Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 289
October 17, 2019
Review: THE GIRL IN THE RAIN by L.G. Davis
Paige was a teacher. For her, math was the only constant in her life when everything else was in chaos. Having to take care of her alcoholic brother, who lived miserably in a wheelchair, was more than she could bear. But what else could she do? After all, she felt guilty and responsible for him. Her friend has often told her that she had a right to her own freedom, but, still, her brother treated her like a prisoner. Wheelchair-bound Ryan continued to abuse Paige with nasty comments, bitter retorts, and violent temper tantrums. “I didn’t see my brother at all—just an angry, bitter stranger.” (36)
She can’t get rid of him. He wants to make her pay for what she did. Paige was watching over Chucky—this demon child. He just tortures her for fun. The things he does to her. I would’ve so killed him.
“Reality is dark, painful, and filled with nightmares.” (163) Can a woman face her fear and try to get her life back?
Story was dark and gripping, although it lagged in certain areas. What was so surprising is that the story had its fill of “what happened” gaps, leaving the reader befuddled with several questions, many possibilities, and really no answers. What happened to her brother? What happened on her wedding night? I guess that was part of the whole mystery. The story just leaves a bunch of holes.
Overall, this was a well-written piece of work.
My rating: 3.5 stars
Review: HORSESHOES AND HAND GRENADES by S.M. Stevens
Shelby was just re-entering the dating scene and starting a new job. Astrid was a co-worker of Shelby’s. Right away, there seems to be some work tension between them. But can you blame them? Women are competition, after all. Story starts off fairly slow as the girls navigate through the business structure of their industry, but it soon gravitates to the taboo side. For instance, Astrid has had a crush on her boss for a while, so she doesn’t seem to mind when he flirts with her or occasionally brushes up against her in a way.
“You have to keep your wits about you to succeed in the business world. Men are not potential husbands. They are stepping-stones on your path to success.” (18)
Readers follow the taxing lives of two women, who are just trying to make it in this world. It’s honest and impactful. Story keeps a steady rhythm and various characters nearly crowd the story. It didn’t quite grab me as much as I thought it would, but it’s still a decent read nonetheless.
My rating: 3 stars
Review: STORM OF THE SOUL by Sandy Granato
With a young daughter, a home, and steady jobs, life seemed good for an Italian immigrant family…but it was just an illusion. The husband was a drinker and an abuser. The wife had to file for divorce and leave with their daughter. Story was simple with a summary style. It’s like a point-by-point narrative without getting into many specifics. Story seems to center on this one family as they live their lives both in Italy and America. Their story was trite and unappealing. Nothing really captivated me.
My rating: 2 stars
October 15, 2019
Review: ABIGAIL’S CURSE by J.B. Cantwell
Nice illustration on the cover! Is a house haunted? That’s exactly what a 6th grade ghost seer was trying NOT to prove.
Zander was a parallel, just like his father and his father’s father. Most of the time, he saw friendly ghosts. But then Abigail Stone came into town.
Upon first seeing Abigail, Zander spots a nasty (mean ghost) right behind her. Of course, he sprung into action and banished it with his magical amulet. But how could nasties be attached to Abigail? Was she a parallel, too? Only instead of banishing them with Zander, she lets them attack him. What’s the deal with that? And doesn’t Abigail bathe, wash her face, or comb her hair? Disgusting.
Zander soon finds that Abigail is a medium—someone that could open portals to the spirit world. Can he stop her before she wrecks havoc on the world?
This was a fun, ghostly read!
My rating: 4 stars
Review: THE CAT WHO CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD by Gillian Rogerson
12-year old Lucy and her grandmother visit a taxidermist, and there were dead animals everywhere. She didn’t like it. What was their weird fascination with dead animals? But Gran wanted to stuff her evil, dead cat, Eric. Well…as long as Lucy didn’t have to see it. There was something odd about the town of Dreadful—it was dreadful. While waiting for their cat, Lucy and Gran come home with Solomon, who starts…moving. Yikes! I’d be freaked, too! Of course, nobody believed Lucy when she says the cat was alive.
I liked this story! Spooky and fun—it was like a Goosebumps story. There’s nothing scarier than cats.
My rating: 4 stars
Review: THE UNRULY CURSE by Sunayna Prasad
Welcome back to magic. It’s been six months since Alyssa McCarthy encountered an ounce of wizardry. How could she have done any magic? Could she be in danger again? Ever since she defeated an evil magician, she never wanted to go near the stuff again. Now she was on a mission to remove her powers.
Alyssa is your typical middle school girl going through the growing pains while also dealing with the magic she doesn’t want. There’s really not much magic happening. Alyssa spends most of her time balling about it actually.
An okay read for YA audiences.
My rating: 3 stars
Review: CORNELIA NEEDS A SPACE OF HER OWN by Jodi Stapler
Cornelia was a smart and crafty 8-year old girl with a plan for the summer. The first on her agenda was to get a space of her own—her own room! The whole story reads exactly like a checklist, a plan. Cornelia, the efficient little clerk, basically goes from room to room, making notes and plans. I thought the concept was nice, but reading about all the point-to-point plans wasn’t all that interesting. If I didn’t find it interesting, how would a kid be interested? Well, maybe they would. This was an okay story.
My rating: 3 stars
October 14, 2019
Blog Tour: DELICIOUS DISASTERS by Isabella Louise Anderson
This is my stop during the blog tour for Delicious Disasters by Isabella Louise Anderson. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 7 till 20 October. See the tour schedule here.
Delicious DisastersBy Isabella Louise Anderson
Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Romantic Comedy
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 7 August, 2019
Blurb:
When Tessa Markham’s bookstore gets bought out, she is forced to face an uncertain future. After her best friend challenges her to start baking, she accepts—even if the last time she baked wasn’t what she would call a delicious success.
After a small kitchen fire, Tessa’s life begins to change. She finds encouragement from a sexy fireman, agrees to a questionable ruse to help another business owner with a complicated situation, and needs to be there for her best friend now more than ever.
Can a delicious disaster lead to a new future and a successful baking career?
My review: After a long time, Tessa finally decided to give up the bookstore that had been in her family for years. “Like with life, they say when one door closes, another one opens. For Tessa, she wasn’t only closing a chapter, but she was also closing a book, and she didn’t have the slightest idea of what to read next.” (9)
Now battling boredom, Tessa desperately wanted to get her career back on track. The question was: What should she do? How could she start her life over when her whole life was books? With her love of cooking, how about becoming a baker?
So that’s how she goes from book lady to cake lady.
Story has a leisurely pace—slow and steady. Writing was pretty good. Although I liked Tessa’s excitement for a new venture, I was also saddened when she left her book world behind. Instead the reader follows her journey as a baker, which can be kind of fun but also tedious at times. I’m not much of a baker, so I don’t find the process to be particularly interesting. I was really more into the “disaster” portion of the story, which really wasn’t as comical as I had hoped. But I think readers would enjoy the enthusiastic camaraderie as well as relate to her follow-through on a whole new chapter of life—or, in this case, a whole new slice of life.
My rating: 3 stars
You can find Delicious Disasters on Goodreads
You can buy Delicious Disasters here:
- Amazon
- Books2Read
About the Author:
Isabella Louise Anderson grew up with a book in her hand, and to this day, nothing has changed. Aside from writing, she focuses her time on featuring other authors and their books on her blog, Chick Lit Goddess, along with sharing book reviews. Isabella Louise is also a member of the Romance Writers of America.
She lives in Dallas with her husband and their two cats, enjoys spicy Indian and Mexican food, margaritas, and red, white, and rosé wines. She loves spending time with family and friends and cheering on the Texas Rangers.
Isabella Louise Anderson is currently working on her next release.
You can find and contact Isabella Louise Anderson here:
- Website
- Goodreads
- Amazon
- Bookbub
- Newsletter
Social Media links Chick Lit Goddess:
- Website
Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Delicious Disasters. One winner will win a $50 Amazon Gift Card.
For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
October 10, 2019
Review: MADAM LOVE, ACTUALLY by Rich Amooi
Emma Wright A.K.A. Madam Love. She is a soul mate matcher; her job was to help her clients find their HEA. She was NOT a genie that fulfilled wishes of a dream man. But she really did have a gift, even if her vibrations—feelings—weren’t always right. Still, she loved what she did. If only, her gifts would help her pay the bills. Madam Love needed new clients…and FAST. Then she hears about a bestselling author boasting that love doesn’t exist (someone was knocking what she was selling.) When he says that fortune tellers were nothing but a fantasy—a hoax—Emma just loses it.
Lance thinks Madam Love is a fraud, but Madam Love says there’s a soul mate for everyone, even the cold-hearted Lance.
The challenge: Can Madam Love find Lance’s soul mate in 2 weeks?
If Lance could prove her wrong, his book sales would sky rocket? If Madam Love can find his soul mate, that would be a mega boost for her matchmaking business. The race was on.
Of course, Madam Love would end up tangled with him somehow. Why wouldn’t she have seen this coming? She’s a fortune teller for godsakes!
Like most of the author’s books, story spins the classic “Battle of the Sexes” concept. Most of his books are good, but they get a tad predictable, especially when relaying the same plot line over and over again. It becomes kind of stale after a while.
My rating: 3 stars
Review: VALENTINES ON THE EDGE by Carol Maloney Scott
This book has 3 romantic shorts. The first one was about a Valentine’s weekend turning into Meets the Parents. Nothing like a family to scare away a girlfriend. Stories were not very funny. Didn’t really like it.
My rating: 2 stars
