Second Book to the Right: March 2016

Sunday, March 27, 2016

#REVIEW: The Glass Gauntlet by Carter Roy

Title: The Glass Gauntlet
Series: The Blood Guard #2
Author: Carter Roy
Publisher: Two Lions
Published Date: August 18, 2015
Pages: 261
ISBN: 978-1477827154
Genre: middle school fantasy
Buy It Link: Amazon

Synopsis:
Ronan Truelove barely survived his first encounter with his father and the Bend Sinister. Now, he’s determined to become one of the Blood Guard, a sword-wielding secret society sworn to protect thirty-six pure souls crucial to the world’s survival.
Eager to prove he’s got what it takes, Ronan is sent on his first mission with his friends Greta and Sammy to visit a weird-sounding school and take a series of tests called the Glass Gauntlet. Paper and pencils and nerdy scholarship—where’s the life-or-death challenge in that?
But the Glass Gauntlet is actually something much more dangerous: head-to-head competitions against ruthless opponents. Nothing and no one are what they seem. Who can he trust, and who will kill him? Ronan has to figure it out fast because his enemies are multiplying, and soon he will have to pass the ultimate test: facing his father again and standing up to those who threaten not only him and his friends but also the world.

Rating: 4 stars

My Review: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
It's hard to keep up an action-packed series. Eventually, it will start falling flat. They always do. The author hasn't quite gotten there yet with this series however. Ronan and Greta are back and honestly, I wonder how long Greta is going to remain in the dark about herself. For a smart girl, she isn't putting together the clues that are right in front of her. However, with more books in the series after this, she's got plenty of time, and the signs are all pointing towards it.
Ronan is starting to step up and accept the idea he is part of this secret society. Is it really believable that some secret society would rely on what ends up being a bunch of kids to save the world? There is some evolution of the main characters, which I like, though some will always remain the same, it seems. Speaking of evolution, I wasn't exactly pleased with the evolution of and adding to the core group of characters. There just seems to be way too many people in the core group right now. Perhaps that will change later on during the series, however.
Overall, this book was pretty much the same as the previous book in terms of action and violence. The action certainly kept the storyline going, and ultimately, I enjoyed reading this second book in the series.

#REVIEW: The Blood Guard by Carter Roy

Title: The Blood Guard
Series: The Blood Guard #1
Author: Carter Roy
Publisher: Two Lions
Published Date: March 4, 2014
ISBN: 9781477847251
Buy It Link: Amazon

Synopsis: When thirteen-year-old Ronan Truelove’s seemingly ordinary mom snatches him from school, then sets off on a high speed car chase, Ronan is shocked. His quiet, nerdy dad has been kidnapped? And the kidnappers are after him, too?

His mom, he quickly learns, is anything but ordinary. In fact, she’s a member of an ancient order of knights, the Blood Guard, a sword-wielding secret society sworn to protect the Pure—thirty-six noble souls whose safety is crucial if the world as we know it is to survive.
Now all those after-school activities—gymnastics, judo, survival training—she made him take, make sense. For suddenly Ronan is swept up in a sometimes funny, sometimes scary, but always thrilling adventure—dashing from one danger to the next, using his wits to escape the Bend Sinister, a posse of evil doers with strange powers. Falling in with two unlikely companions, Greta, a scrappy, strong-willed girl he’s never much liked and Jack, a devil-may-care teenage pickpocket, Ronan is left with only his wits and his mom’s last words of advice: Trust no one.
That’s a lot for an ordinary kid to deal with. But then again, maybe Ronan’s not ordinary at all.

My Rating: 4 stars

My Review: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
As an adult reading a middle grade school fiction book, I enjoyed the book. It was full of action from the very beginning, and kept going until the final showdown. It was full of intrigue and fights, and while it is clearly fantasy in nature, it is a modern fantasy.
As much as I loved the book and plot, it did stretch reality somewhat (okay, a lot). Ronan's mother has secretly been training him his whole life to become a Blood Guard member, having him take different martial arts classes, and of course the Ultimate Frisbee League (of which he does use his amazing prowess in the book), all of which will inadvertantly train him to be a Blood Guard member when the time is right. And let's not forget the guy whose head gets chopped off and yet somehow continues to live (and see through his eyes though his head is miles away).
Violence....yes, there is a lot of it, much of it directed against children, but then you find that when you read a book about a kid who becomes a part of an ancient order of knights set out to save the world from the bad guys.
I don't know if I would have my almost-middle schooler read this book yet. I think I would wait until perhaps 7th for the emotional grownth of her before letting her read this.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

#EXCERPT: Wishing Stone by Tegon Maus

Wishing Stone by Tegon Maus

Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing (August 10, 2014)
Category: Mystery, Soft Science Fiction, Technothriller, Humor, Quirky
ASIN: B00MMQYLPU
Tour Date: Feb/Mar, 2016
Available in: ebook, 151 Pages

During that last summer, as if in punishment for being happy, Kate was diagnosed with cervical cancer. The last time we used the wishing stone was at the hospital the morning she died. On that day, all three of us made a silent wish, certain the others had wished the same. Kate died that afternoon and I never thought about it again. It was the last time I believed in magic, in love or in the existence of God. Then, after three miserable lonely years, the unthinkable, a second chance . . . Warwick.

EXCERPT:

Excerpt 1 – The Wishing Stone
In the middle of the room stood a large machine of some sort. Six large, blue cylinders, with thick cables and several hoses protruding out of their tops, made up the bulk of the apparatus. At the bottom, each narrowed almost to a point, terminating in a black plastic square. A rainbow of braided wire, jutted out of one side of the square before being taped to the side of each cylinder. The wires trailed along the thicker cable until they connected to the back of a dull aluminum box. More cables, attached to a computer, were tied to the opposite side of the aluminum box. Below the cylinders was a flat, slanted table.
Roger stood with his hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped, staring at the contrivance.
"I'm sorry, my friend," Digby said softly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I fixed it."
"Got it to work at last then?" Roger asked. His voice held a sorrowful tone.
"I wish it had been in time," Digby said, patting him.
I didn't understand what was going on. What was this machine? What did it do?
"It looks... complicated," I offered trying to think of the right thing to say.
"It was Roger's design. Digby finished it when Kate went into the hospital for the last time," Marcie answered, coming to my rescue.
"What does it do?" I asked, running a curious hand over the metal cylinders.
"It doesn't do anything... it makes," Digby said, lightly slapping my hand away from the apparatus.
"My mistake... what does it make?"
"Skin," he returned.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Skin," he repeated.
"Skin like..." I couldn't think of the right words to convey my curiosity.
"Yes, skin... people skin... like yours, like mine, like hers," he said with disinterest, pointing at Marcie.
"Well, not like my skin," Marcie countered.
"Oh, you're right. I hadn't thought about that... wouldn't that be interesting. Yes?" Digby exclaimed, covering his mouth with his fingers. He stood for a moment looking to the ceiling, his fingers drumming over his half open moutExcerpt 1 – The Wishing Stone
In the middle of the room stood a large machine of some sort. Six large, blue cylinders, with thick cables and several hoses protruding out of their tops, made up the bulk of the apparatus. At the bottom, each narrowed almost to a point, terminating in a black plastic square. A rainbow of braided wire, jutted out of one side of the square before being taped to the side of each cylinder. The wires trailed along the thicker cable until they connected to the back of a dull aluminum box. More cables, attached to a computer, were tied to the opposite side of the aluminum box. Below the cylinders was a flat, slanted table.
Roger stood with his hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped, staring at the contrivance.
"I'm sorry, my friend," Digby said softly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I fixed it."
"Got it to work at last then?" Roger asked. His voice held a sorrowful tone.
"I wish it had been in time," Digby said, patting him.
I didn't understand what was going on. What was this machine? What did it do?
"It looks... complicated," I offered trying to think of the right thing to say.
"It was Roger's design. Digby finished it when Kate went into the hospital for the last time," Marcie answered, coming to my rescue.
"What does it do?" I asked, running a curious hand over the metal cylinders.
"It doesn't do anything... it makes," Digby said, lightly slapping my hand away from the apparatus.
"My mistake... what does it make?"
"Skin," he returned.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Skin," he repeated.
"Skin like..." I couldn't think of the right words to convey my curiosity.
"Yes, skin... people skin... like yours, like mine, like hers," he said with disinterest, pointing at Marcie.
"Well, not like my skin," Marcie countered.
"Oh, you're right. I hadn't thought about that... wouldn't that be interesting. Yes?" Digby exclaimed, covering his mouth with his fingers. He stood for a moment looking to the ceiling, his fingers drumming over his half open mouth.

Praise for Machines of the Little People (The Eve Project- Book 1)

"The plot is unique, I must say that I haven't read a Sci Fi book so original in a long time. It has everything, mystery, suspense, romance, eccentric characters, conspiracy theories, and of course the little people with their machines! Crazy, Wild, Excellent Written. Highly Recommended!!!"- Julia Damatto, Romorror Fan Girl
"the real joy of this book is not the plot itself. The real joy is the way in which Maus keeps his readers constantly off guard, stringing them along for pages before flipping the situation on its head and forcing readers to reevaluate whatever they thought they knew. Normally, that just pisses me off, but the way Maus manipulates his readers makes us squeal with delight at every turn. There is an energy to his novels, a sense of urgency tinged with wonder. We trust that wherever he takes us--and it won't be somewhere we expect--it will be an adventure in the truest sense of the word. And then we have the characters. At the end of the day, it's the characters that make a Maus book what it is. Definitely recommended for anyone who just wants a cracking good story. "-Jonathan Cook, Author 'Youth and Other Fictions'
"Anyone who loves a good science fiction/fantasy story would have a hard time putting this one down."- Lisa Binion, Author 'Softly and Tenderley'

Praise for Wishing Stone (The Eve Project- Book 2)

"More great Sci-Fi adventure from Tegon Maus. He doesn't just give us a good Sci-Fi story. He gives us a story with great characters and a unique story and is able to include many other genres in his Sci-Fi stories. Comedy, drama and action. Let's pray for a book three in the series."-Erik Nelson, Author 'Unlawful Protection'
"This is a great science fiction story, which follows on nicely from The Eve Project: Book 1, Machines of the Little People, however could easily be read as a stand-alone. It has it all for science fiction fans, top secret scientific projects, a great storyline, twists and turns round every corner, yet, at its very core lies, dare I say it, a love story. It has a great finish, however, at the end, all I wanted to know from the author – is there is another book in the series coming? I hope so"-Susan Keefe, Author 'Toby's Tales' Series
"I enjoyed The Wishing Stone even more than the first book, even though, again, it's not my usual read. I really liked the eccentric scientist characters Ben meets at Warwick, and as with book one, Tegon Maus did a great job of keeping me guessing what was really going on right to the very end. I look forward to finding out what book 3 has in store!"-Nick Stead, Author 'Hybrid'

About Tegon Maus

Tegon Maus was raised pretty much the same as everyone else… devoted mother, strict father and all the imaginary friends he could conjure. Not that he wasn’t friendly, he just wasn’t “people orientated”. Maybe he lived in his head way more than he should have, maybe not. He liked machines more than people, at least he did until I met his wife. The first thing he can remember writing was for her. For the life of him he can’t remember what it was about… something about dust bunnies under the bed and monsters in my closet. It must have been pretty good because she married him shortly after that. He spent a good number of years chasing other dreams before he got back to writing. It wasn’t a deliberate conscious thought, it was more of a stepping stone. His wife and himself had joined a dream interpret group and we were encouraged to write down our dreams as they occurred. “Be as detailed as you can,” we were told. He was thrilled. If there is one thing he enjoys it’s making people believe him and he likes to exaggerate. Not a big exaggeration or an outright lie mind you, just a little step out of sync, just enough so you couldn’t be sure if it were true or not. When he writes, he always write with the effort of “it could happen” very much in mind and nothing, he guarantees you, nothing, makes him happier. He has consistently placed in the top 3 in 189 writing contest in a variety of genres and has been featured in magazines a couple of times to raise money for Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
Tegon Maus Website: http://www.tegonmaus.com/
Author on Tirgearr Website: http://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Maus_Tegon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TegonMaus
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tegon-Maus/150255051766767
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/tegon/tegon-maus/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/101974688416833509592/posts

Buy Wishing Stone by Tegon Maus

Amazon (Kindle on sale for only 99 cents through March) Barnes and Noble Smashwords

Follow The Wishing Stone Tour

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Thursday, March 10, 2016

#REVIEW: Wolfen Time by Roxy Boroughs

ISBN: ebook: 978-0-9921271-4-5 paperback: 978-0-9921271-1-4
Release date: January 30, 2016
Publisher: Baucis & Philemon
# of pages: 315

All that separates them...is a century or two. Werewolf Rafe Garrett is second-in-command of a twenty-third century special ops team, sent back to present day Seattle to stop a group of renegade vampires from destroying the U.S. and causing the deaths of millions of innocent people. He has a personal vendetta, too. The renegades' leader is the same bloodsucker who murdered Rafe’s pregnant wife. Few humans can stake a vampire on their first try, but Stacy Cadell is that kind of gal—a ball of fire in a cool, petite package. Caught in the battle between vampires and werewolves, Stacy hides her true identity from both sides, fearing it could be used against her. But protecting her heart from the werewolf warrior with the killer good looks, is a fight she’s sure to lose. Especially when she learns that, for history to correct itself, she must sacrifice the one person she holds most dear.
Contains: Hunky, alpha werewolves running around naked, sensual love scenes and mature language.

If you read sweet romance, try CRAZY FOR COWBOY, or one of the novels from the series ‘A Frost Family Christmas.’

My Rating: 4 Stars
My Review: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A mix of time travel, werewolves and vampires....it sounds like a recipe for disaster, truly. However, this actually worked out into a relaxing, non-thinking book to read, one that I have needed desperately after the past few months. I don't know of many authors who can take this crazy meld of genres and actually make it work. The author has made it work superbly.
Rafe is a special ops werewolf who is grieving his wife and unborn child, and as any typical alpha male, he isn't out to just get over it, he's out for revenge. He's definitely not looking to fall in love. The author presents him in a way that helps the reader to want the revenge almost as badly as Rafe must, but also hope for a sweeter happy ending for him.
Stacy, a normal human with a very normal life up until she ends up in an alley with a dead body and fighting off some very strange looking creepy men. And of course, it must just be her imagination when she sees a man disappear and a wolf reappear, right? Stacy ends up being a very strong, but very believable heroine. In the end, you can't help but experience her emotions along side her.
Overall, this is a surprisingly good read, and though the author left it off at a happy ending, it could also be a beginning of a series. I truly hope the author continues this.

Buy: Amazon.com | Kobo | iTunes | Scribd | Inktera | Barnes & Noble | 24symbols | Paperback

About the author:

My first love was the theater. And my greatest professional thrill was acting on the same stage as Sarah Bernhardt—though not in the same century. I’ve had small parts in a few movies and TV shows, including the hit programs HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS and DEGRASSI JUNIOR HIGH. Writing is rather similar to acting, I believe. Except I get to play ALL the characters…while wearing my PJs and sipping tea. What could be better? I’m married to my first love—a wonderful guy. So I don’t just write romance, I live it! Visit me at http://www.roxyboroughs.com/. Also, check out one of the scenes from that DEGRASSI episode I mentioned. And please forgive my 1980s perm. Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Literary Addicts | Goodreads | A Free Read