While on a scavenging trip with her father, Amy is accidentally trapped in New Lithisle in Rondi Bauer Olson’s All Things Now Living. At first her only goal is to escape, but when she meets Daniel, a New Lithisle boy, she begins to question how less-than-human the people of New Lithisle are. Amy’s feelings grow even more conflicted when she learns she didn’t end up in New Lithisle by mistake. Her father is secretly a sympathizer. Time is running short and Amy has to decide if she will bring the computer program her father wrote to his contact or save herself. Installing the program could prevent the dome’s collapse, but if Amy doesn’t find her father’s contact in time, she’ll die, along with everyone else.
Stay up all night reading this thrilling new book from Rondi and enter to win a Kindle Fire!
One grand prize winner will receive:
A copy of All Things Now Living
A Kindle Fire
Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on December 14. The winner will be announced December 15 on the Litfuse blog.
In Domengrad, there are rules all must live by: Fear the Gods. Worship the Magicians. Forsake the Iconoclasts.
About Colorless
To Annabelle Klein, the rules laid down by the Magicians are the mere ramblings of stuffy old men. As far as she’s concerned, the historic Iconoclasts, heretics who nearly destroyed the Magicians so long ago, are nothing but myth. She has much more important matters to worry about.
Heiress to a manor mortgaged down to its candlesticks and betrothed to her loathsome cousin, sixteen-year-old Annabelle doubts the gods could forsake her more.
Then Annabelle is informed of her parents’ sudden and simultaneous deaths, and all of the pigment drips out of her skin and hair, leaving her colourless. Within moments, Annabelle is invisible and forgotten by all who know her.
Living like a wraith in her own home, Annabelle discovers that to regain her color she must solve the mystery behind her parents’ murders and her strange transformation.
Meanwhile, hundreds of the Magicians’ monks, with their all-black eyes and conjoined minds, have usurped control of Annabelle’s family manor. An Iconoclast is rumored to be about—a person who they claim goes unseen, unheard, and lost to memory, yet is the greatest threat to all of Domengrad. For the first time in a hundred years, the monks plan to unleash the dire wolves of old.
Their only target: Annabelle.
My Thoughts
In this novel we are transported to a fantasy world of magic, religion and myths. The audiobook opens with a little bit of background information and the death of our main character, Annabelle’s parents. Their death marks a huge turning point in her young life, a parent passing away is awful enough for a young child but in her case it becomes even worse. Annabelle begins to lose all of her colour – it literally drips off of her. To top it off anything she touches loses its own colour – her furniture, paintings – everything she holds dear. Slowly everyone forgets her and it is almost like she has never existed. What I found amazing was that animals could still recognize her presence and a few special people who want to help her.
The monks in this story are maddening and creepy. They make you feel angry and wish they would just leave Annabelle alone. She is fighting for her life against the monks and you want to be able to defend her every step of the way. You are constantly on the edge of your seat the whole book waiting to see what happens next for her.
I listened to the audiobook of this novel and I really enjoyed the narration of the characters. It was easy to identify by voice alone who was speaking and the narration really helped to bring the characters alive. The monks voices especially! They leave you with this yucky feeling and that you want to lash out at them on Annabelle’s behalf.
This was a fantastic audiobook although the beginning left me a bit confused as I tried to follow the history, I would have loved to have known a bit more about the history and religious beliefs in the beginning but it doesn’t affect your understanding of the novel throughout.
You can purchase a copy of this audiobook on Audible and Amazon.
Rating: 4/5
About the Author
Rita Stradling is the author of Ensnared, Making Bad Choices, The Deception Dance series, the Dakota Kekoa series and The Fourteen Day Soul Detox Novella Serial. She has a BA in Art History and a particular love for modern and medieval art.
Rita lives with her husband and son in Northern California.
She has an insatiable novel addiction and mostly reads young adult and adult: romance, paranormal, urban fantasy and high fantasy.
About the Narrator
Lauri Jo Daniels has had her nose in a book since before she started kindergarten and has been reading stories out loud to anyone who would listen ever since. Her mom has always said that from the moment she was born she has never shut her mouth, so it just makes sense that she would make a living with her voice.
It was this love of reading that inspired her to major in English Lit and later to become a Young Adult Librarian and it was this career that introduced her to the wonder of audiobooks. She began dreaming of narrating them one day herself. Today that dream has become reality.
Lauri Jo has a very versatile sound and a knack for character voices, both skills that truly bring a story to life. Those skills and her passion for storytelling have made her dream a reality.
When she’s not busy trying to organize the chaos of 2 teenagers and 6 animals at home, Lauri is producing material from The Huffington Post, Slate, and Playboy for SpokenLayer’s news podcast, SpokenEdition, voicing Alexa flash briefings for Biden’s Briefing, and narrating news and short stories for Medium Members while working on her next audiobook masterpiece.
Girls + Science = WIN! Veronica and the Volcano combines earth science with incredible action!
About Veronica and the Volcano
Veronica and the Volcano by Geoffrey Cook is an exciting adventure story for grades 3 – 5 about a brave, curious young girl named Veronica, who lives on the side of a volcano. Eruptions are a part of life, as she watches from the protective shields of her home or from her family’s well-equipped Lava Car.
When Veronica leaves on a quest to find rare white volcano pearls on the far side of Mount Mystery, she leads her father, her best friend Maddy, and her friend’s dad, the blustering Captain John, into a series of incredible adventures. But when the colossal volcano erupts, fears wins an election, and Veronica must square off against a fear-mongering villain: the Man-in-White.
Cook’s story blends science with science fiction, straddling the world of the believable and fantastical and combining the latest earth science with incredible action. While writing, Cook extensively researched volcanoes, even visiting one. The most important volcanoes in the book are all based on real-world volcanoes like Krakatoa, Crater Lake, Mt. Pelee, and Tambora.
In Veronica and the Volcano kids will root for Veronica every step of the way, and while they are cheering her on, they’ll learn as well. Complementing STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) curriculum, the book is filled with educational elements about volcanoes, geysers, caves, and the wonders of physics. A glossary in the back provides an at-a-glance list of the facts in the book.
Artist Gabrielle Shamsey lavishly illustrated the book with many dozens of wonder-filled and vivid images of volcanoes, caves, eruptions, and more.
My Thoughts
Veronica and the Volcano was an exciting adventure from start to finish.
The novel takes place in a very interesting world built upon volcanoes, where lava eruptions are a normal part of life and so are special homes designed to withstand the heat and special cars that can even drive in lava (for limited amount of time!). It is in this setting that we have our main character Veronica who is off on a quest to find pearls from Mount Mystery. She has a special connection through her Grandmother to pearls and wants to find some for her Mother. Veronica is a very special young woman, she is fully of curiosity, kindness and brave.
She decides to embark on this journey with her best friend but they are not allowed to go without their Fathers (who also happen to have very differing beliefs about their historical past and technology in general). This is when the excitement really begins! They face many obstacles and near death experiences but it is through their wit and amazing technology that they escape.
Near the middle to end of the book, death is mentioned as well as a prophet like figure who demands the sacrifice of all of the first-born daughters of the town. I did not find it frightening and also liked how Veronica thought outside of the box to come up with a solution to oust the lies of the prophet and save the young girls.
Veronica and the Volcano is a well written novel with excellent illustrations included. Young girls and boys alike will love the excitement and unique plot of this novel as it takes you on an amazing adventure unlike one they have ever heard of before.
Geoffrey is a serial entrepreneur and public company CEO. He is the CEO and co-founder of The Meet Group (NASDAQ: MEET) and previously founded EssayEdge and ResumeEdge from a Harvard dorm. He runs 5 mobile apps with 10 million monthly users, so he is always thinking of new ways to use technology to engage a global audience.
Geoffrey started telling Veronica and the Volcano stories to pass the time with his daughter Madeline on the twenty-five-minute drive to school every morning. She enjoyed his stories, and so he wrote them down.
Veronica and the Volcano is available on Amazon and at selected independent bookstores. Find out more at geoffreycook.com and connect with the author on: Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.
The Giveaway!
My US and Canadian readers, 18 years of age and older can now enter to win one copy of Veronica and the Volcano via the Rafflecopter form below – good luck!
Struggling to find work-life balance? Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed and frustrated or just want to increase your happiness, you can learn how in just 10 minutes a day!
About 21 Days to Happiness
For some of us, feeling busy or stressed has become the new normal. Others feel okay, but just want a boost to productivity, energy and motivation.
Instead of hoping for happiness, what if happiness is something you DO, something you CHOOSE every day? The good news: it is and the solutions are simple.
Psychologist and happiness expert Ingrid Kelada provides a practical, step-by-step guide to help you increase your personal happiness and feel more motivated. You can learn how with simple 10-minute strategies. Each day of the 21-day journey focuses on one key area of your life, including:
• Time: how to break the cycle of chaos and manage your time effectively.
• Body Language: exploring the surprising links between body language and happiness.
• Relationships: how to make the most of the number one predictor of happiness.
• Work: how to use your strengths and talents so that you are engaged and motivated.
• Money: what you should spend your money on to feel most satisfied.
The book is interactive. Each chapter features resources like apps to try, videos to watch for deeper understanding, or tools to help you master these new habits. At the end of three weeks, along with increased happiness, you’ll find you’ve become more:
Happiness is a choice. A daily decision to choose happy can be easy, fun and rewarding. With this book, in just a few minutes per day, you can practice one new happiness habit, add resources to your arsenal, and jot down your notes in the journal section.
My Thoughts
I think we can all agree, many of us are losing the work-life balance. With technology, work can be in constant contact with us at all times and days. In the last month, I realized it was taking over my life – I was so worried about missing something that I would be checking my different email accounts at 3 in the morning! That is when I realized enough is enough – how could this be worth it? It was affecting my mental health, my relationships and my family.
This is what this book looks at – our happiness and how to achieve it. Chapter by chapter we look at how to put away distraction and how to put focus on our mental and physical well-being (because lets face it if we are not physically well we will not be mentally well). Each chapter discusses a new way in which we should focus on in our life, gives advice and real life examples as well as a worksheet and links to other resources to help us on our journey.
Happiness is not as easy as it sounds. We need to make an effort to choose happiness and push negativity away. For so many of us this is not as easy as it sounds! This book helps to guide you on your happiness journey and to focus more on your mental and physical health well-being. This book came to me at a time when I really needed it and I will continue to need it – going back and reflecting and reminding myself of where I have come and where I am going.
Ms. Ingrid Kelada is an experienced psychologist and happiness expert. She is a speaker and has facilitated over 1000 workshops all over the world. People find her to be pragmatic, inspiring and funny! She has an online personality questionnaire store to help people identify their talents and interests. With over 25 years experience, she offers her expertise to a wide range of clients. She is bilingual and a member of the professional association of Psychologists of Quebec. Visit her online at www.keladacc.ca
In the Heart of the Highland, Keira is caught in the middle of a war that she does not understand, will Keira’s secrets be safe, or will she succumb to the Highland warrior who now threatens to capture her heart?
About Heart of the Highland: The Beast
For hundreds of years, Scotland has battled the English for their freedom. Now, they face a new enemy. In a divided world between politics and religion, the young King James V faces the threat of his own people rebelling against him. As civil war breaks out among the Highland clans, James recruits a secret group of warriors for protection. He calls them the Protectors of the Crown.
Ian MacKay has one mission; to defend the crown no matter the cost. Along with his men, Ian’s mission is to hunt down one of the most dangerous men in the Highlands. But when the daughter of an enemy enters his life, his heart becomes captured instead.
Keira Sinclair has lived a life of peace and simplicity until now. With her clan on the verge of losing everything, she is forced to wed a Laird from a neighboring clan to ensure that hers survives. During her travels to her new home, her carriage is attacked and Keira is taken hostage by a ruthless man.
My Thoughts
I am sure so many of you already know how much I LOVE historical romances. This is especially true for Scottish historical romances, I love the language, the strength in the characters and of course the romance!
This novel had everything I love about historical romances set in the Highlands and more with an amazing plot that kept you guessing as to what would happen next. In this novel, we have Keira a young woman who has been forced to wed a man that she does not love all because her clan is about to lose everything. This man clearly has no love nor respect for her as he refuses to meet her halfway for the wedding and sends young, untrained boys to help her travel to him in order for them to be wed. This is when she meets Ian – who mistakes her carriage for her husband to be.
Ian is still suffering under the weight of his deceased wife’s death. He holds the blame for her death and has had a hard time moving forward with his life. There is something in Keira that brings out the better in him, making him want to hope, be a better man and to protect her. He takes her under his wing and tries to help her see what a mistake it would be to marry her betrothed.
This is when the plot becomes really juicy! We learn about the deceit her betrothed had done to her and her Father, and how truly evil he really is. We learn about how her Father betrayed his own beliefs and family, and my heart broke for Keira. We also learn more about who Ian is and his connection to the Scottish crown.
This was an amazing novel from start to finish – it was full of excitement, betrayal, hope and romance. I loved how the plot was developed and there was an importance placed on the plot just as much as the romance. A great read for historical romance fans!
April is an Award-Winning Author for her Scottish Historical Romances. For more than ten years, she has worked full time in the direct marketing business, but developed a passion of historical romances through her love of reading, history and genealogy.
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