Book Blast: Marrow by Preston Norton

Marrow by Preston Norton

Marrow is a fourteen-year-old prodigy at FIST (Fantom Institute for Superheroes-in-Training). With a perfect score on his finals, the ability to smash through walls, and leaps that can launch him over a city block, the Sidekick Internship Program is bound to place him with a top-notch superhero mentor for the summer. But when a series of disastrous events lands Marrow on academic probation, he is forced to team up with Flex–a drunk, hippie, bum with the power of elasticity.

The two Supers’ powers and personalities clash as they are forced to overcome their differences to prevent the return of Cosmo City’s most notorious foe, a supervillain so powerful, no one will survive the cataclysm he is sure to unleash.

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Praise for Marrow

• “If you can’t get enough of superhero and comic book movies, read Marrow now! It’s like stuffing an action movie into your head. The twists will surprise you.” — Adam Glendon Sidwell, Bestselling Author of CHUM and EVERTASTER.

• “Fans of comics, superheroes, and stories with twist after twist will love Marrow. It’s filled with nods and homages to classic heroes, yet still manages to put a unique stamp on the genre.” — Jacob Gowans, Bestselling Author of the PSION BETA Series.

Excerpt

Having super powers isn’t always as super as it sounds.

Actually . . . that’s a lie. It’s pretty much awesome.

It was the last day of Finals at FIST (Fantom Institute for Superheroes-in-Training). There were exactly ten of us who had qualified for the Sidekick Internship Program. All fourteen years old. All dangerous in our own unique ways. Based on our scores and overall performance, we would be evaluated and paired up with Superheroes who would serve as our mentors for the summer. With top-notch scores, I could be teamed up with a hero like Nova. Or Apex. Or the most legendary hero of them all . . .

Fantom, himself.

Fantom wasn’t just the founder of FIST. And he wasn’t just a Superhero either. The guy was an icon. A symbol of hope. He was the fastest, strongest, smartest, insert-whatever-awesome-adjective-you-can-think-of-est hero of them all. And the guy had style. Oh man, did he have style.

Legend had it that Fantom was the first of the Supers—merely a kid out on a boat with his parents when the Gaia Comet struck. (It was the foreign radioactive energy of Gaia that gave birth to the Supers.) The comet made impact right where they were sailing, killing Fantom’s parents instantly. However, fate or pure luck allowed Fantom to emerge unscathed, and he was reborn with power unparalleled by any other Super. 

Fantom was going to be my mentor. I had already decided that.

Want a FREE Kindle verison of the book? 
Marrow is now available in select Costcos throughout Utah, Idaho & Arizona. On your next trip, grab a copy! AND if you take a picture with the book and tag @FutureHousePub and @Costco on Twitter we’ll gift you a free Kindle version of the book!

Author Preston Norton

Preston Norton is a lover of the English language, a connoisseur of the written word, a crafter of worlds, a creator (and killer) of characters, a drinker of caffeine, a freak for scary movies, a kisser of his super hot fiancée, Erin, and an overall decent human being who really likes hamburgers.
Also, he kinda digs books.

Website * Twitter * Facebook

BookBlast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash or a $50 COSTCO gift card

Ends 7/30/15

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Book Review: Trouble in Loveland by Jennifer Peel

Trouble In Loveland, by Jennifer Peel
2015, 313p, Clean Contemporary Romance
My Rating=5 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the author for an honest review



Charlee Jensen had what she considered the idyllic childhood growing up in a town named for that most prized emotion of all, Loveland, Colorado. At seventeen, her teenage crush, a man eight years older than her, marries and she naively thinks this is the worst thing that would ever happen to her. Then her parents divorce and her world crumbles. She finds herself being whisked away from her beloved home and estranged from her father.

Now eight years later, with two degrees that she never wanted in hand, and no job prospects, her father offers her a position with his CPA firm. With no other options available, Charlee accepts his offer and returns to the hometown she loved. While rebuilding her relationship with her father, she discovers that perhaps a romantic relationship is in the cards for her, with her old teenage crush, Ryan Carter, who just happens to still live next door and is now a partner in her father’s CPA firm.

Newly divorced and single dad, Ryan Carter, isn’t quite sure what to make of the girl next door, who’s all woman now. He finds himself having a hard time resisting this beautiful yet annoyingly charming woman, but their age difference and his complicated relationship with his ex-wife cause quite a bit of trouble for the couple. Ryan finds himself torn between keeping the peace with his ex-wife and mother of his child and his feelings for Charlee.

Can they successfully overcome their troubles in Loveland? Find out in this clean romance filled with sparks, humor, and of course, a little bit of trouble.

For me as a reviewer, there is nothing better than reading a book I loved (House Divided) to find out that the author has other books out and then comes out with another new book shortly after I read her last release! That is the case with Jennifer Peel. I don't automatically give any author 5 stars so they have to earn it each time I read one of their books. The bar is already set high if I've loved their previous books. Even though I have only read one of hers so far, I've heard great things about her other books, too, and so I was glad when she delivered!!

I thought this book was fantastic! When Charlee was 17, her life was pretty good. It quickly fell apart, though, when her parents divorced and she chose to leave Loveland, Colorado with her mother. We learned about her attraction to her much older neighbor, Ryan, who got married shortly before she left. She was gone for eight years before she came back to Loveland to work as an accountant with her father in his firm. Oh, yeah, and now Ryan is divorced and her father's business partner so they will be working together.

I loved Charlee! She was fun and flirty and knew what she wanted--Ryan. Once she caught his attention, she didn't just give in to him all the time. She stood up for herself and when he treated her poorly, she let him know. I enjoyed her sense of humor throughout the book. Charlee was also working on mending her relationship with her father. She was angry at him when she left with her mother and had pretty much ignored him during the eight years she was gone. She was now able to see some things from his perspective which helped her understand him better.

Ryan had known Charlee when she was way too young for him and it took him a while to come to terms with the fact that both of them getting older didn't make their age difference such a big deal. He was attracted to her and tried hard to fight it. His relationship with her caused some issues with his ex-wife because he also had a young son in the mix. Josh was three and was absolutely adorable! It was impossible not to fall in love with him. I actually liked Ryan from the beginning. He did some stupid things that he had to make up for and that was part of what made reading this so enjoyable for me. I was hoping he would come to his senses in the end.

I enjoyed reading the ups and downs of Charlee and Ryan. Just when things were looking up, something else would happen that would threaten to destroy what they had. They hung in there and there were others cheering them on and helping them see things they couldn't. I loved this book from beginning to end and couldn't put it down. It's another winner from Jennifer and I'm looking forward to what she'll come up with next!

Amazon

Jennifer Peel is the mother of three amazing kiddos. Wife to her one and only for the past twenty-one years. Lover of late night talks, beach vacations, mountains, pink bubble gum ice cream, tours of model homes, and southern living. She can frequently be found with her laptop on, fingers typing away, indulging in chocolate milk, and writing out the stories that are constantly swirling through her head. 

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Release Day Blitz: An Immortal Descent by Kari Edgren

Publication Date: July 6, 2015
Publisher: Carina Press
eBook; ASIN: B00XCYM8XS

Series: Goddess Born, Book Three
Genre: Historical/Fantasy/Romance



As a goddess-born healer, Selah Kilbrid wants nothing to do with the goddess of death and disease, nor any of her human progeny. But when the two people she loves most disappear—her dearest friend Nora Goodwin and her betrothed Lord Henry Fitzalan—Selah has no choice but to leave London in pursuit of Death’s most powerful daughter.

Accompanied by a ragtag group of travelers, Selah follows a treacherous path across the Irish Sea to the long-forgotten prison of a witch who once nearly destroyed Ireland. Selah would face any danger to protect those she loves, but what if it means unleashing a greater evil on the human world? Could she risk the lives of many to save a few, or are some sacrifices too great?

An Immortal Descent Available at

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
iTunes

About the Author

Kari Edgren is the author of the Goddess Born series. In 2010 and 2011 she was a semifinalist for the Amazon Break Through Novel Award. In 2013, she was a RWA Golden Heart finalist. Ms. Edgren enjoys writing both historical and contemporary fiction, so long as there’s a paranormal twist. She resides on a mountain top in the Pacific Northwest where she spends a great deal of time dreaming about the sun and torturing her husband and children with strange food and random historical facts.

For more information please visit Kari Edgren’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

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Book Review: Girl of Mine by Taylor Dean

Girl of Mine, by Taylor Dean
2015, 278p, Clean Romance
My Rating=5 Stars
Source: Received copy from author for an honest review



HE CAME HOME

The year is 2003 and Captain Lucas Graham is at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, about to be deployed to Iraq. A few weeks ago, he broke his engagement with Jillian Barrett, leaving her stunned and heartbroken.

Knowing he can’t leave for war without putting his affairs in order, Luke obtains a four day pass with only one goal in mind: explain his life story to his former fiancée.

The problem: Jill is now engaged to another man.

But Luke isn’t giving up. He only has four days to gain an audience with Jill, even if he has to resort to drastic measures to do so.

And he will . . .

Taylor Dean is one of my favorite authors so I was excited when she announced her new book, and even more excited when it moved to the top of my TBR pile!

I loved this book! Luke and Jill are the main characters and when the book starts, they're broken up. Luke is on a four day leave from the military and needs to talk to her. She has become engaged to another man, his best friend Troy. Luke needs to tell her the truth about him and Troy and why he broke up with her so abruptly.

The story is told in flashbacks. We get bits and pieces of where Luke and Jill are in the present day, then the story of how they met and fell in love and also the story of Luke and Troy. I enjoyed this because I honestly didn't see what was coming. I loved Luke and Jill's story and was rooting for them and wondered how she could have agreed to marry Troy. As their story unfolded, her reasons became clear but there was a lot of information she was missing.

Luke and Troy were the best of friends until a major event happened when they were twelve. As we learn those details, Luke and Troy's current relationship makes more sense. This book is just as much about their relationship as it is about Luke and Jill's and I enjoyed learning more about all of them. I had a definite opinion of Troy in the beginning and felt differently about him by the end.

This story is an emotional journey that shows the power of forgiveness, love and friendship. It's a clean romance (yay!) and the ending is amazing, even though getting there is rough. I'm already looking forward to Taylor's next book!

Also, I follow Taylor's blog, which I love because she posts a lot of background information and "extras" on her books. Back in February, she shared a post about the tree house that plays a small role in her book. It's amazing and worth checking out! You can learn more about it here.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it’s paranormal, contemporary, or suspense–you’ll find all sub-genres of clean romance in her line-up.
 

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Duet: Amazing Grace by Condoleezza Rice and Jenny Oaks Baker

You can download "Amazing Grace" by Condoleezza Rice (piano) and Jenny Oaks Baker (violin) on iTunes. All proceeds of this single are being donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Book Review: Nadia's Tears by Julie C. Gilbert

Nadia's Tears, by Julie C. Gilbert
2013, 260p, YA Science Fiction
My Rating=4 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the author for an honest review



Jillian must enter Nadia's dreams to wake her from a mysterious coma. In Nadia's dreams, Jillian meets several versions of her sister, including the elegant Queen Elena, fierce Naidine, and heartbroken Nadie. Meanwhile, Danielle must save her friend Christy from making choices that could get them both killed.

This is the second book in this series. Go here to learn more about the first book,  Ashlynn's Dreams, and read my thoughts on it. 

In the first book, Jillian and Danielle were kidnapped and they've now returned home. Jillian needs to go back, though, to help Nadia but there's no way her mother will allow her to do that. With Danielle's help, she comes up with a plan to make that happen. Danielle stays behind this time to face everyone's wrath about what happened and to help her friend Christy, who is involved in something dangerous.

This book started out a little slow for me and took me a while to get into it. At times, I was a little confused about what was going on. It did pick up and got very interesting. I enjoyed learning more about Jillian's other family and there are plenty more to learn about. 

Again, it's written through letters and  journal entries and it's mostly Jillian and Danielle. There are some new characters that we hear from a little bit as well. There are some tough issues that these books deal with and they are both thought-provoking. There's still a lot to discover about the characters and I'm excited to read the next book, Malia's Miracles!

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Julie is a high school chemistry teacher who spends all summer writing. Her stories tend to fall in YA, YA sci-fi, sci-fi, or Christian mystery genres though on a challenge from a friend, she's also attempted YA paranormal.

She enjoys warm (not hot) weather, tea, coffee, reading, writing, teaching, and listening to books on CD.

Website  * Twitter * Facebook--Author * Facebook--Ashlynn's Dreams

Blog Tour/Review: The Sheik's Ruby by Jennifer Moore

Tour Schedule

The Sheik's Ruby, by Jennifer Moore
2015, 326p, Clean Contemporary Romance
My Rating=5 Stars
Source: Received a copy for an honest review



Shelby wants to break away from the mold of her small town and make a name for herself in the big-city journalism world. While skiing, she meets mysterious stranger Hakim who is actually the prince of the Middle Eastern kingdom of Khali-dar. When his enemies learn of Hakim’s connection to an American girl, they target Shelby. Fleeing to the safety of Khali-dar, Shelby falls deeper in love not only with the prince, but with his country. As she struggles to survive terrorist attacks, withstand the Sheik’s prejudice, and find her place in a world she doesn’t understand, she must choose which life she is willing to sacrifice—the comfortable one she has worked so hard to create, or the one with the man she loves.

Hakim is a prince and he meets Shelby on the ski slopes in Colorado. She has no idea who he is and treats him like a regular man, which he likes. His bodyguard, Nasir, is always close by and Hakim passes him off as a friend. Hakim and Shelby enjoy each other's company, knowing that it will end when he returns home. Hakim can't stay away from Shelby, though, and his true identity is revealed to her before he can tell her himself, which then causes some trust issues.

Terrorist attacks in Hakim's country send him home and when they start to target Shelby, she goes to him so he can keep her safe. That's also when the reality of who Hakim is sinks in. She struggles to fit in and figure out her purpose in being there. They love each other but there are external forces at work to keep them apart.

Shelby is from a small town but left because she wanted to do something great. She's independent and has a good life but meeting Hakim makes her realize that there might be more for her. When she visits him on his turf, though, there are complications and she's not sure that's the right fit for her, either. It wasn't difficult to understand the internal struggle she was dealing with.

I loved this book! I enjoyed how they met and got to know each other. Hakim fit in well with Shelby's family and got a good taste of American family life. I also enjoyed watching Shelby adjust to life in Khali-dar. Living in a gorgeous palace and being pampered seems like every girl's fantasy but the reality would have some drawbacks, too. I also loved that it's more than just a romance--there are some action and adventure scenes, too. I've loved every book I've read by Jennifer Moore and I'm looking forward to reading more from her in the future!

Amazon * Wild Rose Press * Barnes & Noble

Excerpt

“Does your father know you’re asking me?”

Hakim gazed over her shoulder and took a deep breath. “He knows.”

“But he doesn’t want me to come, right?”

“I will bring a companion of my choice tomorrow.” He locked his gaze onto Shelby’s and leaned toward her. “You are my choice. Will you please come?”

The Sheik apparently doesn’t buy into the whole “guests are gifts from Allah” idea. “Of course, I would love to come.” She smiled, but knew it didn’t appear convincing. She hated feeling like she was the source of their discord.

“You are nervous. Please do not feel uncomfortable.”

“I’m worried I’ll say or do something stupid.” She winced. “I’m not exactly a refined debutante who knows how to act in formal situations. I don’t want to embarrass you, Hakim.”

“I do not want you to be a refined debutante. I have spent enough time with those people to know they are not what I want.” Hakim maneuvered his horse until he faced Shelby and their legs were nearly touching. He leaned closer, his gaze earnest. “What I want is you, Shelby Jo.” He cupped her cheek in his hand.

Shelby felt her heart flutter and her nerve endings tingle as she lost herself in the deep brown pools of his eyes.

His thumb stroked her skin, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. He slid his hand into her hair and drew her closer, his lips covering hers.

When she drew away, Shelby inhaled deeply and grinned. “Hearing you put it that way, how could I possibly refuse?”


Praise for Sheik’s Ruby

“What a fun read! THE SHEIK’S RUBY is a fabulous Cinderella story with both ancient and modern tones you don’t want to miss.”
~Josi Kilpack

~*~

“THE SHEIK’S RUBY is a perfect blend of romance and adventure, set in locales both familiar and exotic. When I finished, I wanted to start over and enjoy it again.
~Nancy Allen

 

Author Jennifer Moore

Jennifer Moore is a passionate reader and writer of all things romance due to the need to balance the rest of her world that includes a perpetually traveling husband and four active sons, who create heaps of laundry that is anything but romantic. She suffers from an unhealthy addiction to 18th and 19th century military history and literature. Jennifer has a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Utah and is a Guitar Hero champion. She lives in northern Utah with her family, but most of the time wishes she was on board a frigate during the Age of Sail.

Website * Twitter * Facebook

Also by Jennifer Moore: Becoming Lady Lockwood (2014 Whitney Award Winner), Lady Emma’s Campaign & Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince.

Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 7/17/15

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway