Blog Tour Moonlight Mayhem: Guest Post

TITLE: Moonlight Mayhem
AUTHOR: Sherry Soule
PUBLISHER: Moonlight Publishing
RELEASE DATE:  01 July 2012
ISBN: pending
PRICE: eBook $4.99 / Paperback $14.95
PAGES: 340
GENRE: Young Adult
SUB-GENRE: Paranormal / Romance
READING AGE: Mild language, some violence/gore, and sexual situations. Not recommended for readers under the age of 15.
SERIES: Spellbound
OTHER BOOKS IN SERIES: Beautifully Broken

Otherworldly Creatures. Dazzling Magic. Fiery Romance.

Shiloh Ravenwolf thought she was getting used to the strange events in Whispering Pines, until the full moon brings another surge of supernatural threats to her coastal town. Ferocious wolves, deadly necromancers, and shambling zombies have descended upon the neighborhood, so Shiloh needs to gain control of her magical abilities—fast!

It sucks that she has a crippling fear of the dark, which for a demon hunter can be an epic problem.

When her classmates are attacked by a mysterious creature and her father is murdered, Shiloh vows vengeance. Forcing her phobias aside, she forms an unlikely coven of supernaturally gifted teens to help her eradicate this menace. Except that's not all Shiloh has to worry about. She’s battling a different monster within herself and struggling not to become the very thing she fights: evil.

But with demon blood inside her—anything can happen…

Moonlight Mayhem is the second novel in the epic Spellbound series

Okay, today’s super fun post has a special feature from author, Sherry Soule! She has complied a few of her favorite moments and quotes from the first two YA books in the thrilling Spellbound series, BEAUTIFULLY Broken and MOONLIGHT MAYHEM. *page numbers are from the mass market paperback edition*

Now let me introduce this turbulent, yet starry-eyed couple: Shiloh Ravenwolf and Trent Donovan.

Quote from BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN – pg 14 “Initial Glimpse”:

Trent turned his head, his gaze capturing mine. My face flamed, interrupting my ogling. His eyes widened, then narrowed. His arms dropped to his sides. Once those hypnotic green eyes seized mine, the atmosphere shifted, and for a moment, my heart ceased to beat. His gorgeousness silenced the thoughts and whirling emotions inside my head. The lingering anxiety from earlier vanished.

Finally, Trent turned away. I exhaled. He kept his head down like he had something to hide. Something he didn’t want people to see. Something he didn’t want me to see.

Quote from BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN – pgs. 77 -78 “Meet Charm”:

I leaned out the window and lifted the kitten. She purred and I rubbed her soft fur against my cheek, tension that had snapped my spine straight when I’d heard the eerie cry easing with the each rumbling purr. “Ah, poor baby. Are you hungry?” She loudly meowed.

Trent returned with a bowl of milk and set it on the floor. I lowered the kitten and watched her greedily lap the milk.

“She’s cute,” Trent said. “What should we name her?”

The ball of fluff raised her head, licking white drops off her mouth.

“Charm.” I hoisted the kitten and cuddled her in my arms.

Trent scratched her under her white chin. “Charm?”

“Yeah. It’s perfect.”

He scratched the cat behind her ears. “I’d rather have a dog,” he teased.

“Shhh, Charm will hear you.” I covered the cat’s pointy ears with my hands.

Trent grinned, taking the kitten from my arms and surprising me by kissing Charm’s head. 

Quote from BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN – pgs. 86 -87 “A Kiss”:

I went to snatch my hand away, but Trent caught my hand in his, startling me. I looked up to see warmth on his face. His smile held the promise of happiness. He scooted closer and held my gaze for a breath, glanced down. He leaned forward, as if he had no control over his actions. I inhaled his nice, soapy-clean scent, and all coherent thought left my head.

His hands gripped my waist and Trent yanked me against him, his mouth covering mine in a deep kiss. The caress of his lips was softer than I’d imagined. An unfamiliar rush of excitement engulfed my senses. My hands wrapped around his neck, fingering his silky tousled hair. His moist lips seared a path from my lips to my neck, igniting a blaze of desire that flooded my skin everywhere his lips and roaming hands touched. Boys had kissed me before, but not like this. Never like this.

Yes, yes…this is what I want and yearn for—affection. To fall in an impetuous head-over-heels kind of love. Let myself go. Surrender my heart…

Quote from ARC of MOONLIGHT MAYHEM – pgs. 85 -86 “Nervous Belly”:

Luna Pizza wasn’t super busy yet, when the door opened and swoon-worthy Trent Donovan sauntered into the restaurant with a guy I didn’t recognize, which meant I had no place to hide. I felt the air whoosh from my lungs. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened them, I swear my body froze. My heart stopped beating. A volatile, relentless thrill shot through my veins, and I shuddered. Messy blond hair, startling emerald eyes, cocky grin on his face… 

Quote from ARC of MOONLIGHT MAYHEM – pg 224 “Hero Intercedes”:

His hands flickered upward, and before I knew it, they were cupping my face. So, damnably fast now. Demonic-like fast. Trent reeled me closer. Our foreheads joined. He held me, while I trembled in his arms. I was vaguely aware of Evans and Maxwell watching, although it didn’t seem important. Nothing seemed important whenever he did this. It felt like we were enclosed in our own personal bubble made only for the two of us. Trent murmured something in my ear. We stood like that until my shaky legs gradually regained strength. I shut my eyes and pretended my body wasn’t sizzling with heat-lightning because Trent stood so close. My hormones always decided to rebel whenever he put his arms around me. And it wasn’t totally awkward and uncomfortable. No, it felt like the best thing I’d experienced since before Dad’s death. And that’s saying a lot.

Quote from ARC of MOONLIGHT MAYHEM – pg 224 “Zombie Encounter”:

Her pale brow furrowed. Her skin veiny and colorless. Sheesh, she’s a hot mess. Zombie Girl tilted her head and raised her arms. “Ashley—hag!”

“What! Did that corpse just call me a hag?” Ashley sounded more like her usual bitchy self.

 “No, I think she means hug. It’s zombie lingo. I’ve read online that zombies can be affectionate, but hugging one often leads to, well, having your brains eaten,” I said.

“Yuk!” Ashley backpedaled, scrunching her thin face. “Beyond gross.”

Zombie Girl giggled, but it sounded choked, a mere gurgling rumble in her throat. She had these nasty bloody scrapes on her arms and legs. Her right calf had deep teeth marks. Her feet were dirty and bare, her movements jaunty and slow.

Beautifully Broken

Sherry Soule

Okay, so I’m a teenage girl who thinks about fashion and boys and maybe school, and about how uncool my parents are.  Then I discover I am descended from witches and I have a Destiny (yeah, with a capital D).  And no chance for a normal life.  Ever.  Not that I’m likely to live long enough for that to be an issue, because I live in a town where paranormal is the norm.  Let the can-my-life-get-any-suckier begin.

Meet Shiloh Ravenwolf.  She sees things in the shadows.  She lives in Whispering Pines, California, which is rumored to be cursed.  Children have been disappearing in the town.  Sometimes close together and sometimes not.  This has plagued this small town and caused law enforcement to enforce a curfew to ward off the “serial killings” that have been happening.  Only one problem with that theory is that there have been no bodies of the missing found.

Shiloh is almost sixteen and is almost done with school for the summer.  When she searches for a summer job at the board at school, she sees a position for an assistant to help with the reconstruction of Ravenhurst Manor.  This would help Shiloh get closer to her dream of being an architect.  She is kind of leery of accepting the job at first because of Trent Donovan and this house is rumored to be haunted.

She first sees Trent at church and instantly has a crush on him.  He has recently moved back to Ravenhurst Manor with his father.  Trent is described as being the “mysterious new guy in town” and “scandalous.”  Throughout this book, Shiloh is trying to figure out what the curse is on Whispering Pines and how to remove it before more kids end up disappearing.  Trent’s uncle, who is also her boss, Evans, becomes her mentor in the paranormal.  On top of all the magick, demons, curses and ghosts, there are the normal teenage experiences like arguments with the popular girl at school and romance.

That’s right folks, Shiloh Ravenwolf is cursed.  She can see the recently departed and other monsters from the underworld.  Yeah, I know…throw me in a padded cell.

  The Goodreads synopsis:

Thirteenth daughter. Heritage witch. Demon slayer.

They say every town has its secrets, but that doesn’t even begin to describe Whispering Pines. The townsfolk are a superstitious lot and the mystical disappearance of a local teen has everyone murmuring about a centuries old witch’s curse.

Sixteen-year-old Shiloh Ravenwolf is a heritage witch from the Broussard family, a family both destined and cursed. When she takes a summer job at Ravenhurst Manor, she discovers a ghost with an agenda. That’s where she meets the new town hottie, Trent Donovan, and immediately becomes spellbound by his charms. Yet she is determined to discover the connection between them before it’s too late.

Finally, Shiloh's met someone who is supercute and totally into her, but Trent may be the next victim on the supernatural hit list. And Shiloh is the only person with the power to save him. Complicated much?

It sucks to have a destiny, especially since Shiloh would rather spend her summer being a normal girl who worries about clothes and boys, not the supernatural. But she’s never been normal and the stranger things become the more her own magical senses awaken.

With cryptic messages from a pesky wraith, she will begin to understand the mysterious significance of the strange mark branded on her wrist, and decide how much she's willing to sacrifice to protect the other teenagers in town.

Unfortunately, for Shiloh, not all ghosts want help crossing over. Some want vengeance.

This is just too much. I mean, a month ago my life’s like, oh—crap—a pop quiz!  Today it’s oh—crap, it’s the skulking wraith and I’m on some supernatural hit list.  And I am so ready to tell her, “Resolve whatever issues are keeping you in limbo and leave me the hell alone!”

This book reminds me of a scary movie that you are watching and you are shouting at the main character “DON’T LOOK BEHIND THAT DOOR!!!”   It is thrilling and intense.  Soule envelops you in the plot and made this book a real page turner.  There are so many emotions that are happening between the characters, it is hard not to be immersed in this story.  You never know what is going to happen next.  I love that it is so unpredictable. 

I’ve been a witch for—what? Well…technically, my entire life, but actually, only a few months. I’m still learning spells and magick. And I have no idea what I’m doing.

UPCOMING BOOKS

The Spellbound Series is one series that I am anxiously awaiting the next book, Beautifully Haunted, which is said to be released on November 30, 2011. This synopsis came from Sherry's website:

Shiloh Ravenwolf isn’t your typical teenager. Even though, she loves to shop, enjoys gossiping with her friends, and thinks her parents are totally uncool. Deep down, Shiloh knows she isn’t normal. There’s the gift of Sight (Yes, she can see dead people), the magical powers—oh!—and the demon slaying. Let’s not forget her supernatural training with her uber cool mentor Evans, where Shiloh resolves to learn more about the dark curse inhabiting Whispering Pines. But when she embarks on a dangerous journey to seek out the town’s insidious origins, the mystery of her family’s past deepens, and she is again thrust into Ravenhurst Manor’s nightmare world.

To complicate things, she's torn between two hotties, Trent and Dante. And Shiloh must face her biggest challenge yet—and it’s not deciding which crush to take to the prom.

No, she must decide which boy will live and which one will die…

Soule also has another series coming out that sounds really good and I am putting on my to be read list.  It is called Forever Knight.  According to her website, it will be released in October 2011.  This is the Goodreads synopsis of that book:

Elizabeth Blackburn doesn’t believe in fate or the supernatural until she moves into Cliffside Manor and begins having nightmares about a woman who was murdered in the house.

Determined to unlock secrets that have remained hidden for centuries, Elizabeth is plunged into an otherworldly mystery that not even she can explain away, not to mention, her uncontrollable attraction to the former owner, Dorian Knight.

As the history of the Knight family curse begins to unravel, tensions heighten and old secrets turn deadly. Even though Dorian wants nothing to do with Elizabeth and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go...even if it kills her.

Sherry Soule is an author that I will definitely keep tabs on.