“Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” ― G.K. Chesterton

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

"Brand of Light" by Ronie Kendig Blog Tour (Review) & GIVEAWAY!





About the Book

Book:  Brand of Light
Author: Ronie Kendig
Genre: Christian Fiction, futuristic, space opera,
Release Date: December 3, 2019
There’s a price on her head, and it has everything to do with the brand on her arm.
Tertian Space Coalition has blessed every planet in the quadrants with high technology, save one: Drosero. But in spite of their tenuous treaty with the ruling clans, TSC has plans for the backward planet. And they’re not alone.
After a catastrophic explosion, Kersei Dragoumis awakens in a derelict shuttle, alone, injured, and ignorant of the forbidden technology that has swept her into a nightmare. The brand she’s borne since childhood burns mysteriously, but the pain is nothing to that when she learns her family is dead and she is accused of their murders.
Across the quadrants, Marco Dusan responds to the call of a holy order—not to join them, but to seek a bounty. Gifted—or cursed—with abilities that mark him a Kynigos, a tracker sworn to bring interplanetary fugitives to justice, Marco discovers this particular bounty has nothing to do with justice and everything to do with prophecy. One that involves the hunter as much as the hunted.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review
“Brand of Light” by Ronie Kendig is the first book in the “Droseran Saga.”  This space opera has plenty of action and suspense to please even those who don’t normally enjoy science fiction.    It is full of adventure and contains a story of epic proportions!

In order to understand the setting of “Brand of Light,” think of “Star Wars” and the “Lunar Chronicles,” except with its own unique spin.  Ronie Kendig does an amazing job with world building (I highly recommend you get a physical copy of the book so you can easily access the map and other materials in the front, as it is a little confusing in the beginning).  There is a myriad of characters and the story goes back and forth from many points of view.  It definitely took me awhile to figure out who all the characters were.  Once I was hooked though, I wanted to keep reading because there are some crazy secrets and twists in the story that will blow your mind out of this world (literally).  I love the good versus evil aspect and how the characters have to face some tough moral decisions.  If you like sci-fi, “Star Wars” and epic adventures, you will love this book!

Content:  I give this book a PG-13 rating.  Some examples of the content are: mention of women’s breasts; mention that someone shared a bed with another person; there are prostitutes; characters drink alcohol; a man curses, but the words aren’t actually written; mention of sex; a man tries to rape a woman, but doesn’t succeed.

Rating: I give this book 4 stars.

I want to thank Ronie Kendig, Celebrate Lit and Enclave Publishing for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.


About the Author

Ronie Kendig is an award-winning, bestselling author of over twenty titles. An Army brat, Ronie lives a shot train ride from New York City with her husband, twin sons, and two fur-sons, VVolt N629, a retired military working dog, and Benning the Stealth Golden. Described as an empath by her literary agent, Ronie has used her degree in psychology to write books that have won the coveted Christy Award, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, HOLT Medallion Award, and more. Her books have also hit the CBA Bestseller List multiple times.


More from Ronnie

In November 2005, I lurched into a story that started with one small element—what if a hero could literally smell fear? And so I delved into the story with the characters, and felt like I’d fallen into the vortex. I wrote over 90,000 words in one month, this story just gushing out of me.
But I was a very new writer. And if you saw the first draft that gushed out of me, you’d snicker. I sure have. It’s appallingly bad writing, yet the story’s bones are healthy and intact. So, I teased the story into shape over the last fourteen years. In 2012, I took a hard look at it and tried to shape up the writing. I’d even gotten to know Kathy Tyers, who wrote for the Star Wars franchise as well as the much-beloved Firebird series (*insert reverent pause here*), and I bravely asked if she would take a peek at the first fifty pages or so. Being gracious as Kathy is, she agreed to take a look.
Um, yikes. Haha. Make no mistake—Kathy is a brilliant writer, and I will never write like her, but I learned so much her feedback and took it to heart. Clearly, I still had a long way to go before that story was ready for the world, so I delved into honing my craft and deepening this story. Honestly, I was afraid show Brand of Light to anyone again, because I love this story so much and did not want to see “her” fail. Nore correctly—I did not want to fail this story.
About three years ago, I sensed a deep conviction that it was time to stop hiding and, as an act of faith and obedience to what God had given me, to send Brand of Light out into the world. As I write this, she is still 1.5 months out from the release, and I’m scared. I want this beauty to be loved, but even if it’s not, *I love this story and know I honored God with my writing and sending her out. I can rest here for a long while, reveling in the gift God gave me with this storyworld and its characters. I’m excited to see her launch out into the deep now. As Marco and the hunters always say, For Honor.


Blog Stops

April Hayman, Author, December 14
Hallie Reads, December 14
amandainpa , December 15
Inside the Wong Mind, December 15
Wishful Endings, December 16
Pause for Tales, December 16
A Reader’s Brain, December 17
Faery Tales Are Real, December 17
Simple Harvest Reads, December 18 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Texas Book-aholic, December 19
Mia Reads Blog, December 19
Betti Mace, December 20
Just the Write Escape, December 21
Britt Reads Fiction, December 21
Blogging With Carol , December 22
All-of-a-kind Mom, December 23
The Artist Librarian, December 23
Emily Yager, December 24
Bakerkella, December 25
Worthy2Read, December 25
janicesbookreviews, December 26
Inklings and notions, December 27
Splashes of Joy, December 27


Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Ronie is giving away the grand prize package of a Tinted Prose edition of Brand of Light, Galaxy Tumbler, “Kersei” Dio Adorable Candle, 3 Character Cards (to include Marco, Kersei, Tigo), and 2 Maps (to include Drosero and the planetary map)!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

"Hidden Rebel" by Michelle Janene Blog Tour (Review) & GIVEAWAY!



About the Book


Book: Hidden Rebel
Author: Michelle Janene
Genre:  Christian medieval fantasy
Release Date: August 17, 2017
A disguised warrior on a mission to save a dying kingdom,
but God has more planned.
Aria has left home with one goal. Find the weapon used to defeat the horde of the Black Knight and save what remains of her kingdom.
But things are not going as planned.
Disguised as a male knight, she saves the young prince of the neighboring kingdom, and tales of her fighting prowess spread like a raging fire. Now, within the castle walls of a foreign kingdom, a young girl masquerading as her page serves as her only confidant. But the widower king and his enemies are taking notice of her. The legendary weapon, however, is nowhere to be found.
What is God doing?
Aria needs to save her home without losing her heart.

Click here to get your copy!
 My Review
“Hidden Rebel” by Michelle Janene is the third book in the “Changed Hearts” series, but it can easily be read as a standalone.  
“Hidden Rebel” has a kick-butt, strong female heroine named Aria.  Aria disguises herself as a male in order to fight for her kingdom and find the weapon used to defeat the evil encroaching upon her kingdom.  I love the way she fights.  She fights better than most of the men.  Her fighting seems like a combination of martial arts and the normal fighting of the medieval time period.  
Aria learns a lot of lessons along her jouney.  At one point, Aria longs to fight, but she must remember that the battle is the Lord’s and she must trust Him.  He calls her to train and prepare.  I love the lesson that God fights for us and we just need to trust in Him.
There is a lot of spiritual content in “Hidden Rebel.”  I would caution those who are wary of reading about spiritual warfare.  It does talk about that a lot and about evil and its presence.  The story also felt slow to me at times, although I did enjoy it.  Ms. Janene has obviously done her research, which shows in her writing. 
Overall, the book has a great main character and a lot of great lessons and spiritual content, although the pacing seemed slow to me at times.  I would recommend it to those who love the medieval time period and a book packed with spiritual content.
Content:  I would give this book a PG-13 rating.  Some examples of the content are: men drink alcohol; there are some descriptions of battle scenes with blood; a man curses but the words aren’t actually written; it is implied that a man intends to rape a girl, but it doesn’t end up happening.
Rating:  I give this book 3 stars.
I want to thank Michelle Janene and Celebrate Lit for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

About the Author

Michelle Janene lives and works in Northern California, though most days she blissfully exists in the medieval creations of her mind. She is a devoted teacher, a dysfunctional housekeeper, and a dedicated writer. She released her first novella Mission: Mistaken Identity in the fall of 2015, God’s Rebel in 2016, Rebel’s Son in 2017, and has been published in several anthologies. She leads two critique groups and is the founder of Strong Tower Press—Indie solutions for indie authors.

More from Michelle

The main character of Hidden Rebel is a princess who is also a warrior. She needed to move between court and the battlefield with minimal issues. Aria also took the verse that women should not dress as men seriously. I wrote about a fighting skirt for her.

It appeared to be a pleated skirt with several long panels. Those panels weren’t sewn together other than at her hips. When Aria moved it was clear the skirt panels where over tight trousers and tall boots.

I thought about the skirt so much I created my own. I have worn it to local Renaissance Faires.

Blog Stops

Emily Yager, November 22
Avid Reader Nurse, November 23
Texas Book-aholic, November 25
janicesbookreviews, November 26
Inside the Wong Mind, November 27
A Reader’s Brain, November 28
Pause for Tales, November 29
CarpeDiem, December 1

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Michelle is giving away a $15 Amazon gift card and the entire trilogy on eBook!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.