Riot Girls: Seven Free Teen Books With Girls Who Don't Need A Hero: A Young Adult SciFi, Fantasy, Dystopian, and Paranormal Box Set Get for FREE on Amazon! Riot Girls: Seven Free Teen Books With Girls Who Don't Need A Hero is a collection of Young Adult Speculative Fiction (Fantasy/SciFi/Dystopian/Paranormal) for readers who like it when a girl can take care of herself. These teens don't sit around waiting for someone to rescue them from their situation, they act! The collection has something for everyone--dystopian societies, trained assassins, strange creatures (faeries, vampires, werewolves, and zombies), super heroes, and witches. What binds our stories together is our heroines--girls who have the inner and outer strength to take care of themselves. Included in the collection:

  xGeneration 1: You Don't Know Me - Genre: SciFi / Superhero - Full Length Novel (95,000 words). Fourteen-year-old Janis Graystone is mostly worried about soccer, school, and keeping her older sister from running her life. But when strange things start happening to her including out-of-body experiences and the sense someone is watching her, she finds herself working with an unlikely but loyal ally to discover the source of the danger she senses around her. Rated PG-14 (Language).

  The Blemished: Blemished #1 - Genre: SciFi / Dystopian - Full Length Novel (85,000 words). Below average and imperfect in a world of stunning clones, Mina Hart is denied an education and a normal life. But when she meets a new friend's mysterious brother, she finds herself willing to share a dangerous secret...

  Xoe: or Vampires, and Werewolves, and Demons, oh my! - Genre: Paranormal - Full Length Novel (50,000 words). Xoe Meyers liked her normal small-town life. But things change fast when the new guy in town turns out to be a werewolf who goes after her best friend in a big way. Determined to save her friend, she finds herself allied with creatures she never knew existed in a battle that threatens all their lives. Rated PG-13 (Language).

  Magic Unbound: Book One in the Fae Unbound Series - Genre: Contemporary Urban Fantasy - Full Length Novel (45,000 words). Not-quite-sixteen year old Lizbet Moore expects a boring last month of summer vacation. What she wasn't expecting was a fifteen-hundred-year old fae hiding in her back garden. Murderous monks, memories of her past lives, and the race to save the fae from destruction change her summer in ways she could never have imagined.

  Avoidables: Book 1 - Genre: Fantasy / Dystopian - Serialized Novella-length Fiction (25,000 words). Hope is an Avoidable in a world that belongs to the Perfects. She was born with only one arm, but when she discovers that her disability is actually a gift, she joins a group of rebels who are determined to change the rules of her society. Rated PG-14 (Language, Mature Situations).

  Chronicles of Steel: Raven 1: Episode 1 - Genre: Fantasy / Steampunk - Short Serialized Novelette (17,300 words). Raven was trained by her father to be a Reaper. Just as she's saved enough lives to redeem the ones she's taken, she agrees to take on a last mission that's too important to ignore. Will it force her back into the life she's trying to escape?

  Halloween Magic & Mayhem by Stella Wilkinson - Genre: Paranormal / Comedy Romance - Novelette (15,000 words) . On her sixteenth birthday, Emily Rand discovers she is a powerful witch. Her experiment with a spell accidently turns a ghost back into a boy and reanimates a group of zombies. It will take all of her power to undo what she has done. Rated PG-13 (Language).

  Please note: Riot Girls contains books by authors from both the United States and Great Britain. Spelling, punctuation, and sentence construction can be different from what is correct grammar on the "other side of the pond".



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What does a blogger do when an amazing friend surprises you with a box full of British chocolates? You collect up a kid and do a taste testing for "review" purposes! In this case, Ben was more than willing to help me delve deep into the box and choose two candies to try out. I know that it's a real struggle and trial for him, but he seems to be pretty good natured about it.

Today's choices are the Cadbury's Double Decker bar and the Cadbury's Daim Eggs. Since he's being so good natured about this, I let him choose and I'll reveal his opinions first.

Cadbury Daim Egg (Solid Milk Chocolate Eggs with Caramel Almond Pieces) : 

Ben - This doesn't taste like Hersheys but it's good. I could taste a lot of caramel and the nuts. The chocolate was sweeter than what we usually eat. It might be too sweet for me.

Mom - I agree with Ben. It is certainly more sweet and I was immediately hit with the caramel flavor. However, I never got the almond pieces. Perhaps I was expecting something a bit chunkier when it came to the nuts, though. Overall, it's honestly a piece of candy that I could have one of, enjoy and be good for the rest of the day. It might be great for those trying to cut back on candy consumption!

Cadbury Double Decker Bar (Layers of crispy cereal and nougatine wrapped in delicious Cadbury milk chocolate. )

Ben - I enjoyed this one better than the other one. I liked the crunchiness of the cookie portion. It wasn't as sweet, either. I could eat this for breakfast every day, even if it's not healthy.

Mom - I agree with Ben, again! (Wow, agreeing with a teenager twice in a row has to be a new record of some sort!) This one certainly wasn't anywhere near as sweet as the Daim. Thank goodness! When I tried the nougatine (that so sounds like nicotine in my head), I got a very strong flavor of coffee and even after eating it together, I was left with a coffee aftertaste in my mouth. Oddly enough, while the individual components had good flavor, when combined, it mellowed out into something that wouldn't stick out in my mind.

All in all, British chocolate is in a class all its own and we're looking forward to trying out all of the other flavors in this box!



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A twenty-first-century doctor travels back in time to third-century Carthage to rescue her husband, but the arrival of a deadly epidemic forces her to make an impossible choice in this fast-paced second novel in The Carthage Chronicles series.
Dr. Lisbeth Hastings salvaged two things from her accidental trip to the third century: her mother's stethoscope and her child. Making a life for her daughter Maggie back in the present is difficult, but returning to ancient Carthage is impossible. However, when Lisbeth learns her husband is slated to die a martyr's death, she must find a way around the impossible to save him.
Cyprian Thascius returns from political exile a broken man. He's lost his faith, the love of his life, and his purpose. When Ruth, an old friend, proposes he marry her to restore his position and protect his estate, the disgraced nobleman accepts. But when Cyprian's true love suddenly reappears, his heart becomes as imperiled as the fledgling church.
As Lisbeth and Cyprian reunite to battle a new epidemic and save the oppressed community of Christians, the chasm between the two of them seems too wide to bridge. But when Maggie contracts typhoid, Lisbeth must choose: stay and save the man she loves, or return home and save her daughter?
Filled with gripping action and raw emotion, this incredibly compelling adventure of star-crossed lovers will keep you engrossed with every turn of the page.

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This one is a tough one for me to write. I've spent days trying to decide what to say about this book. I love the ideas in this book...time travel...love...today's medicine being attempted in ancient times...I enjoyed the writing and the historic details and imagery were wonderful. It was the story that I struggled with and in the end, put the book down and said I'll get back to finishing this eventually. I don't want to give you any sort of spoilers, so I'm just going to say that the way one character handled herself really bothered me along with the lack of dealing with the issues this caused. In fact, the author chose to "fix it" by not fixing it. I know this is vague, but I really don't want to spoil the book for anyone who wishes to read it.



I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review.  All thoughts, comments, and opinions are my own.

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Desperate to find her place in the world, Sara Beth dreams of applying for the Miss Wrangler Montana competition that tours with the rodeo circuit.
Riding horses has become her anchor until a near fatal accident takes more from her than she’d ever willingly sacrifice.
Determined to prove his business training, Johnny seeks out the Rourke family to call in an old favor. When he embroils himself in Sara Beth’s life, he has to prove they’re nothing more than friends.
Seeking independence, both Sara Beth and Johnny lean on each other more and more, until love threatens their friendship. Will they seek out each other or be confused by their dreams?
Can either of them leave their past and embrace their future?

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Have you ever found an author that you're pretty sure can do no wrong? Bonnie R. Paulson might just be one of those authors for me. No matter which of her books I pick up, I find myself reading way too late into the night. Then, I find myself groggily attempting to be functional the next day with negative amounts of regret. With this book, it picks right up where Romancing Redemption leaves off, so make sure that you pick that one up first and give it a read! Then, dive right into this one and then right into the third book in the series. Trust me, if you love romance with well developed characters that just continue to grow, you're going to love this entire series.



I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments, and opinions are my own.

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Twelve-year-old Alyssa McCarthy can no longer stand the toughness of her uncle and wants a better life. But one day she discovers not only the existence of magic, but also a villain hunting her down. The villain uses magic and magical technology to kidnap Alyssa to the Fiji Islands. As much as she wants to go home, she has to face some dangerous challenges first. Not only that, the villain himself must also be defeated. Can Alyssa succeed, even with the help of her mentors?





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Every once in a while, a young adult book crosses my desk and I get excited. I have two teen boys who I would love to get reading more so I consider it an opportunity to find them something they might love. This book, however, isn't it. The book starts out well, but just doesn't hold up. I found the characters to be flat and some of the situations/responses to be odd. For example, Alyssa meets these two people who are suddenly her mentors and she's just like, "oh, okay..." I don't know a single child who would have that sort of response. The parents have the same sort of reaction after finding their children were missing because they were kidnapped. It just doesn't work. There is also a scene where Alyssa and her friends are sitting around trying to figure out how to kill another character. I found this rather disturbing. Also, more than once, I read a section and thought, "Harry Potter."  That's not good. It's fine to take ideas and make them your own but when a reader blatantly can place the reference, it means the author hasn't really made the idea their own.

On a positive note, I do think that the story has a lot of potential. This is the first in a series so it is possible that the characters will round out and the story, while fantasy, will become more plausible.




I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review.  All thoughts, comments, and opinions are my own.
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Get ready for Valentine's Day with a new story of romance and falling in love in Kathryn Springer's The Dandelion Field. The handsome firefighter makes a living “coming to the rescue,” but Gin is used to fighting her own battles. Can a woman who doesn't believe in happy endings take a chance on a new beginning? 

Celebrate a second chance at love and family with Kathryn by entering her Kindle Fire giveaway!


One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• The Dandelion Field

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on February 15th. Winner will be announced February 16th on the Litfuse blog.

 
{NOT ON FACEBOOK? ENTER HERE.}
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This handsome firefighter makes a living coming to the rescue, but Gin doesn't need a man to fight her battles.

After Raine s dad walked out, Ginevieve Lightly never lived in one place too long, a rambling lifestyle that defined her daughter s youth. When their car dies in Banister Falls, Wisconsin, Gin promises Raine they can stay until she finishes her senior year of high school. Gin will do anything to make sure her daughter has a bright future . . . a future that s compromised when Raine reveals she s pregnant.

Dan Moretti has only ever called Banister Falls home. After losing his best friend in a tragic accident, Dan devoted himself to responding to fires, rescuing the helpless, and guiding Cody Bennett, his best friend's son, through life. With Cody being the epitome of the good kid, it was an easy job. Until he says four little words: The baby is mine.

Knowing gossip of Raine's pregnancy will erupt sooner or later in the small town, Gin's reflex is to grab the suitcase and escape to a new city, a new life. But with each passing day, Gin's feet stay rooted in Banister Falls, and she falls a little more for this local firefighter who shows her not all men abandon women at the first sign of smoke.

As Gin and Dan do the best they can to guide the two teenagers through their early entry into adulthood, they discover together that romance can bloom in the rockiest of situations. And God can turn the pieces of a broken past into a beautiful new beginning.

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Romance is always a weakness for me, no matter if it's real life or in a book. This book was a solid source of reality, romance, being caught between people and just trying to survive. The characters were not only solid, but they were real. They had real emotions and real reactions. As a parent, I read the parent/child interactions and wondered what my own relationship with my boys will be like in a few years. As a single mom who has been in a few bad places, I understood Gin's desire to grab a suitcase and run. As a person who has been there for others and somehow wound up in between people, I understood Dan's plight. I think everyone can find some part of a character and relate to it. The dialogue was wonderfully written and the story moved along at a pace that didn't feel rushed and it didn't drag. Overall, a wonderful book of courage, hope and love.




I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments, and opinions are my own.
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We live in a culture obsessed with celebrity. When we're not trying to make a name for ourselves, we're following the big names on Twitter, liking them on Facebook, and taking selfies with them if we are lucky enough to run into them in real life. We love winners and we want to be winners. But take it from a man who knows more famous people than most of us will ever meet--it's not who you know that's important, it's who you are inside.
With short, story-driven readings, Pat Williams draws from over fifty years of brushing shoulders with the greats, offering readers motivation to do their best, be themselves, and continually strive to be the people God made them to be. He shows that being a "winner" is more about character, attitudes, values, and faith than it is about coming out on top. Stories from legendary sports figures, leaders, and fascinating people from all walks of life help readers develop true character that speaks for itself.

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Have you ever really needed a book that you could put down at anytime and you knew it'd be right there waiting for you when you got back, sort of like an old friend? If this makes any sense to you, this is that book. Filled with short narratives from every type of celebrity imaginable, you can read one or you can read ten and when you come back, there is more waiting. This is one of those books that you're going to get from it what you put into it. It can be read casually and you'll just enjoy the stories. It can be read with some depth and you're going to take away a life lesson from each and every one. The author doesn't always tell you what the lesson is, but it is always there. For me, this came at just the right time and it's going into my "life lessons to access" bin of books that sits on top of my dresser. Few make it in but this one won't be going anywhere.



I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review.  All thoughts, comments, and opinions are my own.

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