Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 358

Review: THE FOUNTAIN by Suzy Vadori

What if a fountain could grant your every wish? Just one toss of the coin and POOF! It was done.
For Ava, the fountain felt like a god-send. Years after losing her mom, she is attending St. Augustus, a private school known for its elite alumni. Her first day starts off pretty rough, especially when one of the popular kids has a personal vendetta against you. I mean, stealing your clothes and planting those drugs in your locker? Oy! But, as an alumni kid, you don’t get to make your own first impression.  The only bright side was meeting Ethan.
Then, when things couldn’t possibly get any worse, she found it. The fountain.
“Fountains hold a special kind of magic, Ava,” her mother had told her with a sparkle in her eye. “They present themselves to us when we are most in need. Never let an opportunity go by to wish for what is in your heart.” (194)
After wishing for the disappearance of a mean girl, Ava soon realizes the ripple effect and the dramatic changes that come with it. So goes the old saying: “Be careful what you wish for.”
But it seems Ava wasn’t the only one who made a wish on that fountain. Her mother did, too? It’s happening again. Would history repeat itself? And how can you undo a wish if the fountain is no longer there? What is this magic that this fountain beholds? A magic only to be beheld but once? A wish for a different life?
Story was an easy read with an intriguing plot and relatable characters.
A wonderful tale!

My rating: 4 stars

Review: PSYCHICS VS. VAMPIRES (Episodes 1-4) by Shawn Wiseman

Book 1: The Vampire’s Vision – In a world of psychics and vampires, where battle lines are drawn and vendetta is a strong force, Kara is unfortunate enough to be caught in the middle. Both a vampire and a psychic, she is deemed “a freak” by the two species. But she does have one friend, a vampire named Olivia, who is her only ally….and she’s in trouble. Olivia has been taken by the police, which wouldn’t be too hard for a vampire to escape from, except that there have been rumors about psychic detectives working the streets and hunting her kind. What would they do to Olivia? Well, Kara will do everything in her power to save her. 
Book 2: The Vampire’s Rescue – Kara and Olivia are on a new mission to find a missing person. Of course, a mission to find a human doesn’t sound too appealing...until they discover the kidnapper was a psychic.  
Book 3: The Vampire’s Omen – A psychic sniper has attacked Kara and Olivia and they must find out who it was before he strikes again.
Book 4: The Vampire’s Victim – The war between psychics and vampires continue to unfold.
I really enjoyed the concept of psychics and vampires! Very fascinating! Among the powers Kara possesses are telepathy, telekinesis, and premonition. How very cool! Best thing about Kara was her loyalty. Even though she’s shunned by both species, she’ll still do whatever it takes to protect them.
To me, Kara and Olivia felt more like Buffy and Willow from the TV series, Buffy, the Vampire Slayer (Buffy=Olive as she was strong and feisty; Willow=Kara, the quiet and reserved sorceress.) The writing had a simple language, and the pace was slow in certain areas. There seemed to have been a lot of hype surrounding Olivia’s missing fang, and the fight scenes could’ve used more sprucing up.
Nonetheless, the bundle is a quick and easy read.

My rating: 3.5 stars

Review: THE GHOSTWRITERS by Mickey J. Corrigan

Jacy’s life was going into the crap hole…until she met him that one drunken night.
“Jacy McMaster. J.C. McMaster. Author of no books, McMaster of none. Of course I know your name.” (10) How could this strange, old man know she was struggling to publish a novel?
“If JD actually knew everything about me, well then, he already knew I was a terrific liar. A pathological liar and a thief. A cheat and a failure. A cheap date with a bad attitude and too much school debt. He knew I was desperate. That was probably what drew him to me. He could smell it on me.” (10)
“You don’t get a visit from a dead celebrity every day, kiddo. Famous author bearing gifts? Free pass to a future of fame and fortune? This is a once in a lifetime, my girl.” (12)
An offer she can’t refuse? Writing a guaranteed bestseller?
“I get you, see. I do. I totally get it. You have an active mind. You love to escape reality. You’re inventive, a dreamer. You may even toy with the idea that you, too, could be a writer. You’re pretty sure that, if you were to take up the novelist’s pen, it wouldn’t take too long until you were invited for a live chat with Oprah. Or NPR. Charlie Rose. After all, you have amazing ideas. The journey from here to bestseller, how far can it be? All you need, really, is a good computer program with editing software and a couple of vacation weeks. You’d sit right down and just do it. Hack out the whole damn thing. Instant bestseller. Right?” (13) But what the hell, right?
Jacy’s life suddenly makes a 180 as she writes the sequel to a beloved novel with the help of a famous ghost. The character literally speaks to you and knows exactlyhow you feel. Dialogue was refreshingly candid and relatable. Jacy is a flawed and cynical character—you can practically call her a grungy curmudgeon. But she still has a soft spot for the written word, which rooks into this book project. Readers will want to root for her and slap her silly at the same time. You’ll love her!
The goal: writing the book. Of course, the two clash constantly, kicking and squalling like baby animals, but with no bloodshed. How could there be bloodshed? We’re dealing with a dead guy here. In fact, one might actually consider if the ghostwriters will, indeed, finish this great novel. And will it be everything it was promised? One must find out!
Story is full of mystery, humor, and irony! A must-read for fans of Catcher and the Rye. An enthralling read from beginning to end!
*I received a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My rating: 5 stars

Review: HERE COMES THE WITCH by Ani Gonzales

“Ask me about our Vampire churros.” That’s what Kat Ramos got when she walked into the Banshee Creek Bakery on 666 Main Street, “Satan’s own shopping strip.” Oookay.
It would seem that Kat was there to marry Liam, who owns this haunted house that needs to get “exorcised.” So, first of all, why did Kat have to marry Liam? To break a curse. Ah, interesting.
But this is not the kind of curse you’d see in Beauty and the Beast or anything. In this arrangement, marrying Liam would break the dreaded Santelli curse rendering his house unsellable. This must be the haunted house. But Kat cares for none of it, even if she was captivated by his rugged good looks and charm. No, all she’s interested is in is the money to start her own jewelry company. It was a business arrangement and nothing more. Or…was it? The best thing about Kat was her ability to take this dark curse with clever stride. Crafty and witty, she didn’t scare off easy and was willing to take on any challenge. She was kind’ve like Lydia on Beetlejuice. And, like the main characters on the show, Kat and Liam made a great duo.
The wedding, instead, was more of a “break the curse” ritual. I loved how the whole scene was stylized in this Nightmare Before Christmas panache. Still, with the number of times they tried to break the curse, the house just doesn’t want to be sold. The house doesn’t want? Now that the two were husband and wife, they have to live in that house for a year. A year!? Still, the question remained: How could you break a curse if you had no idea how it started? It’s couple vs. house in this hilariously wicked tale!
Story had a fascinating blend of Wiccan culture and ghoulish mystery. Mystical and eerie, the book was an enchanting read from start to finish. Readers should make wave for Here Comes the Witch.

My rating: 5 stars

Review: 21 DARES by JC Gatlin

It’s all fun and games…until someone dies.
16 years ago, Abbie Reed’s home was invaded by a stranger with a ghoulish tattoo. That man killed her sister. Ever since then, she’s been traumatized…and watched.
A loner all her life, Abbie never really felt what it was like to be lonely. After all, how can you miss not having friends when you never had any to begin with? Abbie wanted “true friends” like Buffy, Willow, and Xander.
Now, Abbie is turning 21. A group decides to throw her a party, which starts off slow and boring, until someone suggests playing 21 Dares. The dares start off innocent enough, ones typically done for a drunken laugh. But then it becomes serious when someone dies. Overwhelmed with fear and panic, Abbie decides to quit and go home. Then she’s asked, “What would Buffy do?”
Book captured me from the start, and I especially loved the Buffy the Vampire Slayer references. Haven’t thought of that show in a long time.  My only criticism was the typographical errors, which I can normally overlook if the story is well-done, but this one had way too many. That’s why I rated this just shy of 5 stars.
A thrilling suspenseful mystery!

My rating: 4.5 stars

Review: LOSING LAUREN by Alretha Thomas

A star is gone, and Detective Rachel Storme is back on a whole new case.
The movie industry has a field day when a beloved actress turns up missing with traces of blood left in the wake. Her cousin and publicist, Alex, can’t seem to figure out what happened. She sure was acting strange the night of the awards. Perhaps it had to do with her belligerent fiancé showing up out of the blue? Or perhaps a manager or agent about to get fired? Or maybe a competing actress?
Detective Storme and her team do a thorough and in-depth investigation to the “who, what, where, and why?” At times, the case became a little daunting and I kept forgetting some of the characters/suspects, but I was still interested in knowing what happened.
The entire book was a theatrical and analytical inquest of a missing person’s case.
A well-written mystery!

My rating: 3.5 stars

Review: FAMILY TIES by Christina Morgan

Like Father, Like Daughter was a great way to introduce Libby Carter, an intuitive and sensible paralegal, in the Flesh & Blood trilogy. In the first book, she discovers her husband’s dead body and is accused of his murder with the whole plot revolving around clearing herself of the charges.
Now, in Book 2, the saga continues with Libby pursuing a career as a private investigator, which, judging by how she was able to prove her innocence in the first book, she had a natural knack for. Family Tiesbegins with her father professing his innocence to the I-75 serial killings and asking Libby to exonerate him. For years, she believed him to be this cold-blooded killer, but the look in his eyes showed her that he may be telling the truth. Ultimately, what it boiled down to for Libby was: family. Blood is thicker than water, after all. Family ties. So, her very first case would be her father’s case.
Of course, the most obvious question was: Why would her father confess to the killings if he was innocent?
Thus, begins a case of preliminary tactics and extensive research as Libby seeks to find the truth. With the help of a computer-savvy assistant and a smokin’ hot police detective, Libby will learn that there’s much more to this case than she realized. Once more, the killings are starting up again, except it couldn’t be her father this time. The real killer?
The reader will be hooked from page one. Again, the author has penned another well-written work. What may have complicated the plot was the in-depth look at the history, which was challenging to trail, considering the case was like over 20 years old, but this’ll compel the reader nonetheless, especially when secrets are revealed. The book was well-paced and thoroughly crafted, making it an enjoyable and engaging thriller. A gripping read!

My rating: 5 stars

Review: MIKEY AND THE SWAMP MONSTER by Jeanne Moran

When the stinky Swamp Monster returns, an imaginative boy uses his monster-stopper kit to protect his home and family. A humorous picture book which celebrates the blurry lines between inventiveness and reality.


My thoughts:  This is the story of Mikey and the swamp monster. Readers will get a kick when they find out who the swamp monster really was. Oh, how kids’ imaginations run wild.

Cute story with nice illustrations!
Loved the irony in the end!
My rating: 5 stars

Review: THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC by Caroline Fardig

After surviving an attempted murder in the 1st book (haven’t read,) Lizzie Hart is back at work, limping on crutches. Judging from the title, I thought Lizzie was a latent witch. But it turns out someone ends up dead with a pentagram symbol carved on the forehead. I was a bit disappointed that Lizzie wasn’t a witch. But she does, however, infiltrate a local coven for answers.
Written in the POV of Lizzie, story is witty and smart.
Lizzie must delve deep into the haunting whereabouts of this coven to exonerate a good friend (a witch practitioner with 2nd sight) and free her of the murder chargers.

My rating: 4 stars

Review: CHARMS AND MURDER by Elizabeth Autumn

Melody is from Pumpkin Valley and she is addicted to magic. That’s why she joined a witch’s anonymous group to get over her addiction. But why? Magic made things easier.
A psychic’s prediction of someone’s impending death is what starts it all. Turns out one of the magic addicts ends up dead.
The mystery was okay, but my biggest beef was that there wasn’t much magic in it, which makes sense, I guess, since these guys are trying to quit it. But still, a witch story with no magic? C’mon!

My rating: 3 stars