Pages

Showing posts with label Laura Howard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laura Howard. Show all posts

September 16, 2014

Stone of Destiny (The Danaan Trilogy #2) by Laura Howard ~ Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway


Welcome to my stop on The Stone of Destiny Blog Tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours! Click here for the full tour schedule. 



Title: Stone of Destiny 
Series: The Danaan Trilogy #2
Author: Laura Howard
Publication date: April 15th 2014
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Source: Copy for review

Purchase: Amazon | B&N 







Allison thought it was crazy enough when she found out her father, Liam, wasn't entirely human. But now she has to join his magical allies to unravel his former mistress's plans. Aoife wants to keep Allison's parents apart forever. 

Despite Allison's efforts to keep Ethan, the only guy she's ever cared about, out of this supernatural mess, fate keeps throwing him back into the mix. 

Will Allison be able to find the amulet that holds the enchantment Aoife placed on Liam and destroy it? Are Ethan's feelings for Allison strong enough to endure the magic of the Tuatha De Danaan? 


I adore this trilogy! It's going to be bittersweet for me when the third book comes out - I'm excited to read it but don't want this series to end! In this second book of the trilogy, Stone of Destiny, Allison is as awesome as ever and the story was so easy to get back into. It's been a while since I read the first book, but I had no difficulty jumping back into Allison's world with just a couple quick reminders at the beginning of the book woven into Allison's narration.   

Aoife is still causing trouble, and her main mission is to keep Allison's parents apart so she can have Allison's father, Liam, all to herself. She wants the kind of love that is rare for the Danaan to have, but the problem is Liam isn't in love with her. I don't understand why she doesn't just give up, but she doesn't seem to be the type who's reasonable, hence all the trouble she stirs up. 

Allison is the kind of heroine you love to read about. She puts others first, is loyal and loving with her family, and stands on her own two feet. She doesn't need a guy to prop her up. I understand her reasons for keeping Ethan at arm's length to prevent him from getting tangled up in the supernatural mess she's in herself. She doesn't want anyone else she cares about getting hurt, and I admire that about her. I feel like I know her well, and I'll always be on her side!

Deaghlan, kind of the Danaans, is a mystery. He's infuriating yet charming at the same time, and like no other character I can think of. I can tell Allison is unaware of the effect she has on him; why else does she think he bothers to mess with her head? And he does it on a regular basis. For all of his talk about humans being lesser than the Danaans, he seems to be jealous of one human in particular... 

I was so happy to see characters again from the first book like Nicole, Niamh, and Aodhan - they're my favorite ones. I felt like I was reunited with good friends. I liked having the opportunity to get to know Allison's father, Liam, better. There's some things about him I haven't quite figured out yet. 

I enjoyed Stone of Destiny even more than the first book. The plot impressed me with all of the twists and turns - I FLEW through this book. It was over before I knew it because I just couldn't put it down. Devouring it in one sitting, I'm beyond satisfied with the action, the humor, and the touch of romance. This book has everything, and I'm looking forward to the next one!   

My Rating:






Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn't until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.





Blog Tour organized by:

November 6, 2013

Cover Reveal ~ Stone of Destiny (The Danaan Trilogy #2) by Laura Howard


Stone of Destiny (The Danaan Trilogy #2)
by Laura Howard
Release Date: 12/31/13
Cover designed by http://najlaqamberdesigns.com/

Summary from Goodreads:

Allison thought it was crazy enough when she found out her father, Liam, wasn't entirely human. But now she has to join his magical allies to unravel his former mistress's plans. Aoife wants to keep Allison's parents apart forever.

Despite Allison's efforts to keep Ethan, the only guy she's ever cared about, out of this supernatural mess, fate keeps throwing him back into the mix.

Will Allison be able to find the amulet that holds the enchantment Aoife placed on Liam and destroy it? Are Ethan's feelings for Allison strong enough to endure the magic of the Tuatha De Danaan?
  

Book One:
(linked to Goodreads)




Please click here to read my review of The Forgotten Ones. :D


About the Author
Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

Author Links:
   

Cover Reveal Hosted by:



June 29, 2013

Blog Tour ~ Review & Tour Wide Giveaway: The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard

Hey and welcome to my stop on The Forgotten Ones Blog Tour! Click here for the full tour schedule. I have a review for you today, so relax and enjoy! :D

Title: The Forgotten Ones (The Danaan Trilogy #1)
Author: Laura Howard 
Release Date: May 15, 2013
Pages: 197
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Paranormal
My Rating: 4 / 5  
Blog Tour organized by: AToMR Tours


~ Synopsis ~ 

Allison O'Malley just graduated from college. Her life's plan is to get a job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She doesn't have room for friends or even Ethan, who clearly wants more. 

When Allison's long-lost father shows up, he claims he can bring her mother back from the dark place her mind has sent her. He reveals legends of a race of people long forgotten, the Tuatha de Danaan, along with the truth about why he abandoned her mother.

~ My Review ~ 

I must admit the cover is what initially drew me to this story - it's gorgeous and now that I've read the book, I love it even more. I can't help that I have a huge affinity for purple! Once I looked beyond the cover to read the synopsis, I was interested to see that there would be a character with schizophrenia. It's always been such a mysterious disorder to me, and I wanted to see how it would be handled in fiction.

While Allison started out as a bit of a bland character for me, I did appreciate her determination to take care of her mother and the way she loved her no matter what. I wanted to argue with her about closing herself off to others, but I knew I'd do the same thing in a heartbeat. Allison doesn't believe she can have a life outside of working and taking care of her mother, but I believed there would be room for love with Ethan. I kept hoping she would be able to see that for herself, too.

I wasn't sure about Ethan at first. He seemed like a player in the beginning, and I questioned his intentions toward Allison; however, I warmed up to him. He ended up becoming a character I wanted to see happy. I felt the same hesitation towards Allison's father except even more so.  I didn't trust him and felt the same as Allison in wanting to protect her mother from him. Where had he been all this time? Why did he suddenly show up now? Whatever you might be thinking, you won't guess the answers to those questions! You'll be surprised just as I was! 

The plot explodes in the second half of the book, and this is really where Allison begins to shine. Not to say I didn't like her in the beginning because I did, but here I was able to see so much more of her personality. She became fierce, courageous, and just jumped from the pages. She came alive. Sometimes in books the reader is privy to information the main character doesn't know yet. In this case, I loved how the author chose to allow the reader to discover things along with Allison. I felt more connected to her that way. 

Overall, with the colorful cast of characters, Irish lore, and the way in which the plot unfolds, I relished this book and am looking forward to the next in the trilogy.    

* I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour. *

~ Buy the Book ~ 
Amazon  | Barnes & Noble

~ About the Author ~ 
Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn't until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel. 

~ Connect with the Author ~