Blog Tour: If You Were Me and Lived On … Mars by Carole P. Roman

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If You Were Me and Lived On ...Mars
Author: Carole P. Roman
Illustrator: Mateya Arkova
Reading Level: Children's Book
Genres: Education | Astronomy
Release Date: January 9th 2017
Review Source: The Children's Book Review

Join Carole P. Roman when she blasts off to colonize the planet Mars, in the newest book of her informative series. Learn about how life would be living on the Red Planet. Travel to Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system. Look into the sky and watch Phobos and Deimos, Mars’ two moons. Discover what you would wear, and how the seasons change. See Mars through the eyes of an adventurous youngster like you and understand what life is like in a trip of a lifetime. Don’t forget to look at the other books in the series so that you can be an armchair traveler.

If You Were Me and Lived On ...Mars delivers a fun story to read which at the same time children will be learning facts when they do without realizing it. So not only do they get to read and see some great illustrations, they will be learning facts about Mars and Astronomy. So I call it fiction with a twist.

In If You Were Me and Lived On... Mars, to take a journey like if your family will travel to Mars in the future and live there. The trip in its entirety will be around 3 years, due to the distance of Mars and so forth. See where the kids will learn while reading. And the story continues explaining how it would be to live in Mars with how different the climates are between Earth and Mars. How activities will be altered because of Mars climate. What would happen if a bad sand storm is taking place or if its summertime. All things gets explained throughout the book while the child reads like they are taking this journey.

I really liked how the author takes the kids on the journey and still teaches them. She did a great job executing this task. The illustrations also help the story, so that the kids aren't looking at the usual text book pictures, but instead illustrations that match what one is reading while using a great color palette.

So overall, this is a great book. Definitely a book that should be in all school libraries. I will be recommending If You Were Me and Lived On... Mars to all my friends with younger children and all the Elementary school teachers & Librarians I know. So if you have a little one at home, this will be a great book to add to the bedtime reading ritual.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carole P. Roman is the award-winning author of the Captain No Beard series. Both Captain No Beard: An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate’s Life and Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis have received the Kirkus Star of Exceptional Merit. The first book in the series was named to Kirkus Reviews Best 2012. Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis has been named to Kirkus Reviews Best of 2015. Each book in the series has won numerous awards including the NABE Pinnacle Award, IAN Award, Moonbeam Award 2014, National Indie Excellence Award Finalist, Shelf Media Outstanding Series Award, ForeWord Review Five Star and Finalist in the Book of the Year, and Reader’s Views Children’s Book of the Year 2013. Roman is also the author of the award-winning non-fiction culture series, If You Were Me and Lived in… that explores customs and cultures around the world. She has co-authored a self help book, Navigating Indieworld: A Beginners Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing. She lives on Long Island with her husband and near her children and grandchildren.

OFFICIAL LINKS
CarolePRoman.com | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

Ages 4-8 | CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform | 2017 | 978-1540869722

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GIVEAWAY
Enter To Win An Autographed Copy Of If You Were Me And Lived On … Mars, By Award-Winning Author Carole P. Roman, And A Stomp Rocket: Ultra LED To Light Up The Night Sky.

One (1) grand prize winner receives:

• A copy of If You Were Me and Lived On … Mars, autographed by Carole P. Roman
• A Stomp Rocket: Ultra LED set
• A bonus autographed picture book selected from one of the 35+ books written by Carole P. Roman

Four (4) winners receive:

• A copy of If You Were Me and Lived On … Mars, autographed by Carole P. Roman
• A bonus autographed picture book selected from one of the 35+ books written by Carole P. Roman

Age Range: 4-8
Giveaway begins February 7, 2017, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends March 7, 2017, at 11:59 P.M. PST.
Giveaway open to US and Canadian addresses only.
Prizes and samples provided by Carole P. Roman and The Children’s Book Review.

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Book Review: Never Never by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

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Never Never
Authors: Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genres: Mystery | Romance | Suspense
Released: January 8th 2015
Review Source: Purchased

#1 New York Times bestselling author of Hopeless joins forces with the New York Times bestselling author of Mud Vein. Together, they have created a gripping, romantic tale unlike any other. "How odd to be made of flesh, balanced on bone, and filled with a soul you've never met." Charlize Wynwood and Silas Nash have been best friends since they could walk. They've been in love since the age of fourteen. But as of this morning...they are complete strangers. Their first kiss, their first fight, the moment they fell in love...every memory has vanished. "I don't care what our real first kiss was," he says. "That's the one I want to remember." Charlize and Silas must work together to uncover the truth about what happened to them and why. But the more they learn about the couple they used to be...the more they question why they were ever together to begin with. "I want to remember what it feels like to love someone like that. And not just anyone. I want to know what it feels like to love Charlie."

Never Never has been sitting on my shelf since I went to Las Vegas earlier this year to a signing.  I wasn't panning on reading it since it was personalized by Hoover & Fisher but something about the cover when I walked by it called out to me, it felt like the right kinda of book to read days before Halloween. And I was right! 

Never Never is not a large book by any means in volume but it speaks out to you like if it was. What is contained within the 156 pages is pretty good. And of course since the book is short, you are left with a cliffhanger, that has you ready for the next book in the series. The author duo really came up with a neat concept and you aren't given much so your guessing left and right wondering why they loose their memory and on the same day, same time. What I really loved was how Charlize and Silas have to learn to fall in love with one another again. It really is a great fast-paced quick read. Be ready to dive in to Never Never: Part two (Volume 2). 

  

* You can check out Shannon's review of Never Never: Part 2 HERE.

Book Review: Finding Erin Campbell by Kathy Cunningham

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Finding Erin Campbell
Author: Kathy Cunningham
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genres: Realistic Fiction | Contemporary
Released: May 25th 2015
Review Source: Author

Erin Campbell is lucky – she’s popular, she’s been accepted at Berkeley, she’s got the perfect boyfriend, a great car, parents with plenty of money, and a future that’s going to be even better than her dreams. Lucky, right?

But then one Tuesday afternoon, Erin’s luck runs out. She’s in her car, driving on a deserted country road, and she reads a text from her boyfriend. It’s only a few words, no big deal. What could happen in ten seconds, anyway? But she doesn’t see the boy on the blue bicycle. Not until it’s too late. Not until he’s lying in the road, broken and bleeding, and she’s standing there staring down at him, her cell phone in her hand.

Things get worse when another girl – Macy Wilkes, an outsider at Erin’s school – is charged with the hit-and-run. Macy is black, she doesn’t live in Erin’s upscale neighborhood, and it would be so easy for Erin to just let Macy take the rap. Or would it?

This is a novel about what it means to do the right thing in a world that isn’t always fair. Confessing could cost Erin everything – college, her boyfriend, her parents’ respect . . . even her freedom. But not confessing could cost her even more.

Erin Campbell lost herself on a Tuesday afternoon; finding herself again will mean looking at who she really is. Warts and all. And there’s nothing harder than that.

“The world can fall apart in the time it takes to read a text message.”

Just by reading the prologue, I knew this was going to be one intriguing tale to follow.

It begins with Erin Campbell - smart, friendly, wealthy, Erin. She was saying goodbye to her beloved boyfriend at the front steps of the school and about to pick up some dry cleaning on the way home, and that's when her whole world changed.

She was texting and driving, very out of character for her, when she all-of-a-sudden hit a little boy while going around a curve in the road. At first, she thought she had just dented his blue bike and knocked him over, very quickly she found out that wasn't the case. Before she knew it, she was standing over a little boy with a leg that shouldn't be bent that way and a pool of blood surrounding his head. Then she did the unthinkable... she left him there. When that guilt became too much on that one day, she called 911 on a payphone at a rest stop on the interstate.

Story progresses to her eventually telling her best friend and then trying to move past this crushing guilt. I know it sounds like I should be hating this narrator by now, but the author has such a way with expressing Erin's thoughts that it's hard to be angry at her.

And the way the story is written, you get to see Erin's day-by-day struggles, growth, maturing, and experiences.

This story goes beyond a privileged girl making a grave mistake. It touches on questions of prejudice, racism, economic standings, and even the court system as a whole.

The story builds so steadily and understandably. Some interesting relationships are put into place, too. And there's a twist toward the end that will be just what you need to get you through the last few chapters, though I find the conclusion to drag a bit.

Overall, a great story that leads you to even question your own morality.

Cover Reveal: Heart-Shaped Hack by Tracey Garvis Graves + Chapter 1 Reveal

Super excited to share with you all one of our favorite authors here on OUaT upcoming release.

HEART-SHAPED HACK

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When Kate Watts abandoned her law career to open a food pantry in Northeast Minneapolis, she never dreamed it would be this difficult. Facing the heartbreaking prospect of turning hungry people away, she is grateful for the anonymous donations that begin appearing at the end of each month. Determined to identify and thank her secret benefactor, she launches a plan and catches Ian —a charismatic hacker with a Robin Hood complex—in the act.

Ian intrigues Kate in a way no man ever has. But after learning he’s snooped around on her personal computer, she demands retribution. Impressed with her tolerance and captivated by her spirit, he complies and begins to slowly charm his way past her defenses. Time spent with Ian is never boring, and Kate soon finds herself falling for the mysterious hacker.

But Ian has enemies and they’re growing restless. In the hacking world, exploiting a target’s weakness is paramount, and no price is too high to stop an attack. And when Kate learns exactly how much Ian has paid, she’ll discover just how strong her love is for the man who has hacked his way into her heart.

© 2015 Tracey Garvis Graves

Heart-Shaped Hack

CHAPTER ONE

“The babies are going to starve,” Helena said. 

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Kate replied. “No one is going to starve, least of all the babies.” But her pinched expression and the way she was jabbing at the keyboard as she refreshed the donations page on their website said otherwise. For the first time in the sixteen months since Kate had left her position as a corporate attorney to open the food pantry, she faced the heartbreaking prospect of turning hungry people away. She couldn’t stand the thought of letting down her regulars, especially the young mother of three who relied on the pantry to feed them. 

The problem was that Kate’s nonprofit organization was not the only one in Minneapolis that needed help. Tomorrow was the first of September, and everyone was trying to stockpile whatever resources they could before they headed into the colder months. 

“Let’s see,” Helena said. “We could rob a bank. We could pawn our valuables. You could sell your body on a street corner.” 

Despite their dire circumstances, Kate cracked a smile. Helena had walked through the front door of the food pantry shortly after Kate opened and said, “I’m sixty-five, and they’re forcing me to retire from my job at the insurance company. My husband retired two years ago, and now he’s home all day. That’s too much togetherness for us. I have to find something to do outside the house, and you wouldn’t have to pay me much.” Kate hired her on the spot and had never regretted it. 

She swiveled her chair toward Helena. “Why am I always the one who has to sell her body? Why can’t you sell yours?”

“Who do you think is going to bring in more money? A gray-haired grandmother of seven, or a willowy twenty-nine-year-old beauty? It’s a no-brainer.” 

It was hard to argue with logic like that. 

Kate had been so determined not to let down their clients that she’d resorted to begging her ex-boyfriend Stuart—who worked as the executive producer on an hour-long talk show on the local ABC station—to let her appeal to the public during the afternoon broadcast. 

“Do you know how hard it is for me to be around you, Kate?” Stuart said when he received her call. “Do you ever think of that?”

“Of course I do. But this is really important to me.” 

“I used to be really important to you.”  

Kate remained silent. They’d been through this before.

He sighed in defeat. “Come in tomorrow. I’ll squeeze you in after the cooking segment.” 

“Thanks, Stuart.” 

The skirt had been Helena’s idea. “We need to do whatever we can to grab viewers’ attention.”  

“You mean I need to do whatever I can.”  

“Of course I mean you. You have great legs.”

On the day of the broadcast when Helena arrived at the food pantry, Kate said, “I don’t remember this skirt being quite so short. I’m actually a little worried about the type of viewer I might attract with it.” She tugged on the hem, pulled out her desk chair, sat down, and crossed her legs. “Can you see anything?” 

 “You’ll be fine unless you decide to recross your legs in the middle of the segment like Sharon Stone did in that one movie.”   

“I can assure you I will not be doing that. The skirt is as far as I’m willing to go. I draw the line at flashing people, not even for the babies.” 

Kate had paired the black-and-white houndstooth skirt with a black short-sleeve top and her favorite black heels. When she arrived at the TV studio, she ducked into the bathroom to check her teeth for wandering lipstick. Before she left the food pantry she’d applied a raspberry lip stain that Helena claimed looked stunning on her. That morning she’d curled her long dark hair and then brushed through the curls with her fingers so they draped across her shoulders and down her back in loose waves. She’d used plenty of mascara to play up her brown eyes. The extra primping made her feel a little like she was standing on a street corner, but she banished those thoughts. At this point, they needed all the help they could get.

After Stuart snaked the mic up the back of her top, his hands lingering on her skin in a way that made Kate feel sad, he positioned her on a stool and told her to wait for his signal. She kept her legs tightly crossed, and when the light on the camera turned red, he pointed at her and she began to speak. 

“Good afternoon. My name is Kate Watts, and I’m the executive director of the Main Street Food Pantry. As we head into the winter months, our needs—and those of all local food pantries—will be greater than ever.”  Kate stared into the camera, imagining she was speaking directly to anyone who might have the means to help them. 

“No child should ever have to go hungry, and many of our local residents depend on the food pantry to feed their families. I’m here today to personally appeal to you should you have the ability to help us in any way. The families we assist, and especially the children, depend on your generosity more than you could ever imagine. Thank you.” She ended the short segment with the food pantry’s telephone number and street address, and when Stuart gave her the all clear, she reached under her shirt for the microphone and handed it back to him. 

“Thanks, Stuart,” she said, giving him a quick hug. “I really appreciate this.”  

“Sure,” he said, looking over her shoulder as if there was something very interesting across the room. “Take care, Kate.” 

That was yesterday, and so far only a few additional donations had trickled in. She and Helena spent the rest of the afternoon making calls to local churches and schools to set up additional food drives while continuing to monitor the donations page. Finally, at a little before three, Kate went into the back room to recount their inventory. It was the end of the month and they were down to their last cases of infant formula and baby food. Almost all of the canned vegetables had been depleted, and they were completely out of peanut butter and soup. If it was this bad now, Kate didn’t want to think about what might happen when budgets were stretched even thinner by holiday spending. Dejected, she was sitting on the floor, clipboard in hand, when Helena burst into the back room. 

“I ran after him,” she said, gasping for breath. “But he was too fast. Boy am I out of shape.”

“Who did you run after?”  

Helena tossed a brown paper bag to Kate and leaned over, resting her hands on her knees as she took in giant gulps of air.

“The man who dropped off the money. Seriously, I may need supplemental oxygen over here.” 

Money? 

Kate looked into the bag and blinked several times. “Did you lock the front door?”

“Yes.”

She turned the bag upside down and watched in disbelief as hundred-dollar bills rained down on the concrete floor. She counted it quickly. “There’s a thousand dollars here.” 

Their website listed four levels for donations with amounts ranging from ten to one hundred dollars. There were higher amounts for corporations, but this was the largest donation they’d ever received from one person, and it was more than enough to replenish their shelves. Kate was already picturing herself pushing a giant cart through Costco. “Did he leave his name?”

“No. He walked up to my desk and said, “Give this to Katie. He must have seen you on TV yesterday.” 

“Young? Old?” Rich?

“Young. Early thirties, maybe? Tall. Blondish-brown hair. He was in a real hurry to leave. I chased him out the door, but he jumped into the driver’s seat of an old blue car.”  

“An old car? Are you sure?” 

“I think it was old. It didn’t look like any car I’ve ever seen. It had stripes on the hood. And then he burned rubber.” 

 “Why would someone who drives an old car drop off a bag full of money?” 

“I have no idea. But whatever the reason, he just saved us.”

Continue Reading Through Chapter 5 HERE

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Tracey Garvis Graves is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author. Her debut novel, On the Island, spent 9 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into twenty-seven languages, and is in development with MGM and Temple Hill Productions for a feature film. She is also the author of Uncharted, Covet, Every Time I Think of You, and Cherish.

Tracey loves to interact with her readers and can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Goodreads     Amazon Author Page

Book Review: The Convenience of Lies by Kimberly Castillo

The Convenience of Lies
Author: Kimberly Castillo

Reading Level: Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: October 16, 2013

Review Source: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform/Amazon

 

“It doesn't matter if it's right or wrong. All that matters is if you can. If you can do something, what difference does it make?"

Based on a true story, The Convenience of Lies is a novel that keeps readers up past midnight with its story of friendship, mystery, crime, sex, and betrayal. Set in a suburban town, this story is told through the eyes of a high school junior, Mackenzie, who describes her crush on a "bad boy," Ramon and her relationship with her best friend, Kira. During the course of the story, Mackenzie does her best to attract the affections of Ramon while her friendship with Kira evolves. Eventually, the different characters' property starts getting vandalized and a mystery develops as Mackenzie and Kira try to get to the bottom of who is behind the vandalism.

This is definitely a book that you need to remain focused on. There are a lot of ins and outs and I found myself having to re-read paragraphs again, to ensure that I was on the right track. This book is definitely something that was written quite a few years ago, as the kids interact though instant messenger on AOL and leaving voice messages on an answering machine. Talk about taking me back to the beginning of mainstream technology! :)

The main characters are high schoolers, Mackenzie, Kira and Ramon. The story starts off showing us how high strung her best friend Kira is, just before she is about to take off to Russia for the summer. According to Ramon, Kira is over the top, causing problems and Mackenzie is always the one to try and smooth things over.

Right before Kira goes off for the summer, she and Mackenzie have a huge blow out fight, which leaves them both questioning their friendship. While Kira is away, vandalism strikes. Windows are being smashed, cars being destroyed and no one can figure out who is to blame. Kira returns home and the girls immediately get to investigating. Mackenzie has her theory and Kira has hers ... Ramon. Ramon is one of Mackenzie's best friends and whom she is in love with. She can not fathom the fact that he could even be remotely responsible for vandalism.

Ramon has knowledge of the vandalism, although he is afraid to say, as he knows that there will be consequences for squealing. After some hard core pleading from Mackenzie, Ramon opens up and tells her who is behind the vandalism. He also knows that no one believes that "bad boy Ramon" has nothing to do with it, therefore just wants to drop the topic and move on. Meanwhile "The King", is giving orders on where and when to strike next. The King has his cronies and they do whatever he says, whenever he says. Who is The King? Why is he doing what he's doing? What is the reason behind these attacks?

The epilogue shocked me quite a bit, although I think that you will like it. It was probably my favorite part of this story. It was a nice and easy read and not excruciatingly long, a perfect length for my taste. I hope that you enjoyed my review and as always ... happy reading!

Book Review: Exhale by Jennifer Snyder

Exhale
Author: Jennifer Snyder

Reading Level: Young Adult

Genre:Contemporary Romance

Release Date: November 13, 2013

Review Source: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform/Amazon

 

Inhaling in life is easy. It’s the exhaling—the letting go— that’s the hard part.

Katie Elliot has always known the Conner twins. For years she secretly pined after one, while playfully averting the advances of the other. Once upon a time, she was fine with that. Then came the moment when her twin of preference kissed her and changed everything.

As if realizing love can be complex—even when it’s reciprocated—isn’t hard enough, tragedy strikes, tearing Katie and the boy she’s always desired apart. Finding herself torn between love and guilt, Katie must learn when it’s acceptable to let go—when it’s finally okay to exhale.

Wow. Just ... WOW! Each time I read a book created by Jennifer Snyder, I am just amazed. I think to myself "she has done it AGAIN!" I can not say enough great things about this story. I read this in less than 10 hours and I think you will too. Once you pick it up, you won't put it down. I can almost guarantee that!

This is a story of one girl and two boys who were thick as thieves ... three peas in a pod, as some would say. Katie, Kyle and Derek grew up together and lived next door to each other. The twin Connor boys have all of the girls swooning, with their dark hair and amazing green eyes. Kyle is outgoing, boisterous and just plain fun to be around .. the life of any party. His twin Derek however, is the shy, quiet, romantic type. Derek is the sensible and responsible one, where Kyle is the crazy, die hard partier.

One of the boys is over the top in love with Katie, but Katie is over the top in love with the other. It has always been this way.  Katie sometimes thinks that she should go for the one who loves her (since they look exactly alike after all), but the heart wants what the heart wants.

The two finally find their way to each other as Katie always dreamed, until tragedy strikes. Over powering, gut wrenching tragedy. This tragedy places a wedge between the young lovers and they each wonder if they will ever make it back to one another. Guilt, confusion, sadness and immense pain play a part in their separation. Will they ever forgive themselves and will they find their way back to love?

As soon as I finished this book, I sent Jennifer a message telling her that she made me ugly cry!! Get your tissues ready ladies and gents, you will need them. Although it was sad, it was beautiful at the same time. I thank you again for an amazing read Jennifer, you've definitely done it again. Happy reading one and all!

Blog Tour: Two | Leigh Ann Kopans | Review | Giveaway

Welcome to our stop on the TWO blog tour for author Leigh Ann Kopans. Full schedule can be found here. Tour is hosted by Book Nerds Tours.

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Two
One Universe #2
Author: Leigh Ann Kopans
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Released: October 1st 2013
Review Source: Blog Tour - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
    

Elias and Merrin’s story continues in TWO, coming October, 2013… Elias and Merrin are on the run.

After escaping the Biotech Hub, they thought they could breathe easy, or at least a little easier. But when bombs slam into the Social Welfare Hub only hours after their arrival, it becomes clear there’s nowhere to hide – and no end to what Biotech will do to get them back.

Their last chance for safety and answers is the Clandestine Service Hub. CS has intel on the real, broader purpose behind Fisk’s experiments , and the newfound knowledge of the horrors hidden deep within Biotech’s walls sends Merrin back to recover a secret formula that could ruin the Supers’ world forever—and might just save the lives of the Biotech victims spiraling out of control.

Elias’ sisters are counted among the victims of Fisk’s experiments, and if Elias can’t find and help them, their powers will destroy them–sooner rather than later. Returning to the place it all began terrifies him, but with Fisk ready to make an example out of Merrin, and his sisters’ lives –and the lives of all Supers–hanging in the balance, he might not have a choice. If he can’t find the courage to face his worst fears, Elias might lose more than his newfound powers. He might lose everyone he loves.

As much I enjoyed the first book, I couldn’t wait to continue this series. The first book ends at an exciting scene and I wanted to find out what Elias and Merrin would do next. However, I just couldn’t click with this book as I did with the first one. I don’t know if my reason for not connecting and having a difficulty staying focus is the different POV or maybe because of the slow pace. I do know what it was but I really did struggle getting through this book.

Be careful what you wish you for, is the theme of this book. Throughout the book we followed the journey of Merrin and Elias as they are on the run. Merrin dreams of becoming more than a One. Her goal is be able to fly on her own. Although she loves Elias, she doesn’t believe she is enough as a One. And having to depend on him in order to fly is something she doesn’t want forever. I like the concept of her wanting more but at a point, I felt annoyed at her.

I love Elias, he is a sweetheart. He's very calm and loving. He gave Merrin space she needed. He let her explore and experiment on her own. But the fact that he didn’t stand up for his love, irritated me. Come on; tell the girl how you really feel. Tell her is okay to be the way she is.

None the less, this was a good story. I love the concept of it and the powers of the new characters. I love how Elias becomes the hero he never thought to be. I love how Merrin learns her lesson. It was indeed a good story of superheroes and the lesson of team work.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Raised on comic books and classic novels, Leigh Ann developed an early love of science fiction and literature. As an adult, she rediscovered her love for not only reading, but also writing the types of fiction that enchanted her as a teen. Her debut novel, ONE, is about a girl with only half a superpower, the boy who makes her fly, and her struggle to make herself whole.

Leigh Ann, her husband, and four children live in Columbus, Ohio. When she’s not immersed in the world of fiction, you can find her obsessing over the latest superhero movie or using her kids as an excuse to go out for ice cream (again.)

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