D.E. Haggerty's Blog, page 87
February 11, 2016
Review of A Scone to Die For by H.Y. Hanna
Title: A Scone to Die For
Author: H.Y. Hanna
Published: January 18, 2016
Genre: Cozy Mystery
~ Synopsis ~
When an American tourist is murdered with a scone in Gemma Rose’s quaint Oxfordshire tearoom, she suddenly finds herself apron-deep in a mystery involving long-buried secrets from Oxford’s past.
Armed with her insider knowledge of the University and with the help of four nosy old ladies from the village (not to mention a cheeky little tabby cat named Muesli), Gemma sets out to solve the mystery—all while dealing with her matchmaking mother and the return of her old college love, Devlin O’Connor, now a dashing CID detective.
But with the body count rising and her business going bust, can Gemma find the killer before things turn to custard?
*Traditional English scone recipe included!
Get a copy now: Amazon
~ Book Review~
A Scone to Die For has all the ingredients that make a good murder/mystery: a tearoom and a bunch of old ladies. Add that to my fascination with Oxford and I couldn’t wait to read this one! The story started a bit slow for me. Although the book is extremely well-written, I trudged through the first 25% or so of the novel, but then things started to speed up and the last half of the novel was delightful. The mystery itself is quite good; much better than your average cozy mystery in which you figure out who the murderer is at the start but are just waiting for the characters to catch up. There was some – very believable – suspense as well.
I didn’t love Gemma, but that may be my own prejudiced speaking. I’m really tired of 29 year olds being top executives with swanky penthouses. It really does take longer than 8 years to get to the top executive level. Like the cat, Muesli, grew on Gemma so too did Gemma grow on me. Devlin, on the other hand, didn’t grow on me at all. He was a jerk. Oh sure, there are some illusions as to why he was a jerk face, but still, I didn’t like him.
If you are unfamiliar with English culture and terminology, this is definitely the book for you. Hanna does a great job of explaining terminology and English culture. There’s even a glossary at the back of the book to give you a helping hand.
~ About the Author ~
H.Y. Hanna is an award-winning mystery and suspense author, who also writes sweet romance and children’s fiction. After graduating from Oxford University with a BA in Biological Sciences and a MSt in Social Anthropology, Hsin-Yi tried her hand at a variety of jobs, before returning to her first love: writing. She worked as a freelance journalist for several years, with articles and short stories published in the UK, Australia and NZ, and has won awards for her novels, poetry, short stories and journalism. A globe-trotter all her life, Hsin-Yi has lived in a variety of cultures, from Dubai to Auckland, London to New Jersey, but is now happily settled in Perth, Western Australia, with her husband and a rescue kitty named Muesli. You can learn more about her (and the real-life Muesli who inspired the cat character in the story) at: www.hyhanna.com.
Author Links
~ Giveaway ~
February 10, 2016
Blog Tour Stop ~ Drive by @TeresNoeRoberts
Book Title: Drive
Author: Teresa Noelle Roberts
Genre: Erotic Romance
Release Date: February 9, 2016
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
He’s a kinky dream come true—and her only protection from danger.
Eight months after her (cheating, almost-ex) husband’s death, Suzanne Mayhew has a plan to move on with her life. First step: sell off Frank’s classic cars, starting with the red vintage Mustang convertible he never let her drive. Second step: get her unexplored kink on with a delicious younger man.
Preferably the one an old friend sends around, ostensibly to check out the Mustang. Neil Callahan—Boston cop, Dom, fifteen years her junior.
Neil feels the mutual sizzle, but if the blush staining her cheeks is any indication, her flirting skills are a little rusty. Though his instinct tells him to take things slow with the recent widow, he can’t resist inviting her along for a test drive—for the whole weekend.
Throwing caution to the wind, Suzanne takes him up on it. But they’re barely out of the driveway when Neil’s cop instincts kick in. They’ve got a tail…and it looks dangerously like her ex’s secrets looming large—and deadly—in their rear-view mirror.
Warning: Spies, lies and vile bad guys. A meddling BFF. Inappropriate use of kitchen tools. Completely appropriate use of rope and floggers. Your mileage may vary, depending on battery life.
The red Mustang with the FOR SALE sign on it was the second thing to catch Neil Callahan’s eyes, even though he’d been looking for it on this tree-lined suburban street of huge, handsome, but cloyingly similar houses. Cookie-cutter, but an expensive cookie cutter. The first thing he noticed was the ass and long, jean-clad legs of the woman cleaning the windshield of the classic convertible.
The car was hot, a vintage Mustang—1965 or so, he thought—in near-showroom condition. Yet the car’s current owner drew his attention away from the vehicle. It said something about how tempting that butt was. How firm, yet curvy.
How spankable…
Which was definitely not what he should be thinking, unless he wanted to talk cars while sporting a mammoth hard-on. If this were porn, he could do that and find himself banging the callipygian redhead within thirty-five seconds, and she’d turn out to be as kinky as a cheap garden hose. But this was real life, so she’d probably pepper-spray him, or at least think of some good reason to cut the conversation short, leaving him without either the information he wanted on the car or a chance to flirt with her.
Neil made himself ride a couple of blocks while thinking distinctly non-sexy thoughts about the details of the latest investigation at work (looked like a straightforward case of one drug dealer shooting another over money, but it was early yet) and the schematics of Ford engines from the ’70s. When he thought he could talk without sounding like a horny teenager, he whipped his vintage Indian motorcycle around and headed back. Probably the woman would have gone back indoors and he’d have to call but with luck, she’d come back out to answer his questions, so he could see if the rest of her was as impressive as the rear view. Then maybe he’d ask her if she’d like to get lunch sometime, or coffee, which could lead to all sorts of interesting places, including his bedroom, the inside of his favorite bondage club or…
Down, boy! All the meeting was likely to lead to was finding out if he wanted to pursue the car, not the woman. She was probably married with kids, seeing as how she lived in a big house in upscale, suburban Bellwood, with the whole manicured-lawn thing going on. A far cry from his home base in Boston’s working-class Dorchester neighborhood, but one of his kink-community friends knew how badly he longed for a new project car and had mentioned seeing a Mustang for sale in this area.
Not that this car looked like a project. More like it had been someone’s precious baby, lovingly maintained all these years, and would be out his price range, even if his dad wanted to go in on it. Their usual project cars were more the “three tubs of parts and a frame” kind. But he could always drool.
Whether he’d be drooling more over the car or the woman was an excellent question.
When he pulled up, the woman was still out front, idly adjusting the FOR SALE sign, which had been resting on the bumper but was now in a more prominent position on the windshield.
The rest of her looked just as good as the rear view suggested.
Older than he was, early to mid-forties, he’d guess, to his thirty—the perfect age, in his opinion. Older women were more confident, as a rule, more in touch with their own sexual needs and less likely to use the submissive role as an excuse to avoid responsibility.
A guy could dream. Just like he could dream he could afford the car.
Teresa Noelle Roberts started writing stories in kindergarten and she hasn’t stopped yet. A prolific author of short erotica, she’s also a published poet and fantasy writer—but hot paranormals, sexy science fiction romances and BDSM-spiced contemporaries have become her favorites.
Teresa is a crunchy granola girl who enjoys belly dance, yoga, cooking, hiking, playing in the ocean and growing more vegetables than she and her husband can possibly eat. She’d enjoy sleeping too. She thinks. But it takes so much time!
She shares her home in southern Massachusetts with her husband—a Leo in law enforcement—and three cats. She and her husband often plan vacations around food,history and/or proximity to water.
Find out more about Teresa at http://www.teresanoelleroberts.com. If you’d rather be conversational, find her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TeresNoeRoberts or become a Facebook fan at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorTeresaNoelleRoberts. She also hangs out on Pinterest, sharing pictures of hot cars, hotter men and other inspirational imagery, at www.pinterest.com/teresanoellerob.
February 9, 2016
Cover Reveal ~ Conquering William by Sarah Hegger
Inside the Book:
Title: Conquering William
Author: Sarah Hegger
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Historical Romance
Format: Ecopy
“Sarah Hegger has a gift for storytelling that is not to be missed. She’s a personal favorite of mine.” —Kathryn Le Veque, USA Today bestselling author
A practical marriage…
He married for convenience, but William of Anglesea had hoped for more than piety from his new bride. Raised in a convent and thrice widowed, prim Lady Alice of Tarnwych seems like an innocent when it comes to the marriage bed—except for the tentative passion he senses in her touch, and sees in her eyes. It seems the bold knight has a new challenge in alluring Alice. But will seducing his intriguing wife lead to his downfall?
An inconvenient desire…
Everything about charming, free-spirited William defies the cloistered world Lady Alice comes from. Duty brings her to their bed—and a long-held hope for a child. Yet after three indifferent husbands, the desire William shows her awakens her own. Little did Alice expect the powerful feelings he would inspire, emotions that make her ready to abandon her rigid beliefs, and the only family she’s ever known—when William’s life is on the line….
Meet the Author
Born British and raised in South Africa, Sarah Hegger suffers from an incurable case of wanderlust. Her match? A hot Canadian engineer, whose marriage proposal she accepted six short weeks after they first met. Together they’ve made homes in seven different cities across three different continents (and back again once or twice). If only it made her multilingual, but the best she can manage is idiosyncratic English, fluent Afrikaans, conversant Russian, pigeon Portuguese, even worse Zulu and enough French to get herself into trouble. Mimicking her globe trotting adventures, Sarah’s career path began as a gainfully employed actress, drifted into public relations, settled a moment in advertising, and eventually took root in the fertile soil of her first love, writing. She also moonlights as a wife and mother. She currently lives in Draper, Utah, with her teenage daughters, two Golden Retrievers and aforementioned husband. Part footloose buccaneer, part quixotic observer of life, Sarah’s restless heart is most content when reading or writing books.
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February 8, 2016
Review of Major Crimes by Michele Lynn Seigfried
Title: Major Crimes
Series: Jersey Shore Mystery Series
Author: Michele Lynn Seigfried
Published: January 26, 2016
Publisher: Horseshoe Bay Publishing
Genre: Cozy Mystery
~ Synopsis ~
Buckle up for hours of laughter, romance, and excitement with this Jersey Shore Mystery. When handsome detective, Bryce Kelly, is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he finds himself on the run and in hiding. Can amateur sleuth, Chelsey Alton, and a few quirky friends help him find the real killer and prove his innocence before it’s too late? If you love mysteries, don’t miss this humorous whodunit!
Purchase Link Amazon
~ Book Review~
I am a fan of mysteries that are solved by the person wrongly accused of the crime. In Major Crimes the person who is wrongly accused is a hunky detective. Sounds like great fun!
Major Crimes is a quick, light read. You can easily finish this one on a Sunday afternoon curled up on the sofa. I did find the writing a bit repetitive. Seigfried often shows the reader a point and then, in case you missed it, tells us as well. And personally I thought there were too many details. The blow-by-blow explanation of trip after trip to the porch didn’t feel necessary to me, but I’m wondering if that’s because my sense of humor is different than the writer’s.
The mystery itself was a bit different than typical cozy mysteries in that Chelsey’s position at the PI’s office meant they had access to more gadgets than the usual heroine in a cozy. The speed at which forensics were performed was a bit too fast for real life but that didn’t bother me. It kept the action moving.
I liked Bryce. Like most men, he did annoy me a bit with being mysterious about details when Chelsey was putting herself on the line to help him. I’m still not sure what I think of Chelsey. I admired her desire to help Bryce despite the personal risk, but she was a bit of an airhead. Of course her inept ways did lead to some funny moments. The scene in the frozen yogurt shop was a favorite of mine. But why in the world did she have three men in her life? Especially how that all ended. Because I did unfortunately hate the ending.
This is a great read for lovers of cozy mysteries.
~ About the Author ~
Michele Lynn Seigfried is the author of humorous, cozy mystery novels and a children’s picture book author/illustrator.
Michele was born and raised in New Jersey. In her mystery novels, she draws from her personal expertise in the area of municipal government, in which she has served for over 17 years in two different municipalities.
She holds a B.A. in communication from the College of New Jersey with a minor in art. She obtained the Master Municipal Clerk certification from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks in 2010. She also holds the Registered Municipal Clerk certification and Certified Municipal Registrar Certifications from the State of New Jersey.
In combining her love of writing with art, Michele began writing and illustrating children’s picture books in 2013. She has won several awards for her novels.
Author Links
Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ Pinterest ~ Amazon ~ Email ~ Google+ ~ Tsu
~ Giveaway ~
a Rafflecopter giveaway
February 7, 2016
How we ended up walking through a demilitarized zone
I recently forced my husband to go on vacation with me. It’s not that the man doesn’t want to go on vacation, but he doesn’t have many vacation days and is trying to save them up for reasons I’m not at liberty to discuss (I like it when I can write stuff like that because then I sound like a super spy who has this thrilling exotic life). He finally agreed to go on a vacation. Yeah! But there were two problems. We only had a week and it was in January. Since we weren’t keen on a ski vacation, a vacation in January can be a bit problematic. And although we can fly cheaper than the average Joe, my husband is in planes and airports all the time. He didn’t want to travel 9 hours to go to the Maldives to enjoy some sun for a mere week. Maybe next time?
We ended up heading to Cyprus, which lead to some odd problems since we live in Istanbul. There are tons of flights daily to Northern Cyprus to an airport that no one in the world recognizes except Turkey, but we didn’t want to stay in Northern Cyprus. We wanted to get away for a week and Northern Cyprus aka Turkish Cyprus was just too much like Turkey for our liking. In other words, we needed to be somewhere where buying alcohol wouldn’t break the vacation budget. But how does one get from Northern Cyprus to Southern Cyprus?
Not with a rental car. I did my research and emailed several Turkish Cypriot rental car agencies. None of their cars can be insured for Cyprus itself. Strangely enough, I learned that if you rent a car from the Greek side, you can drive onto the Turkish side. You just need to buy insurance at the border.
I ended up finding a rental car agency with an office close to a border between Northern and Southern Cyprus. I thought we’d have a taxi drop us off at the border and then walk to the rental car agency. Easy Peasy. Well, not exactly. I’d forgotten that the border crossings had different names depending on whether you’re speaking Greek or Turkish. And trust me, the names are not similar – at all. Our taxi driver dropped us off at the wrong border crossing, which we didn’t realize at the time. Lucky for us, a nice Turkish man asked if we needed a lift and then proceeded to drive us around for an hour trying to find the rental agency. We got there in the end.
After a week-long visit in Cyprus, we headed back to Nicosia (or is it Lefkosa?). This time we were determined to walk across the border. Just to be safe, we asked the agent about getting a taxi and learned that there were no taxis willing to take us to the Turkish airport from the Greek side. But it’s just a short walk, he said. Go straight here and you can’t miss it!
Yes, yes, you can miss it. We walked straight for a few minutes and ran into a city wall filled with mortar and small arms ammunition holes as well as sand-bag filled windows. This must be it! We walked through the gate and ran straight into a barbed wire fence. The old Greek men sitting at a coffee shop directed us one street further. We dragged our suitcases another block and ran smack dab into the UN. This must be it! Um, no, we were actually trying to enter the UN headquarters and although that may work for Madam Secretary, it didn’t for us.
But then we saw a woman drop off some kids and walk through what looked like a border. Aha! We followed and before we knew it, we were in a demilitarized zone. The Cypriot Greeks didn’t bother to even check our EU passports.
So what was it like to walk through the demilitarized zone? Was it everything I expected? Not exactly. For some reason, I imagined a DMZ would resemble the border between West and East Germany from more than 20 years ago. I envisioned barbed wire fences with guards in towers manned by military men holding scary machine guns and a green zone of overgrown grass filling up the space between the two borders.
But that’s not what I got. For one, it was quiet. And eerie. There were no military men looking to shoot anyone who dared step in the wrong direction. We actually didn’t see another soul as we walked through the zone. And there certainly wasn’t any grass. This was a DMZ in the middle of the former capital of united Cyprus. There were deserted streets and empty buildings. It wasn’t quite like a warzone you see on television, but it was obvious that a battle had occurred here. As we passed the building housing the UN peacekeepers, my husband remarked “Someone had really bad aim.” He was referring to the numerous bullet holes which missed the windows of the building. After the housing, we passed a UN project sponsored – amongst others – by the Netherlands in which young people could write down their wishes for Cyprus. That’s the Dutch for you – always wanting to talk things out.
And then we were at the Turkish border. Unlike the Greek side, which was manned by one woman, this side had six men shuffling around only one of whom was actually working. After getting the requisite stamps in our passports, we found a taxi stand and negotiated a price to the airport. Our mini-vacation was over.
Go on an adventure with Susan Joyce’s memoir Good Morning Diego Garcia
Title: Good Morning Diego Garcia
Author: Susan Joyce
Genre: travel adventure/memoir
~ Synopsis ~
When Susan and Charles receive a letter from Cyprus friends, now in Taiwan, they get a chance to help crew a sailboat from Sri Lanka across the Indian Ocean. They have no clue what to expect. Susan reminds Charles she isn’t a good swimmer. He tells her a life jacket will do the trick, and convinces her it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. A must-do travel adventure. They say goodbye to friends and family in sunny California, fly to New York and on to India, arriving the day the Indian government has issued a state of emergency. And then onto the boat, and into the ocean. In monsoon season. With no charts. In this true-life travel adventure, Susan keeps a journal and record her bizarre thoughts and telling dreams. A real life thriller, Susan’s monsoon-season journey is about discovery and spiritual realization—one dream at a time.
~ Excerpt ~
“Are you afraid now?” Mia asked.
“No,” I answered. “I wish I could stop the world and get off. I wish I was experiencing another life in an alternative universe. A calmer one.”
“Maybe we are,” Mia said. “Maybe we are dead.”
“Maybe we are and observing,” I added. “A future life.”
I was surprised to see Mia smile. “A previous life.”
Charles looked disturbed by the conversation and shook his head in disbelief. “Susan,” he said, “enough!”
I stopped talking when I noticed Dylan had joined us.
Mia looked at him like she had seen a ghost.
“What’s the problem?” Dylan asked Charles.
“We’re all dead,” Charles said.
“We died in a storm at sea,” Mia added.
“And we will carry on sailing through eternity,” Charles said.
Looking concerned, Dylan shook his head and went back to his room.
~ About the Author ~
Born in Los Angeles California, Susan Joyce spent most of her childhood in Tucson, Arizona and returned to LA as a young working woman. Inspired as a child by postcards from her globe-trotting great aunt, Susan left the United States at age 20 to see the world.
She planned on being gone for a year, but ended up living her 20s and 30s in Europe and the Middle East. As a Jill of all trades, she worked as a secretary, freelance writer, taught computer classes, wrote songs, and became an accomplished artist while writing her first children’s book, “Peel, the Extraordinary Elephant.”
An award winning author and editor of children’s books, Susan’s first adult book in her memoir series, “The Lullaby Illusion–A Journey of Awakening” is a travelogue of the politics of Europe, the United States, and Israel during a twelve year ‘roller-coaster’ period of her life and an adventure of survival through friends and sheer determination.
The Lullaby Illusion was awarded
* Readers’ Favorite 5-Stars and the 2014 GOLD Medal Winner, Non-Fiction–Travel in the 2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards.
* Honorable Mention Prize Winner–2014 Stargazer Literary Prizes
Her second memoir, “Good Morning Diego Garcia” is about her adventure from India and across the Indian Ocean in monsoon season in 1975.
Read more about Susan’s life adventures
Stop in and say hello to Susan on Facebook
~ Giveaway ~
Susan will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.
February 5, 2016
Cover Reveal ~ Painting Rain by Annette K. Larson #giveaway
Painting Rain by Annette K. Larsen
How do you heal your heart after tragedy leaves you broken? When the person you loved didn’t deserve it and they can’t earn your forgiveness because they’re already dead? How do you move on, and heal, and love?
If you’re Princess Lorraina, you paint.
A year ago Lorraina watched Tobias die, and she still doesn’t know how she’s supposed to heal—or forgive. How can she when she’s still running away? In an attempt to reinvent herself, she steps outside her comfortable life as princess and seeks the tutelage of a master painter—a man who is not at all impressed by her pedigree, and demands not just talent, but emotional honesty.
Struggling to learn what’s being taught, she finds herself drawn to someone who not only knows her secrets, but who she once considered far below her notice. Now she is compelled to seek him out despite knowing their relationship would be forbidden if discovered. Staying away from him doesn’t seem possible when discovering him may be the key to healing her heart and rediscovering herself.
Author Annette K. Larsen
I was born in Utah, but grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona and St. Louis, Missouri, the fifth of seven children. I attended Southern Virginia University and Brigham Young University, where I studied English and Theater. I now live in Idaho with my husband and four children.
I have Charlotte Brontë to thank for the courage to write novels. After being bombarded with assigned reading about women who justified abandoning either their families or their principles in the name of love, I had the great fortune of reading Jane Eyre. And that was it: finally, a heroine who understood that being moral and making the right choice was hard, and sometimes it hurt, but it was still worth it. After rereading it several years later, I realized that if I wanted more books to exist with the kinds of heroines I admired, then I might as well write a few myself. My books are about women who face hard choices, who face pain and rejection and often have to face the reality of sacrificing what they want for what is right. The consequences are often difficult or unpleasant, but in the end, doing what’s right will always be worth it.
I believe there is no substitute for good writing or good chocolate. Fortunately, one often leads to the other.
Cover Reveal Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Code or Paypal Cash
Ends 2/22/16
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
How to write a book review without making the writer cry
A while back I wrote a blog about how to request a review which led to an avalanche of review requests in my inbox (I’m still sorting through those!). But what about the other side of the coin? How do you write a review? And who cares anyway? It’s your opinion so why do there have to be any rules? I don’t think we need to have hard and fast rules, but there should definitely be some guidelines. In this age of instant communication, feelings get hurt because everyone is hurrying, hurrying, hurrying. People shoot off text messages, Facebook posts, and tweets without thinking about grammar let alone how their writing may affect others. Common courtesy doesn’t seem to matter in the digital world.
I had a law professor who I didn’t like one tiny bit, but I always remember his advice. It sounded something like this: Everything you write, whether it’s an email or a note in a file or a court document, is admissible in court and can be used against you. Best. Advice. Ever. Although I’m no longer practicing law (YEAH!), I still practice his advice everyday. I don’t send e-mails or messages until I re-read them and make sure I’d be happy with that message being made public. This applies to reviews I write as well. Of course, I’m a writer so I understand how hurtful a review can be and I can’t help but take this into consideration when reviewing.
Here are a few of the rules I try to follow when writing a review:
Re-read before pushing the publish button. Don’t just shoot off a review without taking a moment to pause. Personally, I always wait a day after finishing a novel before writing the review. I take extensive notes while reading so as not to forget any important issues I want to mention in my review. Immediately writing a review often leads to a review founded solely upon emotions. For example, I finished a book for review yesterday and I hated the ending. I mean HATED THE ENDING. I slammed my Kindle shut and immediately added ending totally sucked to my notes. If I had written the review at that moment, I probably would have given the book 2 stars based solely on the ending. That’s not exactly fair. One of my books, Life Discarded, has a not particularly happy ending. Although the ending is happy in its own way, most readers don’t experience it that way. I have gotten a ton of bad reviews based on the ending of the book alone. So please take a moment to pause and let the entire book sink in before writing that review.
Always, always say something nice. No matter how horrible a book is, if you managed to finish it, there has got to be something positive to say. Search for that positive and mention it. Just because a review is online and you are therefore anonymous shouldn’t mean you can be nasty. If you wouldn’t dare to say it to the writer in person, why do you think it’s okay to write it?
Judge the book written, not the one you believe the author should have written. I don’t know if other writers experience this as much as me, but I’m often judged by the book the reader believes I should have written instead of the book I wrote. I’ve written serious novels, but my most recent books are light, cozy mysteries with a wallop of humor (okay maybe just a dash of humor). Because one of the heroes of the novels is gay, many readers have criticized my lack of including the perils of being gay in America. Well, folks, that’s not the book I wrote. Is it really fair to criticize a writer for not writing the book you wanted to read?
Make it clear that the review is your opinion. Just because you didn’t like a novel, doesn’t mean that no one in the world is going to enjoy it. All-encompassing comments sound very judgmental and aren’t very helpful for the writer.
Write a review, not a critique. Unless the author has asked you to write a critique, review the book instead of critiquing. What’s the difference? A critique is a critical analysis. As critical is defined as tending to find fault, a critique is almost always negative (or at least it feels that way to a writer). A critique looks for problems in a novel whereas a review gives a reader’s opinion of the book and whether the reader enjoyed it. Critiques are great tools for helping a writer learn her craft, but they aren’t reviews and shouldn’t be used as such.
What rules do you have for writing a review?
February 4, 2016
Book Blast ~Borrowed Magic by @shari_lambert
Borrowed Magic by Shari Lambert
After a three-year siege, Lord Kern, the dark mage, is dead. Magic has left Tredare, and life is almost back to normal.
For everyone except Maren, that is.
Before the siege, an attack by Lord Kern left Maren near death and with a sliver of magic buried deep inside her. Now, for reasons Maren doesn’t understand, that magic has been triggered, giving her the ability to “see” the truth: that her world is nothing more than a magical façade; and that the kingdom’s hero may not be a hero at all.
But this gift of sight comes at a high cost. Maren is in constant pain, and fears her own death is imminent. Plus, no one believes her suspicions that another Dark Mage has risen, and that Tredare may be in just as much danger as it was when Kern was alive.
With the country’s future in the hands of a man who’s vowed revenge on its king, Maren must convince someone else of the truth. Unfortunately, the only person powerful enough to help is also the one man she can’t trust; the man she almost married; the man who abandoned her and disappeared for three years: Kern’s son.
As Tredare crumbles around them, Maren must persuade him to help – before the king is murdered by the very hero he reveres; and before the same magic that gives Maren the gift of sight also takes her life.
Kobo * Smashwords * iTune
Excerpt from Borrowed Magic
The siege had ended. Lord Kern, the dark mage, was dead.
Maren pushed her forehead against the warm glass, straining for a better view of the commotion below. A cheer went up from the crowd, and she searched for any sign of the man making his way to the castle. The man who’d saved the city – and the kingdom.
All she could see was a mass of bodies, crowding the path leading up from the city gates.
It wasn’t uncommon to see people in the streets of Delorme. They’d come every day for the past two and a half years, standing in subdued silence as they waited for the daily rations that grew more and more meager as the weeks went by. But today the crowd wasn’t silent. Today was different.
The tent cities beyond the wall, once teeming with soldiers draining the city of life, were now abandoned, destroyed, thin plumes of smoke the only movement. What was left of the lush, green fields sat charred and barren. Desolate.
“Anything?”
Maren jumped back from the window and felt the color rise to her cheeks.
“It’s all right, Maren,” Adare said, trying to get her own view of the street below. “We’re all curious. And you have more right than the rest of us. You knew him better than anyone.”
The dull, familiar ache in her chest forced Maren to hesitate until she was sure she could speak without her voice breaking. Even then, she couldn’t meet the queen’s eyes. “I’m not sure I knew him at all.”
Praise for Borrowed Magic
“I was enthralled from the very beginning up until the very end. This is one of those rare stories that has been created by a truly talented author, that captivates its readers and pulls them in. I felt every emotion as it reached its final conclusion, and I was able to breathe a sigh of relief that we were given the ending we so desperately hoped for.” -Tasha Williams, Red’s Midnight Readers
“Borrowed Magic is a spellbinding story, and the mystery kept me turning pages well after I should have gone to bed. Completely engrossing.” -Dawn Rae Miller, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of Larkstorm (The Sensitives Trilogy)
“Shari Lambert has a way of capturing your mind and transporting you into her fantasy world. Filled with royalty and dark forces at court, Borrowed Magic reminds me of a Phillipa Gregory novel with the bonus of magic.” -Jamie Blair, author of Leap of Faith
FREE EBOOK
Siege: A Borrowed Magic Novella
For six years, peace has reigned over the kingdom of Tredare. Lord Kern, the dark mage who murdered the king and queen eight years prior, is imprisoned in a magical tomb.
Or so everyone thought – until one night when Kern appears during a ball at the royal castle, and life in Tredare changes for the worst.
Especially for innocent Maren.
Unbeknown to her, Maren’s father has a past history with Kern, and now she’s crossed Kern’s path, getting in the way of something he wants. Angry and boiling with dark magic, Kern vows to destroy those who dare defy him – including Maren, who protects the current King and Queen.
Despite Maren’s best efforts, Kern lays siege to Tredare for three years. Years Maren spends plotting revenge on the man who’s determined to ruin Tredare.
Author Shari Lambert
Shari has always loved to read. “Bookworm” may even be an understatement. But when she discovered Georgette Heyer in high school, her love of reading exploded. Ms. Heyer’s books were not only entertaining, witty, and smart, but they saved Shari from the awkward, unromantic teenage years. To this day, Shari’s favorite books all have romance in them.
Although Shari spent a good deal of her time at Brigham Young University on the ballroom dance team, she did manage to get a BA in History and English before going on to get a Juris Doctorate. After graduation, she decided her first priority was to be a mom — a career she’s stuck with and loved.
In between cleaning, laundry, and homework, Shari writes. Just like with reading, she wants to get lost in a world, whether imaginary or historical.
She lives just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and four children.
BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 2/23/16
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
February 3, 2016
Backlash by Bianca Sommerland
Book Title: Backlash
Author: Bianca Sommerland
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Rock Star
Release Date: Janurary 27, 2016
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
Outcasts, black sheep, those who never fit in anywhere. Winter’s Wrath belongs to them. Every single member of the band rejects the norm when it comes to music.
They won’t settle when it comes to love.
Alder Trousseau, the lead guitarist in a band that owns his heart and soul, has always stood in the shadow of a man he hates. Braver “Brave” Trousseau, the voice of Winter’s Wrath.
For the success of the band, they have to work past their animosity, but that’s difficult when they have the same taste in women. And men.
Sex is a game to Brave. A game that might leave the people Alder cares for completely broken. Unless he claims them for his own.
If he steps out of the shadows, he’ll have no choice to play. To win.
On stage, the drama drives the fans insane. The songs they sing are a blood racing, body moving, warcry. But the very real battle taking place between the snares and the mic might tear the band apart.
The seating above was elegant, with rich red seats and fancy banisters, but the area in front of the stage ruined the sophistication. All the seating had been removed and there were crates that still hadn’t been stashed away from all the bands’ audio and lighting equipment. About half an hour ago, VIP fans had been brought in for the soundcheck, but they hadn’t been allowed to take pictures because—as Jesse had told them while acting as the host—they didn’t need everyone online to see the mess.
“We do venues like this all the time, so I’m used to it.” He shifted her hair over one shoulder and bent down to kiss her neck again. His tone deepened in a way that heated her blood and made it very difficult to focus on anything he was saying. “Churches are still a little weird though.”
She tipped her head to the side, enjoying the distraction of his lips moving down her throat, even though she was so turned on her panties weren’t going to survive the night. They were already a little damp.
Maybe he could help her with that.
“How much time do we have?” She hooked her fingers to the belt of his distressed, black jeans so he’d have no doubt as to why she was asking. “I have an idea of how you can help me relax.”
He gave her a hooded look and took her hand to draw her backstage. “Enough for me to take care of you.”
All five bands had retreated to their busses, or headed out to local restaurants, to chill out before the show started. The crewmembers were still around, adjusting the lighting and setting up the merch tables. Backstage was surprisingly empty, but she knew a roadie could show up any minute.
Alder didn’t seem at all concerned, so she took his lead, moaning into his mouth as he pushed her up against the wall behind the heavy, red stage curtains. He cupped her pussy under her skirt, shifting aside the lace covering her and dipping a thick, calloused finger inside her with a soft groan.
“I love how wet you get for me.” He dragged his finger out, spreading the moisture over her clit, circling the tiny bud until she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out at the sharp spark of pleasure. His hot breath brushed her throat as he leaned closer to her, easing his finger in and moving over her clit in a deliciously, torturous rhythm. “Feeling you like this, I can’t help thinking about how you taste. I could spend hours with your legs wrapped around my neck and my mouth on your sweet pussy.”
Oh, I like that idea. Her core tightened as he pressed another finger into her alongside the first. She was so aroused, she knew he’d set her off before long, but she needed to see him as out of control as she was. He always paid close attention to her, giving her anything she could want or need.
Right now, what she needed was to return the favor.
Curving her hand around the back of his neck, she drew him down so she could whisper in his ear. “I still don’t know what you taste like. That’s about to change.”
Tugging his belt open, she maneuvered him around so his back was braced against the wall. When his hand left her she grabbed his wrist and sucked his fingers, enjoying both the flavor of herself on his skin, and the way he sucked in a sharp breath as he watched her.
She opened his jeans, freeing his long, hard dick which she’d felt inside her more than once, but still hadn’t had a chance to admire.
Stroking him, she ran her tongue over the thick head, which had darkened with his arousal. Along his length were thick veins and his pulse beat against her tongue as she ran it up the underside of his dick. Teasing him with a flick of her tongue, she tasted the bead of precum slicking the slit of his cock.
“Baby, that feels so fucking good.” Alder cupped her cheek, shifting his hips slightly as she wrapped her lips around him. “God, you’re beautiful.”
Cupping his balls in her hand, she let her saliva slick his whole length, moving faster, watching his face until he tipped his head back, muttering what sounded like a prayer.
From the corner of her eye, there was movement. She slowed, not sure if she should stop and warn Alder.
But then she saw who it was and a naughty little voice in her head told her to keep going. She still remembered those teasing words about how she “Might have had competition.”
They wouldn’t get in trouble for getting caught. Not by him.
He can either leave, or he can stay and watch.
And for some strange reason, she kinda hoped he’d stay.
Bianca Sommerland was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec. When not reading neurotically or writing as though the fate of the world rests on her keyboard, she is either watching hockey or teaching her daughters the beauty of a classic, steel pony while reminiscing about her days in Auto Body Mechanics.
Her time is balanced with utmost care between normal family life, and the internal paranormal realm where her characters reside. For the most part, she succeeds.
