Review of Alexis Tappendorf And The Search For Beale's Treasure

Blurb:

Alexis Tappendorf is about to be abandoned in Virginia for the summer by her parens, George and Jenny. They're leaving for a mysterious job they can't tell anyone about. What is even worst is that they are dropping Alexis off with Great Aunt Mae, a woman in her 70's that Alexis has never met!


Upon arriving in Virginia, Alexis discovers that for the last hundred years the townspeople of Summervale and Bedford County have been searching for a lost treasure buried somewhere in the area by a man named Thomas J. Beale. The only clues to finding the fortune are in the form of cryptograms, codes that, when properly translated, tell the exact location of the treasure.

Their biggest problem...the Woodmores!

My review:

Great Aunt Mae receives Alexis with open arms in to her quirky home and is a comfort and stability Alexis needs in her life. She gently encourages Alexis to use her own curiosity to solve something that seems totally improbable.

Alexis is joined by her new found friend Olivia on a journey that will not only seal their friendship forever but also change their families lives permanently.  Alexis and Olivia use the "Command Center" also known as Alexis' bedroom to figure out clues left by Thomas Beale.

Olivia's father, a treasure hunter in his own right, will also be a key to helping the two young treasure seekers.

Working together they begin to find the cryptograms and piece together the mystery. Their biggest issue is the Woodmores who have for years laid claim to the treasure. They will stop at nothing to find the treasure, even so far as falsely putting Alexis and Olivia in jail and more!

Whoa!

Will Alexis and Olivia manage to find the treasure before the Woodmores or will the treasure be lost forever?   Will their families be spared the hardships they are currently enduring? What about Alexis' parents and their mysterious trip?

All these questions and more  are answered in this book.
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Author Becca Smith, brilliantly weaves quite a tale of mystery and intrigue. She layers the book in such a way that the reader does not even want to put the book down and simply gets engrossed in the accounts. 
All of the characters are believable and readers cannot help but get caught up in their personalities.

Who does not want to have a Great Aunt Mae?

This middle grade book is everything budding curiosity seekers are looking for. As an adult, I could read this book over and over again. 

This book is a hands down win and deserves 5 stars!

About the author:

Becca C. Smith received her Film degree from Full Sail University and has worked in the Film and Television industry for most of her adult life. In 2010 Becca published her first novel, Riser followed by the sequel, Reaper, in 2011, and the finale, Ripper in 2013. In 2012 Becca wrote the children's novel Alexis Tappendorf and the Search for Beale's Treasure. She is also the co-author of the teen graphic novel Ghost Whisperer: The Haunted. Becca currently lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband, Stephan and their two cats Jack and Duke.

Where to find the author:

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Review of Children of the Knight by Michael J. Bowler

Blurb:

According to legend, King Arthur is supposed to return when Britain needs him most. So why does a man claiming to be the once and future king suddenly appear in Los Angeles?

This charismatic young Arthur creates a new Camelot within the City of Angels to lead a crusade of unwanted kids against an adult society that discards and ignores them. Under his banner of equality, every needy child is welcome, regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, or gang affiliation.

With the help of his amazing First Knight, homeless fourteen-year-old Lance, Arthur transforms this ragtag band of rejected children and teens into a well-trained army—the Children of the Knight. Through his intervention, they win the hearts and minds of the populace at large, and gain a truer understanding of themselves and their worth to society. But seeking more rights for kids pits Arthur and the children squarely against the rich, the influential, and the self-satisfied politicians who want nothing more than to maintain the status quo.

Can right truly overcome might? Arthur’s hopeful young knights are about to find out, and the City of Angels will never be the same.

 

My Review:

When I first heard about this book I thought it had to be absolutely cool because it was about King Arthur coming back to modern times and having his knights of the round table.

In actuality, I was right and oh so wrong! The book is about King Arthur coming back to modern times but that is pretty much where it begins and ends. Having the round table as we know it from history is nothing like I had ever read.
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The story opens with a gang war about to happen in one of the barrios of Los Angeles due to a  large A with a cross in the middle that has been posted over the top of other gang tagging. Each gang thinking the other had done it.

The story moves along to find King Arthur fully awake in this new place with a mission he must do. He is seen coming to the rescue of a 14 year old street kid named, Lance, who will eventually become his First Knight and significant throughout the entire book.

With Lance's help and guidance through this strange new era, King Arthur recruits other children of the streets from the drug dealers, to the homosexuals, to the abused and neglected. All come to stay with Arthur and Lance and are trained to be honorable and forthright. All are accepted for who they are, girls and boys alike, one thousand strong, will all come to be known as King Arthur's Knights.

Led by the King they will begin to clean up the areas and streets they once formerly ran. The children will fight for the right to be heard as children. For their right to be protected by the very adults who should have protected them. They will learn to live and respect each other as 'brothers' and 'sisters' not as enemies who have claimed an area of the city. The children will set an example for other adults but will also struggle with the demons that have lived with for so long.

King Arthur stands up for these disenfranchised children but will also learn from mistakes of his past and his present. Oh yes, there is the story of love and love lost in here too. There is the story of hurt, betrayal and denial all wrapped in these pages. There is also loss so deep that the reader wants to cry along with the characters.

To find out what happens to Sir Lance, King Arthur and the other Knights of the Round Table, you must read this book. It is worth it!
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Author Michael Bowler did an excellent job of twisting a real historical character in to a modern day twist. He brought to light an age old problem of child neglect in many forms and also the way we humans treat each other.

It would serve us well, to read this book not once but maybe even several times until we learn that our future counts on us and that we need to stand up for them and treat them with the respect they deserve. We need to be the King Arthurs for our children because the cause is not finished. It has only begun.

This book deserves the 5 stars and then some.
~Naila Moon

Disclosure: I was given a free Kindle version of this book for my open and honest opinion. The views expressed here are 100% my own.
This review is also part of the Innovative Online blog tour.

About the author:

Michael J Bowler is an award-winning author of two novels with a third soon to be published. His second book, "A Matter of Time," is a 2012 Silver Medal Winner from Reader's Favorite. He grew up in San Rafael, California. He majored in English and Theatre in college and got a master's in film production. He was producer, writer, and/or director on several films, most notably "Fatal Images," "Dead Girls," "Club Dead," "Things" and "Things II."
He has also been a volunteer Big Brother to seven different boys for 29 years with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and a volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles for 28 years. He is a passionate advocate for the fair treatment of children and teens in California.
His newest novel, "Children of the Knight," reflects his many years of experience working with marginalized and disenfranchised youth in California and promotes the premise that reform in all areas that serve our young people is desperately needed, but not desired by the powers-that-be.

Where you can find Michael J. Bowler

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Review of Good Intentions by D. N. Simmons

Blurb:

Scitech Labs was handsomely commissioned by the United States Military to design a revolutionary serum that would create the ultimate soldier. If successful, the soldier would have an increase in endurance, strength, awareness and overall speed. They would become the true super soldier. That's if everything went according to plan.　

Scitech put its best scientists on the project and gave them a time limit to complete the job or else. With the pressure on and the stakes high, Vincent Masterson and his team put everything they had into the project.  Everything was looking hopeful until an experiment went horribly wrong. The scientists mutated their specimen's DNA, turning it into something monstrous. Now, life as we know it will never be the same.　

As it stands, the only thing that can save them is one of the two things they should be running from.　
Can the human race survive being caught in a bloody war between two vicious predators?

My review:

When I was first asked to review this book, I was told that if I liked zombies and vampires, I would like this book.

To be honest, the books I had read prior to this could be considered light reading and very tongue in cheek compared to Good Intentions. From almost the start of the book I was thrust into the characters lives, who they were, and what made them tick.

The scientist, Vincent Masterson was generally a good guy who cared about humanity. When money and the possibility of saving humanity is thrown at him by the government, that persona went out the door along with his ethics. In turn, chaos of epic proportions ensues causing wide spread terror and zombies roaming the earth.

It seems no one or nothing can stop the zombies from killing and feeding on the non-infected humans. In fact, as it turns out, the zombies are able to infect another race, the vampires, who have to come out of hiding to save not only themselves but the human race as well.

There is non-stop gore in this book. I swear to you that if it was possible, the pages themselves would have dripped with blood and guts. I made the mistake of reading this in the darkness of night only to have a bit of trouble going to sleep.

Along with all that, there is a bit of heavy language but nothing that would make me shut the book. I whole heartedly was into this book and read it in no time. My only disappointment? It ended abruptly just as I was really getting into it. I had absolutely no realization that this was only the first in a series!

All in all, good book but I think probably an average read for those who really like this genre.
In any case, D.N. Simmons does a good job and kept my interest and therefore deserves 4 stars.

~Naila Moon

Disclosure: I received this Kindle edition for free for my open and honest opinion. The views expressed here are 100% my own.

 About the author:

D. N. Simmons lives in Chicago IL., with a rambunctious German Shepherd that's too big for his own good and mischievous kitten that she affectionately calls "Itty-bitty". Her hobbies include rollerblading, billiards, bowling, reading, watching television and going to the movies. She has been nominated at Love Romances and More, winning honorable mention for best paranormal book of 2006. She has won "Author of the Month" at Warrior of Words. She was voted "New Voice of Today" at Romance Reviews and "Rising Star" at Love Romance and More.Blog http://authordnsimmons.blogspot.com
Facebook Good Intention https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDNSimmons
Goodreads   http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1396694.D_N_Simmons


This review is also part of the Innovative Blog Tour.