SeaJourney by Alex Paul #FREE on kindle

SeaJourney by Alex Paul
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Source: Received to Review
Genre: Tween Action/Adventure

Book Description:  Arken Freeth is a 14-year-old boy in the Lantish Military Academy. War has broken out with the Amarrat Empire. Arken and his classmates set off on their first training voyage as officers-to-be into waters previously controlled by the Lantish Sea Service, but now patrolled by the Tookans, pirate allies of the Amarrats.


My thoughts: This is a tween/middle grade adventure book. The main character, Arken, is fourteen and about to begin an adventure training on a military ship. The book is a fantasy that has a time period similar to the Egyptian empire. The boys are on a ship that is mainly powered by oars.

Arken is smaller than the boys his age and struggles to find a place among his peers. He is an outsider. He is not part of the nobility, nor is his family poor. This puts him in a class by himself. He has a loving family who love and support him in his decisions.

The part that I had a hard time with was the amount of violence. I understand it as essential to the plot of the story and the time period the author set the book. I was a little disturbed by Arken's grandfather explaining to him how to make a person "accidentally" disappear on purpose. I'm not sure that I would want a tween child to read the book, it would be better for an older age group.

The plot is complex. Again, it would be better suited to an older reader.  It ends in a cliffhanger.  This is the first book in a series.

This is an interesting story. The characters are intriguing. I would recommend to readers 16+.

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Book Spotlight ~ My Father's House by Rose Chandler Johnson (tour giveaway)

Genre: Christian, Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, Suspense Publisher: CreateSpace Publication date: March 13, 2016 Number of pages: 314 Growing up, life is idyllic for Lily Rose Cates due to her one constant – her father’s love. But in her  sixteenth summer, all that changes without warning with her father’s sudden death. There begins  Lily’s struggle to find  herself and a life she thinks is gone forever. Marriage to her prince charming promises fulfillment, but their happily-ever-after barely survives the  honeymoon. Beneath the sophisticated façade lies a brooding man who hides dark secrets.  When all Lily’s illusions of happiness shatter, she must make hard choices – abandon her husband  or risk losing much more than her marriage. She flees their home in Detroit and sets out on a  fearful journey to a house in Georgia that her husband knows nothing about. . . .​

In spite of heartbreak and regrets, will she find the strength to survive whatever comes? Or will 

her husband find her and shatter all her hopes . . . again. This is one woman’s compelling tale of 

love and survival as she finds her way back home to faith and who she’s meant to be . . . in her 

father’s house.

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My Father’s House is Rose’s first novel. Her devotional journal, God, Me, 

and Sweet Iced Tea: Experiencing God in the Midst of Everyday Moments 

won the Georgia Author of the Year Finalist Award in 2014. It was also 

awarded the Selah Finalist Award in the same year. Rose enjoys writing for 

her blog, Write Moments with God and engaging with her readers. A 

native Georgian, Rose has lived in a suburb of Augusta for the last thirty

 years. Before retiring from Georgia’s public school system, Rose taught 

English, French, and ESOL. She is currently an adjunct English instructor at a community college.

 In addition to reading and writing, Rose enjoys cooking, sewing, gardening, and spending time with

 her six children and their growing families. And yes, sweet iced tea is her beverage of choice.

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The Echoing by Jessica Blackburn

The Echoing by Jessica Blackburn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received from Publisher to Review
Genre; YA Fantasy/Suspense



Book Description: Rylee has an unusual gift. It brings good luck to those who are kind to her and misfortune to those who are not–at least, that’s what the crazy woman in the woods tells her. But Rylee doesn’t believe it until strange coincidences start happening to her classmates and friends. Her gift may not be a matter of luck but of life and death.


My thoughts: I am impressed that this is Jessica Blackburn's debut book. I thought that it was put together very well. I liked her characters, the setting, and the premise of the book. She did a wonderful job at capturing my attention and keeping me invested in the story.

The book is about a high school student, Rylee. She takes a walk with her dog and comes across an old woman living out in the woods in a run down shack. The encounter changes her life. She finds that when someone does something bad to her, they have immediate "karma". Same thing for good deeds, the have an immediate reward. This is a burden that is had for a young woman to deal with and it quickly puts her friends and family in danger.

The book has romance. I like Merritt. He is the perfect boyfriend for her. It helps that they have know each other since childhood. He believes in her and accepts her. Her BFF is also a pretty great character, it would have been nice to see a little more of her in the story.

This book was clean with some kissing. It also deals with some tough issues. One of them is death and putting yourself at risk to protect the people you care about.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository

About the Author:  Jessica Blackburn studied at Brigham Young University—Idaho and graduated from her local community college with an Associates of Arts Degree. She currently lives in the beautiful Columbia Gorge as a stay-at-home mom. When she’s not writing stories, she spends her spare time teaching Sunday School and blogging her lessons and personal thoughts at cozybugz.blogspot.com.

Visit the Tour Stops:

August 10: Kindle and Me
August 11: Today’s the Best Day | Writing Worm
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August 14: Reidhead Random-ness
August 16: Geo Librarian
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August 18: Bookworm Lisa
August 20: A Bliss Complete
August 21: Novel-ties
August 22: Blue Bird’s Nest
August 23: Inklings and Notions
August 24: Wishful Endings | Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews | 

Frugal Mom of 8

Book Spotlight ~ True Colors by Krysten Lindsay Hager + tour giveaway

Series: Landry's True Colors Genre: Younger YA/Middle Grade, Contemporary Publisher: Clean Reads Publication date: June 17, 2014 Number of pages: 222 Landry Albright just wants to be one of the interesting  girls at school who always have exciting things going on  in their lives. She wants to stand out, but also wants to fit in,  so she gives in when her two best friends, Ericka and Tori,  push her into trying out for a teen reality show  modeling competition with them. Landry goes in nervous,  but impresses the judges enough to make it to the next  round. However, Ericka and Tori get cut and basically  "unfriend" her on Monday at school. Landry tries to make new friends, but gets caught up between  wanting to be herself and conforming to who her new friends want her to be. Along the way she  learns that modeling is nowhere as glamorous as it seems, how to deal  with  frenemies, a new crush, and that true friends see you for who you really are and like you  because of it.

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The Books in the Series

1. I started watching the show “Austin and Ally” when I came on it by accident and I thought that Austin is how I imagined Vladi Yagudin to look.

2. I participated in modeling and fashion shows at Landry’s age and wanted to show the real side of being backstage which was not as glamourous as I thought it would be. I got maced in the face with hair spray all the time.

3. I was into soap operas at Landry’s age and so I have her and Ashanti reading Soap Hotties magazine the way I would read the soap magazines for info on my soap star crushes. I remember feeling devastated every time I found one of them had a girlfriend or, worse, was married. Broke my heart. Sigh. My favorite soap was One Life to Live. I cried when it went off the air.

4. I had to wear a school uniform like Landry and even though Landry and I have very different coloring, the school colors also made me look like a dead goldfish.

5. I had best friend bracelets when I was in middle school and what’s funny is just this week my best friend sent me a BFF necklace. You can see a picture of it on my Instagram page HERE.

6. I have Landry attending a retro roller skating party for Thalia’s birthday just as she’s trying to fit in with a new group because I had the same thing happen when I was in school. I remember going to a skating party and praying I’d have someone to hang out with and sit with. I even remember what I wore to that party!

7. As a teen I internalized a lot and went to books to help me cope with stuff at school, so I put in advice on handling friend issues and frenemies (etc.) in the books for readers who are like I was at that age.

8. When coming up with the cover, I sent the cover artist, Cora Graphics, my Pinterest board of pictures I had been collecting of who I thought Landry looked like as well as her parents and friends. One of the photos of the cover models looked like she could have been the child of the “parents” I had picked out. It was crazy and that’s how I knew I found my Landry. You can find my Pinterest boards HERE.
​
9. Landry has a picture of her favorite soap actor on her door and the soap actor I was thinking of is…the same guy I pictured as being her dad. I know, so weird. But I wrote the soap crush scenes well before I came up with the father scenes. Still…weird, I know. It’s Ty Treadway I picture in case you’re wondering.

10. Both Landry’s friend Peyton in the book and my real life best friend have red hair which I was always wishing I had, too. Devon’s hair is based on a friend who I thought had the most amazing curly hair.

Krysten Lindsay Hager writes about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, frenemies, crushes, fame, first loves, and values. She is the author of True Colors, Best Friends...Forever?, Next Door to a Star, Landry in Like, and Competing with the Star (The Star Series: Book 2). Her work has been featured in USA Today, The Flint Journal, the Grand Haven Tribune, the Bellbrook Times, and on Living Dayton. GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM | WEBSITE a Rafflecopter giveaway

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August 27--

Deliverance by H.B. Moore (The Moses Chronicles #2)

Deliverance by H.B. Moore
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Source; Netgalley
Genre:  Historical Biblical Fiction

Book Description:  Experience the life of Moses as never before, following his journey from fugitive of Egypt to prophet of God. In this exhilarating follow-up to H.B. Moore’s biblical drama The Moses Chronicles: Bondage, the account of Moses’s flight from Egypt continues. Moses’s life as he knew it is over. He has chosen to stand for his beliefs at the cost of being cast out of his royal home and family. He is free of the wickedness of Egypt, but peace is not to be found, for Moses is as much an aimless wanderer as those in the nomadic tribe he encounters in the wilderness. 

Exhausted by long weeks of travel, he nevertheless jumps to action when he observes a group of young women accosted by a band of Badrayan men at a communal well. These lovely daughters of Jethro are grateful for his help, and their Midianite tribe welcomes Moses with open arms. As he learns the ways of the Midianites, his kinship with Jethro grows—as does his admiration of one of Jethro’s daughters, Zipporah. But when Moses suddenly receives a burning call to free the very people he has long oppressed, will he have the courage to return to the land from which he has been exiled?


My thoughts: This is the second book in a series, but the first that I have read. I didn't have a problem keeping up with the story, because I am familiar with the Biblical account.

This book begins after Moses left Egypt and wandered in the desert. I was amazed at how H.G. Moore brought the tribes of the harsh land alive for me. I thought about how it must have been to live during that time and circumstances. (I am very grateful for air conditioning, microwaves, etc.) It made me think about how the people who lived before us faced uncertainty and fought to survive every day.

The book made Moses and Zipporah human to me, instead of characters that I have to come to appreciate in the Bible. H.G. Moore has a gift at capturing emotion, description, and plot development. The book moved at a great pace and I liked that she had alternating perspectives between Moses and Zipporah.

This is a wonderful book to read. There is some violence between tribes and kissing.

Purchase Links:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Deseret Book 

About the Author:(Taken from Goodreads)  Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen historical novels and thrillers, written under pen name H.B. Moore. She writes women's fiction, romance and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore. This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom. Heather attended Cairo American College in Egypt, the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in Utah.

Alternate Goodreads Page: Heather B. Moore
Please join Heather's email list at: http://hbmoore.com/contact/
Blog: http://mywriterslair.blogspot.com
Website: www.hbmoore.com
Twitter: @heatherbmoore
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Thirty-Four Going On Bride by Becky Monson (Book Blast + giveaway)

Thirty-Four Going on Bride by Becky Monson

Julia Dorning is about to lose it. Between her over-the-top wedding that her sister, Anna, took upon herself to create, and the under-staffed popular bakery that she runs, she can barely find time to breathe. All Julia ever wanted was a quaint wedding on the beach with family and friends. But now Julia has to contend with not only her sister's plans, but those of her future mother-in-law, as well. Not wanting to step on anyone's toes, especially her mother-in-law's, Julia just goes along with it. She can only take so much, though, and when her newest employee, Kate, makes things harder at the bakery, Julia has to find a way to simplify her life. Can she do it or will she end up a basket case? Find out how she does it in this hilarious conclusion to the Spinster series!

Author Becky Monson

By day, Becky Monson is a mother to three young children, and a wife. By night, she escapes with reading books and writing. In her debut novel, Becky uses humor and true-life experiences to bring her characters to life. She loves all things chick-lit (movies, books, etc.), and wishes she had a British accent. She has recently given up Diet Coke for the fiftieth time and is hopeful this time will last... but it probably won't.

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Praise for the Book

"My favorite of the series!" - Author Jennifer Peel

"Becky Monson did it again!" - Amazon Reviewer

"It’s rare that I want to give a book six stars, but this is certainly one of them." -Blogger Connie Fischer, Bookworm2bookworm

Read an Excerpt

********************

“Pick it up, Julia! You can do this!”

I’m in the seventh circle of hell.

“Come on! Let’s move faster!” My sister Anna yells over the construction that we’re currently passing. As expected, we get a few whoops and whistles tossed at us from the workers. Pity flattery, I’m sure. Well, maybe not for Anna, but certainly for me. There’s absolutely nothing attractive about me right now.

To start, I don’t know if I’ve ever sweated this hard in my life. I look like I’ve taken a shower fully clothed. I’m sticky and perspiring, and it’s not even that hot outside. It’s a typical day near the end of May in Denver, Colorado. How did I let Anna convince me to do this? Oh that’s right, there was no convincing. She forced me. “It’ll be good for you,” she had said, lying through her devil teeth.

At this point I don’t know if my lungs will ever be the same. They actually ache with pain. And then there’s the ache in my calves, and really every other part of my body. Whoever thought of running as an extracurricular activity should be shot. A form of torture, yes. Exercise? I’d rather get a tooth pulled without Novocain.

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$100 Blast Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 9/1/16

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Fresh Starts by Kimberly Krey

Fresh Starts: Bree's Story by Kimberly Krey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received to Review
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Book Description:  Bree has had her fair share of difficulties. The loss of her parents, a not-so-recent divorce, and the disruption of her life caused by a stalker now who’s serving jail time. When the determined criminal finishes his sentence, Bree is sent into hiding. And while she’s doing all she can to steer clear of this frightening piece of her past, an old acquaintance enters the scene, determined to be part of her future. 



My thoughts: People make an impact on each other, both for the good and the bad. Bree has had some bad experiences and insecurities because of a stalker that caused her to fear and to loose trust in people. She put everyone in a box. She basically profiled the people around her based on their personality to decide who she could let in and who she had to keep out.

Bree's stalker is being released from prison. To keep him from finder her, she is sent to an orchard in Oregon, far away from her children and family in Montana. Her brother hired a bodyguard, someone she knew from high school and put in a box as a dangerous person to let into her life.

I enjoyed this story of two people getting to know each other. Grayson has had feelings for Bree since Elementary School, but his affection was never returned. Now he is protecting Bree and finding that she is better than he imagined as a teenager.

This story was fun to read. I liked both Grayson and Bree. They are forced to spend time together in a remote orchard without their friends and family around. For Bree it was enlightening, she learned that she had put Grayson in the wrong box, or at least that her system was flawed. I loved that Grayson looked out more for Bree and her feelings than he did his own.

This is a cute and fun book to read. It is a romance with kissing.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

About the Author: (taken from Goodreads)  Kimberly Krey specializes in writing "romance that’s clean without losing the steam!" 

She’s a reader of good, clean romance, a lover of family time and Diet Coke, and the ultimate hater of laundry. She discovered her love for writing in college when given a creative writing assignment. She still remembers sitting in the lamplight’s glow, crafting words to depict the vision in her head. That assignment sparked a passion within her. It took years to return to that passion, but now that she has, she counts it among her greatest blessings.

Krey is author of the top-selling Sweet Montana Bride series, as well as its companion series, Second Chances. 

Follow Kimberly on Amazon to receive updates on new releases.http://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Krey/e... 

The Saga of Kings: The Immortal Crown by Kieth Merrill

The Immortal Crown by Kieth Merrill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Netgallye
Genre: Epic Fantasy

Book Description:  A thousand years ago, the Navigator possessed thirteen stones touched by Oum’ilah, the God of gods. Over time, these power-ful stones of light were scattered and a prophecy arose declaring that a “child of no man” would gather them again, and he would be given immortality and reign forever as god and king of Kandelaar.

Now, in an age of chaos, the time has come for the prophecy to be fulfilled. Light and darkness have each chosen a champion to claim the legendary stones:
The sorceress of the cult of she-dragon has chosen Drakkor, a warrior and mercenary who travels with bandits and a corrupt stone of darkness.

The Oracle of Oum’ilah has placed his faith in Ashar, a young postulant who is unsure the stones of light even exist.

Meanwhile, miles away, a slave named Ereon Qhuin dreams of freedom. Abandoned at birth, his only possession is a strange stone that he believes is the key to his destiny and freedom.

A mercenary, a postulant, and a slave—which one is truly the child of prophecy? Who will wear the immortal crown?

My thoughts: The key word to this series is "Saga". Kieth Merrill has taken on a huge project. His book is full of complex characters and situations. The plot has subplot after subplot. There are many characters and sometimes it takes a minute from chapter to chapter to figure out which person and situation you are reading about. It would be hard for me to write character names and who goes where, when, how, and why!

In spite of the problems I had transitioning from character and story, I really enjoyed this book. It has been a long time since I've read a book that makes me use my brain to catch up. I appreciated the change of pace.

The basic premise of the story is there are powerful men who want to remain in power, there are others who want the power, and there are a few who are called to rise up, not to get the power because it is their destiny to change.

The land has had great evil come upon it. Two young men, one trained in religion and the other a slave are a force for good. Their God has held them in reserve and given them opportunities to learn so that they can overcome the evil. One needs to find the 13 stones touched by God to restore goodness. The other is a possessor of a stone. It will be interesting to see how their paths cross and how they work together.

The book is violent. It is a war between good and evil. The evil people are very evil and seek dominion by destroying those who get in their way. There is innuendo, concubines, noticing women's figures, etc. I would suggest this book to mature readers.

Purchase Links:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository * Deseret Book

About the Author: (taken from Deseret Book)  Kieth Merrill is a writer, producer and director. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Director's Guild of America. Merrill is a two-time Oscar nominee and winner of the Academy Award for his film The Great American Cowboy. Two of his films have been listed in the top 100 independent films of all time. The Evolution of Thomas Hall is his first novel. He and his wife, Dagny, are the parents of eight children and live in the Sierra foothills of Northern California's gold country.