Cross My Heart Writings & Reviews...xxx: Spotlight on Author Elizabeth Hunter & The Singer Book Blog Tour

Author Elizabeth Hunter:

Elizabeth Hunter is a contemporary fantasy, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance writer. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Honors College and a former English teacher. She once substitute taught a kindergarten class, but decided that middle school was far less frightening. Thankfully, people now pay her to write books and eighth-graders everywhere rejoice.

She currently lives in Central California with her son, two dogs, many plants, and a sadly dwindling fish tank. She is the author of the Elemental Mysteries and Elemental World series, the Cambio Springs series, and the Irin Chronicles.

Look for Elizabeth Hunter on:

Elizabeth Hunter Website

Elizabeth Hunter on Twitter

Elizabeth Hunter on Facebook

Elizabeth Hunter on Goodreads

I'm pleased to take part in the Book Tour for the release of Elizabeth Hunter's 2nd book in The Irin Chronicles, The Singer. This blog book tour was organized by Nica @ Oh My Shelves Thank you, Nica! You will find links to other participating blogs at the end of this post as well as a rafflecopter giveaway!

♥Coming May 6th, 2014...The Singer♥

Synopsis:

When you've lost everything you love, how do you fight the darkness? Ava left Istanbul with a new identity, new name, and new magic she could barely control. Laid low by Malachi's sacrifice, she searches for help from the fabled Irina. But will the secretive women of the Irin race welcome or shun her? Ava's origins are still a mystery, and her powers are darker than any they've encountered before.

The Irin world hangs in the balance. And as the children of angels battle their own demons, ancient rivalries among the Fallen threaten to wreak havoc on earth.

Thousand of miles away, a warrior wakes with no memory of his identity or his people. Stumbling though the dark and twisted schemes fallen angels, ravenous Grigori, and even his own leaders, he must find a way back to the one thing he remembers. A single voice calls him. Malachi has one mission.

"Come back to me."

THE SINGER is the second book in the Irin Chronicles, a contemporary fantasy series from Elizabeth Hunter, author of the Elemental Mysteries.

Readers: Because of world building and character introduction and progression, as well as catastrophic events, I highly recommend that you read The Scribe first. You will find my review here: The Scribe Review

My Review:

Elizabeth Hunter fans have waited months to continue the Irin Chronicles and the story of Ava & Malachi. Like me, I'm sure many of you wiped tears at the ending of The Scribe, heartbroken by the devastating loss of Malachi.  As I settled in to read The Singer, I found myself a bit wary and anxious. I have fallen in love with these characters, shared their love and laughter, felt their pain and heartbreak, suffered and grieved with them.  Elizabeth Hunter has the magical ability to breathe life into her characters, propelling them from the page of their fantasy world to capivate you and make you believe, make you care, make you want more...so I turned to page one, took a deep breath and got lost in their world once again...

The Irin world is in turmoil. The Grigori are increasing their presence in Istanbul, and there's a power play among The Fallen that threatens to destroy everyone. Both Volund and Jaron want Ava, each for reasons of their own, and will stop at nothing to get her as an epic, world-ending battle ramps up between the Ancients. But Ava is unaware...

"Grief struck at the oddest times. Like a cat, it waited to pounce. She could go about her day, even talk about Malachi, ignoring the black hole that lived inside, then something little would swallow her up."

What do you do when you've lost everything - your heart, soul, mate - your reason for living? How do you continue when your other half is missing? Ava is lost, battling the darkness while drowning in her grief...she watched her mate die, killed while fighting to save her. The darkness is closing in...an evil force is stalking her so she seeks refuge among the elusive Irina - a magical race of women who can help her discover and broaden the scope of her magical powers - help her release her voice and finally sing. She is haunted by dreams of her lost love, Malachi...dreams that feel so real, she can sense his breath whispering over her skin, caressing her with words of love. However, Ava's dreams also have a dark side - an ominous presence, always lurking around the shadows, tempting her, calling her, preying upon her mind. Who is luring her into the darkness? Why do they summon her?

While Ava struggles with grief and darkness, there is a warrior far away, battling his own demons. He has awakened lost, not knowing his own name or where he belongs.  As he fights to recapture his memories, his mind is inundated by a woman's mournful plea - "Vashama canem. Come back to me." The warrior's nights are spent pursuing and loving her in dreams, driven by a powerful bond that will not be denied. As his memory slowly returns, the mystical siren calling him in the night continues eluding him. He may no longer remember the woman haunting his dreams and mind, but he knows he loves her and recognizes her as his mate.

Elizabeth Hunter has created a magnificent world of amazing characters, entangled in a web of deceit, danger, loss, power, politics, and love that will have your heart racing time and time again.  She has once again raised the bar in the world of fantasy and totally captivated me. The writing is wonderfully imaginative, enticing you deeper with a plot laden with twists and turns. I was quickly lured into The Singer and couldn't turn pages fast enough to discover what would happen next. Approaching the end, I thought I had a handle on it, Yes...I can live with this...things are good...and then...I read the Epilogue...What?! OMG...I need book 3 now! What a great read! A definite reread! I can't wait for the next and final book of The Irin Chronicles trilogy! Fans of fantasy, paranormal, romance and suspense will love The Singer and the Irin Chronicles. Beautiful! Creative! Brilliant! A must read!

Rating: 5 Gorgeous ♥♥♥♥♥'s...And that's the truth!
Cross My Heart...xxx

Sandra
**I received an ARC copy of The Singer from the author**

Quotes:

"I see him everywhere. He's everywhere. And he always will be."
"Ava--"
"And I hate him for that. For leaving me," she choked out. "And for not leaving me."
♥               ♥              ♥              ♥     ♥

"And I sleep..." Ava cleared her throat and decided to just tell them. "I sleep because, in my dreams, he's there. And for a little while, I'm happy."
     ♥                 ♥             ♥          ♥           ♥

"A wound doesn't heal," she whispered, "just because it stops bleeding."
♥              ♥              ♥             ♥      ♥

"Who am I?" she asked, her tears making her voice rough and swollen. "What am I?"
      ♥             ♥              ♥                ♥          ♥

Excerpt:
           Ava. The name fell into his mind and filled it. It brought the memory of air tinged with cloves and roasted hazelnuts.
           “Who is she?”
           The old man looked at him, pity in his eyes. “She is your mate. You remember nothing of her?”
           “My mate?” Not a wife. More than a wife.
          “Your mate. Your reshon. It is a sacred union.”
          “Reshon?”
          “Your souls were created for each other. And when you marked her with magic, they bonded.”
          “Where is she?”
           Evren and Rhys exchanged a look. Rhys said, “We don’t know, but we’re going to try to find her. We will find her.”
          She wasn’t here. He felt as if he were stumbling through the dark, looking for something just out of his reach.
         “Malachi,” Evren asked. “When you woke, you were like this?”
         Malachi frowned. “I was by the river. There was nothing around. But I followed the water and found the farm.”
        “The old retreat,” Evren said. “He woke near the old retreat. I think when he came back, he was reborn in the exact place he was born the first time.”
        Rhys said, “You think Ava—”
        “It must have been. I don’t know how, but it is the only explanation.”
        “No Irina has the power to—”
        “No Irina is like Ava. She has no training. She has never been told what she may not do, so who knows what she is capable of?”
        Malachi broke into their quiet conversation. “You’re telling me I died?”
Evren and Rhys turned to him.
       “I died?” he asked again. “Truly? I died. And I came back to life?”
       “What do you remember?”
       “Nothing. I remember nothing. Just her voice on the wind and the stars overhead. I’ve been getting flashes here and there, but I don’t remember her. How could I forget her?” He felt torn. Incomplete. And it wasn’t just the memories he was missing. “And you think she did this somehow?”
        Evren said, “We don’t know. Not really. But there is no other explanation. Your brothers saw you die. Saw your body turn to dust. Your mate saw you die—felt you die.”
        “But why would Ava be able to—”
        “She said the words,” Rhys said. “The words she had heard her whole life. From the souls of everyone who mourned. She came to me before she left. Asked me what it meant. Vashama canem. Come back to me.” He turned to Evren. “I had no idea. How could I?”
        “There was no way of knowing she could do this, Rhys. No way—”
        “Wait!” Malachi felt a chill creep along his skin. “You’re telling me she spoke this command and I answered. Even from beyond death?”
        “He’s telling you words have power,” Evren said. “Ava asked you to come back to her. And you did.”

♥Coming May 6th, 2014...The Singer♥

Please stop by the other blogs participating in this Book Tour by clicking on the links below. You may enter a rafflecopter drawing for autographed copies of The Scribe and The Singer and a $5 gift certificate below!

Book Tour for The Singer: