Friday, January 31, 2014

REVIEW: Big Honey Dog Mystery: The Curse of the Scarab by H.Y. Hanna


This review is in conjunction with a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $20 Amazon Gift Card and a signed copy of Curse of the Scarab to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. (US ONLY) Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Honey the Great Dane enjoyed a pretty peaceful life: walking her human, checking Peemail at the park… until the arrival of a puppy named Bean turns her life upside down. But when Bean goes missing – together with other neighbourhood pups – Honey sets out on a dangerous quest to find them. Joined by her canine friends, Honey tackles mysterious paw prints and sinister hieroglyphics as clues lead them to a deserted cemetery. But an ancient Egyptian curse has awakened and time is running out. Can Honey solve a cryptic riddle in time to save the puppies? And should she trust Max, a Pit Bull with a murky past, who is hiding secrets of his own?

Middle-grade readers and young teens will love this thrilling tale filled with suspense and humour - and adult dog lovers are sure to enjoy it to. An exciting new mystery series full of action and adventure, for dog lovers of all ages!

My review:

It's a dog's life...and you see it from the dog's eye. Welcome to a series told completely from the dog's point of view--from Honey the Great Dane's point of view. She has life pretty good until her human goes away and leaves her with a dog sitter--who has her own puppy, Bean. Life is swiftly turned a lot more exciting--and there's a mystery to solve.

I really enjoyed this short book...for an adult, it's a short read. But, it's good for all ages--and not only is there a mystery, there are some lessons to be learned as well, but the author does a great job of slipping them in seamlessly.

The book reminded me a bit of Lady and the Tramp (without the spaghetti dinner) and, since the author uses recognizable breeds it was easy to picture the action in my brain. Good job, Ms. Hanna. I'm looking forward to future books in the series. My rating? 5 stars.

And, there's exciting news about the series. Not only is Book 1 available, but Ms. Hanna released a Christmas novella featuring the same cast and it's FREE right now, so you can try out the series to see if you like it.:

Big Honey Dog Mysteries: Message in a Bauble
Christmas intrigue. Daring rescue. Serious slobber.

When Honey the Great Dane finds a hidden note inside a strange Christmas bauble, the festive season takes a sinister turn. Was the note from a trapped child? Join Honey and her canine friends as they set off on a Search & Rescue–from snowy playgrounds to eerie libraries–while they race to solve the mystery of the message in the bauble. Kids and adults alike will love this action-packed Christmas mystery filled with suspense and humour – not to mention candy canes, gingerbread cookies and lots of mince pies!

This short novella is part of the Big Honey Dog Mysteries – a fun, action-packed, mystery adventure series for kids and dogs lovers of all ages. So if you’re looking for a little mystery and adventure this holiday season and some fun & laughs with a cast of adorable canines (and maybe even a feline or two! ;-) ) – then don’t miss this heart-warming Christmas “tail”.

You can grab your copy at Amazon, Amazon UK, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, or Kobo.
About the Author:
H.Y. Hanna is Taiwanese by birth, British by education, pseudo-American by accent and currently Australian by residence! After graduating from Oxford University, she tried a variety of jobs, from advertising in London to English Language teaching in Sydney, before returning to her first love: writing. Always fascinated by dogs, she specialised as a pet writer for magazines in the UK, Australia and NZ, and has been heavily involved in training, behaviour, dog sports and photography. When she's not working on her next novel, she's usually found watching repeats of her favourite TV show, Fringe or wiping Dane slobber off the walls.

You can find out more about her (and the 'real-life Honey' who inspired the series) at: www.bighoneydogmysteries.com, where you'll also find book discussion questions and other parent/teacher resources, plus fun activity sheets and interactive puzzles.

If you'd like to be notified when the next book is released and get sneak previews, please visit www.bighoneydogmysteries.com to sign up for the Big Honey Dog Mysteries newsletter. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Buy the book at Amazon, Amazon UK, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Sony.

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5 comments:

  1. Great review, I can't wait to read the book.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

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  2. This sounds like such a cute book. Something everyone can enjoy. Kids, YA's and adults. I loved the review.

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  3. Just wanted to say a very belated thank you for featuring my book on your blog! And thank you also for your thoughtful review - I'm really pleased you enjoyed it! I'm hard at work on the next book in the series, which is due out in March.

    Thanks again for hosting! :-)
    Best wishes,
    Hsin-Yi

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  4. Love the series and can't wait to see what Ms. Hanna does next!

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  5. I love Hsin-Yi's writing. Her books are reminiscent of Bunnicula! Only better, since the heroine is a Great Dane :)

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