Sage Nestler's Blog, page 56

Saved by a Billionaire by Eve Fox

Title: Saved by a Billionaire

Author: Eve Fox

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

Romance…an erotic story for women.

Richard Sacks, standing six-foot-three with dark, wavy hair and piercing brown eyes is, first and foremost, a businessman. The very air of his presence demands attention, respect, awe. Until one day, at the swish of a wiper blade, everything changes. When a beautiful mystery girl unexpectedly appears in his midst, she releases a passion in him that he’s never known, and for the first time he sees his erotic fantasy being fulfilled. But will her body be his undoing? And will the secrets of her past destroy the career he’s spent a lifetime building? This story is more than just a sexual encounter, it is a romantic fairy tale of intense desire and a steamy erotic attraction. Filled with erotica and romance, this book will have you turning pages late into the night right through until the very end.

Review:

There are generally two types of erotica: erotica that is more about the sex, or erotica that balances sex with a well formed story.  Saved by a Billionaire is of the latter.  The writing was elegant, and the story was eye catching from the first chapter.

Even though both characters in this novel were portrayed to be perfect and remarkably stunning, the story didn’t come off as fake or unbelievable.  I liked being able to see both sides of the story and get into the characters’ heads.  The sexual scenes were also written with taste and read as though they were poems instead of just being pornographic.

Eve Fox is clearly a bright and talented author.  She makes what could have ended up as a bathroom read, a true piece of literature.  Her descriptions were on point, and romance lovers are bound to love the flowing style of her writing, and the beautiful descriptions of her characters.  I am generally picky about what kind of erotica I like, but this book passed with flying colors.

Fox’s writing is a perfect balance of erotica and romance, and her imagery binds the story together into one magnificent novel.

FOR BOOK REVIEW REQUESTS FILL OUT FORM: Book Review Request Form

IF BOOK REQUEST WEBSITE IS DOWN EMAIL: peachykeenreviews@gmail.com

Perennials by Bryce Gibson

Title: Perennials

Author: Bryce Gibson

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

Summer in South Carolina—a time of ripe peaches, crackling bonfires, trips to the lake, and the rural legend of a creature known as the Lizard Man. This year, a very real monster is lurking about. The victims all have one thing in common—they share their names with plants. Soon it becomes apparent that seventeen-year-olds Dusty Miller and Nandina Bush may be next on the killer’s list.

“That was when I realized that the red I saw in the driveway wasn’t blood. It was a scattering of rose petals. Deep down, I knew, right at that very moment, that what all of us had been afraid of for the past several months had already happened. The serial killer had finally made his way to Crow County.” – Dusty Miller

Review:

Perennials is a beautifully written serial killer thriller.  It has twinges of horror and mystery which all intertwine to become a very original piece of work.  Bryce Gibson knows how to create not only a surprising plot, but he also knows how to add art to the crimes committed in the novel.  All good crime novels have an element of art to them, and Perennials more than succeeds in terms of that necessity.

Even though this novel is meant to be a young adult novel, it does not talk down to its reader.  It doesn’t sugarcoat the story to be seemingly more appropriate for its audience, and that is what I loved about it.  It is brutal but written in clean language, proving that stories of crime do not need to be overly gruesome or cringe worthy.  Perennials is a perfect novel to introduce children to the crime genre, while also allowing seasoned crime readers to enjoy its story as well.

Gibson knew what he was doing when naming all of the victims after plants, and he pulled off an incredible move by naming them after plants that are not very well known.  This made the victims not as obvious, and it connected all of them together in a web.  Perennials read as though it were an extensively planned story, and there were no inconsistencies.  I have not read a crime novel recently that pulled off a plot as well as Perennials did, and I tore right through it.

Gibson is clearly one of our better crime novels in the indie genre.  He has all of the artistic and systematic elements of a talented crime author, and I hope he continues to write.

FOR BOOK REVIEW REQUESTS FILL OUT FORM: Book Review Request Form

IF BOOK REQUEST WEBSITE IS DOWN EMAIL: peachykeenreviews@gmail.com

Perfekt Order by S.T. Bende

Title: Perfekt Order

Author: S.T. Bende

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

All’s fair when you’re in love with War. For seventeen-year-old Mia Ahlström, a world ruled by order is the only world she allows. A lifetime of chore charts, to-do lists and study schedules have helped earn her a spot at Redwood State University’s engineering program. And while her five year plan includes finding her very own happily-evah-aftah, years at an all-girls boarding school left her feeling woefully unprepared for keg parties and co-ed extracurricular activities. So nothing surprises her more than catching the eye of Tyr Fredriksen at her first college party. The imposing Swede is arrogantly charming, stubbornly overprotective, and runs hot-and-cold in ways that defy reason . . . until Mia learns that she’s fallen for the Norse God of War; an immortal battle deity hiding on Midgard (Earth) to protect a valuable Asgardian treasure from a feral enemy. With a price on his head, Tyr brings more than a little excitement to Mia’s rigidly controlled life. Choosing Tyr may be the biggest distraction—or the greatest adventure—she’s ever had.

Review:

S.T. Bende is the USA Today bestselling author of The Elsker Saga.  Perfekt Order is the first book in her second series, The AEre Saga.  These two sagas are very similar considering that they both involve college age women falling in love with Norse Gods.  However, their concepts are very enticing, and I enjoyed both.

S.T. Bende has the gift of writing a contemporary novel that incorporates mythology accurately.  I don’t find a lot of novels that incorporate Norse Mythology, let alone conemporaries, and even though Perfekt Order is an older young adult novel I found that it was suitable for all adults.  It doesn’t focus on what I call the “cheese” of early adulthood college life, but instead chooses to focus on the mythology and growing up.

S.T. Bende’s writing, itself, is very clean, and she doesn’t over describe or include filer of any kind.  Her writing is full of action and romance, and I was pleased to find that it wasn’t just direct at women.  I particularly enjoyed her descriptions of Redwood State Unviersity, particularly the forest, and I felt myself falling into the novel along with Mia.  It reminded me of when I was thirteen and reading Twilight by Stephanie Myers for the first time.  I rarely am able to feel that magic that I felt when first reading Twilight due to the mass of books that I go through on a daily basis, and it was nice to fall back in love with a setting and cast as beautiful as those in Perfekt Order.

Perfeket Order is everything that I want in a novel.  It has mythology, action, romance and suspense, and not once did I find myself bored and wondering whether i should finish the book or not.  S.T. Bende’s writing is beautiful, and she is a wonderful storyteller.  She shows me what she sees, instead of telling me, and that is all I could ask for.

FOR BOOK REVIEW REQUESTS FILL OUT FORM: Book Review Request Form

IF BOOK REQUEST WEBSITE IS DOWN EMAIL: peachykeenreviews@gmail.com

Self-Publishing Necessities

Hello Everyone,

Today I wanted to discuss with you some important aspects that must be included in your novel when self-publishing.  Many times, those who self-publish don’t have an editor or guide who can help them with important elements of the publishing experience, and that can hinder their success.

Being a self-published author and a reviewer myself, I am on both sides of the coin.  Through my reviewing I have come to learn what is necessary in a self-published novel, and what can turn off a reviewer from the start.  Many reviewers won’t finish a novel if any of the following are problems in a novel, and you want to make sure that your novel makes a positive impact.

First Off, Editing – The Ultimate Necessity

Now, this is always a given.  If a person’s novel has multiple errors grammar-wise, many reviewers, and readers, will be turned off.  Even if the author is very smart and a good writer, a lack of editing can make the author come off as uneducated and can take away from the enjoyment of the story.  Make sure that you find an editor, or beta readers, before publishing so that you have multiple eyes on your novel.  Over time your mind can fill in errors for you when you are editing your own novel, and you need multiple sets of eyes.  Freelance editors can also be found to hire at a cheaper price, and this will help you cost-wise.

Second, Formatting is Key

I often review novels that have no been properly formatted by the author, and this can impede the reading process by making me doubt the professionalism of the author.  Each novel should have a title page, copyright page, proper page numbers, proper chapter headings, and it should read like a novel instead of Word document.  Self-publishing does not mean you can just submit your story file for publication, you need to make sure that you have a professionally formatted document before publishing.  There are professional formatting services that you can use through Createspace or other self-publishing houses, or you can pick up a book of your own and mimic the formatting into your own novel.  This is a great way to understand how books are laid out, and to make sure that your novel reads professionally.

Third, Dump the Filler

The more self-published novels I read and review, the more filler I see, and the more story I skip due to that filler.  Filler can mean a number of things.  Filler can be over the top narration, too much dialogue, and worst of all, too much description.  One of the worst things an author can do is over describe their novel.  Doing so is not only a violation of the reader’s intelligence, but it shows that the author doesn’t want the reader to experience the story in their own way.  Instead, the author wants to reader to see exactly what they see, and this can severely hinder the success of a novel.  When I read books with too much filler I end up skipping over multiple areas of the novel, and that is not something that you want your reader to do.  Aim to have your reader savor every word of your novel and not dread reading another word of it.

Fourth, A Cover That Pops

Okay, so we have all heard the phrase: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”  However, the truth of the matter is that readers DO judge the cover of a book before reading it, and you need to make sure that your cover correlates with your story and will influence your reader to like the story before they have even started it.  The best place to find an affordable, professional cover is through Self Pub Covers, and your readers will surely thank you.  The best thing about this website is that it also will not resell your cover once you purchase it, making your cover one of a kind.  I am someone who does tend to judge a cover before reading a book, and the more shelf appeal your cover has, the more successful it will be.

Last, Back Cover Blurb

Next to your cover, the back cover blurb is what a reader will turn to next.  This means that you need a back cover blurb that is catchy and will make the reader want to read more.  A great way to ensure that your back cover blurb will help your novel take off is to start of the blurb with a quote.  If you have this quote in a larger text than the rest of the blurb, it will catch the reader’s eye first and will guide them into reading more.  Your cover blurb needs to be short, but it also needs to sum up your novel without giving too much away.  Ask your friends for help if you can’t seem to write a blurb that you feel is adequate, and your beta readers will surely be able to help you with this as well.  USE YOUR BETA READERS.

I hope that these tips help you to finalize your novel before publishing, and that you are now aware of what reviewers look at first when considering a novel.  The more that you master all of these elements, the more successful you will be!

FOR BOOK REVIEW REQUESTS FILL OUT FORM: Book Review Request Form

IF BOOK REQUEST WEBSITE IS DOWN EMAIL: peachykeenreviews@gmail.com

No One Dies in the Garden of Syn by Michael Seidelman

Title: No One Dies in the Garden of Syn

Author: Michael Seidelman

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis:

Synthia (Syn) Wade is a teenage girl who struggles with cystic fibrosis, an incurable life-threatening disease. One day she is pushed into a pond by an unseen figure and wakes up in a new world – a mysterious garden where illness and death don’t exist. Welcomed by the garden’s residents and now free of her symptoms, Syn decides to stay. But, before long, she realizes that this apparent utopia holds many dangers and dark secrets. Surrounding the garden is a fog that Syn is warned never to enter. She encounters bizarre creatures that defy reason. And always lurking in the shadows is a masked woman – a woman who may have a connection to the disappearance of Syn’s parents many years ago. A woman whom no one will speak of, but whom everyone fears. While No One Dies in the Garden of Syn, Syn will soon discover that some fates are worse than death.

Review:

The concept of No One Dies in the Garden of Syn is utterly intriguing, but the extensive descriptions in this novel make the writing slow to read.  I had a hard time getting through this novel, but I am confident that if the narrative style were changed and many descriptions were deleted this novel would be successful.

The concept of living without illness is always something that is on our minds as humans.  Illness is one thing that can change the way that people live, and by creating a place without illness, Michael Seidelman played with fate and concepts that have always been set realities in our lives.

Syn is a teenage girl with cystic fibrosis who wakes up in a new world one day where she is no longer sick.  Being free from her illness, Syn chooses to stay in the new world, but it soon becomes a place full of danger and secrets.  Seidelman plays with life, death, and security in this novel and shows us that many things are too good to be true.  No one can be completely free of illness, or anything that ails them, and if they do somehow wind up in a position that allows them to be free of their woes, there will be consequences.

Seidelman created an intriguing story through his writing, but it wasn’t executed as well as it could have been.  Apart from the writing being slow, Syn’s character didn’t develop very well and some of the plot events didn’t make sense.  However, I appreciate the imagination put into this novel and how it relates to our troubles of today, but also dips in fantasy to turn an interesting twist on everyday events.  Seidelman’s ideas are original and ideas that I haven’t seen before in a novel, and that originality is admirable.

FOR BOOK REVIEW REQUESTS FILL OUT FORM: Book Review Request Form

IF BOOK REQUEST WEBSITE IS DOWN EMAIL: peachykeenreviews@gmail.com

Weekly Update – 09/26/16 – 10/02/16

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

This week I will be reviewing:

No One Dies in the Garden of Syn by Michael Seidelman
Perennials by Bryce Gibson
Saved by a Billionaire by Eve Fox

I will also be writing a post up about what you should make sure you do when publishing your novel, from a reviewer’s perspective.  Even though I am an author myself, I am also a reviewer and that helps me to understand what should and shouldn’t be included in a self-published novel.  Be on the lookout!

I hope that you all have a beautiful week!

Much love,

Ashley

FOR BOOK REVIEW REQUESTS FILL OUT FORM: Book Review Request Form

IF BOOK REQUEST WEBSITE IS DOWN EMAIL: peachykeenreviews@gmail.com

Behind Broken Glass Walls – First Review

Hello everyone,

As many of you know, my third novel “Behind Broken Glass Walls” will be releasing November 1, and I have my first ARC review in!  I hope you enjoy, and that it helps you to understand more about what I am trying to accomplish with this novel.

“This poignant novel tells the story of Oceana, her teenage daughter, Drachea, and the unraveling of their lives when Drachea takes a gun to school and unloads on her classmates. Even though Oceana knows her daughter is a killer, she can’t help but love her, still. She can’t help but feel at fault. What could she have done differently?

Learn what it means to love a child when everyone else sees her as a murderer, and experience what it feels like to love someone who you no longer understand.

‘Behind Broken Glass Walls’ tests the limits of love, friendship, and delves deeply into the psyche of a school shooter and bullying in a truly beautiful and heartbreaking way. It makes you think about these controversial and rather tricky subjects in a way that you might not have thought of them before and will pull at your heartstrings. The people we perceive as villains aren’t always what they seem.

I read this book as part of my #yearofindiewomen. I was given an advanced reader copy (paperback ARC) in exchange for an honest review.

Guh, this is a truly beautiful novel. It made me cry at several parts, and that’s a really hard thing to do. I devoured it in one sitting. I simply couldn’t put it down. Aaroones has told a story here that, I think, really needs to be told.

Bullying is a serious problem in our society, as we all know, and the rise in school shootings is a downright horrifying thing. The amount of kids who believe they need to resort to some sort of violence to save/redeem themselves from the torture they endure every day, either by committing suicide or by hurting those who hurt them, is downright scary and tragic. I don’t claim to know what the solution is. I wish I did, but I don’t. But I do think talking about the problem is a step in the right direction, and stories like this one is a way to do it.

What I liked most about ‘Behind Broken Glass Walls’ is how it humanized Drachea even though she did something so horrible. Now, I know I’m probably going to get a lot of backlash for this, but we so often see the kids who make a choice like Drachea’s as nothing but pure evil. As Satan incarnate. And yes, they did something so unforgivable, so awful, but they are still children. They were hurting so badly, and they weren’t in a stable state of mind. I’m not justifying killing in the least, please don’t take it that way, but I just wish people would take a moment to think about why these kids make such a terrible decision. Most of the time, these kids weren’t born bad. They were pushed and pushed and pushed to do something so heinous. Just like Drachea. And I appreciated how Aaroones told her story.

I felt the same way about the way she portrayed Oceana’s heartbreak. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be the parent of a child who does something like that. What could you have done differently? What signs did you miss? Why didn’t they talk to you? Everyone blames you. You can never escape it, and as much as you know how wrong what they did was, you can never stop loving your baby. Oceana’s heartbreak is so raw and real that it broke me. I cried with her. And I found strength with her.

Finally, the relationship between Drachea and Emmalynne was so important. I found myself cheering that it would save her even though I knew it wouldn’t.

I think Aaroones is brave for writing this book. I think there are going to be people who won’t like the way Drachea’s story is told, and that’s okay. Sometimes the most important books are hard to swallow, but they have the biggest impact.”

~Roxie, Goodreads

If you are interested in providing me with an honest, ARC review of Behind Broken Glass Walls, please email me at peachykeenreviews@gmail.com.

Keep Calm and Reap the Benefits of a Book Sale

Starting today, September 23, through October 8 Trusting the Currents by Lynnda Pollio is only 99 cents on Amazon!  This promotion is for the ebook version, and I have personally read and fallen in love with this novel . It is definitely worth a read, and I hope you take advantage of this wonderful sale!  My review for Trusting the Currents can be found here: Trusting the Currents by Lynnda Pollio

Purchase here: https://www.amazon.com/Trusting-Currents-Lynnda-Pollio-ebook/dp/B00GH15WB8/

Winner: 2014 Nautilus Book Awards Gold Medal in Fiction

Winner: 2015 IPPY Gold Medal in Visionary Fiction

Winner: 2015 National Indie Excellence Awards Gold Medal in Visionary Fiction

Winner: 2015 International Book Awards Gold Medal in Visionary Fiction

Winner: 2015 Readers Favorite Gold Medal in Inspirational Fiction

Winner: 2015 USA Book News Best Book Awards top Winner in Visionary Fiction

Winner: 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Inspirational Fiction

Winner: 2015 Los Angeles Book Festival, Honorable Mention in Spirituality

Winner: 2015 Writer’s Digest Book Awards, Honorable Mention in Inspiration

Winner: 2015 B.R.A.G Medallion

Winner: 2016 Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards, Red Ribbon Winner in Fiction (England)

Winner: 2016 Selected as a 5-Star Awesome Indie, a list of quality independent fiction curated by publishing professionals

Trusting the Currents was selected by Library Journal for its Self-e Select program as a great library book. This is a nationwide program available at any local library subscribed to BiblioBoard and participating in the SELF-e program.

Some moments change everything you become.

Author Lynnda Pollio’s life as a busy New Yorker abruptly changes when she unexpectedly heard the mystical, elderly voice of Addie Mae Aubrey, a Southern, African American woman. Her first words, “It’s not what happened to me that matters,” begin a spirited remembering of her teenage years in the late 1930s rural South and the learned wisdom she asks Lynnda to share. As women from different times and different places, they embark on an uncommon journey together.

Narrated by Addie Mae Aubrey, Trusting the Currents is a spiritual story of self-discovery–of faith, courage, forgiveness, and the uneasy search for one’s place in life. Beginning at age eleven with the unexpected arrival of beautiful, mysterious cousin Jenny and her shadowy stepfather, Uncle Joe,Trusting the Currents explores Addie Mae’s reluctant awakening. As Jenny, the story’s mystical center, introduces Addie Mae to the spiritual world, a caring teacher, Miss Blanchard,guides with the power of reading. Romantic love enters her life for the first time with Rawley, and we experience how Addie Mae’s emerging sense of self compels her to a life-altering decision.

Throughout the story, her mother remains an unwavering source of love, even when fear and evil shake their lives. Unfathomable loss and rising trust in the “Invisibles” not only transform Addie Mae’s budding life, but leads to the author’s own spiritual awakening.

There are three levels to the book: Addie Mae’s powerful story,universal life messages woven throughout the book, and high energeticfrequencies embedded in the writing that expand the reader’sconsciousness.

Addie Mae reveals how life blossoms when we have the courage to not only accept but also learn from mistakes and sorrow. Her story may belong to one woman, but the lessons it teaches belong to everyone willing to open their hearts and listen to the truth within their souls.

Trusting the Currents represents a new literary genre of Visionary Fiction, engaging high spiritual frequencies that resonate with the reader’s heart, guiding them deep into their own truth and transformation.

 

Mystical Mojo Blowout Sale

Mystical Mojo is having a sale on ALL of their leftover inventory starting this Friday at 9am(eastern).

4 mystery options available with FREE SHIPPING!

Limited quantities- Once they are gone- they are GONE

Be sure to set your alarm this Friday so you don’t miss out.

Please come out and support this beautiful box!  Christina, the owner, is a sweetheart, and all of her items are beautiful and generally come from small businesses.  It is a great way to keep small businesses running.

The Surrendered by Case Maynard Release Week!

Release week is here! THE SURRENDERED by Case Maynard hit shelves yesterday. You can find out all about this YA dystopian and Vee’s fight against the #taxonkids by following the links below to your preferred retailer.
about the book:


After a financial collapse devastates the United States, the new government imposes a tax on the nation’s most valuable resource—the children.

Surrendered at age ten—after her parents could no longer afford her exorbitant fees—Vee Delancourt has spent six hard years at the Mills, alongside her twin, Oliver. With just a year to freedom, they do what they can to stay off the Master’s radar. But when Vee discovers unspeakable things happening to the younger girls in service, she has no choice but to take a stand—a decision that lands her on the run and outside the fence for the first time since the System robbed her of her liberty.


Vee knows the Master will stop at nothing to prove he holds ultimate authority over the Surrendered. But when he makes a threat that goes beyond what even she considers possible, she accepts the aid of an unlikely group of allies. Problem is, with opposing factions gunning for the one thing that might save them all, Vee must find a way to turn oppression and desperation into hope and determination—or risk failing all the children and the brother she left behind.

Now available!
Amazon – iBooks – Barnes & Noble – Kobo – Signed Copies – Goodreads


about the author:

With over 20 years’ experience in the legal and medical fields, Case Maynard decided to trade in her briefs and reports to write the stories that have been floating around in her head since childhood. She lives with her two teenagers and husband in South Georgia, while maintaining a long-distance liaison with her oldest daughter and partner in crime in Alaska. When not writing, she enjoys reading as often as possible, binge watching anything good on Netflix, and all things NCAA football (Go Noles!). You can learn more about Case and her stories on her website.

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