Tuesday, August 21, 2018

#BookBlitz: Broken Arrow by @HerMajestyMJ #Giveaway @XpressoTours


Broken Arrow
Azaria M.J. Durant
(Darkened Destiny Saga #1)
Publication date: July 29th 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
An ancient power long kept dormant stirs in the shadows once more as one boy embarks on a quest to earn his freedom and the freedom of his world!
Magic has turned to myth, the Vaelhyreans of old to legend, and the power wielded by the ancients has long been forgotten. However, with Ealdred, a mere half-breed slave boy, myth becomes real, the forgotten remembered, and the power of legend is reborn within him.
Ealdred is merged into a world of mystery, brimming with deceit, where the remaining Vaelhyreans are in a desperate fight for their very survival. When Ealdred is kidnapped by the power-mongering dark lord Zeldek himself, he must make a choice; to commit his newfound magic to Zeldek’s service or die. But when he meets Bellator, clever yet treacherous servant of Zeldek, an alternative is presented to him: to escape from Zeldek’s stronghold and embark on a quest to find a cursed arrow and free the Vaelhyreans from the spell that keeps their powers at bay.
Yet how can he survive in a world where magic is illegal, half-breeds are hated, and the four countries are on the brink of war?

Monday, August 20, 2018

#CoverReveal: The Forgotten Child by @WriterMsJackson @XpressoTours


The Forgotten Child
Melissa Erin Jackson
Publication date: October 10th 2018
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Paranormal
Ever since Riley Thomas, reluctant medium extraordinaire, accidentally released a malevolent spirit from a Ouija board when she was thirteen, she’s taken a hard pass on scary movies, haunted houses, and cemeteries. So when her best friend pressures her into spending a paranormal investigation weekend at the infamous Jordanville Ranch—former home of deceased serial killer Orin Jacobs—Riley is one-hundred-percent not ready.
Shortly after their arrival at the ranch, the spirit of a little boy contacts Riley; a child who went missing—and was never found—in 1973.
In order to put the young boy’s spirit to rest, she has to come to grips with her ability. But how can she solve a mystery that happened a decade before she was born? Especially when someone who knows Orin’s secrets wants to keep the truth buried—no matter the cost.

#BookReview: Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Justina Chen

Reviewed By: Jessica P. 
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Recommended Age: Young Adult 
Genre: Contemporary
About the Book:

What would you do if the sun became your enemy?

That's exactly what happens to Viola Li after she returns from a trip abroad and develops a sudden and extreme case of photosensitivity -- an inexplicable allergy to sunlight. Thanks to her crisis-manager parents, she doesn't just have to wear layers of clothes and a hat the size of a spaceship. She has to stay away from all hint of light. Say goodbye to windows and running outdoors. Even her phone becomes a threat when its screen burns her.

Viola is determined to maintain a normal life, particularly after she meets Josh. He's a funny, talented Thor look-alike who carries his own mysterious grief. But the intensity of their romance makes her take more and more risks, and when a rebellion against her parents backfires dangerously, she must find her way to a life -- and love -- as deep and lovely as her dreams.





#BookReview: Seafire (Seafire, #1) by Natalie C. Parker

Reviewed By: Jessica P. 
Publisher: Razorbill
Recommended Age: Young Adult
Genre: Pirates (Science Fiction)
About the Book:
After her family is killed by corrupt warlord Aric Athair and his bloodthirsty army of Bullets, Caledonia Styx is left to chart her own course on the dangerous and deadly seas. She captains her ship, the Mors Navis, with a crew of girls and women just like her, whose lives have been turned upside down by Aric and his men. The crew has one misson: stay alive, and take down Aric's armed and armored fleet.

But when Caledonia's best friend and second-in-command just barely survives an attack thanks to help from a Bullet looking to defect, Caledonia finds herself questioning whether or not to let him join their crew. Is this boy the key to taking down Aric Athair once and for all...or will he threaten everything the women of the Mors Navis have worked for?





#BookBlitz: Dark Opius by @SexyMuffyWilson @Pendarielraye @XpressoTours #Giveaway


Dark Opius
Dariel Raye & Muffy Wilson
(Watchtower #11)
Publication date: July 31st 2018
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
One passionate decision can be hell for an archangel.
Gabriel’s mission from God was simple. At least that’s what he thought, until Helen Warner, his charge, loses her husband in the cataclysmic disaster perpetuated by Asmodeus, the ruthless demon of lust. Unable to stand by and watch while Helen plummets, Gabriel plunges to earth with no regard for the consequences.
Problem? Intervening without God’s permission sets him on a dangerous course rife with deadly distractions and pitfalls, including the mesmerizing affection of a witch—Narsaé. Pitted against Asmodeus and his army of demons, unexpected human emotions threaten his most basic beliefs. Gabriel must protect those he has come to love, while controlling the foreign emotions that torment him.
Can Gabriel save their home, all the besieged residents, and Watchtower 11, sending Asmodeus and his army of demons to a fiery Hell? Will he risk Heaven, immortality, and his very soul for the love of Narsaé?

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Does Classic literature still have a place in today's classrooms?





Hello readers I decided to write this post after learning what books my oldest daughter who just started 9th grade would be reading for school and I have to say that I was really surprised. 

Instead of reading some of the most amazing young adult titles out there they will be reading Romeo and Juliet, The Odyssey, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Of Mice and Men.

#BookReview: These Rebel Waves (Stream Raiders #1) by Sara Raasch

Reviewed By: Jessica P. 
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Recommended Age: Young Adult 
Genre: Historical Fiction (Fantasy)
About the Book:

Adeluna is a soldier. Five years ago, she helped the magic-rich island of Grace Loray overthrow its oppressor, Argrid, a country ruled by religion. But adjusting to postwar life has not been easy. When an Argridian delegate vanishes during peace talks with Grace Loray’s new Council, Argrid demands brutal justice—but Lu suspects something more dangerous is at work.

Devereux is a pirate. As one of the outlaws called stream raiders who run rampant on Grace Loray, he pirates the island’s magic plants and sells them on the black market. But after Argrid accuses raiders of the diplomat’s abduction, Vex becomes a target. An expert navigator, he agrees to help Lu find the Argridian—but the truth they uncover could be deadlier than any war.

Benat is a heretic. The crown prince of Argrid, he harbors a secret obsession with Grace Loray’s forbidden magic. When Ben’s father, the king, gives him the shocking task of reversing Argrid’s fear of magic, Ben has to decide if one prince can change a devout country—or if he’s building his own pyre.

As conspiracies arise, Lu, Vex, and Ben will have to decide who they really are . . . and what they are willing to become for peace.
 





#BookReview: The Belles (The Belles #1) by @brownbookworm @DisneyHyperion #giveaway

Reviewed By: Jessica P. 
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Recommended Age: Young Adult 
Genre: Fantasy
About the Book:
Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orléans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orléans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful.

But it’s not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orléans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie—that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. And when the queen asks Camellia to risk her own life and help the ailing princess by using Belle powers in unintended ways, Camellia now faces an impossible decision. 

With the future of Orléans and its people at stake, Camellia must decide—save herself and her sisters and the way of the Belles—or resuscitate the princess, risk her own life, and change the ways of her world forever.






#BookBlitz: Angel Blue: Episode One by @JennSilverwood #Giveaway @XpressoTours


Angel Blue: Episode One
Jennifer Silverwood
(Seven Deadly Sins, #1)
Publication date: August 17th 2018
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy
All Eanna wants is to forget the night she lost everything, but fate has other plans. A lifetime ago, the cursed burned her home and everyone she loved. Now, she’s haunted by a dangerous legacy.
Her guardian, Etlu, is determined to make Eanna into a queen, even if it means sacrificing his happiness. He pursues her into a human bar, but he’s too late to save her from herself.
Wil and his sister, Isabol, have been searching for the chosen princess. Wil finds more than he bargained for in Eanna, especially once her powerful guardian shows up. There can only be one outcome when chosen and cursed collide: a world bathed in fire and blood.
(Angel Blue is a serialized adult urban fantasy novel consisting of three episodes. This is season one of the Seven Deadly Sins series.)