Monday, December 10, 2012

RELEASE by M.R. Merrick ~ Tour kick-off, Review & Giveaway


Welcome to the RELEASE Blog tour!

There are over more than 75 blogs participating in this fabulous tour!

Check out the full schedule here!

 

After uniting the shifters and calling in reinforcements, Chase has to face his toughest challenge yet: learning to control his emotions. But as tensions rise and his powers grow, controlling his emotions becomes the least of his problems.

Terrorized by a multi-shifter who is hell-bent on turning him, Chase questions just how far he’s willing to go to stop his father. Meanwhile, Tiki’s virtuous nature has placed him in the middle of Vincent’s past, leaving Chase to oppose a senate of vampires and defend a demon he hates.

Trying to balance his friends, his enemies, and his inner demons, Chase is left searching for answers about the Mark, his destiny, and where he can find the next soul piece. Stopping Riley is his top priority, but as more obstacles arise, he finds himself doubting all the decisions he’s made - especially regarding Rayna.

One thing is for certain: Chase has finally realized that he doesn’t know anything. The light doesn’t always quell the darkness, the monsters don’t always stay in the shadows, and the past doesn’t always stay in the past - sometimes, the demons inside are the hardest to fight.


My Thoughts:

 

5 stars - Action and imagination explode to make this one unforgettable!

I love the imagination of M.R. Merrick.  The world he has crafted in The Protector series is Urban Fantasy at it's best.  There's enough real life in it that I'm comfortable, not overwhelmed trying to keep track of a whole different existence.  Next he adds all my favorite kinds of paranormal creatures, vampires, shifters, demons and more.  Add to that a few demon hunters, witches, and some magic.  Mix thoroughly with trips to other worlds, a seriously freaky vampire council that even scares Vincent and some loving between Chase and Rayna and you have the makings of a fabulous book.

All of the action and save the world craziness from Exiled and Shift were still going strong in Release, but there are some interesting additions to this third book.  Chase is really showing sign that the challenges he has faced have changed him - in other words he realizes that he shouldn't run head long into everything without thinking it through.  I love how he really does figure some things out in this one.  I will admit that that growth comes at a cost, but I'm truly proud of Chase and how far he has come.

Still totally LOVE Rayna.  She's figuring out who she is and that's still the strong, powerful girl that can kick your butt, thank you very much.  But there's more to her, so much more.  I thought she came a long way in Shift but this book adds even more.  What's totally awesome is that she's not broken by the challenges she faces but she become even stronger and she opens up a little bit.

What's even better is that Chase and Rayna are figuring things out between each other as well.  I've read a lot of paranormal/fantasy books where the main characters fall all over each other in a matter of chapters and so often it feels rushed or much too instant.  What I've learned to love about The Protector series is that the relationship between Chase and Rayna develops at a more normal pace.  They set things aside to deal with the mess of Riley but may now be rethinking that option.  It just feels right.  Well played.  Want a taste of that?  Check out my swoon from a couple weeks ago.

This book cannot be reviewed without mentioning Vincent.  He plays a much bigger role in this book and he certainly is the vampire that I love to hate.  I've tried very hard to cut him some slack but there's just no other way to put it.  Vincent is an ass and I truly love that about him.  He has the best lines too.  I about peed my pants laughing a few times.  So I cannot resist giving you just a hint of one of my favorite scenes with Vincent. 

Streams of sunlight broke through and landed on Vincent.  It took a moment before he noticed and a shrill sound shot from his lips.

"I'm melting!" he yelled.  He dove to the ground, rolled away from the newly made sunbeam, and unknowingly stopped in the one I had created when I fell.  Vincent lay on his side in the fetal position while sunlight beamed down on him.

"Wait a minute," I said, stepping closer.

Vincent's hand covered his head, as though that would protect him from the sun's touch.  Beams of light reflected off his pale hands, but they didn't catch fire and they didn't burn -- they didn't even smoke.

"Vincent," I said.
"Get it away from me!"
"Vincent, the sun is touching you."
"What?"  (Kindle location 1134)

Hehe. I so loved that scene.  And trust me, Vincent deserved to be traumatized by the sun and a whole lot more.  His "I'm melting!" line goes down as a classic.

There are so many secondary characters that rock in this book.  My favorite is Willy, the shuddering demon.  Best demon ever!  I love Tiki, Marcus and Grams too.  All with strong personalities that just make this book such a strong read.

So lets add things up, shall we?  Fabulous action, incredibly imaginative world building, strong main characters that have made signification growth, some well paced attraction between the mains, awesome secondary characters with enough personality to warrant their own book, and now add the twists and turns of a outstanding plot and you have a great urban fantasy read.

I loved this book.  The ending has me begging and hassling M.R. Merrick to get on with writing book 4.  I cannot wait to read how this series will end.

If you enjoy the YA urban fantasy/paranormal scene, then make sure you pick up this series for sure!


****Giveaway*****

 The tour giveaway is AWESOME & is INTERNATIONAL!

Grande Prize Pack (3 Winners)
3x Signed paperbacks (Exiled, Shift, Release)
3x Signed 8x10 posters (Exiled, Shift, Release)
5x Bookmarks
1x Notebook (Winner’s choice of cover)
1x Magnet


Runner-up Prize Pack (5 Winners)
1x Signed paperback (Winner’s choice of Exiled, Shift, or Release) with signed poster
1x bookmark (Winner’s choice)
1x Magnet



Secondary Prizes A (10 Winners)
Release eBooks
Secondary Prize B (10 Winners)
1x bookmark (winner’s choice)
1x The Protector magnet
Winners will be chosen as follows: First 3 names drawn from Rafflecopter will get the grand prize. The following 5 names get the runner-up prize. The following 10 names win ebook copies of Release, and the final 10 names win the swag pack.

There will also be multiple opportunities to win signed paperbacks, signed posters, notebooks, swag packs, and bookmarks throughout the tour on both Twitter (@MRMerrick) and Facebook Fan Page .





a Rafflecopter giveaway


Oh and I have a giveaway still going on for eBook copies of M.R. Merrick's books!  This one has 3 winners.  Choice of EXILED, SHIFT or RELEASE eBook.

Check it out below.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

61 comments:

  1. Wow!! This tour is freaking huge!! I can't wait to see the other posts from the blogs participating. It makes me so happy that so many people are taking part in this. Great review hon!!!

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  2. Great review! It was an awesome read! I can't wait to see the rest of the tour and really can't wait for mine! I think the wait is going to kill me :) I love to hate Vincent and it was nice to see him at a low. Nice start to the tour!

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  3. Love your review Valerie! I'm really looking forward to reading Release! I LOVED the first two books :-)

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  4. I love your review ! I can't wait to read RELEASE !!!
    Just a little question, is the tour giveaway International ? :D

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    1. Yes, the giveaways are international.

      Valerie

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    2. Yay ! So my favorite mythological creature is the phoenix because it can fly and it's made of fire and overall it can come back to life from ash, so that made the creature kind of immortal :D

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  5. Great review!! Cant wait to read this :) My favourite mythological creatures are Dragons. Ive always loved them because they are stunning colours and smart too!!

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  6. ^^ thank you a lot for this new great giveaway

    my mystical creature i think as a favourite hum a pegasus ( wild and flying ^^)

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  7. I skimmed your review. I'm reading Shift this week and then I'll start Release. Can't wait!

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  8. Great giveaway!

    My favorite mythological creature is the griffin... It's so majestic.

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  9. Christina K. in the rafflecopter

    I love dragons and phoenixes:)

    This is a lovely review and I'm sure it's a wonderful series!

    Thank you:)

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    Replies
    1. Christina K. in the rafflecopter

      Dragons because they're so unique, have special powers and are able to shift.

      Phoenixes because they can renew, they're a symbol of rebirth:)

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  10. I like medusa because I'd love to be able to turn people into stone, hahaha.

    x

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  11. My favourite mythological creatures are Dragons and vampires

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  12. I like phoenixes the most! They're fascinating creatures, unique and beautiful!

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  13. Definitely a Phoenix. Such beautiful creatures. They can have a fresh start.

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  14. Definitely a Phoenix. Such beautiful creatures. They can have a fresh start.

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  15. I love unicorns because of the romance connected with them. It always seems that a beautiful story of a special relationship is connected with them.

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  16. My favorite mythological creatures are Dragons and Unicorns. Beautiful creatures... :D

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  17. I'm excited to start Released soon. I'm hoping to love it as much as you did, Val. Awesome review!

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  18. Thanks for this giveaway and Happy Holidays! My favorite mythological creature is... uhh, I can't decide between Pegasus and phoenix. I love pegasus, because I would love to ride it and fly, and pheonix, because it can also fly and it could turn itself to ash and rise from the ashes, that is pretty awesome...

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  19. Werewolf I would say.. Me and a friend are writing a story and the guy in there is a werewolf and totally swoon worthy.

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  20. I'd also have to say werewolf just like Christina above me said because I'm that friend who's writing that story with the swoon worthy werewolf. ^^
    But I also love vampires a lot. And faeries. And of course unicorns.

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  21. I like dragons. The power, the magic.

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  22. Dragons are my favorite. They are intelligent primal power who look awesome. I also love vampires and werewolves.

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  23. Thank you for the awesome giveaway and for making it international!
    My favourite mythological creatures are mermaids. They always seemed fascinating to me.

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  24. The fae, I love how clever they always are.

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  25. Shifters. I love their strength, loyalty and their alpha-ness :)

    Plus I just plain love animals!

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  26. My favourite mythological creature is the fae. They are on the extreme end of humans :) They are smarter, faster, prettier and the stories about them just get better and better!

    They don't scare humans and I think without the fear element, their appeal is so much greater!

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  27. I love the horses. Pegasus, Unicorns and the like. Because I love horses!!!
    Thanks for this giveaway :)Good luck to everyone!!:)

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  28. My favorite mythological creature would have to be a mermaid! Like come on, what girl doesn't want to be a gorgeous mermaid with cascading hair! My second favorite is the centaur! I love that it's a horse and human! Who wouldn't love them?

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  29. Unicorns and centaurs...I find them so very interesting and they're quite beautiful to imagine. But I do love dragons as well.

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  30. Dragons is my fav. I don't know why but I always have.

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  31. There are so many that I can't pinpoint my fav, but I would love to keep reading more of these genre books

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  32. Don't which one, they're all amazing! :)

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  33. I think my favorite is Aliens because of Daemon from Obsidian haha

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    Replies
    1. i forgot the why. Because he's strong made of light and hot! But also because I got tired of reading about vampires and his race was new and exciting.

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  34. i love wolfs and vampires hehe :)but the vampires are my favourite

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  35. ups ! i forgot why....mmmm i dont really know why, i have a big curiosity about them probably because they strange :P

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  36. Dragons, because they are wild, but with grace and they look really awesome

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  37. I totally love UNICORNS!!! they are so beautiful

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  38. I love so many. I have to say that werewolves are usually a big hit for me. I adore a book with Dragons in it, but find that they seem to be hit or miss. I love quite a few mystical creatures. I say if the book is well written, intriguing and I don't want to put it down it is always a win.

    Thanks for this great opportunity. I loved Exiled. M.R. Merrick is quite a talented author. Congrats on your release of Release. ;)

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  39. my favorite mythological creature is the dragon. why? because they freakin' kick butt, regardless of whether magic is involved or not (personally i like the magical aspect!)

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  40. I like Hades, underworld and Persephone are my favorite stories

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  41. I like God and Goddesses, didn't used to but really like them after reading a few great examples.

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  42. That would have to be werewolves. They are super strong and very alpha!

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  43. Replies
    1. I love Greek God and Goddess. Because, all of them are so magical!
      But, especially I love Poseidon. Because he has beautiful green eyes =D

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  44. lalalala... I love unicorn n,n *like Agnez in Despicable Me.

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  45. Lots of prizes!
    Been thinking about reading these books ever since I saw it on your blog....

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  46. is the phoenix a mythical creature? I love them there is something so magical about raising back from its own asshes

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  47. My favorite mythological creature would have to be vampires, I was the little kid always wanting to wear those fake teeth and the love never went away.

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  48. I love gods and goddesses because all of the greek myths that intrigue me and they're so magical and mysterious

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  49. My favorite mythological creature is the Unicorn because they are everything good and innocent in the world.
    Thanks for the great giveaway!!
    Ashley A
    ash_app(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  50. Hey.. amazing giveaway.. my favourite mythological creature would be Farrow's.. after reading The Iron King I was shown how kick ass they can be! :)

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  51. Wow! Heck of a giveaway you got going on here :D

    That's a good question but a bit of a toughie! When I think mythological, I think of fantasy type creatures and to me fantasy means Dragons and Unicorns.

    I love dragons because they are majestic and powerful and unicorns because they embody goodness and purity :)

    Thanks for the awesomesauce giveaway!
    XoXo, Isalys / Book Soul,mates

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  52. What a great looking prize pack. So excited to read this series!

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