Upcoming Local Event: Maple Valley Days! This Weekend

by in Author Thursdays, Free Valley Publishing, Local Authors, Local Events, Maple Valley, Rachel Barnard | 1 Comment

You can find FVP and some great books by local authors at Maple Valley Days near the info booth! This is our fourth year at Maple Valley Days and we have some new books since last year.

http://www.maplevalleydays.com/

Check out our 2016 Maple Valley Days

Check out our 2015 Maple Valley Days

Check out our 2014 Maple Valley Days

LAKE WILDERNESS PARK
23601 224th Ave SE
Maple Valley, WA 98038
 
FESTIVAL HOURS
Friday: 3pm – 8pm – Carnival  stays open until 10.
Saturday: 10am – 8pm
Sunday: 10am – 5pm
 
For more information, visit the official website HERE or visit the new Facebook page HERE

Book Review: Numbers Raging (Numbers Game Saga Book 3) by Rebecca Rode

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Numbers Raging (Numbers Game Saga Book 3) by Rebecca Rode

A YA Dystopian Novel published by Diamond Patch Press (02/19/17)

Summary:

Treena wants to save everyone, including citizens of NORA and the integrants and settlers of the desert. She will have to use all her political prowess to convince her hometown and those abroad to help with her cause. The enemy looms, but nobody will believe that the young teenagers Treena and Vance are telling the truth. It’s much easier to sweep it all under the rug and look the other way.

Keywords:

Futuristic, Water Shortage, Protection, Family, Loyalty, Number System, Ratings, Scores, Technology, Politics, Survival, Strict Society, Dystopian, Friendship, Desert, Travel, War, Weapons, Death

My Review:

The first half of this book was not as exciting as book 2, as it was full of political subterfuge and Treena trying to gain political support from the other Nations. I really enjoyed the Star Wars feel this book had, with the council and the underhanded politics that Treena was subjected to during her stay at the peace council meeting.

As I was reading I couldn’t help but wonder how it would end. There only seemed like two possibilities, but I was pleasantly surprised by the turn the story took. This book expertly wrapped up the series and the final climax was awesome! So much happened!

What would you do to save everything and everyone that you loved?

This novel was published by Diamond Patch Press on 02/19/2017 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Rebecca Rode’s Website

Donuts is live! Purchase Links and Happy National Donut Day

by in For the Love of Donuts, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

HAPPY NATIONAL DONUT DAY!!!

Win a copy of Vanessa’s Book of Awesome Things from Goodreads HERE

 

Purchase Seize the Donut from Amazon HERE

Friendships should never be taken for granted.

The ups and downs of high school forged an unbreakable bond between Vanessa and Nichole. Summer’s over and Vanessa is preparing for life at the local liberal arts college. Without her best friend by her side, Vanessa starts to chart her own path. Navigating new friendships and relationships proves easier said than done.

Nichole got kicked out of her mother’s house, lives with strangers in a sketchy neighborhood and commutes across town for her job in retail. She doesn’t always make the right choices and she has only herself to blame when things go wrong.

Something’s gotta give. Who will make the first move – or will fate intervene to remind each of them of the importance of their bond.

 

Purchase Donuts in an Empty Field from Amazon HERE

Purchase Donuts in an Empty Field from Barnes and Noble HERE

Add to your Goodreads shelf HERE

 

Letting go of anger is life’s greatest challenge.

Vanessa hasn’t been the same since her father’s death. A hero until the end, he died saving a restaurant owner’s son from a burning building. Nessa blames the boy, but her best friend Nichole thinks it’s time to let go of the past. In a last ditch effort to break Nessa’s obsession, Nichole hopes signing up for the local food challenge will bust her out of her shell. A single choice defines the road ahead for Nessa. Doing the right thing isn’t easy, but living with the consequences of doing nothing might be worse.

 

Don’t forget to subscribe to Rachel’s newsletter to receive imporant updates and promotions, if you haven’t already. Signup HERE

Celebrate the awaited release of the second book in the For the Love of Donuts series – “Seize the Donut” by Rachel Barnard, by getting some donuts!

Where to get a FREE DONUT!!!

Krispy Kreme

Dunkin’ Donuts (with beverage purchase)

  

Or join me at 6:30 p.m. at Mill Creek (WA) Frost to watch me and some other local donut enthusiasts in a donut-eating contest!

Book Review: Numbers Ignite (Numbers Game Saga Book 2) by Rebecca Rode

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Numbers Ignite (Numbers Game Saga Book 2) by Rebecca Rode

A YA Dystopian Novel published by Diamond Patch Press (01/26/16)

Summary:

Treena is ready to leave NORA behind forever, but NORA is far from done with her. With the hope of a life ahead with Vance, she pushes onward through the uninhabitable dessert. After losing all her gear, it seems like she’ll never make it, but is saved by a hidden underground settlement. Vance doesn’t know that Treena is on her way to join him, but he is up to his elbows in his own problems. After agreeing to be put on trial for his previous actions, he’s become a prisoner of his own people.

Keywords:

Futuristic, Water Shortage, Protection, Family, Loyalty, Number System, Ratings, Scores, Technology, Politics, Survival, Strict Society, Dystopian, Friendship, Desert, Travel, War, Weapons, Death

My Review:

Vance and Treena are creating their own paths in this second book. They want to be together, but first must overcome obstacles in their own lives and find each other again afterwards. I enjoyed seeing Treena and Vance in their own stories as they struggled with different problems.

Now that Treena can no longer turn her back on NORA, it’s citizens, and all the problems right in front of her, she will have to fight even harder for what she believes is right. For Vance it was never a question of if he should or should not help others, but without having the power to lead or change situations, he will have quite a difficult time of it!

This story picks up right where the first one leaves off and ends with quite the chaotic climax.

This novel was published by Diamond Patch Press on 01/26/2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Rebecca Rode’s Website

Book Review: Numbers Game (Numbers Game Saga Book 1) by Rebecca Rode

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Numbers Game (Numbers Game Saga Book 1) by Rebecca Rode

A YA Dystopian Novel published by Diamond Patch Press (03/10/15)

Summary:

Treena has followed the rules her entire life and her rating should be high, as high as her boyfriend’s rating. She should be a green with a good job and a great life in NORA, the only thriving city in futuristic and devastated North America. They have technology and a water filtration system as well as a strict rating system to keep citizens in line. When Treena receives one of the lowest ratings of her entire class, there must be a mistake! Treena will do nearly anything to fix her low red number, even go undercover for the empress and find a military spy. What if her rating wasn’t an accident? What else is going on in the fringes of this perfect society?

Keywords:

Futuristic, Water Shortage, Protection, Family, Loyalty, Number System, Ratings, Scores, Technology, Politics, Survival, Strict Society, Dystopian, Friendship

My Review:

The Numbers Saga is a dystopian novel with an active female heroine. Treena has quite a bit thrown at her, but she doesn’t just react to her situations, she actively seeks out her story. She creates her own rules.

I wasn’t entirely convinced that a 16-year old who is referred to as ‘small’ would be able to defend and defeat a fully trained adult soldier after one week of training. There were other small plot conveniences – punishment mode was only triggered for important characters when it could be overcome. Important characters could escape when they needed and get to where they needed to be. I could see the plot twists coming.

That being said, I could not put this book down. The writing style, characters, and plot pulled me right in and I didn’t want to stop reading. This was a fun and engrossing book.

If you were a fan of Divergent and Hunger Games, you will enjoy this book.

This novel was published by Diamond Patch Press on 03/10/2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Rebecca Rode’s Website

Carpe Donut – Enter Giveaway for Vanessa’s Book of Awesome Things

by in Author Thursdays, Rachel Barnard and tagged , ,

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Vanessa's Book of Awesome Things by Rachel Barnard

Vanessa’s Book of Awesome Things

by Rachel Barnard

Released October 15 2015

Giveaway ends in 9 days (June 02, 2017)

2 copies available

giveaway details »

Enter Giveaway

Enter for a chance to win one of two copies of this fun book of challenges! How many bucket list items have you done? Find out with this book!

This giveaway is in honor of For the Love of Donuts Books and Book 2’s release on June 2nd! Check out Seize the Donut and pre-order now.

Book Review: The Surfer Solution by Cathy Yardley

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The Surfer Solution by Cathy Yardley

A Romance Novel published by Amazon Digital Services LLC (02/02/17)

Summary:

Allison needs to ace her presentation, but the stress of her job is giving her panic attacks and the only solution is to find a relaxing hobby. Allison always gives 100% and goes full tilt with anything she does and her new ‘hobby’ is no different. She’s always loved the water and she lives in California so surfing is a natural choice. First she has to convince the zen surfer Sean that she’s ready to hit the waves and that he should teach her. Sean has his own set of problems though, like losing his job and his apartment. He can’t get Allison out of his mind and she can’t give up her job or the surfing.

Keywords:

Stress, Anxiety, Career, Panic Attacks, Office Job, Long Hours, California, Surfing, Romance, Relationship, Stubborn, Hard Working, Lifestyle Change

My Review:

We all know that person who is always busy and when you ask how they’ve been they tell you, “busy.” I, myself, succumb to this contemporary phenomenon of busy = successful. For Ali, busy is a way of life, ingrained in her very soul ever since she was a kid. Her family thrives on busy and stress. Allison doesn’t know anything else, but when her panic attacks start taking over her life, she must change or potentially die of a heart attack. If Ali can decide to relax and find something that helps her to relax, then any of us can too. If Ali can acknowledge that being busy and stressful doesn’t always make her happy and isn’t what she wants out of life, then there’s still hope for the rest of us.

This romance built up slowly and steadily through the mutual attraction between Ali and Sean. The pacing was excellent and I was stressed and anxious right there with Ali. I loved all the details of Ali at her job and when she was learning to surf. I feel like I learned more about surfing by reading this book!

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services LLC on February 2, 2017 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.00

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Cathy Yardley’s Website

All About the Donuts – Future Donuts – Seize the Donut – Pre-order now!

by in For the Love of Donuts, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , | 3 Comments

Pre-Order now!

Friday June 2nd, 2017 I plan to publish For the Love of Donuts Book 2 – Seize the Donut! This book will feature the stories of both Nichole and Vanessa as they start their lives beyond high school! This book will be a New Adult Contemporary Fiction book with POV from both Nichole and Vanessa and so much drama! Haven’t read the first book? No problem! This book is standalone, but if you want to read the first book (get it here)- it will be on sale for $2.99 until June 2nd.

This story, unlike the first book, follows the two girls as two dueling POV characters and how their stories intersect and diverge. They are part of each other’s stories, but not the main focus.

Vanessa wants to be independent from her friend. She wants to make new friends and fit in and leave her past behind, but it still comes back to her in the form of her PTSD. Hiding behind her new self will cause issues with her new friends, her family, and her new boyfriend.

Nichole wants to go back in time to when she was best friends with Vanessa and life wasn’t so hard! She ends up losing her housing, her car, her job, and some of her sanity. After meeting some good people she is able to start picking herself back up again (without Vanessa!) Nichole is the independent one, until she gets in over her head again.

Other major characters – Bruce from book one is back as the hot senior at the college Vanessa attends. He works at the local Starbucks and is studying psychology. He takes an interest in Nichole. Jax is the hot bad boy who has a thing for Vanessa, but he’s no good for her. Vanessa’s two new friends – Hazel and Zelda are the embodiment of New College (a real public liberal arts college in Florida). New College features prominently, as do some other local businesses in the Sarasota area.

20160514DonutSchoot (1)

Book Review: Wild at Heart: A Flipped Fairy Tale (Flipped Fairy Tales Book 5) by Starla Huchton

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Wild at Heart: A Flipped Fairy Tale (Flipped Fairy Tales Book 5) by Starla Huchton

A Fantasy/Fairy Tale Adaptation published through Amazon Digital Services LLC (04/09/17)

 

Summary:

Princess Belinda yearns for the freedom of the outdoors. She wants to soar like a bird or run like a wolf. She feels trapped in the castle. So she leaves. Using an enchanted cloak, which allows her to turn into an animal for thirty minutes, she leaves her home. Traveling for days and unhappy with her human body, she arrives at her sister’s castle. Still restless, after meeting with a hermit who grants her wish for freedom, she can now transform into an animal form for as long as she wants. Freedom at last, but at what cost?

Keywords:

Fairy Tale Adaptation, Contemporary Fairy Tale, Magic, Wards, Glamour, Survival, Family, Love, Romance, True Love, Strong Female, Adventure, Travel, Walking, Wolf, Animal Transformation

My Review:

This book takes a character from a previous book and tells a new fairy tale. I wish I’d remembered more from that previous book as I couldn’t remember much context when Erata came up in the story. Thankfully, most of the story centered around Belinda.

I absolutely loved how Belinda was portrayed. She was flighty and had a head for adventure. She was headstrong and stubborn, rushing headlong into things. She grew so much during this story and it was fascinating to see her change and grow.

Again, all the dialogue and any time a character was trying to teach another character were superb.

This novel was published through Amazon Digital Services LLC April 9th, 2017 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.00

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Starla Huckton’s Website