Blog Tour Guest Post Morgan Rhodes!

 Today on WinterHaven Books I am squeeing from the rooftops because the AMAZING Morgan Rhodes is stopping by!!  I am in LOVE with her Falling Kingdoms series and I can't believe that our blog was chosen as a tour stop for her!  And she typed up a pretty awesome guest post!  Seriously my year has been made!!  

I asked Morgan

Which titles do you think will hold your readers captive while waiting for The Falling Kingdoms next installment? 

See below for her answer and some great distractions!

1. THE PRINCESS BRIDE – The movie or the book by William Goldman is a light, humorous, and unforgettable twisted fairytale that will sweep anyone away to another world. Virtually, of course. Truly a fantasy classic.

2. GAME OF THRONES by George R.R. Martin – Falling Kingdoms is often referred to as “Game of Thrones for Teens” since both series feature a fight for the throne between warring kingdoms and a large cast of characters set in a gritty fantasy land, so I must mention it as a mega amazing book series and TV series to binge read or watch if you’re looking for that type of tale. Just keep in mind, GoT is definitely R-rated when it comes to sexytimes and violence and not for the faint of heart!!

3. VAMPIRE ACADEMY by Richelle Mead – Looking for some non-sparkling teenaged vampires to go with your snazzy elemental magic? How about some shocking twists and unexpected deaths? *cue dramatic music* This is one of my favorite series ever (along with its sequel series Bloodlines), and well, pretty much anything by Richelle. These characters will seriously take over your life and you’ll be frantically turning the pages to find out what happens next.

4. AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER – This isn’t a book, it’s an animated TV show, but it has everything a Falling Kingdoms reader would want – elemental magic, war, betrayal, deception, romantic ships, REAL ships, humor, action, and mega elemental magic!! The way I learned about this show in the first place was someone telling me how much Prince Zuko reminded them of Prince Magnus. I’ve watched most of the first season and…yeah, he sure does!

5. REIGN – Again, not a book, but a castle-set, historical fantasy with kings and queens and magic and fabulous costumes? That seems very Falling Kingdoms to me! (I may change my mind when I actually get around to watching it – it’s available to binge watch on Netflix, right??)

6. LORD OF THE RINGS – I shall now hang my head in shame and admit I’ve never read the books by J.R.R. Tolkien…but the movies? So amazing, each and every one of them…including the recent Hobbit trilogy. Fun fact: The elves of LOTR were a definite inspiration for my immortal Watchers in Falling Kingdoms.

7. SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN – No, seriously. Not for the story or the acting, although Chris Hemsworth is really quite…….. Um, sorry, I got distracted for a moment there. I remember watching the trailer for this movie and thinking that if Falling Kingdoms became a movie or TV show (hey, one can hope!!), THIS is what I’d want it to look like. The cinematography is fantastic and worth watching for alone. (Whispers: I actually kinda loved this movie.)

8. AN EMBER IN THE ASHES by Sabaa Tahir – A truly killer YA fantasy by an incredibly talented debut author…this book will sweep you away to a gritty, spectacular world of brewing rebellion, brave heroines, shadowy assassins, and dangerous romance…made all the better when one realizes there is a sequel in the works!

9. RUSH: THE GAME TRILOGY by Eve Silver – Okay, enough with the fantasy. How about a palate- cleanser of some seriously kickass sci-fi in which a girl is pulled from her real life into a game world where she has to fight aliens with the ultimate fate of the human world at stake? BRING IT ON, Y’ALL!

10. A BOOK OF SPIRITS AND THIEVES by (yours truly) Morgan Rhodes – This is the spinoff/companion series to Falling Kingdoms! Partially set in our “real” world and partially in the world of Falling Kingdoms, two sisters discover an ancient book that leads them to a power hungry secret society and a porthole to another world full of magic and danger. I’m working on the sequel right now and it’ll be out June 2016, which will help bridge the gap a bit before Falling Kingdoms #5 in December 2016!

Happy Reading!

Morgan

Morgan thank you so much for this!  These are great picks and I know I will definitely use them between  now and when the next installment of The Falling Kingdom's comes out!

About Morgan Rhodes:

Morgan Rhodes lives in Ontario, Canada. As a child, she always wanted to be a princess -- the kind that knows how to wield a sharp sword to help save both kingdoms and princes from fire-breathing dragons and dark wizards. Instead, she became a writer, which is just as good and much less dangerous. Along with writing, Morgan enjoys photography, travel, reality TV, and is an extremely picky, yet voracious reader of all kinds of books. Under another pen name, she’s a national bestselling author of many paranormal novels. Falling Kingdoms is her first high fantasy. 

Tumblr / Twitter / Facebook 

Click on each cover to visit Goodreads and to find out more information about each book.

Be sure to follow the rest of the tour!

http://theirishbanana.blogspot.com	The Irish Banana Review	12/7 - interview
http://addictreaders.blogspot.com/	Addicted Readers	12/7 - review
http://aperfectioncalledbooks.blogspot.com/	A Perfection Called Books	12/8 - review
www.bookiemoji.com	Bookiemoji	12/8 - Would You Rather?
http://winterhavenbooks.blogspot.com/	WinterHaven Books	12/9 - guest post
http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/	Once Upon a Twilight	12/10 - Review & giveaway
http://www.twochicksonbooks.com/	Two Chicks on Books	12/11 - guest post
http://www.jessabellareads.org	Jessabella Reads	12/11 - review
http://www.myfriendsarefiction.com	My Friends Are Fiction	12/14 - guest post
Http://www.amidsummernightsread.com	A Midsummer Night's Read	12/15 - Book Playlist
http://darkfaerietales.com/	Dark Faerie Tales	12/15 - review
www.iceybooks.com	IceyBooks	12/16 - Top 10 list
http://thedailyquirk.com	The Daily Quirk	12/17 - review & giveaway
http://www.mundiemoms.blogspot.com	Mundie Moms	12/18 - interview
http://hollywoodnewssource.com/	Hollywood News Source	12/18 - review

Blog Tour: Top Ten with Mindy McGinnis

Recently I finished A Madness so Discreet and let me tell you it was perfection!  So when I was chosen to host Mindy on our blog I squeed from the rooftops!  For our stop on Mindy's tour we have her stopping by to list her top ten scariest sounds!  

1) The ass of your jeans tearing.

2) A raccoon fight – seriously. Horrifying.

3) The screech of brakes.

4) Dial up internet.

5) Silence when you’re waiting on a call or text.

6) The zombies from Tomb Raider (old school, PS1)

7) Velociraptors. Period.

8) Footsteps when you know you’re alone.

9) Angry pigs. I mean wow.

10) The noise when the Titanic broke in half.

 Quite a few of these gave me chill bumps!  The Titanic one I think is the one I never would have thought of and would definitely make my list!
What do you think, did she leave any out??

Grace Mae knows madness.

She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum.

When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBook | The Book Depository

ABOUT MINDY McGINNIS:

Mindy McGinnis is a YA author who has worked in a high school library for thirteen years. Her debut, NOT A DROP TO DRINK, a post-apocalyptic survival story set in a world with very little freshwater, has been optioned for film my Stephanie Meyer's Fickle Fish Films. The companion novel, IN A HANDFUL OF DUST was released in 2014. Look for her Gothic historical thriller, A MADNESS SO DISCREET in October of 2015 from Katherine Tegen Books. Mindy is represented by Adriann Ranta of Wolf Literary.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Don't forget to stop by the rest of the amazing blogs on the tour!

Week 1:
10/5 - My Guilty Obsession: Top 10 Reasons Mindy Would be Committed to an Asylum in the 1800's
10/6 - Reads All the Books: Review
10/7 - The Book Addict's Guide: Q&A with Mindy McGinnis
10/8 - Paperback Princess - Review
10/9 - Addicted 2 Novels: Top 10 Horror Flicks/Books

Week 2:
10/12 - Words We Heart: Review
10/13 - Winterhaven Books: 10 Scariest Sounds
10/14 - A Perfection Called Books: Review
10/15 - Across the Words: Top 5 Creepiest Asylums
10/16 - Adventures in Reading: Review

GIVEAWAY INFO:

One Winner Will Receive a Harper Teen Horror-themed prizepack!

US Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Top Ten with Kim Liggett!!

I'm soooooo excited and I mean like squee from the rooftops excited!  Blood and Salt has been on my tbr forever and when I found out there was a tour planned for Kim I begged, pleaded, and promised to even give up my husband to be on the tour! Penguin Teen was amazing and not only picked me for the tour, but they offered to have Kim send a top ten list and told me I could keep my husband woot!  So now after my total fangirling intro here is...

Top Ten List of Things I (Kim Liggett) can't live without.

Let's be real. I can exist without any of these things, but why merely exist when you can truly live?

1. My writing pals.

I like to think of us like this:

​

But it's probably more like this:

​

2. Iced Green Tea

I drink vats of this stuff every single day

​

3. Books, film, art, music

A life without creativity would be a miserable one

​

4. Perfume

I've always been fascinated by perfume. This is my current fave, which happens to be Katia's scent.

​

5. The Opera

It's a serious indulgence. I only get to go a few times a year, but knowing that the Met is just a subway stop away is magical.

​

6. Vans.

I always own a good pair of Vans sneakers. This is my current pair.

​

7. A sumptuous bed

I splurge on nice linens & pillows. I want my bed to be a sanctuary.

​

8. Humor

A good laugh is the best medicine.

​

9. Take-out

I love the fact that I can order waffles, sushi, tikka masala, moussaka, roti, or enchiladas at any hour and have it delivered to my door within 30 min. It's dangerous, but awesome.

​

10. The ability to dream BIG

My life would be a sad monotonous existence without the ability to dream.

I love love love this list!  I can definitely agree with more than one of Kim's picks =)  

Kim thank you so much for writing this up!  

Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's and Sons Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 22nd, 2015
Purchase: Amazon

Romeo and Juliet meets Children of the Corn in this one-of-a-kind romantic horror.

“When you fall in love, you will carve out your heart and throw it into the deepest ocean. You will be all in—blood and salt.”

These are the last words Ash Larkin hears before her mother returns to the spiritual commune she escaped long ago. But when Ash follows her to Quivira, Kansas, something sinister and ancient waits among the rustling cornstalks of this village lost to time.

Ash is plagued by memories of her ancestor, Katia, which harken back to the town’s history of unrequited love and murder, alchemy and immortality. Charming traditions soon give way to a string of gruesome deaths, and Ash feels drawn to Dane, a forbidden boy with secrets of his own.

As the community prepares for a ceremony five hundred years in the making, Ash must fight not only to save her mother, but herself—and discover the truth about Quivira before it’s too late. Before she’s all in—blood and salt.

Want to see the creeptastic trailer and read an excerpt??  Of course you do!!  Just click HERE!

Don't forget to visit the rest of the amazing blogs on this tour! 

Good Books & Wine – guest post #1 – 9/14
Addicted Readers – interview - 9/15
Jessabella Reads – 25 Random Things - 9/16
A Midsummer Night’s Read – Book Playlist #1 - 9/17
It Starts At Midnight – review & giveaway - 9/18
The Book Bratz – review & giveaway - 9/21
No BS Book Reviews – interview - 9/22
Once Upon a Twilight – Would You Rather? - 9/23
Please Feed the Bookworm – review & giveaway - 9/24
The Irish Banana – guest post #2 - 9/25
Winterhaven Books – Top 10 - 9/28
My Friends are Fiction – review & giveaway - 9/29
Fiction Fare – interview - 9/30
A Dream Within a Dream – Book Playlist #2 - 10/1
Two Chicks on Books – interview - 10/2

Blog Tour: Top Ten, Review, & Giveaway Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Today at WinterHaven Books we are beyond excited to join in the blog tour for Origin!!  This series is just so amazing and definitely one of our favorites!  For our stop we have the top ten reasons why Katy is kickass and a review!

Top Ten Reasons Why Katy is Kick-Ass!

1.Doesn’t take Daemon’s crap

2.Wears shirts like “My vlog is better than your blog”

3.Tortures herself with Onyx to help the Luxen

4.Doesn’t back down from a fight

5.Stands behind what she believes is right

6.Accepts the Luxen without prejudice

7.Has fantastic taste in socks

8.Is badass at gardening

9.Loves zombie movies

10.Can rival a Luxen with her abilities as a hybid

 I think we can all agree that Katy is such an awesome character! She is on our top 5 list of characters we would love to be besties with and someone we actually wish we could switch places with =P

Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher-Entangled Publishing
Released- Aug 27th 2013
Purchase- Amazon/ B & N/ Chapters

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.All Katy can do is survive.Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?Together, they can face anything. But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on? And will they even be together?

My Thoughts:

This book. You guys. O.M.G! Things just got out of this world c r a z y. Jennifer is not holding anything back!! Just...WOW!!

You know that feeling after you've read a book and you think to yourself ' this just can't get topped'. Well that's me every time I read a Jennifer L. Armentrout novel. The thing is, the women always proves me wrong. These books just keeps getting better and better and I've never been so happy to be proven wrong time and time again. Jennifer is the real deal peeps. I don't know how she does it, but she manages to deliver another heart-pulsing, jaw dropping, jumping-out-of-my-own-skin installment, that turned my insides up with all kinds of emotions. I was torn between devouring and savoring every inch of this book. But one thing is for certain, I always walk away craving MORE!!!

This book takes place right after the aftermath that enfolded in Opal. With a rescue mission on the verge of turning out, something horrible goes wrong and Kat was left behind and is now in the hands of the Daedalus. My imagination went  into overdrive fearing for all the horrible things that could happen to Kat, and yeah, I had a reason to be afraid. It's not pretty my friends. My stomach was twisted in knots so badly the entire time. JLA paints a rather graphic picture and while she tried her best to tame it down, she made her point. And it broke my heart. I cringed and cried. Jennifer blew me away. Extremely well written stuff guys.

There is a brand new side to Daemon Black and it comes in all shades of pissed off and get the hell out of my way! You do not want to mess with an enraged Luxen that's being denied the love of his life. His temper deserves to have it's own name. Given his days of asshatery, Daemon has come a long way in regards to the way he feels about Katy. They've been through so much already, but it's times like this, where his feelings have been ultimately tested and he finally knows what's he wants and what he'll do get her back, that takes my breath away.

There is so so so much that happens plot wise and it's killing me that I can't express it in this review since it's suppose to be spoiler-free but, damey dame dame!! JLA is killing me. There isn't a dull moment in this book. Seriously. From the first page on expect nothing but a constant flow of in your face action, heart-stopping revelations and melt-you-into-a-pile-of-goo swoon-worthy-goodness. I love the Origin's concept. It's riveting, incredibly creepy, creative and such a brilliant move. There are also some really gripping surprises in this one, both good and bad which include a shocking betrayal and devastating losses and an astounding ending that had my eyes popping out and in holy-shit mode. In short, be prepared to be entertained, thrilled and in awe of this sensational and outstanding installment in the Lux world!! 

Katy has always been a fierce character but I've never bee more proud or impressed with her then in this book. Good gawd, my heart. The things that she had to endure nearly broke me and yet through it all this girl stayed strong. I adore her strength, her bravery and the fight she has flowing in her veins, but what I love about her the most is her endless heart. No matter what kinds of hell she's going through, she was more concerned about Daemon then she is about what will happen to her next. 

In this installment we are finally treated to Daemon's point of view. I could kiss Jennifer. All the wonderful and naughty thoughts I always believed he had in that head of his, is all on paper for us to devour, but we get so so much more then wicked thoughts. Daemon is truly all kinds awesomesauce. He's one mean glow-dude when he has to be. What he did for Kat was insane but it's such a Daemon move. I wouldn't have expected anything less. Then we have that softer and sexy side to him that did stupid things to my heart. Scene after delicious scene, these two make being in love feel like the first time over and over again. And lets not forget the trademark funny and wit. JLA knows exactly when to punch it without taking away from the dire situation surrounding them. We're also introduced to a new character that I loved and we also get to see more of Luc in this book which was so great since he became such an important force. Fans of Obsession will smile at Hunter and Serena's cameo appearance. I know I did. 

I wish I could say more, but at this rate I could go on forever. So bottom line, Origin is a kickass and remarkable installment. It's my favorite JLA book to date, or well, at least till her next book comes out. Fans of this series will not be disappointed. It doesn't end on an evil cliffy but it does leave us with a heavy heart and a million and one questions at the ready. I'm excited but sad for the last book in this series. It's a bittersweet feeling craving the next book but knowing it's the last one. I've grown so attached to everything this world has to offer. Daemon, Katy and the rest of the characters will forever be loved and I simply can't wait for more!

Find the author:
Goodreads / Website                               5 Snowflakes

Also we have a GIVEAWAY for our readers! The wonderful people at Entangled Teen have offered to send one lucky reader a PDF copy of Origin!  We are going to make this super simple, just leave a comment with your own reason why you think Katy is Kick-Ass and we will randomly draw a winner in one week!

Good luck!

About Jennifer L. Armentrout

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg,
West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at
work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies,
pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time
writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult
paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer
Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen.
She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by
Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

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