Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 217
October 2, 2021
Review: TODAY I AM MAD by Michael Gordon
See what happens when little Josh gets mad and what he does to calm down.
With brightly colored illustrations, this book is a good teaching tool for controlling your emotions.
My rating: 4 stars
Review: MY ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE by Melissa Winn
How can kids learn gratitude? See how this kid finds a way and lists all the things that he’s grateful for. With fun and lovely illustrations, this story is an inspiration to us all.
My rating: 4 stars
Review: LU, THE LITTLE LADYBUG AND THE GREAT WINTER by Yuliya Barannikova
See how a ladybug learns about the changing seasons with lovely illustrations that young readers will enjoy.
A nice tale!
My rating: 4 stars
Review: KATIE, THE CAT SITTER by Colleen Venable
Katie wants to go to camp and needed money. Helping carry groceries and house-cleaning just weren’t cutting it. She was about to give up when a cat takes a liking to her. Hey, how about cat-sitting? A house full of cats! Hundreds and hundreds of cats. A cat that can order pizza? A cat that can use the toilet?
Story had nice, lovely illustrations. Very fun and funny! Loved the caricature style of it! Full of wild and catty adventures.
My rating: 4 stars
October 1, 2021
Blog Tour: DREAD WATCH by Jared Agard
Dread Watch
by Jared Agard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Middle Grade Supernatural Thriller
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
A secret fear.
An antique pocket watch with a tragic past.
When 8th grader Caleb Meyer stumbles upon the old watch at an abandoned railroad museum, he's sure that if he has it, all his fears will vanish.
But the watch is more than just spindles and gears. A twisted ghost lives within, a Dreadmonger, feeding off the fears of his victims.
And Caleb, seeking to finally be rid of his secret, is walking right into the Dreadmonger's trap.
*** Note: This book has a fun companion Reading/Literature Course especially for those who homeschool.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
I was alone.
I sat in a ring of light in an empty room. The walls oozed blackness, like fresh asphalt. Cold prickles ran up my arms and legs, and then they went numb. I tried to stand, but I couldn’t.
Creeeeeak.
The black stuff bubbled out of the wall in front of me, sliding down to the floor like a slug. It slopped into a pile, forming feet and legs. It only took seconds. Shoulders. A head.
A man in a wheelchair.
Creeeeeeak.
The squeal of metal and rubber. The man rolled closer, his breaths raspy and labored. My heart raced. My stomach cramped.
I couldn’t move.
Creeeeeeak.
I knew who he was. I tried to close my eyes, but they wouldn’t respond. I tried to stand again, but none of my limbs would obey. The shadow wheeled closer, the chair moving on its own.
Creeeeeeeak.
My father, or what once was my father, stared dully at me through dead eyes. His body was a heap of skin, a husk, planted in the wheelchair. His piercing blue eyes had gone out like an old light bulb, but they were open and they were fixed on me. His lips bulged and sagged. Living, but lifeless.
“Is that what you want, Caleb?” His voice came clearly even though his mouth didn’t move.
My heart pounded against my ribcage. What I wanted was to run, or at least look away. But I was frozen, my eyes glued open, focused on him.
“Is this what you wanted?”
Tears burned my eyes. I couldn’t move my arms to wipe them away. He rolled closer.
Tick, tick, tick, tick…
In a flash of light, he was gone. In his place, a golden orb hung in the air, blurry, like I was looking at it through a fogged window.
Tick, tick, tick, tick…
Was that… the watch?
A thick, grey mist dripped down the walls. It swirled around the golden orb. A tingling sensation ran up my arms and legs. I could move them again. I stood, carefully, holding my arms out from my sides to make sure I didn’t fall. The vapors coiled together in mid-air in front of me, forming into the face of a man. His body dripped out beneath him.
He was older and very thin. The light blue suit he was wearing looked very expensive, but also like it was made centuries ago. The wrinkles around his small black eyes creased as he examined me. A smile spread across his thin lips.
The mist behind him formed into other shapes. People. Children. He was surrounded by at least twenty shadows, clothed in old-fashioned suits and dresses. Some were my age while others were much younger.
The man reached his hand into his suit coat. I stepped forward in anticipation.
He had it. The watch. It shone gold against his gray body. The cover was engraved with a picture of a locomotive, the watch face concealed. I’d almost taken that watch. Why didn’t I? It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review: Caleb is the new kid in town. One day at the train museum, he finds a watch and is immediately compelled by it. The watch soon leads him and a group of kids to learn as much about it as possible, which takes a good chunk of time until we get to the interesting bit: “objects involved in tragedies sometimes become a trap for the souls.” Ooh, nice!
But it mostly involves a lot of research and speculation among the smart and inquisitive kids.
A fairly amusing ghost mystery.
Rating: 3 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jared Agard was writing and illustrating books as far back as he can remember. His mother was a school librarian and knew all the best books to read. Now, he teaches Art and Film at the Beaverton Academy of Science and Engineering in Beaverton, Oregon, which is his dream job, besides being an author. He values creativity and always has a new idea rattling around in his brain. He loves watching cartoons, goofing off with his boys, and chili dogs. He is married to the most gorgeous woman on the planet and has three amazing boys, two tiger oscars, and the most pathetic dog you’ve ever seen.
Author Links:
Website: http://www.jaredagard.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8110688.Jared_Agard
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaredAgard
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaredagardauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pointyhair1/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY:
Jared Agard will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Additionally, Jared Agard is offering two more giveaways.
GIVEAWAY for Readers (Kindle Paperwhite / Ends 1 Nov 2021):
GIVEAWAY for Writers (Professional Critiques / Ends 1 Nov 2021):
a Rafflecopter giveawaySeptember 30, 2021
Blog Tour: SOMETHING LOST by Bernadette Marie
Something Lost
by Bernadette Marie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Saying goodbye is sometimes the beginning.
Craig Turner was Coach Diaz’s star player, back in the day. He was held in high regard, until he broke the rules and dated the coach’s daughter. Young and stupid, his affection for her lasted until graduation, and then it was time to face the real world--but his love for her would never leave him.
Rachel Diaz became who her father wanted her to be, a well educated, well traveled, successful woman, but she holds a well full of secrets from the outside world. As a high school therapist, she uses her past traumas to help others overcome their own.
When the Fabulous Five arrive at Coach Diaz’s funeral, to pay their respects, a rekindling happens between them all—and between Craig and Rachel.
Is Rachel woman enough to face her demons and is Craig man enough to accept them? Or will their encounter be as brief as the affair they had a decade ago, behind her father’s back?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
"Dr. Olivia Chasen,” Santa’s jolly baritone popped her mental fuzzy bubble.
She stopped as she struggled to whirl around. “Me?” She touched her chest with a dramatic flourish she didn’t know she possessed.
A powerful spotlight illuminated her; its heat burned her already flushed face.
She pressed a clammy palm to her chest. “How do you know my name?” The haze in her mind was paralyzing all cognitive function.
“My dear girl,” Santa chuckled, “you should know by now that Santa knows everything and everyone,” he tapped an index finger to his temple.
Santa Claus turned to address the waiting line. “Girls, Boys, Moms, Dads, everyone, if you don't mind waiting for a brief moment, I'd like for Olivia,” he pointed a white gloved finger at her, “to please come up here on stage, and tell me what she wants for Christmas.”
She stood dumbfounded as the audience and the people in line clapped and chanted her name, “Olivia! Olivia! Olivia!”
Oh no! What was she going to do? She couldn’t possibly go up onto that stage. She was far too shy to address a theater full of people.
But if she didn’t go that would be so unexciting and so like the old Olivia.
But she wasn't unexciting! She was the new Olivia, and she was exciting! And she wanted to have fun! Correction: She was determined to have fun. Besides, she’d never see these people—her fellow passengers—ever again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review: The death of their coach brings back 5 old friends together. For Craig Turner, it also meant a reunion with the coach’s daughter, whom he shared something hot and heavy with. Could this be a chance to recover something lost?
The writing was good. Story had a slow start with the opening funeral scene, but eventually picks up once you get involved with the characters. The lovely narrative keeps at the same even pace throughout. At first, for Rachel and Craig, it was an inner battle of whether or not they even wanted to meet up again. It definitely takes the slow and steady approach. The romance is mild.
Overall, the story is a good indicator of strong bonds and lasting friendships. A nice read.
My rating: 3 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Bestselling Author Bernadette Marie is known for building families readers want to be part of. Her series The Keller Family has graced bestseller charts since its release in 2011. Since then she has authored and published over thirty-five books. The married mother of five sons promises romances with a Happily Ever After always…and says she can write it because she lives it.
Obsessed with the art of writing and the business of publishing, chronic entrepreneur Bernadette Marie established her own publishing house, 5 Prince Publishing, in 2011 to bring her own work to market as well as offer an opportunity for fresh voices in fiction to find a home as well.
When not immersed in the writing/publishing world, Bernadette Marie and her husband are shuffling their five hockey playing boys around town to practices and games as well as running their family business. She is a lover of a good stout craft beer and might have an unhealthy addiction to chocolate.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3jPT74X
SOCIAL MEDIA/CONTACT
Email: info@bernadettemarie.com
Website: www.bernadettemarie.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorbernadettemarie
Twitter: www.twitter.com/writesromance
Instagram: www.instagram.com/authorbernadettemarie
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/writerofromance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY :
Bernadette Marie will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveawaySeptember 29, 2021
Blog Tour: WINSTON THE ZOMBIE KILLER AND DR. Z by Fatima Malik
Winston the Zombie Killer And Dr. Z
by Fatima Malik
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Action & Adventure
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
An emotionally unintelligent 18-year-old Winston wakes up to a zombie virus outbreak. Only adults seem to be affected while kids run around losing their minds . . . or brains?
Together, a 15-year-old genius Jason B (who seems to be taking this very well), and Winston fight to get out of town and make unexpected friends along the way. Keeping track of his zombie kills was hard enough, now he has to go hunting for a special zombie too?
As Winston narrowly misses being bit, the "death grip" causes further complications to an otherwise successful quest . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
On his eighteenth birthday, Winston found himself face to face with what looked like a walking corpse. This corpse was clawing at the window that separated Winston’s face from it. Later he’d name it Jessica since she was his first walking corpse, and after her, he lost count. He screamed when he first saw her, and it was a sound he was not proud of. He would be careful never to replicate it regardless of how close to death he was.
He had seen enough zombie movies to know what he was looking at, but there is always this civilized part of the brain that shuts up the instinct, and the word ‘overreaction’ echoes in the head. That was the only reason he asked the clawing zombie if she was okay and if he should call 911 for her. He felt really, really silly asking her, but God forbid he overreacted to something – can’t be uncool – even when some dude with a white van is clearly abducting you. Why Winston thought of himself as a ‘woman’ in dangerous scenarios was a mystery.
Before moving on, let me tell you a little about Winston. He fits the tall, dark, and attractive description along with toned muscles and six-pack abs (with no way of knowing if those abs went further than the elastic of his PJs). Being an athlete and a fan of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, he had a similar round tattoo situation happening on the front part of his left shoulder.
Now imagine this impressive cocoa specimen screaming like a seven-year-old first thing in the morning when he opened the curtains. He had sort of stumbled backward before he regained his composure to ask the zombie if she was okay.
Much later, he’d find out that these zombies were operating on human instinct/subconscious, which was why his Zombie-kills were mostly female. They would’ve been attracted to him when they were alive, so now, as zombies, they wanted his brains. This theory would also explain why so many kids were unharmed. Since most live adults wouldn’t hurt kids, those instincts played a role. Also, for a virus that preyed on the human brain, it had no use for an under-developed brain of a child until that child turned eighteen.
Most survivors were waiting for some army or military (are those the same?) to rescue them. But it turns out an executive decision was made to save the children first because, being so many of them, they were trapped in homes with zombie parents or walking around in the malls or parks. These children were everywhere, and they were lost.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Fatima Malik has been alive for a little over a third of a century but she has been telling stories for over two hundred years, because being alive or dead wouldn't stop a true storyteller. Fatima is a quirky Pakistani-Canadian writer who lives in Ontario with her daughter.
CONNECT WITH FATIMA
WEBSITE: https://www.fatimamalik.ca/about
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/fmalikauthor/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/fmalikauthor
PURCHASE LINKS
AMAZON
https://amazon.com/dp/0228843472
KINDLE
https://amazon.com/dp/B08STXT5RD
BOOKSHOP
https://bookshop.org/books/winston-th...
INDIGO CHAPTERS
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/...
BARNES & NOBLE
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wins...
BOOK DEPOSITORY
https://www.bookdepository.com/Winsto...
SMASHWORDS
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
APPLE BOOKS
https://books.apple.com/us/book/winst...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY:
Fatima Malik will be awarding $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveawaySeptember 28, 2021
Blog Tour: LOVE, DEATH, AND THE ART OF COOKING by Linda Griffin
Love, Death, and the Art of Cooking
by Linda Griffin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Romantic Suspense
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Software engineer Reid Lucas loves to cook and has a history of falling in love with married women. When he leaves his complicated past in Chicago for a job in California, he runs into trouble and must call a virtual stranger to bail him out of jail. Alyssa Knight, a tough street cop waiting for a church annulment from her passive-aggressive husband, is the roommate of the woman Reid calls for help, and she reluctantly provides bail for Reid. He falls for her immediately, and cooking for her is an act of love. She just wants to be friends, but they keep ending up in bed together. When his boss is murdered, Reid is a suspect—or is he the intended target?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
Alyssa was patting down a suspect, checking for weapons, a task that called for her full attention, but she was a little distracted. Last night’s events had seemed natural at the time, but now she couldn’t imagine what she had been thinking. She had taken an enormous leap of faith—or else she had taken leave of her senses.
At first sight she had dismissed Reid as harmless, not sexy, not her type, but he had been a surprisingly physical presence as he escorted Paul out of the apartment. Nothing had changed, but maybe he was a little less harmless than she had thought, a little more interesting? He did have very nice eyes, even if they reminded her of a cocker spaniel’s, and he was a fabulous cook.
She had images of him now that she didn’t want to have, sense memories, as her actor friends would say. His body was not as soft as she had expected. He was pretty fit compared to the skinhead slob she was frisking and other guys she had been seeing all day. She had wanted to direct him and then hadn’t needed to. The way he touched her had made her feel soft and warm, as if her flesh was melting under his hands.
She tugged the suspect’s right hand behind him and snapped on the cuff. She remembered Reid’s mouth on hers. There was more tenderness in his kisses than she would have expected him to show this soon, if ever. Could he honestly feel that…for her?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My review: After being woken up in the middle of the night, a woman pays the bail of a stranger. In return, he promises to pay her back by cooking for her. And, boy, they really get into the cooking.
The new guy strikes up an instant friendship with the two women. Then there’s the case of the dead man thrown in there.
As the title indicates, there’s love, death, and cooking—three distinct and unrelated facets that had an unusual blend in this story. Everything kind of feels thrown together, all these separate ingredients that don’t really go together. It’s like putting pickles and frosting together—unexpected and unique with a definite difference in taste. It may not necessarily be bad. In fact, it would be interesting as a one-time thing, but it’ll definitely make you think twice about it doing again.
For me, this had a nice romantic element. The writing was good, and the story has a nice, easy, and slow narrative. Story wasn’t really quite my taste though. First of all, I didn’t quite buy how this guy just shows up out of the blue and starts cooking for two strange women. And the death didn’t fit into it. Again, it just felt thrown in. There’s definitely a lot of cooking in it, so much that it actually makes you hungry reading it. In fact, I think the cooking takes up most of the story. For those that like a lot of cooking, you might want to give this book a try.
My rating: 3 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Linda Griffin is a native of San Diego and has a BA in English from San Diego State University and an MLS from UCLA. She retired from a position as fiction librarian for the San Diego Public Library to spend more time on her writing. Her stories have been published in numerous journals, including Eclectica, Thema, The Binnacle, Orbis, and The Nassau Review. Love, Death, and the Art of Cooking is her fourth romantic suspense novel published by the Wild Rose Press, following Seventeen Days (2018), The Rebound Effect (2019), and Guilty Knowledge (2020).
Website: http://www.lindagriffinauthor.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindaGriffinA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindagriffin.author/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09827RTP2/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY:
Linda Griffin will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
September 27, 2021
Blog Tour: THE SHADY CHATEAU by Ana T. Drew
The Shady Chateau
by Ana T. Drew
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Cozy Mystery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Beware, dressing up as Napoleon can get you killed!
Provence baker Julie Cavallo and her grandma sign up for a Napoleonic re-enactment at a nearby chateau. The event includes theatricals, war games, and costume balls — all courtesy of the host and pillar of the local community, Baron Gustave Cordes d’Auzon.
What a welcome break from baking and catering...
and from pining for a tall, dark, and unsociable captain of the gendarmerie.
Unlike the captain, the weekend guests at the castle love conversing. Some are so flamboyant they outshine even Julie’s badass grandma Rose!
It’s all fun and cosplay… until the lord of the castle turns up dead.
Three unlikely culprits plead guilty.
Each gives the gendarmes a different motive.
Each insists they did it alone.
Who’s lying? And why?
And who really killed the baron?
If you’re a fan of Murder on the Orient Express and country house mysteries, then you’ll love this book. It will regale you with a dogged amateur sleuth, a puzzling ensemble of suspects, and a tangled web of lies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
“Julie, darling.” Rose says. “How about we save time and jump straight to the part where you stop pretending that you don’t want to go to the chateau?”
“I’m not pretending.”
“Of course you are.”
She heads out of the room.
Lady follows her and I follow Lady.
“Eric is most likely imagining things,” Grandma says. “Who wouldn’t, after the year we’ve had? Even I see soon-to-be-dead people everywhere! Call him about those discounted tickets and then meet me in the office.”
After I call Eric and tell him that Rose and I will be joining him for the reenactment, I dash to the tiny room where Rose has installed her computer and printer.
A paragon of efficiency when she’s motivated, she’s already found a pattern for our Regency dresses and is printing it out.
She picks up the printouts and adopts the Warrior II pose, pointing the pages in her right hand toward an invisible destination somewhere outside the door.
“Forward, march to the sewing machine!” she calls to Lady and me. “And to glory!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Ana T. Drew is the evil mastermind behind the recent series of murders in the fictional French town of Beldoc. When she is not writing cozy mysteries or doing mom-and-wife things, she can be found watching “The Rookie” to help her get over “Castle”. She lives in Paris but her heart is in Provence. >>> Visit ana-drew.com for a free cookbook and a game!
Website: ana-drew.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/ana-drew
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnaDrewAuthor
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ana-t-drew
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/anadrew
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authoranadrew
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY:
Ana T. Drew will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
September 25, 2021
Review: ENEMIES TO LOVERS Anthology (Vol. 2)
A sexy Hollywood heartthrob just wanted peace and quiet. Instead he got an unexpected visitor in the form of a lovely paparazzi that exposed his wife’s infidelity. But Lainy wasn’t taking sleazy pictures just for the fun of it; she had bills to pay and a family to care for. Unfortunately, the Hollywood hunk didn’t see it that way. Would they survive being snowed it at a remote cabin?
A florist was mesmerized by the random love notes she’s been receiving, all the while not knowing they were coming from her rude landlord.
A rivalry between 2 food truck vendors could turn into something…too hot.
Captivating and alluring stories! They’re not just steamy; they’re genuine stories with true-to-life characters. It makes you want more of them, especially since most of them were much too short. Goes to show what can happen when enemies become lovers.
Although the first volume was better, this was still a great read!
My rating: 4 stars
