*Review* Escape by Kenya Wright

Escape by Kenya Wright

Series : Yes (#1 Vampire King)

Released : 26th November 2012

Publisher: Secret Cravings Publishing

Format : E Book

Source : Author

Buy : Amazon (UK/USA)

Overall rating

 .................................... The Blurb  ....................................

A domina’s only purpose in life was to birth vampire children for the Quiet King. Any human woman with the domina gene spent their lives in the castle under strict rules and the guards’ watchful eyes. Brie has been a domina for two years. After witnessing the slaughter of babies, she plans to escape and seeks help from Samuel, a vampire known for aiding many out of slavery.

However, Samuel has only one policy. He won’t help dominas escape the king. The penalty is too high and their blood triggers powers in him that he doesn’t want released. So Brie is forced to lie about being a domina and Samuel is lured in by her blood. Something emerges within them that they can’t deny, overwhelming their every cell and igniting an all-consuming hunger that neither can flee.

 .................................... My Thoughts   ....................................

In Short

- Escape is a short read at 127 pages.

- I did feel the characters could have been developed more.

- I enjoyed the picture illustrations which were throughout the book. 

- I feel the second in the series has a lot of potential.

In Long

The blurb of Escape really grabbed my attention. I loved the idea of a domina and that their purpose is to mother the babies of The Quiet King, definitely the potential for a very strong storyline. I also liked the idea of Samuel, a guy who decided to help her escape.

Escape is a very short read, at 127 pages, I actually felt this book could easily become a much longer story, even double the amount of pages. In fact I think that is part of the reason I struggled to become engrossed in the storyline and characters. Everything felt a bit rushed, there were some scenes which I felt could have gone into a lot more detail and therefore have been much more enthralling. Some scenes I really struggled to imagine the scene.

Escape has picture illustrations through the story which I actually really liked! I don’t usually like these sort of things as I like to be able to imagine the characters myself but I think Kenya got both characters just right and how I imagined them myself. It really worked for the story and was definitely a great addition.

The two main characters, Brie and Samuel, were both characters which I wished were explored more. Throughout the book I changed from liking to disliking Samuel’s character, I felt he contradicted himself a few times with being a nice guy then suddenly doing something not so ‘nice’. Brie is a likeable character, she obviously loves and misses her husband and children dearly and Kenya was able to get that across to me as the reader easily. I did however feel her character could have been developed a lot more, she didn't really have a personality as such. 

Final Thoughts

Escape is a good quick read. The story line is a very intriguing one with great ideas behind it, sadly I did feel the ideas need more developing but feel because of this feel the second in the series could be a captivating read.

Totally Random Tour - Dream Film Cast's

I am so excited to share this post with you! Today I have a wonderful post to share with you with dream film casts from Karen Mahoney, Amy McCulloch and Emma Pass

Karen Mahoney:

I have to admit that I find this incredibly difficult. I’ve never been all that good when it comes to ‘dream’ casting my books, but I’ll give it a go for my most recent novel – THE STONE DEMON. This is the third in The Iron Witch trilogy, so there’s a regular cast of characters that you’ll follow through the whole series. Here are three actors who I could (maybe) see as the main characters:

 Donna Underwood played by Molly Quinn

Okay, so her hair is a little too light, but I think there’s something about her expression that perfectly encapsulates Donna. Also, I like that she’s actually the right age – more or less.

Alexander (Xan) Grayson played by a very young Norman Reedus 

You might think this is a weird choice, given how Norman looks on The Walking Dead, but at the beginning of his career he modelled for Prada. There’s something in this shot that captures some of Xan’s troubled, loner attitude... Maybe? Xan’s definitely the hardest to cast. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Navin Sharma played by a young Arjun Gupta

 I’m afraid we have to jump in our time machine and go back a few years to get Arjun at the right age to play Nav, but I love this picture of him. Definitely says ‘Navin’ to me.

Find Karen Mahoney

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Amy McCulloch:

Oh, fun! Creating a dream cast for The Oathbreaker’s Shadow is an interesting challenge. Since my world is inspired by the Mongolian empire, I’d have to look to some of the great Asian and Asian-American actors who are conquering Hollywood! But really the cast of my book is so diverse, I’m looking out for actors with the right spark or dark, kick-ass look in their eye to play some of my best characters…

 Khareh played by Maddox Jolie-Pitt
Imagine little Maddox Jolie-Pitt all grown up and I think you have all the makings of a perfect Khareh – intelligent, mischievous and maybe just a little bit used to getting what he wants (always).

Wadi played by Katerina Graham 

Wadi belongs to the ‘savage’ desert tribe known as the Alashan – the only people who have learned how to adapt to live in the desert, permanently. Her key attributes include a fiery personality and a strong sense of self... Katerina Graham, best known from The Vampire Diaries, is a multi-talented actress, singer and dancer herself – so I’m pretty certain she could run circles around Raim.

 Mhara played by Maggie Q 

Mhara is Raim’s mentor, the Protector of the Khan and leader of the elite group of warriors known as the Yun. She needs to look like she can kick-ass and take names… have you seen Nikita?! Just look at her in Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon and tell me that isn’t a warrior queen anyone could take notes from.

Raim played by Taylor Lautner

So Taylor Lautner is part-Native American, not Asian, but I can’t help but notice a striking resemblance between him and the Raim depicted by Alessandro ‘Talexi’ Taini on my front cover.

Can’t see the resemblance? I think it’s even clearer in this biceps shot.*

*Okay, that was just gratuitous… but who’s complaining?!

Find Amy McCulloch:

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Emma Pass:

I have to admit, when I started to write this post, I got a bit stuck. The characters in ACID are so much themselves that I found it hard to imagine them being played by people from the ‘real world’. But, ‘Um, I don’t have one’ isn’t exactly a great blog post, is it? So I did some thinking and Googling, and this is who I’ve come up with:

Jenna Strong played by Noomi Rapace
Jenna is a complicated character – out of necessity, she has had to toughen herself up, but she also has a caring side that is gradually revealed over the course of the book. So whoever plays her would have to be someone who combines that toughness with a touch of vulnerability. While I was writing and editing ACID, I watched the original The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo films, and I reckon Noomi Rapace would be perfect as Jenna (complete with red hair, of course!).

Max Fisher played by Logan Lerman
Max is your typical cute boy-next-door (albeit one who finds himself thrown into a dangerous and terrifying situation), so if I had to choose anyone, I’d go with Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower).

Jacob played by William Fitchner
Jacob is charismatic, handsome, magnetic… and dangerous. The sort of person who, when he looks at you, makes you feel as if he’s reading every single thought inside your head. A slightly younger version of William Fitchner (those eyes!) would make a good Jacob.

Anna Healey played by  Louise Brooks
When Jenna first describes Anna, a high-up commander in ACID, she calls her ‘Agent Robot’, referring to Anna’s apparently flawless appearance and cool demeanour. So for her, I’m going to go back in time (I can totally do that, right?!) and choose Louise Brooks, a famous Hollywood actress from the 1920s. She also has the right hairstyle – perfect!

General Harvey
Hmm… Gary Oldman, anyone? 

Find Emma Pass

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Amazon (UK/USA)

Book Depository

Thank you so much for such an awesome post ladies!

Blog Tour - Andromeda Rising

When I read the blurb for Andromeda I really wanted to read it. Sadly being time limited I didn't have the time so decided the next best thing is to let you guys know about the book!

Andromeda Rising by James Ramsey

I should have been paying attention. Growing up on the run from religious fanatics gave me more than a few good reasons to be careful, but I was just too tired to be as vigilant as I should have been. My mind was occupied with my latest case—a missing nine year old girl. I was usually good at my job, but sometimes I needed a little extra help from magick. I always managed to track down a cheating spouse or the occasional runaway, but now it seemed more children were missing from the streets of Seattle and nothing I did worked.
A cat jumped on my shoulder and jerked me from my exhaustion induced stupor. I spun into a defensive crouch only to see the cat had landed on the sidewalk behind me.
Time seemed to stop for a moment when the cat spoke.
“RUN!”
My name is Jocelyn Matthews and if I live through tonight, I’ll tell you all about my life as a witch.
For the past ten years, Jocelyn has been living as a closet witch in Seattle. When the Inquisitors that have been after her from the time she was nine finally manage to find her, Jocelyn is thrust into a world she never guessed existed. From talking cats to dark elves, she'll have to do something she's never done before: trust someone other than herself. If she wants to find the children that have been going missing all over the city, she'll have to open her eyes to the bigger picture and find her place, not only for her safety but for the city as well.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

Find James

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Top Ten Tuesday (#7)

Top Ten is run by The Broke and the Bookish 

Today is a 'freebie' so I chose this! 

Top Ten Books That Made Me Cry

Uncontrolled Tears -
The books which made me cry uncontrollably!


Trafficked - Sophie Hayes
This is the only book in this post that is a non fiction so I think the tears I cried in this book are the most real and raw. Just a shocking heart breaking story. 

Pushing the Limits - Katie McGarry
Stolen - Lucy Christopher
Bitter End - Jennifer Brown 

Held Tears -
Books which had me holding back tears.

Stay - Deb Caletti
If I Stay - Gayle Forman
Stay With Me - Paul Griffin
Stay With Me - Laura Jarrett
Whisper - Chrissie Keighery
Hostage Three - Nick Lake

Cover Crazy #93

One Tiny Lie - K.A. Tucker
This cover is so pretty, I really like the mysterious feel about the cover with the lady walking away so you can't see her face and the scene. 

I love this cover because :

- The leaves are really pretty, love how they cover the ground and the falling leaves around her. 
- The subtle little 'a novel' on the left hand side, I love it for some reason. 
- The font and position of the title suits the cover, especially with how bold it is.
Dislike :
- Although I do like the quote at the top left hand corner I just feel it crowds the cover a little too much. 

Familiar Ties - Naya Nikki
Really like this cover, I think it tells you a lot about the story just from the cover which I always think is a huge advantage. 

I love this cover because :

-  Love how it's a romantic cover but not over the top or too soppy.
- The kids in the background really adds to the cover and also tells you more about the book. 
- Love the font of the title, I always that sort of font and it suits the cover. 
- Really like the colours in this cover with green and the sky etc. 
Dislike - 
- I don't really like the colouring used, I think if the picture was brighter it would stand out more.