Juicy Jungle Tidbits for Vampires Elisabeth Wheatley’s Fanged Mania

To join in, copy and paste these rules and the above banner into your Fanged Mania post and add your link to this week’s Fanged Mania post at Elisabeth Wheatley’s Blog. Fanged Mania is a Friday meme counting down to the release of Fanged Princess and displaying all things vampire and awesome. Fanged Mania posts can be a review of a vampire book, a quote from the latest Vampire Diaries episode, a showcase of a cool vampire book’s cover, or whatever you like so long as it is vampire related. Don’t forget, participants will be entered in the drawing to win a fanged-abulous prize pack!

The prize pack I mentioned includes Vampire Diaries and Breaking Dawn posters as well as a paperback copy of Erica Steven’s Captured (my review here) and the complete collection of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter stories by Jennifer Malone Wright, in paperback, too! =D

Oh, and the contest is international. And the more Fanged Mania posts you have, the more entries you get! So what are you waiting for? Hop on the bandwagon!

Vampires Pictures, Images and Photos

MY REVIEW by Sherry Fundin

Goddess of the Moon – Mayan World of Vampires by Glenda Reynolds

.Goddess of the Moon: Mayan World of Vampires

King Tetaneeka and Queen Almika traveled to Chichen Itza.

While the king was occupied with palace business, Almika wandered off by herself.

Cenote at Chichen Itza by Sherry Fundin

Cenote at Chichen Itza by Sherry Fundin

She came upon the Sacred Sacrificial Cenote and threw her gold ring in, praying for her and her unborn daughter, Melanna. Unknown by anyone else, her labor started.  As she lay dying, a stranger came out of the jungle and she bade him, protect her baby. After her body and the baby were taken away, he found the ring she had tossed into the cenote, thinking he may need it in his duty to protect the baby.

Melanna grew up in Coba, which became a Mayan city of note, with far-reaching influence. When Melanna came of age, she went on a pilgrimage, the Women’s Right of Passage, to Izla Cozumel. While there, she had wandered off on her own and fallen into a cenote. Tez was there to save her.

Back home, her personal servant Quaileen told her some of her family history. Her mother had come from a line of warriors. As she was thinking about what she learned, she wandered out to the garden, where she ran into Micah. He told her his gift and purpose in life was to appear where there would be a terrible conflict. He went on to tell her that she would have an important role to play.

Melanna was ecstatic when Tez showed up at the door of the palace. He had always been near her, keeping her safe, but she was unaware of it. As they got to know each other, she asked about his family. He told her that a blood thirsty cult had killed, not only his wife and family, but his enter village. A group of men arrived shortly after and had taken him in. They became his family.

On Bonfire Night, they had a feast, dancing and celebrating the end of school. Manny and Melanna went together, Zonya cozied up to Noctli. When Melanna looked around, she thought she saw Micah and remembered his warning.

“It all begins now.”

Zafrina, the Dark One, climbed to the top of the bonfire and announced, unless they followed the way of human sacrifice they were doomed. It was time to choose. As a show of strength, she brought the fury of a storm down upon them. Lightning flashed and wind and rain tore at their clothes, while thunder clapped all around them. Zafrina vanished into the clouds. It looked as if they wrapped her up and carried her away. As if she was part of them.

El Castillo - Chichen Itza by Sherry Fundin

El Castillo – Chichen Itza by Sherry Fundin

They began to worship the Ancients and the droughts and plagues vanished as the sacrifices began. At first it was the prisoners that were chosen, then the ones who displeased Zafrina.

Melanna plead with her father, King Tetaneeka to stop the sacrifices. Her friend, Noctli had just been killed and she was devastated. He hated explaining to her he had no real power any more, he was just a figurehead. The Dark One, Zafrina, was the real ruler.

As events escalated for the worse, some felt a need to rebel, the Ancients had to be stopped.

Tex knew their freedom would come with a hefty price. He also knew he would have to tell Melanna his secret.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos   3 –  Would Recommend To Others

I liked the cover and when I read the book blurb and saw Mayan, I didn’t need to read any further, even though the vampires gave it an intriguing twist. I knew it was a book I wanted to read. I have many memories of travel to Cancun, Chichen Itza and Cozumel. I love to read about places I have been to and am familiar with. I remember standing in the ball court wondering how in the heck they ever got the ball through the hoop, and, of course, the legend of what happened to the players.

Ball court at Chichen Itza by Sherry Fundin

Ball court at Chichen Itza by Sherry Fundin

Good and evil. Mayans were pretty brutal in history, could that have been because they were vampires?

A fun and entertaining read. The plot is full and varied, with more than one storyline going on. The characters are both likeable and hateable (?). I really liked the book and wanted to get more involved, would have liked to see more depth and detail to draw me deeper into the story.

I didn’t race through the pages, but I did very much enjoy the read. I will definitely be interested in reading any further books Glenda Reynolds writes, as I think she will only get better.  If it was summertime, I would call it a summer read to be put on your to-be-read list.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Glenda Reynolds    Glenda Reynolds was born in East Tennessee and spent her years growing up both in Michigan and later in Kentucky at a private Christian school. She currently resides in the Florida Panhandle with your husband of 29 years. Tales of the modern vampire inspired her to write about a paranormal romance saga involving her home state of Florida. Her writing is geared toward an audience who enjoys reading paranormal romances/fantasies/historical romances with Christian values such as those of Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight Saga.

To see what Glenda is up to, follow the links below.

Facebook

Goodreads

Enter Goodreads Giveaway HERE.

  To order the book, simply click on the cover.

Review – She was a miracle, yet they wanted her dead!

What Kills Me by Wynne Channing

Her description in her bio is appropriate: “Well written by Wynne Channing.”

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I was walking back to Sofia’s from the bakery and saw a man in the square.  He seemed to be eying me, but I was late and hurried on. Somehow I got lost and when I turned around, he was there. I explained what happened, described Sofia’s street and he took me there. I joked along the way, but he didn’t seem to get it. I do have a sarcastic wit. To repay him, I told him I would buy him a gelato and we agreed to meet at the pizzeria later. His name was Paolo.

I had come to Italy to go to the university and study art. I was living with my host, Sofia, and because I was so late, she instituted a 9:00 pm curfew and I was to meet Paolo at 9:15. Now what? I came up with the idea to leave a message for him at the pizzeria and meet him there at 3:30 Monday afternoon.

That night, as I lay in bed, I heard my name. I went to the window, looked out and Paolo was there. He talked me into climbing out the window and trespassing into the church. We stood by the collection box and he whispered in my ear, “I’m going to kill you.

He turned toward the altar and I ran into the office. I saw a door, so I ran through it and down the stairs. The room was lit by candles that ringed a hole in the floor. Paolo kept backing me toward the hole, until someone yelled stop. I lost my balance and fell into the hole. It was so dark and I felt I was drowning. How I climbed out, I don’t know.

Uther explained, I was in his quarters in the church. He was the guardian of the sanctum. His niece, Lettie came into the room and asked me if I felt different. Why would I feel different? When I told Uther I had to go home, he said I couldn’t ever go home. He went on to explain that when I fell into the well, I had died. He said they were dead too. It was true. I had no pulse, no heartbeat. We were vampires.

When I saw myself in the mirror, my eyes were lit up as if on fire. Uther and Lettie told me I was a miracle. Never before had someone become a vampire without drinking someone’s blood. The well I fell into was full of vampire blood.

I didn’t think it could get any worse, until the General came. He called me an abomination and was taking me to the Empress. I had been thrown in the back of the truck, alone. I felt no pain and as I licked my lips I tasted blood. Soon I was cleaning  blood from my body, lapping it up like a cat.

We arrived at the castle. I was chained and had a  bag thrown over my head. I was made to kneel. When the bag was removed I saw hundreds of men and women surrounding me.  Paolo was brought in. The Empress called him Transporter. She condemned us both to death.

I didn’t know where we were, but I tried to find a way to escape.  As the sun moved aroundUros Petrovic - Vrsac Tower, Place of Medieval Legends the room, I saw Paolo burn and turn to dust. Why didn’t I burn in the sun like Paolo? I amazed myself by climbing out of the tower. As I looked around, I saw nothing but rocks and water.

When I dove and began swimming, I realized I didn’t need to breathe. Apparently there were some benefits to being a vampire.  I woke up and found I had washed up on shore, so I began walking. As I walked,  I talked to myself. It was something I did all the time.

I was startled when someone answered me. I thought I was alone. He introduced himself as Noel and said he could remove my chains. He took me home and introduced me to the boys, Lucas and Jerome.  I didn’t want to, but felt I had to tell them my story.

They said they made weapons for the Aramatta, the Monarchy’s guards. They told me the guards would come here, looking for me. Noel said they would take care of me and meant it. We prepared to leave, but had waited too long.

They beheaded Jerome in seconds. Noel fought hard but was outnumbered. I saw the jar of fuel by the sink, rolled it across the floor and threw the lantern. I grabbed Lucas and ran out the door, as the cabin went up in flames.

We decided to hide for the day, then go to see Uther. He had to tell us what was going on, why they wanted me so bad. When we arrived at the church, Lettie told us Uther had gone to Romania to consult the Sacriva, the vampire scripture. It had foretold of her arrival.

She proceeded to tell them about the Ancients,  and the prediction. There were seven Ancients with super strength and great powers. They could walk in the sun, read your mind and predict the future.  When two Ancients fought and one was killed, any vampires created by the Ancients died, the entire blood line. The Monarchy imprisoned the ancients, dug a well and put all their blood in the well. It was called the Crucivium.

ancient writing Pictures, Images and PhotosThe prophesy became the Sacriva. It says, when the natural world is threatened by the vampire empire, a human girl will be born, a vampire by unholy means. She will restore order.

The Monarchy is afraid of me. They will hunt me down and kill me. I told Lucas to leave, but he put his hand out and I took it.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos     4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others

The cover is gorgeous and the title led me to learn more about the book.

Wynne Channing created  Axelia with a sense of humor and a sarcastic wit. She would need it. The trials and tribulations she goes through to save her and Lucas, create a strong character. I was running and climbing with her, as I rooted for her and hoped she’d get what she needs and wants.

The story was unique and creative. Very different from the vampire novels I have read. It captured me from the beginning and I eagerly ate it up. The action was non-stop, keeping me reading to find out what would happen next.

I loved the ending and it left me wanting more, but you will have to read the book to find out for yourself. I am eagerly awaiting the next book.

Buy Links for What Kills Me

Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | Kobo | iTunes | Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

http://mail.aol.com/37058-111/aol-6/en-us/mail/get-attachment.aspx?uid=40339847&folder=Inbox&partId=4

About the top-rated, best-selling book (#1 in occult, October 2012): An ancient prophecy warns of a girl destined to cause the extinction of the vampire race. So when 17-year-old Axelia falls into a sacred well filled with blood and emerges a vampire, the immortal empire believes she is this legendary destroyer. Hunted by soldiers and mercenaries, Axelia and her reluctant ally, the vampire bladesmith Lucas, must battle to survive. How will she convince the empire that she is just an innocent teenager-turned bloodsucker and not a creature of destruction? And if she cannot, can a vampire who is afraid of bugs summon the courage to fight a nation of immortals?

About Wynne: Wynne Channing is a national newspaper reporter and award-winning young adult novelist. Wynne loves telling stories and as a journalist, she has interviewed everyone from Daniel Radcliffe and Hugh Jackman to the president of the Maldives and Duchess Sarah Ferguson. The closest she has come to interviewing a vampire is sitting down with True Blood‘s Alexander Skarsgard (he didn’t bite). She briefly considered calling her debut novel “Well” so then everyone would say: “Well written by Wynne Channing.”

Connect with Wynne

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Google+ | Pinterest |YouTube |Amazon Author Page

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taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos  Giveaway

Wynne Channing has offered 3 ebooks for the giveaway. It is International and easy to enter, as always. Just answer the question – WHAT VAMPIRIC POWER WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE? – and leave your email.

Now comes my favorite time of any giveaway. Announcing the winners.

Drum roll, please!!

Emily Guido  /  Denise Z  /Melanie

Congratulations. Your comments were wonderful and very much appreciated. This was a fun giveaway and I hope you will all come back again.

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To get your copy of I Am Forever, or another Wynne Channing novel, click on the cover below.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.
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