Blog Tour: Ensnared

Book Info-
Title- Ensnared
Series- The Dolan Prophecies Series #1.5 (Novella)
By- Allana Kephart & Melissa Simmons
Expected Publication Date- August 22nd, 2014
Genre- New Adult Dystopian

Blurb- 

Patrick and Maeve Dolan left the safety of their New York human settlement on a sultry summer night and never returned. Ambushed by the Winter Court guards during their search for information on how to free humanity from faery rule, they are now ensnared in the Winter King Landric’s web, and he has some questions of his own.

The Winter King is curious about the way the Dolans run their city. In a surprising turn of events, he’s determined to learn all about their 16-year-old son, Eirnin. Landric separates the couple, threatens and tortures to the best of his ability, but the Dolans won’t give up the information he’s after.

Murphy, one of King Landric’s guards has been a ward of the Winter Court for as long as he can remember. Trained from childhood to be as quiet and obedient as possible, he’s always been the perfect servant. At least, until Princess Lumi strolled into his life and made him question everything he believes in.

When the princess vanishes without a trace in the middle of the night, Landric is determined Patrick’s people had something to do with it. Without the only connection to kindness and humanity they had, Murphy and Patrick both find themselves falling into very different kinds of insanity.

Will Murphy follow his heart just this once, choose his own side and find Lumi? Will Patrick’s hope dwindle before he can escape and save his family? Or will their unyielding resistance be the death of them all?

Excerpt- Murphy's Perspective:

“Do you like reading?” she asks me suddenly.

“Pardon?” I ask, startled by her question.

She smiles. “You’re staring at the books,” she says simply. “See something you like?”

I shake myself before I can say, There is, but it happens to be the girl in front of me, not the mumbo jumbo paper boxes on the walls. I bite my lip and look down at her arm again, realizing I’m still covering the scar with my palm, and I gently put it back in her lap and crack my knuckles nervously. “Oh, uh,” I start. “I’ve never read any of those.”

“None of them?” she asks, sounding shocked.

I swallow. I might as well tell her the truth, right? Maybe if she laughs at me the giddiness I feel when she smiles will go away. “I don’t know how to read, Princess. I wasn’t taught.”

Silence greets me and I feel worse than ever. Even if she’s not amused, she has to remember where I stand now. Though she’s not the favored princess, she’s still too good to be hanging around with the likes of me. I can’t make myself look at her, even though I get the feeling she’s trying to catch my gaze. I just can’t make myself see whatever emotion is in her eyes.

It feels like forever before the bed dips as Lumi hops off of it. But instead of running to the door, she walks over to the bookcase and puts her hands on her hips. I glance up and watch her through my eyelashes, seeing her scan a certain shelf. She waves her hand over the collection of brightly colored spines, and if I hear correctly she mutters, “Eenie, meenie, miney, mo…” Finally she plucks one out of its resting place, seemingly at random, and then scurries back over to the bed and crawls next to me. She’s even closer than before, her shoulder bumping into mine, when she says, “That just won’t do.”

“What are you doing?” I ask. I ask her that a lot, it seems. She’s difficult to figure out.

“Teaching you how to read, silly,” she says simply. “I haven’t read this one yet. So we can be clueless together.”

Character Interview - Murphy

As I read the book I found myself drawn to the character Murphy, because it seems to me there is a lot brewing for this young man and I am eager to know more. So here is my interview, many thanks to Murphy for taking the time to do this interview!

Kj: Was helping the princess your first time with disobedience to the Winter King?

Murphy: Yes, it was the first time. I’d never felt the need to disobey him before that.

Kj: Do you feel like you're truly in love with Lumi or do you think you could be in love with that feeling of freedom you feel when you're with her?

Murphy: *blushes, scowls* Not that I see how this is any of your business, but yes, I do believe my feelings are in direct connection with who Lumi is, and not the ‘feeling of freedom’, as you put it, that comes with her...

Kj: If you saw Lumi with Hugh would you really be able to hide your feelings and do as you are asked?

Murphy: Uh… *blinks* If she were happy with someone else, yes, I would let her be. But Hugh is a pig; I don’t know if I’d be able to stand idly by and watch him use her...

Kj: What do you think would happen if they knew you liked Lumi so well?

Murphy: *eyes widen* Um… After all the other crap Landric has either caught me doing or pinned on my head, I’d probably be beheaded in the middle of town… Not only am I a guard, I’m human, and if he found out I was looking at any of his daughters, well… It would be a bloody affair.

Kj: Do you think you would feel the same with any woman who took notice of you and treated you well?

Murphy: *sputters, gaping* Uh. NO. I’m not some horndog. If I fell in love with any woman who was nice to me, I would have been pining over Lumi’s older sister, Astrid, long ago. And her mother, Queen Bronwyn. And I probably would have slept with all the female cooks and cleaners at this point. Lumi’s not the first woman to be nice to me. She’s just… She’s special, and I care about her.

Kj: Can you remain loyal to the Winter king now, especially knowing all that you do?

Murphy: No. My loyalty has been wavering for quite some time, but he completely lost me this past July… *sighs* However, if I want to continue breathing, I don’t think I have much choice but to continue to obey for the time being.

Kj: How would you exist if not in the Winter Court anymore?

Murphy: How would I exist… Um… *shakes head* I’ll be honest-- I really don’t know how to survive outside of the Winter Court. Besides Lumi, there’s no one I can trust; and nowhere I can go… I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

This is a terrific 1.5 book, adding some background as well as insight to future storyline in The Dolan Prophecies books. It is a dark tale that involves finding out what happened to Maeve and Patrick after they left their safe little community. They are following a lead given to them by a person they weren’t as sure of as they should have been and at the last moments before capture Maeve tries to back up. Now they are at the mercy of King Landric of the Winter Court, and he is not a nice guy.

I wasn’t sure what to think as I was told this book was dark and written with lots of tears. As I have come to expect; it is another solidly written book that pulls me in as I hunger for more about the characters. Truth is this book has its brutal moments but it is a necessary part of understanding the mind sets of the characters. I recommend this book highly. With that I will leave you with this thought: get it, read it, make your own decision. These ladies are without a doubt rising stars in the author world.

About the Authors

Allana Kephart has been making things up and bending people to her will from a very young age. She loves animals and reading and spends a large amount of time thinking up ways to torment her characters. She shares a brain, a love of coffee and the color purple with her alter ego/best friend/co-author, Melissa Simmons.

Melissa Simmons is an avid reader who married her soul mate and is the proud mother of a spoiled cat. She spends her days helping promote independent authors and doing what the voices in her head tell her to. She shares a brain, a love of coffee and the color purple with her alter ego/best friend/co-author, Allana Kephart.

Allana Kephart: Melissa Simmons:

Allana Kephart:        Melissa Simmons: