Josie was supposed to meet her friend Carol & Carol’s son for a Christmas vacation on Mackinac Island. But soon after she checks into the hotel she gets word that Carol won’t able to make it after all. Her 2 year old son has been hospitalized & the doctors aren’t certain what is wrong. As Josie sat at lunch debating whether or not she should cut her vacation short, she meets Chris Banks who is visiting his grandfather who lives year round on the Island. Chris manages to convince Josie that she should stay. He promises to show her around the Island and help her to have a fun, if rather cold, holiday.
Chris tells Josie about the 4 year old girl he became a guardian to after his brother and wife were killed in a car crash. He is missing her as he had left Ellie with her maternal grandparents for the holiday. Josie inspires him to contact his parents and ask them if they will go pick up Ellie and bring her to him on the Island. The three of them do their best to make sure that Ellie has a wonderful and memorable Christmas. They also begin to help each other heal from past hurts and disappointments.
This was a lovely story. One of my favorite aspects of it was the accuracy. I spent 2 summers working on Mackinac Island when I was in college and appreciated the descriptions of the island. (If you ever get the chance to visit the Island, it is like stepping backwards in time.) I have never been there in winter, but the description of how cold the weather was matches well with my memory of northern Michigan weather in winter. There were a few spots where some typos slipped through the editing process, but they weren’t too bad. And how the characters interacted with each other and the joy experienced by young Ellie that winter on the island was enchanting. This was a very sweet story and I enjoyed it.
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Sunday, May 6, 2018
"Flamewalker" by D.W. Vogel
Two neighboring countries; In one, orphaned girls who have come of age participate in Immolation Day. By walking through a magical wall of flame, some are chosen by the goddess to wield one of 3 powers and thus becoming seers, healers, or firemaidens. Kahlira, however seems to have been chosen to wield all 3 powers as well as a mysterious 4th power that is not identified nor ever been seen before. These girls are honored and trained to use their powers to help others. Their lives, while not easy are generally pleasant and happy. The one thing they must give up before the goddess gives them these powers is the ability to ever have children.
In their neighboring country, all young girls are forced to go through the Immolation Day flames. Those considered unfortunate enough to be gifted with such powers are now considered property of the king. They and all their family members are branded so that all know who and what they are. All are removed from their homes and taken to a prison town. The girls’ families are used to convince the girls that they must not ever disobey their orders, no matter what they are ordered to do. To do so means their families will be harshly punished. For any girls who somehow manage to avoid the Immolation Day flames, any who later seek the chance to secretly find their own Immolation Day flames and gain a power on their own are considered traitors. If caught, they are brought home in chains and their families are forced to watch them be burned alive to convince others not to try the same.
These two countries treat these gifted women so differently, though they are so close geographically in location. But what happens when the father of one girl who was burned alive seeks revenge on those he considers responsible. Having been forced to watch his daughter’s death, he stumbles upon a long forgotten secret that allows a man to steal these powers the goddess has given only to women. However doing so exacts a horrible price on the grieving father, for these gifts are only safely wielded by women.
I greatly enjoyed reading this book. The story captivated me from the beginning and I am very glad that I picked up a copy of the book up after seeing it at a book festival. Give this one a try if you get the chance. I don’t think you’ll regret it. I loved it.
In their neighboring country, all young girls are forced to go through the Immolation Day flames. Those considered unfortunate enough to be gifted with such powers are now considered property of the king. They and all their family members are branded so that all know who and what they are. All are removed from their homes and taken to a prison town. The girls’ families are used to convince the girls that they must not ever disobey their orders, no matter what they are ordered to do. To do so means their families will be harshly punished. For any girls who somehow manage to avoid the Immolation Day flames, any who later seek the chance to secretly find their own Immolation Day flames and gain a power on their own are considered traitors. If caught, they are brought home in chains and their families are forced to watch them be burned alive to convince others not to try the same.
These two countries treat these gifted women so differently, though they are so close geographically in location. But what happens when the father of one girl who was burned alive seeks revenge on those he considers responsible. Having been forced to watch his daughter’s death, he stumbles upon a long forgotten secret that allows a man to steal these powers the goddess has given only to women. However doing so exacts a horrible price on the grieving father, for these gifts are only safely wielded by women.
I greatly enjoyed reading this book. The story captivated me from the beginning and I am very glad that I picked up a copy of the book up after seeing it at a book festival. Give this one a try if you get the chance. I don’t think you’ll regret it. I loved it.
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
"Harbor: The Seven Sisters of Siilverleaf, Book 2" by L.C. Ireland
When the Delaroe sisters were cursed by the Horrid Witch, their lives were changed forever. With the curse broken, they return to their lives and try to find husbands or do whatever else they might wish to do. But Hallie has found herself marked by a being who had come through a portal from another realm. Without help he will die, and as the only one who can see or hear him it becomes her fate to try to save him.
Unfortunately, as a reclusive bookworm, Hallie wants nothing more than to retire in her room and read. That choice is taken from her when she is kidnapped by a former associate of the Horrid Witch who wishes to use her connection to the mysterious Sayune to find him. For what purpose though, he seems to be reluctant to explain.
I enjoyed reading this book just as much as I did the previous one in this series. I did catch a couple of small typos, but other than that the writing and editing were excellent. I only put this one down when I was forced to by other obligations or I would have easily and willingly finished it in one sitting. I highly recommend reading this book.
Unfortunately, as a reclusive bookworm, Hallie wants nothing more than to retire in her room and read. That choice is taken from her when she is kidnapped by a former associate of the Horrid Witch who wishes to use her connection to the mysterious Sayune to find him. For what purpose though, he seems to be reluctant to explain.
I enjoyed reading this book just as much as I did the previous one in this series. I did catch a couple of small typos, but other than that the writing and editing were excellent. I only put this one down when I was forced to by other obligations or I would have easily and willingly finished it in one sitting. I highly recommend reading this book.
Sunday, April 29, 2018
"Nemesis (The New Earth Colonies Book 2)"
by Nina Silver
The Earth had been attacked by an alien race known as the Oorupta. While the invaders were eventually defeated, though not destroyed, the Earth was left in a very poor state to support everyone living on it. Now, Humans have developed interstellar ships and colonized the other planets in the solar system. Each planet seems to have a purpose dedicated primarily to those living there.
This book begins with a two girls who have just finished their education and are leaving Saturn for their future career placements. Xan, a young doctor. is being sent to Jupiter colony. This is where the military forces are primarily stationed and is the most technologically advanced of the colonies. Her best friend Iolee has been studying linguistics and will be remaining on Saturn.
On Jupiter, Xan meets a very handsome soldier named Jax who apparently has no interest in her or anyone else. He is dedicated to his career and appears to actively dislike Xan, at least so far as she can tell. But before Xan can begin her first day in her new job, a ship that had been missing for quite some time arrives and is allowed to dock at the Jupiter spaceport. Unfortunately, it turns out that what was on the ship weren’t the expected human personnel, but the Oorupta. The Colonies are under attack once again.
This book is not appropriate for younger readers as there are some rather descriptive sexual encounters. I also must give this book a Trigger Warning as it contains an attempted rape.
The plot of the story is very interesting and one I enjoyed reading. However this book was sent as a .pdf file. I don’t know if the problem I encountered with the file is a quirk unique to my device, but the text of the story downloaded very small onto my kindle. (I often run into problems with .pdf files and my kindle, so this might be a problem very few others will run into.) The author was kind enough to provide me with a larger print version of the book that was much easier for me to read. And while I did very much enjoy the plot of the book, I felt that it could have used another round of editing before publication.
This book begins with a two girls who have just finished their education and are leaving Saturn for their future career placements. Xan, a young doctor. is being sent to Jupiter colony. This is where the military forces are primarily stationed and is the most technologically advanced of the colonies. Her best friend Iolee has been studying linguistics and will be remaining on Saturn.
On Jupiter, Xan meets a very handsome soldier named Jax who apparently has no interest in her or anyone else. He is dedicated to his career and appears to actively dislike Xan, at least so far as she can tell. But before Xan can begin her first day in her new job, a ship that had been missing for quite some time arrives and is allowed to dock at the Jupiter spaceport. Unfortunately, it turns out that what was on the ship weren’t the expected human personnel, but the Oorupta. The Colonies are under attack once again.
This book is not appropriate for younger readers as there are some rather descriptive sexual encounters. I also must give this book a Trigger Warning as it contains an attempted rape.
The plot of the story is very interesting and one I enjoyed reading. However this book was sent as a .pdf file. I don’t know if the problem I encountered with the file is a quirk unique to my device, but the text of the story downloaded very small onto my kindle. (I often run into problems with .pdf files and my kindle, so this might be a problem very few others will run into.) The author was kind enough to provide me with a larger print version of the book that was much easier for me to read. And while I did very much enjoy the plot of the book, I felt that it could have used another round of editing before publication.
Monday, April 23, 2018
"Dancing with Myself" by Billy Idol
This was a long book with a lot of detail on the life of musician Billy Idol. He has always had music in his life, though his father was initially against Billy’s decision to pursue a career as a singer. As someone who enjoyed his music when I was in my teens, I for one am glad that he followed his dream and pursued his passion.
A lot of his career followed the theme of Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll that was often true of many singers and bands in those days. This theme seemed to control most of his life, to the point where at times it was a wonder that he was capable of much of anything and truly a wonder that he didn’t manage to accidently kill himself from an overdose. This book did not shy away from the darker aspects of his life. It discussed everything, both the good and the bad, in honest detail from the perspective of the man who lived through it all.
I think the part of the book that I enjoyed the most, was at the end. It included a number of pictures from throughout his life, as well as pictures of his parents before they were married. I did enjoy reading this book. His life was not always easy, but it was definitely interesting.
A lot of his career followed the theme of Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll that was often true of many singers and bands in those days. This theme seemed to control most of his life, to the point where at times it was a wonder that he was capable of much of anything and truly a wonder that he didn’t manage to accidently kill himself from an overdose. This book did not shy away from the darker aspects of his life. It discussed everything, both the good and the bad, in honest detail from the perspective of the man who lived through it all.
I think the part of the book that I enjoyed the most, was at the end. It included a number of pictures from throughout his life, as well as pictures of his parents before they were married. I did enjoy reading this book. His life was not always easy, but it was definitely interesting.
Saturday, April 21, 2018
"Her Silent Burden: Seeing Ranch Series"
by Florence Linnington
Theadora’s husband has died a mere three months into their marriage. While she can’t entirely mourn his loss (he was an abusive husband who treated her very poorly), she is now left with nothing as he had not even included her in his will. Very shortly she will no longer even have a place to live. In desperation, she decides to become a mail-order bride and to accept the first marriage proposal that comes her way.
Wakefield Briggs owns and runs a saloon in a small mining town in the Rocky mountains. His is the first, and only reply to Thea’a advertisement seeking a husband. Thea’s ad had stated that she was a widow who had only been married 3 months and that she had no children. Wakefield does not want children, and her lack of any was one of the reasons he had chosen to reply to her ad. Thea is very nervous about her decision to marry a man she knows nothing about, but not having any other options, she accepts his proposal, Her only hope is that he turns out to be nothing like her first husband.
Upon meeting each other, there is an immediate attraction between Thea & Wakefield. They are quickly married and all seems to be going quite well between them. The only real problem seems to be that Wakefield is far too overprotective of her. He doesn’t want her walking anywhere by herself, not even the short distance to visit the nearest neighbor. Clearly there is something behind this irrational behavior that he hasn’t told her, but the question is what could possibly worry him so much about her merely walking up the road by herself? And then Thea discovers that her first husband did in fact leave her with something after all... after only being married for no more than a few weeks to a man who has made it clear that he wants no children, she discovers that she was pregnant after all.
As with her previous books in this series, I truly enjoyed this tale. This story deals with the importance of trust and honesty between two people, especially when entering into a marriage where they have not known each other for very long. Without it, things rapidly begin to fall apart and are hard to put back together. I enjoyed reading this story, as I have the others in this series. There were a few more typos in this book than I am used to seeing from Ms. Linnington, but the story itself makes this book well worth reading.
Wakefield Briggs owns and runs a saloon in a small mining town in the Rocky mountains. His is the first, and only reply to Thea’a advertisement seeking a husband. Thea’s ad had stated that she was a widow who had only been married 3 months and that she had no children. Wakefield does not want children, and her lack of any was one of the reasons he had chosen to reply to her ad. Thea is very nervous about her decision to marry a man she knows nothing about, but not having any other options, she accepts his proposal, Her only hope is that he turns out to be nothing like her first husband.
Upon meeting each other, there is an immediate attraction between Thea & Wakefield. They are quickly married and all seems to be going quite well between them. The only real problem seems to be that Wakefield is far too overprotective of her. He doesn’t want her walking anywhere by herself, not even the short distance to visit the nearest neighbor. Clearly there is something behind this irrational behavior that he hasn’t told her, but the question is what could possibly worry him so much about her merely walking up the road by herself? And then Thea discovers that her first husband did in fact leave her with something after all... after only being married for no more than a few weeks to a man who has made it clear that he wants no children, she discovers that she was pregnant after all.
As with her previous books in this series, I truly enjoyed this tale. This story deals with the importance of trust and honesty between two people, especially when entering into a marriage where they have not known each other for very long. Without it, things rapidly begin to fall apart and are hard to put back together. I enjoyed reading this story, as I have the others in this series. There were a few more typos in this book than I am used to seeing from Ms. Linnington, but the story itself makes this book well worth reading.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
"Little Bear and his Chair" by Claressa Swensen
Little Bear has a favorite Chair that he doesn’t want to share with anyone. But how do his friends react when he won’t let them sit in his favorite chair?
This was a very sweet little story that helps to show children who don’t like to share their belongings what can happen when they refuse to share with others. After all, playing with other children often means needing to be willing to share with them.
I believe this story will help to encourage young children to learn to be kind to each other. It very clearly shows how they can have more fun when they share their favorite things than they will have if they won’t share.
Note: The reason this book does not yet have a link on this review is that the book is not yet available for sale on Amazon. Once as it is available, I will update this page to include a link.
This was a very sweet little story that helps to show children who don’t like to share their belongings what can happen when they refuse to share with others. After all, playing with other children often means needing to be willing to share with them.
I believe this story will help to encourage young children to learn to be kind to each other. It very clearly shows how they can have more fun when they share their favorite things than they will have if they won’t share.
Note: The reason this book does not yet have a link on this review is that the book is not yet available for sale on Amazon. Once as it is available, I will update this page to include a link.
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