Here are the books in my list:
Rebecca Trogner The Last Keeper's Daughter Amazon Kindle $7.99
Scott Marlowe The Five Elements Amazon Kindle $2.99
L.K. Evans Keepers of Arden: The Brothers Volume 1 Amazon Kindle $2.99
Sarah Mäkelä The Witch Who Cried Wolf Amazon Kindle $0.99
Felicia Tatum Masked Encounters Amazon Kindle $0.99
Peprah Boasiako The Hitman Amazon Kindle $0.9
David T Griffith The Bestiarum Vocabulum Amazon Kindle $3.99
C. S. Janey Surrender To You Amazon Kindle $2.51
Gloria Piper Finnegan's Quest Amazon Kindle $4.99
Elle Todd The Elect Amazon Kindle $2.99
Heather Topham Wood The Memory Witch Amazon Kindle $7.99
N. L. Greene Illusions Begin (I have an ARC)
Morgan Wylie Silent Orchids Amazon Kindle **FREE**
Laura Howard The Forgotten Ones Amazon Kindle $2.99
Pauline Creeden Sanctuary Amazon Kindle $0.99
Casey Bond Winter Shadows Amazon Kindle $7.99
Skylar Hamilton Burris The Strange Marriage of Anne de Bourgh Amazon Kindle $2.99
Christina Marie Morales Ambience Amazon Kindle $0.99
Tamar Hela Feast Island Amazon Kindle $2.99
Molly Taggart Off Target Amazon Kindle $2.99
S. G. Daniels The Druid's Doorway Amazon Kindle $3.99
A number of these books have now been read and the review not written yet. I'll get there!
So make sure you keep coming back for more great reads in 2014.
About the book on the butcher block today:
Title: Tragic (Rook and Ronin #1)
Author: J. A. Huss
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Length (print): 282 Pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $0.99 Paperback $11.69
Rook Walsh is TRAGIC
Because life so far - just sucks. Some girls get parents. Rook got the foster care system. Some girls get Prince Charming. Rook got an abusive frog. Some girls get lucky...
Rook got a second chance.
And she took it. Because when fate throws you a bone - you grab it with both hands and run.
Antoine Chaput knows the minute he spies Rook in his photography studio that she's got The Look. The dark and desperate look he must have to land the exclusive TRAGIC media contract.
Rook is paired up with top model, Ronin, and he's everything her abusive ex-boyfriend wasn't. Patient, gentle, happy, attentive, and sexy! He knows exactly what to do to make Rook blush for Antoine's camera.
Rook's luck changes in an instant and suddenly she's the darling of the modeling world. It's a dream job to go with a dream guy and all she has to do is look pretty and follow directions. But there's always a price to pay - and Rook is about to get the bill.
***New Adult Contemporary Romance *Mature Content* Recommended for ages 17+ due to sexual situations and language usage.***
I picked up this book during a free promotion on Amazon because the cover was intriguing, and I'm a huge lover of great photography. While the image is striking, I think the type could use some work at the top and bottom because it gets lost in the reddish and white background. I try to review all books I pick up for free as a thank you to the author. Now that you know why I grabbed it, I'll move on with my review.
From a Reader's Perspective:
Rook is one of those girls. You never know what she's gonna do next. One minute she's shaking with memories of her past, the next, she's diving headlong into a situation you're wanting to slap her for even considering. Money is a huge motivator for a lot of people and Rook is no different. If you've never been completely broke and wondering where your next meal might come from, you probably wouldn't connect with the character in general. I think J. A. Huss did a fantastic job of showing exactly what someone in Rook's situation might think/do when an opportunity to never have to worry about money again presents itself. That being said, I could identify with Rook and her situation (all but the abusive husband).
Writing the story from both Rook and Ronin's POV was a smart move. If I'd just seen Ronin through Rook's eyes, I might have thought him a complete cad. He still wasn't my favorite character, but I could tell he wasn't out to destroy her. He's just really confused. Language is strong but the scenes aren't pornographic in the bedroom. Leadups are tastefully written and everything beyond is left to the imagination. It was well done. Kudos to the author for not falling into the trap of laying out the entire scene blow by blow. Does the author go into detail when it's not about the sex, but about the emotions and reactions Rook has to touches during the photo shoots? Yes. But that's when it matters.
My problem with the story was: I kept waiting for something to happen. It never did. I don't know if that was done purposely because it's book one of a trilogy, but it irritated me to no end. Give me something to keep me reading.
From an Editor's Perspective:
This book needs a major overhaul. Sentence construction issues, punctuation problems, and incorrect details run amok. While I usually limit the editing to one star, it bled over into the storyline and will be given a heavier weight. Example: He grabs two lime wedges from a little silver bucket in the ice, and shoves down the neck of each beer. Errors like that could be eradicated with a good editor. As an aside, Corona caps don't twist off. A long time lover of that particular brand, I caught that oops where others may not have.
Rating:
1 Star for giving me a believably naive character in Rook
1 Star for showing what some will do when truly down and out
1 Star for not feeling the need to go into every bedroom detail
-.5 Star for not giving me anything in the way of Rook's career
-1.5 Stars for editing
Overall: 3 out of 5 stars. A book with a great plot and wonderful characters that's lacking in the editing department. Recommended to those who don't mind a couple of errors and like romance that's left to the imagination.
Now it's time to tell you all about those deals I promised!
For a limited time, you can pick up The Druid's Doorway by S. G. Daniels for just $0.99 over on Amazon.
Through the 17th, you can grab a copy of Devil Creek by Casey Bond totally free on Amazon.
So get out there and click, click, click! Don't forget to share your purchase with the world! Amazon makes it easy and the authors will love you for it.
I hope you enjoyed this review. Have you read Tragic? What were your thoughts?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
I love the author, she's one of my faves and she's an awesome blogger too! That's so funny about the Corona caps I definitely missed that. You have a knack for finding those little things, must help with editing a ton.
ReplyDeleteShe's super sweet, huh? :) I really get into the language when I read a novel. It's so much more than words on a page for me. I love my Corona, too :) LOL! Thanks for the comment, Heather! You rock!
DeleteOne of the good things about e-books is that post-release editing/typo-correction can be done. Looking forward to reading your forthcoming reviews.
ReplyDeleteHmm. I just went to check and see what sort of books the special offers were. Interestingly, Devil Creek was free, but The Druid's Doorway priced just over $4.That's almost certainly because I'm British, and in Britain right now. Not sure if you have to set special offer prices for each Amazon site, but it's something to consider.
Hiya, Thaddeus! I love e-books for the same reason. Even better when they whisper-sync and no one is the wiser :) I'm not sure if it's because it's a Countdown Deal or not. I can't see it on .uk from here. Drats. I'll let the author know. Thanks so much for pointing that out and for the great comment! :)
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