Jessica Samuelsen's Blog, page 29

Friday Coffee & Bookish Speaks – Stand Alones Vs. Series.

I’m still on a break from coffee so I’ll be drinking a Lavander Chamomille tea today.

What are you drinking?

So I’ve been giving this some thought lately. There are a lot of series out there. Maybe it’s just the books that I am reading, but it seems like a majority of the books I read are a series. It’s bumming me out a little. I would like some good old fashion stand alone books.

When it’s a series the story doesn’t feel done with one book or at least the author doesn’t think so.  Sometimes I think the book is complete and the author has made it a series. There is one time I read a book that needed a sequel and the author had no intent of doing so. She did end up making the sequel which I have not read #readershame. It was necessary. Other than that exception, does there really need to be so many series out there?

I want more stand alones. I want to read a book and feel like I accomplished something. I don’t want to have to wait for the next release or have to work the next books into my already crazy reading schedule.

Do you have any good stand alone suggestions? Do you get overwhelmed with series?

Review The Cilantro in Apple Pie by Kimberley Nadine Knights

The Cilantro in Apple Pie by Kimberley Nadine Knights
Published by Howling Wolf/Ravenswood Publishing on May 5, 2016
Genres: Contemporary, YA
Pages: 310
Source: Author

I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Goodreads
Amazon

Fragnut. Confused? Well so is everyone else at Lumiere Hall Prep when sixteen-year-old Rubie Keane rolls in from Trinidad and Tobago talking her weird lingo. Not that she minds the culture confusion; she's determined to leave the past behind her and be overlooked—but a certain stoic blue blood is equally as determined to foil her plans.

Gil Stromeyer's offbeat personality initially makes Rubie second-guess his sanity, but she suspects his erratic outbursts of violence mask a deeper issue in his troubled, charmed life. Despite his disturbing behavior, a gradual bond forms between the two. However, on the night of the annual Stromeyer gala, events unfold that leave Rubie stripped of her dignity and kick Gil's already fragile world off its axis.

Both their well-kept secrets are uncovered, but Gil's revelation proves that sometimes the best remedy for a bad case of lost identity, is a dash of comradery from an ally packed with flavor.

Rubie Keane moved to America with her sister and husband so she can go to a private school. The school she’s going to should help her get into an ivy league school. Everyone decided this is what best. Sad to leave her beloved Trinidad behind she’s also looking forward to making a new start. By new start means being a loner and not making friends because of what happened in Trinidad. Gil Stromeyer has other ideas says he needs Rubie to be his friend. With Gil being persistent will Rubie stick to her no friend rule?

In an Oyster Shell – This was a surprisingly amazing read that will stay with you long after you have finished.

The Pearls – It was nice to be exposed to the Trinidad culture. I learned so much about it from this book and I love that. I love how Rubie fit into America by standing by her customs (mostly phrases) and sporting her Trinidad pride.

The contrast between Rubie and Gil was amazing. It made for a great dynamic. The fact that they had a platonic relationship was unique and refreshing. I liked the creativity behind the why they had a platonic relationship.

The themes in this book were very real. There was a lot of dealing with loss do to death and sickness. It was amazing that in the end Rubie and Gill could really be there for each other in their respective struggles.

The Sand –  Sometimes a strength can be a weakness. I think the strong Trinidad pride was a bit over done. It would have been nice to see Rubie being acclimated to more American things to balance it out.


About Kimberley Nadine Knights

Kimberley Nadine Knights knew when she kept willingly opting out of parties so she could stay home and write instead, that she was destined to be an author.

Born and raised in the tropical twin islands of Trinidad & Tobago, when this Caribbean girl isn’t creating new plotlines for her ever growing lineup of fictional characters, she spends her time strumming her guitar to indie rock songs and snapping once in a lifetime photos halfway across the globe in countries such as Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and France.

She’s an avid fan of The Walking Dead series and firmly believes that The Food Network should consider her being a judge on the next Chopped challenge.

“The Cilantro in Apple Pie” is her debut novel.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Review – A Sprint to His Heart by Lyla Bardan

A Sprint to His Heart by Lyla Bardan
Published by Soul Mate Publishing on July 13th 2016
Genres: Paranormal, Romance
Pages: 251

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Goodreads
Amazon

An ordinary young woman with a dream to be a professional cyclist falls for an extraordinary young man who thinks she’s anything but ordinary.

Bailey Meyers doesn’t have time for distractions, much less a boyfriend, so why does she agree to date the drop-dead sexy Fae artist who loves to watch her race? Because for once, she’d like to take a risk off the racecourse, even after her coach’s reminder of his no dating policy. A policy that puts her racing career in jeopardy when she’s kicked off the team, as if a concussion from a crash and an accusation of doping with dark Fae blood wasn’t enough.

She can’t stay away from the enchanting Piran of Sava…until she discovers he’s not who she thought he was. Can their love stay on course when Bailey joins a cycling team a thousand miles away and Piran is promised to a Fae princess?

In an Oyster Shell –  I did not like this book, it was not for me.

The Pearls –  The romance was sweet at times.

The Sand –  I didn’t realize this was a New Adult book so the explicit sex scenes took me by surprise. I like clean romance. The whole idea of Fae living in the real world as part of reality just did not work for me. There is something about the love interest that really bothers me. The main character was awkward.

In the end, this was just not a book for me.

2 pearls

Review – Frostbitten by Heather Beck

Frostbitten by Heather Beck
Published by Enchanted Publishing on June 23, 2014
Genres: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 284
Source: Author

I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Goodreads
Amazon

Great beauty hides dark secrets...

Seventeen-year-old Anastasia Lockhart has never led an easy life, but when she starts getting into serious trouble, she’s sent to live with her grandparents in Cedar Falls. The small, picturesque town hasn’t changed since she visited four years ago, with one exception – the presence of a handsome, mysterious boy named Frost. Despite warnings from her grandparents and friends to stay away from Frost, Anastasia can’t deny their attraction, and the more time they spend together, the deeper in love they fall. Unfortunately, Frost has a secret that is beyond Anastasia’s wildest imagination, and she soon finds herself in the midst of a supernatural legend that has haunted Cedar Falls for years.

Can Anastasia and Frost’s love really overcome anything, or are their fates much darker?

Anastasia moves to Cedar Falls after getting in trouble in the town where she was living with her mom. Her grandparents welcome her with open arms. Anastasia tries to settle into small town life but soon finds herself in the midst of small town dynamics. Her grandfather is in competition with another hardware store. The owner’s son ends up being Frost who takes an immediate liking to Anastasia. As the grow closer it becomes clear that Frost and the town are hiding something.

In an Oyster Shell – It was a good fun read.

The Pearls – I always love a small town setting. There can be so much drama in a small town. Cedar falls is no exception. I like how the author captures the hysteria and paranoia that can happen in any place but especially in a small town.

I like the accuracy of the title. It was really foretelling to the whole story. The cover worked as well to go along with the story. I like how the author was right on with all the intricate details that go along with the book.

The writing was crisp and clean. The plot was engrossing, with lots of twists and turns.

The Sand – There was insta-love with the romance which is not ideal. The pacing was slightly off in some places.

3.5 Pearls


About Heather Beck

Heather Beck is a Canadian Author and Screenwriter who began writing professionally at the age of sixteen. Since then she has written eleven well-reviewed books, including the bestselling series, The Horror Diaries, which has sold in six continents.

Heather received an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree from university where she specialized in English and studied an array of disciplines. Currently, she is working on the Frostbitten series and has two anthologies slated for publication. As a screenwriter, Heather has multiple television shows and movies in development. Her short films include: Young Eyes, The Rarity, Too Sensible For Love, Circular, and the forthcoming Witch’s Brew.

Besides writing, Heather’s greatest passion is the outdoors. She is an award-winning fisherwoman and a regular hiker. Her hobbies include swimming, playing badminton and volunteering with non-profit organizations.

Website | Goodreads

Sunday Post – September 18

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at the  Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

I got a new to me car this week which is exciting. My husband and I have been down to one car for nine months so it will be nice to have the flexibility of two cars again.

This Week In Review – Image Takes you to the review!

Blog Tour – 

Giveaways – 

This week’s Feature and Follow was show your TBR.

This week’s discussion was about Letting Loose. 

Coming up this week – 

Reviews – 

Question of The Week – What’s your favorite part of fall? Mine is wearing sweaters and boot.

Have a great week

Friday Coffee & Bookish Speaks – Letting Loose

Happy Friday! I’m still on a break from coffee so I’ll be drinking a Lavander Chamomille tea today.

I have a very rigid reading schedule. Lately, I’ve been doing three reviews a week most of them requests from authors so I have to stay on track. If I want to fulfill my commitments. There is this little part of me that is ready to rebel and go crazy and read what I want.

I will confess sometimes I feel trapped by the strict confines I have put myself in. I just want to go crazy and read what I want.

I think I should just let loose and do it! What do you think?

I’m very passionate about helping authors, and the biggest help to authors is doing reviews. I agree to do a lot of reviews because I feel I’m doing my part to help the reading/writing community go round. This is the reason I have such a strict reading schedule but today I’m going to read what I want!

I’ll let you know that it’s not lost on me the humor of a good time is going off my reading schedule. HA HA! I live dangerously! When I went to visit my dad this past spring I confessed to him that I needed to cut back on my reading. He laughed at me! He said “Jessica, people cut back on drinking too much or eating, not reading.” What can I say I live life to the extreme! LOL!

Do you have a reading schedule? How does it make you feel?

Feature & Follow – Show us your TBR Pile

Hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can read. 

People wait for it. My TBR is huge so I’m just going to post the link to my Goodreads.  I know it’s going to take me years to get through this list but I’ll die trying LOL!

I would appreciate a follow on Instagram. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Giveaway – September New Release

Thanks to It Starts At Midnight for hosting this giveaway.

I’m excited to do this giveaway. I don’t often pay attention to what’s being published when so it was fun to find some new releases for September. The ones that caught my eye were:

These are the books I got this month. I’m giving away a copy of The Replacement Crush.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ARC Review – The Fixer by Jenny Holiday

The Fixer by Jenny Holiday
Series: ,
Published by Author on September 13th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Pages: 121
Source: Netgalley

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Goodreads
Amazon

Jenny Fields is a crusader. The editor of her college newspaper, she never met a cause she couldn’t get behind. So when the administration announces it’s tearing down the historic art building, she’s on the case All she needs to do is get Matthew Townsend, the art department’s boy wonder, on board. They say he his talent is unbounded. It turns out so is his ego.

Matthew Townsend cares about art. And that’s pretty much it. If he has a reputation for being moody and aloof, that suits him just fine. He doesn’t have a family worth speaking of, and as a scholarship student, he can’t afford to goof off like the preppy rich kids at his school. He certainly doesn’t care about the art building. Or about the relentlessly perky Jenny, who looks like she was barfed up by Rainbow Brite. What will it take to the preternaturally cheerful girl with the massive savior complex to leave him alone?

Jenny Fields is looking to save the art building at the college she is attending. She is the editor of the college paper. She gets wind of an artist that might be able to save the building but her only way to him is through art prodigal Matthew Townsend. It’s not an easy feat as Matthew has his sites set on one thing graduating. When Jenny asks for his help he is reluctant. The more he gets to know her the harder it becomes to refuse her and her cause.

In an Oyster Shell – This was a cute romance, though not a clean one as I had hoped it would be.

The Pearls – The story was really cute save some explicit sex terms. It was adorable. Outgoing Jenny is trying to persuade loner Matthew to help her. The way the story progresses is endearing. The romance is nice. It’s unexpected.

The romance is nice. It’s unexpected. Which goes along with the story. A lot of things about it are unexpected.

The characters were a treat. I liked how Jenny was vivacious and Matthew was focused and moody. The contrast made for a great story.

The Sand – I was extremely disappointed that the author used explicit sexual terms in places I didn’t feel like was appropriate. It was a cute love story I think the author could have eased up a little. It made it more on the raunchy side which didn’t fit the story.


About Jenny Holiday

Jenny Holiday started writing in fourth grade, when her awesome hippie teacher, between sessions of Pete Seeger singing and anti-nuclear power plant letter writing, gave the kids notebooks and told them to write stories. Most of Jenny’s featured poltergeist, alien invasions, or serial killers who managed to murder everyone except her and her mom. She showed early promise as a romance writer, though, because nearly every story had a happy ending: fictional Jenny woke up to find that the story had been a dream, and that her best friend, father, and sister had not, in fact, been axe-murdered.

From then on, she was always writing, often in her diary, where she liked to decorate her declarations of existential angst with nail polish teardrops. Eventually she channelled her penchant for scribbling into a more useful format. After picking up a PhD in urban geography, she became a professional writer, spending many years promoting research at a major university, which allowed her to become an armchair astronomer/historian/particle physicist, depending on the day. Eventually, she decided to try her hand again at happy endings—minus the bloodbaths

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Blog Tour with Review – Margaritas and Murder by CeCe Osgood

Margaritas & Murder by CeCe Osgood
on September 9th 2016
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 222

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Goodreads
Amazon

Stephanie Plum meets Bridget Jones in this hilarious yet suspenseful cozy mystery featuring Sunny Truly, a brand-new apprentice private investigator in Austin, Texas.

When a long ago childhood friend is found dangling in a tree—with a dead man in her apartment—Sunny is hired to prove the friend innocent of murder.

Frumpy, earnest and stubborn, Sunny goes undercover as a glam-girl to ferret out suspects at the nightclub where her friend worked.

With the aid of her wise-cracking boss, Cleve Haylock, and swoon-worthy police detective John Rock, Sunny uncovers an ugly secret with deadly consequences. Will Sunny be the next victim?

Sunny is working a new career as an apprentice P.I. Getting over a tumultuous divorce with an ex who sabotaged her career as a teacher, she needs the P.I. thing to work. Unexpectedly she lands herself on a case where her childhood friend is accused of murder. The friend was found in a tree with a dead man in her apartment. Police think it’s the perfect murder-suicide attempt. Can Sunny prove them otherwise?

In an Oyster Shell –  A great cozy mystery with a little bit of an awkward main character.

The Pearls – The concept of the story was interesting. I love a good Cozy. This fits the bill. It was a well thought out plot and was well executed.

The characters were interesting. I had my qualms with the MC in the beginning. Eventually, it all came together. There were a lot of supporting characters which balanced out the story quite nicely.

I like the idea of this series and plan on continuing on to the next book Merlot and Murder. I like the idea of using adult drinks as the theme. It is unique to cozies.

The Sand – The main character was awkward and boring at first. She took a lot of showers. It get’s better as the book progresses and she becomes a more likable character.

About CeCe Osgood

For many years I was in the movie world as a freelance script analyst, evaluating screenplays, novels, and non-fiction books (main client: HBO). I also reviewed scripts for the Nicholl Fellowship, the USA’s most prestigious screenplay competition sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. During this time, I wrote screenplays and had two optioned.

My debut novel is the chick lit romantic comedy, THE DIVORCED NOT DEAD WORKSHOP.

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