#ReleaseBlitz: Double Blind by Sara Winokur #Giveaway @RABTBookTours

Mystery Thriller

Date Published: March 31, 2020

Publisher: Anchor House Publishing

A young boy disappears in the chill of North Iceland. Twenty years later, a mysterious poem lands on the desk of his twin sister Brynja, a forensic geneticist, and rekindles her hopes that her brother might be alive. As Brynja unravels the clues, more poems arrive, each bearing dire consequences for those who receive them: the guard of the medieval manuscript of Icelandic sagas that possibly has the answer to her burning question, the prime minister’s secretary, the local pastor.

Is the poet out to stop Brynja from finding her brother and shut down her access to the DNA database? Or is the verse maker simply a psychopath copycat killer?

Fighting the visual auras that have plagued her since childhood and now threaten everything she holds dear, Brynja must summon the strength to navigate the twisted labyrinth of the poet’s mind and confront the dark secret buried in her family’s past.

DOUBLE BLIND is a wild ride through the cultural landscape of Iceland, from rural farmsteads to icy fjords to the high-tech world of DNA forensics. This crime thriller packed with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

#NerdBlast: Angel Raven by @heatherburch @JeanBookNerd #Giveaway

Sometimes dead is better.

Raven has always considered himself a casualty of war. An outsider to all he secretly longs for, his dark fate and a broken heart have isolated him from his fellow Halflings. He's lost Nikki--a devastating blow. So it's fine with him that the other Halflings assume he's dead.

When Raven overhears Dr. RIchmond--his favorite human--has a college-age daughter in mortal danger, he swoops in to save her.

Raven finds that like him, Jessica Richmond has a dark side. Fleeing together, the two fight an unbearable attraction while they outsmart the thugs sent to kidnap Jessica. Raven is falling hard for the kick-butt college girl.

But Jessica holds a dark secret. One that could threaten everything the Halflings are working to protect.

In this fourth installment of the Halflings series, you'll journey with Raven as he rides the thermal currents between darkness and light. Grab your copy now. It's time to fly.

#BookReview: Finding Your Voice: A Path to Recovery for Survivors of Abuse by Mannette Morgan ~5Stars

Synopsis: "An excellent book which can help not only survivors of abuse, but all women who are feeling like victims."

– Library Journal

Finding Your Voice is a personal, comprehensive guide for survivors of abuse making the journey toward healing. Led by an author who has walked the path for more than three decades, readers will find encouragement and hope as they move step-by-step to a place of recovery.

Part memoir, part blueprint for recovery, Finding Your Voice uses a mix of personal anecdotes, accumulated knowledge, expert techniques and good, common sense to help readers navigate a new path in the aftermath of abuse.

With clear instructions and insightful examples, the author leads readers through the five stages of healing— while teaching them how to improve and strengthen their relationships - built upon the foundation of years of self-help work, therapy, and reflection, and the author’s own transformative approach to healing.

Recognize abuse Embrace the Big 3- Self acceptance, love and self-respect Understand how your behaviors are the key to lasting change Learn how to manifest your true desire Discover the joy you deserve by applying the “Happy Booster.” 

The healing journey takes time and patience. The mix of empathy, practicality and encouragement running throughout Finding Your Voice provides the ideal guide for that journey.

A workbook is available as a companion to Finding Your Voice.

#BookReview: The Unstoppable Irish by Dan Milner

Synopsis: The Unstoppable Irish follows the changing fortunes of New York's Irish Catholics, commencing with the evacuation of British military forces in late 1783 and concluding one hundred years later with the completion of the initial term of the city's first Catholic mayor. During that century, Hibernians first coalesced and then rose in uneven progression from being a variously dismissed, despised, and feared foreign group to ultimately receiving de facto acceptance as constituent members of the city's population. Dan Milner presents evidence that the Catholic Irish of New York gradually integrated (came into common and equal membership) into the city populace rather than assimilated (adopted the culture of a larger host group). Assimilation had always been an option for Catholics, even in Ireland. In order to fit in, they needed only to adopt mainstream Anglo-Protestant identity. But the same virile strain within the Hibernian psyche that had overwhelmingly rejected the abandonment of Gaelic Catholic being in Ireland continued to hold forth in Manhattan and the community remained largely intact. A novel aspect of Milner's treatment is his use of song texts in combination with period news reports and existing scholarship to develop a fuller picture of the Catholic Irish struggle. Products of a highly verbal and passionately musical people, Irish folk and popular songs provide special insight into the popularly held attitudes and beliefs of the integration epoch.

#BookReview: Black Brother, Black Brother by @jewell_p_rhodes

Synopsis: From award-winning and bestselling author, Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful coming-of-age story about two brothers, one who presents as white, the other as black, and the complex ways in which they are forced to navigate the world, all while training for a fencing competition. 

Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep, he feels as if he is constantly swimming in whiteness. Most of the students don't look like him. They don't like him either. Dubbed the "Black Brother," Donte's teachers and classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter skinned brother, Trey. Quiet, obedient.

When an incident with "King" Alan leads to Donte's arrest and suspension, he knows the only way to get even is to beat the king of the school at his own game: fencing. With the help of a former Olympic fencer, Donte embarks on a journey to carve out a spot on Middlefield Prep's fencing team and maybe learn something about himself along the way. 

#ReleaseBlitz: FRAT HOUSE CONFESSIONS: BRODY by @BethanyLopez2 @InkslingerPR

Today we are celebrating the release of of FRAT HOUSE CONFESSIONS: BRODY by Bethany Lopez. It is a contemporary romance, standalone title you won't want to miss. Purchase your copy now. Enter to win a giveaway of each title in the series here.

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Frat House Confessions: Brody by Bethany Lopez

Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

She’s looking for someone with a rich character, not bank account… Emma’s life has not been easy. Rather than using her disadvantages as a crutch, they have fueled her passion for helping others. She believes in working hard, loves her brother unconditionally, and has no time in her busy life for a certain cocky playboy who has obviously never been denied a thing in his life. He’s searching for something, but isn’t sure what… Brody may come across as a fast-talking rich boy with a sweet car. He’s secured a position in the hottest frat on campus and has the attitude of a guy who’s never known what it’s like to go without. So, yeah, it’s a pretty accurate description. But there’s more to the youngest Temple brother than meets the eye.

When Brody keeps showing up in Emma’s world, her initial assumption is that he’s still playing games. As his confessions come to light, Emma starts to see beneath the surface. Will it be enough to change her perception of him? And will she be able to teach Brody that love is worth more than all his money can buy?

#BookBlitz: Clean Water for Developing Countries by John A. Dracup PhD @RABTBookTours

Environmental Studies

Date Published: January 8, 2020

Publisher: Clean Water Press

The main purpose of this book is to assist the reader in choosing the best method for providing clean and safe water in a developing country. Most of the book’s content comes from the knowledge gained from:

-Fifty-plus years of research and teaching in water resource engineering, hydrology and clean water for developing countries at both the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, Berkeley.

-Thirty-five years as an expert witness on numerous hydrologic and water resource engineering legal cases.

-Clean water projects that I was involved with in Kenya, Peru, Honduras and Guatemala between 2011 and 2017.

-Attendance at various courses including ones at the Centre for Affordable Water & Sanitation Technologies (CAWST) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and at “Potters for Peace” in Dodgeville, Wisconsin.

-My many colleagues and students.

The sites needing clean water can be diverse, e.g. an individual household, an entire village, a group of villages, a school, a clinic, an orphanage, etc. The focus of this book is to provide the reader with a basic understanding of how to bring clean water supplies to these entities. The optimal approaches will depend on both the Point of Use (POU), which may be large or small, and the state of the water (quantity, turbidity, type and concentration of pathogens/bacteria/viruses present) at the water source. Point of Use (POU) is the location where the water is to be consumed.

The majority of those impacted by unsafe water live in isolated rural areas of the developing world. Cost, sustainability, cultural differences and acceptance by those who will use the water are all important factors in providing clean drinking water to these people.

These factors include:

-Community Involvement. By far, the most successful water enhancements in developing countries are tied to community organizations, particularly among the female population.

-The Source of Water. It could be from groundwater, rainwater harvesting or surface water, such as springs, creeks, rivers, lakes and reservoirs.

-The Quality of the Source Water. The water may have physical, biological and/or chemical pollution.

The Size of the Demand Population. Is it an individual household, a school, an orphanage, a small or large village, or a group of villages? Obviously, this affects the amount/volume of clean water needed, and this affects the methodology to be used.

-The location of the population to be served. Are they close together or widely dispersed?

#BookReview: The Unwilling by @KellyBraffet

Synopsis: A penetrating tale of magic, faith and pride...

The Unwilling is the story of Judah, a foundling born with a special gift and raised inside Highfall castle along with Gavin, the son and heir to Lord Elban's vast empire. Judah and Gavin share an unnatural bond that is both the key to her survival... and possibly her undoing.

As Gavin is groomed for his future role, Judah comes to realize that she has no real position within the kingdom, in fact, no hope at all of ever traveling beyond its castle walls. Elban - a lord as mighty as he is cruel - has his own plans for her, for all of them. She is a mere pawn to him, and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

But outside the walls, in the starving, desperate city, a magus, a healer with his own secret power unlike anything Highfall has seen in years, is newly arrived from the provinces. He, too, has plans for the empire, and at the heart of those plans lies Judah... The girl who started life with no name and no history will soon uncover more to her story than she ever imagined.

An epic tale of greed and ambition, cruelty and love, this deeply immersive novel is about bowing to traditions and burning them down. 

#BookBlitz: Guardian of the Sunshine Bride by Austin Real @RABTBookTours

Sīhalt Series, Book One

Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Publisher: Lock10 Press

A man with a dark past meets a girl with a bright future. Their choices will change the world.

Princess Kathleen is betrothed to the powerful Prince of Tyath. The arrangement was made when she was just a child. She is duty bound to save her people from starvation and sees the marriage as her only option. That is until she meets the Sīhalt Guardian sent to protect her during her dangerous journey to the altar. The vigorous guardian steals her first kiss, but will he be able to keep her safe and steal her heart?

Jared spent his childhood in the cold north training to be a Sīhalt Guardian – the fiercest of protectors. While seeking revenge for his sister’s death, he sets off a chain of events that endangers the next person he decides to protect. Will one act of vengeance cost him the forbidden love of the Princess he longs for?

Heathron has managed to become the heir to an empire, but he needs to be married to assume the throne. Despite all the manipulative efforts of the beautiful, back-stabbing young ladies of the Golden City, he dreams of the illustrious young girl the met as a child. Will he still love the Princess as secrets unravel and he discovers the truth about her journey to him with the warrior?

Cedric will stop at nothing to reclaim the ancestral lands of his people and drink from the skull of the man who killed his father. As he unites his army of ruthless barbarians, Cedric knows that capturing the Princess is his best chance at securing all his evil desires. Will the Princess survive being a pawn in his dangerous scheme filled with deceit and destruction?

Enjoy this epic fantasy adventure.

#NerdBlast: What I Like About Me by @JennaGuillaume @JeanBookNerd #Giveaway

You know all those movies where teenagers have, like, THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES? This vacation is probably not going to be that.

The last thing sixteen-year-old Maisie Martin thought she’d be doing over vacation is entering a beauty pageant. Not when she’s spent most of her life hiding her body from everyone. Not when her Dad is AWOL and her gorgeous older sister has returned to rock Maisie’s already shaky confidence. And especially not when her best friend starts flirting with the boy she’s always loved. But Maisie’s got something to prove.

As she writes down all the ways this vacation is going from bad to worse in her school-assignment journal, what starts as a homework torture-device might just end up being an account of how Maisie didn’t let anything, or anyone, hold her back.

Jenna Guillame’s American debut features a plus-size protagonist with a compelling, funny, and authentic narrative voice. This relatable and charming novel about friendship, confidence, and self-love will draw readers in as Maisie’s realistic emotional journey unveils the importance of embracing one’s body and celebrating one’s self.