@PromoBookTours BOOK TOUR: The Spirit of a Sultan by Ahmad Javid

One of the most venerated Sufi poets and saints, Hazrat Sultan Bahu’s life has been as veiled as the divine. Through countless stories, the loveable and fully illumined spiritual master’s life has been told mostly through oral tradition. Using the deep emotions of his teachings, this inspiring new book uses the depth of Sultan Bahu to ignite the love of God in readers’ hearts while uplifting them to greater heights. The Spirit of a Sultan is a mystical new novel based on the true life accounts of Sufi reverend, poet, and saint, Sultan Bahu. A historical biography reminiscent of Autobiography of a Yogi, the novel uses a slight fictional component to create a spiritual atmosphere throughout the story. A spellbinding tale of enlightenment, this wonderful book follows Sultan Bahu’s life history and spiritual journey while showing us all how to connect with God in our hearts and minds. Written in an extraordinarily unique and intriguing style, The Spirit of a Sultan portrays the true account of a saint who shares a great many parallels with Guatama Buddha. Following a man who gave away his wealth, land, and legacy in order to pursue an austere existence in search of the truth while teaching others the realization of God and special meditation techniques, the novel inspires readers everywhere to re-examine their own lives and their relationships with God.

Buy on Paperback / Kindle

About the author

Born in Pakistan, author Ahmad Javid (Sarwari Qaderi) is a twelfth generation Sufi with ancestral lineage going back to Syed Muhammad al Hussaini Gisudiraz the saint of Decan, a descendant of Iman Hussain, the son of Ali Ibne Abi Talib, and eventually, to the fountainhead of all spirituality, the prophet Muhammad. He spent seventeen years in Iran extensively studying Sufi literature and poetry before coming to the United States in 1993 to finish his residency training in pediatrics from Columbia University. He is the author of Sufi Light: The Secret of Meditation, which is available on amazon.com.

Follow the author: Literary Addicts | Website | Facebook


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BOOK TOUR: The UnHoly by Dr Paul DeBlassie III

The Unholy, a novel by Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D.

Distributed by Ingram

(Sunstone Press)

“A young curandera, a medicine woman, intent on uncovering the secrets of her past is forced into a life-and-death battle against an evil Archbishop. Set in the mystic land of Aztlan, the Unholy is a novel of destiny as healer and slayer. native lore of dreams and visions, shape changing, and natural magic work to spin a neo-gothic web in which sadness and mystery lure the unsuspecting into a twilight realm of discovery and decision.”

Have you ever thought that something other than yourself has a hold of your mind? Meet Claire, a young curandera, in the mystic land of Aztlan who struggles to overcome the forces of evil and claim her inner inheritance.

The Unholy is a riveting novel about the dark side of religion, cultural prejudice throughout the Southwest, realms of mystic happenings, folk healers, native shamans, and signs from the spirit world. It is a psychological thriller, supernatural journey, and neo-gothic horror.

The Unholy lures the reader into a twilight realm that pits two old worlds against each other — the indigenous medicine ways versus institutional religion. Natural magic and the dark side of religion each play a role as healer confronts slayer.

“Paul DeBlassie III has brought us a richly imagined supernatural thriller set in the high mountain desert of Aztlan, where Claire Sanchez, an herbalist and medicine woman, has come to reclaim her healing heritage and uncover the secrets of her mother’s death. The book digs deep into legend, folklore, and the author’s own imagination to paint a stirring picture of a traditional curanderismo pitted against the oppressive forces of institutional religious power. Make sure you have lots of time; once you start reading this book, it will be hard to put down.”

-—Stephan V. Beyer, author of Singing to the Plants: A Guide to Mestizo Shamanism in the Upper Amazon

“The Unholy, an excellent novel by Paul DeBlassie III, keeps the reader engaged throughout in mystery, suspense, and church politics. In addition to vividly depicting the beautiful landscape and culture of New Mexico, it exposes and strengthens the traditional work of the medicine women of the Southwest. I am looking forward to Dr. DeBlassie’s next book.”

—Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, author of Curandero: A Life In Mexican Folk Healing, professor, and university administrator

Buy Amazon | B&N and all major booksellers  

About the author:

Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D., is a psychologist and writer living in Albuquerque who has treated survivors of the dark side of religion for more than 30 years. His professional consultation practice — SoulCare — is devoted to the tending of the soul. Dr. DeBlassie writes psychological thrillers with an emphasis on the dark side of the human psyche. The mestizo myth of Aztlan, its surreal beauty and natural magic, provides the setting for the dark phantasmagoric narrative in his fiction. He is a member of the Depth Psychology Alliance, the Transpersonal Psychology Association and the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy.

Follow Paul on Facebook | Google + | Twitter | Literary Addicts | Website

COVER REVEAL: Best Served Cold by Tawdra Kandle

Releasing soon: BEST SERVED COLD, a new adult contemporary romance by Tawdra Kandle!

julia worked for weeks planning the perfect surprise birthday party for her boyfriend, Liam, but that night, she was the one who got the biggest shock. He broke up with her in front of all their friends, humiliating her in the process. Clearly revenge was in order. The plan is simple. Make him jealous, win him back, and then crush his heart. Fair is fair. However, there is one little hiccup—and he has curly brown hair and dimples. Jesse is everything she wants. With him, she could almost forget her bruised heart. Almost. Julia has one choice: let Liam walk away after everything he did, or lose a chance at love in pursuit of payback.

The beautiful cover for this book was designed by Stephanie Nelson of Once Upon A Time covers. She's an artist. . .and here it is.

Stay tuned for a release date and other updates from Tawdra! Facebook/Twitter/Website/Tumblr/Newsletter 

REVIEW: From Frights to Flaws by Sunayna Prasad

Title: From Frights to Flaws
Series: Alyssa McCarthy's Magical Missions Book 1
Author: Sunayna Prasad
ISBN: 9781460207017
Published Date: August 22, 2013
Publisher: FriesenPress
Buy It Link: Amazon

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Alyssa McCarthy can no longer stand the toughness of her uncle and wants a better life. But one day she discovers not only the existence of magic, but also a villain hunting her down. The villain uses magic and magical technology to kidnap Alyssa to the Fiji Islands. As much as she wants to go home, she has to face some dangerous challenges first. Not only that, the villain himself must also be defeated. Can Alyssa succeed, even with the help of her mentors?

Review: I'd like to thank the author and Promotional Book Tours for allowing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 
As an adult, I found this book rather hard to read. The characters were just taking everything so well, and in stride, it made it kind of unbelievable from my point of view. I kept trying to put myself in the position of the adults in the story, and I just couldn't see myself reacting the way they did.
That being said however, once I got past that, took off my jaded glasses of adulthood, put on my pink-tinted glasses of childhood, it became a much more enjoyable read. It was a book that moved quickly, there was enough detail to help you visualize everything that was going on. From a child's point of view, I can see how they would like to read it.
I didn't think there was that much character development, but perhaps there doesn't need to be. I do intend on passing it onto my almost 8 year old daughter, and see how she likes it.

REVIEW: City on Fire by Tracy L Higley

Title: City on Fire : A Novel of Pompeii
Author: Tracy L Higley
Series: none
Genre: religious fiction
Published Date: September 17. 2013
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Buy it Link (amazon Affiliate Link included): City on Fire: A Novel of Pompeii
Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Synopsis: As Vesuvius churns, a slave girl-turned-gladiator joins forces with an unlikely source to seek justice.
In the coastal town of Pompeii, a new gladiator prepares to fight. But this gladiator hides a deadly secret: she s a runaway Jewish slave girl named Ariella, disguised as a young boy. A savvy fighter, Ariella determines to triumph in the arena, knowing her life will be forfeit should anyone uncover the truth.
Cato, a wealthy politician, moved to Pompeii after tiring of the corruption in Rome. But he soon learns that Pompeii is just as corrupt, and if he doesn t play the game, his family could pay the price. Determined to bring about justice for the citizens of Pompeii, Cato searches for allies. But what he discovers instead is a confounding group of Christians . . . and a young female gladiator whose fame is growing daily.
Political unrest reaches a boiling point as Christians are jailed and executed, and the mountain in the distance threatens to destroy the city with its river of fire. Cato and Ariella must act quickly and courageously to save their loved ones before all is lost.

Review: I'd like to thank Book Sneeze and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was such a great book. It was my second Tracy Higley book, and she never fails to amaze me with her writing. I have thoroughly enjoyed the combination of historical fiction with Christian writing in her books. It's not overly religious, which is something that has always turned me off. In fact, like the other book I read from her, So Shines The Night, if you take out the Christian parts of it, it could easily stand alone as a very enjoyable historical fiction book.
The author puts in just enough detail to make you feel as if you're there, without bogging down the story line with unnecessary details. I really hope that I can read more of her books in the future, because she is definitely rising on my list of favorite authors.

TOUR: The Spirit of the Sultan by Ahmad Javid Sarwari Qaderi

One of the most venerated Sufi poets and saints, Hazrat Sultan Bahu’s life has been as veiled as the divine. Through countless stories, the loveable and fully illumined spiritual master’s life has been told mostly through oral tradition. Using the deep emotions of his teachings, this inspiring new book uses the depth of Sultan Bahu to ignite the love of God in readers’ hearts while uplifting them to greater heights. The Spirit of a Sultan is a mystical new novel based on the true life accounts of Sufi reverend, poet, and saint, Sultan Bahu. A historical biography reminiscent of Autobiography of a Yogi, the novel uses a slight fictional component to create a spiritual atmosphere throughout the story. A spellbinding tale of enlightenment, this wonderful book follows Sultan Bahu’s life history and spiritual journey while showing us all how to connect with God in our hearts and minds. Written in an extraordinarily unique and intriguing style, The Spirit of a Sultan portrays the true account of a saint who shares a great many parallels with Guatama Buddha. Following a man who gave away his wealth, land, and legacy in order to pursue an austere existence in search of the truth while teaching others the realization of God and special meditation techniques, the novel inspires readers everywhere to re-examine their own lives and their relationships with God.

Buy on Paperback / Kindle

About the author

Born in Pakistan, author Ahmad Javid (Sarwari Qaderi) is a twelfth generation Sufi with ancestral lineage going back to Syed Muhammad al Hussaini Gisudiraz the saint of Decan, a descendant of Iman Hussain, the son of Ali Ibne Abi Talib, and eventually, to the fountainhead of all spirituality, the prophet Muhammad. He spent seventeen years in Iran extensively studying Sufi literature and poetry before coming to the United States in 1993 to finish his residency training in pediatrics from Columbia University. He is the author of Sufi Light: The Secret of Meditation, which is available on amazon.com.

 Follow the author: Literary Addicts | Website | Facebook

   Follow the Book Tour

REVIEW: The King of Sunday by JB McCauley

Title: The King of Sunday Morning
Series: none
Author: JB McCauley
Published Date: May 10, 2013
Publisher: Mirabal Entertaniment
ISBN: 9780987528001
Buy It Links: Amazon

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Synopsis: The King of Sunday Morning is a geezer. Not in the traditional sense of the word as in old man. This geezer is a face, a wannabe, a top notch bloke. He is the greatest DJ that never was. He should have been. Could have been. Would have been. Now becoming a has-been…. 
Tray McCarthy was born into privilege but with the genetic coding of London’s violent East End. Having broken the underworld’s sacred honour code, it is only his family’s gangland connections that save him. But in return for his life, he must deny that which he has ever known or ever will be and runs to Australia where he is forced to live an inconsequential life. 
But trouble never strays far from Tray McCarthy and eventually his past and present collide to put everyone he has ever loved in danger. He must now make a stand and fight against those that are set to destroy him and play their game according to his rules. 
Set against the subterfuge and violence of the international drugs trade, The King of Sunday Morning is the tale of what can go wrong when you make bad decisions. Tray McCarthy has made some of the worst. He must now save those he holds dear but in the process gets trapped deeper and deeper into a world where he doesn’t belong. 
“I want three pump-action shotguns, about twelve sticks of dynamite and a blowtorch”

Review: I'd like to thank Promotional Book Tours and the author for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, it was full of action and kept up a good pace. The characters were a little hard to empathize with, probably because they were violent druggie gangsters. However, the author wrote the characters so well, and it was such a gap between my normal life, that while I couldn't empathize with the characters, at least I could understand their twisted motives.

The book itself was a little hard to get into, it took until the first third was done before the action really started up. The first third was background, and bounced between different years in the past so quickly and non-linearly, I felt dizzy from trying to keep up with it. 

Once the bouncing stopped though, and the author settled in on present day, it was much easier to read. Once that first third was past, the story itself went very quickly and easily became a page turner.