Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Grudging by Michelle Hauck

Today Michelle Hauck and Rockstar Book Tours are revealing the cover for Grudging, book one of the Birth of Saints series, which releases November 17, 2015! Check out the gorgeous cover and enter to win a copy of the eBook. Now, on to the reveal! 

Title: GRUDGING

Author: Michelle Hauck

Pub. Date: November 17, 2015

Publisher: Harper Voyager Impulse

Format: eBook

Find it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Goodreads

A world of chivalry and witchcraft…and the invaders who would destroy everything...

The North has invaded, bringing a cruel religion and no mercy. The ciudades-estados who have stood in their way have been razed to nothing, and now the horde is before the gates of Colina Hermosa…demanding blood.

On a mission of desperation, a small group escapes the besieged city in search of the one thing that might stem the tide of Northerners: the witches of the southern swamps.

The Women of the Song.

But when tragedy strikes their negotiations, all that is left is a single untried knight and a witch who has never given voice to her power.  And time is running out.

A lyrical tale of honor and magic, Grudging is the opening salvo in the Book of Saints trilogy.

About Michelle: 

Michelle Hauck lives in the bustling metropolis of northern Indiana with her hubby and two teenagers. Two papillons help balance out the teenage drama. Besides working with special needs children by day, she writes all sorts of fantasy, giving her imagination free range. A book worm, she passes up the darker vices in favor of chocolate and looks for any excuse to reward herself. Bio finished? Time for a sweet snack.

She is a co-host of the yearly contests Query Kombat and Nightmare on Query Street, and Sun versus Snow.

Her epic fantasy, Kindar's Cure, is published by Divertir Publishing. Her short story, Frost and Fog, is published by The Elephant's Bookshelf Press in their anthology, Summer's Double Edge. She's repped by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary.

Website | Twitter | Facebook page | Tumblr | Goodreads

And now for the giveaway. Starting now you can enter for the chance to win an ebook copy of Grudging, this contest is International.

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Review: The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

Title: The Halloween Tree
Author: Ray Bradbury
Source/Format: Purchased, Paperback
More Details: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Yearling, September 7, 1999

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

"A fast-moving, eerie...tale set on Halloween night. Eight costumed boys running to meet their friend Pipkin at the haunted house outside town encounter instead the huge and cadaverous Mr. Moundshroud. As Pipkin scrambles to join them, he is swept away by a dark Something, and Moundshroud leads the boys on the tail of a kite through time and space to search the past for their friend and the meaning of Halloween. After witnessing a funeral procession in ancient Egypt, cavemen discovering fire, Druid rites, the persecution of witches in the Dark Ages, and the gargoyles of Notre Dame, they catch up with the elusive Pipkin in the catacombs of Mexico, where each boy gives one year from the end of his life to save Pipkin's. Enhanced by appropriately haunting black-and-white drawings."--Booklist

This book was the kind of book that if I say too much then I’ll end up unintentionally spoiling it for anyone who wants to read it—partly due to the fact that it was so short.

So what should I say about book?

Well for one, The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury was a delightful, quick, and fun novel. Going into it I was looking for a festive book that fit the season—October, so obviously Halloween—and with this book I can firmly say that I got what I was after.

Next, there were eight boys out on Halloween night—ready to go trick-or-treating and have a good time—but they were missing someone, another friend. And as they try to find this friend they’re taken on an adventure through different points of time all across the world. At times it was spooky, at times it was lighthearted, and altogether it made for a good novel.

And finally, The Halloween tree was as wonderful as it was magical, especially the part that directly tied-in with the title.

At the end of the day, I’m more than happy that I gave this book a chance.

Musing Mondays (39) Answers To All Of The Questions...

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

Its been some time since I did a Musing Mondays post, but today is a new day (and I've missed some great questions). So, I'm just going to answer them below...

Random weekly question(s): If you were forced to spend the rest of your life in a library, a museum, or a zoo, which would you choose — and why?

At first I thought I had it narrowed down to museum or library, but then again zoos are cool too. It kind of makes the decision difficult because I wouldn't mind being stuck in all of them. It would be nice if I could just combine all three, but that's too much of a cop-out. I would say museum, but then again libraries have history books. But at the same time libraries don't have exhibits. Man, what a dilemma. You know what, I'll just go with museum and library since I can't decide, which is still kind of a cop-out but whatever.

Do you make a seasonal reading list? How do you choose what goes on it?

I don't have a seasonal reading list, because I usually decide to read books based off of what I'm in the mood for at the time. So really, it varies.

Is a rainy day likely to inspire you to read?

Actually, not really. If I happen to read while it rains then yeah, ok, I can roll with that. Sometimes I draw, but rainy days are just another day to me.

Have you ever decorated your house around your love of books? Would you?

Hah, no way. If I ever decided to do that, the entire house would be covered from floor-to-ceiling with bookcases crammed with as many books as I could fit on the shelves. There wouldn't be room for anything else, even the couch could be one with shelves underneath the cushions. It would be kind of cool but also a disaster in the making mainly because California and earthquakes. 

That's pretty much it for today, but since it's October I need a good question to ask (I'm automatically coming up with pumpkins). So, what is your favorite way to eat pumpkin/pumpkin related food? Pie, coffee, cake, scones, etc.?

The Friday 56 (39) The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

"A fast-moving, eerie...tale set on Halloween night. Eight costumed boys running to meet their friend Pipkin at the haunted house outside town encounter instead the huge and cadaverous Mr. Moundshroud. As Pipkin scrambles to join them, he is swept away by a dark Something, and Moundshroud leads the boys on the tail of a kite through time and space to search the past for their friend and the meaning of Halloween. After witnessing a funeral procession in ancient Egypt, cavemen discovering fire, Druid rites, the persecution of witches in the Dark Ages, and the gargoyles of Notre Dame, they catch up with the elusive Pipkin in the catacombs of Mexico, where each boy gives one year from the end of his life to save Pipkin's. Enhanced by appropriately haunting black-and-white drawings."--Booklist

""Easy," whispered Moundshroud. "Here comes--"
A funeral procession."--The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury


One of my favorite movies to watch around this time of year is Hocus Pocus. So, what's your favorite Halloween movie? 

Review: Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken

Title: Never Fade
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Source/Format: Hardback, Borrowed from the Library
More Details: Young Adult, Dystopian
Publisher/Publication Date: Disney Hyperion, October 15, 2013

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster. When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her. As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

Whenever I pick up a sequel to a book I really like there’s always that lingering worry that it’s not going to be good—that it might suffer from middle book syndrome where nothing happens, no plot development or otherwise. But thankfully, with Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken, stuff happens, lots of it actually.

Ruby is back and dealing with the consequences of her decisions from the end of book 1. She’s in the Children’s League, and right from the start I already knew that it wasn’t everything it first appeared to be, and the truth behind some of the agents was pretty much terrible—but their mindset tied in with the attitude that was often cast at the children. It wasn’t justified since Ruby and the others had no control over what happened to them, but at the same time these details fit with the established world set up by The Darkest Minds.

There were a few additions to the cast such as Liam’s older brother Caleb, along with Vida, Jude, and a few other kids she meets in the Children’s League. There were appearances by a few of my favorite characters from book 1, but they were changed by their circumstances and partially by some of Ruby’s decisions.

The plot was very interesting, and I felt like Bracken did a pretty good job with expanding the world. The pacing was excellent. The opening chapter really set up the tone of the story, and it was consistent throughout. There was never a point that I got bored with the book.

Really, my only complaint was that Ruby seemed to make some questionable choices again. But that minor details didn’t detract much from the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed Never Fade and look forward to eventually finishing this trilogy.