Book Review: A Spell Of Trouble (Silver Hollow Paranormal Cozy Mystery #1)

Book Title: A Spell Of Trouble (Silver Hollow Paranormal Cozy Mystery #1) spell

Book Author: Leighann Dobbs

Source: Downloaded from Amazon Kindle Unlimited.

Rating: 5 Dragon Paws 5 paws

 

Oh my stars! Leighann Dobbs has been added to my favorite author list. Her writing is amazing, such imagination and now I am a fan of cozy mysteries. After reading the book, I signed up for her notifications, received a free e-book as a gift (which is awesome because many of you guys know that I am working on giving out a free e-book as well sometime in the future), and viewed her website. The author has a ton of series out and it’s quiet impressive! Okay, now onto the actual review.

Someone gets killed in front of Izzy’s place, which makes her and her cousin across the street to be prime suspects for the local police, paranormal committee, and the FBPI. You guys can guess what the FBPI stands for ;).

So, what makes this one different from other witch paranormal cozy mysteries. The hunk is compared to the Hulk or a Greek God. One of Izzy’s cousins has a plant for a familiar, and there’s a familiar who doesn’t belong to anyone but favors Izzy’s family. I also liked that the familiars were young and ‘in training,’ was a nice touch.

The writing is fun and good for 16 years of age and older. Hardly any cursing, a feel of adventure, mixed with a cozy mystery. I highly recommend.

Update 1 for A gift of Short Story

Original Post: A Gift of Short Story

Request # 1: 

  • By: jrhandleyblog
  • “Military science fiction set in 4987AD!😉 Lots of blood, sex and action packed into it, high octane baby!!”
    • Some science fiction authors write their story lines touching on the year
    • The easier would be to write blood and sex… action could be difficult.. well I’ll need chips and popcorn and soda to get creative. It will happen!

PS: If you guys have any ideas about the action, I may take them. 😉 

Request # 2: 

  • By: Tammy @ a word about books
  • I did not receive her request yet, but she will give it to me soon. ^_^

 

 

Book Review: Forward

Book Title: Forward forward

Book Author: J. Saman

Source: Received it as gift from the author for an honest review.

Rating: 4 Dragon Paws 4

This is a contemporary romance novel about a girl named Lara, who finds herself at a crossroads. She has two choices- to be with her current, amazing, and perfect British boyfriend Tom, or to go back to her first ‘real’ love from high school Levi. Lara is forced to go through many emotions until finally making her choice. It was refreshing to read about Tom, he’s a different male character from my usual reads which put a smile on my face. Lara is also a different type of heroine that has no filter, is a nurse, and has many ambitions. She was a refreshing one, too.
This is a novel for ages eighteen and over. It has explicit language, mature scenes, and touches base upon matters of the heart. It has nice pacing and for me, my choice would be Tom. I won’t say who her choice could be, but there you have it. I recommend this book to romance lovers.

Book Review: Dead Girl’s Guide to Style

Book Title: Dead Girl’s Guide to Style 2

Book Author: Rose Pressey

Source: Downloaded from Amazon Kindle Unlimited.

Rating: 5 Dragon Paws 5 paws

This was SUCH a refreshing read. This novel is about Hadley, a female vampire who is unlike any vampire that I’ve read about. She prefers champagne to blood, hates breaking nails, and when she fights- it’s more of a cat fight than a serious fight with punches, grunts, and curses.

And, yes, just like on the cover, she keeps her clothing in a coffin. Totally priceless! Good Job, Rose!

If I say any more, that would give away the story. Anyway, I loved the characters, plot, and Hadley the most. If you guys want to read about a different type of vampire, seriously download it and start reading. It was such a pleasure.

 

A Gift of Short Story

short-story

Hey everyone!

This entire month, I will be taking your suggestions for short stories.

THE RULES

I would love to give you give a gift of a short story to each and everyone of you. ^_^

I will start posting these stories with personal dedications in November and December. This is just for fun so if you end up not liking my stories, I hope that you will not take offense, it could be that I am just bad in that genre, but I am exciting to explore the possibilities. You can even tell me to write about an event that happens during Christmas, that would be fun!

The short stories will be posted in my blog and you will be able to keep them and share them. They are gifts after all.

I will post updates about this gift of stories whenever I would get entries and answer any questions.

You are free to start your own “A Gift of Short Story.” Please just reference where you received the idea for it. ^_^

  • You have until September 30 to comment with your request for a short story
    • Tell me what genre you want your short story be in
    • Give me a synopsis of what you want to see in your short story
    • Tell me if the main character should be female or male
    • Tell me what year it should be in, keep in mind that if it is in the past, you may not get your story in a while because I would have to do some research to make it believable.
    • Absolutely no zombies and apocalypse 
    • Keep in mind that it will be under 4,000 words
    • I may need to ask you questions one on one if I’m not sure about something, so I may ask for your email address.

 

I MESSED UP BOOK TAG!

Hello Fellow Book Bloggers! It’s I Messed Up Book Tag time! Thank you Jasmine @ JASMINE (How Useful It Is) for tagging me! Please check out her blog for book reviews and so much more!

A Character Appearance You Misread or Imagined Differently?

After watching Harry Potter movies, I always imagined Hermione the way the actress looked like so it was weird to see a different actress play Hermione in the play.

A Character Name That You’ve Been Pronouncing Wrong?

Probably at least one character name in every book due to my awesome accent. ^_^

An Overused Trope That Is Your Guilty Pleasure?

I’m not really sure what that means…

A Cliché Character That You Like Better On Screen Than Reading About?

Honestly, can’t really think of any, any vampire movie or show, like Angel or Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

A Word Or Phrase That You Learned Because of It’s Use In Books?

Words or phrases that have to do with the mafia when I did research for my crime fiction novel. One phrase “I heard you paint houses” means “I heard you’re a gun for hire” or something like that. Crime fiction (non fiction and fiction) have so much to offer, it’s like a different world so most phrases and words are new and interesting.

Have You Ever Read/Not Completed A Required Reading Book For School?

I wanted to prove my English teacher wrong about my English capabilities so I always finished the books and took long notes. My friends thought that I was crazy because Cliffnotes were everything.

How You Ever Skipped (Or Wanted To) A Chapter From The Point Of View Of A Character You Weren’t Interested In?

No, I read the entire book even if there are annoying character or explicit scenes though most of the time if I find a character annoying is because I was supposed to find him or her annoying… so good job authors! So when it comes to those chapters or sections, I just read them faster.

Have You Ever Cancelled Social Plans To Read A Book?

Never. I can always finish reading in bed, on the bus, or during lunch. ^_^ There’s always time for reading, but social plans are rare for me because of a busy schedule so I rather meet with my friends and be social. I’ll end up talking about my current reading anyway.

I TAG:
Bookowly
Life, Army Wife Style
Hines and Bighams Literary Tryst Jennifer
By the Letter Book Reviews
Bellyroan Reads
Snazzy Books
A Word About Books
NOVELGOSSIP
Books are my life

You

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Bound by Steel

Title: Bound by Steel Snip20160902_21

Author: Connie Lafortune

Source: Received as a Kindle Gift for a honest review.

My Rating : 3.5 Dragon Prints 3.5

Our main heroine, Lyra, gets into an accident, gets for the lack of a better work kidnapped, and falls in love with the man that won’t let her go. A lot of events unfold that happen during her ‘captivity’ and after.

It was really hard for me to read this novel. I am not used to read novels that happen in present tense. My proofreader told me that fiction writing should be done in the past tense so I’ve been focusing on my craft and learning on how to better myself in past tense though sometimes it’s hard. Therefore, it was hard for me to follow because I kept wanting to rewrite it to make it a past tense.

Here’s what I liked and I started liking the novel after she no longer was in ‘captivity.’ Mainly it was because there was less of dirty talk and explicit detailed sex scenes and the story started to unfold. In the first chapters, I’ve been wondering what made it a suspense and I finally got it after I finished reading. In the beginning, the writing is erotic and later it becomes more of a romance, which I prefer reading.

I really liked the characters, including Lyra’s best friend. I wish I had a friend like that. ^_^

I really liked Cole and was sad to see that we hardly saw of him. I didn’t get a full view into his character. I’m not sure how to feel about Gage or Ryder either, but I did like Lyra. My favorite character was Cody. That dog was adorable! And too smart!

The story flowed nicely. The time kept moving forward at a nice pace and I enjoyed reading the last chapters. The ending was really sweet.

I would recommend this novel to eighteen years and older who don’t mind detailed private scenes, cursing, and love triangles.

Happy News

Hey guys,

Get ready to be excited!

I will be offering a free, written by me, short story as a thank you for reading my blog and following me. I’m not sure how I will set that up, but I’m looking forward to it. The short story is about 40 pages long and is a fun and friendly adventure of a high school senior and a yearbook!

I’m hoping that the story will make you guys smile.

 

This or That Book Tag

Hello everyone!  The Heathen tagged Tammy @ a word about books who tagged her fellow bloggers. The questions sounded fun so I decided to play. Thank you Tammy for doing the tag and sharing it. Check out both blogs. ^_^

The Rules

  • Mention the creator of the Tag (Ayunda @ Tea and Paperbacks)
  • Thank the blogger who tagged you
  • Tag 10 people to do the tag and share the love

 

Reading on the bed or reading on the couch?

I love blankets. Hot or cold, I still like to lay under a soft blanket and read. Now, I can do that on a couch, but then it quickly becomes uncomfortable due to my cat having no room to snuggle with me so bed it is.

 

Main Character: Male or Female?

It really depends on the author and the ability of story telling. I’m starting to think that there may be too many strong female leads out there (I write them, too… so who am I to talk?), but it really depends on the author and the ability of bringing something new to the table. It’s good to have two main characters, one girl and one boy.

Sweet or salty snacks while reading?

Sweet, though lately I’m good with French bread.

Trilogies or Quartets?

I like series that have books that can stand on their own, that way, if I don’t have time to read all books, I can choose which ones to enjoy.

First person or Third person POV?

It depends on the genre and length. I write in first person because it helps get inside my character’s head. For novellas, I prefer the author to write in person. I believe to be able to write in third person takes big talent.

Night or morning reader?

Night because I can sit and enjoy it in peace without interruption though I also read during lunch at work… so day works, too.

Libraries or Book stores?

I used to love spending time in libraries, but it’s too quiet. I prefer going to a bookstore, choosing books, buying a cup of coffee and read (and people watch). It’s fascinating and more people visit the bookstores. It’s the perfect spot to get ideas for my own characters and scenes. I stopped buying books though and mainly read books about writing so I sit there and don’t leave until I’m done with my find. It forces me to be productive.

Books that make you laugh or books that make you cry?

Laughter. I believe the world needs more happiness out there and authors need to make authors laugh.

Black or White Book Covers?

Color.

Character driven or plot driven stories?

Both are really important. Hard to choose. They are the yin and then yang of stories.

I really not like tagging people, makes me feel like I may hurt someone’s feelings so I will follow Tammy’s example and say “You guys are all tagged!”

 Thank you guys for reading🙂

So what you guys think of my answers? Looking forward to reading yours.