Wednesday, March 4, 2015

War Kids by HJ Lawson with Giveaway

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war kids 1 covergifWar Kids - War Kids # 1
by HJLawson
Audience: YA/NA - Genre: Thriller / Action - Formats: E-book and Paperback - Publisher: HJLawson - Pages: 297 – pages - ISBN: 978-0692254776 - ASIN: B00MS8QWYA = Date Published: Aug 21, 2014
blurb When Jada wakes up in a hospital, the last thing she thinks is that her life has completely changed forever. But when the very real civil war forces her to flee from every open space, she must use the firearm skills her father taught her to reunite with him and protect herself. Armed with a single gun and a key to an unknown locker, Jada crosses Syria on a journey with a group of children called the Fearless Freedom Fighters. With the leader, Zak, they mount a plan to rescue their fathers while they try to cope with the merciless murders of their families. As Jada and Zak lead the group together, love blossoms, but with soldiers hot on their tail, they need to stay vigilant in the face of war.
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This is a story which pulls and twists at the gut, almost hitting a bit too close to home. The two main characters, Jada and Zak, are caught in a cruel war, and they do whatever they can to save their families and themselves.

The scenes are vivid and violent, making the heart-strings pull and the shivers run up and down the spine. The author does a terrific job in playing the reader's emotions to the point, where at least, I wondered at times if I could really read more.

The dialogue is well done and the characters sympathetic. I felt that the characters acted a bit young at times and didn't seem to always understand the background to their situation, something which fails to show the reality of how fast kids in these situations really mature. But it was still easy to follow both of the main characters and feel for them as they tried their best to get through.

I personally wished there was a little more background, but the action and emotion-packed situations make up for this completely. There are several flashbacks which I found a little jarring and the narration feels a bit uneven at times, but this too doesn't irritate too much or pull away from the main focus of the story.

Summed up, this is a story which hits hard. It does a fantastic job on bringing the cruelty of war to life and will leave a mark on anyone who reads it.


excerpt ‘My childhood was stolen, and they took it.’ ‘Their Corridor of Death is my Corridor of Freedom.’ ‘I am Alive. I am Alive. Protect Me.’ “No, let him find his chargrilled family. He can spread the word of what we great soldiers did today. Let him be our voice.” ‘Follow my Beating Heart Back Home.’ ‘God, Lord, please stop them; stop them from killing the innocent… are you going to be a spectator to slaughter, Lord? Please help!’




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war kids 2 covergif Survive The Day - War Kids # 2
  blurb Jada and her friends have been living in America for over a year now. At school she blends in with the other children, but she knows that she is different. They didn’t have to kill for their freedom. The memories of her past haunt her each time Gerard takes her to visit someone from her father’s list as they try to find out where he is being held. But what they don’t realize is they would have been safer in Syria… A hidden enemy is attacking America from the inside, and no one is safe… Annabel dreams of a happier life. One with a normal family instead of one that chooses heroin and the Wild Boar Riders biker over her. The only person she can trust is Brandon, another person living on the streets. They bond over their hatred towards Troy, a pimp and drug dealer who takes great pleasure in ruining lives. As the passion grows between Brandon and Annabel, so does the chaos in New York City as it is now under attack. They are forced to flee to an unknown hideout beneath the heart of the City. Ethan is scarred by his father’s death. He has spent his entire life planning for revenge. …And the day has finally come...
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war kids 3 covergif Survive The 9nite -  War Kids # 3
  blurb Jada and her friends are trying to escape the terrorist attack. Unfortunately their flight doesn’t get out of New York fast enough, and now all of their lives are in even more danger. And not just from the nuclear radiation, but from the even more frightening demons of Jada’s past. Annabel wakes up to find herself underground – literally underneath the city in the sewers. But she has more to worry about than just sewer rats and filth… deranged escaped convicts are hunting her down, determined to make her pay for what she did. And if she tries to escape, it will mean her certain death for above… Ethan’s greatest day takes an unlikely twist when he finds out his whole life is a lie. All these years he thought he was avenging his father. But now he knows he was a merely a puppet… and he wants revenge…
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play
Chapter 5
Follow my beating heart, back home
Jada escaped from the hospital were the soldiers were chasing her; entering in black abyss of night, only memories to guide her back home.
Chapter 4
Evil cowards.
Solider Heen Dara, sings the first lines in his head, as he enters the bathroom.  Where Zak, and Jacob are hiding from the sound of gun shots.
Chapter 4
Evil cowards.
Zak, leaves the bathroom to find his classmates, died in the hallway. He prays his brother is alive.
Chapter 11
Black as Liquorice.
Jada returns hope to find her mother, and brother lying on the path in front of their family home. No one saved them.
Chapter 13
Goodbye Jada.
After leaving her praying over her mother and brother all that is left are the demons in her head pleading for revenge.
Chapter 17
Beware: you do not know what you have woken.
Jada can sense a dark shadow standing at the foot of her bed; he is peering down on her like a piece of meat, but he selected the wrong girl to prey on. Kill or be killed!
The wander is die; Jada is riddled with guilt, praying to Lord to repent her sins, but she had no choice he was going to rape her.
Chapter 17
Beware: you do not know what you have woken.
Her Father was teaching her how to use a gun before he was kidnapped. Jada is ready and squeezed the trigger. The bullet flew out with lighting speed. She felt alive.
Chapter 21
God bless my beautiful daughter.
Jada’s shadow appears on the horizon as she enters soulless city, where the orphaned children are hiding.
Chapter 35
First taste of happiness.
Zak wakes Jada up, to have firing range practice, and fun in the freedom in the field behind the church as everyone is sleeping. There young love beings to blossom.
Chapter 44
Lambs to the slaughter.
Jada leads the group of orphans’ into a trap, she is betrayed by someone she cares for, and resulting in the death of someone she loved. 



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giveaway
author 
clip_image010I was born in Lancaster, England. Growing up in a single parent household with five other siblings was hard and also character building. As a young child I found a passion for drawing and continued this into adulthood. I graduating from the University of Central Lancashire, England with a BA(Hons) in fashion design. At aged twenty seven, my husband and I packed up our belongings for a lifelong dream to move to California. Our America dream was complete with the birth of my daughter. A new job positioned opened up New York, we decide to relocate to Long Island, NY, which is where I currently resides.
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follow the tour
Tour Schedule – One Month Blog Tour for The War Kids Series by HJ Lawson from February 9 – March 6, 2015
February 9
Coffee Book & Art – Promo & Book Soundtrack
February 10
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! - Promo
February 11
JeanzBookReadNReview - Author Interview, Playlist & Book Soundtrack
February 12
Deal Sharing Aunt - Promo
February 13
The Avid Reader - Promo, Author Interview, Book Soundtrack & Playlist
February 16
The Idle Musings of a Writer's Mind – Promo & Author Interview
February 17
United Indie Book Blog - Promo
February 18
Booky Ramblings of a Neurotic Mom – Promo & Top Ten
Bibliophile Mystery - Promo, Top Ten & Book Soundtrack
February 19
Cajun Book Lover - Promo
February 20
Archaeolibrarian - I dig good books! - Promo
February 23
Word to Dreams - Promo
February 24
What Shall We Blog About Today? - Promo, Book Soundtrack & Playlist
February 25
2 Girls & A Book – Promo & Top Ten
February 26
Eclipse Reviews - Promo,Top Ten, Playlist & Book Soundtrack
February 27
Kimber Leigh Writes - Promo, Author Interview & Playlist
March 2
Books Books Books – Promo
March 3
Angels with Attitude Book Reviews - Promo, Author Interview, Book Soundtrack & Playlist
March 4
Bookworm for Kids - Review Book #1 - War Kids
March 5
Portals to New Worlds - Promo, Author Interview, Playlist & Book Soundtrack
March 6
Fictional Rendezvous Book Blog - Promo
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