Monday, December 16, 2013

Reality Blog Tour

Title: Reality (The Life of Arie #1)
Author: Dani Hart
Genre: Paranormal Urban Fantasy YA

Release Date: September 23, 2013

Synopsis:

I am Arie Belle and up until my mother’s unexpected and mysterious death my life had been pretty simple, but then things became dark and, at times, hopeless. Even my uncanny ability to communicate with nature had turned its back on me. My only saving grace is my lifetime friendship with the boy next door, River, whom I had always thought of as my soul mate up until my eighteenth birthday when everything seemed to change. My body tingles with heightened sensations and my emotions veer out of control. They are further tested when Ashe, a beautiful stranger with a powerful draw, enters my life and challenges my heart and soul. Amidst the rush of feelings after years of numbness, my true destiny slowly unravels and my journey to find out what I am, to find my mother’s killer, and stop my own death becomes a frantic rush before the next full moon. 

This powerful story encaptures the true meaning of love and the dark corners of life that can either suck you in or save you.


Excerpt:

I saw River staring at me as I watched the butterflies. I turned to him and got caught within the depths of his eyes. His stare bore deep into my soul. We sat like that for what seemed an eternity. My body burned from the inside out. My heart raced. My mind was anticipating what my body wanted. I couldn't think. All I could do was stare into his eyes, begging for him to feel the same way. The butterflies continued to circle around us, but they seemed to be fluttering faster as if they were anticipating the moment too. Right at the moment I thought my body was going to explode if something didn't happen, he took his hand and grazed the side of my face. His touch sent electric shocks through my cheek and down my body. His hand followed my jaw line and his thumb outlined my lips on its way to my neck. He gripped the back of my neck gently and leaned into me as he pulled my face toward his. He paused and looked into my eyes as if waiting for me to say no. I didn't think I could wait any longer for this moment to happen. My heart was pounding so hard I felt like I could barely breathe. The eternal pause ended and his lips brushed mine. I thought I was going to pass out as I inhaled him. How could one moment be so intense! He brushed his lips against mine for a few moments as if, again, waiting for me to protest. I couldn't handle it anymore. I pressed my lips against his and he responded back. I felt like that kissed lasted for hours. It was so soft and slow and perfect.” ~Reality

Review: 4 stars
I’ll start out by saying, this book is like nothing I’ve ever read before.  It’s paranormal, but it’s not your typical paranormal.  Let me start with my dislikes... this book was slow to start for me, and I really struggled to get entranced by the story.  There is so much that’s not your typical paranormal norm that it became hard to focus at times and I had to constantly flip back for the “definition” per say of what I was reading about.  This made it hard to follow the story for me and therefore I had trouble staying focused throughout the entire book. 
Now, for my likes.  I enjoyed the originality of this book.  There was definitely not the predictability that comes with your typical, written into the ground paranormal romance books. 
Arie loses her mom at age 16 and since that time leads a very depressing life where she just goes through day to day motions.  She even pulls away from her best friend River, who has always been there for her and his family who treats her like one of their own.  Her emotions are muffled until her 18th birthday when everything seems to come back to her.  Enter the dark and mysterious Ashe.  Those three characters complete the love triangle that is in the book.

I won’t give away too much more so I don’t give away the story, but it definitely has a unique story plot if you have the patience to watch it unfold. 

About the Author:

My passion for writing started at a very young age. It started with a multitude of diaries as soon as I could write well, then poetry, then short stories. I received my BA at USC in Theatre with an unofficial minor in writing. While at USC I wrote my first screenplay and post-graduation I was hired to write another screenplay, which I did successfully. I have since started several books, but have never had the courage or time to finish them. I missed it, but I was discouraged from my years in the industry and I was scared to go back, so I had convinced myself I was too busy and it would be a waste of time. Then I started reading again which reignited my passion for writing. I started writing a story that had been brewing inside of me over the years. The characters were slowly developing and itching to break out onto paper, so in the summer of 2011 I wrote the first two chapters. Life got busy again and my passion was pushed aside, but then I met an amazing person who loved my story and encouraged me to start writing again. With that said, I am in a happier place now. I am fulfilling my inner desire and passion to write while raising a family and living life. Thank you so much for your support! And I hope to keep the stories coming!!!


No comments:

Post a Comment