Blog Tour - Magic Unfolds - Excerpt

Happy Thursday, everyone! Yay! Friday is tomorrow! How excited are you? I'm so eager for the weekend to start it's ridiculous. Today, I'm bringing you an excerpt from Magic Unfolds (Book 2 of the MysticSeeker series) by N. L. Greene. Grab your coffee, a comfy chair, and strap in for the ride!

Let's start with a little information about the book.

Title: Magic Unfolds (Book Two of the MysticSeeker series)
Author: N. L. Greene
Genre: YA Paranormal
Length (print): 190 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $2.99  ~  Paperback $11.10  ~  B&N $2.99

Synopsis:
For the first time in her life, Becky had hopes of fulfilling her own dreams when Blaine Winters inexplicably arrived into her quiet life, teasing her with astounding possibilities she never thought imaginable.  Not only did he reveal that magic was indeed real, but he also stirred feelings in her that she had only read about in clichéd romance novels.  But just as quickly as he appeared, he was gone.  Then Becky’s life was turned upside down by a family emergency.  With the overwhelming demands of running an elite law firm as well as her ex becoming more of a threat each day, she didn’t have time for whimsical thoughts or personal exploration anyway.

Now that Blaine has mysteriously disappeared from her life, she can put her family first and focus on what she needs to do.  If only it were that easy.  Blaine may be gone and all of Becky’s little girl dreams of a world filled with magic with him, but that doesn’t mean all’s forgotten.  Nightmares are plaguing her, someone is watching her, and there are powers within her that she can’t seem to control.

Will Becky finally get her chance at magic after all, even if she doesn’t want it?

Excerpt:

“Watch it, would you?” the person sneered.

“Samantha!” Becky yelled. She may have been tipsy, but she’d know that voice anywhere. She whirled around, hands in the air, and threw them around Samantha’s neck.

“Oh for shit’s sake,” she mumbled as she tried to pry Becky’s arms away.

 Becky relented when she felt Ethan pulling her back. But she didn’t go far. “Samantha! It’s so nice to see you. Do you come here often?” Becky asked with a little giggle.

Samantha rolled her eyes but there was a tiny smile at the corner of her lips. “Are you drunk?”

Becky pretended to be aghast. “Of course not!” she said as if she were offended by the accusation.

“Yes, yes she is,” Ethan said from behind her.

Becky turned back to glare at Ethan, who wasn’t even fazed by her dirty look, before turning back to her new best friend. But Samantha was staring at Ethan. Becky tilted her head, having sworn she saw something in the girls’ eyes, but then they snapped back to Becky, and whatever it was she thought she saw was gone. She shook her head and beamed at Samantha. “Wanna hang out with us?”

Samantha rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No,” she said and started to turn her back on them.

Becky quickly grabbed Samantha’s hand to stop her. “Why don’t you like me?” Becky asked, the alcohol making her much braver than normal.

Samantha stuttered for a moment. “I… I don’t not…” she let out a breath. “Look, I just don’t know you, okay?”

“Okay, well then let’s have lunch this week, and we can get to know each other.” Becky really liked the idea the more she thought about it. They lived in the same building, they seemed to be about the same age, and they both liked this bar. Why shouldn’t they be friends?

Samantha glanced at Ethan again quickly. “Fine,” she ground out before stomping off.

Becky turned to Ethan and squealed. “This is going to be so much fun!”

~ End of excerpt

About the author, N. L. Greene!

Author N.L. Greene is a writer of YA and NA Contemporary and Paranormal Romances. She currently lives in Florida with her husband and two beautiful daughters. When she isn't writing or reading, she enjoys traveling around the world with her family, shopping and doing other girly things with her girls, or playing video games with her husband. She is a lover of dogs, chocolate, and anything pink!

Amazon Author Page  ~  Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Goodreads  ~  Blog

I hope you all enjoyed reading that. Why not give N. L. Greene a follow on her social media sites while you're here? Links above!

BONUS! A rafflecopter giveaway for you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Come back tomorrow for my review of Magic Unfolds! 

What did you think?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Cover Reveal - Magic Unfolds

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Woo hoo! New week, new stuff to do. If you missed yesterday's post with the interview of author Alison Pensey, be sure and check it out here. Today, I have another lovely UtopYA Con author, Ms. N. L. Greene. She's joining us for a cover reveal for her new book Magic Unfolds. It's the second book in the Mystic Seeker series and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Illusions Begin was an awesome read (review here) and I'm dying to know more. Without further jabbering on my end, I give you: the information (What? You didn't think I was going straight into the cover, did you?).


Title: Magic Unfolds (Book 2 of The Mystic Seeker Series)
Author: N. L. Greene

Blurb: For the first time in her life, Becky had hopes of fulfilling her own dreams when Blaine Winters inexplicably arrived into her quiet life, teasing her with astounding possibilities she never thought imaginable. Not only did he reveal that magic was indeed real, but he also stirred feelings in her that she had only read about in clichéd romance novels. But just as quickly as he appeared, he was gone. Then Becky’s life was turned upside down by a family emergency. With the overwhelming demands of running an elite law firm as well as her ex becoming more of a threat each day, she didn’t have time for whimsical thoughts or personal exploration anyway.

Now that Blaine has mysteriously disappeared from her life, she can put her family first and focus on what she needs to do. If only it were that easy. Blaine may be gone and all of Becky’s little girl dreams of a world filled with magic with him, but that doesn’t mean all’s forgotten. Nightmares are plaguing her, someone is watching her, and there are powers within her that she can’t seem to control.

Will Becky finally get her chance at magic after all, even if she doesn’t want it?

Sounds good, huh?

Now, on to what you came here for: the cover!

Oooooooooh! Pretty! How about the full wrap?

Oh my... Now that's a book cover :)

Are you wondering yet where you can pick up a copy? It's available for pre-order now!

Click here to pre-order the book from Barnes & Noble (you can also pre-order for iBooks). IF you get it before April 20th, it's just $0.99.

Illusions Begin (Book 1) is $0.99 through April 20th as well. Get started on the series while you can. Link to Amazon here.

About N. L. Greene

Author N.L. Greene is a writer of YA and NA Contemporary and Paranormal Romances. She currently lives in Florida with her husband and two beautiful daughters. When she isn't writing or reading, she enjoys traveling around the world with her family, shopping and doing other girly things with her girls, or playing video games with her husband. She is a lover of dogs, chocolate, and anything pink!

To connect with Ms. Greene on Social Media, click the following links:
Amazon Author Page
Facebook Page
Twitter
Blog
Goodreads
Smashwords

I hope you all enjoyed this post! What do you think of the cover?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Tour and Review - Illusions Begin

Happy, happy Tuesday, everyone! Today I bring you another book review. This time it's an author I've read before and loved! When the opportunity to read and review another one of her books came around, I jumped on it like a kangaroo on a boxing ring floor. You can check out my review of Twisted here. In addition, Illusions Begin is part of my Indie Fever 2014 reading challenge. You can join in the fun here. What's Indie Fever? It's a challenge encouraging you to read books by Indies all year and link up with other reviewers who are doing the same! Come join in the fun. For now, sit back, relax, and snag your favorite warm drink because it's still cold outside (where are you, Spring?).

First, a little about the book up for slaughter review today:

Title: Illusions Begin (Mystic Seeker #1)
Author: N. L. Greene
Length (print): 295 pages
Genre: New Adult Paranormal
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $2.99 Paperback $12.95

Synopsis:
Katherine Rebecca has always done exactly what was expected of her. Her prim and proper upbringing taught her the importance of family, sacrifice, and social stature. She has followed in her parent’s footsteps, being trained and groomed daily almost from birth, to take over the family law firm. It was never a question of IF she wanted to but WHEN she would take the reins of the company. She worked rigorously toward that predetermined goal her entire life. She gave up friends, boyfriends, and an exciting social life in order to propel herself through school and college. Katherine Rebecca strived to please her parents. More than anything, she basked in their praise and approval. But now, at 21 years old, she finds herself leading a life that is nothing like the life she imagined for herself.

Becky has always possessed a deep love of magic. Ever since she was a small child she has been fascinated with magicians, illusions, mystery, and the vague hope that there was some sort of real magic in the world. But this is a secret no one knows, or at least that’s what she thought. Until one day Becky finds a mysterious business card in her pocket that leads her to an equally mysterious man. He opens up a whole new world of possibilities to her, one with a tantalizing proposition that she never thought imaginable.

Could magic actually be real?

**Will not appear in review elsewhere** Let me start off by saying how much I love the cover for this book. While I think the author's name needs to be bigger (don't be afraid to shout it out!), I adore the imagery. I feel like it portrays the story on the pages perfectly. A sexy, card wielding maven? Yeah, that's Katherine to a T. If I had one nitpick about the crop, I'd leave more of their faces in. Placement makes me cringe a bit when I think about loss due to bleed cutoff. Anyway, beautifully done and tells a compelling story! On to the review!

I won an ARC of this book in a giveaway on the author's blog and went on to purchase it on Amazon later so I could see how/if the writing improved from soup to nuts. In addition to that, when the opportunity arose to join in on a review tour, I pounced. I've reviewed Ms. Greene's work in the past and found it more than five star worthy. This book had a couple of flaws; but didn't disappoint when it came time to deliver on the story end. I have in no way been compensated for my participation in this tour and all opinions are my own. On to the good stuff.

From a Reader's Perspective:
I didn't like Ms. Hoity Toity Perfect in Every Way Becky at the beginning of the book. She was too prim, too proper, and did too many things just because her parents wanted her to. As the story moves forward, we begin to see all may not be as it first seemed. Little Becky has kept secrets from her mother and father throughout the years. One big one was why Becky had a falling out with her ex-boyfriend, Lance. This is one spot I found an inconsistency in the story though. In chapter eight, Becky talks about her mother setting up dinners between the two families because she was ignorant to what happened with Lance. Later, in chapter eleven, Becky talks about how her mother knew and was okay with what he'd done. As a reader, continuity is something I expect and it did throw me for a loop when I read it.

But, the magical aspects of the story and Becky's well-kept secret helped move the story along. I was fascinated at how she'd kept that aspect of her life hidden for so long and thrilled when she discovered all may not be as it first appeared. I won't go into that because I refuse to give spoilers. You'll have to read the book to find out what I'm talking about.

There are two love interests in the book as well, and I can't wait for book two so I can find out which one wins Becky's heart and why. Neither felt added as an afterthought and both fit into the story perfectly.

From an Editor's Perspective:
Pronouns! These seem to give authors the most trouble. I found no pronoun errors in Ms. Greene's first book, Twisted, and contractions were used well. Illusions Begin could use contractions to make the prose and dialogue flow more easily. There are also many commas missing between statements and names in dialogue. But those are nitpicks most people probably wouldn't pick up on.

Rating:
+1 Star for giving me a truly magical story
+1 Star for showing me Becky's imperfections as the book went on and not letting her remain annoyingly unlikeable
+1 Star for the awesome surprises along the way
+1 Star for the guys in the story
-1 Star for the inconsistency in story and the need for pronoun/contraction/comma oopsie repair
Overall, 4 out of 5 stars! Highly recommended for those who love an engaging story with awesome twists.

About the author:
N.L. Greene, who is 1/2 of the author duo Riana Lucas, has decided to venture outside of the Fantasy world that she and her best friend created with Poppy and The Deadly Flowers Series to write a few books on her own. While she loves working with her best friend, writing solo has allowed her to explore interest that had solely been her own. She spends a lot of time reading her favorite authors which range all over the place and in every genre, but spends just as much time with her husband and two daughters, traveling, shopping, and playing video games. Nichole was born in Pennsylvania but grew up in Florida, where she and her high school sweetheart live with their two children.

Facebook  ~  Goodreads  ~  Twitter  ~  Website

In her awesomeness, N. L. Greene is holding a tour-wide giveaway for a Kindle FIRE!! Yay! Enter below to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here's the tour announcement page where you can see all the stops and find out what others think about Illusions Begin:
Girls Heart Books Tour Schedule: Illusions Begin

Thanks for stopping by to read this review. If you've read the book, what did you think? If you haven't, do you think you might?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo