Blog Tour: Dragonwatch: Wrath of the Dragon King by Brandon Mull

Wrath of the Dragon King by Brandon Mull

Book Description:

War has come to the dragon sanctuaries of the world and nowhere is the danger more intense than at Wyrmroost. After a humiliating defeat at the hands of Kendra and Seth, Celebrant, King of Dragons, prepares to unleash his fury and take control of his native preserve. Armed with information from a new ally Ronodin, the dark unicorn Celebrant seeks a legendary talisman the dominion stone.

However, the powerful stone is protected by a cursed castle. Upon entering the castle fortress, an unyielding power strips all magical beings of their power and forces Celebrant to take his human avatar form. Kendra and Seth must enter the cursed castle as well. The race is on. Will the two young caretakers rally enough support from the creatures of Wyrmroost against the greatest threat the magical community has faced in ages? Can they foil Celebrant's plan and beat him to the mighty dominion stone? Or will all hope be shattered by the wrath of the Dragon King?

Book Trailer:

Collin's Review:
When I heard that the second book in the Dragonwatch series was out, I snapped up a copy as soon as I could get my hands on it. I have enjoyed all of Brandon Mull's Fablehaven and now Dragonwatch books. In this book, Kendra and Seth use their talents and cooperation to help each other and get themselves in to and out of many difficult situations. We get to learn more about their cousins, Knox and Tess, who finally learn about the truth of the sanctuaries, and figuratively jump in with both feet to help save the world as well. I really enjoyed the story that Brandon Mull has given us in this book, and can't wait to read the next 3 books in the series. . .I hope they come out VERY soon. (No spoilers, but I need to find out how they are all going to fix what happened at the end of this one!)
Andrea's Review:   It has been over a year and half since I read the first book in this series, and I'll admit I didn't remember much about what had happened. Wrath of the Dragon King seems to start where the other book left off, so it might be a good idea to re-read the first book so you aren't confused about who the characters are and what is going on. I agreed to review this book thinking my kids would really like it. Sadly, I was mixing this one up with another series, and my kids haven't read this series yet (although my son recently started the first Fablehaven book). Neither child was interested in jumping into this book not being caught up (and both were a little weirded out by the flying rabbit on the cover).  Wrath of the Dragon King is fast paced and packed with all sorts of magical characters. There are intense moments, but it's broken up with humor. I enjoyed the comic relief from the satyrs.    Rorie's Review:  

I remember the first time I picked up a Fablehaven book. I was at my in-laws house, looking for something to pass a little bit of free time. I ended up getting completely sucked into the book, reading as much of it as I could before we headed back home. After that, it didn't take me very long to read the rest of the series. Brandon Mull has such a gift for drawing the reader in and bringing all of these magical creatures to life. I think Newel and Doren are my favorite repeating characters in this series. So goofy and complete clowns, in their own endearing way.

I have learned that when a book like this come in the mail, I need to hide it until I can read it, because if my older two get a hold of it, I might never see it again. That was the case with this book. I finally got it back from one son, only to have my other son abscond with it. I finally had to resort to listening to the audio book (Kirby Heyborne does an amazing job with all the voices, in case you're interested.)

So, with a little (lot of) arm twisting, here the reviews from my sons:

10 y.o.
I liked how Kendra, Calvin, Seth and their friends had to work together on the Stormgard puzzle. My favorite characters were the talking animals. I liked how Ronodin was evil but seemed nice.

13 y.o.
This book had numerous different twists that I did not see coming. The way he ended one of the chapters was very surprising. I feel that including Patton a lot more adds a lot more to the story. I feel that Seth has definitely grown much more mature from the first book of Fablehaven to now.

Tarah's Review:

There is nothing better than a good clean entertaining YA book. This one sucked me right in, and I was cursing all the other stuff and people that needed attention. "Can't you see I'm busy?" Unfortunately life had to happen, and it made this book take a back seat. But you know how I know this is an awesome book? Once Mull introduced something I kept thinking, when are they going to figure out the castle? Or, when is Ronodin going to come back into play? I was super excited to see how everything would turn out, and how the mysteries would unfold. 

I will admit that it's been a long time since I read the first book, and I was a little confused since this book starts where that one stops. Also, there are a lot, and I mean A LOT of characters and sometimes I couldn't figure out who everyone was for awhile. 

I can't wait to hand this over to my kids. I think they are going to eat it right up.

  Title: Dragonwatch: Wrath of the Dragon King Authors: Brandon Mull Publisher: Shadow Mountain Published: October 2018 ISBN: 9781629724867 Source: We received copies from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Purchase: Amazon | Deseret Book

Blog Tour: Christmas Courting by Jennifer Moore, Chalon Linton, Jen Geigle Johnson, and Heidi Kimball

Reviews * Giveaway

Christmas Courting

by Jennifer Moore, Chalon Linton, Jen Geigle Johnson, & Heidi Kimball

Book Description:

This holiday season fall in love, with heartwarming tales of Christmases past in A Christmas Courting, an enchanting collection of Regency romances.

Love and Joy Come to You by Jennifer Moore

Lord Covington has planned a quiet holiday with his grieving mother but finds his plans rudely disrupted when lovely Cassie Weatherby and her young siblings are invited for Christmas. Despite his reservations, however, he begins to recognize in Cassie a kindred spirit.

A Christmas Courting by Chalon Linton

When obligations keep her in London, Keturah Hensley sadly anticipates missing the festivity of Christmas at her family's country home and the company of her best friend, Christopher Shepherd. When she learns that Christopher will be joining her family in London for Christmas, she is delighted--but her elation is short-lived. Christopher is coming to Town to court the woman of his dreams, and Keturah fears she may have lost the chance to win his love.

Mistletoe Memories by Jen Geigle Johnson

From childhood, Patrick, Duke of Montrose, knew he'd found his perfect match in Lady Alice Tarrington. When he's sent on a grand tour, Patrick is confident he'll marry his sweetheart upon his return. But when he receives word that Alice is to marry another, will he be too late to claim her heart?

Second-Chance Christmas by Heidi Kimball

Francie and Gerard have been friends since childhood, but their friendship ended when she declined his heartfelt proposal of marriage. However, when her interactions with Gerard's holiday houseguests provoke in Francie unexpected jealousy, she realizes she must fight for Gerard's affections or risk losing him forever.

Andrea's Review:

I love the cover of this book! It makes me want to curl up in front of a fireplace with hot chocolate and read all day. Sadly, I had to read most of the book on an airplane, so my comfort level wasn't great. Luckily the novellas helped the flight go by faster.

The stories are well-written. Three of the four include couples with some sort of prior relationship, so the romances don't feel extremely rushed.

Love and Joy Come to You included a totally new relationship, and while it was fast, it was written in such a way that I wasn't put off by the speed. I liked the characters and their interactions.

Christmas Courting is an enjoyable story, although I was held up by the name Keturah. It didn't feel like it fit the time period (maybe it is authentic, but uncommon). I felt bad for Keturah as her heart was jerked around, but I liked the happy ending.

Mistletoe Memories was a fun read. I was thrown a few times by the flashbacks as nothing broke them up (i.e. a symbol on the page or italicized font), but I got used to that or they lessened. I could understand Patrick's hurt, but I did wish he'd tried earlier on to find out what had happened with Alice instead of assuming the worst of her.

Second-Chance Christmas is a story about almost losing love when the main character didn't realize it had been in front of her for quite some time. Gerard's poor heart was jerked around, but it was great to read about him getting his happy ending.

This collection is clean and a fast read. I would read more from each author.

Rorie's Review:

Two novella books in one week, I'm on a roll! :) I still struggle with novellas, but putting that aside, I did enjoy this book. For the most part, the stories didn't feel too rushed. Probably because in 3 of the 4 stories, the main characters already knew each other.

In Love and Joy Come to You, I enjoyed how Cassie was able to slowly break down Lord Covington's defenses and show him what he had been missing after shunning Christmas celebrations since the death of his father and sister. I do wish that there had been a bit more detail on his back story, but I'm kind of nosy that way.

I got a bit frustrated with Christopher in A Christmas Courting. If he would have just told Keturah outright what was going on, it would have saved her a lot of pain and him quite a bit of frustration. Even though the reader can guess right away what will happen, this is a sweet story.

Mistletoe Memories was the most difficult for me to get in to. The author kept alluding to what had happened to Alice, but it was done in such a way that I felt lost through most of the story, like I was missing a very important piece of the puzzle and everyone else knew where it was but they weren't telling me. I would have preferred it if the author would have told the reader what the issue was near the beginning of the story instead of making it such a mystery.

My favorite story was probably Second-Chance Christmas, although at the beginning, I kind of wanted to throttle Francie for her complete cluelessness at how Gerard must be feeling.

All in all, this is a sweet, quick read, perfect for the Christmas season (*it's totally the Christmas season right now, all the stores have their Christmas decorations out already.)

Tarah's Review:

I love Christmas stories. It doesn't matter the time of year that I read them. In fact, my favorite time to read Christmas stories is probably in the summer. I don't know why. I'm just weird like that, but I was really excited to read this compilation.

My two favorite stories were Love and Joy Come to You, which was just a sweet story of healing and love, and Second-Chance Christmas. I like when people finally realize their feelings for each other. I also enjoyed  A Christmas Courting. I felt bad for Keturah, but I actually thought the leading guy was pretty fun.

I struggled with Mistletoe Memories. It was well written, and didn't seem like a short story, but the whole time I felt like I needed more backstory. I felt like I should have read something else before this to give me insight to what was going on. There was a feeling of familiarity, but I was super frustrated because I wasn't sure if it was supposed to feel that way. I also wish that Patrick would have stood up for Alice during one of her difficult times.

Anyway, it has a beautiful cover, and it's a great compilation of Christmas stories.



Tour Schedule:

*Oct. 22^nd: http://mybookaday.com/, https://brightlystreet.com/, https://www.rockinbookreviews.com/, http://bonnieharris.blogspot.com/, http://www.kindleandme.com/

*Oct. 23^rd: https://www.wishfulendings.com/, https://www.lovebugsandpostcards.com/, http://empowermoms.net/, http://thethingsilovemost.com/

*Oct. 24^th: http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/, http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com/, http://lifeiswhatitscalled.blogspot.com/, http://fireandicereads.com/

*Oct. 25^th: https://www.singinglibrarianbooks.com/, http://katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com/, https://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/, http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/

*Oct. 26^th: https://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/, http://literarytimeout.blogspot.com/, http://heidi-reads.blogspot.com/, http://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/,http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/

*Oct. 29^th: http://www.iamareader.com/

Tour Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway Title: Christmas Courting Authors: Jennifer Moore, Chalon Linton, Jen Geigle Johnson, & Heidi Kimball Publisher: Covenant Communications Inc. Published: October 2018 ISBN: 1524407941 Source: We received copies from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  Purchase: Amazon | Deseret Book

Movie Spotlight: The Other Side of Heaven 2: Fire of Faith

Film Synopsis:

THE OTHER SIDE OF HEAVEN 2: FIRE OF FAITH continues the epic true saga of Elder John H. Groberg's missionary adventures in Tonga as depicted in the eponymous Disney-distributed hit film of 2001. Whereas the original movie detailed Elder Groberg's first mission to Tonga in the 1950's as a 19 year-old bachelor, the sequel tells the inspiring true story of his return to Tonga in the 1960's with his wife and five young daughters to serve as President of the Tonga-Fiji Mission.

Shortly after arriving in Tonga, John's wife, Jean, becomes pregnant with their sixth child, a boy who is born with a serious illness that threatens to end his tiny young life. In fact, the boy is born too weak to be evacuated to another country with medical care sufficient to properly diagnose and treat him.

With their child's life on the line, John and Jean face the ultimate trial of their faith only to find themselves enfolded in the love and prayers of thousands of Tongans of various religions who unite in a nationwide fast for the health of their little boy. Barriers of inter-religious strife are broken down as all unite in hopes of a miracle that will save the Groberg baby boy's life, as well as that of the son of a non-Mormon Tongan minister who has been beaten within inches of death for religious reasons.

Website

Trailer:


Director's Message:

When I made the first "Other Side of Heaven" movie 17 years ago, I never imagined it would spawn an Academy Award winning actor's career, nor that it would be distributed in DVD by Walt Disney Home Entertainment.  Neither did I imagine that, all these years later, it would spawn an ambitious sequel.

Like the original film, this new movie tells the true story of Elder John H. Groberg's missionary adventures in Tonga, only this time he is returning with his wife, Jean, and their five young daughters.  His second mission proves just as dramatic and transformative as his first, as does the second  film depicting that mission.  Thanks in advance for watching!

Giveaway:

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Blog Tour: Wedding Belles: A Novel in Four Parts

Wedding Belles: A Novel in Four Parts

by Melanie Jacobson, Jenny Proctor, Becca Wilhite, and Brittany Larsen

Book Description:

Harper is an event planner with dreams of taking over the Charleston wedding scene . . . until she meets the biggest Bridezilla of her career. She needs the job, but the only way to keep it is to hire a temperamental chef with big dreams of his own.

Janie is a classical cellist booked to play a posh Charleston wedding. She’s excited to have the lucrative gig until the groom’s brother, Emmett, shows up and asks her to help him play a song he wrote for the happy couple. The only trouble? Emmett is her unrequited high school crush.

Lily has been Dahlia's best friend, partner-in-crime, and now her maid of honor . . . until suddenly there's no wedding, and she's left to clean up Dahlia's biggest mess of all. She's been friends with Deacon, the jilted groom, for just as long, and it's up to her rescue him after Hurricane Dahlia blows through.

Sutton is a photographer running from her past. Only the pleas from her best friend to photograph her wedding could bring Sutton back to Charleston. Her plan is to get in and get out before her ex knows she and their daughter are in town. At least it’s the plan until she meets Max, who turns out to be the safe place she didn’t know she was looking for.

Can each of these couples trust their growing chemistry, or are they on the verge of new disasters?

Andrea's Review:

I was very excited when I heard about these talented authors joining together for Wedding Belles. I like how each author took a side (if you will) of this wedding and let the reader experience it from different angles. Each story focuses on different characters, but you still get to read a little bit about the characters from the last book (albeit at a distance).

It was a fun and entertaining collaboration. Some of the relationships are new and fast, while others had a basis of friendship (or a crush from a distance).

I enjoyed this compilation and thought each novella was well-written (with the exception of a few swearwords in two of the stories-I'm never a fan of that).

I will definitely read more from all of these authors.

Rorie's Review:

I'm generally not a huge fan of novellas, simply because they're just not long enough to really get to know the characters. I love all of these authors though, so I was excited to read their stories.

I enjoyed how each story intertwined with the others. This is a fun way to get to know some of the supporting characters from a book. I think my favorite of the four stories was Lily and Deacon's. They clicked with me the best, and I found myself really engrossed in what was happening.

I wasn't a huge fan of the insta-romance that seemed to be a theme in these stories, but I guess if you've only got a limited amount of pages, things have to happen fast. 

All in all, this is a fun, quick read. There are a few minor swearwords, which the stories would have been better without, but I would recommend this book - and each of the authors' other books as well.

Tarah's Review:

I've been really into Novellas lately, so it was fun for me to read Wedding Belles.  here is just something to be said for being able to sit and finish a book quickly when I have a million other things going on. It's super satisfying....provided it was well written and didn't feel rushed. Luckily Wedding Belles was just such a book.

I did struggle with the swearing and ... descriptive (?) kissing/feelings in Harper's story. Nothing was over the line, but I wasn't expecting it. Especially from that author. There was swearing in Sutton's story, but for some reason that didn't bother me as much as the first story.

Lily and Deacon's story was my favorite, with Janie and Emmett a close second. I enjoyed the flow of the stories and I really enjoyed how much all the stories intertwined with each other. I like getting all the background stories, so this was right up my alley.

I will be reading this one again. 

Title: Wedding Belles: A Novel in Four Parts
Authors: Melanie Jacobson, Jenny Proctor, Becca Wilhite, and Brittany Larsen
Publisher: Four Petal Press
Published: October 2018
ASIN: B07HS2TSKD
Source: We received an e-copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
 
Purchase: Amazon

Book Review: Eubeltic Descent by Nadine C. Keels

Book Description:

Your soul will remember...
As a woman who wasn't born to wealth or privilege, Abigaia has mastered the art of thievery. And she's come to hate it. Not only is she plagued by guilt, but her shadowed upbringing and silent ways cause most of her town to question her sanity.

Yet, Abigaia's eccentric father always taught her to be proud of her heritage. Her ancestry lies across the sea, in a prominent realm she's read about but has never seen.

The man who desires Abigaia's hand in marriage doesn't share her hope of seeing the Eubeltic Realm. But disaster erupts in their path, and Abigaia's dream may have a greater purpose--if that famed domain of her ancestors is now in crucial need of her.

Review:

The story started out a little rough - so many commas - but after awhile I either got used to it or there were less of them. I was able to lose myself in the story, but then about 3/4 of the way through, I realized that there wasn't really a plot. This story reads more like a journal or a history about Abigaia. It wasn't until I finished the book that I realized there was another series before that would probably explain a lot of questions that I had. I also found out that Eubeltic Descent is the first book in a new series. I'm glad for that, but I do wish that there had been more of an actual story in this book. I feel like it took too long to get to the point of the story, and by the time it did, the book ended. I prefer series that can stand alone and don't leave you hanging.

That being said, I will probably read the first series, The Movement of the Crown, as well as any other books that come out in the Eubeltic Realm series. I hope that there is more character development in future stories and I look forward to getting to know Daun and Abigaia much better.

Title: Eubeltic Descent
Author: Nadine C. Keels
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: August 2018
ISBN: 172600872X
Source: I received an e-copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase: Amazon 

Blog Tour: Night at the Opera by Stacy Henrie

Night at the Opera by Stacy Henrie

Book Description:

From USA Today bestselling author Stacy Henrie, comes NIGHT AT THE OPERA, an American Heiress Novel.

NIGHT AT THE OPERA - An American Heiress Book 1 (1908)

When American heiress Gwen Barton aids an injured gentleman in an opera box in London, she shares a kiss with the stranger that changes her life. More determined than ever to be herself, in spite of the limp she’s sustained since childhood, she will marry for love and not a title. She also resolves to learn the identity of the man she helped—and kissed. Surely he can’t be the irritating Avery Winfield, though. But as circumstances continue to throw Gwen and Avery together, she begins to wonder if there is more to this man than she first thought. 

While most of London only knows him as the nephew of a duke, Avery Winfield is actually working for the Secret Service Bureau to ferret out German spies from among the ton. It’s a profession that gives him purpose and a reason to remain a bachelor. But the more he interacts with Gwen Barton, an heiress from America, the more he begins to question his plans and neglected faith. Then he learns Gwen is the young lady from the opera box who helped him. Now his most important mission may have nothing to do with saving Britain from danger and everything to do with risking his heart for the woman he met that night at the opera.

Andrea's Review:

What a beautiful cover! It would definitely catch my attention at a bookstore or library.

Night at the Opera is clean, Christian historical fiction and an enjoyable, quick read. I hadn’t heard about American heiresses traveling to England to find husbands for a title and higher social status. Such a crazy idea, especially given that that wasn’t very long ago.

I really liked that Gwen didn’t care about a title or higher social status. She was trying to be a good daughter, but stayed true to herself instead of going along with a relationship that didn’t have real feelings or meaning. Her disability probably played a big role in her attitude-a good example that our trials can make us stronger.

I liked Avery as well. He also wasn’t caught up in the social desires, which made him more likable. He had a strong loyalty to country and was willing to risk his life for it. It was good to see him grow throughout the novel.

The mystery of the identities at the opera was an entertaining way for our main characters to meet, and the discovery kept things interesting.

Rorie's Review:



I must admit, I laughed at what Gwen did to wake Avery when he passed out. I never in a million years would have thought of doing something like that, especially with a complete stranger. It actually does play an important part in the story, but every time it was brought up, I kind of rolled my eyes.

Other than that, I enjoyed the story. The relationship between Gwen and Avery developed at a believable pace. Their personalities complemented each other, even if neither of them could see it for quite a while.

My heart ached for Gwen when she was searching for a solution to her childhood injury, but I'm actually glad it turned out the way it did, because she was able to come to the realization that she was much more than her injury.

The author keeps the reader guessing about who the bad guy is up until the very end when he was revealed. I thought I knew for sure who it was, but I was wrong.

I enjoyed this story and would read more from this author.

Tour Schedule:

Oct. 15 - Books are Sanity / Heidi Reads

Oct. 16 - Literary Time Out / Why Not? Because I Said So

Oct. 17 - Min Reads and Reviews / The Bibliophile Files

Oct. 18 - Katie’s Clean Book Collection / Getting Your Read On / My Book a Day

Oct. 19 - Singing Librarian Books / Wishful Endings

Follow the Author:

Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Bookbub

Tour Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Title: Night at the Opera
Author: Stacy Henrie
Publisher: Mirror Press
Published: October 2018
ISBN: 1947152394
Source: We received an e-copy from the tour host in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Movie Review: Jane and Emma

Jane and Emma

In Theaters October 12, 2018

Review: 

I am grateful for the opportunity I had to watch Jane and Emma, a new film depicting the relationship Jane Manning had with Emma and Joseph Smith in the 1840s. The main setting of the film is one night; however it has many flashbacks to show the relationship.

Jane was portrayed as a very faithful woman who believed that she and her family should join with the main body of the Church in Nauvoo, Illinois. When they weren't allow on a boat due to the color of their skin, they walked hundreds of miles to reach their goal. They were welcomed into the Smith's home and Jane developed an unlikely friendship with the couple.

This was a very touching movie. I've read quite a few things about the early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but I wasn't familiar with Jane Manning or her relationship with Emma and Joseph. I loved that there was such a strong friendship between the three-that the color of Jane's skin wasn't an obstacle like it was for many during that time in history.

A few scenes where Jane was mistreated really tore at my heart. If you are a crier, make sure to have a tissue handy. Jane's continued faith given her many challenges was very inspiring.

The film is about an hour and a half and is rated PG.

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