Banished {+ Giveaway}

I’m delighted to be participating in the Xpresso Book Tour for author Kimberley Griffiths Little’s latest release, BANISHED, the second installment in her Forbidden series.

The book was released this week by HarperCollins. It’s labeled in the genres of historical, romance and young adult. There is a tour-wide giveaway being offered for a $25 Amazon Gift Card in celebration of the tour. Please see the end of the post for more details.

Here’s a brief synopsis:

She thought she’d lost everything . . .

After spending months traveling the harsh, unforgiving Mesopotamian desert, Jayden reunites with a broken, injured Kadesh. Although everyone was convinced the violent and unpredictable Horeb, Jayden’s betrothed, killed the handsome prince, Jayden knew in her heart that her love was alive and safe. But their reunion is short-lived, as they learn Horeb is on their trail and determined to take back the girl he has claimed. Soon, the two star-crossed lovers are on the run toward Sariba, Kadesh’s homeland, where, as heir to the Kingdom, he plans to make Jayden his princess.

But the trek to Sariba is fraught with heartache and danger. After narrowly escaping being stoned to death for a crime she didn’t commit, and learning that her sister has disappeared, Jayden’s only solace is her love for Kadesh. But even he is keeping secrets from her . . . secrets that will change everything.

This gorgeous and enchanting sequel to Forbidden, is full of love, danger, and heated passion that will leave readers breathless.

BANISHED is available at the following sites: Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes.

BANISHED is the sequel to FORBIDDEN.

Booklist Review:

“This sequel to Forbidden (2014) picks up with desert girl Jayden, distraught that the young man she loves, Kadesh, might have died. But, of course, he hasn’t. Scarred and missing an eye, yes, but he’s escaped the clutches of Horeb, Jayden’s malicious betrothed. Traveling bravely through the desert, Jayden finds him. But that perilous trip is only the first of the dangers to come. Gathering an army, Kadesh is determined to return to his faraway home, where the valuable frankincense grows, and introduce Jayden as his future bride. First, however, they must face betrayal, danger, and a waiting evil. Jayden achieves almost superhero status here, moving from adventure to adventure—not even a near-death stoning can stop her. Little’s descriptions of the landscape are evocative in both desolation and in beauty. Just as good is her pacing, which gets the blood pumping for both characters and readers. Far more than a bridge book, this will heighten anticipation for a no-doubt exciting conclusion.”

AN EXCERPT:

A dirty, callused hand slapped down over my mouth and the stale breath of a man hissed in my ear. “Don’t move or I’ll slit your pretty, little neck.”

I clawed at the stranger’s cloak, trying to push him off, but he was too heavy. A moment later, I realized my ankles were tied together. I couldn’t run, couldn’t even move. Shrieks gurgled in my throat as if I was drowning, his hand cutting off my air.

Only one day into my journey to find Kadesh and I was already dead.

The sharp tip of a blade pressed against my neck, and I whimpered.

“Give me the frankincense of the stranger we killed.” The man’s foul breath dragged across my face. He was referring to Kadesh, the boy I loved, who’d been murdered by Horeb, the prince of my tribe.

With myself as a witness, I’d watched Horeb plunge his sword into Kadesh and then order his soldiers to drag his body off.

Shock flooded me when I realized who my attacker was. I wrenched his fingers away from my mouth and with a raw voice, said, “Gad? What are you doing lurking about the cliffs of Mari?”

This man was a childhood friend of Horeb’s and one of my own tribesmen. His body pressed against mine, and I writhed in disgust.

There was only one reason Gad was in the foothills of Mari, far from the oasis of Tadmur where my tribe camped for the summer. He was a member of Horeb’s army.

Horeb, my betrothed. The man who’d attacked and scarred me. Blackmailed me for the murder of his father to hide the fact that he’d killed his own father so he could steal the tribal crown.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Author Kimberley Griffiths Little

When I was a kid I read a book a day, scribbled stories, and dreamed about having my very own book on the library shelf. I grew up in San Francisco, but now live in an adobe house on the banks of the Rio Grande with my husband and sons. I think I've drunk so much Land of Enchantment water that some of that ancient magic got into my blood and now spurts out my pencil--I mean ergonomic keyboard. I adore anything old and musty with a secret story to tell.

I'm the author of 10 award-winning middle-grade and Young Adult novels with Scholastic and HarperCollins and I make way too many cookies when I'm writing - and I've got the best book trailers in the universe - for reals! Check them out here: www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com. Please find me on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and YouTube.

Awards: Southwest Book Award, Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel, Whitney Award Finalist and Association of Mormon Letters of Art Award, Bank Street College Best Books of 2011, 2013, and 2015, a Crystal Kite Finalist, and New Mexico Book Award Finalist.

For more on Kimberley, visit her website and connect with her on Goodreads and Twitter.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

This giveaway is for a $25 Amazon Gift Card. To enter, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. It may take the widget a few seconds to load so please be patient.

Thanks for stopping by today. Do you enjoy books that fall under more than one genre label?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hummingbirds: Peaceful and Serene

As Sunday is typically supposed to be a day to rest and relax, I want to share a wonderful book with you that I think represents peace and tranquility, then bombard you with a few of my own photos.

I love this book - HUMMINGBIRDS: A Life-size Guide to Every Species by Michael Fogden, Marianne Taylor, and Sheri L. Williamson – but yet find it hard to write a review of it as it is a reference book. So today I’m sharing some information from the book’s publisher to help you understand why this book is a must have in your library. It contains such a wonderful amount of information about these tiny creatures.

The book is beautifully illustrated with rich, color photos of the 338 species of hummingbirds, as well as small map drawings showing the regions where they live. The really neat thing is the photos are life-size shots of the birds.

The book also gives a short description and factual information, including the best viewing locations, their habitats, breeding season; size and conservation status. These tiny creatures, ranging from 3 to 5 inches on average, are fascinating. Their brain makes up to 4.2 percent of their body weight. Most hummingbirds die in their first year of life. If they survive that first year, they can live for more than 10 years.

Their tiny feet are so weak they can barely walk, so they prefer to fly. And boy can they fly, using wings that rotate in a full circle and average a speed of 25 to 30 mph and up to 60 mph in a dive.

Hummingbirds have little to no sense of smell, but they can see and hear farther than humans. They can also remember every flower they have been to and how long it will take that flower to refill.

This lovely hardcover book contains 400 pages of captivating information about each of the species found throughout the world. It’s small enough to fit in a backpack, yet large enough for comfortable reading.

HUMMINGBIRDS: A Life-size Guide to Every Species by Michael Fogden, Marianne Taylor, and Sheri L. Williamson, HarperCollins Publishers, @2014, ISBN: 978-0062280640, Hardcover, 400 Pages 

FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my posting this information. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.

To further show you how much I enjoy hummingbirds, I’m sharing some photos I took this past Wednesday of a few birds gathered around a couple of feeders I have out. You’ll see a Mullen plant in the background. When it was in full bloom, they seemed to like the yellow flowers. I also have a pineapple sage plant growing underneath the feeders, but it hasn’t bloomed this year.

These birds are amazing to watch. They are so tiny, yet can be so noisy when there are several of them fighting over the same feeder. They have become accustom to us, so we can stand near the feeder and they will buzz around us.

The first one appears each year on April 1. He stays for about a week and then leaves. A week or so later the others begin to appear and for the summer we are entertained and delighted by their antics.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a chance to relax and unwind. Do you have hummingbird feeders up?

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