Tara Chevrestt's Blog, page 143

Ride for Rights is on Amazon

Blurb: In the summer of 1916 women do not have the right to vote, let alone be motorcycle dispatch riders. Two sisters, Angeline and Adelaide Hanson are determined to prove to the world that not only are women capable of riding motorbikes, but they can ride motorbikes across the United States. Alone. 


From a dance hall in Chicago to a jail cell in Dodge City, love and trouble both follow Angeline and Adelaide on the dirt roads across the United States. The sisters shout their triumph from Pike's Peak only to end up lost in the Salt Lake desert. 


Will they make it to their goal of Los Angeles or will too many mishaps prevent them from reaching their destination and thus, hinder their desire to prove that women can do it?

Besides being on MuseItUp Publishing Website, Ride for Rights is also available on Amazon today. Just letting you all know. :)

Valentine Delights: Kiss Me Anthology from Still Moments Publishing

This is an anthology of three short stories just in time for Valentine's Day.

First up, is The 14 Days of Valentines by Maggie Devine. 

A woman lawyer suddenly gets a secret admirer who sends her expensive gifts everyday starting Feb 1 till Valentine's Day when she's supposed to don her new dress, earrings, and bracelet and meet her potential suitor for a fancy dinner. Who is the man? Is her boss, John, who has been trying to convince her for some time that they would be good together? Or is it HIS boss whose she's had HER eyes on, but is otherwise taken? Or is it that man upstairs who just wants to bed her?


Liked: I honestly didn't know who it was till it was revealed. Common sense kept telling me it was the guy she wanted it to be, BUT there were enough doubts in the story to keep me on my toes. I started questioning the happily ever after and who it may be with.


Didn't like: The abrupt ending. And no, it has nothing to do with it being a shortie. I love shorties. I just didn't feel the connection required btw these two, who have never dated before, but are suddenly planning to have sex and live together. Relationships don't build to that level without some dating. 


Second up, Love's Fortune by Nicole Zoltack. 
Woman loses job, is walking the street, when she's offered another job...at the circus! That's pretty cool! So she takes the job as a fortune teller, meets a shape shifting lion, and kinda learns some stuff from her new job: such as, she needs to practice what she preaches.


Liked: The way she makes a widowed woman feel better about moving on.. the way she tells a man that the only reason he hasn't found love is because he's shut himself off, basically. He's preventing himself from finding love. In the process, the heroine realizes she's doing the same thing. Real sweet moral there.


Didn't like: Fail to see how the shape shifting really moved anything along. Or them wanting her to be a witch. The shape shifting, except for him saving her life, didn't mean anything.


Third, The Designer's Bride by W. Lynn Chantale.
Story contains both sensual content and suspense. The sensual is hot, sexy sex between the heroine and the man she loves and wants to marry. The suspense plays into the story when her father keeps barging into her life demanding she marry a man she hates, said man in tow with him everywhere. He's a real jerk. I didn't like him at all. 


Liked: The sex. Also loved Jordan, the hero, and how he makes everything just perfect from the ring to the dress to the plans. I thought that was just awesome. Except for the dad, this story was like a fantasy come true. It also had me reeling for a minute there toward the end as I seriously worried things were ruined. Also, Chantale injects the perfect amount of description into her story, not too much, not too little.


Didn't like: I would have liked things to end better btw the heroine and her dad. I got kind of sad by the way things panned out there. I would hate for my dad and I to be on the outs like that. This was my favorite story, however due to the sensual elements and just OMG hero. 


Conclusion: Four stars for this anthology. :) I receive this from an author who wanted my honest opinion.


Buy here: http://www.stillmomentspublishing.com/p/ebook-store.html

Manu by Christopher Nicole

This is a historical fiction that educates the reader about Indian  history. Told from the POV of an Englishwoman, widowed from her missionary husband, it tells of the British occupation of India and a strong woman who dared to rule, Manu.

The story begins with Emma in England, caught for thieving and accused of murder. Her only way out is to marry a missionary who is traveling to India. She is not allowed back in England for ten years. Little does she know that that ten years will actually become a much longer period due to her own desires.


Presented with an opportunity to be a governess to an Indian princess, she takes it. And she "goes native." At first, things are rough. The prince is a homosexual, the princess thinks she is a warrior and threatens to place Emma naked on an anthill-something to that effect. And of course, the British rule with a condescending attitude.


The big guy finally dies, no heir in sight except for an adopted child that the British refuse to acknowledge. Manu, the princess takes over and leads her men into battle. I liked this:


"I will throw their heads at your feet," Risaldar promised. (a soldier)
"I will throw their heads at my own feet," Manu declared. (hell, yea)


Emma discovers that despite the fact she loves Manu, hates what the British has done, has an Indian husband, is now wearing saris, and has a half Indian child, she somewhat ponders going back to England. Now it may be too late. She's also very busy playing go-between as the English don't believe Manu is fit to rule and attempt to control her in every way they can.


Well told, but seriously lacking emotional depth. Also lots of long dialogue bits. Thought told from Emma's POV, she really doesn't have much emotion. That surprised me. Also found her surprisingly agreeable to just about anything and that didn't fit in with the character we were first introduced to.


I liked it, however. Three stars. I received this from the publisher.

Dog Tails: Three Humorous Short Stories for Dog Lovers is getting a makeover

I published my first book last year...a book of short stories based on my pampered pooches. Well, sales didn't skyrocket. Tons of people came to me saying, "Oh, I'll buy it for my kids." 


*sigh*


It's not a children's book, and obviously, I need the cover portray that better. So...it's going off the market for a few days because it's getting a makeover! And a price change!!!!!


It will no longer be available on Kobo, Nook, Sony, or in the ibookstore anymore. It will be an Amazon only book. Sorry!


Meanwhile, here's the new cover. :)

Taken Identity by Raven McAllan

This book surprised me in one thing. It is funny. Though at times, I didn't always get the joke and was left scratching my head, for the most part, it was funny. The sexual innuendos, the hints, the jests, the sarcasm. Well done. 

The sex was hot. Ms. McAllan doesn't rehash your typical sex scene, but gets creative. There were scarfs, blindfolds, and well....self pleasure without actually touching. Um, yeah, I can't get into that as this isn't an x-rated blog, but it was hot and interesting.


The story: Some handsome man knocks on Jules' door and demands to know where his wife is.. and his wife is (by name anyway) HER. Someone has taken her identity. Someone has died her hair, married a man using her name, obtained a passport under her name, and even claims to write the books that Jules writes.


Jules and Gray begin going through her diaries to find the point when this identity theft must have happened, hoping to pin point the wife's whereabouts as she's ran off with his family jewels.. *snickers.* Not those...


They get off to a rough start at first:
And up yours, she thought unrepentantly. He looked bewildered. As well he might, she thought. She was no doormat, and if he chose to patronize her, she would give as good as he gave her.


But one thing leads to another. 


Major thumbs up for condom usage. 


Funny bits:


"She might want a certain part of anatomy to sit up and beg, but she didn't want to make it too obvious."


"Never having been a fan of self-help, Jules resigned herself to a restless night."


"Let's face it; two well-placed balls are better than several scattered ones."


Four stars and I bought this on Amazon Kindle.

Cruising Attitude by Heather Poole

What a great book!! Though it's a memoir, it's well done. The narrator SHOWS us and transports the reader into the airplane, crashpad, terminal, bar. There's no telling here. I was thoroughly entertained and I was laughing so hard during much of it that my husband demanded to know what was so funny, and I had to read passages aloud to him.

Just some of the content: her early days as a flight attendant with an airline that actually used duct tape on the seats, flight attendant training, skirt lengths and what they symbolize, why you shouldn't date pilots, her own dating experiences with pilots, flying standby (been there!!!), flight attendant breakdowns, problem passengers, finding a place to live in NYC, the horrors of flying the Miami/New York or the Vail flight full of fur coats, and last but not least, working and living with her mother. 


Really loved this. It was honest, entertaining, and told in a humorous manner. 


Laugh out loud moments for me:


"I could have kissed each and every one of my instructors at that very moment, calling to mind a psychological response known as Stockholme syndrome. Stockholme syndrome happens when abducted hostages (flight attendant trainees), begin to show signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker (flight instructors) regardless of the danger, risk, or torture in which they have been placed.....This is the only possible explanation for why I actually thanked my instructors when we learned that the navy blue polyester getup, all $2000 of it, would be deducted from our first couple of paychecks."


And when she works with her mom who also becomes a flight attendant and hollers out "mom" in the middle of business class when she needs her mom to hand her a bottle of wine.. Nice!!! LOL


And this bit here: "Bob, the stylish pilot, actually saves his standby passes for people he hates. Then he can gleefully relish when they get stranded in Senegal for ten days..."


Too many great and funny moments to list. Nevertheless, a well written and humorous memoir. I highly recommend it to anyone who has ever contemplated being a flight attendant. I wonder how many of you can figure out who the celebrities are she talks about but doesn't name?


Five stars. I got this ARC from Amazon Vine.

Lucy Wagner Gets in Shape by Claire Matthews

I got a real kick out of this novel. The first person narrative is REAL and the heroine is witty and honest. Her friends are fun (the kind of friends I wish I had), the banter made me laugh, and the love story...I could feel it. 

Lucy is BFFs with Will and Jenny. They've hung out for ages. They know each other's favorite foods, they rally around each other when there's a break up, they help each other pass exams and prepare for job interviews. So...imagine Lucy's surprise when after a rough break up (her bf was cheating, the jerk), she discovers that Will has feelings for her and has for quite some time and well...she has feelings for him too. 


Is it a rebound thing? Something causes Will to think so. There's misunderstandings, petty arguments, trust issues, surprising revelations, and Lucy is faced with making a difficult decision: career or love? Sacrifice or make someone else sacrifice? Rebound or real thing?


Meanwhile, they are training for a major running/hiking/kayaking event to prove to Lucy's ex that she can do it. "I am proving to myself, and to Paul, that I am not a fat person in a skinny person's body. That I am a woman of substance and conviction. That I am woman worthy of love, and I'm every bit as tough and brave as Langley whatever-the-hell-her-name-is."


But really, she's getting HER LIFE in shape, not her tush.


My favorite moments (some of them): 


"Jen and I have already renamed the master bedroom the 'Puta Palace,' because Jenny is Mexican, and she loves whipping out Spanish cuss words in a crisis."


And after seeing a half naked man while kayaking, Lucy..: "I turn quickly and begin to paddle as fast as I can. I'm not getting very far, because the curved oars of my paddle are facing the wrong way, but I'm pumping away to beat the band."


Hilarious conversation:


Jenny: "Was it like, 'stayed out in the heat too long' body odor or like, 'European earthy guy' body odor?"


Lucy: "I don't know-is there a difference?"


Jenny: "God, yes. European body odor kind of turns me on. It's like stink with a sexy accent."


Five stars. Extremely enjoyable. I would also like to note that this author pulled off the present tense very well. Not many authors can do that. Superbly done. I bought this on Amazon Kindle. 

Forbidden by Syrie James and Ryan M. James

This just appeared in my mailbox one day, and having enjoyed Syrie's Dracula, My Love and Nocturne, I was excited to read it. 

It's different. It's about angels, only they aren't called angels, and there is no mention of God. Matter of fact, they aren't sure where they get their orders from... It's like a paranormal CIA group. Alec is an angel trying not to be an angel, trying to live a normal teen life despite the fact he is actually over a hundred years old. Claire is...something else. A half breed angel and she and Alec are just figuring it out.. The problem is: Alec is supposed to hire/eliminate people like Claire, but he loves her... What a mess.


What starts out as psychic visions leads to were-wolves and strange fairy god mothers. The were wolf and the Vincent stuff were a little eye rolling to me, but this is a YA novel. I think the teenagers will enjoy it. And the ending left room for a sequel, so I suspect it's the start of a series.


Four stars. Well written, entertaining, just a bit too preposterous. 

Decadent Seconds by W. Lynn Chantale

Really sweet, romantic story about a pastry chef and the father of her son. I say the father of her son and not boyfriend/husband, because they are not together. See, she wanted to get married and do the white picket fence...be a family, you know? He had the opinion that live-in-girlfriend was acceptable, PLUS he didn't want her starting her own business. Grrrrr.

No wonder she walked off. But it doesn't change the fact that he is sexy as all get out, and she still wants him.


Can they resolve things? The sex wasn't too risque, and I enjoyed the little kid interrupting things cause well, that's life. It was a realistic story and to the point. No blabbering on and on, no ridiculously lengthy descriptions. 


I bought this on Amazon Kindle. 

The Bridge by Kay Bratt

This is a very moving and touching novelette. It spoke to me because I know what it feels like to be shunned by others, to be ostracized and ridiculed for having a disability. I felt for Fei Fei. His own mother abandoned him, and perhaps her intentions were good, to get him educated in a blind school, but still, unforgivable.

This takes place in China, not sure the era. An old woman who can barely feed herself, takes in a boy abandoned at the bridge. He's blind. She takes him to the orphanage and is dismayed to discover, he's treated like a baby, not the intelligent 5 year old he is. Nobody wants to or has the time to focus on a blind boy, to educate him. They just make him stay out of the way. How many of us with disabilities have faced this at some point in our lives??? Too many of us, too often.


To me, this story teaches that handicapped are not any less capable than others, that people judge too quickly, and that love isn't necessarily dictated by blood. Because the old woman falls in love with the little boy and even sells her last piece of jewelry to care for him. 


A beautiful story with a strong message and eloquent descriptions. It does need an editor, however. There were lots of discrepancies with tense usage and some odd word pairings. 


"As she watches, Fei Fei quickly ate the orange and sat quietly awaiting his next instructions."


Like that. 


Favorite quote: "...you must realize that the world is a very big place. You must keep an open mind and learn new ways to explore beyond what you already know."


Four stars and I got this on Amazon Kindle.