Angels on Earth

Posted: May 1, 2012 in Paranormal or fantasy
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Title: Neophyte

Author: Emmalee Aple

 

Description from Goodreads

Addisyn White thought that she had her new life, her after life, all figured out. Granted, death had not brought her to the pearly gates, she hadn’t even left Earth. But death had its perks; she got to live forever with her best friend and her assigned Link of Angels in a beautiful beach house. Even with the changes she was going through to turn her human body into an angelic one, everything seemed pretty easy. Until a gray winged angel comes into her life, then all the secrets and lies her link had been keeping start crumbling away, exposing a whole new world of dangers she didn’t even know about.

Now Addisyn must fill in the blanks before things escalate too far. Will she save her Link? Or will she be buried in their secrets forever?

 

Here is my take

Addisyn was your typical teenage girl with dreams and plans for the future. That all changed the day she died. Three days after a school shooting ends her life she awakens to the best of her best friend Hunter. He, along with four other angels, is her Link. She is now a Neophyte, a changed angel, and they will be training and protecting her for the next five years until she becomes a full-fledged angel and gets her assignment.

It has been two years that Addisyn has been living with her link. When she is tricked into breaking the rules by Sebastian, a gray winged angel, she witnesses his death at the hands of her Link. Discovering that she can still die, she is furious and demands to know what other secrets they are keeping from her. Who was the strange angel and what did he mean about who she was? Not allowed to tell her what she wants to know, her fellow angels just make her more determined.

I really came to like Addisyn. She knew what she wanted and set out to get it. One of the things she wanted was Greysan, an angel in her Link. The romance grew slowly and made me remember the confusion and self doubt of young love. And the anticipation! Remember this feeling?

“Slowly, his perfectly sculpted face leaned in toward mine, his warmth surrounded my entire being as the moment of my much=anticipated first kiss neared. I could feel his fingers as they weaved through the hair at the nape of my neck, and tilted my face upward toward his. My heart raced in my chest, my breath caught in my throat, seconds slipped by like hours as I waited for his lips to greet mine.”

While the back and forth dialogue and babying by Addisyn’s guardians irked me in the beginning, the rest of the story really took off.

Not wanting to spoil it for you I will just say that there is so much more to this story and the ending, while leaving me with some unanswered questions, satisfied me and led me to believe the answers would be found in the next book.

Come read about angels in a whole new way!

4 STARS

About the author

Emmalee Aple was born and raised in Wisconsin, but always dreamed of life on the coast. Now grown, with a handsome computer geeky husband and two beautiful blonde monsters of her own, she uses what spare time she can manage to squeeze out of her day writing, sewing and crafting.

Emmalee lives off of carmel fraps and sprees. She strongly believes that a child’s imagination is the most important part of growing up, and that the cleaning elves are avoiding her messy house.

She loves a good book that sucks you in and doesn’t let go until the pages run out. And can’t get enough of the show Glee. (Although she will admit she DVRs quite a few other shows.) Growing up, her favorite movie was Annie and she knows all the lyrics to almost every Disney song.

Feel free to connect with Emmalee via her web page:

www.emmaleeaple.com

What Tickles Your Funny Bone?

Posted: April 24, 2012 in Paranormal or fantasy
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Title: Enchantment, Book 1

Author: Charlotte Abel

A YA Paranormal Romance

 

You know that saying about something tickling your funny bone? Most people’s funny bones are on their elbow. Mine is in my heart and that is where this story tickled me.

Channie grew up in a community of witches in the Ozarks. When children are born the parents bestow upon them a magic name and bind it to them. Channies older sisters name is Abundance, Abby for short. When she gets pregnant and has triplets you can see how her name fits. Prudence is her mothers name and as you get to know her you will see that it suits her just fine.  Her father has a problem with gambling. He can’t hang on to his money and maybe that is because his magic name is Money. When his gambling problems endanger the family they have to run for their lives, winding up in Louiseville, Colorado.

Now. Let me tell you about Channie. Enchantment is her magic name and now that she has turned 16, her body has blossomed. In Louiseville she must hide the fact that she is a witch since everyone there is an Empty, slang for MD or Medically Disabled. They don’t know that witches are real. The boys at her school can’t shield themselves from Channie and her magic draws them like bees to honey. This is new and exciting for Channie and a cause of great concern for her parents.

They decide that the only way to protect Channie is to change her magic name. She is very upset and begs them not to. Her father tells her, “We made the mistake of naming your sister Abundance, and look what happened to her.” Her argument that it doesn’t mean she will get pregnant like her sister did falls on deaf ears. They’ve made up their minds.

My first spontaneous outburst of laughter was at Channies response when she learned her new magic name. “What?No! You can’t name me Chastity – not when our last name is Belks.”

Her new name comes with a curse. Any boy who gets too close to her gets zapped. This becomes a problem when she meets Josh. As their friendship grows into attraction, Channie is forced to tell him her secret in order to protect him from the curse. After several electrifying episodes Josh comes to believe her. They put their heads together, trying to come up with a way around it. This is what lands them in a pickle.

Channie is the girl I wished I could have been when growing up. She is strong-willed and confident, with plenty of sass, and Josh has stolen my heart. That grin of his! He is loyal and self-aware and never wavers in his affection towards Channie.

The whole time I was reading, I was rereading parts of it out loud to my mother. She is down here visiting for the summer and I am using her as a sounding board for my reviews. We were both chuckling and, at times, laughing out loud as I read to her. The book had me so excited that I told my sister about it also and she is now demanding that I tell her the ending. We were all wet-eyed from laughing about the IFB’s and had plenty of snickers throughout the day when one of us would say, “Those IFB’s!”

This is a delightful journey, filled with humor, drama and plenty of action. The pacing is smooth and the sexual content is handled delicately, suitable for young adults. I am still aglow about this book and I want everyone to read it and feel like I do. You too will fall in love with Channie and Josh. My fingers are itching and I am off to start reading Taken, Book 2 of this story. I’ll be back later to tell you all about it!

I gave this 5 Heart Filled STARS. The highest rating I could give.

Some praise for Enchantment

“If you crave excitement and danger with your romance and can’t get enough of Stephenie Meyer, Suzanne Collins, or Cassandra Clare, make room for Enchantment.”

“Every girl wants their prince charming to be just like Josh. It made me cry and laugh and gasp … a make your heart warm and tingle kind of love story!”

About the author

Charlotte Abel was born and raised in Oklahoma. She spent many happy summers visiting relatives in Arkansas. She now lives in Colorado with her husband Pete, and loves hiking, biking, snowshoeing, and skiing in the Rocky Mountains, but will always have a special fondness for the Ozarks. Visit her at www.TheChannieSeries.com

I Want More, Please

Posted: April 21, 2012 in Uncategorized
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Title: So Wonderful as Want

Author: Joyce DeBacco

 

This book was hard to review without including spoilers, so here it is, and no, there are no spoilers.

The story begins in 1911, in Caloosa, Florida, and takes place over 20 years.

Sitting on the pier with her cousin Virginia, watching the storm clouds gather, Dinah dreams of getting out. She wants to marry a gentleman and move into town. Anything is better than living out here in the back of beyond. The skies open up and they make a dash for shelter, joined  by a young man who  follows them out of the rain. Virginia is smitten with Zach, the handsome blue-eyed river rat, while Dinah gives him the cold shoulder.

I fell in love with Joyce’s writing. It is so descriptive. Here is a little taste.

The brief afternoon storm drifted out to the Gulf, and the sun returned to glorify the earth. Hissing and steaming, the thirsty soil drank greedily of the life-giving moisture, while the air, a heady combination of sun-baked earth and wildflowers, packed a one-two punch to anyone who dared take its lushness for granted.

Back to the story. Zach is just passing through but events occur that keep him in Caloosa. As he is heading out of town he hears shouting on the river and discovers two men and a young boy in danger of drowning. he manages to get all three to dry land, but only one survives. The two victims are Dinah’s father and younger brother,the survivor is her uncle.

Having lost her mother at an early age, Dinah is now alone. With nothing to keep her there, she decides to head out with Zach, but her Aunt Clara has other plans and convinces her to stay.

Zach decides to settle in Caloosa and moves into Dinah’s spare room in exchange for helping with repairs and such. He tries his hand at several jobs but nothing fits and he decides to look up an old aquaintance for help in getting into college. He is accepted into college  and so begins his journey.

Meanwhile, back in Caloosa, a tinker comes calling on Dinah and he is selling more than his wares.

Months later Zach returns to discover Dinah is pregnant and her Aunt Clara believes he is the father. This is where the saga really takes off.

I felt many things for Dinah. She never holds back and gives as good as she gets. As Zach puts it, “That girl can flatten a man’s ego faster than a ton of bricks.” At times I wanted to hate her and other times I wanted to shake her and slap some sense into her.

Zach made me laugh. The back and forth between him and Dinah is hilarious. From Zach, “To tell the truth Dinah, my life would be rather dull without you to complicate it.” Growing up with three sisters, he knows how to get a rise out of  her.

Joyce writes with such feeling and her knowledge of the south and the era is evident in her words. My emotions ranged from laughter, to sorrow, to frustration and even anger. I followed Dinah’s journey over the course of 20 years. There was never a dull moment and I would be happy to read more. I would like to know what happens to Dinah over the next 20 years. I feel she is just getting started.

Having really enjoyed this book, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a genuine taste of life and adventure. I gave it 4 STARS.

Here are a few excerpts that tugged at my heart.

The baby wrapped his chubby arms around her neck, wrinkled his button nose, and laughed, revealing six tiny teeth the size of seed pearls.

She wanted more of the world; all he wanted was her.

 

About Joyce Debacco

After reading women’s fiction for many years, Joyce knew she wanted to create stories of her own. As the mother of four grown daughters, she’s familiar with the problems women face finding love, raising children, and stepping back when necessary. All of her books place an emphasis on love and family dynamics. She is happiest when she’s secluded in her office creating new worlds and people to populate them. When she’s not taxing her brain with plot, structure, and grammar, she likes to sew, particularly quilts. When she really wants to rest her brain, she sprawls out in front of the TV and tries not to fall asleep. Please visit her website, http://www.joycedebacco.com for information about all of her books.

Take the Dark Passage

Posted: April 15, 2012 in fiction, Paranormal or fantasy, reviews
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Title: Dark Passage “Chosen” 

Author: M.L. Woolley 

Every now and then I read a book that catches me by surprise. Expecting a haunted house story, I instead discovered a tale about the human struggle to find our place in this world. This story is told from multiple points of view which made it fun and easy to understand.

The story centers around an old Victorian house in Olalla, on the Dark Passage of the Puget Sound.

Bill has come to Olalla looking for inspiration about a book. He is drawn to an estate sale at an old house and for reasons unknown to him he feels compelled to buy it. It has a sense of familiarity to him. Before he can complete renovations he has an accident which puts him in a coma.  While unconcious, he sees a woman in a tunnel beckoning him.

Desperate  to escape the frequent, violent attacks of her abusive husband, Jen accepts an offer from her friend Peter to rent an old house. The strange man from her dreams, the one she loves in this other reality, has given her the confidence to leave her abusive relationship and take her life back. She senses something special about the house, something otherwordly, but is unsure if it is evil or good. There is something or someone watching her.

Strange forces have drawn Bill and Jen together through their dreams. They will need each other as they slowly come to understand what the house is and where their place is in the coming events.

There are many characters that have important roles in this story of darkness and light.

Bill’s cousin Lisa has been corrupted by something evil and commits unspeakable acts in her hunger for fortune. You will loathe her.

David is ensnared by Lisa’s manipulations and blindly follows her wishes, ignoring an inner voice that warns him not to.

Jen’s best friend Ivy gets drawn into the mystery of the house and discovers she has a very important part to play in the times ahead. She really endeared herself to me. the guilt she has carried around for years over the death of her brother and sister has led her to pick all the wrong men.

Peter has been friends with Bill since childhood and is his guardian in more ways than one while he lies in a coma. He begins to receive messages from Bill, but that is impossible. Bill is still in a coma.

John’s life spins out of control after Jen leaves him and, in his madness, dark forces control him for their own purposes.

I could write so much more about this book but then I would be telling too much. Now that the stage has been set and I have come to know the characters, I am ready to dive into the Guardians, the second book. Due to be released soon, you can read a little bit about it at the end of Dark Passages.

I am now hooked and the author has reeled me in.

A resounding 5 Stars for Dark Passages.

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DIVERGENT, Need I say more?

Posted: April 7, 2012 in Dystopian, Uncategorized
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Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Source: Bought for my pleasure

My Review

 

When reading a book I do not cheat and read ahead or peek at the ending. I had a difficult time not skipping ahead with Divergent. I could not read it fast enough and had to make myself slow down and absorb the story.

Imagine yourself at sixteen having to choose the course of your destiny. Today is the Choosing Day and Beatrice(Tris) has to choose which of the five factions she will join. She must make the right choice because there is no going back.

This story brought up many questions as I read it. Could we survive in a world where a person’s natural instincts separate them into individual factions? Would our lives be better if we lived only with other like-minded people, or would human nature take over and one faction come to believe that theirs is the only right one? Would being separated save us or destroy us?

This story flowed so smoothly that I was unaware of even being pulled into it. The characters and scenarios were so real that when I reached the end I felt like I had woken up. I wanted to go back to sleep and pick up where I left off.

I am anxiously awaiting the release of Insurgent in May, the next book in this series. I recommend this book to dystopian fans and anyone looking for action and adventure.

 

My rating: 5 STARS

Not Your Typical Small Town

Posted: April 1, 2012 in Uncategorized
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Title: A small Case of Murder (A Joshua Thornton Mystery)

Author: Lauren Carr

Source: Net Galley

 

Recently widowed Joshua Thornton, a retired Navy Jag Commander, has packed up his 5 children and the family dog, returning home after almost 20 years to open his own legal practice.

Chester, West Virginia is like most small towns, where everybody knows each others business. That all changes when Joshua’s children discover an old, unopened letter dated on the day of his parents death 30 years ago. Joshua’s curiosity about the contents of the letter opens up a can worms and the bodies start to pile up.

Chester may be a small town, but this becomes a huge investigation with mysterious car accidents, drug overdoses, a missing body and flying bullets. This book has it all.

With plenty of build up and a well developed cast of characters, Lauren Carr has written a great who-dun-it. She gives you a huge wrap-up and just when you think it is over, she delivers an ending reminiscent of Perry Mason.

I wanted to stand up and cheer, and I will be rushing to get her next book in the series.

 

I gave this book 4 stars.

 

For more about the author and her books:

http://mysterylady.net/

http://fromthewritersstudio.blogspot.com

TRILOGY OF HORROR

Posted: March 25, 2012 in Short stories and collections
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Title: Diary of a Madman

Author: L. Vera

Copyright: 2011 by L. Vera

 

I received this book from the author in exchange for my review.

I have great respect for the authors of short stories. Compressing so much detail into a quick, compelling read takes true talent. This story was written in a very unique way and I really enjoyed it.

Todd  Casil’s life is spiraling out of control. Experiencing episodes of missing time, he begins to question his own sanity when he discovers missing pages and entries he did not write in his personal diary. Why does he keep seeing green eyes? Who is killing the people around him?

As I was pulled into Todd’s life, I began to dread the conclusion that was racing towards me as I turned each page.

Also included are 2 unpublished stories.

I Hate Every Beautiful

This story will make you ask yourself if you believe in coincidences. The lives of 6 people are about to converge in a mind-blowing final scene.

Cut

Henry awakens to find himself on the floor of his apartment. His attempt at suicide was a failure, just like his life. An emergency broadcast on the TV warns everyone to stay inside. Darkness has descended on the planet and there is something in it! Now Henry must decide if he wants to live or die.

Each of the stories was powerfully written, containing many twists and turns. If you like gut-wrenching, edge of your seat tales of horror, then these are for you.

I gave this book 4.5 stars

Now available on Amazon

For more about the author and his books

Http://www.amazon.com/L.Vera/e/B007IV8K92/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

www.lverawrites.wordpress.com

Zombies And So Much More

Posted: March 23, 2012 in fiction, horror, reviews, Zombies
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Title: Wanted: Dead or Undead (The Zombie West Series, Book 1)

Author: Angela Scott

Published by: Evolved Publishing

WANTED: Dead or Undead (The Zombie West Series, #1)

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I received this ARC from the author in exchange for my review.

Wanted: Dead or Undead. I have to admit I started reading this expecting a zombie western with lots of eating and being eaten along with some humor. What I got was so much more.

The story starts with a nail-biting scene that leaves you with no choice but to continue reading.

Trace is an opportunist, a card shark, and a bit of a trickster. All he wants is to stroll through life with no complications. That wasn’t hard until the zombies started moving westward.

Red is a no-nonsense woman on a mission.  Traveling west towards California, she is hoping to find her brother. He joined the cavalry to fight the zombies and she hasn’t heard from him since.

The zombie plague has consumed the larger cities on either coast and is rapidly extending to the midwest.

Thrown together by a chance encounter, Trace and Red slowly begin to trust each other. They will have to in order to survive. As they travel westward their group of two slowly grows along with their attraction for each other. They both have secrets kept to themselves for fear they will shatter the tenuous bond growing between them.

Angela Scott takes her time developing the characters and establishing her story, weaving in new characters along with their stories and building genuine relationships. The scenes were so well written I could swear I was there. I shuddered in horror, feared the worst, and sighed in delight.

The cliff-hanger ending left my jaw dropping in surprise, already anticipating more. This ending is very satisfying and one of the best I have read.

I gave this book 5 stars and recommend it to anyone looking for a great read and a new series.

I will be watching for Survivor Roundup (The Zombie West Series, Book 2)

~~~

Angela Scott

deadplains angela scott

I hear voices. Tiny fictional people sit on my shoulders and whisper their stories in my ear. Instead of medicating myself, I decided to pick up a pen, write down everything those voices tell me, and turn it into a book. I’m not crazy. I’m an author. For the most part, I write contemporary Young Adult novels. However, through a writing exercise that spiraled out of control, I found myself writing about zombies terrorizing the Wild Wild West—and loving it. My zombies don’t sparkle, and they definitely don’t cuddle. At least, I wouldn’t suggest it. I live on the benches of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains with two lovely children, one teenager, and a very patient husband. I graduated from Utah State University with a B.A. degree in English, not because of my love for the written word, but because it was the only major that didn’t require math. I can’t spell, and grammar is my arch nemesis. But they gave me the degree, and there are no take backs. As a child, I never sucked on a pacifier; I chewed on a pencil. I’ve been writing that long. It has only been the past few years that I’ve pursued it professionally, forged relationships with other like-minded individuals, and determined to make a career out of it. You can subscribe and follow me on my website, where I blog obsessively about my writing process and post updates on my current works. I’m also on Twitter and Facebook, but be forewarned, I tweet and post more than a normal person.

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NIMPENTOAD. Nimpen… who?

Posted: March 21, 2012 in Children's books
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Title: Nimpentoad

Authors: Henry, Josh and Harrison Herz

Artwork: Sean Eddingfield and Bill Maus

I received this book as a gift from the authors.

You are now entering the world of Nimpentoad and his fellow niblings. They look to Nimpentoad for guidance as they travel through the shadowy unkown that is Grunwald Forest. Along the way you will have encounters with Goblins and Orcs and many other creatures. Neebels are the worst!

Henry, along with his two grade school sons have written an endearing tale, accompanied by beautiful illustrations.

While the target readers are 5-10 year olds, all ages will be charmed by the characters and the world of Nimpentoad.

I give this book 5 stars along with my sky-high recommendation.  

 For more about the authors and the book visit www.nimpentoad.com

A Story of Triumph

Posted: March 16, 2012 in Uncategorized
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Title: Center of the Storm

Author: Ann Simko

Published by: Musa Publishing

 

Dodge, an angry teenager, grew up in the foster care system. Shuffled from home to home, he has never stayed in any one place for more than 6 months. A miracle would place him with the family of Kate and Mike Landry, on a horse farm in Pennsylvania. There he forms a bond with a horse named Storm, also a victim of abuse. Can Dodge let down his barriers and accept the unconditional love offered to him? Is this what he wants from life, could it really be that simple?

Flash forward. Dodge is now a grown man, married, with an adopted teenage son. Chris is also a victim of abuse, found near death in an abandoned shed. Dodge can’t seem to get past the walls that Chris has erected. There is a late night call from Kate asking Dodge to come to the farm. Maybe taking Chris with him on the 5 hour drive will give Dodge the chance to reach him.

This story flashes from Dodge as a teenager and as an adult. It is superbly written, allowing you to easily follow the story line. Ann Simko writes about the sensitive subjects of abuse, cutting, and suicide. With humorous scenes well placed to lighten it, she writes a moving tale of healing, hope and love.

Rarely have I felt so many emotions from a book. I laughed, I cringed in dread, and in several places I cried.

I received this as an ebook by the author in exchange for an honest review. I will be purchasing it as a paperback because I want to feel the cover as it softens from being read so many times.

I gave this book 5 stars only because I could not give it more!

For more about the author and her books visit her website.

www.annsimko.com

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