{Blog Tour} Everlasting by Candace Knoebel {Review, Teaser & Playlist}

*Today I am very excited to be a part of the Everlasting Blog Tour! I totally flipped over this book and can't wait to fangirl over it!!! Seriously you have to read this book!

*Received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Book Blurb~

What if your destiny lay on the other side of death? 
The annual Culling ceremony is a day every coming-of-age novice looks forward to within the Primeval Coven. It’s the start to being initiated into the Night Watchmen, humankind’s protectors, and it’s the long-awaited day when novices discover if they’re a Hunter or a Witch. 
But this day is not a happy one for Faye Middleton. Not when she’s known her whole life that she’s a Defect and is about to face banishment in front of her fellow novices. She’s forced to attend the Culling with little hope for her future, but what she discovers about herself is far worse than she could’ve imagined. And far more dangerous. 
Thrown into training and separated from her friends, Faye must learn to adjust. She struggles to find her place within the Coven, and with Jaxen Gramm, the darkly handsome and extremely unnerving man assigned to watch and protect her. Emotions run high, and when she discovers a deadly secret about him, her struggles deepen. As corruption within the Coven begins to unravel, Faye pieces together her role in saving the future of her people, and within Jaxen’s life...but will the truth save her, or be her undoing? 
GENRE: Paranormal Romance

Helpful Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

*So how about a teaser from one of my favorite swoon worthy moments in this book?? Knew you couldn't resist! Meet Jaxen... *sigh* oh and Faye. She's there too :) (she's awesome)

~Teaser~

From Chapter 10

“Come here,” he says, his tone low, husky. My heart flaps harder, wilder. He’s looking straight into the mirror. I want to be that mirror looking back at him, drowning in his eyes and words of want. His back is a mountain of lean, cut muscles. His fists are pressed against the counter, held tight and firm. Thick veins stick out from under his skin, just waiting for my fingers to trail over.

I find myself just a step away from him, my heart hammering against my chest. I don’t know why. He’s helping me, nothing more, so why do I feel so lightheaded and flushed inside? Why does my skin crave for his touch, a touch that’s sure to come, even if full of innocence?

He moves just enough to fit me in between him and the counter. I swallow down my nerves and stand in front of him, resting a hand against the marbled countertop to help stabilize me. I try not to notice the tension in his body, the way his eyes close when my leg brushes against his, the way he licks his lips when our faces come just a breath’s length away from each other.

His eyes open, and he holds me with his gaze. He allows me to see past his titanium wall. In front of him, gazing into his endless, green eyes, I know I could fall at any moment, physically and emotionally, and this scares the hell out of me. I barely know him, yet, I feel like I’ve known him forever.

He reaches behind me and turns the hot water on. He’s so close, so unbelievably close, my fingers almost slip out from under me. There’s no steadying my heart, no taming my breathing as he waits for the water to heat before wetting the towel. He lifts his other hand, and it hovers next to my waist like he’s waiting for something; a sign, an approval. I close my eyes, breathe in, and then his hand drifts down my waist where it comes to rest on top of my hip.

My breathing stops, along with my heart. My muscles clench with want. I curse the material between my skin and his hand. I want to give in to whatever delirium has taken over my rational thinking.

He gently pushes me back against the counter. The back of my legs bump against it, stopping me as he closes the distance between us. The way his body ever so slightly presses against mine ignites a flame inside of me, burning and aching for more of his touch. His hand lifts, slightly shaking, and then brushes the hair from my face until it comes to rest at the base of my neck. He’s a pyromancer, controlling and building the fire within me. The firmness of his grip sends heat to places I’ve never felt heat before.

His eyes lock on mine. His other hand lifts, bringing the towel just to the edge of my lip where the cut is. I wince when he presses it against my mouth and squeeze my eyes shut. Shut the pain off, I tell myself. I had during the fight without even trying. I open my eyes again and focus on the color of his, the deep evergreen color that displays wisdom. He’s looking down at my mouth, still wiping away blood. His eyes brush mine again, and then move to the cut on the side of my eyebrow.

My heart feels like it could drift away at any moment with all the fluttering. There’s such a gentleness about him, a kindness that has yet to be shown, and yet, here he is, showing it to me, to someone who had brought this upon herself.

My Review

So usually when I do reviews I like to give you a little recap of the book, but this time I've decided to give you the Top Ten reasons I loved this book and you will too!

1. Jaxen *drool* *Swoon* *sigh* Yea he deserves all that and way way more!

2. Faye. The main character in which this story is about. At first she is all sweet, innocent and down on herself, but by the time this book is over she is freaking kick butt and can stand with the best of them.

3. Magic... magic... and more freaking awesome magic!

4. Action. This book is chock full of great action... fight scenes with weapons + fight scenes with magic= the best action around! (You know because I get everything I love in one, action and magic. It really is the perfect combination. Trust me, K.)

5. The characters. Seriously, all the characters in Everlasting are amazing and will completely blow you away. And I mean every character. You can tell that Candace Knoebel takes the time to thoroughly develop each and every one of her characters, taking great care in building them into people that we can all love.... or hate. Or love to hate!

6. The story. I love this story. No it is not a completely original idea, it has elements from multiple great books. But it's how Candace Knoebel takes those elements and twists them and warps them that makes this story seem original. She is what breathes life into it and it works. It's beautiful. I loved this story so much I didn't want to put it down, seriously, I had to pry the kindle out of my hands at 1:30 in the morning because I had to be awake in less than 4 hours. 

7. Pacing. This sort of goes along with #6, the pacing of this story is perfect. From the minute you start this book things just flow. The story is constantly moving forward and has a perfect mix of action and story. This is just one of the reasons I couldn't put this book down.

8. Jaxen... yes he deserves to be on this list twice! Hell you are lucky this entire list isn't just Jaxen. Read this book and you will understand my fixation. 

9. Did I mention that Jaxen has an equally awesome brother named Gavin?? I didn't. Well shame on me. Yes there are two freaking amazing guys in this book. Ok so there are more than two, but these are the two that really count.

And.....

10. Balance. (you thought I was going to say Jaxen again didn't you? Yea I was.) Everlasting has perfect balance. With all the action going on in this story Candace Knoebel does an amazing job of keeping the story balanced. There is never too much of one thing. This book is the perfect harmony of action, magic, humor, mystery, and of course love! 

Bottom line.... you need to read this book, if not for the amazing characters, deep story, incredible heart pounding pacing and perfect balance... then you have to read it for Jaxen! Yup I said it.

*Now to find out about some of the musical inspiration....

Everlasting Playlist

I have a huge playlist. I used Spotify a lot while writing.

For the scene inspiration, I used these songs:

1.       Wish by Still Corners

2.      Drive Darling by Boy

3.      Before I Ever Met You by Banks

4.      Ash Tree Lane by Ms Mr

5.      The Suburbs by Mr Little Jeans

For inspiration behind Faye and how she felt, I used these songs:

1.       Run Cried the Crawling by Agnes Obel

2.      Boy by Emma Louise

3.      Breathe in Breathe out by Thelma Plum

4.      Navigate by Band of Skulls

5.      Siren Song by Bat for Lashes

For inspiration behind Jaxen and how he felt, I used these songs:

1.       Something You Can’t Ignore by Josh Auer

2.      Volcano by Damien Rice

3.      Bloodstream by Stateless

4.      Be Here Now by Ray LaMontagne

5.      The Lightning Strike by Snow Patrol

For inspiration behind their love scenes, I used these songs:

1.       Wasting My Young Years by London Grammar

2.      Distance by Christina Perri

3.      To Be Alone With You by Sufjan Stevens

4.      Letters From the Sky by Civil Twilight

5.      The Loved Ones by Sanders Bohlke