Harmony Kent's Blog, page 75
August 27, 2019
Keep a Lid on It with #Scrivener
A useful post on managing projects in Scrivener over on Story Empire >>>
Keep track of a project at any time can be difficult. If your not able to do so things can become a monstrous mess that can consume the good intentions behind your goals. The same is true of managi…
Source: Keep a Lid on It with #Scrivener
August 23, 2019
The long and short of it
A great post positing the question of what’s best, long or short? Check it out on Story Empire >>>
Hi gang, Craig with you again today. I’ve been pondering word counts lately. There are multiple reasons, both personally and from a marketing standpoint. On a personal basis, I tend to write short.…
Source: The long and short of it
August 21, 2019
Book Review: Black Crow Speaks @FrederickAnder2 #shortstories
A fantastic review for an author I’ve not come across before now, over at Mae Clair’s place today >>> (I’m off to buy my copy now, it looks so good)
In my post yesterday, I mentioned having read a third book last week but not having the time to write a proper review. Black Crow Speaks is a book I have been patiently waiting —okay, not so patien…
Source: Book Review: Black Crow Speaks @FrederickAnder2 #shortstories
A Different Take on Manuscript Analysis
Check out this post on Pitch meetings and how these funny videos can help you in your writing and revision over at Story Empire >>>
Ciao, amici! When my turn rolls around to post at Story Empire, I almost always tell you how I do something or how the industry does it: dialogue, media kits, story bibles, basic plots… I usu…
August 20, 2019
#ShareAReviewDay Tuesday – Unknown Reasons by Joan Hall
A great review for Joan Hall’s Unknown Reasons over at Marcia Meara’s place today >>>
Happy Tuesday, Everybody! This morning, we are getting the ball rolling with an excellent review of Unknown Reasons: Driscoll Lake Book Two, by Joan Hall. I know you’ll enjoy it and be glad t…
Source: #ShareAReviewDay Tuesday – Unknown Reasons by Joan Hall
How to Get Universal
In case you missed this … check out how to get universal book links (and why you need them) over on Story Empire >>>
Hello SErs, Harmony here
August 19, 2019
#BookReview: The Family
by Louise Jensen
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About the Book:
The latest psychological thriller from master story-teller, Louise Jensen, will leave you breathless.
COULD ONE MOTHER’S MISTAKE COST HER DAUGHTER EVERYTHING?
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Laura is devastated when her husband dies, leaving her and their almost grown-up daughter, Tilly, alone. When the insurance company refuses to pay out, Laura is in danger of losing the house and has no choice but to seek help from elsewhere.
Oak Leaf Farm, a community that lives just outside of town, seems to be everything that Laura and Tilly need, so when this self-made family offer Laura the lifeline she’s been looking for she gratefully accepts.
But all is not right on the farm and when both Laura and Tilly are drawn to the community’s handsome and charismatic leader, mother and daughter find themselves on opposite sides of the battle lines…
My Review:
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for a free ARC of this book.
The Family brings us the sudden death of a husband. An argument with the inlaws. A widow and her daughter left alone and in financial difficulty. Then enters Saffron and Alex, who offer Laura and Tilly shelter at a local farm turned kind-of-cult. As if things weren’t bad enough already, they soon take a turn for the worse.
I love good psychological thrillers with plenty of twists and turns and familial betrayal. Somehow, this book offered all that but failed to fully deliver. Many of the thrilling bits ended up feeling like ‘the boy who cried wolf’, in that they never ended up being what you’d been led to believe. Read that scenario enough times, and you find yourself not reacting anymore. Add to that lots of typos and miswritten sentences, and the whole thing starts to feel frustrating. As this is an advanced review copy, I have to let a lot of the technical issues go in the hope they will be rectified before publication.
The narrative jumped between Laura and Tilly for the most part, with the odd visit to Alex’s head. I didn’t find myself connecting with or caring for any of the characters. I never got to know them well enough to invest in them. Everyone remained vague and not all there for me.
Finally, the end was so unsatisfying and left way too open. Also, the sheer number of coincidences felt too far-fetched and unbelieveable. Large parts of the book did keep my interest, however, so this has left me feeling somewhat ambivalent while writing my review.
I’ve given it two stars, because it wasn’t an awful read. Some parts were quite good. On the other hand, I didn’t love it either. So, two stars it is (see my review notes below).
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
Confessions and Questions
It’s confessions and questions time over at Story Empire today >>>
Hi Gang, Craig here again. I decided to park the Expansion Packs for a while. Writing posts here is kind of like dowsing, in that I really don’t know what our readers might want. There is a certain…
Source: Confessions and Questions
August 16, 2019
Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Author Update #Reviews – Jeanine Lunsford, Marcia Meara, Judy Penz Sheluk
Three authors to check out over at Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore >>>
Welcome to the second of the update posts this week for authors in the Cafe and Bookstore. The first author is Jeanine Lunsford for her book Remembering First Love (The Rivera Sisters Series Book O…
Week in Review
More great writing-related links this Friday over on Joan Hall’s blog >>>
Hey, Y’all. It’s Friday again. (Yeah!) That means it’s time for another weekly wrap up. I’m changing the format a little this week. Since I decided to add a Thursday Thoughts post…
Source: Week in Review
