Hello everyone! Thanks for stopping in and being a part of the CardSharp Blog Tour. Make sure to visit the other blogs participating to see other reviews and interviews and maybe get in on a giveaway or two.

This tour was organized by Stormi from Lightning Book Promotions and we will be discussing CardSharp by Paul Oliver Westmoreland.

About the book:

Vincent Ward grew up with an understanding that art was important. His parents paid the ultimate price in protecting their collection which only made Vincent even more passionate about the subject. Now a grown man and working at the National Gallery in London, he is in his niche and couldn't love it more. However, he knows more than anybody that this job comes with certain risks.

He gets a lead that a priceless journal of a master painter could be hidden among some interesting items up for bid at an auction. Seeing that it is indeed the journal, he outplays the other bidders and wins the auction. With the journal in his possession, he opens up a bigger can of worms then he expected. Using the book to track down missing art of the famous painter, Vincent finds himself in a cat and mouse game with some vicious art thieves. More than his own life, he desperately tries to protect the journal and his finds along the way.

My review:

Reading the description of this book, I thought this would be perfect for my 10 year old stepson and myself to read. I love to read to the boys at night before bed and get them interested in the written word. Hearing that this was the "James Bond of the art world" and how Paul wanted get children interested in art in a unique way, I just had to check it out.

It was slow going for us at first due to the fact that we found it hard to meet up for reading time. We would need to refresh where we were and I was having a hard time getting into the plot until the main character found himself in Italy. The action picked up, which caught my sons attention and the way that the art history was sprinkled into the story perked my interest up. The mixture of these two elements made it a wonderful read for the both of us. The illustrations are like those of comic books which my son already loves and there were just enough throughout the book.

Depending on the age of your child, I would recommend this read for tweens and teens. My son was just barely hanging in there with me until the suspense carried him through. I really liked the undercurrent of faith that kept waving through especially with Caravaggio's art inspiration. I highly recommend this book for family time or as a gift if you have a young reader at home.

About the Author:

Paul Oliver Westmoreland (POW) lives in North London and works for a digital advertising agency. Working, being newly married and expecting their first child all keeps Paul pretty busy but in his spare time he is working hard on his second Vincent Ward adventure. He loves writing children's novels and hopes to give his readers a learning experience with real subjects in a fun and exciting way. His aim is to leave you wanting to know more. Live in London? Stop by The National Gallery and take a look at Caravaggio's paintings!

Download some preview chapters of his book CardSharp before you buy or purchase your own printed or digital copy from Lulu or Amazon. The kindle version is only 99 cents right now! Be sure to check out the other blogs below who are participating in this tour. This tour will continue through the end of January. Thanks for reading and thank you Stormi and Paul for this letting me take part!