Welcome to my stop on the Star Cursed blog tour. My stop included my review of this book along with a tour wide giveaway!!!
Title: Star Cursed (Curse of the Beast book 2)
Author: Ashley Lavering
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance/ Beauty and the Beast
Retelling
Tour Host: Lady
Amber's Tours
Book Blurb:
Seventeen-year-old Tayla will never forget Beast’s fiery-venom spreading through her body like an infection. Now, with her best friend Chel’s help, she must find a human true love before the last petal falls from her enchanted rose or the full moon will transform her into a wolf forever.
But Tayla never expected that her biggest obstacle would come from inside—a wolf presence threatening to take her very soul. At every turn, the she-wolf exploits Tayla’s weaknesses and gains enough control to sabotage her dates. Tayla struggles to control her unruly wolf and her forbidden attraction to Beast. But can she resist his southern charm, the she-wolf’s attraction to his alluring scent, and still fall in love with a human?
Tangled in a web of wills, Tayla must risk everything to break the Curse of the Beast. With failure and possible death looming overhead, Tayla will do anything to find true love. But will one moon cycle be long enough to conquer her wolf and remain human? Or will she become a permanent member of Beast’s pack? Find out in the second installment in the Curse of the Beast series.
My Review
This sequel was absolutely AMAZING!!!! It was fan-freaking-tastic. There wasn't anything I didn't like about this book. Loved everything. The way the story unfolded was beautifully written. What I loved about this book, was how unique it was. Ashley did a fantastic job on creating a new story with a new supernatural twist. I was enthralled with this book after the very first page. I couldn't put the book down once I started. I was completely shocked by the time I reached the end. I wanted so much more.
Tayla is a very strong character in this book. She is constantly fighting her beast in this book. The moon even starts calling for her, but she will not have it. To break the curse, she must find her true love with a human. So that journey begins. The Beast has to constantly sit back to watch the one person he loves date other people. I really felt for him. I really want Tayla and the Beast to end up together. I am totally rooting for him. Tayla needs to wake up and look at what is in front of her. I guess I can understand that she wants no part into turning into a wolf. Can't wait to see how it all works out.
This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I loved every scene that included the Beast and Tayla together. I love how they are around each other. I had so many awe moments. Star Cursed was an enthralling story that had hooked me from the very first page. I can't wait to see what trials and tribulations that Tayla and the Beast face next. I really am hoping that they get their happy ending. This series as a whole is one that I would reread. I loved these books so much that I went ahead and bought them on my kindle. I highly recommend this series!!! It is a MUST read!!!
Excerpt
Brayden held the door open for me as I climbed
out of the car. I tried not to cringe seeing the movie house again, but I
couldn’t stop my lips from pulling into a hard line. My wolf felt my unease and
paced in my mind, adding to my nerves. I knew Brayden was different from Kyle.
There was no comparison, but that night still haunted me, and seeing the place
where Kyle had assaulted me left me a bit unnerved.
“Are you okay?” Brayden’s hand rested lightly
on my lower back.
“Umm.” I shook the bad memories and turned a
smile on him. “Yeah. Sorry. It’s been awhile since I was here last.” Like
months. He looked confused, so I lied, “It just looks different. That’s all.
Why don’t we get our tickets?”
“All right.” He still looked unconvinced, but
let it go.
We arrived at the ticket booth and both spoke
at the same time, “Two for Lights and
Brimfire.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” I looked off to the side of
him. “I just thought, that well, since I asked you and all…”
He chuckled. “Tayla, it’s okay.” I looked up
at him and the smile on his face tugged mine back into place. He continued,
“And I always pay, even if the girl asked me.” He winked at me and my knees
wobbled from the fuzzy warmth creeping into my stomach. A rumble of agitation
pushed through from my wolf, but it only gave me more confidence that this guy
was it.
We picked the seats right in the very middle.
To me they were the best seats in the house. I wasn’t sure about the movie. It
was some war movie. I felt bad that Beast had to be subjected to it. At least
he hadn’t had to run here. He had insisted on drive his own truck.
I felt Beast slink in behind us. He was a few
rows up, wearing his trademark black trench coat and kept his head low. As
people filled into the theater, they gave him a wide berth. I didn’t blame
them. Honestly, he looked like the grim reaper or something.
The lights dimmed in the theater and the
previews started. I offered Brayden a licorice. He smiled, and my heart stuttered.
Even in the dark, his smile lit the world.
“Thanks for coming,” I whispered.
“No problem.” He grabbed another licorice.
“Thanks for the invite.”
“Hey.” I shouldered him. “That’s my licorice,”
I teased.
He shoulder knocked me back. “Then you shouldn’t
have given me the first one. Now I’ll eat the whole bag.”
I made a great show of hiding them in my
jacket and we both chuckled. He was easy that way. I didn’t feel like I had to
be someone else. Not like with Kyle.
Why am I thinking of
him?
I mentally scolded myself and relaxed back in
my chair, leaning close to Brayden. He didn’t scoot away and hope warmed my
chest. I was careful to only breathe through my mouth and had practiced
clamping down on my wolf senses, not wanting a repeat of the gym scene. The
heat of his arm against mine was comforting, and the way he periodically gave
me sideways glances made my heart flutter.
The movie started but I was too focused on
Brayden to watch. That was until the battle scenes demanded my attention. My
wolf was riveted to the carnage on the screen and, to my horror, was licking
her lips. I almost dry heaved right then. I shrunk from the movie and from her.
I covered my eyes with my hands, praying it would stop her blood lust and my
rolling stomach. I’m sure I whimpered or something equally as embarrassing,
because Brayden lifted the armrest and pulled me close. I snuggled into his
chest.
“We can leave,” he whispered, tickling my ear.
“I don’t want you to miss your movie,” I
responded, trying not to breathe as I was happily surrounded by his strong
arms.
He squeezed me close. “All right.”
My nose pressed up against his shoulder, a
potential happy place for me if it wasn’t for my wolf. I was too close and
could taste the tang of animal blood on my tongue. I quickly closed my mouth.
When I was forced to breathe, the smell of farm animals was strong, but not as
strong as the metallic smell of blood. It all reminded me of the first time I
met him.
The smell overwhelmed my senses and I felt my
control slip. I closed my eyes, focusing on restraining the wolf struggling
against her cage. She wasn’t going to ruin this for me. I refused to pull away,
but the thought of dead animals was too disturbing, and the smell was stronger
than that day in the gym. My mind wandered from its task. Had he killed an
animal today? But the horror that should have washed over me was replaced with
a heady need. I breathed deeply and pressed my body closer, quickly losing
control. The smell was delightfully tantalizing and my stomach grumbled,
transporting me to a childhood memory of Aunt Lily’s jello cake.
My mouth watered, as I pictured the cake. It
smelled so real that I could almost taste it. I opened my mouth and skimmed the
cake with my lips, biting down softly. My teeth met more resistance than I was
expecting. I was about to bite down harder when large fingers slid between my
teeth preventing me from my dessert. I growled and threw my head back, only to
have Beast’s strong arms capture me in a vice grip around my torso.
“What the—?”
Brayden’s voice snapped me out of my delusion
of a childhood dessert. My eyes flew open and I took in his disgusted
expression as he rubbed his neck. His hand came away wet with my saliva. His
gaze darted to his left shoulder where his shirt was several shades darker,
thanks to my drool. Horror washed through me, but before I could utter a word
of apology, Beast tugged me out of my seat and hauled me out of the theater. I
could still hear Chel and Brayden.
“Oh,” Chel said. “Eww. I’m so sorry. Maybe her
blood sugar was low.”
“What?” Brayden’s disbelieving voice sliced
me. How would he love me now?
“You know people do all sorts of weird stuff
when their blood sugar is low,” Chel explained.
“Oh, like biting me?”
I could imagine his eyes narrowing in anger.
“Umm,” Chel hesitated, obviously surprised I
had actually bit him. “Was it just a nip? I don’t see any broken skin.”
That news sent a trickle of relief over me. At
least, I hadn’t drawn blood.
“That isn’t the point. She bit and slobbered
all over me. My animals don’t even get me this bad!” he hissed back. His voice
sounded like he had stood and was walking out of the theater as well. Chel
didn’t respond. I’m sure she was trying to process the whole thing.
“And who was that guy?” Brayden asked.
“Oh, just a friend.”
“She has some stalker friend to pull her from
dates when she starts biting them?”
“No.” She giggled nervously. “I guess you
smell so good she just wanted a taste.”
I cringed, mortified even more than I already
was. Way to go, Chel, now I really want
to hide. The night air hit my face as we exited the theater house. Beast
strode a few yards more before depositing me against the wall, where I slumped
down to the ground and hugged my knees.
Almost too low for me to hear, Chel’s date,
Dalyn, responded, “You can take a taste of me anytime you like, Chel.”
“You’re all nuts,” Brayden said.
“Wait, I’ll drive you home,” Chel called after
him, her voice getting louder as they neared.
“Don’t bother. I’m safer walking.” He pushed
open the door. Our eyes met for a moment before he stormed off.
I hung my head. “Oh, Beast,” I whispered.
“What have I done?”
To my surprise, he chuckled. “So you nipped
him?” He shrugged his shoulders but the mirth was still there.
I glowered at him. “Then why did you swoop down
and carry me off if you didn’t think it was a big deal?”
“The nip wasn’t what I was worried about, but
the real bite you were going to give him next would’ve drawn blood, and then it
was unlikely you’d be able to stop.” His lips hitched upward. “That would have
really made your wolf crazy.”
“That meddlesome she-devil!” I ground out
between my teeth. “She ruins everything.”
“If you’d learned to control her better, you
would’ve smelled the animals on him and stayed far away from him in the first
place.” His eyes twinkled as if laughing at an inside joke.
Before I could retort, Chel came out of the
doors, her date trailing behind her. “Dalyn, will you start the car for me and
bring it around?” She tossed him her keys before he responded.
“Sure.” He eyed me with a mischievous glint. I
felt Beast vibrate with an inaudible growl. I agreed. Dalyn’s look sent chills
up my spine, like he was assessing a hooker or something. Yuck! I was definitely telling Chel to stay away from that one.
With Dalyn in the SUV and out of hearing, Chel
demanded answers. “What just happened?”
I scowled at my knees. “He must’ve slaughtered
a cow or something yesterday because his stench was so much stronger today, and
my wolf got the better of me.”
“But you bit him?”
“It’s her! I would never do that. Eww. He must
think I’m a freak.” I groaned, placing my head in my hands. “He was so perfect,
too.”
Chel patted my shoulder, but it wasn’t
soothing; nothing was, with this wolf in my head.
“You know what the worst part is?” I ask,
looking up to see Chel raise her eyebrow. “She tricked me. She used my memory
of Aunt Lily’s jello cake to convince me to bite him. I didn’t even know she
could do that!”
“Jello?” Chel asked.
Beast cleared his voice.
“What?” I demanded.
“That isn’t exactly true,” he said. I lifted a
disbelieving eyebrow at him. “Just hear me out. The smell, it was delicious to
you?”
“Only after she tricked me into thinking it
was cake. If I had consciously thought of it as blood, animal, whatever, I
never…” I couldn’t say the rest.
“That is where you are wrong.” Beast paused
until I looked up at him. “To your wolf, animal scent and blood are delicious,
and so the best way you could understand those feelings was to relate it to
cake.” His voice lost its teacher tone when he got to the last word and turned
more playful. “It must’ve been some delectable cake. Maybe my blood lust would
curb a bit if you made it for me.” He winked.
“Shut up.” I smacked him in the leg, but
couldn’t resist the smile that spread across my lips. I had my wolfish friend
back and was determined to side-step as many rift-creating topics as
possible.
Chel bit her bottom lip. “I’m not sure I can
fix this, Tay. A little drool I could explain away, but…”
My frown was back. I’d lost Brayden. “Thanks
for trying. I guess we should stay away from cowboys.” I gave Chel a rueful
grin.
Chel puffed out air and rubbed her temples.
“Friday night is a cancel then.”
“Oh?” Why
did things always go to crap?
“Yeah, one of Brayden’s roping buddies. But
after he hears Brayden’s story, he’ll be canceling before I get a chance to do
it.” She gave my shoulder a squeeze. “I’ll find a replacement.”
“Ah!” I buried my face in my hands. “Why did
she have to bite him? Stupid wolf.” She growled at me and nipped at my mind,
causing a throbbing headache.
Beast crouched down to my level and tucked a
finger under my chin. His touch held soothing warmth, but I fought it. I
deserved to feel the crushing weight of my actions. The pressure on my chin
increased until I could no longer resist his strength. My face tilted up to
him, but I refused to look him in the eyes. At least, in that I still had the
power to defy.
“Stupid is the last word I’d use to describe
you.” As if by its own accord, my gaze lifted and was met by the warmth coming
from his eyes. His thumb grazed my jaw, and both my wolf and I trembled ever so
slightly. He noticed my reaction, and his eyes lit with mischief. “And if he
had been a werewolf, I guarantee you would’ve gotten a different response.”
I couldn’t breathe. What he implied was too
direct to misinterpret. A horn blasted, and I jerked, breaking the spell. Beast
lifted his head to look at Dalyn, giving me the needed release to breathe.
Available as E-book: Kindle,
Nook,
Smashwords; and paperback: Amazon
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Reads shelf: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16155124-star-cursed
Author Bio:
A nomad at heart, I currently claim Nevada as my home. I
have a wonderful husband and two young children that put up with my “writing
time.” When she’s not pondering a spell that will magically calm the ferocious
winds that plague the air around her, you can find her, with notepad in hand,
frantically jotting down ideas in those short moments between caring for her
girls and working full time at the Elko Institute for Academic Achievement.
Art and science have always been my yin and yang. Throughout
my college career, I shifted between the two, but in the end I graduated with a
Bachelors of Mathematics and Science from the University of Wyoming.
Charging into adventures and discovering something new has always been a passion of mine, but as a teenager I used to run screaming from a reading or writing assignment. Looking back, the irony isn’t lost on me. Now you can’t catch me without a book in hand or without an open word document. Every time a new idea pops into my mind my heart races and my hand twitch to write it. In that moment, I have my writer's high and pray it will sustain me through thousands of hours of revision.
Ashley's Links:
Amazon Author Page link: www.amazon.com/author/ashleylavering
Amazon Links for Ashley’s books:
Curse of the Beast http://www.amazon.com/Curse-of-the-Beast-ebook/dp/B007YVYJUK/ref=la_B007ZXQR0C_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341002105&sr=1-1
Star Cursed (Curse of the Beast
bk 2) http://www.amazon.com/Star-Cursed-Curse-Beast-ebook/dp/B00BBRPS4O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361602307&sr=8-1&keywords=ashley+lavering
Facebook Page link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Curse-of-the-Beast/162476580509579
Facebook Profile link: http://www.facebook.com/ashley.laveringauthor
Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/AshleyLavering
Facebook Profile link: http://www.facebook.com/ashley.laveringauthor
Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/AshleyLavering
Website/Blog Link: Creative Thoughts: http://www.ashleylavering.blogspot.com/
Goodreads Book link, for each book:
Goodreads Book link, for each book:
Curse of the Beast: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13479898-curse-of-the-beast
Star Cursed (Curse of the Beast bk 2): http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16155124-star-cursed
Goodreads Author Page link: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5750992.Ashley_Lavering
Goodreads Author Page link: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5750992.Ashley_Lavering
Giveaway!!!
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