The Spanish Club

I received a copy of THE SPANISH CLUB by Danielle Burnette for an honest review. 

I describe my reading taste as “eclectic.” Lately I have been reading fantasy, but this one looked like a great mix of drama and history.  I love history!

Nothing in this novel disappointed me. It reminded me a lot of the Spanish Club at my high school.  I wasn’t part of it, but they would go to Spain and I remember hearing the stories they would bring back.  I realize this is a different country, but much of what they said rang true in this book. 

THE SPANISH CLUB throws you right into Mexico with beautiful imagery and dialogue.  I have never been, but now I feel that I have, in a way.  I highly recommend this to teens who are interested in different countries.  The historical tidbits were my favorite parts. 

ASLEEP - First Chapter

To celebrate the release of the spine-chilling YA psychological thriller ASLEEP by Krystal Wade, we have a full blog tour and exciting giveaways ahead! ASLEEP is the debut novel from Blaze Publishing, and answers the question of what happens when Sleeping Beauty meets Freddy Krueger. If you want to see more of ASLEEP, you can still find the Ten Weeks of Teasers and other great content on the Blaze Publishing blog. Order your copy now!

Amazon   Barnes & Noble   Kobo   Signed Copy of Asleep   Goodreads

"To cure fear, you must use fear."

Rose Briar claims no responsibility for the act that led to her imprisonment in an asylum. She wants to escape, until terrifying nightmares make her question her sanity and reach out to her doctor. He's understanding and caring in ways her parents never have been, but as her walls tumble down and Rose admits fault, a fellow patient warns her to stop the medications. Phillip believes the doctor is evil and they'll never make it out of the facility alive. Trusting him might be just the thing to save her. Or it might prove the asylum is exactly where she needs to be.

Follow the Blog Tour!

Tuesday 2/16	Wednesday 2/17	Thursday 2/18
Vicki Leigh: First Chapter Reading	Jordan Elizabeth: First Chapter Reading	Eve Langell: First Chapter Reading
Case Maynard: Promo Post	What A Nerd Girl Says: Interview	A Thousand Books: Teaser One
Friday 2/19	Saturday 2/20	Sunday 2/21
OriginiquEquanimity: Promo Post	Janelle Howard: Teaser Two	Archaeolibrarian: Teaser Three
Ryan Hill: Interview		Nerd Girl Official: Promo Post
		Tesairie's Book Reads: Promo Post

Giveaway!

We're giving away some awesome prizes to celebrate the release of ASLEEP, including this stylish cuff! Enter with the Rafflecopter below and tell your friends!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Krystal Wade can be found in the sluglines outside Washington D.C. every morning, Monday through Friday. With coffee in hand, iPod plugged in, and strangers-who sometimes snore, smell, or have incredibly bad gas-sitting next to her, she zones out and thinks of fantastical worlds for you and me to read. How else can she cope with a fifty mile commute?

Good thing she has her husband and three kids to go home to. They keep her sane.

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Want to stay up to date on everything from Blaze Publishing? Sign up for our newsletter so you don't miss a thing! The first 100 subscribers get free Blaze bookmarks (UK, US, and Canada only) AND get added to our Loyal 100 group, which gives you access to exclusive news, teasers, prizes, and ARCs!

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Asleep

I received a copy of ASLEEP by Krystal Wade for an honest review. 

This reminded me a lot of I AM THE CHEESE, which is a creepy story where you aren’t sure if you can trust the narrator.  ASLEEP was just like that, leaving you questioning everything, with chills running over your arms.  It is the type of book you want to tell your friends about so you can have an in-depth discussion. 

I recommend this to people who love a dark, speculative tale.

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About Blaze Publishing:

Books with Heart for Teen and Young Adults

At Blaze, we're committed to bringing you high-quality, hard-hitting books full of heart. Whether the story is a mystery, a thriller, horror, steampunk, or some goofy comedy, there will be a message woven into the pages for readers to find and fall in love with. We want you to walk away inspired, in awe, or just happy to be alive. Or maybe you'll look at other people differently, in a less negative light. Whatever the case, you will find heart in our stories.

Our goal is to bring you four or five amazing works of fiction in 2016, and six in 2017 and each year after. We've already lined up a few and can't wait to see what comes across our desks next!

Do you have a submission you'd like to send us? We'd love to see it! You can find our submissions guidelines on our website.

Want to stay up to date on everything from Blaze Publishing? Sign up for our newsletter so you don't miss a thing! The first 100 subscribers get free Blaze bookmarks (UK, US, and Canada only) AND get added to our Loyal 100 group, which gives you access to exclusive news, teasers, prizes, and ARCs!

Body Under the Bridge

I received a copy of THE BODY UNDER THE BRIDGE by Paul McCusker from Lion Fiction via Kregel in exchange for an honest review.  It is the second installment of the Father Gilbert Mystery series. 

Father Gilbert is a former Scotland Yard detective who is now an Anglican priest.  A man throws himself off the church tower and they discover an old body under a bridge.   You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens!

I have gotten into mysteries lately.  I am obsessed with the television shows Miss Fischer’s Murder Mysteries and Murdoch Mysteries, so I dove right into this novel.  It reminded me a lot of Murdoch, because Father Gilbert uses his past police skills and spirituality to solve his case.  It made it quite a different read.  Other than mysteries, I also love a good paranormal story, and this one was that too.

I enjoy clean reads, and this is definitely one of them.  I could see a family reading this together – my family used to read together every night.  We would have enjoyed a story like this.  Some of the content - mainly the violence - might need to be explained to younger readers to keep them from becoming scared. 

Princess of Tyrone - Cover Reveal

Sacred Cipher

I received a copy of THE SACRED CIPHER by Terry Brennan from Kregel in exchange for an honest review. It is the first installment of the Jerusalem Prophesies series.  I have had the pleasure of reading the other books in this series – alas, I wish I had read them in order – and have greatly enjoyed the series.  I am a huge fan of history, and this series is full of it, along with Christian principles and unforgettable characters. 

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat with nonstop action.  Whenever you think there is going to be a lull, think again.  WHAM!  More danger and adventure.  Your head starts to spin, but in a great way.  This book is a treat to read.  Something I really enjoyed about the fast pace was the imagery.  Sometimes fast books lack description, but I could everything perfectly within THE SACRED CIPHER. 

I don’t want to give too much away plot-wise.  Tom Bahonnon is out to research a mysterious scroll.  Throw in a vivid cast of characters.  This is truly a winner.  I recommend this to history lovers, and although it is Christian fiction, I don’t feel you need that background to enjoy it.  

Amish Sweethearts

I received a copy of AMISH SWEETHEARTS by Leslie Gould from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.  It is the second installment of the Neighbors of Lancaster County series. 

I previously read the first book, and had enjoyed it, but I didn’t really care for this one all that much.  In this book, Zane joins the army and is sent to Afghanistan.  Meanwhile, his neighbor Lila struggles with her feelings for him while courting an Amish man. 

I couldn’t get a sense of age for Zane or Lila.  They both seemed old, maybe middle aged, but she was actually eighteen and he a little older.  I didn’t really get a sense of Zane and the Amish community.  The book talks about him farming with Lila’s dad – who seemed completely different than the first book, much less of a complex character – but not about his feelings toward the Amish religion.  Lila loved being Amish, and although her change of mind is sort of explained, at the end she is willing to become Mennonite for Zane.  That seemed a bit out of the blue.

Maybe it is because my mother and I often read Amish books so I have a lot tucked away on my shelf, but I didn’t find this one to be as exciting as others.  If you’re looking for a Christian romance or a portrayal of life in the army, this is great. 

Ashes to Ashes

I received a copy of ASHES TO ASHES by Mel Starr from Kregel in exchange for an honest review. It is the eighth installment of the Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon, mystery series. It can be considered Christian Historical Fiction.

If you follow my reviews, you know I am pat to rave about historical fiction. That and fantasy are my true cups of teas. 

ASHES TO ASHES is a steaming hot good one! Steaming for tea, not because of content. The content itself I found clean, as is always the case with Kregel books (In my experience). I have read others in this series, and while I have enjoyed them all, a few I enjoyed more than this one. Maybe that’s because the other books felt like they were building the world – which is rich in historical detail. There seemed to be more character development in the others. The mystery in this one almost felt second place to the facts. 

I recommend binge reading this series. It will help to immerse you more in the medieval world, and if you are like me, you will then be spouting off random medieval facts to your friends. I look forward to diving into the next book when it is released.