SWOON Thursday (#29): Madly by M. Leighton

Hosted by YA Bound

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering. Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog! We want to know :-)

Here's mine:

And then there was an explosion, only it was contained behind the walls of my heart. Jackson’s fingers wrapped around my wrist and it was as if my body, my mind, my power were all suddenly hooked up to jumper cables. A blinding light burst behind my lids, sending a shower of colorful sparks flying into the sky of my brain.

With a gasp, my eyes flew open. I turned to him and I was immediately lost to the world around us. My bones melted and swirled inside me, leaving me with nothing more than the electricity of Jackson’s touch to keep me upright. A feeling, a want, like nothing I’d ever felt before squeezed my lungs and burned in my chest. It was primal and profound, and I knew that he felt it, too.

Jackson’s eyes were on fire. They screamed a desire that he couldn’t control. They cried a hunger that matched my own. I could see it all, everything that I felt, mirrored in the shimmering depths of the brilliant blue.
- Madly SWOON #YABound

Tour: Madly by M. Leighton (Review+Giveaway)

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Title: Madly
Series: Madly #1
Author: M. Leighton
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Supernatural Fiction
Elements: Mermaids
Publisher: M. Leighton
Format: PDF, 38 Pages
ASIN: B0064P9O34
Release Date: June 2011
Source: Author {M. Leighton}
Rating: 4/5

Tagline(s): Madly is your average nearly-eighteen year old girl—for a princess, that is.

Summary: Madly James is thoroughly enjoying her internship in the small town of Slumber when the unthinkable happens—there’s a prison break in Atlas, the magically-protected home of Madly’s race. A traitor has set free eight Lore, the spirits of what humans know as fairy tales, and they are making their way to Slumber to awaken their descendants.

In order to save her home, the lives of her family, and all of humanity, Madly must learn to wield her exceptional powers and recapture the Lore before it’s too late and all is lost. But Madly’s only help are her two best friends and the Sentinel, Jackson Hamilton, that threatens both her heart and her destiny. Madly has loved Jackson as long as she can remember, but he is the one thing even a princess can’t have. Can she resist love to become the queen she was fated to be? Or can she find a way to have both?

This novelette introduces you to Madly and prepares you for the quest of a lifetime.

Review: 

Madly, the first book in the Madly series, introduces us to the key characters--Madly, Jersey, Aidan, and Jackson--and the challenges they will face.

Madly is just going about her day at Veritas Academy as usual. That is until the bracelet charm she wears sends a painful jolt throughout her body. When her handler in the town of Slumber is found dead, Madly fears the worst has happened. The only beings able to kill the Mer are the Lore, spiritual creations of Lucifer and Proserpine. Her natural home of Atlas is under lock down and her family held captive by eight escaped Lore. The fact that the only key not in the possession of a Mer was stolen to release the Lore implies that there is a traitor among the Mer and that that traitor may be royal. Now Madly is their only hope of capturing the released Lore and rescuing her family, before it's too late.

I thought Madly was a great introduction to this series. Madly's best friends are really likeable: Jersey has a mischievous side and Aidan is kind and sincere. Then there is the love interest: Jackson is absolutely swoon-worthy! There are some pretty steamy scenes just in this short novella. Madly is put into a pretty serious position out of the blue, and though she was overwhelmed at first, she quickly recovers and get to work. She's going to have some tough decisions ahead of her.

I was really intrigued by the combination of mermaids and fairytales. I haven't seen that done before and I can't wait to see how it will work out. This first book, though just a short introduction, draws readers in and leaves them wanting the next book to continue the adventure.

About this Author:

I was born and raised in the United States, and I’ve lived in several of the fabulous fifty. Though I currently live in the deep South, I spent much of my childhood up North and hope to return there one day. A few other things about me: I believe that sometimes you have to look really, REALLY hard to find the good in people, but it's there. I believe that I'm shrinking (I swear five years ago I was two inches taller). I believe my husband is quite possibly one of the most amazing men in the entire world (I can't be sure because I haven't met all of them). I believe coffee and chocolate, when combined, could be the basis for world peace. I believe that Jesus rocks and communism doesn’t. I believe that white makes me look fat and black collects lint. I believe summer's too hot, winter's too cold and fall was made for football. I like dogs better than cats and the first movie in a trilogy is invariably the best. But most of all, I believe that love conquers all.

Social Media links:

Facebook

Blog

Twitter: @MLeightonBooks

Links to find/buy book:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1152263.M_Leighton

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_12?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=madly+series&sprefix=madly+series%2Cdigital-text%2C271

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/madly-series-m-leighton?store=ALLPRODUCTS&keyword=madly+series+m+leighton

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