Guest Post: Emma Jones

Emma Jones Writer & Blogger

The Awakening is a YA Paranormal Romance by Emma Jones and was published December 2013 on Amazon Kindle.

Synopsis -

Do you believe in vampires? Ghosts? The supernatural world?
Meet Lauren who instantly clicks with Gavin at a friend’s BBQ. Everything goes well until Lauren starts to experience strange things and hears a weird voice. It seems like a warning but from what? Lauren eventually makes the startling discovery that Gavin is a vampire and it has profound consequences for herself. The arrival of Daniel makes things even more confusing for Lauren as she is warned he is bad news from a ghostly source. Laurens life is turned upside down as things she thought were myths and legends become real and she struggles to cope with everything she has discovered.
Will Lauren and Gavin’s relationship survive and what about the mysterious Daniel?

I was inspired to write The Awakening by my love of the vampire genre. I have always loved vampire films (long before Twilight was born) and below I have listed my favourites –

The Lost Boys 1987- This was my first proper vampire film and I’ve watched it loads of times. The character of Michael was my favourite and the actor Jason Patric became my first film crush.

Interview with a Vampire 1994 – I love everything about this film and I’m sure most vampire fans will have watched it millions of times. I love the end scene and think the acting throughout is brilliant. The last quote “I assume I need no introduction. Oh Louis Louis still whining. Have you heard enough? I’ve had to listen to that for centuries.” is one of my favourites. Christian Slater was my crush from this film.

Blade 1998 – Love this think it maybe my favourite. Stephen Dorff is absolutely gorgeous and I still love him.

Blade 2 2002- This film has amazing acting from Luke Goss who is barely recognisable as Jared Nomak.

Blade 3 2004 – Brilliant end to the trilogy and more humorous than the previous two curtersy of Ryan Reynolds who has some brilliant one liners and obviously has an amazing chest! ;)

Twilight 2008 – I can’t believe the first film came out so long ago. I was always team Jacob and loved the films although always found Bella’s character annoying.  I watched all five of the films at the cinema the last being released in November 2012 and has the best fight scene ever and a brilliant end which I didn’t see coming. Loved it.

If you would like to contact Emma Jones check out the following links –

https://twitter.com/booksemmajones

http://booksbyemmajones.blogspot.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Books-by-Emma-Jones/611953792173504

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7553673.Emma_Jones

If you would like to purchase The Awakening follow the links below –

Amazon UK || Amazon US

Giveaway: The Book of Life

THE BOOK OF LIFE

by Deborah Harkness

Pages: 592 (Hardback)

Publisher: Headline

Publication Date: July 15th 2014

ISBN: 9780755384778

Summary 

After traveling through time in Shadow of Night, the second book in Deborah Harkness’s enchanting series, historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont return to the present to face new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home at Sept-Tours, they reunite with the cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency. In the trilogy’s final volume, Harkness deepens her themes of power and passion, family and caring, past deeds and their present consequences. In ancestral homes and university laboratories, using ancient knowledge and modern science, from the hills of the Auvergne to the palaces of Venice and beyond, the couple at last learn what the witches discovered so many centuries ago.
With more than one million copies sold in the United States and appearing in thirty-eight foreign editions, A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night have landed on all of the major bestseller lists and garnered rave reviews from countless publications. Eagerly awaited by Harkness’s legion of fans, The Book of Life brings this superbly written series to a deeply satisfying close. 

Check out my reviews for the first two books in the series!

      

GIVEAWAY

The very kind people at Headline Publishing have provided me with a copy of the epic conclusion to the All Souls Trilogy to giveaway and this is your chance to get your hands on it!

Prize

x1 Hardback copy of The Book of Life (UK residence only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary (From Back Cover)

It begins with absence and desire.

It begins with blood and fear. 

It begins with a discovery of witches

A world of witches, demons and vampires.

A manuscript which holds the secrets of their past and the key to their future. 

Diana and Matthew - the forbidden love at the heart of it. 

Review
An intelligent and well written vampire novel - all most unheard of and yet here we are. You can tell when reading this that Harkness has an interest in research with it's so methodical in it's story plots. There are so many different intellectual themes that you'll defiantly need your thinking cap on with this one. It's a little like reading A Game of Thrones, in the sense that you have to be paying attention, no skimming over bits because if you start doing that you're just going to get lost.

The story follows Dr Diana Bishop, a witch in her early thirties who comes across an old manuscript when researching a paper in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Unbeknown to Diana, the manuscript she's found was lost a long time ago and it's resurfacing has also led to Oxford being invaded with Demons, Witches and Vampires. One of those Vampires being Matthew Clairmont. The story follows these two creatures as they come to terms with what Diana has uncovered and their ever growing feelings towards each other. No to mention the fact Diana has refused to acknowledge her powers for the past two decades, so being dragged into the magical world beyond human eyes it's exactly top of her to do list.

I'm going to start with the main problem I have with this book, because it's the ONLY problem I have with this book. Now, I understand why Harkness has written Matthew to be fiercely protective and almost obsessive over Diana, it makes sense. She's taken the biological traits of a predator and made a real and multi-layered vampire that works. None of this glittering nonsense. However, maybe it's just the feminist in me but I found it almost cringe worthy in parts where he's proving his dominance over Diana. I wanted to shake her and slap him! But in all fairness, that might just be me.

Saying all that, I have a soft spot of Matthew. Yes he's a slightly controlling 1509 year-old but he's also rather damn sweet at times. Although I don't think I like him as much as Marcus Whitmore, his dashing lab assistant. I could go into all the different character's but there are so many that I don't have the time and you lovely people defiantly don't. Which means you'll have to read it and find out for yourselves - you can thank me later. What I will say is keep an eye out for Emily, Sarah and their cat Tabitha - as well as the magic house that has a mood all of it's own!

This is a great book! It's as epic a fantasy as you're going to get set in the present day. It's magical and charming, as well as extremely interesting and intuitive. That's not even mentioning the epic love story at it's centre. It's an intelligent outlook on the vampire/witch culture we've all come to love. If you're someone looking for a fantasy novel, but are fed up of all the teenage nonsense that comes along with it? Then this is the perfect book for you. Would recommend to any lover of fantasy fiction!

I could get behind this... fan made 'dream cast' vid for A Discovery of Witches. FYI there is a movie in development, I do believe that the screenplay has been finish, although it's a long way off being cast.

Vampires

WARNING 

 This blog contains one serious rant!

Okay so I love a good Vampire as much as the next girl but I'm not going to lie to you, I'm getting a little bored. I keep getting recommendations to read The Vampire Academy but after Twilight, The House of Night, Morganville, The Vampire Diaries, True Blood and so many more I don't think I can cope with another one!

Now, I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way, but I think we need a bit of a break! Maybe throw in some more Zombie stories or fairies even - I've only ever read two GOOD fairy books! I just don't think I can deal with another wannabe vamp that's meant to make me want to joint to land of the living-dead. Because they just don't!

Also, has any of you noticed how vampires have stopped being scary? When did this happen?? Bram Stoker - author of Dracula if you didn't know - would be turning in her grave if he could see what we've made of these blood sucking fiends! 

Dracula
AKA a REAL vampire

VS

Edward Cullen
AKA Mr Glitter

What's your opinion on the Vampire crisis? I'd love to know I'm not the only one worried about the future of Vampires.