Monday, January 27, 2014

Still Celebrating...



Last week of the Celebration!

Got one of my favorites for ya.  I love this series and can't wait for more from this author.





The things I love about Matt's stories

Vivid pictures - I can SEE the story in my head.  There is a balancing act that authors need to have as they try to describe the story without going overboard.  I've read both extremes and one thing I really love about Matt's writing is how well he paints those pictures in my mind.  When you consider that he is often describing things that have never been seen, I am always amazed by his skill.  

Snarky characters - I may be a little too sarcastic for my own good but I so enjoy the snarky characters.  Or really what I really want is to laugh some.  Especially when things are serious, it's nice to lighten things up from time to time.  Matt does a great job with that.

Characters - The most important aspect of a book, for me, are the characters.  If I don't like them, I have a hard time liking the book.  What Matt does a great job of is creating characters that invoke feelings in me.  This is the hardest part for me to describe but he puts his characters in situations where things aren't fair.  It draws me to them.  I want them to overcome whatever it is that's happened to them.  He makes them not perfect.  They make mistakes and they need to figure out how to overcome those imperfections.  He makes them real.  This aspect of his writing is what so captivated me with his new book.  I was immediately drawn to his characters; I was totally on their side and wanting them to succeed.  Love that.

World building - As a fantasy author, this is so very important.  What Matt does such a good job of is to build his worlds around the real one.  A few tweaks and his world could be real.  I'm not confused by his worlds or stopping to ask questions.  I'm just content in his worlds.

When you put all of these things together, you get a great story.  When one part is missing or weak, the story just doesn't work.  It was such a breath of fresh air to read something that, I felt, had all of these things in place.  Now if I could just get Matt to write faster, I would be a happy reader.



Exiled (The Protector, #1) 

Chase Williams is a demon hunter in the Circle, or at least he was supposed to be. On his fifteenth birthday, Chase stepped up to the altar to claim his elemental power, but it never came. Elemental magic is passed down to a hunter through the bloodline, but on Chase's birthday, the bloodline stopped.

Exiled without the Circle's protection, Chase has spent two years trying to survive a world riddled with half-demons and magic. When he has a run in with a frightened and seemingly innocent demon, he learns the Circle's agenda has changed: the Circle plans to unlock a portal and unleash pure-blood demons into the world. Vowing to stop them, and knowing he can't do it alone, Chase forms a reluctant alliance with Rayna — a sexy witch with an attitude and a secret.

In their attempt to stop them, Chase and Rayna find themselves in the middle of the Circle's plan, leaving one of them to decide what their friendship is worth, and the other's life depending on it.


http://www.amazon.com/Exiled-Protector-Book-M-R-Merrick-ebook/dp/B0058OMWYU/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12688952-exiledhttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/exiled-mr-merrick/1104808776?ean=9780987726216&itm=1&usri=9780987726216&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10:1&r=1,%201

  
Shift (The Protector, #2)

Devastated by a terrible loss, Chase is trying to balance the life he’s been left with, a family he’s still getting to know, and power he never thought he’d have. He doesn’t understand why the Goddess has named him the Protector and granted him two gifts: the Mark, a tattoo that now covers his back, and the ring. But between getting interrogated by the Circle and psychic attacks from Riley, the Mark is the least of his concern. There’s a demon inside Rayna that’s fighting to be released, and it’s not her inner witch. It’s something else—a monster threatening to tear her apart.

As Chase struggles to control his magic, his enemies are closing in. Everyone has staked a claim on his ring, and destroying it may be his only chance to stop Riley. But Chase must decide if stopping him is worth risking the lives of everyone he cares about, or if protecting the ring will be enough to save his world.



http://www.amazon.com/Shift-Protector-Book-M-R-Merrick-ebook/dp/B0073APDSO/ref=la_B005AN8Z18_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386037222&sr=1-3https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13409819-shifthttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shift-mr-m-r-merrick/1109853101?ean=9780987726247


 Release (The Protector, #3)

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.

http://www.amazon.com/Release-Protector-Book-M-R-Merrick-ebook/dp/B00ALIQ30M/ref=la_B005AN8Z18_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386037222&sr=1-4https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17177999-releasehttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/release-mr-m-r-merrick/1113940739?ean=9780987726278


 Endure (The Protector, #4)

Wrapped in darkness and woven with defeat, every action Chase has taken since being exiled from the Circle has been met with a devastating response. Now he's been burdened with a quest that seems impossible, and he needs to evolve into something more, something greater than he ever thought he could be.
Armed with magic, friendship, and an unbreakable will, Chase must build an army and find a weapon capable of defeating the ultimate evil. But he knows that nothing great comes without sacrifice. Blessed by the very gods who have abandoned him and carrying the fate of all the worlds on his shoulders, Chase Williams is about find out just how much one man can endure.


http://www.amazon.com/Endure-Protector-Book-M-R-Merrick-ebook/dp/B00D67DV50/ref=la_B005AN8Z18_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386037222&sr=1-1https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17673337-endurehttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/endure-mr-merrick/1115566929?ean=9780991786244






****Giveaway****

INT as long as you can accept an eBook

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 comments:

  1. I wasn't aware that there was a fourth book or even that it was out. I love the covers too.

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  2. Congratulations on three years. The giveaways for January look Amazing. My fave cover is Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer. I think the tag line "Heads Will Roll" is very clever.

    Here's to many more years to come.

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  3. Congratulations again! I've heard this is a great series and am curious about it! thanks for the chance to win!

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  4. Congrats on 3 years!! Fantastic giveaway series!

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  5. This sounds like a great series! Thank you for the giveaway!!

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  6. This is a series I haven't started yet, but it looks really good. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  7. I've seen these books around but I haven't had the chance to read any of them. I'd love to check them out. Thanks for the great giveaway!

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  8. the book are great looking and then i wouldlove to win all

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  9. This series is really good! I've only read the first few but I can't wait to read the next ones :)

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  10. I've heard this is a great series, thanks for the giveaway!

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  11. Congrats on your Blogversary! I will soon be 1 year in the making. I am anxious for my futureThree year celebration.

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