The Edge Of Hope
Today's tour is an amazing Paranormal book. The Author is an incredible woman, who has put so much of her heart and soul into the first book in her trilogy, that you will be begging by the end for the rest of the books to be ready to read. Make sure to stay till the end as this post is packed with sneak peaks, author interviews and even a giveaway at the end. I hope you enjoy, and please, no trampling each other to get the book, there is plenty available. *winks*
Genre:
Paranormal Romance
The Edge of Hope is the debut novel of
writer Alina Popescu, the first book in the Bad Blood Trilogy, a story of
vampires, love, struggles, and a constant fight for survival.
Synopsis:
When
tall, dark, and gorgeous shows up on your self-prescribed emotional recovery
vacation, some would call it fate smiling down on you. If he also happens to be
interested in your work and ready to make all the room you need in his life, it
starts to sound too good to be true. Alexa skips the doubts and jumps right in,
only to be thrown into the mysterious world of vampires.
The
secrets of their origin and their very existence are far more important than
her life to some of her new acquaintances. They are ancient, they are powerful,
they have unlimited resources, and they are keen on controlling what the world
knows of their kind. As Alexa discovers their complicated, blood feud bound
world, she tries to better understand herself, heal old wounds and give love
chance after chance. Will she survive the journey?
Review:
To be honest, I had no idea what to expect when picking up this book, but let me start off by saying....DDDAAAYYYUUUMMM. Now...I, much like anyone else, loves me a good Vampire story. I mean who in this day doesn't like a good Vampire book, or movie right? Well I am one of those, HOWEVER...unlike some.....I AM getting tired of the glittery, snappy, bitey types who only seem to want one thing and are all snarling beasts in one way of another. They all rise from the dead and they are all...jerks. Oh wait...sorry, they all turn out to be Undead Romeo's.
Well not this time. You want a twist on what Vampires are like...good....then get your hands on this book. Not to mention the dialogue between the main characters will, at times, having you shaking your head wondering what was just said, laughing at others and just plain smirking at the brassness and forwardness of Alexa. I have to admit, for a main character, I love this girl. Not only does she speak her mind, and say exactly how she's feeling, but she isn't afraid to stand up to a Vamp and tell him where to go in the meantime. Alexa is an author who had a rough start and just wants to get away and forget everything even happened. Having been badly hurt by her ex and her friend she just wants to start new and move on from the past. Enter Anthony, a journalist who wants to do a story on Alexa and her book........or so you think........The story only starts there and her emotions go on a ride and take you along with them. He introduces her to a world she only THOUGHT existed, and once there things aren't quite what she seems.
The author fills this book with so much that is REAL in the world today. With the exception of meeting an actual Vampire, I can relate to a lot of what Alexa went through in her life, that led her to make the choices that she did. The story just never stops, it's an on the go book going from ont to the next, not giving you much time in between to get bored, which is the best part. Of course, the sexyness, Vampires, and Saucy maiden help too. If you want to be dragged into a world with many wonders and non stop entertainment to keep your mind working, with an ending that is gonna have you screaming for the next book, then as I already stated......GET THIS BOOK!!
Alina manages to mix this book with everything you could want and more. Vampires, love, intrigue, real word, comedy, suspense, romance, did I mention Vampires *winks* Ok I think you get the hint....either way. Get to the links below and buy buy buy. What do I rate this book......well.......have to be completely fair, and judge overall for atmosphere, writing, presence, storyline.......who am I kidding...my rating?....
Author Interview:
1) What is the working title
of your current/next book?
The book that’s just been released
is The Edge of Hope, the first in the
Bad Blood trilogy. It’s a story with
vampires and it’s about love, loss, struggles, and trying again as many times
as you need to get to where you want to be.
I have a few WIPs apart from
the trilogy (book 3 is currently in the works) in various genres. I can tell
you there’s a science fiction story, a werewolf story, and a few romances.
2) Where did the idea come
from?
I’ve always been interested
in vampires and what they inspired in books and movies, but the idea for this
particular book came from something far more common: heartbreak and how we deal
with it. I wanted to explore the feeling of losing who you thought was it for you,
all happening after several other losses , and then having to pick yourself up
and try again. And again. And again, until you finally find what you are
looking for. It was my way of dealing with loss and it also got me back to
writing.
3) What genre does your book
fall under?
The
Edge of Hope is a paranormal romance novel. I struggled with pinpointing a certain
genre. It falls under fantasy and supernatural stories, but paranormal romance
comes the closest to what it is. For those of you out there who don’t know,
paranormal is actually a sub-genre of fantasy according to some, that was what
convinced me. As for romance, this is not a typical romance story, so I was a
bit worried, but so far the reactions have been pretty impressive.
4) What actors would you
choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
I actually have no clear
idea! I know who I’d want to audition, but that has more to do with my crushes
and fangirling than anything else. Alexa would probably be the toughest choice to
make, and the closest I’ve come to thinking of someone was to consider Noomi Rapace who played Lisbeth
Salander in the original Millennium trilogy.
5) What is the one-sentence
synopsis of your series?
I think the one-liner I used
as a tagline for Book I is perfect – The Road to Hell is Paved with Bad
Relationships. That is true for Alexa, for the vampires in the story,
and for everyone else. You surround yourself with people who cause you more
harm than good and you are bound to end up in a dark place. I would however add
“but
there is always a way to survive and conquer hell” to round up the
series.
6) How did you come up with
your characters??
Hmm, I would like to say I
know, but I don’t. I came up with Anthony in the beginning, having a vague idea
of who he was, I only knew what he looked like and that there was an air of
mystery about him. I thought I was writing an Anthony and Alexa love story, but
the characters showed me the right way early on. That’s when Louis popped up
and from that moment on, the story was clear in my mind, so I could write it.
In what looks are concerned, Louis was inspired by a boy I knew of in high
school. I hated his guts cause he had hurt one of my friends. Half of the girls
in town were in love with him, but I never really got it. I did years later
when I saw him again, but that might have been because he was riding a bike.
7) How long did it take you
to write the first draft?
It took a little over a year
to complete it, but I took long breaks while writing it. I started it in May
2011, wrote a few chapters, took a pretty long break. Then, during that year’s
NaNoWriMo, which was my first, I wrote about half of it. I finished it in June
2012, while I was in Germany, staying with some very good friends.
8) What other books would
you compare this story to within your genre?
I wouldn’t compare it to one
book in particular. I can’t say it’s completely original, I was forged by the
vampire books I read. Everything from Bram Stoker and Anne Rice and Charlaine
Harris probably touched me in a way. But vampire movies and TV series are just
as much a part of it, along with some comic books and anime.
9) Who or what inspired you
to write this book?
My very own experience.
Alexa’s story starts kind of where I was when the idea came to me. I had to
deal with a pretty brutal and hurtful loss and considered leaving the country
and moving to Malta. I also wrote through the pain, just like she tried. The
only difference is I actually got to complete the story. I would trade that
though for the men in Alexa’s life!
10) What else about the book
might pique the reader’s interest?
My vampires have an unusual
origin and quite a different hierarchy.
I have also tried my best to make them unique. My problem with other
stories is that sometimes they are all the same. In Buffy, they are all
soulless and vicious. Pretty much the same in Blade. What they are becomes more
important than who they are, and that is a problem we humans have. I wanted to
stay away from that, as much as I could.
I wanted a character’s personality to be more important than race,
religion, sex, supernatural abilities, or any other trait that falls more into
the what than the who.
Meet the Author:
Writer, traveler, and coffee addict, Alina
Popescu has been in love with books all her life. She started writing when she
was ten and even won awards in local competitions. She has always been drawn to
sci-fi, fantasy, and the supernatural realm, which explains her deep love for
vampires and is also to blame for this trilogy.
Excerpt:
I felt I should cry, but I just couldn’t. I was too angry…with him,
with her, with everyone who liked the status, with Anthony and how he had
changed my world. I couldn’t even see straight for a few minutes. When my
vision cleared, I noticed a few messages in my inbox. The newest one was from
him, apologizing for the public message and saying he never thought our common
friends would be that stupid. It was so his style, minimizing what had happened
and trying to find new targets for me to blame. There were other messages from
some of the people who had liked their new relationship status saying they did
not realize what they were doing at first, then they could not unlike it
without hurting them. Bullshit. They were all assholes. The two of them for publicly
posting the update. My so-called friends for not thinking carefully about it.
Me for having believed whatever he had said in the car, even if hope had been
buried somewhere deep down.
I took my car keys from the
counter. The key card from his building was still there. He had made that
especially for me a few weeks before the conversation in the car. He said it
was over with her and had given it to me one morning, after a passionate night
together, telling me he expected me to come over and spend the night a lot more
often. It had meant the world to me and he had never asked me to give it back.
I removed it from its ring and broke the plastic bar with my bare hands. I did
not think I actually had the strength, but I did and it cut my hand a little. I
kept looking at my blood as it dripped on the counter and hoped the pain I
could no longer cry out would pour through that fresh wound.
That was when Louis walked in with a big, toothy grin on his face.
“Hey, I am back and I bring delicious treats,” he beamed. He noticed my hand
and the look on my face, and quickly dropped everything next to my computer.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, worry in his voice.
I opened my mouth to say something, but I just couldn’t.
“Alexa, was Anthony here? You have to tell me!” He grabbed my
shoulders and shook me a little. I pushed him away and walked to the other side
of the counter to lean against it. He came closer and took my hand.
“You cut yourself.” It was not a question. He could tell what kind of
wound it was.
I really wanted to say it was nothing. Instead, I put my other hand
around his neck, pulled him close, and kissed him. I expected nothing, in all
honesty, other than cold rejection. I wasn’t really thinking, just acting on an
impulse. But, for some reason, he kissed me back. When our tongues met, my
knees gave out so I grabbed his shoulders with both my hands, bloodying his
shirt.
He caught me in his arms and pulled me close, pressing me tightly
against him. I was used to powerful reactions to kisses, but this was still off
the charts. Vampire thing, I told myself. First line of baseborns. The one
thought that was clear in my head was that I did not want that kiss to ever
end. All the anger, hurt, and pain were gone, and this new situation with Louis
seemed so raw, so pure. I felt his hand gliding down my thigh, then his fingers
on the back of my knee. He hardly needed to do something for me to respond as
he wanted me to so I put my leg around his hip. He never stopped kissing me,
but somehow put my hands around his neck, took me in his arms and sat me on the
kitchen counter, pushing his body closer to me.
I felt dizzy and mesmerized, and all I wanted was to keep feeling him.
His tongue, his lips, his hands, his entire body. The moment I just left all
thought behind and let my instinct take over, he brutally moved away.
“What the hell are you doing?!” he yelled, pacing around the kitchen
and rubbing his forehead.
It took me a little while to try and gather my thoughts. But before I
could say anything, a sudden rage got the better of me. What the hell did he
mean by asking me what I had done? Wasn’t he doing it with me?
“Holding a vampire down and forcing my tongue down his throat!” I
heard myself yelling back. “Oh, wait, that’s impossible!”
I could see the anger oozing through all his pores. His eyes were
glassy and fear-inducing, his fangs were out and his body language spoke of a
predator ready to jump on their pray. He started to say something, but I was
faster. “Whatever it is, keep it to yourself, asshole!”
I jumped from the counter, pushed him away, and stormed out of the
kitchen. I ran up the stairs, grabbed my gym bag, then got out of the house as
fast as I could. I threw my bag in the car and started driving, fast and
reckless, as if my life depended on getting to that gym. I got there in no
time, changed in an instant, and started running on the treadmill. When it did
not tire me enough, I moved to the elliptical bike and finally decided throwing
punches at a big round bag filled with sand was way more refreshing.
Social Links:
Buy Links:
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/424918
Rafflecopter Giveaway:
![Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000035_00028]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tIYo4fGzDN0r0fsYa3Y9Sp0Q16Lv3mwYZ5qZIhtDNGUChZzSom4_GB_WYvjZQpnMcV7FcoaxJZkWX94LEasArtPlWZpKKA1U_0aQPtUs4VPdelKZxkFelWWeiebk6FkDqKptQ2tBbRDvC0OuixgUCQyuYpIU_-B0THPw=s0-d)
