?
Mostly from the comfort of my own home, but I also write from cozy places such as bars, parks, airports and hotels.

What do you wear when you write?
Dresses, because that's the only thing I wear.

Do you have a pet (s)?
I have a Turkish Van cat named after the Mamoru Oshii film ‘Avalon’. He has had a special appearance in A GOOD MAN and also 'acts' in the movies that were based on my books.

Favourite food?
Anything extremely spicy.

If you were deserted on an island, who are 3 famous people you would want with you?
Can I exchange those 3 famous people for my boyfriend and my cat?

Of your characters, which one would you say is most like you and why?
Originally, Céline from A GOOD MAN because of her independence and love of culture and languages. But now that I have fallen in love, I realize that I have a lot of Emma in me as well.

What made you want to be a writer?
Seeing Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" on stage in London. I was in my early twenties back then. It took me a few years though to gain confidence and to start reacting upon that desire.

Any weird talent?
I have a talent for scaring people.

What is the one thing you never go without?
My cat.

Your biggest influence?
Movies.

Favourite TV show?
I'm currently addicted to "Dexter" and “Carnivale”.

A great blog you would like to recommend for others to discover?
The blog of illustrator Gilles Vranckx, http://gillesvranckx.blogspot.com.

About Vanessa Morgan:
Vanessa Morgan is known as the ‘female version of Stephen King’. Her screenplays, A GOOD MAN and GPS WITH BENEFITS, are currently being turned into movies. She is also the author of DROWNED SORROW and THE STRANGERS OUTSIDE. If she’s not working on her latest supernatural thriller, you can find her reading, watching horror movies, blogging, digging through flea markets or indulging in her unhealthy addiction to her cat. She writes in English, Dutch and French. You can find her at http://vanessa-morgan.blogspot.com (blog) or https://www.amazon.com/author/vanessamorgan (Amazon).

About Vanessa’s new release, GPS WITH BENEFITS:
A womanizer purchases a new GPS device, but has no idea his buying one with a mind of ‘her’ own.

GPS WITH BENEFITS is available NOW at: 
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

Thank you Vanessa for visiting today and good luck with release of GPS With Benefits.

Vanessa is also holding a fabulous giveaway. All you have to do is comment on a tour post and you are entered into the draw to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card. So please start commenting and also remember to leave your email address so Vanessa can contact you if you win.

Book Review: Exiled (The Protector #1) by M.R. Merrick

Goodreads Summary: Chase Williams is a demon hunter in the Circle, or at least he was supposed to be. On his fifteenth birthday, Chase stepped up to the altar to claim his elemental power, but it never came. Elemental magic is passed down to a hunter through the bloodline, but on Chase's birthday, the bloodline stopped. 
Exiled without the Circle's protection, Chase has spent two years trying to survive a world riddled with half-demons and magic. When he has a run in with a frightened and seemingly innocent demon, he learns the Circle's agenda has changed: the Circle plans to unlock a portal and unleash pure-blood demons into the world. Vowing to stop them, and knowing he can't do it alone, Chase forms a reluctant alliance with Rayna — a sexy witch with an attitude and a secret. 
In their attempt to stop them, Chase and Rayna find themselves in the middle of the Circle's plan, leaving one of them to decide what their friendship is worth, and the other's life depending on it.

Title:  Exiled
Series:  The Protector #1
Author:  M.R. Merrick
Publisher:  Self Published
Release Date:  First published June 2011
Source: Author for an honest review - for tour of third book Release

This is a fantastic fantasy covering demons, warlocks, witches and their hunters. It was a fantastic first book in the series, a great introduction into the lives of Chase and Rayna.

Chase is a seventeen year old boy that has only known the life of a hunter. Hunters have special abilities and allow them to heal faster, be quicker and stronger than an ordinary human. Chase is the son of parents that both have hunters blood. Three years ago, Chase was to go through the hunter’s ritual to bring on his elemental powers. The only problem is that Chase didn't get his and his father was so disgusted that he exiled Chase with his mother.

Three years go by and Chase does his bit by killing demons, which is all he knows. But now something has changed and demons are following him everywhere and attacking him. Living with his Mother they are working constantly to make ends meet and to look out for each other. Then one night on his way home from work, Chase is attacked. While trying to get the upper hand somebody comes by and kills the demon before Chase can finish the job. Rayna is part witch, part hunter and has become a hunter like Chase. Marcus has taken her under his wing and together they go hunting. They have asked Chase to join their cause.

Chase doesn't know what to think, Marcus was meant to be dead and why is he working with a half-breed? Demons start to get kidnapped and Marcus, Chase and Rayna are not sure what is going on. They begin investigating the disappearances and find themselves in more trouble.

Who are kidnapping the demons? Why are they kidnapping demons? How much trouble can Chase and Rayna find? Will Chase ever receive his elemental power?

This book is full to the brim of awesomeness. Chase’s character has so much potential to evolve into the man that every reader wants him to become. He realises life isn't just about killing demons and that maybe some of them aren't that bad after all. And maybe, just maybe there may be some loving for him and Rayna (I hope so, I will have to read Shift to find out). This book has inter-dimensional travel, magic beyond your imaginations and demons of all descriptions. The world that Mr Merrick has written is unique with red and green grass, purple water; just amazing.

One of my favourite parts is the fight that Chase has to take against the troll and the old children’s story about crossing the bridge and having to pay a toll, hilarious. I certainly can’t wait to read Shift and I recommend you all read Exiled to begin the journey.

5 STARS - AWESOME

About the Author: M.R. Merrick is a Canadian writer, and author of Exiled, the first instalment in The Protector Series. Having never travelled  he adventures to far off lands through his imagination and in between cups of coffee. As a music lover and proud breakfast enthusiast, he's usually found at the computer, between a pair of headphones and in front of a large bowl of cereal. 

You can find more on M.R. Merrick's books on Amazon, Goodreads, Kobo and Matt himself on Twitter, Facebook and his blog.

BLOG TOUR: Tales from Frewyn: The Opera - Interview with Michelle Franklin

Goodreads: When due homage is paid to the heroes of Frewyn, what could possibly go wrong? 

The Frewyn Players at the Royal Theatre in Diras are looking for new material to perform when a famous director from Marridon arrives to impart a Marridon theatrical pastime that is certain to make them famous. An opera will be their new performance, one that glorifies Frewyn's greatest heroes, but what begins as homage ends as mockery, and the play that would make them the greatest exhibition in Frewyn might instead make them the Den Asaan's most merited enemy.


I have the pleasure of participating in this awesome blog tour.  This quick read is fabulous and a must read to all fantasy lovers.  Please check out my interview below with Michelle Franklin and if you would like to see my 5 explosion review, please click HERE.


Thank you Michelle for visiting my blog today, I am so very excited to have you here.


Have you always wanted to be an author?

I certainly always wanted to be a writer. It was the only thing I seemed able to do. I was horrid at everything that it seemed the logical choice, albeit not the easiest profession to succeed in.

Who are some of your favourite writers and have they influenced your writing in some way?

Jane Austen, T.H. White and David Eddings are my muses. I learnt romance from Jane, emotion from White, and humour from Eddings. I knew I wanted to write fantasy after reading Eddings' Belgariad, and I knew I wanted to write romance after reading Persuasion. White's Ill-Made Knight is a perfect blend of the two, and I aspired to follow a similar route: blending fantasy, romance, and humour.

Can you tell us what a typical writing day for you is like?

It's rather uneventful for anyone but me, I assure you! I wake up, sit down to write for about 8 hours. Go out for a walk, come back and write for another 8 hours.   KtTurner-(wow, that is a long day)

Can you tell us a little about Tales from Frewyn: The Opera and what gave you the idea to write a comedy?

The Haanta Series, and specifically the first book in the series “The Commander and the Den Asaan Rautu, went on tour this September. To spread word of the tour, I was advised to announce the event through a series of ads taken on various fantasy and romance websites. I thought this would be easily done, but when I was asked to write a tag line for one of the ads on an extremely popular romance blog, I had little idea what to write that would appeal to the site’s general audience. I perused the various other ads on the home page and cringed to myself to see their cinema-esque taglines. I thought to myself, “Well, if I must,” and proceeded to write the phrase: Two hearts, two warring nations, one forbidden love. I laughed for a good ten minutes at how ridiculous that sounded, and when I showed the ad to Twisk, she instantly went to work in drawing a picture for such a phrase. She then entreated me to write a story that would match and therefore I wrote the Opera: a ridiculous farce about how the commander and Den Asaan met.

What is up next for you?

I just finished Khantara, the standalone book about Rautu's parents. Next is Commander and Den Asaan Vol 2.         KtTurner-awesome

What is the best piece of advice you would give to a fellow writer?

I should never wish to give any advice because every writer is different. What works for one may not work for another. I can only say: Write, read, rewrite, and never give up.

What are your top 5 all time favourite reads?

 Emma, Mansfield Park, Persuasion, The Belgariad, The Once and Future King, in no particular order. 

What is the next book on your TBR pile that you are excited to read?

Mistress Marsham's Repose by TH White. It's one of the few books of his that I have not yet read.

QUICKIE QUESTIONS:
Tea or coffee?

Depends. Morning, coffee. Evening,Tea.

Chocolate, vanilla or strawberry ice cream?

Chocolate. The answer is always chocolate. 

Cats or dogs or other?

Cats. And I have two of them. 

Morning person or night owl?

Night owl. I write till 9am and love going to bed at sunrise. 

Sweet or savoury?

Depends what we're talking about. 

Favourite food?

Chocolate. The answer is ALWAYS chocolate.

How awesome is Michelle!!  Thank you Michelle and you can find Michelle Franklin on Goodreads, Twitter,Amazon, Facebook, Smashwords and her blog.

DOUBLE CLUTCH TOUR - Guest Post with Liz Reinhardt

I am lucky enough to be able to participate in this awesome tour which is being hosted by Missy Reads & Reviews and review Double Clutch.  If you would like to read my review, please click HERE. Below is the guest post supplied by the wonderful Liz Reinhardt.

First Brush With Romance: How Milk and Laminated Hearts Made Me The Cootie Queen of Kindergarten 

I recently wrote a YA contemporary romance, Double Clutch. When I wrote it, I thought back a lot on my past experiences with love, especially in high school. But I was a seasoned pro by the time high school rolled around! Because my issues with boys started when I was in kindergarten, and they were surprisingly complicated back then! Please enjoy my tale of my first catastrophic brush with romance, in which I sacrifice a boy's honor for snacks. Wow. It's weird how much that still sounds like grown-up me! 

Kindergarten was a place of bright construction paper, daily weather updates on the sacred weather wheel, more blocks than twenty-odd kids could ever play with sanely, and...arranged romance. Okay, maybe not arranged 'romance' in the traditional 'we'd like you to eventually take vows' sense of the word, but there was a definite enforced link between a boy and a girl that lasted for the ten minutes it took to walk from the Kindergarten classroom to the downstairs refrigerator and back up to the sunny kindergarten room. And it could be a relationship changer. It was for me and Jimmy V.

It all LOOKS so innocent and cheerful...but love was won in lost in a classroom that looked very much like this one!

Jimmy V. and Missy B. were my two best buddies in kindergarten. Missy and I both loved My Little Ponies, Madonna, and had long hair. Jimmy and I both hated turtlenecks, thought Lori M. was too bossy, and...there wasn't much else. But, really, what more could you ask for in a friendship when you're five?

They do, trapped cat. Or, they did. I no longer have such intense emotions about them. And I bet Lori M. really was a nice girl. I was kind of a judgmental 5-year-old.

In my kindergarten classroom, Mrs. H had a board with pink laminated hearts. On one side of the board were the names of all the girls; on the other side were the names of all the boys (who stomped their little macho feet over having their names on pink laminated hearts). Each day, Mrs. H. would pull one boy's and one girl's name and those two would be instructed to hold hands and go on a long, romantic journey. To get the milk for snack time.

I still think of romance when I see milk cartons to this day!

On the fateful day, Mrs. H. approached the board with her usual good cheer and pulled two names. Mine and Jimmy's. We were to go together and get the milk, and I was happy (though I was, by all accounts, a pretty happy kid no matter what). Jimmy was less happy. It seemed that our mutual dislike of turtlenecks and Lori M. wasn't enough to combat Jimmy's upset over what he considered to be a great injustice; I was the regular class caboose.

I realized he was sulky over my place in line, but I was a five-year-old Amazon, and Mrs. H. always said the tallest person had to be at the back of the line. Anyway, it wasn't always me. Sometimes Lori M. wore her heeled penny-loafers and ousted me as the caboose. But Jimmy wouldn't listen to reason, and, to add insult to injury, he had a broken arm and wasn't allowed to play on the monkey bars at recess. The day was doomed from the beginning.

Being the caboose was a big deal in kindergarten! There was a lot of envy directed my way...

We made the long trek down the stairs, to the basement, and knocked on the door behind which lived a gruff old janitor. He was the man who would ask how many students in our class needed milk, then hand us a long, wooden carrier with the cartons. The carrier was made for two sets of little hands to carry, but there was a secret rebellion going on in Mrs. H.'s kindergarten class.

Maybe it was rebellion against having their names on pink laminated hearts, but the boys in class had taken to lugging the carrier back upstairs without any assistance from the girls. It was dangerous and risky, but since there had been no milk carton casualties, Mrs. H. turned a blind eye.

Milk and hearts...somehow they do make sense together. It was still a hard pill for the boys in my class to swallow!

"Let me help, Jimmy. You can't carry it. You only have one good arm," I pointed out.

Jimmy scowled and yanked the carrier handle out of my reach.

"Jimmy, c'mon. You're gonna drop the milks!" I cried, as milk cartons wobbled and jerked in their shallow container. Jimmy tried to run, but his broken arm threw him off balance.

I knew those milks were going to wind up on the floor. Jimmy was going to fall and get hurt. Mrs. H. might write our names on the blackboard, under a frowny face! These were desperate times, and they called for desperate measures!

I ran after Jimmy, snatched the wooden carrier, pushed him back a few steps, and ran to the classroom, milks intact, relief on my face. Until I saw Jimmy, storming after me. Mrs. H. looked confused, but Jimmy knew better than to tattle and get us both in trouble. 

If only Jimmy had listened to me! I could have let him bring it into the classroom and saved face. But, NO, he had to ignore me, and look what happened!

At recess, the milk rebellion was the talk of the classroom. I had won admiration from some of the girls who longed to carry the milk up the stairs themselves, but those who were more admiring of chivalry frowned at my attempt to usurp the boys from their power position. The boys were pouty and suspicious, uncertain what their place would be if every girl decided she could suddenly run off with the milks.

But what hurt the most was Jimmy's anger. I had wounded him. Deeply. I had stripped him of his only defense against having his name on pink laminated heart, and their was no room for me when he played blocks. An ugly rumor that I had cooties got spread around, and no amount of circle-circle-dot-dots cured the cootie virus. Jimmy looked smug.

It was an epidemic, and I was the root! Luckily, the attention span  in  my classroom was very short, and my cootie outbreak only lasted until the next paste-eater got a scolding from Mrs. H...and we used a lot of apparently delicious paste in my classroom.

By the time kindergarten was over and summer came and went, Jimmy was a long distant memory. He was in an entirely different first grade class, a whole hall away! We met once in a while across Red Rover lines, and it was bittersweet at best, and I decided to close my heart to romance and focus on double digit subtraction, which I was failing miserably. I had no more time for romance!

And I remained stalwartly anti-boy until fourth grade, when Mike A. swept into my life and made me want to crimp my hair every day! If you're interested, I'll be sharing that sad, sad tale of my first broken heart with Shilpa at smmirza.blogspot.com on the 16th! Thank you so much to Katie for allowing me to share my first love story on her lovely blog!

Yep. There really was a time people did this everyday because they thought it looked  cool!

~~~~~

How awesome was that post from Liz Reinhardt, if only love was as simple as a teenager or even adulthood.  Thank you Liz for a lovely trip down memory lane.

Liz is also offering her book in a giveaway on this post.  It will be an eBook, so therefore open internationally.  Please leave a post comment to enter and the winner will be drawn on 21st November 2011 and notified by email.