Source: Sweetwater Press

For This We Are Soldiers Blog Tour

28 Oct, 2016 by Heather in Uncategorized Leave a comment

For This We Are Soldiers: Tales of the Frontier Army

by Carla Kelly
Published by Sweetwater on October 1st 2016
Genres: Adult, Historical Fiction
Pages: 221
Format: Paperback
Source: Sweetwater Press
Buy the Book • Goodreads

From master storyteller Carla Kelly comes this collection of frontier tales that take you behind typical army lines and into the hearts of ordinary men and women who perform extraordinary acts of bravery. From handsome hospital stewards and dashing soldiers to courageous children and wives who will pull at your heartstrings, there’s something for everyone’s fancy.

Carla Kelly is a master at historical fiction. She has a way of adding details true to the era, personalities, language, and setting elements that transport the reader. For This We Are Soldiers includes short novellas from the Indian Wars, some previously published, and other short stories are brand new. It is a compilation that gives a sample of the hardships of war, the day in and day out interactions and romance between unlikely candidates. Ms. Kelly knows her Western history and these heroines have true grit.

Content is clean, but best suited for adults as there is innuendo about marital relations. This reference could have been a left over from the previously published mass market romance version of the short story.

About the Author

Carla Kelly is a veteran of the New York and international publishing world. The author of more than thirty novels and novellas for Donald I. Fine Co., Signet, and Harlequin, Carla is the recipient of two Rita Awards (think Oscars for romance writing) from Romance Writers of America and two Spur Awards (think Oscars for western fiction) from Western Writers of America. She is also a recipient of a Whitney Award for “Borrowed Light,” “My Loving Vigil Keeping,” and “Softly Falling.”

The Tour

October 11: Writing Worm
October 12: Heidi Reads
October 13: Live to Read
October 14: Singing Librarian Books | Literary Time Out
October 15: I Am a Reader
October 16: I Love to Read and Review Books
October 17: Bookworm Nation
October 18: Emmy Mom
October 19: Robyn Echols Books
October 20: Getting Your Read On | Wishful Endings
October 21: LDS and Lovin’ It
October 22: Bookworm Lisa
October 23: Books and Benches
October 24: Blooming with Books | Julie Coulter Bellon
October 25: Bookworm2Bookworm
October 26: Katie’s Clean Book Collection
October 27: My Book a Day | Rockin’ Book Reviews
October 28: Fire and Ice

Out of the Ashes by Alicia Buck- Blog Tour

30 Sep, 2015 by Heather in alicia buck, out of the ashes, sweetwater books Leave a comment

I received this book for free from Sweetwater Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Out of the Ashes

by Alicia Buck
Published by Sweetwater on September 8, 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 288
Format: eARC
three-half-stars

Source: Sweetwater Press
Buy the Book •

When Ashelandra’s father dies, she ends up a servant in her own house, instead of the Baroness she was supposed to become. But Ash’s secret sorcery could be the key to winning back her home and following her heart to a future she never imagined. This fantasy-infused Cinderella story puts a magical twist on a classic tale. Riveting and original, it’s a spellbinding read.

I should start this review with a disclaimer that I really struggle with fairy tales. In this Cinderella re-telling, the first half outlining the cruelty of an unkind uncle almost made me put the book down. But finally the main heroine Ash broke away from her guardian’s mistreatment and the book picked up. The tale has a twist with two subservient cousins instead of evil step-sisters, and a sorceress set to inherit her home as a servant.

I enjoyed the author’s world building of the enchanted kingdom with healing plants and crystal birds. The romantic relationships are sweet and respectful. After warming up, I dove in to Out of the Ashes and came away glad I stuck with it.

About the Author

Alicia Buck was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on a cold November day and has hated the cold ever since. Luckily, she lives in the desert now with her husband, Jason, and three children. Alicia loves to read, and goes through book craze phases where she reads a book a day until guilt kicks in and she tries to do something productive like get back to work writing and fix the disaster her home has become. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s in English, and had to constantly defend her major when she had absolutely no desire to teach. Out of the Ashes is Alicia’s second novel.

Becoming Beauty by Sarah Boucher Blog Tour and Review

25 Nov, 2014 by Heather in blog tour, fairytale retelling, sweetwater books Leave a comment

I received this book for free from Sweetwater Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Becoming Beauty

by Sarah Boucher
Published by Sweetwater on November 11, 2014
Genres: Adult, Fairytale
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback
three-half-stars

Source: Sweetwater Press
Goodreads

Claws. Long, filthy, and dangerously sharp.

They’re the first thing Bella sees after what’s been the worst day of her life. If Bella were the quintessential Beauty—gorgeous, kindhearted, and self-sacrificing—she might have a chance at transforming this monster into a man, but she’s never been the toad-kissing kind. Obsessed with landing a wealthy nobleman and escaping her humdrum life, Bella will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. Which is precisely what landed her here, at the mercy of the Beast.

In this imaginative retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Bella's sense of entitlement strains both her family's finances and patience. As punishment for her selfishness, she's sent into the Beast's service where she must choose whether to follow the path she's always dreamed of—or risk it all for something even greater.

I have really mixed feelings about Becoming Beauty. The book was well written and it’s a great twist in a fairytale we all know. The cover is gorgeous! However, I just couldn’t relate to or fully fall in love with the main characters. There were three of them, and I just kept holding out, hoping I could connect– but it never happened. Belle is incredibly self- centered and selfish for quite a bit of the opening scenes, and then at times she is overly pushy and dramatic. Beast has his control freak, grumpy, “slight” anger managements issues going boiling beneath the surface. And, Jack–well, he seems a bit to self sacrificing and codependent for my liking. I wanted to see more relationship development between Belle and the man she gives her heart to, it seemed rushed. While I didn’t fully connect with any of them, I will say I enjoyed the story.

The author adds plot twists, shows transformation of characters and weaves in a lot of magic with a cursed, or maybe enchanted ruby pendant. There is romantic tension and a great lesson at the end about family. It’s a clean read, and a creative re-working of Beauty and the Beast. Well done and I’m interested in reading any more fairy tale twists Sarah Boucher comes up with! And a request to Sweetwater Books…more covers like this one please!

About the Author

Mild-mannered kindergarten teacher by day and self-proclaimed scribbler by night, Sarah’s inner fairytale junkie takes center stage with the release of her premier novel Becoming Beauty.

The discovery of a mystery about pants (penned in the second grade) reveals both her lifelong love of storytelling and cute clothes. With countless stories about makeovers cluttering up her hard drive and a walk-in closet bursting with sassy high heels and handbags, Sarah’s obsession with dressing up is unmatched. That, paired with her interest in fairytales, led to the birth of Bella, the heroine of Becoming Beauty.

When she’s not embroiled in either teaching or penning a new tale, cheesy music, movies that cause her to snort while laughing, baking (especially if chocolate is involved), and more British television than anyone this side of the Atlantic has any business watching, keep Sarah entertained.

A native Utahn, Sarah graduated from Snow College and Brigham Young University. She currently lives and teaches in Ogden, Utah.

Contact Sarah on her website SarahEBoucher.com, or find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or Goodreads.