Nora and the Sacred Stones Review and Giveaway

 

About the Book
Trespasser, Thief, Assailant—these were never titles Nora planned on. She was just trying to protect her sister. With the help of her little brother and his best friend, Nora embarks on a life-or-death quest that could rock the very fabric of their society. 

After breaking into the royal palace, Nora discovers that the ancient power of the sacred stones is more than just a legend. But in her desperate attempt to help her sister, Nora may have awoken something deep inside the earth—a power she doesn’t fully understand. As Nora flees, she accidentally encounters Prince Kyn, heir to the Liardian throne. She narrowly manages to escape, but now the young prince knows who she is and what she looks like. 

Eager to prove himself to his father, Prince Kyn leads a mission to find Nora and bring her back to House Liard. Unfortunately, his search is riddled with obstacles he never saw coming. Kyn soon realizes he needs Nora’s help more than he could have possibly imagined. In fact, the whole world does.

Review

Nora and the Sacred Stones captured my interest immediately. The story is easy-to-read, fun and draws you into an interesting world where stones can provide you with power to create gourmet meals, heal the sick and more. The storytelling was well-done. The story is geared for grades 3-12 (9+). I think readers will enjoy diving into this world and getting to know the characters. There are also some inklings of content that I think would be better for older kids in Elementary School on up to High School. The book is clean with little violence. The world that the author created is intriguing in how Nora can draw power from the stones. There are so many creative elements to this world. It's very imaginative and the author does a good job at describing the world. As a reader, I wanted to explore the world more and get to experience more of it. I felt like you could even discuss this book on several levels and draw comparisons to our world and experiences. To learn more, click here.

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Please note that I received a free ebook to review, however, this is my honest opinion. This post also contains affiliate links.

An Unlikely Pair Blog Tour, Author Interview, Review and Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK 

After a family tragedy, aspiring ballerina Amaliya Marcell is adrift. When she is forced to leave behind everything she knows, the lost young woman struggles to build a new life in an unfamiliar city. But when she meets a handsome world-class figure skater, she finds a glimmer of hope.

After his sister’s unexpected retirement from figure skating, Tyler Linden is devastated to give up his shot at the US national championships. His only hope is to find a new partner, a task that proves nearly impossible—until he observes a beautiful young woman at the local ice rink. Struck by her grace and poise, Tyler takes an unthinkable risk and asks Amaliya to become his new partner. To both of their surprise, she agrees. The path to the championship won’t be easy, but Amaliya and Tyler quickly establish a solid partnership and a profound connection—both on and off the ice. However, competition at the championships is fierce, and when the time comes, they will be forced to put everything on the line if they hope to achieve their dreams.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Life Is What It's Called - What inspired you to write An Unlikely Pair? 

Traci Hunter Abramson - I've loved ice skating since I was young. This novel was born from that interest. Ironically, this is also the first novel I ever wrote. I started it back in 1995 when I left my full time job at the CIA. At the time, I was working with young teenagers, and I realized that many of them wanted to read adult fiction, but they didn't want the adult content that often goes with it. When I discovered how little was on the market, I set out to fill the gap. 

Life Is What It's Called - How many books will be there for this series? 

Traci Hunter Abramson - This is a unique series in that there will be three novels in the main story line. In addition, I am writing three novellas which are basically bonus material that dives deeper into some of the secondary characters. 

Life Is What It's Called - What writing projects are you working on now? 

Traci Hunter Abramson - Right now, I'm working on both a Saint Squad novella and a Saint Squad novel. This has been a pretty crazy year, so I'm also preparing for the releases of Redemption (September), Heirs of Falcon Point (October), and Broken Dreams (November). Broken Dreams is the second novella for the Dream's Edge series. 

Life Is What It's Called - How is An Unlikely Pair similar to your other contemporary romance books and how is it different?

Traci Hunter Abramson - When I wrote the original version, it was intended to be set in present day, but because world politics changed so drastically in the nineties, I had to wait for time to pass so it could be set as a recent historical instead. This is the first time I've written anything that isn't set in the present.

Life Is What It's Called - What do you hope readers will gain from reading An Unlikely Pair? 

Traci Hunter Abramson - More than anything, I hope people will appreciate that even when we go through difficult times, we can thrive in whatever circumstances we encounter. I also hope readers enjoy the work ethic and friendship demonstrated by the characters. 

Life Is What It's Called - Which character from An Unlikely Pair would you most like to meet (pick only one) and why? 

Traci Hunter Abramson - That's hard, but I probably would want to meet Amaliya. It would be so fun to share her multicultural upbringing and watch how she grows throughout this novel. 

Life Is What It's Called -  Which character from all of your books would you most like to meet and why? 

Traci Hunter Abramson - That's such a difficult question. Probably one of my favorite characters is Katherine Whitmore. She has never been a main character in any of my books, but she shows up in my Undercurrents, Saint Squad, and Guardian series as well as in Mistaken Reality. She is just the type of person who everyone should have as a friend.

REVIEW

An Unlikely Pair is a fun, dramatic romance. I loved that the characters were striving to reach their dreams despite opposition. It was fun to see a book combine hockey, ballet and ice skating. The theme in the book is inspiring and motivational. The story is a quick read and a page turner. The characters were interesting, likable, and dynamic. I enjoyed reading this novel and found it to be entertaining. This book is the first of a series and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book in the series. Reading the prequel to the novel, Dancing to Freedom, isn't necessary to read first, but I found that my emotions were more invested in the story from reading the prequel. To learn more about An Unlikely Pair, click here.

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Please note that I received a free ebook to review, however, this is my honest opinion. This post also contains affiliate links that help support this blog.

Inventing Vivian Blog Tour, Author Interview, Review and Giveaway

About the Book

Ladies of London’s High Society are known for their social graces and poise. Vivian Kirby boasts neither of these enviable qualities, though she does offer impressive conversation on chemical compositions. Unfortunately, it appears that not many men want a brilliant wife. So it is that Vivian finds kinship with a group of young women who embrace each other’s differences: The Blue Orchid Society. 

After an extended stay in China, Lord Benedict has returned transformed to his family’s estate, where an encounter with Vivian, whose scientific knowledge he once undermined, leaves him determined to make amends. He arranges to help forward her research—anonymously, of course. Through letters, Vivian establishes a warm friendship with her secret benefactor, even as she’s unexpectedly drawn into a murder investigation that forces her to work alongside Benedict to unearth the truth. Soon, Vivian fears she may be falling in love with two men, never suspecting that they are one and the same.

Author Interview

Life Is What It's Called - How is The Blue Orchid Society series different from your other books? In what ways is it similar? 

Jennifer Moore - The B.O.S. series is set in the Victorian Era. So, that's a change from the Regency Era or the Early American books that I've written. I love this era so much, because it's not as restrictive. So, women can have jobs like nursing or teaching. They could also inherit property, so that opened up all sorts of possibilities. But the thing that's the same is these are romances. I always love HEA, ya know?

Life Is What It's Called - What are your next writing projects? 

Jennifer Moore - Well, I have a few more books planned for this series, and maybe I'll try to do a few novellas set in the same society. But after that, I'm not sure...any great ideas? 

Life Is What It's Called - What do you hope readers will learn from Inventing Vivian? 

Jennifer Moore - Vivian is a different lady than most romantic heroines. She's smart and awkward and she doesn't read social cues at all. She isn't romantic, which might bother some readers. But I really felt like it was important for her story to be told. Ladies in stories don't need to always be romantic and feminine. Because in the real world, we aren't all like that. 

Life Is What It's Called - Which lady from The Blue Orchid Society are you most like and why? 

Jennifer Moore - I think Sophronia. She's a peacemaker. Things about society really bother her, but she isn't openly confronting them. She is brave in her own way, but I wish I was more like Elizabeth. She speaks up against injustice and fights for the little guy. 

Life Is What It's Called - What do you like about writing about the Victorian time frame? 

Jennifer Moore - I love how it's just on the cusp of change. Like the modern era is just around the corner, and peeking into this quieter, slower world, but people still hold onto old-fashioned propriety. It's kind of the perfect blend of machines and gears and dinner parties and top hats. 

Life Is What It's Called - If you could meet one of the characters from any of your books, who would it be and why? 

Jennifer Moore - Sergeant Lester from Solving Sophronia is a fun character. I think we'd be friends. He has a quirky hobby and kind of a nerdy sense of humor. But he's genuine and thoughtful and loyal. 

Life Is What It's Called - How has your study of linguistics helped you in your writing? 

Jennifer Moore - It's helped a lot withe little things like incorporating regional dialects or accents from characters who don't speak English as a first language. I really have to hold back from putting too many foreign words into my books. I love to think of my characters speaking in different languages, but the audio readers don't appreciate it, and neither does the editing staff. 

Life Is What It's Called -  What do you enjoy doing (besides writing)? 

Jennifer Moore - I read a lot. And I play tennis nearly every day.

Review

Solving Sophronia, the first book of the Blue Orchid series, was such an intriguing and fun book that I was curious to read Inventing Vivian. With some series the next book falls short of the original, but this book continued the intrigue, quality and fun Victorian dynamics from the first book. Inventing Vivian carried many exciting elements that reminded me of the Victorian era with intriguing inventions, women's rights, mysteries, and mysterious societies. This book was quite a page turner and the characters were intriguing, interesting and engaging. I really enjoyed this book and discovering the characters in the story. I felt like it was a relaxing and amusing book to escape into. I can't wait to see what Jennifer Moore comes up with next. To learn more about Inventing Vivian, click here.

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Please note that I received a free ebook to review, however, I shared my honest opinion. This post also contains affiliate links that help support this blog.