Mundie Moms

Monday, February 20, 2012

A Beautiful Evil Blog Tour: Guest Post & Giveaway



Hi everyone! Thanks so much to Mundie Moms for having me stop by and share a deleted scene from A BEAUTIFUL EVIL. The scene I chose features a character, which didn’t make it into the book, but whom I absolutely adore. He will be making an appearance in another book, and I can’t wait for you guys to truly meet him and discover just who and what he is.

To set the stage: Ari has gotten a mysterious invitation to meet a visitor just arrived in New 2. Bran Ramsey, the Novem’s Head of Security and Ari’s combat instructor at Presby, takes her to meet with the newcomer. The meeting takes place on the riverboat, Creole Queen, during Bran’s Annual Black & Gold Masque…

Hope you enjoy!~ Kelly


“Come. Your visitor awaits. And the sooner you see him, the sooner he can get the hell off my boat.” Bran glanced around, eyes scanning the surroundings. It was pretty clear whoever was on his boat made the Big Guy edgy, and that was saying something.


I followed Bran onto the riverboat, weaving through a throng of masked revelers dressed in elaborate costumes of black and gold. This was the Ramsey’s Black and Gold Masque, and the riverboat was filled with guests and entertainers of all sorts: jugglers, contortionists, sword eaters, and fire wielders … Brassy music from the live jazz band drifted down from the third story.

On the second level, Bran left me, telling me to wait. I settled against the balcony railing, and gazed out at the wide Mississippi. It glittered like a diamond with a million facets, the lights decorating the riverboat reflecting off its black surface. After a while, I turned my attention to a performer as he began to juggle fire batons.


Ten minutes passed. I started to worry. Bran hadn’t come back.

I’d decided to give it another minute when a dark shadow caught my attention. It weaved around the legs of the crowd as they ooh’d and ahh’d at the juggler. A sleek cat emerged from the satin and sequins, and sauntered toward me. Light bounced off its glossy coat, and I saw that it wasn’t entirely black like I thought. The tips of its hairs were black, but the color faded downward from black to a light brown. It had long legs and a wedged-shaped face. Its ears were larger than the average cat and it stared at me with strange yellow eyes. It looked foreign and feral, yet sophisticated and graceful.


It leapt onto the railing next to me, and I went very still, not wanting to shake the railing, not wanting the dare-devil thing to fall into the river. But the cat balanced easily and sashayed away from me along the gentle curve of the railing. As it went, a figure separated from the crowd, intent on the cat.


I realized immediately, he didn’t fit. Didn’t belong here. Every muscle in my body went tight as some intuitive sense, some primal instinct said: No, this is wrong. He is wrong.


His skin was bronze and smooth. Head shaved. He wore a loose linen shirt, the sleeves rolled to his elbows, and linen pants of the same natural color. His toes peeked out from sandals. His arms were strong and tan, devoid of hair and inked with faded black tattoos.

The cat stopped on the railing, arched its back for the stroke of the man’s hand. Then it leapt onto his shoulders, where it draped itself around the back of his neck, its tail curling around to twitch under his chin. Its tiny nose lifted and rubbed the man’s jaw.


Then he turned toward me and met my stare.


All the breath left my lungs. I couldn’t look away, too stunned by the eyes. Holy hell. The eyes… And then it hit me like a thunderbolt. My knees went weak. I knew who and what this was.


He moved closer and smiled slowly. “You know who I am.”

My heart leapt wildly. I nodded, unable to speak. I had no idea how I remained standing—standing there . . . with a supreme deity.


I was so screwed.



By: Kelly Keaton
Published by: Simon & Pulse
To Be Released on: February 21st, 2012
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Myth and mayhem inhabit a richly reimagined New Orleans in this sequel to Darkness Becomes Her.After the epic graveyard battle at the end of Darkness Becomes Her, Ari and her friends know what they’re up against: Ari is facing the Medusa curse and is haunted by the image of what she will become. To make matters worse, the heinous goddess Athena has kidnapped young Violet and is threatening to destroy Ari.

Ari, along with the superhot Sebastian, is doing everything she can to learn more about Athena and to get Violet back. But the battle of good and evil is bigger than she realizes, and she’s about to be pulled into a world more horrific than she could ever imagine...


The Giveaway: Through out the blog tour each blog will be giving away a SIGNED SET of Darkness Becomes Her & A Beautiful Evil. Each of these giveaways is open internationally.

To enter the set of books I'm giving away today, please fill out the form below.
- 1 entry per person
- You must 13 yrs & older to enter
- Open internationally
- This giveaway ends on 3.5.12


Thank you to Kelly Keaton for stopping by today! Please be sure to follow Kelly on her: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Mundane Monday #124

Happy Monday!!


“We need to talk,” she said. “All of us. About what we‘re going to do now.”

“I was going to watch Project Runway,” said Jace. “Its on next.”

“No you‘re not,” said Magnus. He snapped his fingers and the TV went off, releasing a small puff of smoke as the picture died. “You need to deal with this.”

“Suddenly you‘re interested in solving my problems?”

I‘m interested in getting my apartment back. I‘m tired of you cleaning all the time.” Magnus snapped his fingers again menacingly. “Get up.”

“Or you‘ll be the next one to go up in smoke,” said Simon with relish.

“There’s no need to clarify my snap,” said Magnus. “The implication was clear in the snap itself.”

- City of Ashes

Must Have Middle Grade Reads

Welcome to this week's edition of Must Have Middle Grade Reads, a weekly feature here on Mundie Moms where I spotlight last week's middle grade books I reviewed on Mundie Kids. This week's Must Have Middle Grade reads are:



Published by: Scholastic
Released on: May 1st, 2011 (this edition)
Source: book from publisher to review
Ages: 10 & up
5 stars: I Loved It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A Quaker girl's diary reflects her experiences growing up in the Delaware River Valley of Pennsylvania and her capture by Lenape Indians in 1763. -quoted from Goodreads

I absolutely love this series, and this particular story is by far my favorite out of all the ones I've read so far. Mary Pope Osborne has done such a beautiful job at bringing to life what living in Delaware Valley, PA in 1763 was like, as well as capturing the emotions that young Catharine felt during this time. Mary paints a beautiful and yet heartbreaking picture of both sides of the Quaker settlements, and the settlements of the Native Americans, and the friendships and wars the consumed both sides. This beautifully told story follows that of young Catharine who was a young teenage girl during time and wrote about life on her family's settlement, and the frightening accounts of the attacks by the local Indians on them as well as the small band of local residents who attacked the Indians in her journal. It's also a story about the bravery, courage and love Catharine developed during her captive time with the local Lenape Tribe that captured her, and her brother.

You can read the rest of my review here.


Released on: January 3rd, 2012
Source: ARC from publisher to review
5 stars: I Really Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

With her boundless curiosity and wild spirit, Fer has always felt that she doesn’t belong. Not when the forest is calling to her, when the rush of wind through branches feels more real than school or the quiet farms near her house. Then she saves an injured creature—he looks like a boy, but he’s really something else. He knows who Fer truly is, and invites her through the Way, a passage to a strange, dangerous land.

Fer feels an instant attachment to this realm, where magic is real and oaths forge bonds stronger than iron. But a powerful huntress named the Mor rules here, and Fer can sense that the land is perilously out of balance. Fer must unlock the secrets about the parents she never knew and claim her true place before the worlds on both sides of the Way descend into endless winter.

Sarah Prineas captivates in this fantasy-adventure about a girl who must find within herself the power to set right a terrible evil -quoted from Goodreads

An enchanting story that's full of magic, adventure, danger and action. Sarah Prineas's WINTERLING is an exciting read that will take readers on an unforgettable fantasy adventure, introduce them to a young fearless heroine and leave them wanting more. I really loved the way in which Sarah wove together and introduces young readers to various folklore. This not only captured my attention, but it kept me completely invested in Fer's story. I wanted to know about her ability, what her Grandmother was hiding her from, what is really going on in the world of Way and who the strange boy that can turn into a dog and horse is.

You can read the rest of my review here.


Released on: January 31st, 2012
Source: ARC from author/publisher to review
Ages: 8 & up
5 stars: I Loved It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Princess Meriel's brothers have been cursed. A terrible enchantment--cast by their conniving new stepmother--has transformed the handsome princes into swans. They now swim forlornly on a beautiful heart-shaped lake that lies just beyond the castle walls.
Meriel will do whatever it takes to rescue her beloved brothers. But she must act quickly. If Heart Lake freezes, her brothers will be forced to fly south or perish.
With help from her newfound friends Riona and Liam--a pretty half-witch and her clever brother--Meriel vows to finish a seemingly impossible task. If she completes it, her brothers may be saved.
But if she fails . . . all will be lost. -quoted from Goodreads
What an enchanting read! I love a well written fairy tale re-telling and Diane has done a wonderful job with her story of Meriel and her brothers whom are all turned into swans. I really enjoyed being swept away with the classic fairytale aspect of this story. There's magic, danger, a lovely, well written innocent romance, witches and fey lore. Plus I love that it takes a Princess and good hearted towns people to bring down a wicked, evil witch.

You can read the rest of my review here.


Middle Grade Monday:
Don't miss my Marvelous Middle Grade Monday meme on Mundie Kids, a weekly meme hosted by author Shannon Messenger's. You can check out this week's Mundie Kids feature here

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