Tag: Book Reviews

Sunday Reviews

Sunday Reviews

Master storyteller Stephen King presents this classic, terrifying New York Times bestseller. When a game of seduction between a husband and wife ends in death, the nightmare has only begun…

A Netflix film directed by Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Hush) and starring Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood

“And now the voice which spoke belonged to no one but herself. Oh my God, it said. Oh my God, I am all alone out here. I am all alone.”

Once again, Jessie Burlingame has been talked into submitting to her husband Gerald’s kinky sex games—something that she’s frankly had enough of, and they never held much charm for her to begin with. So much for a “romantic getaway” at their secluded summer home. After Jessie is handcuffed to the bedposts—and Gerald crosses a line with his wife—the day ends with deadly consequences. Now Jessie is utterly trapped in an isolated lakeside house that has become her prison—and comes face-to-face with her deepest, darkest fears and memories. Her only company is that of the various voices filling her mind…as well as the shadows of nightfall that may conceal an imagined or very real threat right there with her…

Okay I said I would review the Steven King Novel I hated the most. This book has no real plot. It has sappy weak characters and to be honest I barely got through it. Which is more than I can say for other books. I would not recommend this one.

Book Review

Book Review

I have to admit I love Rachel Wiley’s Poetry. It feels like she gets where I have been. This was an impulse buy for me, as I rarely buy the paperback versions. I enjoy paperbacks but I don’t often read them. I find it easier to curl up with my phone and enjoy what I want to read. So for me Paperbacks are a luxury item. This one lives up to the hype. The poems tug at the heart, and are well written. The book is lovely. Not the largest volume, but it feels just right. I bought it on the Zon but it is available on B&N, Google and a few of the usual suspects.

Book Review

BOOK LINKS
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DRY1N9MV
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223127560-secret-guard
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/secret-guard-rise-of-the-loti-book-1-by-cait-marie

CAIT’S LINKS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c8_marie/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cait.marie.h
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cait.marie.h

BLURB
Eighteen years ago, the Great War ended and magic was outlawed to create a more peaceful world.
But it’s still in ruins, and the people need a new hero.
Per the rules set forth at the reformation of their country, Princess Emmalyn must choose a betrothed by her eighteenth birthday in order to claim her place as heir. The problem is, her heart belongs to her best friend, Cayden, and he’s not on the list of approved suitors.
But that turns out to be the least of her troubles.
Before she can make her announcement, a violent rebel faction invades. Barely managing to escape with Cayden’s help, the princess is forced to leave her family in the hands of their biggest enemy—Charles Lamden, former friend of her parents and war hero-named traitor.
Emma will do whatever it takes to save her family, even if that means working with the very people she’s been taught to fear. Those with magic who’ve gone into hiding because of the laws
her parents helped put in place.
However, in doing so, she starts to see that the world isn’t what she once thought. And as she learns one painful truth after another, she struggles to know what to do or believe.
Because there’s a reason Lamden took the royals hostage beyond his need for revenge, and Emma’s at the very center of it.
After all, that’s why a group of secret guards has sworn to protect her above all others.

My Review:

This one is a delightful read. I honestly couldn’t put it down until it was done. the characters are richly written and the world building is top shelf. The plot twists will keep you engaged. I plan to reread this one often.

Book I Have Read

Okay this is not going to be an assigned thing. I may decide to do it instead of a normal weekday post, as I am this week…or I might drop it in randomly as I feel the desire. The Fae Corps Blog Does a Saturday TBR and they are not always books that we have read, but ones that look good amongst the recommendations we get. These are all going to be ones I have read, and This will be my clear thoughts on them. Now as I sometimes sign up to be an ARC reader, I will not always have the link for you to buy the book…but I will try to post when any I do miss the link on are live.

I have always been a voracious reader. I go through a trade paperback in about 4 hours. Since I have started publishing, finding time to read seems like a bit of a luxury. Not because I don’t read now…on the contrary. I am always reading things that people send me to publish, to edit, just to get opinions on. So reading for fun just seems like something I really don’t get to do as often as I would like. I have thousands of books on my kindle. And enough paperback and hardback books that it often causes fights. (My boyfriend’s of the opinion that if I am not reading them I should donate them). I keep the ones that I am willing to re-read. That means that eventually I will pick them back up.
But the last few books I have indulged in…Ones I sought out for personal pleasure that had nothing to do with publishing…I found myself taking a couple of days to read. Simply because I was enjoying them, so I would put them down and stop for a couple of hours to do other things before coming back to them. So I realized that maybe beyond the Goodreads/amazon/and the like reviews…maybe I should take the time to tell you guys about these books.

I see hundreds of ARC opportunities. I have so limited time. I sign up for the ones that Really catch my mind. The latest one was a group of books that were all interesting looking mostly because one of my favorite authors was a part of the group. I will be getting a new book once a week until Halloween (as I understand it.) The first one came in a few days ago. I forced the issue of being able to get to read….something that is such a luxury anymore.

The first one is a Cinderella meets King Midas retelling titled Cursed by Gold by Jamie Dalton . Cinderella is named Scarlett. Midas is King Remme. The characters are strong. The imagery is immersive. The romance is there without being borderline erotica. I found this one to be a nice action packed tale. I did feel like the timing could have been a bit better, some of the story dragged while others felt rushed…but it could be a personal issue based on the interruptions at the moment I was in each place. I really do recommend it. I enjoyed the story.

I will probably be doing the next one in a few days as I just got the ARC today.

Lifts when you least expect

So between the stress of the normal holidays and vehicle issues… I have been a little bit more than usual fighting with my internal demons. To the point where it has even interrupted the writing. Usually the fight feeds the writing…

I’m not sure what the difference is this year but I have been struggling. That being said… my friend Jenny Elliott – writer, and Fae Corps intern…chose the best way to cheer me up.

She has been reading my The Voices within volume. And she came to a poem and decided to tell me that I was more than enough.

Screenshot she sent me.

Then she has been busy with making marketing stuff for Fae Corps and I keep running across my books there.

Though I know it was a part of her job…it really does feel like I have made some difference in this world.

Sometimes we can’t see the world around us for the immediate struggle we are dealing with.

Remember you never know what your reviews will do for the author.

The Last Summer

For the first eleven years of their lives, neighbors Lila and Gavin were inseparable best friends. They did everything together.
Until they didn’t.
Every detail of Lila’s life has been meticulously planned out since she was a child. To the point where she forgot one vital thing: to live. When she receives news that drastically alters the path of her future, she realizes she has one last chance to create memories and make the most of her summer.
Gavin, on the other hand, is known for his carefree attitude. He has lived a charmed life for almost eighteen years. He’s never short on friends or a good time, he has a supportive family, and he’s all set to go off to college and follow his dreams. The one thing he doesn’t have is the girl.
He doesn’t know why Lila pushed him away all those years ago, but when Gavin finds her summer bucket list, he’s determined to help his goody-two-shoes neighbor cross off every item and hopefully mend their friendship in the process. Even if that’s not all he wants from her.
He just hopes it’s not too late

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Summer-Cait-Marie-ebook/dp/B085RMVBKC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2KGAH4OUK1JIC&dchild=1&keywords=the+last+summer+cait+marie&qid=1591907408&sprefix=The+last+summer+cai%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1



Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52287506-the-last-summer

Cait Marie has been obsessed with books her entire life, but the love of writing didn’t truly hit until 2017. Since then, she has held multiple positions within Coffee House Writers, including C.O.O., Editor, and Writer. In 2018, she used her passion for reading to create Functionally Fictional. In 2019, she joined the indie staff of YA Books Central as a reviewer and then Indie Assistant Blogger.
Cait graduated with honors in 2019 from Southern New Hampshire University with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, and she is currently enrolled in their Master of Fine Arts program. She lives in Indiana, where she freelance edits and provides a variety of other author services. When she’s not writing or reading, she can usually be found watching Disney movies or Brooklyn Nine-Nine, creating bullet journal spreads, or singing along to various soundtracks and showtunes.

Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/c8_marie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cait.marie.h/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/caits.inner.circle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c8_marie/
Newsletter Sign-Up: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/v1d5i1 Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cait-Marie/e/B083W2CG3Z Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19751293.Cait_Marie Website: https://caitmarieh.com/
Functionally Fictional: https://functionallyfictional.com/

Ok… There’s all the information for this book… Now I want to tell you my opinion. I was lucky enough to be one of the arc (advance reader copy – usually given for an honest review) group. This is a sweet story. Quite a refreshing read. The characters are well written and it is a worthy read. I really enjoyed it, and it is likely to be one I reread again and again.

Sara Teasdale

Picture found on Google

Sara Teasdale is one of two poets that I found through Irene Hunt’s coming of age novel. I fell in love with the poem “I shall not care” and had to search for more by her. Admitted, I have not researched the poet as well as I did her work.

Her writing is flowing and feels like love poetry with out the sappy nature of some love poetry. I chose four of her poems to share as my favorite of hers. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do.

And a side note… I thoroughly recommend Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt. The story is dated, but it holds up well. The lessons the main character learns are just as valid sixty years later. I really felt like I was with her as she grew and matured.

Thursday Read with Me

I know that I usually do the tea party on Thursday, that is going to happen still. I also want to add a read with me. This is where I review books for you. I will not guarantee how often I will post read with me.

Today I will be talking about Diana Gabaldan’s Outlander. It is the first book in a series.

About the book:

Outlander is the first in a series of eight historical multi-genre novels by Diana Gabaldon. Published in 1991, it focuses on the Second World War-era nurse Claire Randall, who travels through time to 18th century Scotland and finds adventure and romance with the dashing Jamie Fraser.

My two cents :

To be honest I fell in love with the characters. She obviously researched the setting, the period, the medical uses of herbs. It is well written. It flows very well. The reader feels like they are watching it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My challenge :

There is a television show that is based upon the book. It is missing some of the details. I challenge you to read this book and then decide if you can walk away from the series. I couldn’t. I have read it multiple times now.

Thursday Tea Party

Today is two days of less sleep than necessary… So today I am drinking monster (I love the ultra violet zero). Add in the passing of someone I once knew… Yeah, I think it is a good idea to do something different today.

I want to direct you towards a book I am currently obsessed with…. Winnie’s Courage(Back to Oz book 1).

It is a really good story that travels through quite a few lands of fantasy. The characters are strong. And it has a interesting view of quite a few favorite literary characters. And I am only half of the way through.

It’s by a fellow author, Jess Reece. Guys , I am so in awe of her! She writes amazing stories, she draws gorgeous art, she makes beautiful polymer clay stuff. She is so cool! 😍

Tomorrow, I will be posting another bit of Serena’s Kingdoms of Sin. It is coming along nicely.

Whispers of the muse is live on more places. The preorder for Inspiration Without a Home is still going on until the 30th. After that the link is the same to buy the book. You can still get Under the Mists, as well. Not a link post, just wanted to be sure that the most recent books get extra time in the light.

I have been getting a good bit of new followers lately. I want to welcome all of you. Please feel free to comment. I love interaction of any kind. Whether it always suits the post or not.

Don’t forget to check out the blog of Fae Corps Publishing. We are doing Daily prompts in September to celebrate the upcoming poetry anthology Faery Footprints. The deadline for submissions is the 30th. We are so excited for this, as the submissions so far have been amazing.

Sketchtember has been happening all over my social media. This year I am staying busy. Doing Sketchtember, Inktober, Nanowrimo. By December I am going to be tired. 😂

What would you like to see on this blog? I am flying by the seat of my pants here, so feedback would help me to keep the good stuff coming up.

Book Review – Bloody Sheets

This was an interesting read. I found it to be well written and captivating.

Blurb

When a young black man is lynched in a small Alabama town, his estranged father — a crime world enforcer — sets out for revenge, embarking on a blood – soaked journey that will leave the ravaged bodies of dead Klansmen in his wake.
“Rausch unleashes a flurry of gut-punches both painful and thrilling, his prose brimming with righteous anger and stark, no-bullshit wit. This racially charged and crackling tale reads like a startling mash-up of Jim Thompson and Iceberg Slim, making Bloody Sheets that rare achievement: hardboiled and hard-hitting, but transcendently heartfelt as well.”

Author bio
Andy Rausch is an American film journalist, author, screenwriter, film producer, and actor.

He is the author of several novels and novellas including Elvis Presley, CIA Assassin. He also wrote the screenplay for Dahmer versus Gacy and is the author of some twenty non-fiction books on popular culture.

Books: Riding Shotgun, Bloody Sheets, A Time for Violence, Layla’s Score

You can usually find Andy on Twitter @writerrausch1, and he maintains a blog at https://authorandyrausch.wordpress.com/