Happy Book Birthday I See Me Review by Meghan Ciana Doidge!

The day I turned nineteen, I expected to gain what little freedom I could within the restrictions of my bank account and the hallucinations that had haunted me for the last six years. I expected to drive away from a life that had been dictated by the tragedy of others and shaped by the care of strangers. I expected to be alone.

Actually, I relished the idea of being alone.

Instead, I found fear I thought I’d overcome. Uncertainty I thought I’d painstakingly planned away. And terror that was more real than anything I’d ever hallucinated before.

I’d seen terrible, fantastical, and utterly impossible things … but not love. Not until I saw him.

Want to be the first to know? Make sure you’ve signed up for the new release mailing list.

Excerpt 

 – I See Me (Oracle 1), Chapter 1

“There’s that guy again.” Sprawled facedown over the black vinyl chair, I had a perfect view of West Broadway through the storefront window of Get Inked.

“What guy?” Tyler muttered as he hunched over my bare shoulder with his two-coil tattoo machine. Someone had to come up with a better name for that, other than ‘tattoo gun.’ Most ink artists hated calling it that.

“That guy … from the pizza place two days ago. The guy who tried to buy me a slice of pepperoni, like I eat meat.” I didn’t point. I wasn’t stupid enough to move my shoulder and risk ruining the ink.

All Tyler had to do was look up and he’d see the guy drinking a venti Starbucks and leaning against the pockmarked concrete wall of the convenience store across the street. A tall, skinny guy wearing black jeans and a knit hat in an attempt to look like a hipster, but really just hiding stringy, dirty blond hair. I was serious about the ‘dirty’ part, as in actual dirt. If the guy let his teeth yellow any worse, they’d match his hair. At least he hadn’t actually smelled when he sidled up to me a couple of days ago.

“The daisy would look so much cooler with some color,” Tyler muttered. He wasn’t easy to distract once he had the two-coil in hand. Normally I liked that about him.

“Red … pink?”

“It’s a peony.”

“What?”

“A peony. And daisies aren’t red.”

“Fine. I’ll stick with the boring black, as usual.” Tyler snapped a used cartridge out of his tattoo machine and plugged in a new one. Then he started filling in the edges of my newest design.

I’d copied my peony sketch onto transfer paper about two hours ago, and Tyler and I had argued over its placement for another hour. It had taken me three months to get the flower design exactly right — as perfect as I’d seen it in my head — and ready for its permanent place on my shoulder.

I had a tattoo of barbed wire with various things snagged in the spikes running up my left arm. The ‘things’ were eclectic — keys, spiders … even a black-and-white Canadian flag. With the addition of the peony, I was getting Tyler to extend the tattoo over my shoulder now. Eventually, it would meet and intermingle about two-thirds of the way across my back with the ivy leaf pattern that ran up my right arm.

“I don’t like him,” I said. The guy across the street was playing with something, rolling something silver around in his hand. Pedestrians were steadily passing by him in either direction, but he hadn’t once bothered to glance up from his phone.

West Broadway was a major artery through this part of the city. It ran all the way from Burnaby up to the University of British Columbia, which was pretty much as west as it got without running into the Pacific Ocean. As was typical for January in Vancouver, the day was gray.

Despite the cloud cover, I kept catching flashes of silver when the light hit whatever the guy was fooling around with. It was probably some creepy magic trick with coins or something.

“He tried to talk to me.”

“He must be insane then. Who would want to talk to you?” Tyler was joking, but it wasn’t that far from the truth. I could count my friends on one hand. If I included my social-worker-of-the-day, I’d have to use my thumb.

My Review

OH EM GEE!! I love this one! It's set in the world with Jade, not just around Jade. You'll get to see her pop in, but it's got a different feel. I'm not quite sure how to describe it. It'll make your heart break and make you cheer all at the same time. Oh I'm definitely hooked! 

So, Rochelle is an orphan, who is finally growing out of the foster care system. She has plans. To not ever be tied down by the foster care system again. She wants freedom and to not be looked at as a freak because they've labeled her psychotic. She doesn't know she's got a magical ability. NO, she thinks she's bat shit crazy and she is just trying to find a way to live her life without that stopping her. And then she meets Beau. Beau opens her eyes not only to herself but to a world she never knew existed right around her. She's a strong girl, but damn if I didn't wanna hug her and cry for her. She's had a rough go of it. And I am so glad she found Beau to make it more bearable. 

Beau is fan-fricking-tastic. I love him. He's special and such a wonderful character to have in this story. I am totally love with him. Beau has fallen for Rochelle but he not only has to protect her from the bad guys but from herself too, all the while trying to help her understand what's happening around her. 

We get to see Jade and Des and Candy, but we are also seeing that evil sorcerer who needs to die horribly. LOL I loved this. That they make an appearance in here. I am so hoping it continues like this. :) AND I loved the plot, and the way the story unfolds, and how it's mysterious while being a paranormal romance to top it off. I am looking forward to seeing what's gunna happen between Rochelle and Beau and how that little deal Rochelle made with you know who. I want MORE MORE MORE... Gimme please :) 5 BEASTLY PAWS!!! 

About Meghan & TBR

Hi!  I’m an award-winning writer and independent filmmaker. I live in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with my husband, Michael, three persian cats, one turtle, and fishes. I have a penchant for bloody love stories, superheroes, and the supernatural. I also have a thing for chocolate, potatoes, and sock yarn.

Novels
(in order of release)

After The Virus
Spirit Binder
Time Walker
Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic (Dowser 1)
Trinkets, Treasures, and Other Bloody Magic (Dowser 2)
Treasures, Demons, and Other Black Magic (Dowser 3)
I See Me (Oracle 1)

Novellas and Short Stories

Love Lies Bleeding
The Graveyard Kiss (currently found for FREE in the Kiss Anthology)

Web Series

SiftingRealities

To Be Released

Shadows, Maps and Other Ancient Magic – Dowser 4 (Winter 2014)
Untitled – Dowser 5 (Spring 2015)
Untitled – Oracle 2 (Summer 2015)
Untitled – Dowser 6 (Fall 2015)
Untitled – Reconstructionist 1, 2 & 3 – an urban fantasy mystery – to be released weekly (Fall 2015)
———————-

Questions? Email me at info [at] madebymeghan.ca. T Oh, when I remember to do so, I occasionally use Amazon Affiliate links

I hope you guys check this one out :)  Ms M!!! I am so excited for you!! :) Happy book birthday!! :) Happy reading and later gators!