New Release - Amazon Burning by Victoria Griffin

 

 

Aspiring Journalist Swept Into High Profile

Environmental Murder Mystery in the Amazon

 

 

“Victoria Griffith’s debut novel is a triumph! Amazon Burning is a spellbinding tale of love, intrigue, and murder set in the imperiled Amazon rainforest. A young woman’s coming of age story is deftly woven into this vast ecological conflict, as indigenous tribes struggle to defend their land against the loggers, ranchers, and miners who are destroying it. A nonstop thrill ride that will leave you wanting more.”

 

--Courtney Farrell, Author of Enhanced

 

 

Astor + Blue Editions is proud to present, Amazon Burning [ISBN: 978-1- 938231-94-0 (paperback); New Adult/ Romance/ Fiction; US $12.95; 338 pages; Pub Date: October, 2014 (paperback)], a debut Young Adult novel by Victoria Griffith.  In this page- turner, Griffith weaves a suspense- action thriller centered on coming of age in a tangled web of romance, mystery, and chaos in the Amazon jungle.

 

When 22-year-old aspiring journalist, Emma Cohen, is forced to flee the comforts of her NYU student life, she maneuvers an internship from her father at his newspaper in Rio de Janeiro.  There, Emma is immediately swept into a major news story--and a life-threatening situation--when a famous jungle environmentalist, Milton Silva, is mysteriously murdered.

 

Emma must now enter the Amazon rainforest with her father to investigate; both awed by the enormity and beauty of the Amazon, and appalled by its reckless destruction.  Not only will Emma have to brave the primal world of the Amazon, she must fight to survive the kidnappers, villains, corrupt activists, and indigenous tribes that lay in wait along the ever-twisting trail of the murder case.  Stretched to the brink, it’s up to Emma, her father and the dreamy news photographer, Jimmy, to unravel the mystery and live to tell the tale.

 

Amazon Burning by Victoria Griffith is a spectacular debut Young Adult novel.  Griffith’s powerful rendering of the Amazon rainforest forms the perfect, wildly exotic backdrop for this extraordinary tale of a young urban woman coming of age in the midst of intense conflict.

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Amazon: http://ow.ly/EtBon

Barnes and Noble: http://ow.ly/EtBHL

Publishing Company: http://ow.ly/EtCil

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

 

 

Victoria Griffith is the author of the award winning non-fiction picture book The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont (Abrams, 2011), which won numerous awards, including the prestigious Parents’ Choice. The book was recently translated into Portuguese for the Brazilian market and was also released in audio book version.

Before becoming a full-time author, Victoria spent twenty years as an international journalist, fifteen of those years as foreign correspondent for the UK’s Financial Times. During that time, she had fun writing on a wide range of topics, including Brazil’s Yanomami Indians, architecture, space exploration, the human genome, and the growth of the Internet. She even managed to fit in some children’s book reviews. Her most terrifying assignment was preparing lunch for Julia Child, who praised the Brazilian fish stew but refused to touch the blackberry dessert. Victoria lives in Boston with her husband and three daughters.

http://www.victoriagriffith.com/

Review - Rise Headless and Ride (Book 1 of the Jason Crane Series) by Richard Gleaves

Book Blurb:

NOTE: This E-Book edition INCLUDES "THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW" by Washington Irving (full text)!

JASON CRANE just turned seventeen years old.

He's a STAR WARS fan and a history geek. He doesn't believe in ghosts or the afterlife. He doesn't believe in psychic powers or tarot cards. He doesn't believe in the Headless Horseman.

But Sleepy Hollow will change all that. Because Jason Crane has a heritage to claim. Jason Crane has a Gift to discover. And Jason Crane has an old enemy who will RISE HEADLESS AND RIDE

Review

From beginning to end, this first book in the Jason Crane series will keep you captivated.  Using the tale of the Headless Horseman as the framework for the story, Richard Gleaves has woven history into a throughly modern tale of suspense, mystery and drama.  While the book is considered YA, this is one story that can be enjoyed by the young adult and the not so young adult as well.  The story moves at a pretty good pace and I hated to see the end of it.  The author has a clear art for bringing the reader into the story with clear descriptions of the locale and all the activities taking place.  In my mind, I could actually SEE what he described and the intensity of the action made it hard to put this down.  I can't wait until October for Book Two!  If it's as good as Book One, it'll be worth the impatient wait!

New Release - Lost in Starlight by Sherry Soule

Book Blurb:

High school is tough. Romance with a sexy alien—even tougher.

Star reporter Sloane Masterson knows she has one helluva story when she witnesses hottie Hayden Lancaster bending forks with his mind.

Like any good journalist, Sloane sets out to uncover the truth, even if it includes a little stalking. When the superhuman feats start to pile up and the undeniable heat rises between them, Hayden has no choice but to reveal his secret: he’s an alien hybrid.

They’re as different as night and day—she’s a curvy, purple-haired, horror junkie and he’s a smoking hot, antisocial, brainiac—yet the intense fascination between them refuses to go away. Even at Hayden’s insistence that dating each other is “off limits” and dangerous, their fiery attraction threatens to go supernova.

Now Sloane’s dealing with creepy government agents, über snobby extraterrestrials, and a psycho alien ex-girlfriend out for revenge. After a crash course on the rules of interstellar dating, Sloane must decide if their star-crossed romance is worth risking her own life....

If you are interested in learning more about the new series or purchasing a copy of the book, links have been included for your convenience.

Read an excerpt: http://www.wattpad.com/story/14214838-lost-in-starlight-syfy-romance

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20707942-lost-to-starlight  

Paperback Edition: http://amzn.to/1lUM5Hp

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L89JAB2

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Starlight-Saga-Book-ebook/dp/B00L89JAB2

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/lost-in-starlight

Review - Sunshine by Nikki Rae

 

Sunshine is the story of Sophie, a high school senior with a tough home life.  Her mother is crazy and while she has a protective older brother and two great friends, she is still lonely and angry.  She suffers from a severe allergy to the sun and must stay covered or become seriously ill.  When Miles, a new student comes along, Sophie is reluctant to let him in her life.  After a bad experience with the last guy she was with, Sophie is emotionally scarred and hiding it from everyone.  She and Miles find themselves constantly interacting and soon, he begins to convince her he is not a bad guy.  Her friends think he is a great person and Sophie soon finds herself wanting to know more.  Miles is not all that he seems, however.  He has secrets of his own and those secrets will change Sophie’s world!

This story is was interesting from the beginning.  Sophie could have been written by the author as a tragic character but instead, Nikki Rae gave her an inner strength that we get to see throughout the story.  She was loved by her family and friends but doesn’t share the devastating event that happened to her.  Miles is a welcome addition because he doesn’t force her to open up, he’s just there for her and that begins to break down that wall.  He shows that he does care for her and that helps her to begin healing.

This was a wonderful read and I do look forward to reading Book 2 to see more of Sophie and Miles’ story!

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

More about the author

Goodreads
Twitter
Blog
Author page
The Sunshine Series page
Tumblr (a.k.a. my inspiration board)

 

Where the books are available:

Sunshine on Amazon
Sun Poisoned on Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble

Review: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Title; Ruby Red
Author: Kerstin Gier
Format: Hardcover and EBook

Ruby Red, the first in a trilogy, is a fantastic introduction to the imagination of Kerstin Gier.  While this book is a YA offering, anyone who loves historical novels with some suspense and action thrown in would also love this book.  I can only hope the next two novels are as engaging!

Gwyneth is an ordinary 16 year old girl with an extraordinary family.  Her family has a gene that allows time travel.  Believing all her life that her cousin Charlotte is the "Chosen One", Gwen's life is focused on school, friends and all the other typical teenage things.  A shock comes when it is discovered because of a deception, Gwen is actually the time traveler.  She suddenly finds herself tossed into a world she has little knowledge of and discovers hidden secrets along the way.

Gwen is a great heroine for the story.  Her naivety and natural curiosity help her to embrace her family's gift and along with her best friend, Leslie, she works to uncover some of the untold details. The author did a great job in researching because the historical details are wonderful in this tale.  Gwen's travels back in time are historical accurate and the reader really notices the details of the times she visits. She also faces a chauvinistic secret society who help to monitor the time travelers and Gwen's modern feminist sensibilities are rankled as she begins to see how the men of the society regarded women.

The story was a delightful read.  I'm assuming because it's the first of a trilogy, the ending was rather open ended, setting the reader up for the next book.  I would highly recommend the series for the young reader and for even some older readers.  It's refreshing and I look forward to the others in the series.