Archive for the ‘Book Reviews’ Category

It’s hard out here for a pimp … er, an author.

Which is why I’m giving away free ebook copies of Covering Her Assets for the first 25 readers who agree to review the book. One of the factors that goes into Amazon’s inscrutable algorithms is the number of reviews a book has, and of course, the average star rating. Thus it’s in my interest to get some reviews up for this puppy while it’s still relatively newly published. Naturally, I’m looking for readers who enjoy cozy mystery and who aren’t offended by irreverent humor or the occasional cuss word. 🙂

I’m doing the read-to-review giveaway (or R2R, as we cool people like to call it) through Choosy Bookworm, so contact them, not me. They will compile the names (maximum of 25) and send the list to me. I will then contact the readers on the list to ascertain preference (EPUB or MOBI) and send the book winging off to them.

Sound like something you’re interested in? Great! Go request it from Choosy Bookworm.

Next week (May 13-18), my writing partner Heather Doherty and I will doing a AToMR blog tour in support of our newest Young Adult title, “Comes the Night“.  It’s the first book in our Casters series, and has racked up some nice reviews already. I hope you’ll find us on one of the blog tour stops and leave us a comment. There will be author interviews, guest blogs, reviews, and most importantly, giveaways! Woot! Click on the image below to see the schedule.

I have over 400 books on my Kindle. That’s 40 pages, with 10 titles per page. Kind of overwhelming! I know I need to do more reading, but I was flummoxed about where to start. Since I’ve been using Random.org to pick winners on my blog, I decided to use it to pick  my next five reads.

Actually, I picked six reads, but as it turns out, I didn’t enjoy one of them enough to finish it. I won’t mention the title or author. Indies have a hard enough go of it to build an audience, and I am acutely aware that just because a book doesn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for someone else.

Okay, so here’s a mini-roundup/review of the five I did finish and enjoy.

1. Operation Endgame (When the Mission Ends), by Christi Snow – $2.99 || |I really enjoyed this story, which is Christi Snow’s debut. It’s a romantic suspense of the woman-in-jeopardy variety where the heroine (Cassie) has a stalker and the hero (Jake) is trying to protect her. But Caissie is a jock and an expert in military strategy, so she’s not exactly the helpless female. That said, Caissie did do a few things that had me screaming at my Kindle, “No! Don’t do that!” You know, like when you’re watching a horror movie and you just know what’s going to happen if character X does action Y and you’re helpless to stop it. I actually liked both characters – who had delicious chemistry, and the plot kept me guessing. Oh, and here’s a twist – when was the last time you read a romantic suspense that was also a friends-to-lovers story? I don’t know that I ever have, but it worked. My verdict? I’ll be buying the next one in this series. 🙂 
2. Bleed for Me (Vampire Romance), a novella by Cynthia Eden – $0.99 || Loved this one. Full stop. I know with novellas people often say, “I wish it was longer!”. Well, I wasn’t left with that feeling at all. To me, it was a perfectly constructed story that took exactly as long as it needed. Now that’s talent! I loved these characters from page 1. Apollo, the Greek god of the sun, takes one look at Terese Lafitte, a newly-minted vampire, and knows he has to have her. But Terese comes complete with issues over the “monsterhood”, as well as a psychotic stalker. God or not, Apollo has his hands full. I can’t say I was surprised to love this one so much, since Cynthia Eden is such a fine writer.
   
3. Space Rats and Rebels, by Mimi Riser – $2.99 || This was a positive and unexpected delight. I’ve read Mimi Riser before and knew it would be a solid, quality read, but I was ambivalent about the genre. I adored Firefly, but as a rule, I don’t glom space operas. I’m going to have to re-evaluate that stance. Mimi Riser has a talent for story telling and a light touch with comedic relief. Here’s the description: “In a conquered galaxy of the far future, only two rebel groups still dare to resist the plague of tyranny – the solar system Gaeas-7 at one end, and the RAT fleet at the other. But the Gaeans and RATs don’t know of each other’s fights, and both are facing imminent destruction. Will they be able to join forces in time for one last desperate stand against an overwhelming evil?”  I lapped it up. 🙂 
4. That Kind of Magic, by Ceri Hebert – $2.99 || This was a really recent acquisition, one of those that I bought not only to support a fellow indie author, but because the blurb captured me. Here’s the description that sucked me in: “What’s a witch to do when she refuses to use magic to find love? What if she falls in lust with a man who doesn’t believe in the power of magic? Charlotte is a beautiful Wiccan who has her own shop of magical supplies and a matchmaking goddess. Patrick is a straight-laced, non-believer who, in his determination to keep his sister away from the influences of magic and witchcraft, finds himself falling for a witch. Neither can stop the erotic journey they’ve embarked on but they don’t know if they can accept each other’s very different lives.” I very much enjoyed this one. The author does a fantastic job on the sensual scenes. Erotic but tasteful. 
5. Ghost of Winters Past, by Gail MacMillan – $4.99  ||  I’m actually still reading this, but at 60% done, I think I can pass judgment. I was especially pleased that this one turned up in the mix because Gail is a fellow New Brunswicker. She’s from the north of the province, and her book is set that rugged area. Michaela has come home from Toronto to give her aunt and uncle a break by managing their wilderness bed & breakfast lodge while they get away. And we’re talking true wilderness here, with snowmobiles being the mode of transport for citizens and RCMP alike. Travis MacDonald has chosen a nearby cabin to rusticate hermit-style, complete with sled dogs. Gail MacMillan gives us a murder mystery to solve along with a developing romance that will have to be as tough as their environment to survive. I’m thoroughly enjoying it! 

Fight or Flight by Natalie J. Damschroder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Regan Miller has been trying to protect her daughter Kelsey since even before Kelsey was born. Eighteen years ago, a pregnant Regan’s boyfriend was murdered. He lived just long enough to warn her to run and protect the child. But now, Kelsey is grown and has gone off to college. Just when Regan thinks she might be able to relax her insane vigilence, the attack she’s always feared comes. They’ve finally found her! From that point on, it’s an adrenaline-spiking thrill ride. Regan is a kick-ass heroine, and she taught her daughter well, but this time, no matter how far and fast they run, they can’t escape. Regan is forced to trust her charming, handsome neighbor Tyler Sloan, who turns out to be much more than he seemed. But when the bad guys seem to anticipate their every move, she begins to think she was wrong to trust Tyler.

Damschroder keeps us on the edge of our seats with the mystery (who wants Kelsey and why?) and with the thrilling action/fight scenes. My absolute favorite scene in the book – actually, maybe the best scene I’ve read in a while -takes place in a men’s bathroom. It was killer!

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a romantic suspense with lots of action/adventure. It’s all there in spades!

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Living in Color by Trish Milburn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just finished this book last night with a sigh of happiness (though not without a few Kleenexes en route). 

In the wake of her father’s death, Sabrina is in the small Tennessee town of Grainger to help her 65-year-old mother take care of details and get resettled in town. Though Sabrina loves her mom, she can’t say the same about her dad, whom she hated. She has a lot of bottled up anger about her mother spending all those years under her father’s ruthless control, ruled by his fists. You feel like you’re in Sabrina’s skin when she chafes at the way her mother grieves for her father and still bows to his authority.

Instead of exploding at her mother, Sabrina persuades her that the two of them should go on a road trip together. And oh boy, what a trip it turns out to be! It’s a voyage of self-discovery for both women. Powerful, moving, inspiring. I loved it!

This author also writes wonderful sweet romance and YA, but I’m hoping she’ll try her hand at women’s fiction again.

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