This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Momma Llama & Friends will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Momma Llama’s ABC Book of Latin America is both fun and educational. This multicultural adventure includes people, places, and things from Central and South America – from Mexico to Argentina. The charming illustrations will make you and your child smile. Additionally, each page names the country or region of the subject; parents might learn something too.
About the Author:
Momma Llama envisions a world in which Mom becomes the star and the hero of each fun-filled adventure, giving a new perspective to the way children learn and play.
Each story showcases Momma Llama, a hard-working independent, and adventurous mother, promoting ideas such as teamwork, determination, respect, and the idea that Moms give more than we realize.
Momma Llama aspires to unify the diverse cultures of the Americas by promoting multiculturalism in a fresh new way.
There’s always something new in Momma Llama’s magical world, so join us for more adventures.
Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex by Carole P. Roman
GENRE: YA adventure
MY REVIEW
Grady is in middle school with his best friend Aarush, who is on the autistic spectrum.
Kids…autistic, asthmatic, overweight, bullies, insecurity…This coming
of age fantasy has it all. I was captivated with the world and
characters that Carole P Roman has created. I loved watching them learn
and grow.
Grady, Aarush and many of their classmates want to go to Templeton
Academy, a place to discover your ‘hidden talents and develop them into
formidable powers.’ Sounds a bit Hatty Potterish, doesn’t it?
The kids who gravitated to Grady learned to work together for a
common goal. I can see a moral to the story and I feel all who read
Grady Whill will leave with a smile on their face.
It is hard to describe the story without spoiling it, but I will say it was…unputdownable.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex by Carole P Roman.
5 Stars
BLURB
Templeton Academy- the
superhero high school is finally open!
The prestigious academy
is recruiting the best of the best to enroll in its student body.
The school is as
mysterious as it is exclusive.
Grady Whill thinks
there is nothing special about him to make the grade.
However, his best
friend, Aarush Patel has been selected and thinks Grady has the right stuff.
Even school bully Elwood
Bledsoe is attending.
If Grady is fortunate
enough to be picked, his guardian has forbidden him to attend.
Will a family secret
prevent Grady from becoming the superhero he was destined to be?
EXCERPT
There Whill Be Blood
A barely cooled lump of lava hardened under my feet. One of
my sneakers was stuck between two small rocks in the solidifying mess. I stared
at my foot in disbelief. Instinct told me I should be a human torch, my legs
nothing more than toasted stumps. I glanced up, my heart beating wildly. We
were trapped on the side of the mountain facing our school, separated by a
burning sea of molten rocks.
The world around me steamed, the lava staining the sky burnt
orange. Trees swallowed by molten rock looked like skeletal hands emerging from
a grave that glowed beneath the blackened crust. I saw heat waves shimmering
from the earth but felt none of its intensity. I pulled fiercely, feeling my
ankle twist. Aarush steadied me as I nearly toppled over. He was shirtless, his
back slick with sweat and covered with scrapes. His fingers worked feverishly
to free my foot.
Overhead two helicopter-sized pterodactyls circled the
craggy summit. The wind from their leathery wings buffeted the two of us. I
think the air they circulated stopped the patches of lava from cooking us
alive, but what do I know?
“We better get moving, Grady. Leave your sneaker. We are
risking getting burned by staying too long in one spot.” The ever-practical
Aarush reasoned as he pulled the velcro releasing my foot. I wobbled, then fell
to one knee.
“Do you think they’re real?” I hollered to my friend over
the noise, pointing upward.
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Carole P. Roman
is the award-winning author of over fifty children’s books. Whether it’s
pirates, princesses, spies, or discovering the world around us, her books have
enchanted educators, parents, and her diverse audience of children of all ages.
Her
best-selling book, The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids: 800+ Jokes! has reached
number one on Amazon in March of 2020 and has remained in the top 200 books
since then.
She published
Mindfulness for Kids with J. Robin Albertson-Wren.
Carole has
co-authored two self-help books. Navigating Indieworld: A Beginners Guide to
Self-Publishing and Marketing with Julie A. Gerber, and Marketing Indieworld
with both Julie A. Gerber and Angela Hausman.
Roman is the
CEO of a global transportation company, as well as a practicing medium.
She also writes
adult fiction under the name Brit Lunden and has created an anthology of the
mythical town of Bulwark, Georgia with a group of indie authors.
Writing is her
passion and one of her favorite pastimes. Roman reinvents herself frequently,
and her family calls her the ‘mother of reinvention.’ She resides on Long
Island, near her children and grandchildren.
Like A Hero Michael J. Bowler Publication date: October 18th 2022 Genres: Action, Adventure, Young Adult
Courage can be costly. Orphaned brothers Vincent and Dennis Villanueva learn the truth of those words when they create a masked crime fighter and turn him loose on Los Angeles. The brainchild of fourteen-year-old Dennis and embodied in twenty-one-year-old Vincent, “Invictus” hits the streets to jumpstart apathetic Angelenos into taking a more active role in their city.
But reality isn’t a comic book. Vincent finds poverty, homelessness, drug addiction, abuse, and cast-off children. Labeled a vigilante and criminal, the shy grad student with formidable martial arts talent and abysmal people skills soon doubts his ability to make an impact.
Forced to straddle an ambiguous line between moral and legal, he becomes disheartened and secretive, hiding the truth of what he’s doing from Dennis and driving a wedge between them. Feeling neglected, Dennis infiltrates a dangerous drug ring to show Vincent he can be just as heroic, not knowing that the woman in charge is weaving an insidious plot against Invictus as part of her citywide scheme of vengeance. In a race against time, Vincent must regain Dennis’s trust before the brother he loves is lost to him forever.
Dennis lay face down on the soccer field, while men in ski masks strolled among his prone classmates waving semi-automatic weapons at anyone who moved. He considered employing his martial arts skills, but being skinny and only passably good, such foolish courage would probably get him killed.
He shook his hair from in front of his eyes with a slight jerking motion and focused on James and Linda, lying on the field off to the side with the rest of the parents.
James had his head slightly raised and Dennis caught his eye. When a gun- man approached, James quickly returned his face to the grass. James wanted to intervene. That was obvious by the way he kept looking around for some kind of opening. But could he do anything without getting people killed?
The masked men called themselves “anarchists” and were well armed. Despite lying prone for the past forty minutes, Dennis had managed to spot sentries pa- trolling the rooftops, apparently stationed there to prevent the cops outside from storming the school and making their way to the field. He’d also noted the types of weapons these guys carried and considered how best each could be disarmed if this was a comic book scenario.
Except it wasn’t.
He considered the anarchists’ claims. They said they were “anti-capitalism” and “anti-public-school indoctrination,” but then they demanded twenty million as ransom for not killing him and his classmates, which sounded pretty capitalistic to him.
Raising his eyes once more, he noted a big, broad-shouldered dude wearing a black and blue ski mask, staring right at him while chatting with a burly guy holding an Uzi. Dennis averted his eyes and hoped he hadn’t called too much attention to himself. He’d overheard them earlier as they conversed by walkie-talkie. Masked guy was called “C-1” and burly guy “C-2” by the other anarchists, so he figured they ran the show.
He glanced over at Jackson and Kenny lying a few feet away. His two best friends looked terrified. Jackson’s curly hair partially hid his brown eyes, but Kenny’s bright blue ones screamed pure fear. Dennis tried for an encouraging smile, but it was difficult with his cheek pressed against the grass.
All his comic book scenarios started much like this one, except the hero al- ways knew what to do. As annoying as Robin could be, he’d know what to do even if Batman wasn’t around. Dennis’s mind raced with ideas. He knew James was packing—on duty or off, James always packed. But if he pulled his gun, kids would die.
I wish I’d thought of something when these guys first showed up.
Instead, he’d frozen with fear when the masked men flooded onto the field. And now with everything that had gone down since, Dennis trembled with the terrifying possibility that someone would die. Maybe him. Sadly, he wasn’t the hero of his dreams.
He peered at the administration buildings. Long and single story, the two main wings spread the length of the field. His gaze traveled up and he squinted with confusion. The sentry who’d been on duty at the north end was gone.
What the…?
Dennis knew his weaponry from playing Call of Duty and other war games, and that guy had been patrolling with an Artic Warfare Super Magnum sniper rifle, likely a .338 Lapua Magnum, but Dennis was too far away to be sure of the model.
Only now the guy was gone. With C-2 barely ten feet away, Dennis used caution to scan the south roof. That sentry was gone, too. SWAT maybe? He knew James’ mean-ass boss would have called in the big guns for something like this. But he was also sure those sentries had been up there no more than two minutes ago.
Could it be Invictus?
His heart thumped with hope. Vincent must know about this by now. Dennis pressed his face into the grass and pretended to look scared. Hell, he didn’t have to pretend. He was scared!
Author Bio:
Michael J. Bowler is an award-winning author who grew up in Northern California. He majored in English/Theatre at Santa Clara University, earned a master’s in film production from Loyola Marymount University, a teaching credential in English from LMU, and a master’s in Special Education from Cal State University Dominguez Hills. Michael taught high school in Hawthorne, California, both in general education and to students with disabilities. When Michael is not writing, he serves as a youth mentor with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and a volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles, but mostly he takes care of his recently adopted son. He is a passionate advocate for the fair treatment of children and teens in California and hopes that his books can show young people they are not alone in their struggles.
Realm of Darkness A Limited Edition Fantasy and Paranormal Collection Publication date: October 4th 2022 Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
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Jaiya swallowed, feeling the sharp nick of the blade barely brushing her skin.
She turned her head to the side, exposing her neck to the dominant male, as blood trickled from her fresh wound.
“I yield,” she whispered, closing her eyes. Her voice barely registered to her own ears.
The weight of the blade lifted away as the prince trailed his nose along her neck, breathing in her scent.
She gasped when his smooth tongue lapped at her wound. Something hard pressed against her thigh, growing with each passing moment.
She was afraid to move, to fight. Here was a side of the prince that she had never seen before, as he went from an attacker to . . . an aroused caregiver?
—
Unblessed by Nia
Being flogged with a wire whip.
Carrying red-hot metal bare-handed.
Getting bitten by a nest of rattlesnakes.
Nia hadn’t enjoyed any of them. But she would rather relive any of those experiences than spend even one second with Xavier Rohesia. And here she was, preparing to spend the next five days with him. Alone. In a secluded cabin.
Inhaling the scent of jasmine courtesy of the nearby aromatherapy mister, she slid deeper into the warm bubbling water. I’m going to enjoy every second of this that I can before I have to meet up with that insufferable man.
Despite tightly braiding her long black hair and curling it into a tight bun on top of her head, strands had worked their way loose and clung to her damp neck and shoulders. As long as the rest stayed up — she’d no wish to wash and dry the thigh length mass of it after this soak.
Sunk in the water to her chin, Nia continued to expand her list of things that she would prefer to do rather than spend time with Xavier.
Running without cover to draw fire from my triad.
Shopping at a big box store the day before Christmas.
Nia shuddered at the last thought as she positioned herself to have jets of water massage her lower back. That trip had been horrifying. The things she did for her triad, her partners in all things…but joining them on a shopping trip during the Christmas season had stretched her bond with them to the limit. Adding their respective partners had nearly killed her. Nia would much rather be shot at.
And now she had to spend a week in a cabin shared by the asshole unicorn who did not live up to his last name – kindness. To make matters worse, there was a strict no killing rule. The mage may have saved the life of Amir’s lover, but this was still a steep price for it.
Liz and Kee have the opposite taste in men. From the opening pages, they had me busting out with laughter with their funny dialogue.
Indira works for a company that harvests your data and uses it against you. I mean, you do need that 20th pair of shoes, don’t you? Privacy? Pshaw. What’s that? (my thought)
Mallory Riggins works at the Daily Grind. She knew Tim and his missing girlfriend, Katie Lord, from them being customers. She attended college, taking business classes. She was also dating the teacher.
Amar is Indira’s brother. They are from India and she battles her mother’s attempts to marry her off. She wants freedom, eats meat, and drinks beer. Amar toes the line, sort of. He’s vegetarian, soon to be wed. I am sure they are not allowed to have affairs, even if their culture believes in arranged marriages.
I have my eye on a couple of suspects for Katie being missing.They both act suspiciously. I feel it’s too obvious for a Chris Patchell novel, so I am still on the lookout. I have a feeling the police will go in a wrong direction.
At page 152…Oh No! I felt this coming, yet I am so bummed about it. A woman is found murdered. I usually don’t get to know a murder victim as well as I got to know her. I knew it was coming, but that doesn’t change how bummed I am about it.
I feel The Perfect Brother is different from other Chris Patchell novels I have read. I didn’t find it full of action packed, in your face, suspense and thrills. The dangers were more subtle with gross injustice and a bit of vigilantism on the technical side. A terrifying glimpse into how easy it is for someone to access your information and stalk you, all because of a company gathering your data, sharing your patterns, and is too easily accessed.
The investigation, if you could call it that, is tunnel visioned. They found a suspect and never looked any further. I have had a spidey sense feeling since early on, but I have no clues to use against him. Another suspect arises and I think I now have my eyes on the murderer.
Unputdownable, because I HAD TO KNOW. Chris Patchell sure did weave a tangled web. I found The Perfect Brother to be more of a mystery, than thriller. This ARC had 433 pages of deliciousness. I only stopped when necessary. Though I rated it a 4, I think when it has been polished it could be a 5.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Perfect Brother by Chris Patchell.
4 Stars
SYNOPSIS
A scandalous liaison. A killer on the loose. Can a young woman save her sibling from going down for murder?
Vancouver, Canada. Software engineer Indira Saraf refuses to march to her traditionalist parents’ old-world drum. Resentful of her brother’s golden-boy acceptance but still a devoted sister, she encourages him to confess his secret affair before he ends up married to a woman he doesn’t want. So she’s horrified when his student and lover is slain and he’s arrested for the gruesome crime.
Repurposing her own AI technology to prove his innocence, the unorthodox rebel scours the dead college girl’s life for clues. But when Indira discovers another missing co-ed and the suspects pile up, she learns the hard way that her digging has drawn deadly attention…
Can she hunt down the culprit before she takes a fatal fall?
The Perfect Brother is a chilling standalone suspense thriller. If you like dogged heroines, complex family relationships, and dangerous twists, then you’ll adore USA Today bestselling author Chris Patchell’s riveting tale.
Chris Patchell is an award-winning USA Today Bestselling Author who started writing to curb the homicidal tendencies she experienced during her daily Seattle commute. She writes gripping suspense thrillers with romantic elements set in the Pacific Northwest and believes good fiction combines a magical mix of complex characters, compelling plots, and well-crafted stories.
Over the years, she has written numerous popular books and series, including bestsellers Deadly Lies, In the Dark, and her most recent collection of small-town crime novellas, the Lacey James Series. Along the way, her writing has won several awards, including a 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Award, an IndieReader Discovery Award, and a Pacific Northwest Literary Award.
When she’s not writing, you can find Chris reading books, hanging out with her family, watching football, and struggling to keep up with her workout regime, all while shushing her incessantly yapping Yorkies. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two kids.
I love to give authors a podium and the freedom to share whatever they like. I found Vince’s Guest Post to be interesting and it got me thinking….
Guest Blog Post
Which two authors would I have dinner with?
Ernest Hemingway and Taylor Caldwell have been
known for their inspiring and exceptional writing. So, what would it be like to
have dinner with them?
Let the fantasy begin …
As we waited for our drinks, I leaned over to
Ernest. “Put that cigar away,” I whispered, to avoid embarrassment.
“It’s Papa,” he replied in his usual charismatic
tone. “I told you many times, call me Papa. And this is no ordinary cigar. It’s
a Cuban puro.”
“I know what it is,” I said as my eyes followed
the waft of smoke charging towards me like one of the bulls from his book, The
Sun Also Rises. I moved my head to the side and added, “This is not El
Floridity and it’s not 1952. It’s 2022 in Sotto Sotto, Toronto. You remember
Toronto, don’t you?”
“Of course,
I do,” Ernest said as he extinguished his cigar. “The Toronto Star. I started there
as a freelancer and eventually worked as a foreign correspondent in Europe
writing stories about post-WWI conditions.”
I looked over to Taylor. She wasn’t a bit annoyed.
The curl of her lip suggested she rather enjoyed the exchange and would have
also enjoyed a Cuban cigar.
Our server came with our drinks. “Two daquiris,” he
said. Ernest smiled and tapped his finger on a space on the
table in front of him. “Martini for you, madam. And Negroni for you, sir.” We
toasted to friendship and writing and as the food and drinks came in plenty, so
did the conversation.
“Congratulations,” Taylor said, raising her glass
to me. “I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Final Crossing. Well done.”
“As did I,” Ernest said. I thanked them, smiled,
and took a sip of my Negroni.
Then Taylor turned to Ernest. “Papa, you should
have added more religious themes in your books.”
“You mean like your stories?”
“You know very well I have written on a broad range
of subjects, not just stories related to real historical events or persons. I
do not need to defend my work.”
Ernest smiled and raised his glass in tribute of her
accomplishments. It was probably more in his appreciation of a woman who
exemplified his own persona – strong-minded, adventurous, and passionate about her
craft. The wise fisherman was no match for this marlin, at least not this time.
“And don’t forget,” I said. “While you published The
Old Man and The Sea in 1952, for which you later won the Nobel Prize,
Taylor had written The Devil’s Advocate, set in
a dystopia where North America came under Communist rule.”
Ernest leaned back in his chair and took another sip of
his drink. Then he began to talk about his time in Cuba and in Paris and in
Spain. Taylor raised her hand. Ernest
stopped and remained
quiet. She then leaned forward towards him and said, “Don’t let the past steal
your present.”
The place fell in deafening silence as if everyone
had heard our conversation. I broke the stillness with my own curiosity about
their work.
“Papa, did writing come easy for you?” He shifted
in his seat and cleared his throat as if ready to respond in an interview with
a seasoned journalist.
“Writing is something that you can never do as well
as it can be done,” he said. “It is a perpetual challenge, and it is more
difficult than anything else that I have ever done—so I do it. And it makes me
happy when I do it well.”
Then I turned to Taylor. “You have always been
outspoken which is reflected in your intricately plotted, suspenseful stories
depicting family tensions. Much of this stemmed from your childhood. Would you
agree?”
“To some extent,” she replied. “As you know, I
emigrated to the U.S. with my parents and younger brother in 1907. Shortly
after my father died and the family struggled. I think I tapped into those
experiences and wrote them in my stories.”
“I believe you started to write at the age of eight
and wrote your first novel when you were twelve.”
She smiled. Then, as if the memories surfaced, her
smile faded. “My ill health prevented me from doing many things, except writing
of course. I buried myself in writing and the world knew little about me. Many
presumed I or rather the author, was a man. That was my first editor’s doing,
giving me a pen name. When my identity was eventually made known there was even
some public fuss over it.”
“Did that experience change how you thought about
people?”
“The nature of human beings never changes.
Political fads come and go; theories rise and fall; the scientific truth of
today becomes the discarded error of tomorrow. Man’s ideas change, but not his
inherent nature. That remains.”
My eyes darted towards Ernest who sat with his hand
on his chin, and I could tell he learned something new about Taylor.
“OK, now please humour me,” I said. I reached into
my pocket and pulled out three pens, one for each of us. I then took out a
piece of paper, ripped it in three and distributed them. I had obviously planned
for this moment.
I continued. “If we were stranded on an island and brought
with us only one book, what would it be? Write it down, fold the paper and pass
it to me.”
They were pensive at first. But then, in unison,
they wrote down their answer and handed it to me. I also wrote mine. I unfolded
each one and placed them on the table for us to see which book we would have had
brought with us.
Taylor wrote, The Old Man and The Sea. Ernest
wrote, The Devil’s Advocate. I wrote, The Final Crossing.
We laughed and laughed. We ate and drank. We
savoured the evening until the place had emptied, except for three revelling
authors.
And the fantasy ended.
What a fun post. I know I have read The Old Man and The Sea, but the others….I’ll be checking. I loved the post and you made it so enjoyable, Vince. Thank you very much.
The Final Crossing: A Tale of Self-Discovery and Adventure by Vince Santoro
GENRE: Historical Fiction
BLURB
In this tale of self-discovery and adventure,
we are connected with a history we’ve come to know as the cradle of
civilization.
Nenshi, an Egyptian house servant, raised in
nobility, is well-schooled, a master huntsman and hungers to be free. His
master agrees to grant his freedom but while the petition is set to be heard,
Nenshi’s indiscretion gets in the way. He is caught in a secret love affair
with a woman above his social status.
As punishment, he is exiled to labour in the Nubian
gold mines. His life turns upside down as he is thrust into a world for which
he had been ill prepared. He escapes from the mines and vows to return to
Thebes, but his attempts push him farther and farther away on a journey that
redefines him – a journey mired with cruelty, bloodshed, and the discovery of a
new deity.
In the end Nenshi learns his freedom has been
granted and must decide whether to return to his homeland or start a new life.
“I greatly enjoyed this well written story by
Vince Santoro. He takes us across the Ancient World
through the protagonist, Nenshi, an exiled Egyptian
servant who struggles with class structure, both around and within himself.
Santoro weaves a story of ideas – a sense of belonging, monotheism, and the
human soul – told through Nenshi’s rite of passage through to his final
crossing. The setting is visually evocative of “spirit of place” as
the novelist and travel writer Lawrence Durrell called it. It’s a story worth
reading.” – Terry Stanfill
Award winning historical fiction author of The Gift
from Fortuny, Realms of Gold, The Blood Remembers and other works.
“Vince Santoro is a gifted storyteller. I
found The Final Crossing difficult to put down because it is
well written. As an historian and author of
non-fiction books, I am impressed with the amount of research that Santoro has
done to prepare this story of adventure and romance set in the ancient Middle
East. The customs, the beliefs and even the character names are all authentic
to that region and era. With so many plot twists and turns, Santoro will keep
you guessing about what might happen next to the protagonist until the very
end!” – John Charles Corrigan
Author of The Red Knight and “Love
Always”
EXCERPT
Twilight was fast approaching, and they returned to the trail.
From a distance they saw an abundance of trees and vegetation that sprung from
the hard soil. Moments later, they heard rushing water. A twisting river
murmured. It called out and invited them to consume its wealth. Nenshi and
Aziza went to explore it.
Aziza stopped and kneeled to examine small flowers in bloom.
On the river’s edge Nenshi bent over and splashed water on his face. He cupped
his hands and drank its cool refreshing offering. Rocks jutted out from the
shallow water. He heard footsteps and threw a glance behind him. Aziza, ran
towards him, as free as the wind blew, eager to jump into the river. Nenshi
screamed from the top of his lungs to warn her.
“Aziza … Aziza … be careful, the water is shallow! There
are rocks!”
Her excitement muffled his warning. Nenshi then stood,
flapped his arms to get her attention. She pushed her legs hard against the
water to run faster until it was just deep enough to jump in.
“Aziza …. Aziza … stop …” Nenshi cried. Aziza took another
step but this time slipped and almost fell. She tried to regain balance and
continued moving forward. Nenshi gasped hoping she realized the danger and
would stop. But she didn’t and it was too late. She slipped again, fell and hit
a rock. Nenshi immediately ran to her, stepping and slipping on rocks that
almost caused him to lose balance. Babak who had heard Nenshi’s cries dashed to
the river. Nenshi crouched over the wet and motionless body.
“Help me get her out,” Nenshi cried out as he lifted her,
propped her head and shoulders in his arms. Blood, washed by the water, dripped
from her head.
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Vince is an Italian-born Canadian who grew up in Toronto,
Canada, and now lives in Pickering, a suburb of Toronto.
In his youth, education and sports became a priority. A private
boys’ school, St. Michael’s College in Toronto, provided the opportunity for
both. He graduated from York University, Toronto, with a degree in history and
a minor in behavioural science.
Vince was always up for new challenges. After completing his
studies, he set his eyes on Europe and played professional basketball in Italy.
When he returned home, he shifted gears and worked in the aerospace industry in
several capacities. The most rewarding was managing internal communications for
a large aircraft manufacturer. It was during this time he decided to hone his
writing skills by studying journalism at Ryerson University, Toronto, and he
had several articles published.
His career in communications along with studies in history and
journalism prepared him to take on his next challenge: to write a book. His
debut novel, The Final Crossing, has been a labour of love, one he worked on
for many years. It reflects life experiences, woven into a story that inspires
and entertains, and perhaps even show the world in a different way.
Grady is in middle school with his best friend Aarush, who is on the autistic spectrum.
Kids…autistic, asthmatic, overweight, bullies, insecurity…This coming of age fantasy has it all. I was captivated with the world and characters that Carole P Roman has created. I loved watching them learn and grow.
Grady, Aarush and many of their classmates want to go to Templeton Academy, a place to discover your ‘hidden talents and develop them into formidable powers.’ Sounds a bit Hatty Potterish, doesn’t it?
The kids who gravitated to Grady learned to work together for a common goal. I can see a moral to the story and I feel all who read Grady Whill will leave with a smile on their face.
It is hard to describe the story without spoiling it, but I will say it was…unputdownable.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex by Carole P Roman.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Templeton Academy- the superhero high school is finally open! The prestigious academy is recruiting the best of the best to enroll in its student body. The school is as mysterious as it is exclusive. Grady Whill thinks there is nothing special about him to make the grade. However, his best friend, Aarush Patel has been selected and thinks Grady has the right stuff. Even school bully, Elwood Bledsoe is attending. If Grady is fortunate enough to be picked, his guardian has forbidden him to attend. Will a family secret prevent Grady from becoming the superhero he was destined to be?
ABOUT CAROLE P ROMAN
Carole P. Roman is the award-winning author of over fifty children’s books. Whether it’s pirates, princesses, or discovering the world around us, her books have enchanted educators, parents, and her diverse audience of children. She hosts a blog radio program called Indie Authors Roundtable and is one of the founders of the magazine, Indie Author’s Monthly. She’s been interviewed twice by Forbes Magazine. Carole has co-authored two self-help books. Navigating Indieworld: A Beginners Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing with Julie A. Gerber, and Marketing Indieworld with both Julie A. Gerber and Angela Hausman. She published Mindfulness for Kids with J. Robin Albertson-Wren and a new joke book called The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids: 800+ Jokes! She writes adult fiction under the name Brit Lunden and is currently helping to create an anthology with her mythical town of Bulwark, Georgia with a group of indie authors. She lives on Long Island near her children and grandchildren.
Her series includes: Captain No Beard If You Were Me and Lived in- Cultural If You Were Me and Lived in- Historical Nursery series Oh Susannah- Early Reader and coloring book Mindfulness for Kids with co-author J. Robin Albertson-Wren The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids; 800 plus Jokes! Navigating Indieworld- with co-author Julie A. Gerber Marketing Indieworld- with co-authors Angela Hausman and Julie A. Gerber Adult Fiction under the pen name Brit Lunden Bulwark The Knowing- A Bulwark Anthology
The Wielder Diaries: My Crystal by Ashley Scheller
GENRE: Fantasy Adventure
BLURB
Please…Please come back… Those words ring
in her ears as she awakens. A strange band of characters call her Kayla, a name
she’s forgotten along her life filled with transforming animals, magic, and
dragons. Anybody would want to remember such an exciting life, yet there seems
to be a truth no one wants to share, WHY it’s important Kayla remembers. With a
mystical book in hand, she races against time to recall her adventures she
shared with her family and friends in this first installment of ‘The Wielder
Diaries’ series, ‘My Crystal.’
EXCERPT
Left alone, before I could ask any more questions, I studied
the item carefully. It was certainly odd for a diary, let alone a book. There was
no title. The covers were made of this blue-tinted, crystal-like material. The
covers themselves were a mystery as some inky black liquid that stained them
oddly swirled around on its own just beneath the surface. The entire outside
was rather warm to the touch and surprisingly growing hotter the longer I held
it.
Come on…I need you. These people need you to help me out
here!
Bearing through the pain, I pried it open.
It hurts! Knock it off! Work with me here!
A chill ran down my spine when I heard a whiny screech, but
it wasn’t about to deter me from my task. Slapping both hands on the tan pages
to prevent the covers from snapping shut, I next heard a ghostly sigh.
“Whew!” I leaned back. “All right, that was weird.”
I studied the reddish font while I sat back up, ignoring the
slight burning sensation in my hands. Before I could start, the pages’ aged,
tan color dissolved away while a gold font replaced the icky red. Although the
pages I was looking at became pure white, the rest of them remained tan like
they were waiting for me to turn to their spot.
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Ashley
Scheller has many hats. An educator by day and artist by night – if she isn’t sketching new creations in her
notebook, she loves to create stories. Residing with her family in Iowa,
Scheller enjoys connecting with her community about art, books, and games. In
2021, Scheller published book two of The Wielder Diaries series, Shattered.
She invites you to an exciting adventure and looks forward to publishing book
three soon.
Xander
has led a life of luxury with a cushy job in the family business. After his
father’s mysterious disappearance, Xander became CEO of the multi-million
dollar, international enterprise and tries to prove himself to everyone,
including himself.
Xander discovers
encrypted files in his father’s hidden safe that detail his illicit activities.
His father was more than disreputable—he was a member of a secret and
diabolical organization whose sole objective is world domination. In the files
are plans for the Berlin Device—a satellite weapons system that has the
potential for unparalleled destruction.
Chloe has scrimped and
saved for an amazing hiking vacation. When nothing goes right in her travels,
fate intervenes and she and Xander are thrown together in a hopeless quest
across Europe to recover the device before more innocent people die.
Dodging bullets, bombs,
and barbaric henchmen, Xander and Chloe discover a mysterious facility that
could become their final resting place…if their enemies have their way.
Can they escape with
their lives?
More importantly, can
they save the planet from The Berlin Device?
EXCERPT
“Damn it,” Chloe muttered to herself as she peered at her
computer monitor. The night before her long-awaited, glorious two-week vacation
to the Canary Islands, and she was still stuck at work. It always seemed as if she
had to work twenty hours of overtime the week before every vacation and twice
that amount when she returned.
She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a colorful
brochure. It was well-worn from the hundreds of times she had looked at it. The
brochure promised two weeks of relaxing hiking and delicious, regional foods as
well as incredible views and a friendly group atmosphere. She looked around the
sea of cubicles and thought she could use a friendly group atmosphere. Not one
of her co-workers had offered to stay and help her out with the report that her
boss insisted he needed by tomorrow morning. She frowned and vowed to never
again volunteer to help them when they were overworked or wanted to
leave—especially because she hadn’t even packed yet! Chloe vowed that things
would change when she returned.
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Tammy Wunsch is
an International Writer of Mystery, Travel, and Wine – with a fierce
entrepreneurial side. She spent most of her life in the Quiet Corner of
Connecticut but currently resides in the Denver metropolitan area. Formally
educated in business, she has worked in a variety of industries and is
adventurous by nature. She is passionate about animals and loves to travel,
cook, kayak, and read.
Wedding of the Torn Rose and Gravity of Obedience by Brian A Mendonca were fabulous surprise reads. I loved them and hope I get a chance to finish the series.
A forest. A monster. A princess. And a new opportunity for Kaine.
The princess of the Dorian Kingdom is scheduled to marry the Throatian prince, thus creating a alliance between the two kingdoms. Safety in number, seeing royalty thrives on war and chaos.
Kaine is from the Leila Kingdom and Princess Lydia is the Rose of the Dorian Kingdom.
Her marriage allows Lydia an Everlasting With. When Kaine finds out what she wants and wants to stop the wedding, but she convinces him it’s the only way.
A quick read that packs a punch and I am so happy that I have Book II, Gravity of Obedience, waiting on my the top of my reading pile. Wedding of the Torn does not end in a cliffhanger. It wraps up the story of Kaine and Lydia, but what is to come of their world is still up for debate.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Wedding of the Torn Rose by Brian A Mendonca.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Saving the princess was only the start of events that would change his life forever…
Kaine was down on his luck. The former merchant struggled with losing his job and now must make ends meet. Too bad he doesn’t know how. Frustrated, he sets off into the nearby forest to gather mushrooms. The woman’s screams were the last thing he expected. Kaine must act quickly to rescue the young woman before a monster that should not exist kills her.
His life only gets crazier from there. Kaine returns with Lydia, the daughter of the king, to her father’s castle where he unexpectedly finds himself in the king’s good graces. Confused and leery, Kaine reluctantly agrees to remain and help with Lydia’s younger siblings. Life could not have thrown him more.
Kaine is plunged into a world of magical intrigue, unrest, and political maneuvering. Each new event leaves him feeling out of place and, worse, dangerously exposed to a growing threat. The Darian Kingdom stands at the crossroads. Lydia’s upcoming wedding to the prince of the Throatian Kingdom will soon become the defining moment in Kaine’s life.
With the threat of war looming on the horizon, it is going to take every ounce of guile, cunning, and willpower for Kaine to survive, and, if he is fortunate, prevent the fast approaching storm from burning his world to the ground.
Wedding of the Torn Rose is a fast-paced fantasy adventure with mystery, action, and magic. Journey with Kaine as he attempts to prevent a war and save a kingdom in the first volume of the Symphony of Crowns and Gods series.
Breeding farms. Loyalty circles. Blood Sacrifices. The Sorceress. The Red Knight.
The Throatians Mayan like in their religion, which I find fascinating. It rules their lives with an iron fist. Brutal. Savage.
I feel there is something going on behind the scens, something other than their blood thirsty god.
The Throatian king wants the Tears of Asura, magical stones.
Gravity of Obedience had so much intrigue. I love when an author surprises me, taking me to a place I didn’t see coming, leaving me wanting more…and there is more to come, because the story isn’t done. I can hardly wait. Please write faster Brian. 🙂
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Gravity of Obedience by Brian A Mendonca.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Nobody serves kings and gods without paying the price.
Prince Thane never imagined his life would change so drastically after an unexpected encounter with his father atop an ancient religious mountain temple. Facing the wrath of his god, he is called upon for blood sacrifices and resisting the conspiracy of a powerful sorceress intent on invading his homeland. Torn between impossible demands and his duty, the young prince struggles to understand what looms on the horizon. A conflict between religious faith and common sense rage within the prince, forcing him to question his god’s true intentions.
Thane’s life continues to spiral as he stumbles upon a mysterious invulnerable knight and follows him through a portal into another land far from home. Tensions mount as the involved kingdoms brace for the inevitable Wedding of the Torn Rose. Gripped by a series of decisions they don’t want to make, Thane’s royal family becomes mired in unending controversy.
Destinies collide as the fate of multiple kingdoms is revealed. Father, mother, and son must at last come to understand one another if there is to be any hope of righting their wrongs. Pushed to the edges of his sanity, young Prince Thane will need to overcome his doubts and do the unthinkable.
Gravity of Obedience is the thrilling sequel to Wedding of the Torn Rose. While this book is Volume II in the series, it is enjoyable even without having read Volume I. Reading Volume I first enriches the story of Volume II, but is not required.
ABOUT BRIAN A MENDONCA
Brian Mendonça is a writer, reader, and tech geek at heart. He’s always looking for new ways to get better at his craft, and he has traveled the world to see how the world is a melting pot of stories and cultures around us. He feels most at home when sitting in front of his computer, with a cup of coffee, and writing stories. When he’s not writing, he’ll be relaxing at home with his video games or watching re-runs of Friends or the Big Bang Theory. He often takes long walks outside while listening to podcasts. Brian is laid back, easy-going, and he loves helping people out. Brian is a native resident of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and recipient of a Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology (Bioinformatics emphasis) from University of California, Davis.
You can connect with him on social media using the below links. For the latest information on upcoming releases, sign up for Brian’s newsletter.
![Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex: A Superhero High School Adventure by [Carole P. Roman]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fKSvKFAXL.jpg)
