BOOK REVIEW: Azalea, Unschooled by Liza Kleinman

Azalea, Unschooled

Author: Liza Kleinman

Genre: Children's Fiction
Publication Date: 25th May 2015

Book Description:

In Pennsylvania, it was a clothing boutique for pets. Then a breakfast buffet in North Carolina. Then an apple orchard in Connecticut. Now, Azalea’s dad says he’s going to drive a tour bus in Portland, Maine. Through all those moves, Azalea and her older sister were homeschooled by their mom. But when they move to Portland, Azalea’s mom asks them to try unschooling—a method of learning that gives children more freedom to direct their own education. As the sisters struggle to find a delicate new balance, their world is rocked when someone sabotages Dad’s tour bus. Azalea decides it is up to her to find the culprit and hold her family together. In her fresh and funny debut middlereader novel, Liza Kleinman deftly explores the new unschooling movement as well as the challenges of moving to a new home, making friends, and finding room for differences within a family.

Buy Links:

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MY REVIEW

Azalea and her family just moved to town and almost immediately she makes an enemy, who she later believes vandalised her Dad's tour bus as a message for Azalea and her family to get out of town. As if trying to make new friends and dealing with a threat wasn't challenging enough, Azalea's parents suggest that her and her sister try unschooling - "a natural, child-driven exploation off the world". As Azalea goes about finding the culprit who's been terrorising her family, she learns that not all is as it seems and that the problem is a lot closer to home than she first realised.

This was a good read. It took me a while to get into it and really enjoy the story. Honestly, I found the first half of the book a little boring, but it picked up in the second half, and the story won me over in the end. Azalea is an engaging and vibrant character who is easy to relate to. I don't think I'll be continuing the series, but I am glad I got the chance to read this book. There ae some good lessons to be learned here, some good themes explored.

VERDICT

Award: Silver

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

Source: Own copy

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Cover Reveal - Nocturnal Meetings of the Misplaced by R.J. Garcia

Nocturnal Meetings of the Misplaced

Author: R.J. Garcia

Publication Date: May 1st, 2018

Genre: YA Suspense

Book Description:

Mystery surrounds the town of Summertime, Indiana, where fifteen-year-old Tommy Walker and his little sister are sent to live with relatives they’ve never met. Tommy soon makes friends with his rebellious neighbor, Finn Wilds.

Finn invites Tommy to late night meetings in the woods, where Tommy gets to know two girls. He forms a special and unique connection with both girls. The meetings become a place where the kids, who don’t fit in at school, or home can finally belong. As the group of friends begin to unravel clues to a cold case murder and kidnapping— they learn the truth is darker and closer than they ever imagined. Even if they live to tell, will anyone believe them?

About the Author

R.J. Garcia is a wife and proud mom. She earned her MSW and worked with foster children and as a school social worker. Writing has been her other great love. She has published several non-fiction pieces. She has been writing short-stories for as long as she can remember. To her amazement, those short stories became novels!

Author Links:

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Book Blitz & Giveaway - Visionary X Starlight- Valentine's Day by Yumoyori Wilson

Visionary X Starlight- Valentine’s Day 

Author: Yumoyori Wilson

Publication Date: February 10th, 2018

Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance

Book Description:

Two different worlds – one unique connection – a whole lot of love.

Valentine’s Day – an annual holiday dedicated to love, promoting couples to emphasize their love through gifts and celebration.

Makoto Heart spent her life trapped in a dark cell, never knowing the day existed or experienced love until her star knights. When three of her star knights – Kai, Marcus, and Elias – have the opportunity to bring her to Earthala, she’s given the chance to enjoy a four-day countdown to the celebration.

Scarlet Sinclair has dreaded February 14th. Her feelings stemmed from the reminder that she usually spent the day sitting alone, binge watching chick flicks on Netflix and devouring chocolate she bought for herself. But, this year would be different – Ethan, Junho, and Christian make a promise to prove to her that Valentine’s has more benefits than chocolate, and they’d use the next four days to prove it.

Will they each get more love than they bargained for?

Recommended for 18+ audience, containing mature sexual content, violence and strong language. THERE WILL BE F/F in this book. If that is not your cup of tea, PLEASE do not read it.

NOTE: Visionary X Starlight is written in CANADIAN ENGLISH – meaning both American and British English is used.

Buy Links:

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Book Blitz & Giveaway - Dangerous Moves by Karen Rock

Dangerous Moves 
Author: Karen Rock
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: February 13th, 2018
Genre: Adult Romance / Suspense

Book Description:

Pounding music. Sculpted men. And a conspiracy that could cost far more than a few dollar bills . . .

HOT COP

Detective Blake Knight has been undercover before. But an assignment to bust a steroid ring running out of Dallas’s elite male strip club means his new cover will be nothing but his own taut muscles and oiled skin. It’s one thing for the tough, by-the-books agent to take down bad guys with his gun. Facing a rowdy crowd in only a G-string is another story . . . especially in front of his new boss, gorgeous, mysterious Reese Landon.

Her father’s club and shady business practices bring back terrible memories for Reese. But when he’s shot and goes into a coma, she vows to protect him the way he never did for her. That means keeping the police at a distance—especially sexy, driven Detective Knight. If she has to give him a cover job, it would be a crime not to put that glorious ass on stage. But no matter how good he looks in a Velcro uniform, she can’t trust him, or give into the undeniable heat between them. They’re both chasing the truth. And it might expose more than either wants to show . . .

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Book Blitz & Giveaway - Barnabus Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab by Columbkill Noonan

Barnabus Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab

Author: Columbkill Noonan

Genre: YA Mystery / Mythology

Release Date: June 3rd, 2017

Book Description:

Barnabas Tew is a detective in Victorian London, although he is not nearly as successful as he dreamed he'd be. In fact, there are times that he fears that he may not be very good at the detecting business, after all. 

Everything changes, however, during a visit to the museum, where an encounter with a none-too-friendly mummy whisks Barnabas away from everything he knows. It seems that the Egyptian afterlife is in turmoil and the fate of the entire world is at stake, and Barnabas has been sent for by Anubis, the jackal-headed god of the dead, to save the day.

Barnabas is in over his head but determined to prove himself once and for all. With only his trusty assistant Wilfred at his side, will Barnabas manage to solve the case and save the Egyptian afterlife? Or will the dangerous and unpredictable Egyptian gods get the best of the intrepid duo?

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Blog Tour Excerpt & Giveaway - Devil's Gold by Amanda McKinney

Devil’s Gold

Author: Amanda McKinney
Publication Date: February 13th, 2018
Genre: Adult Mystery / Thriller

Book Description:

Despite being chronically late, occasionally disheveled and a tad disorganized, Dixie Knight is one of the top private investigators in the country, and when a young woman goes missing in the small, Southern town of Devil’s Den, Dixie takes the case. She expected it to be another ordinary missing person case—until Lizzie Meyers is found naked and beaten to death at a local, seedy motel.

While visiting relatives on his two-week leave, Marine Liam Cash bumps into Dixie at the local bar, and his attraction to her is immediate. When Liam connects Dixie’s current case to two unsolved murders in his hometown, he steps in to help find the killer, and keep her safe, whether Dixie wants him to or not.

After another woman is found brutally beaten, Dixie turns the town upside down trying to solve the mystery—could it be the rumored witch that lives in the mountains; the rich, neurotic doctor’s wife; or the perky, blonde receptionist at the local medical clinic?

Time is running out and Dixie knows she has to put the pieces of the puzzle together before another body turns cold in Devil’s Den.

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Pre-Order & Giveaway - Soft Kisses and Birdsong by Lynnette Bonner

Lynnette Bonner is excited to announce that Soft Kisses and Birdsong is now available for pre-order! Even more exciting is the opportunity you will have to win one of the 3 great prizes shown below!

Soft Kisses and Birdsong

Book 2 in the Riversong series

Author: Lynnette Bonner

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Book Description:

Years ago, he walked away from the only woman he had ever loved because he feared she wouldn’t want a man who’d failed.

She numbly tried to move on with her life. And is finally beginning to feel she can face the future.

Zaire Breckenridge can’t believe it when her lout of an ex-husband walks back into her life, claiming he’s a changed man. Worse than his invading the sanctuary of her town—the town they both grew up in together—is the fact that he’s invading the peace she finds at church. There really ought to be a rule. The heartbreaker should never be allowed to move back to town.

Landon Breckenridge knows that he’s made a mess of his life. But he also knows that finally surrendering everything to Jesus was the best decision he ever made. He aims to be a better person, and certainly a better witness to his friends and those who watch his rock climbing show on TV. Now if only he can convince the woman he loves to take him back. But if she won’t? Will Jesus be enough?

Sometimes the river of life cascades into a torrent of white-water. And sometimes it levels out on the other side, flowing smooth and slow, like soft kisses…and birdsong.

PRE-ORDER TODAY:

Amazon US ¦ UK

If you pre-order, when you receive your copy of the book on release day, the book will contain a special link where you can go and enter to win one of the below prizes. There is no purchase necessary to enter for these prizes, however. On release day you can come back to this page and the link to enter for the below prizes will be posted here. But buying the book on pre-order will give you a reminder to enter when you get the book and open it and see the reminder to enter the contest. AND it will support my desire to keep helping my kids pay their way through college. :) Void where prohibited.

3 Prizes! 3 Winners!

Prize #1:

$50.00 Amazon Gift Card

This gift card can be used to buy anything the winner wants from Amazon.

Prize #2:

Kindle Fire, 8GB

Kindle Fires are not only great for reading books! Surf the net. Watch movies. Scroll through social media. And more!

Prize #3:

Custom Necklace

This beautiful stone and pendant necklace is a little bit vintage and a little bit chic. It's a one of a kind creation made by Lynnette Bonner, specifically with Riversong in mind.

You can enlarge the image by clicking on it.

What a great chance to win some awesome prizes, right?! The book is only $2.99 while on pre-order! So grab it at a low price and secure your reminder to enter to win the above prizes!

Buy Your Copy Now

Entering this contest will also add you to Lynnette's newsletter, where you will have a chance to read her novella, My Blue Havyn, for free.

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Book Blitz & Giveaway - Resurrection: Shadows of Omega by Summer Lane

Resurrection: Shadows of Omega 

Author: Summer Lane

Publication Date: February 9th, 2018

Genre: NA Dystopian

Book Description:

The war is over. At last, Omega has been defeated, and the militias have found peace and stability. General Cassidy Hart has been elected to lead the newly resurrected post-apocalyptic government as President of the Western Republic.

The world is a different place. From the ashes, structure emerges. From death, hope blossoms.

Yet the shadows of Omega remain. Omega loyalists and dangerous anarchists infect every level of the crestfallen civilization, threatening to undermine the Republic’s attempts to maintain peace. Most of the world’s population has been slain: those who remain alive have very different ideas about what must be done to continue to survive.

A seasoned war veteran, sniper, and leader, Cassidy resents the stifling role of presidential leadership. General Chris Young, her former fiancé, leads the United Militia’s military as it rebuilds. Her comrades from war have scattered, and the one person who understands her, truly and completely, has disappeared.

When a new threat emerges, one that could undo everything they have fought for, Cassidy is forced to make hard decisions and ask for help in places where she never imagined she could.

The old is gone. The new has come.

Welcome to the Hart Presidency. Welcome to the Western Republic.

The Resurrection has begun.

From prolific author Summer Lane, creator of the #1 bestselling smash-hit Collapse Series, Zero Trilogy, Bravo Saga, Unbreakable SEAL and Running with Wolves. Enjoy this new series, following the adventures of beloved heroine Cassidy Hart, along with some familiar faces that fans have come to know and love.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK ¦ B&N

Book Blitz & Giveaway- Bad Wolf by Jo Raven

Bad Wolf 

Author: Jo Raven
Publication Date: February 8th, 2018

Genre: Adult Romance

Book Description:

This is no fairytale…

Once I fell in love with a gorgeous boy next door. Years later, he’s back—a total hunk, hot as hell, and bad. So bad. Rude. Cocky. Hard. And I’m dying for a taste.

Jarett was our neighbors’ adopted son. Handsome, strong, quiet, he was my protector, and my friend. Now he’s back, and he’s still gorgeous. Tall, dark and sexy. All man. But he’s a bad guy, moving with a dangerous crowd. So why do I keep winding up in his arms? On his lap. In his bed. I know better than this—I’m better than this. I should stop. Only my heart tells me there’s good inside Jarett. That I could save him. Then again, what happens to gullible girls who climb into bed with the big bad wolf? …Right.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK

Blog Tour Excerpt & Giveaway - Rattlesnake Hill by Leslie Wheeler

Rattlesnake Hill

Author: Leslie Wheeler

Genre: Mystery/Suspense

Date Published:  2/16/18

Publisher:  Encircle Publications

Book Description:

It’s November in the Berkshires, a dreary time of dwindling light when the tourists have fled along with the last gasp of fall foliage. So when a stranger shows up in the sleepy hilltown of New Nottingham and starts asking questions, the locals don’t exactly roll out the welcome wagon.

Bostonian Kathryn Stinson is on a deeply personal quest to solve a family mystery: the identity of a nameless beauty in an old photograph an ancestor brought with him to California over a century ago. But, as Kathryn quickly discovers, the hills possess a host of dark secrets – both ancient and new – that can only be revealed at the price of danger and even death.

Her suspicious neighbors on Rattlesnake Hill become openly hostile when Kathryn starts seeking answers to a more recent mystery: the murder of Diana Farley, who once occupied the house Kathryn is now renting. Was it Diana’s husband, who killed her to keep her from divorcing him, or her lover, Earl Barker, a backwoods charmer and leading member of a wild clan known for their violent tempers?

When Kathryn plunges into a passionate affair with Earl, she puts herself on a collision course with past and present. She must find out if Earl killed Diana, or risk becoming a victim herself.

Pre-Order Links:
Amazon US ¦ UK

eBooks Galore Giveaway - 4 Multi-Genre eBook Bundle

eBooks Galore Giveaway

Feb 10th - 24th

Thanks to the wonderful authors who are sponsoring CBY's group giveaway.

Author Sponsors Showcase

Click the images to learn more about the books

         

   NA Paranormal Fantasy        YA Magical Realism        YA Mystery / Thriller                YA Fantasy                 

   

***GIVEAWAY***

4 eBook Multi-Genre Bundle (1 Winner).
Ends February 24th, 2018 (11.59 p.m. GMT)

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Blog Tour Promo & Giveaway - Of Sea and Stone by Kate Avery Ellison

Of Sea and Stone

Author: Kate Avery Ellison

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: February 2014

Book Description:

Aemi lives in a village carved from stones and surrounded by sea. She wins spear-throwing competitions in disguise and earns slaps from her spoiled mistress by talking back. She hates being a slave. She survives by remembering her mother's tales of home, a paradise called Perilous.

Aemi intends to find it.

But then, black ships rise from the sea in the night. Aemi is captured and taken to Itlantis, an underwater world of cities and gardens encased in glass, dazzling technology. and a centuries-long war.

She is determined to escape, even if it means conspiring with fellow prisoner Nol, who fills her with equal parts anger and desire. Even if it means impersonating her mistress. Even if it means fleeing into the territory of the Dron, the bloodthirsty barbarians of the deep.

But when Aemi witnesses firsthand an attack by the Dron, she realizes not all is as it seems below the sea.

And Perilous might be closer than she thinks.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK ¦ B&N ¦ Kobo ¦ Google Play 

Blog Tour Spotlight - The Long Lost by Tom Nixon

The Long Lost

Author: Tom Nixon

Publisher: CreateSpace

Pages: 418

Genre: Suspense

Book Description: 

The sudden and strange disappearance of Joel Thomas brings together his ex-wife and best friend in a search for answers. As Mary and Jason seek out the truth, their quest consistently turns up more questions than clues. In another time, the story of a long-time group of college friends plays out across 30 years of history, revealing the highs and lows of a group that vowed to maintain their friendship until death. Is the answer to Joel’s mysterious departure found in a simple note sent to Mary, or is it locked somewhere back in time? Told in alternating voices and timelines, Nixon’s The Long Lost tells a story of both intrigue and suspense — along with sentimentality and introspection — as he examines the painful discoveries realized when childhood friends grow up...and grow apart.

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Release Blitz - All Systems Down by Sam Boush

All Systems Down

Author: Sam Boush

Genre: Thriller

Date Published: 8 February 2018

24 hours.

That’s all it takes.

A new kind of war has begun.

Book Description:

Pak Han-Yong’s day is here. An elite hacker with Unit 101 of the North Korean military, he’s labored for years to launch Project Sonnimne: a series of deadly viruses set to cripple Imperialist infrastructure.

And with one tap of his keyboard, the rewards are immediate.

Brendan Chogan isn’t a hero. He’s an out-of-work parking enforcement officer and one-time collegiate boxer trying to support his wife and children. But now there’s a foreign enemy on the shore, a blackout that extends across America, and an unseen menace targeting him.

Brendan must do whatever it takes to keep his family safe.

In the wake of the cyber attacks, electrical grids fail, satellites crash to earth, and the destinies of nine strangers collide.

Strangers whose survival depends upon each other’s skills and courage.

For fans of REVOLUTION and Tom Clancy, ALL SYSTEMS DOWN is a riveting cyber war thriller that presents a threat so credible you’ll be questioning reality.

Buy Links:

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