The History Major by Michael Phillip Cash

A Brief Summary:
Waking up and knowing something is wrong is how Amanda started her freshman year. She woke up after a night out with friends, and a terrible fight with her boyfriend. Now she has her first class... history.
My Review:
I really enjoyed this book. While it's not Michael's typical story its really good. It has his signature world building, and complex characters all in a neat little package.

I loved the way different little bits of history was weaved into the story. With the idea that we must learn history so we don't repeat our mistakes.

I also really liked the twist that came at the end (no I'm not going to spoil it for you).

I received this book in exchange for my free and honest review.

Natsume's Book of Friends Volume 1 by Yuki Midorikawa

A Brief Summary: Natsume can see yokai, spirits, his grandmother could two. She tricked them into giving her their names, binding them to her with her Book of Friends. Now Natsume is giving the names back, and protecting the book from the yokai that want it.


My Review:
I really enjoy this series. It is very episodic because it was originally featured in magazines, so the beginning of each chapter is very similar in case you encountered it partway through. Personally my favorite character is Nyanko-Sensei. He's extremely snarky, acts like he doesn't care, and is extremely powerful although he doesn't show it often. This makes him a good foil to Natsume who is very kind and willing to go out of his to help the yokai.

This manga has a very strong Japanese influence, no surprise there, I just mean it gets a little weird sometimes. Things that are normal there are sometimes quite unusual to us in the western world.

Personally I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read more of the series.

Spinning Starlight by R.C. Lewis

A Brief Summary:  Nothing is more important to Liddi Jantzen than her brothers, so when they are betrayed she will risk everything to save them. Not being able to speak and being transported to another world might make that slightly more complicated. With the help of Tiav can she managed to save her brothers?

My Review:
I loved this retelling of The Wild Swans. It being a lesser known fairy tale gives a lot more wiggle room to add an individual spin to it, also, it hasn't been retold a thousand times *cough* Cinderella *cough cough*.

This book defiantly had slower sections, after-all its hard to have a lot of conversations when one character can't speak. Nonetheless I fell in love with the characters. Liddi is quick-witted, but frustrated at being unable to communicate whereas Tiav is kind and patient but gets frustrated at not being able to understand Liddi.

Another tough point was all the technical speak. Although Liddi is a tech wiz, I am not. So there were portions that I just felt lost as to what was going on.

All in all it was a good story that I'm glad I had a chance to read. I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of alternate fairy-tales.

I received this book courtesy of Netgalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

If You Were Me And Lived In... Italy by Carole P. Roman.

A Brief Summary:
In the newest installment of her series Carole Roman takes us to Italy, and gives us a glimpse of what it would be like to live there.

My Review:
I feel like these books should be featured on Reading Rainbow. It's the type of story that lends itself to being read out loud and shared. Personally I love how much history and language is incorporated into the story. Also incorporated are a couple of holidays, including International Women's Day that are more unique to Italy. It's a wonderful way to travel the world while relaxing at home.

I received this book in exchange for my free and honest review.

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

A Brief Summary: 
The women he marries die. Most don't last a night, some last longer. When a girl takes her sisters place, she expects to die quickly. When she doesn't she starts to notice strange things. Could it be she has to power to withstand him, and make the kingdom safe for young women once again?

My Review:

This is a retelling of 1001 nights with a magical touch. It has it's dark moments, after all Lo-Melkhiin is possessed throughout most of the story. Also the main character is never named, this causes a lot of confusion for reviewing purposes so I'll refer to her as Scheherazade, the name of the girl in the original 1001 nights.

Scheherazade is clever and very lucky. She discovers her words, her dreams have power, and uses this to both keep herself alive and to try and change the situation for other young girls like her.

This book switches POV quite a bit, from Scheherazade to that is possessing Lo-Melkhiin, helping flesh out characters and moving the story along.

I enjoyed this retelling it brings new life to a story that tends to be forgotten.

I received this book from NetGalley and Disney Hyperion in exchange for my free and honest review.

Sorry!!!!!

Sorry everyone for my surprise hiatus. I've recently relocated and have been adjusting to my new home and city. However that means that I've rather shamefully neglected my blog, but I'm back now and I will get back to posting reviews more frequently this week. I hope everyone's summer was amazing, and I will post a new review later today!

First Sight Re-Launch Tour!!!!

About First Sight

Maddy Smith writes for a trendy website in Washington DC, has two fabulous best friends, and her own apartment. When a girl’s night out ends with her locking eyes with the handsome stranger across the room, the last thing she expects is for him to show up at her office on Monday morning.

Travis Emerson, her attractive and single new colleague, just moved to town. Although an immediate friendship between Maddy and Travis forms, she soon finds herself wishing for something more. After a misunderstanding between them occurs, not only is her hope for a relationship ruined, but their friendship is in jeopardy as well. Is any chance that Maddy had with Travis over? Or could he possibly be what she’s been looking for all along?

Follow Maddy and Travis on a series of adventures that will quickly have you cheering them on. First date jitters? Not when you’ve been in love since First Sight!

About Laura Donohue

Laura Donohue is a graduate of George Mason University. She spent ten years working as a technical writer and editor before publishing her first novel. She lives in Washington DC with her husband and daughter.

Contact Laura Donohue

Website: www.lovechicklit.blogspot.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/LoveChickLit?pnref=story

Twitter: @lovechicklit

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1Kud3Ad

Publishing/Marketing Contact
Kathy Marks
Book Marketing Manager
Booktrope Publishing
kathy.marks@booktrope.com

About Booktrope

Booktrope is a new type of publishing company, founded in 2011 in Seattle, WA. Committed to the creation of quality books and to our unique marketing methods, we’re pioneering a book development process called team publishing. Learn more at www.booktrope.com.

My Review:
A wonderful story about the sort of relationship we wish would happen to all of of. An instant connection, a solid friendship and the chance for something more. I loved both of the main characters. They're easy to connect to and root for and their relationship progresses extremely realistically.

Short and beautifully sweet, a love story for all to enjoy!

Giveaway!!!!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/58fc50c33/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="58fc50c33" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_mi2of99v">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hunter by Mercedes Lackey

A Brief Summary:
Joyeaux has been a hunter since she was a young girl. Now she must travel to Apex City to join the best hunters and help protect the Cits. What she is yet to realize things are worse then she's been lead to believe. More and more Othersiders have been attacking and when a terrible price is paid Joyeaux decides to do something drastic to try and sway the status quo.
My Review:

Absolutely loved this book. It's gripping with a ton of action, magic, and complex relationships. I fell in love with Joyeaux, she's incredibly talented and intelligent. Granted she is almost too perfect, I personally enjoyed her but she may not be everyone's cup of tea.

This book also has a tendency to info-dump, if you can get past the first quarter of the book you get a lot more action I promise. While I personally prefer to get a lot of world-building background in the first book of a series, I'm aware some people find it tedious. That being said the world is incredibly well built. You have a semi-detailed history and a solid understanding of what's changed since the Diseray.

This had better be the beginning of a series I have too many unanswered questions for it not to be. I would recommend this to everyone. Aside from a risk of information overloading, it's a solid book that I hope will develop into a great series.

I received this book courtesy of NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion  in exchange for my free and honest review.

Children of the Comet by Daniel Moffitt

A Brief Summary: 
Billions of years after all life on Earth is eradicated and it's inhabitants scattered to the stars, life is thriving on the comets. Enter Torris a young man who's about to take his climb, the rite to become a man in his village. While on his climb he sets events in motion that he never could have foreseen.

My Review:

I really enjoyed the variety of characters in the book. From the comet dwelling natives to the space travelers all of them are diverse and really help carry the story along. Some of them are a little flat, but the majority are quite dynamic.

I will admit there were times that I got confused by what was going on. This is mainly due to the fact that time jumps in random increments, making it hard to know when exactly things are happening. Also until later in the book there are two distinct story lines that don't seem related. With that aside I truly enjoyed the story. The description of life on the comets was particularly fascinating.

A good, easy read with plenty of suspense, and a touch of action. I highly recommend this for fans of the science-fiction genre, and also for sci-fi newbies.  

I received this book compliments of NetGalley and Open Road Integrated Media in exchange for my free and honest review.

The Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev

A Brief Summary:
A Bollywood star who's been ruining from her past for the last ten years, but now her cousin is getting married and she will be forced to confront it. Rita hasn't been home in ten years, after she made the decision to honor one promise and break the other. When her decisions come to light, will she be able to back to the life she made for herself, or will everything change?
My Summary:

I really liked Rita, she's sweet and tries extremely hard to do the right thing, however hard it may be. She's loyal to her family and never quite got over her first love. Vikram, Rita's first love, is honest, dependable and can definitely hold a grudge. He's also incredibly smart and loves kids. Pretty much an ideal leading man.

The relationship between Rita and Vikram, develops quickly but believably due to their history together. Also their relationship with the side characters are well developed and really helped tie the story together.

I really liked how you got a feel for Indian-American culture and some of the their traditions. I grew up in a tiny primarily Caucasian town, so I haven't really had a chance to experience other cultures. This book gives great, easy to follow, descriptions of  the culture.

This was a wonderful book, it touches on mental health issues and the fear that you'll inherit the illness, family bonds, and, of course love. I highly recommend this book.

I received this book from NetGalley and Kensington Books

Pokergeist by Michael Phillip Cash

A Brief Summary:
Clutch always wanted to win the International poker series, and when he got close he lost and died. Enter Telly Martin a down on his luck poker newbie. Desperate to win the Series Telly meets Clutch's ghost, and they unwillingly partner up. Will Telly's luck turn around? Will Clutch finally win the series? Read and find out.
My Review:
This is a really quick, easy read with bonus points if you like poker. The prologue tells of Clutch's last's game alive, then the first chapter introduces you to Telly. After that the book moves quickly, developing a partnership and straining other relationships.

This book switches prospective between Telly, Clutch, and a few assorted people in there lives. From the assorted my favorite was Telly's fiancee Gretchen. She's sweet and lovable, but is in a bad position at work.

Of the two main characters I preferred Telly. He's the nice guy that just wants to do what's best for everyone. Clutch on the other hand is well... a narcissist, he cares more for himself and the game than anyone else.

All in all a good book that I'd be happy to recommend.

I received this book compliments of NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

Witches Protection Program by Michael Phillip Cash

A Brief Summary:
Witches are real, and it's the job of a Witches Protection Unit to protect the Divinas, the good ones, from the Willas, the not so good ones. When Wes Rockville is reassigned to this unit he has a hard time accepting his new reality. But he has no time to get adjusted there's too much at stake, a diabolical plan has been discovered and it's up to Alistair and Wes to put an end to it.
My Review:

I really loved this story. Our hero Wes is a dyslexic, disgraced cop on his last change, this makes him extremely relateable. A man that has his own issues that he's tried really hard to overcome. Then you have Alistair his new partner, a seasoned veteran of the Witches Protection Unit, who seems to have a personal issue with a Miss Bernadette Pendragon. Add in her niece Morgan who loves her aunt but wants her independence and you round out our merry band.

The books story line flows beautifully, with wonderful character and world development. I also enjoyed the brief history and the two types of witches, and the weapons used to handle the ones who go rogue.

I hope this develops into a series, I'd love to learn more about the unit. Maybe a prequel featuring Alistair?

I received this book in exchange for my free and honest review.

We Never Asked For Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

A Brief Summary:
What is a mother? Someone who gives birth to you, someone who nurtures and takes care of you. Well for most of her children's lives Letty Espinosa was just someone who gave birth to them, while they were raised by their grandparents. So when they decide to return to Mexico and leave Letty to take care of her children, she's terrified. Will she be able to handle being a full time mother for the first time in her life or will she crack under the pressure?

My Review: 

Told from the view of Letty and her son Alex, giving you a fuller understanding of their life. Letty is preoccupied with making sure they have food in their stomachs and a chance to her kids to have a better life. Alex, however, is focused on his first love and finding out about his father. While Alex and Letty butt heads they really try to develop a better relationship.

Along with their family struggles Alex worries about Yesmina, his love. She's a little smaller than most girls in his class, and is also undocumented. Their young love is idealistic, sweet, and very realistic.

Letty also has her own dilemma about love, her first love and Alex's father comes back but she's also starting to fall for a guy at work.

This book deals with some hard topics. I know a lot of people who have little sympathy for people they think have abandoned their responsibilities and even less for undocumented immigrants. This book brings their struggles to light in a powerful way. I highly recommend this book.

I received this book courtesy of NetGalley and Random House Publishing- Ballatine in exchange for my free and honest review.

The Murderer's Daughter by Jonathan Kellerman

A Brief Summary:
A healer of the haunted is Dr. Grace Blades. A psychiatrist that specializes in working with people who have gone through traumatic experiences. With the perfect blend of knowledge and empathy, she can relate as few others can, for she has gone through her own share of traumatic experiences. Now when present and past collide in the most shocking and terrifying ways will Grace be able survive?

My Review: 

I really liked this book. It's filled with twists and turns keeping you in suspense the entire book. Personally, I absolutely loved Grace. She is brilliant but still feels relateable. I also enjoyed how you get to watch Grace grow up concurrently with the story, about every other chapter, it gives you a good feel of how Grace became the person she is.

The silent antagonist also had a traumatic beginning to his life but the choice he made were very different. It's an interesting dynamic, I'd love to know more about his young adult years but oh well.

The flashbacks to Grace's childhood are where we see most of the action occurring. In the present most of her battle is mental, planning and preparing with little real action.

This book was exceptionally well written, once you pick it up you're not going to want to put it down. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys psychological thrillers.

I received this book courtesy of NetGalley and Ballantine Books in exchange for my free and honest review.

Among the Ten Thousand by Julia Pierpont

A Brief Summary:
Family's look perfect from the outside, but what happens when you take a closer look? Join the Stanley's as their world come crumbling down as Jack's secret is revealed.
My Review:

This book takes a very real view of a family falling apart. How a partners infidelity revealed can cause a tenuous relationship to crumble, it was remarkably well done.

You get to see everything unfold from the entire family's perspectives. How it affects the woman who was betrayed, the father who made a mistake, the eleven year-old daughter, the son about to be come a man, you see everything.

They books layout was an interesting choice, jumping around in the timeline, with the futures of the family being told in the middle, and the end of the book taking place in the middle of the timeline. It shows a certain inevitability to events that take place, that no matter what, they'll end up in the same place.

I received this book courtesy of NetGalley and Random House publishing in exchange for my free and honest review.

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

A Brief Summary:
Opening up about what happened to her and the beginnings of her recovery Jaycee Dugard shares her story.

My Summary:
This book is a hard read, and was probably much harder to write. Jaycee opens up to the world about what happened in a very detailed account.

It's a story of hope and of survival, while paying respects to the pain she experienced. I love that her young voice is kept throughout the book, showcasing how truly young and naive she was. On that note I liked the inclusion of her journal about one of her cats.

The story is told in a disjointed way, going from past to present at random intervals. Personally I think this adds to the book, this can't have been an easy book to write and she wrote it the way she needed to.

Jaycee is an amazing woman for having the strength to survive this, for wanting a better life and education for her daughters, and for sharing her story.

This book will have triggers for victims of sexual assault.

The Mage's Servant by Phillip B. Dillon

A Brief Summary:
Willem never wanted to be a hero, however, when Gothar brutally murders his master he has to take up the hero's mantel. With the help of Ryder a young thief, and an ancient hero who has long been thought dead, he has to stop Gothar and his legion of demons. Or you know die trying.

My Review:

I was wondering Imgur the other day and discovered the author was giving this book away for free. Being the type of person who can't turn down a free book I grabbed a copy, and I'm glad I did.

The characters are clever and well written, the way magic worked had a clever new twist, and the story was well written.

I loved Willem. He is so sweet, and has a big heart. Also he has a natural talent for magic and he and Ryder make a great team.

All in all great book, good for middle school readers to adults. It's a quick read and is well paced.

I received this book in exchange for my free and honest review.

Dragonkin Trilogy Blog Tour and Guest Post!!!

Title: Wytchfire (Bk 1)
Series: Dragonkin Trilogy
Author: Michael Meyerhofer
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
Publication Date: April 28, 2014
Genre: High Fantasy

Amazon | Barnes & Nobles | Kobo | iTunes

In a land haunted by the legacy of dead dragons, Rowen Locke has been many things: orphan, gravedigger, mercenary. All he ever wanted was to become a Knight of Crane and wield a kingsteel sword against the kind of grown horrors his childhood knows all too well.

But that dream crumbled—replaced by a new nightmare. War is overrunning the realms, an unprecedented duel of desire and revenge, steel and sorcery. And for one disgraced man who would be a knight, in a world where no one is blameless, the time has come to decide which side he’s on.  

Title: Knightswrath (Bk 2)
Series: Dragonkin Trilogy
Author: Michael Meyerhofer
Publisher: Red  Adept Publishing
Publication Date: May 26, 2015
Genre: High Fantasy

Amazon | Barnes & Nobles | Kobo | iTunes

Rowen Locke has achieved his dream of becoming a Knight of the Crane, and he now bears Knightswrath, the legendary sword of Fâyu Jinn. But the land remains torn, and though Rowen suffers doubts, he would see it healed. His knightly order is not what it seems, though, and allies remain thin.

When Rowen and his friends seek an alliance with the forest-dwelling Sylvs, a tangle of events results in a midnight duel that teaches Rowen a dangerous lesson and leaves him with a new companion of uncertain loyalties. The sadistic Dhargots still threaten the kingdoms, but another menace lurks in the shadows, playing a game none can see. As Rowen struggles to prove his worth—to his allies and to himself—chaos raises its hand to strike. A price must be paid, and not even the wielder of Knightswrath will remain untouched.  

AUTHOR BIO:

  Michael Meyerhofer grew up in Iowa where he learned to cope with the unbridled excitement of the Midwest by reading books and not getting his hopes up. Probably due to his father’s influence, he developed a fondness for Star Trek, weight lifting, and collecting medieval weapons. He is also addicted to caffeine and the History Channel.

His fourth poetry book, What To Do If You’re Buried Alive, was recently published by Split Lip Press. He also serves as the Poetry Editor of Atticus Review. His poetry and prose have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, Brevity, Ploughshares, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Rattle, and many other journals.

He and his fiancee currently live in Fresno, California, in a little house beside a very large cactus.  

 Favorite Dragon-Themed Book of All Time

Dragons and fantasy often go together like shirtless men and unsanctioned martial arts tournaments. That being said, my favorite dragon-themed fantasy books are the ones where the emphasis is on human character development, and the dragons themselves are almost peripheral. George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire is an obvious example, though others that I grew up on included many of the Dragonlance books by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, and The Pit Dragon Chronicles by Jane Yolen.

I think my favorite, though, is Martin’s YA novel, The Ice Dragon. On the surface, the story is quite simple: a young girl named Adara befriends an ice dragon, which appears only occasionally throughout her life, set against a background of her homeland being threatened by fire dragons from the North. But, as is true of any good book, there’s a lot more to it than that.

The book is short (just a little over a hundred pages) but it deftly establishes Adara’s character, plus her feelings of detachment from her family, by using the ice dragon as a metaphor. Like all good metaphors, though, it’s visual, fun, and not too heavy-handed. The book also takes a lot of familiar notions and turns them on their head. For example, the ice dragon appears to be good, and Adara’s friend, yet its very presence is the natural harbinger of frozen desolation.

Especially when working in a genre like fantasy where readers come to the table with certain must-haves, it’s important—and tricky—to show respect for the genre by giving readers at least some of what they ask for, but also be unique and original by occasionally turning those notions on their heads. For instance, dragons are a bygone race in the Dragonkin Trilogy. Men covet their bones, and tell stories about their tragic fall, but otherwise, they exist only in dreams and visions.

Or do they?

AUTHOR LINKS: Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Publisher Page

 

This tour was organized by Good Tales Book Tours!

If You Were Me and Lived In... China by Carole P. Roman

A Brief Summary:
Open this book to take a journey to China. While you're there you'll learn about the history, the food, the culture and much more.

My Review:
An incredible way for children to catch a glimpse into another country. A book that would be fun as a read together or a solo read. It contains all sorts of information designed to spark a child's imagination. Along with a helpful pronunciation tips to help keep kids from getting frustrated. I'm definitely going to give this book to my sister (a second grade teacher) for her class, I'm sure they will love it.

I received this book from the publishing company in exchange for my free and honest review.

Burnt Edges Blog Tour, Giveaway and Guest Post!!

Title: Burnt Edges
Author: Dana Leipold
Publisher: Booktrope
Publication Date: June 2015
Genre: Women’s Fiction

Familiar abuse or an uncertain future? Which would you choose? This is Laurel Lee Page’s dilemma when she is faced with an unplanned pregnancy at nineteen. Born into a broken family, guilt and shame are all she has ever known. No matter what she does or whom she meets, Laurel appears to be living a condemned life.

However, she is determined to find independence and freedom in spite of her family’s legacy of hatred and self-contempt. Set in Southern California during the tumultuous 1960’s, Burnt Edges is a contemporary novel based on true events that prove strength can emerge in the most horrific of circumstances.

Amazon ~ Barnes & Nobles ~ Goodreads

 Title: Show Me the Money

by Dana Leipold

Work hard and you’ll be successful, right? Well, that’s what everybody says but one thing they don’t mention is exactly how hard you have to work nor do they really define what “successful” means. That’s because it means something different to each one of us.

For me, I was hoping to say good-bye to my day job and become a full-time author. I naively thought I could accomplish that after publishing my first novel. See the word “naive” there? Well, that was me. Now I know better.

The money did not come…and I had to go back to a desk job with my tail between my legs. As I sit in my cubicle licking my wounds I wonder, what did I do wrong? Why didn’t my book sell better? There are probably 1,001 reasons…one of which was the content I chose to write about. Abuse, incest, and family dysfunction is not exactly an uplifting read so my market was very small. But this was a story that I HAD to write, not one I wanted to write.

I’m also an unknown entity since I’m a self-published, debut author. The stigma about self-published books is waning but it’s still there. Most people will not take a chance on a book by an unknown author–especially an indie author–unless someone they know and trust tells them about it. I’m also learning that reviews do not sell the book as much as I originally thought. What sells books is the cover, the blurb, and the sample…but you still have to get the book in front of people.

What also sells a book is…more books. One won’t do it. That means I’ve got to get writing, and writing, and writing. It’s going to be tough because now I’ve got the job but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. But here’s how it really is:

It’s easy to tell yourself that you have all these challenges in life or that you can’t ever get started because you get side-tracked by kids, bills, a day job, the twit in your head, or whatever but that’s just a bunch of bullshit!

You are avoiding the truth: you aren’t sure if you can do the hard work to get where you want to be.

You’ve worked hard in the past and you’ve done some amazing things so just stop all this crap and get to it! The hardest part is getting over that initial “block” that you think is there. Once you get your mind set and you start working, it’s just a matter of momentum.

Once again, you are falling into that rut. You start off with lots of energy and excitement and things look great. You get signals and signs that you are on the right path but then, like always, the universe wants to know if you’re really serious and it asks you to do the work…then you lose your steam, you start to poop out. THIS is the very moment when you need to pull all your strength, your energy, and your determination and just keep going. Don’t stop and have a pity party. You are on the verge of creating what you are meant to create in this life.

Do the work, make it as perfect as you possibly can, and the money will come.

 

AUTHOR BIO:

Dana Leipold is an author and member of the Association of Independent Authors. Her debut novel, Burnt Edges, depicts the unwavering resilience of a young woman in the face of family violence and abuse.

She has self-published two other books: a collection of limericks in Dr. Seuss-style for adults entitled, Stupid Poetry: The Ultimate Collection of Sublime and Ridiculous Poems, and a non-fiction book entitled, The Power of Writing Well: Write Well. Change the World.

Leipold lives with her husband and two children in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

   

GIVEAWAY

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

This tour was organized by Good Tales Book Tours!