Tuesday, August 27, 2013

The Hero's Lot by Patrick W. Carr

Song Stuck on the Brain: Pitch Perfect - Bellas Finals. 
Watched the movie again tonight. Despite cringing at some of the crassness, I LOVE the music. 





by




ABOUT THE BOOK:

With the King Near Death, Will the Kingdom Fall? When Sarin Valon, the corrupt and dangerous church leader, flees the city of Erinon and the kingdom, Errol Stone believes his troubles have at last ended. But he and his friends still have dangerous enemies working against them in secrets and whispers. In a bid to keep them from the axe, Archbenefice Canon sends Martin and Luis to Errol's home village, Callowford, to discover what makes him so important to the kingdom, and in that journey they discover amazing new secrets about the workings of Aurae. Back in Erinon, Errol is unjustly accused of consorting with spirits. Convicted, his punishment is a journey to the enemy kingdom of Merakh, where he must find Sarin Valon and kill him. To enforce their sentence, the church leaders place Errol under a compulsion—he must complete his task, or die trying.

Awards: ACFW Genesis Competition 2010 Finalist for “A Cast of Stones” in Speculative Fiction.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Patrick Carr was born on an Air Force base in West Germany at the height of the cold war. He has been told this was not his fault. As an Air Force brat, he experienced a change in locale every three years until his father retired to Tennessee. Patrick saw more of the world on his own through a varied and somewhat eclectic education and work history. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1984 and has worked as a draftsman at a nuclear plant, did design work for the Air Force, worked for a printing company, and consulted as an engineer. Patrick’s day gig for the last five years has been teaching high school math in Nashville, TN. He currently makes his home in Nashville with his wonderfully patient wife, Mary, and four sons he thinks are amazing: Patrick, Connor, Daniel, and Ethan. Sometime in the future he would like to be a jazz pianist. Patrick thinks writing about himself in the third person is kind of weird.


Monday, August 26, 2013

CSFF: A Cast of Stones by Patrick W. Carr

Song Stuck on the Brain: Falling Slowly by Lee Mead

Today I'm helping to spread the word in conjunction with the CSFF about:

 
 
 
 
by
 
 
 
 
Unfortunately, do to the mail gremlins, I didn't receive my copy of A Cast of Stones in order to review it. However, stay tuned because I did just recently download the e-book from Amazon.com and I'll be reviewing it along with the sequel, A Hero's Lot very soon. In the mean time, check this out, drop by the other reviewers sites to read their thoughts on what looks to be a VERY promising novel.
 
 
ABOUT THE BOOK:
 
 
An Epic Medieval Saga Fantasy Readers Will Love

In the backwater village of Callowford, Errol Stone's search for a drink is interrupted by a church messenger who arrives with urgent missives for the hermit priest in the hills. Desperate for coin, Errol volunteers to deliver them but soon finds himself hunted by deadly assassins. Forced to flee with the priest and a small band of travelers, Errol soon learns he's joined a quest that could change the fate of his kingdom.

Protected for millennia by the heirs of the first king, the kingdom's dynasty is near an end and a new king must be selected. As tension and danger mount, Errol must leave behind his drunkenness and grief, learn to fight, and come to know his God in order to survive a journey to discover his destiny.
 
 
 
 
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
 
Patrick Carr was born on an Air Force base in West Germany at the height of the cold war. He has been told this was not his fault. As an Air Force brat, he experienced a change in locale every three years until his father retired to Tennessee. Patrick saw more of the world on his own through a varied and somewhat eclectic education and work history. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1984 and has worked as a draftsman at a nuclear plant, did design work for the Air Force, worked for a printing company, and consulted as an engineer. Patrick’s day gig for the last five years has been teaching high school math in Nashville, TN. He currently makes his home in Nashville with his wonderfully patient wife, Mary, and four sons he thinks are amazing: Patrick, Connor, Daniel, and Ethan. Sometime in the future he would like to be a jazz pianist. Patrick thinks writing about himself in the third person is kind of weird.


Visit the Other Tour Members:


Julie Bihn
Jennifer Bogart
 Keanan Brand
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
 Laure Covert
Pauline Creeden
Emma or Audrey Engel
Nikole Hahn
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Shannon McDermott
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Writer Rani
Nathan Reimer
Chawna Schroeder
Jojo Sutis
Steve Trower
Phyllis Wheeler
Rachel Wyant

Friday, August 16, 2013

Kregel: Death Be Not Proud by C.F.Dunn

Song Stuck on the Brain: Inspector Gadget theme song. (nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah Inspector Gadget....)


Today I'm touring on behalf of Kregel Publications:

 
The Secret of the Journal #2
 
by
 
 
 
MY TAKE:
 
It's finally here! I've been waiting on pins and needles for Professor Emma D'Eresby to return with her journal. Just last September, I reviewed Mortal Fire, the first in the series. If you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for?!? Hurry up, go read it.... Okay, now that you're ready for book two, here goes.
 
Emma is in London healing from her attack and struggling with knowing what is really going on with Matthew. She's recovering from what I would call PTSD like symptoms and just plain heartbreak. But the opportunity also arises for her to finally research the journal, and the answers she's been looking for with Matthew are surprisingly attached to what she finds inside. The story may seem old, but it's more present than expected. 
 
It's so tempting to give it all away! What I'd love to do, is sit down with a cup of coffee and examine all the Ins and outs of the plot with you, but I can't bear to give away any of the great little surprises. It's what makes it so much fun to read. I called this an intellectual's spin on Twilight the first time around with all respect for both author's. I still stand by that, but it is a very distant comparison. This time around the story does center more around Emma and her personal state and the decisions she needs to make, but it also brings so many of the answers we were searching for in Mortal Fire. Kudos to the author for not dragging that out too long. :)  And although the end does leave you with a hefty amount of "I want to know more-itis", it wraps up in a very satisfactory way.
 
Believe me, it's a can't-put-the-book-down-until-four-am kind of read. Can't wait for book three.
 
ABOUT THE BOOK:
 
Following the vicious attack by a psychotic colleague, and reeling from the suspicion that Matthew Lynes is not all that he seems, Professor Emma D'Eresby flees her college teaching position in Maine to her hometown in England--taking the mysterious seventeenth--century journal she stole from the college's archives with her.

Broken physically and emotionally, Emma drifts until, fearing for their daughter's sanity, her parents invite a family friend to assess her. In the course of their conversation, Emma discovers that he spoke to Matthew over thirty years before.

This finally spurs her into action and soon, when she finds what certainly must be a reference to Matthew in the journal, she begins to understand Matthew's profound secret.

But when Matthew arrives to confess his love for her, she must decide if she can trust him--and he must decide if he can share his extraordinary secret with her. Drawn by a deep connection that both feel but don't quite understand they find they must set aside their doubts and trust each other.

Readers will be thrilled by the second installment in The Secret of the Journal from British author C. F. Dunn. Mixing suspense, romance, and the supernatural, Death Be Not Proud explores the profound moral implications of a life seemingly invulnerable to time.
 
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
 
C. F. Dunn creates romantic thrillers with a historical twist, drawing on a degree in history and a career in literacy development. She is blessed with a historian husband, two creative daughters and a quirky Corgi called Stig and she divides her time between running her specialist school for dyslexia and autism in Kent, and writing in Cornwall. Visit the author at her site: http://www.cfdunn.co.uk/, and on Goodreads, Twitter and Facebook.
 


CFBA: Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:
 
 
Rules of Murder
Bethany House Publishers (August 1, 2013)
by
 
Julianna Deering


MY TAKE:

I love classic movies, especially the late 30's and 40's era. The silver screen was ripe with wonderful stars and great stories. The bookstores were close behind with who-done-it's by Agatha Christie and other famous mystery novelists. It was a popular genre with a unique feel for that era.

Julianna Deering does a marvelous job of encompassing the feel and tone of that era in a compelling and brain-stumping plot. I love wealthy, young armchair detective Drew Farthering and his friends. They were spot on. I always tend to see what I read played out like a movie on a screen in my mind. There were moments I found myself seeing it played out in black and white rather than Technicolor because a turn of phrase or description would just instantly bring to mind images from the real silver screen. Great fun!

Although it is a novel about a murder and mayhem, the main character is facing a decision about his faith and beliefs. This isn't touched on heavily, but is an underlying motivator to the character. On a side note, there is some alcohol and smoking in the story, what you would expect to see for the era and culture of the time, nothing extravagant, but some would prefer to know that up front. I had to remind myself that at the time, no one considered smoking evil and although alcohol was illegal in the USA, it wasn't in England. Nor was it considered bad to drink in moderation. It was part of the custom and I do realize this was a historical fact. It didn't detract from the story for me and I hope it won't for you either. I loved it and look forward to her next Drew Farthering Mystery.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Downton Abbey Meets Agatha Christie in This Sparkling Mystery

Drew Farthering loves a good mystery, although he generally expects to find it in the pages of a novel, not on the grounds of his country estate. When a weekend party at Farthering Place is ruined by murder and the police seem flummoxed, Drew decides to look into the crime himself. With the help of his best friend, Nick Dennison, an avid mystery reader, and Madeline Parker, a beautiful and whip-smart American debutante staying as a guest, the three try to solve the mystery as a lark, using the methods from their favorite novels.

Soon, financial irregularities at Drew's stepfather's company come to light and it's clear that all who remain at Farthering Place could be in danger. Trying hard to remain one step ahead of the killer--and trying harder to impress Madeline--Drew must decide how far to take this game.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Rules of Murder, go HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

JULIANNA DEERING has always been an avid reader and a lover of storytelling, whether on the page, the screen or the stage. This, along with her keen interest in history and her Christian faith, shows in her tales of love, forgiveness and triumph over adversity. A fifth-generation Texan, she makes her home north of Dallas with three spoiled cats and, when not writing, spends her free time quilting, cross stitching and watching NHL hockey. Her new series of Drew Farthering mysteries set in 1930s England debuts with Rules of Murder (Bethany House, 2013) and will be followed by Death by the Book (Bethany House, 2014).

Wednesday, August 07, 2013

CFBA: Millie's Treasure by Kathleen Y'Barbo

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:
 
Millie's Treasure
Harvest House Publishers (August 1, 2013)
by
 
Kathleen Y'Barbo



MY TAKE:

Millie is my kind of girl. Smart, bookish (shall we say nerdy?) and strong willed. For most men, those are not desirable traits in 1888 (maybe not now either...). She can design fuel injectors but can't sew a stitch. The fact she's beautiful, however, does makes her desirable. Especially to swindler and cad Will Tucker. Remember him? Last we saw he was terrorizing poor Flora in Flora's Wish.  He's back and not only has he tricked Millie into an engagement under a false name, he's making business deals with her father that may not be on the up and up. Millie wants free of her father's domineering and controlling manner, so she's willing to do just about anything to escape. Thank goodness for the mysterious aviator that flies her to the moon and falls in love with all her bookish, nerdy goodness.

I thought it a unique twist to build a series around the bad guy. The Secret Lives of Will Tucker may follow his path as he cheats one poor girl after the next, but the focus is really on the Pinkerton Agents that chase him and the love stories they find amidst their cases. I thoroughly enjoyed Flora's Wish, but have to say that I was even more excited by Millie's Treasure. Maybe it's my own nerdyness showing through, but the inventions/science and, well, Pirates - had it all beat. Great story. Looking forward to the next adventure.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

From bestselling author Kathleen Y'Barbo comes Millie's Treasure, the second book in The Secret Lives of Will Tucker series, a new set of novels involving romance, adventure, and hidden identity.

Memphis 1890--Bookish heiress Millie Jean Cope is as clever as she is beautiful. Unfortunately, though adept at solving puzzles and cryptograms, she doesn't realize her new fiancé isn't who he claims to be, but instead is a charming scoundrel. The infamous Will Tucker is presenting himself as a British gentleman, Sir William Trueck, though in reality he is a crafty criminal looking for a hidden map to a secret treasure.

Pinkerton agent Kyle Russell has been on Tucker's trail for years. At last Kyle believes he has Tucker cornered, but he is uncertain whether the lovely woman on the con man's arm is an unsuspecting victim or willing accomplice. Finding reasons to spend time with Millie is easy. Keeping himself from falling in love with her is another issue entirely. A fun and entertaining story of how God can shine the light of truth on the most cryptic circumstances.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Millie's Treasure, go HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

RITA and Carol award nominee Kathleen Y’Barbo is the best-selling, award-winning author of more than forty novels, novellas, and young adult books. In all, more than one million copies of her books are currently in print in the US and abroad, and her books have been translated into Dutch, German, and Spanish, to name a few.

Kathleen is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. She holds a BBA from Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School and a certification in Paralegal Studies, and is a former member of the Texas Bar Association’s Paralegal Division.

A tenth-generation Texan, Kathleen Y’Barbo has four children of her own as well as seven bonus kids she gladly inherited when she married her own hero in combat boots. Kathleen is proud to be a military wife, even if it did mean giving up her Texas drivers license.

Monday, August 05, 2013

Who Am I? by KC Sprayberry

 
 Solstice Publishing
 
by
 
 



 MY TAKE:

My longtime friend and fellow writer, KC Sprayberry has taken the publishing world by storm. After publishing a few short stories in anthologies, her first novel, Softly Say Goodbye, released with Solstice Publishing January 2013. Since then the contracts have been flying faster than snowflakes in a blizzard!

Who Am I? is just one of the most recent releases. This e-book novella is written about teens, but don't let that stop you. I was up until 3:45 am reading it straight through! Brooke is a relatable teen. As a teenager I may not have questioned my parents or actual identity, but every teen (and dare I say adult?) can relate to the urge of finding who they are in the world. To finding friends and a style that's their own. We all face teasing, bullying and stress in varying levels. KC takes these relatable issues and turns them into a fast paced suspense read that keeps you flipping the pages.

Be sure you check out all of her other new releases too. You won't want to miss any of them.

 
ABOUT THE E-BOOK:
 
Brooke English never belongs. She changes schools twice a year, as often as her looks and name change. Her thoughts about belonging to her "family" get even more viral when they stop in Landry, Georgia. Then things start to go wrong. Then Brooke starts to have dreams.
 
Will she find the answers she wants? Or will her worst fears become reality?
 
 
 
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
 

KC Sprayberry loves reading, but not as much as she loves writing stories for young adults and middle-graders. Her interest in telling her stories goes back to her high school years, where she excelled in any and all writing classes. After a move to the northwest area of Georgia, she dove into this pursuit full-time while raising her children. While she spends many days researching are
as of interest, she also loves photography and often uses it as a way to integrate scenery into her work. (Twitter: @kcsowriter.)



Note: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.