Blog Tour: Mini-Review/Excerpt/Giveaway!! Devoted, by Emery Skye

Welcome to my stop in the 

Devoted Blog Tour!

This is a very exciting new book

that I know you will all enjoy! 

I have read several excerpts, 

and I can tell you it's great!

Devoted

(Angel Academy, #1)

Emery Skye

Trade Paperback, 388 pages

Lemon Press Publishing

July 26, 2014

Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, 
Young Adult Fiction
Cover Artist: Tamara Sands

"Her world, her mission...is about to change. What do you choose when your blood is on the line?" A world where your life is a mission and to succeed you must have resolute devotion to duty. All Anna has ever wanted is to be the best Warrior and sister she can be. Easier said than done. Seventeen-year-old Anna Hasdiel is a noviate at Hope Academy, a secret school for young angels where she and her sister, Amalie, train to become Warrior Legites with the duty of protecting humans from Demons for the Legion United. Anna's devoted to the angelic cause. She's always known she would be a Warrior for the Legion. Her world is about to change. For months, noviates have been disappearing from Angel Academies around the world. No one knows why. They just hope they won't be next. The Powers that govern the lower choir angels have sent reinforcements as protection and Anna feels an inescapable pull to Legite Nathaniel Deror. Legite Deror is strong, fierce and mysterious. He seems to have it in for Anna one second and the next he's rescuing her. He makes her feel things she shouldn't. When Amalie's boyfriend disappears, Amalie decides to search for him. This decision takes the group to the Dark World, the home of the fallen Archangel Lucifer, where they will encounter insurmountable trials and fight past a host of deadly enemies. Where do loyalties lay? She never planned for this. She never planned for him.

This exciting new young adult novel tells the story of a young female angel, Anna Hasdiel, and her sister, Amalie, who are in training at an angel academy in order to battle the demons of the Dark World. In the process they meet, and fall for, two brothers named Nathan and  Alyosha, who are also in training.

Having read several excerpts from this novel, I am now eager to read  it in its entirety. I want to travel with these characters to the Dark World.  I want to immerse myself in their quest to save humanity from the hordes of evil!

The writing is fast-paced, immediately placing the reader  in the midst of all the action. As for the characters, they are believable and appealing. 

In spite of some initial misgivings, as the book has some similarity to the Harry Potter series, I became very interested in the story, which does have plenty of original touches. In short, I'm curious to see how the whole thing pans out!

“Here we go!” I shifted my attention to Nathan, “So, now what?”

“Now, we go to the Dark World,” he said serenely.  

“How do we do that?” I asked, feeling a little stupid.

“I put the book on the floor, open to the right page, and we each step into the page,” he glanced and around the room at our shifty eyes.

“It’s that simple?” I was not convinced.

“What’s the catch Warrior boy?” Taylor asked, resorting to sarcasm. She did have a point, there had to be something else to this.

“No, it's not that simple,” his tanned arms were crossed on his wide chest that strained his black sweater.

Oh-my-gosh, his body was distracting. I couldn't stop staring at his rippling biceps.

“You have to envision the Dark World: A place of supreme sadness, hatred, and death. That, and worse."  

“You just described New York City,” Taylor said,

She was absolutely right. This was a very sketchy plan.

“How are we all supposed to envision the same place? That seems idealistic and,” she coughed in her palm, “stupid.”

 I almost chuckled, but caught it before it slipped out.

“Trust me, the page will help. You just have to believe there really is a place that atrocious. This will be hardest for you, Amalie, because you are the most innocent.”

He wasn’t being insulting.  He was serious.

“I am not naive,” Amalie interrupted.

 I smiled. She was.

Lucas laughed.

“It’s not a bad thing. You just haven’t seen... or can’t understand... how monstrous the world is. ”

He wasn’t patronizing. He was trying to explain something you didn’t understand, and couldn't, without experiencing years of pain and turmoil, yourself.

 I hoped she would never understand the world the way it really was. If I could, I would shelter her from it for all eternity. That’s what sisters are for, right?

Taylor stared at Nathan like he just went Marilyn Manson on her.  Lucas wore his usual cocky smirk that I loved. Not.

 “Can you concentrate completely on a single atrocity and maximize it? Think rape, but imagine every detail of it. The screaming, the crying--”

“How about when my boyfriend was kidnapped?”  She wept. My heart ached for her.  I wanted to hold her, but she moved while talking.  I tried to stop her, but Nathan waved me off.  I stepped back.

Her pain must have been the energy the book used to get her there. She stepped onto the page, and was gone. There was no dust, or ripple in the air like I’ve seen in movies. She was just gone. Poof.

I felt my eyes widen.

“My turn!” I stepped forward and Nathan grabbed my wrist. I was  annoyed.

“Taylor, then Lucas.” He opened his eyes to me, and I felt desperation behind the order. So, again, I stepped back, but gave him the dirtiest look I could manage.  

Taylor moved forward and turned back to me. “I got it,” she said in a way that was so unlike Taylor. It was the way a soldier addresses a comrade in battle. She took foxiness to a whole new level. Her eyes emanated determination that made my heart swell with pride and confusion. This wasn’t the Taylor from school. It was a new Taylor. In a single smooth motion, she faced Lucas, “See you soon, lover.”

Of course Taylor would have to be dramatic. She stepped onto the page, and was gone. Lucas stepped onto the page. Now it was just Nathan and me. Alone.

“See you soon, I guess.” I shifted under his gaze, uncertain.

“Yes, you will. Stay put when you get over there. Anna, Amalie will be okay. You’re a good sister.”

I looked at him and saw love in his eyes. For the first time, I felt truly stupid for doubting that my attraction was reciprocated. I looked at his full lips, and the stubble that lined his tight jaw. The hair was thicker, now making his lips more pronounced, enticing. He seemed to be drinking me in, too. His eyes moved down from the top of my head, to my eyes, and finally, to my lips. I froze. He leaned toward me.  I could feel the heat of his warm, minty, perfect breath. That was it: he smelled like wintergreen.

He looked at me like I was the only thing in the world. For that single, eternal moment, it was just Nathan, and me, and the heat radiating between us.

I wanted to kiss this man while I had the chance, but I didn’t think I was brave enough. I decided to try anyway. I stood on my tippy-toes, making my move. He beat me to it. He came down to me, and our lips connected.

At first, the kiss was patient. It was exploratory. His tongue roamed mine. There was velvety texture to his lips that felt perfect against my own. I fell into him. Our bodies melted together. Heat exploded through my blood. My heart raced. The sound of blood rushing in my ears sounded like a roaring lion. My emotions were in a frenzy. He pulled me closer, held me tighter.  I grabbed his dark brown hair, enjoying the length as my fingers curled in his hair and I pulled him closer to me. I wanted more, I wanted him with every ounce of my being, and he wanted me too. I needed him, I needed his warmth, I needed to taste everything that was Nathaniel Deror

Purchase Links

Paperback Edition

Amazon US/Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Barnes & Noble

Digital Edition

Amazon US/Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Gemini Emery is a horse trainer living in Colorado with two yappy dogs and a few quirky horses.
She graduated from Regis University with a BS in Business Administration and a minor in philosophy.
A life-long reader, Emery has always had a special affection for the urban fantasy and paranormal romance realms.
When not riding horses or writing, she likes archery, hiking and shooting. She reads until her vision blurs, spends time with family, and drinks an excessive amount of chai and coffee.  
Devoted is her first novel.

Website/Facebook/Goodreads

Twitter

Be sure to enter the awesome,

tour-wide giveaway!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For the complete tour schedule, 

just click on the 

Bewitching Book Tours 

button below!