PTB Debut Author Spotlight Interview with Robin Bridges & Giveaway!

We're super excited to have Robin Bridges answering questions about her recently released debut The Gathering Storm.  You can read my review of it HERE.

The Gathering Storm is an amazing mix of historical fiction and paranormal romance. How did you decide to write such a story and how did you keep the story right on the edge of both genres creating a perfect mix?
I wanted to write a story with all of my favorite elements- a love story and a scary fairytale, set in a time period I’ve always been fascinated with. I’m so happy with the way it all came together!

I saw in your Library Thing list of research books that you did extensive research on the historical time period of Russia, did you do any research for the paranormal story line and how did you decide what paranormal creatures you'd use in the book?
Yes! For Russian myth and folklore, I read The Bathhouse at Midnight by W.F. Ryan. I also read as many books about necromancy as I could find!

What was the most interesting bit of research you came across?
That’s a hard decision! I found the diaries fascinating as well as the menus that still exist from some of the balls. When reading about the Montenegrin princesses I discovered Elena was a poet in her teenage years and actually published a book of poetry while attending Smolny under the pseudonym, “Blue Butterfly”!

Have you tried making any of the food discussed in The Gathering Storm?
Only Russian black bread and I’ve made it several times!

What was your favorite scene of The Gathering Storm to write?
When Katiya tries to take Count Chermenensky to the hospital and ends up being escorted by the grand duke. This is her chance to use some of the medical knowledge she’s already acquired.

What can you tell us about the next two books in the trilogy?
More magic and more monsters! Katerina is desperate to remove her blood tie to Danilo, but he may be the only one who can help her defeat the lich tsar Konstantin. Katerina must decide how far she will go to protect her loved ones, including George.

How cool was it to be on the cover of RT Book Reviews?
Very cool! I’ve been carrying my copy around in my purse for the past week!

If people want to learn more about 1880s Russia, what one book would you suggest they read?
Ooh, I’d suggest Paul Vasili’s BEHIND THE VEIL AT THE RUSSIAN COURT, or a biography of Empress Marie Feodorovna, like Coryne Hall’s LITTLE MOTHER OF RUSSIA.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

• We have 2 copies of The Gathering Storm to giveaway.
• US addresses only - No PO Boxes
• All other standard rules apply. 
• Giveaway ends 2/10
• CLICK HERE TO ENTER

The Dead of Winter Review

Title: The Dead of Winter
Author: Chris Priestley
Release: October 2011 by Bloomsbury
Synopsis:

Michael Vyner recalls a terrible story, one that happened to him. One that would be unbelievable if it weren't true! Michael's parents are dead and he imagines that he will stay with the kindly lawyer, executor of his parents' will ...Until he is invited to spend Christmas with his guardian in a large and desolate country house. His arrival on the first night suggests something is not quite right when he sees a woman out in the frozen mists, standing alone in the marshes. But little can prepare him for the solitude of the house itself as he is kept from his guardian and finds himself spending the Christmas holiday wandering the silent corridors of the house seeking distraction. But lonely doesn't mean alone, as Michael soon realises that the house and its grounds harbour many secrets, dead and alive, and Michael is set the task of unravelling some of the darkest secrets of all. This is a nail-biting story of hauntings and terror by the master of the genre, Chris Priestley

One thing’s for sure Chris Priestley knows how to scare the bejesus out of you. I love horror books. I have been reading them since I was a teen and I cannot remember a book freaking me out the way The Dead of Winter did. I am not sure what it was about Chris's writing but I had to stop reading at night because it was giving me nightmares.

Michael has lost both parents at a young age - his father saved the life of another man whom Michael has grown up resenting. His mother has recently passed from an illness, and when he finds out his guardian is the man his father saved - the last thing Michael wants is to go stay with this man. Being forced to go live with him is like a slap in the face. On the way to the estate Michael sees a strange woman in distress - but when he stops to offer help she has disappeared.

Michael’s weird encounters don't stop there; Michael feels like someone is watching him all the time and there are strange noises coming from an enclosed room. Michael seems to be the only one hearing the noises - but the help seems to know something and they are not willing to share.

Even though I figured out the gist of the book early on the writing is so engrossing that I could not put the book down.

"Waiting on" Wednesday: The Calling by Kelly Armstrong

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking  the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 


This week we are waiting on...

 The Calling by Kelly Armstrong

Maya and her friends--all of whom have supernatural powers--have been kidnapped after fleeing from a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set, and after a terrifying helicopter crash they find themselves pursued by evildoers in the Vancouver Island wilderness.

WHY WE WANT IT:
I love Kelly Armstrong's YA series - I can't wait to see where she takes the second book in her Darkness Rising series.

January Winners!

All winners should have been notified by now. If you believe you are the winner and have not heard from us please send us an email. 

Comment Contest:
Tayteh

2012 ARC Box:
Judi C

A Million Sun Prize Pack:
Julie W

Dreaming of Books Giveaway:
Sara from France

Everneath:
Kristin A

Tempest:
maidenveil

Cinder:
Victoria Z - Hardback
Monica -book + necklace

Fracture:
Wathira N

The Catastrophic History of You and Me:
Ricki

Hallowed:
Patricia M

February Comment Contest

We love reading/hearing what our followers think.  We appreciate everyone who takes a moment to leave a comment. 

To Enter:

• All you have to do is post a comment - on any post all month long. You are eligible to win for the month you posted a comment. 

• Obviously, the more comments, the more chances you have of winning

• Make sure we have a way to contact you(email on post or blogger profile filled out/twitter name)

• Contest ends the last day of the month

• All our regular contest rules apply

What is up for grabs: Well, that depends... We will give you a list of books/arcs that we have recently read and you will get to choose one book off of the list. 

Wings of the Wicked Review

Title: Wings of the Wicked
Author: Courtney Allison Moulton
Publish Date: January 31, 2012 from HarperCollins / Katherine Tegen Books
Synopsis:  

Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined.
Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven’s warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell’s strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night.

She’s been warned.
Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian’s new plan to destroy Ellie’s soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian’s schemes , the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself.

She’ll be betrayed.
Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be hell to pay.

Wings of the Wicked is a great follow-up to Angelfire; it’s jam packed with action, romance, laughs and heart break. It’ll keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you yelling YOU ENDED IT THERE?!?!?!?! I also love that the book sounds like Courtney. If you’ve ever had a conversation with her, you can see her personality and love for her characters in her writing.

Wings of the Wicked picks up shortly after the events that end Angelfire. Ellie is growing as the Preliator, but with that she’s also dealing with how her responsibilities fighting reapers fits into her “human” life. She’s also trying to figure out her relationship with Will. After Michael’s statements at the end of Angelfire, it makes any kind of romantic relationship that much more confusing.

Along with all the personal struggles, Ellie and Will are also having figure out what Bastian is up to. It seems dumping the coffin in the deepest part of the ocean wasn’t enough of a deterrent to Bastian and he’s still plotting to bring on the war between good and evil. And if that wasn’t enough, Cadan has jumped head first into Ellie’s life making things that much more confusing. Many secrets and revealed and we finally found out what’s up with Ellie’s father. This is a great second book that will have you eagerly anticipating the exciting conclusion to this story.

Courtney has done an amazing job of keeping up with the high impact story line started in Angelfire while balancing it with the emotional wait needed for the storylines presented in Wings. Courtney has giving Ellie just the right mix of a strong female character and one who’s struggling with the emotions of being a teen and everything else going on in her life.

My Overall Review:

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is weekly meme hosted by Mizb at Should be Reading

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Share the title & author.

My teaser this week comes from:

The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

It was nothing more than a meat market for Russian nobility, where princes from all across Europe sent their daughters, intending them to marry well.

So there I sat, Katerina Alexandra Maria von Holstein-Gottorp, Duchess of Oldenburg, Great-great-granddaughter of Empress Josephine on my mother's side, great-great-great-grandaughter of Katerina the Great on my father's side. Princess of royal blood. Royal meat for sale. I would rather have been dead.