TROUBLE BY ANY OTHER NAME

Hey all. I’m proudly participating in a cover reveal for fellow blogger Lori L. MacLaughlin’s new book, Trouble By Any Other Name. It’s been a while since I’ve posted any, and this book looks like it’s right up my alley.

 

BLURB:

Tara Triannon is no stranger to trouble. She’s yet to find an enemy her skill with a sword couldn’t dispatch. But how can she fight one that attacks through her dreams?

With her nightmares worsening, Tara seeks answers but finds only more questions. Then her sister, Laraina, reveals a stunning secret that forces Tara to go to the one place Tara’s sworn never to return to. Her troubles multiply when Jovan Trevillion, the secretive soldier of fortune who stole her heart, is mentally tortured by an ancient Being intent on bending him to its will. And worst of all, the Butcher — the terrifying wolf-like assassin she thought she’d killed — survived their duel and is hunting her again.

Hounded by enemies, Tara sets out on a harrowing quest to discover the true nature of who she is, to come to grips with the new volatility of her magic, and to defeat the evil locked in a centuries-old trap that will stop at nothing to control her magic and escape through her nightmares.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lori L. MacLaughlin traces her love of fantasy adventure to Tolkien and Terry Brooks, finding The Lord of the Rings and The Sword of Shannara particularly inspirational. She’s been writing stories in her head since she was old enough to run wild through the forests on the farm on which she grew up.

She has been many things over the years – tree climber, dairy farmer, clothing salesperson, kids’ shoe fitter, retail manager, medical transcriptionist, journalist, private pilot, traveler, wife and mother, Red Sox and New York Giants fan, muscle car enthusiast and NASCAR fan, and a lover of all things Scottish and Irish.

When she’s not writing (or working), she can be found curled up somewhere dreaming up more story ideas, taking long walks in the countryside, or spending time with her kids. She lives with her family in northern Vermont.

You can find her here:

http://lorilmaclaughlin.com

https://www.goodreads.com/LoriLMacLaughlin

https://www.facebook.com/LoriLMacLaughlin

https://www.pinterest.com/lorimaclaughlin/

Twitter: @LLMacL

 

 

Express Yourself – OUT OF THE NORM SKILL

Hello bloggers! It’s time for Express Yourself, the weekly blog hop that posts different topics and updates monthly. 

Click on the Link to Join!

Jackie Felger from Bouquet of Books and Dani Bertrand from Entertaining Interests founded this great blog hop that has a great group of people with weekly topics that change every month. They also have a site they co-author together:  Cover Girls.

This topic for this week (June 22-26) is: If you could learn any out of the norm skill, what would it be?

Answer:  Fencing/Swordplay.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.   This image is (c) Disney.

Surprised ya, didn’t I? Always had an interest, but never followed through.  Must be the Captain Jack Sparrow in me. Okay, I know…don’t care. Yeah, I’m a Pirates of the Caribbean fan. What can I say, I’m young at heart.

Wonder if it’s too late to start learning… 😀 Can you imagine the chaos I’d cause? Haha!  :p

 What’s the skill you wish you had? Any possibility you might still pursue it? Until next time!

 

 

 

Book Review: Prodigy of Rainbow Tower

I hope all of my blogger friends are doing well today, and I hope that my first posted review has been helpful for some of you. If it was, I’ve also posted it on Amazon and Goodreads. A like would be appreciated on either of those sites.

I’m going to be adding regular book reviews to my blog. In honor of the upcoming début of Book Four of the Legends of Windemere Series, I am going to try posting my reviews of the first three books in the Series prior to it. This may or may not happen.  But for now, it’s time to post my review of the second book:

Legends of Windemere: Prodigy of Rainbow Tower.  ****1/2 Stars

I waited none too patiently for this book to come out after having read Beginning of a Hero last summer. I have to admit, it was worth the wait. Luke and the others have graduated the Academy and Luke is given the task of escorting the Royal to God’s Voice. Luke brings three other escorts/adventurers with him, per the Duke’s orders (not including Fizzle). Of course, Luke chooses his trusted crew: Fritz, Aedyn and Nimby.

However, they must first stop at Rainbow Tower in Gaia to pick up the fourth escort required by Duke Solomon. Nyx, the star apprentice of casters Cyril and Willow, is that ‘escort’, but they don’t find that out until after their disastrous first meeting where Nyx presents Luke and Fritz her impatient, impolite, rude, hard-headed, arrogant, and quick to cast fire spells side. Luke is none too happy. Nyx is also outraged, because she doesn’t want to leave the only place she knows to be home. They grudgingly agree to try getting along, since neither one had any choice in the matter.

Early on, they form a bond, almost like brother and sister, and fight like it too! There is adventure after adventure, with Luke and Nyx fighting side by side, becoming a formidable team. Even the Lich, and the Hellfire Elf are given back-up, in the form of the Queen of the Chaos Elves, Trinity; and ooh, how I love to hate her! During an especially dangerous battle at Hero’s Gate, a spell was cast with devastating results. Can there still be victory?

There is little I can say negatively about this book, because I’ve grown to care for these characters so much. If anything, the only thing that pulls me out of the story briefly is the occasional overuse of adverbs. Other than that, I love this Series.

There is plenty of drama and action; everyone has a battle or crisis at some point in the story. The adventure, betrayal, loss, and grief throughout this installment makes it a must read for any upper MG or YA.

Four and a half STARS from me.