empty kingdom

May 11, 2015

First rule of dealing with hot vampire bodyguards? Don't fall in love. You guys thought the Vampire theme is tired out? Oh, no. Temple West's vamps will not blind you by sparkling under the sun or burst into flames. And in the place of cheesy "romantic" lines, is banter for days. It doesn't hurt that our heroine, Caitlin, is a snarky little thing. And then there's that hot, sexy loner half-vampire bodyguard Adrian De La Mara. Adrian is thee best little spoon, trust me, you'll want to meet this guy. Oh, and he also defies the laws of physics. Just throwing that out there because I love it when he talks science to me Caitlin. He might not give my Adrian Ivashkov a run for his money (yet), but it's still early as there will be TWO MORE BOOKS in this trilogy! I can't wait to see what will happen next!

Velvet by Temple West
Young Adult Paranormal
May 12, 2015 from Swoon Reads

First rule of dealing with hot vampire bodyguards? Don't fall in love.

After losing both her parents before age seventeen, aspiring designer Caitlin Holte feels like her whole world has been turned upside down, and that was before the terrifying encounter with a supernatural force. Then, she learns that her hot bad-boy neighbor, Adrian—who might have just saved her life—is actually a half-demon vampire.

Suddenly Caitlin is stuck with a vampire bodyguard who feels that the best way to protect her is to become her pretend boyfriend. Trouble is, Caitlin is starting to fall in love for real, while Adrian can never love a human. Caitlin trusts Adrian to keep her safe from his demon father, but will he be able to protect her heart?

Adrian's family's mansion has freaking rolling ladders in their gigantic library. And they play tag on them in there. Party at the De La Mara's!

There is a whole scientific explanation for the creation and "biology" so-to-speak of the vampires, but here's a few quick facts.

Immortal, but can be killed (although it's hard to kill them)

They only drink blood because their bodies can't produce it

Possesses the ability of Compulsion

Are born, not made

Heal very quickly

Do NOT sparkle nor burst into flames

Okay, so those facts may be very universal, but I can't give them all away. Besides, it's sexier when Adrian goes all Bill Nye and explains everything about their species.

This is where Adrian's vampire side comes from--his father, a demon. Here's a fact about them:

Feeds off of human emotions

Harry Potter

Lord of the Rings

"When you say hemoglobin I just think of little Irish tricksters who lives in caves, or Lord of the Rings."
"You mean goblin?"

-- Temple West, Velvet (ARC pg. 114)

Star Wars

"Yes," he smiled. "But we call it compulsion."
I leaned back. "So, basically, you're telling me you can do Jedi mind tricks."

-- Temple West, Velvet (ARC pg. 117)

Compulsion reminds me of the Vampire Diaries. Which reminds me... I'm so not ready for the season finale BYE.

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ADRIAN DE LA ~~MARA~~ LITTLE SPOON, EVERYBODY. He will never live this down.

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Okay, so maybe Adrian isn't always a smooth-talker with the ladies, but his honesty is part of his charm.

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This is the type of thing I say to my best friends, so you can probably see why this is my favorite part of their ~~fake~~ relationship. And there is more banter a plenty.

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In honor of finals week/month, that one's for you kiddo's.

How about one last quote...

"I only embarrass you when it's necessary."

-- Temple West, Velvet (ARC pg. 137)

Sounds like something mom would say, not someone like Adrian de la Little Spoon.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L00_BZTBV0]

There's 3 more parts to the book trailer, and they can be found on Temple West's YouTube channel.

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The debut author of the YA paranormal romance Velvet is as nerdy in real life as she is on the Twitter. Armed with a very shiny English degree, she spent four months in Oxford holed up at the Radcliffe Camera amongst the hush of ancient books and the rich musk of academia. Returning to Los Angeles, she acquired a concurrent degree in film, mostly as an excuse to write essays about The Princess Bride and Hook. She can sew (poorly), drive stick (please fasten your seatbelt), and mostly lift her feet off the ground while stuttering into first gear on a very small motorcycle. She currently lives in Seattle and is the proud mother to a one-year-old laptop and a vintage Remington typewriter.

Check out the footer to find her on Swoon Reads, Goodreads, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter. Or you can pre-order her book, if you're into pre-ordering AWESOME THINGS.

Amazon | B&N | Powell's | Books A Million | Indie Bound

The Swoon Reads 2015 Author Tour is officially upon us! Check out the cities and dates below:

TUESDAY MAY 12 // CINCINNATI, OH

Joseph Beth Booksellers // 7pm

WEDNESDAY MAY 13 // DALLAS, TX

Romantic Times Booklovers Convention // 2:30pm

THURSDAY MAY 14 // SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Books, Inc. // 7pm

FRIDAY MAY 15 // SEATTLE, WA

University Bookstore // 6pm

SUNDAY MAY 17 // CHICAGO, IL

The Book Stall // 2pm

MONDAY MAY 18 // SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY

Northshire Books // 6pm

TUESDAY MAY 18 // NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ

Barnes & Nobles // 7pm

may 2015 playlist

May 31, 2015

{Story Diary} Velvet by Temple West

May 11, 2015

Setting + Places

Creatures