Rachelle Ayala's Blog, page 54

#BookReview MURDER ON THE LINKS by Agatha Christie #mystery #poirot

Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I recently decided to reread my entire Agatha Christie collection and randomly picked this book. After reading it, I was disappointed by the execution of the mystery because of the reliance on coincidences, melodrama and an inexplicable last minute twist involving a minor character.

Maybe it is the almost 90 year time gap, but the characters border on theatric. There's the stiff and decidedly British narrator, Hastings, who neverthel...

#BookReview HOMEPLACE by Anne Rivers Siddons #literary #fiction

Homeplace by Anne Rivers Siddons
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Homeplace is my favorite ARS book so far. Unlike some of the other books that had strange endings, this one was reasonable and hopeful, not ridiculous, over the top, or reaching.

I also loved the start where Micah Winship "Mike" is shown as a lonely child who preferred the company of the servants than her own father. As the story unfolds, we find that Mike's father never accepted her because he blamed her for causing the death of his belov...

#BookChat THE SECRET SIDE OF EMPTY by Maria Andreu

COMING NEXT SPRING… The Secret Side of Empty
BOOK BLURB for “Secret Side of Empty”You've heard the news stories.  Now hear the real story.M.T. is starting her senior year with a lot going for her.  She gets great grades, has a best friend she met in kindergarten and a boyfriend who is sweet and into her.  But life – at least as she knows it – is about to end.M.T. is what the news calls “illegal” – she came to the U.S. with her parents as a baby and never got the right papers tha...

Great Books Great Deals: MICHAL'S WINDOW by @AyalaRachelle #GreatBookDeal f...

Great Books Great Deals: MICHAL'S WINDOW by @AyalaRachelle #GreatBookDeal f...: Michal's Window Rachelle Ayala   Not your Grandma's Bible Story... It's not easy being a woman, least of all princess... [$1.99 sale ends soon]

#BookReview HIDDEN UNDER HER HEART wins 5-star from Readers' Favorite

Readers' Favorite rates Hidden Under Her Heart 5-stars: http://readersfavorite.com/book-review/11379


Book ReviewReviewed by Natasha Jackson for Readers' Favorite

Rachelle Ayala’s "Hidden Under Her Heart" is a wild roller coaster ride of emotions, drama and choices. Maryanne is a dedicated nurse who is a total failure at relationships; at least she thinks so, and has vowed to remain celibate until she finds a suitable man to marry. Then there is Lucas, a lapsed law student-turned-athlete. L...

#NewRelease SINS OF THE FATHER by Krystal Milton #RomanticSuspense

  Genre: Fiction, Women’s Fiction, suspense  Release Date: 6/15/13  Synopsis:   Sins of the Father a riveting story of struggle, courage and self discovery as Annalynn McKae desperately seeks the truth about her father as he stands accused of being a ruthless and sadistic serial killer that has been on the loose for twenty-six years.Annalynn McKae has never experienced much tragedy in life except the illness of her mother who has been plagued with Rheumatoid Arthritis since sh...<![endif]--><!--[if gte vml 1]>

Should Authors Review Other Author's Books?

Kristen Lamb asks in her blog:
Is it FAIR for Authors to Review Other Authors? Do We Ruin the Magic?Wednesday I wrote about the Three Nevers of Social Media, one of which was “don’t flame other writers in reviews.” This then led to yesterday’s post, Should Authors Write Bad Book Reviews? And, I have to say, you were all BRILLIANT. I was traveling all day, nearly going blind reading your debate over this issue on my iPhone. Yet, this got me to thinking….Uh, oh. Right? *smells som...

Why I Bought the Last Three Books on my Kindle #amreading

Have you bought a book lately? How about an ebook? Recently, I wrote about my reading habits in a post on Rebecca Berto's Novel Girl Blog - I Never Met A Free Book I Didn't Download. Today, I'll examine why I would actually buy a book when there are so many free ebooks out there every day.
Here is a snapshot of my recent Amazon Purchase History:

June 21, 2013 - Act Like You Love Me by Cynthia Madsen $2.99 - Ugh, can you believe this was an accidental purchase? I was scrolling down a list o...

#BookReview DREAM by Robbi Sommers Bryant #fantasy

Dream by Robbi Sommers Bryant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely fascinating. I read this book in a single sitting. It draws you into a colorful world where all your senses are heightened. It has an addictive quality and you find yourself wanting to visit this dream world where friends and enemies are not what they seem.

Veronica has always had an empty place in her heart. She meets Andrew, an artist and dreamer who brings her into an enchanted dream world. A majestic wolf beckons her and soon s...

#BookReview THE LOVE GAME by Emma Hart #NewAdult #romance

The Love Game by Emma Hart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not as bad as I thought. The book started out flip and light. Two sets of annoying teens playing a trick and egged on by their friends. But once we got deeper into Braden and Maddie's "fake" relationship their true selves started to emerge and both turned out to be a lot more mature and caring than they let on.

I definitely liked the second half of the book better, so my advice is to stick with it, no matter how annoying the games and unrealisti...