Posts Tagged: ebook

Book Review- The Fairy Godmother Dilemma: Catspell

08 May, 2012 by in middle grade, The Fairy Godmother Dilemma: Catspell Leave a comment

The Fairy Godmother Dilemma: Catspell
by Danyelle Leafty
Ebook
Publication Date: October 22, 2011
Book Source: author
3.5 stars
Book Summary from GoodreadsSixteen-year-old Breena never thought anything could be worse than being forced to leave the faerie realm. Then she got stuck with a fairy godmother. But if she has to choose between the two, she’d leave the Faerie Realm over getting bossed about by a faerie with a pointed stick any day. Unfortunately, her attempt to evade her fairy godmother gives her growing pains in the form of fur, whiskers, and a tail.



Turning into a cat is the least of her worries, though. The potion wasn’t meant to bring out her inner feline, it was meant to put her to sleep. Forever. If Breena wants to make it to her Happily Ever After, she’ll have to accept that sometimes a fairy godmother really does come in handy, after all.

Cathy’s Review: Nerissa is a fairy godmother who feels as though she needs a break. The fairy queen has just had her taking care of one Damsel in Distress (DID) and now she’s sent her flaming lizard to tell her of another, she’s also got a terrible cold that makes her even more irritated at the crazy flaming lizard! But she can’t really tell the fairy queen no, so she’ll be taking on her newest DID right away. Enter Breena, she’s a teenage human princess who’s been raised by fairies. She really wants nothing to do with having a fairy godmother, she’d far rather run away, but Nerissa has told her that they now have a bond that makes it so Nerissa always knows just where Breena is. Through some crazy events and really no fault of her own, Breena is turned into a small white cat. Uncertain of just how she got that way, she can’t explain it to Nerissa, and Nerissa can’t change her back. So Nerissa whisks her away to a castle, a castle full of wind servants that she promptly turns into talking cats and leaves Breena in their care, so that she can plan for Breena’s happily ever after, but first Breena must figure out what her Happily Ever After will be! This book has a fairy tale quality with all of the talking animals and fairy godmother, not to mention the dragon. I liked the story, but found some of the characters and magic to be a bit confusing. I do think this story could make a great series, maybe with some extra explanations about what some of the magical characters are supposed to be and be able to do.

Content: Clean, nothing offensive

About the Author: Danyelle Leafty doesn’t exactly believe in fairies, but her skepticism hasn’t stopped an odd assortment of imaginary people from bullying her into writing their stories. This is the place in which she details her journey, talks about frogs, and harnesses the occasional dragon. When she isn’t rescuing dragons from evil princes, she blogs for QueryTracker.Net and is an editor for Underneath the Juniper Tree–an online kidlit magazine.
Find out more about author Danyelle Leafty: Goodreads/ Website/ Blog
Read Castpell now for 3.99

Book Review- Torn by Ashley S. Morgan

04 May, 2012 by in torn, ya Leave a comment

Torn
by Ashley S. Morgan
Ebook, 165 pages
Published: February 20th 2012 
ASIN B007B6AJ1Q
Book Source: author
2 1/2 stars
Book summary from Amazon: Isadora Rivers feels trapped. Her small town high school is suffocating her.
Another day of wannabe gangsters, dumb jocks, and Barbie clones, and she’ll just lose it. Her keen emotional sensitivity is to blame. She sees through all of the poser behavior to the pain and insecurity simmering just below the surface, and it’s overwhelming. She feels like she’s literally drowning in other people’s emotions.
This same sensitivity, however, makes her a great actress. Suffocating or not, her high school is one of the top arts schools in the country. Acting is not only her passion, but it also looks like her way out. If she can just score the lead role in the school play, she might get herself noticed by a Hollywood agent. But she’s got a strong reckless streak, and it keeps getting her in trouble and jeopardizing her chances.
Riding her bike at top speed, she swerves in front of a car and nearly gets hit. The driver, Tristan Blake, turns out to be the mysterious new boy at school. He’s rebellious, broody, and wise beyond his years. He’s also devastatingly gorgeous. From the moment their eyes meet, Isadora is irresistibly drawn to him. But as soon as he enters her life, things go horribly wrong. She begins having disturbing visions full of unimaginable glamour and unbearable darkness. He knows things about her he shouldn’t. And he’s somehow so
familiar. As he at turns pulls her close, and then pushes her away, Isadora feels like her heart is being twisted and torn.
She soon discovers that her whole future is in jeopardy, and her only hope is to stay away from Tristan. But how can she turn away from the only boy she has ever loved? As a harrowing event looms closer, one that threatens to rip apart her psyche, Isadora must reach deep inside herself and find the strength to change her own destiny. But is she strong enough to do it?
Crystal’s Review: Torn was an interesting book that had its ups and its downs. I thoroughly enjoyed the excitement that was Isadora, she was a vibrant, dominant character. I also enjoyed the star-crossed lovers approach to the love story between Isadora and Tristan. My one complaint, and my reason for giving this book a two star rating, is I felt the story did not really pick up until the last fifty pages or so. The ebook is only one-hundred sixty five pages so I was disappointed in having to wait so long for the book to pick up. I thought the twist in the book was great and found the “one choice can change everything” theme to be realistic and easy to relate to. In the end I found this book to be slow going, however I liked it overall so I will be giving this authors next book a try.

Content: sexual tension, drugs, scenes depicting attempted sexual assault.
Crystal
Author Bio: “I believe a good hard laugh is priceless; I’m lucky to have friends with a wicked sense of humor who make me screech with laughter on a daily basis. To me, Fluevogs aren’t just shoes; they’re artistic masterpieces. I’ve been obsessed with them since I was sixteen. I wish every day was Halloween for both the costumes and the candy. Brilliant graffiti stumbled upon in an alley aways gives me a thrill; I love the crazed energy of the letters, and the way they burst with psychedelic color. If I could have tea with one fictional character, it would be the Mad Hatter. I can’t go a day without a latte or a stunning view of the city. I get my best ideas in bed, curled under a duvet, staring off into space as the early morning light flickers through my bedroom windows. And my favorite saying is, “Nobody can take from me what I’ve danced.”
Find author Ashley S. Morgan on her website/ blog/ amazon

Book Review- Midnight Magic

26 Apr, 2012 by in middle grade, midnight magic, nancy di fabbio, ya Leave a comment

Midnight Magic
by Nancy Di Fabbio
Paperback, 240 pages
Published: September 8, 2011
Publisher: iUniverse Publishing
ISBN-10: 1450291457
ISBN-13: 978-1450291453
Book Source:  Author
5 Stars
Book Description: Fourteen-year-old Mattie is obsessed with horses. Thrilled to discover a primitive painting of a beautiful black horse hidden in the attic of her grandmother’s home, it is not long before Mattie realizes the image of the painted horse seems to be coming to life. This is no ordinary work of art-this is a painting with a fascinating history that Mattie is about to unearth. One moonlit night, Mattie leaves the safety of her grandmother’s home and ventures deep into the surrounding forest where she meets a wild horse who bears an uncanny resemblance to the one in her painting. Mattie and her mystery horse form a bond that she instinctively knows she cannot reveal to anyone. The mysterious spirit who inhabits the painting seems to gain strength as Mattie’s bond with the wild horse deepens. But Mattie is uneasy as she wonders-and fears-if the two are somehow connected. Mattie soon realizes she should have heeded her grandmother’s warnings to be careful what she wishes for in life-for it is one thing to hope her painted horse is real and quite another to discover he might be.
Mary’s Review: Mattie is a young teenager with a low self-esteem.  She allows others to push her around and refuses to fight back or stand up for herself.  She is strong willed with a mind of her own and will do what she wants, when she wants.  After being warned by her mother numerous times not to go on or in the water after dark, she does it anyway.  She nearly drowns as a result and puts a friend in potential danger.  Her mother decides to send her to live with her grandmother for the summer.
Her grandmother lives on a little farm where she puts Mattie to work.  Mattie also gets a job at a nearby stable which overjoys Mattie as she has an obsession and love for horses.While living with her grandmother, Mattie makes a bedroom in the attic and discovers a mysterious, lifelike painting of a horse that her grandmother has bad feelings about, but gives it to Mattie anyway.
Mattie’s discovery brings with it deceit, evil and mistrust.  Because of Mattie’s obsession she soon grows as she learns how the consequences of her actions impact on the lives of those around her; how trust has to be earned; that love is unconditional; about patience and tolerance for others, what true friendship really is, goals and succeeding.  Mattie spends a summer learning to grow up
becoming a young woman and learning to be careful what she wished for.
This book is a wonderful blend of mystery/thriller that I recommend for ages 9 and above.

Content: No warnings, clean.

About the Author: Nancy Di Fabbio owns five horses who star in her children’s column published regularly in two local newspapers. She is the author of Quest for the Dress, and her third book, Saddle Up-And Live Your Dream! is scheduled for release in 2012. Nancy lives in rural Connecticut with her family and her horses.
After closing her custom bridal business, Nancy began a new career as a writer. Her first book, Quest for the Dress: Finding Your Dream Gown Without Losing Your Sanity, Friends or Groom (April 2011), is an invaluable guide for every bride searching for her perfect gown.
Although she loves all of her horses, her Morgan, Trinity, holds a special place in her heart. Fascinated with this unique and amazing breed, Nancy has written her first novel, Midnight Magic – Be Careful What You Wish For!. This spooky thriller is appropriate for readers as young as 9, but the story is so intriguing, they might have to wrestle it away from their older siblings and parents.
Nancy also writes a children’s column for a few local papers based on the exploits of her herd. Each episode of “Tales from the NEIGH-borhood” features interesting information about horses, a story, and a bit of advice from the horse that young readers can apply to their own lives.
Saddle Up! – And Live Your Dream is a comprehensive how-to for the budding equestrian which will soon be released. She is currently working on the book version of  Tales from the NEIGH-borhood.
You can visit her website to sample a few of her tales and read her blogs.

Read it now for 3.99

Review- Intangible by J. Meyers

22 Mar, 2012 by in Uncategorized 4 comments

Intangible
by J. Meyers
Ebook, 340 pages
Publication Date: January 31st 2012
ASIN B0073BNIU8
Book Source: Author
4 Stars
Book summary from GoodreadsTwins Sera and Luke Raine have a well-kept secret—she heals with a touch of her hand, he sees the future. All their lives they’ve helped those in need on the sly. They’ve always thought of their abilities as being a gift.

Then Luke has a vision that Sera is killed. That gift they’ve always cherished begins to feel an awful lot like a curse. Because the thing about Luke’s ability? He’s always right. And he can’t do anything about it.

Crystal’s Review: Being a teenager is hard, but Luke and Sera have it harder than most. They were both born with special abilities, Luke can see visions of the future and Sera can heal people with a touch of her hands. They have spent their entire lives hiding their abilities from everyone, including their parents and their best friend Fey. Unknown to them Fey has a secret of her own. She knows everything their is to know about Luke and Sera and it is her job to protect them. She can sense that the time is coming and soon Luke and Sera will be introduced to a world they never knew existed, a world they play a bigger part in than they could have ever imagined. Intangible includes all the parts needed to make a great story, Love,Danger,and Magic. I must applaud the author for taking the time to really describe all of the people and places in the story. I find that in stories that are face paced, like Intangible, sometimes the author becomes more focused on the exciting parts of the story and they forget to take time to describe the people and places in which the story takes place so that we as readers can better picture the stories in our minds. Intangible is a great book and I look forward to seeing what else this author comes out with in the future.
Content: Descriptive violent scenes throughout the book.

Crystal

Author Bio: Originally from Vermont, I now live in central New York. Intangible is my first novel. When I’m not reading or writing, I’m chasing after my four kids, exploring the outdoors with them, relishing the few quiet moments I get with my husband, baking sweet treats, and forgetting to make dinner.

On The Bright Side Book Announcement

31 Jan, 2012 by in on the bright side, sr johannes Leave a comment

A very Happy Book Birthday to …

On The Bright Side
by S.R. Johannes
ebook, paper back Feb 2012
Expected publication: January 31st 2012
by Coleman and Stott
ISBN 0984799117

Book sumary from Goodreads: As if the devil’s food cake at her wake and the white fat pants she’s stuck wearing for eternity weren’t bad enough, fourteen year-old Gabby is quick to discover that Cirrus, the main rung of Heaven, is a far cry from the Pearly Gates. Here, SkyFones and InnerNets are all the rage. At her first Bright ceremony, G.O.D., the automated assignment system, spits out Angela Black, Gabby’s arch nemesis and longtime fencing rival. As a Bright, Gabby has to protect Angela, her assigned mortal, in order to move up through the training levels of heaven.


Back on earth, Angela starts hitting on Michael, Gabby’s crush and should-have-been boyfriend. Gabby’s pranks to quell the love are harmless at first until the school dance sabotage gets completely out of control. Then, Celestial Sky Agent, Lawrence, who happens to have anger management issues of his own, steps into reveal that Angela has big problems, and what she really needs is Gabby’s help.


Determined to right her wrong and ease her mother’s grief, Gabby steals an ancient artifact that allows her to return to earth for just one day. But if Gabby’s not careful, her well-meaning mission just might shift the very foundation of Heaven, Earth, and every place in between, causing the danger of the dark side to roam free.

View the book trailer here.

PRAISES FOR ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

“S.R. Johannes delivers a cute paranormal thrill ride for middle graders! Even in death there is a BRIGHT SIDE!” – Addison Moore, author of the bestselling Celestra series and soon to be TV show

Clever and charming, ON THE BRIGHT SIDE is the story of a reluctant guardian angel, her still-breathing crush, and the frenemy she’s assigned to protect. A great read! -Suzanne Young, author of A Need So Beautiful, A Want So Wicket (6/12), and The Program (2013)

“ON THE BRIGHT SIDE is both hilarious and heart-warming – a tale that’ll have you hoping that there really *are* spunky and determined angels like Gabby who’ve got our backs.” – Kristin O’Donnell Tubb, author of Selling Hope & The 13th Sign (2013) (Feiwel & Friends)

“With a smart, snappy heroine and a heart-warming crush, ON THE BRIGHT SIDE is a page-turning new take on guardian angels that left me begging for a sequel!” – Gretchen McNeil, author of Possess and Ten (9/12) (Balzar + Bray)


Author Bio: S.R. Johannes is the author of Untraceable (a teen wilderness thriller) and On The Bright Side ( a tween paranormal).

She started out writing for her local school paper, winning a state Nutrition essay contest for “Be a Smart Cookie”, and singing in a local Jazz band. Somewhere along the way, she earned an MBA in Marketing and embarked on an 18-year marketing career in Corporate America working as a marketing and communications consultant.

In 2000, S.R. traded in her expensive suits, way-too high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing. She started her own marketing & communications business, www.bilaninc.com, and continues creating materials for a variety of large profit and nonprofit clients, including Spanx, Goody Hair Products, Chick Filet, Delta, CARE, and the Boys & Girls Club of America.

S.R.’s dream is to publish children’s books and magically imprint the imaginations of kids. In addition to juggling nap schedules while attending client meetings, Shelli focuses on her writing. She is a frequent marketing speaker at SCBWI conferences across the U.S and runs a popular marketing blog, Market My Words (www.faeriality.blogspot.com) where she provides marketing advice for authors in the hopes of helping them better market their words.

In her spare time (yeah right!) and if the kids allow (yeah right!), Shelli obsesses over movies, reads children’s books (over and over), wishes she could squeeze in Bikram Yoga sessions, and dreams of sleeping in on the weekends.

She currently lives in Atlanta with her dog, British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess that someday will change the world.

EmailBlog/ Twitter/ Author Facebook/ Author Goodreads/ On The Bright Side Goodreads

Buy the ebook now for only 99 cents!

Book Review- Spiritus

20 Dec, 2011 by in spiritus 2 comments

Spiritus
by Dana Michelle Burnett
Young Adult Paranormal
Format: Kindle Edition
Print Length: 179 pages
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B005V02FD4
Source: author

4 Stars

When Becca moves into her ancestral home in Corydon, Indiana, her life takes a puzzling and thrilling turn when she meets the ghost haunting the halls. As the seductive spirit lures her closer and closer, she learns about her own past and starts to understand that some mistakes are meant to last.

Becca McAllister has always been different from other girls her age. Never part of the “in crowd”, Becca never really fit in anywhere. When her mother dies and her father moves them to the small town of Corydon, Indiana, Becca didn’t expect things to change.But things do change when Becca accidentally makes contact with a one hundred and sixty year old ghost, Alastor Sinclair, that haunts the halls of her new home.To Becca, Alastor is a seductive spirit that seems to see straight into her soul. To Alastor, Becca is what he was waited a century for–A second chance.

Becca McAllister is new in Corydon, anxious to fit in to her father’s hometown. As if trying to figure out a new school isn’t hard enough, Becca discovers her ancestral home is haunted. Alastor Sinclair, a seductive blast from a past she doesn’t remember, is determined to woo her even though strange memories hint she may be responsible for his death in another life.

I enjoyed this short novel. It was easy to feel sympathy for Becca as she moves into a new town and deals with school jitters. Her relationship with her father feels true to life, and the paranormal activity around her home is spooky and believable.

While the locals and the neighborhood setting of Corydon are charming, Becca’s haunting admirer, Alastor, is a bit edgy. One never knows his intentions, and some of his manic behavior leaves swirling questions. At times I hoped Becca would walk away for good, and I questioned some of her decisions, but this made the story feel more realistic as the young and true love are often blind.

SPIRITUS is fast-paced. It kept me reading, though at times the plot developed too quickly in regards to Becca’s and Alastor’s volatile romance. There are bits and pieces very mature for the Young Adult genre, but I did not think any lines were crossed. However, I would only recommend the book to older teens and adults.

Ms. Burnett’s voice is likeable, strong, and talented — a potential for great storytelling. Her settings come alive and the inner dialogue is witty.

The only snag for me with this book was the lack of editorial attention, but as to whether or not my copy was an advanced copy, I could not find that information. Regardless, SPIRITUS is an entertaining tale in a series that I would continue to read.

Reviewed by one of our new part time reviewers-Danielle Thorne

About Author Dana Michelle Burnett
Dana Michelle Burnett spent most of her life writing short stories and sharing them with family and friends. Over the years, her work was published in numerous commercial and literary magazines including Just Labs, Mindprints: A Literary Journal, Foliate Oak, and many more. Her short story John Lennon and the Chicken Holocaust was included in The Best of Foliate Oak in 2006. Her literary novel, Ghost Country, was published in 2010. The romance novel, Two Out of Three, followed in 2011. Spiritus is the first book in her new paranormal romance series by the same name.

Visit Dana’s Website/ Facebook/ Twitter

Book Review- Bah, Humbug

12 Nov, 2011 by in word garden press 2 comments

Bah, Humbug!
A Romantic Comedy Christmas Novella
by Heather Horrocks
Kindle Edition
Published September 9th 2011
by Word Garden Press
ASIN B005ME39HU

4 stars

Lexi Anderson is an up-and-coming, Martha Stewart-type TV hostess whose two kids love the Jared Strong adventure novels, which happen to be written by their new neighbor, Kyle Miller. For the first time in his writing career, Kyle has writer’s block–until he sees the snowman on his lawn and realizes it’s the perfect solution to his plot problem. He digs in and discovers two things: one, his villain’s weapon will fit inside a snowman’s body, and two, this particular snowman was supposed to be the backdrop for Lexi’s next show. From this improbable beginning comes friendship, but can there be a happy ending for a woman who is afraid to get close again and a man who has shadows from his childhood? Families join together and hearts are healed as this couple goes walking in a winter wonderland.

Every year around Christmas I get a hankering to start reading fun, light seasonal romances and Bah, Humbug is just that! I downloaded it online for only 99 cents and began reading under my fuzzy blanket with a mug of hot chocolate. Within the first couple of pages I was already feeling pulled onto the small Christmas Street where Lexi, a home design show host and Kyle, a NYT bestselling author end up next to each other as neighbors. Kyle is experiencing a bit of writer’s block and working under a tight deadline for the next book in his series. So when he sees a newly built snowman ion his property line he works it into the plot and begins disassembling the piece head first. Lexi doesn’t appreciate the psycho snow man killer who has ruined her winter wonderland scene for filing the next day and so the two meet for the first time.

You’re sure to enjoy this clean, light novella that talks about healing from loss and fresh new beginnings. Things move a little too quickly for me there at the end, but it is set in Utah and if you’ve ever lived there you know anything can happen between two love birds in a week! I loved Bah, Humbug and would recommend it to anyone. Heather Horrocks has a way with words that I first tasted with her book How To Stuff a Wild Zucchini. To learn more visit her site at http://heatherhorrocks.weebly.com/


About Heather: I’m an author who had a somewhat unorthodox upbringing. I was raised in South America and the Middle East, and wrote my first stories as a teenager in Kuwait, where my sister and I proved it really is hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. I wrote my first novel in three months on a typewriter when I was 21, I used every romance cliché possible (including amnesia — need I say more?), and never rewrote anything, which is why it’s so much fun to pull it out occasionally when I need a good laugh. I wrote sporadically until my youngest child (who is now 18) was two, when I decided it was time to either actually start writing, or to stop saying I was a writer. So I took a class and started doing the scary things that writing requires. Now I’ve written about twelve novels and several children’s books

Borrowing Abby Grace Part 1: The Shadow

21 Oct, 2011 by in YA fiction Leave a comment

Borrowing Abby Grace (The Shadow #1)
by Kelly Green
ebook, 47 pages
Published October 17th 2011 by Backlit

source: author
Rating: 3.75 stars

Sent to repair the lives and loves of teenagers on the edge of disaster, smart and sassy Abby Grace has everything going for her, except one thing: a body. This fast-paced and exciting episode is the first installment in an ongoing monthly series, Borrowing Abby Grace.

This was a fun, yet quick read. The action starts off right away, when we meet the main character as she wakes up in a van being driven by people in ski masks. She has absolutely no memory of who she is or what has happened to her, yet she can tell that she shouldn’t be in this van and begins making escape plans. Her adventure continues when she meets a father she doesn’t recognize and then the mysterious Will who explains that she is a Shadow. While she is Abby Grace, everyone around her sees her has the blonde haired, fabulous singer, Brooke. She has to help Brooke with a big problem and then she will move on…to what, she doesn’t know.

I am definitely curious about future installments in this ebook series. Abby has spunk and the writing is fun. I do wish that it was a bit longer, but that is probably because I tend to breeze through books that I enjoy, and this one did not take long!

Content: swearing

I was sent a copy of the ebook in order to provide this review. The opinion expressed is 100% my own.