Review, Guest Post, & Giveaway: Crack the Stone by Emily Golus

About the Book

Book: Crack the Stone

Author: Emily Golus

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: September 22, 2023

I am Valshara, the black stone born of fire. Break me, and my edges turn into knives.

Condemned to a slave camp for her crimes, goblin convict Valshara Sh’a makes a death-defying escape to freedom. But navigating Vindor’s treacherous cavern system is only the beginning of her troubles. An encounter with a rogue king turns her world upside down, and a bargain with fairy tricksters leaves her with a human child she doesn’t know how to care for.

As she tries to smuggle the boy through the walls of a barricaded city, Valshara can’t let down her guard. Because somewhere in the darkness behind her, a bounty hunter rises—relentless as nightfall and merciless as death itself.

Emily Golus re-imagines Victor Hugo’s beloved Les Misérables as an epic fantasy adventure about suffering, redemption, and the extraordinary power of love.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

My Thoughts:

Wow, what an awesome story! I’m not a big fantasy fan, but when I saw that this book is a reimagining of Les Miserables I knew I HAD to read it! The author did a fantastic job retelling this classic, while also making it very much its own original story with some twists and turns I was not expecting! 
When I started this book I wasn’t sure what I’d think of it, but I was immediately drawn into the story of Valshara the goblin and couldn’t stop reading because I had to know what would happen next! 

Kozi was absolutely adorable! He brought so much joy to this story and I just loved him to pieces! 
I loved how fast-paced this story is, the pages flew and the story never lagged! 
Emily Golus is a new-to-me-author, but I loved her writing style and will definitely be checking out more of her books! 
I really enjoyed Crack the Stone and highly recommend it! 
If you love fantasy books with some magic and fantastical creatures you will love this book! 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and publisher.

My review was not influenced in any way. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

About the Author

Emily Golus is an award-winning fantasy author with nearly 20 years of professional writing experience. Golus aims to engage, inspire, and show how small acts of courage and love create meaningful change. Her books feature diverse cultures, authentic characters, and cinematic fantasy settings.

Her first novel, Escape to Vindor, won the 2018 Selah Award for Young Adult Fiction, and a spin-off novel, Crack the Stone, won the 2024 Kudos Award for Fiction. Golus lives in Greenville, S.C., with her husband, Mike, who is her greatest supporter. They have two active little boys and enjoy hiking, making Thai food, and exploring small towns in the Carolinas.

 

More from Emily

Crack the Stone is a fantasy re-spinning of Victor Hugo’s redemptive masterpiece, Les Misérables. I’ve taken the major themes and characters of the original novel and recast them within the fantastical world of Vindor. The heart of the story is the same—a stone-hearted convict on the run from the law finds unexpected redemption—but there are new twists and turns along the way.

The Jean Valjean character—now a fierce goblin warrior named Valshara Sh’a—finds herself fleeing through treacherous caverns, an ensnaring forest, and a West African-inspired city under siege. Her pursuer, an expert bounty hunter who has never failed to catch his quarry, is dead-set on returning her to slavery.

Complicating everything is the human boy Valshara rescues from a fairy ring. The precocious and chaotic child not only jeopardizes the goblin’s escape, but starts to melt her obsidian heart.

Crack the Stone focuses primarily on Hugo’s themes of scandalous redemption, legalism, and the transforming love between a mother and child. Other elements of the novel—lovesick Éponine, the red revolution flag, the barricade, the Elephant of the Bastille—have been remixed in unexpected ways to support the redemption arc.

If you’re a fan of the book (or the musical!) you’ll enjoy the fun Les Mis “Easter eggs” throughout. But even if you’re not familiar with the original, you can still get swept up in Crack the Stone’s epic story of suffering, love, and light in the darkest places.

Blog Stops

The Lofty Pages, September 21

Vicky Sluiter, September 22 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, September 23

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, September 24 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 25

For the Love of Literature, September 26 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, September 26

Tell Tale Book Reviews, September 27 (Author Interview)

Through the Fire Blogs, September 28 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, September 29

Guild Master, September 30 (Author Interview)

A Reader’s Brain, October 1 (Author Interview)

Back Porch Reads, October 2 (Author Interview)

Just Your Average reviews, October 3

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, October 4 (Author Interview)

Denise L. Barela, October 4

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Emily is giving away the grand prize of a paperback copy of Crack the Stone, an obsidian arrowhead pendant, two Vindor stickers, a Vindor mini-map, a Vindor bookmark, and a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5447

Review, Guest Post, and Giveaway: The Garden Girls by Jessica R. Patch

 

About the Book

Book: The Garden Girls

Author: Jessica R. Patch

Genre: Thriller

Release date: April 23, 2024

On a remote Outer Banks island, a serial killer collects his prized specimens. And to stop him, an FBI agent must confront his own twisted past.

FBI agent Tiberius Granger has seen his share of darkness. But a new case sets him on edge. It’s not just the macabre way both victims—found posed in front of lighthouses—are tattooed with flowers that match their names. There’s also the unsettling connection to the woman Ty once loved and to the shadowy cult they both risked everything to escape.

Bexley Hemmingway’s sister has gone missing, and she’ll do anything to find her—including teaming up with Ty. That may prove a mistake, and not just because Ty doesn’t know he’s the father of her teenaged son. It seems the killer is taunting Ty, drawing everyone close to him into deeper danger.

As the slashing winds and rain of a deadly hurricane approach the coast of North Carolina, the search leads Ty and Bex to an island that hides a grisly secret. But in his quest for the truth, Ty has ignored the fact that this time, he’s not just the hunter. Every move has been orchestrated by a killer into a perfect storm of terror, and they will need all their skills to survive…

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

My Thoughts:

Wowzers! What a wild roller coaster ride! This was my first book by Jessica R. Patch and it most definitely will not be my last! This author is immensely talented and she completely sucked me into the story on page one and did not release me until I reached the end! 

I find the concept of the FBI Strange Crimes Unit absolutely fascinating (they are called in to solve crimes with religious undertones) 

Even though I haven’t read the two previous books, so I didn’t already know Ty, as soon as I met him my heart went out to this broken man who so desperately needed a come to Jesus moment. No spoilers but this book did not disappoint in that regard and it was a joy to watch Ty come to faith in Jesus Christ! 

Bexley was an awesome heroine and I am blown away by her bravery and determination! 

I love me a good second chance romance and this one was great, though if I’m being honest I would have loved a few more kisses between them, but that’s just personal preference. 

This book is INTENSE with a capital I! The crimes were heart-wrenching and the villain absolutely made my skin crawl! If you like Criminal Minds I think you’ll love this book. There are no on-page murders but if you’re a sensitive reader who prefers not to read the POV of a serial killer this may not be the book for you. 

I highly recommend The Garden Girls by Jessica R. Patch and I cannot wait to read more of her books! 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and publisher.

My review was not influenced in any way. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

About the Author

Jessica R. Patch is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author known for her dry wit, signatures twists, and complex characters. She loves reading true crime books, discussing cold cases over chips and salsa with her girlfriends, and hunting down serial killers in her romantic suspense novels and psychological thrillers.

Jessica loves to encourage and inspire people to forward living devotionals through her monthly email newsletter. You’re invited to join the Patched In community at her website: www.jessicarpatch.com and receive a FREE short thriller, Nobody Has to Know.

She resides in the Memphis area with her husband and her spoiled tri-color Shetland Sheepdog since becoming empty nesters. Jessica is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Management.

More from Jessica

Does Dark Subject Matter Belong in Inspirational Thrillers?

Spoil alert! Yes.

I am often asked why I write thrillers with darker subject matter and should I? My answer is easy and it’s biblical.

In the Bible, you’ll find all sorts of twisted, dark subject matter. Simply read the book of Judges. God didn’t sanitize the Bible or the people, which include sexual immorality, murder, gruesome violence against women and even cannibalism and child sacrifice (you won’t find child sacrifice in my books, so rest assured). He didn’t approve of these things nor did He condone them, but He also didn’t edit it out for easy reading pleasure. It was important to reveal the dark human condition and what happens apart from God; many heinous things were perpetrated by God’s people as they edged away from their faith into disobedience.

Reading this darker subject matter is hopeful because it reminds us of who we, too, can become apart from God actively in our lives and that God can still accomplish His redemptive purposes in the midst of that darkness. Light shines and is a beacon of hope. Of salvation.

So I don’t shy away from the underbelly of humanity whether it’s through an unbeliever or a believer who has run off the rails and needs brought to repentance and restoration. Light always shines in my books—God rescues, redeems, reconciles and redirects. I’m willing to go there in my stories because I know that it doesn’t stay dark. It doesn’t stay hopeless because we are never without hope.

In The Garden Girls, I wanted to explore that darkness but not with pointy horns and pitchforks. I think we all run from blatant evil that isn’t hiding or masking itself. But what about when evil masquerades as an angel of light? What about when it’s charming, smells good, offers pleasure, and seems harmless? Like a shiny lure that is attractive but when bitten, hooks and binds the unsuspecting victim. Biblical principles and truths weave through the story and in at the heart, it’s a redemptive story. One that takes hurricane force to bring a man to Truth, and choice to bow his heart and yield to sacrificial love.

Blog Stops

Book Looks by Lisa, September 5

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, September 6

Inspired by Fiction, September 7

Stories By Gina, September 8 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 8

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, September 9

Texas Book-aholic, September 10

Locks, Hooks and Books, September 11

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 12

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 13

Simple Harvest Reads, September 14 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)

Blogging With Carol , September 15

For Him and My Family, September 16

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, September 16

Holly’s Book Corner, September 17

Just Your Average reviews, September 18

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jessica is giving away the grand prize package of a paperback copy of Her Darkest Secret, a paperback copy of A Cry in the Dark and a $35 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5432

Review: Darkness Calls the Tiger by Janyre Tromp

 

If you’re looking for a book to take you on an enthralling and powerful journey, then you need to check out Darkness Calls the Tiger! Janyre Tromp is an exceptionally talented writer and she pulls the reader right into WWII Burma alongside Kailyn and Ryan! 

If you’re a history nerd like me you’ll love learning about the forgotten and lesser known parts of history featured in this book. 

This powerful and incredibly moving story of forgiveness, trust, and hope is certain to become a favorite for fans of sweeping historical fiction. 

I received a complimentary ebook copy of this book from the author and publisher!

My review was not influenced in any way. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own

An Uncertain Road by Abbey Downey: Review, Guest Post, and Giveaway!

 

About the Book

 

Book: An Uncertain Road

Author: Abbey Downey

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: February 27, 2024

A female auto racer, and mechanic determined to walk away from the sport, and the race of a lifetime… 

 
When young widow Flora Montfort returns to America, she’s determined to use her training in auto racing to support herself and her French mother-in-law—even if female drivers are rare in 1905. So when the owner of a successful sporting goods store hires her to drive in the Glidden Tour, a ten-day race through New England, she jumps at the opportunity. 

  

Jensen Gable must be convinced that joining the team as the ride-along mechanic is worth the risk. After losing his best friend in a tragic racing accident, Jensen has vowed never to participate in the sport again. But his promise to protect that friend’s younger brother, also on the tour, is the only thing that outweighs his fear of the dangers. 

 

As they race through New England, Flora and Jensen find common ground that ignites their interest in each other, but doubts and old enemies come between them. Hazardous road conditions, meddling locals, and competitors who’ll stop at nothing to win—they all conspire to prevent Flora and Jensen from reaching the finish line. As the race of a lifetime heats up, one question rises above all others…can their love find the road that leads to forever?

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

My Review:

What an absolutely lovely story that swept me away to 1905! This delightful book is so unique and unlike anything I’ve ever read before, and I love that so much! Not only is this book set during my favorite time period, but as a lifelong Vermonter, even though my state isn’t visited by the characters it was so fun to see my region: New England featured in a book! The history nerd in me also loved learning about the history of the Glidden Tour, something I’d never heard of before this book! Flora was fantastic and I was rooting for her from beginning to end! I also loved Jensen and their sweet romance! An Uncertain Road is an absolutely fabulous debut novel from a talented author! I highly recommend this one, and am so looking forward to the next book in the series. Don’t miss this wonderful historical road-trip romance!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and publisher! 

(5 Stars!)

My review was not influenced in any way. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own

About the Author

Abbey Downey started writing inspirational romance stories during naptime when her kids were babies and found she couldn’t stop. She previously published two books with Love Inspired Historical under the pen name Mollie Campbell. She also works with Spark Flash Fiction producing a quarterly digital magazine that contains love stories under 1000 words.

A life-long Midwestern girl, Abbey lives in central Indiana with her husband, two kids, and one rather enthusiastic beagle. She loves watching her kids play sports and fixing up a 1900 farmhouse with her husband.

 

 

More from Abbey

It started as a deep dive into the history of women in sports.

While we don’t immediately think of women when we consider the origins of sports and exploration, time and again my research revealed stand-out women participating in the early days of every sport and making history in adventurous endeavors. Females were later barred from these activities by a culture that saw them as fragile, but for those first years, the women who were tenacious enough to try succeeded right alongside the men.

So I set out to bring to life heroines that shined in some of my favorite historical sports and activities. In An Uncertain Road, the heroine, Flora Montfort, was inspired by real-life female race car driver Joan Newton Cuneo. In the early 1900s, Joan was a strong advocate for road safety and women learning to drive. She fought hard for her right to race, just like Flora does.

Jensen Gable is the reluctant ride-along mechanic for Flora’s racing team. He wants to protect those he cares about, even if that leads him to make some wrong choices in the name of their safety. He’s a little grumpy and a lot wounded, but Flora’s presence in his life helps him learn to heal—and smile again.

One of many things I love about writing historical novels is weaving in delightful tidbits that come up in my research. In An Uncertain Road, a fascinating historical detail is before the Glidden Tour begins, when the group visits Coney Island for a day. There’s some fun flirting—over a piece of green cheese in a moon-themed amusement ride.

I also enjoyed getting to research and use real historic locations in this story. My favorite place the team visits is the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, where the 1905 Glidden Tour stopped for a mid-tour break. It’s still in use today and is stunning, surrounded by mountains and beautifully restored.

But I’d have to say my favorite moment in the book is a nod to my favorite TV show. Yes, I worked a reference to The Office into a historical novel. Let me know if you find it!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy Flora and Jensen’s story!

Blog Stops

Book Looks by Lisa, March 27

Pause for Tales, March 27

Life on Chickadee Lane, March 28

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 29

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, March 30 (Author Interview)

Devote To Hope, March 30

Texas Book-aholic, March 31

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 1

She Lives to Read, April 2

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 3

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 4

Simple Harvest Reads, April 5 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Inspired by Fiction, April 5

For Him and My Family, April 6

Cover Lover Book Review, April 7

Holly’s Book Corner, April 8

Just Your Average reviews, April 9

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Abbey is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2aa72/an-uncertain-road-celebration-tour-giveaway

Review: Betrothal or Breakaway by Leah Brunner

  🏒  ℍ𝕆𝕋 ℕ𝔼𝕎 ℝ𝔼𝕃𝔼𝔸𝕊𝔼 🏒

𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲, D.C. Eagles Hockey Book 3, by Leah Brunner is now LIVE! Don't miss best friends to lovers, marriage of convenience sports romance!

#ONECLICK TODAY! FREE IN KU!

➜ https://books2read.com/Betrothal-or-Breakaway

 

Read Desire or Defense, Book One

➜ https://books2read.com/DesireOrDefense

What to expect: 

✔️ Best friends to lovers 

✔️ Neurodivergent Hero  

✔️ Single mom 

✔️ Marriage of convenience 

✔️ Forced proximity

✔️ Sick bed scene 

✔️ “My wife”

✔️ Fade to Black

BLURB

My best friend—and unrequited love—has a hole in her heart. Literally and figuratively.

First, Amber’s fiancé left her when she told him she was pregnant, and then her daughter's birth left her with complications from a heart defect she didn’t realize she had.

I’m devastated.

Of course I offer to pay for her surgery, but Amber (stubborn woman that she is) insists on wanting to pay me back, which I don't understand. As captain of an NHL team, I have plenty of spare cash, and I’m more than happy to help. I want to help.

So I come up with a plan.

I’ll marry Amber, my health insurance will cover her surgery, I’ll help with the baby, and the gold band on my finger will get my parents—who seem to think I'm incapable of love—off my back.

It's a win-win for both of us.

Two years of platonically wedded bliss before we amicably go our separate ways, and remain best friends, as always.

Only, how am I supposed to let Amber go when I’m not only in love with her, but also with her baby girl… who now feels like my own.

And I might have to let her go sooner than I ever wanted to.

(This is a dual POV, fade-to-black romance, and can be read as a standalone. This book contains broken engagement and minor heart surgery.)

 Add to your TBR: https://bit.ly/BOB-GR

My Review:

*swoons into a puddle* Ford Remington has been my favorite D.C. Eagle since I first met him in Passion or Penalty, and to say I have been eagerly anticipating his story would be putting it mildly! And oh my stars Betrothal or Breakaway exceeded all my sky-high expectations! I seriously don’t have words to say just how much I loved this book! Be still my heart! Is it possible to die of swooning?!

Ford is THE BEST AND MOST TENDER HERO OF ALL TIME! Don’t get me wrong, I do love a good alpha hero, but give me a gentle, tender, steadfast, and selfless hero and I am A GONER! Ford seriously melted my heart into a puddle from page one until the end and I just absolutely and completely adore him! The tender way he treats Amber and Nella, sigh, where’s my fainting couch! This man deserves all the heart-eye emojis!

I also loved Amber, she’s a wonderful and inspiring heroine, my heart ached for her and I kept wishing I could reach through the pages and give the poor girl a hug! 

Ford and Amber constantly remind each other how much they matter, and I couldn’t love this more! What a beautiful thing: a lifetime of lovingly and often wordlessly answering “I do!” to the question  “does anyone see me?” 

I loved how perfectly their personalities complement each other and how they make each other stronger than they could ever be on their own! 

And Nella was adorable! 

I seriously didn’t think I could love the D.C. Eagles more, but seeing the guys caring for a baby? Gah, cuteness overload! 

Friends-to-lovers is my all time favorite trope and this book is the perfect example of exactly why I love it so much! I’ve gotta be honest, I’m not always the biggest marriage-of-convenience fan, especially in a contemporary story, but this one was so brilliantly written that I was totally sold and it made me fall in love with the trope!

This book is absolute perfection and I will never stop smiling when I think about this story!

You need this brilliant masterpiece in your life!

This story brought me such joy, and reading it was pure bliss! Betrothal or Breakaway is my new favorite by Leah Brunner, and one of my favorite reads of 2024! 

I most highly recommend this one and cannot wait to read Bruce’s story! 

(5 Stars!)

I received a complimentary ebook copy of this book from the author and publisher!

My review was not influenced in any way. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own

ABOUT LEAH BRUNNER:

Leah Brunner is an Amazon top 50 best selling author of fun and flirty romance! 

She loves writing explosive chemistry and realistic, relatable characters who will make you laugh (and possibly cry). When she's not writing, she can also be found petting her Maine Coon cat, or watching funny cat videos with her kids. Although she's a Kansas girl at heart, Leah is a proud Air Force spouse and currently lives in Ohio with her husband and three children.

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