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Tuesday, July 24, 2018

The Gorgon Bride by Galen Surlak-Ramsey - Book Tour - Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


Hello lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Galen Surlak-Ramsey and his new book, “The Gorgon Bride”!  For other stops on his Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Galen and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!


The Gorgon Bride
by Galen Surlak-Ramsey

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GENRE: Fantasy

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BLURB:

THE GODS ARE FUNNY.

Except when you piss them off.

Then they suck.

They really, really suck.

(Really).

Alexander Weiss discovers this tidbit when he inadvertently insults Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, and she casts him away on a forgotten isle filled with statues.

Being marooned is bad enough, but the fact that the island is also the home of Euryale, elder sister to Medusa, makes the situation a touch worse. The only thing keeping Alex from being petrified is the fact that Euryale has taken a liking to the blundering mortal.

For now.

What follows next is a wild, adventurous tale filled with heroes, gods, monsters, love, and war that is nothing short of legendary.

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EXCERPT ONE:


At 9:03 a.m., on a cold Tuesday morning, Alex would get his fifteen minutes of fame. In truth, his share would be closer to one minute; the orca would garner the other fourteen.
       
Alex’s neighborhood of exquisite prairie homes and Jaguar drivers was a whale-free zone. It always had been, and everyone expected it always would be. Thus, when Alex sat down at his Steinway grand piano to practice Chopin’s first ballade at 8:30, he considered the day to be routine. But when his doorbell rang a minute before nine, things changed.

Alex muttered a few curses and took to his feet. He opened the front door and felt a twinge to burn the heretic who had interrupted his worship service. Chopin, as far as Alex was concerned, was a god.

At the foot of his doorstep jogged a man of impeccable physique who had his index and middle fingers pressed into his neck. Before Alex could raise a hand to shield his eyes from an unusually bright sun, the man thrust a fancy looking clipboard into his chest. “Delivery for Alexander Weiss,” the man said. “Sign here.”

Alex hesitated. He took the board and examined the man. He wore a nondescript white uniform, sneakers, and ball cap that screamed athletic commercial. “Who exactly are you with?” Alex asked.
       
“With?” A puzzled look crossed the deliveryman’s face, as if the question had never been posed to him before.
       
“Yes, with. Who do you work for?” Alex looked at the man’s running shoes. The emblem on the sides looked vaguely familiar. “Nike?”
       
“Gods, no.” The man rolled his eyes. “I hate doing jobs for Nike. Always going on about triumphing over adversity. Thankfully, Olympus doesn’t have me at Nike’s beck and call.”
       
“Olympus, huh? Startup company?”
       
The man grinned. It was mischievous and the type of grin a child might give after thieving a cookie or two. “No, we’ve been around for a while.”
       
“Funny, never heard of you.”
       
“We’re from overseas. Closed shop for a bit.” The deliveryman peered around Alex. “Say, you’ve got a lot of nice stuff inside.”
       
Alex glanced over his shoulder. “Thanks.”
       
“Really nice.”
       
“Again, thank you.”
       
“Nicest on the block, by far. Care to part with any of it?”
       
“No, I’m afraid not.”
       
The smile on the man’s face grew. “Your neighbor said the same thing about her cookies. But I must say they are delicious. You should help yourself to some.”
       
“Mrs. Nemur gave you a homemade cookie?”
       
“Well, gave is such a strong word,” he said with a wink.

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REVIEW:


This book is about Alex, a concert pianist, who unknowingly upsets Athena, so she drops a whale on his head.  Alex is then in a not-quite-dead status and in order to save himself he is then forced to act as a matchmaker.  Alex must find a husband for Euryale, Medusa’s sister, and the daughter of Phorcys, God of the Hidden Dangers of the Sea.  Alex agrees, but after meeting Euryale, he quickly falls in love with her, and the feeling is reciprocated.  It seems like Alex’s job would be complete and it would be a win-win.  However, since Athena arranged this set-up, her sister, Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love is furious as she is the one who makes the love connections.  So, an all-out battle among the Gods begins that puts Alex and Euryale right at the center and tossed around like pawns.

It’s clear that the author is well versed in Greek Mythology and brings it down to a level that can easily be understood and enjoyed by all readers.

I liked that so many known and lesser known Greek Gods made appearances throughout the book.  It really showed what it would have been like there and made the story more realistic.

I liked that this book is written in a light hearted, funny, often sarcastic tone.  It gives humor to the story and the characters.  Even during the more serious, wild, dark, gruesome scenes; the writing continues to be on the lighter side.

Unfortunately, I felt there was a lack of character development and connection.  Yes, obviously, I’m not going to be able to easily relate to or have much in common with Greek Gods – but I felt the author was able to set up situations and scenarios that allowed for those opportunities but didn’t follow through with a strong enough connection.  Furthermore, I felt a disconnect along some of the characters interaction as well.

I was very intrigued by the storyline and found the concept to be well thought out.  However, there were a few times I felt the story jumped around a bit and got somewhat confusing.  I found myself having to re-read some of the passages.  I think there was just so much going on in the story and it was difficult to separate it out at times.

I loved that the author snuck hidden messages throughout the book.  It really raised more questions and allowed other viewpoints and helped me see things in different ways.  I don’t want to give away too many spoilers out, but some of the messages are about love, the true value of love, the hardships of love, how far you’d go for love, and like what love really means to you.  I think many of us just throw that four-letter word out there and may not really think about what it truly means.  After reading this book, I definitely spent some time thinking about the people I love, why I love them, and that I will always make sure that those people know that they are truly loved.

This book has a lot to offer readers such as Greek Mythology, fantasy, romance, love, friendship, adventure, suspense, action, adrenaline, humor, vengeance, faith, adversary, quests, second chances, new beginnings, and so much more!

Even if you’re not a Greek Mythology buff this book is still easy to follow and understand.

This book has a neat and tidy ending that also implies a sequel to follow.

All in all, I enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend this book to all Greek Mythology, fantasy, and action readers!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**

Did you find this review helpful?
If so, please, please, please mark it as helpful on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R13S7080IGC42Q

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AUTHOR BIO:


When not writing, Galen Surlak-Ramsey has been known to throw himself out of an airplane, teach others how to throw themselves out of an airplane, take pictures of the deep space, and wrangle his four children somewhere in Southwest Florida.

He also manages to pay the bills as a chaplain for a local hospice.

Drop by his website https://galensurlak.com/ to see what other books he has out, what’s coming soon, check out the newsletter (well, sign up for the newsletter and get access to awesome goodies, contests, exclusive content, etc.)

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CONNECT WITH GALEN:

Website:

Email:

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Goodreads Author Page:

Goodreads Book Page:

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle:

Amazon Paperback:

Amazon Hardcover:

Barnes and Noble:

Kobo:

Google Play:

The Book Depository Paperback:

The Book Depository Hardcover:

BAM! Books-A-Million Paperback:

BAM! Books-A-Million Hardcover:

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Galen will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

9 comments:

  1. Galen ~ It is great to have you here! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour! I really enjoyed reading and reviewing your book, thanks for providing the copy! :)

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  2. I enjoyed getting to know your book and thanks for the chance to win :)

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  3. Do you have any ideas for your next book? Congrats on the release. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com

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  4. Lots of big readers in my family and most with different genres. I appreciate the tour and getting to read about some awesome books.

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