{Blog Tour} "Determinant" by A.M. Hargrove

Title:  Determinant

Author:  A.M. Hargrove
Publisher:  Self Published
Publication Date:  June 27, 2012
Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance / Sci-Fi
Format:  Kindle 472 KB

Where to find A.M. Hargrove Online:

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Buy the Book on Amazon:  Kindle

Synopsis: 

January St. Davis, on her own since the age of sixteen and struggling to stay in college, thinks she’s scored in a major way when she lands a paid summer internship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. One evening, after working an especially long shift, a chance encounter with a group of mysterious men alters the course of her life.

Rykerian Yarrister, a Guardian of Vesturon with unearthly powers and impossibly gorgeous looks, finds himself at odds over the human female he recently saved from certain death. When it seems he is on the verge of winning her over, she is ripped from his hands by a strange and powerful being, threatening to destroy her if his demands are not met.

Do Rykerian and the Guardians have the ability to meet this fierce barbarian’s ultimatums, or will January suffer a horrid demise?

My Review

This is the third book in this series, but it's able to be read as a standalone.  I do have the other two books, but I was concerned that I wouldn't have time to read them all and stay caught up with my other review books so I opted to just read this one.  I didn't have any problems getting into the plot of the story so it really was good as a standalone.  I also don't really feel like I need to go back to read the first ones.

I enjoyed the sci-fi plot of this story a lot.  I liked the 2 main characters Rykerian and January, but I wasn't particularly drawn to either of them.  I definitely felt compassion for January because of her home situation, but I felt like she was kind of whiny especially when it's 3 years past and she hasn't really moved on too much.  Here is what I think it was, I felt like I was being told too much.  I should have felt these things for her because of how her story is written  but she, January, reiterates over and over how she never felt love, etc... I think it's one of those "show me don't tell me" scenarios.  It's almost the same with with Rykerian, he's a little too open for me!  I think maybe this is one place where it would have been helpful to have read the other books, then I may have had a little more insight into his character.  He just seemed to fall in love really quickly, but even that turns on a dime when he gets a little jealous.

My absolute favorite character was Jurek and I would love to read a whole story just about him.  He was complex, but unlike the other characters he wasn't an open book. There are definitely things to be learned about him and his mercenaries.  I think he added something to the story that was necessary.  I am still anxious to see what his connection is to January.  I would love to see a spin off series with Jurek and his whole group!

This story really is pretty fast paced, there is a lot of action, but it's not too hard to keep up with and it's plotted out so that it's unfolds pretty naturally.  My only complaint about the book is the lack of editing.  There were a lot of typos, words missing, etc...  I really thing that with a good edit it would be a much better story, but I did enjoy it and actually read through it really quickly once I got started.  I think that if you are a fan of  YA paranormal, you will really like this series.  It's a whole new spin on Aliens, and let me tell you they are pretty darn hot!

Author Bio

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn't do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase. Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodgeball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head. Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what lap top out the window. She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone and hit #4 on her speed dial.

"Hello."

"Boss, is that you?"

"Why yes, A. M., who else would be answering my phone?"

"Er... right. Well, I'm calling to let you know you can pick up my luxury Ford Focus at Starbucks near the interstate."

"Why ever would I want to do that?"

"Because I quit you idiot!"

A.M. hit the end button and speed dialed her husband.

"Hi yummy hubby, can you pick me up at Starbucks?"

"Sure... Having some car trouble?"

"Not at all. I don't have a car to have trouble with because I just quit my job."

"WHAT?!"

"It's time for a new career and I am going to be a very famous novelist."

So began A. M. Hargrove's career as a young adult paranormal romance author of self-published ebooks. Her series, The Guardians of Vesturon, centers around a family of six siblings and is a mix of humor, mystery, suspense and of course, love. Survival is her first book in the series and her second, Resurrection will be released in January.

If you're wondering, it didn't happen EXACTLY that way, but....

Excerpt 

I was lost in the events of the day and the amount of work I had and I was still nursing my wounded ego as I headed out of the lab.  As I made my way down the corridor, I noticed six men advancing toward me. 

It wasn’t their actions I noticed so much or even the way they walked.  And though it was an oddity for them to even be here at all, it was their attire that captured my attention.  They were dressed identically, in an extreme fashion, much like members of a gang or secret society.  Large and muscular, they wore black vests and their bare arms were almost completely tattooed with tribal symbols of a sort.  Metal bands criss-crossed their chests and their legs were tightly encased in leather.  Knee high boots and black gloves finished off their ensembles. 

As I neared them I felt my flesh tingle and the hairs on the back of my neck come to attention.  Gooseflesh erupted and alarms started clanging in my head.  I sucked in my breath and as I did, my eyes connected with the apparent leader.  I say this because he was in the front of the formation as they plodded along.

Time stood still as our eyes connected.  His were an uncanny shade, lavender with hints of indigo and specks of silver.  It was a hue I was unfamiliar with but they were intriguing and fascinating.  The alarms were still ringing in my ears and the air felt electrically charged around us. 

“Halt!”

I turned into stone.  I couldn’t move a muscle.  He cocked his head as his eyes bore into mine. 

“Breathe!”

I distinctly heard his command in my mind and I was helpless to disobey him.  I felt myself take a deep cleansing breath.  I questioned him with my eyes.  He flicked his head toward his men and they stepped back several feet.

“Who are you? Why are you here?”

I was confused by the demanding questions swirling in my brain but felt compelled to answer him.  I had never used mind reading to communicate, but I was sure he would hear my answer.

“I’m January St. Davis.  I’m here working on an internship for college credit.”

“You are human?” he asked with incredulity.

I wasn’t sure what he meant by that.  Why would he want to know if I was human?  What a ridiculous question!

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*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*