Showing posts with label Elemental Mysteries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elemental Mysteries. Show all posts

Oct 26, 2012

ARC Review: Building From Ashes by Elizabeth Hunter



Building From Ashes by Elizabeth Hunter
Series: Elemental World #1
Genre: Urban fantasy
Release date: October 23, 2012
Synopsis from goodreads
For a thousand years, powerful earth vampire Carwyn ap Bryn has served others. God. His family. His friends. But tragedy and loss disrupt his peaceful existence, causing him to question everything he has committed his eternity to.


Brigid Connor has known about vampires since they rescued her from a painful childhood. But not even their vast elemental power can save her from the demons that torment her.



As loyalties are tested and new paths are forged, a lurking danger slowly grows in the Elemental World. Carwyn and Brigid will learn that even secrets revealed can come back to haunt you when you least expect it.
My Thoughts: 

I love the world of Elemental Mysteries Elizabeth Hunter has created so it's only fair to say when I found out about the new series of Elemental World I just had to have it. Miss Hunter was very nice and sent me one of the arc's, it might have been because I had begged and poked till she gave in.

Carwyn is such an old vampire with the elemental power of earth  and very very different from Giovanni but charming nonetheless even though he prefers Hawaiian shirts and watching wrestling marathon with Gio just makes him more amazing. Brigid is different from any other character I have met so far, I have to admit it took me a bit to warmed up to her but I got there. She has had a damaged childhood and a very tough life and she has grown the most in this story among all the characters. I didn't know how this would play out Carwyn being such an 'experienced' for a lack of better words, vampire and Brigid being in her twenties I really hoped I wouldn't cringe. So kudos to Miss Hunter for making this so believable with her writing.

Building From Ashes is definitely worth reading if you are looking for a new urban fantasy to sneak in your reading, but without reading the Elemental Mysteries first there might references that would be hard to catch on to.

You can win a copy of Building From Ashes, by following this link

I give this:

About The Author

Elizabeth Hunter is the author and publisher of the Elemental Mysteries Series. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Honors College in the Department of English (Linguistics) and a former English teacher. A native of Central California, she now lives in Southern California with her husband, son, and an assortment of dogs. She enjoys reading, writing, travel, and bowling. Someday, she plans to learn how to scuba-dive. And maybe hang-glide ... but that looks like a lot of running. A Hidden Fire is her debut novel. 

Find out more about Elizabeth Hunter from her Website Twitter Goodreads

Oct 14, 2012

Something Wicked Comes: Interview with Elizabeth Hunter and Giveaway


Hey all! Thank you for stopping by and checking out my interview of E.Hunter for Something Wicked Comes hosted by my turtle buddy Heidi at Rainy Day Ramblings and Lila at Babbling About Books. You can also win E's latest book Building From Ashes, just follow the instruction at the end of the post.

I have Elizabeth Hunter with me today, the author of the Elemental Mysteries Series and many more. 
So first I would like to ask, how did you get into writing?
I was a technical writer for years, writing things like manuals and sales proposals, but then I started writing a little fan fiction for fun. And it was that experience that showed me how fulfilling creative writing could be. I started my own stories and just never stopped.
What inspired you to write The Elemental Series?
I love paranormal fiction. Have loved it for years. I was thinking one day about what I would do if I had eternity to live. I’m a total bookworm, so I figured I would just read a lot! From that idea sprung the idea of Giovanni Vecchio, an immortal whose life revolved around books. And the series really grew from that.
What was the hardest part to write in this series?
I think endings are always hard to write. Each book has been difficult to end, but particularly A Fall of Water, because it was the end of Gio and Beatrice’s story arc. It was the right time to say goodbye to them, but it was difficult.
What are your favorite parts of the books you loved writing?
I love dialogue. Particularly flirting. I love banter and humor. Those parts are some of the most fun to write for me. I start to twitch if I see too much narration on the page with no one talking.
If you weren’t an author, what do you think you would be doing instead? 
Probably, like Beatrice, I would be a librarian. Information science and research are passions for me. I’m a very curious person.
Over one year you have written and published five books now, how do you do it?
I don’t sleep much! I also think it helps that I’m very organized about how I work. I always outline a project completely before I start. For me, this helps to keep me very focused when I actually sit down to write. While the writing of my last four books took a little over a year, the planning and prewriting took longer.
You wrote both paranormal and contemporary, which did you like writing more?
I like both, but paranormal and fantasy will always be my first love.
Who are your biggest supporters?
My readers! I have amazing, brilliant readers. I also have a crazy, diverse family who are amazing and very supportive and a wonderful group of friends who are writers.
If you had the chance to have a date with ANY character from your book, who would it be and why?
Carwyn, probably. I like to laugh and he’d be a fun date, don’t you think? I like beer, wrestling, and motorcycles, so I think he’d go for it. ;)
Just one more before we go to the quickies, any plans for starting another series in the near future?
I am working on a shapeshifter series right now! I’m about 3/4 of the way finished with the first book and have already published a short story prequel called Long Ride Home: A Cambio Springs Short Story, which is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It’s a different setting and feel from the Elemental Mysteries, which is fun, but deals with some of the same themes about love, family, and friendship that all of my books do.

Now time for some quickie fun questions
Writing or Reading? 
Tough one, but writing. If I had a whole day to myself, I’d write before I’d read. I love my job.
Favorite Actor? 
Oooooh, probably Michael Fassbender. He’s very talented and has such a presence on screen. (And yes, incredibly handsome.)

Prangon here pops in to spam with Michael Fassbender yummies

Favorite Movie? 
The Big Lebowski? Maybe. I’m moody about these things.
Favorite author?
No possible way I can answer that!

Thank you so much E for being so patient with me and taking the time out of your busy schedule to do the interview. 
Elizabeth is giving away one copy of  Building From Ashes. This giveaway is open to EVERYONE so all you have to do to enter this giveaway is leave your name and email address in the comment box. Winner will be chosen on 1st November.

Building From Ashes (Elemental World #1)
by Elizabeth Hunter 
For a thousand years, powerful earth vampire Carwyn ap Bryn has served others. God. His family. His friends. But tragedy and loss disrupt his peaceful existence, causing him to question everything he has committed his eternity to.

Brigid Connor has known about vampires since they rescued her from a painful childhood. But not even their vast elemental power can save her from the demons that torment her.

As loyalties are tested and new paths are forged, a lurking danger slowly grows in the Elemental World. Carwyn and Brigid will learn that even secrets revealed can come back to haunt you when you least expect it.

A continuation/spinoff of the Elemental Mysteries series. The timeline in this books stretches from BEFORE A Hidden Fire starts (so you see a little character history) until AFTER A Fall of Water finishes. As I’m sure lots of you could tell, Carwyn had quite a few things going on in his life that didn’t make it into Gio and Beatrice’s story. So Building From Ashes explores that storyline and also sets up the Elemental World for some new adventures...

Jun 4, 2012

ARC Review: A Fall Of Water by Elizabeth Hunter

A Fall Of Water by Elizabeth Hunter
Series: Elemental Mysteries #4
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Release date: June 5th, 2012
Buy Link
Amazon

Synopsis from goodreads
“No secret stays hidden forever.”

Still grieving from their loss in the far East, Giovanni Vecchio and Beatrice De Novo discover that for them, all roads really do lead to Rome. But nothing is quite as it seems in the Eternal City. Joined by Carwyn and Tenzin, unexpected clashes greet them almost immediately, and rivalries churn beneath the glittering facade of the old Roman court. They quickly realize that allies might be enemies, and ancient rivals could hold the key to a deadly secret.

Giovanni and Beatrice will be forced to call on old alliances, ancient power, and fierce cunning to survive for the eternity they both desire. Sometimes, finding the end means going back to the beginning. Fire, Earth, Wind, and Water finally meet with devastating results in the conclusion of the Elemental Mysteries.

My thoughts

I finished reading this about ten minutes ago, I'm sure there is going to be TONS of typos when I'm done writing this post but I have to write this down now before I forget all these feels. I have so much love for this book right now it's simply indescribable!

A Fall Of Water, is final installment of the Elemental Mysteries series. I have been sticking with this series from the very beginning and I am really glad that I stuck to it till the end. I still remember reading about Beatrice and Giovanni meeting for the first time in A Hidden Fire. Tenjin, Carwyn, Dez every one throughout these books have grown on me. And in A Fall Of Water, Ben has been one of my favorite character to read about. He is just a big sweetheart and I want more about this Vecchio.

The last book goes into a bit deeper in the vampire myth than the previous books. Revealing more about the elements of the vampires and the power to manipulate it. One of the main thing that was fascinating to me was Giovanni's vampire bloodline, at the end I felt like learning more of the ancient vampires history. But hats off to Miss Hunter for bringing this awesome characters to life and thank you so much for introducing me to them.

It breaks my heart to say goodbye to the characters and this story but this was really one of the perfect ending for a series. If you are a fan of paranormal vampire novels, Elemental Mysteries is a MUST read.

It was a cupcake worthy book


About the author

Elizabeth Hunter is the author and publisher of the Elemental Mysteries Series. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Honors College in the Department of English (Linguistics) and a former English teacher. A native of Central California, she now lives in Southern California with her husband, son, and an assortment of dogs. She enjoys reading, writing, travel, and bowling. Someday, she plans to learn how to scuba-dive. And maybe hang-glide ... but that looks like a lot of running. A Hidden Fire is her debut novel.

Find out more about Elizabeth Hunter from her Website / Twitter / Goodreads

Mar 8, 2012

Blog Tour: The Elemental Mysteries and Excerpt of The Force Of Wind



The Elemental Mysteries Blog Tour hosted by AToMR Book Blog Tours.

I have been following Miss Hunter's Elemental Mysteries series for a while now, and when I saw the Elemental Mysteries blog tour, I just had to be a part of it. Check out all the awesome bloggers who are participating in this tour. I would be posting an excerpt from The Force Of Wind (Elemental Mysteries #3).

“Who are the lion and the dragon?”

He pulled back. “What?”

“Elder He, the other fire vampire?”

“Yes?”

“She said, ‘Who is this human who’s protected by the lion and the dragon?’ Was she talking about you and Baojia?”

Giovanni chuckled. “Yes, she’s quite dramatic, isn’t she? She always has been.”

“So, are you the dragon?” Beatrice teased, pulling at the back of his shirt as she walked backward toward the silk-covered bed beyond the arched doorway. “The dragon that breathes fire?”

He bent down and hitched up her legs around his waist, carrying her toward the bed and laying her on the red pillows. “We’re in China, the dragon is a water symbol here.”

“Oh?” she asked as his warm hands stroked along her waist. “So you’re the lion? Why are you the lion?”

“I’m from the West, and the lion is a symbol of the sun,” he said as he laid gentle kisses along her collar. “The sun is the mother of fire.”

“But…” She sighed as she felt the quick lick of amnis wherever his lips touched. Her heart began to race. “That seems kind of cruel. You can’t go out in the sun.”

He only smiled, and she could see the length of his fangs gleaming in the low light of the candles that lit the room.

“Tesoro mio, the lion may be a symbol of the sun…” He bent down, lifted her body toward his, and gave one long, slow lick from her collar bone to her ear. “But he hunts at night.”
Yes indeed... he does hunt at night ;)

The Force Of Wind is now available in   
 
The Force Of Wind is the third installment in the Elemental Mysteries Series by Elizabeth Hunter

#1 A Hidden Fire
#2 This Same Earth

About The Author 

Elizabeth Hunter is the author and publisher of the Elemental Mysteries Series. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Honors College in the Department of English (Linguistics) and a former English teacher. A native of Central California, she now lives in Southern California with her husband, son, and an assortment of dogs. She enjoys reading, writing, travel, and bowling. Someday, she plans to learn how to scuba-dive. And maybe hang-glide ... but that looks like a lot of running. A Hidden Fire is her debut novel. 
Find out more about Elizabeth Hunter from her 

Mar 6, 2012

Release Day: The Force of Wind by Elizabeth Hunter

The Force of Wind by Elizabeth Hunter
Releases today. You can order it from
Excerpt: Available 
Series: Elemental Mysteries #1
Elemental Mysteries #2
Elemental Mysteries #3
The Force Of Wind
Elemental Mysteries #4
Untitled


Synopsis for The Force Of Wind
How far would you go to protect the ones you love?


What would you sacrifice to kill the one you hate?


Join Giovanni Vecchio and Beatrice De Novo as they travel to a hidden island on the far edge of China to seek the help of an ancient immortal court. Can they weave their way through the tangled web of centuries-old alliances and ruthless feuds to find what they’ve been looking for? Friends will be revealed, enemies will find them, and a dangerous secret will come to light.


The third book in the Elemental Mysteries series will see Giovanni and Beatrice joined by a group of unlikely allies as they explore the history and myth of the far East. Many have been stolen, but only one holds the key.
About The Author 

Elizabeth Hunter is the author and publisher of the Elemental Mysteries Series. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Honors College in the Department of English (Linguistics) and a former English teacher. A native of Central California, she now lives in Southern California with her husband, son, and an assortment of dogs. She enjoys reading, writing, travel, and bowling. Someday, she plans to learn how to scuba-dive. And maybe hang-glide ... but that looks like a lot of running. A Hidden Fire is her debut novel. 

Find out more about Elizabeth Hunter from her 
 

Jan 4, 2012

My Book Boyfriend: Giovanni Vecchio

Today I will be introducing another book boyfriend of mine. Giovanni Vecchio from Elemental Mysteries series by Elizabeth Hunter.




Name: Giovanni Vecchio
Age: Over 500 years Ialian
Was turned into a Vampire around late 14oo's
Has the power to manipulate fire
Appears in Elemental Mysteries series




Giovanni's Italian accent is enough to make you go weak in the knees. He can manipulate fire, has complicated relationship with his son and he is completely smitten with Beatrice De Novo.
She stood in front of him, her eyes bold as she met his hungry stare, and all Giovanni would have had to do was take one step and he could have wrapped his body around hers, laid his mouth on her soft neck, and swallowed the thick blood that called to him. He swallowed slowly, and ignored the burn in his throat and the smell of honeysuckle and lemon that filled the air.

“I’m not going to deny that I’m attracted to you, Beatrice. Denying that would be foolish and insulting to us both.”

“But you’re not going to kiss me again, are you?”

“No.”

“Did you want to bite me?”

He searched her eyes, trying to determine what answer she wanted, but though he had observed humanity for five hundred years, her enigmatic eyes were still a mystery to him.

“Yes.”
~A Hidden Fire
Giovanni was quite hard to pick but I think Gilles Marini will make a totally awesome 500 year old Italian vampire with blue fires comeiong out of his hands.

MBB is an weekly meme hosted evey Wednesday by Missie at The Unread Reader.

Dec 5, 2011

ARC Review: This Same Earth by Elizabeth Hunter

ARC This Same Earth by Elizabeth Hunter
Series: Elemental Mysteries
Book #1
Book #2
Book #3
The Force Of Wind
Genre:Paranormal, Fiction, Adult,
Released: December 2011
Pre Order:



Synopsis from goodreads:

Beatrice De Novo thought she had left the supernatural world behind…for the most part. But when the past becomes the present, will she leave her quiet life in Los Angeles to follow a mystery she thought had abandoned her? Where has Giovanni Vecchio been, and why has he returned? Giovanni has his own questions, and he’s looking to her for answers.

The sequel to A Hidden Fire will reunite Beatrice and Giovanni to continue their search through the past while both wrestle with the future. When the world as you knew it has changed forever, is there any way you can turn back?

This Same Earth is the second book in the Elemental Mysteries series. It is a paranormal romance/mystery for adult readers.

My Thoughts:

This Same Earth by Elizabeth Hunter is the second book of Elemental Mysteries series. Firstly, thank you Elizabeth for letting me read this awesome book, I think I might have died from my curiosity after reading the first chapter of this book a while back.

This Same Earth picks up five years after A Hidden Fire ends, revealing what happened in Beatrice De Novo's life in the mean time. Beatrice has left a world of supernatural behind or so she thought until Giovanni Vecchio came back in her life. However Beatrice is reluctant to accept Giovanni back in her life after being abandoned by him for five years.

Giovanni's absence in Beatrice's life for so long was the biggest mystery in my opinion when he clearly is smitten with her. To Gio his rationality to leave Beatrice alone, is to give her a chance to have a normal life and exactly what I figure he would say. Which from Geo's prospective might have seem like a good idea, but they both suffered from the separation. They go through quite a rocky road before Beatrice can trust Gio to not leave her again and give into his persuasion to establish a relationship between them.

Carwyn and some of his children were introduced in the story however because of Carwyn's tragic loss we miss the jovial Hawaiian shirt wearing snarky priest very much. Some new vampires and their clan is introduced, new alliances are formed due to Beatrice's 'new family'. The search for the missing De Novo is highlighted in this story more than ever. Stephen De Novo, Beatrice's father has hidden himself from the world and everyone seem to want him on their side or rather want what he possess.

This Same Earth ends with a beautiful wedding and with the starting of a family. Vampire Human love is always so difficult! It's hard to decide what is best for the human, turn the human into a vampire or not. After reading so many vampire series I have come to realize that it's actually a very hard decision (for me). If the human lover is turned into a vampire I whine oh god they are robbing the human from it's humanity! If not turned into a vampire, well I still whine why isn't the human turned into a vampire so they can live happily ever after. That is one of the biggest set backs for me while I read any vampire series, really! As for Elemental Mysteries series, its yet to be seen what Beatrice will choose even though it seem quite clear in this book what she will happen.

All in all a really good book with a great cover. Kudos to Elizabeth for giving readers this awesome series. I know for me March can not come sooner, until than I am going to eagerly wait or stalk Elizabeth till she hands over THE FORCE OF WIND. Recommended to all the paranormal readers out there. If you love a good vampire series this is definitely it. You can start by reading A Hidden Fire









I give this:
Find out more about Elizabeth Hunter from her 

Oct 15, 2011

Review: A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter

Series: Element Mysteries Book #1
Genre: Paranormal, Mystery
Page: 355
Released Date: 18 October 2011
My copy:
ARC provided by the author for reviewing purposes
Buy Links

 Book Synopsis from goodreads
"No secret stays hidden forever ..."

A phone call from an old friend sets Dr. Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery he’d abandoned years before. He never expected a young librarian could hold the key to the search, nor could he have expected the danger she would attract. Now he and Beatrice de Novo will follow a twisted maze that leads them from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation they never could have predicted.

A Hidden Fire is a paranormal mystery/romance for adult readers. It is the first book in the Elemental Mysteries Series.

My Thoughts 

In four words, I absolutely loved it. 

A Hidden Fire, is a paranormal mystery where you learn yet some new things about the para world with Dr Vecchio and Miss De Novo. Italian scholar Giovanni Vecchio meets the alluring librarian Beatrice de Novo in a trip to the local library. A friendship is formed between them and eventually a mystery of finding some age old documents that leads them in a journey where Beatrice learns some of the hidden truths about the world. Giovanni and Beatrice becomes something more than just acquaintance along the way and at some point of their journey Giovanni finds himself attracted to Beatrice. Her humorous and quick retort stirred feelings inside him that he had put away long ago. 

Giovanni's Italian accent and his dark brooding looks finished with the dash of the supernatural powers, he was definitely an eye catcher. Beatrice is a student working only part time as a librarian where she meets Gio, her Spanish heritage is not so strong in her appearance. 

Both Giovanni and Beatrice are very much in denial of their feelings for each other in front of their friends and to themselves. Giovanni's reluctance to admit about his feelings is understandable. Beatrice did seem to have strong feelings about the Italian but she too was guarded of her emotions. I loved how the relationship between Beatrice and Giovanni grew, their friendship gradually grew into something more    

Elizabeth Hunter very successfully included some of the most well known Italian renaissance figures in her story, blending them in with ease. I don't want to giveaway anything from the story too much, as there are many twists in the book that took me by surprise, I'll wait for the readers to find that out for themselves.   

A Hidden Fire is the first book of Element series, and at the end of the first book you can read the first chapter of the second installment to Element series, This Same Earth. After reading that, I am in a heap of emotions...
It's been awhile that I read a book with a vampire being its main character. And I am so glad that I did! A  Hidden Fire is a beautiful creation of Elizabeth Hunter, her detailed lively description about each character and situation is one of the things that captured my attention. Recommended to all paranormal fantasy readers. This is a must read!

The book cover might not give the paranormal vibe as it should but I love this cover anyway. An old library stuffed with books that has a rich liquorish furnish all over, in reality this can make any book loving girl like me go weak on the knees. 

I give thiiis

Check out the trailer of A Hidden Fire