Review & Giveaway ~ Ascension by Stacey Rourke

Stacey Rourke

Ascension

Gryphon Series #4

 

~ BLURB ~ 

 

From best selling and award winning author Stacey Rourke comes the heart-pounding continuation of the acclaimed Gryphon Series.

The turning point of the Gryphon saga is at hand …

Battle looms. Three unstoppable forces prepare to clash in a colossal explosion that could wipe Gainesboro off the map. Fate and a sacred calling have landed nineteen year old Celeste Garrett in the middle with nowhere to run.

Her trust wavers as she uncovers dark secrets of the Council, powerful enough to test her loyalty and turn her against those she swore to protect. Playing to the longing of her heart, a malevolent enemy uses her weakness against her to form an alliance.

With the trumpets of war about to sound, which side will the Conduit choose, and who will be left standing?

 

Book Links: 

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Barnes and Noble 

 

~ EXCERPT ~ 

Somewhere between sleep and awake he came to me. The mattress shifted under his weight as he settled in beside me.

Warm breath teased against my ear. “I could ne’er leave you, lovey.”

His wandering hands gripped my waist and rolled me to face him. This warbled land governed by sleep couldn’t conjure his whole essence—too much time had passed for that. Instead it teased me with glimpses of what I’d been missing; silky hair caressing my cheek. Hot kisses traveling down my neck. Emerald eyes filled with an insatiable hunger. The sensual awakening that jolted through me when his mouth found mine.   

“I’m always with you,” Caleb whispered against my lips.

I twined my arms around his neck and pulled him closer; a move that garnered a low groan of appreciation. His hands roamed up my arms and encircled my wrists. In a sudden, shockingly violent, move he forced them down against the mattress and pinned me there.

I gaped in confusion as green eyes blinked to sapphire blue. His seductive stare twisted into visible disgust and hatred. Like ink dumped from a bottle, the black drained from Caleb’s hair. The dripping color leaked away to reveal long strawberry blond hair ponytailed at the nape of his neck. Alec. Not the latest version of him currently possessed by a three-hundred-year-old demon, but the Alec I first met whilst rolling a tire. The carefree boy I had started to fall for before fate intervened. Yet the look that darkened his gaze was more murderous than welcoming. I thrashed and bucked beneath him but couldn’t seem to summon one iota of strength. His grip on my wrists tightened to the point of pain.

“Is he worth it?” he hissed in my face. “Is he worth the blood on your hands?”

Crimson red blood bubbled up Alec’s throat. It seeped between his teeth and dribbled down his chin. “Will he still want you when he knows what you’ve done and what it cost?”  

Squeezing my eyes shut, I cringed further into the mattress as blood rained down. The warm stickiness, with its pungent rusty smell, dripped on my face and soaked my shirt. 

I risked a glance up to see Alec’s lips curl in an evil grin. “Now, how ‘bout a kiss?”

He bowed his head and crammed his blood soaked lips to mine. My muffled scream quickly turned into a gurgled gasp for air as I fought not to drown in this crimson hell.

  

~ Review ~ 

It feels like I’ve been patiently waiting for this book forever, and now I’ve read it I can honestly say it was worth the wait.  This series is one that I will read over and over again, and I’m not sure I could ever get enough of the characters.  Everyone is present for a star performance (incl. the Dark Army Glee Club and Grams), and books 1 – 3 have been leading up to this point, where the final battle is coming and it’s all or nothing.  There are some amazing twists which kept me gripped, which isn’t hard taking into account the writing style, humour, action, drama and emotional turmoil contained within the pages (ok, this pretty much covers everything but nothing I could say will get across how great the series is).  Whether your Team Caleb or Team Rowan (damn, two book boyfriends in one book), the author has played it well and I definitely didn’t see the ending coming.  This is a series I would highly recommend reading. 

~ AUTHOR BIO ~ 

Stacey Rourke is the author of the YA Fantasy Gryphon Series and the nonfiction autobiographical I'm Not Crazy, I'm on Lupron; a Journey Through Infertility.

She lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant, drooly dogs. Stacey loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head. She is currently hard at work on the continuations of the Gryphon Series as well as other literary projects.

RONE Award Winner for Best YA Paranormal Work of 2012 for Embrace, a Gryphon Series Novel. 

Links: 
FB Author Page / Website / Twitter / Goodreads

And now for the Giveaway: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway