BLOG TOUR: Betrayer by Nicole Conway

 

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the BETRAYER by Nicole Conway Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

About The Book:

Title: BETRAYER (The Dragonrider Heritage #2)

Author: Nicole Conway

Pub. Date: February 23, 2020

Publisher: Broadfeather Books

Formats: Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 352

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org

Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Membership!

The darkest secrets of Murdoc’s violent past may be their last hope.

As pressure mounts to find the Tibran witch, Devana, Thatcher and his companions struggle to regroup after discovering Phillip’s bitter betrayal. Forced into hiding while they await a new plan of attack from Prince Judan's network of spies, tensions rise and threaten to tear their company apart. Murdoc knows every second they linger risks another attack from the vicious Ulfrangar Assassins or Phillip, but Reigh is determined to stay and await new instructions.

With two of his closest friends now locked in a battle of wills, Thatcher is caught in the middle—until a surprise assault by the Ulfrangar drags him into the darkest depths of their brutal order. Faced with a life-and-death race against time, Murdoc is the only one who might be able to save him now. But for Murdoc, taking up an assassin’s blade again to fight the same order that trained him will also mean facing the worst demons of his past.

Can Murdoc finally rise above his bloody past and save his only friend? Or does destiny have a new path in store for an assassin-turned-hero?

 

About Book 1:

Title: HUNTER (The Dragonrider Heritage #1)

Author: Nicole Conway

Pub. Date: November 24, 2020

Publisher: Broadfeather Books

Formats: Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 352

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org

Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Membership!

One boy must earn the trust of a blind dragon and hunt down an elusive sorceress before she can rekindle the war that nearly destroyed their world.

As the Kingdom of Maldobar emerges victorious from the brutal invasion of the Tibran Empire, much of the land is left in utter ruin. With his home destroyed and family gone, 16-year-old Thatcher Renley has no one left to turn to. And when he’s mistaken for a Tibran soldier and banished to a wartime prison camp, Thatcher knows his only hope for freedom lies in appealing to Queen Jenna directly.

But getting out of the prison camp might be the least of his worries— especially after he stumbles across a feral dragon locked in an iron cell.

As far as dragons go, Fornax is a lost cause. The battle that killed his rider also left him blind and too aggressive for any knight to control. But Thatcher can’t deny feeling drawn to the beast. Does he have what it takes to calm Fornax and join the proud ranks of Maldobar’s dragonriders? Only time will tell. And with a bloodthirsty Tibran witch threatening to rekindle the chaos of war, everyone’s time may be running out.

 

Review: Coming soon.

 

About Nicole:

Nicole is an award-winning, #1 international bestselling author from North Alabama. With a passion for relatable, authentic characters and exciting, fast-paced plots, Nicole is best known for her series, THE DRAGONRIDER CHRONICLES. Other published works include THE DRAGONRIDER LEGACY SERIES, SPIRITS OF CHAOS SERIES, MAD MAGIC SAGA, and THE DRAGONRIDER HERITAGE SERIES (Coming Winter 2020).

 

Subscribe to Nicole’s Newsletter!

 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr | Pinterest | BookBub | Amazon |  Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

1 lucky winner will win a signed finished copy of BETRAYER & swag, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

2/22/2021	Jaime's World	Excerpt
2/23/2021	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt/Instagram Post
2/24/2021	Westveil Publishing	Excerpt/Instagram Post
2/25/2021	BookHounds YA	Excerpt
2/26/2021	Lady Hawkeye	Excerpt/Instagram Post

Week Two:

3/1/2021	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt
3/2/2021	Declarations of a Fangirl	Excerpt/Instagram Post
3/3/2021	Jazzy Book Reviews	Excerpt
3/4/2021	Books A-Brewin'	Excerpt/Instagram Post
3/5/2021	Lifestyle of Me	Review
3/5/2021	Hurn Publications	Excerpt/Instagram Post

BLOG TOUR: Simon B. Rhymin' by Dwayne Reed

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the SIMON B. RHYMIN' by Dwayne Reed Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway! 

About The Book:

Title: SIMON B. RHYMIN'

Author: Dwayne Reed

Pub. Date: March 2, 2021

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 224

Find it:  Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

A humorous and heartwarming bounce-to-the-beat underdog story about a young rapper whose rhymes help bring his community together.

Eleven-year-old Simon Barnes dreams of becoming a world-famous rapper that everyone calls Notorious D.O.G. But for now, he’s just a Chicago fifth grader who’s small for his age and afraid to use his voice.

Simon prefers to lay low at school and at home, even though he’s constantly spitting rhymes in his head. But when his new teacher assigns the class an oral presentation on something that affects their community, Simon must face his fears.

With some help from an unexpected ally and his neighborhood crew, will Simon gain the confidence to rap his way to an A and prove that one kid can make a difference in his ‘hood?

Book Trailer:

 

REVIEW: Love. read this out loud to my daughters and they love Simon. He has very big dreams but he is terrified to speak up. Having a daughter that also has struggles of speaking up made her feel like she wasn't alone and it gave her a confidence boost. After reading, I immediately went to Youtube and found his channel. My kids absolutely love his songs and we will be picking up his future books.

 

About Dwayne Reed: 

Dwayne Reed is America’s favorite rapping teacher from Chicago. In 2016, the music video for his hit song, “Welcome to the 4th Grade,” went viral and has since been viewed nearly two million times on YouTube. When he’s not writing, rapping, or teaching, Dwayne can be found presenting at educator conferences across the U.S., or loving on his beautiful wife, Simone.

As a viral sensation, Reed spreads his message of inspiration and empowerment that reaches a weekly audience of more than 50,000 followers, subscribers, readers, listeners, and fans. Each month, hundreds of new and aspiring teachers attend his engaging live seminars and rousing, interactive workshops, to experience the thrill of teaching.

As an avid philanthropist, Reed has partnered with other iconic brands that include 3M, Old Navy, and Arby’s to celebrate educators and raise awareness of youth issues. Mr. Reed also supports countless youth charities, after-school programs, and educational nonprofits dedicated to student-centered learning and academic achievement. We invite you to visit him on Twitter at @TeachMrReed and at www.facebook.com/TeachMrReed.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads | YouTube

 Giveaway Details:

3 winners will win a finished copy of SIMON B. RHYMIN', US Only. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

3/1/2021	For the Love of KidLit	Excerpt
3/1/2021	@bookshelfmomma	Review
3/2/2021	Nay's Pink Bookshelf	Review
3/2/2021	Westveil Publishing	Excerpt
3/3/2021	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt
3/3/2021	BookHounds YA	Review
3/4/2021	Lifestyle of Me	Review
3/4/2021	Not In Jersey	Review
3/5/2021	Nerdophiles	Review
3/5/2021	Little Red Reads	Review

BLOG TOUR: Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi *UPDATED*

 

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the YOLK by Mary H.K. Choi Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

About The Book:

Title: YOLK

Author: Mary H.K. Choi

Pub. Date: March 2, 2021

Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 400

Find it:  Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

From New York Times bestselling author Mary H.K. Choi comes a funny and emotional story about two estranged sisters switching places and committing insurance fraud to save one of their lives.

Jayne Baek is barely getting by. She shuffles through fashion school, saddled with a deadbeat boyfriend, clout-chasing friends, and a wretched eating disorder that she’s not fully ready to confront. But that’s New York City, right? At least she isn’t in Texas anymore, and is finally living in a city that feels right for her.

On the other hand, her sister June is dazzlingly rich with a high-flying finance job and a massive apartment. Unlike Jayne, June has never struggled a day in her life. Until she’s diagnosed with uterine cancer.

Suddenly, these estranged sisters who have nothing in common are living together. Because sisterly obligations are kind of important when one of you is dying.

 

REVIEW: Going into this book, I expected it to be all about two sisters dealing with one's cancer diagnosis and the journey afterward. What this book actually is it's a book from the younger sisters POV and all about her life and her eating disorder along with trying to come to terms with her older sister having cancer. Jayne is in fashion school and has to much care on what people think of her and if they actually see her. She and her sister were always competitive and she hates that June pulls the older sibling card all the time. Jayne has relationship issues all around and she places the blame on her mother, for leaving them for two months. She blames her sister June for being stuck up and embarassing herself. She blames her parents for leaving Korea for Texas. She cries at the drop of a hat.

There was a part in the book where she is stuffing her face with all of the food that she had purchased and then immediately vomiting it back up. It was uncomfortable to read and I just wanted to give her a big hug and tell her to stop hurting herself because the people that she is blaming for this is not feeling the pain. The ending was just not great. June is going into surgery to get her hysterectomy to remove her uterus, and that's it. This book doesn't focus on the cancer at all. It is more focused on an eating disorder which I think will trigger a lot of people who were not expecting the amount of focus and graphic detail of the scene.  

 

About Mary H.K. Choi: 

Mary H.K. Choi is a Korean-American author, editor, television and print journalist. She is the author of young adult novel Emergency Contact (2018). She is the culture correspondent on Vice News Tonight on HBO and was previously a columnist at Wired and Allure magazines as well as a freelance writer. She attended a large public high school in a suburb of San Antonio, then college at the University of Texas at Austin, where she majored in Textile and Apparel.

 

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will win a finished copy of YOLK, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

3/1/2021	Westveil Publishing	Excerpt
3/1/2021	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt
3/2/2021	BookHounds YA	Spotlight
3/2/2021	Book-Keeping	Review
3/3/2021	Lifestyle of Me	Review
3/3/2021	What A Nerd Girl Says	Review
3/4/2021	Momfluenster	Spotlight
3/4/2021	Not In Jersey	Review
3/5/2021	Kait Plus Books	Spotlight
3/5/2021	Trapped Inside Stories	Spotlight

Week Two:

3/8/2021	My Fictional Oasis	Review
3/8/2021	Eli to the nth	Review
3/9/2021	The Scribe Owl	Review
3/9/2021	Nay's Pink Bookshelf	Review
3/10/2021	Lala’s Book Reviews	Review
3/10/2021	The Mind of a Book Dragon	Review
3/11/2021	Odd and Bookish	Review
3/11/2021	Little Red Reads	Review
3/12/2021	Amani's Reviews	Review
3/12/2021	michellemengsbookblog	Review

Review: Theodora, Actress, Empress, Whore by Stella Duffy

 

This book was never on my radar until I bought the second book one day at Dollar Tree. I buy so many books from Dollar Tree it is ridiculous. The second book is titled The Purple Shroud and I put it on my buzzword reading challenge TBR for February because the buzz word for last month was a color. i was not surprised to find out that it was a second book in a series because all books at Dollar Tree are either the middle or conclusion to a series. I didn't want to replace the book because I had the thought that if I did that, then I would never get to the book. 

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this. It reminded me so much of the Sphinx Princess and Queen books that I read years ago. It is all about Empress Theodora of Constantinople and how she went from being an actress and prostitute to Empress. It goes into the politics of that time and how the laws were changed basically for her by her husband who was consul. 

I was disgusted by the prostitution of young girls that were in the theatre not by choice. I was angry at her younger sister dying in childbirth and them cursing the baby boy to hell and damning his soul. I was not at all bothered by all of the religious content. Basically that is all this book is. She goes to repent for her sins and she has an epiphany during her 40 days in the cave and then when she tells her story to priests and her friends, she is called too prideful. 

I am eager to get to the second book and see how she does in her Empress role. I ended up giving this a 4 out of 5.