Book Review - Surrender to You

Happy Thursday, everyone! Wow. I can't believe the week is almost over. What a crazy time it's been, too. NaNo isn't gonna happen for me this year, I'm afraid. But, I plan to work on Markaza and M, so you can all have something new by me to read early next year. Of course, Fractured Glass will release this year, too. Anyway, enough of all that. Let's get to what you came here for: a book review. This is the second to last novel I'm reviewing for my Indie Fever 2014 Reading Challenge. As a collective, the 29 readers in that challenge have read and reviewed 351 Indie books! What an awesome thing to be part of. I'm not doing a recap today, but my last book review will come the first week of December and my review video will be ready sometime that week as well. I'll recap then.

Here's a little about the book up for review today:

Title: Surrender to You (Pierced Hearts #1)
Author: C. S. Janey
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Length (print): 252 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $2.99

Synopsis:
Stefan never thought she’d come home…
After five long years, she’s within his reach and he’s determined to find out what she kept hidden from him, while hoping that his own secret won’t tear them apart again.

Simon never expected to fall in love with her…
Asking her out had been impulsive, but suddenly the Doctor is falling for this woman who makes him ache like nobody else ever has and he’s determined to make her his.

Elizabeth never knew she’d feel so strongly for two men…
Torn between the love of an ex she pushed away in the past and the love of a new man that makes her feel alive again, she must make a decision that will ultimately result in a broken heart for one of them.

When tragedy strikes, will she be confident in her final decision?

(Contains mature content and adult language; suitable for 17+) - Can be read as a standalone.

***Will not appear in review elsewhere. Man oh man did I love the cover for this book! Perfect set up for the story. I was nervous at first, thinking I was getting into a series, but the standalone note is something to take into consideration. As of the time I'm writing this, there aren't any more books in this series out.***

Now for the fun stuff!

I picked up this book during my 12 Days of Christmas event, where I ask Indie authors to pitch me their books for purchase and review. I read all the samples, and this one grabbed me because of the excellent writing style. But, let's move on to what's inside.

From a Reader's Perspective:
I was really caught up in the relationships in this novel. First, there's the love between Stefan and Elizabeth. She's confused, angry, and hurt by everything that passed between them through much of the beginning of the story. I saw her grow as a person during the tale, and that's really what a main character should do over the course of a novel. Plot was awesome, and pacing was spot on. I never felt like the story dragged.

I did tear up a time or two, but I refuse to tell you why because it'll spoil the story. There are a couple of twists and turns I didn't see coming, but I enjoyed the way they were woven in. No insta love here, which is great. In the last 1/3 of the novel, there's a little bit where, if you aren't paying attention to the timeline, it seems like things are rushed; but, overall, there's a good progression of the different relationships developing. I could totally identify with Elizabeth, and I even enjoyed the tension between her and her best friend.

One thing that bugged me was how Elizabeth kept talking about how not buff Stefan is, but how he's still good-looking. It happened enough that I noted it. Other than that, the story was great and the characters felt real.

From an Editor's Perspective:
There were a number of errors, but they were mostly wrong word usage or dropped words. It wasn't anything that tripped me up too badly, but it'll lose the book half a star for editing. A good proofreader could clean the MS up in a few days.

Rating:
+ 1 Star for making me tear up
+ 1 Star for great twists and turns
+ 1 Star for the lack of insta love
+ .5 Star for friendships I could believe were real
- .5 Star for the repeated rebuffing of Stefan's physique
+ .5 Star for punctuation, sentence construction, and writing
- .5 Star for dropped words and incorrect usage
Overall: A solid 4 out of 5 stars. Recommended for those who love a romance with angst, or those who wish for a well-written read.

What do you think? Will you check it out?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - Off Target

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Wow. I can't believe we're already blazing through October. NaNoWriMo is right around the corner. I do hope you're all prepared. Today, I have another review for you all from my Indie Fever Reading Challenge 2014 list. I've sworn to get through them all before my review request event happens in December. Some of these titles were added after the event, and will be reserved for reviews next year (I already have them scheduled), but they weren't part of my promise list. So, yada-yada. I've marked the additions with a ~.

Here's the list again. Progress is being MADE!

Molly Taggart Off Target REVIEW BELOW
Gloria Piper Finnegan's Quest REVIEW HERE
Skylar Hamilton Burris The Strange Marriage of Anne de Bourgh REVIEW HERE
Tamar Hela Feast Island REVIEW HERE
Rebecca Trogner The Last Keeper's Daughter REVIEW HERE
Scott Marlowe The Five Elements REVIEW HERE
L.K. Evans Keepers of Arden: The Brothers Volume 1 REVIEW HERE
Sarah Mäkelä The Witch Who Cried Wolf REVIEW HERE
Felicia Tatum Masked Encounters REVIEW HERE
David T Griffith The Bestiarum Vocabulum REVIEW HERE
Thaddeus White Sir Edric's Temple REVIEW HERE
Heather Topham Wood The Memory Witch REVIEW HERE
N. L. Greene Illusions Begin REVIEW HERE
J. A. Huss Tragic REVIEW HERE
Pauline Creeden Sanctuary REVIEW HERE
Casey Bond Reap REVIEW HERE 
Casey Bond Devil Creek REVIEW HERE
S. G. Daniels The Druid's Doorway REVIEW HERE
Misty Provencher The Fly House Amazon Kindle $3.99 ~
Peprah Boasiako The Hitman Amazon Kindle $0.99
C. S. Janey Surrender To You Amazon Kindle $2.99
Elle Todd The Elect Amazon Kindle $3.99 
Morgan Wylie Silent Orchids Amazon Kindle **FREE** ~
Laura Howard The Forgotten Ones Amazon Kindle $0.99 ~
Christina Marie Morales Ambience Amazon Kindle $2.99

About the book up for review today:

Title: Off Target
Author: Molly Taggart
Genre: YA Contemporary Coming-of-age
Length (print): 198 Pages
Buy Link: Amazon Kindle $2.99

Synopsis:
Sophie Mitchell may be the top marksman on her high school rifle team, but she has bad aim when it comes to boys. Her best friend Cory tells her that she doesn’t have to date, but how else is she supposed to fit in? Even her own mother thinks she’s eccentric. What almost eighteen-year-old girl isn’t interested in romance? So Sophie resolves to date even while she remains bullet-proofed from love. As Cory observes her amorous adventures from downrange, he worries that, these days, Cupid might be making armor-piercing bullets.

Off Target is a humorous coming-of-age story and a tender romance that can appeal to any adult, young or old, who has ever learned through love.

***Will not appear in review elsewhere! What a cute little cover! I do wish for stronger typography, but the imagery is bang on (no pun intended). It also has good contrast. It just feels somewhat flat.***

On to the good stuff!

Off Target was pitched to me during my 12 Days of Christmas event, where I ask Indie authors to pitch their books for purchase and review. I grab a sample of the ones with great pitches and give them a read. This title was intriguing because of the eccentricities of the main character, Sophie. Let's get going, and I'll tell you about it.

From a Reader's Perspective:
Sophie cracked me up, made me cry, and had me cheering throughout. She's a tough cookie with a penchant for everything guns. I know girls like that, so I could totally see it. I'd be friends with someone like her. That being said, I would've liked to see her with more flaws. She seemed way too perfect. Sure, she had her moments, but her hair, eyes, grades, shooting, and ideals about boys felt just a hair contrived. Either way, I liked her crazy moments, so I'm choosing not to give too much weight to the perfection. Cory was interesting, but I liked his twin brother, O, better. Surprisingly, he was more fleshed out. Pacing of the book was excellent. I didn't find there was a time where it dragged on. In fiction, I prefer none of the comparisons to older times, or things other people said in the past, to be put in parentheses. This novel had a lot of that going on. Feels like an infodump when it comes up, and without all the little quips, it would be an even better story. Plot was awesome, and surprised the heck out of me a couple of times.

From an Editor's Perspective:
There were some inconsistencies in age when things began to happen in the story, misspellings (riffle instead of rifle, a sleep instead of asleep), and one huge snafu where the parents are yelling and tell the MC she's about to be seventeen (she's about to be eighteen). Sadly, this many errors take away the ability to give anything for editing.

Rating:
1 Star for giving me a main character and a supporting cast I'd actually like to meet
1 Star for pacing and plot
1 Star for the happily ever after and tying up all the loose ends
- .25 Star for perfection of the MC
- .75 Star for parenthetical sections that came up way too often
- 1 Star for editing
Overall, 3 out of 5 stars. Recommended for those who enjoy coming-of-age tales with a tough cookie for an MC.

What do you think? Will you pick it up?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Becoming a Book Blogger - Building an Audience

Happy freaking Friday, good people of the blogosphere! It's been a long haul, but we're on the final three posts. You'll get one today, one on Tuesday, and one on Friday. I have some awesome stuff coming your way next week: An author interview on Monday with B. J. Sheldon, a book review of Off Target on Wednesday, and a cover reveal for A Reaper Made on Thursday. So, it's gonna be an exciting week! By this time, if you've been following along, you should have a name, policy, look and feel with imagery, a posting platform, a well designed blog, and a rating system. Today, we focus on building your social media presence. Okay, enough of my jawing, grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

 Here are the past posts and what's coming:

• Choosing a Name and Review Policy
• Branding Yourself With Imagery
• Picking a Platform for Publishing
• Design Considerations
• Structuring Your Rating System
• Building an Audience - Social Media Crazy (you're there now)
• Writing Reviews
• Money, You Say?

How many social media networks are there?

A ton. I'm not gonna list them all.

Here's the thing: You don't have to be on all of them, you just need to be on the right ones. I'm referring to the places your target audience hangs out, which outlets you feel most comfortable with, and which ones will do what you need them to (drive traffic to your blog).

So, here's the link list of social media sites I encourage you to sign up with, and a little bit about how to build your audience once you're there:

Twitter - This is a place where people with short attention spans can gather a lot of news without being bogged down by huge chunks of text. It's easy to share tweets and simple to follow someone. Build your audience here by following at least thirteen new people every day. Do a search for this: #amreading Then, follow about thirteen people who use it. Why? Because they're readers! Alternate with a search for this: #amwriting Give those folks a follow, too. Why? Because they're the writers who'll want you to review their books. Alternate by days and give a follow back to anyone who adds you organically. Once you have a couple, go at least three times a week and retweet some content. You'll find your follower base grow by leaps and bounds.

Facebook - Create a page if you haven't already. Here's a trick you must know to succeed on Facebook: It hates auto-posts and buries them beneath muck. You'll be lucky if fifteen people see an auto-post. Seriously. You'll be better off posting to your Facebook page organically, with no links in the main message (put all links in the comments). Invite all your friends to like your page. Interact at least three times a week with folks. Join a reader group on Facebook. Go to your search and type in: readers. When the box drops down, click on groups. Get to know people. Once in a while, ask them to share your blog with any writers who may want a review. Now, go do the same thing with writer groups. Be sure you're sharing if you expect others to share in return.

Goodreads - Yeah. Just do it. Go poke through the groups and join a couple there, too. Goodreads has a ton of review groups. There are always authors there asking for reviews. But wait! Join reader groups, too! This is a place where you'll be led to wonderful works of fiction, and it's a place where you can discuss books with others. Wow. Plus, you'll need a Goodreads account when you start writing reviews. More on that Tuesday!

Google+ - When you set up a gmail account (you did that, right?), you automatically got a Google+ page. Go to it, add your stuff, and set your custom URL. Then start adding people you already know. Yeah, I bet a lot of them read, too! Readers attract readers as friends.

YouTube - If you think you may ever want to do video reviews, go ahead and set up a YouTube channel. It can't hurt. Share videos by other book reviewers.

Here's another tidbit for thought: Go to one of the major book review sites (like Reader's Favorite or KBR) and apply to be one of their reviewers on staff. All they can say is no, right? You won't know if you don't try.

Two more places to put in your name:  Netgalley  and  Edelweiss
Both of those companies work with major publishers and will send you physical copies of books to read and review before the release dates. Just make sure you do it, or they'll drop you from the list.

Of course, it you want to stick strictly with Indie authors, we'll all love you forever and spread your name like wildfire through our ranks *grin*

I think I've given you all quite enough to do over the weekend. So get to it!

Any of you other book reviewers, where do you connect with readers and writers?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - Finnegan's Quest

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I have another book review for you all today. Seems to be a bit of a theme with them showing up on Wednesday's, eh? Well, when I scheduled my blog through the end of this year, I decided to try and give you a review once a week through the end of October. I'm blazing through my pile for the Indie Fever 2014 Reading Challenge (check out more reviews by that group here)! Speaking of which, here's a little reminder of the books I've reviewed so far, and the ones that are coming soon (no particular order):

Gloria Piper Finnegan's Quest  REVIEW BELOW
Skylar Hamilton Burris The Strange Marriage of Anne de Bourgh REVIEW HERE
Tamar Hela Feast Island REVIEW HERE
Rebecca Trogner The Last Keeper's Daughter REVIEW HERE
Scott Marlowe The Five Elements REVIEW HERE
L.K. Evans Keepers of Arden: The Brothers Volume 1 REVIEW HERE
Sarah Mäkelä The Witch Who Cried Wolf REVIEW HERE
Felicia Tatum Masked Encounters REVIEW HERE
David T Griffith The Bestiarum Vocabulum REVIEW HERE
Thaddeus White Sir Edric's Temple REVIEW HERE
Heather Topham Wood The Memory Witch REVIEW HERE
N. L. Greene Illusions Begin REVIEW HERE
J. A. Huss Tragic REVIEW HERE
Pauline Creeden Sanctuary REVIEW HERE
Casey Bond Reap REVIEW HERE 
Casey Bond Devil Creek REVIEW HERE
S. G. Daniels The Druid's Doorway REVIEW HERE
Misty Provencher The Fly House Amazon Kindle $3.99
Peprah Boasiako The Hitman Amazon Kindle $0.99
C. S. Janey Surrender To You Amazon Kindle $2.99
Elle Todd The Elect Amazon Kindle $3.99 
Morgan Wylie Silent Orchids Amazon Kindle **FREE**
Laura Howard The Forgotten Ones Amazon Kindle $0.99
Christina Marie Morales Ambience Amazon Kindle $2.99
Molly Taggart Off Target Amazon Kindle $2.99

As always, a little about the book up for review before we get going!

Title: Finnegan's Quest
Author: Gloria Piper
Genre: Fantasy Satire
Length (print): 284 Pages
Buy Link: Amazon Kindle $4.99

Synopsis:
Who will be Finnegan’s most perfect guru? Someone big, mysterious, and scary? It’s what the young fox believes. His quest leads him into Squiggly Wood, only to find no welcome from its critters, except for Crookshank, an elder crow reputed to have an evil foot. Finnegan, if he is to have any help in his search, accepts her offer of friendship. Shortly after, the woods erupt with guides and misguides vying to mentor him and separate him from Crookshank. Why should anyone care? The two friends investigate the cause of this attack and find it tied to a scheme by a secret force to take over Squiggly Wood. Finnegan’s Quest is a fantastical allegory that pokes fun at life’s foibles, political, religious, and social. Young and adult readers will find a quick and amusing read that invites them to look at life in new ways.

I'm jumping right into my review here, so strap in and get ready! *grin*

I picked up Finnegan's Quest during a promotional span on my blog where I ask Indie authors to come pitch their books for a chance to win a purchase and a review. Well, dear Finnegan got me from the sample, I bought it, read it, and will now get to my thoughts on it.

From a Reader's Perspective:
What I thought I was getting into--a book about a wily little fox on an adventure to find himself--was almost what I found. That being said, I didn't expect the very human situations and agendas I discovered buried in the text. I adore books about critters (loved Watership Down), and I figured this one would be more along the lines of a fox story with a rabbit flavor. But, sadly, I was disappointed. As a whole, the plot moved at a good clip sometimes and dragged along at others. I loved the crow, Crookshank, but she wasn't enough to save the story for me. It seemed the author had so much to argue against, her moral tale and overall agenda got lost as the story ambled along. Some of the puns were funny, and I laughed at those a time or two, but I kept reading in the hopes that the story would get better, which it didn't. If you enjoy books with a thick undercurrent of opinion about religion, politics, and other such things, this book is for you. If you're looking for a fluffy critter story, it won't whet your appetite. I did like little Finnegan, and enjoyed watching him grow into his own through the pages with Crookshank's guidance. Also, I see satire and I expect to laugh a lot. This book missed that mark, too, but I'm not gonna ding it for being categorized in that way.

From an Editor's Perspective:
I didn't find a lot of errors. No more than a usual couple. But those were negligible. Nice editing job on the grammatical end.

Rating:
1 Star for giving me Finnegan and his bushy curiosity
1 Star for showing old arguments in a new light
1 Star for editing
-1 Star for plot and pacing
-1 Star for too many agendas packed into one book

Overall, a solid 3 out of 5 stars. Recommended for those who enjoy opinion books.

Would this title be up your alley?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - Resist

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today, I'm bringing you another book review. No, this one isn't from my review list. I'm working on Scott Marlowe's The Five Elements (The Alchemancer: Book One) in that pile. I think, from this point forward, I'm gonna put all the titles in a hat and draw one every time I finish the one I'm reading. His book, I'm about halfway through. So we're getting there. If you're late to the party, I'm referring to my 12 Days of Christmas review pile that's part of my list on the Indie Fever 2014 Reading Challenge. We commit to reading a certain number of Indie books every year and reviewing them. I love taking part. It's really an awesome thing to give back.

As always, I'll start with a little bit of information about the book up for review:

Title: Resist (Harvest Saga - Book 2)
Author: Casey L. Bond
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Length (print): About 213 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle $2.99

Synopsis:
Abby Kelley returns home from the Greater city of Olympus to find that things in Orchard Village are bad, very bad. The Olympian Guard has taken over village affairs. The Lessers are being worked to the bone in the coldest winter Orchard has seen. Villagers are being dragged away for the slightest indication of what they call “resistance.” She needs to keep her head down and her mouth shut. But, it’s so hard to do when everything within you screams rebellion.

Kyan is coming on strong, trying to convince her to take a chance on him. Shocking news of Crew’s activities in Olympus sweeps through the Villages. When Abby is taken away by the Olympian guard, Kyan sends word to Vesuvius for help. But, no one could have predicted their idea of help or what they might expect in return.

Who will be left to pick up the pieces of Abby’s heart?

Resist is the second book in The Harvest Saga series by Casey L. Bond. It is highly recommended that you read Reap (book one) before reading Resist.

***Will not appear in review elsewhere. Holy wow at the covers on these books, huh? While the type treatment is weak, the imagery is awesomesauce. I can't wait for the third installment. I must know how this ends! I reviewed Reap and you can see that on my blog here.***

I ran out and bought Resist the day it went on sale. I loved Reap, and couldn't wait to continue the story of Abby, Crew, and Kyan. Casey is quickly becoming a go-to author when I'm in the mood for a great story. Enough of my rambling! I'm sure you're eager to hear about the story.

From a Reader's Perspective:
Let me tell you, there were some major shockers in this book. They had me putting my hand to my mouth and gasping for air. This is an edge-of-your-seat read for sure. Many times, I find the middle book in a series lacking punch. They kind of go tra-la-la to move the plot along, and there's nothing interesting on the pages. Resist isn't one of those books. It'll keep you biting your nails, cringing, and tearing up over and over again. Pacing is spot on, and I wanted more when I hit the last page. As in Reap (book one), the world building is awesome. I love that there are more than one Greater factions in control of the Lessers. It made the twisty plot even more of a page turner. Warning! There is a cliffhanger. It's a big one. So, if you don't like that sort of thing, wait for the last book to come out before you start reading. If you don't mind, pick up these books ASAP.

From an Editor's Perspective:
So many errors in the writing. Mostly punctuation and pronoun confusions, but there were a few oops moments that should've been caught. Example: Even though it was only a rouse, she would be hurt. This should read: Even though it was only a ruse, she would be hurt. Sadly, what would've been a 5 star book, is dropped to 4 because of the errors. I had to turn my inner editor off.

Rating:
1 Star for keeping me on the edge of my seat
1 Star for awesome twists I was blindsided by
1 Star for world building
1 Star for pacing and wonderful conflict
-1 Star for editing
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars. A fantastic read that'll keep you gripping your chair despite the writing errors. Recommended if you can look past writing errors and really get into a story.

Have you read it? What did you think?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - Unhinged

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I bring you another book review. Bet you're excited about this one, huh? I read Splintered, the first book in this series, back in March of last year; but I never wrote a review. Since this isn't a new (or Indie) author, I can't include this read in my Indie Fever Reading Challenge goal for this year; but, the kidlings go back to school Monday, and that means more reading and writing time for Mama Bear. I'll be finishing up some books I have in progress (I read more than one at a time), and I'll be bringing you lots of reviews very soon. Anywho, enough of all that, let's get to what you came for, shall we?

A little about the book up for review today:

Title: Unhinged (Splintered Book 2)
Author: A. G. Howard
Genre: YA Fantasy/Fairy Tales
Length (print): 400 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $9.99  ~  Hardcover $14.00

Synopsis:
Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole. She was crowned Queen of the Red Court and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the boy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly appealing Morpheus. Now all she has to do is graduate high school. That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn't show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland--where she (partly) belongs. Could she leave Jeb and her parents behind again, for the sake of a man she knows has manipulated her before? Will her mother and Jeb trust her to do what's right? Readers will swoon over the satisfying return to Howard's bold, sensual reimagining of Carroll's classic.

***Will not appear in review elsewhere. Holy crap at the covers for these books, huh? I love, love, love them. They're all so very close to monochromatic, the cover for Splintered was the same (but green), and the next one in this series appears to be red. Booyah. I have an idea where that story may be going by the image on the cover alone. Red is a bad lady. *grins* I love it! This book gave me chills as it carried me along on its back through a mad, mad world.***

Let's get to the review, shall we?

I was browsing through Barnes and Noble when I spotted this book nestled among the titles in the Teen section. Of course, because I'm me, I picked it up. Bad decision (ask my husband and kids), because I couldn't put it down once I picked it up it fell into my hands. A. G. Howard is becoming one of my favorite authors through this trilogy. What did I love? Well...

From a Reader's Perspective:
Wow. I got completely sucked in by the descriptions and world building going on in Unhinged. Several times I caught myself closing my eyes for a moment to get a more vivid picture in my head of what was going on around Alyssa. She's one tough cookie, and I can't help but root for Morpheus in the crazy love triangle going on. There are no middle book blahs going on here. This story was funny, fun, and contained all the wonderful madness of Splintered. I wasn't disappointed, and I can't wait to read Ensnared in January. When the end happened, I wished for more book right away. Unhinged totally left me with a book hangover for a couple of days after I was done reading it. I liked how the second book built on the first one and set me up for the third. Jeb was kind of annoying. I know, sad to say, but I'm crossing my fingers for Alyssa to take her place in Wonderland as queen with Morpheus by her side. I had one of the little twists figured out by the middle of the book, but it was no less thrilling. You'll enjoy the creepy factor. This isn't a retelling of Carroll's story, it's a total re-conception of why, who, and how, building on Alice's ancestors.

From an Editor's Perspective:
Just a pronoun misplacement or two; nothing to write home about.

Rating:
1 Star for edge-of-my-seat world building
1 Star for giving me such likeable characters I don't know which one to root for
1 Star for just enough description without going overboard
1 Star for pacing, tying things together with book one, and setting me up for book three in a non-irritating way
1 Star for great editing
Overall, 5 out of 5 stars. Recommended if you dislike retellings, but love great spinoffs, of classic fairy tales.

I hope you all enjoyed that little review!

Have you read any of the books in this series?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - The Crossroads of Time

Happy Friday! Wow. Here we are again at the end of yet another week. I have a second book review for you today. This one I proofread a while back, and I think you're gonna enjoy the heck out of it. It was something new and different to sink my teeth into, and I found myself enjoying the story very much as I made comments and learned some new things. There's also a cool giveaway of this title after the review. Without further ado, let's get going!

As always, I'm gonna begin with information about the book up for review today.

Title: The Crossroads of Time
Author: Rhonda Denise Johnson
Genre: African American Urban and Historical Fiction
Length (print): 292 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $9.95   ~   Paperback $8.96

Synopsis:
Chloe loves to listen to music, but when the music starts listening to her, she begins to wonder. Try as she might, she can’t dismiss the strange things happening in her life as mere coincidence. Could some spirit be trying to send her a message? She tries to live a normal life as a student at California State University, but the more she tries, the more bizarre her life become. From the moment Chloe consults a Candomblé priestess to find out what’s what, the events in her life spin from uncanny to numinous.

As her visions become more corporeal, Chloe gets literally swept out of her twenty-first century Los Angeles world in the stormy vortex of Oya, the African Orisha of the wind. Oya takes Chloe on a journey through time that throws her into the world of Ayodele, her ninteenth century ancestor on a Virginia tobacco plantation.

Both women share dreams of achieving more in life than is expected of them as women and as African Americans. At the Crossroads they must decide which costs more, struggling to fulfill their dreams or letting them die—and which price are they willing to pay?

**Will not appear in review elsewhere.  I have to say, the cover doesn't give you any glimpse of the awesome inside. You all know I'm a cover junkie, so I'd like to see this one meld more with the genre.**

Now on to the good stuff!

I proofread The Crossroads of Time and loved the heck out of it. Ms. Johnson brings her characters to life on the page, and showed me a world beyond the one I'd known my whole life. My Kindle now holds a copy for me, because I bought it when it went live. Getting the chance to look inside someone else is one of the reasons I read. How many lives can I live? Well, this novel didn't disappoint. Let's move on to the review so I can tell you what I mean.

From a Reader's Perspective:
I learned a lot reading this book. From the beliefs of the Candomblé religion, to the meaning of dance and drums in African religion. One of my favorite things about being a reader of fiction is picking up new facts or tidbits of information buried in the story. I got a lot of that in this book. Chloe is a modern day college student, struggling between what she wants and what her family wants for her. Ayodele is from Chloe's family history and is struggling with the threat of losing her identity as she's enslaved for hard labor. Both women were beautifully drawn, and I felt their indecision and desire to be more than those around them. I love strong female characters, and this story has plenty of those to whet my appetite. Sure, there are men, but they play supporting roles, fading into the background of the central plot. I liked that the author didn't feel a need to bring everyone to the forefront. World building and descriptions of the goings-on of the religious groups in the book were well drawn, sucking me right in.

From an Editor's Perspective:
I didn't like that the book walked through so many POVs. It didn't do anything for the plot, and I left the book not even remembering one of the names. Of course, grammar and punctuation should be spot on from the proofread, but there were some minor syntax errors (repetition of ideas) that I picked up on here and there. All in all, not too bad.

Rating:
1 Star for teaching me a lot of interesting things
1 Star for the strong female leads, Chloe and Ayodele
1 Star for world building
.5 Star for ease of reading
-.5 Star for repetitive phrases
.5 Star for flow
-.5 Star for so many POVs
Overall, 4 out of 5 stars. A book that will lock you in and keep you reading well into the night. Recommended to fans of both historical fiction and strong female leads.

Time for the Rafflecopter form!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, everyone!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - Magic Unfolds

Happy Friday, everyone! Yay! It's time for the weekend once again! Not only do you have one awesome book to read because you picked up a copy of Reap (you did, right?), you'll have two once you snag a copy of the book you're getting a review for today. I've reviewed a couple of N. L. Greene's books here on the blog. The first was Twisted (5/5*), and the second was Illusions Begin (4/5*). Today, I bring you the second installment of the MysticSeeker series, Magic Unfolds. So, strap in, grab something cold to drink (it's blazing hot outside), and let's get going!

First, all about the book up for review today:

Title: Magic Unfolds (Book Two of the MysticSeeker series)
Author: N. L. Greene
Genre: YA Paranormal
Length (print): 190 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $2.99  ~  Paperback $11.10  ~  B&N $2.99

Synopsis:
For the first time in her life, Becky had hopes of fulfilling her own dreams when Blaine Winters inexplicably arrived into her quiet life, teasing her with astounding possibilities she never thought imaginable.  Not only did he reveal that magic was indeed real, but he also stirred feelings in her that she had only read about in clichéd romance novels.  But just as quickly as he appeared, he was gone.  Then Becky’s life was turned upside down by a family emergency.  With the overwhelming demands of running an elite law firm as well as her ex becoming more of a threat each day, she didn’t have time for whimsical thoughts or personal exploration anyway.

Now that Blaine has mysteriously disappeared from her life, she can put her family first and focus on what she needs to do.  If only it were that easy.  Blaine may be gone and all of Becky’s little girl dreams of a world filled with magic with him, but that doesn’t mean all’s forgotten.  Nightmares are plaguing her, someone is watching her, and there are powers within her that she can’t seem to control.

Will Becky finally get her chance at magic after all, even if she doesn’t want it?

Now that you know, let's get on what you came for.

I read the first book in this series and loved it. So, when I found out Greene was publishing book two, I got excited! I was so eager to see what happened next in Becky's life, I ran out and bought a copy on Amazon. What I got was unexpected; so much so that it left me yearning for more. Let me fill you in.

From a Reader's Perspective:
After the first book, I was looking forward to lots of magical situations and usage in the second. While it plays a key part as a manifestation, there wasn't a lot of actual magic use until the end. I had Samantha pegged early on, and the end revealed what I kinda figured was going on there. I adore how in love with Blaine Becky still is. She yearns for him, and I find it an endearing quality of her character. I wanted more magic throughout and was brought to the edge of my seat a time or two in anticipation, but the situations never turned out the way I hoped they would. While that aspect left me wanting, I still rooted for everything Becky was trying to do with her life. I see her struggle with splitting her desire to embrace magic and her desire to do right by her family. It makes the read volley forward, which makes up for the lack of actual use of magic. Saved.

From an Editor's Perspective:
Minor things the casual reader won't notice. It was pretty clean grammar-wise, actually.

Rating:
+1 Star for making me eager to read more
+1 Star for giving me more of Becky and resolving the Lance situation
+1 Star for awesome characters
+1 Star for lack of grammatical errors
-1 Star for potential of punch in the story not being reached
Overall, 4 out of 5 stars. Fans of the series will enjoy the book, and it's a decent middle novel to move things forward.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - Chasing Shadows

Happy frikkin' Thursday, everyone! Time for another book review here on the blog. With tomorrow being Friday and all, I figured: What better way to prep for the weekend than by snagging a free book and one on sale while hearing the nitty-gritty about the details? If you missed the post from yesterday, go check it out for a couple of chances to win copies of Chasing Shadows. Strap in and let's get going!

As always, a little about the book I'm reviewing today before we get into the fun stuff:

Title: Chasing Shadows (Tala Prophecy - Book Two)
Author: Tia Silverthorne Bach
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Length (print): 312 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $0.99 (for a limited time) Paperback $11.66

Synopsis:
Reagan thought one night changed her life forever, but her fate was written long ago.

Merging creature and white blood,

One of flame, one of night,

At eighteen years it will commence,

Spiritual warrior and power,

Will bring an end to the lawless ones.

A war looms: One that pits brother against brother for werewolf supremacy. Angels and demons will each have a say before a victor is chosen.

With her eighteenth birthday only six months away, time is running out. Reagan must find a way to harness the two powerful, ancient bloodlines coursing through her: Werewolf and Wiccan. Then, she has to figure out her role in the century-old prophecy foretold by her great-grandmother.

However, if Reagan can’t save her family from her most vicious rival, Rafe, the forces of Hell will be unleashed and the war will be over before it starts.

I designed that cover, so I have nothing to say about it except: Isn't it cool? *grin* There are some subtle things on there you may not notice at first glance. They tell a lot about the book inside. Look for them.

So, without lollygagging, I give you my review:

I was the editor from INDIE Books Gone Wild for Chasing Shadows; so, needless to say, I've read it. I wasn't sure what to expect out of this second book in the series, because the first one was unbelievably awesome. Tia still manages to make me gasp with revelations I never see coming (and I see pretty much everything). Anyway, it released yesterday, and I snagged a copy here on Amazon so I'd have it forever in my digital library. Enough about that, let's move on to the meat of the review.

From a Reader's Perspective:
You're gonna get everything you're looking for if you're a fan of teen werewolf stories. There's anger, cool abilities, lots of bacon eating (uh, yum!), and teen crushes run amok. In this book, you're introduced to a prophecy released on humanity by Reagan's great-grandmother. It has to do with the end of the world and two wolves: a red one and a black one (or so we believe from the words - prophecies are shady things). Well, if you read book one in the series, you know Reagan has flaming red hair and shifts into a wolf with a red pelt. You'll also know she has a brother. Both youngsters play key parts in book two. A lot of the dangling questions from book one got answered, while more questions arose in book two that I hope get answered in book three (or four, maybe?).

I'm still a huge fan of Reagan's character. She's tough, but has her emo moments where she breaks down and allows herself a temper-tantrum or two. Those were some of my favorite scenes. Watching a person fall apart after they've been strong for so long makes me root for them harder. Heck, I was even deeply vested in the secondary characters. I can't wait to read more about the other members of the pack in future books. Mom, Susie, redeemed herself in this book, and we see where she was coming from in Chasing Memories.

I adore the love interest (he's a good guy, not a bad boy), and can't wait to see where the tide rolls him and Reagan. There's a big cliffhanger in this book that left me gasping for air and screaming when I couldn't turn the page to read more. It was awesome.

From an Editor's Perspective:
Gosh, I hope we caught all the little errors. If you see something we missed, kindly let us know. There should be very few, if any.

Rating:
+1 Star for answering questions I had about stuff that happened in Chasing Memories
+1 Star for surprising me again and again
+1 Star for showing me so much about werewolf culture and making my jaw drop in the end
+1 Star for giving me likeable characters I could root for
+1 Star for editing. I suppose you could say I'm giving this to myself, but you'll see.
Overall, 5 out of 5 stars. Recommended for fans of YA Paranormal who love twists and turns.

I hope you all enjoyed this review. As a bonus, Chasing Memories is FREE right now over on Amazon in celebration of the release of Chasing Shadows. I do hope you'll all grab one (regularly $2.99!) and see for yourself how amazing this series is.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Reviews and Paying it Forward

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Today I'd like to talk a little bit about your book reviews and what you can do for those folks who take the time to read and write a bit about your book. So, grab your mouse and let's get going!

Now, we all know how badly those one and/or two star reviews sting. But we read them, right? Please tell me you're reading them. Why do we subject ourselves to that? Well, if you're an author, it's likely because you want to learn what you did poorly, what you did well, and how you can improve upon future books.

Am I telling you to rip apart your manuscript and start from scratch because one person says how much they hated your book?

No.

What I'm saying is this: If the reviewer takes the time to detail what they liked and didn't like about your book, you should take the time to read what they said and consider it very carefully. When it matters most, is when more than one person says the same thing.

We all know you can't please all of the people all of the time; but you can listen to what your reviewer is saying and not assume they're trolls who are marking your book down in order to boost their own.

So listen to what your readers say.

On to what you can do to show your appreciation for those who review your books!

Go to Amazon's Author Central and click on Customer Reviews. Scan down and see how many of them you marked as "helpful" when you first saw them (you can say you don't look, but we all know you do). If you didn't mark anything, go to the book's page and start clicking. I'm not telling you to do this with all the reviews, but if you want potential buyers to see the good reviews, mark them as helpful.

This does two things: It jumps the good reviews to the top of the review list on your book's Amazon splash page, and it increases the reviewer's ranking. Why does this matter? Well, if I see a review by a top 1000 reviewer on a book, I'm much more likely to listen to what that person has to say. If they rave about the book, I'm also more likely to buy it. While you're helping the reviewer, you're also kinda helping yourself.

Go to Goodreads and check for new reviews. "Like" the new ones. If you feel so inclined, take a moment and write a note to the reviewer thanking them for their time and effort.

I know I'm the exception to the rule, but I usually apologize to a reviewer if they found my book lacking because I feel badly about wasting their time on something they didn't enjoy. Besides, it keeps the friendly lines of communication open between us. No need to be an asshat.

I review a lot of books. I notice the authors who take the time to mark my reviews helpful; and, I'm not ashamed to say, if I go looking for a new book to read and review, I'll go to their books first. I also appreciate those authors who pay it forward by sharing the reviews of others' books, take the time to comment with a simple "thanks for taking the time to write a review for my book" on my blog post, and who share the love once I use my time to write them a review.

Yes, I give preferential treatment to folks who pay it forward. I'm not ashamed to admit that. Authors, think about the reviewers of your work, do your best to help them out, and put away your pride or feelings of awesomeness to take a moment to show your gratitude.

If you're an author, do you always mark reviews helpful? If you're a reviewer, does it bug you when authors are nonchalant about your review?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - Keepers of Arden (The Brothers Volume One)

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Sorry I'm late. I, apparently, am not invincible, and I have come down with a raging sinus infection. Just returned from the doctor's office. Have antibiotics, will write! Now that you know why I'm a little behind, let me get to it. Today I bring you another book review from my Indie Fever 2014 Reading Challenge. If you've never heard of the challenge, I invite you to join us! Just go to the signup page here, choose your challenge level, add your name to the linky list, grab the badge from the sidebar, and start reading! Easy peasy. So sit back, relax, and enjoy!

First, as always, a little about the book I'm reviewing today:

Title: Keepers of Arden (The Brothers Vol. 1)
Author: L. K. Evans
Genre: Fantasy & Sorcery
Length (print): Approx 459 Pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $2.99

Synopsis:

"Slowly, year by year, day by day, hour by hour, the evil grew stronger while he grew weaker. It found ways around his shield, and, even as he sat in the sun on a beautiful spring day, he could feel the tiny nibbles the evil bit off from his soul."

This is just the beginning of the Laybryth brothers' journey to not only rid the lands of Arden of a vile evil, but for one brother to save the other from the darkness that lives within him.

 ***Will not appear in review elsewhere***
You all know by now how much I love book covers. This one has such a dark feeling to it. I love the imagery, I only wish there was the shadow of a person or a couple of young men in the background-a little secret to be delved out of the fog by a keen eye. I love the typefaces (these two [three?!] look similar enough anyone without a trained eye probably wouldn't pick up on the differences; but I warn the designer to be careful when doing this) and layout of the title, but I would like to see some kerning on the letters and see the K and S moved in a smidge from the edges. It's like when you see two people barely touching, it's kinda uncomfortable. If you're gonna overlap them, let them overlap; if you're gonna keep them away from each other, make sure there's space. Also, the author's name should be centered. This isn't a preference thing, it's more of a designer's rule. If you center some of it, center all of it. Color choices are perfect.

On to the review of what's between the covers!

I grabbed a sample of Keepers of Arden during a December contest I ran on my blog. I have to say, the sample took hold of my mind and I bought the book. I wasn't able to stop thinking about it and was happy when it was next on my TBR list. L. K. Evans created a magical world that captivated me and kept me glued to the pages. Enough about all that, let's get to the good stuff.

From a Reader's Perspective:
In the beginning of the book, we're introduced to a placed named Arden. I could see the city clearly in my mind from the descriptions on the pages. Not long after the story began, I was dragged into a melee of emotional turmoil as fierce, dark creatures were described and the mother in the story showed her evil. There were times the descriptions brought tears to my eyes. As the tale moved along, it began to slow down. I kept waiting for something big to happen. As it was, this book has everything a first novel in a series should have and I'm anxious to read the second installment. But that big thing never happened. I felt the story dragged on a little, but I was so vested in the outcome, I kept reading. I love the brothers and how close they are. From chapter one, we're shown how they share a piece of one another and it's reinforced throughout the story.

From an Editor's Perspective:
I'm a stickler for errors and highlight any I come across. Misplaced pronouns weren't bad. What I did find was that the text could use a good proofreader to pick up on little errors like: dropped punctuation, homophones, and incorrect tenses of words. None of it was enough to throw me out of the story, but there were over 20 errors in the book.

Rating:
+1 Star for phenomenal world building
+1 Star for keeping me engaged
+1 Star for description of creatures that really kept my toes curled
+.5 Stars for making me have an emotional reaction to the mother and son
-.5 Stars for the never making anything big happen
+.5 Stars for a couple of highlighted sentences I loved
-.5 Stars for need for a proofreader
Overall, 4 out of 5 stars! Recommended for anyone who loves magic, mages, and dark forces.

I never do this, so you know these passages moved me. My favorite two lines: "Until you place yourself in another man's shoes, do not pass judgment." and "Every man has a weakness, and one must never judge a man for succumbing to that weakness because at one point you might succumb as well. And wouldn't it be nice to have another man understand your pain and mistake?"

I mean, wow. Love it.

I hope you all enjoyed that review. I do encourage you to grab a copy of the book. Link is above.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Tour and Review - Illusions Begin

Happy, happy Tuesday, everyone! Today I bring you another book review. This time it's an author I've read before and loved! When the opportunity to read and review another one of her books came around, I jumped on it like a kangaroo on a boxing ring floor. You can check out my review of Twisted here. In addition, Illusions Begin is part of my Indie Fever 2014 reading challenge. You can join in the fun here. What's Indie Fever? It's a challenge encouraging you to read books by Indies all year and link up with other reviewers who are doing the same! Come join in the fun. For now, sit back, relax, and snag your favorite warm drink because it's still cold outside (where are you, Spring?).

First, a little about the book up for slaughter review today:

Title: Illusions Begin (Mystic Seeker #1)
Author: N. L. Greene
Length (print): 295 pages
Genre: New Adult Paranormal
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $2.99 Paperback $12.95

Synopsis:
Katherine Rebecca has always done exactly what was expected of her. Her prim and proper upbringing taught her the importance of family, sacrifice, and social stature. She has followed in her parent’s footsteps, being trained and groomed daily almost from birth, to take over the family law firm. It was never a question of IF she wanted to but WHEN she would take the reins of the company. She worked rigorously toward that predetermined goal her entire life. She gave up friends, boyfriends, and an exciting social life in order to propel herself through school and college. Katherine Rebecca strived to please her parents. More than anything, she basked in their praise and approval. But now, at 21 years old, she finds herself leading a life that is nothing like the life she imagined for herself.

Becky has always possessed a deep love of magic. Ever since she was a small child she has been fascinated with magicians, illusions, mystery, and the vague hope that there was some sort of real magic in the world. But this is a secret no one knows, or at least that’s what she thought. Until one day Becky finds a mysterious business card in her pocket that leads her to an equally mysterious man. He opens up a whole new world of possibilities to her, one with a tantalizing proposition that she never thought imaginable.

Could magic actually be real?

**Will not appear in review elsewhere** Let me start off by saying how much I love the cover for this book. While I think the author's name needs to be bigger (don't be afraid to shout it out!), I adore the imagery. I feel like it portrays the story on the pages perfectly. A sexy, card wielding maven? Yeah, that's Katherine to a T. If I had one nitpick about the crop, I'd leave more of their faces in. Placement makes me cringe a bit when I think about loss due to bleed cutoff. Anyway, beautifully done and tells a compelling story! On to the review!

I won an ARC of this book in a giveaway on the author's blog and went on to purchase it on Amazon later so I could see how/if the writing improved from soup to nuts. In addition to that, when the opportunity arose to join in on a review tour, I pounced. I've reviewed Ms. Greene's work in the past and found it more than five star worthy. This book had a couple of flaws; but didn't disappoint when it came time to deliver on the story end. I have in no way been compensated for my participation in this tour and all opinions are my own. On to the good stuff.

From a Reader's Perspective:
I didn't like Ms. Hoity Toity Perfect in Every Way Becky at the beginning of the book. She was too prim, too proper, and did too many things just because her parents wanted her to. As the story moves forward, we begin to see all may not be as it first seemed. Little Becky has kept secrets from her mother and father throughout the years. One big one was why Becky had a falling out with her ex-boyfriend, Lance. This is one spot I found an inconsistency in the story though. In chapter eight, Becky talks about her mother setting up dinners between the two families because she was ignorant to what happened with Lance. Later, in chapter eleven, Becky talks about how her mother knew and was okay with what he'd done. As a reader, continuity is something I expect and it did throw me for a loop when I read it.

But, the magical aspects of the story and Becky's well-kept secret helped move the story along. I was fascinated at how she'd kept that aspect of her life hidden for so long and thrilled when she discovered all may not be as it first appeared. I won't go into that because I refuse to give spoilers. You'll have to read the book to find out what I'm talking about.

There are two love interests in the book as well, and I can't wait for book two so I can find out which one wins Becky's heart and why. Neither felt added as an afterthought and both fit into the story perfectly.

From an Editor's Perspective:
Pronouns! These seem to give authors the most trouble. I found no pronoun errors in Ms. Greene's first book, Twisted, and contractions were used well. Illusions Begin could use contractions to make the prose and dialogue flow more easily. There are also many commas missing between statements and names in dialogue. But those are nitpicks most people probably wouldn't pick up on.

Rating:
+1 Star for giving me a truly magical story
+1 Star for showing me Becky's imperfections as the book went on and not letting her remain annoyingly unlikeable
+1 Star for the awesome surprises along the way
+1 Star for the guys in the story
-1 Star for the inconsistency in story and the need for pronoun/contraction/comma oopsie repair
Overall, 4 out of 5 stars! Highly recommended for those who love an engaging story with awesome twists.

About the author:
N.L. Greene, who is 1/2 of the author duo Riana Lucas, has decided to venture outside of the Fantasy world that she and her best friend created with Poppy and The Deadly Flowers Series to write a few books on her own. While she loves working with her best friend, writing solo has allowed her to explore interest that had solely been her own. She spends a lot of time reading her favorite authors which range all over the place and in every genre, but spends just as much time with her husband and two daughters, traveling, shopping, and playing video games. Nichole was born in Pennsylvania but grew up in Florida, where she and her high school sweetheart live with their two children.

Facebook  ~  Goodreads  ~  Twitter  ~  Website

In her awesomeness, N. L. Greene is holding a tour-wide giveaway for a Kindle FIRE!! Yay! Enter below to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here's the tour announcement page where you can see all the stops and find out what others think about Illusions Begin:
Girls Heart Books Tour Schedule: Illusions Begin

Thanks for stopping by to read this review. If you've read the book, what did you think? If you haven't, do you think you might?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - Red Hill

Hello, lovely people of the blogosphere! It's Hump Day already. Can you believe it? Today I'm bringing you a book review of a zombie apocalypse novel. Yes, I know I have a couple of Indie titles to write reviews for (and I'm about halfway through each of those), but when I get hold of a book by one of my favorite authors, all else becomes obscure. I read those as though they're gonna disappear any moment if I don't. Case in point: Tomorrow, you're getting a review for the latest Rick Riordan title. So, be patient, those Indie reviews are coming! Grab your comfy chairs, pour yourself a cup of coffee, and let's get going!

A little about the title on the chopping block today:

Title: Red Hill
Author: Jamie McGuire
Genre: Horror
Length: 369 printed pages
Links to buy: Kindle $7.36 Paperback $11.67 Nook $7.99

Synopsis:
When the world ends, can love survive?

For Scarlet, raising her two daughters alone makes fighting for tomorrow an everyday battle. Nathan has a wife, but can’t remember what it’s like to be in love; only his young daughter Zoe makes coming home worthwhile. Miranda’s biggest concern is whether her new VW Bug is big enough to carry her sister and their boyfriends on a weekend escape from college finals.

When reports of a widespread, deadly “outbreak” begin to surface, these ordinary people face extraordinary circumstances and suddenly their fates are intertwined. Recognizing they can’t outrun the danger, Scarlet, Nathan, and Miranda desperately seek shelter at the same secluded ranch, Red Hill. Emotions run high while old and new relationships are tested in the face of a terrifying enemy—an enemy who no longer remembers what it’s like to be human.

Set against the backdrop of a brilliantly realized apocalyptic world, love somehow finds a way to survive. But what happens when the one you’d die for becomes the one who could destroy you?

Red Hill grabs you from page one and doesn’t let go until its stunning conclusion. This is #1 New York Times bestselling author Jamie McGuire at her unforgettable best.

On to the gnarly stuff!

I saw this title was released when it appeared in a weekly meme on Heather's Book Chatter and just knew I had to pick up a copy. I loved Beautiful Disaster and couldn't imagine a book that held my attention as much as that one did. Obviously, Ms. McGuire could. I ran out and grabbed a copy of Red Hill from Amazon, only to devour it in one sitting. Time to move on to my review!

From a reader's perspective:
Holy moly, what can I say? This isn't your typical squishing of zombie heads kind of novel. Rather than focusing on the terror that would consume the planet if zombies rose, this one looked at the human element and the fallout of a disaster of this magnitude. When the whole world goes to crap, what are people thinking? What would they do for survival? Red Hill delves deeply into what makes people tick during a crisis, and shows how they can rise up and be more than they ever thought they could. Some of the horrible things that happen during times of upset are brought to light, and the evil that lives inside some people is waved under your nose like a smelly rag. I found myself punching the air a number of times, and wondering how in the hell Ms. McGuire could describe two people in the story I could relate with so strongly (Scarlet and Nathan). I was kept sitting on the edge of my seat, biting my nails, and sobbing like a little girl. One of the things I love about Jamie McGuire's writing is her ability to not go on tangents with description; there's just enough so I can paint the scene and the characters in my own head.

From an editor's perspective:
One or two misused words (peak rather than peek), but everything else was brilliant.

My rating:
1 Star for giving me awesome zombie action
1 Star for those well-rounded characters I felt for
1 Star for great pacing and perfect word painting
1 Star for making me cry and showing truth
1 Star for the level of most excellent editing found in this book
Overall, 5 out of 5 stars! I'd give it ten if I could. Recommended to anyone who loves a nail-biter that will leave them with a book hangover because they were sad it came to an end.

I hope you all enjoyed that review! I really hope you all pick up a copy of Red Hill. Yeah, I know it's pricey as far as e-books go, but it was totally worth every penny.

While you're here, please go enter my giveaway on Goodreads for your chance to win a printed, signed copy of Mystic~Coralie, book five in the series. Here's the link:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Coralie

by Jo Michaels

Giveaway ends November 05, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - Darkest Legacy

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I bring you another book review. Remember last week when I talked about a super surprise review? Well, this is it. You may remember my post from yesterday and the lovely author I interviewed. I picked up a copy of her book (call me intrigued that someone so young could be so awesome) and decided to write a review for you all. So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and relax. Here we go!

Before we get to the review, here's a little about the book on the chopping block for today:

Title: Darkest Legacy
Author: Allyson Gottlieb
Genre: YA Paranormal
Length: About 51 printed pages
Link to Amazon: $0.99 Kindle (Part of Select so if you're a member, you can borrow it for free)

Synopsis:
A fast-paced, high-stakes novella

Everyone has secrets they'd prefer stayed buried.  But information wants to be free... and so does Tamara Kingsley's ex-lover, incarcerated on the maximum-security prison planet, Alpha.

Tamara has done things she's not proud of, but that was years ago.  Now the headmistress of the Silvermist School of Magic, she has an honest life, one that makes her happy.  For the last twenty years she's fought like hell to keep it that way, and she thought she had succeeded.

She's about to find out just how wrong she was to think her past was dead and gone.


Let me start off by saying I LOVE this cover! Not only does it fit the book inside perfectly, it's genre proper and beautiful.

On to the good stuff!

I did an interview with the author, Allyson Gottlieb, on my blog and was so intrigued, I picked up a copy of her book on Amazon. I'm astounded at the level of writing found in Darkest Legacy and I'm looking forward to the sequel; which she assures me is in the works. Now, for my review.

From a reader's perspective:
I could identify with Tamara Kingsley. She came across as a confused young lady and a strong woman. I love tales with strong female leads and this one didn't disappoint. Just when you think she's beaten, she comes back with a vengeance. World building was good, but I did get a tiny bit confused in the beginning of the book and ended up putting it down. Took me two sittings to read the whole thing, and it's pretty short. I know there's a sequel in the works so I'm holding out hope the author delves more deeply into the world in later tales. This one introduced the characters and built them well. For a short story, there was a lot of great development and information. Being a reader who doesn't like a lot of fluff and description (filler), I was pleasantly surprised how much fit between the cover pages. By the end, I cared about what happened to Tamara and was solidly in her corner. I'm looking forward to learning more about her in the next book.

From an editor's perspective:
There are a number of pronoun issues throughout and I'd like to see the author use more contractions (especially in speech). However, there were no redundancy issues or misspellings. It just needs a good proofreader to make it sparkle like it should.

My rating:
1 Star for wonderful world building
1 Star for giving me a character I'm now super curious to learn more about
1 Star for lovely tension (especially at the end)
.5 Star for great writing
- 1 Star for the confusion at the beginning of the novel
- .5 Star for need for a proofreader
Overall, 3.5 out of 5 stars! We all know I round up, not down, so this book gets a 4 overall. Highly recommended if you're looking for a quick, fun, well written read.

I hope you all take a chance and pick up this book. It was a lot of fun to read. At $0.99, what do you have to lose?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Merry Un-Birthday! Day Three

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have a great prize for all you indie authors! A chance to win a purchase and review of your kindle book! Check out some of my reviews from the past:

Love From Planet Wine Cooler
Underneath
Taken - Before her very Eyes
Dark Premonitions

All of my reviews are posted here, on Amazon, and on Goodreads. Usually, if I can find the book over on B&N, I'll post it there, too.

Here's the rafflecopter entry form:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I wish you all good luck!

Be sure and check out these giveaways running right now here on the blog. Win some books!
Day One
Day Two

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo