Buried Under Books: Shattered into Beautiful by Mel Ballew Blog Tour and GIVEAWAY!!!!

Title: Shattered Into Beautiful, A Surviving Soul Novel

Author: Mel Ballew

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Her Magick is destined but true love forbidden.

After beautiful Sylver Kyllienne Brady meets death at the hands of her boyfriend, Roland Parks, she transcends into Summerland. There, she reunites with her mother and finds her soulmate, Zander. Pulled back to the earthly plane, she must embark on a journey of discovery. She uncovers a truth. She is the descendent of a long lineage of powerful Witches. She must learn to control her power, protect the family’s Amulet and Book of Shadows. Sylver has no idea what awaits her. And, this is only part of her discovery.

Lives unravel as secrets are discovered and mysteries unfold.

Everything changes when she meets Zander Emmett –a vampire. Zander is gorgeous, exotic, sexy and unbelievably wealthy. He is also the one person a witch, such as Sylver, must avoid. Their love is forbidden but their souls draw them together like a magnet. Their bodies ignite, passion soars and their souls are left discovering, not only each other, but their destiny. His life holds secrets and enticing mysteries of his own that propel the parallels of their worlds to climaxing heights.

Will their colliding worlds separate them? Will Sylver embrace her destiny? Will realizing what is expected of her and falling soul-fully in love with Zander - the vampire she is forbidden to love, just leave her breathless?

Or, will she forever be Shattered Into Beautiful?

OK. Let me start first by saying that I LOVE the cover of this book. It is so unique in that we are left to wonder what Zander looks like!!

The book starts out where the story starts out. I love that the author provided the reader with a little background info first and then pieced it into the rest of the story little by little. Let me tell you!! You are in for a SURPRISE!!

There is a very strong connection between the main character, Sylver, and her friends. I can feel that connection in the way they talk to each other and respond to each other's feelings and problems. It makes me appreciate the really good friends I have. They are hard to find and you can feel the love between them all.

OK. Now for the gooood stuff. Let me catch my breath....OMG!!! Mel are you serious with Zander!?!? My mouth waters whenever his name is even mentioned let alone when him and Sylver are "becoming one" with each other!!! WHY?!?! Why can't he be real?!?! Can you tell I love his character? *wink wink*

I have to say that the story really got to me. It has been a while since I have truly just enjoyed sitting down and reading a book. The story's pace was neutral in that it didn't move too fast or too slow. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. I cried when Sylver cried, I laughed when she did, I even got W** when she did..LOL. The plot idea was fantastic and I can't wait for the follow up. There is a significant cliff hanger that made me desperate for more!

I can't tell you anything else without giving it away. I would recommend this book to everyone. You just can't find writing like this anymore.

I am his Light. He is my Dark. Together, as one, we are an equal balance. Positive and negative energies collide. Abeautiful equilibrium created by the Universe. One witch. One vampire. We are a swinging pendulum, two souls made whole —as one, amalgamating our worlds. No longer afraid, I straighten. I walk over to Zander and take his hand in mine. I glance at him. With fingers entwined, our souls rendezvous, and part of the mystery between us is unveiled. My eyes shift to the figure standing among the trees. I glare. I look at Zander; he looks at me. Together, we look at him. Emeralds and sapphires lock with fire-red rubies. Seconds are too long to decipherclearly the amount of time before he vanishes. Less than one split second, then he evaporated into the night, swallowed by the Dark governing him. Magick unfurls in a moonlit night.

Mel Ballew resides in rural Pennsylvania with her husband and daughter, along with their two adorable cats.

An avid reader, she has always had an equal passion for writing and has written her entire life, to date. Her mother initially birthed, inspired, and encouraged these loves. The two often discussed writing together but unfortunately, that dream never came to fruition.

Years later, this happened, that happened—life happened.

She stepped away from writing to place more focus on being wife and a full-time mom. Today, she would not have changed a thing. The day her daughter was born became the first day she realized a significant rhythm to her heart was also born. Her daughter, now preparing to go off to college, has grown into a beautiful and responsible young adult.

A twisted turn of events in September 2009 left Mel unable to work outside of the home. Forced to consider other options, and while embracing a therapeutic approach of transcribing all of the challenges facing her, post-accident, she returned to journaling. Once again, the writer within her has been re-birthed—awakened from slumber.

Mel is a hopeless romantic. Blessed, she has her very own soul mate, which she calls husband, best friend, and lover.

She is a simple country gal, with a profound love of true simplicity. She is just as hopeless in her love of nature and regards many of her writing aspirations to appreciating its beauty, although every single story is birthed from her dreams. Sometimes, in life, simply enjoying a chilled glass of sangria on a warm summer’s eve or indulging in her love of chocolate and peanut butter is an expression of enjoying such simplicity. For her, these moments are truly d’vine.