VBT: Giveaway, Review & Interview with Isis Rushdan author of Kindred of The Fallen

 I interviewed Iris Rushdan and would like to share it with you. :D

How are you planning to bring in the new year? New Year’s Eve is one of my favorite holidays. My husband and I have a little ritual we do, but he’ll still be deployed to Afghanistan this year. My sister just moved to town with her two kids and my mom flew in for the holidays. So we’ll make a fire and toast with a little bubbly while the children sleep peacefully (fingers crossed). Bless your husband for being in the military and you for all the hardships that it brings with it. One of my nephews is over there now and another one lost his leg over there and luckily lived to tell the tale.

What part of writing do you find the most challenging? Revision, figuring out what to cut and trying to get every single word right. Most enjoyable? Creating an evocative world and giving my characters a voice.

What do you hope people get out of reading your book?I hope readers feel like they’ve been on an entertaining journey with characters they now care about. 

Do you prefer city or country? City! My husband and I are both native New Yorkers. When we lived in England, we tried the country. It lasted six months before we moved to Cambridge.

Do you prefer to go to the theater or wait for the DVD? There is something about the movie theater experience with a large screen and fantastic surround sound that simply can’t be replicated at home. Maybe I just need an amazing home theater. lol!

What is your new year’s resolution? I no longer make New Year’s resolutions. I invariably fail to follow through. Perhaps it’s because resolutions are whimsical desires generally framed with negative words like lose, stop or quit. Now I focus on what is most important, how to improve, and living authentically without regrets. My #1 goal for 2013 is to be a good mother. How wonderful! I love your outlook. :D

What is your favorite snack? Yummy cheese like Manchego or roasted garlic Fontina with crackers. Favorite candy? Godiva open oysters, smooth hazelnut praline between two milk chocolate shells. Ooh, that sounds heavenly. I'll have to try them!

Hardback, paperback, or ebook? Paperback  :D Me too!

Are you more likely to wear a skirt or pants? Pants

Night or Day? Night

Home cooked meal or ordered out? Although I can cook, I’m a take-out kind of girl.

What is your favorite sport? I’m not athletic at all. I get injured watching volleyball.

OMG, I think we could be twins. lol! The last 5 answers were sooo me. :D

Silver or Gold? Platinum

What is your biggest weakness? My son’s smile. He’s six months and his smile melts me every time. My husband is definitely going to have to be the disciplinarian. Aaaww! Enjoy it while he's little. They grow too fast and then they are teenagers with smart mouths and you wonder where your little angel went.

Thank you so much, Brenda, for having me on Crazy Four Books!

Thank you for taking the time to hang out and answer my questions. I appreciate it. :D

Title: KINDRED OF THE FALLEN

Series:
Kindred Chronicles, Bk One

Author: Isis Rushdan

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Date of Publication:
January 8, 2013

Cover Artist: Kanaxa

ISBN: 9781619212893      ASIN: B009R89AF2

Number of pages:444      Word Count: 115,000

  Book Description:

Serenity’s soul-reading ability lets her easily create custom tattoos. Everything else in her life is a struggle, from trying to make it work with her best friend, Evan, to nightmares and visions that make her question her sanity.

Then she meets a man who sharpens her craving for something more.

Cyrus has been preparing to claim her as his Blessed mate—the other half of a split soul that, once reunited, is his only chance to break the curse that plagues his people.

One moment, armed militants are firing questions Serenity cannot answer. The next, she is safe in Cyrus’s arms…and learning she isn’t even human. She is Kindred, blessed with preternatural powers, cursed to suffer the twin horrors of the blood rage and the dark veil.

Their union is the greatest hope for redemption in a thousand years, but not all Kindred want to be saved. A dark secret could snuff out their lives before love has a chance to unite them…and redeem the Kindred for all time.

Greater the love…sweeter the pleasure…higher the price that must be paid.

Amazon / Samhain / Barnes & Noble

Here's an excerpt for you to enjoy:

The interminable tick tock, tick tock punctured her thoughts. She rubbed her forehead, massaging in deep circles. Little good it did against the headache hammering her brain. Too bad the windows didn’t open, she’d kill for a breeze. Or an oxygen mask. Why wasn’t the a/c pumping out more air? It might be September, but she was burning up.

A tingle danced over her body, raising the hairs on her arms. A gust of heat slammed into her, surged through her skin, beyond her flesh, rousing the quintessence of her being. Energy swirled in her torso, electric embers stirred ablaze. An underlying current that had grown more vibrant since the dreams now bustled with vigor.

A loud rap at the door startled her and she jumped. In the doorway stood a sinfully handsome man with lush dark hair. A dazzling smile swept across the most stunning face she’d ever seen. Not pretty-boy model perfect, but so savagely beautiful she salivated.

This was her client?

The stranger sauntered into the office. His charcoal suit had clean lines and hugged his firm, athletic body. He strolled around her desk and right up to her with casual, confident ease, like they were longtime friends.

Customers didn’t come behind the desk or invade her personal space. Not in her territory, where all the power resided quite literally in her hands. She wanted to move back or shoo him to a chair five feet away, but she could only gulp, feet welded to the floor.

He extended his hand, but her first and only chance to peek into his soul couldn’t be squandered on a premature handshake. Even though instinct prodded her to touch him.

“Hello, I’m—”

“No! Don’t tell me your name.” Serenity glanced at his outreached hand, then back up at the heartrending face that made her legs shake. “Didn’t Dougie explain the rules?”

Looking down at her, he lowered his hand. Something playful or mischievous tugged at the naughty curve of his mouth. “Sorry.” He didn’t sound the least bit apologetic.

He stepped closer, his insanely masculine, incredibly sexual body bearing down on her. He even smelled divine. Spicy wilderness with sweet hints of cardamom and sandalwood.

Raw recognition poked at her memory as if she knew him, but she’d never seen him before. This was certainly the type of man one didn’t forget. Rivulets of sublime energy emanated from him. In all her days, every person she’d come across had lacked this distinctive quality. His body purred with a charged current, foreign yet familiar, comforting and unnerving her at the same time.

“You need to sit,” she said, suddenly lightheaded, her voice faint. When he quirked an eyebrow, she added, “So we can begin the consultation.”

“Certainly.” He brushed around her and sat in her chair.

Her chair! Only inches away. The audacity of him. Her heart thumped so hard and fast she could barely breathe. “Not there.”

He lounged back in the seat, getting more comfortable, sensuous smile deepening. Alluring blue eyes, dark and exotic, locked on hers. “Where would you like me?” he asked in a liquid velvet voice that poured over her thick as warm butterscotch.

A hot flush set her face on fire. Evan. I’m getting married to Evan. She repeated the words in her mind like a prayer to protect her from this complete stranger. When she swallowed, she realized her mouth had been hanging open. How long had she been gaping at him?

He gazed at her with such intensity another sweet flush of heat fluttered over her entire body. She needed to do this consultation and get him the hell out of her office.

“Never mind.” The sooner this was done, the better. She shoved her palm toward him. “Please place your hand on mine.”

His fingertips skimmed hers, his warm hand sliding toward her arm until they were palm to palm. A delicious tingle licked up her spine as his long, thick fingers curled around her, his thumb kissing the inside of her wrist where her pulse throbbed.

A moan blossomed in her chest, but she killed the mutinous noise with a harsh clearing of her throat. She’d worked under pressure before, though nothing as sweet as this. She shut her eyes, determined to do her job and ignore the titillation of his touch stirring her mind into a tizzy. Distraction wouldn’t derail her now. Focusing on the silken ribbons of energy caressing her from scalp to sole, she cleared away all thoughts.

An image blasted in her mind, bright, scorching: him holding her, lips pressed against hers, drawing her close in an embrace.

She yanked her hand away.

“Is that it?” His brow wrinkled. “What did you see?”

Not a damn thing she could mention.

About the Author: 

Isis Rushdan was born and raised in New York City. She has a B.A. in psychology from The Ohio State University. Wanderlust has taken her across the globe and has kept her moving every three years. Fortunately, she is blessed with a husband who shares her passion for travel, movies and fantastic food. Prior to following her bliss as a writer, she had a bright career as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force. She currently resides in sunny Florida, where she hopes to finally establish roots, with her husband, son and canine kiddies.

Website / Blogspot / Facebook / Twitter

My Thoughts:

Okay so this comment is for Isis, how soon can you get book two to me? Don't laugh, I am completely serious! I know that this book will be released in January 2013 and it is book one. Surely you've been hard at work on book two right? right? Okay, I'll wait if I must but I can't promise to be patient about it. After all, It is your fault that I liked Kindred of the Fallen so much that I want your next book NOW!

I really, really, really liked this book. It is the beginning of an awesome new paranormal series about a different type of paranormal being called kindred. They are human mostly, or rather they are humanish in appearance until they have to take care of business then they have the appearance of a colorful angel complete with wings. They are not angels, trust me! Each kindred has different special abilities and you do not want to get on their bad side. 

The kindred are divided into houses that have different beliefs. I'm not going into more, it is really interesting and well thought out, but a little on the complex side to explain. Don't worry, you'll have no trouble understanding it if you read the book!  

I was hooked from the first chapter and stayed hooked until the very end. The plot has action, romance, secrets, ulterior motives, mystery, and a whole lot more! If you like paranormal romances, you should definitely put this one on your TBR list. 

I went through every emotion. I was happy, sad, angry, confused, afraid, bewildered. I even had some of those Oh no he didn't moments!

The characters were great and I am very intrigued to find out more about all of them.  My favorite was Cassien. I loved his personality. 

I am soooo eager to read the next book in this series. I have many questions that I am looking forward to finding the answers to.

Thank you to Bewitching Book Tours and Isis Rushdan who supplied me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I honestly loved it!     


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