Sunday, March 17, 2013

Silent Echoes Blog Tour


 Welcome to the Silent Echoes 
(A Games of Zues Novel)
 Blog Tour!





Silent Echoes is a "Games of Zeus" novel but it's not a traditional mythological conundrum. No, as the author, I’ve taken quite the liberties in creating a situation Zeus could have use to mess with we puny humans. 

So, to have a little fun as Silent Echoes releases this month, my host here at Dark Obsession Chronicles has challenged me to create a Game of Zeus out of Carcassonne!

How could Zues use Carcassonne upon two unsuspecting humans? How could he manipulate a seemingly inocuous game into a maniacal, devious relationship conflict? Oh, let me count the ways ... or rather, let me show you.

Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a tile-based German-style board game for two to five players. The game board is a medieval landscape built by the players as the game progresses. (There is a 'big bag' of game tiles that each player draws from on their turn.) The game starts with a single terrain tile face up and 71 others shuffled face down for the players to draw from. On each turn, a player draws a new terrain tile and places it adjacent to tiles that are already face up. The new tile must be placed in a way that extends features on the tiles it abuts: roads must connect to roads, fields to fields, and cities to cities. A part of a game board after several turns. After placing each new tile, the placing player may opt to station a piece (called a "follower") on a feature of that newly-placed tile (like a castle, a road, a farm, a monastery ... whatever options appear on that piece.) The placing player may not use a follower to claim any features of the tile that extend or connect features already claimed by another player. However, it is possible for terrain features claimed by opposing players to become "shared" by the subsequent placement of tiles connecting them. For example, two field tiles which each have a follower can become connected into a single field by another terrain tile. The game ends when the last tile has been placed. At that time, all features (including fields) score points for the players with the most followers on them. The player with the most points wins the game.

Before we get to the ultimate Carcassonne Romance ... let me tell you a little about Silent Echoes.


For years, Ian Sands has enjoyed his life as a bachelor, taking advantage of singlehood and exploring his own definition of passion—whoever she may be. Blonde. Brunette. Tall. Short. Hot. Not. Five months ago, all that changed.

Ian’s been celibate, frustrated and desperately seeking answers to why one woman, who doesn’t play by girls’ rules, haunts his every waking moment.

As a renovations specialist, Taylor Marsh lives, works and breathes construction—a profession her southern belle of a mother would rather Taylor not touch. The same goes for Ian; Mama Marsh would never approve of him.

Like Ian, though, each time he and Taylor draw near, something compels her to get closer.

Something else tells her to run away.

Fast.

As much as their histories suggest they shouldn’t be together, neither Taylor nor Ian can deny the pull, and the two succumb, indulging in a relationship that brings pleasure to body, mind and soul.

Doing so, though, also ushers in a series of events both should have foreseen as well as one final outcome neither expected.



And now ... 
Carcassonne
I’m seeing a real estate game akin to Monopoly in this German-style game. What could Zeus do with a game where the board is built tile by tile and the player with the most points when it’s all built wins? Let me tell you!

So ... in the world of business, acquisition of real estate is a big and powerful game in and of itself. Pitting two players against each other in the gaining of this ‘land’ is a great conflict, especially with both have a stake in the final piece. Who will get that one last bit? Who’ll ultimately have enough money or enough clout to influence the right people along the way such that when they reach that last moment, they are the victors? Who will be the strategic visionary, capability of masterminding the whole situation.

In this case, both could, so what would Zeus do to twist the end result? Well ... whoever plays the last piece that ends the game forfeits. Now, that’s not how the game is played, you say. Of course it isn’t! That’s the beauty of being a ‘god’ and being able to manipulate anyone in any way. 

If there’s a positive end result for someone, the best way to ruin it is to ensure that the soon-to-be winner becomes the loser. Now how does this play into a relationship game? This soon-to-be-loser will be losing to someone he or she doesn’t love, maybe even doesn’t like, but to regain his or her position as the ‘top dog’ they’re going to do everything they can to be the right-hand-man ... or girl. Yep, if it’s him, he’ll want to marry her just so he can have it all. If it’s her, she’ll do the same. 

Cold and calculating? Surely, but in romance, things will change. They have to, otherwise, we’ll never get a happily ever after. Could two people who had it all, beat each other in a game and end up together survive and thrive? Sure then can in a land of make believe ... or anywhere else.

And there you have it. What do you think? Is Carcassonne a possible Game of Zeus?




Aimee is a romantic at heart and a southern transplant with a bit of the accent (but not a whole bunch). She's married to her high school sweetheart, and with him, she's produced three native North Carolinians, two of whom share the same DNA.

With an MBA and a degree in Applied Mathematics, there's absolutely no reason she should be writing romance novels. Then again, she shouldn't need a calculator to add two numbers, either ... but she does.


http://www.facebook.com/aimee.laine

 I'm still in the process of reading 


which is the first book in the Games of Zeus series.  This is more of a paranormal romance, as each book follows a different H/h (couple); but you can still learn about some of the characters in Silent Echoes in the first book.  I figured, I should read book one (I'm an anal reader like that...) and my, Oh my!  I'm not done yet, circumstances have created less reading time very recently, but I am loving each and every second of this book, and look forward to Silent Echoes.  It's so hot, it's smokin', and I'm a BIG fan of the hero (and his earring) and have even grown fond of the future hero for book #2.  Men that live "in the gray" are exciting and unpredictible.  It's almost that same thing that draws me to motorcycle romance books as well.  Toeing the line can be such fun!  I will definitely be adding these books to my recommendation list, and can't wait to read Aimee's other titles.  I am just smitten.


Just based upon 62% of Book One... I'm leaning toward this rating:





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