Thursday, January 30, 2020

Review: Lincoln by Christina Bauer with Giveaway!





LINCOLN
by Christina Bauer
Angelbound Origins #1.5
May 28th 2019
YA Fantasy, Paranormal









***Experience the events of Angelbound from Lincoln’s perspective!!!*** 
When it comes to fighting demons, Prince Lincoln is the greatest warrior in the history of his people, the thrax. Now Lincoln faces his hardest fight yet…and it’s not on a traditional battlefield.
Lincoln is falling in love. And the girl is part demon.
Between a fated dance at the Ryder mansion…a life-changing walk through a hedgerow maze…and a massive battle with none other than the King of Hell…Lincoln realizes that he wants to share his life with Myla Lewis, the part-demon girl who has captured his heart. However, an evil thrax noble—the powerful Earl of Acca—is prepared to do anything to stop Lincoln and Myla from having a future.
But Lincoln won’t give up on his Myla. Ever.
To fight Aldred, Lincoln works to create a different kind of marriage—an Alliance of the lesser thrax houses against Acca. Sadly, just as Lincoln starts to makes some progress, the nobles who’ve joined his Alliance begin to vanish. Is Aldred behind the disappearances, or is someone else vying for power? When Lincoln discovers the truth, it upends his entire world, threatening his future with Myla in ways no one could ever have imagined.
“I absolutely love Christina Bauer’s style, full of action, intense scenes, and characters that will test one’s imaginations to the max!”Tome Tender Book Blog
$3.99 for a limited time!


SNEAK PEEK

An hour later, I stand in an ornate ballroom at the Ryder mansion.
In a tux.
And my world has stopped spinning. Or perhaps it’s simply whirling too fast. At this point, it’s hard to know.
Myla Lewis is here.
Father steps up beside me. “How was the chat with Silvinio, my son?”
“Not too productive. He volunteered that he’s no longer gambling.” I leave out the tidbits about the Tithe and Aldred, since Father thinks those two can do no wrong.
“Is he gambling the demon fighting circuit again?” asks Father.
“Most likely.”
Father then launches into a recap on the latest winners and losers on the circuit. At least, I think that’s what he’s talking about. It’s hard to pay attention.
Myla is crossing the room.
And she’s heading in my direction.
At some point, Father stops talking. Myla pauses a few yards away. Her back is toward me, but even so, I’m a hunter. There’s no missing the slightest twitch in her ears. No one else stands near Myla. Only me and my father.
Myla must be listening to us.
My thoughts race. What did Walker say before? Myla might find me intriguing, and Walker didn’t want Myla to turn heartsick. And now, she seems to be paying attention. This is bad. True, I could be imagining her interest. But even if it’s one chance on a thousand that I could hurt her, I simply can’t risk it. Having Myla in my life will cause her nothing but pain, one way or another.
That leaves only one thing to do. Follow Walker’s instructions. His words echo through my mind.
If you ever encounter Miss Lewis, you should play the haughty thrax. Look down on her demonic side. She’ll hate it—and you—forever.
As Father walks off, I keep my gaze locked in Myla’s outline. She still seems alert, but isn’t fidgeting or clenching her fists. A wave of relief moves through me. Maybe I was imagining the connection between us. Every hunter makes mistakes.
Clang. Myla knocks over a can onto the floor.
Now I could leave, but my feet move toward Myla on their own. “Are you alright, Miss?”
She turns to face me and I could cheer for joy. Up close, she’s lovelier than I imagined. Life and light glitters in her brown eyes. My arms ache to envelop her. She smells of cinnamon and sunshine.
“I’m fine,” she says simply. “I dropped an empty can, that’s all.”
We pause. Lines of energy and interest flow between us, connecting our hearts. No, no, no. This isn’t supposed to happen. And it means I should definitely leave.
And I want to.
Yet I can’t.



MY TIDBITS

Lincoln dives into a tale, which anyone who has been following this series, already knows. But don't expect this to be a rehash from another character's perspective because that's not what this is. It's so much better than that.

With the same easy read feel and plunge into action at every bend, the author again delivers a read which is hard to put down. Lincoln is a prince as well-raised and well-balanced as any prince should be. He knows right from wrong and will lead his people gloriously one day, but right now, he needs to stand by his people and parents as they fulfill the time they have been sent to spend in the world of demons and purgatory. As demon hunters, this isn't an easy feat. Worse, Lincoln is horribly attracted to the one female, he needs to stay away from...not only because of who he is, but being near her endangers her life.

I enjoy the easy-writing style of this author as she dives into Lincoln's head and lets the world open up from his perspective. He has tough choices to make, needs to weave around difficult situations, and save everyone he's sworn to and loves. It's fun to root for him, especially as things only get more dangerous and twisted as the pages turn. There's enough details to sink into the world and understand it without ever killing the flow. And there are other great characters to root for (and some to mistrust or simply despise) at his side.

There's romance. Of course. And this is well-done. The reader already knows where it's going, but that doesn't diminish the tension (which is saying a lot to the author). Lincoln's view point has cleared up several mysteries, brought tons more depth, and made the relationship between the two even more exciting. It will be a treat to see where all of this goes next.

And here she is...
Christina Bauer knows how to tell stories about kick-ass women. In her best selling Angelbound series, the heroine is a part-demon girl who loves to fight in Purgatory’s Arena and falls in love with a part-angel prince. This young adult best seller has driven more than 500,000 ebook downloads and 9,000 reviews on Goodreads and retailers. The first three books in the series are now available as audiobooks on Audible and iTunes.
Bauer has also told the story of the Women’s March on Washington by leading PR efforts for the Massachusetts Chapter. Her pre-event press release—the only one sent out on a major wire service—resulted in more than 19,000 global impressions and redistribution by over 350 different media entities including the Associated Press.
Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.

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