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Showing posts from April, 2016

A to Z Challenge: Y

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For my Y I chose Yseult Part One. Yseult the Wise and Yseult the Fair, mother and daughter, are members of the proud race of the Feadh Ree, the Old Race in Eriu. New ways and a new religion are coming to their land, and despite all their magic, they may be powerless to stop it.  "Yseult" is a retelling of the tragic story of Tristan and Yseult. Yseult is a princess of Ireland, a land on the fringes of Europe, a land that had never been conquered by Rome. What would her life have been like in that pagan land before the advent of Christianity?  This book is a re-imagining of Yseult's youth, never part of the legends — until now.  "Yseult: Two Women" is the first book of the four part Yseult. All four parts were originally published in German translation with Random House Germany as "Flamme und Harfe" and followed by translations into Dutch and Italian. Yseult was so beautifully written that you could practically feel magic coming through...

A to Z Challenge 2016: X

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There are not a lot of books that start with X so this one was an easy choice. Xoe by Sara C. Roethle. Xoe Meyers had a normal life. So she was stuck going to high school, and she only had a few friends to call her own. She liked her normal life. Things were about to change though, because there's a new guy in her small town, and he is anything but normal. Before Xoe can say, "Werewolf," her best friend's life is in peril, and Xoe's world is turned upside-down. Then, of course, there's Jason. Xoe doesn't trust him as far as she can throw him, and given that he's a vampire, she'd have to be able to catch him first. This is my favourite genre and the one that I write in so I am perhaps a little pickier about books that I read in it.  Did I like this book?  Yes and no.  I loved the supernatural characterization it in, not forced down your throat but informative.  And demons are my favourite things, I love to write them and I love to read wha...

A to Z Challenge 2016: W

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We're so close to the end now that I can almost taste it.  Have you found lots of good blogs to read so far?  I have found a few as always that I will be keeping for the long haul.  On to today's review: For nearly two years, Cade has been rejecting his Fae gift, his prescient Elsewhens―simply refusing to see or experience them. But the strain is driving a wedge between him and his theater troupe, Touchstone, and making him erratic on stage and off. It takes his best friend Mieka to bully Cade into accepting the visions again. But when Cade finally looks into the possible futures, he sees a royal castle blowing up, though his vision does not tell him who is responsible. But he knows that if it is in his visions, he can take action to stop it from happening. And when he finally discovers the truth, he takes the knowledge to the only man in the Kingdom who would believe him: his deadly enemy the Archduke. Melanie Rawn's delightful creation of the world of Albeyn ...

A to Z Challenge 2016: V

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Just a few more days now and we'll have made it through.  Are you tired?  I don't think I will read a thing in May except for my book club book. My V book is Veiled Eyes by C.L. Bevill. A vivid waking dream of giant cypress trees dripping with Spanish moss haunts Anna St. Thais. The trees sit on a black lake that resembles a dark Louisiana bayou with an evocative aura. The dream includes the presence of a man who seems to know Anna all too well and a group of people with strange telepathic powers, sometimes called veiled eyes.  An orphan from Texas, she is on her way east to help out a friend when she encounters two terrifying things. Psychically, she begins to see and hear things through the eyes of an unknown individual, a man who knows more about her than she ever would have imagined. The second thing is that she has been kidnapped by a sociopathic trucker intent on making her his latest victim.  When she is rescued by Gabriel Bergeron, a member of t...

A to Z Challenge 2016: U

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The book I picked for the letter U was Uneasy Spirits by M. Louisa Locke. In this sequel to Maids of Misfortune, it is the fall of 1879 and Annie Fuller, a young San Francisco widow, has a problem. Despite her growing financial success as the clairvoyant Madam Sibyl, Annie doesn't believe in the astrology and palmistry her clients think are the basis for her advice. Kathleen Hennessey, Annie Fuller's young Irish maid, has a plan. When her mistress is asked to expose a fraudulent trance medium, Arabella Frampton, Kathleen is determined to assist in the investigation, just like the Pinkerton detectives she has read about in the dime novels. Nate Dawson, up-and-coming San Francisco lawyer, has a dilemma. He wants to marry the unconventional Annie Fuller, but he doesn't feel he can reveal his true feelings until he has a way to make enough money to support her. In Uneasy Spirits, this cozy, historical mystery of romantic suspense, Annie delves into the intriguing...

Gratitude Journals Book Blast

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Gratitude Journals by MK McClintock WHAT TALENTS HAVE YOU BEEN blessed with? What challenges have you faced and overcome? Who has impacted your life in a positive way, no matter how large or small the good deed? How did you feel when someone gave you a helping hand? When we focus on the positive things in our lives, we are replacing negative energy with positive affirmations. To put it simply, gratitude means being grateful for everything you have and are, every single day. This journal is a powerful instrument that provides a simple, yet effective foundation for your personal declarations of gratitude and thanksgiving. Discover your voice, your dreams, and the profound moments of your life with daily expressions of appreciation. 100% of all author royalties from the Africa Collection gratitude journals goes to the Africa Heartwood Project. Learn more about them at www.africaheartwoodproject.org . Author MK McClintock MK McClintock, an award-winning author a...

A to Z Challenge 2016: T

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Getting close to the end now. My T book is Those Red High Heels by Katherine May. When Emma Walker wakes up to what can only be described as the crappiest day of her life, she has no idea that the series of unfortunate events that unfolded that day were going to pave the way to her new destiny. Emma's recently engaged best friend, Brynn, calls for Emma to ditch her life in Chicago, and to come immediately out to the Big Apple to perform her maid of honor duties. What Emma doesn't expect is to find the man of her dreams in Brynn's social circle. Not only is he taken, but he lives in a very different world than Emma is used to. Will Emma be able to fit into this new life, or will she return back to where she started?  In this witty romantic novel by Katherine May, you will follow Emma on a life-changing adventure to New York City. Will Emma snag the man of her dreams, or just a really cute pair of red high heels? This was a really fun read, I am a true believer tha...

A to Z Challenge 2016: S

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I have actually read a lot of S books recently but as I am trying to stick to a theme of books I found on my Kindle here I had to find a new one for the Challenge. Skeletons in the Closet by Jennifer L. Hart was perfect for this.  I chose to read it mostly because the purple thing on the cover rather reminded me of a Dalek but I am glad that I did. Maggie Phillips hasn’t had it easy. As the wife of retired Navy SEAL, and the adoptive mother of two little hellions, Maggie is constantly looking for ways to improve her family’s financial situation. She accepts a cleaning position for her new neighbors (who redefine the term ‘eccentric’), never imagining she will end up as the sole alibi for a man with a fascination for medieval torture devices when he is brought up on murder charges.  While Maggie struggles to prove the man’s innocence, her deadbeat brother arrives, determined to sell Maggie and Neil on his next great scheme and to mooch with a vengeance. If that isn’t ...

Change of Heart Blog Tour

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Change of Heart by Jennifer Moore This summer, Nathaniel Cavanaugh vacations in Lobster Cove to spend quality time with his kids after his estranged wife’s tragic death. Successful and well-connected, he is on the fast-track to the highest legal positions in the country, but his family life suffers. After an accident throws Val nearly into his lap and costs her a job opportunity, Nathaniel surprises himself by overlooking her outlandish appearance and lack of qualifications to offer her a job as his nanny for the summer. Valdosta McKinley wishes for an internship at a Paris Art Institute to use her newly acquired art-history skills. She knows Nathaniel could never develop feelings for a girl from a trailer in a rural West Virginia holler—a lesson she learned the hard way years earlier. Will pursuit of their professional goals require Nathaniel and Val to give up the dream of being a family? Excerpt: The crashing of waves soothed him and let him relax as he enjoyed the warm...

A to Z Challenge 2016: R

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I have to say I really enjoyed my R book, it almost sent me down another series rabbit hole, but I resisted as I am so close to the finish line.  So close.... For R I read Rise of the Dragons by Morgan Rice, which is a book that Ace has read in French when we went though a kick of downloading French Kindle books and enjoyed. Kyra, 15, dreams of becoming a famed warrior, like her father, even though she is the only girl in a fort of boys. As she struggles to understand her special skills, her mysterious inner power, she realizes she is different than the others. But a secret is being kept from her about her birth and the prophecy surrounding her, leaving her to wonder who she really is. When Kyra comes of age and the local lord comes to take her away, her father wants to wed her off to save her. Kyra, though, refuses, and she journeys out on her own, into a dangerous wood, where she encounters a wounded dragon—and ignites a series of events that will change the kingd...

A to Z Challenge 2016: Q

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Wow Q already it feels like the days are just flying by.  I have been reading a lot of interesting blogs this year as I had most of these post already up and done which was much better than the 1-2 blogs a day I usually managed in other years.  I have been hitting up to ten a day this year.  Lots of new blogs to follow now.  And I have found so many more books to read that I may never leave my house again.  I will have to start getting groceries delivered to add extra reading time. Anyway, my book for Q is Queen Mab by Kate Danley. "Oh then I see Queen Mab hath been with you..." Everyone knows Romeo & Juliet, but what if it isn't the whole story? What if Queen Mab, mentioned in only one speech in the entire play, is actually responsible for all the tragedy about to strike the Houses of Montague and Capulet? And her love for Mercutio the key to everything... Weaving Shakespeare's original text into a new story, fans of The Woodcutter will love t...

A to Z Challenge 2016: P

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The book I chose for the letter P was Project ELE by Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nickels. Millions have already died, and thousands more are perishing daily. As a last ditch effort to preserve the human race, the government implements Project ELE. With the earth heating at rapid speeds, all remaining survivors are forced to turn to F.E.M.A. shelters to wait out ELE's wrath.  Fifteen-year-old Willow Mosby's life, as she knows it, ends the moment she walks through the shelter's door. Willow has to quickly adapt to the new challenges that shelter life demands, the least of which includes making new friends and working a full time job. Soon after making an interesting discovery, Willow and her friends start exhibiting strange abilities. Seeking answers, they embark on a mission to find out what these new abilities mean and whether they are a gift or a curse.  This new adventure can send her world crashing down around her. The question is: Can Willow survive the fall...

A to Z Challenge 2016: O

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So far my system for picking a book for each letter of the alphabet has been pretty random, scroll to that letter in my Kindle list and just pick one with a shiny looking cover.  I think if I were to do this again I might pick a more scientific choosing process. Anyhow, my book for O is On Any Given Sundae by Marilyn Brant. Nothing tops the sweetness of an unexpected love... When Elizabeth's uncle Siegfried and Rob's uncle Pauly rush off to Europe for a month, they temporarily relinquish the reins of their ice cream shop to their respective niece and nephew -- two people who may have grown up practically next door to each other but who have next to nothing in common. Elizabeth "Please Don't Call Me Lizzy" Daniels is a small-town Wisconsin girl at heart. Shy and inexperienced at love, the frizzy-haired dessert cookbook writer still resides in her quaint hometown of Wilmington Bay, stutters painfully when nervous and is only comfortable with her laptop...

A to Z Challenge 2016: N

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So far I have read an interesting mix of books and have more or less enjoyed it.  This was about the point where my attention started to go though and I started reading for fun again rather than reading books for the challenge.  Then I realized that I still had seven more books to read and it was March 30th.  Oops! My book for N was Nellie by Cynthia Woolf. Nellie Wallace is a young widow with two children. In post civil-war New York, the men are scarce and none want the burden of a wife with children. Her dead husband's family is wealthy, and cruel. Desperate to escape their influence, and eager for a home, a husband, and a stable life for her children, Nellie decides to make a new life in San Francisco as a mail order bride.  Saloon owner Blake Malone is a bachelor and likes it that way. He worked hard for everything he has, but the San Francisco City Council won’t approve his plans to build a family emporium unless he is a family man himself. The solu...

A to Z Challenge 2016: M

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For M I read Miss Adventure by Geralyn Corcillo. Best Indie Book of 2013! Best Humor Book of 2013! Double winner of the Rebecca's Reads Choice Awards: It's Chick Lit full force. Can daring adventures with an adrenaline junkie give a daydreaming pushover the courage she needs in order to make her life count for something?   When a freak fast-food accident almost kills scaredy-cat Lisa Flyte, she decides it's time to get a backbone and really start living out loud. But how is a shrinking violet like Lisa supposed to get tough all of a sudden after a lifetime of watching from the couch? Jack Hawkins, that's how. When Lisa finds out that the outdoor extremist from her MBA classes needs a clueless urbanite to test his top-secret line of adventure gear for beginners, she gets the most outlandish idea of her life: she will be his undercover test dummy if he helps her become brave on their adventures in the wild. They strike a deal. But can Lisa use her outdoor moxi...

A to Z Challenge 2016: L

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L was a hard read but a wonderful book, Lionheart by Martha Rofheart. Richard of England was known as ‘Lionheart’.  He was a King unbeaten in battle.  His sword carved out a godlike legend from the battlefields of France to the blood-soaked sands of the Holy Land.  He was England’s most romantic and heroic king, a passionate and sensitive man, great warrior, poet and musician, and a charismatic leader, blindly adored by the knights he commanded, deeply loved by more than one woman.  But one woman captured his heart.  She was a woman unchallenged in the lists of love.  Blondelza, as daringly independent as she was beautiful. She lived by her wits and talent on the stage, and refused to yield to any man who was not her equal.  In a royal court brimming with political intrigue, delicate alliances, and fierce jealousies, these two came together though all their world conspired to keep them apart — two proud and free spirits held in th...

A to Z Challenge 2016: K

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Killer Cupcakes by Leighann Dobbs was my quick read for K. Things are going great for Lexy Baker. She's finally opened her dream bakery, gotten rid of her cheating boyfriend and settled into her grandmothers house with her perky dog Sprinkles at her side. But her blissful life doesn't last long. When her ex boyfriend is found poisoned with cupcakes from her bakery, Lexy finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation headed up by her hunky neighbor detective Jack Perillo. With the help of a gang of iPad toting, would-be detective grandmothers, Lexy decides to take it upon herself to find the real murderer in order to clear her name and get her bakery back in business.  As things heat up on the murder trail, in the kitchen and between Lexy and the hunky detective, it's a race against time to put the real murderer behind bars and get back to baking. Will Lexy get her man? This was such a fast read for me that it felt like it was over almost before it...

A to Z Challenge 2016: J

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J is a great letter and my J book was a really fun read.  Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen. Ariella was only looking for a distraction, something to break up the monotony of palace life. What she found was a young man willing to overlook her title and show her a new and vibrant way of life. But when her growing feelings for Gavin spiral out of control and clash with the expectations of her station, she will discover that the consequences of her curiosity are far more severe than she'd imagined. To start, I really love the name Ariella, it's just fantastic.  As is the cover art, I would definitely pick this book up in a store.  The story was an easy read, lots of action, not too much violence and not too many slow spots.

A to Z Challenge 2016: I

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Reading is one of my most favourite things to do so I thought that reviewing a book every day for the challenge would be so easy, turns out I was wrong.  So far I have fallen down the rabbit hole of three authors and I am only at I. My I book is Imhotep by Jerry Dubs. "Imhotep" is the first book in a four-novel series about the ancient Egyptian architect.  Stumbling in the dark of an unfinished tomb beneath the sands of Saqqara, American tourist Tim Hope unknowingly passes through a time portal that leads to ancient Egypt — a time before the Sphinx, before the great pyramids of Giza, and long before the loss of his beloved Addy.  When he discovers that two other Americans preceded him through the time portal, Tim immerses himself in the ancient world to search for them. As he becomes more comfortable with the simpler, more immediate land, he finds himself irresistibly attracted to the delicate Meryt, a wbt-priestess for the god Re.  Learning that a se...

A to Z Challenge 2016: H

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I can hardly believe that I have made it this far already and read all these stories, that feels like it's a lot in a short period of time even though I am only on H.  I know my reviews have mostly been short but hey, I don't want to make you guys read a novel. Today's book is Habored Secrets by Marie F. Martin. Now over 100,000 kindle downloads. (a contemporary novel with a psychological mystery in the unearthing of family secrets. In May of 1935, Blinny Platt's homestead shack burns to the ground forever leaving her family asunder, scattering them like the embers flew on the Montana wind. She was only eight-years-old, sent away and in charge of her little sister. She could handle that because Platts take care of Platts. However, it is the hidden secrets of her parents smoldering beneath the charred remains that haunts Blinny until 1982. She once again leaves the home place to build a house for herself. As the foundation is poured and the walls go up, each...

A to Z Challenge 2016: G

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My favourite substance on Earth is coffee so it comes as no surprise that I chose Ghost in The Coffee Machine by Charity Tahmaseb for my G story. Katy and her grandmother have always used coffee to catch ghosts. It pays the bills and keeps them in high-end beans. But after Katy’s grandmother dies, it’s as if she’s taken all the ghosts with her.  Until Katy discovers there’s a rival ghost hunter in town, one who uses tea--of all things--and one who has stolen all her clients. But when an epic infestation threatens, Katy can’t help but get involved. It will take all her wits--and some excellent Kona blend--to fight the ghost in the coffee machine.  This was a really fun, fun story.  I love the detail that went into it and how one must make all different cups of coffee for the spirits, three of each, as you don't know how they take it.  Personally I take mine light and sweet and I don't imagine that changing in the after life.

A to Z Challenge 2016: F

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Big F little f what begins with f?  No wait wrong book.  For F I choose another fun kids story because really the world needs more fun.  'Fierce Winds and Fiery Dragons' by Nan Sweet. Ivy and Carrie love their new classroom even if the new teacher is a little strange. When Mrs. Huffity asks for volunteers to care for an egg, Ivy doesn’t budge. She’s had a few scary dreams about that egg and wants nothing to do with it.  But when trouble comes, Ivy defends the egg. In her desire to save the baby that hatches, Ivy is tossed into the middle of an adventure. She discovers more than she ever wanted to know about fierce winds and fiery dragons.  This book felt like an old familiar story to me the whole time I was reading it, it was a nice feeling, like comfortable pajamas.  I really enjoyed reading it, I love a good dragon story.  

A To Z Challenge 2016: E

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Have you seen anyone with a good theme yet?  Personally I am in love with my theme even though I am getting a little over the reading. Yes, everybody loves Valentines! From mothers to sisters, brothers, fathers and grandparents to friends to making new friends, Valentines are the perfect way to say you care. This book is filled with charming illustrations of Valentines in many forms. Its sweet message of love and friendship, all in rhyme, is appropriate for everyday as well as Valentine’s Day. Ok, today was my cheat day and I read a kid's book, not even to my kid, just on my own.  It's a sweet fun book full of lot's of love.  A great read which I think I may read again to Cat.