Teaser Tuesday: BONDED by Michelle Davidson Argyle

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

Bonded by Michelle Davidson Argyle

From Cinders: Sometimes she forgot about the other man, the stranger she had met long ago, long before she was given fur shoes and knew there were such things as magic and spells. Pg. 15 of PDF ARC

From Thirds: “Every elf is cold the one night of the year it doesn’t rain.” Genevieve lifted her arm as an invitation for her to continue walking. Pg. 205 of PDF ARC

From Scales: She focused on the sprites. Green, lavender, and gold. They reminded her of a spring morning covered in dew. Pg. 355 or PDF ARC

Do you have a teaser? Please share it or a link to one in the comments.

Book Review: BONDED by Michelle Davidson Argyle

Title: Bonded

Author: Michelle Davidson Argyle

Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing (November 1, 2012)

Format: PDF ARC

Source: Author

Genre: Fantasy, fairy tales

Goodreads 

What happened after Cinderella married her prince? How did the evil sorceress in Sleeping Beauty turn evil in the first place? Discover these stories and a world filled with magic, forbidden love, elves, sprites, dragons, and the most powerful creatures of all— the fairies —in Bonded, a collection of three fairy tale inspired novellas.

CINDERS: A Cinderella sequel. Money can’t buy love, but magic isn’t a sure bet either. Cinderella, now officially a princess, finds royal life is not what she once dreamed. When a mysterious elf from her past stirs up long-suppressed passion, Cinderella begins to wonder if there really is love beneath the spell that captured her husband’s heart. But undoing magic can be harder than casting the initial spell, and the results are even less predictable.

THIRDS: A retelling of the Grimm’s fairy tale, One-Eye, Two-Eyes, Three-Eyes. Issina is surrounded by magic, yet none of it belongs to her. Despised and abused by her mother and sisters, she finds comfort when she meets the beautiful elves living in the nearby woods. The elves want to help her discover her own magic, but it’s not the kind of power she hoped for, and she learns there is more to magic than getting what you want.

SCALES: A Sleeping Beauty prequel. The sun never sets in the realm of the fairies. When the young fairy Serina looks into her sister’s eyes, she sees darkness for the first time. After her mother is murdered, Serina defies fairy law to follow her sister to the human realm. There she discovers the strength of a bond, the weight of a promise, and the darkness in her own heart.

Review: Bonded by Michelle Davidson Argyle is everything fairy tales should be!

In Cinders, Cinderella has her happily ever after—or not. Life as a princess isn’t everything she suspected it to be, and now she craves true love, not the magical kind. She must learn where her heart lies. In Thirds, Issina is special, but not in a good way. One sister has three eyes, her other has one, and she’s stuck in the middle with two plain and ordinary eyes. She lacks magic and is treated a little worse than the average servant in her family. But she longs to find where she belongs ... at any cost. In Scales, the fairy Serina can’t help but see the darkness residing in her sister Aeline. But when Aeline breaks fairy law and enters the human realm, Serina must find a way to save her sister, even at the cost of her own happiness and life.

The three novella fairy tales in Bonded aren’t your ordinary Disney stories with happily ever after. Each one involves humans, fairies, elves, sprites, and magic. The characters are so real and displayed with all their flaws. The battle for balance between darkness and light plays heavily in the theme as well as the power of choice. Argyle’s prose is so beautiful, almost tragic, the way it tugs on the reader’s heartstrings. These are tales to be savored instead of rushed through. Each sentence has a lush musicality to it. Although I enjoyed each story, I think my favorite is Thirds. Having not read the original Grimms’ fairy tale of “One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes,” I was able to enjoy it without the knowledge of what the story was about; it became an untainted read, so to speak. Although each story can be read on its own, I love how they blend together and pull from each other.

Michelle Davidson Argyle’s Bonded should be right there with the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales. They are darkly beautiful and wonderfully well-written.

Five Bookworms = I loved it!

Waiting on Wednesday: BONDED by Michelle Davidson Argyle

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Bonded
By Michelle Davidson Argyle
Publication Date: November 1, 2012

From Goodreads:

What happened after Cinderella married her prince? How did the evil sorceress in Sleeping Beauty turn evil in the first place? Discover these stories and a world filled with magic, forbidden love, elves, sprites, dragons, and the most powerful creatures of all— the fairies —in Bonded, a collection of three fairy tale inspired novellas.

CINDERS: A Cinderella sequel. Money can’t buy love, but magic isn’t a sure bet either. Cinderella, now officially a princess, finds royal life is not what she once dreamed. When a mysterious elf from her past stirs up long-suppressed passion, Cinderella begins to wonder if there really is love beneath the spell that captured her husband’s heart. But undoing magic can be harder than casting the initial spell, and the results are even less predictable.

THIRDS: A retelling of the Grimm’s fairy tale, One-Eye, Two-Eyes, Three-Eyes. Issina is surrounded by magic, yet none of it belongs to her. Despised and abused by her mother and sisters, she finds comfort when she meets the beautiful elves living in the nearby woods. The elves want to help her discover her own magic, but it’s not the kind of power she hoped for, and she learns there is more to magic than getting what you want.

SCALES: A Sleeping Beauty prequel. The sun never sets in the realm of the fairies. When the young fairy Serina looks into her sister’s eyes, she sees darkness for the first time. After her mother is murdered, Serina defies fairy law to follow her sister to the human realm. There she discovers the strength of a bond, the weight of a promise, and the darkness in her own heart.

A while ago, I read Michelle Davidson Argyle's Cinders (click here for my review) when she self-published it. I loved the dark twist of a fairytale, and I've been anxiously awaiting for Bonded. I think her publisher might have released it early, but I still can't wait to re-read Cinders and the other novellas in the collection. And isn't that cover beautiful?

What's your "waiting on" pick? 

Teaser Tuesday and Book Review: THE BREAKAWAY by Michelle Davidson Argyle

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

The Breakaway by Michelle Davidson Argyle

Kindle ARC 1%

The kidnapper looking down at Naomi held a book of poetry to his chest. She didn't know what he was doing with the poetry, but it was the first thing that fueled her hope of staying alive.

Do you have a teaser? Feel free to share in the comments.

Now, to my book review of The Breakaway.

Title: The Breakaway

Author: Michelle Davidson Argyle

Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing (May 1, 2012)

Format: eBook ARC

Source: Author

Genre: Upper YA Suspense

Goodreads

Description: When Naomi Jensen is kidnapped, it takes her parents two days to realize she’s missing. Escape isn’t high on her list of priorities when all she has to return to is an abusive boyfriend and parents who never paid much attention to her. For the first time in her life she’s part of a family—even if it is a family of criminals. But she’s still a captive. In a desperate attempt to regain some control in her life, Naomi embarks on a dangerous plan to make one of her kidnappers think she’s falling in love with him. The plan works too well, and when faced with the chance to escape, Naomi isn’t sure she wants to take it.

Review: Michelle Davidson Argyle’s The Breakaway is a powerful and emotionally charged novel of a kidnapped victim struggling to find herself.

Naomi Jensen just wanted to take photographs of the fog, but when she is kidnapped by jewel thieves, nothing will be the same. As she leans on her weakness to survive, she learns to trust her new family in ways she never imagined, but escape still beckons. She must decide whether to find the strength to break out from her prison or to be content with her kidnappers.

The Breakaway stirs so many emotions. Naomi is unlike any main character I’ve read. She’s a quiet, weak young woman, but Argyle peels apart the layers to show Naomi’s inner strength. Half the time I was begging Naomi to do something, to flee, and the other half, I wanted her to remain with her kidnappers and have a happy life with them. It’s these conflicting characteristics that reveal the brilliancy of this novel. The reader becomes invested in the plot and all the characters as we learn more about them and who they are. Argyle’s writing style is also beautiful and lyrical. Sometimes the descriptions are breathtakingly wonderful that I would read them again.

Prepare for The Breakaway by Michelle Davidson Argyle to kidnap you into its gut-wrenching world.

Four Bookworms = I really liked it!

Winner of Michelle Davidson Argyle's MONARCH

 

We have a winner, folks, for an ebook copy of Michelle Davidson Argyle's Monarch! As I mentioned on Monday's post, I would announce the winner today. Without further ado, Random.org gives us the winner.

Lucky number one is...Christine Rains! Congratulations, Christine! I'll email Rhemalda Publishing and tell them that you're a lucky winner in the giveaway. They'll send your ebook copy of Monarch soon.

And if you didn't win a copy, don't worry. Michelle's having more chances to win posted on her blog.

Interview, Review, and Giveaway: MONARCH by Michelle Davidson Argyle

Hello, I'd like to welcome Michelle Davidson Argyle to the blog! Her novel Monarch officially debuts on Thursday, although you can already purchase it.

Michelle, how long did it take you from idea to publishing your novel?
I originally had the idea for Monarch years beforehand when I read Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, which contains some beautiful passages about monarch butterflies. I wrote several short stories that had the feel of what I wanted to do with a butterfly story - combine beautiful butterflies with something rough like a spy - but none of them nailed what I wanted. Finally, in November of 2008 I started the book for National Novel Writing Month. All in all, from getting the book idea to the actual publication date of September 2011, it has taken seven years for this book to come about!

That's awesome Monarch was a NaNo book! Are you a plotter or pantser?
I plot, I guess you could say. First I get an idea, then I let it sit for awhile, then I write the first few sections or chapters, then I write a loose detailed synopsis of the book. This serves as my guide. Then I write the first draft of the book. So I do a lot of planning and thinking before writing the actual book. 

I like to plan and think a lot before sitting down to the actual book too. What are you writing now or have forthcoming?
I am currently working on Scales, which is my third novella in the collection titled Bonded, which will be released by Rhemalda Publishing in 2013. It’s a collection of three fairy-tale themed novellas. They aren’t a series, but are companions to each other. I’m very excited about this one!

Next year, in 2012, my YA/new adult novel titled The Breakaway will be released by Rhemalda Publishing. It’s the story about a girl who is kidnapped by jewel thieves and decides to stay when she falls in love with one of them.

I can't wait to read your new works! I always find it interesting to learn what other authors are reading. If you could recommend a book—not your own—what book would that be?

I’m a big classics reader. My favorite novel of all time is The Awakening by Kate

Chopin. I recommend this book right now because it directly relates to my novel The Breakaway which is coming out next year.

Ooo...I read Kate Chopin's The Awakening in high school. Good book! Thank you, Michelle, and best of luck with Monarch and your future endeavors! 

Michelle is a mother, artist, and writer who lives in the Rocky Mountains with her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter. She writes contemporary, literary, and fantasy fiction.

Michelle graduated from Utah Valley University with a Bachelor's Degree in English/Creative Writing in 2002. Her short fiction has been published in the University of New Mexico's national literary journal, Scribendi, 2002, the Rose & Thorn Journal, 2010, Suspense Magazine, June 2011, and Stories for Sendai Anthology, 2011. She served as the editor-in-chief of Utah Valley University's literary magazine and has won awards for her short stories. She is also an editor/publisher of “The Literary Lab Presents…” series of anthologies.

Michelle believes imagination is the only rule in fiction. This is the foundation of her writing, and she plans to strengthen it with each and every story she writes. Her first traditionally published novel, Monarch, will be released September 2011 by Rhemalda Publishing.

Oh, and she likes peanut butter and tomato sandwiches. And cheese. Lots and lots of good cheese.


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Title: Monarch

Author: Michelle Davidson Argyle

Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing

Format: eARC

Source: Publisher

To Purchase: Amazon 

Book Description: Nick's life as a CIA spy should be fulfilling, but it has only given him unhappiness, a wife who committed suicide, and two daughters who resent everything he has become. Now, stuck in the Amazon on the last mission of his career, he must track down Matheus Ferreira, a drug lord and terrorist the United States has tried to bring down for years. If he succeeds, he'll have the chance to start his life over again. Just when he's on the brink of catching Ferreira, he's framed for a murder that turns his world upside down. His only chance of survival lies in West Virginia, where Lilian Love, a woman from his past, owns the secluded Monarch Inn. He's safe, but not for long.

Review: Michelle Davidson Argyle's Monarch breaks free and spreads its wings for a read sure to thrill readers.

When assassins fly into Nick's life, he must run to the one place he can be safe: the Monarch Inn. Lilian Love struggles with running the inn, worries over her grown son, and fears the inn will fail if the monarch butterflies stop migrating through their area. Nick and Lilian become reacquainted, but the danger isn't over. Nick brings his two daughters to the inn to be safe while he must leave them and Lilian for Brazil and answers, yet danger and love were closer to home than he ever could imagine.

Monarch is a thriller unlike any I've ever read. The character-driven novel involves fearful realities from the dwindling monarch butterfly population to terrors in the drug trade. The characters are three-dimensional. I loved the complexity of their relationships. Argyle excels in writing great pacing, speeding it up when the action dictated it and slowing it down to stretch out the tension. The symbolism of wings and butterflies flutters throughout. Monarch shows the fragility of life and the human strength to go on.

Monarch by Michelle Davidson Argyle is a thriller unlike any other with complex characters and a touching plot filled with hope, life, and love in the face of fear and danger.

Also, Rhemalda Publishing has been gracious enough to offer a free ebook of Michelle Davidson Argyle's Monarch to one lucky winner. To enter, please fill out this brief form. Thank you! 

CINDERS by Michelle Davidson Argyle

Title: Cinders

Author: Michelle Davidson Argyle

Format: eBook

Source: Purchased (Amazon Kindle)

To Purchase: Amazon Paperback   Amazon Kindle Edition

Description: Cinderella's happily-ever-after isn't turning out the way she expected. With her fairy godmother imprisoned in the castle and a mysterious stranger haunting her dreams, Cinderella is on her own to discover true love untainted by magic.

Review: Michelle Davidson Argyle expands upon the fairytale’s happily-ever-after—or not—in her take on Cinderella in Cinders.

Cinderella has her prince and everything her heart desired, or so she thought. A mysterious stranger haunts her dreams, the kingdom is in trouble under her parents-in-law’s iron-gripped rule, and her prince is sweet, but she ponders whether or not he loves her or if it is just the spell that fuels his desire. She must find her own magic and what her heart truly desires or she might lose everything she holds dear.

Michelle Davidson Argyle’s Cinders is not your Disney’s Cinderella. Argyle weaves a tale of dark beauty where there is no happily ever after, but dreams can still come true. An ancient, mysterious feel embodies this novella. Fairies, elves, and sprites sprinkle through the pages. Pure magic embodies Cinderella, but areas of gray rule. Cinders is almost tragic. Argyle’s prose entrances the reader, and I’m not sure the spell is quite broken yet after finishing this novella. Cinderella is real, flawed, yet beautiful. I loved how Argyle took me through her “ever after” version.

Cinders is what fairytales should be.