I have read the
following
Coraline
by Neil Gaiman
I’m
not sure about leaving out some physical descriptions of the other family till
the end. While it would have been fine
to provide it little by little waiting till the last two chapters for some
significant details made the book seem less scary over all. I was expecting a book considered to be
horror to be a little scarier. If became
a little scarier if I did the extra work of imagining I was younger. I can imagine it would be a lot scarier if I
was a younger reader. The author has an
outstanding imagination. This is
definitely a book I want my future children to read.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange
for an honest review.
An
exciting historical M/M romance. A
riveting story that contains politics and romance. I was happy to follow the relationships and
politics within the castle along with William’s platonic friendship with a
fellow squire, Tom. I wished there had been more action and more into his
training as a squire. There was a lot
more telling than showing in almost every area except the sex scenes. I like that we watched William struggle with
his feelings and the impact they would have on him in regards to the time
period and the piety of his relationship. I did find the acceptance of their
relationship was more accepted than would have been historically accurate. I
would recommend this book to someone who likes M/M romance, likes politics in
their romance, and doesn’t mind or enjoys explicit descriptions of sex.
Killer Decor: An Elle Wade Cozy Mystery
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest
review.
The
story was riveting. There were a couple of typos one in particular left me
scratching my head guessing what the author meant. There were also some formatting issues which
let me wondering if they were deliberate or not. The characters were well
rounded. You really believed that this was a real community filled with real
people. The secrets of the people were
interesting because it left readers guessing.
I did feel like our protagonist didn’t have enough of a flaw. I can’t wait to read more in this series. I
want to know more about the personal relationships of the characters. A great way to start a series.
Hercules Finds His Courage (Taki & Toula Time Travelers, #1)
I was given a copy of
this book in exchange for an honest review.
A great early reader book. This is a
fabulous way to introduce mythology to young readers. This would be a good
bedtime story, a good classroom read-aloud, or a read alone book for young readers.
I do wish pronunciation assistance was provided for the italicized words. There is a good moral along with action that
allows the children protagonists to be the hero. The facts at the back are useful teaching
points for parents and teachers to use.
Homefront
by Trevor Wyatt
I
received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a
review.
A riveting
tale with wonderful characters. The
characters are believable with flaws, misguided motives, and dynamic relationships.
This book has a lot of action and wonderful interpersonal and political relationships. The
author does a great job showing us what characters are doing instead of just
telling us a story. The author also paints beautiful pictures for the readers. I
felt a shortcoming of the book was the protagonist despite being an alien was
too human, a race that wasn’t non-existent from the book. There was a lot of language which I’m not
sure was necessary throughout the book. I’m
excited to see more from Trevor Wyatt.
The Crown of the
Bandit King (The Compendium of Curious Collectibles Book 1)
I
received a free copy of this book via Hidden Gems and am voluntarily leaving a
review.
An
outstanding middle grade read. There were
a couple of places where the text was overly repetitive or dialogue went on
long otherwise this book was fantastic.
The characters were well rounded. The magi played a significant role and
provided many surprises. The characters felt real and so did their
relationships. The author has created a
dynamic world and unique characters that inhabit it. I can’t wait to read more of the series.
A Girl Called Renee
by Ruth Uzrad
I
received a free copy of this book via Hidden Gems and am voluntarily leaving a
review.
A
well written memoir. The interruptions
and time jumps were jarring however they are typical of the genre, memoir. They were well marked and were clear about
when the jump went to and where it returned to.
This is well written and lets readers see what this woman went through
and how she overcame the obstacles presented to her. I want to know more about
her life and how these events changed her as a person in her day to day
life. I highly recommend this book as it
shows what Jewish people who didn’t go to concentration camps had to
endure.
Her Secret - A Billionaire Romance
I
received a free copy of this book via Instafreebie and am voluntarily leaving a
review.
I
enjoyed the characters having lives outside each other. It was refreshing to
have their personalities really come into play when they were forced to
interact with each other. This seemed more true of Erin than of Tyler however.
There were a few editing errors which pulled me out of the prose. I want to know more about the characters and
how things progress after the events of this story end.
The Fatness
I
received a free copy of this book via NetGallery and am voluntarily leaving a
review.
I
was excited by the premise of this book.
I had high hopes for this imaginative dystopian story. I was disappointed however because the story
seemed to go on excessively without the plot moving forward as much as it
needed to. If this book was shorter and
had some of the fat trimmed, pun intended, readers wouldn’t hit a lull and find
the middle of the book a never-ending slog.
I appreciated the quotes and facts intertwined. The romance was a nice
addition however it didn’t play a significant role until later. There are great ideas here, there just needs
to be some refinement. I will happily read what Mark A Rayner does next.
Catakism
by
Jeff Lazarus
I
received a free copy of this book via NetGallery and am voluntarily leaving a
review.
A fur-nominal collection of rules for Cat
owners. Clever and punny a wonderful bible for life and a coffee table book for
cat owners. A detailed series of rules
to live by to be as acceptable to our Cat gods.
I want to see more from this author.
The humor and relatable stories were wonderful for this cat lover. The images
inserted in the text to remind us that even Jeff needs reminding of who the
real one in control is are a wonderful addition.
Joshua and the Magical
Forest (Portallas #1)
I
received a free copy of this book via HiddenGems and am voluntarily leaving a
review.
I
had high hopes for this book. I was
hoping for another wonderful epic fantasy however the adventure moved slow and
felt as though things just kept happening instead of the characters really
affecting their setting. The characters
were well rounded and had interesting characteristics which played roles in the
story. I want to see more from this
author. Some polish could turn this
writer into another wonderful author in the epic fantasy world.
The Longest Ride
A
touching story of love in its purest forms in different times. The author paints beautiful pictures of well-rounded
characters in two different time periods and three stories. The stories all add to a culminating
peak. While you get a significant amount
of character building the whole time you are learning about the past you read
with rapt attention because the character building is full of action and
emotion. Never a dull moment in this beautiful story.
I have worked on the
following
I started a
NaNoWriMo project but haven’t found nearly as much success as I’d had in the
past. I have really dedicated myself to reading as I tried to recover a gruesome
5 weeks that don’t seem quite over yet.
I am debating what my course of action should be. Should I stress about
the failed NaNo project? Should I try and push on a different project. Should I
focus on reading and just work to getting back into a free writing habit? I am hoping to have a plan by the writing
group holiday party this year.
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