CSFF December Blog Tour Day 2 ~ The Shock of Night

Welcome to the Second Day of CSFF's December Tour!

This month we are examining the newest book from 
Patrick W. Carr ~ The Shock of Night.

The Shock of Night
The Darkwater Saga novella
By Patrick W. Carr

Something is cutting down the guardians of Darkwater Forest and their numbers are too few to fill their losses.  And someone wants to keep this knowledge from becoming known and they are willing to cut down a elderly priest and his guard in the darkness of night to guard this evil secret.

For centuries evil has lurked within Darkwater Forest - an evil that no one, who has entered the forest, has lived to share.  But somehow Lord Dura has managed to survive his single foray into this dreaded place.  He memories are vague and unreliable - all he knows is that those who entered the forest with him didn't come out.  But why did he survive?  That question and his lost memories haunt his sleep.

Willet Dura, a reeve in service to King Lairdir of Bunard, has a way of sensing death that few others do.  He night-walks, but only on nights in which a murder has been committed.  His sleeping mind somehow senses these murders but how?  He secretly fears that somehow he is involved in these crimes though he has no memory of them.

Following the brutal murder of a priest and his guard, Dura comes to the attention of the four orders of the church.  Somehow Dura has been drawn into an unexpected power struggle between the king and the church.  Determining the truth about the murders of Elwin and Robin may be the answer that both the king and the church seek, but Dura may not be willing to pay the price it will cost. And then there is a strange intuition that Dura now possesses, one that may give him an advantage against an enemy he doesn't know.  But his new "gift" could in truth be a curse that will cost him everything...

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Bethany House in conjunction with this blog tour in exchange for my honest review and tour participation.

Please check back tomorrow for the third and final day of the CSFF December Tour.  While you wait check-out the other tour participants who will be posting throughout this 3-day tour.

Thomas Clayton Booher   Keanan Brand   Beckie Burnham   Carol Bruce Collett 

Carol Gehringer   Victor Gentile   Rani Grant   Rebekah Gyger   Bruce Hennigan 

Janeen Ippolito   Carol Keen   Rebekah Loper   Jennette Mbewe   Shannon McDermott 

Meagan @ Blooming with Books (you're here)  Rebecca LuElla Miller   Joan Nienhuis  

Nissa  Audrey Sauble   Chawna Schroeder   Jessica Thomas   Robert Treskillard 

Shane Werlinger   Phyllis Wheeler   Nicole White

About the Book:

When one man is brutally murdered and the priest he works for mortally wounded on the streets of Bunard, Willet Dura is called to investigate. Yet the clues to the crime lead to contradictions and questions without answers. As Willet begins to question the dying priest, the man pulls Willet close and screams in a foreign tongue. Then he dies without another word.

Willet returns to the city, no closer to answers than before, but his senses are skewed. People he touches appear to have a subtle shift, a twist seen at the edge of his vision, and it’s as though he can see their deepest thoughts. In a world divided between haves and have-nots, gifted and common, Willet soon learns he’s been passed the rarest gift of all: a gift that’s not supposed to exist.

Now Willet must pursue the murderer still on the loose in Bunard even as he’s pulled into a much more dangerous and epic conflict that threatens not only his city, but his entire world–a conflict that will force him to come to terms with his own tortured past if he wants to survive.

CSFF Blog Tour December Day 1 ~ The Shock of Night

Welcome to the First Day of CSFF's December Tour!

This month we are examining the newest book from 
Patrick W. Carr ~ The Shock of Night.

But, before delving into The Shock of Night, I want to examine the prequel novella that offers us a glimpse at Willet Dura before he becomes a lord within Collum.

By Divine Right
The Darkwater Saga novella
By Patrick W. Carr

Willet Dura is an assistant reeve in service to King Lairdir of Bunard.  But there is something unusual about Dura he night-walks, but only on nights a murder has been committed.  What causes these night-walks is known - service during the war damaged him in some way.  Many who saw the horrors of war also night-walk, but Dura alone walks the nights when murder in committed.

His walks trouble him as he has no recollection of them - though he awakes fully clothed - he knows not whether he is the murderer or merely a wanderer of the night.

When Dura suspects that the death of a gifted man is instead murder he stumbles upon a plot that threatens the king and the gifted of the kingdom.  But proving his suspicions and warning the king of the potential threat won't be easy.  But Dura is determined to do his duty and even go beyond what his duties require of him.

What follows sets the scene for The Shock of Night and dangers that Dura faces at the beginning.

By Divine Right is available in digital format only but is free if you are interested in getting a deeper understanding of Dura and his place within the kingdom at the beginning of The Shock of Night.  This is a delightful introduction to Patrick Carr's newest series The Darkwater Saga.  The very mention of this is worthy of a shiver!  What lies within this feared forest?  This is what I want to know, but from reading his previous series The Staff and the Sword I'm anticipating tidbits and clues to be scattered throughout with the payoff coming with the last book.  I love anticipating the next book.

Please check back tomorrow for the second day of the CSFF December Tour.  While you wait check-out the other tour participants who will be posting throughout this 3-day tour.

Thomas Clayton Booher   Keanan Brand   Beckie Burnham   Carol Bruce Collett 

Carol Gehringer   Victor Gentile   Rani Grant   Rebekah Gyger   Bruce Hennigan 

Janeen Ippolito   Carol Keen   Rebekah Loper   Jennette Mbewe   Shannon McDermott 

Meagan @ Blooming with Books (you're here)  Rebecca LuElla Miller   Joan Nienhuis  

Nissa  Audrey Sauble   Chawna Schroeder   Jessica Thomas   Robert Treskillard 

Shane Werlinger   Phyllis Wheeler   Nicole White 

About the Book:

Willet Dura ekes out a living as an assistant reeve in the city of Bunard, the royal city, investigating minor and not-so-minor crimes in the poor quarter. Ever since a terrible battle, Willet's been drawn to the dead, and has an uncanny ability not only to solve their crimes, but even to know when one has been committed. 

When a gifted musician is found dead in the merchants' quarter of the city, everyone assumes by the signs that the old man simply died of a stroke, but Willet's intuition tells him better. When he learns that this is the second death within the last month of one of the gifted, those with a rare inherited ability, he begins to suspect that something more is afoot, and he soon finds himself chasing a mystery that could bring down the very kingdom of Collum.

Available from Amazon to download for free at this time.

CSFF September Blog Tour ~ The First Principle Day 3

~ Welcome to the 3rd and Final Day 
of the September CSFF Blog Tour ~

This month's featured book is The First Principle

The First Principle: A Novel
By Marissa Shrock

Rebels are trying to undermine the government and turn back the clock.  The rebels are destabilizing the economy and promoting underage pregnancies.  And they are using an antiquated book as an excuse for their actions.  A book that promotes hate and intolerance.  A book that has been responsible for almost destroying the world many times before.

But the government is wrong - their methods have failed.  The poor and middle class have as little chance of bettering themselves as they have ever had.

Revolution is coming and the rebellion is hoping that the situation Vivica now finds herself will make her willing to aid their cause. Vivica finds herself at a crossroads in her life.  One path leads to rebellion and life for her baby.  The other path leads to greater notability as the daughter of the President.  Which path will she choose?  Both come with a cost.

Throughout this book I wondered what was Vivica's relationship with her father like?  There are mentions of family pictures and his career before Vivica's birth, but nothing really dealing with him. What happened to her dad?  I really would like to know what happened to him.

I'd also be interested in knowing if there will be a second book dealing with this story.  The way this book concludes it is certainly a possibility.  I would also like to see Vivica grow up a little bit - in some ways she is so bratty which adds to her problems making certain situations more difficult and dangerous.  She definitely has trouble following rules - which is both a good thing and a bad thing.

I would recommend this book for those 14 and up, though I can honestly say I would have never read a book that dealt with the issue of teen pregnancy at this age.  In fact, Vivica's behavior would have made me put this book aside in favor of something else (probably a book with horses - like the Black Stallion series or Misty of Chincoteague).  Just being honest here - as a teen I'd have gone Ewwww gross! My sister would have blacked out the kissing scenes or glued the pages together (she still does this to some of her books, which makes for interesting reading when borrowing a book from her). But the teens I deal with at work would probably gravitate towards this book and it would be an improvement over their normally reading diet.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Kregel Publications in conjunction with my participation in this CSFF Blog Tour and my honest review of this book.

About the book:  

In the not-too-distant future, the United Regions of America has formed. Governors hold territories instead of states, and while Washington, DC, is gone, the government has more control than ever before. For fifteen-year-old Vivica Wilkins, the daughter of a governor, this is life as usual. High school seems pretty much the same--until one day, that controlling power steps right through the door during study hall.

When Vivica speaks out to defend her pregnant friend against the harsh treatment of Population Management Officer Marina Ward, she has no idea she's sowing the seeds of a revolution in her own life. But it isn't long before she discovers her own illegal pregnancy. Now she has to decide whether to get the mandatory abortion--or follow her heart, try to keep the baby, and possibly ruin her mother's chances at becoming president.

A rebel group called the Emancipation Warriors, who are fighting to restore freedoms once held unalienable, offer her asylum. Can Vivica trust these rebels to help her or will they bring everything crashing down around her? Accepting their help may come with consequences she isn't ready to face.

Marissa Shrock's debut novel crafts a chilling story of what may be to come if we allow the economic and moral crises currently facing our country to change the foundations on which we built our independence--and of the difference one person can make when they choose to trust God's lead.

About the author:

Marissa Shrock is a middle school language arts teacher, and works with her audience every day. She's a graduate of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild courses, and is a member of the ACFW. Her articles for teens have been published in Evangel and Encounter. Visit her at www.marissashrock.com.

Book available from the following online retailers:

Amazon   CBD   Barnes and Noble   DeeperShopping   

Stop back tomorrow for the third and final Day of The First Principle...

and be sure to check out all the CSFF tour stops during this 3 day blog tour (September 21 - 23, 2015)

Julie Bihn   Thomas Clayton Booher   Beckie Burnham   April Erwin 

Victor Gentile   Carol Keen   Shannon McDermott   Meagan @ Blooming with Books(you're here) 

Megan @ Hardcover Feedback  Rebecca LuElla Miller   Joan Nienhuis   Nissa 

Jalynn Patterson   Chawna Schroeder   Jessica Thomas

CSFF September Blog Tour ~ The First Principle Day 2

~ Welcome to Day 2 of the September CSFF Blog Tour ~

This month's featured book is The First Principle

The First Principle: A Novel
By Marissa Shrock

She's idolized.  Her fashions are imitated. 15 year old Vivica Wilkins's life in one of ease and plenty.  Her mother is the governor of the Great Lakes Region of the United Regions of North America.  And if nothing unforeseen happens Vivica may very soon find herself in a new position - daughter of the President!

But when Vivica finds herself in a situation she never expected to be in, she could bring an end to her mother's political dreams. Vivica is pregnant, breaking the law of the land.  She's expected to follow the procedures of the Posterity Protection and Self-Determination Act - immediate termination at a Population Management Clinic.

But Vivica compounds her rebellious actions by hiding her pregnancy - she's not sure why she's hesitating, but she is.  Is it because her boyfriend Ben is against it?  Or is it because of an incident from her past - a secret she discovered - a secret her mother had been keeping?

Sometimes one needs to grow up almost overnight... And Vivica's time has now come.  Will she follow the law, thus ensuring her mother's presidency?  Or will she follow her heart, allowing the child she has hidden the chance to be born?  Whatever she chooses there will be a price to pay...

I have to say the determination of the Population Management officers to end Vivica's illegal pregnancy was a little extreme - one can only think their determination was in part because who her mother was.  As one of the characters said to Vivica "the cost of freedom is high."  The question one has to ask ones self is What are you willing to pay the price for?  and What are you willing to pay to achieve it?

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Kregel Publications in conjunction with my participation in this CSFF Blog Tour and my honest review of this book.

About the book:  

In the not-too-distant future, the United Regions of America has formed. Governors hold territories instead of states, and while Washington, DC, is gone, the government has more control than ever before. For fifteen-year-old Vivica Wilkins, the daughter of a governor, this is life as usual. High school seems pretty much the same--until one day, that controlling power steps right through the door during study hall.

When Vivica speaks out to defend her pregnant friend against the harsh treatment of Population Management Officer Marina Ward, she has no idea she's sowing the seeds of a revolution in her own life. But it isn't long before she discovers her own illegal pregnancy. Now she has to decide whether to get the mandatory abortion--or follow her heart, try to keep the baby, and possibly ruin her mother's chances at becoming president.

A rebel group called the Emancipation Warriors, who are fighting to restore freedoms once held unalienable, offer her asylum. Can Vivica trust these rebels to help her or will they bring everything crashing down around her? Accepting their help may come with consequences she isn't ready to face.

Marissa Shrock's debut novel crafts a chilling story of what may be to come if we allow the economic and moral crises currently facing our country to change the foundations on which we built our independence--and of the difference one person can make when they choose to trust God's lead.

About the author:

Marissa Shrock is a middle school language arts teacher, and works with her audience every day. She's a graduate of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild courses, and is a member of the ACFW. Her articles for teens have been published in Evangel and Encounter. Visit her at www.marissashrock.com.

Book available from the following online retailers:

Amazon   CBD   Barnes and Noble   DeeperShopping   

Stop back tomorrow for the third and final Day of The First Principle...

and be sure to check out all the CSFF tour stops during this 3 day blog tour (September 21 - 23, 2015)

Julie Bihn   Thomas Clayton Booher   Beckie Burnham   April Erwin 

Victor Gentile   Carol Keen   Shannon McDermott   Meagan @ Blooming with Books(you're here) 

Megan @ Hardcover Feedback  Rebecca LuElla Miller   Joan Nienhuis   Nissa 

Jalynn Patterson   Chawna Schroeder   Jessica Thomas

CSFF September Tour ~ The First Principle Day 1

~ Welcome to Day 1 of the September CSFF Blog Tour ~

This month's featured book is The First Principle

The First Principle: A Novel
By Marissa Shrock

It is a funny thing, sometimes you are just meant to read a certain book.  I was offered the opportunity to read this book two other times this year, but I didn't take it.  Though this book sounded interesting I had scheduling issues so I wasn't able to accept. I guess, the third is the charm, as some like to say.

The First Principle is about choices and obeying the law and those in authority.  What makes a law the most important principle in our lives?  Who is to say what is right?

This is a decision 15 year old Vivica Wilkins must decide for herself when she is faced with obeying the law or following her heart.  A secret that she discovered years ago may be what will decide not only her future but the future of those closest to her. But is she willing to sabotage her mother's chance to become President of the United Regions of America (North America basically) and join the rebels who are determined to turn back the clock?

Sometimes one needs to grow up almost overnight...

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Kregel Publications in conjunction with my participation in this CSFF Blog Tour and my honest review of this book.

About the book:  

In the not-too-distant future, the United Regions of America has formed. Governors hold territories instead of states, and while Washington, DC, is gone, the government has more control than ever before. For fifteen-year-old Vivica Wilkins, the daughter of a governor, this is life as usual. High school seems pretty much the same--until one day, that controlling power steps right through the door during study hall.

When Vivica speaks out to defend her pregnant friend against the harsh treatment of Population Management Officer Marina Ward, she has no idea she's sowing the seeds of a revolution in her own life. But it isn't long before she discovers her own illegal pregnancy. Now she has to decide whether to get the mandatory abortion--or follow her heart, try to keep the baby, and possibly ruin her mother's chances at becoming president.

A rebel group called the Emancipation Warriors, who are fighting to restore freedoms once held unalienable, offer her asylum. Can Vivica trust these rebels to help her or will they bring everything crashing down around her? Accepting their help may come with consequences she isn't ready to face.

Marissa Shrock's debut novel crafts a chilling story of what may be to come if we allow the economic and moral crises currently facing our country to change the foundations on which we built our independence--and of the difference one person can make when they choose to trust God's lead.

About the author:

Marissa Shrock is a middle school language arts teacher, and works with her audience every day. She's a graduate of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild courses, and is a member of the ACFW. Her articles for teens have been published in Evangel and Encounter. Visit her at www.marissashrock.com.

Book available from the following online retailers:

Amazon   CBD   Barnes and Noble   DeeperShopping   

Stop back tomorrow for Day 2 of The First Principle...

and be sure to check out all the CSFF tour stops during this 3 day tour (September 21 - 23, 2015)

Julie Bihn   Thomas Clayton Booher   Beckie Burnham   April Erwin 

Victor Gentile   Carol Keen   Shannon McDermott   Meagan @ Blooming with Books(you're here) 

Megan @ Hardcover Feedback  Rebecca LuElla Miller   Joan Nienhuis   Nissa 

Jalynn Patterson   Chawna Schroeder   Jessica Thomas

April CSFF Blog Tour ~ Storm Siren Day 3

Welcome to the 3rd and final day of the April CSFF Blog Tour

This month's featured book is

Storm Siren by Mary Weber

Nym (Nymia) is an Elemental.  But unlike most Elementals she is not male, which is why she escaped execution at birth.

But what is an Elemental?

Storm Siren is an intriguing title and I decided to look into the meaning of this title in relation to how it relates to Nym as an Elemental.

Storm =  a disturbance of the atmosphere marked by wind and usually by rain, snow, hail, sleet, or thunder and lightning
or a serious disturbance of any element of nature
Siren =  a mythical creature that's female and lures men to their deaths 

And then I decided to look up the meaning of Elemental, also in reference to Nym.

Elemental = of, relating to, or resembling a great force of nature

One can assume from these definitions that Nym is indeed a great force of nature who can summon men to their deaths by her ability to effect disturbances in the natural elements of the atmosphere.

With book 2 Siren's Fury due in June I'm interested to see where the series goes next.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in conjunction with this CSFF Blog Tour in exchange for my honest review and tour participation.

Book Description

"I raise my chin as the buyers stare. Yes. Look. You don’t want me. Because, eventually, accidentally, I will destroy you."

In a world at war, a slave girl’s lethal curse could become one kingdom’s weapon of salvation. If the curse—and the girl—can be controlled.

As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen-year-old Nym isn’t merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth—meaning, she shouldn’t even exist.

Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell. But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym is snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the weapon Faelen needs to win the war, or be killed.

Choosing the former, Nym is unleashed into a world of politics, bizarre parties, and rumors of an evil more sinister than she’s being prepared to fight . . . not to mention the handsome trainer whose dark secrets lie behind a mysterious ability to calm every lightning strike she summons.

But what if she doesn’t want to be the weapon they’ve all been waiting for?

Set in a beautifully eclectic world of suspicion, super abilities, and monsters, Storm Siren is a story of power. And whoever controls that power will win.

Be sure to visit all the other stops over that were part of this 3 day tour.

Julie Bihn   Lauren Bombardier   Beckie Burnham   Vicky DealSharingAunt 

George Duncan   April Erwin   Carol Gehringer   Victor Gentile  Ryan Heart 

Timothy Hicks   Janeen Ippolito   Carol Keen   Emileigh Latham   Simone Lilly-Egerter 

Jennette Mbewe   Shannon McDermott   Meagan @ Blooming with Books 

Rebecca LuElla Miller   Joan Nienhuis   Nissa   Jalynn Patterson   Audrey Sauble 

Chawna Schroeder   Jojo Sutis   Steve Trower   Phyllis Wheeler   Michelle R. Wood

Learn more about the book and author at:

 Mary Weber.com 
 Mary Weber's Facebook page

Available for purchase at

Amazon 

CSFF April Blog Tour ~ Storm Siren Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of the April CSFF Blog Tour

This month's featured book is

Storm Siren 

Storm Siren
The Storm Siren Trilogy 1
By Mary Weber

Enjoy this short book trailer from Thomas Nelson

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in conjunction with this CSFF Blog Tour in exchange for my honest review and tour participation.

Book Description

"I raise my chin as the buyers stare. Yes. Look. You don’t want me. Because, eventually,accidentally, I will destroy you."

In a world at war, a slave girl’s lethal curse could become one kingdom’s weapon of salvation. If the curse—and the girl—can be controlled.

As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen-year-old Nym isn’t merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth—meaning, she shouldn’t even exist.

Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell. But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym is snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the weapon Faelen needs to win the war, or be killed.

Choosing the former, Nym is unleashed into a world of politics, bizarre parties, and rumors of an evil more sinister than she’s being prepared to fight . . . not to mention the handsome trainer whose dark secrets lie behind a mysterious ability to calm every lightning strike she summons.

But what if she doesn’t want to be the weapon they’ve all been waiting for?

Set in a beautifully eclectic world of suspicion, super abilities, and monsters, Storm Siren is a story of power. And whoever controls that power will win.

Be sure to visit all the other stops over the 3 day tour ~ April 14 - 16, 2015.

Julie Bihn   Lauren Bombardier   Beckie Burnham   Vicky DealSharingAunt 

George Duncan   April Erwin   Carol Gehringer   Victor Gentile  Ryan Heart 

Timothy Hicks   Janeen Ippolito   Carol Keen   Emileigh Latham   Simone Lilly-Egerter 

Jennette Mbewe   Shannon McDermott   Meagan @ Blooming with Books 

Rebecca LuElla Miller   Joan Nienhuis   Nissa   Jalynn Patterson   Audrey Sauble 

Chawna Schroeder   Jojo Sutis   Steve Trower   Phyllis Wheeler   Michelle R. Wood

Learn more about the book and author at:

 Mary Weber.com 
 Mary Weber's Facebook page

Available for purchase at

Amazon 

CSFF April Blog Tour ~ Storm Siren Day 1

Welcome to Day 1 of the April CSFF Blog Tour

This month's featured book is

Storm Siren 

Storm Siren
The Storm Siren Trilogy 1
By Mary Weber

Storm Siren is the first book in a trilogy of the same name and in a word - WOW!

Nym, which is short for Nymia, is a slave and has been since her parents violent death.  But Nym can't keep an owner and she is about to be sold to her fifteenth master.  But there is a secret about Nym, a secret that leaves destruction in her wake.  She is an Elemental who can't control her powers.  And she shouldn't exist, but she does.  And her very existence may change the course of war that the small island kingdom of Faelen has been in for 100 years.  A war that is not going in Faelen's favor.

But first Nym must agree to train as a weapon, learning to control the power that seemingly controls her.  If she doesn't accept this opportunity she faces death...  Nym accepts this challenge, though she doesn't believe control of her powers can be achieved.  But she hasn't met Eogan the man tasked with training her in the mastery of her curse.

But even greater danger awaits as her new owner Adora watches her every move and threats lie beneath the surface of every command.  And worst of all Nym doesn't know who she can trust.

I was totally swept up in this story.  It had a draw and I literally couldn't put it down as I read it in one afternoon.  There was a beauty in this story that was always present just as Nym's goodness was hidden beneath the surface and yet there.  Her guilt at the deaths she caused was real.  As she struggles to find who she really is and was meant to be one struggles with her.

I like that Storm Siren seems complete until the very end and then the trap is sprung and you are left wondering What????  And then your next thought is Poor Nym, what's she going to do?

My only complaint is I want to read book 2 now. But as the old saying goes Books don't grow on trees... (Yes, I know it is actually money but books would be better.)

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in conjunction with this CSFF Blog Tour in exchange for my honest review and tour participation.

Book Description

"I raise my chin as the buyers stare. Yes. Look. You don’t want me. Because, eventually, accidentally, I will destroy you."

In a world at war, a slave girl’s lethal curse could become one kingdom’s weapon of salvation. If the curse—and the girl—can be controlled.

As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen-year-old Nym isn’t merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth—meaning, she shouldn’t even exist.

Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell. But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym is snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the weapon Faelen needs to win the war, or be killed.

Choosing the former, Nym is unleashed into a world of politics, bizarre parties, and rumors of an evil more sinister than she’s being prepared to fight . . . not to mention the handsome trainer whose dark secrets lie behind a mysterious ability to calm every lightning strike she summons.

But what if she doesn’t want to be the weapon they’ve all been waiting for?

Set in a beautifully eclectic world of suspicion, super abilities, and monsters, Storm Siren is a story of power. And whoever controls that power will win.

Be sure to visit all the other stops over the 3 day tour ~ April 14 - 16, 2015.

Julie Bihn   Lauren Bombardier   Beckie Burnham   Vicky DealSharingAunt 

George Duncan   April Erwin   Carol Gehringer   Victor Gentile  Ryan Heart 

Timothy Hicks   Janeen Ippolito   Carol Keen   Emileigh Latham   Simone Lilly-Egerter 

Jennette Mbewe   Shannon McDermott   Meagan @ Blooming with Books 

Rebecca LuElla Miller   Joan Nienhuis   Nissa   Jalynn Patterson   Audrey Sauble 

Chawna Schroeder   Jojo Sutis   Steve Trower   Phyllis Wheeler   Michelle R. Wood

Learn more about the book and author at:

 Mary Weber.com 
 Mary Weber's Facebook page

Available for purchase at

Amazon 

CSFF December Blog Tour ~ Day 3 The Fatal Tree

Welcome to the final CSFF blog tour of 2014

This month we are reviewing and discussing The Fatal Tree

the final book in Stephen Lawhead's Bright Empires series.

The Fatal Tree

Bright Empire #5

By Stephen Lawhead

I received a copy of The Fatal Tree from Thomas Nelson in conjunction with this CSFF Blog Tour in exchange for tour participation and my honest review.

All 5 books are available for purchase at the following:

The Skin Map   The Bone House   The Spirit Well 

 The Shadow Lamp   The FatalTree

or as a preorder Kindle 5-in-1 bundle 

available 1.6.15

Visit Stephen Lawhead online or on Facebook 

Thanks for joining us and it's not too late to check out all the tour stops!

Julie Bihn  Thomas Clayton Booher  Beckie Burnham  Jeff Chapman 

Karri Compton  April Erwin  Victor Gentile  Jason Joyner  

Janeen Ippolito  Carol Keen  Emileigh Latham  Rebekah Loper 

Shannon McDermott  Meagan @ Blooming with Books  Rebecca LuElla Miller 

Nissa  Jalynn Patterson  Writer Rani  Nathan Reimer  Audrey Sauble 

Jojo Sutis  Rachel Starr Thomson  Robert Treskillard  Steve Trower 

Shane Werlinger  Phyllis Wheeler

CSFF December Tour ~ The Fatal Tree Day 2

Welcome to the final CSFF blog tour of 2014

This month we are reviewing and discussing The Fatal Tree

the final book in Stephen Lawhead's Bright Empires series.

The Fatal Tree

Bright Empire #5

By Stephen Lawhead

It starts with odd little wrinkles in reality and when the anomalies accumulate to a level that a dimension can no longer sustain - that dimension along with all those living in it will be extinguished as if they had never existed...

THE END OF EVERYTHING

is here and we are about to slip over a cosmic cliff.

Our questors have been separated by both time and space.  The ley lines have become unreliable as the anomalies increase.  And the physical side effects are increasing with each jump making each trip increasingly dangerous.  But the Spirit Well must be reached and they have to discover a way around the Fatal Tree which now guards that which they seek.

One man may have the knowledge they seek, but can they trust the man who has sought to destroy them?  And what ulterior motives could Archelaeus Burleigh be hiding?  Kit knows that the man responsible for his great grandfather's death can't be trusted but Mina, Cass, and Gianni feel that the preservation of the Omniverse is worth the risk.

In this the final book we revisit scenes from the previous books but from the viewpoint of other characters who were part of the original scene.  A true merging of past, present and future. 

Get ready to go on an adventure that will test your ability to adapt and prepare to grow your mind! Paradoxes, Time loops, and Quantum mechanics, oh my!  The unknown is greater than you ever imagined and one misstep or decision can destroy it all!  Join me tomorrow for Day 3 and more about The Fatal Tree.

I received a copy of The Fatal Tree from Thomas Nelson in conjunction with this CSFF Blog Tour in exchange for tour participation and my honest review.

 

All 5 books are available for purchase at the following:

The Skin Map   The Bone House   The Spirit Well 

 The Shadow Lamp   The FatalTree

or as a preorder Kindle 5-in-1 bundle 

available 1.6.15

Visit Stephen Lawhead online or on Facebook 

Be sure to check out all the tour stops during the 3 day tour December 15 - 17, 2014

Julie Bihn  Thomas Clayton Booher  Beckie Burnham  Jeff Chapman 

Karri Compton  April Erwin  Victor Gentile  Jason Joyner  

Janeen Ippolito  Carol Keen  Emileigh Latham  Rebekah Loper 

Shannon McDermott  Meagan @ Blooming with Books  Rebecca LuElla Miller 

Nissa  Jalynn Patterson  Writer Rani  Nathan Reimer  Audrey Sauble 

Jojo Sutis  Rachel Starr Thomson  Robert Treskillard  Steve Trower 

Shane Werlinger  Phyllis Wheeler

CSFF December Tour ~ The Fatal Tree Day 1

Welcome to the final CSFF blog tour of 2014

This month we are reviewing and discussing The Fatal Tree

the final book in Stephen Lawhead's Bright Empires series.

The Fatal Tree

Bright Empire #5

By Stephen Lawhead

Today I'm taking a look back at the series up to this point and if you haven't read the books this 

will give you a brief insight into the series.  

(And if you haven't read the previous four 4 books you need to!) 

The Universe is vast- more vast than most people can possible fathom.  There are billions of galaxies in our Universe alone.  In addition there an unknown number of dimensions as equally vast as our own Universe.  If you don't believe me just ask Kit Livingstone (if you can find him, that is!)

The Bright Empire series by Stephen R Lawhead opens with The Skin Map.  In this we are introduced to Cosimo "Kit" Christopher Livingstone who is about to begin the adventure of a lifetime.  Kit is about to follow his great-grandfather Cosimo Livingstone on a search for the Skin Map, a search that will span centuries and dimensions.  A search that could destroy everything in the omniverse if they accidently change history in just one dimension.

But what is this Skin Map and why is it so sought after?  The skin map was created by Arthur Flinders-Petrie as a series of various symbols tattooed upon his body that were turned into parchment upon his death.  The greatest of his various mapped symbols lead to the greatest of treasures - the Well of Souls.

But nothing is ever easy and Kit, his great-grandfather and the Questors are not the only ones seeking the map.  Burley and his men are seeking it too and he plans to use the power he would gain in untold evil.

But due to his inexperience Kit, Cosimo and Sir Henry have a secondary quest, to rescue Kit's girlfriend Wilhelmina "Mina" from whatever time/dimension she was pulled into.  But nothing ever goes as planned and the three are separated.  The Skin Map is filled with unexpected twists and turns up until the very end so that you are left wondering what comes next in The Bone House book 2.

The Bright Empire series by Stephen R Lawhead continues with The Bone House.  

With the unexpected deaths of Cosimo Livingstone and Sir Henry at the hands of Archelaeus Burleigh, Kit  must rely on the Ley traveling skills that Mina has developed since she was transported to 17th century Prague.

But with time/dimensional travel there are a variety of trips covered in The Bone House including Kit's visit to Egypt in 1822 where he meets up with Doctor Thomas Young who are both on a mission that was brought about by Mina. While Kit is in Egypt with Dr. Young, Mina and Giles are with Dr. Young in Edinburgh.

Arthur Flinders-Petrie's life is further revealed as are the exploits of his great-grandson Douglas Flinders-Petrie to obtain the Skin Map that Arthur created.

When Mina, Kit and Giles finally arrive at Mina's new home in Prague, they are shocked to discover the one man that they are trying to avoid is there!  Burleigh is in Prague and all too soon discovers that Kit and Giles did not die in the Egyptian tomb they were imprisoned in.  In their attempt to escape Burleigh, Giles is injured and Kit manages to make it to the Ley line that Mina had directed them to.  But Kit finds himself in the Stone Age where he makes a discovery he was not expecting the Bone House.

 The Bone House is filled with trips that span the centuries and the globe will leave you anticipating what will come next in The Spirit Well book 3.

The Bright Empire series by Stephen R Lawhead continues with The Spirit Well.  

The Bone House left us with Kit having discovered what he believes to be the Spirit Well, a conclusion he came to after observing Arthur Flinders-Petrie enter a deep water filled environment with a dead woman who is restored to life.

Mina, after being warned by Haven of Burleigh's suspicions, has left Prague in the hopes of somehow locating Kit.  When she can find no sign of him, Mina goes to Spain in the hopes that Brother Lazarus can help her in her quest.

Meanwhile we are introduced to Cassandra Clarke who, while on a dig in Arizona, discovers by accident the Ghost Walk.  But when she determines to study this phenomenon she jumps to other places and becomes lost to her time and place, ending up in 1950s Damascus.  There she finds the Zetetic Society who are seeking to achieve God's purpose for His creation - unity and harmony as the Creator intended and to be fully realised at "the end of time and the beginning of eternity.

In the Spirit Well we discover the circumstances that resulted in the creation of the Skin Map and its separation as well as Burleigh's discovery of the ley lines.

The Zetetic Society is searching for Sir Henry, Cosimo, and Kit who have disappeared along with Sir Henry's portion of the map.  The society feels that discovering them is of the highest priority and assign this task to Cassandra.

Treachery and betrayals abound as many search for the greatest discovery of Arthur Flinders-Petrie.  A discovery that Kit has discovered, but can he find his way back?

As is often mentioned by various characters throughout the series There are no coincidences.  There is a purpose behind everything that happens in our lives though we may not be able to ascertain it at the time.

The Spirit Well is filled with trips that span the centuries and the globe will leave you anticipating what will come next in The Shadow Lamp.

The Bright Empire series by Stephen R Lawhead continues with The Shadow Lamp.

Ley travel is imprecise, but it can be done to within a few days of when one wants to arrive, unless something goes wrong.  And as is often the case something does go wrong for several of our ley travelers.  But this is all part of the journey.  The journey to reach the Spirit Well that Kit discovered by accident when he was misdirected into the Stone Age.  But the Bone House is no longer accessible and a large tree is in its place.  And the gargantuan yew is channeling an enormous amount of energy from the ley in which it is growing.

Cassandra points out an amazing coincidence to Kit in that the yew tree is a symbol immortality and eternity and in a sense that is what they are searching for in the Spirit Well.  But little does Kit know that he may hold the answer to saving the Omniverse, the known and unknown, from complete and total annihilation!

Time from the first moments of Creation is at stake if the event that caused the imbalance is not found. The ever expanding universe is beginning to retract upon itself and time is growing short.  An act of Arthur Flinders-Petrie may destroy everything, and we will be alive to witness our own obliteration!

The Shadow Lamp will span centuries and dimensions and if you are very observant you just may see the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning in The Fatal Tree.

Get ready to go on an adventure that will test your ability to adapt and prepare to grow your mind! The unknown is greater than you ever imagined!  Join me tomorrow for Day 2 and more about The Fatal Tree.

All 5 books are available for purchase at the following:

The Skin Map  The Bone House  The Spirit Well  The Shadow Lamp  The FatalTree

Visit Stephen Lawhead online or on Facebook 

Be sure to check out all the tour stops during the 3 day tour December 15 - 17, 2014

Julie Bihn  Thomas Clayton Booher  Beckie Burnham  Jeff Chapman 

Karri Compton  April Erwin  Victor Gentile  Jason Joyner  

Janeen Ippolito  Carol Keen  Emileigh Latham  Rebekah Loper 

Shannon McDermott  Meagan @ Blooming with Books  Rebecca LuElla Miller 

Nissa  Jalynn Patterson  Writer Rani  Nathan Reimer  Audrey Sauble 

Jojo Sutis  Rachel Starr Thomson  Robert Treskillard  Steve Trower 

Shane Werlinger  Phyllis Wheeler