Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 191
March 25, 2022
Review: CRIME AND PERIODICALS by Nora Everly
Meet Sabrina, the unsexy librarian taking care of her autistic nephew. She’s nice and witty, and, apparently, has the hots for the new deputy in town.
This was an okay read. Nice and slow. It wasn’t too exciting for me.
Rating: 3 stars
Review: REVOLVE by Wendy Dalrymple
Jessica was the good witch—evidently, Glenda the Good Witch. Nothing too interesting about her except for the magic. Dull read altogether.
Rating: 2 stars
March 23, 2022
Blog Tour: TESSA'S BOOKS OF ELEGANCE by Jacqui Preugschat
Book 1 – The Lovely Beautiful And Very Elegant Tea Party Children’s Activity Books - Girls
Published: 2019
Publisher: Ocean Reeve Publishing
Welcome...Come along and join Tessa on her Lovely, Beautiful and Very Elegant Tea Party. You will be doing everything together; from making the invitations, cooking, decorating, sewing and dress designing! Your friends and family will be amazed at your talents when they come to your very own Lovely, Beautiful and Very Elegant Tea Party.
Book 2 – Leap For Joy And Twirl About Tessa’s Elegant Ballet Children’s Activity Books - Girls
Published: 2021
Publisher: Ocean Reeve Publishing
Come along and join Tessa as you both Leap For Joy and Twirl About in a very elegant ballet performance. Together you will be learning the basic steps of ballet, making invitations, cooking, designing tutus and ballet shoes, and creating beautiful hairstyles! Your friends and family will be so excited to see you Leap for Joy and Twirl About in your lovely tutu!
Book 3 – Design Your Own Elegant Bedroom Décor With Tessa Children’s Activity Books - Girls
Published: 2021
Publisher: Ocean Reeve Publishing
Come along and join Tessa as you learn about colour, design and colour themes! You will make elegant décor by repurposing a chair or desk, create no-sew t-shirt pillows, decorate lamps/baskets, collage canvases, design beautiful hanging decorations, sew your own sausage dog or cat, and much more! Your friends and family will be so impressed, when they see the elegant décor you have created!
Review of Book 1: Tessa is having a beautiful and elegant tea party. But where to start? Here’s what you’ll need in order to have a tea party. This book is a step-by-step guide to the perfect tea party. First, it begins with the invitations, which Tessa gives you the materials you’ll need, the templates you can reference, and the simple directions. Other knick-knacks that Tessa helps you make include bath bombs, aprons, sandwiches, cupcakes, and doily napkins. Great and fun way for kids to practice cooking and crafting skills. A good activity book for the perfect tea party!
Rating: 4 stars
About the Author
Jacqui Preugschat is a Brisbane-based, happily-married mother of 4 beautiful children, with a passion for encouraging girls to use their talents. She is also a qualified Special Education Teacher, University Lecturer and Short Course writer for TAFE, and contributing writer for Thrive Global. As a little girl, Jacqui spent her school holidays in her grandmother's dress shop surrounded by elegant things and loved making and creating beautiful things.
Recently Jacqui has directed 3 musicals at the Princess Theatre, was a buyer for a Bridal Store and window dressed a babies', girls', and bridal store in South Australia.
Currently, she home schools her 2 girls, directs a Choir on a weekly basis, teaches drama and runs a girls DIY Arts and Craft group fortnightly, where young girls learn to make beautiful projects.
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March 22, 2022
Book Blast: ARE YOU OKAY, ELLIOT HART? by Kate S. Martin
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Kate S. Martin will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
"You keep it on the inside because that's the safest way to hide."
Fifteen-year-old Elliot 'Matchstick' Hart spends his days caring for his mum and hiding from the school bully.
Fifteen-year-old Josh McBride spends his days tormenting Elliot and avoiding his abusive stepdad.
Hoping to save his mum, Elliot embarks on an adventure inspired by a picture in an old newspaper. Little does he know that Josh has decided to join him.
On their journey, strangers and surprises force them to look at each other in a different light. As secrets are revealed, will they reconcile their differences or will the secrets tear them further apart?
Read an Excerpt
I’m walking faster than usual, not only because it’s raining heavily, and I am soaked through, but I’m angry. I’m not sure if I am angry at my mum or the whole damn situation. I want to get home, get out of these stupid clothes, and hide under a duvet with my book. I’m reading To Kill a Mockingbird now. Mr. Marshall recommended it to me, so Sydney found a copy at the library and put it aside. I’m up to the part where Miss Maudie’s house has burnt down, and I’m eager to know what will happen next.
Marching past the terraced houses, I can’t help but sneak another look in. I see one house where two boys are running around their living rooms with lightsabers; I see dads working on computers in their offices and mums coming home from work being greeted with hugs and laughter. I see lives upon lives that I don’t have and what I want, so very, very much. I want a home with noise and chaos and giggles. I want younger brothers that annoy the hell out of me and a dad that lifts me up onto his shoulders and ducks down, so I don’t hit my head on the door frame. I want family dinners around a kitchen table, where someone shouts at you if you leave without asking permission. I want. I want. I want. I once heard Tom say I want, doesn’t get but it’s not like I’m asking for lots of money or a new house. I want a normal family.
About the Author:
Kate grew up in a small town in Lancashire, England with her mum, dad, and two older brothers. A bit of a tomboy, she loved nothing more than going out for adventures with her brothers, as long as she was back before dark.She studied English at Reading University and gained a teaching qualification at Manchester. Nowadays, Kate spends her days teaching English at a local high school in Cheshire and her evenings are spent writing stories close to her heart.
She believes teenage years can be particularly difficult and wants to create stories that show empathy and hope for her readers. She lives with her husband, two children, and Jessie, the miniature schnauzer.
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March 21, 2022
Blog Tour: ZOEY THE ZEBRA MEETS LEXI THE LION by Jennifer Daly
Children's Fiction
Date Published: July 29, 2021
Will Zoey become lunch?What happens when a Zebra meets a Lion? Does the Zebra run? Does the Lion win? Find out what the future holds when this unusual pair meet for the very first time.This book will help your child realize we are better together... Our differences make us stronger!
Review: This is the story about a curious zebra wandering into new territory, where she encounters a young lion stuck in between the rocks. Should Zoey help the lion or run for her safety?
They soon realized that they had much more in common than they perceived. Can lions and zebras be friends?
The illustrations were simple and fun. The book shows what can be achieved when differences are set aside. It would’ve been nice to see them embark on their new adventure, but I enjoyed their meeting and look forward to seeing more of them in future books.
A nice read about friendship.
Rating: 4 stars
About the Author
Jennifer lives every day with all things that sparkle. She is a girl Mom of two angels, Zoey and Lexi, and has been married to her hot firefighter husband, Daniel, since 2007. The Team Daly four-pack resides in the Dallas, Texas area with their hairy, 90 lb. German shepherd, Duke, who thinks he is a lap dog. Jennifer is a master level Certified Life Coach with an MBA, and founder of Cheering On Moms where she utilizes her background to encourage Moms to pursue their dreams. Jennifer knows she must walk the talk, so she stretches herself through pageantry and is the current 2021 Mrs. Diamond Universe, 2021 Mrs. Collin County, and held the title of 2018 Mrs. North Texas. Cheering from middle school through the professional level, Jennifer knows God has called her to keep cheering and specifically encouraging those in their faith! You can find her at CheeringOnMoms.com and @Cheer.Daly everywhere else.
Hailey Nelson is an artist and illustrator. She is the owner of Wild North Illustrated, LLC, an illustration and fine art company. Her illustrations and designs are inspired by nature and focused on providing beautiful artwork to authors, readers, and art lovers around the world. Hailey is a married mother of three boys living in western Wisconsin, where she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family. You can find Hailey at wildnorthillustrated.com. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
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March 18, 2022
Review: COME UNDONE by Crystal Kaswell
Alyssa accepts the dry proposal from her boyfriend. She should be happy…right? So then why was she fantasizing about her fiancé’s hot law partner?
Ryan may be an arrogant workaholic, but he has always been there for Alyssa and always took care of her. Even when Alyssa was going through her treatment for her eating disorder, Ryan was always strict about her recovery, and that was okay because he always knew what was best for her. What would it hurt if she wanted to get back into acting? Can she continue letting him hold her back? Then there was Luke, who she can actually talk to and be herself around.
“Don’t picture him naked” is what she kept telling herself.
Alyssa lusts after him and tries to ignore it for most of the story. It’s more about a woman wondering whether or not she can cope on her own. She ponders, she doubts, she questions about it all. The thing with Luke is all talk and no action. How very tame.
Her story was interesting, but I expected more action. C’mon, this was supposed to be a love triangle.
Rating: 3 stars
Review: BETWEEN THE PAGES by Amanda Richardson
Fin is a ghost writer tired of writing for somebody else and wants to try her hand as a novelist. Of course, this is not as easy as she thought it be even though she was trained to write and her writing has reached the bestseller lists. Perhaps she just wasn’t meant to write her own stories.
Then she meets a handsome stranger, who happened to be one of her favorite authors. He wants to hire her to help write his next book at his house in Hampton. Finley, curious about the mystery of this fascinating and talented author, wants to learn more. How will she reach when his dark secrets are revealed?
This premise certainly piques the reader’s interest. It’s mostly on the big mystery surrounding Emerson’s life. The characters share a deep connection, apparently. It’s kind of long at times. The reader is constantly teased by the lust of these characters. Either get it on or go home!
The part about Finley hoping he wasn’t one of those authors that reads every bad review couldn’t be more on the nose for me. Authors that scrutinize every word and every syllable in all reviews will just drive themselves nuts.
As far as this book is concerned, this was a decent read.
Rating: 3 stars
Review: HEATING UP THE HOLIDAYS Anthology
These were sappy stories. Although the writing was pretty good, they just weren’t interesting to me. Just a dud.
Rating: 2 stars
March 17, 2022
Book Blast: THE CORPSE PRINCESS by Jayce Carter
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jayce Carter will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Karma is a bitch—but then again, so am I.
Ten years ago, a group of men murdered my mother and thought they had killed me. I’ve spent every day since planning revenge against the man behind the attack—my father. As the head of a powerful crime family, he won’t be an easy target, but nothing matters more than making him pay for what he’s done.
Now, I return in disguise, only to end up on the radar of the Quad—the four most dangerous men in the city…men I’ve been desperately in love with since I was a teen. I have no idea if they were in on the plan to have me killed, but I can’t stop myself from craving their taste, their bodies and their rough, domineering touches. Even though I know the risks, I keep falling deeper into our twisted relationship.
My plan is simple—find and get rid of the people who carried out the attack, kill my father…and don’t fall in love with the men who might have betrayed me.
This world already killed me once—let it try again.
Read an Excerpt
“Oh, nice try,” Dane said with a mocking tone, as if he’d already won.
“Don’t add the notch on your belt until you get inside the girl,” I responded. “You’re terrible at bank shots and that’s exactly what you’ve got in front of you.”
In all the years we’d played before, Dane had never managed to sink a shot like this. He’d over-correct, never hitting the right spot.
I’d as good as already won.
He came closer, standing just in front of me, so close I could smell him. He smelled the same, just as he had before, like cloves and cinnamon, something deceptively sweet.
I lifted my head, struggling with the difference between then and now, between the past and the present. I felt a little like the girl I’d been before, when I’d chased behind him, behind the others, looking for their attention. How badly I’d wanted this, wanted him to look at me with this sort of passion, and he’d always denied me that.
He leaned down, then dragged his tongue over my bottom lip. It wasn’t a kiss, not really, but managed to light a fire inside me larger than the one at Lucky’s house. That tiny spark roared to life, consuming me, and he pulled back far too fast.
Dane gave me a smirk full of confidence. “Well, you pick your whiskey well, at least.”
Before I could say anything, he bent forward next to me, aimed and took the shot. The eight-ball rolled into the pocket he’d nodded at, sinking the shot he’d never been able to do.
“I win,” he said, then crossed his arms, staring down at me, far too pleased with himself.
About the Author:
Jayce Carter lives in Southern California with her husband and two spawns. She originally wanted to take over the world but realized that would require wearing pants. This led her to choosing writing, a completely pants-free occupation. She has a fear of heights yet rock climbs for fun and enjoys making up excuses for not going out and socializing. Links:
Buy link: https://amazon.com/Corpse-Princess-Nemesis-Jayce-Carter-ebook/dp/B09QZCSBRQ/ref=sr_1_1
Website: https://www.jaycecarter.com
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jayce-Carter/e/B07Y4T7CHH
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaycecarterauthor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JayceCarterAuthor
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March 16, 2022
Blog Tour: SNOWBALL, THE SHERLOCK RABBIT AND THE CASE OF THE MISSING FUR by Constance Meccarello-Gerson
Children's Picture Book
Date Published: 02-01-2022
The Sherlock Rabbit, Snowball, is on the. case. He grabbed his Sherlock hat and cape and plans to search for the missing rabbit fur. How dare someone clip his fellow rabbits!
Review: Meet Snowball, the rabbit. One day, his neighbors call upon him to find their missing fur. Watch as Snowball puts on his detective’s cape and grabs his magnifying glass as he prepares to hunt high and low for the fur. What obstacles await Snowball?
Cute and charming, story has vibrant images with a simple and appealing narrative.
Short and sweet, this was a great read.
Rating: 4 stars
About the Author
Constance Meccarello-Gerson was born in Poughkeepsie N.Y. She is a graduate of Florida Southern College with a BA in Acting. She also attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. HB Studio, Actors Studio, in NYC. She is a member of SAG, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Si Omega. Her MFA in Acting is from Brooklyn College. She has appeared on TV, film, and on stage in NYC. For 20 years she taught as a mentor and teacher of English and Theatre Arts for the New York City Department of Education and for the University at Santa Cruz. She also taught for ten years as a Speech Coordinator at Touro College. She was an executive at Bloomingdales. Her writing as appeared in Musings, also in the Best American Poets series. Currently she lives in NYC with her husband Alain, a parrot named Benji, and lots of fish. She has three books in the Hassle High Mystery series. This is her first Sherlock Rabbit children’s book.
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