Blog Tour Review + Scavenger Hunt Giveaway: Endure by M. R. Merrick

Today I'm participating in a blog tour organized by Valerie @ Stuck in Books. Please, help me welcome the incredible M. R. Merrick and his final book in The Protector series: Endure.
And to make things even more interesting there is a fun scavenger hunt giveaway for you all to enjoy so remember to keep reading ;)

Review

Endure

by M.R. Merrick
Series: The Protector #4
Release date: 5th June, 2013
Publisher: Selfpub
Pages: 274 (ebook received for blog tour in exchange of an honest review)

Summary from Goodreads:

Wrapped in darkness and woven with defeat, every action Chase has taken since being exiled from the Circle has been met with a devastating response. Now he's been burdened with a quest that seems impossible, and he needs to evolve into something more, something greater than he ever thought he could be.

Armed with magic, friendship, and an unbreakable will, Chase must build an army and find a weapon capable of defeating the ultimate evil. But he knows that nothing great comes without sacrifice. Blessed by the very gods who have abandoned him and carrying the fate of all the worlds on his shoulders, Chase Williams is about find out just how much one man can endure.

Release Blog tour: Top Three List + Review + Giveaway

As part of this great blog tour I'm honored to have here today a Matthew Merrick, the author of The Protector series, who somehow agreed to answer a couple of questions that I'm sure you will enjoy since it goes from books to videogames and music.

And all I can say to Matthew is that I'm sure the future is in his hands. I'm sure you know that your ability to tell so many different stories at the same time is a gift that will continue to open doors wherever you go. Keep it up and help us dream with your words.

Matthew Merrick's Top Three List
*Three favorite books and reason. Any gender counts*
I absolutely adore the Harry Potter series. I’d pick all of them if I could, but to be fair, I’ll say Goblet of Fire is my favorite. I like the writing of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child as well, my favorite from them being Brimstone. And it’s been a while since I’ve read them, so I don’t know which book would be my favorite, but I loved the Merry Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton.
(LibrarianMouse:Besides the Harry Potter series I haven't read your favorite books so I'm gonna have to check them out!).

*Three games you think are a MUST for every gamer*
This is tough, because a lot of people don’t love RPGs and I do. I could pick three of those, but I’ll try to mix it up. I absolutely loved The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. I invested over 70 hours into that game. The Uncharted series is one of the best action adventure games ever made. IMHO of course :D  And I love the entire Ratchet & Clank series. It’s always on my must purchase list when a new one comes out. They’re just beyond quirky and fun to me.
(LibrarianMouse: Thanks for the tip, I'm always on the lookout for new games, hohoho).

*Three favorite monsters or creatures (mythology counts too)*
I obsess over this stuff and I can only pick three? Oh dear…okay I love the Chinese version of the Dragon, the Greek version of the Phoenix, and pretty much all Greek mythology in general. The gods and demi gods fascinate me, and I honestly could never get enough when it comes to learning about it. As a bonus, I also love the lore behind The City of Atlantis, and the Mayans.
(LibrarianMouse: I'm a geek of Mythology and my countless books on the matter are prove of it so I know it was really hard to choose three... sorry^^U).

* Three books you would love to watch as a movie*
It’s already being made, but I’m stoked to see The Hobbit. I’d love to see Kelly Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series made. Although I’ve only just started the series, I can tell I’m going to need it on the screen. I *think* they’re making a TV series for it, so maybe that will do the trick. And although it’s now out, and I own it, I have yet to watch Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, and I am beyond excited to watch it.
(LibrarianMouse: The Hobbit? Loved it! As for the other two... I must investigate xD).

*Three villains you like (or don’t hate that much)*
Although he wasn’t really a villain, but you think he is for a lot of the story, I love Severus Snape. His character was amazing, and Alan Rickman did an incredible job bringing him to life in the movies. I will forever be a fan of Captain Hook, and I love Venom from the Spiderman comics. Okay, so I’m totally veering away from books, but there are villains everywhere!
(LibrarianMouse: Snape... man, I hated him so much that I couldn't believe how much I cried for him at the end! And I know I've said it already but Heath Ledger's portrait of the Joker rocked my world!).

*Three things you learned past month*
I shower less, but shave more, now that I’m staying at home and writing full-time.
My dog takes toilet paper out of the bathroom garbage and tears it into tiny pieces, always in the same places, only when he’s mad at me.
The “I have kids so that’s why I watch cartoons,” excuse only works when you’re not watching Jake and the Neverland Pirates after the kids are in bed.
(LibrarianMouse: *laughing so much I can't write*)

*Three things you collect or would like to do so*
I’ve wanted for years to collect swords, but I don’t have the space for them right now, so I’m putting that desire off until I have my own office. I have this strange need to own hardcopies of all my movies. They take up so much space, but I love having them, even though buying them digitally is so much easier. I love to collect anything dragon/phoenix oriented: pictures, knives, lamps. I love it all.
(LibrarianMouse: I always wanted to collect swords too... but since I'm so clumsy I don't think that would be a good idea for my life).

*Three songs that have a special meaning to you*
- Otis Redding - Sitting by the Dock of the Bay
- Eminem - Going Through Changes
- Hedley - One Life
(LibrarianMouse: Curious? Click on the names to go and watch them in Youtube ;) ).

*Three things you would like to share with us*
- I have an unhealthy obsession with cereal. I don’t know where it came from or how it started, but I could eat it three times a day and be perfectly happy.
- I re-watch the movies I love over and over again, and I have since I was a child. When I was little, I’d rent a movie for the weekend and as soon as it was over, I’d rewind it and start it again. This would happen every two hours for the entire weekend. The most common one that comes to mind is Labyrinth.
- Exiled was the first thing I ever wrote. I had no intention of ever writing a novel, let alone publishing a book. It was a passion that was discovered completely by accident, and it’s one of the best things to have ever happened to me.
(LibrarianMouse: And we are thankful for that accident).

* And since my blog is called “Librarian Mouse” I have to ask: do you like cheese? If so, what’s your favorite one? Or favorite dish with cheese?*
Yes! I love cheese. Melted on everything. My favorite cheese is Marble, because I can’t decide between cheddar and mozza, and I love nachos, pizza, baked lasagna, ugh, there’s no way to pick just one. Oh, I also LOVE feta. Especially on pizza.
(LibrarianMouse: I'm sure one day cheese will take over the world... I mean, who doesn't like cheese?!).

***************************************

The Review

Release

by M.R. Merrick
Series: The Protector #3
Release date: 8th December, 2012
Publisher: M.R. Merrick
Pages: 349 (ebook copy given by the author in exchange of an honest review)

Summary from Goodreads:

After uniting the shifters and calling in reinforcements, Chase has to face his toughest challenge yet: learning to control his emotions. But as tensions rise and his powers grow, controlling his emotions becomes the least of his problems.

Terrorized by a multi-shifter who is hell-bent on turning him, Chase questions just how far he’s willing to go to stop his father. Meanwhile, Tiki’s virtuous nature has placed him in the middle of Vincent’s past, leaving Chase to oppose a senate of vampires and defend a demon he hates.

Trying to balance his friends, his enemies, and his inner demons, Chase is left searching for answers about the Mark, his destiny, and where he can find the next soul piece. Stopping Riley is his top priority, but as more obstacles arise, he finds himself doubting all the decisions he’s made - especially regarding Rayna.

One thing is for certain: Chase has finally realized that he doesn’t know anything. The light doesn’t always quell the darkness, the monsters don’t always stay in the shadows, and the past doesn’t always stay in the past - sometimes, the demons inside are the hardest to fight.

Book Review: Shift by M.R.Merrick

Shift

by M.R. Merrick
Series: The Protector #2
Release date: 29th January, 2012
Publisher: M.R. Merrick
Pages: 350 (ebook copy given by the author in exchange of an honest review)

Summary from Goodreads:

Devastated by a terrible loss, Chase is trying to balance the life he’s been left with, a family he’s still getting to know, and power he never thought he’d have. He doesn’t understand why the Goddess has named him the Protector and granted him two gifts: the Mark, a tattoo that now covers his back, and the ring. But between getting interrogated by the Circle and psychic attacks from Riley, the Mark is the least of his concern. There’s a demon inside Rayna that’s fighting to be released, and it’s not her inner witch. It’s something else–a monster threatening to tear her apart.

As Chase struggles to control his magic, his enemies are closing in. Everyone has staked a claim on his ring, and destroying it may be his only chance to stop Riley. But Chase must decide if stopping him is worth risking the lives of everyone he cares about, or if protecting the ring will be enough to save his world.

Promotional Tour + Giveaway: Exiled and Shift by M.R. Merrick

Power Will Flourish

Lives Will be Lost

Nothing, Will be Forgotten

Chase Williams is a demon hunter in the Circle, or at least he was supposed to be. On his fifteenth birthday, Chase stepped up to the altar to claim his elemental power, but it never came. Elemental magic is passed down to a hunter through the bloodline, but on Chase's birthday, the bloodline stopped. 

Exiled without the Circle's protection, Chase has spent two years trying to survive a world riddled with half-demons and magic. When he has a run in with a frightened and seemingly innocent demon, he learns the Circle's agenda has changed: the Circle plans to unlock a portal and unleash pure-blood demons into the world. 

Vowing to stop them, and knowing he can't do it alone, Chase forms a reluctant alliance with Rayna - a sexy witch with an attitude and a secret. In their attempt to stop them however, Chase and Rayna find themselves in the middle of the Circle's plan, leaving one of them to decide what their friendship is worth, and the other's life depending on it.

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Goodreads

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Excerpt

Promo Excerpt EXILED

M.R. Merrick is a Canadian writer and author of The Protector Series, a Young Adult mash-up between Urban and Epic Fantasy. Having never traveled, he adventures to far off lands through his imagination and in between cups of coffee. As a music lover and proud breakfast enthusiast, he’s usually found at the computer between a pair of headphones and in front of a large bowl of cereal.

You can find M. R. Merrick here:
Facebook Twitter Official website

Giveaway

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Book Review: Exiled by M. R. Merrick

Exiled

by M.R. Merrick
Series: The Protector #1
Release date: 28th June, 2011
Publisher: M.R. Merrick
Pages: 286 (ebook copy bought by me)

Summary from Goodreads:

Chase Williams is a demon hunter in the Circle, or at least he was supposed to be. On his fifteenth birthday, Chase stepped up to the altar to claim his elemental power, but it never came. Elemental magic is passed down to a hunter through the bloodline, but on Chase's birthday, the bloodline stopped.

Exiled without the Circle's protection, Chase has spent two years trying to survive a world riddled with half-demons and magic. When he has a run in with a frightened and seemingly innocent demon, he learns the Circle's agenda has changed: the Circle plans to unlock a portal and unleash pure-blood demons into the world. Vowing to stop them, and knowing he can't do it alone, Chase forms a reluctant alliance with Rayna — a sexy witch with an attitude and a secret.

In their attempt to stop them, Chase and Rayna find themselves in the middle of the Circle's plan, leaving one of them to decide what their friendship is worth, and the other's life depending on it.