Review: Violet Midnight by Lynn Rush

 

 

 

Title:  Violet Midnight

Author:  Lynn Rush
Series:  Violet Night, #1
Release Date:  October 2012
Publisher:  Crescent Moon Press
Format: Ebook

ISBN: 9781937254810

 

 

 

 

 

Summary:

 

Let the Hunt begin….

Blending in with her college co-eds proves difficult for vampire Hunter, Emma Martin, considering the mystical tattoo on her wrist glows whenever Vamps are near. And after three months of silence, the glow is back with a vengeance.

Jake Cunningham witnesses Emma, a violet-eyed beauty, using unimaginable powers to fight off a fanged creature. Finally, after two years of searching, he may have found out what he’s become—a Hunter, like Emma.

Thankful for an ally in the fight against the Vamps, Emma finds hope and comfort in Jake’s arms. As she learns more about her new love’s family and its dark heritage, she may be forced not only to hunt them but to sacrifice her life to save Jake’s soul.



Praise for Violet Midnight:

“Rush hooked me from page one! Fast-paced, gripping, this tale of vampire hunters is full of action and suspense. A great read! Buffy had better watch out…Emma Martin is one hunter to watch!” -Cynthia Eden, National Best-selling Author

Review:

Violet Midnight was a quick and fun read.  It kind of took me back to my childhood days of watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  You have this kick ass girl dusting vamps with little effort and a handsome college boy just trying to figure everything out.

Emma is a hunter who has lost everyone she has ever loved with the exception of her best friend.  She has all these awesome powers but no idea how she got them.  She simply woke up two years ago with a tattoo that glows when vamps are near and all these super human abilities.

Jake is a college student who has been trying to find his way.  He grew up in the foster system and has always moved around.  He woke up two years ago with a tattoo on his body with no idea how it got there.   

When these two meet it is instant chemistry.  The connection is strong and fierce.  They realize that they are both hunters and Emma begins to train him.  The vamp population begins to multiply and instinct tells them that something bad is coming.  Through a lot of research they find a prophecy that they have to stop from being fulfilled.

This book has got it all.  There are crazy humans, vamps, overbearing best friends and psychotic parents.  I loved the mix of action, love, betrayal and angst in this book.  It was a fantastic read. This is just one of those books that you do not want to miss.  I look forward to finding out what happens next!



Excerpt:

“What am I? You mean what sorority am I? Or—”

“No.” Jake crept forward until only three feet separated them. “I mean, what are you? Those three men…whatever they were—”

Emma let out the loudest, hopefully believable, fake laugh she could muster considering the circumstances. He’d seen everything.

Mind-wipe time.

“They were just drunk dudes, knocked me in—”

“No they weren’t. Look. It’s okay. I—things—I understand different.” Jake eyed the partially closed door across the room. “You can trust me.”

Emma huffed. Trust. Yeah, right. Two years ago, almost to the day, her life went bonkers. Strange things happened to her after the crash that killed her parents. She trusted no one, let alone a total and complete stranger.

No matter how drawn to him she felt.

He seized her wrist before she’d even registered he’d moved. Too distracted by his dominating presence in the small room.

She tugged at his grip, but he held fast.

Wait—was that warmth? He cuffed her wrist with his strong, able fingers. The same fingers that had caressed her spine so gently as she coughed half the pool from her lungs.

Damn water.

She hadn’t noticed any heat then, or when he had held her neck, maybe because of wet clothes and hair. But now, there was no clothing, no water to obstruct the direct skin-to-skin contact. It sent a dizzying heat up her forearm, over her shoulder and straight to her chest.

She’d not felt warmth—any fluctuation in temperature—in two years. Her lungs tightened, forcing her to take small gasps for air. God she missed heat. She missed cuddling. Missed human touch.

And he wasn’t even asking about her cold skin.

Probably assumed it was from the water. Didn’t matter. She let the tension roll out into his grip and absorbed the sensual feelings penetrating her barriers. Just for a minute.

“Interesting tattoo.” He turned her hand, exposing her wrist.

Damn, she’d lost her watch in the water!

He stood so close his breath whispered against her cheek. How could she smell a heady, earthy scent emanating from him through the chlorine saturating his clothing and hair?

“Does it mean something?” he asked.

Emma shook her head, too lost in his touch heating her blood to verbalize a response. Not that she’d tell him it identified her as a Hunter, a protector with kick-ass powers. Or that it appeared on her skin overnight, while she lay in a hospital bed after the crash two years ago.

With his free hand, he traced the arrow, and Emma’s legs morphed into wet noodles. She leaned against the desk, not having realized she’d backed up so far. Thankfully she had, because it kept her vertical.

What was happening to her?

His finger followed the pulsing blue vein to the crook of her elbow, up her arm until his hand cupped her shoulder, all the while, he held her wrist tight with his other hand. His already nearly black eyes darkened as the pupils ate up the dark irises. His gaze shifted, and his tongue moistened his plump, completely lickable bottom lip.

The heat that’d ignited in her heart suddenly pooled in her belly—very low in her belly.

He leaned forward, mouth only inches from hers. Even his breath on her lips was warm. Amazing. How could she feel warmth with his touch when she couldn’t with any other person?

Need more.

“I saw how strong you were. How you fought them off.” He stepped into her. “And this tattoo. I’ve seen it before.”

Oh, God.

“It’s a symbol of power. Apollo and Artemis.” His voice went husky.

“How do you know that?”

“I know a lot, Emma.” His hand followed the curve of her shoulder until he caressed the nape of her neck. “Why’d you pick this mark to put on your skin?”

A wave of heat stormed through her. “I didn’t choose it.” Emma licked her lips in anticipation. “Woke up with it two years ago.”

She stretched toward him, and the softest, warmest lips met hers. He tensed, probably at the cool temperature of her skin, but she didn’t care. She only craved his warmth. His touch.

So long she’d been without.

Book Trailer and Purchase Links:

 

You can purchase your copy of Violet Midnight at

Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble

A portion of all proceeds
benefits
cancer research and awareness

 

 

 About the Author:

 

Driven to write, Lynn Rush often sees her characters by closing her eyes watching their story unfold in her mind. Lynn Rush is a pen name that is a combination of two sources – Lynn, the first name of her mother-in-law, who passed away and Rush – since the author is a former inline speed skater and mountain biker. All of Rush’s books are dedicated to Lynn, her namesake, and a portion of the proceeds benefits cancer research and awareness.

Rush holds a degree in psychology from Southwest Minnesota State University and a master's degree from the University of Iowa. Originally from Minneapolis, Rush currently enjoys living in the Arizona sunshine by road biking nearly 100 miles per week with her husband of 16 years and jogging with her two loveable Shetland Sheep dogs.

 

Connect with Lynn online

 Catch the Rush
Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest
Newsletter ~ Goodreads

Author Interview and Giveaway with Susannah Noel

Thank you so much Susannah for stopping by Mortality Bites to talk with us today.  

 

Susannah Noel is the Author of Word and Breath (Wordless Chronicles).

 

 

Susannah wrote her first paranormal novel when she was twelve years old--a time-travel romance written in a spiral-bound notebook that eventually starred all her friends. Since then, she has been writing romantic fiction of all varieties, including paranormal, contemporary, and historical. She can usually be found working on her laptop.

She has a PhD in British literature and teaches at a university in Virginia. She is currently working on the second Wordless Chronicle.

 

You can find our review of Word and Breath HERE.

 

 

 

THE INTERVIEW:

 

1      MB:  I like that books are now being labeled New Adult. We needed a space between YA and Adult. What do you think about the New Adult category?
 

 

SN:  I really like the New Adult category. I think there has always been some crossover between YA and Adult, and the New Adult category provides a natural space for it. I also think the 18-22 age range is a really exciting time in real life, so it’s fun to explore that age in fiction.

Riana, the main character of Word and Breath, is living in a different world than ours, so her situation is a little different than a 22-year-old’s from our culture. She started her job as a Reader at age 14, so she’s been working in her career a while. But she’s still trying to figure out who she is, how to have adult relationships, and what she wants from life, so in many ways she really fits into the New Adult category.

 

         MB:  This book is amazing! Why in the world did you self publish? Agents should be knocking down your door!

SN:  LOL. Thank you! I’ve actually had agents before, and they’ve been wonderful to work with. But the message I consistently received from publishers—when I approached them directly or through agents—was that my writing is great but my books aren’t the right “fit” for them. I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard that!

I wrote this book several years ago and queried agents with it. Several of them really liked it but weren’t sure they could sell it. This was before Hunger Games and before dystopian literature became so popular, so the book was really in between niches in a lot of ways. A few months ago, I reread the old manuscript and thought it still had a lot of potential. I’d been wanting to try self-publishing and thought this was a good book to experiment with. So I prepared the manuscript for publication and released it to the wilds. It’s been really fun so far.

 

           MB:  I loved that this was a new type of paranormal book. How did you come up with Soul-Breathers?

SN:  I’ve always loved paranormal characters. There is so much an author can explore about real life through vampires, werewolves, and other creatures that aren’t quite human. But I wanted to do something particular with my book, and none of the regular paranormal creatures really did what I needed them to do. So I just made one up to suit my needs!

Mikel tells Riana in one scene that Soul-Breathers are like “revved-up” humans. That’s what I was trying to convey—they have mostly human characteristics, just intensified a thousand-fold.

 

4       MB:  Are we going to be seeing a love triangle in the next book?

SN:  Well, love triangles are always tricky! J I will say that Connor is going to do an increasingly poor job in hiding his feelings for Riana, and Mikel isn’t going to appreciate it. At all.

 

5       MB:  I don't think I will ever get enough of this series! How many books do you have planned?

SN:  I’ve got three books planned out, and I think that will be enough. I don’t like to extend series past the point of developing characters, and I think the arcs for these characters will be completed after three books. I do have a few ideas for other books set in the same world, so I might look into that for the future.

 

6       MB:  Oddly enough I'm hoping for a HEA for Largan. I liked him. Will he still be around in future books?

SN:  Yes, Largan will be a significant character in all three books. In fact, the four perspective characters will be the same throughout the series. I like Largan too. It’s funny. He started as just a stodgy bureaucrat, intended mostly to develop plot elements I couldn’t get to in any other way. But he took on a life of his own, and there’s a lot I really like about him now. I’ve got plans for him in the future!

 

7       MB:  Are there any spoilers you can give us about the next book?

SN:  I don’t want to give too much away, but the titles are chosen very carefully.  Connor always represents the “Word” side of the equation, and Mikel represents the other side. So there might be a few hints there.

In general, Riana and Connor will keep working on the language-mystery, and Mikel will keep trying to be a part of Riana’s life without getting sucked into the rebellion. That will get harder and harder for him to do.

 

 

 

Thanks so much for having me as a guest on Mortality Bites!

 

 

You can find Susannah at the following links:

Website ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Purchase your copy of Word and Breath

 

Amazon

 

 

 

One winner will receive one e-book copy of Word and Breath.

This one is International!

To enter fill out the rafflecopter form below
check out my Giveaway Policy.

 

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Word and Breath

Title: Word and Breath
Author: Susannah Noel
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Source: Review copy from Author 

Format: Ebook

Summary from Goodreads:

Riana has learned how to stay out of trouble. She spends her days studying written texts in the government’s Office of Readers, and she spends her nights taking care of her sick sister. She always—always—follows the rules. Despite her low profile, she has mysteriously become a target. Someone has kidnapped her sister. Someone else is trying to kill her. And someone has sent a Soul-Breather to beguile her out of her secrets.

Her help comes from the mythic leader of an underground rebel movement. A man who used to be her friend. A man who has silently loved her for years. He disappeared from her life without a word, and now he expects her to trust him again.

Then there’s the Soul-Breather, a man who can taste her spirit with only a touch. He makes her feel things she’s never experienced before, but she doesn’t know if the feelings are real. Hired to deceive and betray her, he offers to help her instead.

Without both men, she can’t rescue her sister. And she can’t discover the world-changing knowledge—buried in her memory—that has made her a target in the first place.

Review:

Word and Breath is unlike any book that I have ever read.  The layers in this book were just remarkable.  Susannah Noel did her homework when writing this novel.    The world that she created was dangerous and fun all at the same time.  Her characters were witty, charming and just plain fantastic. 

While I was reading this book I felt like I was watching one of those old time black and white movies set in a dystopian world.  The suspense was slowly killing me while I was reading.  Even when I thought I had it all figured out something subtle would happen that would change it all.  Everything and everyone is revealed at just the right moment.  Even the bad guy has a noble motive!

I don't think I have ever been so engulfed in a story.  I felt like I was right there and I even tried talking to the characters more than once to give advise on what I thought they should do next.  Good thing they didn't listen to me.  I would have gotten everyone killed!  (Yes that's right I was talking to fictional characters in a book, but they didn't talk back so I guess I'm still okay!)

The paranormal aspect of the book came in the form of a Soul-Breather.  This is a new species to me but I quickly fell in love with them.  The idea of being able to taste someones spirit with one touch was sexy as hell.  I loved it!

Word and Breath is filled with mystery, suspense and lots of romance.  I am impatiently awaiting the next novel in this series.  I have to know what the answers are and how this amazing group of people are going to change the world.