Archive for January 15, 2015

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Just look at that cover art!

How could I resist Missing In Paradise.

I studied the cover, read the book, then studied it some more.

The cover tells the story.

Now, come on in and learn all about it.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

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Title: Missing in Paradise

Publication date: November 3, 2014

Publisher: Rebelight Publishing Inc.

Author: Larry Verstraete

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My Review

Before I start taling about the book, I want to talk a bit about the cover art.

I’m assuming you read the book description. Now look at the cover. It tells the story. You’ll see after you read it.

Bravo to the author for his fun, whimsical, telling cover!

Now to the story.

Nate thinks his Gramp’s death was mysterious. And that is confirmed when he’s drawn to a cardboard box. It contains clues and a map to a hidden treasure, the long missing “Shipment #35 – Gold.”

Nate quickly grabs the box, rescuing it from the garage sale and the creepy clutches of his neighbor, old man Fortier.

Sure that his Gramps was onto something, Nate enlists the help of his friend, Simon, to seek out the treasure.

They make their plans, jump on a bus, and set off on the adventure of all adventures.

But someone else knows about the treasure, and the race is on.

This book is like a blast to the past. I remember some wild adventures I went on when I was young. I never found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, never found cans of money buried in my back yard(got in trouble for those holes, LOL) and never found a treasure, but I had a grand time looking.

I felt that same excitement while reading this book. I was a part of the adventure. I also felt the fear, the doubt, and the hope.

While this is recommended for middle grade readers, some of the characters are kids and some are older adults, so I’d recommend this to anyone with a sense of adventure. It’s good, clean fun.

Here’s looking at you, kid.

5 Stars

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Synopsis

Four months after Gramp’s mysterious death, Nate helps out at Gram’s garage sale. An eerie feeling, as if Gramps were reaching beyond the grave to send Nate a message, leads Nate to a box full of clues. A missing plane. A secret to keep. A map highlighting the route where Gramps died and the message, “Shipment #35-Gold.” Nate and his best friend, Simon, are convinced that Gramps was on a treasure hunt when he died. They’re just as convinced that Gram’s shifty next door neighbour, Fortier, is after the gold too. Nate and Simon sneak away on a Greyhound bus for the small town of Paradise where Nate is sure treasure awaits. Can they find the gold before Fortier gets his thieving hands on a treasure that rightfully belongs to Gramps?

Larry Verstraete is an award winning author of 13 non-fiction books for young people. This is his first work of fiction.

 

ABOUT LARRY VERSTRAETE:

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Larry Verstraete, a retired teacher, has authored thirteen non-fiction books for young people and won multiple awards including the 2012 McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award and the 2010 Silver Birch Non-fiction Award. Missing in Paradise is his first work of fiction.

Connect with the Author:  Website | Facebook | Goodreads

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Today is the official release day for the paranormal/horror/suspense/thriller Growl!

Did you hear it? There! Now did you hear it?

I thought I heard a growl!

Come on in and celebrate the release of Growl.

Check out the creeptastic cover.

Read my review.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!


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My Review

Growl starts with a rumble, low and sinister. The rumble becomes a snarl, louder now and closer. The snarl becomes an ear splitting roar as the end rushes towards you.

At the tender age of 9, when her world should be one of innocence and wonder, Sheryl Ilene Newcomb (did you catch her initials- SIN) does something unspeakable. And she spends the second half of her life in fear. Fear of being found out. And fear of doing it again.

Any chance at a normal life, of happily ever after with the love of her life, is shattered by a voice. A voice in her head. When she finally meets the owner of that voice, she’s pulled, kicking and screaming, into her heritage. Her destiny.

But, someone else is out there. Someone like her, but not like her. And they won’t stop coming after her until she’s dead.

By the title, you are probably thinking werewolves, but you’d be wrong. This is something new in the paranormal genre, something steeped in Native American lore.

The author chose Mississippi as the setting for this story and it worked well. The southern dialect and culture were a perfect foil for this tale.

Part mysticism, part faith and family, and part horror, Growl kept me engrossed until the battery ran out on my Kindle. As soon as it was recharged, I jumped back into the story, not stopping until I finished.

You’re going to like the ending. And you’re going to want more.

5 Stars

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Synopsis:

My name is Sheryl Ilene Newcomb. And yes, my initials are
S.I.N. A funny little piece of whimsical humor my parents found amusing when I
arrived. Mom and Dad were two high school sweethearts who adored their guns,
their beer and their self-appointed titles of King and Queen of the Rebellious
Rednecks. The day I arrived, they didn’t think anyone in the town would have
the mental acuity to put two and two together to discover their little inside
joke. Shame on the pathetic excuses who called themselves teachers in this
dreary city, because Mom and Dad had been right: no one caught on to their
little attempt at humor.
Then, it turned out to be true. Looking back with wiser eyes
now, my family and I concluded that the events leading up to my transformation
started the summer I turned nine. But the day we realized there was a problem,
and no turning back, was a week before I started my senior year at Junction City
High. The day the fangs and claws appeared and the monster inside of me
emerged. When mutilated corpses appeared near a pile of brush down by Caney
Creek, everything changed.

 

That day, I changed, forever. Because evil woke up and
growled, its ominous rumblings heard by every living thing in Locasia County,
Mississippi.
 
Click the link above to get the book from Amazon.
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PLUS!
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The following prizes are available:
2 winners will receive a free code for the following audio
books:
Accountable to None; Zero Balance; Adjusting Journal
Entries; Number Seventy-Five; The Lie; Empty Shell
2 winners will receive signed paperbacks of the following
books:
Accountable to None; Zero Balance; Adjusting Journal
Entries; Number Seventy-Five; The Lie; Empty Shell
2 winners will receive ebooks of the following:
Accountable to None; Zero Balance; Adjusting Journal
Entries; Number Seventy-Five; The Lie; Empty Shell
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1 winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift card.
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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