Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 37
January 18, 2025
Review: SUNSTONE Vol. 2 by Stjepan Sejic
A relationship-friendship withbondage continues, but I don’t know what’s really going on in the story. Theart work was cool, but I couldn’t read the text very well. I expected thisseries to be as good as Swing, to be honest.
Rating:2 stars
Review: IRRISISTIBLE DESIRE (erotic manga)
Pictures are way too small to seeanything good.
Rating: 1 star
Review: IRRESISTIBLE by Gregory Riesco
What if you suddenly had the powerto be irresistible?
Poor Allen was down in the dumpsbecause his girlfriend left him. Then, one night, a gypsy woman grants him hiswish to be a ladies’ man. Suddenly, he could have sex whenever and withwhomever he wanted. Some of the text was a little blurry and some pictures hada static watercolor feel that wasn’t too pleasing. I also didn’t like thebloody scene when a girl goes crazy with a knife. Ewe!
Seemed that Allen still held acandle for his ex-girlfriend. The whole thing was very chaotic and confusing.It ultimately boiled down to that cliché, “Be Careful What You Wish For.”
Eh, not what I expected.
Rating:2 stars
January 17, 2025
Blog Tour: SCARS AND SECRETS by Thomas Grant Bruso
SCARS AND SECRETS
Thomas Grant Bruso
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GENRE: LGBT Mystery
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BLURB:
RalphAshton gets more than he bargained for when police question him about the deathof his ex-boyfriend Elijah Ray, whose body is discovered at the edge of theSaranac River.
Whenthe local police visit Ralph and ask him about a critical piece of caseevidence, Ralph becomes a prime suspect. He sets out to learn what happened toEli the night he left his apartment and is startled to learn about his formerboyfriend’s shady past.
AsRalph pursues a dangerous investigation, he discovers things about Eli he didnot know while they were together.
Ralph’slife starts to unravel when he loses more people close to him as his motherlies in a hospital bed dying of cancer. Is learning about the truth of Eli’sdeath worth jeopardizing his safety?
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ExcerptThree:
The face of my mother flashes in my mind, and I think aboutrunning back to the hospital and staying by her side.
James uncrosses his leg from left to right and changespositions so the side of his face illuminates in a shaft of soft glow from thefloor lamp hanging over his shoulder. I want to tell him he looks fucking sexythat way, but I keep quiet. He holds his yellow writing pad, the tips of hisfingers turning white, and I dream about what he can do to me with those meatyhands. Touch me in my favorite place, I want to tell him. But I don’t.
I picture him holding my face in his sweaty palms as we lockgazes, staring haughtily into each other’s eyes. The stiffness of my erectionknocks against the fabric of my pants. I squirm in my chair.
“What do you mean?” he asks. “Deadness?”
I force myself to blink a few times, snap out of my hazydream, and look up at Dr. Matheson. His expression is alarming, unblinking. Hestares at me, bordering on the threshold of a stalker.
I find a way out of my rut, clawing, digging, and rummagingthrough a labyrinth of unfathomable responses. “All I want to do is listen toTwenty One Pilots or Nickelback and drink beer. Forget about life, people, andwork.”
Except for my mother. My ex-boyfriend, Eli, too.
I want to see him. It’s been a while since he walked out onme and never returned.
Dr. Matheson angles his head to the side, deciding whetherto ask his next set of questions. I hear him swallow, and it sounds like he hasa dry mouth or is uncomfortable asking me a question from the long list on hispad. He is overthinking, I notice. “How is your mother?” When I don’t answerimmediately, he adds, “How are the nightmares?” My reason for being here.
I sigh. I don’t want to talk about what keeps me awake atnight, although this past week—year—has been terrifying. “It’s been nonstop,” Isay.
“Have you been to the hospital?”
I nod. “Before I came here.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“It’s scary. Seeing my mother in that hospital bed makes mewant to die. I hate watching her wither away slowly.”
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Review: Ralph was in a sad and pitifulplace with his boyfriend leaving him, his mother dying in the hospital, andsecretly enjoying sexual fantasies about his muscular therapist. Things getmore confusing and complicated when his ex-boyfriend shows up. It takes a whileto get through all the dilly-dally of two former lovers reconnecting. Whatfollows is a lot of slow, descriptive narrative. By chapter 9 or 10 is when wediscover Eli’s dead body, which starts to pick up the story a little.
Although the narrative was nice,it still read too slow. For a mystery thriller, I expected a faster and moreexciting read. Story seemed more focused on Ralph’s instability and mindsetduring this whole ordeal. Yes, there’s this small mystery about Eli’s death,but it didn’t feel like the focal point.
Overall, this was a fairly niceread, but I just wanted more excitement.
Rating:3 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
ThomasGrant Bruso knew he wanted to be a writer at an early age. He has been avoracious reader of genre fiction since childhood.
Hisliterary inspirations are Ray Bradbury, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, JimGrimsley, Karin Fossum, and Joyce Carol Oates.
Brusoloves animals, reading books, and writing fiction, and prefers Sudoku tocrossword puzzles.
Inanother life, he was a freelance writer and wrote for magazines and newspapers.In college, he won the Hermon H. Doh Sonnet Competition. Now, he writes andpublishes fiction and reviews books for his hometown newspaper, ThePress-Republican.
Helives in upstate New York.
Amazonbuy link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPJH61CD/ref=sr_1_9
Barnes& Noble buy link:https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/scars-and-secrets-thomas-grant-bruso/1146630720
Publisher’swebsite buy link: https://ninestarpress.com/product/scars-and-secrets/
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GIVEAWAY
ThomasGrant Bruso will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawnwinner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
January 14, 2025
Book Blast: SENSIBLE SHOES by Cindy Causey
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Cindy Causey will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
At her fiftieth birthday party, Tess Thomason, a plain-Jane, divorced mother and decidedly unprepared women’s newspaper columnist, is blindsided by her well-meaning family with a stack of gift cards she interprets as meaning she’s fat, frumpy, and wrinkled. Facing a lonely future and failing career, Tess embarks on a journey of self-discovery, taking her readers along for the ride. But her resolve is nearly derailed by a hilarious season of family chaos that includes a surprise pregnancy, rushed wedding, and unexpected houseguests. In the midst of it all, Tess is drawn into a confusing new relationship with a man who is impossibly perfect for her. But if she can keep herself, her family, and her willpower firmly seated on the crazy roller coaster of her life, maybe Tess will find her own self-worth and a new love in the bargain.
Read an Excerpt
“Tess, Tess, I’m not expecting you to write like Sylvia. I’m not even expecting you to write about fashion. What I have in mind is a column to women, for women, about women. Real women. Like one of those influencers on the Internet. You know…funny, wise, poignant, and… relevant.”
The creeping dread, now fully formed, tossed a grenade into my stomach. She might as well have asked me to write like Shakespeare. “You want me to be funny, wise, poignant, and…relevant? Are you insane?”
Okay, I may have stepped over the line with that last bit, because Ruth’s face twisted a little in the ominous way I had seen so often just before she pounded her fist on the desk. “Just write the damn thing, Tess. I don’t care if you’re funny, wise, poignant, or what was the other thing?”
“Relevant,” I murmured.
“Relevant, for God’s sake. Just do it. I need a column for the women’s page starting next week, and you’re it. Write about what you know. Family. Food. The laundry. You’ve got family. You’ve got laundry. It’ll be a cinch.”
“But—”
“No buts. Just do it. It’ll be good for you. You need to get out of your rut.” She turned her attention to her computer screen.
As if in a trance, I rose from the chair and turned to leave. “Oh, Tess?” she said without looking at me.
“Yes?” Maybe she’s changed her mind; she saw my outfit, and she changed her mind.
“Happy birthday.”
About the Author:
Cindy Causey taught herself to type in the 8th grade because she couldn't write in her diary fast enough in longhand. A degree and career in advertising were the result. A fifteen-year stint as a copy chief at JCPenney Catalog led to the position of Internet Marketing Manager for JCPenney.com.
After 20 years at JCPenney, Cindy retired in December, 2007, and began working full time with her husband Scott in their multi-media production company, Dallas Media Center. They specialized in audio/video production and editing, vintage media transfer to DVD and CD, as well as website design and hosting. Cindy shuttered the company in 2021, three years after Scott passed away.
After her first book, a non-fiction work called Cherish the Gift: a Congregational Guide to Earth Stewardship, was published, Cindy began writing fiction. She found her voice in romance, the stories of the struggles two people endure on the road to happily ever-after. Her debut novel, A Different Drum was published in May 2009 by The Wild Rose Press, followed by A Hot Time in Texas that same year.
In early 2025, her latest novel, Sensible Shoes, a humorous look at a woman struggling with life after 50, was published by The Wild Rose Press. It will be followed in late 2025 by a romantic suspense novel entitled Saving Samantha.
Cindy makes her home in Dallas, Texas. In addition to writing, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her 5 grown children and 4 grandchildren. She would like to see the edges of the entire world from the deck of a cruise ship.
BLOG: https://thewidowwoman.com/
WEBSITE: https://cindycausey.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/cindy.ubbencausey
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/cindycausey2
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@cucausey
PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/causey3994/
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January 13, 2025
Blog Tour: THE OWLS OF WICKENDEN WOOD by Shauna Kramer Barnes
THE OWLS OF WICKENDEN WOOD
Shauna Kramer Barnes
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GENRE: Children's picture book
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BLURB:
Landingin a different reality, the hero of our story is challenged by wise andmysterious owls.
Willthe storyteller be able to face their doubts and fears?
Orwill they forever remain in the Wickenden Wood?
Aninspiring, rhythmic tale, encouraging readers to believe in themselves and totrust in their own innate talents and abilities.
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EXCERPT:
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Review:
Meet the owls of Wickenden Wood!Story truly displays the wondrousawe of owls. The illustrations had a child-like, Crayola feel to them. It waslike I was look at drawings created by Crayon. The read felt more like poetrythan an actual story, but I admired the overall loveliness of the words. I wishthere would’ve been more contrast between the small, black text and thedrawings that lacked some color.
A nice, little read!
Rating:4 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Shauna Kramer Barnes lives in Deep Cove, BC, withher husband and daughter. Surrounded by mountains, forests, and the owls whoreside in the true Wickenden Wood, she was inspired to write this story andhopefully tell a tale that entertains.
Website: https://shaunakramerbarnes.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SHAUNAB303
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GIVEAWAY
ShaunaKramer Barnes will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawnwinner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
January 11, 2025
Review: CHILL FACTOR by Sandra Brown
The worst snow storm in historyand people were out in it…including a killer. Five women had gone missing andit had the whole town on edge.
The story mainly consisted ofseveral storylines by people in town—people in town that didn’t have everythingsquared away up there, ya know. The narrative was long and slow. It soundedpretty good at first with the man just having buried the latest of his victimsand was on the run, but it wasn’t too great if you already knew who it was fromthe beginning. I mean, the best part of a crime novel is figuring out who thekiller is. The story had a suitable setting of the blizzard, which was cold andeerie, but it was too overly descriptive. The overall read was rather mild andnot that exciting.
Rating: 3 stars
Review: SUNSTONE Vol. 1 by Stjepan Sejic
Although the art work was great,the story was confusing. So we had a struggling romance writer with writer’sblock. Somehow that led to an erotic sequence of F/F sub-dom scenes, which wereartfully done. The text was too much and too small to read. It would seem thegirls were in a secret relationship, but it was too confusing. The read wasokay based on the illustrations.
Rating:3 stars
Review: FULFILLED DESIRE (erotic manga)
A young man tells about his firstgirlfriend and his first sexual experience. Wowza! The sex scenes were hot. Thecouple’s journey relays how they met and their long-distance relationship.Sweet and sexy!
Rating:4 stars
Review: THE TABOO STEPMOM COLLECTION by Santa Marcum (erotic manga)
Little boy gets a hot, new mom anda new older sister that can kick a- -
His dad passes away and he goes tothe U.S., where he gets frisky. He meets a hot babe that looks like his mom.Was that sick…or hot? But was he doing it because he was in mourning? He wassleeping with someone else’s girlfriend here. And what happens in the end whenthe girl’s boyfriend finds out? Too good of a read!
Rating:4 stars
