Hey, lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Paula Quinene and her new book, “Stormed”! 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 $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Paula
and to increase your chances of winning!
Thanks for stopping
by! Wishing you lots of luck in this
fabulous giveaway!
Stormed
by Paula Quinene
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GENRE: Contemporary Romance
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BLURB:
A
medical doctor educated in the United States, passionate and fierce Liz
Taimanglo must now fulfill her promise and return to her island home. Liz makes
the long flight across the US and the North Pacific Ocean to Guam, uncertain of
what her future holds. Heading into the epicenter of her family and prime
typhoon season for the Mariana Islands chain, the disquiet of her heart
threatens to do more damage than any typhoon might inflict on Guam. Little does
Liz know, the man featured in the newspaper would indeed unleash delicious
torment rivaling even a Category 5 super typhoon.
Manny
Artero is adamant about fighting for his island, his culture, and the rights of
Guam’s Chamorro people, after having been fired from his teaching job. That is,
until Liz walks up to him with her machete-wielding eyes and her undying
respect for the American military. Manny had vowed never to risk his heart
again and to become a more vocal activist, but this woman threatens to
challenge all his intentions about love and life on Guam. Brushing off the
safer choice, he plots a series of surprises to change her mind.
For
Liz, becoming a doctor of medicine was supposed to be the right path, but her
universe imploded when her training failed to save the life of the most
important person in her world. Though a former US Marine, Manny could no longer
accept the loss of land, rights, and freedom that Chamorros continue to suffer
in their own homeland. Helpless against the strengthening attraction between
them, Liz and Manny must face not only their opposing political views, but the
storms stirring in their hearts and the very land upon which they stand.
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EXCERPT TWO:
Liz
stood still, blindfolded. Rearranging furniture? We haven’t gone in the house
yet. Water tumbled against rock perhaps, not too far from her. The striking of
a match. A whiff of smoke brushed by her nose. Soft music filled the air, but
Liz couldn’t make out the words because she was on edge. His surprise must be
out here.
“Almost
done.”
She
bit her lip and swayed side to side. I might regurgitate my lunch if he doesn’t
hurry up. The sun had already set so whatever he was planning, he needed to be
quick. “You have about killed me with all this secrecy.” After another minute,
Liz felt Manny standing behind her.
“I
hope you’ll think it was worth it. Ready?”
“Very.”
Liz bit her bottom lip.
“Ai,
nangga hit. Wait sa’ I need to close the light.”
Oh
my God I’m going to burst. It took a moment for Manny to return to her side.
Liz shivered even though it wasn’t cold. It was warmer where she stood. Wood
crackled. A stronger scent of burning tångantångan wood filled the air. If she
bit her bottom lip any harder her teeth would puncture the gum.
The
blindfold fell away. She opened her eyes and her jaw hung open; not a word came
out. Liz looked at Manny then back at the firepit in front of her, a low orange
flame dancing. The sound of cascading water caught her attention again. A small
statue of Sirena, Guam’s mermaid, sat atop a rock. It was set off to the
far-right corner with water flowing around her in a waterscape. Liz looked up.
Only dusk hung over them.
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BOOK TRAILER:
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**Disclaimer: I received a
complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and
unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**
Paula will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to
a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
MY BOOK REVIEW:
Wow! I have never felt so
immersed in the cultural content of a book before! The author transported me to Guam with every detailed
passage!
The author provided such
extensive detail I truly believe I pictured every scene just as the author had
intended when she wrote it.
I absolutely loved the
historical enrichment and authentic narrative!!
It is clear the author did
a thorough and extensive amount of research while constructing this book. That plus her own unique advantage of growing
up on Guam created reliable and credible details throughout the story line.
I
honestly had very little knowledge about Guam or her people before reading this
book series. This book provided such strong
insight and gave this reader a better understanding of how Guam became liberated,
the people of Guam aka the Chamorro, and Guam’s beautiful culture and traditions.
Quinene made the story both educational
and intriguing without sounding monotone.
I
really enjoyed the main characters, Liz and Manny. There was an obvious attraction and an
enjoyable lead up of them trying to fight their feelings. I also really enjoyed catching back up with
the main characters from book one, Jesi and Johan! It was great to see how their lives had
unfolded and played out.
However,
I felt that this book had a bit of an overwhelming amount of characters with
multiple nicknames. Thankfully the
author provided a names and character reference section at the back of the book
which really helped for a quick check to identify the character's details.
I
loved all the extras at the end of the book!
The author included a map of Guam in 1992, a recipe section for
chocolate sugar cookies and custard pie, a glossary, a names and characters
reference section, a places reference section, and a list of the many books and
online articles used while writing this book!
These extras really enhanced the story and provided important details
for the reader to follow along in the story.
I also can’t wait to try the recipe for the chocolate sugar cookies!
I enjoyed that the author used many Chamorro written phrases throughout the book which only added to the genuineness of the story! However, at times it felt a bit confusing. Thankfully, the author included a glossary at the end of the book which provided a Chamorro to English translation and came in very handy for this reader.
I enjoyed that the author used many Chamorro written phrases throughout the book which only added to the genuineness of the story! However, at times it felt a bit confusing. Thankfully, the author included a glossary at the end of the book which provided a Chamorro to English translation and came in very handy for this reader.
There are some predictable
scenes. However, there are still a few
very unexpected twists and turns that you won’t see coming!
This book is Book Two in
The Set in Guam Book Series. I had previously
read book one before reading this book.
This book can absolutely be read as a standalone without any confusion. However, there is significant story line and
character overlap that I believe this book would be even better enjoyed having
started with book one.
All in all, there were just
a couple hang-ups for me, but overall, I still enjoyed reading this book and
would still recommend it! I think all
historical and contemporary romance readers will like this book too! So, add it to your TBR List and get to
reading – you won’t be disappointed!
Did you find this review helpful?
If so, please, please, please mark it as helpful
on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/RIP1P8HUVVJGL
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AUTHOR BIO:
Born
and raised on Guam, Paula Quinene continues
to take pride in her Chamorro heritage. The Chamorros are the native people of
Guam and the Mariana Islands. Paula, like many of her fellow islanders, left
home to pursue a higher education. A resident of North Carolina since 2000,
Paula’s homesickness has resulted in her Guam cookbooks, A Taste of Guam and
Remember Guam, and her Guam romance novels, Conquered and Stormed.
Follow Paula’s Guam food and romance novel antics at the links
below.
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CONNECT WITH PAULA:
Website:
Blog:
Email:
pquinene@paulaq.com
Facebook:
Instagram:
YouTube:
Goodreads Author Page:
Goodreads Book Page:
Amazon Author Page:
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AMAZON BOOK BUY
LINKS:
Amazon Kindle eBook:
Amazon Paperback:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
**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.
Paula ~ Good morning! Welcome back! It is so great to have you here again! 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! :)
ReplyDeleteHafa Adai Ally! Thank you for having me again, and thank you for your thorough review. I'm thrilled you were able to read and critique both books -- as now you are more familiar with Guam and the Chamorro people. Si Yu'us Ma'ase!!!
DeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your review!
ReplyDeleteVictoria, thank you for taking the tour!!!
DeleteThanks so much for both the book description and giveaway as well. I enjoy hearing about another good book.
ReplyDelete