adventure

Book Review: One Giant Leap by Ben Gartner

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I’m pretty sure I’m about to die in space. And I just turned twelve and a half.
Blast off with the four winners of the StellarKid Project on a trip to the International Space Station and then to the Gateway outpost orbiting the Moon! It’s a dream come true until space junk collides with the ISS, turning their epic trip into a nightmare of survival. Alone aboard the Aether starship, the kids have to work as a team to save the adults before the ISS is destroyed. Suit up, cadet, and launch into adventure with One Giant Leap!

Amazon

My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

I had read Sol Invictus and The Eye of Ra by Ben Gartner and they were good middle grade stories, so I was looking forward to reading One Giant Leap. It’s my favorite of his so far!

This futuristic science fiction story is sure to be a hit with middle grade readers. It’s full of action and suspense and the dream coming true of going into space. I’m sure many kids dream of going to space one day like I did. When the US landed on the moon in 1969, I was 8 years old and thought we’d be much further along in space travel by now.

Each of the four kids chosen for the StellarKid Project has their own strengths and weaknesses, but they are all super smart in their area of expertise. They are as different as you would expect when you get four kids from different lifestyles together. They learn to work together, and inevitably, their teamwork saves the adults and one of their own.

There’s a lot of interesting information about space and NASA programs that kids will enjoy and even more information in the epilogue about the author’s research.

This is definitely a book that middle schoolers and older readers will enjoy with its mix of space adventure, suspense, and even a mystery.

About the Author

Ben Gartner is the award-winning author of adventure books for middle graders. His stories take readers for a thrilling ride, maybe even teaching them something on the journey. Ben can be found living and writing near the mountains with his wife and two boys.

Email: ben@bengartner.com

Website: https://bengartner.com

Book Review: That’s a Shocking Idea…Let’s do it! by Suzanne Shearing

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 A heartbroken middle aged mum sets out to kill her daughter’s murderer.

She stalks him, awaiting her opportunity, and gets caught up in a bank robbery and a series of mishaps and misadventures as she goes on the run with her partner in crime.

In their attempt to escape capture, they find themselves in foreign countries, and even on a cruise ship in a storm.

It’s a road trip, a chase, with two middle-aged people trying to evade capture, with often disastrous or hilarious consequences.

My Review

I’m sure many people think about killing someone who killed a loved one, but Verity was convinced that she must kill her son-in-law, Chester, to get justice not only for the murder of her daughter, Melody, but also for the loss of her precious grandson.

Until her daughter was killed, Verity was a typical housewife, but when she decided to kill Chester, she became a different person. Once Zak offered to help her, everything went downhill. They were not good for each other, and death seemed to follow them everywhere.

Verity and Zak, the main characters, are well-developed. They’re both flawed, of course (they did plan to murder someone), but they’re likeable despite some of their questionable actions. Zak even tends to be heroic when someone is in trouble.

I like the author’s writing style. It is to the point, and even when Verity is thinking about things, it doesn’t ramble, which often happens when first-person is used. I also like the author’s sense of humor, and there were several times I had to giggle.

I definitely recommend That’s a Shocking Idea…Let’s do it! if you like something a little different than the usual crime drama.

About the Author

Suzanne Shearing is a retired journalist, stage school owner and film maker.

Starting on her local paper, the Welwyn Hatfield Times, as a cub reporter, she progressed to evening and national publications, writing news and features, as well as a local column.

In 1995 she had a change of career, due to her love of the theatre and film. After attending drama school, she opened a stage school, which soon became the most successful part time stage school in Hertfordshire, with 300 young students and fourteen teachers of drama, dance and singing.

When she retired, Suzanne started writing scripts, and made two feature films, ‘No Smoke’ and ‘Archie’, which have been distributed throughout the world, and a short, ‘Nobody’s Child.’ ‘No Smoke’ was an official selection for the International Marbella Film Festival.

’It’s a shocking idea… let’s do it!’ is Suzanne’s second novel.  Her first novel was entitled “Two Old Ladies and a Secret Child,” which was the publisher’s best seller within days of publication, and was featured on the Jeremy Vine TV show.

Suzanne lives in rural Hertfordshire with her pups Rusty and Rocky, and with her son and his family nearby.

For more information about the author, visit the author’s official website: http://www.suzanneshearing.com.

“That’s a shocking idea…. let’s do it!” by Suzanne Shearing is available from Amazon at:

and in e-book format from Amazon at:

Press/Media Contact Details:

Darin Jewell (Suzanne Shearing’s literary agent)
Managing Director
The Inspira Group Literary Agency
darin@theinspiragroup.com
tel. UK +208 292 5163

Book Review: The Bounty by Janet Evanovich with Steve Hamilton

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FBI agent Kate O’Hare and charming criminal Nick Fox race against time to uncover a buried train filled with Nazi gold in this thrilling adventure in the “romantic and gripping” (Good Housekeeping) Fox and O’Hare series from the #1New York Timesbestselling author Janet Evanovich.

Straight as an arrow special agent Kate O’Hare and international criminal Nick Fox have brought down some of the biggest bad guys out there. But now they face their most dangerous foe yet—a vast, shadowy international organization known only as the Brotherhood.

Directly descended from the Vatican Bank priests who served Hitler during World War II, the Brotherhood is on a frantic search for a lost train loaded with $30 billion in Nazi gold, untouched for over seventy-five years somewhere in the mountains of Eastern Europe.

Kate and Nick know that there is only one man who can find the fortune and bring down the Brotherhood—the same man who taught Nick everything he knows—his father, Quentin. As the stakes get higher, they must also rely on Kate’s own father, Jake, who shares his daughter’s grit and stubbornness. Too bad they can never agree on anything.

From a remote monastery in the Swiss Alps to the lawless desert of the Western Sahara, Kate, Nick, and the two men who made them who they are today must crisscross the world in a desperate scramble to stop their deadliest foe in the biggest adventure of their lives.

Pre-order

My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

I’ve read some of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books, but this book is quite different. It’s an action adventure, and all I could think was that it would make a good movie. It even has a lot of the unbelievability of current Hollywood action films. Not that I didn’t enjoy it. It was a quick and enjoyable read with a good ending.

This is the first book I have read in this series, but there was enough back story that I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything.

Kate and Nick work together, and even though he’s an ex-thief, they get along when she’s not having to chase him down. Both of their fathers are in this book, and they have skills that come in handy on this case. The members of the Brotherhood are really bad but the group is lucky because they need their help…at least for a while. But even when the Brotherhood has no use for the group any longer, they’re able to escape (think Indiana Jones or the Expendables).

The Bounty is a quick read that is written well and full of adventure. I’m going to have to read more books in this series!

About the Authors

Roland Scarpa

Janet Evanovich

Over the last twenty-five years, Janet Evanovich has written a staggering twenty-four #1 New York Times bestsellers in the Stephanie Plum series. In addition to the Plum novels, Janet has coauthored the New York Times bestselling Fox and O’Hare series, the Knight and Moon series, the Lizzy and Diesel series, the Alexandra Barnaby novels, and the graphic novel, Troublemaker (with her daughter, Alex Evanovich).

Franco Vogt

Steve Hamilton

Steve Hamilton is the two-time Edgar Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of the Alex McKnight crime series, the Nick Mason series, and The Lock Artist. He has either won or been nominated for the Shamus Award, Barry Award, Anthony Award, Dashiell Hammett Prize, American Library Association Alex Award, CWA Gold Dagger, and the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. 

Book Review: Return to Atalan by Richard Brewin

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It’s been almost a year since Isla found herself in the magical land of Atalan. Now she must return there, after a wizard called Steve mysteriously appears at her house and asks for Isla’s help. On their arrival in Atalan, they discover that an evil wizard is trying to take over the land with the help of the goblins, by using a spell that puts everyone under his command. Isla sets out to put a stop to this fiendish plot along with the help of some new found friends, Benji the elf and Sophie the bushwhacker. Can Isla help save Atalan and once again return safely to her family?

Amazon

My Review

Return to Atalan is a fantasy for children that has all of the elements of an exciting and adventurous fantasy. It is fast paced, so children won’t get bored, and the humor is the type that children will definitely enjoy. It will also encourage them to use their imaginations when reading about Atalan.

This is the second book of Atalan, and I expected Isla to meet up with Fartybubble and Oliver, the other main characters in the first book. Although she does see them for a short time, she is mostly with other, new characters who are just as unique and interesting as Fartybubble and Oliver.

It’s great how it often looks like all is lost, and suddenly something happens to give Isla and her friends hope. Isla is often the reason for this. She has good instincts and an impressive imagination. However, she wouldn’t get far without her friends and their abilities. Teamwork is definitely something children can learn from these stories. More than that, though, it’s a fun read for anyone of any age.

Some of the names of the characters are so funny! Children will love the names of the Unkerdunkies (as well as just the name Unkerdunkies). How could you not laugh at the name Fartybubble or Thunderbum?

I definitely recommend this adventure/fantasy that is a stand alone, but would be that much better if you read Atalan Adventures first.

About the Author

Richard Brewin has spent most of his working life within the health and fitness industry. He also has a passion for writing and after years of toying with the idea of writing a book, he has now completed his first children’s fantasy fiction. Inspired by and written for his children, Richard decided to get it published after receiving tremendous feedback from those that read it. Children’s fiction is the genre he enjoys the most and hopes to publish many more titles in the future.

Book Review: The Legend of Gasparilla and his Treasure by Carolyn Arnold

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Book Title: THE LEGEND OF GASPARILLA AND HIS TREASURE

Author: Carolyn Arnold

Series: Matthew Connor Adventure series, Book 3

For centuries, the existence of Spanish pirate José Gaspar has been relegated to legend, but archaeologist and adventurer Matthew Connor and his two best friends may have just found reason to believe the buccaneer truly existed. They’re in Washington, DC, to mark the opening of an exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History when a mysterious stranger turns up claiming he may hold the key to the mythical pirate’s treasure and invites them to join in his quest to find it.

Rumored to have sailed and plundered the Gulf of Mexico and the Spanish Main during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Gaspar would have amassed a vast fortune. But with only the stranger’s word and a token of proof, Matthew is intrigued but not sold—until it becomes personal. There’s an interested third party, and they’re willing to kill for the pirate’s bounty.

What ensues is a globe-trotting adventure that will take Matthew and his friends across the world and back again. Danger lurks around every corner as does betrayal, suspicion, and murder. Can anyone be trusted, and will they survive long enough to find out? 

Buy Links

 Apple | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play | Smashwords | Amazon Universal

My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. This is the third book in the Matthew Connor Adventure series. Since I read the first two books, City of Gold and The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh, I was looking forward to reading this book.

Matthew Connor is a world-renowned explorer whose recent adventures included finding the City of Gold. He now has a book deal and a new exhibit opening at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington DC. While there, he is contacted by a history professor who wants his help finding the treasure of Gasparilla. Matthew and his friends are hesitant because no one really knows if Gaspar was an actual person or just a legend. When the professor gives them a little proof, they still aren’t fully on board until two goons with guns hunt them down and chase the four of them through the streets.

The Legend of Gasparilla and his Treasure is full of adventure and with that adventure is, of course, danger. It also has murder, mystery, and suspense. The characters are unique and interesting. Cal, one of Matthew’s best friends, used to annoy me, but he’s grown on me. He’s always negative even when he shouldn’t be! Mel, the professor who wants their help, is hard to read. I felt like he wasn’t telling them everything. I felt the same way about Angelica at first.

I enjoy Carolyn Arnold’s writing and look forward to the next Matthew Connor book. The Legend of Gasparilla and his Treasure does stand on its own. If you like adventure and suspense, you’ll like all of these books. This one is my favorite Matthew Connor book so far, though.

About the Author

CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.

Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.

She currently lives in London Ontario with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime.

Connect with CAROLYN ARNOLD Online:

Website – http://carolynarnold.net/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/Carolyn_Arnold

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolynArnold

And don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter for up-to-date information on release and special offers at http://carolynarnold.net/newsletters.

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Book Review & Giveaway: Medellin: Acapulco Cold ( Rick Fontain Book 3) by Bill Fortin

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Publisher:  Cold War Publications (May, 2019)
Category: Action/Adventure, Cold War, Military, Crime, Historical Fiction
Tour dates: July/August, 2019
ISBN: 978-0996478670
Available in Print and ebook, 356 pages

Medellin Acapulco Cold

In March 1987, the CIA’s Operation Acapulco Cold took on the Medellín cartel. The journey would be dangerous. The alternative for not recovering the nuke would be too horrible to imagine.  

A theft occurs as a result of President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev’s treaty agreement in January 1986. Russian SS-20 medium-range missiles were removed from Eastern Europe and their nuclear MIRV packages removed. A shadow group inside the failing Russian government steals three of the nose-cone assembles.

A Russian named Geonov is charged with selling one of these devices to the Medellin cartel. The asking price was $40 million dollars in cash. Pablo Escobar did not even blink when he was offered one.  Operation Acapulco Cold is the detailed action taken by the CIA to address this life-altering situation.

Buy Medellin: Acapulco Cold

Amazon
Barnesandnoble
Indebound

Guest Review by Sol A.

An absolute thrill ride from start to finish– I’ve been a fan of the Rick Fontain books from the very first novel and this installment (the third in the series) did not disappoint.  Action-packed and jam-packed with well written, fast-paced sequences, “Medellin: Acapulco Cold” follows Fontain on his quest to recover a stolen nuclear warhead. 

Set in 1987 during the height of the Cold War, ‘Medellin’ perfectly captures the fear and loathing of that ever-present 80’s boogeyman, the Russians. Fontain has to go to work finding the warhead while simultaneously battling the Russians and struggling internally with his own guilt over being partially responsible for the lapse in security in the first place. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t go too far into the details, but let’s just say that Fontain’s character develops very interestingly throughout the novel and by the end, I was impressed by the author’s ingenuity and creativity. 


Speaking of the author, one of the things I love so much about these books (and the reason I never miss a new one) is Bill Fortin’s cutting sense of humor and talent with words. In his capable hands, a novel that easily could have been another dry spy novel becomes a witty romp. You grow to like Fontain’s character very quickly in these novels for the simple reason that he is a funny guy. Something a lot of thrillers inexplicably leave out for their main character. 


The situations that Fontain gets himself into, the circumstances that he faces with humor and presence are enough to entertain even the most lackadaisical reader and keep them guessing up until the very last page. I cannot recommend this book highly enough and will be eagerly looking forward to the next installment of the Rick Fontain series! I give it a 5 out of 5.

About the Author

Bill Fortin served in the United States Army, 3rd Armored Division, from 1968 to 1970.  He retired from AT&T/Lucent Bell Labs in 2001 and is currently the CEO of Cold War Publications. Bill earned a Bachelor and Master degrees in Management Sciences from the University of Baltimore.

A native of Westminster, Maryland, Bill is an active member of Rotary and retains membership in the Association of the 3AD. He is married to Judy and is surrounded by a host of 4-legged children (Border Collies and cats) plus 2 very noisy feathered companions.

Website: www.coldwarpublications.com
Book Launch Website: https://booklaunch.io/704732506290559/medellin-acapulco-cold
Blog: http://billfortin.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.fortin.104
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillFortin

Giveaway

This giveaway is for 3 winners choice of one print or ebook copy of the book. Print is open to the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. This giveaway ends August 30, 2019, midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Playing with a Lion’s Testicles? Really?

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Another actual book that I had to look up on Amazon out of curiosity. Playing with a lion’s testicles is an African saying that means to take foolhardy chances.

 

Description from Amazon (sounds like a good read): 

Melissa, an exhausted executive from the city seeks meaning and purpose from her work, and volunteers for a Big Five conservation project in South Africa. Her boss, an over-zealous ranger, nicknamed the Drill Sergeant, has no patience for city folk, especially if they’re women, and tries to send her packing on day one. But Melissa stands her ground with grit and determination, however shaky it may be.

Conflict soon sets the pace with a cast filled with predatory cats, violent elephants, and an on-going battle of wits with the Drill Sergeant. Even Mother Nature pounds the reserve with the worst storm in a century. But the most enduring and profound conflict is the internal battle going on within Melissa, as she tries to come to terms with the guilt surrounding her mother’s death. When death grips the game reserve, it is the very animals Melissa has come to save that end up saving her.

For the reader who has ever dreamed of going to Africa or knows the pain of loss and guilt, LEARNING TO PLAY WITH A LION’S TESTICLES will fill your soul.

Book Review: The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh by Carolyn Arnold

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Book Title: THE SECRET OF THE LOST PHARAOH

Author: Carolyn Arnold

Series: Matthew Connor Adventure series, Book 2

 

Emerald Tablets. Myth says that they possess the knowledge of the universe, allowing humankind to traverse Heaven and Earth, and have the power to bestow wealth and wisdom upon whoever possesses them. But if they fall into evil hands, it could cause a global disaster.

So when a former colleague stumbles across an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic map that promises to lead to a pharaoh’s tomb and the Emerald Tablets, there’s no way he’s turning down her invitation to join the dig. He only has one stipulation: his best friends Robyn Garcia and Cal Myers come with him.

The road ahead isn’t going to be an easy one, and their shared dream of recovering the Emerald Tablets is being crushed at every turn. And just when they think it’s all over, they learn there are a few clues they have overlooked. But they’re no longer the only ones searching for the Tablets. Now, the fate of the world hangs in the balance, and soon they’ll find out that when it comes to hunting legends, they can’t trust anyone.

Buy Links

Amazon US   *   Amazon International   *   Barnes & Noble

Apple iBooks    *   Kobo   *   Google Play

 

My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. This is the second book in the Matthew Connor Adventure series. Since I’d read the first book, City of Gold, I was looking forward to reading this book.

Matthew Connor is a world-renowned explorer and when he is contacted by a former colleague about possibly finding an unknown pharaoh’s tomb, he’s ready to take a plane to Egypt the following day. Because of the intrigue of such a find, he’s able to talk his best friends, Robyn and Cal, into going with him even though their last adventure had been so dangerous. 

The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh is full of adventure and with that adventure is, of course, danger. It also has murder, mystery, and suspense. The characters are unique and interesting but they irritated me a little at times. There’s a love triangle, kind of, that made me think of teenagers rather than adults. And although Cal has the right to be scared at times, his negativity doesn’t help things. They had their good points too, though. I like Cal’s sense of humor even though it isn’t appreciated by the others most of the time. 

I enjoy Carolyn Arnold’s writing and look forward to the next Matthew Connor book. If you like adventure and suspense, you’ll like these books.

 

 

Excerpt

Excerpt from chapter 9 of The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh (Matthew Connor Adventure series)

 

Robyn had woken up in a hotel room in Cairo. The time difference had messed with her and disrupted her sleep, but she was infused with energy regardless. Or her mind was anyhow. One of her lifelong dreams had finally manifested. She was really in Egypt. At the moment, she was in the hotel restaurant with Cal and Matthew, their luggage beside their table. Matthew’s contact, Alex Leonard, was going to pick them up in the lobby about seven o’clock. They had about half an hour until then.

Robyn sucked back her coffee, hoping that the caffeine would jolt her body into submission.

“Are you going to make it?” Cal quirked an eyebrow, looking at her over his mug.

I’m in Egypt.

“Of course, I will.” She found herself smiling despite her exhaustion.

“Maybe we should have skipped the nightcap,” Matthew teased and smiled back at her. She envied how rested he looked. He was drinking coffee, too, but didn’t have a death grip on his mug like she and Cal did.

“No.” She shook her head. “Being here deserved a toast…or two.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of this until now, especially with everything going on with Sophie, but don’t pharaohs’ tombs have curses?” Cal asked out of nowhere. “I know there was one on King Tut’s tomb.” His words relayed more concern than his expression, but maybe that was just because he wasn’t awake enough to project it. He was prone to paranoia, though.

Maybe she could have some fun with this…

Robyn turned to Matthew. “Is now a good time to tell him that curses are standard for Egyptian tombs?”

Matthew frowned. “Probably not.”

“What?” Cal leaned across the table and threw his arms up in the air. “Are you guys being serious?”

Now he was waking up. It took all of Robyn’s self-control not to burst out laughing. What she had said was the truth, but reality had a way of invalidating the curses’ sway.

Cal scowled, and his shoulders sank. “You think I’m being crazy.”

Matthew pinched his fingers together, leaving a small space between them. “Just a little.”

Robyn glanced at Matthew. His belief that some ancient tablets had the power to destroy the world was about as far-fetched as any pharaoh’s curse. Not that she was going to voice her disbelief out loud at the risk of hurting him the way she had in her office.

 

 

 

About the Author

CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.

Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.

She currently lives in London Ontario with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime.

Connect with CAROLYN ARNOLD Online:

Website – http://carolynarnold.net/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/Carolyn_Arnold

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolynArnold

 

And don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter for up-to-date information on release and special offers at http://carolynarnold.net/newsletters.

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Blog Tour: Twenty-One Steps of Courage by Sarah Bates

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Publisher: Booklocker.com, Inc.  (Mar 31, 2012)
Category: Literary Fiction, Military Fiction, Adventure, Realistic Fiction
Tour dates: Feb/Mar, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-61434-957-0
Available in Print, ebook, & Audiobook 280 pages

From award-winning author. In 2006, with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan raging, Rod Strong enlists in the Army to achieve the goal his father sought before he tragically died in the Gulf War. His objective: The Old Guard regiment, the elite Soldiers who stand as Sentinels at the Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington National Cemetery. Rod overcomes the obstacles that litter his path until an unexpected firefight in Afghanistan changes his life forever.

Purchase Links

 Amazon   *   Barnes&Noble   *   Book Depository   *   IndieBound

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Guest Review by Kate M.

When you first pick up ‘Twenty-One Steps Of Courage’, you may think it is biography of a soldier.   The detail in the research Sarah Bates did make it feel that way.  However, it is a work of fiction that would appeal to those who like to read biographies, military fiction and non-fiction.

Rod Strong’s father dies in the Gulf War when he is young but his stories have stuck with Rod all through his childhood.  Especially those of his father serving his country.  Rod makes up his mind that he wants to be a soldier just like his dad.  His father shared his dream of someday becoming a Sentinel Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington National Cemetery.  He never accomplished this dream, due to his death.

On his 18th birthday, Rod enlists in the Army.  His ultimate goal is to accomplish what his father was unable to do.  However, first he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and do all of the training that he did.  His mother is upset when he told her he enlisted.  His older brother is already in the army, serving in Afghanistan.  Rod’s girlfriend, Beth, is not surprised when he tells her that he enlisted.  He talked about his dreams a lot with her but promised they would marry one day.

The details of Rod’s training were very detailed and kept me glued to the book.  I read the ebook which is a good thing, because the cover and pages would have bent and creased with my grip!  The book read like a movie in my mind and I felt like I was in it.  The characters are well written and the sense of place is bang on. This book is a masterpiece and should be made into a movie!  I highly recommend it for all!

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About the Author

Award winning author, Sarah Bates’ fiction has appeared in the Greenwich Village Literary Review, the San Diego North County Times (now the Union-Tribune) and the literary magazine Bravura.

She is the author of ‘The Lost Diaries of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’, published in 2016, and co-author of the 2005 short story collection, ‘Out of Our Minds, Wild Stories’ by Wild Women. Bates was an English Department writing tutor at Palomar College in California for ten years. She privately tutors academic and creative writing students and is writing a new novel.

She is a Military Category Finalist for ‘Twenty-One Steps of Courage’, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, (2013) and 2nd Place Finalist, for ‘The Lost Diaries of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’, Unpublished Novel-Category, San Diego Book Awards (2015). It has since been published.

Sarah Bates lives in Fallbrook, California.

Website: http://www.sarahbatesauthor.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bateswriter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahbatesauthor/

 

 

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Book Review & Giveaway: The Adventures of Popcorn and Jellybean by Robert Gillespie

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Book Title: The Adventures of Popcorn and Jellybean by Robert Gillespie
Category: Children’s Fiction, 48 pages
Genre: Fantasy / Nature
Publisher: Page Publishing
Release date: July 2017
Tour dates: Jan 22 to Feb 2, 2018
Content Rating: G

 

Book Description

Popcorn and Jellybean had never ventured down the path beyond the big tree. But since they never really did anything exciting, and even though it made them a little nervous at first, they decided it would be a fun adventure for a couple of days. What could possibly go wrong? Plenty, as it turned out, if the explorers were not prepared! Join them as they take on new challenges each day, learn how to survive by following the behaviors of the animals they encounter, and go where Mother Nature leads them. And who knows, maybe we could learn as well! 

Buy the Book:
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My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

The Adventures of Popcorn and Jellybean is a fun book for children but it also teaches about nature. Popcorn and Jellybean are bored so they decide to go on an adventure. They’ve never been further than the big tree so they decide to pack up their tent and some supplies and go on an adventure for a couple of days. They get lost and end up spending five days in the forest rather than just two.

During their adventure, Popcorn and Jellybean learn to watch the animals to see what is safe to eat. Even though they’re lost, they learn that they don’t need to be scared and can take care of themselves until they find their way home.

The Adventures of Popcorn and Jellybean is a fun book for children to read or for parents to read as a bedtime story.

 

About the Author

 
Bob has spent more than 13 years as a wildlife conservation educator sharing information and animal encounters with audiences of all ages. He has a passion for teaching about a wide range of topics nature related and loves passing it along to his two sons. His youngest son, Colton, was the inspiration behind The Adventures of Popcorn and Jellybean, where it all started as a simple bedtime story. Bob currently resides in Carlsbad, California, and works as a professional interpreter guide at a world-renowned conservation organization.
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