Release Day Guest Post: Patricia Josephine Talks About Writing a Polyamorous Relationship

Happy release day to Gabriel, the fourth and final book in Patricia Josephine's Path of Angels series! I've read and loved all four of these books and highly recommend them. Patricia is here today to talk about writing a polyamorous relationship in Gabriel's book. This story was an epic conclusion to a fantastic series, and Gabe's relationship was one of my favourite aspects of the book. I'd never read a polyamorous relationship before, and I think Patricia did a great job. 

LOOK AT THESE GORGEOUS COVERS

Polyamory by Patricia Josephine 

Out of all the relationships in the series, Gabriel having two love interests was a bit scary to write. I’ve read a few stories with multiple partners, but they were considered ménage. It was more about “Woohoo! Threesome!” I did have a scene where I kind of went that way, but that sex got cut. I wasn’t fond of it because I wasn’t sure how to write three people being intimate. Plus, I didn’t want it to seem like they were only together because of sex.

Early on, I knew Gabriel was poly. He always saw himself with more than one person. Of course, being the stubborn guy he is, he didn’t want that known. Part of his journey was accepting his path and accepting himself. I think I grappled with that as much as he did. I’m still not sure how the relationship will be received. I wasn’t attempting to be shocking or out there. It’s just how the story turned out for me.

I think that’s why the sex scene needed to go. That made the relationship too cliché, too much like a shallow sex scene. I do actually know someone in a polyamory relationship. It felt like I was disrespecting that person and their partners by reducing Gabriel to sex. Who am I to judge others?

 

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The end is in sight.

To stop Uriel from freeing Lucifer, Gabriel and his brothers must fall and go to Hell. It is a sacrifice Gabriel is not entirely ready to make. Will he fight alongside his brothers or forge his own path? There is only one choice.

Alexander doesn’t want to help Uriel nor does he trust him, but the angel has promised him a better life. He swore to protect Charlie, and he’ll do whatever it takes. When he meets the archangels and learns the depth of Uriel’s lies, he understands the true meaning of sacrifice. If there’s any hope of stopping Lucifer from being freed, Alexander, Charlie, Zephyr and Lake will have to get to Hell and help Gabriel and his brothers in the fight against Uriel.

The path is finally ending, but the price may be too high.

Patricia Josephine never set out to become a writer. In fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. She was all about art. On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head. That was the start of it and she hasn't regretted a moment. She writes young adult under the name Patricia Lynne. 

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow, and an obsession with Doctor Who. 

Follow Patricia on Twitter | Goodreads | Google+ | Website | Wattpad

~Happy release day Patricia and Gabe!~

  

Have you read any of the books in the Path of Angels series? What did you think? If you haven't, do you plan to? Have you ever read a book with a polyamorous relationship? Let's chat here or on Twitter!

   
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Happy Release Day to Jophiel (Path of Angels #3) by Patricia Josephine!

Happy release day to Jophiel, book 3 in Patricia Josephine's Path of Angels series! I had the pleasure of beta reading all four books in this series, and I'm so excited book 3 is now available for people to read. This series is fantastic - unique, diverse, funny, feels-y, and sexy. If you want a completely different take on angels and urban fiction, I highly recommend this series. 

 

Michael (Path of Angels #1) ~ Zadekiel (Path of Angels #2)

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They must fight to stay on the path. 

Joe embraces his duty without fear or hesitation, always ready for the next battle. But the path has never been easy. With Michael’s return, they uncover a truth more dangerous than they ever imagined. Their enemy plans to unleash the devil himself, Lucifer. Help comes in the form of an unlikely alley: a member of the fallen. 

Mariangela is trying to make amends by protecting the child she is carrying. After blindly following Lucifer in the rebellion, her misguided allegiance came with a price: banishment from heaven. Now, as she strives for forgiveness in the human world, she must fight to prevent Uriel, a fallen archangel, from using her child to free evil from Hell.

 The path becomes a battleground, one which may already be lost. 

Buy Jophiel on Amazon US ~ Amazon Canada

Guest Post by Patricia Josephine ~ Bitter Angel

Honestly, fallen angels get a bad rep. They are easy bad guys. They did fall from grace after all, so it’s easy to make them embrace evil. I found it easy to write my fallen angels as bad guys. 

Then there’s Mariangela. 

A lone fallen angel trying to make things right. Her name is Italian and means bitter angel. Although, she isn’t really bitter and I can’t remember why, when I was writing the first draft, I chose it. That’s actually something she put behind herself. She had to forgive herself for what she did. Once she did that, she became the person you meet in the story. She’s kind and gentle, but determined. I think she is a strong woman. She’s not a fighter, but she will stand up and do what she believes is right.

~About the Author~

Patricia Josephine never set out to become a writer. In fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. But some stories are meant to be told and this one chose her. Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo and has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow.

Patricia Josephine writes young adult under the name Patricia Lynne.

Follow Patricia on Twitter | Goodreads | Google+ | Website | Wattpad

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Cover Reveal: Michael: Path of Angels by Patricia Josephine

Today I'm excited to share the cover of Michael: Path of Angels Book One by my good friend Patricia Josephine (aka Patricia Lynne). I beta read this novella, and it was so. Freaking. Good. Intense, bittersweet, romantic, sexy, plus completely different from anything I've ever read. I can't wait for this story to be out in the world so people can read it. And now that it has a totally kickass cover I'm even more excited! Speaking of that kickass cover, without further ado, here it is! 

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There is only one path.

Born mortal along with his three brothers, Michael is an Archangel with a specific role: hunt fallen angels and send them back to Hell. He is determined in his mission, never straying from his appointed path, until he meets Lake Divine, and discovers there may be more to his beliefs than blind duty.

But Lake is not who he seems. Offspring of a human and a fallen angel, a Nephilim, Lake must choose his own destiny: give in to the coldness and embrace the dark, or seek the light and rise above the sins of his father.

Two paths lay before them, but only one has the potential to destroy them both.

~About the Author~

Patricia Josephine never set out to become a writer. In fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. But some stories are meant to be told and this one chose her. Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo and has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow.

Patricia Josephine writes young adult under the name Patricia Lynne.

Follow Patricia on Twitter | Goodreads | Google+ | Website | Wattpad

 What do you think of the cover?

 

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Blog Tour: Until Next Time by Amy Lignor

Until Next Time by Amy Lignor

Series: The Angel Chronicles #1

Published: February 1st, 2012

Publisher: Tribute Books

295 pages (ebook)

Genre: Young adult fantasy

Acquired this book: From Tribute Books as part of the Until Next Time tour

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Synopsis: How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.

I have really mixed feelings about this book. I thought the concept was really interesting and unique, but something in the execution was lacking. I can't really figure out what it is, but Until Next Time just didn't wow me.

I found the story kind of confusing, especially with the way it jumped around and went back and forth between heaven and earth. Emily kept saying Matt was the one she was destined to be with, but she loved Jason and would always love him and they would be together again. Well, which was it? I still have no idea who she was really meant to be with. I never quite knew where the story was going, or what the purpose was in a lot of what was going on.

I wasn't really able to connect with any of the characters, but I did find them all likable. I enjoyed the relationship between Liz and Faith - their loyalty to each other and their sisterly bond. Charles and Jason were an interesting, amusing addition, and for the most part the dialogue was believable and moved the story along nicely.

There were parts that were action-filled and exciting. I especially enjoyed when the foursome went to Dublin and we were introduced to new characters, and we finally learned some of the secrets the story had been leading up to. That was definitely my favorite part, it just took a long time to get there, and it went back to being confusing after that.

Overall, this book didn't blow me away. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. I spent too much time being confused and wondering what was going on and what the point was. There were a few exciting bits, but the parts that dragged outweighed the good parts. From my experience, people either love or hate angel books - I haven't read enough of them to make an informed decision, but if you really enjoy angel books, I'd say this one might be worth a try.

About the author: Amy Lignor began her career at Grey House Publishing in northwest Connecticut where she was the Editor-in-Chief of numerous educational and business directories.

Now she is a published author of several works of fiction. The Billy the Kid historical The Heart of a Legend; the thriller, Mind Made; and the adventure novel, Tallent & Lowery 13.

She is also the owner of The Write Companion, a company that offers help and support to writers through a full range of editorial services from proofreading and copyediting to ghostwriting and research. As the daughter of a research librarian, she is also an active book reviewer.

Currently, she lives with her daughter, mother and a rambunctious German Shepherd named Reuben, in the beautiful state of New Mexico.

Find more about the author and the series
{The Angel Chronicles website || The Angel Chronicles Facebook page || Amy Lignor’s Facebook || Amy Lignor’s Twitter}

Have you read this book? What did you think? I mentioned that people seem to either love or hate angel books - how do you feel about them?

Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Book #1

Published: September 27th, 2011

Publisher: Little, Brown & Company

418 pages (hardcover)

Genre: Young adult fantasy

Acquired this book: From the library

Warning: may include spoilers

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Synopsis: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

I don’t really know what to say about Daughter of Smoke and Bone. So many things come to mind, and I’m not sure any of them can do justice to just how incredible this book is. It was unique, fascinating, heartbreaking, romantic, thrilling, suspenseful, captivating. Some of the many, many things I loved: Forbidden love. Prague. Flying. Angel wings. Giant marionettes. Elsewhere. Poison Kitchen. Wishes. Hope. I could go on and on, there were just so many things to love about this book.

Ms Taylor’s writing was so achingly beautiful and poetic, there were times it almost brought me to tears. I had to reread certain parts because they touched me so deeply, and as a writer myself I aspire to have a talent like that. I became so immersed in Karou and Akiva’s worlds, I never wanted to leave.

The characters in this book are fantastic. Karou and Akiva especially are so real - their emotions, their actions, their reactions. Karou was no-nonsense and kick-ass, but there was this vulnerability about her, too. Akiva was so intense and haunted, and despite the things he had seen and done, he had an innocence about him that made me love him. 

I also loved the secondary characters. They made the story so much richer and more vibrant, whether you loved them or hated them. I loved the hilarious, sometimes snarky dialogue between Karou and her best friend Zuzana. It reminded me of the way my friends and I talked in high school, and made me feel like I was right there with them.

As for the romance: *swoon* I know some people don’t like forbidden love romances, but this one was epic. I loved that it didn’t happen right away, and that we got a chance to know Karou on her own first. Then we met Akiva, and things slowly started happening and the romance began to unfold. Wow. Their love was so beautiful and heartbreaking; I can’t wait to find out what happens in the next book.

It’s only February, but this is already one of my favorite books of the year, and I’m quite certain that at the end of the year it’ll be making my list of favorites for 2012.

This book counts toward the following 2012 challenges: 2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge, 2012 Support Your Local Library Challenge, 2012 New Authors Reading Challenge, Let’s Talk About Love: A 2012 Romance Reading Challenge. See my progress in these and other challenges here.