Finally the Jack Templar Blog Tour Post with Giveaway

 

Tour Schedule

Sorry this is a few days later then I promised. Still I have big new coming up that gives more of a why. Until then, here is the book blast post! You have already seen my review posts for Jack Templar Monster Hunter (here) and Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter (here). I did the second book as a part of the Blog Tour and wanted to include links to the tour schedule so you can see what other people thought and give you more information about the series awards and author! Plus another giveaway with money included below.
 

Awards for Jack Templar Monster Hunter

Book of the Year Finalist by Forward Magazine  

Next Generation Indie Book Finalist

          

   Indie Excellence Finalist 

         

   Parents Choice Recommended Book Award

                   

Author Jeff Gunhus Jeff Gunhus grew up in Cyprus, Greece, and Saudi Arabia where there was a distinct lack of television. He quickly found books were the gateway to incredible adventures, fascinating characters and unbelievable discoveries. Now, with five children of his own (all who watch too much television, in his opinion), he has enjoyed revisiting his old books and reliving those adventures all over again.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Website

Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 7/8/13 a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Escape with Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy

Jack Templar and the 
Monster Hunter Academy

By: Jeff Gunhus

The Goodreads Blurb: After barely surviving the onslaught of monsters that tried to kill him the day before his fourteenth birthday, Jack Templar leaves his hometown on a quest to rescue his father and discover the truth about his past. Joined by his friends Will and T-Rex, and led by Eva, the mysterious one-handed monster hunter, Jack sets out for the Monster Hunter Academy where he hopes to find answers to his questions. Little does he suspect that the Academy is filled with dangers of its own, many of them more terrifying than anything he’s faced so far.
To see my review of the first novel in the Jack Templar series look here!
The second book starts of with the warnings that filled the first book, but then jumps straight back into the action! As you read you see Jack Templar evolve and mature and I also felt that the author's writing evolved and matured. It got five stars because I felt that the second book outshines the first in many ways such as writing style and characterization. 
The book is filled with adventure and the unique premise that attracted me to the first book gets more interesting. While definitely still a middle grade book, the sequel more than the original is enjoyable for older audiences. Written for reluctant readers, this book keeps you interested and turning the pages.
The book ends with another hook to keep you wanting to continue the series. I will be interested to see if the third book in the series continues to make the series improve.
Also stay tuned for my Friday post. I got this book from the Blog Tour and will post the schedule and $25 Tour Giveaway!!
Check out Jack Templar on Goodreads and Amazon!

Escape with Above Rubies

Peace River

By: Jaclyn M. Hawkes

The Goodreads Blurb: His chivalry was strangling her. He thought he was helping her—and in truth, he was. She was in desperate straits. But as honorable as he was, he was also breaking her heart.

Her attraction was drowning him. When World Champion rodeo cowboy Rossen Rockland and his friends rescue a young runaway who has been abused by her foster father and take her home to his parents’ ranch, he expects her to turn out to be a pain in the neck. And sometimes she is.

It doesn’t take him long to figure out that she has way more than her allotment of troubles—and far more than her share of gifts. Lovely, talented, and ravingly brilliant, Kit Star is too young, unbelievably humble, and oh, so loveable. Knowing that she needs his protection and time to grow into her potential, Rossen also figures out that what she really is, is a pain in the heart.

The second book of the Rockland Ranch Series, which started with Peace River, Above Rubies can also stand alone. It features the characters you meet in Peace River, but the focus is on the newly introduced Kit Star. Also remember that this is a LDS contemporary romance series. Which means its a clean romance and has religious aspects to it. I enjoy that, but its not for everyone.

Kit Star is another girl with a troubled past that doesn't let it define her. I love the strong female roles that Jaclyn M. Hawkes writes. Kit rises above her past and lets faith conquer fear. I so respect her for that. Some of what she deals with I don't know if I could handle the way she did.

Rossen plays a much larger role as well. I enjoyed getting to know him better. He is the kind of guy I want in my life. Who doesn't love an intelligent cowboy?

The story was well written and its a pretty fast read. Both characters were beyond stubborn which got a little frustrating and I also felt that they communicated with everyone but each other!

Still if you want a clean contemporary romance with musical talent, strong women, overcoming trials, and powerful messages to share then go get Above Rubies!!

Check out Above Rubies at Goodreads or Amazon!

Escape with Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective

Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective

By: Christine Amsden

The Goodreads Blurb: Cassie Scot is the ungifted daughter of powerful sorcerers, born between worlds but belonging to neither. At 21, all she wants is to find a place for herself, but earning a living as a private investigator in the shadow of her family’s reputation isn’t easy. When she is pulled into a paranormal investigation, and tempted by a powerful and handsome sorcerer, she will have to decide where she truly belongs. Cassie Scot is a women of strength and power. She is confident with herself and very independent. While at times I found her to be a little difficult to get along with, I respected her for all she went through and who she was. She is a powerhouse and a brave person to tough out the hard situations. The mystery was very well-done (I didn't guess right at all till the end) and the book keeps you on your toes. It had solid friendships and intrigue. It was well written and created a unique world. I think the series has a lot of potential. It lived up to it in the first book.  Without giving spoilers there was one familial relationship that I felt to be unrealistic, stupid, and detracting. Maybe its setting up for the next book, but it diminished my enjoyment of this one. And I also found the romance poorly done in terms of balance. So while this book has a lot of highlights and is well worth the read, I took a star for these two annoyances that detracted from the overall positive aspects of the book.
Check out Cassie Scot on Goodreads and Amazon!

Escape with Peace River

Peace River

By: Jaclyn M. Hawkes

The Goodreads Blurb: The police didn't understand the danger, but she did. Her father had always been abusive, but now, with a ten million dollar Thoroughbred farm on the line, and a powerful bookie leaning on him, her father had become out of control. But how do you get away and take a world famous stallion with you? Carrie was getting desperate when a handsome and honorable but thoroughly cynical rodeo cowboy from Wyoming happened to show up with a horse trailer. He didn't ride a white horse, but he was definitely a knight in shining armor. He'll protect her from the mob, but can she survive falling in love with a bull rider?
First I want to make readers aware that this is a LDS contemporary romance. So if religious aspects or mentions are unappealing to you then don't read this book. I felt that the religious aspect was well written and it added another dimension to the characters. Being a Christian myself I felt it made the characters more realistic to me and think that it doesn't detract from the overall story, but adds to the theme of the book.
This book had a lot of things I enjoyed. I read it on a plane ride where I was delayed and had to sit on the tarmac for over and hour. It was the perfect escape from the diaper smelling plane I was stuck on. I loved horses and enjoyed reading about the cowboys and horse events. Being a horse back rider I could tell immediately that Jaclyn Hawkes was also a rider. She was so realistic when writing about the experience of traveling to horse shows and caring for horses.
I loved Carrie and could see why she had so many loyal friends. Despite the many things that go wrong for her she had this quiet personal strength that I really admired. I felt that she was a wonderful example of persevering through life and the trials we are given.
The reason Peace River lost a star for me is I couldn't quite accept that depiction of the police. While I know that sometimes police forces don't intervene when called upon, it seemed to me that I couldn't understand why they weren't getting involved here and if that was realistic or not. I also found it strange that she mostly stayed in Carrie's perspective, but occasionally would throw in another point of view and it wasn't always a smooth transition.
Overall if you want a enjoyable clean romance that has horses, hot men, and religious tones take a leap of faith and give Peace River a chance.
Check out Peace River on Goodreads and Amazon.

Cassie Scot Blog Tour with Giveaway

Join Christine Amsden, author of the paranormal mystery novel, Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective, as she tours the blogosphere May 13 - August 16, 2013 on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book! This tour is part of a huge Kindle Fire HD Giveaway. If interested in signing up for a review, interview, guest post, or book spotlight, please let us know by contacting Tracee at tgleichner (at) gmail.com or leave a comment below along with your contact information.

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ABOUT CASSIE SCOT: PARANORMAL DETECTIVE

Cassie Scot is the ungifted daughter of powerful sorcerers, born between worlds but belonging to neither. At 21, all she wants is to find a place for herself, but earning a living as a private investigator in the shadow of her family’s reputation isn’t easy. When she is pulled into a paranormal investigation, and tempted by a powerful and handsome sorcerer, she will have to decide where she truly belongs. Purchase at:

ABOUT CHRISTINE AMSDEN

Christine Amsden has been writing science fiction and fantasy for as long as she can remember. She loves to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired by this love and by her stories. Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but great speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. Christine writes primarily about people and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone. At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt's Disease, a condition that effects the retina and causes a loss of central vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or get in the way of her dreams. (You can learn more here.) In addition to writing, Christine teaches workshops on writing at Savvy Authors. She also does some freelance editing work. Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her success. They have two beautiful children. Her latest book is Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

 

WATCH THE TRAILER!

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Pump Up Your Book and Christine Amsden are teaming up to give you a chance to win a new Kindle Fire HD!

Here's how it works:

Each person will enter this giveaway by liking, following, subscribing and tweeting about this giveaway through the Rafflecopter form placed on blogs throughout the tour. If your blog isn't set up to accept the form, we offer another way for you to participate by having people comment on your blog then directing them to where they can fill out the form to gain more entries. This promotion will run from May 13 - August 16. The winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter, contacted by email and announced on August 17, 2013. Each blogger who participates in the Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective virtual book tour is eligible to enter and win. Visit each blog stop below to gain more entries as the Rafflecopter widget will be placed on each blog for the duration of the tour. If you would like to participate, email Tracee at tgleichner(at)gmail.com. What a great way to not only win this fabulous prize, but to gain followers and comments too! Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective Virtual Book Publicity Tour Schedule

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Monday, May 13 - Book reviewed at Sara's Organized Chaos

Tuesday, May 14 - Book trailer reveal at Margay Leah Justice

Wednesday, May 15 - Book spotlight at The Busy Mom's Daily

Thursday, May 16 - Character interview at Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews

Friday, May 17 - Book reviewed at By the Broomstick

Monday, May 20 - Interviewed at Review From Here

Tuesday, May 21 - First chapter reveal at Offbeat Vagabond

Wednesday, May 22 - Book reviewed at Offbeat Vagabond

Thursday, May 23 - Guest blogging at You Gotta Read

Monday, May 27 - Book reviewed at My Cozie Corner

Thursday, May 30 - Guest blogging at Miki's Hope

Monday, June 3 - Guest blogging at Janna Shay

Tuesday, June 4 - Guest blogging at The Book Connection

Thursday, June 6 - Book reviewed at Miki's Hope

Monday, June 10 - Interviewed at From the TBR Pile

Tuesday, June 11 - First chapter reveal at By the Broomstick

Wednesday, June 12 - Book reviewed at Waiting on Sunday to Drown

Thursday, June 13 - First chapter reveal at Butterfly-o-Meter Books

Friday, June 14 - Interviewed at Literal Exposure

Monday, June 17 - Book reviewed at Carol's Notebook

Wednesday, June 19- First chapter reveal at Inside BJ's Head

Thursday, June 20 - Book reviewed at Quilted Reviews

Friday, June 21 - First chapter reveal at Literary Winner

Monday, June 24 - Interviewed at The Writer's Life

Tuesday, June 25 - Guest blogging at Janna Shay

Wednesday, June 26 - Book reviewed at From the TBR Pile

Thursday, June 27 - First chapter reveal at As the Pages Turn

Friday, June 28 - Interviewed at American Chronicle

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