Review and Giveaway: Tortured Souls by Kimber Leigh Wheaton

Up front, you need to know that you're about to step into the head of Kacie Ramsey, right in the second she's living the situation. If you're prepared to be a fifteen year old girl who sees ghosts, has serious family issues, is starting to branch out into seeing murders, and just found out the boy she's crushing hard on wants to spend some one on one time with her, it might be a good book for you. If, on the other hand, the idea of first person present tense makes you want to climb the walls, maybe not so much.
Wheaton does a good job of giving readers an idea about Kacie from the get go. We get to see her from the inside, one of the benefits of first person writing. Rather than our first impression being the usual girl across the room physical description, instead we see how she fits into her situations, how she reacts to others, how she feels, what lies she tells.
I once heard someone say that you can tell what someone thinks of you when you know what lies are told you, and I think in the case of Kacie, it's particularly telling what she chooses to tell people and how it relates to her abandonment issues.
Further, her complicated home life make her a character to whom a lot of readers will be able to relate because even though (warning- dreaded Twilight allusion ahead) Bella Swan went to live with her dad and her family had issues, characters like hers only have broken homes in so much as a failed parental marriage, not a fundamental disconnect between the child and the parents, and I'm a big fan of diversity, even if it is just diversity of homelife status.
Overall the pacing is swift, the romance is sweet without being overwhelming, and the creepy factor is pretty high without crossing the line into downright scary, so it rests in that sweet dark zone like the sinister Fractured or the gothic A Murder of Magpies.
Ghosts, lurking doom, interesting characters, and a quick pace make this an appropriate choice for a windy evening's read.

You can pick up a copy from the retailers below, and keep reading for an Amazon giftcard giveaway from Xpresso Book Tours.

Enjoy.

Synopsis:
Sometimes Rest in Peace isn’t an option.
Kacie Ramsey sees ghosts—and it’s ruining her life. Her mother left, her father blames her, and no matter how hard she tries, she can’t keep the ghosts away. Now a new power has emerged. Nightly visions of grisly murders and a relentless predator draw her to the brink of insanity.

When the phantom appears at a party, Kacie’s longtime crush, Logan, saves her. He invites her to join the Orion Circle, a group of supernatural hunters with chapters in schools all over the country. Through the Circle, Kacie learns to embrace her spiritual powers, and for the first time in her life she feels in control rather than a victim.

But the Foxblood Demon will not give up so easily. A demented serial killer in life who trapped the souls of the thirteen children he murdered, imprisoning them within the walls of his mansion. Now in death, he plots his return while drawing power from the pure souls of the children. He recognizes something in Kacie he’s never seen before—a medium powerful enough to provide a vessel for his tainted soul.

Kacie can’t ignore the tortured souls of the children crying out to her every night. With Logan at her side, she will fight the Foxblood Demon. But can they banish this powerful phantom, or will Kacie lose not only her body, but her eternal soul to the monster.

AUTHOR BIO
Kimber Leigh Wheaton is a YA/NA author with a soft spot for sweet romance and is a member of Romance Writers of America.

She is married to her soul mate, has a teenage son, and shares her home with three dogs and four cats. No, she doesn’t live on a farm, she just loves animals. Her house is filled with dragons, though she does lament that they are the porcelain, non-flying variety.

Kimber Leigh is addicted to romance, videogames, superheroes, villains, and chocolate—not necessarily in that order. (If she has to choose, she’ll take a chocolate covered superhero!)

Her debut novel, Shadow Fire, is the first book in the Light Chronicles series. Watch for book two, Stolen Moon, a standalone sequel, coming August 2014.

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Interview with TORTURED SOULS author Kimber Leigh Wheaton PLUS Giveaway

It's almost Friday, folks! I'm excited to get to the weekend. How about you? Well, let's make the wait more interesting by chatting with author Kimber Leigh Wheaton as part of her blog tour for TORTURED SOULS.

Kimber Leigh Wheaton is a bestselling YA/NA author with a soft spot for sweet romance. She is married to her soul mate, has a teenage son, and shares her home with three dogs, four cats, and lots of dragons. No, she doesn’t live on a farm, she just loves animals. Kimber Leigh is addicted to romance, videogames, superheroes, villains, and chocolate—not necessarily in that order. (If she has to choose, she’ll take a chocolate covered superhero!) She currently lives in San Antonio, TX but has been somewhat a rolling stone in life, having resided in several different cities and states.

Hi, Kimber! Welcome to We Do Write. Tell us about TORTURED SOULS. What’s the story about?

Sometimes Rest in Peace isn't an option

Kacie Ramsey sees ghosts—and it's ruining her life. Her mother left, her father blames her, and no matter how hard she tries, she can't keep the ghosts away. Now a new power has emerged. Nightly visions of grisly murders and a relentless predator draw her to the brink of insanity.

When the phantom appears at a party, Kacie's longtime crush, Logan, saves her. He invites her to join the Orion Circle, a group of supernatural hunters with chapters in schools all over the country. Through the Circle, Kacie learns to embrace her spiritual powers, and for the first time in her life she feels in control rather than a victim.

But the Foxblood Demon will not give up so easily. A demented serial killer in life who trapped the souls of the thirteen children he murdered, imprisoning them within the walls of his mansion. Now in death, he plots his return while drawing power from the pure souls of the children. He recognizes something in Kacie he's never seen before—a medium powerful enough to provide a vessel for his tainted soul.

Kacie can't ignore the tortured souls of the children crying out to her every night. With Logan at her side, she will fight the Foxblood Demon. But can they banish this powerful phantom, or will Kacie lose not only her body, but her eternal soul to the monster.

Spooky! How did the idea of the story come to you?

I’ve always been obsessed with the paranormal, especially ghosts. One night I was watching A Haunting on TV, and I thought writing about a physical medium would be interesting. I thought about it for a few weeks, and ultimately came up with the idea for the Orion Circle, a group of teenage paranormal investigators.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I suppose I’m a pantser—I gave up on written outlines long ago. Before starting a novel, I meditate off and on for several weeks, getting to know the characters and the world. Plot ideas come and go in my mind, until I have a rough idea of the full plot. Individual scenes aren’t planned in advance but kind of flow as I write.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

The beginning of each chapter is the hardest for me to write. I’m sure that comes from being a pantser. Without an outline, I’m flying blind. Sometimes I just start typing and hope for the best.

Sounds like a plan. What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

Diet Coke

What are you reading right now?

Evolution: HEX by S.A. Huchton

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

I want to be a shapeshifter with the ability to change into any animal I like at any time.

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

I’m sure it was something Mommy related when my son was either an infant or toddler. I know I Googled whether orange and purple stuff was normal in a diaper. For the record—yes it is normal. Those baby food carrots and beets will cause it.

Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence:  envelope, torture, remind.

Remind me not to use my tongue to moisten the envelope since the resulting paper cut is always pure torture.

Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ...

playing video games

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

Thank you to everyone who helped me get Tortured Souls ready for publication. The first self-pubbed book is the hardest. I didn’t realize just how many hoops my publisher jumps through until I took it on myself. Thanks to all the bloggers who have helped me promote my new release. Thanks to my family for listening to me talk about writing for endless, boring hours.

Thanks for joining us on the blog, Kimber. It was a pleasure taking part in your blog tour. Good luck with the book!

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Book Blitz: Tortured Souls by Kimber Leigh Wheaton

Tortured Souls (Orion Circle #1)

by Kimber Leigh Wheaton

Release Date: July 2014

Summary from Goodreads:
Sometimes Rest in Peace isn't an option.

Kacie Ramsey sees ghosts—and it's ruining her life. Her mother left, her father blames her, and no matter how hard she tries, she can't keep the ghosts away. Now a new power has emerged. Nightly visions of grisly murders and a relentless predator draw her to the brink of insanity.

When the phantom appears at a party, Kacie's longtime crush, Logan, saves her. He invites her to join the Orion Circle, a group of supernatural hunters with chapters in schools all over the country. Through the Circle, Kacie learns to embrace her spiritual powers, and for the first time in her life she feels in control rather than a victim.

But the Foxblood Demon will not give up so easily. A demented serial killer in life who trapped the souls of the thirteen children he murdered, imprisoning them within the walls of his mansion. Now in death, he plots his return while drawing power from the pure souls of the children. He recognizes something in Kacie he's never seen before—a medium powerful enough to provide a vessel for his tainted soul.

Kacie can't ignore the tortured souls of the children crying out to her every night. With Logan at her side, she will fight the Foxblood Demon. But can they banish this powerful phantom, or will Kacie lose not only her body, but her eternal soul to the monster.

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EXCERPT: Not Your Average School Day

“Are you ready?” Logan asks in a soft murmur.

Closing my locker, I nod and smile at him, trying to hide my anxiety. Why did I agree to go to this club meeting? What if they sacrifice goats to some pagan god or something? Laughter wells up within at the absurd image of an animal sacrifice occurring on the third floor of the Sciences building. Besides, it couldn’t be a goat—it would have to be a cat or a fetal pig since that’s what the AP biology class is dissecting this year. I guess it could be a crawfish or an earthworm since the regular biology classes dissect those.

My laughter finally bubbles out when I picture figures in black robes sacrificing an earthworm to their pagan god. I feel Logan’s eyes on me. When I glance at him, he has a strange, indecipherable look on his face.

“Are you alright?” he asks, concern clouding his features.

“Yeah, just a little nervous,” I reply, fighting another blush that threatens to form.

He walks down the hall, navigating through the maze of students, checking back every so often to make sure I’m still following. When we pass through the doors leading out into the damp autumn air, he surprises me by heading over to a bench rather than continuing to the Sciences building.

He sits down and motions for me to join him, so I lower myself to the gray stone bench. The stone soaked up the chilled rain today, and the cold passes through my jeans up into my body. I’ve always enjoyed cool weather, probably a tribute to my Norse ancestry. Though I shiver a bit, I feel exhilarated as a slight breeze ruffles my hair, making it dance around my head.

“I’m gonna break the rules and give you a heads up about us,” Logan says in a very low voice.

My eyes fly to his in surprise. He moves closer to me on the bench so our legs are touching.

“We are a paranormal research group. Hunters you might say, hence the name Orion. I know you’re already aware there’s more out there than meets the eye, but you’ll be surprised by just how much more there really is.”

He’s speaking in a very low voice, obviously not wanting to be overheard. I use this as an excuse to lean a little closer to him.

“So you investigate hauntings?” I murmur, intrigued by the idea.

“Not just hauntings, anything supernatural,” he replies. I wait for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t. “I can’t go into more detail until you’re a member. But don’t worry, Kacie. I’ll be right beside you today, and by tonight you’ll be a member, then we can talk.”

He stands and extends his hand to me. Taking his hand, I allow him to pull me from the bench. There’s no spark or jolt this time, just pleasant warmth that permeates me.

“It appears our powers are adjusting to each other,” he comments, a smile lighting his face.

Praise

“Tortured Souls was a wonderful YA read. It was light and enjoyable all the way through. From the romance, to the thrills, this book was fantastic. YA lovers, this is definitely a book you'll want to check out.” ~ Farrah at Imagine a World

“Tortured souls by Kimber Wheaton........ omg!! Great book!!!! This is one you don't want to miss out on.” ~ Paranormal Romance & Authors That Rock

“The plot is wonderfully spooky with just the right amount of suspense and mystery to keep the pages turning.” ~ James Luby– Amazon Reviewer

About the Author

Kimber Leigh Wheaton is a YA/NA author with a soft spot for sweet romance. She is married to her soul mate, has a teenage son, and shares her home with three dogs, four cats, and lots of dragons. No, she doesn’t live on a farm, she just loves animals. She is addicted to romance, videogames, superheroes, villains, and chocolate—not necessarily in that order. (If she has to choose, she’ll take a chocolate covered superhero!) She currently lives in San Antonio, TX but has been somewhat a rolling stone in life, having resided in several different cities and states.

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