Blog Tour | Tortured Souls

Welcome to my tour stop for Tortured Souls!

Title: Tortured Souls

Author: Kimber Leigh Wheaton

Series: The Orion Circle #1

Genres: YA Paranormal Romance

Publication Date: June 29th, 2014

Punlisher: Sea Dragon Press 

Page Numbers: 277, 366

Format: E-Book, Paperback

Source: The author

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

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.


Tortured Souls Tweets

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"Wonderfully spooky" "Unique" "Has everything I love" Tortured Souls by @Cymberle #YA http://bit.ly/TorturedSouls


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.” ~ JML Graphics 
“A fast-paced Supernatural. Gr8 for fans of Ghost Whisperer and Medium.” ~ Paula Phillips ~ Amazon Reviewer 
“Right off the bat the characters and story line grabbed my attention. The story has a smooth flow and the author has the 2 main characters interact in a way that works great. I cannot say anything bad about this book at all. Once I started this book I could not put it down there was way too much action and suspense.” ~ Sheryl ~ Amazon Reviewer 
“The Orion Circle is awesome. I enjoyed the variety of characters that are in this book and look forward to more installments of this series. I highly recommend Tortured Souls. This mysterious and paranormal adventure will entertain readers of all ages.” ~ Christy Tanner ~ Goodreads Reviewer 
“I was sooo not disappointed! I mean...this has everything I love! Most of all, it was unique! I'm always on the lookout for unique books that breathe some fresh air in to the YA genre and this is one of them!” ~ Alisha Tarran ~ Reality’s A Bore 



Favorite Quotes

Even with the ghosts and a creepy innkeeper, I think this is the best night of my life. ~Kacie 
 “You’re not alone anymore, Kacie. You can talk to me whenever you want, even two in the morning if needed.” ~Logan  
“I am Lucas Yardley,” the man yells as he sprays the area with bullets. “I am the son of our God Lucifer—the new Anti-Christ! Your tiny bullets cannot harm me!” Those are the crazed man’s last words before a bullet pierces his forehead, forever silencing him.
“Can bagels really cancel out a ghostly homicidal maniac?” I ask, glancing up at him with a grin.“You’re right,” Logan says with a groan. “Should’ve got doughnuts.”

My Rating: ★★★★★


Excerpt

“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.

Excerpt from Chapter Four ~ Not Your Average School Day


My Review

This was yet another great read from Kimber Leigh Wheaton. I normally don't compare books, but this definitely reminded me of The Diviners by Libba Bray with more romance in it. Absolutely fabulous!

This is the story of young Kacie who has been seeing spirits all her life. Her mother left her family and her father blamed her. She had to deal with the hurt and pretend spirits were not around. During a dance at school and evil spirit approaches her and she is saved by Logan, her crush. She learns that she is not the only one with a paranormal ability and is instantly introduced to the Orion Circle.

Kacie has been having visions and nightmares about thirteen children and a phantom ghost. Through the Orion Circle she learns that the the thirteen ghost were trapped by Yardley in hopes of him being immortal.

I love how strong Kacie was from start to finish. No matter how frightened she was she never stopped her search for the kids and she constantly fought against Yardley. I hated how she grew up. I cried reading about how her mother left and treated her. She didn't deserve that.

Logan was a great charater. I will say I didn't like the idea of the instalove, but it went well with the story. Logan definitely was a strong asset to this story especially considering the visions her mom had.

Kacie's mom simply annoyed. I'm not going to elaborate because it will spoil the story but I totally hated her. Her dad upsetted me too but thankfully he started to believe her and apologize.

The Orion Circle was amazing help for Kacie. With their help she was able to learn how to control her ability, turn it on or off and even use it to help people cross. The Orion Circle has kudos in my book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait for book 2!

About the Author

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.