Sydney Winward's Blog, page 17
July 2, 2020
Book Review of Highwayman’s Mail Order Bride by Blythe Carver
My review
As I was reading this, I couldn’t help but wonder how a happily ever after could possibly work out for a highwayman and an already married woman. Both were doing despicable things for good reasons, and I wasn’t sure I would end up liking either one of them. However, I came to really like the characters, and I hoped for them to have a HEA.
This book was intriguing from the get-go, with seamless writing and detailed descriptions that kept me turning page after page. I really enjoyed this! It definitely won’t be my last from this author.
My rating: 4.5 stars
Favorite Quote
She jerked herself into a ball for protection, bringing her knees up and jerking on the rope some as she drew her hands to her chest.
The rope jerked back.
That insufferable man.
She jerked harder this time, her teeth set in determination.
He all but pulled her onto her back.
Blurb
The last thing a mail order bride needs is a highwayman’s intervention in the form of a stagecoach robbery. Especially when time is of the essence and she needs a father for her baby. Preferably before she begins to show.
When Melissa married John Carter because her family couldn’t afford to feed her, she had no idea of the cruelty of the man. John Carter beats her mercilessly and makes her life a living hell.
After seeing an ad in the paper for paid passage westward, she answers the ad in the hopes to use the ticket to escape John Carter.
She gets on a coach from Boston, heading west, with no money, and needing a roof over her head. Not just for herself, but for the baby she’s carrying, a baby she has to save from John Carter’s cruelty. Expecting a baby has changed the stakes for Melissa. She must provide a safe and loving home for the child. Time if of the essence if she is to marry in time to convince her new husband that the baby she’ll give birth to is his.
A stagecoach robbery is a deterrent she did not count on, nor need. When the robbers learn her husband is a wealthy rancher, she’s taken hostage, costing her precious time in a plan that hinges on timeliness.
She hates the leader of the highwaymen. Hates him with a passion and is beyond angry that the time is ticking while he negotiates her ransom.
Jed Cunningham’s a highwayman, certainly, but one with honor. And a heart, it seems. He can’t stand the idea of sending the stunning feisty Melissa Carter to marry a rich rancher. She’s precisely the kind of woman who needs to be loved.
But she doesn’t seem to see that.
July 1, 2020
The Last Place I Traveled to and Why
Okay, I’m going to cheat here a little bit. I rarely travel, so I’d say my FAVORITE place I’ve traveled to in the past 5 years has been Ketchikan, Alaska. This place struck a chord in my heart, creating a love for the ocean. I worked in Ketchikan in the summer on the docks, cleaning fish for people who stayed at the lodge.
Cruise ships came in all the time, and they were astoundingly HUGE! The entire one-road city was beautiful. Green, cloudy, with freezing water that just might kill you if you stay in it too long lol! Here are a few pictures from the summer.
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Book Trailer for Bloodbond
Only a month until release day! I had so much fun writing Bloodbond, because I just adore Zachariah Degore. After being bitten by a vampire, he has lived in the darkness for ten years, trapped in an underground cell, never seeing the light of day. He has to learn what it means to be healthy and whole again, while trying his hardest to control feral urges in his vampire state.
When he meets Laurel Covaci, he is struck dumb. There is nothing in the world he wants more than her attention. It’s a shame she takes great pains to avoid him.
Can he win her favor? Can he prove that his feralness doesn’t define him?
June 28, 2020
Book Review of The Sword Unsheathed by Judith Sterling
My Review
When Ashling’s old feelings are stirred for both Aengus and Lorcan, will history repeat itself?
The Sword Unsheathed continues to weave magic and intrigue into the Guardians of Erin series. The more I learn about each character, the more I like them. As Kian’s power grows, we get a glimpse into everyone’s past lives, which further adds to and enriches the story.
Great writing, vivid details, and an intriguing story line. Looking forward to the next in the series!
My rating: 4 stars
Favorite Quote
We descended to the spacious entrance hall. Brigit Breasal’s long, red hair flowed loose and free as she paced from one classical statue to another. Kian and Conall played an intense game of rock-paper-scissors; goodness (edited) knew why, but they meant business.
Blurb
Ashling Donoghue is no closer to finding her parents than she was the night they disappeared. But hope returns as her brother Kian channels the Sword of Light, revealing past-life secrets and truths long suppressed.
The more she learns, the greater she fears the darkness that drowns the Netherworld also drives her. Is Aengus her true love, or is it Lorcan? Does her future wait in shadow or the light?
One point is clear: the threads of her past-self are woven inextricably into the tapestry of her soul. An impossible choice looms before her, and all the while, evil is poised to strike.
June 26, 2020
Book Review of Secondhand Cowboy by Lacy Williams
My Review
What if you got a second chance to be with the love of your life? Would you take it?
I loved loved loved this book. So many feels. So many laughs. This was a well-rounded and well-written story that had me feeling everything ranging from happiness to heartache. I loved the characters, the setting, and I especially loved how it ended.
As a parent of a toddler, I related to this book in ways that had me laughing so hard. Oh, how many times has my son puked all over me without warning? Or battled me about taking a bath, only to not want to get out of the tub after?
I seriously loved this book. Highly recommend!
My rating: 5 stars
Favorite Quote
She’d prepared a snack in the kitchen while the boys had bounced on the bed, telling him every single thought that’d crossed their minds since breakfast. A ladybug they’d seen outside. What color Iris’s favorite horse was. The size of the booger Brandt had pulled from his nose. And then eaten.
They filled up his heart. Had from the moment he’d held them in his arms in a tiny rural hospital.
Blurb
She’s everything they told him he couldn’t have.
She’s the only thing that makes him whole.
He’s going back to Sutter’s Hollow? Bad idea.
Never show weakness. Callum’s childhood mantra is back in play as fate sends the bull rider back to his hometown. Ten years ago, he was run out of town under a cloud of suspicion. But he’s not a banged-up foster kid anymore. He only wants one thing: to prove he’s not the trailer trash they said he was.
Fate must be laughing. Iris was supposed to escape the small town life and have a ballet career on stage in NYC. But family issues kept her home long enough for opportunity to pass her by and now she’s going nowhere, fast. She’s blindsided when she comes face-to-face with the boy who walked away from her and broke every promise. Callum hasn’t changed from the boy she remembers. He’s just better at hiding his scars.
June 25, 2020
Book Review of Conscious in Wonderland by Steven Heumann
My Review
What would happen if we were able to control our unconsciousness? What kind of people would we become if we could choose every aspect of our unconscious lives from what we looked like, where we lived, and what we wore? If we could access other people’s thoughts and emotions, how would that change us?
Although just a short story, Conscious in Wonderland is very well written, packed full of incredible details and concepts that make the reader stop to ponder their meaning. Do we truly understand our own minds? This story makes you wonder how much we don’t understand about ourselves in our own subconscious. Compelling and thought-provoking. I enjoyed it!
My rating: 5 stars
Blurb
It’s time for a hit from a cognitive crack pipe.
When Alice joins her boyfriend’s university experiment in shared consciousness, she discovers a world where thoughts are reality and concepts are smells. Her scientific brain is soon overwhelmed by the presence of other people, some dreaming, others hunting.
Can she escape, or will her desire for knowledge be crushed beneath the drug-rush from a sea of emotions?
And that’s before her boyfriend throws his mind into the mix.’
A Character Interview with Isis Rivera From The Witches of Vegas
Sydney: Welcome. To start, why don’t you tell us your name, age and a little bit
about yourself.
Isis: Hi, my name is Isis Flores Rivera and I’m fifteen years old. This is my first time
being interviewed, so please forgive me if I’m a little nervous. I’m also a member of The
Witches of Vegas, the number one magic show on the Las Vegas strip. Well, I haven’t
actually performed with them yet, but I get to practice on the stage when the theater is
empty. They promised me that my time is coming soon. I’ve been with them since I was
nine.
Um, okay, I’m going to tell you a secret and I need you to promise not to tell anyone
okay? The truth is, I really am a witch. The others are too. We use the show to practice
our witchcraft. It keeps us strong, and we need to be. According to Luther—he’s their
mentor, he’s also a five-hundred-year-old vampire—there’s a threat coming that we may
need to fight. I don’t know what that is, but he’s been getting witches ready for it long
before any of us were ever born. We’re just the latest group of witches he’s getting ready
in case the threat comes.
Sydney: How would you describe your childhood before The Witches of Vegas took you in?
Isis: (head drops) To be honest…it wasn’t all that great. I was born in the Bronx in New
York. My mom died when I was five…I don’t really remember her that well. I never
knew my dad. My grandma raised me until I was eight, but then she got sick and I was
put into foster care. I was in my last foster home for a while. I really wanted them to like
me, but I always had the feeling that they didn’t think much of me.
Things got really bad when I turned nine and I realized I could do things, like make fire
and move stuff with my mind. I didn’t know how I could do that, just that I could. My
foster family and all their neighbors found out. When they saw it, they all thought I was
possessed by the devil. They beat me, tried to drown me and kept me locked in a
basement for days without food. When I escaped and tried to run, they chased me down
and tried to set me on fire. That’s when Sebastian, the leader of the witches’ coven—this
was all before they became The Witches of Vegas—rescued me and took me into his
family. He sensed my connection and came to investigate. It was just in time, too.
Sydney: How do you get along with the other members of The Witches of Vegas?
Isis: I love them all so much. Selena Quinn and Sebastian Santell are like my mom and
dad. They’ve been teaching me and taking care of me since I’ve been with them. I
haven’t called them “mom and dad” yet. That’s because the last people I called by those
names tried to set me on fire. But I do feel close enough with Selena and Sebastian that I
think I can call them that. I know they see me as their daughter. I’m just waiting for the
right time to try it out. Does that make sense?
Selena’s younger sister, Sacha, is like the coolest aunt anyone could ever have. She’s a
lot of fun and maybe a little bit crazy. Luther, well, he can be a bit of a jerk sometimes.
He likes to tell me that I’m “too immature and unfocused to be a witch.” But he also says
it to the others and they’re all adults so I shouldn’t take it personally. I guess to someone
who is five hundred years old, everyone is immature, right?
Sydney: How did The Witches of Vegas become “The Witches of Vegas?”
Isis: Right after they rescued me, Sebastian found out about a hotel here in Las Vegas
that was looking for a new magic act for their theater. He came up with the idea of saying
they were a magic team and using their powers on stage. Witches can do a lot, including
levitating, teleporting and creating illusions. They put on a great show. The general
manager hired them immediately. We’ve lived in a suite in The Sapphire Resort ever
since. For the last six years, every show is sold out.
Sydney: I must say, you’ve certainly been through a lot at such a young age. What do you consider the most important event of your life so far?
Isis: That’s easy, it was when Sebastian rescued me. I was nine years old and sitting on
the street, surrounded by my foster family, their friends and neighbors. They had knives,
baseball bats and other weapons. My foster dad had a gun pointed at me and my mom had
rolled up newspaper she lit on fire. All I had was a broken arm and a swollen eye I
couldn’t see out of. They all kept saying I had the devil in me, and they had to burn it out
of me for my own good. They didn’t know that I was a witch. I didn’t know either. I
thought I was going to die that night.
That’s when a huge red dragon walked down the street and scared them all away. Now I
thought my death would come from getting stepped on by this huge dragon. But then it
turned into a puff of smoke and Sebastian was standing there. He explained to me about
witches, healed my arm and face with his mind, then invited me to join his coven…which
is also his family.
Sydney: How does someone become a witch? And is it easy being one?
Isis: Hmm, let me explain it the way Sebastian explained it to me. The world is
surrounded by energy. It’s in the air, it’s in the ground, it’s in the space around us all the
time. It makes up everything. Some people can tap into it, like psychics or mothers who
lift cars off their children. But some people find out that they can tap into it on purpose.
That’s what makes us witches. That was the first thing he told me that day and I never
forgot it.
Is being a witch easy? No. The more connected we are with the energy, the more we have
to learn to control it. The Witches of Vegas tell me I’m really connected, maybe more
than any other witch before. That’s why they’re always training me. I’m learning, but so
far, my control isn’t great. I’m working on it.
Sydney: Last question, have you ever been in a romantic relationship?
Isis: You mean with a boy? (blushes) No, not yet. I don’t really spend a lot of time with
anyone my age. I don’t leave the property a lot. I don’t even go to school. They teach me
during the day in our suite. But I hope to meet someone someday, someone who
understands me, someone who is bit different like me. I’m sure he’s out there somewhere
and I’ll meet him someday soon. Let’s hope he doesn’t mind that I can turn him into a
frog. Um, that was just a joke, witches can’t really turn people into frogs.
Sydney: Well, this was certainly an interesting story, Isis. And I see you are truly into your stage characters. I’m sure we all wish we could really be witches. Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Isis: I know it sounds kind of crazy, but it’s my life.
[Isis raises her right hand. The pen leaves the interviewer’s hand and floats across the
room towards Isis, who plucks it from the air.]
Sydney: …
Isis: Oh, one more thing, I just want to ask again, to anyone who may read this interview,
please, don’t tell anyone that we’re real witches. It’s a secret. If my coven finds out I
blabbed, they’ll be really upset with me. Thank you.
Blurb for The Witches of Vegas
Where can Witches and their vampire mentor practice their powers without being discovered or persecuted? By using their magic,
The Witches of Vegas become the number one act on the Las Vegas Strip—a great achievement for them, but not so much for the local magicians—who can’t possibly keep pace.
Isis Rivera is the adopted fifteen-year old daughter of The Witches of Vegas. Zack Galloway is the teenage nephew and assistant to the last magician left in the city, The Amazing Herb Galloway. Although they should be rivals, when Valeria, a four-hundred-year-old witch with a long-seeded grudge against humanity arrives in Sin-City, both teens must bring their families together to stop the evil hag in her plans.
But can the power of the witches and the ingenuity of the magicians be enough to stop Valeria from taking over the city and possibly the world?
Author Bio
Mark Rosendorf is a high school guidance counselor in the New York City Department of Education’s Special Education district. He is also a former professional magician. Mark shares his knowledge of magic with his students as part of the school’s Performing Arts program. He uses stage magic to help teach teamwork and build confidence in his students.
Mark is also credited with published novels in various genres including The Rasner Effect series. He eventually decided on an early retirement from writing. When asked why, Mark’s usual answer was because he lost his favorite pen.
Then, one night, at two a.m., a new and unique story shot into his brain like a lightning bolt, screaming for him to write it. Suddenly, despite the decision to never write again, Mark found himself spending several nights taking notes on the characters and their stories. That is how The Witches of Vegas was born and is now on these pages.
This is Mark’s first young adult novel.
June 24, 2020
One Scoop or Two: Rainbow Sprinkles
Hi Sydney, thank you for inviting me here today to talk about my latest release, Rainbow Sprinkles. This novella is part of my publisher, Wild Rose Press’s summer series called One Scoop or Two.
Rainbow Sprinkles is something close to my heart. As a former owner of a small restaurant and ice cream shop, it was a perfect match. It deals with a second chance at romance. The main characters Gloriana Jones and Nathan James, both lost their spouses. They are now ‘seasoned’ adults and dealing with the concerns of meeting and dating someone after many years. Guilt, self-esteem, and worry about how things work now.
They get a little otherworldly help along with two drooly Bassett Hounds. I hope your followers will enjoy an uplifting story, whether at the beach, lake, their backyard or nearby park.
Blurb
After the storm come the rainbows.
Retired and widowed Gloriana Jones is forging on with the plans she and her late husband dreamed of—bringing joy and happiness, one ice cream cone at a time, to Lake Unami. But bad weather is drowning her dream. A trip to Upstate NY is bittersweet for Nathan James. He is excited to see his first granddaughter but without his wife he’s lonely. When his car breaks down, he heads to the only light he can see, an ice cream shop. With aid from a heavenly source, electricity sparks, but will the two weather the summer storms and find love a second time? Or will their hopes and dreams melt away?
Excerpt
“Do you mind if I wait until the tow truck gets here?” He plucked the wet shirt away from his chest with the long fingers of one tanned hand. “It must be electrical, even the radio stopped working.”
“No, you’re welcome to hang around as long as you need.” Gloriana riffled through a cardboard box under the counter, pulled out an extra-large t-shirt, and tossed it to him. “Here you go. The restroom is through there.”
Mr. Gorgeous beamed a perfect toothy smile. “Thanks. I’ll be right back.”
When he disappeared into the hallway, and the door clicked shut, Gloriana fanned her face. What the hot fudge was wrong with her? “Coffee. Make coffee.”
About the Author
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Hi, my name is D. V. Stone. I am a multi-genre author of two independently published books. Felice, Shield-Mates of Dar is a fantasy romance. Agent Sam Carter and the Mystery at Branch Lake is a mid-grade paranormal. Recently, Rock House Grill was released by Wild Rose Press. I also host Welcome to the Campfire and A Peek Through the Window, both weekly blogs. Here’s a little more about me.
Born in Brooklyn, D.V. Stone has moved around a bit and even lived for a time on a dairy farm in Minnesota before moving back east. Throughout her wandering, she always considered herself a Jersey Girl. She met and married the love of her life, Pete—a lifelong Jersey Man, and moved this time to Sussex County. They live with Hali, a mixed breed from the local shelter and their cat Baby.
Buy Links
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ iBook’s ~ Google Books
You can find out more about D. V. by following her on Social Media
Website ~ Amazon Author Page ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram
Pinterest ~ Bookbub ~ Goodreads ~ Newsletter
Blogs
My Go-to Book or Movie for a Pick-me-up
Go-to Books
Whenever I need a quick pick-me-up, a romantic comedy always does the trick. It looks like my selections are all historical romances as well. Friends and Foes, and Edenbrooke both had me busting a gut laughing. Marrying Christopher is funny, but a little more on the serious side. I’ve just really wanted to reread it lately!
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Go-to Movies/tv Shows
When I need a pick-me-up, I need to laugh. These three do the trick for me. They nearly have me rolling on the floor laughing. Though my husband probably wouldn’t agree for himself. Our sense of humor definitely doesn’t match!
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June 23, 2020
Book Review of The Stone Awakened by Judith Sterling
My Review
How mixed my feelings are between Lorcan and Aengus! The author does an incredible job at making the reader care about both characters and like certain characteristics that one has that the other might not have. While Aengus is protective and keeps his secrets, Lorcan is more easygoing and upfront. I can feel Aengus’s hope on every page as he learns to trust Ashling, and the pain of his broken heart when he feels he is betrayed. Wonderfully written, intriguing story, and easy to get invested in the characters.
And what’s going on with Bridget and Greagoir? Are we getting their story too? 
