Wednesday, June 11, 2008

House of Dark Shadows and Watcher in the Woods by Robert Liparulo (AND GIVEAWAY)

My Review: I loved House of Dark Shadows. I did not want to put it down. I have not read the second yet but I look forward to reading it soon. I read them during the daylight. ;) There is almost no spiritual element present which was my only concern. I highly recommend this series to both middle school and older. It might appeal more to boys but this girl really liked it and this is not my typical book. Great summer reading. To win the set of both books leave a comment on this post until Wednesday June 18 at midnight.


This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing a double pair


House of Dark Shadows
and
Watcher In The Woods
(Books 1 and 2 in the Dreamhouse Kings Series)

Thomas Nelson (May 6, 2008)

by

Robert Liparulo

ABOUT THE BOOKS

House of Dark Shadows
(Dreamhouse Kings Book 1)

Dream house...or bad dream?
When the Kings move from L.A. to a secluded small town, fifteen-year-old Xander is beyond disappointed. He and his friends loved to create amateur films . . . but the tiny town of Pinedale is the last place a movie buff and future filmmaker wants to land.

But he, David, and Toria are captivated by the many rooms in the old Victorian fixer-upper they moved into--as well as the heavy woods surrounding the house.

They soon discover there's something odd about the house. Sounds come from the wrong directions. Prints of giant, bare feet appear in the dust. And when David tries to hide in the linen closet, he winds up in locker 119 at his new school.

Then the really weird stuff kicks in: they find a hidden hallway with portals leading off to far-off places--in long-ago times. Xander is starting to wonder if this kind of travel is a teen's dream come true . . . or his worst nightmare.

Watcher In The Woods
(Dreamhouse Kings Book 2)


It's not just the house that's keeping secrets.
Pretending everything's all right is harder than it sounds. But the Kings know that even if they told the truth about the bizarre things happening in their house, no one would believe them. They're hyper-focused on rescuing their lost family member before anyone finds out what's going on.

But when a stranger shows up to take their house, their options start dwindling fast. Why would he be so interested in a run-down old place? And what secret is he hiding--just as he hides the scars that crisscross his body?

The mystery gets stranger with each passing day. Will the Kings be able to find a way to harness the house's secrets and discover who is watching their every move before another gets snatched into an unknown world?

The Dreamhouse Kings Series has three contests that you will not want to miss...Dream the Scene, a weekly "Thanks For Reading Trivia contest, and the Dreamhouse Kings Street Team contest. There are also free bookplates that you can request, and a chapter of each book that you can download!

You can get all those goodies HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robert is an award-winning author of over a thousand published articles and short stories. He is currently a contributing editor for New Man magazine. His work has appeared in Reader's Digest, Travel & Leisure, Modern Bride, Consumers Digest, Chief Executive, and The Arizona Daily Star, among other publications. In addition, he previously worked as a celebrity journalist, interviewing Stephen King, Tom Clancy, Charlton Heston, and others for magazines such as Rocky Road, Preview, and L.A. Weekly.

Robert is an avid scuba diver, swimmer, reader, traveler, and a law enforcement and military enthusiast. He lives in Colorado with his wife and four children.

Robert's first novel painted a scenario so frighteningly real that six Hollywood producers were bidding on movie rights before the novel was completed. His acclaimed debut novel, Comes A Horseman, is being made into a major motion picture by producer Mace Neufeld and his short story "Kill Zone" was featured in the anthology Thriller, edited by James Patterson.

Bob has sold the film rights to his second book, GERM. And he is writing the screenplay for a yet-to-be-written political thriller, which sold to Phoenix Pictures, for Andrew Davis (The Fugitive, The Guardian) to direct!

And his third book Deadfall. debuted to rave reviews!

7 comments:

Robert Liparulo said...

Hi, Brittanie,

I'm glad you liked the book. All of my stories contain very subtle spirituality. Not that my faith is subtle, mind you, but I do take a step back with it in my stories. I figure God working through me can do a much better job than I can do when I TRY to put Him there. I believe that I was called to gently touch people who have not committed themselves to Him yet, and I don't want to scare them off. I'm a front-man, preparing readers for the more vocal people who will come after me.

All that said . . . Dreamhouse has a very powerful Godly message. We don't quite see it in the first few books, but it does eventually take shape. It has to do with God being outside time and the purpose He has given each of us in His Kingdom. Very subtly, the King's faith creeps in (in Watcher, Xander asks why God would allow these things to happen and the family prays at the dinner table). By the end, you'll see the message (those who have eyes to see), but no one will feel hit over the head with it.

Hope you like Watcher in the Woods.

Robert

katylinvw said...

woo hoo! i love new books!

Anonymous said...

I think my son would really like reading these. They sound like the type of story that would appeal to him and similiar to things he generally chooses. I appreciate your subtlety in using the religious theme and the fact that no matter how gently it's included, it is there and hopefully will touch many lives in a positive way. I would love to win these for my son and family.
doot65[at]comcast[dot]net

Carolynn said...

I've heard a lot of good about these books and I would love to read them and share them with my teen siblings. Thanks so much for the chance to win!

windycindy said...

I think this man is a wonderful writer! His books are well-written and these are mysteries. We live in an historic house that reminds me of
"House of Dark Shadows!" Please enter me in your contest drawing. I really appreciate it! Thanks, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

Melissa Neece said...

This is the type of book I love, but rarely see in giveaways. I actually have not heard of these, but they look fantastic. Thanks for the contest!
Melissa Neece
http://melissaneece.blogspot.com (lots of pregnancy and natural living links)
http://melissasreviews.blogspot.com (Holistic reviews for practical people)
http://bookretrospects.blogspot.com (new site with book reviews)

Grateful Gramma said...

The books sound interesting! Please enter my name in the drawing. Thanks!

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