{Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway} The Wings of War Series (Embers) - By Karen Ann Hopkins

 

 

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EMBERS - By Karen Ann Hopkins

(The Wings of War #1)

Release Date: March 15, 2015

Genre: YA, Paranormal

 

 

There are descendants of angels walking among us. Ember is one of them.

 

Embers is an epic paranormal adventure/romance about a seventeen year old girl who discovers that she's immune to fire and any other injury when she’s in a horrific car crash that kills her parents. Following a violent episode with her aunt's boyfriend, Ember flees Ohio to live with an old relative in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Ember's exuberance at escaping a bad home life soon turns to trepidation when she learns that she's a Watcher, a descendant of angels.

 

While Ember is instructed about her heritage and the powers that go along with it, she strikes up friendships with two teenagers who live in a frightening walled compound in the forest. Inexplicitly drawn to one of the young men in particular, an impossible romance develops. But it's cut short when Ember discovers that her new friends are fighting on the opposite side of a war that's been raging between two factions of Watchers for thousands of years. When the compound’s inhabitants threaten the townspeople, Ember takes action, sealing her fate in the ancient battle of good versus evil, and the grayness in between. Ember is up to the challenge, until she realizes that she isn’t only fighting for the lives of the locals and the souls of her new friends. She may be one of the few champions willing to make a stand for all of mankind as the rapture approaches and the end of days begin.
 

Embers is the first novel in the dark and gritty YA paranormal romance series, The Wings of War.

 

 Goodreads, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Audible, B&N, TBD

 

 

READ FOR FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!

 

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Review

 

There are angels.....everywhere...but not all of them are good.

 

Thank god the I had the other books in hand when I finished Ember, because I don't know how anyone can finish book one and not immediately dive into book 2, 3 & 4!

 

Seriously, there are so many things that I love about Ember. Dealing with the death of her parents, the stare and questions as to why she was still alive, the weight, burden and guilt she carries are so raw in her that I wanted to just give her a hug and let her know if was all right, but there I knew she needed to continue her journey. As her story unfolds it's great to see her move, grow and accept, because at first I thought the storyline was moving a little too fast for me, but it evened out and turned into something phenomenal!

 

Without giving too much away, there are a couple a plot twists that were great surprises, but there was one side plot that I honest wished didn't happen, and am hoping will redeem itself in the future. Now as I dive into the next books in this amazing series just know that if you're walking in the woods and see a LARGE fence that goes on for miles....you never know what might be behind it!

 

5/5

 

 

 

 

 

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About the Author

 

 

Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs, and cats. Karen’s main job is home schooling the kids, but she finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write.  She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lived in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah. Their story continues in Belonging, where their families and cultures threaten to tear them apart, and with Forever and Deception, where we find out once and for all if love is enough for them.

 

​Lamb to the Slaughter, the first book in Serenity’s Plain Secrets, is Karen’s newest Amish endeavor, opening up the darker, grittier and more secretive lives of Amish society. It’s a story about the intertwining lives of three unlikely people in an Indiana Amish Community and the devastating results when a rebellious teenage girl is found shot to death in a corn field during the harvest. Serenity Adams is the newly elected young sheriff in the rural town of Blood Rock, and besides dealing with the threatening behavior of her predecessor, she now has a dead Amish girl on her plate.  At first glance, the case seems obvious. The poor girl was probably accidently shot during hunting season, but when the elders of the Amish community, and even the girl’s parents, react with uncaring subdued behavior, Serenity becomes suspicious. As she delves deeper into the secretive community that she grew up beside, she discovers a gruesome crime from the past that may very well be related to the Amish girl’s shooting. Serenity enlists the help of the handsome bad-boy building contractor, Daniel Bachman. He left the Amish when he was nineteen and has his own dark reasons to help the spunky sheriff solve the crime that the family and friends who shunned him are trying desperately to cover up.  Serenity’s persistence leads her to a stunning discovery that not only threatens to destroy her blossoming romance with Daniel, but may even take her life in the end.

 

​Karen’s YA paranormal/urban fantasy series, the Wings of War, is an epic story about Ember, whose normal life ends abruptly when her parents are killed and she discovers she’s a descendent of angels. Still coping with her strange powers, Ember finds herself — and her heart — in the middle of a centuries-old war in this “compulsively readable” novel (Kirkus Reviews).

 

​Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York.  She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first horse at the age of eleven.  The feisty horse’s name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen’s steadfast companion.  Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses.  Eventually, she found her place as a riding instructor herself.  Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

 

Karen is currently working on her bestselling Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets, along with the YA paranormal/fantasy series, the Wings of War. Karen is also excited to announce there will be more books in the Temptation series.

 

Website | Twitter | Instagram |  Facebook | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads

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Tour Schedule

 

Week One:

4/1/2019- A Dream Within A Dream- Excerpt

4/2/2019- Introvert Booklover- Excerpt

4/3/2019- Lisa Loves Literature- Spotlight

4/4/2019- BookHounds- Interview

4/5/2019- Lone Tree Reviews- Excerpt

 

Week Two:

4/8/2019- Novel Novice- Excerpt

4/9/2019- Books Coffee and Repeat- Guest Post

4/10/2019- Reese's Reviews- Review

4/11/2019- Savings in Seconds- Review

4/12/2019- Taking It One Book at a time- Review

 

Week Three:

4/15/2019- Bookroom Reviews- Guest Post

4/16/2019- Book-Keeping- Review

4/17/2019- Viviana MacKade- Excerpt

4/18/2019- Kelly P's Blog- Excerpt

4/19/2019- Tyto Forest- Excerpt

 

Week Four:

4/22/2019- 4covert2overt ☼ A Place In The Spotlight ☼- Excerpt

4/23/2019- Smada's Book Smack- Review

4/24/2019- D. Books and Reviews- Review

4/25/2019- Treestand Book Reviews- Review

4/26/2019- Novel Nerd Faction- Review

 

Week Five:

4/29/2019- 100 Pages A Day- Review

4/30/2019- Lady Amber's Reviews- Review

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Giveaway

1 winner will receive one set of signed print copies of the entire 4 book series, open to US, Canada, Australia and Great Britain.

 

 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Series Blitz: Dream Cast + Giveaway} The Wings of War Series - By Karen Ann Hopkins

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Embers - By Karen Ann Hopkins
(Wings of War #1)
Release Date: 3/15/2015
Genres: Dystopian, Paranormal, Young Adult

There are descendants of angels walking among us. Ember is one of them. 

Embers is an epic paranormal adventure/romance about a seventeen year old girl who discovers that she’s immune to fire and any other injury when she’s in a horrific car crash that kills her parents. Following a violent episode with her aunt’s boyfriend, Ember flees Ohio to live with an old relative in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Ember’s exuberance at escaping a bad home life soon turns to trepidation when she learns that she’s a Watcher, a descendant of angels.
While Ember is instructed about her heritage and the powers that go along with it, she strikes up friendships with two teenagers who live in a frightening walled compound in the forest.  

Inexplicitly drawn to one of the young men in particular, an impossible romance develops. But it’s cut short when Ember discovers that her new friends are fighting on the opposite side of a war that’s been raging between two factions of Watchers for thousands of years. When the compound’s inhabitants threaten the townspeople, Ember takes action, sealing her fate in the ancient battle of good versus evil, and the grayness in between. Ember is up to the challenge, until she realizes that she isn’t only fighting for the lives of the locals and the souls of her new friends. She may be one of the few champions willing to make a stand for all of mankind as the rapture approaches and the end of days begin. 

Embers is the first novel in the dark and gritty YA paranormal romance series, The Wings of War.

The complete series: 

Goodreads / Amazon

**Grab Embers – book 1 – for only 99 CENTS for a limited time!**

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Dream Cast for The Wings of War series

 

Dream casts are always difficult to come up with because I tend to imagine my characters with very specific looks. Basically, I create a completely new person in my mind. But sometimes I see an actor or model that reminds me of one of my characters. The following are a few picks I made.

 

*Helen Mirren ~ Ila

I would be so thrilled to have her play Ember’s magical mentor. She’d be perfect!

 

*Zoey Deutch ~ Ember

Her hair color would need to be altered a bit, but otherwise, she looks a lot like how I imagine Ember. She also has an earthy quality about her that I think would fit well with Ember’s character.

 

Alex Pettyfer ~ Sawyer

If his hair was darkened and grown out, he has the charisma and enough bad-boy persona to portray Sawyer—I think, maybe.

 

Maia Michell ~ Piper

She is Piper in my mind.

 

Scott Eastwood ~ Insepth

Insepth is a larger than life character, but Scott has the right looks and confidence to pull it off.

 

Anson Mount ~ Eae

I’m a huge fan of the TV show Hell on Wheels and if I had to crush on someone, Anson Mount would be the guy. If anyone could live up to angelic-looking standards, he could ;)

 

Ivan ~ ??

Do you have any ideas who would be a great pick for Ember’s Russian born shape shifter friend? If you do, let me know. I’d love to hear them!





I love to connect with readers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or at www.karenannhopkins.com. Please be on the lookout for the release of ETERNITY, the fourth book in the Wings of War series in December! Thanks for reading!

Karen Ann Hopkins

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EMBERS EXCERPT

Sawyer sobered quickly. The obvious hurt on his face made me regret my words.

“You’re right. I’m a monster. I won’t argue on that account. But your kind isn’t squeaky clean either. Just because your ancestors were arch angels doesn’t give you the right to police the world.” His eyes narrowed. “Do you know how many humans have died from wars that Watchers caused?”


“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied.


I was already suspicious about Watchers. Ila scared the crap out of me sometimes with her demeanor and righteous words.


But Sawyer didn’t need to know that I questioned the Watchers myself. His opinion didn’t count.


When I turned back to him, ready to change the subject, I wasn’t prepared for the darkening of his already almost black eyes. He leaned in closer and our breaths mingled. In and out I breathed, allowing his familiar woodsy scent to fill my nose. I know Sawyer. Oh, I know him.


Don’t do it, Ember.


But I couldn’t stop.


When he kissed me, my lips parted automatically.


Deep down, I wanted him, desired him madly, and had from the first time I’d seen him in my dreams.
In that instant, I didn’t care that he was a Demon.

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About the Author 

 

You can visit Karen Ann Hopkins at her website: www.karenannhopkins.com.  

Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats. Karen's main job is home schooling the kids, but she finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lived in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.

Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first horse at the age of eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, she found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.  

Karen is currently working on her Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets, along with the YA paranormal/fantasy series, The Wings of War, and the continuation of the Temptation series. Karen is also excited to announce the Temptation series has been optioned for TV by Pilgrim Studios and is available on Audible. 

"I loved joining Rose and Noah during their journey in the Temptation series by Karen Hopkins."-Katie McGarry, acclaimed YA author 

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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GIVEAWAY


$25 Amazon gift card + books 1-2-3 (Embers-Gaia-Tempest)


a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway} Gaia (Wings of War #2) - By Karen Ann Hopkins

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Gaia
(The Wings of War #2)
Release Date: 7/26/2015

As the Demons grow bolder and the walls between the planes of existence weaken, Ember is forced to develop her powers as quickly as possible, and she seeks out a powerful earth Watcher to continue her supernatural lessons. Her glimpse of the future demands she fight the dark forces spreading across the earth.

But her new mentor has his own agenda, making her question everyone and everything she ever trusted.

When Ember is thrust into the world of the Watchers, she learns of their plans—ones that defy the scripture and make them enemies of the Celestial Host. Ridding the world of evil gets complicated when it becomes impossible to take sides.

As Ember struggles with morality, she soon discovers that there’s something more frightening than anything she’s faced before.

Goodreads

Amazon

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Guest Post

Best Writing Advice

When I offer advice to aspiring writer, I always mention the three Ps: Persistence, Passion and Patience.

First, let’s talk about persistence. I had thirty rejections before I was offered agent representation from Christiana Hogrebe of the Jane Rotrosen Agency in New York. If I’d given up after the first few rejections came rolling in, I wouldn’t be a full time author at this time. The reason I succeeded is that I took the suggestions from the agents rejecting me and continued revising Temptation until it was the best it could be. Writers must be willing to take advice (and criticism), hone their skills and keep improving their work. If you’re persistent, you will succeed eventually.

Passion sounds like an easy one, but really, it’s not. The level of passion I’m talking about is being an absolute believer in your story. If you don’t love your book, no one else will. Your passion will keep you going, even during the dark days of rejection and someday, it will pay off.

It’s hard for most people to be patient, especially me. I want things to happen yesterday and I hate waiting. But this is an industry of waiting—waiting for an agent, waiting for a publisher, waiting to sell books, waiting to make a little bit of money selling books. If you’re like me and have little patience, you will have to teach yourself to be patient. I did. And my patience finally paid off with multiple offers for the Temptation series and ultimately a three book publishing deal with Harlequin Teen.

Being a writer isn’t an easy job and it’s definitely not glamorous. There’s a lot of hard work involved that doesn’t end when you get published. As a matter of fact, it really just begins at that point. But if you have the three Ps you can make it too. And a lot of luck doesn’t hurt either ;)

Thank you for being a part of Gaia’s blog tour! I love to connect with readers on my Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram or at www.karenannhopkins.com. Please be on the lookout for the release of SECRETS IN THE GRAVE, the third installment in my mystery series, Serenity’s Plain Secrets, in early September! Thanks for reading!

Karen Ann Hopkins

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About Embers:

Goodreads

Amazon

There are descendants of angels walking among us. Ember is one of them. And she may be the only hope mankind has as the rapture approaches and evil rises.

Embers is an epic paranormal adventure about an eighteen year old girl who discovers that she's immune to fire and any other injury when she’s in a horrific car crash that kills her parents. Following a violent episode with her aunt's boyfriend, Ember flees Ohio to live with an old relative in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Ember's exuberance at escaping a bad home life soon turns to trepidation when she finds out that she's a Watcher, a descendant of angels. While Ember learns about her heritage and the powers that go along with it, she strikes up friendships with two young men who live in a frightening walled compound in the forest. Inexplicitly drawn to one of the men in particular, an impossible romance develops. But it is cut short when Ember discovers that her new friends are fighting on the opposite side of a war—one that’s been raging between two factions of Watchers for thousands of years. When the compound’s inhabitants threaten the townspeople, Ember takes action, sealing her fate in the ancient battle of good versus evil—and the grayness in between. Ember is up to the challenge, until she realizes that she isn’t only fighting for the lives of the locals and the souls of her new friends. She also might be one of the few champions who will make a stand for all of mankind as the rapture approaches and the end of days begin.

Embers is a dark and gritty YA novel that’s the first book in the series, The Wings of War.

================================

About Karen Ann Hopkins:

Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Website

Facebook Fan Page

Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats. Karen's main job is home schooling the kids, but she finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lived in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.

Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first horse when she turned eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, she found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Karen is currently working on her Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets, along with the YA paranormal/fantasy series, The Wings of War.  Karen is also excited to announce the Temptation series has been optioned for TV by Pilgrim Studios and is available on Audible. More books in the Temptation series are in the works.

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GIVEAWAY:

One lucky winner will receive a $50 gift card (Amazon, B&N, iTunes), as well as a complete set of Karen’s YA books, including Embers, Gaia, Temptation, Belonging, Forever, and Rachel’s Deception!

Please enter via the Rafflecopter form. Giveaway is open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway