Gabriel Release & Review!

Earlier this week, the final book in Patricia Josephine's Path of Angels series, Gabriel, was released! I really enjoyed this series, so you should definitely check it out. Take it away, Patricia!

What’s in a name?

Gabriel
Angelic Messenger
Gabriel, an archangel and one of the two highest ranking angels in Judeo-Christian and Islamic lore. Her name means "strength of God". She is a unique archangel in the sense that it is almost certain she is the only female angel in the higher echelons, although some believe there are no female angels. Gabriel fosters joy, truth, justice and love. She grants wisdom in interpreting our dreams and visions.

Well, in Path of Angels Gabe is a guy and would probably be grumpy to read this. He is all about justice though. Love, he wants it for sure, but isn't very open about it. He's really a big grouch.

*   *   *

The end is in sight.

To stop Uriel from freeing Lucifer, Gabriel and his brothers must fall and go to Hell. It is a sacrifice Gabriel is not entirely ready to make. Will he fight alongside his brothers or forge his own path? There is only one choice.

Alexander doesn’t want to help Uriel nor does he trust him, but the angel has promised him a better life. He swore to protect Charlie, and he’ll do whatever it takes. When he meets the archangels and learns the depth of Uriel’s lies, he understands the true meaning of sacrifice. If there’s any hope of stopping Lucifer from being freed, Alexander, Charlie, Zephyr and Lake will have to get to Hell and help Gabriel and his brothers in the fight against Uriel.

The path is finally ending, but the price may be too high.

Check it out on Amazon and Goodreads!

About the Author:

Patricia Josephine never set out to become a writer. In fact, she never considered it an option during
high school and college. She was all about art. On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head. That was the start of it and she hasn't regretted a moment. She writes young adult under the name Patricia Lynne.

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow, and an obsession with Doctor Who.

Twitter | Website | Google+ | Wattpad | Goodreads

Path of Angels

Sarah's Review:

The final book in the Path of Angels series focuses on the last archangel, Gabriel, while also wrapping up the overall plot line that has run through all of the books. Gabriel and his brothers must fall and go to hell in order to stop Uriel from freeing Lucifer. Gabriel’s struggle was really interesting to see: his anger seems to be the thing that sets him apart from his brothers. He doesn’t want to fall and really doesn’t even want to follow the path at all. He just wants his normal life back, but eventually comes to realize that this is impossible. That’s when Alexander and Charlie come in. They have a very sweet relationship—Alexander doesn’t really want to follow Uriel but it’s the only way he can protect Charlie. When they meet Gabriel, they are both drawn to him and the three of them see that they were meant to find one another. The polyamorous relationship was an interesting twist that I enjoyed. I wish they were able to have more time together, but with Gabriel fallen, he and his brothers must continue on their path. The angels’ loved ones play a much larger role than anyone expected, and they must also travel to hell to help stop Uriel. I won’t give away the ending, but I will say it did make me a little sad—but I also understand why it had to be that way. Overall, a great ending to the series!

(I'm not sure if I can call my reviews "mini" anymore...they always come out longer than I intend. Maybe next time I'll learn to use paragraph breaks...)

Jophiel Release & Review!!

Before I get to the actual post, there's just one more interview for you to check out! Don't ask me how it worked out that all of my guest posts/interviews happened within a week of each other. Just a weird coincidence, I suppose. ("Your interview?" Jordan asks, tapping his foot.) Oh, right. Head on over to Danielle E. Shipley's blog where Jordan is being interviewed on Will Scarlet's Kiss & Tell. It's a talk show for characters and at the end they have to choose either to reveal their author's deepest, darkest secret, or kiss the host. Guess which one Jordan picked. GO ON, GUESS. *wink wink*

But anyway, onto the actual post! Earlier this week the third book in Patricia Josephine's Path of Angels series was released: Jophiel! I'll spare you my usual blabbering. Take it away, Patricia!

What’s in a name?

A character’s name can be important. It’s not always random. Sometimes there has to be a meaning behind it. I had some conflicting information on Johpiel. A few sites he wasn’t listed as an archangel, then others said in Jewish lore it was the name of an archangel. Either way, I decided to keep the name.

Jophiel
Angel of Enlightenment
Some believe Johpiel to be an archangel. This angel inspires us toward awareness, enlightenment, open-mindedness and freedom of thought. He teaches our consciousness to discover the Light within.

Joe is a huge joker, but knows when to be serious. Sometimes you wouldn't think he would be an archangel.

*  *  *

They must fight to stay on the path.

Joe embraces his duty without fear or hesitation, always ready for the next battle. But the path has never been easy. With Michael’s return, they uncover a truth more dangerous than they ever imagined. Their enemy plans to unleash the devil himself, Lucifer. Help comes in the form of an unlikely alley: a member of the fallen.

Mariangela is trying to make amends by protecting the child she is carrying. After blindly following Lucifer in the rebellion, her misguided allegiance came with a price: banishment from heaven. Now, as she strives for forgiveness in the human world, she must fight to prevent Uriel, a fallen archangel, from using her child to free evil from Hell.

The path becomes a battleground, one which may already be lost.

Check it out on Amazon and Goodreads! 

About the Author:

Patricia Josephine never set out to become a writer. In fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. She was all about art. On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head. That was the start of it and she hasn't regretted a moment. She writes young adult under the name Patricia Lynne.

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow, and an obsession with Doctor Who.

Twitter | Website | Google+ | Wattpad | Goodreads

Path of Angels

Sarah's Review:

Jophiel’s story continues right where we left off with Zadekiel in Book 2. I really enjoyed Joe as a character. He’s funny and compassionate, and it was interesting to get into his head, as well as watch him learn how to control his powers. Mariangela was an interesting character as well: a fallen angel trying to seek forgiveness and protect her unborn child from falling into the hands of the other Fallen. I wasn’t quite as invested in the relationship between Joe and Mary as I was in the relationships featured in the first two books. While all the relationships happened suddenly for these characters, this one didn’t have as much time to develop. I think that’s because the focus is more on the path itself and the brothers’ mission to stop the Fallen. We start to get a lot of answers in this book: what the Fallen’s plan is to free Lucifer, and what Jophiel and his brothers must do to stop it. Something huge is revealed and it turns out they really have been on the path all along, and the people they meet and come to love play a large role in that. I’m excited to see where the story goes in the next book. 

Zadekiel Release Day!

If you're looking for my A to Z post, click here. Hey, I can have two posts in one day if I want...

Today is the release day for Zadekiel, Book 2 in the Path of Angels series by the awesome Patricia Josephine (you probably also know her as Patricia Lynne!). I got hooked into this series with the first book, Michael, so I definitely wanted to help spread the word today! Patricia is here to talk about choosing the name for her main character (See? Everything ties together.), and you can check out my mini-review for Zadekiel below. Can this count as a "Hey, I Read Your Book" post? I'm gonna go with yes...Take it away, Patricia!

What’s in a name?

After Michael, I decided I wanted to find some more unique angel names. That’s a little tricky when I need archangel names. There aren’t that many. When I picked Zade's name, I hadn't really looked into the meaning, but it's interesting how his character developed and matches this.

Zadekiel
Angel of Prayer
Zadekiel is an angel of charity, solace and gentleness. This loving angel radiates comfort to those who are afraid, wounded or grieving. He also kindles a desire for spiritual development in the human heart and is considered an archangel, governing over the order of Thrones and Dominions. He is present in the bible as the angel who prevents Abraham from sacrificing his son Isaac to God. He guards the powers of invocation.

*    *    *

The path is lost.

With Michael gone, the mantle of leadership falls to Zadekiel. In this time of darkness, with tempers running short, Zade struggles to guide his brothers. Hope comes in the form of a green haired woman with a unique gift. She represents a way back to the path they lost when Michael disappeared.

Zephyr fills books with cryptic poetry, a powerful compulsion, which is more a curse than a blessing. With no control over her ability, she struggles to live a normal life. When she meets Zade, he insists her ability is a gift from God. Reluctantly, she agrees to join the cause–it’s hard to dispute a man with wings.

Now the path is found, but one question remains. Will it lead to further darkness?

Check it out on Amazon and Goodreads! Also pick up the first book in the series, Michael, here.

About the Author:

Patricia Josephine never set out to become a writer. In fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. She was all about art. On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head. That was the start of it and she hasn't regretted a moment. She writes young adult under the name Patricia Lynne.

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow, and an obsession with Doctor Who.

Twitter | Website | Google+ | Wattpad | Goodreads

Sarah's Review: 

Having loved the first book in this series (and also willing to read any and all types of romance), I was excited for the story to continue. The thing I really like about these books is the complexity of the relationships. In the case of Zade and Zephyr, the latter is an atheist who also has a compulsive urge to write, and the fallen are after the book she wrote. Not only does Zade have to protect her, but has to convince her of the truth and deal with his feelings for her. The relationship does have a bit of an insta-love feel, which can be hard to pull off, but in this case, I think it works, particularly because of Zephyr’s attempt at denying what is happening. The story itself moves along at a good pace, with a great mixture of action, suspense, and just a little bit of sexytimes. And (vague spoiler!) I was very, very, very happy when two particular characters popped in to save the day. The worst part about reading this book was reaching the end and not having the next one to read yet. Can’t wait for its release!

Also check out my review of Michael here!

Hey, I Read Your Book! Effigy

Ok, I admit it. I totally dropped the ball on my book review posts. In my defense, I'm a very slow reader (somehow I'm already behind in this year's reading goal). What I don't have an excuse for, however, is getting the review for this book done, because I finished reading it about three months ago. It was just one of those "oh, I'll do it next week" sort of things. Anyway, I'm still going to aim to write a "Hey, I Read Your Book!" post once a month, and hopefully I'll have two books to review next month. But you know what happens when I promise things...

So, FINALLY, my mini-review of...........

Effigy by M.J. Fifield

Effigy was one of those books that had me constantly wanting to throw it against the wall. And I loved every second of it. From the very beginning, I knew this was a book that wasn’t going to hold back from its darker moments, and it did not disappoint. The twists and turns had me hooked throughout the whole book, always wanting to know (and sometimes fearing) what would come next. A rich cast of complex characters, wonderful use of descriptions, and incredibly intricate world-building made every page interesting and well-developed. The characters were flawed and felt very real. For me, Haleine was easily the most relatable and likable character. You can’t help but root for her as she is put in an unbearable situation and must find a way to work around it, at times fueled by her love and devotion to Dana, her desire to help the rebellion, or just the sheer will to survive. The villains are easy to despise, and even the good guys do things that will leave your jaw hanging. This book has a little bit of everything: a love story that you will constantly hope against hope will work out, relatable characters, nasty villains, bloody battle scenes, book-hurling disappointments (expect a few deaths), magic, gods, and above all, will cause an overwhelming desire to read the next book in the series. Can’t wait for its release!

Hey, I Read Your Book! Moonless & Broken Branch Falls

Ok, I'm cheating a little. My original plan was to have this mini book review segment on the last Monday of every month. But then for several reasons (procrastination...) I thought it would be better suited for the last Friday of every month. Except today isn't the last Friday, it's the first. But I didn't really want to put this off for another month, so here it is! The first segment of Hey, I Read Your Book!

Ugh, this is going to be just horrible, I know it. I'm terrible at reviews. Especially when I like a book. I find it's easier to have lots to say when you're constantly coming across things you don't like about a book. But I'm going to try anyway. So I guess until I get into a groove with this thing, the reviews will be short and sweet. I'm calling them mini-reviews because I'm not going to really go into too much summary or reveal any spoilers, just tell you what I liked about the book (and why you should read it, too!).  My goal is to have two books to review each month, so hopefully I can keep up!

First up!

Moonless by Crystal Collier

Let me just say--I loved this book. I've always had a soft spot for paranormal romance, but have sort of lost touch with it in the past years due to the temporary abandonment of my own book series, as well as the overkill in the genre. But Moonless was unlike all the other books I've read in the genre. It should also be considered historical fiction, which was a refreshing element. This book frustrated the hell out of me--but in a good way. I was hooked from the very beginning and it never lost my attention. I was right there with Alexia, dying to know the truth about who she is and what is happening. You get little tidbits of the truth, which not only had me flying through the pages, but had me gasping at some moments and saying "Aha, I knew it!" at others. At times it was romantic and swoon-worthy, other times suspenseful and downright scary. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Next up is...

Broken Branch Falls by Tara Tyler

This was a fun read. Gabe was a quirky character and it was fun to get inside his head. When the story begins, he's just like any other awkward teenager (even though he's a goblin), but as the story progresses, it takes a different turn and Gabe and his friends go on a quest to save their town from being torn apart. I just loved the descriptions of all of the beasts Gabe lives with and the ones he encounters during his quest. The idea of the different species wanting to coexist sends a great message, especially to the younger readers of this book. Gabe and his friends not only fight to save their town, but for the right to be friends with (and date) whoever they choose, regardless of the laws that keep species apart. Something is revealed near the end of the book that will leave your jaw hanging. Overall, this was a quick, fun read with great characters and a great message.

Woo, so there it is! My first attempt. I'll probably post these reviews on Goodreads, as well. Be sure to check out these books and give them a read. You won't be disappointed.

Side note! I forgot to tell you guys, but if you read last Friday's post, you know I was trying to figure out what my 1000th movie should be. The general consensus was that I should watch a classic, so after doing some searching, I watched Gone with the Wind last Saturday for my (drum roll please) 1000th movie! Once I remember that I had never seen it, I knew it had to be the one. It was looooooooong, of course, but I loved it! So now I can get back to watching more movies, and maybe someday make it to 2000.