Flight Blog Tour: excerpt, review, giveaways

It's always a special day at Reader Girls when we host a book tour for author Alyssa Rose Ivy. Her stories are always so entertaining and take us to new places. Today we are one of the stops on the Flight, The Crescent Chronicles Blog Tour, hosted by AToMR Book Blog Tours. We have to say the cover for Flight certainly gets our vote for one of the most ROMANTIC covers of 2012. The playful pose of the couple, his hand on her, the bird in flight and the setting around them--makes me want to sigh. Okay, enough from me. There is an excerpt, our review and two giveaways to enter. Happy Saturday!

Flight (The Crescent Chronicles, #1) by Alyssa Rose Ivy

Mature YA/New Adult Paranormal Romance * Ebook *Self-published
Amazon (Kindle) | B&N (Nook) | Smashwords |

Sometimes you just have to take flight.

A summer in New Orleans is exactly what Allie needs before starting college. Accepting 
her dad’s invitation to work at his hotel offers an escape from her ex-boyfriend and 
the chance to spend the summer with her best friend. Meeting a guy is the last thing on her mind—until she sees Levi.

Unable to resist the infuriating yet alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that might just save her. 

Flight Excerpt:

I looked out the window. The skyline was lit by colorful lights that contrasted with the shadowing darkness. I could have stared at it for hours.

“All right, are you guys ready to go?” Hailey asked.

“What, already? I haven’t even had a chance to enjoy the view.”

“You think this is a good view? Oh, just you wait,” Levi said, making everyone laugh.

“What are you talking about?”

“You sure about this, Levi? You know there is no turning back, right?” Owen asked Levi, purposely avoiding my eyes.

“Absolutely.” Levi smiled making me feel even more uneasy.

Jared pushed out his chair. “Well, then let’s get going, it’s supposed to rain later tonight.”

“Why does the rain matter?” Although the lack of information frustrated me, I couldn’t deny some excitement. I loved a good surprise.

“Are you ready to find out just how far the rabbit hole goes, sweetheart?” Levi reached out his hand waiting for a response.

“Rabbit hole?” I searched for a hidden meaning in the words beyond the Alice in Wonderland reference, but I couldn’t find one. Ignoring my unease, I went with my gut instinct. “Umm, sure?”

I accepted his hand and he led me through the crowd once more. My chest tightened with anticipation. I didn’t know what Levi and his friends had in store, but I hoped it was enough to take my mind off Jess.

We walked out past the elevators and into a stairwell.

As Levi ushered me up the stairs, I realized where we were headed.

“Okay, why are we going to the roof?”

“No more questions,” Levi insisted.

“But—”

Levi pressed the palm of his hand into my back gently. “No more questions.”

“It’s all right. We’re not taking you up there to kill you.” Hailey laughed but I started to question my trust in these people I hardly knew.

I thought about turning around but with Jared in front of me and Levi behind me, I didn’t see too many options. I took a deep breath. “Fine.”

About the author: 

Alyssa Rose Ivy 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |

Alyssa Rose Ivy lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side 
and decided to write.

Review:

Flight was definitely an absorbing read. Allie, 18, has just graduated from high school and is traveling from her hometown of Westchester, NY (the next county over from my own home) to New Orleans to work in her father's hotel. Along for the ride is her BFF, Jess. There's a saying that opposites attract and these friends are like night and day. Jess is a flirt, very lively, and wants to enjoy herself while Allie is the serious one who has her life planned out, even if part of that means going to a college because her mom went to it, not because it's her dream school. Her parents have been divorced since she was seven and she views this trip and new job as an 'adventure'.

Adventure is what Allie finds and then some. The hot guy in the lobby soon sets his sights on her, pursuing her, even when she's what his friends call 'flippant'. This guy is Levi and Allie, soon left behind by Jess as her best friend flies back home, begins spending more of her free time with him. She is attracted to him but is hesitant to really get involved. Within a few days Levi is sharing his secret with her--he's a shifter, a Pteron, half human/half crow. Allie is shocked but also intrigued when he takes her flying. There are plenty of scenes of Allie, Levi and his friends, Jared, Owen and Hailey drinking and enjoying the New Orleans nightlife. The setting was cool and I enjoyed the descriptions of the various places.

Even though Flight is a Mature YA story, I still found it suffered from the 'insta-love' that so much of the YA paranormal genre does. Levi comes across as older, full of himself, and relentless as he pops up around Allie. He also divulges his secret to her soon after they meet which was questionable. For a New Yorker, Allie was trusting. She accepts drinks from Levi, a relative stranger, without thinking about anything bad happening to her. As for Allie, I did like her from the beginning but needed time to warm up to Levi.

Eventually, both characters grabbed me and I became invested in their relationship and the events. By the end of this first part of the series I was interested in the paranormal world of the Pterons the author created and will definitely read the next installment when available. The vibrant setting of New Orleans became a character and it was obvious the author really loves this town. The way Ivy described the town was infused with love and admiration and made me want to visit as soon as possible. I also thought the author created an exciting new supernatural creature  with the Pterons which was refreshing and appreciated by this reader. Flight offers readers an interesting mix paranormal fans will want to find out more about.

Rating: 4

Cover comment: Looooove the cover.

Book source: I received a digital ARC from the author in exchange for my honest review during a book tour.

For the complete tour schedule go here

Giveaways: 

There are TWO different giveaways below. (1) Print Copy open to US Only; (2) eBook Copies open International. 

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