Escape with Peace River

Peace River

By: Jaclyn M. Hawkes

The Goodreads Blurb: The police didn't understand the danger, but she did. Her father had always been abusive, but now, with a ten million dollar Thoroughbred farm on the line, and a powerful bookie leaning on him, her father had become out of control. But how do you get away and take a world famous stallion with you? Carrie was getting desperate when a handsome and honorable but thoroughly cynical rodeo cowboy from Wyoming happened to show up with a horse trailer. He didn't ride a white horse, but he was definitely a knight in shining armor. He'll protect her from the mob, but can she survive falling in love with a bull rider?
First I want to make readers aware that this is a LDS contemporary romance. So if religious aspects or mentions are unappealing to you then don't read this book. I felt that the religious aspect was well written and it added another dimension to the characters. Being a Christian myself I felt it made the characters more realistic to me and think that it doesn't detract from the overall story, but adds to the theme of the book.
This book had a lot of things I enjoyed. I read it on a plane ride where I was delayed and had to sit on the tarmac for over and hour. It was the perfect escape from the diaper smelling plane I was stuck on. I loved horses and enjoyed reading about the cowboys and horse events. Being a horse back rider I could tell immediately that Jaclyn Hawkes was also a rider. She was so realistic when writing about the experience of traveling to horse shows and caring for horses.
I loved Carrie and could see why she had so many loyal friends. Despite the many things that go wrong for her she had this quiet personal strength that I really admired. I felt that she was a wonderful example of persevering through life and the trials we are given.
The reason Peace River lost a star for me is I couldn't quite accept that depiction of the police. While I know that sometimes police forces don't intervene when called upon, it seemed to me that I couldn't understand why they weren't getting involved here and if that was realistic or not. I also found it strange that she mostly stayed in Carrie's perspective, but occasionally would throw in another point of view and it wasn't always a smooth transition.
Overall if you want a enjoyable clean romance that has horses, hot men, and religious tones take a leap of faith and give Peace River a chance.
Check out Peace River on Goodreads and Amazon.

Cassie Scot Blog Tour with Giveaway

Join Christine Amsden, author of the paranormal mystery novel, Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective, as she tours the blogosphere May 13 - August 16, 2013 on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book! This tour is part of a huge Kindle Fire HD Giveaway. If interested in signing up for a review, interview, guest post, or book spotlight, please let us know by contacting Tracee at tgleichner (at) gmail.com or leave a comment below along with your contact information.

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ABOUT CASSIE SCOT: PARANORMAL DETECTIVE

Cassie Scot is the ungifted daughter of powerful sorcerers, born between worlds but belonging to neither. At 21, all she wants is to find a place for herself, but earning a living as a private investigator in the shadow of her family’s reputation isn’t easy. When she is pulled into a paranormal investigation, and tempted by a powerful and handsome sorcerer, she will have to decide where she truly belongs. Purchase at:

ABOUT CHRISTINE AMSDEN

Christine Amsden has been writing science fiction and fantasy for as long as she can remember. She loves to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired by this love and by her stories. Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but great speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. Christine writes primarily about people and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone. At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt's Disease, a condition that effects the retina and causes a loss of central vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or get in the way of her dreams. (You can learn more here.) In addition to writing, Christine teaches workshops on writing at Savvy Authors. She also does some freelance editing work. Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her success. They have two beautiful children. Her latest book is Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

 

WATCH THE TRAILER!

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Pump Up Your Book and Christine Amsden are teaming up to give you a chance to win a new Kindle Fire HD!

Here's how it works:

Each person will enter this giveaway by liking, following, subscribing and tweeting about this giveaway through the Rafflecopter form placed on blogs throughout the tour. If your blog isn't set up to accept the form, we offer another way for you to participate by having people comment on your blog then directing them to where they can fill out the form to gain more entries. This promotion will run from May 13 - August 16. The winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter, contacted by email and announced on August 17, 2013. Each blogger who participates in the Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective virtual book tour is eligible to enter and win. Visit each blog stop below to gain more entries as the Rafflecopter widget will be placed on each blog for the duration of the tour. If you would like to participate, email Tracee at tgleichner(at)gmail.com. What a great way to not only win this fabulous prize, but to gain followers and comments too! Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective Virtual Book Publicity Tour Schedule

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Monday, May 13 - Book reviewed at Sara's Organized Chaos

Tuesday, May 14 - Book trailer reveal at Margay Leah Justice

Wednesday, May 15 - Book spotlight at The Busy Mom's Daily

Thursday, May 16 - Character interview at Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews

Friday, May 17 - Book reviewed at By the Broomstick

Monday, May 20 - Interviewed at Review From Here

Tuesday, May 21 - First chapter reveal at Offbeat Vagabond

Wednesday, May 22 - Book reviewed at Offbeat Vagabond

Thursday, May 23 - Guest blogging at You Gotta Read

Monday, May 27 - Book reviewed at My Cozie Corner

Thursday, May 30 - Guest blogging at Miki's Hope

Monday, June 3 - Guest blogging at Janna Shay

Tuesday, June 4 - Guest blogging at The Book Connection

Thursday, June 6 - Book reviewed at Miki's Hope

Monday, June 10 - Interviewed at From the TBR Pile

Tuesday, June 11 - First chapter reveal at By the Broomstick

Wednesday, June 12 - Book reviewed at Waiting on Sunday to Drown

Thursday, June 13 - First chapter reveal at Butterfly-o-Meter Books

Friday, June 14 - Interviewed at Literal Exposure

Monday, June 17 - Book reviewed at Carol's Notebook

Wednesday, June 19- First chapter reveal at Inside BJ's Head

Thursday, June 20 - Book reviewed at Quilted Reviews

Friday, June 21 - First chapter reveal at Literary Winner

Monday, June 24 - Interviewed at The Writer's Life

Tuesday, June 25 - Guest blogging at Janna Shay

Wednesday, June 26 - Book reviewed at From the TBR Pile

Thursday, June 27 - First chapter reveal at As the Pages Turn

Friday, June 28 - Interviewed at American Chronicle

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Above Rubies Blog Tour and Giveaway

 

Tour Schedule

Above Rubies

His chivalry was strangling her. He thought he was helping her—and in truth, he was. She was in desperate straits. But as honorable as he was, he was also breaking her heart. Her attraction was drowning him. When World Champion rodeo cowboy Rossen Rockland and his friends rescue a young runaway who has been abused by her foster father and take her home to his parents’ ranch, he expects her to turn out to be a pain in the neck. And sometimes she is. It doesn’t take him long to figure out that she has way more than her allotment of troubles—and far more than her share of gifts. Lovely, talented, and ravingly brilliant, Kit Star is too young, unbelievably humble, and oh, so loveable. Knowing that she needs his protection and time to grow into her potential, Rossen also figures out that what she really is, is a pain in the heart. Watch for more of the Rockland Ranch Series!  

Praise for Above Rubies:

I absolutely could not put this book down. It had me laughing, crying, angry and pretty much every other emotion. I can not wait for the next one in the series to come out. Keep them coming!!! ~Addicted to Books This is the second book in the Rockland Ranch Romance Series. It can be read as a stand alone or copies of Peace River can be supplied if you would also like to review it.  

Amazon

Peace River (Book 1)

The police didn't understand the danger, but she did. Her father had always been abusive, but now, with a ten million dollar Thoroughbred farm on the line, and a powerful bookie leaning on him, her father had become out of control. But how do you get away and take a world famous stallion with you? Carrie was getting desperate when a handsome and honorable but thoroughly cynical rodeo cowboy from Wyoming happened to show up with a horse trailer. He didn't ride a white horse, but he was definitely a knight in shining armor. He'll protect her from the mob, but can she survive falling in love with a bull rider?  

Praise for Peace River

"Give me a clean romance, humor and a good looking cowboy and I'm a happy girl. LDS fiction isn't always my favorite but I really enjoyed the characters and adventure in this book." ~Carol - Goodreads "There was plenty of action, adventure and danger to keep me guessing just how everything was going to turn out. I didn't want to put it down until I finished! Jaclyn Hawkes is one of my favorite LDS romance authors. You really can't go wrong with any of her books that you pick up!" ~Cathy -Goodreads

Amazon

 

Author Jaclyn M. Hawkes

Jaclyn M. Hawkes grew up in Utah with 6 sisters, 4 brothers and any number of pets. (It was never boring!) She got a bachelor’s degree, had a career and traveled extensively before settling down to her life’s work of being the mother of four magnificent and sometimes challenging children. She loves shellfish, the out of doors, the youth and hearing her children laugh. She and her fine husband, their family, and their sometimes very large pets, now live in a mountain valley in northern Utah, where it smells like heaven and kids still move sprinkler pipe.

Website

  Book Blast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 6/11/13   a Rafflecopter giveaway 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, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Prize value $50 US.

Escape with Undeadly

Undeadly

By: Michele Vail

The Goodreads Blurb: Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she's shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath.  Life at Nekyia has its plusses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her there out of the blue, for another...except, there's something a little off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one thing is certain—-Molly's got an undeadly knack for finding trouble...

Undeadly was a book I bought on a day I was feeling low. The premise seemed like it had so much promise. I love mythology and was excited by the idea of modernized Egyptian mythology. So I went into the book with a lot of excitement and found it to be a disappointment.
Undeadly had two major flaws. The first was the plot. The plot was confusing. The book throws you into a world of necromancy with explanations and new facts emerging in an order that had me stumbling to catch up. It also included sub-plots that were hard to follow or understand. I felt like the book included useless aspects as well as wandering plot lines.
The second major flaw was the characters. Molly Bartolucci was the most annoying character! I couldn't connect with her and often she just grated on my nerves. I often felt she behaved much younger and immaturely than any sixteen year olds I have been around. I 
I was excited by the idea of a necromancy boarding school, but was left frustrated and was let down. I know that some maybe can overlook these issues, or may disagree that they exist.While I'm not going to read Undeadly again I understand that some people really enjoyed it.
Check out Undeadly on Goodreads or Amazon.

Escape with the Scent of a Soul

The Scent of a Soul

By: Jennifer Thompson

The Goodreads Blurb: Fleeing her recent past, Lilliah Woods finds refuge in the anonymity of the present day inner-city slums. As she settles into the seedy apartment she must now call home, she meets mysterious Marek Jamison when he materializes in her doorway demanding to know who she is. From that moment, he becomes a guardian and guide as she gradually discovers his hidden world. As their relationship develops, Lilliah learns of Marek's dark past and of a brothers' quarrel he has been embroiled in for years. The quarrel turns into a larger battle of good and evil, liberty versus tyranny, and the separation of love and lust. With Lilliah as the ultimate prize, the deadly conflict reaches out to threaten her family, and the outcome of the final battle will determine her fate. Lilliah must embark on an unexpected path that teaches her to trust in the man she has come to love, and give of herself as she never thought she could...


When I first heard the title I was a little thrown, but after reading the book I felt it really fit the novel. I was grateful that Jennifer Thompson gave me the chance to read her novel. I could tell a lot of time went into this work and it really was a success.
The novel is very long, at 57 chapters and 464 pages, but I don't feel like anything could have been left out. I read it in one day because the action makes it difficult to put down! I was frustrated every time I had to stop reading. I also felt like I got way more of a story. It builds up multiple characters and develops the major ones very strongly. I felt like it gives you more then most novels and this may come from the length or from the writing.
Lilliah is a strong female lead who I really admired and connected with. She values her family, sticks to her values, and knows how to take care of herself. But I also like that she can accept help and isn't too proud either. I think that she was a driving force for me in this book, because I liked her reactions and personality.
I love the relationship she develops with Marek. I felt the pacing for relationships and actions were well-done. I know for me I couldn't help but drool over some of the descriptions of Marek and go "I want one!". I also appreciated that this was a clean romance, since I always prefer not having to read that sort of thing.
I think all fans of paranormal romance will enjoy this read. It keeps your attention and is worth a chance. I know she is writing a continuation of two of the side characters stories called The Sound of a Silent Heart and I plan to read it when it comes out!
Check out The Scent of a Soul on Goodreads and Amazon.

Top Ten Tuesday 4

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Top Ten Things to Read When You Need Something Light and Fun
I think I am going to agree with what I have found to be the consensus of this weeks Top Ten Tuesday, which is that this is a great list because we all have days where all we need is a light, fun book to cheer us up! While I had a few I tend to turn to myself, finding ten was harder then I thought. So I decided I'm just going to post the covers of a six books I did think of. They are linked to goodreads so feel free to have a look. These are books that I personally find to be fairly quick and simple reads that remain fun and mostly light!! FYI: This list includes two adult chick-lit novels (Authors: Sophia Kinsella and Shannon Hale) 

Escape with Jack Templar

Jack Templar, Monster Hunter

By: Jeff Gunhus

The Goodreads Blurb: Orphan Jack Templar has no memory of his parents and only the smallest details from his Aunt Sophie about how they died. The day before Jack's fourteenth birthday, things start to change for him. At first it's great: A sudden new strength helps him defend his nose-picking friend "T-Rex" from the school bully, and even his crush, Cindy Adams, takes notice. But then a mysterious girl named Eva arrives and tells him two facts that will change his life forever. First, that he's the descendent of a long line of monster hunters and he's destined to be in the family business. Second, that there's a truce between man and monster that children are off-limits...until their fourteenth birthday! Jack has only one day before hundreds of monsters will descend on his little town of Sunnyvale and try to kill him. As if that weren't enough, things get even more complicated when Jack discovers that the Lord of the Creach (as the monsters are collectively known) holds a personal grudge against him and will do anything to see that Jack has a slow and painful death. To stay alive and save his friends, Jack will have to battle werewolves, vampires, harpies, trolls, zombies and more. But perhaps the most dangerous thing he must face is the truth about his past. Why do the other hunters call him the last Templar? Why do they whisper that he may be the "One?" Why do the monsters want him dead so badly? Even as these questions plague him, he quickly discovers survival is his new full-time job and that in the world of monster hunters, nothing is really what it seems.

I thought Jack Templar did a good job of keeping my interest and having a fairly unique premise, but the writing style got bothersome on occasion. I understand that this is probably because it is a middle grade book, but the repetition of this is real and this is not a joke and you need to be careful got both repetitive and a little grating. So it lost a star because I might read it again, but it has little annoyances like this. Still I know it will appeal to middle schoolers (mostly boys, but also for the girl who likes a good adventure).

But beyond my annoyance with Jack's continued warnings, I gave this four stars because I think that middle grade readers will definitely love it and I enjoyed the plot. The premise of monster hunters and Jack's involvement with them is intriguing. Jack's adventures keep your interest and the characters, both main and secondary, are well written. I think the fights were well described and that the book has a good message of believing in yourself.

I plan to get the sequel because it leaves you wanting to know what happens next and the kindle version had a preview for it that caught my attention.

Check out Jack Templar on Goodreads or Amazon.