Thursday, September 19, 2013

Blog Tour - Review - Tied


Title - Tied 
Author - Laney McMann
Series - Fire Born #1
Genre - YA Fantasy Paranormal
Published - September 9th 2013 
Publisher - J. Taylor Publishing
Format - Kindle Ebook Review Copy

Synopsis

Normal people don't believe their nightmares stalk them. They don’t fall in love with boys who don’t exist, either.
Seventeen-year-old Layla Labelle, though, is far from normal. Her delusions walk the earth. Her hallucinations hunt her, and her skin heats to a burn every time her anger flares.
Or is that all in her head?
Layla doesn't know what to believe any more because if none of that’s true, Max MacLarnon must be an illusion, and her heart must still be broken.
No matter how much she wants to believe Max is real, doing so would mean everything else is, too. How, then, is that possible?
The answers lie in an age-old legend the supernatural aren’t prepared to reveal, and with a curse that could tear Layla and Max apart forever—if it doesn’t kill them both first.
In TIED, book one in the Fire Born trilogy, learning the truth will mean fighting an arsenal of demons, and being with Max will put Layla on a path toward her own destruction.
Just how far will Layla go to protect the one she loves?
The answer may never be far enough ... away.

Book Trailer (here)
EXCERPT:
My window opened easily. The same way it had so many times before. Climbing out on the ledge, I found the ground empty and dropped from the second floor—a jump I'd made a hundred times. In another life.
My feet sunk into the sand, and I followed the well-worn pathway through the dunes. Even the strong evening winds hadn’t misshaped the deep gully. The ocean's breeze lashed at my hair as the moonlight glinted off the water’s surface. Seagulls flew up from their nesting grounds. They should have recognized me, since I’d been wandering at night for so long. Wrapping my arms around my knees to block the slight chill, I settled in the sand, and the birds quieted in a tight huddle, the wind blowing their feathers in awkward angles.
My gaze fell on a figure standing beyond the dunes edge, a shadow hidden within the darkness. My pulse quickened, but I didn't move. Another trick—an illusion. Weary of the games my mind continued to play, I bit back tears and the catch in my throat. I should have been immune to them—the hallucinations—the way they haunted me and followed me, but I wasn’t.
Forcing myself to blink, I turned my head away. The visions had grown worse as I’d become older. I’d tried to convince myself they were nightmares—or weird dreams. Hoped for years they were, but only people who sleep dream.
Unable, or unwilling to stop myself, I glanced back over my shoulder, thoughts flooding my brain. Memories I knew couldn’t be memories but I cherished all the same. For years I’d tried to shake them away. To make myself forget.
I couldn’t.
#**#**#
A stone raps against my bedroom window. I creep over and peer through the blinds.
"You’re late." I lean out over the sill, grinning at the boy staring up at me.
"Come on, let’s go before she comes," he says.
I climb onto the window ledge. "Be nice. She’s my friend."
"Okay. Jump." He waves at me to go faster.
"Move, and I will."
He takes one casual step to the side.
The jump isn’t too high; I make it all the time.
He grabs my hand when I land beside him in the soft sand. "Ready?"
I nod.
"One, two …"
"I’m going to tell!" Benny runs across my yard toward me, her blonde pigtails flapping in the wind. "You’re not allowed to talk to that boy, Layla! Your mom said!"
Max tightens his grip on my hand.
"Shut up, Benny! I'm old enough."
"You’re only nine. Don't go! "
"Three!" Max and I leave the ground.
“You're going to get in so much trouble.” Benny’s yell rings in the distance.
Our feet touch down in the wet grass of the Otherworld, icy sea air whipping at my face.
"Hopefully, she won’t follow us again." Max lets go of my hand.
"She won’t. I told her not to." I lead the way down the cliff face to the ocean.
"She never listens to you."

Review 
 I received Tied in return for an honest review as part of the tour hosted by J. Taylor Publishing. Layla is a dancer in high school her life should be simple but it’s not. She’s plagued by nightmares and boys who aren’t real at least she things they don’t exist. Her dreams are the stuff that goes bump in the night where she is always being hunted. Little does she know that they all really exist and when she starts seeing them she thinks she’s lost her mind. When her mother refuses to let her see Max the boy from her dreams she knows that something is up

As Layla dives deeper into the mystery of who she really is she learns that her mother has always known who she is meant to be. She also learns that she’s tied to Max that they are connected in this life, and that she’s fallen in love with him. Soon Layla is going to be forced to fight the darkness looming in the horizon at least she won’t have to do it alone but will she risk Max’s life?

I love Layla she accepts the supernatural really exist that they aren't imaginary way better than I would. She’s tough willing to risk her own life to save the lives of her friends and family, even the one she loves. Max at first I wasn't sure but the more I got to know him I found myself falling in love with him as a perfect partner for Layla. The supporting characters are fantastic to they range from fairies to gargoyles.

I was captivated from the start with the idea of Tied. The author has taken a unique concept and created a brilliantly written story. I love the way the author has worked the uncommon supernatural beings into the story like the gargoyles, vampire fairies. Tied is a fast paced story filled with action, monsters, dancing, romance, and an adventure that you won’t want to miss. I really loved the characters I spent most of the book cheering them on and I was fond of a few supporting characters. I was instantly drawn into the book I had a hard time putting it down even staying up to the wee hours just to finish because I had to know what would happen to Layla and Max. I really enjoyed reading Tied it sparked my imagination. One of my new favorite fantasy books, the author has created a fantastic start to an exciting new series. I can’t wait to see what happens next. 
5 out of 5 stars 
BIO:

With a passion for the supernatural and all things magical, Laney developed a voracious appetite for reading fantasy at a young age. A vivid imagination helped set the stage for creating her own worlds and placed her onto the writing path.



By the time she reached her teens, she'd accumulated notebooks full of poems, which led to short stories and finally novels. Young adult dark fantasy, paranormal romance, and mythology are among her favorite genres.


A former classical dancer and chef, she grew up in sultry Florida where she still resides with her family.

LINKS:
You can find my occasional ramblings on Twitter
Book updates on my author page at goodreads
My Facebook Profile for inspiration and randomness.
Updates on The Fire Born Novels at my Facebook Author Page 
My interests on Pinterest
And I'm now on Tumblr ,too.
You can also contact me by email at: laneymcmannyaauthor(at)gmail(dot)com

Don't forget to enter the Tied giveaway!!!

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