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Thursday, April 8, 2021

Book Tour & Book Review: Atlantis: City of Mages by M. Arcturus #blogtour #bookreview #giveaway #scifi #urbanfantasy #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

Sci-fi, Urban fantasy

Date Published: Initially published on 12.21.12, revised version 03.02.2021

It was meant to be a place where knowledge could be exchanged peacefully between humans and advanced beings who live among the stars.

It was meant to be a place where amazing feats of science could accelerate the evolution of humankind.

Now, lost and forgotten, the isle drifts aimlessly on the fabric of time and space.

Those who linger on Atlantis use her technology to thieve treasure and fuel the ever-growing greed of the population.

Something powerful has been stolen and Atlantis is now treading close to the waters of karma and fate.

Is it too late to change what has been done?

Review

Holy bananas.... that is all that ran through my mind when I finished this book. This is an intense thrill ride from start to finish, and comes alive in a way that few other books ever do. As you are reading it, you are suited up right along with everyone else right down to sights, sounds, smells and sensations.

If you are looking for an adrenaline fueled action fest that will simultaneously entertain and enthrall you, this is your read!! Thank you for the opportunity to review this stunner!

About The Author

M. Arcturus was born and raised in the Midwest. Yearning to break free from a mundane life, she writes after hours hoping that one day her life will be launched in a whole new direction. Even though her stories are immersed in fiction, she dedicates a lot of time in researching science and history to create believable events and environments to assist the reader along their journey within her books.

Atlantis: City of Mages is her first published book; however, her poetry has been published in several publications such as: 2005 Labours of Love by Noble House Publishers Poetry Division, 2003 Gardens of Youth by The International Library of Poetry, and 1999 Poetic Voices of America by Sparrowgrass Poetry Forum. She is currently working on the sequel to Atlantis as well as another science fiction book, a poetry book, and a children’s book.

Her greatest aspiration is for her books to stir the imagination in others and even create a bit of controversy. She wants her readers to form their own ideas surrounding the topics she writes about. She believes that every point of view has the ability to expand knowledge and spur people into action to follow their dreams and pursue their personal truth.

When she is not writing on her books, you can find her on paranormal investigations, painting, working on her photography skills, and seeking new adventures.

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Book Tour & Book Review: Raising Children With Your Heavenly Father by @susanmunsparker #blogtour #bookreview #christian #nonfiction #parenting #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

Parenting, Christian Living

Date Published: Jan 26, 2021

Publisher: Clay Bridges Press

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Raising Children with Your Heavenly Father encourages parents to plant spiritual seeds in the hearts of their children from birth. With time, those spiritual seeds (Scripture, Bible stories, spiritual songs) grow and mature, producing godly children who know right from wrong and live exemplary lives. Pray that those children will give the next generation a strong, spiritual heritage as well.

When parents tell their children that God wants them to treat others as they would like to be treated, they are more prone to hear and obey. The name of God has clout with children, who innately revere God. When they choose to obey their parents or other adults, they are actually obeying God’s fifth commandment to “honor your father and your mother.” All children need to know and attempt to keep the Ten Commandments and live by God’s many teachings found in the Bible.

This book has hundreds of verses with practical applications for parents, teachers, and counselors. With this valuable resource, you can embrace your opportunity to raise godly children who walk with their Heavenly Father.

Proceeds from this book will be used to spread spiritual seeds around the world.

REVIEW

Bible based parenting, taking God's teachings and implementing them in every day life and aiming to raise our children in his image.

Susan Parker is obviously an authority on what she is writing, this is so very well done and I was able to take away many things from her writing.

A book you can come back to from time to time and continue to learn from.

About the Author

Susan Parker was born in New York City, spent her preschool years in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and then moved to Odessa, Texas, where she lived through the 12th grade. A year after graduation, she married her high school sweetheart, Phil Parker. After they graduated from Baylor University, God blessed them with three wonderful children: JoEllen, Pamela, and Philip Jr.

Susan began writing Raising Children with Your Heavenly Father after reading Bruce H. Wilkinson’s The Daily Walk Bible several times. During the second reading, she started highlighting parenting scriptures, and on the third reading, Susan began transforming scripture into parenting lessons.

She has always had a passion for teaching children, and she raised her children using Scripture. She explained to her children that God wants them to be kind, loving, and forgiving. She also planted a multiplicity of spiritual seeds in the lives of many, many children. For years she taught flannel board Bible stories to preschoolers and afterschool YMCA children, and teaching eighth-grade girls on Sunday was pure joy!

Writing Raising Children with Your Heavenly Father has brought her much joy and satisfaction!

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Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Book Tour & Book Review: Dogs of Devtown by @tayhoho #blogtour #bookreview #cyberpunk #scifi #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

Cyberpunk Science Fiction

Date Published: April 16, 2021

Welcome to DevTown.

In this city, holo ads lumber like neon giants seeking advertising targets. Men and women pop Oracle tabs in search of relief or enlightenment or both. Creatures of unknown origin stalk the darkest alleys. In the center of it all, NexDev Tower looms over the city, home to hundreds of floors of top-secret research.

And in its shadow, Shan Hayes kills people for money.

Rejecting the mechanical enhancements so popular in DevTown, Shan needs only two things: The resynth serum that can reshape her body's entire cellular structure, and her hand-cannon containing a sentient parasite capable of converting her blood into weaponized wasps.

As a hired gun for various crime syndicates, there's little of the city's underbelly Shan hasn't encountered. But when a longtime business associate hires her to track down an underling who's vanished into the neon night, Shan finds DevTown still holds secrets more deadly and terrifying than anything she could imagine.

Review

Wow, I was so impressed by this story. The cover does a great job of depicting the world which is only heightened by the descriptions and imagery used by the author throughout the story.

Great multi-dimensional characters that have their flaws and come off as real.

Secrets and lies, mysteries and adventure. There is plenty of action within the pages of this story to keep the reader on their toes and leave them satisfied.

About The Author

Taylor Hohulin is a radio personality by morning, a science fiction author by afternoon, and asleep by 9:30. He is the author of The Marian Trilogy, Tar, Your Best Apocalypse Now, and other genre-bending stories. He lives in West Des Moines, Iowa with his wife, where they are owned by two cats and a dog.

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Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Book Blitz & Giveaway: Mystic Invisible by @ryderhclancy #promo #yafantasy #youngadult #fantasy #giveaway #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

YA Fantasy

Date Published: 3/17/21

Publisher: Winter Goose Publishing

Fifteen-year-old Monte moves to the mystically jeopardized Highlands of Scotland and discovers that life as a Celtic wizard is anything but easy. Whisperings of abnormal enchantments and vicious cat siths grip the small town he now calls home. Fear is at the helm and the instigator is unknown. An indefinite moratorium on magic is enforced. In a race against darkness, Monte and his friends must choose who to trust before time runs out, even if it means breaking some rules and facing danger head on.

About The Author

Ryder Hunte Clancy has lived most of her life in the desert but her heart belongs to the sea; her happy place, where brine and mist abound and allusive waves caress expansive stretches of compacted sand. A tried and true stay-at-home mom, she is often found scribbling notes between diaper changes or connecting plot points while everyone else sleeps. She survives off of toddler snacks like apple slices and cheese, and has just as much trouble keeping up with her fictional, teenage characters as she does her three small children. Mystic Invisible is her debut novel, the inspiration of which was gleaned from her husband’s homeland of Scotland, where fantasy, mystery, and folklore are rich and hits of adventure linger around every corner.

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Book Tour & Book Review: Requiem by Daniel Ståhl #blogtour #poetry #giveaway #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

Poetry

Date Published:

Hard-cover: December 2020

Paperback: January 2021

Kindle/e-book: January 2021

Audiobook: January 2021

Through its 211 interwoven poems, this double-tiered recursive crown of sonnets takes the reader on an epic journey to the heart of mankind’s would-be nemesis – herself – and back again. Does her destiny await in the unexplored depths of the cosmos, or in a toxic wasteland of her own making? Does she have the will to shape her own future, or is she a slave to her myopic wants and impulses?

Requiem takes the existential threats facing humanity – from the destruction of the environment to nuclear holocaust – as a lens through which to reflect on the fate of civilization, humanity and ultimately conscious life in the universe.

Review

Poetry is subjective as an art and will hit everyone in a different way. This collection has something for everyone yet everything is tied together. It's really beautifully done. It makes the reader think, it's not all rainbows and butterflies, it has us think on a deeper level, which I loved.

About The Author

A software engineer by trade, Daniel Ståhl splits his time between software development, research, teaching, writing and being the father of two.

Daniel has previously published both fiction and non-fiction, with his latest forays as an author delving into strictly metered poetry. His latest book, Requiem, came into being in the intersection between the rhythmic cadence of sonnets and his despair at the sanguine apathy with which the human species approaches the prospect of its own extinction – with all of its implications for his children.

Daniel received his MSc degree from Linköping University, Sweden, and his PhD degree from the University of Groningen, Netherlands.

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Monday, April 5, 2021

Book Tour & Book Review: Ripples From the Edge of Life by Roloand Chesters @FromRipples #blogtour #memoir #selfhelp #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

Memoir, Self-Help

Publisher: SilverWood Books

If you were given just two weeks to live how would you feel? What would you do? How do you prepare for the end? Who would you tell and how? It was this terrible position Roland Chesters found himself in in the late summer of 2006. He knew he was seriously ill but had no idea that he had both HIV and AIDS. Luckily Roland did not die. Expert medical help and his own determination not to give in saw him through. His life though, had changed for ever.

‘Ripples from the Edge of Life’ is Roland’s account of a life changing diagnosis and the impact it had not only on him but on those close to him. More than a memoir, Roland’s story is not unique; ripples spread outwards and this empowering collection gives voice to 14 others who have survived similar traumatic diagnoses. This book contains wisdom, hope humour and inspiration in equal measures. Is an essential read for anyone facing a life changing condition and for those who support and care for them.

Praise for Ripples from the Edge of Life:

“Roland captures his powerful, personal story, and the stories of those who stood alongside him on the way in a book that engages and inspires in equal measure.” Grant Sugden, Chief Executive, Waverley Care

“Ripples” is an absorbing and moving testament to real lives lived, and a tribute to lives lost, in a particular time and place in the story of HIV. The chapters are filled with eloquent voices that tell us how it is to live with HIV and these are voices that deserve to be heard.” Siobhán Lanigan, CEO, The Food Chain

“If this book does nothing else but to assist in breaking down the stigma of a Positive diagnosis then it will have performed a powerful task.” Tremaine Cornish, Trustee, National Long Term Survivors’ Group

“’Ripples’ gives a unique insight into the emotional roller coaster of a HIV diagnosis and its life-long impact. Reading the personal experiences was haunting. Definitely one of my top recommended reads." -Steph Mallas, CEO. George House Trust

“These honest life-changing stories are prime examples of the true faces of HIV. They will touch your heart and enrage your mind.” Ian Howley, CEO, GMFA

Review

Taking ones own life experiences and creating a self-help story to help others. This is a great piece of writing that is open, heartbreking, and ultimately touching.

Very well written, it will pull at your heart strings and teach you more about the impact of HIV on the lives of everyone it touches.

About the Author

Roland Chesters was born in the north of England to an English father and French mother and has lived most of his life in London. He graduated from the Royal Holloway College with a degree in Modern Languages and after a variety of jobs joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as a language-testing specialist. Following a diagnosis of HIV and AIDS in 2006, he became a campaigner for disability rights. He is now a self-employed Disability Development Consultant and and was a finalist in the 2019 National Diversity Awards as a Role Model for Disability.

Roland lives with his partner, Richard, in London and enjoys opera, classical music, theatre and fashion (his favourite item of clothing being a bright red corduroy suit). He fights boredom and normality with gusto, and says he is at his best when he’s made a positive impact on someone else’s life.

‘Ripples from the Edge of Life’ is Roland’s first (and only according to him) book.

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Saturday, April 3, 2021

Book Blitz & Giveaway: Aspen: A Love Story by @tklucaith #promo #romance #giveaway #excerpt #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

Romance

Date Published: eBook March 4, 2021 – print May 4, 2021

For two unlikely strangers, the snow swept mountains of Aspen remind us all that love and luck thrive on uneven ground. While newly widowed Mark stews in the shadows of success and loss, conservative Susan shoulders a weight of uncertainty from her romantic past. Can a single dinner for one change the course of fate? Can these starkly different individuals reconcile their own demons enough to see eye to eye? The scene may be right--but what of timing? In the heart of Colorado, under the watchful eye of the majestic Rocky Mountains, visionary Mark and stubborn Susan share a dance of swirling emotions that can only lead to something explosive. Suddenly, without meaning to, they set themselves down a path of self reflection--and personal reconciliation. Will Mark and Susan be able to overcome their own personal ideals and misgivings leading them to palpable passion? Even in the cold mountain town of Aspen--the flames of fervor flicker brightly.

Excerpt

(Susan)

The doorbell is ringing. Why do people want to bother me on Sunday mornings?

“Jackie, can you answer that please? I just got out of the shower,” I yell from the bathroom.

“Mom, it’s for you,” she says, from outside the bathroom door.

“Who is it?”

“I don’t know—some man. He has a delivery.”

“Just sign for it.”

“He says he has to give it to you.”

“All right, tell him I’ll be there in a minute.”

I throw on some clothes. My hair is a wet mess. I go to the door and there is a young man holding a long thin box.

“What can I do for you?” I ask.

“Are you Susan Green?”

“Yes.”

He hands me the long box. “This is for you from Marc Gray. He would like you to join him today for lunch at one pm at the French Alpine Bistro on Hopkins. I am supposed to wait for your answer.”

I open the box, and it is a single, long-stemmed, red rose. “Thank you, but tell Mr. Gray that I cannot make it.”

“Very good, then he would like you to join him tomorrow at noon at the Spring Café on Spring Street.”

“I am busy; I can’t make it,” I respond.

The delivery guy is looking a little frustrated. “Then Marc Gray would like you to meet him at noon on Tuesday at the Pyramid Bistro on Main.”

“How long is this going to go on?” I ask, with a brief smile.

“The instructions have twelve different scenarios; I am to run through all of them until you say yes.”

Amusing as it would be to make the guy go through all twelve, it would not change the fact that Marc is showing real determination to speak with me.

About the Author

A hopeless romantic since the teenage years T. K. embarked on several relationships only to find emptiness in the end. Finally, the last of those relationships bore the fruit of true love, and after many years they are still together more in love than ever before. These relationships, along with a diversified work background, have provided T. K. with vast knowledge from which to draw upon for character and story development. T. K. has a passion for good food and great wine while enjoying a really good love story. T. K. and family – which include two very spoiled cats – live in the Southwestern US.

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