S. Lee Spelbring's Blog, page 20
February 13, 2019
Dark Guardian by Christine Feehan
Dark Guardian by Christine Feehan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Christine Feehan is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read much of her Dark series now and a few books in other series and I’ve enjoyed everyone of them. This one is no different, I can’t say its my favorite of the series but it is very good.
It involves and ‘ancient’ and a small female cop that has danger following her everywhere. In general I dislike the idea that the heroine is “so beautiful and every man in the book wants her”. It gets old for me really quickly. This heroine was more “danger follows her everywhere”, evil humans, evil vampires, and ghouls. It didn’t get old, but by the end of the book it was a little worn out.
However, that did not deter me from reading the whole thing in two days. I wanted to see what happened next, how the plot developed, how the relationship developed, and how it tied into the series’ plot. I will be reading more of these this year, now that I’ve found my local library and they have quite a few of Feehan’s books!
February 9, 2019
The Rose-Garden Husband by Margaret Widdemer
The Rose-Garden Husband by Margaret Widdemer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a book suggested to me by my mom. It’s not often she suggests books for me to read so I went and found it on Amazon (it’s free!).
As she warned me, this is an old fashioned romance ebook, but it’s still very sweet. It involves arranged marriages, the library (!), and, of course, a rose garden. It is very much rated PG13, because it does involve adult kind of things, like death, injury, and some wedding night expectations, but nothing racey, bloody, or violent. It’s also fairly short. I recommend it to everyone interested at all, and since it’s free on Amazon there’s no reason not to.
The Rose-Garden Husband by Margaretn Widdemer
The Rose-Garden Husband by Margaret Widdemer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a book suggested to me by my mom. It’s not often she suggests books for me to read so I went and found it on Amazon (it’s free!).
As she warned me, this is an old fashioned romance ebook, but it’s still very sweet. It involves arranged marriages, the library (!), and, of course, a rose garden. It is very much rated PG13, because it does involve adult kind of things, like death, injury, and some wedding night expectations, but nothing racey, bloody, or violent. It’s also fairly short. I recommend it to everyone interested at all, and since it’s free on Amazon there’s no reason not to.
January 30, 2019
The Five Ws Book Tag
I found this book tag over at Thrice Read, and they found it from Words and Stitches, so I figured it had to be good right? And it looked fun!
WHO | Who is an author you’d love to have a one-on-one with?
One of my favorite authors is Stephen King. I’ve read his autobiography, On Writing, and frequent his website and, of course, I’ve read an incredible amount of his books. Even after all this I would just love to sit down and talk to him.
WHAT | What genre/style do you most often gravitate to?
My first love is Fantasy Fiction, but Horror, Sci-Fi, and Supernatural all kind of fit there too. My second is probably romance, and I’ve read a stupid amount of romance novels in my life time.
WHERE | Where do you prefer to read?
I usually read in bed, in my bedroom, though I do read at work during breaks fairly regularly as well. I also read in the bathtub when I get the chance to do so.
WHEN | What time of day do you prefer to read?
Actually I don’t have a preference for when I read. I could pretty much read all day if I wanted to. I’ve woken up and picked up a book where I left off the night before, I read while eating at work, and I’ve stayed up late reading after work.
WHY | Why is your favorite book your favorite book?
My favorite book is the first book of the Unicorn Chronicles by Bruce Coville, Into the Land of the Unicorns. I read it when I was younger, and obsessed with unicorns ( I still love unicorns just not as obsessed), and it was the first book I stayed up late reading because I couldn’t put it down.
Bonus: HOW | How do you go about selecting what book you’ll read next?
It differs, sometimes I’ll follow my goodreads TBR list and I’ll pick the book that’s been there the longest. Sometimes I’ll spot a book on my bookshelves and start reading it because it looks interesting. Sometimes I’ll do the same with my ereader.
How do you determine which book you’ll read next?
January 26, 2019
Dark Promises by Christine Feehan
Dark Promises by Christine Feehan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Christine Feehan’s works are quickly becoming a new favorite of mine. I’ve read a few sporadically throughout the last couple of years and have come to the conclusion after reading this one that I am not able to put down one of her books once I pick it up.
This one is part of her Carpathian series, or vampires for an easier understanding, but good vampires. Psychic Vampires. It’s a supernatural romance series, and this one involves a very old Carpathian, a very young Carpathian, and the overall plot of Vampire Hunters who don’t have a clue and kill everything.
Once again, I can’t put her books down so I read this within in the span of two days, which could have easily have been one, had I not had to work my day job!
January 23, 2019
1984 by George Orwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first political book I’ve read that I can remember. I’m not terribly sure how to review it either, but here goes.
Most of you will probably have at least heard of this book or of George Orwell at the very least and know that he is known for writing this kind of book. Books that are warnings for the government and those that live in them. This was but one of his predictions of things that could happen if we aren’t careful.
Socialism in itself isn’t bad, just like Democracy in itself isn’t bad, but everything can be corrupted, society, news, officials, etc. And that is just what happens, and this is one man’s story through this corrupt government.
I won’t say I enjoyed it, because that doesn’t sound quite right, to enjoy a corrupt political environment, but it is worth a read, and a modern classic.
January 19, 2019
A Woman With A Mystery by B.J. Daniels
A Woman With A Mystery by B.J. Daniels
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Once upon a time I had a Harlequin book subscription, so every month or so I’d get a box of four paperbacks, and because it was Harlequin, they were all romances. What I’m saying is, I have a lot of Harlequinn romance books, and this is one of them.
I’m going to spoil things a tiny bit, the mystery is she has amnesia, it’s a little more than that, but that is the gist of it. Actually it gets quite a bit weirder, and it’s not entirely believable that the plot to this book could happen. It doesn’t sell itself as a Science Fiction book at all, just pure romance, or “Harlequin Intrigue”, which is basically a woman in trouble and Mr. Right helps her out.
Anyway, these are meant to be a quick, casual read, which it is, and it was enjoyable (I’ve read it before, years ago.) which is what its supposed to be.
January 16, 2019
Gitchie Girl by Phil Hamman
Gitchie Girl: The Survivor’s Inside Story of the Mass Murders That Shocked the Heartland by Phil Hamman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This real crime non-fiction came to me through a co-worker, who occasionally suggests and loans me books to read. It’s about the murders in my state, bascially it’s a hop, skip, and a jump from where I live, so entirely relevant.
Anyway, it follows the lone survivor of a horrible murder scene throughout the event, the aftermath, and how she was eventually able to move on and create a fulfilling life for herself.
As a fan of crime novels myself (having read a few), this one does read a little different, but still enjoyable, and like I said, it had relevance to myself and anyone from South Dakota or Iowa.
December 22, 2018
Blood Tears by Michael J. Malone
Blood Tears by Michael J. Malone
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a crime fiction ebook, if that wasn’t clear, but it has a Catholic bent. It’s not necessarily for religious purposes, but it does involve nuns and a children’s school. I did like that it was definitely not like the traditional crime novels I usually read. The characters are unique (some of them), and have a tinge of the real to them, they are definitely not perfect people, which makes them all the more relateable.
I will also point out that this ebook takes place in the UK and as such is written in British English, and the writer is also from the UK. So the spelling is somewhat different, but not off, same with the grammar. I did get this free on Amazon, but I think it’s now on sale for 99 cents, at least that’s what Goodreads tells me.
I like the story, I like the events that keep you guessing for two thirds of the ebook. I like the characters who are somewhat unique and believable. Though I do find it interesting that when the plot thickens, the main character is still fixated on his previous theory (though he is still somewhat right) even though it was obvious to me what was going on. Anyway, I liked this piece of British crime fiction.
December 19, 2018
Tuf Voyaging by George R.R. Martin
Tuf Voyaging by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I didn’t realize at first that George R. R. Martin wrote books other than Game of Thrones (which I haven’t read, but now kind of want to). This is a space drama, set into a series of short stories, featuring a rather unlikely hero and a cast of somewhat recurring characters.
While I enjoyed the characters, the world building, and the story lines, this ebook was also a great source of inspiration for me, creatively. I have so many ideas for things I want to do in my creative writing life now thanks to this book.
I found mine at an auction house I frequent, but you can find it online (even in Kindle format) at various book stores, and Amazon of course. I really like it for many reasons and I feel that fans of George R. R. Martin will like it too.
