Book Review - Moonlight

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have another book review for you from my 12 Days of Review Requests event. Lots of great books were pitched, around twenty were chosen for review. If you haven't joined the 2015 Review Team, do that here. Just grab the image from the page, create a blog post on your blog saying you're joining us, come on back and add your link to the linky thing at the bottom of the page. If you wanna check out the reviews, you can do that here. So far, the team has reviewed twenty-three books! Not bad for only being twenty-two days into January. Indies are totally winning! So, before I get to the book for today, I'm gonna share my TBR from the event (as usual). Grab a cup of coffee, get comfy, and let's go!

The Release Club 1 - Misty Provencher - REVIEW HERE
Dry Stories - Kate Baggot - REVIEW HERE
Moonlight - David Rose - REVIEW BELOW

Bound by Duty - Stormy Smith - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Shadows on Snow (A Flipped Fairy Tale) - Starla Hutchon - Amazon Kindle $2.99
From the Wreckage - Michelle G. Miller - Amazon Kindle FREE
8 Weeks - Bethany Lopez - Amazon Kindle $3.99
The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge - Christine Nolfi - Amazon Kindle $0.99
Facade: A Vampire Love Story - R. M. Webb - Amazon Kindle $0.99
Siren - Jennifer Melzer - Amazon Kindle $3.99
Queen of Someday - Sherry Ficklin - Amazon Kindle $5.99
Fragile Creatures - Kristina Circelli - Amazon Kindle $2.99
At One's Beast - Rachel Barnard - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Unseen - Stephanie Erickson - Amazon Kindle $2.99
The Heart Thief - S. Lee Benedict - Amazon Kindle $4.99
Refuge - Violet Haze - Amazon Kindle $0.99
Kindling Flames-Gathering Tinder - Julie Wetzel - Amazon Kindle FREE
Kinetic: Book One of the Kinetic Trilogy - C. M. Zimmer - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Destiny Finds Her - Miranda Lynn - Amazon Kindle $2.99
To Get Me to You - Kait Nolan - Amazon Kindle $2.99
The Lady of Souls - Jenn Gott - Amazon Kindle $4.99
Sticks and Stones - Shawn McGuire - Amazon Kindle $0.99
Good Luck With That Thing You're Doing: One Woman's Adventures in Dating, Plumbing and Other Full Contact Sports - Karen Yankosky - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Desprite Measures-The Caledonian Sprite - Deborah Jay - Amazon Kindle $2.99
The Last Guardian Rises - Rebecca Trogner - Amazon Kindle $0.99 

Now, some information on the book up for review:

Title: Moonlight
Author: David Rose
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Romance
Length (print): About 57 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $1.69

Synopsis:
Moonlight is a fantasy romance set in modern Japan. Two young teenagers, Tadao and Yuzuki, pledge their love in the face of imminent separation. Can they honour their promise to meet again as adults? Can they overcome an impossible challenge to achieve happiness together? The story includes elements of tragedy and magic, and Yuzuki's little cat, Miss Moonbeam, holds the key.


***Will not appear in review elsewhere. I think the cover of this book is a perfect target for the audience it's intended for and the genre in which it's written. It feels very anime-ish (great for the setting of Japan), and the content is right in line. I'd like to see the author's name a little larger, but that's a minor nitpick.***

I grabbed a sample of this book when the author pitched it to me for review and was totally frustrated when I got to the last page and there was no more story. That's always the way I get hooked on a read, and Rose did a great job of setting the stage for a heart-wrenching story to unfold. I had to have the rest of the tale! Off to Amazon I went to one-click. But let's get to what matters.

From a Reader's Perspective:
Because I'm not familiar with Japanese nomenclature, it was a bit difficult to follow the story in the beginning with the changing of names (it coincided with the changing of relationships in the children's heads). Once I got used to that, it was a much easier story to get into the groove with. And did I ever get into the groove. There were tissue needing moments, moments that make you move to the edge of your chair and cross your fingers, and moments where I hoped it wouldn't end the way I thought it might. To tell you any more would be to ruin the story. Character development was well done for such a short read, and I became completely invested in the outcome. There wasn't much in the way of scene/world building, but I appreciated that Rose left so much of it to my imagination and focused on what was important (the relationship building). This left me adoring the cat as much as I did the children. Plot and pacing were excellent, and I read the book in a couple of hours.

From an Editor's Perspective:
It needs a proofreader's touch to clean up punctuation here and there (dialogue tags vs action tags were the worst of it), but otherwise I didn't highlight much.

Rating:
1 Star for making me cry
1 Star for character building
1 Star for letting me identify and bond with the characters (even the dang cat)
1 Star for plot and pacing
.75 Star for editing
-.25 Star for punctuation usage
Overall, 4.75 out of 5 stars! I round up, so this book gets 5 starry stars. Recommended if you enjoy a romance built over time where the characters go through more than just doe-eyed love star strikes.

What do you think? Do you like short stories? What's the best one you've read?

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

Jo

Book Review - Dry Stories

Happy Hump-day, everyone! It's the middle of the week and just two more days to go until the weekend. I've been writing my little fingers off on a WIP I think you'll all be super excited for. More on that later. Today is book review day! I've written a review for this author before, and I adored Love From Planet Wine Cooler. You can see that review here. If you haven't joined the 2015 Review Team, come on over and get involved! Just grab the badge, put a post on your blog with the badge and a little note about you joining, and come add the post to the linky thing on this page. No rules! Just books. All the books! Anyway, grab a cup of coffee and let's get going.

All about the book up for review today:

Title: Dry Stories
Author: Kate Baggott
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Length (print): About 82 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $3.56

Synopsis:

When I called you each morning, while it was late night to you, my body thought it was night too. Our energy levels and rhythms were the same. I could feel it over the phone, across time zones and oceans. I felt like I was still at home combing nits out of your hair and helping your brother and your cousin edge you toward a new life, a better way of life without booze. Then, one more day passed and I got enough sunshine and enough fresh air for my body to adjust. I was back in this place, I had a new rhythm of family life and work and the ways of this adopted country.

“How can I do this?” I thought. “How can I fit this responsibility in too?”

Disguised as letters to a friend in need, “Dry Stories” delves into the psyche of the main character, revealing her passions, her fears, her needs, and her desires. Separated from her home country while living abroad with her husband and children, she struggles to conform to foreign traditions, accept local customs, and maintain her identity.

This literary compilation of short stories can be read as stand-alone pieces, or sequentially in a compelling novella. Each story is a letter written to a friend recovering from alcoholism and resonates with the truth of what it is to be human in a naturally disconnected world.

On to the review!

I snagged a sample of this book during the 12 Days of Review Requests event on my blog when the author pitched her story to me. I've read Kate's work before and loved it; I knew this book would be on par as far as quality of writing. I was happy to find it was, and went on to buy the book. I was so invested in the story, I read it in one sitting. But, let's get to the good stuff.

From a Reader's Perspective:
I found the story (or collection of stories) to be touching and soul-searching on a whole new level. I've never dealt directly with an alcoholic, but I've seen enough movies and met enough recovering ones to be a little familiar with the process of drying out. What the author brings to the table in this book feels personal and raw. She drags you down into the quagmire with the main character, showing you what it's like to feel responsibility toward someone you know who's struggling. Even if it isn't your place to be the rock in that person's life, your heart tells you not to give up. I was pulled by the compassion and humanity on the pages, even as I felt for the main character and her struggles with her own demons. Everything flowed well, though I would like to have seen a bit more of the story. It felt as though it ended rather abruptly. Though I wouldn't discourage you from reading it based on that alone. What you get is a heart-wrenching tale of two people who struggled in similar ways, but dealt with it very differently. You realize they're bonded on a much deeper level, and for one to fall would be the demise of both.

From an Editor's Perspective:
Very nicely done.

Rating:
1 Star for excellent flow
1 Star for showing me the true horrors of dealing with an alcoholic
1 Star for making me feel the connection between the main character and her friend
.5 Star for keeping me interested enough to keep reading
-.5 Star for the abrupt ending that left me a little hungry for more
1 Star for stellar editing
Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars. But, I round up! So, this book gets 5. Recommended for those who like writing on a deeper level. A story with heart instead of fluff.

What do you think? Have you read Baggott's work? Gonna pick this one up?

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

Jo

Book Review - The Release Club

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Per my updated blog schedule, you're getting a book review today! In case you haven't checked it out yet, pop on over and take a gander at the 2015 Review Team. There are a good number of folks signed up, and it's where all these reviews will be appearing once I get them written. Feel free to join in the fun. Grab a cup of coffee and get warm because it's hella cold outside!

First, a quick recap of my review books for 2015:
The Release Club 1 - Misty Provencher - REVIEW BELOW

Bound by Duty - Stormy Smith - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Shadows on Snow (A Flipped Fairy Tale) - Starla Hutchon - Amazon Kindle $2.99
From the Wreckage - Michelle G. Miller - Amazon Kindle FREE
8 Weeks - Bethany Lopez - Amazon Kindle $3.99
The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge - Christine Nolfi - Amazon Kindle $0.99
Moonlight - David Rose - Amazon Kindle $1.69
Facade: A Vampire Love Story - R. M. Webb - Amazon Kindle $0.99
Siren - Jennifer Melzer - Amazon Kindle $3.99
Queen of Someday - Sherry Ficklin - Amazon Kindle $5.99
Fragile Creatures - Kristina Circelli - Amazon Kindle $2.99
At One's Beast - Rachel Barnard - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Unseen - Stephanie Erickson - Amazon Kindle $2.99
The Heart Thief - S. Lee Benedict - Amazon Kindle $4.99
Refuge - Violet Haze - Amazon Kindle $0.99
Kindling Flames-Gathering Tinder - Julie Wetzel - Amazon Kindle FREE
Dry Stories - Kate Baggot - Amazon Kindle $3.56
Kinetic: Book One of the Kinetic Trilogy - C. M. Zimmer - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Destiny Finds Her - Miranda Lynn - Amazon Kindle $2.99
To Get Me to You - Kait Nolan - Amazon Kindle $2.99
The Lady of Souls - Jenn Gott - Amazon Kindle $4.99
Sticks and Stones - Shawn McGuire - Amazon Kindle $0.99
Good Luck With That Thing You're Doing: One Woman's Adventures in Dating, Plumbing and Other Full Contact Sports - Karen Yankosky - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Desprite Measures-The Caledonian Sprite - Deborah Jay - Amazon Kindle $2.99
The Last Guardian Rises - Rebecca Trogner - Amazon Kindle $0.99 

Now, a little about the book up for review today:

Title: The Release Club 1
Author: Misty Provencher
Genre: Adult Romance
Length (print): About 70 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $0.99

Synopsis:
Accused of being too vanilla by her ex, Jes throws his crap to the curb and decides to let her curiosity take her back to her wild roots. With a membership to The Release Club, an opulent Swinger's club hidden away in the dangerous heart of the city, Jes becomes Jezebel, and pledges to uncover the truths about her sexual desires the moment she meets the fantastically handsome and mysterious man named Daire.

Bring your curiosity and come join Jezebel and Daire for the hottest hook up caught between pages!


New episode every two weeks.

**MATURE READERS AGE 18+ ONLY**

Now that we have that out of the way, let's move on to what you really came for: THE REVIEW!

***WILL NOT APPEAR IN REVIEW ELSEWHERE. I love the cover of this serial. It captures the story hiding behind the image perfectly. Misty seems to have a wonderful knack for choosing her cover art. If you recall, I reviewed The Fly House a couple months ago, so I was familiar with Misty's witty writing style. Feel free to check out that review here. Even that book had an amazing cover.***

Onward!

I picked up episode one of this serial when the author pitched it to me during an event on my blog. I grabbed the sample, dove in, and laughed until I thought my sides were going to split open. Once I got to the last page of the sample, I was horrified there was nothing left and zipped out to snag the whole banana.

Before I get into why you'll love this serial starter, let me say, if you aren't familiar with a serial, you need to read this: Serials aren't series of books. They're smaller chunks of a whole novel released as they're completed. So, if you have a serial with 5 episodes and ten chapters each, that's about 50 chapters of a longer work. No, you won't get a whole story in one episode. Think of it like a mini-series on television; when you see one episode, you're left wanting to see the next one until the series comes to a conclusion, then you can watch them all and get the seamless story. That's a serial. Now, on to the why.

From a Reader's Perspective:
Provencher has such a way with words. Not only was this story something many women could relate to, she was brutally honest about the thoughts of a woman when she's with a man who leaves something to be desired. It brings forth laughter, because you can identify with the plight/thought process of the MC, and a touch of empathy, because you know exactly where this woman is in her life's journey. There wasn't a lot of super steamy stuff in this book, but I think the author is warming up to slap you with it in the upcoming episodes of the serial. She certainly laid the groundwork well. Every character had depth that allowed me to really get a feel for them. This isn't an easy feat for the first in a serial, but it was done well. Besides all that, I dearly love to laugh, and I got plenty of wit, brutal honesty, and sarcasm from Jes that had me in stitches. You'll be dying for the second episode by the end of the first. I think the author chose the perfect scene to end with. No spoilers! You'll have to read it to find out.

From an Editor's Perspective:
Commas. Homophones. Dropped spaces between words and dropped words. Sadly, I can only give half a star for editing. I'm giving that half because there were no inconsistencies in the storyline.

Rating:
1 Star for making me laugh so hard I got strange looks from people nearby
1 Star for character development = awesome
1 Star for a perfect ending
1 Star for the bond I felt with the MC, Jes
.5 Star for flow
-.5 Star for grammar
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars! I round up when clicking stars, so you'll see a 5 here. Highly recommended if you're in the mood for a serial that'll make you laugh out loud and want the next episode.

What do you think? Gonna check it out?

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

Jo

A New Year and Resolutions

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Well, it's a new year and all kinds of awesome stuff is happening. Today, I'm gonna talk about resolutions. Kind of. Let's get going and you'll see what I mean. *grin* Grab a cup of coffee because here we gooooo!

Do you look back over your previous twelve months each December and make plans for changes in the next year? You should. Learn from your successes, failures, and otherwise, and get yourself geared up to take on the next 365 days with gusto!

Here's what I found when I did an analysis of 2014:

• I published two books and one short story.
• I edited, proofread, or formatted for print (with IBGW) eleven books.
• I launched IBGW.net and took on five new editors.
• My blog gained 57 new subscribers.
• My blog here reaches almost 500 people per day (measured via clicks).
• I've grown my network by leaps and bounds.
• I attended my first writer's conference.
• I reviewed twenty-nine books.
• I interviewed over twenty authors.

Looking at the above, you'd think I'd be happy as a lark, but I'm not. I think I can do better.

So, for 2015, I'm going to do the following:

• Publish three novels and another anthology with the ladies of Fractured Glass.
• Attend UtopYA Con again in June.
• Publish a blog post every day (M-F) unless I let you all know otherwise.
• Write one book review per week (which should get me very close to 52).
• Keep up with my author interviews and make them bigger, badder, and more awesome.
• Find a way to launch my 12 Days of Review Requests event to the next level.
• Follow my schedule for posting to various social media sites and blogging to the Nth degree.
• Get the Review Team's posts into the hands of more readers.

Here's my TBR list for 2015 (in no particular order):

1. Bound by Duty - Stormy Smith
2. Shadows on Snow (A Flipped Fairy Tale) - Starla Hutchon
3. From the Wreckage - Michelle G. Miller
4. 8 Weeks - Bethany Lopez
5. The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge - Christine Nolfi
6. Moonlight - David Rose
7. Facade: A Vampire Love Story - R. M. Webb
8. Siren - Jennifer Melzer
9. Queen of Someday - Sherry Ficklin
10. Fragile Creatures - Kristina Circelli
11. At One's Beast - Rachel Barnard
12. Unseen - Stephanie Erickson
13. The Heart Thief - S. Lee Benedict
14. Refuge - Violet Haze
15. Kindling Flames-Gathering Tinder - Julie Wetzel
16. Dry Stories - Kate Baggot *Read - Review to come*
17. Kinetic: Book One of the Kinetic Trilogy - C. M. Zimmer
18. The Release Club 1 - Misty Provencher *Read - Review to come* 
19. Destiny Finds Her - Miranda Lynn
20. To Get Me to You - Kait Nolan
21. The Lady of Souls - Jenn Gott
22. Sticks and Stones - Shawn McGuire
23. Good Luck With That Thing You're Doing: One Woman's Adventures in Dating, Plumbing and Other Full Contact Sports - Karen Yankosky
24. Desprite Measures-The Caledonian Sprite - Deborah Jay
25. The Last Guardian Rises - Rebecca Trogner
26. Witch Hunter Olivia - T. A. Kunz
27. Never Forgotten - Kelly Risser
28. Beyond the Western Sun - Kristina Circelli
29. Lethal Takeout - Vered Ehsani
30. Cursed - Jennifer Armentrout
31. Evanescent - Carlyle Labuschagne
32. The Forgotten Ones - Laura Howard
33. Silent Orchids - Morgan Wiley
34. First Impressions - Pauline Creeden
35. Darlings of Decay - Tamara Rose Blodgett
36. The Purgatorium - Eva Pohler
37. Safer Outside - Kristina Renee
38. Forbidden - Amy Miles
39. Creatura - Nely Cab

As you can see, I have a rather long list. Keeping my fingers crossed I can get through them all. I also have a book review for Altered, book two of the Crewel series coming. So, the next three weeks are covered. *grin*

How about you? Do you do a year in review? Have a TBR? Share with me!

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

Jo

12 Days of Review Requests Begins Tomorrow

Happy Sunday, everyone! It's that time of year again, and I'm gearing up to take you all on a wild ride for a chance to win a book review and some great prizes. This is a long post. But you need to read it all. I know what you're thinking: Why would I compete for a review when I can just send my book here, there, or yonder and get one? Well, let me tell you why a book review by me is different (and totally worth it).

Why a Book Review by Jo Totally Rocks

I always buy the book I'm reviewing. It's just good manners. I've had many Indies offer to give me copies for review, but then I feel like a louse if I can't finish them for one reason or another (usually bad writing or formatting is the issue). So, I buy them myself. Booyah! Sale for you.

There's one thing you don't get from a lot of reviewers, eh? Most I've seen want you to send them a copy of the book for review. But what does that get you? Well, when they post that review to Amazon, it gets you nothing but words and stars (and a disclaimer saying the book was gifted). If your reviewer buys your book, it's shown as an Amazon verified purchase. Score!

Moving on...

In addition to the review showing shoppers I've actually spent money on your book, I start by telling the customer why I picked up the book, where I got it, and sometimes say a little word about the cover art, and then break the review into three parts:

1. From a Reader's Perspective - This is where I break down my review into plot, character, pacing, structure, and consistency in the first section. Those items are given a total of four stars to be awarded or redacted. Part two includes a look at grammar, punctuation, redundancy, and niggling things like that. My reviews are thorough.
2. From an Editor's Perspective - In this section, I outline where the book could use a little work if it needs it and what I liked and disliked about the structure, grammar, and punctuation. Books I've worked on have won awards. Yes, really.
3. Rating - I break the star rating down so potential buyers can see I'm not blowing smoke. I then go on to say who might like the book. I do NOT go on and on with filler about the plot, they can get that from the description. I never post spoilers.

See some of my reviews here.

My tastes:
I've read books in every single genre on the planet. Yes, really. I enjoy most of them. So don't be shy no matter what you write. I get into books that are well written. Next week, I'll be listing some of my favorite reads of 2014; you'll see the wide range of stuff I've read and liked.

Where I post reviews:
Everywhere I can find your book. Goodreads, B&N, and Amazon are my top three. But wait! It gets better! I also curate a review magazine on Flipboard with almost 2,000 regular readers, and has enjoyed over 30,000 shares of articles I include. My review also goes in there. Keep reading, there's more! Yes, really! I post to two blogs. This one and one over on Tumblr. Each has at least 200 followers (this one has more) and I have a huge list of people who subscribe by e-mail. Add to that, I'll be pinning your book covers with a link to the Amazon page over on Pinterest. At the end of the year, I'll be making a YouTube video (with awesome music) highlighting my favorite reads, as well as recapping here on the blog. I also have a large number of people on Goodreads who follow my reviews. So, you get plenty of bang.

Why does this matter?
Because I market your review to the people who read books. I make it really easy for them to buy your book by linking things. That market is those who are hungry for something new and exciting. People looking to snag the next great unknown author. I've spent a lot of time building trust with my readers and most of them love me. You should see the fan mail. :) The keyword is: Trust.

So, now that you know how all this is going to help you, I bet you're asking what's in it for me, right? I would be. If you aren't, you might want to think about why...

I'm getting to know new authors, building relationships, and becoming a recognized authority on what's good and what sucks in the literary world. So, yes, there's something in it for me. Hey, at least I'm honest!

What I don't do is use affiliate links or make money off your book in any way. I don't want someone thinking I gave your book five stars so I could make a buck off their purchase of a crappy book. Got it?

I do expect you all to give my page a like on Facebook, a follow on Twitter, an add on Google+, a follow of my YouTube Channel, and an entering of my fan-dom on Goodreads (or a friend request). Why does this matter? Because if you don't see the review, you can't share. Those who share their own review and the reviews of others will get preferential treatment during the next round of selections. I pay close attention.

Now for the rules and requirements!

I told you this was going to be long.

1. There's a place on each Rafflecopter entry form where you need to put the link to your book on Amazon. Do it. I export them as excel documents and go to the links from there.
2. Your pitch goes in the comments. Moderation will be turned off during this event. No ugly captchas, either. If you aren't nice, I reserve the right to delete your stuff. DO NOT put your link in with your pitch. I'll remove the entire thing.
3. NO affiliate links and do not shorten your links. I understand the need to make a buck, but really? I'll remove them/ignore them. Please only give me the basic link with the ASIN.
4. I announce one review winner per day. You may pitch more than one book to me.
5. DO NOT review my books. Please. Feel free to read and love them, but if I'm reviewing yours, don't review mine. I'm not a swapper *grin*
6. Comments will be closed at 8am for the previous day's post. This is when a new post will go up. If you can't comment, you're on the wrong post.
7. BE NICE. Don't goad, harass, or annoy the other authors pitching their books (or myself).
8. DO feel free to buy some of the books and read/review them. We're all in this together. It's a party, guys!

I reserve the right to block you if you don't follow my rules. They aren't hard.

AUTHORS, go to the corresponding day on the rule page to find where to pitch your book. Updated with which day we're currently on each morning. Thank you!

DAILY LINKS and RULE RECAP
can be found HERE

This is for you, not me. I update that page so you can get to the entry form and post for the corresponding day.

**Kindly remember, there's no guarantee your book will be reviewed by me. You will get a purchase if your sample interests me, and I'll try my best to read it. But if I find I can't give it more than 2 stars, I won't write the review. I've had a few I couldn't finish and it led to me not giving a review.**

Here's the Rafflecopter that'll run for the duration of the event (there will also be a daily one, so be sure and go to that day's page to pitch your book):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! See you all tomorrow.

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

Jo

Time for Books 2015 Review Team Signups

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have a little surprise for you all. Something I've been thinking about doing for a while, but I'm just getting around to. Get your 2015 TBR list ready to be filled, and come join me for a ton of bookish fun. This will go hand in hand with the 12 Days of Review Requests event coming up in just a couple of weeks. Get all cozy and I'll explain what prompted me to do this.

As you all may know, I curate a book review magazine on Flipboard that I update weekly. If I can search a Twitter hashtag, it makes it easy to find and curate reviews without searching through a bunch of crap that doesn't go.

Plus, I think it'll be nice for the authors in the event to be able to come check out who reviewed their books and read/share some of those reviews.

I have almost 2k readers and over 30k shares of the reviews I put in my magazine so far. Anyone who joins up will be included in my roundup each week. So, that being said, here's what I'm asking you to do:

Go to this page and follow the instructions to sign up. Every time you post a book review on your blog, enter it here and tweet about it with one of the hashtags on that page (#2015ReviewTeam or #Time4Books).

Stick the pretty team badge on your website somewhere. This one:

Yeah, I went with a time theme because of UtopYA Con. *grin* But I like time for books because, let's face it, it's always time for books.

That's it. Just join up, read, and post and tweet your reviews. Let's work together to bring more exposure to all: authors and book bloggers.

If you'd like, you can also join the Goodreads event here. That way, you'll get a reminder the day before the pitch fest begins.

Thanks for being awesome, everyone!

I signed up as HUNGRY and pledge to read between 21-40 books in 2015!

What do you think? Did you sign up?

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

Jo

Book Review - Crewel

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today, I'm gonna be speedy and not go on and on. I have a review of an amazing book for you all. Plus, there will be a giveaway at the bottom of this post for 2 e-copies. YAY! Grab a cup of coffee and let's get going!

As usual, the information on the book before we drop into the review:

Title: Crewel (Crewel World #1)
Author: Gennifer Albin
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Length (print): 368 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Hardcover $7.20 (as of this review)

Synopsis:
Deadly Secrets
Tangled Lies
Woven truths

Incapable. Awkward. Artless. That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: She wants to fail. Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to manipulate the very fabric of reality. But if controlling what people eat, where they live, and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and used her hidden talent for a moment. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her dad’s jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because tonight, they’ll come for her.

**Will not appear in review elsewhere. Okay, so I admit to meeting Gennifer at UtopYA Con 2014 where she signed a copy of Altered (book 2) for me. Her message: Discover who you are. I didn't get it then. After I read book one, I was still a bit lost. Halfway through book 2 now, and I see what she meant by that. I freaking LOVE this cover. I bought the hardcover with this image rather than the other one because it's just so dang pretty.**

On to the review!

I grabbed the hardcover edition of Crewel so I'd have it in my huge library of books. After picking up a copy of Altered, I knew I had to have the first in the series so I could start things out right. So, I moseyed on over to Amazon and grabbed one. I couldn't put it down. I read it in just a few sittings, but would've finished much sooner if not for other obligations. It's compelling, original, and scary in a brutal, beautiful way. But let me go into why.

From a Reader's Perspective:
Albin built a whole new society that's both functional and dysfunctional at the same time. Everything runs the way it should according to Guild rules. But the main character, Adelice, has parents with wisdom and verve, who constantly remind their daughter not to take anything at face value and never to forget who she is and where she comes from. And, the central plot is born. All appears okay on the outside, but if you scratch the surface, it unravels. Since I don't put spoilers in my reviews, I'll stop there. You'll understand when you get into the story.

As far as pacing goes, I never felt like the book dragged, even in the middle where it was day-to-day tasks and regular life happening. There was always something happening behind the scenes or a feeling of foreboding that kept me turning pages.

I liked the relationship between Adelice and Jost. They were sweet, tender, and slow building. Anything that's rushed leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth, and I appreciate the time the author is taking in building these two up.

Crewel is written in first person, present tense. Keeps you in the action.

I spoke of the book inciting fear because it's terrifying how much control the Guild has over the residents. It's not something Albin shoves down your throat; it builds slowly in the background, waiting to erupt and envelop you in darkness. Shivers abound.

There was a major cliffhanger at the end of book one, but since book three is out, there will be no waiting around to find out what happens.

From an Editor's Perspective:
Nothing to write home about. Clean.

Rating:
1 Star for scaring the crap out of me by building the world of the Guild
1 Star for slow, simmering romances that were feel good without going boom
1 Star for pacing
1 Star for making me believe in Arras
1 Star for editing
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars! Recommended for anyone who loves a clean story that's different, compelling, and extremely well done.

Now, enter for your chance to win a copy for your Kindle!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think? Will you check it out? Did you enter?

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

Jo

Book Review - The Fly House

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Squee! Boy, do I have a book review for you today. I found myself guffawing over this one, and I'm excited to introduce you to this awesome Indie author. This title will go into my Indie Fever Reading Challenge list, because I've never read a book by Misty before, and am thrilled to now say I have. Anyway, before I get to it, here's my review recap (notice changes to the list):

Misty Provencher The Fly House  REVIEW BELOW
Elle Todd The Elect REVIEW HERE
Molly Taggart Off Target REVIEW HERE
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
Peprah Boasiako The Hitman WILL NOT REVIEW
C. S. Janey Surrender To You Amazon Kindle $2.99
Morgan Wylie Silent Orchids Amazon Kindle **FREE** ~
Laura Howard The Forgotten Ones Amazon Kindle $0.99 ~
Christina Marie Morales Ambience Amazon Kindle $2.99

A little about the book up for review today:

Title: The Fly House
Author: Misty Provencher
Genre: NA Science Fiction
Length (print): 472 Pages
Buy Link: Amazon Kindle $3.99

Synopsis:
The Earth’s atmosphere is swiss cheese. To avoid the oncoming oxygen crisis, black-sheep heiress, Maeve Aypotu, has been chemically suspended in one of the Archive’s plush, underground, multi-million dollar chambers. Scientists claim they can patch everything up in about 15 years, so, just to be safe, the Archive programmed the chambers to open in 17 years.

And then, everything on Earth went wrong.

Up on the surface, Pluto has taken control of the planet, scorching away all signs of human civilization and reconstructing the environment to suit the Plutian’s lucrative dragon trade. Humans are now laborers, using survival and repopulation as currency among their Houses.

The Archivers, finally emerging from their chambers, are entering into a whole new world. Learning to trust this new community of humans may need to start small—with the fusion of one powerful Rha and one bad ass black sheep—if a damaged race ever hopes to regain control of their alien Earth. 

***Contains adult material***

Now that you know what the book is about, let me get into a few things.

*Will not appear in review elsewhere. Before I read the book, I was completely enchanted with the cover. Dragons? Yes, please! But, once I'd completed the novel, the cover made a lot more sense. I won't go into that here, but you'll love the subtleties once you're done and take another look.*

Time to get into my review!

I snagged this book during a Facebook party where the author was doing some insane promotion. Sad to say, I have a huge TBR list because of my one-click finger obsession. But, I was making a review list, tossed this title into the hat, and was thrilled when it ended up clutched between my fingers. I dove in with gusto and consumed the book in a little over 24 hours. Let's move on to why.

From a Reader's Perspective:
I'm always honest in my reviews, and I have to say, the first chapter of this novel had me wondering how I was going to comprehend what I was about to read. It was difficult to understand without the new language on Earth, and there were few definitions of terms. Needless to say, I was worried the whole book would be written in the same style.

Not so.

After that first chapter, the story really took hold and the language/writing became smoother. Pacing was off the charts perfect, because I had a hard time putting the book down. There aren't long passages of world description, it comes out organically, so I didn't find myself skimming. Score one for the author. But, I got enough to really picture the future Earth I was reading about, with many things being left to my own imagination (which I love).

Character development also is done over the course of the novel, and I was delighted to find I'd want to be BFFs with the main character, Maeve. She's tough, damaged, and demands a man win the right to be with her (much like the dragons). It's probably why Diem, the love interest, was so drawn to her in the first place. He trains dragons. Enough said. One of my favorite characters was the Plutian overseer of the Fly House. His references to human body parts left me with tears leaking from my eyes. I will forever after use the term: pain berries.

Once you read it, you'll understand.

I was able to go back and read chapter one again (and understand it) after I finished the book. So, there's that!

From an Editor's Perspective:
Commas! Eep! I found a bunch of places where commas should've been and weren't, or shouldn't have been and were. It caused me to stumble more than once. Word confusions: metal vs. meddle, seating vs. sitting, woman vs. women, etc... And one big confusion in the story where Diem has been off flying for a while, then returns and wonders why his dragon didn't detect Maeve earlier.

Rating:
1 Star for characters I loved and were complex
1 Star for world building without infodumping
1 Star for pacing and plot
1 Star for making me laugh out loud more than once
-1 Star for editing
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars! Recommended for those over 18 years of age, who love a good sci-fi novel.

Have you read it? What did you think? If you haven't, do you plan to?

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

Jo