Bena Roberts's Blog, page 9
June 21, 2018
A Harvest of Stars by Cecily Wolfe
Review - A Harvest of Stars by Cecily Wolfe
This is the third book I have read by the author and by far the best.
The Good
A harrowing read that cuts to the bone.
The Bad
What a sad and tragic family story. Mistakes that last forever and men who are animals.
The Ugly
Through the sadness, the ending provides a glimmer of hope and I loved that. I highly recommend this book. But it is not a light read it is gripping.
Slip by Victoria Browne
I have decided that I much prefer short stories and novellas or short reads to epic novels. Yesterday I read two short reads in the garden and it was a satisfying lovely experience! I am a convert.
Review - Slip by Victoria Brown
This is a lovely read about friendship, family, and regrets. I really enjoyed it and it has those "make you think" moments that everyone craves in a book.
Extract - Tilting, A Memoir by Nicole Harkin
I am so excited to offer an extract from Tilting a Memoir on Six Tinder Weeks..... What do you think when you read it?
Is he or isn't he having an affair? This book looks lovely and emotional. I passed on reviewing it this time but the next novel set in Berlin, I really look forward to reading.
Tilting, A Memoir
We only learned about our father's girlfriend after he became deathly ill and lay in a coma 120 miles from our home.
Overhearing the nurse tell Linda--since I was nine I had called my mom by her first name--about the girlfriend who came in almost every day to visit him when we weren't there confirmed that the last moment of normal had passed us by without our realizing it. Up to then our family had unhappily coexisted with Dad flying jumbo jets to Asia while we lived in Montana. We finally came together to see Dad through his illness, but he was once again absent from a major family event--unable to join us from his comatose state. This is the moment when our normal existence tilted.
Dad recovered, but the marriage ailed, as did Linda, with cancer. Our family began to move down an entirely different path with silver linings we wouldn't see for many years.
In this candid and compassionate memoir which recently won a Gold Award in The Wishing Shelf Book Award, Nicole Harkin describes with an Impressionist's fine eye the evolution of a family that is quirky, independent, uniquely supportive, peculiarly loving and, most of all, marvelously human.
Purchase Links
https://www.amazon.com/Tilting-Memoir-Nicole-Harkin/dp/1612968929/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tilting-nicole-harkin/1126555336?ean=9781612968926
Book Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO1niSUWsuA
Author Bio ���
Nicole Harkin currently resides in Washington, DC with her husband and two small children. She works as a writer and family photographer. As a Fulbright Scholar during law school, Nicole lived in Berlin, Germany where she studied German environmentalism. Her work can be found in Thought Collection and you are here: The Journal of Creative Geography. She is currently working on mystery set in Berlin. Her photography can be seen at www.nicoleharkin.com.
Social Media Links ���
https://www.facebook.com/tiltingamemoir/
https://www.instagram.com/tiltingamemoir/
https://twitter.com/harkinna?lang=en
EXTRACT for Six Tinder Weeks
1988, Montana
���MOTHER, I found a piece of black hair in Jack���s luggage,��� Linda said to Gram. They were talking in the laundry room, around the corner from the hallway to our bedrooms. I stopped in my tracks and sat down on the steps knowing through some sense of Linda���s tone that this was a conversation that would stop if either knew I was eavesdropping.
���Maybe it���s from the dry cleaners,��� Gram replied.
���I don���t think so,��� said Linda.
���What are you going to do about it?��� asked Gram.
���I don���t know.���
The subject was changed, but I understood what the hair implied. I just had no idea how to process this information.
���Well, what do you think?��� asked my new friend Jenny.
Since we had moved to Montana, Jenny and I had quickly become inseparable.
���Does that mean they���ll get divorced? Why would Dad do this?��� I asked.
���What are you going to do?��� she asked.
���I guess I could ask him,��� I said.
When Linda and Dad were first married Dad had made some off-hand criticism about the way in which Linda did the laundry and she never did his laundry again. Linda could be that consequential.
After that Dad took his clothes to the dry cleaner so his pants always had a lightly starched crease in them. Like the pillows running down the middle of their bed, this arrangement never struck me as odd.
Why had Linda even been looking in his bags, then? Had she felt generous and was for once cleaning his laundry for him? Or, was she suspicious and looking for proof of her suspicions?
I went downstairs full of bravado. He sat at his credenza reading his mail. The windowless office was in the back basement of the house. The room, rectangular in shape, had large built-in cabinets made out of blond wood at both ends of the room.
���Dad, are you having an affair?���
���Now, Nicole, why would you ask me that?��� His voice had a touch of laughter, almost conspiratorial in nature.
���Mom found a black hair in your luggage.��� He looked up at me. ���Are you?��� I asked.
���No.���
���You���re lying.���
Dad���s face turned red and he jumped up.
���I am not a liar. I have never lied to you. Don���t ever call me a liar again if you want to keep living in my house,��� he yelled.
Yelling was generally Linda���s purview. I backed out of the room, but he followed me as I walked away. He had never said anything like this to me before. I ran upstairs crying but I was somehow relieved. He wasn���t having an affair. I believed him because of the fervor he had shown
June 20, 2018
Review The Cottage on Lily Pond Lane - by Emily Harvale
#LilyPondLane
The Cottage on Lily Pond Lane
New Beginnings
Mia Ward is amazed to be told she has inherited her great-aunt Matilda���s thatched cottage in the tiny seaside village of Little Pondale ��� especially as Mia didn���t know she had a great-aunt Matilda.
She���s even more astonished to discover she���ll only inherit the place if she actually lives there for one year. Mia���s a city girl at heart, not to mention she���s afraid of water, so the fact the cottage backs on to a sandy beach, is not, in her opinion, a bonus.
But Mia���s struggling to pay her rent since being fired for inappropriate behaviour at the office party, and her boyfriend���s also dumped her. When her best friend, Ella and Ella���s brother, Garrick offer to help her move and settle in, Mia decides to see this as a new beginning.
It may also be the start of an exciting adventure because now Mia wants to know just who, exactly, was great-aunt Matilda. And she���s determined to find out. But it soon becomes clear that someone is trying to make sure Mia doesn���t stay in Little Pondale���.
Purchase link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07CQQ1YJ5
Author Bio ���
Having lived and worked in London for several years, Emily returned to her home town of Hastings where she now spends her days writing... and chatting on social media. Emily is a Member of the SoA, a PAN member of the RWA and a Pro Member of ALLi. She's an Amazon bestseller and a Kindle All Star. Emily loves writing and her stories are sure to bring a smile to your face and a warmth to your heart.
Emily says, "I write about friendship, family and falling in love. I believe in happing endings." When she isn't writing, she can be found enjoying the stunning East Sussex coast and countryside, or in a wine bar with friends, discussing life, love and the latest TV shows. Chocolate cake is often eaten. She dislikes housework almost as much as she dislikes anchovies - and will do anything to avoid both.
Social Media Links ��� https://www.facebook.com/emilyharvalewriter
https://www.twitter.com/emilyharvale
https://www.instagram.com/emilyharvale
My Review The Cottage on Lily Pond Lane-Part One: New beginnings
June 21st Review
Dumped and caught with her knickers down! I love the way the book starts. Mia is a fun and a bit risky. She is extremely down on her luck when she inherits a home!
The Good
What a fun read. I literally didn't put it down and read it after the gym and sauna! If you have ever been to the sauna in Germany, you will understand why laughing out loud is not the best thing you can do, but I did giggle my way through this book!
The Bad
The good bad is the way the book builds on intrigue.
1. Why does Mia have to stay in the house for a year before she gets all the $$$
2. Why are there so many single men?
3. Why was one of the doors always locked and what was Matilda's secret?
The Ugly
Not a lot of ugly. The three characters moving in at the start is fun. I like that they are all together and Mia has the hots for her best friends bro.... oooohhhh I might be giving away too much... so I will stop there.
I really enjoyed part one of this book!!
5 Stars - I read this as part of a blog tour
Blog Spotlight and #giveaway - The Flowerpot Witch by Wendy Steele
We are excited to be part of this blog tour with Rachel's Random Resources!
The Flowerpot Witch (A Wendy Woo Witch Lit Novel Book 3)
Lizzie Martin has chosen pottery to be her new career���
But the teacher from hell threatens to thwart her ambitions before she starts.
She has support from her best friend Louise and Evan, another pottery tutor, but Rowan, her fifteen year old daughter is restless, Josh, her ex-husband is colluding with her aunt and though her mother is alive, access to her is forbidden. When The Morrigan appears in her sacred circle, Lizzie knows she has a battle on her hands.
There is hope though.
Stardust the chicken brings a new creature into Lizzie���s life and a long awaited meeting with her Aunt Matilda brings Lizzie���s past into perspective.
Lizzie���s magic ventures beyond The Sanctuary, into the Welsh landscape and the realms of the fae.
BUY!
Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flowerpot-Witch-Wendy-Lizzie-Martin-ebook/dp/B07DDK3BYW/ref
Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/Flowerpot-Witch-Wendy-Lizzie-Martin-ebook/dp/B07DDK3BYW/ref
Author Bio ���
Wendy Steele is author, wise woman, goddess. She is writer, dance teacher, mother and healer.
Her passion is magic.
���The Lilith Trilogy��� leads the reader along the paths of the witches Qabalah, following Angel Parson���s story of betrayal, retribution and redemption. Her magical story contains high magic as well as pagan ritual.
���The Standing Stone Book Series��� focuses on the lives of three women linked together across time and space by the standing stone. The countryside is the focus of their magic, embracing the gods and goddesses, tree spirits, elves and fairies.
Her latest series, The Wendy Woo Witch Lit Series, begins with The Naked Witch. Lizzie Martin, receptionist, single mother and witch, is asked by her new boss to conform and embrace the corporate dress code. The reality of paisley to pin stripe, an unexpected stay in hospital, monitoring of her fourteen year old daughter���s latest crush, the search for the truth about her father���s death and two new men in her life, give Lizzie plenty of plates to spin. In the Orphan Witch, Lizzie is grieving while trying to find her real mother and the truth about her father and in the third book, The Flowerpot Witch, due to be published on 21st June, she embarks on a new career, thwarted at every step by those around her.
You can hear Wendy telling her short stories in Pan���s Grotto on her Welsh riverbank, on her YouTube channel, The Phoenix and the Dragon.
Wendy���s non-fiction title ���Wendy Woo���s Year ��� A Pocketful of Smiles��� offers the reader 101 ideas to bring a smile to every day.
Wendy lives in Wales with her partner, Mike, and cats. If she���s not writing or teaching dance, you���ll find her renovating her house, clearing her land or sitting on her riverbank, breathing in the beauty of nature.
Social Media Links ���
Website: www.wendysteele.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WendyWooauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/destinyofangelsnovel/?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/WendyWooBooks
https://www.facebook.com/TheStandingStone
Amazon author: http://www.amazon.com/Wendy-Steele/e/B007VZ1P06/ref
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wendy-Steele/e/B007VZ1P06/ref
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view...
Goodreads author: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6548666.Wendy_Steele
YouTube channel: The Phoenix and the Dragon
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw3ee9CuNdek9ZC1Im8I_iA
Giveaway ��� Win 3 x Paperback copies of The Flowerpot Witch (Open Internationally)
*Terms and Conditions ���Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners��� information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
June 19, 2018
Review - The Hanging Women by John Mead
The Hanging Women
A historical crime thriller set in 1886 Chicago; the power house of America, a sink of corruption and vice which is haunted by riots and gangland killings. A story of weak men and strong women.
Jack Stevens discovers the bodies of two women, Philomena Blackstaff and Mary Walsh, tied together and hung by their ankles in a position resembling the symbol for treachery as depicted on tarot cards. Though retired and now wealthy, Stevens is an ex-sheriff and involves himself in the subsequent investigation.
As a result of Jack `stealing' Philomena's diary and his association with the Pinkerton detective agency, it is discovered that Mary Walsh worked undercover for the Pinkertons, investigating the Knights of Labour (the fastest growing workers' rights movements in America of the late 1800's). The women had been working together, tracing the man who was selling guns and dynamite to the more extremest factions of the workers movement. This led them to Ruby's, a secret `nightclub for deviants', where Stevens and Inspector O'Leary believe the pair fell foul of the man they were looking for, gang leader Joseph Mannheim.
With the May 4th Haymarket riots and bombings looming, Stevens must uncover the truth about The Hanging Women before it's too late.
Purchase Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hanging-Women-John-Mead/dp/1912362058
Author Bio ���
John was born in the mid-fifties in Dagenham, London, on part of the largest council estate ever built, and was the first pupil from his local secondary modern school to attend university. He has now taken early retirement to write, having spent the first part of his life working in education and the public sector. He was the director of a college, a senior school inspector for a local authority, and was head of a unit for young people with physical and mental health needs. When he is not travelling, going to the theatre or the pub, he writes.
His inspiration for his debut novel came whilst attending a lecture in Denver about the history of the American midwest, describing a time and place that was very different from that espoused by popular culture, which started him thinking this would make a excellent period in which to set a crime story.
His book describes how Chicago was a prototype of much that we consider both good and bad in the current age, it had a vibrancy and decadence that allowed a few enterprising individuals to prosper whilst violence and intolerance held back many others. The situation for some African Americans and women was improving but it was still a time when to be anything other than white and male made you a second class citizen. The city was the manufacturing and transport hub of America, the vast influx of immigrants swelling its already booming population brought great wealth but also corruption and criminality. The midwest and Chicago typified a way of life, the ���gun culture��� which is a euphemism for individualism, from which much of modern American social values have grown.
John is currently working on a trilogy of novels set in modern day London. These police procedurals examine the darker side of modern life in the East End of the city: a Whitechapel noir.
Social Media Links ���
https://twitter.com/JohnMeadAuthor
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17891273.John_Mead
https://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Mead/e/B07B8SQ2ZH/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1
My Review - The Hanging Women by John Mead
When you read this book you will enter into a world of street crime, gangs, payback and confusion to who actually is the law.
I am not sure if it was supposed to but this book reminded me of the Film Noir. Drunk, A-type detective solving mysteries even though he isn't really in the law anymore.
The Good
The idea of finding the bodies in the sign of the tarot cards was brilliant. I am a hobby tarot card reader and I tell you - that was the hook I needed to enjoy this book. Kitty also had the powerful Wheel of Fortune card tattoo and I loved the references and connection in this book. The fact that Mary who died was undercover and that came out in the form of another narrative - adding weight to the story. This was good as Jack drunk a lot, I am also not sure that I liked him!
The Bad
There were a lot of people in this book and chapters are quite long. With the diary entries and then the Labour Knights - I did get a bit lost in the middle. But it all came together at the end. I expect that is due to the fact that I used to read chicklit and not historic detective fiction!
The Ugly
I never knew that I would like or even enjoy historic crime. There was a lot going on in this with the bodies, the detective under the spotlight, the wife, gangs. Getting to know what happened to the women, was written well in a back drop of mayhem.
4.5 Stars - I read this as part of a blog tour!
June 18, 2018
The Council (The Witch's Ambitions Trilogy Book 1) by Kayla Krantz
The Council (The Witch's Ambitions Trilogy Book 1)
by Kayla Krantz
This is a novel for young adults but I chose it based on the fact I loved the Worst Witch growing up. But let me start, this book is nothing like the Worst Witch!
The Good
The story of this book was decent, compelling and mysterious. The types of witches, the covens being forced into the coven and being burnt alive - drew me in.
The Bad
This Council was the first part of a trilogy so it is setting a scene. I found parts of the book very slow and tedious at times. For example with The Sage and Crowe - the first time that they met.
The Ugly
I have to remember that I am a mom of two and not a YA audience. So, I need to review this from a younger perspective. So if I was 17-20 I would like this because of
- Clio - relationship
- Equipped and the intrigue of the covens
- Crowe - quite liked him!
- Mystery.
The last few chapters were definitely fast and hooked me to the end. Cliffhanger is weakened by the first chapter of the next book. But what a brilliant end. I enjoyed that.
4 Stars
June 11, 2018
Review - The Ice Queen by B L Miller
My Review - The Ice Queen by B L Miller
I loved the cover of this books and was immediately drawn to it. The touch of the Prada handbag through the whole novel was also a nice touch!
The Good
The story and premise behind this book were well thought out. I enjoyed much of the book and read it all in one sitting this morning.
The Bad
Adding the Fifty Shades and Dragon Tattoo elements were fun as I have read both books. I adore the second book and have actually read it several times! The difference between this book and the others though is that the author "told" most of this story. There was little use for imagination as much of the story was explained. This made the book dull in places, especially around the funeral scenes, office scenes and Ruth scenes.
The Ugly
What happened, the rape, two identities etc. All of this is ugly but the storyline of this book was clever. I enjoyed it! However, because it was too looooonnnnnggg in some places I am giving it 3.7 mysterious stars that will be rounded off to 4!
June 10, 2018
#free #giveaway of my Kindle books Moms with Secrets and The Forever Night Stand
If you love quirky books or books that will make you laugh out loud?
Well, that seems to be my unique style!
Reviewers/bloggers have called my writing "unique, different and original." So why don't you check it out?
Two of my books are currently free - The Forever Night Stand and my latest - Moms with Secrets - The Tea Bag Drug Company
Please take advantage of this special offer and download today!
Saving Paludis by Clayton Graham
���Saving Paludis��� by Clayton Graham
Over one hundred and forty light years from Earth, Paludis sits in the Pisces constellation, on the frontier of human exploration. It is verdant and beautiful ��� a world to be treasured. It has also been scarred by wars of colonization.
In the year AD 3989, human invaders control the planet and have done so for hundreds of years. Paludis is the planet's Earth name; the indigenous population, reptilian in nature, call their home Musk.
The Muskans are now restricted to a remote peninsula in the north-east of the main continent. The humans have taught the aliens their language and some of their ways, but the Muskans prefer the traditions of their ancestors. Or do they?
So what can go wrong? Well, quite a lot actually.
Mankind maintains a tentative footprint on this world, surviving on the proceeds of bauxite mining, with most living a hand-to-mouth existence. But when scientists from Paludis share a technological breakthrough with the Earth authorities, peace swiftly escalates to conflict.
Stefan Lattanzis never expected Paludis to become a battlefield, nor Earth for that matter. To try and save his home world, Stefan must team with two strangers, a botanist, Clare Cavanna, and mysterious seer Serpentine. As embattled factions vie for control of the universe, the trio must trust in each other to keep the new technology from ripping time and space apart.
���Saving Paludis��� is not just an interstellar war novel. It reflects human nature in all its extremes: hate, jealousy, control, love and sacrifice. And what about the aliens ��� do they share these traits? In some ways yes, in others no. They are, after all, alien. But retribution is high on their agenda; an overwhelming desire to regain their planet. Quite how they attempt to do that must remain a secret!
If you like futuristic technology, alien political intrigue, and high-octane, paranormal action, then you���ll love this electrifying interstellar adventure!
I invite you to enter deep space, use the Einstein-Rosen bridges, and touch down on Paludis. Join Stefan and his friends to help save their world. You���ll love it!
Find ���Saving Paludis��� at: https://amzn.to/2KU029b
For more on Clayton Graham and his books, visit his website https://claytongraham.com.au/ and follow him on Facebook and Twitter. You can also join him on Goodreads.
https://www.facebook.com/claytongrahamauthor/
https://twitter.com/CGrahamSciFi
