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Monday, November 11, 2019

Benevolent by Erin A. Jensen - Book Tour - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


Hey, lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Erin A. Jensen and her new book, “Benevolent”!  For other stops on her 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 $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Erin and to increase your chances of winning!

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


Benevolent
by Erin A. Jensen

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GENRE: Fantasy

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BLURB:

A story about the purpose of life, the healing power of fandom, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Tormented by the in-crowd at school on a daily basis, there were two things that gave fifteen-year-old Abigail Perkins the strength to keep going—her best friend, Danny Cobb; and her favorite television show, Supernatural. But the night Danny’s mother calls to say that his battle with cancer is nearing its end, and the doctors don’t expect him to live through the night, even Supernatural can’t dull the ache in her heart.

Devastated by her impending loss and crushed that Danny’s mother won’t allow her to visit him one last time, Abigail crawls into bed and cries herself to sleep that night; and she wakes to find Supernatural’s most endearing angel standing at the foot of her bed.

Told from Abigail’s perspective as she nears the end of her long life and revisits the moments that defined it, this story was inspired by the deep connection that Supernatural fans feel with the show’s beloved characters, and the show’s miraculous ability to help its fans through troubled times.

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EXCERPT TWO:

I flashed him a sympathetic smile. “What are you thinking?”

“I have never understood why humans are so moved by music,” he muttered as his eyes searched mine.

“Music is the closest thing that we have to magic,” I confided in a reverent whisper, “because it has the power to anchor us to a moment in time.”

His half-smile conveyed a heartwarming mix of curiosity and affection. “How so?”

I felt my face flush a shade darker as I grinned at him. “When we hear a song from our past, it conjures up all the old sensations that we felt when we first heard it.”

He eyed me with a perplexed frown as he took a step toward me. “How can a combination of man-made instruments and human vocal chords wield that sort of power?”

“I can’t explain it with words,” I whispered, “It’s something that you just have to feel.”

He stood there staring at me with that puzzled expression on his face as I stepped closer and carefully inserted the earpiece in my hand into his left ear, so the music connected the two of us, just as surely as the cord connected the earbuds in our ears. “Maybe you’d understand what I mean if you danced to the music.”

“I don’t dance,” he muttered as he watched me begin to sway to the beat.

I smiled at him as I took his hands in mine and moved his arms in time with the music, like a puppeteer pulling a life-sized marionette’s strings. “Anyone can dance. You just have to let go and let the music guide your movements.”

A skeptical frown spread across his face as he watched me, but he let me direct his movements nonetheless. He was stiff and awkward at first but as the music grew louder, he seemed to find the rhythm. “These words are nonsense,” he muttered.

“Shhh,” I whispered, “Don’t think. Just feel.”

He was a remarkably fast learner, but I suppose being on earth since the dawn of time had given him plenty of opportunities to watch humans dance. Once he started to feel the music, he moved with all the grace that you’d imagine an angel would.

“Hey Jude” gradually faded away until there was nothing but silence in our twin earpieces.

We stopped moving and stood there staring at each other while we waited for the next song to guide our movements.

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MY BOOK REVIEW:


Wow!!!  This book was incredible!!!  I absolutely LOVED every page of it!!!

This book took me on a roller-coaster of emotions!!!

This book keeps you totally engaged from page one through the very last page!  I honestly could not put this book down!

This book is told through Abigail’s point-of-view and mostly through flashbacks as she’s laying on her deathbed looking back at her life and recalling some of the more defining moments that stuck out over her years.  This was definitely a different kind of book than I’ve read before – but still ever so enjoyable!

I really liked the main characters, Abigail, Danny, and Castiel.  I felt an instant connection with Abigail and was able to easily relate with her for the most part.  She was sweet, innocent, kind, likable, caring, considerate, and compassionate.  It was difficult watching Danny whittle away from cancer.  Cancer is a hard topic for me as I’ve had to watch my mom suffer from multiple cancer diagnoses, surgeries, chemo and radiation treatments, etc., over the years.  My mom is finally in remission, however, it’s only temporary, as it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when she will get another cancer diagnosis.  So, yes, there were lots of tears while reading this book!!!

However, unlike Abigail, I was never really bullied growing up.  But these days bullies are EVERYWHERE!!!  I’ve had to deal with bullies in the workplace, as neighbors, and at the gym.  I’m sure most of us, can at least relate to having to deal with a bully somewhere in our lifetime – which is why Abigail made such a great, well-rounded, easy to connect with character – that I think most of us can relate to at least some part of her.

As for Castiel, he was a pleasurable addition to this book!  I am a Supernatural fan, so I really enjoyed him being part of this story!  However, I am not a diehard fan of the show (sorry Erin!!) – although I really wanted to be!  I got rid of cable and kept missing episodes and getting lost.  I’m now a streamer, and sadly Supernatural isn't on Hulu.  However, it’s on my list of shows to buy when it goes cheaper than $29.99 a season!!  Perhaps this Gray Thursday/Black Friday it will go on sale and I can buy a few seasons and get caught back up as this book really made me miss the show!!

I think the author did a fantastic job on her character development as these characters were so real, raw, and personal on many levels!

This book has a creative story line with well executed plot points, fantastic writing style with detailed scenes, relatable characters, is evenly paced, and keeps you fully engaged and entertained.

This book is so beautifully told in a mannerism that allows the reader to get fully immersed and invested in the story and the outcome of the characters.

I LOVED that this book was wrapped up in the Supernatural TV Show.  And it absolutely showed a new, but brilliant, merciful, benevolent, humanizing side of Castiel.  It’s no wonder the author’s book won in the Supernatural Giving Back Tour’s Creative Quest Competition in Cleveland!

There are some predictable scenes.  However, there are still many unexpected twists and turns that you won’t see coming!

This book is not listed to be part of a book series.  Therefore, this book can be read as a standalone.

I absolutely love that this book donates 100% of the net proceeds from this book will go to Random Acts charitable organization.

Random Acts inspires many amazing things around the world every day — from small acts of kindness, such as inspiring someone to buy a stranger a cup of coffee, to much bigger acts of kindness like building a school in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.  To learn more about Random Acts visit randomacts.org.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it!  I think all fantasy readers – especially Supernatural TV Show fans will like this book too!  So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading - you won't be disappointed!

**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:

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AUTHOR BIO:


Erin Jensen is the Amazon International bestselling author of The Dream Waters Series. She was awarded the Bronze Medal for fantasy fiction in the 2018 Readers' Favorite international book awards. She also received Honorable Mention for fantasy fiction in the 2018 Writer's Digest self-published e-book awards. A part-time pharmacist and a full-time daydreamer, she resides in upstate New York with her ridiculously supportive husband, two teenage sons--who are both taller than her--and a Yorkshire terrier who thinks he's the family bodyguard.

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CONNECT WITH ERIN:

Website:

Blog:

Facebook:

Twitter:
Goodreads Author Page:

Goodreads Book Page:

Amazon Author Page:

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle eBook:

Amazon Paperback:

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

The Book Depository Paperback:

BAM! Books-A-Million Paperback:

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Erin will be awarding a $25 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 is 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.

4 comments:

  1. Erin ~ Good morning! Welcome back! It is always a pleasure 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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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Ally!! It’s always a pleasure to visit your blog! And thank you for the wonderful review! I’m so happy you enjoyed reading Benevolent!!

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