Cover Reveal: Elder by Raine Thomas

COVER REVEAL!

Elder (Firstborn Trilogy #3)

by

Raine Thomas

The cover was created by the amazing Devan Edwards of Nimbi Designs.

Blurb

Clara Kate is one of the eight beings needed to activate The Elder Scroll, an ancient artifact causing tragedy and darkness on the Estilorian plane. She knows that her focus needs to be on finding the final piece and stopping the evil Mercesti, but Ini-herit isn't making it easy. He’s working closely with Clara Kate on the quest to stop their enemies…too close for her comfort. His presence serves as a constant reminder of the love they shared on the human plane, a love that he no longer remembers at all.
 Her life and the lives of those she loves are at risk, and she knows she has to put aside her personal problems. So far on their journey, she's endured heartbreak, terror, pain and loss. She’s even been brought to the brink of death. She thinks things can't get any worse.
She's wrong.

Coming December 27, 2012

Add it to your to-read list on Goodreads

Brief author bio: Raine Thomas is the award-winning author of a series of YA fantasy/romance novels about the Estilorian plane, including the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy and the Firstborn trilogy. She is a proud member of Romance Writers of America and is a contributing blogger to The Writer's Voice. When she isn’t planning weddings, writing or glued to social networking sites, she can usually be found on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches with her husband and daughter or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.

Ways readers can connect with Raine:

Blog ~ Website ~ Twitter 
Facebook ~ Goodreads

Pinterest ~ Linkedin 

Review: SHIFT by Raine Thomas

If you've visited my blog much over the last year you should know how much I LOVE Raine Thomas's books!  I fell in love with her Daughters of Saraqael last summer (devouring all 3 within a matter of days) and couldn't wait for the next generation.  Thankfully I didn't have to wait long for her Firstborn Trilogy series about the next generation of Estilorians.  

It's my pleasure to share with you SHIFT, the second Firstborn book. Don't forget to checkout the trailer! 

Having the ability to shapeshift, Sophia is familiar with change. But even she feels the rising tension in her homeland.
A shadowy male and deadly beast reside in their midst. The births of the newest Kynzesti loom. Hostile Mercesti continue to hunt for the Elder Scroll, and a traumatized female is too afraid to use her abilities to stop them.
Topping off Sophia’s stress is Quincy, the male she’s convinced can’t stand her. She rues the loss of their friendship, but can’t figure out how to move past it. She’ll soon learn, however, that mending that rift bears more significance than she ever imagined.
The search for the Elder Scroll takes on unexpected urgency, and Sophia finds herself in a race across the mainland. To stop the Mercesti led by Eirik, she and her companions must get past their differences and unite against them. If they don’t, Eirik will acquire the immense power he seeks, and two of the beings Sophia loves most will die.

     I was initially drawn to Sophia and Quincy's relationship in Defy as I could tell how much he cared about her, but couldn't quite find the right way to express his feelings.  SHIFT is full of surprises and had me biting my nails at times.  Sophia has always been a little timid and self conscious, though in SHIFT, she finally is given the chance to come out of her cocoon and emerges as tough yet beautiful butterfly who has a long journey ahead of her.  Shift is a great edition to the Estilorian series and does a great job about allowing the Firstborns to experience adventure, danger, love and at times heartache. Knowing this is the second book in the trilogy, I'm not sure that one more book will be enough to satisfy my need for the Estilorian world Raine has created.  SHIFT does not disappoint and will leave you begging for more.  If you haven't checked out Raine's Daughters of Saraqael series and DEFY the first book in the Firstborn Trilogy....what are you waiting for?  I give SHIFT 5 stars!

Where to purchase SHIFT:  Amazon  Barnes & Noble

Stalk Raine Thomas on-line:
Twitter   Facebook   Website   Goodreads   Pinterest

Daughters of Saraqael

 You can check out my reviews for

  BECOMING, CENTRAL, & FORETOLD

Firstborn Trilogy:

Check out my review of DEFY

Cover Reveal ~ Shift

If you have been following my blog over the past year, since I first discovered Raine Thomas' Daughters of Saraqael Triligoy, then you shouldn't be suprised that I again JUMPED at the chance to help with the cover reveal for SHIFT, the second Firstborn Trilogy book.  

Blurb for SHIFT by Raine Thomas

Having the ability to shapeshift, Sophia is familiar with change. But even she feels the rising tension in her homeland.

A shadowy male and deadly beast reside in their midst. The births of the newest Kynzesti loom. Hostile Mercesti continue to hunt for the Elder Scroll, and a traumatized female is too afraid to use her abilities to stop them.
Topping off Sophia’s stress is Quincy, the male she’s convinced can’t stand her. She rues the loss of their friendship, but can’t figure out how to move past it. She’ll soon learn, however, that mending that rift bears more significance than she ever imagined.
The search for the Elder Scroll takes on unexpected urgency, and Sophia finds herself in a race across the mainland. To stop the Mercesti led by Eirik, she and her companions must get past their differences and unite against them. If they don’t, Eirik will acquire the immense power he seeks, and two of the beings Sophia loves most will die.

And now for the beautiful cover...

If you haven't read Raine's other books, check them out below:

Daughters of Saraqael Trilogy:

 You can check out my reviews for

  BECOMING, CENTRAL, & FORETOLD

Firstborn Trilogy:

Check out my review of DEFY

Trailer Thursday ~ Foretold

If you've been following my blog for a while, it's no secret that I LOVE the Daughters of Saraqael Trilogy by Raine Thomas.  So this week I'm featuring the recently released trailer for the final book, Foretold.  ENJOY!!








Check out my review of Foretold.
Add Foretold to your Goodreads.
BUY Foretold:   B&N Paperback   Nook   Kindle   Paperback
You can find Raine Thomas online:  Website     Twitter    Facebook    Goodreads

Cover Reveal: DEFY by Raine Thomas

If you are a regular to my blog, you may have noticed reviews/ interview/ trailers from the Daughters of Saraqael books by Raine Thomas.  I fell in love with her first trilogy last summer and always keep my eye out for the next installment.  Raine is currently working on the Firstborn Trilogy and the first book in that series is DEFY:

Seventeen-year-old Tate is about to make her parents’ dreams come true. Unfortunately for her, their dreams foretell her death. Eager to explore more of the Estilorian plane and prove her abilities, Tate goes against her parents’ wishes and leaves the area of protection surrounding her home. Her choice puts her on a deadly path…one that leaves her alone, severely injured and battling for her life. Her possible savior arrives in the form of Zachariah, a male who has removed himself from Estilorian society for more than fifty years. Fighting an unexpected connection to Tate, he must decide whether saving her life is worth destroying his. As Tate struggles to find a way home, she ends up drawn into a dark Mercesti plot involving multiple murders and a powerful ancient artifact. With the unpredictable Zachariah as her only source for aid, she’ll soon find out if her abilities are strong enough to help her defy her Fate. 

If you haven't seen the other covers for Raine's books, then you are missing out! Following in the eye catching style of The Daughters of Saraqael covers, here is the beautiful cover of DEFY:

 What do you think?

Don't forget to add DEFY to your Goodreads list.
You can find more about Raine Thomas:
Website
Blog
Twitter
Goodreads
Facebook

Review: The Prophecy

Released November 29, 2011

Kindle Edition

Summary:

Saraqael hadn’t intended to fall in love with Kate. It shouldn’t have even been possible. His kind didn’t experience emotion, and they certainly weren’t supposed to become attached to humans. 
When he discovers that Kate’s dying and there’s nothing he or her human doctors can do for her, Saraqael realizes how deep his feelings for her run. And he understands just how far he’s willing to go to save her. 
He vows to search until he finds a way to save her life. With the help of his best friend, Quincy, he embarks on a quest spanning the Estilorian plane…a quest that will forever change the future of his kind.

Review:  5 stars
     What I loved about The Prophecy is that is gives us a better glimpse into how the mind of an Estilorian works and how Saraqael and Kate fell in love.  Having read the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy first I was curious about the story behind Saraqael and Kate and was very excited when I found out that Raine was writing their story as a short story.  The Prophecy adds a layer of understanding to how the Estilorians live.  Since this about Amber, Olivia, & Skye's parents then reading this before or after isn't going to matter as it won't ruin anything in the Daughter's of Saraqael trilogy.  This is the perfect short story as it gives you a little more background in a back story and makes you want to read more...which you can in Becoming!

You can find Raine Thomas online:
Website
Goodreads
Twitter
 

Interview & Giveaway of Becoming by Raine Thomas

     I had the chance to read the Daughters of Saraqael Trilogy this past summer after they were released and immediately fell in love with the world and stories created by Raine Thomas.  I  had the pleasure of interviewing Raine about her first series this summer.  And now, I am welcoming back Raine to talk about her Estilorian short story The Prophecy that was released today as a free download on Smashwords (with Amazon and Barnes & Noble to follow).



Interview with Raine Thomas:

1. I love the short story about Saraqael's love for Kate.  What made you decide to go back and write it?

Thanks, Sarah! Even as I wrote the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy, I gave some thought to sharing the story of Saraqael and Kate. After all, it’s their love story that precedes the other books. It concerned me a bit that the ending of their story is bittersweet, but once I developed a readership, I learned that there was quite the demand for more about the couple that started it all. So when I made the decision to release short stories as I finished each book of the upcoming Firstborn trilogy, it was only natural that the first short featured Saraqael and Kate’s story.

2.  Will we hear more about their story?

     Readers will definitely get more glimpses of Saraqael and Kate and their lives before the Daughters of Saraqael and Firstborn trilogies take place. Because the novels follow the legacy that Saraqael and Kate created, it’s inevitable that they’ll make future appearances…in one form or another!

3. I know you are working on another series about Estilorians, do you have a target release date for them? Do you have plans for more after that?

Indeed, I am. The Firstborn trilogy is well underway. As I did with the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy, I intend to release the next trilogy all at once. Book one is finished, which is why I wrote and released The Prophecy. My plan is to write book two, then release a second free short story to keep my fans engaged. Optimistically, I hope to have the entire trilogy available in the spring of 2012. Fingers crossed!

4. As an indie writer, what has been the most challenging part of the publishing process?

     I actually found the most difficult part of self-publishing to be formatting the books. I’m fortunate that I have a very tech-savvy husband who thoroughly reviewed the style guides for each of the e-platforms I wanted to use (Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes and Noble). It’s not as easy as one might think! Having read other e-books that weren’t correctly formatted, I can state that this is an important detail that shouldn’t be overlooked. We were also able to use our formatting knowledge to prepare the books for paperback printing, which helped a lot.

5. I read the Daughters of Saraqael Trilogy first and after reading the short story it made me want to go back and re-read the trilogy. Does order matter for new readers?

     This is a great question! The goal behind The Prophecy was to offer fans of the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy something new to enjoy between trilogy releases. It’s also intended to entice new readers and hopefully capture their interest so that they’ll be interested in reading more. The short story contains elements that will be further fleshed out in the Firstborn trilogy, as well, which makes The Prophecy a kind of bridge between the two trilogies. Thus, the order in which they’re read doesn’t really matter. So, read away!

Thanks Raine for the great interview.  I'm very excited to hear that you are finished with the first book in the Firstborn trilogy and love the idea of the short stories between books!

Don't forget to check out the first short story, The Prophecy for FREE.

Now for the giveaway!  Thanks so much to Raine for signing a copy of Becoming to be given to one lucky winner!!  This giveaway is open internationally, just fill out the form below and good luck.

I am certain that after you read The Prophecy and Becoming you will be hooked, so don't forget to check out Central (book 2) and Foretold (book 3).
Raine Thomas Online:                       My Reviews:
Website / Blog                                        Becoming & First Author Interview
Twitter                                                     Central
GoodReads                                              Foretold
Daughters of Saraqael Facebook