Falling From Eternity Blog Tour: review & giveaway

I'm excited to have the Falling From Eternity Blog Tour stopping by today with my review and a giveaway!

Falling From Eternity

Megan Duncan

11/28/12

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For William, life was as wicked and malicious as the beast he was trying destroy. Decades spent living a life of extravagance, domination and ravenous hunger haunted him. But when you live forever, the past never stays buried. And that which wishes to control you, will never let you go. William thought he found his escape, his one and only love, but the thing he fears the most could be the only thing that saves them. Or, it could doom them all.

THREE WORDS: Darkly Sweet Romance

MY REVIEW: Falling From Eternity is quite different from Megan Duncan's previous work, as well as being different from my usual kind of read, but I've really loved Duncan's other series, so I thought I would give this one a try. And, while I didn't love it as much as her other books, I did enjoy it and found it to be a refreshing reprieve from my usual YA and MG reads.

Falling From Eternity is a paranormal romance that centers on William, a vampire of over 200 years old, as he contemplates his existence. William tries to live a life different from other blood-thirsty and deadly vampires, and he finds himself in a quiet town, working a quiet job. Then he meets the beautiful Autumn and his life suddenly has meaning. But when the unthinkable happens, William must face what he fears most to save everything he loves and wants most.

This is a quick read, feeling more like a novella than full novel, and easily devoured in one setting. With Falling From Eternity, Duncan creates a romance heavy story, but with a good dose of the paranormal. I didn't fall madly in love with the story and characters, but I was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end.

Narrated from William's POV, Falling From Eternity feels very introspective as he struggles with a serious existential crisis. I found much of William's inner monologues and musings to be surprisingly insightful. Duncan touches on emotional and profound questions and thoughts that many vampire books and characters don't, such as the meaning of one's eternal existence or the monotony, instead of excitement, of living forever, amongst other things. This makes for a very thoughtful read, yet, at times, it also makes for a less action-packed and less thrilling story.

This PNR may be more romance than paranormal, but the paranormal elements are great. I really like how refreshing and different these elements are compared to many other vampire books. Duncan's vampires are malicious, blood-thirsty, and deadly creatures that live for blood and power. The idea of being a vampire isn't romanticized or idealized in Falling From Eternity, instead it is explored from a honest and believable perspective. I like the palpable and raw darkness that Duncan creates in this book.

The romantic elements are sweet, but also maintain a certain dark edge. I wasn't enthralled or fully enticed by the romance between William and Autumn, but I think that's because it kind of feels like insta-love. For the most part, I enjoyed the interaction between the two, but the relationship feels rushed and, at times, forced. If fleshed out and developed more slowly, I think this is a romance that I could have felt stronger about. But, I certainly found myself rooting for these two by the end.

The individual characters themselves, William and Autumn, aren't breathtakingly memorable or original, but they both possess their own kind of endearing charm. I would have liked to have gotten to know them better and see them more fully developed, however. I did find myself quite fascinated by the “bad guy”, Ming, though, and I'd love to learn more about him and his history.

The book does conclude with an exciting and surprising ending that I didn't see coming, but definitely liked.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Falling From Eternity is a quick, but entertaining and enjoyable paranormal romance. This isn't my favorite of Megan Duncan's work, but I would certainly read more of the series, if she were to write more about William and Autumn (and especially Ming!). I think fans of Duncan's previous work and fans of romance centric PNR will find this a great read!

MY RATING

Megan Duncan: Site / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Purchase: Amazon / B&N

Megan Duncan is a lover of all things paranormal, fantasy, sci-fi and anything just out of the ordinary. She is continually fighting her addiction to chocolate and living in her overactive imagination.

I have two giveaways to share with y'all today: one you can enter here and one you can enter on Megan's website.

Giveaway #1

Win 1 of 2 ebook copies of Falling From Eternity!

-2 winners will win an ebook copy

-Open to anyone who can read ebooks

-Will run from 12/17 - 12/21

-Must be 13+ and winners will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

To enter just leave a comment below with your name and email address

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Giveaway #2

During the blog tour, Megan is giving away: 5 Kindle copies of FFE, 5 FFE Keychains, FFE Charm Necklace, and a Signed paperback!

You can enter this giveaway here

Chaos Blog Tour: Interview and Giveaway

I'm super excited to be a part of the Chaos Blog Tour!!!

Author Megan Duncan is stopping by today with a fun interview and giveaway.

Be sure to check out my review of Chaos and Released.

WS:  What three words best describe Chaos?

MD- Terrifying. Action-packed. Heart-wrenching

WS:   In one sentence tell readers why they should read your Agents of Evil series?

MD- My Agents of Evil series provides a unique twist that I haven't seen in an urban apocalyptic before; no zombies, just action-packed, demon butt-kicking!

WS:  How has your heroine, Abby, grown since book one?

MD- Abby's grown tremendously since the first book. She's more sure of herself as a leader, and has grown to not only trust those around her, but has
learned to open up. Just because the world around her is falling apart doesn't mean she can't try to enjoy those little moments of happiness.

WS:  Grab a copy of Chaos and answer the following:

         ·     Favorite chapter?   

 Ooh! Tough one. I'd say my favorite chapter is a tie between the first chapter and the last one. They both have very powerful scenes in them.
       ·     Favorite page?        
My favorite page is most definitely the first page; it sets the tone for the entire book and really draws you into this horrifying world. 
       ·    Favorite character? 
Of course my favorite character is definitely Abby. She's  so strong, and even those she is scared as hell, she still fights and protects those she loves even when her life is on the line. She has grown so much, and I can't wait to see what she does in book 3.

                                                  

WS: Can you tells us anything about what’s to come for Abby and gang in book three? Please?!

MD- Book 3 is going to be the most explosive yet. Will the gang leave the safety of the base or will they try to set up command at the hospital? Abby is out for vengeance, but will her road to revenge cause destruction? Who will be lost as the battle of hell on earth continues?

WS:The apocalypse is upon us (maybe its demons or zombies or aliens, who knows!)...answer the following:

        ·         What’s the first weapon you grab? 

MD- The first weapon I would grab would  definitely be some kind of awesome blade. I would want something that didn't run out  of bullets. ;o) 
        ·         Where do you hold up?   
MD- I think I would want to hold up in a less populated area, so I would head north for sure. I live in a big city and if the end of the world was zombies I'd be in big trouble.             
       ·         What position do you take in your little group of survivors (leader, scout, caretaker, etc)? 
MD- I think my position would be a lot like Abby's. I would help lead, but I wouldn't be afraid to fight on the lines beside my fellow survivors. 


WS: What mythical/supernatural creature or being would you love to be able to transform into, just for a short time?
MD- The mythical/supernatural being that I would want to transform into is probably.... a fairy. I've always wanted to be able to fly :)

WS: Fill in the blanks:

      ·         I’m really awesome at _____.

MD- I'm really awesome at making people laugh.

     ·         I’m embarrassed to admit that_______.

MD- I'm embarrassed to admit that I still get scared of the dark sometimes.

     ·         I have the biggest crush on_________.

MD- I have the biggest crush on Chris Pine.

WS: What’s the one book you think everyone should read at least once?

MD- Well... If I can't choose any of my books ;o) I would pick the Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind. It's a long series, but its one of my ultimate favorites.

WS: If you were to bake a Chaos inspired cupcake what would it look/taste like and what would you call it?

MD- This is the greatest question ever! I LOVE cupcakes! I think a Chaos cupcake would be vanilla cake dyed red, with strawberry filling. The icing would be dark chocolate and I would make some kind of fun fondant decoration; like a gun or demon. Heck! This would make a great weekend project :o)

Thanks so much for answering my questions Megan!

Connect with Megan: Site / Twitter / Facebook

Megan Duncan is a lover of all things paranormal, fantasy, sci-fi and anything just out of the ordinary. She is continually fighting her addiction to chocolate and living in her overactive imagination.

Chaos (Agents of Evil #2)
Is any shot at living, worth dying for?
They thought they’d be safe, but a world ruled by chaos doesn’t die easily.
When Max turned on the radio transmissions assuring safety, they came. But, it wasn’t just survivors of the demon apocalypse that crawled their way into the abandoned military base. A myriad of beastly demons unlike any they’ve ever seen, came as well. Abby, and her companions, struggle to survive as the evil around them grows. Desperate to endure, and to defend their fellow survivors, Abby and a squad of fierce fighters, take on a dangerous mission that has deadly consequences. 

Purchase: Amazon / B&N

Win a Kindle copy of Chaos!!!

Megan Duncan has generously offered a Kindle copy of her new book Chaos to one lucky cupcake!

DETAILS

-One winner will win a Kindle ebook copy of Chaos

-Will run from 7/12 - 7/18

-Open Int

Fill out Rafflecopter form to enter

• One main entry per person
• Must be 13+ to enter
• Winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

a Rafflecopter giveaway

During the duration of the Chao Blog Tour, Megan will be having a huge giveaway on her blog as well! The prizes include:

• 2 signed paperback copies of Chaos
• 1 signed Chaos poster
• 5 Kindle copies
• And 1 winner will get their name as a character in the next book!!!

You can enter this giveaway HERE

Review: Chaos (Agents of Evil #2) by Megan Duncan

Be sure to check out my review of Released, book one in this series

TITLE: Chaos                                SERIES: Agents of Evil #2 AUTHOR: Megan Duncan           PUB DATE: 6/12 FORMAT: eARC SOURCE: from author in exchange for honest review

Is any shot at living, worth dying for?They thought they’d be safe, but a world ruled by chaos doesn’t die easily.When Max turned on the radio transmissions assuring safety, they came. But, it wasn’t just survivors of the demon apocalypse that crawled their way into the abandoned military base. A myriad of beastly demons unlike any they’ve ever seen, came as well. Abby, and her companions, struggle to survive as the evil around them grows. Desperate to endure, and to defend their fellow survivors, Abby and a squad of fierce fighters, take on a dangerous mission that has deadly consequences.

THREE WORDS: Intense, Suspenseful, Unpredictable

MY REVIEW: In Released, the first book in the Agents of Evil series, author Megan Duncan introduced readers to a refreshing and captivatingly stark apocalyptic world overrun by demons. And in Chaos Duncan continues to explore her heroine’s fight for survival in this dangerous and fierce new world.

Picking up where Released ends, in Chaos Abby and company have arrived at the military base to find it completely empty. But when they turn the radio transmission back on other survivors begin to arrive, seeking safety. With a growing group of survivors, Abby, Max and a few others set out on a supply run that quickly turns deadly and sets a whole new string of dangerous events into motion. In desperate need of medical supplies, Abby and Max find themselves crossing into demon territory and facing a new type of terrifying demon. How far must Abby go to ensure the survival of those she loves?

Demons, giant spiders, survivor squabbles, steamy romance, oh my! Author Megan Duncan packs a lot into this sequel and continues to deftly build her post-demon apocalyptic world. The four main teenagers from the first book are back, while new, engaging characters are introduced.

It’s the end of the world as the characters know it, with a vast array of different deadly demons constantly closing in; a waning number of vital supplies and potentially explosive arguments and disagreements threating any semblance of peace among the survivors. The world Abby currently resides in is bleak, scary, unforgiving and dangerous and Duncan has done a great job of bringing this world to life in a way that is always believable and intriguing. Every day is a fight for survival, creating an atmosphere that is intensely suspenseful, thrilling, startling and unpredictable.

I love the intense action and demon battling scenes included in book two. And the demons themselves continue to enthrall and chill me! Duncan’s own brand of demon baddies is such a refreshing change from the often repetitive supernatural elements found in YA.

The story is equally action and emotion driven. Amidst all the exciting and chilling gun shooting and demon killing, the author offers readers glimpses into the emotional and mental side of an apocalypse; whether it is a look at how life and death situations can bring the best and worst out of people, tear people apart or bring them intimately together. I really appreciated this much needed balance.

My girl Abby continues to be a really relatable and likable heroine. She grows and matures a great deal in book two, but in a way that always feels organic and never contrived. I like Abby and Max together and appreciate that the author has not thrown in a cliché teenage love triangle (thank goodness!!!), but the intensity and love between the two has felt a bit rushed from the beginning of book one to book two.

Towards the end of Chaos the characters begin to come up with a theory surrounding how the demons entered our world and I found it pretty unexpected and fascinating. I do wish there was more time spent on the why’s, where’s, and who’s though- Why are the demons here?  Where did they come from? Who sent them?-and I’m hoping and thinking these things will be explored more in-depth in book three. And I have no doubt that Duncan will come up with something smart and innovative!

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Megan Duncan does post-apocalypse right and continues to excite, thrill and captivate with her originality, strong world-building and likable characters. Chaos is an excellent second volume in a must read series!

MY RATING

Find the author: Website /  Goodreads  / Twitter  / Facebook

Purchase: Amazon / B&N

Megan Duncan is a lover of all things paranormal, fantasy, sci-fi and anything just out of the ordinary. She is continually fighting her addiction to chocolate and living in her overactive imagination.

Be sure to come back July 12th when the Chaos Blog Tour stops by Word Spelunking with an author interview and giveaway!!!

eARC Review and Giveaway: Indulge (Megan Duncan)

*Be sure to enter the giveaway below my review*

TITLE: Indulge                                     SERIES: Warm Delicacy #2 AUTHOR: Megan Duncan                  PUB DATE: 12/16/11 FORMAT: eARC                    SOURCE: from author in exchange for my honest review

Claire's heart is torn between her first vampire love, Dmitry, and the Blood Mate, Arrick, that she is eternally bonded to with a powerfully deep and emotional connection. A vengeful vampire is haunting her steps, after Claire killed their mate. An ancient evil threatens to rip her world apart. With the danger of war looming on the darkening horizon, will Claire find the strength to fight back and protect those she loves? Even if it means embracing the darkness inside her? Is it worth it to become the evil she fears, in order to destroy it?

THREE WORDS: Gripping, Enticing, Addictive

MY REVIEW: Megan Duncan continues to impress and enthrall me with her consistently awesome books! INDULGE, the second volume in the Warm Delicacy series, is a captivating and satisfying sequel to Savor.

            MY BRIEF SUMMARY

INDULGE picks up right where Savor ended, with Claire and Arrick fleeing the Palace and heading to Naos and Claire’s real, vampire parents. Still feeling the sting of recent betrayals from those she loved, Claire is hesitant to allow herself to feel any excitement or longing for her real parents, but all that changes the moment she is in their loving arms. Once in Naos, and living in the Chateau with her parents, Claire quickly finds the home and family she always felt was missing. But this new found happiness is threatened by a new and dangerous evil approaching. Claire must learn to embrace and control her abilities without succumbing to the darkness herself, and she must face her feelings for two worthy men.

            STORY

As with Savor, Duncan offers readers another refreshing and exciting vampire story with INDULGE. But, what I love so much about this series, and about this book especially, is that it’s not simply all paranormal vampire elements. Yes, the paranormal aspects are great and thrilling and well executed, yet, at its core, this series is very much a coming of age story. A story about a young woman finding herself, finding her place, her purpose, and dealing with all the joy, pain, and heartache that a journey like that entails…a young woman, who simply happens to be a vampire. Duncan has done an excellent job of balancing the paranormal with the emotional and the action with the romance, creating a wonderfully layered story.

INDULGE will take hold of you from page one and refuse to let go until the last page, and even then the ending will leave you reluctant to leave its world and desperate to know what happens next…curse you Megan Duncan for your awesome “You can’t seriously stop there!” endings ;) As soon as I starting reading chapter one, I was instantly and effortlessly drawn back onto Claire’s world and story. And honestly, until I started reading INDULGE, I didn’t realize how much I actually missed these characters and being a part of their story for a while.  

Duncan’s vivid imagery of Naos and the Chateau is lovely. Duncan does a great job of being descriptive without boring readers with too much detail. And there’s a real beautiful, ethereal, and almost haunting quality to the way Duncan writes about the goddess Nyx. I really love the way Nyx is characterized and personified in this book.

There’s not a great deal of action in the first half of the book, but that’s okay because it’s not needed nor is it missed or longed for. The first half of the book is very character and emotion driven. This is the part of the book where we get to explore Claire’s very emotional journey as she gets to know her parents, begins to understand and embrace her power and place, and deals with her romantic feelings for both Arrick and Dmitry. I for one really enjoyed this exploration and experiencing this journey with Claire.

The last half of the book however, offers quite a bit of exciting, heart pounding action. Duncan’s battle and fight scenes are well executed and electric. I could see every fight sequence play out in my head (and totally loved it whenever Claire got the chance to be all badass).

All the intensity leads up to a helluva showdown between our heroine and the bad guy! And like I said above, the ending won’t disappoint, but it will leave you wanting(needing) more.

            CHARACTERS

We get to know Claire and Arrick a bit better in INDULGE and we are introduced to a few great new characters.

Claire continues to be a strong, spunky, likable, and relatable character. All her emotions- pain, confusion, anger, heartache, desire -are very palpable. She grows a lot in this book, both as a vampire and as a young woman. She’s such a capable and determined character, who must deal with a lot of heavy stuff and does so with confidence and grace, yet she also acts her age- she thinks about clothes, she acts and speaks hastily, she can even be a bit haughty and rude. But as the book progresses we get to see her really mature and evolve into someone who is still strong, capable and determined, but who’s also thoughtful, selfless, and wise.  Claire is a character that is easy to connect with and impossible not to root for.

Arrick *sighs*…I really love Arrick. He’s such an attractive blend of strong and sensitive. He’s protective of Claire, yet he doesn’t try to keep her from taking care of herself. He’s not domineering or overbearing. I love his ability to be playful around Claire. He’s such an intriguing character as well; I’m definitely interested to know more about him and his past. Arrick is definitely a swoon-worthy character…*swoons just thinking about him*…see, I told ya!

Claire’s vampire parents, Cathair and Ione, are awesome! I wasn’t expecting to love them as much as I do, but it’s kind of hard not to. Then there’s Bennett, another character who took me by complete surprise and who I ended up absolutely adoring. Bennett really gives Claire what she needs after having to leave Robin behind- a much needed friend. And of course, we get a wonderfully evil and intriguing antagonist.

            ROMANCE

In INDULGE Claire finds herself in quite the pickle- she’s attracted to and has feelings for two incredibly hot, swoon-worthy guys, both of whom care deeply for her…definitely not a situation this reviewer would want to find herself in *sarcasm hand raised super high* ;)

But seriously, Claire’s romantic confliction is really well written and captivating. And even though I proudly fly my Team Arrick banner, I must admit that Claire’s feelings for both guys are so nicely explored and developed that I wouldn’t hate it (at least not much) if she ended up with Dmitry.

I did really love all the Claire/Arrick interaction in this book though *squees a bit*. The spark between them is super-hot!

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: I loved this installment in the Warm Delicacy Series even more than the first, which is really saying something! INDULGE is a captivating, edgy read that you won’t want (or be able) to put down. A MUST read book in a MUST read series.

MY RATING

5/5 CUPCAKES

You can find Megan Duncan here:

Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

You can purchase this book here:

Amazon 

To celebrate the release of INDULGE, Megan Duncan is giving all of you the chance to win either an ebook copy of INDULGE or some bookmark swag!

There will be 4 winners:

2 ebook winners

2 swag winners

This giveaway will run from 12/16 - 12/23 at 11:59pm

Open to everyone

To enter simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below

***During the month of December, Megan will also be giving away 5 signed copies of INDULGE on her blog HERE! So be sure to go enter***

Teaser Tuesdays (15)

Teaser Tuesdays... is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: • Grab your current read • Open to a random page • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) • Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Every emotion in my body was clawing frantically to gain control. I was full of savage hunger to kill Ana, anger at myself for blindly believing Nicolae's lies, crushing depression from a life that I didn't feel was my own and now I felt a growing desire to claim Arrick as mine, but my mind wouldn't let go of my memories of Dmitry."

Indulge, pg 66-67

Megan Duncan
12/16/11