EJ Wesley's Winter Thrills and Chills Tour and Giveaway - REVIEW and EXCERPT

I'm hosting a stop on  E.J. Wesley's Winter Thrills and Chills Tour for his Moonsongs Series.  This tour is running January 6-17 and consists of reviews, interviews, top tens, guest posts and of course, giveaways!  Be sure to check out the tour page for the full list of stops.

 VAMPIRE’S BALL, MOONSONGS BOOK 5 ~ E.J.WESLEY ~ EXCERPT 1:

We were dropped off in front of the staircases I’d seen earlier. Rameau took the steps with elegant strides. I tried to match his grace, but the wind and my dress weren’t playing well together, forcing me to make awkward, sideways movements with my arms pressed down my front.

Marshal, ever the gentleman, slowed his pace so that we reached the porch landing at the same. He ran his hand over his hair to smooth it.

“How do I look?” I asked, knowing I’d get honesty from Marshal—whether I wanted it or not.  

He frowned, and then straightened the dress around my boobs. Marshal could always find something about my appearance to nitpick.

When he’d finished fussing over my lines and posture, he placed both hands on my shoulders, and looked me in the eyes. “You look stunning.”

My cheeks warmed. Holy shit, he’d complimented me on my appearance. In a night certain to be full of unexpected things, that might end up going down as the most.

At last I said, “Why, thank you, Sir.” I tried my best Southern Belle impersonation. I would’ve curtsied, too, but I was afraid I’d bust the ass out of my dress, fall down the staircase, or both.

Marshal rolled his eyes. “Let’s get this over with, Scarlet.”

He offered me his arm and we walked into the mansion together. My chest tightened as I searched for a steadying breath, forcing me to softly clear my throat. I knew there was a good chance we wouldn’t get to leave so cavalierly.

 The foyer had more in common with an elaborate mausoleum than the entryway to a home. Glossy white marble with gray and blue veins coated everything. Pedestals bearing delicate vases and ornate sculptures lined the middle of the floor to offer a nice view of the family’s wealth, coming or going. A vaulted ceiling revealed five floors above us, capped by a glass dome roof. Lit candelabras jutted from the walls at even intervals, giving the room a warm yellow glow. A set of open French doors, large enough to drive a car through, showed an expansive library with an equally sprawling fireplace at the far end. The sounds of our heels clacking on the stone floor echoed in the open room and blended with the faint tone of stringed music floating in. I careened my neck from side-to-side and top-to-bottom just trying to take it all in.

“Might I offer you a bit of mystery?” Mast Rameau asked, snapping me back into the moment.

He stood near a table layered with ornate ceramic carnival masks. I chose a golden one that only covered the upper portion of my face. Onyx beads traced the eye holes in aggressive, cat-eyed swoops. Gold and black feathers fanned out from the left side. Two golden teardrops dotted the right cheek.

Marshal found a purple and gray one that mimicked a jester, complete with curling ceramic hood and bells. When he held it up to his face by the little stick, I smirked.

“What?” he asked, his voice muffled by the mask.

“You’re always bitching about me not taking you seriously.”

“So?”

“I’m just saying, disguising yourself as a clown isn’t going to help your case any.”

He took his mask down and glared at me. “Says the girl with a purple mohawk who drives a giant 4x4 pickup. The irony of it all.”

My laughter was cut off by Rameau. “Shall we enter?”

With a gloved hand, he rapped on what I’d assumed was a paneled wall just beyond the table of masks. After a moment, pocket doors slid open to either side. The dampened music from earlier became a swell of sound, cutting through the noise of hundreds of simultaneous conversations. A two-story ballroom teeming with spectacularly dressed people waited for us.

“Please enjoy yourselves while I inform Don Nicolas of your arrival. I’ll find you.” Rameau disappeared into the crowd.

Marshal shrugged, echoing my own thoughts. I had no clue what we were supposed to do, either.

“Here, help me with this.” I handed him my mask and turned to let him fasten the velvet tie around my head.

When he finished, I crinkled my nose to adjust the position of the eyeholes. The ceramic was smooth and cool on my skin, and I marveled at how insubstantial the mask felt. It must’ve weighed only a few ounces.

Marshal placed his disguise over his face. “You ready for this Ms. Daaé?”

“That’s a reference to something I’d probably hate, right?”

He gave me a look as if I’d just accused him of waxing his legs. “You’ve never seen Phantom of the Opera?”

“Is it a cartoon?” I grabbed his hand and tugged him along.

“It’s a musical—guy in a mask terrorizes an opera house?”

“Nope, but he sounds like someone I’d get along with.” Marshal huffed from behind his mask. I laughed. “Let’s just stick together until Rameau finds us.”

 

My Review of Blood Fugue - Book 1

I am one of those people who LOVE a good scare and something that knocks you out of your chair.  EJ Wesley did NOT let me down when it came to this :)  The Blood Fugue was awesome and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.  Not your run of the mill monster story though.  The protagonist being a strong-willed and able woman made it that much more interesting to read, and I could really feel the love she had for her grandparents and parents in the book.  It was heart-wrenching in the beginning but then became heart-pounding as it continued!  I am already onto the Witches Nocturne working on reading that one, which I am sure already will be awesome as well :)  I highly recommend this series for anyone who loves a good read and a good scare but it's not SO scary that it would turn people off.  It is definitely an edge-of-your-seat ride all the way to the end!  And finally finding out what "Moonsong" is at the end of Book 1 is great as well because I didn't understand how the name went along with the books at first.  EJ Wesley did a superb job and I can't wait to read the rest of them!

~Book 1 - Blood Fugue~

“Some folks treated the past like an old friend. The memories warmed them with fondness for what was, and hope for what was to come. Not me. When I thought of long ago, my insides curdled, and I was left feeling sour and wasted.”

Jenny Schmidt is a young woman with old heartaches. A small town Texas girl with big city attitude, she just doesn’t fit in. Not that she has ever tried. 

Life has pummeled her heart into one big, lonely callus. She has no siblings, both parents were dead by sixteen, and her last grandparent—and caretaker—was in the ground before she turned twenty-one. She’s the last living member of her immediate family. Or so she thinks…

“We found my ‘grandfather’ sitting at his dining room table. An entire scorched pot of coffee dangled from his shaky hand. His skin was the ashen gray shade of thunderclouds, not the rich mocha from the photo I’d seen. There were dark blue circles under each swollen red eye. A halo of white hair skirted his bald head, a crown of tangles and mats. Corpses had more life in them.”

Suddenly, instead of burying it with the dead, Jenny is forced to confront the past. Armed only with an ancient family journal, her rifle, and an Apache tomahawk, she must save her grandfather’s life and embrace her dangerous heritage. Or be devoured by it.

Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble| iBooks | Goodreads

~Book 2 - Witch's Nocturne~

After receiving an ancient tribal journal from her grandfather, Jenny is sent on a mission of discovery in an attempt to unravel clues to her family's monster hunting past. The journey becomes more than academic when she is asked to confront a coven of dangerous witches who plan to cast an insidious spell on the plains of West Texas.

Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords | iBooks | Goodreads

 ~Book 3 - Dark Prelude~

 

Jenny Moonsong recently inherited the title of "monster hunter" and an ancient tribal journal/how-to manual passed down by her Apache ancestors. Unfortunately, a lot of on-the-job training is required to be a monster hunter, and unlike her computer repair business, this gig could literally kill her.

Dark Prelude finds the feisty protagonist, Jenny, searching for her best friend Marshal's missing father in the midst of a freak, West Texas winter storm. To survive the frigid night, she'll have to deal with a hated town rival, face a monstrous creature no Moonsong hunter has ever encountered before, and undo a mysterious curse. Can she keep everyone alive? If not, who will pay the ultimate price?

Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Goodreads

~Book 4: Dragon's Game~

Jenny Moonsong recently inherited the title of "monster hunter" and an ancient tribal journal/how-to manual passed down by her Apache ancestors. She has already faced a werewolf, witches, and a troll. But nothing could prepare her for her latest confrontation...

Dragon's Game, Moonsongs Book 4, finds Jenny out of her rural West Texas element, searching for an evil witch in an urban Houston nightclub. After attempting to help a handsome and mysterious stranger out of a jam, she finds herself on the run from a ruthless gang who are even more dangerous than they initially appear.

Forced into a twisted game of life and death, Jenny must navigate the complexity of a budding relationship, and somehow survive a night filled with unexpected horror and paranormal mystery.

Dragon's Game is approximately 14,000 words or 45 pages of humor, horror and paranormal mystery. It is the fourth volume of the Moonsongs Books, an ongoing series of New Adult, urban fantasy novelettes by author E.J. Wesley.

Amazon  |   Barnes & Noble |  Goodreads

~Book 5- Vampire's Ball~

Jenny Moonsong recently inherited the title of "monster hunter" and an ancient tribal journal/how-to manual passed down by her Apache ancestors. Being a girl of action, she has found herself particularly capable when it comes to battling the werewolves, trolls, and other supernatural denizens lurking in the Texas night. Until now.

Vampire's Ball, Moonsongs book 5, finds Jenny and her best friend Marshal in their most harrowing adventure yet. Traveling by boat to an extravagant masquerade party located at a Galveston Island mansion, Jenny must parlay with an ancient vampire in order to secure the release of the dragon princes, Isis. The unexpected return of an old "friend" turns the evening into chaos, and leaves Jenny and company once again fighting for survival amidst a sea of supernatural foes.

Vampire's Ball is approximately 12,500 words of humor, horror and paranormal mystery. It is the fifth volume of the Moonsongs Books, an ongoing series of New Adult, urban fantasy novelettes by author E.J. Wesley.

Amazon  |   Barnes & Noble |  Goodreads

~Moonsongs Anthology~

The Moonsongs Anthology 1 collects the first three Moonsongs books--a series of New Adult paranormal-horror-action novelettes--in one exciting volume. Follow Jenny and her best friend Marshal on their dangerous quest to unlock the secrets of her past.

Moonsongs Anthology 1 collects the three previously published Moonsongs adventures: Blood Fugue (Book 1), Witch's Nocturne (Book 2), and Dark Prelude (Book 3).

Available in print & eBook via Amazon  | Goodreads

~About the Author~

Growing up in small-town Oklahoma, there were limits on the amount and types of entertainment at my disposal. Perhaps that’s why I set my imagination free. After collecting degrees in psychology and counseling, life brought me to Missouri, Texas, and Northern California—where I currently read, write, and live. I fill my spare time playing video games, watching movies, planning for the zombie apocalypse, reading graphic novels, and playing with my dogs.

My passion for New Adult literature led me to producing the weekly New Adult Lit Chat on Twitter, and contributing to the NA Alley Blog. I’m also the author of the Moonsongs Books, a series of New Adult, speculative-rural fantasy novelettes.

~Links~

WEBSITE | BLOG | NA ALLEY (contributor) | TWITTER |  NEW ADULT LIT CHAT (founder/producer) |  FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ |  LINKEDIN |  GOODREADS

Giveaway:

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This tour was organized and put together by CBB Book Promotions.