Blog Tour: Ember and Iridescent by Carol Oates

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Title: Ember
Author: Carol Oats
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Publishing Date: July 19th 2011
Pages: 237
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Series: Ember #1
Source: Kindle

Goodreads Summary:

When Candra Ember wakes up in hospital after a dangerous encounter with a red-haired woman, she is shocked to discover that seeing a winged boy wasn’t her imagination. Candra is exposed to a world of rivalry and sacrifice she never knew existed, and the aftermath of a war to save humanity thousands of years ago. Soon she finds herself relentlessly stalked by Sebastian, a beautiful and arrogant Watcher Angel and romantically pursued by his darkly seductive rival, Draven. Ultimately, dubious about her own goodness, Candra’s very existence compromises a tentative peace in the city of Acheron.


Review:

I have had my eye on this book for quite a while, Once When I found a blog tour for the first book, and I jumped on it. I was drawn to the book by the cover alone. It is so beautiful; in fact when I signed up for the tour, it didn’t even register the book was about angels. I only skimmed the synopsis. I am actually glad I did. I have had my share of angel books as of late and would have missed out on a wonderful, beautiful, powerful read. I absolutely fell for this book.

So the short version of the story: teenage girl, Candra (love the name) wakes up on a normal day, ends up in the hospital, realizes some creepy new stalkers in her life, she was lied to and kept secrets from her entire life, nothing is at it seems, and now her life isn’t even her own…. Oh and there are 2 hot guys fighting over here?

Short version with a little more detail: Candra has a terrible accident and ends up in the hospital. From this moment nothing in her life will ever be the same. She finds out angels exist, she is part angel, and now she has to save the angels and the world. She was pretty okay with this until she actually falls in love with the one guy she shouldn’t be with. She has to choose, love or life.

I will admit that I was a bit confused in the beginning and for the first 50 pages or so; I had a hard time getting into the story. The story moved pretty quickly but it was almost too quick into the background and I found myself having to reread a few things and was still a little lost. The explanations didn’t always seem to be clear, maybe it was intentional because further down I was no longer confused and I was in deep. Could not put the book down, don’t talk to me, don’t look at me, I am in my zone.

The plot was a bit different the most fallen angel and angel stories, I really enjoyed the spin on the age old tale of angels in the YA section of the book store. There was a bit of a love triangle but not really, one was love and the other a strange pull, attraction, chemistry. The love story was actually very heart wrenching for me, a forbidden love that just didn’t seem to have way to be. There were a few scenes where I was crying, chest aching, and I wanted to throw the book, except it was my kindle so I couldn’t. I was really glad for those really sexy steamy scenes to give my emotions some balance.

I was really attached to Candra and to Sebastian; it was very easy to do. Candra was a very selfless heroine and she took her fate with grace and dignity. She believed she only had one choice and no matter how hard it was to save the world at the expense of her own happiness, she would do it. I respected her; I would have been selfish and kept the hot guy. As long as I had him, right. I fell for Sebastian, but it was a slow fall. At first he is arrogant, hot-headed, and pretty cold. Once he opened up and started to allow himself to feel, I fell hard. He is smooth, sexy, and saws just the right things at the right moments.

This was not just a paranormal romance for me, the love, the sacrifices, the pain, and the rare moments of joy really got to me. I laughed and I cried. I can’t wait to read the next book.

Rating: 

Ember Book Trailer:

Iridescent (Ember #2)

October 16th 2012

Candra Ember used to dream of saving the world one person at a time. She never expected to become an angelic weapon and the last hope in the battle against ultimate darkness.

Falling for a Nephilim wasn’t part of Sebastian’s plan. Distraction is something he can’t afford when his rival, Draven, wants what Sebastian has.

Lies, manipulation, and corruption are twisting the lives of the citizens in Acheron. The Arch is missing from Heaven, and a demon is intent on claiming the city. At a time they should be growing closer, grief and paranoia is driving Candra and Sebastian apart.

If the price of restoring the Watchers to Heaven is a human soul, who deserves to be saved?

Iridescent Book Trailer:

About the Author: Carol Oates

Carol Oates has never been one to remain still for long. After her mother’s mad dash to the hospital through the empty city streets of Dublin, Ireland, Carol made her debut into the world in the early hours of Christmas morning. Since then her pace has not slowed down in the least.Carol was introduced to the world of supernatural books when, as a child, her family moved to a coastal suburb of north Dublin known as Clontarf; famous as the birthplace of Bram Stoker, the prolific author responsible for breathing life into the legendary story of “Dracula.” This stirred in Carol an early passion for reading about all things supernatural. When that passion was combined with a deep interest in the history and folklore of Ireland, as well as an active and vivid imagination, Carol Oates, the author, was born. Carol’s love of writing about anything not entirely “human" emerged.

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