Friday, February 18, 2022

Book Spotlight - The Swallowtail Legacy 1: Wreck at Ada's Reef (The Swallowtail Legacy) by Michael D. Beil + Giveaway

 

About the Book:

Title: THE SWALLOWTAIL LEGACY: Wreck at Ada's Reef (The Swallowtail Legacy #1)

Author: Michael D. Beil

Pub. Date: February 15, 2022

Publisher: Pixel+ink

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 256

Find it: GoodreadsAmazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Punctuated with transcripts, letters, maps, black-and-white illustrations and more, The Swallowtail Legacy: Wreck at Ada's Reef is a vibrant contemporary mystery with a classic feel exploring righting past wrongs, redefining family, and finding yourself.

Twelve-year-old Lark Heron-Finch is steeling herself to spend the summer on Swallowtail Island off the shores of Lake Erie. It's the first time that she and her sister will have seen the old house since their mom passed away. And while her stepfather and his boys are okay, the island's always been full of happy memories--and now everything is different.

When Nadine, a close family friend, tells Lark about a tragic boat accident that happened off the coast many years before, Lark's enthralled with the story. Nadine's working on a book about Dinah Purdy, Swallowtails's oldest resident who had a connection to the crash, and she's sure that the accident was not as it appeared. Impressed by Lark's keen eye, she hires her as her research assistant for the summer.

And then Lark discovers something amazing. Something that could change Dinah's life. Something linked to the crash and even to her own family's history with Swallowtail. But there are others on the island who would do anything to keep the truth buried in the watery depths of the past.

A compelling and complex mystery with a classic feel, Wreck at Ada's Reef is perfect for fans of The Parker InheritanceHolesThe Westing Game, and anyone looking for a satisfying puzzle that stretches across decades.

Review:

"Each character, historic and contemporary, sparks with life. Larks process and the reveals are perfectly paced. . . . Most heartwarming, Lark develops feelings of loyalty toward her blended family and uncovers a surprising link to their property. Readers will be hooked—more, please!"—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

 

 

About Michael D. Beil:

In a time not long after the fifth extinction event, Edgar Award-nominated author Michael D. Beil came of age on the shores of Pymatuning Lake, where the ducks walk on the fish. (Look it up. Seriously.) He is the author of the Red Blazer Girls series, Summer at Forsaken Lake, Lantern Sam and the Blue Streak Bandits, and Agents of the Glass: A New Recruit. For reasons that can't be disclosed until September 28, 2041, he now lives somewhere in Portugal with his wife and their two white cats, Bruno and Maisie. He still gets carsick if he has to ride in the back seat for long and feels a little guilty that he doesn't keep a journal. For more on the author and his books, visit him online at www.michaeldbeil.com.

 

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

 

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE SWALLOWTAIL LEGACY: Wreck at Ada's Reef, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

2/7/2022

Pick A Good Book

Review/IG Post

2/7/2022

The Reading Wordsmith

Review/IG Post

2/8/2022

YABooksCentral

Excerpt

2/8/2022

Kait Plus Books

Excerpt/IG Post

2/9/2022

Nonbinary Knight Reads

Review/IG Post

2/9/2022

Girls in White Dresses

Review

2/10/2022

Little Red Reads

Review

2/10/2022

@jypsylynn

Review/IG Post

2/11/2022

Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog

Review/IG Post

2/11/2022

The Bookwyrm's Den

Review/IG Post

Week Two:

2/14/2022

Rajiv's Reviews

Review/IG Post

2/14/2022

OneMoreExclamation

Review/IG Post

2/15/2022

Nerdophiles

Review

2/15/2022

@coffeesipsandreads

Review/IG Post

2/16/2022

The Momma Spot

Review/IG Post

2/16/2022

BookHounds YA

Review

2/17/2022

Lifestyle of Me

Review

2/17/2022

@enjoyingbooksagain

Review/IG Post

2/18/2022

Two Points of Interest

Review

2/18/2022

Locks, Hooks and Books

Review


Thursday, February 17, 2022

February 2022 Haul!

 

Wow, February is almost half way done! I can't believe how fast the month has sped by! I did get a few new exciting things I am excited to try out. 

I got a few new face sheet masks and I been trying to use them more often. I love The Beautiful Factr. masks and I got a new hydrating one. I feel like the winter has dried out my skin. My skin is usually left glowy after using their masks, so I am excited. I also like the "I'm sorry for my skin" masks. These masks come PACKED with thick hydrating serum. These are masks a great for dehydrated skin. 

I love taking baths and I am so excited to try these lovely scented foaming bath bombs from Find your happy place. Even the name sounds fun! I got a new detox shampoo from Ouai because my hair is always in it's mood. I rarely put excess products in my hair but, I still find that my hair feels so much better when I do a scalp scrub or use a detox shampoo.

I believe I have tried a few things from Malin+Goetz but, I got a mojito lip balm and it sounds like it would be amazing. I know this brand has a cult following, so it must be good. So, I have had Kombucha but, my tummy doesn't agree with it. However, I am hoping this kombucha mist from ElishaCoy works some miracles on my dehydrated and dull skin! 

Did you get anything this month that you are excited to try?

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Book Review - Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs by Pam Muñoz Ryan + Giveaway

 

Solimar and her family are getting ready to celebrate her Quinceañera and her official coronation. She decides to visit the oyamel forest and sit among the monarch butterflies. As she witnesses the monarch's annual pilgrimage, she experiences an magical occurrence that causes her to receive a magical gift.  She realizes that she can predict the future and has become the protector of vulnerable butterflies.

As her father and brother leave to go on a journey, a mutiny occurs. A neighboring king decides to invade their castle and take the remaining villagers hostage. Solimar managed to escape the king's grasp but, she will need to warn her father and brother. Will Solimar be able to rescue her family while protecting the butterflies?

I found the book to be beautifully written but, I wish they included an appendix or dictionary. There were a lot of terms that are unique to the Mexican culture that other people might not be familiar with. The book is written for a younger audience but, I did I felt like the book could have been targeted to an older audience. I can see this book turning into a Disney movie and being loved by the audience.

**Disclosure - I received a free unedited copy in exchange for my honest opinion**


 

About The Book:

Title: SOLIMAR: THE SWORD OF THE MONARCHS

Author: Pam Muñoz Ryan

Pub. Date: February 15, 2022

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 272

Find it: GoodreadsAmazon, Kindle, Audible, B&NiBooks, KoboTBD, Bookshop.org

Middle-grade fans of Pam Muñoz Ryan’s Esperanza Rising, will find a new Mexican heroine to love in Solimar and a fresh, magical story!

On the brink of her Quinceañera, and her official coronation, Solimar visits the oyamel forest to sit among the monarch butterflies. There, the sun pierces through a sword-shaped crevice in a boulder, which shines on her and sends the butterflies humming and swirling around her.

After the magical frenzy, she realizes she's been given a gift―and a burden: she can predict the near future! She has also become a protector of the young and weak butterflies. This alone would be a huge responsibility, but tragedy strikes when a neighboring king invades while her father and brother and many others are away. The remaining villagers are taken hostage―all except Solimar.

Can this princess-to-be save her family, the kingdom, and the future of the monarch butterflies from a greedy and dangerous king?

Written for ages 8 to 12 by the Newbery Honor Medal winner of the highly acclaimed novel Echo.

 

About Pam Muñoz Ryan:

Pam Muñoz Ryan is a New York Times best-selling author and U.S. nominee for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award. She has written over forty books, including Esperanza RisingBecoming Naomi LeónRiding FreedomPaint the WindThe Dreamer, and Echo, a Newbery Honor book and the recipient of the Kirkus Prize. She is the author recipient of the National Education Association’s Human and Civil Rights Award, the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award for Multicultural Literature, and is twice the recipient of the Pura Belpré Medal and the Willa Cather Award. Other honors include the PEN USA Award, the Américas Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, and the Orbis Pictus Award. She was born and raised in Bakersfield, California, but now lives near San Diego with her family. Many of her stories reflect her half-Mexican heritage.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of SOLIMAR: THE SWORD OF THE MONARCHS, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

2/1/2022

BookHounds YA

Excerpt

2/2/2022

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Excerpt

2/3/2022

Mythical Books

Excerpt

2/4/2022

Two Chicks on Books

Excerpt

2/5/2022

YABooksCentral

Excerpt

Week Two:

2/6/2022

@enjoyingbooksagain

Review/IG Post

2/7/2022

Nerdophiles

Review

2/8/2022

For the Love of KidLit

Excerpt

2/9/2022

Rajiv's Reviews

Review/IG Post

2/10/2022

@emmreadsbooks

Review/IG Post

2/11/2022

The Reading Wordsmith

Review/IG Post

2/12/2022

TLC Book Nook

Review/IG Post

Week Three:

2/13/2022

Lifestyle of Me

Review

2/14/2022

Books a Plenty Book Reviews

Review

2/15/2022

Karen Dee's Book Reviews

IG Spotlight

2/16/2022

A Court of Coffee and Books

Review/IG Post

2/17/2022

onemused

IG Spotlight

2/18/2022

Two Points of Interest

Review

2/19/2022

The Bookwyrm's Den

Review

Week Four:

2/20/2022

@coffeesipsandreads

Review/IG Post

2/21/2022

More Books Please blog

Review/IG Post

2/22/2022

The Momma Spot

Review

2/23/2022

A Backwards Story

Review/IG Post

2/24/2022

Kait Plus Books

Review/IG Post

2/25/2022

@jypsylynn

Review/IG Post

2/26/2022

brittreadsalattebooks

Review/IG Post

Week Five:

2/27/2022

History from a Woman’s Perspective

Review

2/28/2022

@fictionologyst

Review/IG Post


Monday, February 14, 2022

Book Spotlight - The Sun Casts No Shadow by Mark Richardson + Giveaway

About the Book:

Title: THE SUN CASTS NO SHADOW

Author: Mark Richardson

Pub. Date: February 9, 2020

Publisher: Whiz Bang

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 178

Find it: GoodreadsAmazon, Kindle, B&N, Kobo

Wellington Thorneycroft is content picking pockets, taking Ambrosia, screwing prostitutes, and simply surviving in the hellish, walled City. But everything changes when he spots a spectral woman who wordlessly conveys the message: We’ll escape together. Suddenly, Thorneycroft’s life is turned upside down as he’s pulled along a circuitous path to an unknowable freedom: a path marked by violence, sex, and metaphysical dread.

Reviews:

"The Sun Casts No Shadow by Mark Richardson is a dark and twisted tale of a city's underbelly...A fascinating yarn that will captivate readers, The Sun Casts No Shadow easily earns five stars. Richardson has produced an exceptional work that readers will relish and avidly share for years to come."Portland Book Review



"A lowly man searches for a way out of a seemingly inescapable City in the dystopian noir...Richardson coats his short, engaging novel in a gleefully dense atmosphere...A dark, stylish tale that revels in its ambiguity."Kirkus Reviews

 

About Mark Richardson:

Mark Richardson is the author of the novels The Sun Casts No Shadow, and Hunt for the Troll.

 His short stories have appeared in numerous crime and literary publications, including HobartFugueSegueCrime FactorySwitchback, and Nth Position.

Born in the Chicago area, he graduated from the University of Iowa, and promptly escaped the midwestern winters for sunny California, first living in Los Angeles and then San Francisco. He spent thirty years working as a writer and marketer for tech companies in Silicon Valley.

Mark now lives in the East Bay with his wife, two children, and the world’s cutest dog. He spends his time writing fiction, obsessing about the Chicago Cubs, attending his daughter’s softball games, and reading stacks of books. He loves genre-bending fiction, especially speculative writing with a noir flavor. In 2019, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and supports the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon


Giveaway Details:

1 winner will win a $10 Amazon GC courtesy of Rockstar Book Tours, International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

1/31/2022

Rockstar Book Tours

Kickoff Post

1/31/2022

Writer of Wrongs

Excerpt

2/1/2022

YABooksCentral

Guest Post

2/1/2022

Mythical Books

Excerpt/IG Post

2/2/2022

BookHounds

Guest Post

2/2/2022

@jaimerockstarbooktours

IG Post

2/3/2022

Rajiv's Reviews

Review/IG Post

2/3/2022

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Review

2/4/2022

Jazzy Book Reviews

Review

2/4/2022

Sadie's Spotlight

Excerpt/IG Post

Week Two:

2/7/2022

Two Chicks on Books

Excerpt

2/7/2022

Jaime's Book World

Excerpt

2/8/2022

The Girl Who Reads

Review/IG Post

2/8/2022

Prison Wife Reviews

Review/IG Post

2/9/2022

Wottaread

Excerpt

2/9/2022

Coffee and Wander Book Reviews

Review/IG Post

2/10/2022

@jypsylynn

Review/IG Post

2/10/2022

Two Points of Interest

Review

2/11/2022

The Momma Spot

Review

2/11/2022

OneMoreExclamation

Review/IG Post