Alright, today we are part of the Fate
Fixed Blog Tour and Author Bonnie Erina Wheeler has cooked up a great guest
post. But, of course, I’ve taken the time to read Fate Fixed and am happy to
share my review with y’all. Oh, but wait! There’s a giveaway attached to this
awesome post too!
So, let’s check out the cover and blurb
for Fate Fixed by Bonnie Erina Wheeler!
When Lexie Anderson’s mother suddenly announces she
is marrying a Romanian immigrant, Lexie willingly leaves behind her busy life
in Connecticut for her penance in the "Moose Capital of the World.” Small
town living is strange enough, now Lexie must cope with her overbearing
stepfamily monitoring her every move. They disappear into the woods at night
and keep a strange secret locked in their shed. Her once calm mother is now
having violent outbursts and Lexie’s little sister is hearing sinister sounds
coming from the forest behind their new home. Lexie’s biggest surprise comes
when she discovers the boy she has been dreaming about since her accident is
living in Maine. Despite Torin’s questionable reputation, Lexie cannot resist
the physical and emotional attraction pulsating between them. Animals and
people in town are turning up dead and Lexie learns the strange new world she
lives in has real life monsters. Just when she decides she wants to be with
Torin forever, she must fight to protect her mother and sister from being
harmed by a formidable evil.—Supplied by the Author
I was given a copy of Fate Fixed in
exchange for an honest review.
Right away I’m going to be honest and
say that the cover didn’t do anything for me. I hate saying that. And I hate
that I said much the same thing in the last review I did. Perhaps it’s just me,
but I find that this cover is a little on the generic side—as so many are these
days. There isn’t anything wow or attention grabbing about it L
Sorry, Bonnie. I just think for the novel and its contents something much
better could have been cooked up.
Now, I must say that the blurb did catch
my attention. There’s a lot of interesting events that are mentioned that gave
enough intrigue to want to read the novel. What I was lost on was the seemingly
random mention of an accident involving Lexie. Nothing before that gave any
hint that that would play an important role. It caught me off guard, however, in
part it was good, I felt I really needed to know what that was all about.
I was not to keen about the opening of
this novel. There was a lot of information thrown at us, all at once. Sort of a
“hey, this is what’s been going on,” and it was a little too much too fast. It
very much slowed down the pacing of the novel, especially when I thought it’d
be laced with so much more. However, I pressed on, and didn’t let that take up
too much of my opinion. And it was a good thing.
Though there were things in this novel
that I didn’t like, sort of a “not my cup of tea situation” there were many
aspects that drew me in.
Each and every character was well
thought out, I loved something about everyone. Lexie is kind and considerate
when it comes to her mother and sisters well being. Torin isn’t a one sided
male lead, either. I think he had just as much to deal with giving him multiple
sides to his personality.
The romance between Lexie and Torin,
though at times seemed lightening in pace, was written excellently. Their story
isn’t so unique, a take on destiny, yet it was written in such a way that it
gave it a new twist.
And the mystery. There was lots of it
when it came to Lexie’s new town, her new family and even Torin’s got a
mysterious side.
Fate Fixed had many great things about
it, and this review comes down to me, as a reader, not loving everything, but
in no way is it a bad read. I think it will appeal to any paranormal romance
lover out there. It’s got just enough action, romance, mystery all rolled into
it that most will find it a pager-turning read.
I will be giving the sequel, Blood
Twist, a chance, for sure.
Here’s the guest post that was
graciously written for the blog, and I must say, it’s an excellent topic, one
that I might steal the next time I need to write one! Thanks Bonnie!
“What do you think sets your book apart
from other books in the same genre?”
I have always been a huge fan of
paranormal romance. Throw in my fascination with vampires and werewolves and
one can easily see why the idea for the Erris Coven Series came to mind. My
love for these amazing creatures isn’t unique. Take a lovely stroll through the
young adult section at your favorite bookstore and you will most likely see
dozens of novels with this same mix. However, despite their similarity, I like
to think Fate Fixed and its sequel Blood Twist have something a little
different to offer the genre.
I am Irish. Not one hundred percent by
all means, but a huge part of me is. I wanted to bring my love for Eire into
the story by making some of my characters Ireland born and bred. But I had to
ask myself, how were they made? I didn’t want to just follow the same
Transylvanian vampire lore and legends so I created my own.
I knew that Ireland once had Viking
invasions and when I researched Norse legends and discovered their belief in
the draugar, I was hooked. I knew that I wanted to incorporate some of that
into my own imaginary world. I loved the
idea of my half-vampires being completely different than anything I have ever
read. Creating the history of their world was a fascinating journey. Once I
discovered what they stood for, it was easy for me to envision how their
choices would affect their lives.
After knowing who my protagonists were
in the story, it was time to create the villains. I knew I wanted real bad guys.
Bad guys that could make my heroines squirm in their shoes. In many books, the
antagonist is a misunderstood soul who had been dealt a hard hand. Not for me!
I wanted my heroes to have real challenges that would up the stakes and scare
their pants off. As I write book 3 in the series now, Soul Kissed, I continue to challenge myself in this department.
Like many YA paranormal romances, my
series may have true love, swoony heroes, and vampires and werewolves – but I
like to think it will take my readers on a unique journey full of surprises,
dark villains and an interesting spin on vampire and werewolf lore.
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