2/21/19

The Enukara Series Spotlight & Book Tour Giveaway

This morning, I have a fantasy romance series in our book spotlight!  Check out the books of the Enukara series, learn about the author & be sure to enter for a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

Dragons and Healers
Enukara Series Book 1
by Nina R. Schluntz
Genre: M/M Fantasy Romance


A simple act of kindness from a human toward a dragon triggered the Enukara–giving the human the ability to heal the wounds of others. The dragon bonded to him was granted immortality. The price for this gift was simple. The dragon’s life was bound to the human.


The greed of dragons and humans was underestimated. For if an Enukara’s life was taken by another, they would inherit the immortality blessed to the dragon. Both human and dragon could steal this gift. The slaughter of all Enukaras quickly ensued, until one dragon killed his own Enukara.


The power he inherited was unfathomable. He hunted and killed every immortal who had slain an Enukara. A new Enukara emerges who challenges the mindset of the immortal dragon and the Enukara hopes to alter the fate of humanity, by showing the dragon how to love once again.



Immortal Black Dragons
Enukara Series Book 2

Zackariah created an Enukara back when they were being made every day, and murdered hours later. Despite the odds, he managed to keep his alive long enough to understand how compassionate humans can be. Decades later, he meets his Enukara’s son, Jonas, and finds that he is now an Enukara. Zackariah must decide if he will tell him the truth behind his mother’s death, even if it risks the relationship forming between them.

Jonas knows Zackariah murdered his mother. He can accept this, but not the swirling lies around the reason why he did it. If he makes the same error it will lead to not only his death, but the death of all the Enukaras, present and future.


The First Generation
Enukara Series Book 3

The initial dragon invasion force came to collect and befriend the humans of Earth. Immortal by birthright, this first generation of dragons peacefully coexisted with humans for decades until reaching maturity. By mating with humans, a second generation was created, a solider force with one mindset, to decrease the population on Earth.

The current dragons populating the Earth have the ability to create healers known as Enukaras. The surviving first generation live in isolation. Jeremiah, an operative from a first generation colony, is sent out to investigate rumors of a woman pregnant with a dragon. His encounter with the dragon king, Zackariah, leads to an immediate infatuation.

Jeremiah’s attempts to secretly prevent the unborn child’s birth while seducing the dragon king quickly escalates tension between his people and those that follow the dragon king.

Jeremiah must work with the dragon king’s other lover, an Enukara, to prevent a second dragon war.


Elemental Dragon Mages
Enukara Book 4

Meant to bring harmony to the Earth after years of turmoil from the dragon invasion, Elemental Dragons emerge and seek their human counterparts—Dragon Mages.

Deemed a threat to all current social orders and leaders, some seek to prevent the Elemental Dragons from finding their mages and attaining their true powers. Others offer a recruitment program, wanting to capitalize on their abilities.

Xander has spent most of his life loyal to the dragon king, who adopted him as a hatchling. Upon his encounter with a human who can become his Dragon Mage, he feels his first independent desires and his loyalties are tested.

Kaylee never knew her background, or that much about dragons. Finding herself with a bloodline capable of making her into a powerful mage, she must decide which Elemental Dragon she desires to bond with, and which leader she wishes to align with.



The Second Generation
Enukara Book 5

The second generation of dragons, known for being a unified force of soldiers, have never grown to adulthood. Until now. Destiny is the first to reach maturity. Nurtured by the dragon king’s closest allies, she has become more than a killer—she wants to belong. But she doesn’t fit with any of the dragons or the humans.

As her first breeding day arrives, she must choose a mate. Her choice could deter a war, or led to the end of the dragon king’s reign.

The problem is, only one person knows how much is at stake, Jeremiah, whose drug abuse has left him barely functional. As Jeremiah’s life spirals, he realizes the end of all dragons hinges on his ability to stay sober enough to save the dragon king from his untimely destiny.


Devolution
Enukara Book 6


Seven hundred years after the initial dragon invasion, the world is now controlled by humans. Dragons have devolved into animals. They’ve lost their ability to shift into humans and with it, their intelligence. Humans enslave them like the animals they are, using them to power factories and in some countries, even eat and skin.

Brothers, Ellis and Wyatt believe the dragons have more potential than humankind give them. When they discover an escaped dragon in their barn, they know she’ll be killed if returned to her owners. They decide to take matters into their own hands and ask a drifter they met at a bar for help. He’s rumored to be a dragon whisperer and might just be the one to help the dragons rediscover who they are.



Nina Schluntz is a native to rural Nebraska. In her youth, she often wrote short stories to entertain her friends. Those ideas evolved into the novels she creates today.
Her husband continues to ensure her stories maintain a touch of realism as she delves into the science fiction and fantasy realm. And their kitty, a rescued Abyssinian, is always willing to stay up late to provide inspiration.
You can find Nina on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.
Her blog, mizner13.wordpress.com, has updates on any current or upcoming novels, plus her thoughts on her most recent reads and movie viewings.


Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!

Brighton Cove Series Spotlight & Book Tour Giveaway

This morning, I have a contemporary romance series in our book spotlight.  Check out the books of the Brighton Cove series, learn about the author & enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

Everything About You
Brighton Cove Series Book 1
by Jamie Salisbury
Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Audrey Cooper has good memories Brighton Cove, Maine. She just hopes the quiet, coastal village holds enough of them to silence the echoes of the living hell she endured as a captive in the Middle East. Her career as a journalist is over, but maybe—someday—she can convince her terrified muse to come out of hiding.

As she renovates the farmhouse she inherited from her grandparents, with her cat as her sole companion, she learns to live with the loneliness…until the day a handsome stranger with dark, haunted eyes helps her change a flat tire.

As an artist, widower Lincoln Stewart has an eye for detail, and there’s no missing that unmistakable spark of connection. In Audrey’s company, two years of grief ease into bittersweet memory, and he finds himself envisioning a future as colorful as his paintings. A future with Audrey.

Through violent thunderstorms and terrifying flashbacks, Audrey and Linc discover their broken pieces fit perfectly—in and out of the bedroom. But in the shadows, a very real threat lurks. Someone who’ll stop at nothing to burn their rediscovered dreams to the ground.


**only .99 cents!!**


P.S. I Love You
Brighton Cove Series Book 2

First love is always better the second time around.
Basil Manning is happy with his life now that he's given up on love. He has everything he needs...the houses he's building, the mansion he's renovating, and his Bernese Mountain Dog, Crash. In spite of his mother's insistent attempts to see him married, Basil plans on staying a bachelor. That is, until he finds himself face-to-face with the woman who once broke his heart.
Healing from a long-term relationship that turned abusive, Meg Cooper has flung herself into running her eclectic shop, The Pink Moose. She can't afford complications, and the too-hot-for-his-own-good Basil Manning, her one time almost fiancรฉ, is definitely a complication. But that irresistible pull between them isn't over...not by a long shot. If she's not careful, she'll break both their hearts...again.

**only .99 cents!!**


Start Me Up
Brighton Cove Series Book 3

Jagger Cooper never wanted to live in Brighton Cove. Having given up a prestigious job with a U.S. senator, he merely intended to use it as a place to lick his wounds and recharge his batteries as he decided what came next in his life. The choices were many.
Tyler Channing, war widow and mother to a teenage son never thought of allowing a man in her life again. Not until her son was grown. She owed her late husband that much.
That is until that fateful day when he swaggered into her life.

**only .99 cents!!**



Writing romance stories with passion and sass, Jamie Salisbury has seen several of her books soar to #1 on Amazon. Her novella, Tudor Rubato was a finalist in the 2012 RONE awards. The cover won for Best Contemporary Cover. In 2014, her novel, Life and Lies was nominated for a RONE in the Erotica category.


Her books are self published.

Music, traveling the globe and history are among her passions when not writing. Her previous career in public relations in and around the entertainment field has afforded her with a treasure trove of endless story ideas.



Follow the tour HERE for exclusive content and a giveaway!

2/20/19

The Restoration Series: Jonathan's Walk Preview

Today, I have a preview of a newly released, inspirational series to share with you.  I spent some time working in law enforcement and have seen the value of Christian fellowship for both the incarcerated and their families.  This 5-part documentary series from the Prison Fellowship follows the path of a man engaged in their Prison Fellowship Academy as he re-enters his family and community after many years of incarceration.  Learn more about the series, the faith-based rehabilitation program and check out Jonathan's Walk.

Promo Image from The Restoration Series: Jonathan’s Walk
 About The Restoration Series:  Jonathan's Walk


Prison Fellowship presents The Restoration Series: Jonathan’s Walk, a 5-part documentary film series following one man as he re-enters his community after 15 years in prison. It demonstrates in imagery, powerful storytelling and social interaction what it means to be human and the shared need of all people to see communities restored.


For years, Jonathan has been in prison. As a result, he has missed milestone moments with his family. He wasn’t there for his daughter’s first day of school or a thousand little experiences with his wife and as a father, he is devastated to be separated from those he loves most.
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Jonathan has been looking forward to his release from prison for over a decade. So many life events have been missed and he is now ready to be with his wife and kids again. Of course, this transition isn't going to be easy. The odds are against him: with over half of prisoners returning to prison within two years, Jonathan is aware of the challenge set before him.
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Still, he is determined to take the skills he has learned into the world outside of incarceration and stay there, helping build the community that he is part of for years to come.

Watch a Preview of The Restoration Series:  Jonathan's Walk 
Episode 1:  Jonathan and Nikole
 
My Thoughts on The Restoration Series:  Jonathan's Walk 

This is truly a documentary focusing on the power of faith--and hope--as rehabilitation tools for  incarcerated prisoners.  The families and ex-inmates featured in this series have been offered hope and God as tools to face both their prison sentences--and, the challenging return to life with their families and communities.

It is impossible to watch this series and not feel compassion for the struggles and emotions faced during Jonathan's Walk.   I think even the cynical and doubtful will find themselves rooting for Jonathan and his family--and believing in God's healing and strengthening hands in lives.

This is an uplifting documentary that offers insights into a small, Christian based rehabilitation program with far reaching value and potential within our prison system.  I look forward to watching the full series and the stories of others moving from prison back to their communities via the Prison Fellowship Academy.

Learn more about The Restoration Series and sign up to watch the rest of the series here.

More about the Prison Fellowship Academy

Though America is home to only 4% of the world's population, we house more than 20% of its prisoners. Recidivism–the tendency of a criminal to re-offend—is out of control. The Restoration Series tells the story of men and women who have experienced The Academy, a revolutionary in-prison program that is combating incarceration and recidivism head on.

Learn more about the Prison Fellowship Academy here.

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961 Book Review

As a parent, I am always on the lookout for different educational resources to supplement our girls' regular school course content.  Earlier this year, I was asked to read and review Twelve Days in May:  Freedom Ride 1961 Larry Dane Brimner.   What did my family think of this book?



About the Book

On May 4, 1961, a group of thirteen black and white civil rights activists launched the Freedom Ride, aiming to challenge the practice of segregation on buses and at bus terminal facilities in the South. The Ride would last twelve days. Despite the fact that segregation on buses crossing state lines was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1946, and segregation in interstate transportation facilities was ruled unconstitutional in 1960, these rulings were routinely ignored in the South. The thirteen Freedom Riders intended to test the laws and draw attention to the lack of enforcement with their peaceful protest. As the Riders traveled deeper into the South, they encountered increasing violence and opposition. Noted civil rights author Larry Dane Brimner relies on archival documents and rarely seen images to tell the riveting story of the little-known first days of the Freedom Ride. With author’s note, source notes, bibliography, and index.

 My Review

12 Days in May:  Freedom Ride 1961 Educates Readers.  The events illustrated in this book happened many years before I was born--and long, long before my children's births.  While the Freedom Ride was covered in my history classes--and in lessons for my children--the full extent of the events and details were covered so briefly that names and, what I would certainly consider, significant events were never mentioned nor learned.  Brimner presents 12 Days in May in such a well researched, easy to read manner that those of us who missed the racial tensions of the time may have a greater understanding of the events.

Photographs add Great Depth to the Details in 12 Days in May:  Freedom Ride 1961.  A written page or two in a history text does little to teach children--especially our very visual, technology addicted tweens and teens of today.  Brimner shares a wealth of photographs from the events he documented--and puts real faces and emotions into the educational text.

Would I recommend 12 Days in May:  Freedom Ride 1961 by Larry Dane Brimner?  This book brings a period of the past to life with photos and accounts of experiences that most of us did not see first hand.  So much of our history is locked in the pages of textbook--or only in memories or family stories.  Brimner brings the Freedom Riders to life and tells a visual account that educates readers far more than the written word.  I would certainly recommend this book for use in both the classroom or library as well as for families to present the information to children and teens.  The book is geared toward older readers--but, could be read and discussed as a family.

Buy the Book


Learn about the Author

Larry Dane Brimner is the author of 200 books for young readers. His books have received many awards, including the Carter G. Woodson Award, the Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Award, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award Honor, the NCTE Orbis Pictus Book Award Honor, and the Eureka! Gold and Silver state awards in California, among other accolades. He also had a one-year stint writing children's programming for PBS. Born in Florida, he taught at the high school and university levels in California for twenty years and now makes his home in both San Diego, California, and Tucson, Arizona. In addition to high school and university, he taught at the primary, elementary, and junior high school levels. When he is not writing, he enjoys mountain biking, cooking, working with mosaic tile, wogging (a combination of walking and jogging), and playing hide-and-seek with his schnauzer, Kubric.