Tag: Reading

Sunday Reviews

Sunday Reviews

Foster Love By Janis Reams Hudson

U.S. Agent Morgan Foster’s six-month assignment in Central America turned into a four-year struggle for his life, running and hiding, trying to get back home to his four children. When he finally makes it, he receives the shocking news that his ex-wife had been pregnant with his fifth child when he’d left the country. He has five children, not four! Even more shocking, his ex was killed in an accident two years ago and his five children were shuffled off to a foster home. They live on a farm. In Oklahoma, of all places. He’d never been to Oklahoma, but he’d done time as a foster kid on a farm. No way is he letting his kids stay in virtual slavery one second longer.

Sarah Collins didn’t know how she would have survived the death of her husband if not for the five wonderful foster children they had taken in months earlier. Unable to have children of their own, she and Gary had loved these kids as if they were their own. Now their real father is here, vowing to take them away!

My Thoughts

My grandmother had a huge collection of Kismet romances. The black covers. I was addicted to them. This is one I read several times and am seriously considering buying the kindle edition to read again. This was my favorite among them. The physical descriptions were so real I could see them. The emotions were realistic. And Lordy…I wanted to be in the book…

Sunday Reviews

Sunday Reviews

Thirteen Days of Luck by Lacey Dancer

Although her J. B. Starr fans were eagerly awaiting her next best-selling novel, author Pippa Weldon was staring at pages of her characters stubbornly refusing to cooperate with her storyline. When all else fails, travel was guaranteed to refresh her imagination and teach her capricious characters a lesson.

A quick call her travel agent provides the perfect solution to her problem. A Caribbean cruise. Not just any cruise but one featuring a world renown psychic, Joseph Luck. For years, her imagination has flirted with the gift in her futuristic novels. Not only would meeting Joseph Luck provide an opportunity to extend her research but it was just the thing to break the spell of boredom that had taken the edge from her writing.

On her plane trip to the port of call for the cruise ship, Pippa finds more than psychic information on her mind. Always on the look-out for a new look for her imaginary characters, Pippa finds a fellow passenger intriguing. He was male-model handsome with a walk that warned anyone with the smallest intelligence to tread carefully in his presence. This was a MAN in capital letters, a forceful, decisive individual who reluctantly agreed to her exchanging places with his seatmate for the duration of the flight. Pippa enjoyed her time with a very alpha male who parried her questions with skill and power.

Discovering her very interesting prototype’s name was Joshua Luck sharpened her interest. What were the odds? It would have been so easy to simply ask whether they would be sharing the cruise. Instead, she chose silence. She did so love a mystery.

Joshua has come on the cruise to reconnect with his estranged brother, Joseph. After years spent cutting a wide swath on the path of success, Joshua realized that his high-pressure world has demanded a high personal price. He hadn’t expected Pippa, a silver-haired siren with a laser sharp mind that keeps him balanced precariously on the edge of wringing her neck or kissing her senseless. She’s all wrong for him, definitely not his type. Or is she?

My Thoughts

My grandmother had a huge collection of Kismet romances. The black covers. I was addicted to them. This is one I read several times and am seriously considering buying the kindle edition to read again. The three in the series are tied together. I will likely review the other two in the coming weeks. This was good plot, good story and strong characters.

Sunday Reviews

“I will probably be clutching Flowers in the Attic…on my deathbed.” —Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl

Forbidden passions have shaped and haunted the Dollanganger family since their first novel—Flowers in the Attic—debuted forty years ago. Now discover how twisted the family roots truly are, and witness the clan’s origins as a result of one wild and complicated relationship. In this evocative and thrilling tale from New York Times bestselling author V.C. Andrews, see Corrine Dixon as a young girl and discover the fascinating family history of the Dollanganger clan.

Two generations before Corinne Foxworth locked her children in an attic, her grandmother, a gorgeous young girl named Corrine Dixon, is swept away by the charms of rich, sophisticated, and handsome Garland Foxworth. After discovering that she’s pregnant, Garland does what appears to be the honorable thing and marries her in a huge ceremony on the luxurious Foxworth Hall grounds. Both families fervently overlook the pregnancy, happy for a suitable resolution.

Now the mistress of a labyrinthine estate, Corrine discovers that nothing is what is seems. Garland is not the man once captivated by her charms, and she’s increasingly troubled by his infatuation with memories of his departed mother.

Can Corrine survive this strange new life? Or is her fate already sealed?

Explore the origins of the legendary Dollanganger family in this page-turning, gripping gothic thriller.

My Thoughts

okay. I am a part of the group of teenagers who actually read this series and I read it way too young. I am aware that most of the VC Andrews books have been written by ghostwriters. Still this one was not terrible. It didn’t even need as much of a tw. There was a scene with questionable consent, and it involves alcohol. Otherwise it was just a historical romance that was told from her pov. I am doubting the accuracy of the times. she is a bit more forward than most women in that era.

I recommend it with the caveat of this is actually better if you haven’t read the series. The knowledge of the rest of the series made me feel like it was written in a manner to shoehorn in.

Saturday Thoughts

This is my work in progress list… and how I keep track of my word count.

Stolen Skins took me more than a little longer than I expected this week. I submitted it to Fae Corps Publishing for Across the stolen seas. (the process is slightly different for the approval on this one, so if you submit something to it we will be about 3 weeks for the approval or denial of work on this.)

I finished my library book and plan to do it for tomorrow’s review. I spent a bit of time reading this week, so I did less poetry. When I pick up a book I devour it. I tend to go through about 500 pages in a day. For some reason I struggle with my consumption of reading materials until midway through the year. Then I will be consistent in my reading process for the next few months. I will be doing a couple of ARC books for my friends this week coming. (gotta love having author friends) I also have at least 3 submitted manuscripts to read for Fae corps publishing. (Threatened me with a good time there.)

As I am not focusing on Serena’s story this week I hope I will be able to get more poems written but I don’t know. I am going to be hiring (starting Monday) Pic (partners in crime) editing to assist with Kingdoms of Sin. I have worked with them before and they are really good. I hope they will get me back to writing it. I want to release it next year if possible.

Sunday Reviews

The Clan of the cave bear by Jean M. Auel

This novel of awesome beauty and power is a moving saga about people, relationships, and the boundaries of love.

Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read

Through Jean M. Auel’s magnificent storytelling we are taken back to the dawn of modern humans, and with a girl named Ayla we are swept up in the harsh and beautiful Ice Age world they shared with the ones who called themselves The Clan of the Cave Bear. A natural disaster leaves the young girl wandering alone in an unfamiliar and dangerous land until she is found by a woman of the Clan, people very different from her own kind.

To them, blond, blue-eyed Ayla looks peculiar and ugly – she is one of the Others, those who have moved into their ancient homeland; but Iza cannot leave the girl to die and takes her with them. Iza and Creb, the old Mog-ur, grow to love her, and as Ayla learns the ways of the Clan and Iza’s way of healing, most come to accept her. But the brutal and proud youth who is destined to become their next leader sees her differences as a threat to his authority. He develops a deep and abiding hatred for the strange girl of the Others who lives in their midst, and is determined to get his revenge.

My Thoughts

this series has been a favorite for me from my teenage years. it’s incredibly interesting and detailed. I recommend it .

Sunday Reviews

The Fox that Burns by K.N. Gemme

My parents were two of the most powerful individuals in the supernatural world. Yet, that didn’t stop an unexpected betrayal, or a neglected evil, from attacking our home when I was nine years old. I lost my parents, my home, and my childhood that night.
It’s been a thousand years since that day. I’ve watched the world change, move on, and forget. To survive, I tried my best to do the same. I learned to hide the elemental powers I’d inherited from my mother by pretending to be a strong Spirit Witch while doing what I could to ignore what I’d inherited from my father, even though the need to stop dirty souls was an itch on my own.
In recent years, that itch drove me to become a consultant crime scene analyst for the New England division of the Supernatural Department of Honor, or SDH for short. I willingly bore witness to crimes that tempted instincts I’ve spent lifetimes burying, because I knew my assistance helped stop dirty souls without exposing my Familiar, my Shadow or myself.
That was, until I put it all at risk when I offered to drive to Maine to do — what should have been — a simple confirmation of identity but turned into a race against the clock to save a young girl’s life. For when the fox burns, everything will change, whether I want it to or not…

Disclaimer: The Fox That Burns is the first novel in a long-running series. It’s an intricate story with many pieces, where Book One barely scratches the surface. Expect unanswered questions and cliffhanger that may not be answered until the very last book. And yes, there will be a slow-burning romance that will take time to develop. If you enjoy those kinds of stories, the Soul Bite novels will not disappoint. If not, you’ve been warned

My Thoughts

The disclaimer is correct. and I am afraid that I never got past the first book so far. the first one is well written, and I probably will be going back to the second but there was a personal disagreement between the author and I so I kinda forgot about the second book for a while. the first one was really good…so good I still have a signed copy on my bookshelf and refise to let go of it .

Sunday Reviews

The Darkangel by Meredith Ann Pierce

The Darkangel, a vampire of astounding beauty and youth, can only summon his full power when he finds his 14th and final bride. But for Aeriel, whom he kidnaps to serve his brides, there is something about him–something beyond his obvious evil–that makes her want to save him rather than destroy him. The Darkangel–Pierce’s first book, originally released in 1982–was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a New York Times Notable Children’s Book, a Parent’s Choice Award Superbook, and a Booklist Best Book of the Decade.

My Thoughts

This was the first vampire novel I had ever read.  it’s the first one in a trilogy. all three of them are great reads.

The trouble with writing …

I have always loved the written word. So much of my childhood was spent in the idea that I would be a writer. I had a best friend, Lucretia Fisher. (only one of a handful of friends I had) She lived near my grandmother. She and I would talk about being famous writers some day. We would argue about which of us would be published first.

When I was not writing I was devouring books. I read at a college level in 4th grade…And now I find that I am having trouble finding the time…last year right about this time I decided that I missed it…between October and December I read nearly 60 books…

I think I will likely do it again…but I am trying to get a habit with my writing. And I find that I am having trouble getting motivated. I always have 500 million other things that I have on my to do list. I wonder if Lucretia managed to get her books published. She was such an amazing writer.

The to-do list never goes away. I am fighting to help authors get heard. I am fighting my own demons to see what I write as being worthy of the world. And sometimes I am just hurting my own feelings. So, if I seem to be a little bit more in self-doubt please realize that I am still fighting.

Handprints on my soul is 10 poems away from being done. I am hoping that I can get it done in time to publish by the beginning of November. However, I don’t want to promise that or start the promotion of it until I get the last poem written. Because I somedays lose that fight.

Oh! And I will be releasing a new kids’ book in December. Not Another Danny is going to be released December 2nd during Fae Corps Kid’s Week ! I will try to get the cover reveal up later this week .

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.

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.