My Review of "Shine"

Shine
Author: Justine Edward
Illustrated: Karl Gabriel

I found this children's picture book to be wonderfully inspirational. The art was created by Karl Gabriel, who has autism. I thought that was a fantastic idea considering how well crafted the poetry of the book is. I absolutely recommend this book for parents to read to their children.

On top of that, Justine Edward is a thoughtful and caring human being who promotes awareness for autism on a daily basis.


My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Author's Description:
Shine is a children's book with a BIG difference. Designed to empower and encourage, this series of positive affirmations will have children smiling from ear to ear. Illustrated by 7 yr old Karl Gabriel who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Shine helps all children to understand that anything is possible if they believe in themselves.

Labor Day Sale

Author Katherine Rhodes
FB: https://www.facebook.com/katherinerhodesauthor

8/31/13 - 9/2/13

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Consensual-Club-Imperial-ebook/dp/B00DE3MJ8G/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377847774&sr=1-1&keywords=Katherine+Rhodes

Description:

From the moment he laid eyes on Emmy Westerly, Nathaniel wanted her in his life. He would have done anything to get her there and keep her there. Nathaniel found himself quickly pulled into Emmy’s dark world of whips and blindfolds, kink and submission, intrigued by the not only the thrill of it, but by the enigma that led Emmy there as well. 

Emmy couldn’t resist Nathaniel Walsh. She couldn’t deny the electricity between them, the utter animal magnetism she felt for him. Emmy was mystified by someone as honest and uncomplicated as Nathaniel allowing her to lead him into the dark. She adored having him at the end of her lash. 

But Emmy had secrets - deep, cruel truths - that had lead her to Club Imperial, and staying with Nathaniel would mean telling him everything. He wasn't ready for that. 

Neither was she.

Featuring Cover Designer Regina Wamba

Regina Wamba at maeidesign.com is an amazing cover designer. She has not only done the covers for my Witch's Brew series, but the covers for many popular Indie Authors over the last few years. I absolutely recommend you check her out if you need book covers, logos, or other promotional visuals.

Here is a sample of her work this last year:

My Review of "Interviews with Indie Authors: Top Tips from Successful Self-Published Authors"

Interviews with Indie Authors: Top Tips from Successful Self-Published Authors

As an aspiring Indie Author I picked up this book to see what tips some of the successful Indie's could offer me. I found this to be a very helpful book that was loaded with tidbits and interviews that helped me when I was getting started on my journey.

What frustrated me about it was the sheer amount of typos in the book. With a little bit of proofreading those typos would not have distracted me so much. Other than that, I was glad to pay for the information it provided.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Author's Description:

Learn how to succeed in indie publishing with this book.

With interviews from 34 of the hottest names in self-publishing, "Interviews with Indie Authors" contains a unique view into the world of the indie writer. Each bestselling self-published author shares how they ensure their books are a hit, and what led them to indie publishing in the first place. You will also find out what they think the future of self-publishing will bring. Their first hand experience is invaluable for anyone planning to succeed with their own books.

Whatever your background, you will learn from these incredible interviews.

With diverse genres such as thrillers, young adult fiction, the paranormal, romance, comedy, fantasy, horror, science fiction, mystery and even non-fiction, whatever you are writing about, this book has it covered.

Contains interviews with indie authors such as: Michael McCloskey, Nick Russell, Connie Suttle, Michael Prescott, Terri Reid, Hugh Howey, Scott Nicholson, Kristen Ashley, Aaron Patterson, Carol Davis Luce, Claire Ridgway, Alexa Grace, Marie Force, Shadonna Richards, Colleen Hoover, Barbara Freethy, Joseph Lallo, Rebecca Forster, Caryn Moya Block, Denise Grover Swank, Mainak Dhar, Imogen Rose, CJ Lyons, Bella Andre, Maria Murnane, Theresa Ragan, Russell Blake, Linda Welch, Debra Holland, J. Thorn, James Somers, Karen Cantwell, Tracey Garvis Graves and Elena Greene


50% of the royalties from "Interviews with Indie Authors" will be given to charity. The money will be split between two charities - ROPE (Relief for Oppressed People Everywhere) and Goal for the Gambia.

My Review of "Dark Summer"

Dark Summer
The Witchling Series
Book 1
Lizzy Ford

I absolutely adored this book. This was the first book of Lizzy's I have read, and it definitely turned me into a fan. 

Key Points:

*I think that she created a wonderful world inside our own based on light vs dark and finding a balance.

*It definitely kept me turning pages to see what would happen.

*The chemistry that was created between Decker and Summer sizzled super hot. I was even kept guessing as to whether or not there would be a chance she and Beck would get together.

*I love how Summer was showered with obstacle after obstacle and she was able to overcome them. She was both weak and strong in different ways which really made her come alive.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Author's Description:

A school for Witchlings...

The ultimate choice between Light and Dark...
Where the price of a mistake...is your soul.
Sixteen-year-old Summer doesn’t expect her new boarding school to be any different than the rest: a temporary stay, until her uncontrollable magic gets her thrown out again. In her mind, there’s no point in getting too friendly with anyone. That is, until she notices Decker, the boy who will become the Master of Night and Fire on his eighteenth birthday.
When she learns that this special school has attracted others with magic in their blood, she is hopeful that this time around, things may be different. Besides, she can’t deny her interest in Decker, and when he rescues her one night from the dark forests of the Rocky Mountains, their connection is instant.
Yet a relationship with Decker may prove to be Summer’s downfall, forcing her to choose between Light and Dark, life and death, love – and their souls.
One choice. One soul. One price.

My Review of "Lie Still"

Lie Still is a Mystery/Suspense novel. I won a copy of it via a giveaway on goodreads.com. I was excited to win this book because I don't read a whole lot of Mystery. I like the genre, but I usually find myself diving into Fantasy/Paranormal - and lately Erotica.
Overall I found this to be a good book. The end was a little too predictable for my taste, but the majority of the book kept me guessing what would happen next. I thought Julia Heaberlin created an interesting city with lots of colorful characters.
I will read more of her books in the future.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Author's Description:
When Emily Page and her husband move from Manhattan to the wealthy enclave of Clairmont, Texas, she hopes she can finally escape her haunted past—and outrun the nameless stalker who has been taunting her for years. Pregnant with her first child, Emily just wants to start over. But as she is drawn into a nest of secretive Texas women—and into the unnerving company of their queen, Caroline Warwick—Emily finds that acceptance is a very dangerous game.

It isn’t long before Caroline mysteriously disappears and Emily is facing a rash of anonymous threats. Are they linked to the missing Caroline? Or to Emily’s terrifying encounter in college, years earlier? As the dark truth about Caroline emerges, Emily realizes that some secrets are impossible to hide—and that whoever came for Caroline is now coming for her.

My Review of "Fated"

Here are my thoughts:

The Bad:

*The beginning was agonizingly slow for me.

*I think the author spent way too much time with lengthy descriptions, which drug the whole thing down.

*After reading a few hundred pages I realized I could take or leave the book. I didn't care one way or another if I finished it. There was nothing keeping me excited.

*Daire was a little too much of a snot in my opinion. Obviously her lifestyle had led her to be a somewhat mature teenager, but sometimes she acted like she could be ten with her tantrums.

The Good:

*The description and cover left me desperate to dive in.

*The author weaves a vivid world.

*The characters felt very real to me. They were all very thought out.

I almost feel bad that I have nothing more to say about the book. I wanted desperately to love it, but it fell pretty flat for me.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Author's Description:

I shove through the crowd, knocking into girls and bouncing off boys, until one in particular catches me, steadies me.

I feel so secure, so at home in his arms.
I melt against his chest-lift my gaze to meet his. Gasping when I stare into a pair of icy blue eyes banded by brilliant flecks of gold that shine like kaleidoscopes, reflecting my image thousands of times.
The boy from my dream.
The one who died in my arms.

Strange things are happening to Daire Santos. Crows mock her, glowing people stalk her, time stops without warning, and a beautiful boy with unearthly blue eyes haunts all her dreams. Fearing for her daughter’s sanity, Daire’s mother sends her to live with the grandmother she’s never met. A woman who recognizes the visions for what they truly are—the call to her destiny as a Soul Seeker—one who can navigate the worlds between the living and dead.

There on the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico, Daire sets out to harness her mystical powers. But it’s when she meets Dace, the boy from her dreams, that her whole world is shaken to its core. Now Daire is forced to discover if Dace is the one guy she's meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she's destined to destroy.

My Review of "Rocking Her Curves"

I received a free copy of this novelette-length story from the publisher. This is It is a little bit of story line wrapped around the meeting of two characters who instantly fall in lust with each other.

Specifics:

*I found it odd how Asher goes from breaking up with his long-time girlfriend to instantly being fascinated by this girl to the point where he is obsessing.

*The final sex scene was pretty steamy, but the few earlier in the book were pretty lame. I do realize that it was done that way to be climatic. The intensity builds and builds until you have an explosion of passion, but I think the ones throughout the story were under done for Erotic fiction.

*There were some formatting issues throughout the copy that I was given which made reading it quite frustrating.

*At one point Trixie refers to him having sex with the twins "last night". That scene hadn't happened last night in the story, it had been two nights before.

Positives:

With a little more flesh and improved sex scenes, this could have been a thrilling little story. It did make me curious what happens next. What other obstacles will come in their way? Surely the crazy ex is going to cause some rivalry. It's compelling enough to  make me want to continue reading.

Current ranking: 3 out of 5 stars

Potential ranking with a few minor tweaks: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Authors Book Description:

Asher just broke up with his long-distance girlfriend. When he meets Trixie, he's smitten by her curves – but she's the lead singer for the opening band: strictly off-limits.

Trixie can't help but be attracted to the tall, handsome skater who plays music with such passion. There's no way that he would be interested in someone who isn't a rail-thin model, would he? Anyway, she's heard that he has a girlfriend: strictly off-limits.

When their paths collide – literally – they're forced to look temptation in the face and ask themselves: What do I really want?

My review of "Love You More"

As a favor to the Author, M.L. Stephens, I decided to read and review "Love You More". This is the first book in the series.

I thought this was a great book. At first I thought that it followed a very predictable, yet classic, paranormal romance theme. I couldn't imagine how this could possibly turn into a series. Then at the end the author slapped me in the face with a twist that made me desperate to look up book two.

The characters were well rounded. I grew to love each of them in their own ways.

I didn't feel like there were any holes in the plot. I loved how she ended the story, and then she opened up a HUGE twist to suck you in.

I applaud M.L. for writing such an intriguing book. I definitely recommend it, and will be reading the second book ASAP.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars


Author's Book Description:
Just a week before her wedding, a brutal attack leaves a woman of privilege searching for answers as she wanders the realm between life and death. Hoping to cheat the reaper out of his prize, Jade attempts to come to terms with the truth behind her demise, while trying to find ways to help detectives solve her murder.

As she struggles to piece together the events surrounding her death, Jade meets a psychic and a mysterious ghostly stranger who enlighten her to the truths—and the lies—behind her new existence. Will she let go of the past she so desperately wanted to enjoy a peaceful afterlife, or will she compromise her eternity for the love of a stranger? Two lives, two loves, one future.

My Review of "Letting Go"

In an effort to familiarize myself with the erotica genre, I decided to pick up a few titles and see what really makes them tick. The first title I chose was "Letting Go" By S.T. Prussing.

I was hesitant to read this title at first due to the fact that I have absolutely no desire to play around with bondage/submission. But, for the sake of diving head first into my goal of reading some Erotica, I gave it a shot

The beginning of this book was not appealing to me at all. I actually closed it and deleted it from my kindle. One night I was bored, and decided to reopen it to see what all the fuss was about. I finished it in two sittings in spite of the fact that it was really short.

There was a lot that I liked about it. As I said before, the beginning was really rough. I was bored to death with it. After the action started happening, I couldn't tear my eyes away from it. The sex scenes, while not something I would be interested in performing personally, were very very hot.

As far as characters go, I found "sir" to be intriguing and quite likeable. He is what kept me reading. I did not relate to Jennifer at all, but as an introduction to the genre for me, I found it  to be very compelling through the second half.

It massively irritated me that he ended it where he did. I can't stand when authors end without an ending.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars



Author's Book Description:
Feeling bored and unfulfilled, Jennifer seeks excitement exploring the online personals. Driven by a need she does not fully understand, she responds to an ad that is definitely on the kinky side, never dreaming that she will actually follow through with a meeting. But on the other side of the ad is a man who seems able to peer inside her head and heart at will. When Jennifer knocks on his door, she is drawn into a sensual and sexual world she never knew existed…
This book is rated XXX and is intended for MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY."Books are my true lovers--I've taken far more of them to bed than I have men. And I've been disappointed far less often." Jennifer, in Letting Go.