Friday, November 8, 2024

The Locket's Revenge by L. E. Richmond (Chronicles of the Undersea Realm Book 2)


About the Book

Book: The Locket’s Revenge (Chronicles of the Undersea Realm Book 2)

Author: L. E. Richmond

Genre: YA Fantasy (Little Mermaid Retelling)

Release date: October 22, 2024

A Trinket Could Unleash a Tempest

Locklyn Adair thought that finding the Sea Enchantress would lift her family’s curse. But the ramifications of her desire for a tail reach further than she could ever have dreamed. Now the entire Undersea Realm is in peril, as Circe, armed with the locket capable of controlling the Loch Ness monster, journeys to the North Sea in pursuit of revenge.

Darin Aalto’s specialty is tracking down treasure. When it looks as though a magical locket has fallen into evil hands, he joins Locklyn and her crew on an expedition to recover it, hoping to find a key to his past identity along the way. Despite having no memory of the Mermaid leading the quest, he wonders if she was more than a friend all along.

As a vengeful enchantress, fiery monster, and impending war threaten the Undersea Realm, Locklyn and Darin must decide what they are willing to sacrifice in order to stop the locket’s revenge.

 

Click here to get your copy!

My Review:

What an amazing second book in this duo of books. I now need the print copies, beacuse it's that good. From missing memories to Atlantis, this book had everything I needed, included a fantastic ending. I didn't want this series to end, but for the sake of my bookshelves, it's possibly better that this is a two book series. I love being in the ocean with these amazing characters and the faith themes that flow through the story. 

5 Stars 

About the Author

L.E. Richmond was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest by an American writing teacher and a German bookseller. Her childhood largely consisted of imagining stories for her Playmobil

characters and checking out as many books from the library as would fit on six library cards. Now she spends her time chasing three little Muggles, reading aloud to the hazel-eyed young man who has her heart, and attempting to transfer the stories in her head into words for others. Her passion is for words and stories that thrill the soul, and she is endlessly amazed by the One who not only used words to bring this world into being but also crafted the most epic story of all time.

More from L.E.

Somebody is going to die. But they didn’t at first.

Minor spoiler alert, a character is going to die near the end of The Locket’s Revenge. But in my first draft of this story, this person didn’t die. It wasn’t until I was going back through and trying to flesh out the book a bit that I realized that this character needed to die. My family knows that I am a discovery writer, but they still laughed when I told them how so-and-so squeaked through alive on the first draft, but the death sentence came in the second one. To me, this is actually one of the most fun things about being a discovery writer. During the drafting process, I get to experience the story for the first time, just like any reader. Most of the time, I don’t actually know what is going to happen next. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, October 31

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, November 1 (Author Interview)

Wishful Endings, November 1

Artistic Nobody, November 2 (Spotlight)

Fiction Book Lover, November 3 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 4

A Reader’s Brain , November 5 (Author Interview)

Inklings and notions, November 6

Simple Harvest Reads, November 7 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, November 8

Stories By Gina, November 9 (Author Interview)

Min Read and Reviews, November 9

Tell Tale Book Reviews, November 10

Holly’s Book Corner, November 11

Guild Master, November 12 (Spotlight)

Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, November 13

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, L.E. is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon card and a signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5483


Thursday, October 31, 2024

Mable Goes To The Dogs by Susan Kimmel Wright (Mysteries of Medicine Spring Book 2)

 

About the Book

Book: Mabel Goes to the Dogs

Author: Susan Kimmel Wright

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Release date: June 5, 2022

When Mabel finds herself sharing a thicket with a dead body while volunteering with canine search-and-rescue, her life has clearly once again gone to the dogs!

After losing her job at age forty-nine, Mabel thought she’d turned things around. Now, she’s doing good by volunteering and, surely, she’ll soon be a successful author, writing about her experiences. After solving two notorious, decades-old cold cases while serving as a historical society volunteer, she’s already getting invitations to appear on TV.

Her new assignment couldn’t be simpler. All she has to do is hide in the woods and let Millie the search dog practice finding her. But to her horror, Millie finds more than Mabel–there’s a dead body hiding in the same patch of brush. To make matters worse, Mabel’s maybe-boyfriend, suspended PI John Bigelow, has a dark history with the victim.

While struggling with maid-of-honor duties for best friend Lisa, a string of disasters created by handyman Acey, and a disagreeable new neighbor, can Mabel solve another murder in time to save John’s detective license–if not his neck?

 

Click here to get your copy!

 My Review:

This author has such a fun series with this set. I really enjoyed this story.  It's a delight to read this story and series. Mable is in a mess this time. Wait till you read this! If you're looking for a clean series with tons of humor, loads of awesome animals, and quirky characters, this is it. I LOVE how Mable is more like real life, 50's and with a non-action figure body. She's so much fun to read.  

5 Stars 

About the Author

Susan Kimmel Wright began her life of mystery in childhood, with reading. That led to writing kids’ mysteries and eventually to Medicine Spring with Mabel. A longtime member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, Susan’s also a prolific writer of personal experience stories, many for Chicken Soup for the Soul. She shares an 1875 farmhouse in southwestern PA with her husband, several dogs and cats, and an allegedly excessive stockpile of coffee and tea mugs.

More from Susan

I got stuck. When I was outlining my story for Mabel Goes to the Dogs, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next. This isn’t unusual for me, or, I’m sure, many other authors. When it happens, I have to go search for inspiration—or at least, step away from my project for a bit and do something else till a fresh idea lands in my brain.

Luckily, I soon stumbled upon the Empty Frames podcast, which explored what was, at that time at least, the single largest property theft in the world—the 1990 art heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Thieves impersonating police subdued the guards and over the course of the next eighty-one minutes methodically removed thirteen pieces of art then estimated at $200 million. That dollar valuation quickly escalated to between $500-600 million. The stolen artwork including paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas, and Manet, was never recovered and remains the highest-value museum robbery in history.

The museum has offered a $10 million reward and never stopped trying to find its missing art. Thirty-four years later, empty picture frames still occupy the walls where the irreplaceable, stolen paintings once hung.

The story was engrossing, and I soon started down a rabbit hole, learning more about art theft and art-theft detectives, such as Charley Hill, the subject of the book The Rescue Artist. Sadly, it’s been estimated that nine out of ten stolen artworks will never be recovered. But Hill defied the odds in managing to retrieve Edvard Munch’s famous work, The Scream, brazenly stolen from the National Gallery in Oslo, Norway on the eve of the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. The Rescue Artist tells the story of the theft, as well as Hill’s wild quest to locate and retrieve The Scream.

After I resurfaced from my own odyssey through Empty Frames and The Rescue Artist, I felt re-energized and ready to write again. Every time I write a book, I learn new things, which I like to share with my readers. I always hope they’ll find them as fascinating as I do!

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, October 26

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, October 27

Simple Harvest Reads, October 28 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, October 29

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 30

Artistic Nobody, October 31 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, October 31

She Lives To Read, November 1

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 2

Guild Master, November 3 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 4

Holly’s Book Corner, November 5

Fiction Book Lover, November 6 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, November 6

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 7

Vicky Sluiter, November 8 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Susan is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon card and a signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5478/


Wednesday, October 30, 2024

The Road to Chidarra by Ketih B Perrin


About the Book

Book: The Road to Chidarra

Author: Keith B Perrin

Genre: Christian Fiction/Fantasy

Release date: December 14, 2016

The Road to Chidarra, is a Christian fantasy novel based in an age when men worshipped at the altar of their cruel masters the gods, and feared the monsters and strange beings who plagued their lands with malice and terror. The cries of the people are heard, and a stranger is sent from afar to guide, protect, and bring peace to the lands. This however, comes at great cost, for the dark powers do not give in so easily, and the struggle for freedom as always, is paved with blood and sacrifice.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 My Review:

The perks of this book include lots of suspense and a feeling of another more familiar story along the lines of Tolkien. It's set more in Old Testament times but still fantasy, so the feel is very different. I didn't mind the darker aspects, as the Light is always coming. What I did mind was that I didn't feel like things were flowing easily. I got lost at times and had to back up and re-read. Now, that may be just me. I had a harder time connecting, but it's still an interesting story. 

4 Stars

About the Author

Keith Perrin, is a Christian Author who loves to tell biblical truths in an entertaining imaginative way, without compromising the reality of the scriptures, which will inspire people to discover the Bible and The Lord Jesus Christ for themselves. Growing up he watched tons of super hero cartons, Saturday afternoon science fiction and monster movies, plus reading marvel comics. His day dreaming and wild imagination would have him experience all sorts of adventures. Soon he would put those adventures to paper, drawing and writing stories of all sorts. By far his biggest inspiration was reading the bible and bible stories at a young age that drew him closer in his relationship with this awesome God who worked might miracles and showed redemption and forgiveness to the flawed people in those stories. Flawed people just like himself. Keith’s calling is to love God, share the Gospel to all who would hear and use his talents to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God!

More from Keith

I am so excited to have readers experience my book. If you are a fantasy, sci-fi, quest or supernatural lover of fiction like myself, this should be a treat, and it is topped off with biblical under and overtones to boot. Creating this world and its characters is fun and rewarding as it helps to bring my imagination alive for others to hopefully experience it in a fun , interesting and thought provoking way.  The Prophet Feneer is faced with many trials on his journey through strange lands. He must rely on the faithful invisible hand of God to guide him through heartache, uncertainty, and terrors that await him. Like all of us he has his faults, doubts and sins he must overcome to complete his assignments. The question is, will he survive long enough against the forces set against him and the inner doubts that plague him to bring the light of God to lands held in the grips of horrific darkness!

Blog Stops

The Lofty Pages, October 19

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, October 20 (Author Interview)

For the Love of Literature, October 21 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 21

Tell Tale Book Reviews, October 22 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, October 23

Through the Fire Blogs, October 24 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 25

Blossoms and Blessings, October 26 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, October 27

Artistic Nobody, October 28 (Author Interview)

Guild Master, October 29

Blogging With Carol, October 30 (Author Interview)

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, October 31 (Author Interview)

Beauty in the Binding, November 1 (Author Interview)

Just Your Average reviews, November 1

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Keith is giving away the grand prize of a $150 Amazon card and a copy of the book in winner’s choice of format!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5472


Friday, October 25, 2024

Here Lyeth by Johanna Frank (A Lifeline Fantasy Novel)

 

About the Book

Book: Here Lyeth (A Lifeline Fantasy Series Book Three. It can be read as a stand-alone)

Author: Johanna Frank

Genre: Religious Fantasy / Coming of Age Fantasy

Release date: November 1, 2024

Answers to her identity lie beneath a gravestone; her own.

Something was missing. It was easy for Lexxie to bury that niggling sense, she had all the love and protection a young woman needed. But when the man she thought to be her father spilled a fever-pitched confession, her content and isolated life ended. Angry and heartbroken, she left the people she loved on a mere hint—her true father lived in Vereiteln Dorf, two villages over. Once there, she’s drawn to an unconsecrated graveyard and patches shocking revelations and broken pieces together, and the more she does, the more her presence in this superstitious village becomes a threat. The perils of a noose amid a 1688 witch hunt lay heavy on her shoulders.

Years earlier, in the same village, young Meginhardt succumbs to a vicious attack. Ethereal beings take him on a time-traveling journey to resolve the lad’s deeply rooted struggles. When Meginhardt learns that some woman named Lexxie is the chosen one to carry forward his father’s line of descendants, fits of jealousy ensue—a dream shattered. It should have been him. He becomes frantic to ensure the demise of this undeserving woman. In apparitional form he delivers her a message, face to face.

Her future lyeth in his words.

STIRRING… EXTRAORDINARY… UPLIFTING

 

Click here to get your copy!

 My Review:

I couldn't resist this book because of the title. I was thrilled to learn that this is a prequel to The Gatekeeper's Descendants. I really liked that series by this author. This book works as a standalone, but if you have read the others, it's even richer. I loved the language and the 1600's in Germany setting. I liked the different POV's and while this is shorter, it's so good and just makes me want to read the other books all over again. 

5 Stars 


About the Author

Before she started writing, Johanna spent her days working with profit and non-profit organizations, while spending her evenings studying theology part-time. Now she spends her waking hours creating fantastical stories she hopes will touch the lives of her readers. Her goal—to deliver soulful, whimsical, and venturous reads.

 

 

 

 

More from Johanna

A little heavenly imagination can loosen the chains of life.

My ‘playground’ for creating Here Lyeth was far-reaching, though insulated with firm boundaries. From fictional Germanic villages in days of old in one corner, a low fantasy kingdom where the perished journey to the foot of a guarded gate, in the other.

Admittedly, I took many privileges with beloved values and symbolisms dear to my faith, daring to employ startling imagination for the purpose of enticing generosity of thought for the great …and small …mysteries in life. My favourite, where the waters of a supranatural river flows through time carrying with it various stones, each belonging to a life on Earth, often getting caught in stormy swirls or stuck in a bank of mud, representations of its owner’s personal trials and sufferings.

The story itself, though smattered with biblical senses, is not meant to be a teaching of ways, (I’m not qualified for such!) rather, to provide inklings of encouragement, to set within minds a sublime curiosity—what life might we find after this one?

My hope is you will enjoy the sparkles of divine happenstances, the pulls of faith and the eager wonder of ever-after capers to be pleasing.

Although the third instalment into A Lifeline Fantasy Series as far as publication dates go, Here Lyeth takes the position of first when it comes to the natural flow of time compared to its stand-alone novel-mates, The Gatekeeper’s Descendants and Jophiel’s Secret.

I promise you, Here Lyeth won’t leave you hanging, though it may unearth you a little ðŸ™‚

Johanna

Blog Stops

By the Book, October 18

Melissa’s Bookshelf, October 19

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, October 20 (Author Interview)

Back Porch Reads, October 20

Texas Book-aholic, October 21

Simple Harvest Reads, October 22 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 23

Inspired by Fiction, October 24

Holly’s Book Corner, October 25

Blogging With Carol, October 26

For the Love of Literature, October 27 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, October 28 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 28

Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, October 29

Tell Tale Book Reviews, October 30 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, October 31

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Johanna is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon card and copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5471

 


The Time Door by Shannon McDermott (The Eternities Series Book 1)

About the Book

Book: The Time Door

Author: Shannon McDermott

Genre: Adult Science Fiction

Release date: October 8, 2024

A reckless last mission on Mars, a crusade for justice on Earth …

Reuben Jackson is the only one who still cares about Mars. In the shambles of the Great Collapse, Earth has abandoned the Mars explorers to their fate. But Reuben will make a stand for the Mars team—even against the powerfully united politicians and scientists.

In too deep, he discovers hidden conspiracies and unexpected allies.

As the conflict mounts on Earth, time runs down on Mars. Left to face Mars alone, Commander Donegan Moynihan and his team have no hope of surviving after their supplies are gone. Willing to accept a quicker death than starvation, the explorers strike out on a dangerous mission. They venture deep inside the ancient volcano of Arsia Mons, into perils and secrets long buried. What they discover would move mountains on Earth—but will it be enough to save themselves?

 

Click here to get your copy!

 My Review:

Four people go to Mars, that iconic planet that is so hard to reach. Mars missions are typically viewed as a one-way trip, but the crew certainly didn't expect to not have help from the Earth side of things. They just want to go home, but how? I love Sci-Fi; it's one of my favorite genres. This one also has time travel, making it practically perfect, especially with low-key day-to-day faith worked into it. It's dystopian while also being apocalyptic and keeps track of the current events on Earth and Mars. Full of action, adventure, SPACE, and suspense, I greatly enjoyed this book and look forward to the rest of this series. 

5 Stars

About the Author

Shannon McDermott is an author of science fiction and has been occupied for years with constructing scenarios of the colonization of Mars. Always a fan of the genre, she reviews Christian speculative fiction with Lorehaven. Her interests include history, classic

literature, and lattes. She lives in the great Midwest, where she does her best to avoid icy weather, sweltering heat, and tornadoes, according to the season.

 

More from Shannon

There is a story of an abandoned space colony. Still young, still unsteady, and suddenly cut off from the mother planet—the colony will either learn fast to survive alone, or it will die altogether.

The story has been told again and again, a thousand variations on the old theme. When I was getting acquainted with it, through battered paperbacks and anthologies gathered from the old “scientifiction” magazines, I noticed that the colonies were usually abandoned because of a space plague, or aliens, or interplanetary war.

Exotic, exciting problems, the stuff of science fiction. But I had a thought: What if the reason for abandoning a space colony were a bit prosaic? What if there was just no more money?

The national debt is very much a thing (and an ever-growing thing, at an ever-increasing rate). We would be in trouble if that debt were ever called, or even if no more could be contracted. If it suddenly became time to pay the piper, if the money running off the press was no longer good enough—America couldn’t afford to support a colony on Mars. And we would have too many problems of our own to care very much about theirs.

A classic sci-fi story with a modern twist, something fantastic mixed with something prosaic. I liked it.

As I set to work on the idea, I soon made another variation to the theme. The abandoned colony did not take the whole stage. I gave equal space to those who had abandoned it. Good or bad, they had their reasons; they had their story, too. And as I began to write it, I realized that both stories were about survival. The struggle over whether they survived, and how, and what they would become on the other side.

These ideas grew into The Time Door—two parallel stories, separated by the distance between Mars and Earth, and yet united in the end. Whether abandoned on Mars, or caught in the collapse on Earth, they all need a way out; they all need to find a door.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, October 17

Blossoms and Blessings, October 18 (Author Interview)

Wishful Endings, October 18

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 19

The Lofty Pages, October 20

Artistic Nobody, October 21 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, October 22

Guild Master, October 23 (Spotlight)

Tell Tale Book Reviews, October 24

Blogging With Carol, October 25

A Reader’s Brain, October 26 (Author Interview)

Fiction Book Lover, October 27 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, October 27

Simple Harvest Reads, October 28 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, October 29

Lily’s Corner, October 30

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Shannon is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5470/