Mr. March by Bailey Bradford

March 20, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Mr. March by Bailey Bradford
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (139 pgs)
Other: M/M, Anal Sex
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Curiosity didn’t kill this cat…

Jason Eddings is a foreman for a construction company by day and a mountain lion at night. He got suckered into doing a calendar shoot. Little did he know that his sisters, Cindy and Anne, were hoping to set him up with Gregg, another man on the calendar shoot. That never happened, because Gregg met Albert.

Jason’s posing for Mr. March, working and running from some memories, and maybe even himself. One night, he runs right into a tranquilizer dart. When he wakes up at a wildlife refuge, he finds himself intrigued by the veterinarian who is watching him.

Casey’s a newly graduated veterinarian. He thought there was something special about the mountain lion, but he didn’t have a clue how much his life was about to change.

Curiosity had nothing on this cat. And he’s hot, too!

I’ve read a few books by Bailey Bradford and I haven’t been let down. When I saw Mr. March, involving hot guys and shifters…I had to check this book out. I’m glad I did. The characters are interesting, the take on shifters is unique and the writing is crisp.

Jason and Casey are regular guys. That’s part of what I loved about them. Jason’s a shifter–a mountain lion, but he’s also a contractor. So he’s a regular guy. Then there’s Casey. I liked he was smart and a veterinarian (score for Jason, right? Grin.) but he was down to earth. The chemistry between these guys is off the charts, so that’s a plus, too.

I mentioned earlier Bradford’s take on shifters is fresh. There are details the author includes that aren’t in other shifter books, which kept this one interesting. The story line is solid and kept me in my seat, needing to know what was going to happen next.

If you’re interested in a book with hot guys, fantastic chemistry and a plot that’s memorable, then this might be the book for you.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

March 19, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Every You, Every Me by David Levithan
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery, YA
Length: Full length (256 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

In this high school-set psychological tale, a tormented teen named Evan starts to discover a series of unnerving photographs—some of which feature him. Someone is stalking him . . . messing with him . . . threatening him. Worse, ever since his best friend Ariel has been gone, he’s been unable to sleep, spending night after night torturing himself for his role in her absence. And as crazy as it sounds, Evan’s starting to believe it’s Ariel that’s behind all of this, punishing him. But the more Evan starts to unravel the mystery, the more his paranoia and insomnia amplify, and the more he starts to unravel himself.

Creatively told with black-and-white photos interspersed between the text so the reader can see the photos that are so unnerving to Evan, Every You, Every Me is a one-of-a-kind departure from a one-of-a-kind author.

Losing your best friend is hard enough. But what if you think you’re losing your mind, too? Ever since Ariel left, Evan’s found himself adrift. Unable to sleep or concentrate, he’s falling farther and farther into a dark hole of what ifs. But when he finds the first picture, he begins to wonder if there is more going on than he suspects.

I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Evan at first. You want to coddle this boy who has lost his best friend, but you also feel the need to shake some sense into him. However, as you get deeper into the story and begin to understand all that was going on with his friend, Ariel, it makes more sense why he’s being so hard on himself. Why these photos he’s finding are so important to figure out. Still, there are moments where he should have taken a step back and reevaluated his situation. He might have been able to better cope with certain things if he wasn’t forever pushing forward at a breakneck pace.

Although set in high school, the emotions and mental health struggles that both Evan and Ariel deal with throughout the story spoke to me on an adult level. So many times in our lives we’re going through something and believe that no one else will ever understand. That’s not unique to teens, it pursues us into our adult lives as well. It’s an unfortunate part of life, but one that most of us learn how to deal with in the end. I think that, by the end, Evan has started to understand this as well. It’s my hope for him anyway.

Told through both prose and a set of increasingly strange black and white photographs, Every You, Every Me isn’t your typical young adult fiction. This is a good part of the reason why I picked it up, I was intrigued by the concept of mixed media. In addition to the photographs, the story feels like an old journal entry, complete with random strike throughs in the text. Most of the time, the strikethroughs in the text make sense, as if Evan is editing his thoughts in real time, although there are moments where it didn’t seem to jive for me. In the end, Every You, Every Me is a tale of friendship, mystery, and finding mental wellness when you don’t think it’s possible.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

March 19, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Publisher: Ember
Genre: Contemporary, YA
Length: Full Length (212 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Justyce McAllister is a good kid, an honor student, and always there to help a friend—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. Despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can’t escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates.

Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out.

Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it’s Justyce who is under attack.

Gripping and fascinating, yet sad. What a book!

I have to admit I’m new to the work of Nic Stone. This is my first book by this author. The style is unique and the story fresh. This book was thought-provoking and eye-opening. The writing flowed well, and though there are a couple of different styles, it worked. I liked when Justyce journaled his letters to Martin. He writes letters to Martin Luther King Jr. in an attempt to make sense of what’s happening to him. I liked reading this from his perspective.

The book touches on affirmative action, profiling, racist jokes, going along with the flow, peer pressure and the determination to be one’s own person.  The book made me think and opened my eyes. I hadn’t known in quite such vivid detail what people like Justyce go through on a daily basis.  There are themes in the book that might be hard to read, but it’s worth the read. At just over 200 pages, it’s short enough to be a quick read, but long enough to make an impact. Grab a copy today.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Dreaded Dinner Party by Destiny Henderson

February 26, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Dreaded Dinner Party by Destiny Henderson
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (213 pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Who’s tired of her dinner party-throwing parents? Curi Andrews is.

But when a nasty couple tries to sabotage her parents’ party, Curi flips.

It’s up to Curi to stop them!

Of course, she’s going to eat some delicious food along the way.

Who will help her? Maybe the mischievous traveler Mister Wolfeman or the ambitious Ophelia?

Unfortunately for Curi, sometimes, things still go up in flames.

You will love this debut middle-grade novel with diverse characters, light humor, and a home-schooled, strong female protagonist.

Some people don’t make good guests at parties at all.

There were quite a few characters, but I always had a pretty easy time of remembering who was who. Ms. Henderson did a good job of describing who everyone was, showing what their personalities were like, and giving them names that somehow seemed to fit each one of them perfectly. I enjoyed getting to know every single character, from Curi to the people in her life who only showed up occasionally.

It took me a while to figure out which age group would be the most appropriate recommendation for this story. Curi was the sort of child who spent a great deal of her time with adults listening to them talk. As a result, she overheard some things that most 10-year-olds wouldn’t think of. They were nothing that a child that age should be protected from or anything like that, just topics that tend to be more interesting to grown-ups. As much as I liked meeting a protagonist who truly liked listening to what adults have to say, this did make it a little tricky to decide who it was written for since other parts of the storyline seemed to be written for a much younger audience. This is a minor criticism of something I’m quite glad I read, but it would have been nice to have a clearer understanding of whether this was written for kids in late elementary, middle, or high school.

One of the things I enjoyed the most about this tale were the close, loving relationships that all four of the Andrews had with each other. The parents were attentive and sensitive to their children’s needs. Curi’s relationship with her brother, Taveo, was also strong. They had rare and brief moments of annoyance that every family goes through, but most of their time together was a pleasant experience for everyone involved. I’ve read so many young adult books about kids who have major conflicts with their parents or siblings that it was incredibly refreshing to meet characters who have a peaceful home life. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more of Ms. Henderson’s work based on this wholesome approach to the young adult genre alone!

Dreaded Dinner Party should be read by anyone who has ever felt bored at a dinner party.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Hidden Worlds by Sandra Ingerman and Katherine Wood

February 20, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Hidden Worlds by Sandra Ingerman and Katherine Wood
Publisher: Moon Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary, YA
Length: Short story (111 pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

Were those people in Isaiah’s dream the same people from school? Popular soccer star Magda? George, who he’d never heard speak because he always left classes for special services help? Angry Rose, the Chinese girl who was always in trouble for fighting? And why were there dead birds and fish everywhere? When the four encounter one another the next day by the same pond from the dream, they realize they’ve shared a dream and there really are dead birds and fish covering the ground! This leads to real-life adventures and more dreams as they discover a toxic waste plant disposing of poisons illegally. Not friends in the beginning, romance blossoms as they work together with their Power Animals to close down the plant.

We are all misfits now & then, but it is very hard to be the one who doesn’t fit in with “the group”. At a young age this seems to be more achingly real and our imagination is even more vast. This is the story of four young children, maybe I should describe them as middle school age children, who don’t fit the mold and want so much to fit in or at least want a friend who understands. By living through an adventure and exciting experiences, a close friendship is formed.

This is a fun book, really a sort of fantasy and yet a teaching story all rolled into one. Some aspects of the story are very realistic, the problems pollution can cause, the easy way we can ruin our world when we don’t pay attention, the bullies, both young and old, we must face. Yet this is never a dry book in its teaching lessons. It’s one which children will fly through.

In the midst of all these lessons of nature and environment, are four young people wanting to help and working to do so. They all have individual personalities. I think most kids will find at least one character they can identify with. I thought the level of “other worldly” or “hidden worlds” was a little difficult for the authors to describe well and although they did so, there were a few times I had to look back to see if I had missed something. This made me lose my reading rhythm now and then and broke my concentration.

Sandra Ingerman has many publications, all with very good reviews. Now she and Katherine Woods have a book of what shamanic practice is, all in the source of a great fiction and very readable book for younger ages.

My best description is…different than I usually read, interesting, and definitely worth the time.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Fanya in the Underworld by Jordan Elizabeth

February 14, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Fanya in the Underworld by Jordan Elizabeth
Publisher: Vamptasy Publishing
Genre: Action/Adventure, Historical, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA
Length: Full length (226 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

In an Alaska owned by Tsarist Russia, steamtech is melded with spirit magic to create a mighty machine. The elements are plentiful, but the Higher World crumbles and the local Inuit people are consumed.

When their father dies, the council denies Fanya her inheritance and sells her sister into slavery at the behest of the mysterious Zachary Finley. Fanya’s quest to protect her sister and regain what’s rightfully hers leads her from the Underworld of Stalgorod to the untamed wilds of greater Alaska.

It isn’t just Zachary Finley who wants Fanya to suffer. Frost Witches and Sea Hags have a thirst for her, and Saints have decided she’s perfect to become their tool.

Magic flows through Fanya and it is ready for her to battle against industry for the fate of enslaved souls.

This is set in a parallel universe where the Russians still own Alaska. Fanya and her sister flee the city when their stepmother inherits instead of Fanya and the woman begins to sell off everything including her stepdaughters. Out in the snowy wastes are the Unganan. Fanya’s mother was Unganan and her family have kept her maternal grandmother hidden in the attic for many years.

This was an unusual book, set in the snow covered land of Russian Alaska. Fanya is a feisty young woman, determined to recover her inheritance, but also curious about her mother’s people. I found the Unganan people who call themselves Aleut, very down to earth and they reminded me of the Inuit people. The book began by calling the people Unangan then it changed when Fanya escaped to the wild. Very confusing. On the whole the story was interesting with danger and fantasy woven in.

The Saint who helps Fanya talks to her in her mind which I found fascinating, although I felt Fanya relied on her advice too much. I also liked the introduction of Rasputin. I’ve read several stories about this man and feel he was very much a part of the Russia Fanya lived in. There is also a love interest but I won’t spoil the story by saying any more about this.

Nice story, lots of interest, movement, danger and magic.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

February 8, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Contemporary, YA
Length: Full Length (448 pages)
Age recommendation: 16+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. Claudia and Monday have always been inseparable—more sisters than friends. So when Monday doesn’t turn up for the first day of school, Claudia’s worried.

When she doesn’t show for the second day, or second week, Claudia knows that something is wrong. Monday wouldn’t just leave her to endure tests and bullies alone. Not after last year’s rumors and not with her grades on the line. Now Claudia needs her best—and only—friend more than ever. But Monday’s mother refuses to give Claudia a straight answer, and Monday’s sister April is even less help.

As Claudia digs deeper into her friend’s disappearance, she discovers that no one seems to remember the last time they saw Monday. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she’s gone?

This book is told in the voice of teenager Claudia Coleman. The book does contain non-descriptive physical and emotional abuse of children that may not be suitable for young readers. Indication of abuse is given but details are not disclosed.

I loved Claudia and her complexity. I loved her dedication to Monday. Monday was her only friend, her other half, the one who gave her confidence and the one that kept her secret. Now suddenly alone, at first I thought Claudia was seeking Monday for her own selfish reason…to keep her secret from becoming apparent to all that she know but as I grew to know Claudia I came to see her love and commitment to her best friend Monday Charles.

I admit the layout was almost too confusing for me to follow. Chapters were labeled Before and After, and also Before Before and 2 Years Before Before so I was often confused about what time period I was reading. Even after completing the book I was still a little confused on the time line of things that happened. I hope that I received the full effect and understanding as the author intended. This non-chronological order did take away some of the enjoyment of reading such a wonderfully touching story.

It took too long to build the story. Yes I enjoyed the author’s writing and the difficult plot that she spelled out so gracefully but I think the story could have been condensed and several parts could have been left out and the book would have still been detailed enough.

This is a beautiful vision of friendship and family. Can someone truly be forgotten? Can the love of someone cause our faculties to shut down in order to protect us from something so horrific and painful? Claudia’s dedication to Monday is beyond admirable and showcases their amazing bond and the tremendous amount of love in their relationship. But to a point the love is also scary. So scary that Claudia’s love for her canceled out her from having other friends. Claudia isolated herself in this bubble with Monday and now we see how when that bubble burst the magnitude of the breakdown of Claudia’s world.

This book is so deep and thought provoking giving light to a cause that is such a melancholy sadness to young lives. Young lives that should have an unmeasurable amount of hope for their future.

This book did serve as a good book club conversation topic. We were all in agreement that the author’s writing style is very enjoyable and that Claudia is a well developed character whose story captured all of our hearts.

We also agreed that this is a story that needs to be read. The author’s boldness to take a underlying social issue of missing children touched our hearts and also gave us a point of view that isn’t often heard about when such issues are made known through the media. We got to see the point of view of those who are impacted by such an unsettling truth. The children who are abused have friends, they have teachers and school officials who care but are restricted on the actions that they can take. Sadly as with the case of Claudia, her voice went unheard to several but she did not give up and she did not betray her bond with Monday. Claudia felt guilty for living, for carrying on her life without Monday. We also got to read about Monday’s siblings and how their fear translated into silence. The voice that was missing was the abuser and how she came about to be so cruel and heartless to not only her own children but their father. This story also touched on the heartbreak of not being able to conceive but then there are women who are blessed to have offspring but they are the creator of physical and emotional pain for those that they birth.

This is a dark story with no happy ending. A story of those who live and their efforts to try to rebuild from the destruction that was so plainly hidden in sight. Even though confusing to me at times, the flashbacks in the story did help establish the relationships. The flashbacks plotted out early on in the story helped fill in the events at the ending. The author did a wonderful job with the plotting to pull off such a complex move.

This is a highly recommend to those who are age appropriate for such subject matter.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

2018 Best Book of the Year Poll

February 1, 2019 By 26 Comments


The books below all won (or tied) for our Book of the Month in 2018. Now they’re vying for the 2018 Book of the Year!
Poll runs from February 1 – 14, 2019.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Horror, Mainstream Fiction, Miscellaneous Musings, Mystery/Suspense, Non-Fiction, Other, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With:

January Book of the Month Poll Winner ~ Secret Lady by Beth Trissel

January 31, 2019 By 2 Comments


Secret Lady by Beth Trissel
Ladies in Time Book Three
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Length: Full Length (235 pgs)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

At Lavender House, Evie McIntyre is haunted by the whispers from her bedroom closet. Before she can make sense of their murmurs, the house “warbles” between times and transports her to the Civil War. Past and present have blended, and Evie wishes she’d paid more attention to history. Especially since former Confederate officer, Jack Ramsey, could use a heads up.

Torn between opposing forces, Jack struggles to defend the valley and people he loves. Meeting Evie turns his already tumultuous world upside down. Will solving the mystery of the whispers return her home, and will the handsome scout be by her side?

Against the background of Sheridan’s Burning of the Shenandoah Valley, Jack and Evie fight to save their friends and themselves – or is history carved in stone?

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Horror, Mainstream Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, Non-Fiction, Other, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: ,

Paul O’Leary: Trouble on the Farm by Michael Mardel

January 30, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Paul O’Leary: Trouble on the Farm by Michael Mardel
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (89 pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Meet up with Paul as he has two moves, from the city to a farm. Join him in his one room school and his extra chores on the farm, mowing lots of grass and training his dog, Lassie, not to chase the sheep. He has a few dream adventures, including being a fireman as a real bushfire approaches. Will he be able to cope with the blaze?

It’s a great big place where Paul ends up with his dog and his parents. Lassie has to be corralled or there’s double trouble and the rest if she gets out and chases the sheep. His Grandad is one of the trouble shooters and is not averse to protecting his sheep. Maybe he’ll take Lassie on as a real sheep dog. He found out that the sheep go into a huddle when they’re threatened and not because the dog rounds them up.

Paul rode his bike to his one room school and he read from his Kindle when he had finished his work. He once went to a school mate’s place but all he wanted to do was play games.

Because Paul had joined the Scouts in Broome in Western Australia, he wanted to sign up nearby at Romsey and renew his Scout’s honor. He had a few camps away with them to meet up with others and he also spent a night camping with his Dad by Deep Creek. The only problem was, it rained and they were soaked as they were a long way from Grandad’s house.

The last bit of trouble in paradise was a bushfire which are very extreme and some people leave their homes as they can’t defend them. Paul and his family decide to defend their two homes as Grandad had all the firefighting equipment.

There’s never a shortage of work to do when you live on a farm.

Paul was such a hard worker. He’d learned a lot about what it takes to keep a farm running from his dad, and he wasn’t afraid to pitch in to help make sure all of the chores were done every day. I liked this part of his personality quite a bit. His willingness to do whatever it took to help keep everything running smoothly made him seem like such a mature kid in a good way! What a great role model he was for his audience.

There were some pacing issues with the plot. Sometimes it moved so slowly that I had trouble staying interested, while in other scenes it had so much going on that it was hard to keep up. It would have been helpful for me as a reader if the pacing had been spread out more evenly so I always had something to keep my attention.

What a kind and loving family Paul had! While his parents and grandparents could be very protective of him sometimes, they were always acting in his best interests. It was nice to read about a character who was having such a happy childhood. This isn’t something I’ve seen being done very often in this genre these days, so it always stands out to me as something special when it does happen.

This is the second book in a series, but it can be read as a standalone work.

I’d recommend Paul O’Leary: Trouble on the Farm to anyone who has ever wondered what it would be like to live on a farm.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »