BLOG TOUR STOP: Release by Nicole Hadaway (Review + Guest Post + Giveaway)

Today I’m excited to be a part of the book tour for Release by Nicole Hadaway, sponsored by Xpresso Book Tours. My stop includes my review of the book, as well as a guest post by the author, in which she tells us the ten books that made her want to become a writer, AND a giveaway for one e-book copy of Release. To visit all of the tour stops, click the banner above!

Release (Tales from the Dandridge Estate #1) by Nicole Hadaway
Visionary Press, 2013
[Goodreads] [Amazon]

The old saying goes, “The ends justify the means…”

For vampire Miranda Dandridge, using her supernatural abilities to rescue children from impossible circumstances is her means to be a part of the human world that she loves so much, despite the atrocities of WWII.

For doctor Ben Gongliewski, saving his fellow Jews from the horrific death camps is an end for which he risks his own life every day, hiding his Jewish heritage while feigning loyalty the SS.

Neither Miranda nor Ben expects to find love in World War II Europe, but that is exactly what happens as they work for the Resistance. When the war draws to a close, it seems like the vampire and the doctor are free to start a future together. Yet the two forget just how far the Nazis will go to further their own evil ends.

Desperate times make for ruthless men as loves and lives are threatened, but, Miranda and Ben know that their world cannot go to hell, not by any means….

When I first saw the blurb for Release via Giselle’s book tour emails, I was immediately intrigued and knew I had to sign up to be part of the tour. I have a huge interest in literature that deals with World War II and, more specifically, the Holocaust, because while the tales from the camps are brutal and heartbreaking, and make you question just how evil individuals can be, the stories of survival and strength that are shared with the readers really touch me in a way I can’t put into words. Admittedly I was a little concerned about the mix of history from this terrible time period and the paranormal twists promised by the summary, but in the end I’m happy to report that said nervousness was unfounded. Ms. Hadaway really handled this entire book with a deft touch, and I ultimately came away all the more glad that I was able to experience her story.

I want to give major props for the depth of research that clearly went into crafting this book. Not only are the details from the war itself handled extremely well, but the background of the demons and the other supernatural beings – including the history of the original fallen angels – and the inclusion of the old time religions really helped ground the book in the “real” world, even though the main character is decidedly paranormal. I also found this trio of paranormal girls to be quite fascinating; each has their own, unique personality and back story, which made them feel extremely real and helped the reader connect with the story. I think that my favorite was Rose, simply because of her emotional journey and the way she slowly came to terms with who and what she was. I liked reading from her viewpoint quite a bit.

Miranda and Ben’s romance was well done, and I appreciated that it wasn’t the usual insta-love variety that you often find in paranormal tales. I liked that it took time for them to come to really trust each other, and the way Ben was slowly incorporated into the group’s dynamics. The author introduces a lot of characters in this book, from Miranda’s brother, Cray, to Cray’s friend, Denny, to Gertrude and Helen and Father Ott, but it never felt overwhelming or confusing at any time. All were important to the book’s eventual climax and I can understand their inclusion. It may have been better to stick with just one narrator, though, because at times we had multiple point of view switches in one chapter. This didn’t bother me too much, but I know not everyone likes multiple narrators so wanted to mention it all the same.

My one complaint is that this book is very dialogue-heavy. Sometimes it’s better to just sum up a conversation instead of having the character speak it word for word, and there were times when I felt the dialogue slowed the story down. Part of this is because Ben didn’t know about Hell and the fallen angels like the others did, nor did the reader, so that information had to be told in some form, but I just feel like perhaps dialogue wasn’t always the best way to impart what everyone needed to know, if that makes sense.

All in all I found Release to be a very engrossing and compelling read. The research alone that went into creating this book is absolutely first rate, and combined with some well-written characters, is nothing short of intriguing. If you like historicals with a paranormal flair, definitely pick this one up! I’d highly recommend it.

A copy of this book was provided via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Guest Post

Today, Ms. Hadaway is here to share with us the Top Ten Books That Made Her Want to Be A Writer. I always find these posts particularly interesting, because I love to see where people get their inspiration to chase their dreams! So, without further adieu, here are the books she loved so much they made her want to become an author as well!

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

L’Amant by Marguerite Duras

A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie

13 Steps Down by Ruth Rendell

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

And Only To Deceive by Tasha Alexander

Cabinet of Curiosities by Preston & Child

Thanks so much for sharing these with us! Some of these are completely new to me, but I’m always excited to see Harry Potter on any list! (And this is apparently just further proof that I really need to read The Count of Monte Cristo, like, yesterday.)

Giveaway Opportunity

As part of this tour, I am giving away [1] e-book copy of Release! Please fill out the form below. Giveaway is open internationally and ends April 5th. Good luck!

About the Author:

As a lawyer, Nicole Hadaway knows all about bloodsuckers and deals with the devil. She currently lives in Texas, where she pens such tales involving the supernatural, featuring her heroine, the vampire Miranda Dandridge.