Europa Awakenings by Pam Garcia has an amazing cover that made me feel I had to have it. After reading the synopsis I knew I had to have it. I even enjoyed learning about Pam from her bio, be sure and check it out. Her commitment to the oceans around us makes me feel I have met a kindred spirit.

I realize this is a long post, put P R Garcia has so many wonderful things to share, I could not decide what to keep and what to discard…so I included it all! Sci-fi, fantasy, reality…you decide.

Let’s welcome P R Garcia and be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of the post!

GUEST POST FROM P R GARCIA

EUROPA Awakenings in the first book in the EUROPA Series, a collection of six novels that addresses the question of “What happened to Atlantis?” It is a new, fresh concept connecting the legendary city to *******’s ice moon, Europa and to the ancient city of Puma Punku in Bolivia, plus gives an explanation as to why the city was sunk overnight and what happened to the inhabitants. (Hint: They’re still here)

INSPIRATION FOR BOOK

EUROPA Awakenings came about as an inspiration while watching a documentary one uneventful day. I am a big sci-fi fan and watch numerous shows about possible life on other planets and moons. This particular day the documentary was discussing *******’s moon, Europa. I had never heard of this moon and was completely enthralled. She is totally shielded by a thick layer of ice and astrologists believe that beneath her ice there exists a moon-wide ocean that may contain simple life. Immediately, I wondered why the life had to be simple? Europa has been in existence almost as long as Earth has, so why couldn’t it contain complex-life? Even sentient life? And since it is a closed-environment, uninfluenced by anything in the universe, the possibilities could be endless. That idea sparked the beginning of the Europa Series concept. When I went to bed that night, my thoughts were still filled with the possibilities, thus causing me to dream about a race of intelligent beings, called Oonocks, who had to flee Europa and came to Earth – the Atlantians. For the next few days the thoughts of Europa and the Atlantians filled my mind, as well as my dreams. Unable to shake the thoughts, I sat down at my computer and began to type, hoping to possible write one book. When EUROPA Awakenings was finished, I stopped typing, but the feeling that there was more of her story to be told plagued my thoughts. I’m no working on book number ten.

Currently EUROPA Awakenings has a 4.5 star rating on Amazon and a 5 star rating on Goodreads. (Which I consider very good since the Harry Potter Collection has a 4.5 star rating and the Star Wars Trilogy has a 4.6 rating.) It received a 5 star Reader’s Favorite Rating.

A huge thanks to P R Garcia and I am very excited to share all her goodies with YOU, my readers.

Add me to Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I am AMAZED and BLOWN AWAY by the epic saga, Europa Awakenings by P R Garcia!

I was hooked from the beginning and putting down this almost 500 page novel was done with much reluctance, but my hands hurt from holding the book and my eyes are blurring, making the words almost unreadable. I read the book slower than normal, savoring the story unfolding page by page, experience by experience, good and bad, life and death and above all, love and sacrifice.

Atlantis was born from a need to hide…hide not just from their enemies, but us…humans. If aliens are watching us, walking among us, it would behoove them to be wary, secretive. I agree with P R Garcia’s writing, we humans kill what we fear.

Mermaids? No. Underwater creatures? Yes. Humans? Yes.

Europa has no idea she comes from Atlantis, from a alien race forced to leave their planet.

This is her journey of discovery.

The first threat comes from a source I figured out pretty quick. I pride myself on that. It also creates a great twist to the story.

I knew there would be a romance and I wondered where her boyfriend, Terrance would come from. Would he be alien or human? Does love conquer all? We shall see.

The characters are so much more than they seem, changing forms, sacrificing, always loving, doing their duty to protect…her. The characters and world building are complex and developed to such a point, I feel I am there, interacting with them. I feel their paralyzing terror, their need to protect at the cost of their own lives. I weep with those who mourn their fallen soldiers.

Of course, I love Europa and her soulmate, Terrance, a naive human that has no idea what he has stepped into, but goes all out just to be at her side. I don’t know if I can choose just one hero, but I love Jeanip. Loyalty and duty could be his middle name. With a protector such as Jeanip, I cannot help but feel they will survive, but will he?

As P R Garcia explains what happens when they return to the water to die, it makes me think of spreading a loved ones ashes on the water, allowing them to travel on.

Europa Awakenings contains so much action and adventure, the suspense and pacing so intense, the book is unputdownable. Everywhere I look, there is another hint of danger. The sense of impending doom follows me through the pages. I know something is coming, I just don’t know when. More than once, P R Garcia caught me by surprise and I love that.

Europa Awakenings is a wonderful combination of the paranormal and supernatural, myth and folklore, fantasy and romance. P R Garcia took me to the depths of hell and brought me up to the light of the sun. I am at a loss for words to describe the elaborate and imaginative world and characters, on land and in water, that Pam has created. I am entranced, enthralled, amazed and astounded.

There will be much more of their story, but…for now…they are safe.

I am so happy that Book II is on its way!

I received a copy of Europa Awakenings by P R Garcia in return for an honest review.

5 Stars

ABOUT EUROPA AWAKENINGS

EUROPA Awakenings is the story of a young human who’s heard of Atlantis, but never given it much thought. All she knows is that she is going off to college and will, at last, be free of the strict security rules she must live by. But her future is a delusion, her life a fabrication, a charade created to keep her from knowing the truth. And what neither she nor her protectors know is that their family’s enemy has returned and is stalking her, waiting for his chance to end her life.

The day after her birthday, Europa’s perfect world is destroyed when JeffRa assassinates her mother, believing she was Europa. Seeking solace in her mother’s bedroom, Europa discovers an entrance to a secret attic where she finds picture of her parents hundreds of years old. But the most terrifying find is her mother’s diary. Inside, Queen Medaron wrote that Europa would be born human and never know who she really was. Unwavering in her attempt to learn the truth, she embarks on a journey of discovery, a journey of many dangers as JeffRa chases her, determined to personally end her life. Along the way, Europa will lose almost everyone and everything she loves, learn that shapeshifters are real and the powers of magical Orbs. Somehow, through all of this, she must discover the truth of her past and awaken the queen inside her. To accomplish both, she has to learn and accept the true story of Atlantis, embrace the Oonock race and identify with what lies beneath the ice shield of Europa.

ABOUT P R GARCIA

When asked who I am, I usually tell people I am a not-too-grayed-haired old lady who, at the age of 61, was inspired to write a book. The book turned into two, then three. In three years I have written nine and am presently working on book ten. All are full length novels, averaging 464 pages each.

In 2008, I moved from Michigan to Southern California. Since I grew up along Lake Erie, I had a love for the water, so it wasn’t long before I could hear the ocean calling to me. I began to volunteer on the whale watching boats as a naturalist through Birch Scripps Aquarium and the San Diego Natural History Museum. It is there that I expanded my knowledge of cetaceans and other marine life, a knowledge and love I carried into the books.

MY DREAMS

To see my story play out on the big screen before I leave this world. My other dream is to receive at least one hundred reviews on the books. I welcome both favorable reviews and those with criticism.

For more information about the books, or me, visit my website: prgarcia1.com. There is an index on the web site showing the characters, as well as a listing of places and Oonock terms. I have a YouTube video on EUROPA Awakenings at https://youtu.be/EvSVloULZ2I

I just recently updated the cover of EUROPA Awakenings to better reflect the story. The cover now shows the red-haired Europa, with her sanctuary, Saint’s Isle, on the right had side, and the presence of large whale’s tail on the left. The whale is key to her survival, but you’ll have to read the story to find out who he is. The first chapter was also updated, so you will note that the paperback holds a release date of 2-27-2016, while the eBook maintains the original 12-9-2013 date. They are both the same book. Due to the significant changes in Chapter One, the paperback required a new ISB Number and a new release date.

EUROPA Awakenings can be ordered through any bookstore or online on Amazon. For exciting news about the ocean, cetaceans or important environmental issues, you can follow my Facebook page Europa Awakenings, which is just shy of 1300 likes.

Check out her website here.

GIVEAWAY

We have a fabulous giveaway to share with you. There will be two winners. P R Garcia is offering a signed copy to one US commenter and one ebook to another commenter, so International is all good. Entry is easy…just leave your email and answer the question:

If anything is possible, what would you do first to help our oceans and the creatures who live there?

Giveaway will run from 4/5/16 – 4/19/16.