Book Review - The Peculiar Possum by Tracey Hecht and Tracey Hecht

Photo Credit - Amazon

Tobin, Bismark, and Dawn are all nocturnal animals. They love to look for pomelos to eat at night. However,  while searching for their beloved pomelos, they encounter strange sounds and smells in the valley. Shortly after, an unfamiliar animal appears which causes Bismark to become upset.  He finds their new friend to be very peculiar.

The easy to read chapter book shows the characters learning acceptance, being different, being yourself, and the importance of sharing. The book was easy for children to follow along. As well, as being able to read a few lines by themselves. I appreciated that the book contains fun facts about the animals along with a glossy of peculiar words in different languages. A great wholesome and educational book for children.

 

**Disclosure - I received a free unedited copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Book Review - The Banished Lands by Benjamin Mester

Photo Credit - Amazon

A prophecy old as time promises that a kingdom will be in grave danger. When the old world has disappeared and only the history of the events remain, will Durian and his friends be able to solve the mystery? Durian and his friends travel across mystic lands and meet a wide array of friends and foes. Will they be able to outwit the mysterious force that is chasing them?

I thought the novel was an action-packed and thrilling fantasy read. It reminds me a bit of "The Hobbit", especially with Durian and friends who have no fighting experience but, they try to battle the evil forces. I enjoyed the fact that the book used a poem to create a puzzle that could help prevent evil from taking over. The novel is the first book in the series and I appreciated that it didn't leave us on a cliffhanger. However, the ending point left readers wanting to read the rest of the series.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

About the Book

Book Title: The Banished Lands, book one in The Banished Lands Series
Author: Benjamin Mester
Genre: Fantasy
Release date: May, 2015

A kingdom in danger. A prophecy that will change everything. But will they understand it in time? The old world is gone, and barely even histories remain. But something from that time is returning. The closing lines of a farewell poem, written centuries ago by the last great king of the age to his slain wife, might be more than just a poem:
The world and all its light shall fade,
I’ll stay with her beneath the shade
And wait until the world’s remade…

Join us in this epic fantasy adventure as three friends plunge into the great mystery of their age, twelve centuries in the making. A mysterious fog blankets the forest just outside the sleepy town of Suriya. A dark plot unfolds as Durian and his friends discover ties between a strange wanderer and the warlike barbarian kingdom far to the north. Are the mysterious things happening in the forest a prelude to invasion? What happens next will propel Durian and his curious friends into the middle of the oldest riddle in the history of their kingdom, a dozen centuries old.

About the Author

Benjamin Mester is a novelist and poet. He fell in love with the written word and beauty of language at a young age, marvelling at the way a story can transport a person, enveloping their whole mind and heart as they dive into new places and grand adventures. A lover of nature, Mester has spent the whole of his adult life immersed in the study of poetry, often wandering the woodlands of northern Minnesota or the beaches of California.

If asked about his writing, he would say his overarching goal is to inspire people to live with greater passion, often quoting one of his favorite Proverbs, 14:8: The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways. How often do we stop to give thought to our ways, asking ourselves why we live the way we do? What does it mean to live to the full? How can I love more deeply? Mester hopes his writing will build a longing in his readers, that his stories inspire them to want more for their lives than the mediocrity of good enough we so often settle for.

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Benjamin is giving away a grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d1c7/the-banished-lands-celebration-tour-giveaway

Book Spotlight - Arrowheart by Rebecca Sky + Giveaway

Photo Source - Amazon

About the Book:

Title: ARROWHEART

Author: Rebecca Sky

Pub. Date: June 14, 2018

Publisher: Hodder

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 384

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, TBD

Kiss the boys and make them cry...

The gods are gone. 

The people have forgotten them. 

But sixteen-year-old Rachel Patel can't forget - the gods control her life, or more specifically, her love life.

Being a Hedoness, one of a strong group of women descended from Greek God Eros, makes true love impossible for Rachel. She wields the power of that magical golden arrow, and with it, the promise to take the will of any boy she kisses. But the last thing Rachel wants is to force someone to love her . . .

When seventeen-year-old Benjamin Blake's disappearance links back to the Hedonesses, Rachel's world collides with his, and her biggest fear becomes a terrifying reality. She's falling for him - a messy, magnetic, arrow-over-feet type of fall.

Rachel distances herself, struggling to resist the growing attraction, but when he gives up his dream to help her evade arrest, distance becomes an insurmountable task. With the police hot on their trail, Rachel soon realizes there are darker forces hunting them - a group of mortals recruited by the gods who will stop at nothing to preserve the power of the Hedonesses - not to mention Eros himself, who is desperate to reverse the curse . . .

Rachel must learn to do what no Hedoness has done before - to resist her gift - or she'll turn the person she's grown to love into a shadow of himself ... for ever.

About Rebecca:

After graduating high-school, Rebecca Sky set out on a five-year, 24 Country exploration to find herself. She slept in a hammock in the Amazon Jungle, skinny-dipped off the West African Coast, ate balut and climbed the chocolate hills in the Philippines, and fell in love in Cuba (then again in Brazil, and a final time to a Rocker from Canada). Rebecca returned home to the West Coast captivated by the world and ready for another adventure.

So she did what every wanderer does when standing still—began writing. Her work has since garnered over 20 million reads on Wattpad, and she’s had the opportunity to partner with some really great brands. She was featured in The New York Times and The Boston Globe, (check out those articles here). Her debut Arrowheart, book one in THE LOVE CURSE series is published by Hodder Children's Books a division of Hachette Book Group.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Wattpad | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will win an Owlcrate Book Subscription Box.

Rafflecopter link:

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/441692971/

Tour Schedule:

Week Three:

7/30/2018- Buttons Book Reviews- Review

7/30/2018- The Reading Corner for All- Interview

7/31/2018- Adventures in Literature- Review

7/31/2018- Confessions of a YA Reader- Excerpt

8/1/2018- The Desert Bibliophile- Review

8/1/2018- Book Dragon Lair- Review

8/2/2018- Sincerely Karen Jo- Review

8/2/2018- Don't Judge, Read- Review

8/3/2018- Two points of interest- Review

8/3/2018- Eating Between The Lines- Review

Book Review - Boy on the Beach by R.D. Maddux + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Andrew Foster is a struggling real estate developer. He is haunted by past and feels his career is stalled. When an angel investor offered to fund Andrew's dream project, he feels his life is back on track. However, when he visits his sister on the beach each week, he sees a black SUV that follows him. When a strange twist of events threatens his dreams, will Andrew be able to survive?

I thought the novel was an interesting read with a good plot twist. However, I found myself hating Andrew and hoping terrible things keep happening to him. I felt like he was very self-centered and inconsiderate. I thought he was caused a lot of his own suffering and to others but, he was mostly dismayed when things turn out badly for him. I felt as if he considered other people and wasn't self-indulgent, things might have been better for him.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Book Details:

Book Title: Boy on the Beach by R.D. Maddux
Category: Adult Fiction; 304 pages
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Publisher: Ezekiel 12 Publications
Release date: March 11, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There are implied sex scenes but no graphic descriptions of lovemaking. There is one scene with some violence.)

Book Description:

Andrew Foster, a real estate developer in San Diego, is a man suddenly haunted by his past. Memories, like specters from his former life of sex, drugs and rock and roll have come crashing into his current world of business in this sunny coastal city. The ominous, repeated appearance of a black SUV at the beach where he meets his sister each week, has triggered fears that it’s payback time for a bad choice he made years ago.

To add to his frustrations, his hopes of a big breakthrough in the San Diego real estate market haven’t come to pass. He’s starting to wonder if his visions of success will ever come true when an investor offers to finance his dream project. Soon things start to fall into place for Andrew in business, life, and even love. He starts dating the beautiful and business-savvy Nicole but even with her at his side he can’t seem to shake the ghosts of his past. As the relationship with Nicole deepens, Andrew opens up to her about the many loves and adventures that have taken him from the crazy days of living in Big Sur and Joshua Tree to business success in San Diego. Her wise insights help him face the character flaws that have caused him to fail in his past relationships.

Rounding out his social life is his once-a-week task of assisting his sister with her nanny job watching a young boy named Chandler. They build sand castles on the beach and enjoy the beauty of nature together. But the now ominous weekly appearance of a strange car at the beach has awakened Andrew’s fears. Is the boy in danger? Or worse, has an enemy from Andrew’s past come seeking revenge and now Chandler’s caught in the middle?

A strange twist of events threatens to destroy Andrew’s dreams, but as he searches for answers, a sudden revelation offers hope of a future he never imagined.

Buy the Book:

Amazon ~ Autographed copy

Add to Goodreads

Watch the book trailer:

Meet the Author:

R.D. Maddux has story telling in his blood. Since he was young he’s always loved a good tale. He’s been writing seriously since he was in high school and college. His novels range from Mystery and Intrigue to Sci-fi/fantasy. With Boy On The Beach he’s set the story in modern America, to be exact, on the West Coast of California. He’s a native of the golden state and has been a resident of San Diego since 1987. Before that he grew up in northern California and lived in the Sacramento Valley and Bay Area with sojourns in some of the beautiful parts of our state.

Living in California for over 60 years he couldn't help but watch the way things have changed in our culture and the impact this coast makes on the rest of America and the world. So even though Boy On The Beach is fiction, like most serious novels, it is not without a context and comment on issues we all face in our changing world. It takes place in real locations that are very familiar to him and its characters, which are fictional, no doubt have their counterparts in the real world. Boy On The Beach is a story of intrigue, suspense, revenge, love and redemption with flashbacks to the era when sex, drugs and rock and roll set our culture on it's inevitable journey to our present day. This idea has been rattling around in his heart and mind for a decade and it's finally coming to the page.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

Enter the Giveaway!

Ends Aug 25, 2018

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Book Review - Resurrection Men by T.K. Welsh

Photo Credit - Amazon

 In the 1830s, twelve-year-old Victor is an orphan in a cold and dangerous world. Death by disease and accidents are common. However, to Mr. Tipple and Mr. Biggs, a death of a child is a commodity that can fetch a high price. While a fresh specimen can fetch an even higher price. Victor must uncover who is behind the body snatching before it is too late. Will Victor be able to figure out who the murderer is?

I originally picked up this book based on the glossy black and red cover. I thought the novel was going to have a stronger focus on "Resurrection Men" but, the novel seems to be more about Victor's life. I thought it was interesting that the author based a book on a historical occurrence that isn't well known (at least to me). I would have enjoyed if they novel had included background information on the historical topic. Overall, a decent book but, it left me wanting more.

Book Review - Like Never and Always by Ann Aguirre + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Liv Burnham and Morgan Frost are best friends. Liv always thought she knew everything about Morgan. When a terrible accident happens, she realizes she never knew Morgan, at all.  Liv wakes up in a hospital but, everyone keeps calling her Morgan. When the bandages come off, Liv realizes she sees Morgan's face. As she continues to spend time as Morgan, she realizes that Morgan has a dark secret. Will Liv be able to help Morgan solve a long-buried murder? Why is Liv trapped in Morgan's body?

The novel was a delicious read filled with twists and intrigue. I like the idea of a soul fusing with another body. I thought the author did a good job portraying both Liz's and Morgan's personality and thoughts as two people in one body. Overall, a great beach read!

**Disclosure - I received a free unedited copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

About the Book:

Title: LIKE NEVER AND ALWAYS

Author: Ann Aguirre

Pub. Date: July 17, 2018

Publisher: Tor Teen

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 336

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD

On a hot summer night, a screech of brakes and shattering glass changes two lives forever.

Liv wakes in the hospital, confused when they call her Morgan. She assumes it’s a case of mistaken identity, yet when the bandages come off, it’s not her face in the mirror anymore. It’s her best friend Morgan’s.

Morgan always seemed to have the perfect life, yet Liv must navigate endlessly disturbing secrets of the criminal and murderous variety—and a romance that feels like a betrayal. Torn between the boy she loved as Liv and the boy she’s grown to love as Morgan, Liv still has to survive Morgan’s last request.

About Ann:

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. She likes books, emo music, and action movies. She writes all kinds of genre fiction for adults and teens.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will win a Kindle Oasis, US Only.

5 winners will win a finished copy of LIKE NEVER AND ALWAYS, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rafflecopter link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2775/?

Tour Schedule:

Week Four:

7/23/2018- Under the Book Cover- Review

7/24/2018- Confessions of a YA Reader- Review

7/25/2018- Moonlight Rendezvous- Review

7/26/2018- Simply Daniel Radcliffe- Review

7/27/2018- Two points of interest- Review