BLOG TOUR: Review of Amanda Tero's Befriending the Beast!

Saturday, June 29, 2019


Hey everyone!  Today I have a review of a fantastic fairytale retelling by Amanda Tero -- Befriending the BeastThis is part of her great three-month blog tour in anticipation of her upcoming book, a Robin Hood retelling! But without further ado, here's my review.


This is a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale, which also happens to be one of my favorites (behind Rapunzel).  That being said, I'm always pretty picky about how my favorite fairytales are portrayed in retellings, but this book was impressive.  It's actually very original, considering that it's a retelling, and weaves Christian themes and attitudes into the plot as well.

Belle doesn't trade her life for her father's to appease an angry beast -- she also doesn't fall into romantic love with anyone.  This was, perhaps, the most attention-grabbing and clever aspects of this book.  Her father is the beast!  Her mission is to renew her relationship with her father, which was severely damaged after her mother's death.

This book closely follows Belle as she attempts to grow closer to an evasive and elusive father, her attempts aided by his servants.  I enjoyed this book because of its fresh perspective: healing familial ties instead of the normal romance route that this fairytale might take.  It talks about God's plan and how we need perseverance to see His plan through - because, guaranteed, the journey won't be easy.  This was unique because, rather than facing extreme circumstances, war, a journey, etc to portray perseverance, it simply focuses on family.  In a way, I think that familial issues require infinite amounts of patience and God-given strength, even more than those journeys and wars.  For this reason, I found myself absolutely glued to this book and loved every minute of it.  While the beginning few chapters felt a little slow, the pace seemed to adjust and I ended up reading the rest of it in one sitting.  I'd give it a 4.5/5 rating!

AND if you're interested in checking it out, she's running a sale for the Kindle copy: only 99 cents!  The sale ends tomorrow, so make sure to grab a copy while you can!




And don't forget to check out the rest of the series and put Protecting the Poor, the newest in the series, on your TBR list!




About the Tour 
In anticipation of the release of “Protecting the Poor” (book three in the Tales of Faith series), Amanda is guest posting or being featured on over a dozen blogs each month. Each post is unique to the blog—an inspirational post, an article on the writing craft, an excerpt from one of the Tales of Faith books… you’ll just have to visit each blog to see what comes up. ;) Amanda will link to each blog on With a Joyful Noise, so check in every week and see what blogs have a special Tales of Faith feature!

 About Amanda

Amanda Tero began her love for words at a young age—reading anything she could get her hands on and penning short stories as young as age eight. Since graduation, she has honed her writing skills by dedicated practice and study of the writing craft. She began her journey of publication with a few short stories that she had written for her sisters and continued to add to her collection with other short stories, novellas, and novels. It is her utmost desire to write that which not only pleases her Lord and Savior, but also draws the reader into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

 Connect with Amanda

Make sure to click the links below to follow Amanda and be up-to-date on all Tales of Faith news! 

 Email 
amandaterobooks@gmail.com
Website 
http://amandatero.com/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/amandateroauthor/
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/amandateroauthor/
Pinterest
https://www.pinterest.com/amandaruthtero/
Blog
 www.withajoyfulnoise.blogspot.com Goodreads
 https://www.goodreads.com/AmandaTero Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/amandatero

"Behind The Blogger" Tag!

Thursday, June 27, 2019



Rules:
1.  Thank the person who nominated you 
Thanks so much, Hannah!

2.  Answer all the questions down below!

3.  Pingback to the creator of the tag: Ellyn@AllonsyThornaxx

4.  Nominate 5+ bloggers who you'd like to know more about to do this tag!
There are a lot of folks I'd like to know more about, but I don't know if they'd be comfortable being tagged -- so if you read this and you're a blogger, consider yourself tagged!



1.  Why did you start blogging and why have you kept blogging?  

Well, my first real blog was a review blog about Disney movies, merch, and books.  That one was forever ago, and I never really gained traction with it because I just blogged and left the posts be without any sort of social media promotion.  I started this blog so that I could talk about my first loves, reading and writing.  While it has morphed very much from a 'how-to' blog to a blog about my own writing, I'd like to mix some new content in if I get the time to.  I keep blogging because I have fun with it and it's a great way to talk about my passions without wearing someone's ears off.  (Or do I just wear your eyes out, then...?)

2.  What is your favorite type of blog post to write?  

Hmm....I think it depends more on my own ambition than the blog post itself.  I love writing blog posts explaining the 'why' behind certain themes in my books, but I also get equally excited about blog tour posts or review posts if I'm fired up about the topic.  Basically, if I'm in a good mood, I love whatever I'm writing about.

3.  What are your Top Three favorite blog posts?

Ummm...I'm not really sure...

My Compass Home Cast Interview
(okay, that was a lot of fun to write...I'll have to do some more)

My Compass Home - In The Details

My Compass Home - Finding Home Base 

(Okay, so maybe I do have three favorites.  And they're all about the same book, but oh well!)


4.  What are some of your favorite things to do to relax?  

Read, write, ride my horse, watch movies, research weird things, play violin or ukulele, take pictures, or restore old broken things.

5.  What are three of your favorite things?

Hmm...do I have to choose three?  Silky-smooth pens, good music, and Disney as an entire company (that includes Disney Princess, Marvel, and Star Wars, so...)

6.  What are your proudest blogging moments?

When my blog hit 10,000 views total, and a few weeks ago I had a weird instance where I had about 3,000 page views in one day shortly after the 10k celebration - so I was really excited about those instances.  I'm still not sure how that happened, but hey -- thanks to whoever decided to purge-read my blog!

Pretty much anytime that I can sit down and be motivated to schedule posts ahead of time feels pretty good, too.

7.  What are your hobbies outside of blogging?

Reading, writing, crafting, horseback riding, photography, repairing broken dolls and reselling them (I know, that's really out of left field there), playing violin or ukulele...I think that's about it.


8.  Describe your personality in three words.

Ummm....intense, pessimistic, and eclectic.

(More like 'dog with a bone' but that was four words.  I tend to get interested into things and then obsess until I hate whatever it is.  Likewise with problems.  I'll spend hours trying to decide the best solution to something.  Right now, I need to get a new car and so my obvious move was to list every single acceptable model year of every make and model sedan that I'm interested in, research the recalls and common mechanic failures of each, and eventually pit them one-on-one until I narrow my list down to a few affordable choices that I can keep an eye out for.  Most people just go check out a car lot, right?)


9.  What are your top three pet peeves?  

A.  People who smack their lips incessantly when they eat food.  Like, I'm glad you're enjoying that food, but I'm about to crack a tooth from gritting my teeth, so that isn't very fun...

B.  Folks who target you because they don't like you or something you've written.  Having a different opinion is one thing, but don't start publicly name-calling or making assumptions about the person because of your own assumptions.  That's a psychological thing called "you know you have a weak argument and you're just trying to offend the other person to get out of defending your argument" -- okay, so it isn't called that, but it's the quickest way I can explain it.  If you're interested in psychology, you probably know what I'm talking about here.

C.  Anything on or in books -- whether they've been written in, pages have been folded, or here's leftover sticker residue from 10000 years ago, it's going to bug me.

10.  What's something your followers don't know about you?

Lots of things *looks around elusively*
Umm....probably that I have two siblings, a brother and sister (both older).


COVER REVEAL: The Divided Nation by Angela R. Watts!

Friday, June 21, 2019

Hey everyone!  Today I have an exciting post for you -- the cover for Angela R. Watts' upcoming YA dystopian/apocalypse, The Divided Nation!  The book will be coming out in August, and it is the first book in The Infidel Books series.  Make sure to keep up with news about the upcoming release by giving Angela R. Watts a follow on her blog!

ABOUT THE BOOK
The United States has fallen. Three years after the 2024 presidential election and the declaration of martial law, the nation is at war against itself. Gangs battle, civilians struggle for survival, and United Nations officials thrive. George Johnston is a powerful ganglord of his own rising empire, but his son, West, refuses to continue the family legacy. Unable to run, West must become his father to defeat him.

 One of the last remaining townships in America, Springtown fights to survive the nation’s destruction. The Fisher family begins an alliances with gangsters Nate Savage and Simon Bucks in exchange for town supplies. When Mr. Fisher’s daughter, Rene’, is kidnapped and her Union officer brother leaves her for dead, Nate and Simon must risk all to save her.

 Told in a bold, abrasive narrative, THE DIVIDED NATION steps into a future where brotherhood bonds must be stronger than iron to survive a broken world and faith without courage is revealed to be dust in the wind.


Pumped for this book yet?  If you aren't excited yet, you will be once you see the cover...now!


If you need me, I'll just be staring in awe over how perfect this cover is. 

Are you looking forward to reading The Divided Nation?  Make sure to shelf it on Goodreads!

SPOTLIGHT: The Broken Prince by Kara Linaburg!

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

 Hey everyone!  Today I have an awesome spotlight to share with you for Kara Linaburg's new release, The Broken Prince!

Make sure to check out the giveaway below, save this book on Goodreads, and follow along with the rest of the tour!  Tour dates can be found at the bottom of the page.



~In all the fairy tales the maiden falls in love with the prince...but she has to remember that this isn’t a fairy tale~

Born into a kingdom where those of magical Gifts are rejected, feared, and even killed, Serena has spent her life striving to hide her ability and keep her younger brother safe.

The bastard son of the hated king and father he hardly knows, Prince Milosh is considered an outcast. He never expects to feel anything but contempt for the peasant girl who unexpectedly shows up in his life, forcing him to answer questions he never wished to ask.

When two very different worlds are thrown together under less than desirable circumstances, both hold deep judgement towards the other. But will they learn to see beyond their stations and birth so that they may defeat the coming darkness, or will labels given to them at birth continue to define them?
A heart-stopping tale about the power of human love, and how each of us are never truly alone.

Purchase The Broken Prince through these links, and make sure to shelf it on Goodreads while you're at it!
The Broken Prince (Kindle Edition)
Goodreads
The Broken Prince (Print Edition)



ABOUT THE AUTHOR



Kara Linaburg

If you combined Lucy Ricardo, Jo March, and Tonks...you would have Kara. Queen of awkward, writer before she could properly spell, and maker of imaginary humans, she is passionate about creating characters that display beauty in brokenness.

Kara took to blogging as a teenager, words soon becoming one of her greatest passions. When she’s not being a mad scientist in the kitchen or daydreaming about her next adventure, she loves to connect with readers. She lives in West Virginia where country roads always take her home.
You can feel free to stalk her blog www.thebeautifullybrokenblog.com where she rambles weekly.


Kara is also offering a giveaway! It includes a copy of the book, a candle, bookmarks and some other goodies as well. Make sure to enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


(Not pictured in the photo: Copy of The Broken Prince)

Giving away...
Notes of encouragement
Handmade bar of honey and oats soap from my home state
Be Bold ring dish
Bookmarks
Print, signed copy of The Broken Prince


I don't know about you, but this book sounds great and I'm excited to read it! What about you? Make sure to follow the rest of the tour - here's the schedule!


Schedule:

June 10:
-Rosalyn - Instagram Spotlight @rosysbookishcorner
June 11:
-Abby - Instagram Spotlight @the_book_worms_bookshelf
June 12:
-Melody Personette - Guest post by Kara: Writing Fiction that Impacts.
-Michaela Bush: Spotlight (you are here right now)
June 13:
-Abigail Harder - Spotlight
June 14:
-Bethany Beck - Guest post by Kara The Broken Prince Lookbook
June 15:
Abigail Mckenna - Review

-Savannah Jezowski - Guest post by Kara: Writing Beauty out of Brokenness

Blog Tour Schedule!

Monday, June 3, 2019

Hey everyone! I'm so pumped to let you guys know about this: blog tour week has begun!  You can check out the full schedule on Victoria Lynn's website HERE.  I'm so thankful to all of the awesome ladies that are involved in this tour, and I'm excited to share it with all of you!  Make sure to follow along on Facebook, as I'll be sharing blog tour posts all week.


I also have several giveaways going on to celebrate, so feel free to enter!

Quilted book sleeve (if you missed the 10k blog giveaway, here's your chance!)

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/85840df15/


Journal:

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/85840df16/



Discounted Services:

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/85840df17/


What are you up to this week?