Blog Tour: Shift

Not too long ago, I discovered a real gem in the world of self-published books. Exiled is such a fantastic book and it has easily crept onto my list of favourite books! I want ALL of you to read this one, because it's a real gem :)

And in case you're curious, you can read my review for Exiled here, and check out my author interview with M.R. Merrick here! Finally, at the very end of this post there's a giveaway for a copy of SHIFT!

But today I'm lucky enough to be one of the stops on the blog tour for the sequel to Exiled - Shift! Shift was released on February 1, 2012 and I have to say that I loved it even BETTER than the first.

For my stop today, I have a short & exciting, SPOILER-FREE teaser for you! And yes, you can read this teaser even if you haven't read Exiled :) and then I'll share my review for Shift with you.

My eyes tore open to the sound of screaming. The drywall rattled and Rayna’s voice raged through the wall. My pulse jumped as panic set in and I leapt from my bed moving straight for the door. I ran through the archway, pants tangling on my legs as I tried to pull them up. Marcus, Willy, and Tiki were halfway down the hall, their faces owned by fear. 

Marcus reached the door before me, turned the silver handle, and pushed through. The door creaked and the smell of blood, sweat, and something else seeped from the darkness. Marcus flicked on the light and I saw what I already feared.

Doesn't that just make you want to dive right in?? You have NO idea what you're missing by not reading these books! :)

1. Thoroughly action packed!:
   One thing that I love about Matt's books is that he totally doesn't disappoint when it comes to a lack of action; there is constant excitement going on, and he has a knack for writing gripping action sequences that leave you flipping through the pages as fast as you can, dying to know what happens!
2. Full cast of characters:
   One thing I love about The Protector series is that it has a really wide range of characters, which keeps things interesting. It's such a good mix, and everyone has their own positive and negative qualities so they're very realistic. They're each great in their own, unique way and all bring something special to the story. Chase is a great character in particular, and he definitely has some Harry Potter-esque charm to him; a misfit who just wants to fit in, seriously loyal and endearing in his own way. And he's out to save the world and all that jazz ;) Oh, and I told Matt on Twitter one day that Vincent (a vampire character) TOTALLY reminds me of Spike from Buffy. And if that isn't reason enough to read this... well, I don't know what is!
3. Well-done romance:
   If you read some of my previous reviews, you'll most likely notice a trend that I love well thought out, naturally flowing relationships. I like them to develop on their own terms, rather than feeling rushed or overly insta!love. And I love how the romance is handled in Exiled and then Shift; there's some great tension and build up to it, and even though there's initial attraction it takes time to build that sense of trust and affection.

This is a series I sincerely doubt you'll regret picking up; I highly recommend you give this one a shot if you like exciting, action-filled books!

Purchase Exiled as an e-book
Purchase Exiled as a paperback
Purchase Shift as an e-book

Make sure you stop by Matt's blog to see the rest of the tour stops too!

And lastly, I have one e-book of Shift available to give to one of you! And if the winner hasn't read Exiled yet, I'm willing to personally gift them an e-book copy of it as well :)

All you have to do is being 13 years of age or older (with parental permission) and leave a comment on the excerpt telling me what you think of it! And make sure you leave your e-mail address. Giveaway will run for one week and will end on February 10th at 11:59 p.m. EST. Good luck!