Tag: #amreading

Book Reviews · Monday Musings

What I Read This Week (Or Should I Say Fortnight)

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Well. I have quite a few books to catch you up on today so let’s begin where we left off with…

I really enjoyed this book but it certainly was not really easy reading, behind each of the doors of a nice new exclusive estate lie secrets, but none as bad as those behind the pink door. I gave this five stars I would have liked it to do longer and to explore the fall out and aftermath of some of the lies a little longer. I would also have liked to know what happened to a couple of the characters after the end of the book but all in all I highly recommend.

After reading that book I needed some light reading so I went for a rom com…

I gave this four stars, don’t get me wrong was a good read, fun and funny in place but it didn’t blow me away. I liked the main character, I liked the plot, it is a feel good book but predictable in parts. It would be the sort of book I would recommend as the perfect beach read, happy ending guaranteed.

I still wasn’t ready to tackle anything heavy so I headed to my guilty pleasure, cowboy romances…

Again this ended up as a four star, loved the twist where the cowboy is also a doctor, but too much in a book this length to do it justice. I get that people want romance to stay a certain length but this book had so much going on through it that it felt a little like it was skimming through the main points in parts without giving each event the attention it deserved. I actually felt like there was enough good ideas and twists there to have made this into two books. I do recommend it still, the fact I wanted more speaks volumes for the writing.

The last book I finished was not exactly what I was expecting it to be…

This book made me laugh, it made me cry, it wrenched my heart strings. I thought that this would be a cosy women become friends book but it was so much more. This was about the creation of support groups, of how with the right people beside you that you can overcome anything. It is also a recognition that those friends do not have to look like you or have the same history, age and race play no part in true friendship. I gave this five stairs and if I wasn’t so eager to get started on my next book then I would be buying the next instalment of this series straight away.

And speaking of my currently reading book…

I am so lucky that as a friend of the author I get an arc copy of this book to read through and let me tell you I am excited beyond belief to finally get this on my kindle and to know that part 2 is not far behind. I will say get your copy pre-ordered and get the first two parts read if you haven’t already!

Book Reviews · Monday Musings

What I Read This Week.

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At the minute I go through phases and as I am reading more on my kindle it has become easier to just hit the ratings when I finish reading rather than write a full review here. I do believe though that word of mouth is what can sell books for authors so I will be giving you a mix of what I am reading with books that are still stuck in my head.

This was the book I started the week with and I did really enjoy the story right up to the last chapter!

The last chapter saw the main character through the whole plot point out of the window. And it ended unsatisfactorally with a quick summary of what happens and a plug for the next book.

While I totally appreciate that many authors use freebies to encourage people to buy the rest of the series I find I am more likely to buy an authors work if I have read a full story by them rather then it be so obviously that they are just after your cash.

Before anyone says anything I know as an author that making money is hard but I was enjoying this book, had it been finished properly, even just to the end of the summary that was provided in the storyline I would have happily bought the next in the series but knowing this story seems to be split into at least three segments I can’t help but wonder if there will be another whole section merely summarised.

I don’t normally write negatively but in this case I am because I know this author can write, I have no idea if something in her personal life made her rush to end it and that was the reason for the summary section but rather then making me rush for more it slammed the brakes on and I didn’t even bother reading the taster pages for the next section of the book.

If the plot runs longer make the series longer, don’t compromise on good writing to fit it into a word count, this could have been so, so good but it has now left me looking elsewhere for my next read which is…

I just started this yesterday and I admit I am flying through it. No one can ever be sure what goes on behind closed doors. Nosy neighbours obsessed with keeping up standards totally miss what is happening just across the street. I don’t want to say too much at this point but so far it is heading for 5 stars.

You might have seen an earlier post today that was dated a few weeks ago. For some reason it didn’t publish but the book I mention there was called The Night Firm and I have to say a thoroughly recommended it. I was hooked right up to the last page. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082KFX6S9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_2VBQNAP6ZVG32FA4TM05

So that’s this week’s reading round up will my current read be as good as it seems right now? I will let you know next week.

Book Signings

World Building Talk at #MAE2019

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This was the first time I had ever given a live talk on a subject around writing, I do not claim to be an expert but I am on the learning journey and enjoyed sharing a little of what I have learnt so far.

I hope that in the future I will get to do more of these types of things, and any feedback will be gratefully received as long as it is constructive.

Book Reviews

Strip Back: Eric’s Story (Naked nights 0.5) By Ava Manello

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As usual, let’s start with the Goodreads blurb…

Not all male strippers are the same.

Eric despised his manager’s seedy approach to stripping but he guessed it was better than no job at all. How wrong he was.

With no job, no restrictions and no girlfriend – thanks to finding her on her knees in front of someone else; Eric finally pursues his dream of setting up his own stripper troupe which would be all about the tease rather than the sleaze.

With nothing left to lose, Eric throws himself into creating the Naked Nights. It wasn’t always fun, and it definitely wasn’t easy but somehow he made it happen.

When you immerse yourself into the book world you meet some amazing authors, you also meet some fabulous people you love to bits but their books don’t do anything for you. Let me be perfectly honest, deciding to read a book by an Indie author I admire and respect is not something I do lightly but, having read one of her previous books, and enjoying it before I met her, I decided to give this one a go while it was free over the weekend.
The first thing I have to say is that I became aware very quickly that this was more of a prequel to her Naked Nights series and was a little concerned that the lack of prior knowledge of the characters would detract from my enjoyment but I needn’t have worried.
While the plot does develop at a fast pace, you still find yourself being engaged by the primary characters. You find yourself rooting for this seemingly doomed perfect romance while completely understanding the motivation behind both Eric and Christy’s reluctance to face the fact they are falling in love.
The secondary characters are well written and although we only see a brief glimpse into their lives there is just enough to leave you wanting more. Each character is well thought out, from the polar opposite dynamics of Tiny’s relationship to the dance past of Alex, and the rest of the newly formed troupe, you know that there will be plenty to engage within the following books if they are as well written as this.
I thoroughly enjoyed the fact this was a story with some red hot sex scenes thrown in, not some sex scenes with a rough plot holding it together. I found myself laughing at some of my own experiences in pubs and clubs during ‘Ladies Nights’ knowing exactly the types of sleazy strip routines to which the author was alluding.
If I had a criticism it would be that I wanted more, however, I accept that not having read book 1 I am not in a position to know what had already been revealed, well not yet anyway as I am pretty certain the next book will be making its way onto my new kindle.
I have no qualms about giving this a 5 out of 5-star review, I read it in one afternoon, once I started reading I didn’t want to put it down. If you would like to find out more about the author you can find here here

3d rendering of 5 gold stars

Book Reviews · Monday Musings

Book Review – Afterlife (Afterlife Saga #1) by Stephanie Hudson

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I decided to give this book a try after the author handed out a leaflet with a sample chapter at a book signing event, it has been a while since I read a paranormal romance but the sample grabbed me…

We start as always with the Goodreads blurb.

Afterlife… just some gothic nightclub where gossip is fuelled by the presence of a rich and unearthly, handsome family or Afterlife…the strange place where time seems to stand still and guests feel the presence of something more powerful held within the confines of the VIP.

Keira is new to this small, cold town and is running from a past that seems to feast on her darkest memories. She finds living with her sister away from English soil to be just the ticket to the new life she is trying desperately to find. So when the offer of a job at the infamous Gothic nightclub Afterlife comes along she thinks that lady luck has finally found her. That is until its seductively dark and forbidding owner Dominic Draven sets eyes on her. All at once she is captivated and plunged into a world she never knew existed but the deeper her obsession with Draven becomes, the harder it is to decide…should she stay and continue to work within the shadows of the supernatural or should she run from a madness she thinks may consume her?

Warning: This book is amazingly addictive, with its dark mystery, haunting horror, seductive twists and one sexy dark lord that has the reader drooling every time the name Draven appears on the page!

I have to say this was really easy to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it, there were times where I got frustrated with the allusions to Keira’s dark past. As the story unravelled I understood why it was done the way it was but I do wish that it had either come earlier or her past been referred to slightly less however that is a personal preference.

The world building was good and I felt the author conveyed small town American in a way that was relatable to someone who has never been there. The characters were well rounded and likeable, occasionally I felt I would have like to know more about certain characters or plot point but because of the point of view this was not always possible however I look forward to reading more and hopefully seeing things from other viewpoints.

I dont want to give away too much but I did really like the twist on the ‘unearthly family

If I had found the series as a teenager I would have been in heaven, as an older reader I still got enjoyment from reading this book and though I wavered between 4.5 and 5 I am going to give it the full 5 out of 5 stars.

3d rendering of 5 gold stars

Lazy Sunday #13 & Vlog Time #67 – Getting Back In A Rhythm
8. Vlog Time · Lazy Sunday

Lazy Sunday #13 & Vlog Time #67 – Getting Back In A Rhythm

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Well let’s be honest still struggling with the rhythm otherwise you would have got the vlog on Friday, however it was actually filmed in time this week I just forgot to edit it then there was writing, and football, and the day job, well you get the drift.

So it is Sunday and I have been up since silly o’clock despite the monster having a lie in, why is it when they finally do lie in you are always wide awake, I have had a coffee and now have a diet coke opened, however I have invested in some different Twinings herbal infusion things to try including the nettle one which the monster really wants to try after I told him all about nettle tea, I will be more careful what I talk about on the walk to school in future. I don’t actually like tea, and I have always had a mental block when it comes to the fruit tea type things but I am trying really hard to think of them as fruit infusions, if you want to take a peek at the range you can find them here.

I just went and made myself a pomegranate and raspberry infusion so lets get a move on with this weeks blog posts and I will let you know how I do with it once it cools a little…

  1. The first blog I am sharing today is by someone whose black out poetry always blows me away but today’s selection from sharing is an update and a reminder that sometimes you have to walk away from a project to be able to come back with fresh eyes and enthusiasm https://cbwentworth.wordpress.com/2016/06/06/back-to-the-novel-front/
  2. This blog has featured here a couple of times for various reasons, today there are four reasons this post qualifies, first she is the only person I know who takes as many photos as I do when she goes places, secondly she goes to quite a few stately homes I have not visited yet so I can see them through her eyes, thirdly the bakery van reminds me of when I was a kid growing up in the village and we actually used to have one come round (slightly bigger it was in the back of a box van, you stepped in and it was lined with shelves) and the final reason there is a dalek, need I say more? https://lucywilliamspoetry.wordpress.com/2016/06/05/lucys-diary-05062016/
  3. Now this one is actually something I should do, it would make so much more sense to organise the people I follow into authors, Doctor Who related, charity related, celebs etc just need to find the time, maybe this post will give me the final push https://mundusmediaink.com/2016/06/06/get-organized-with-twitter-lists/
  4. Book covers are becoming a big business, everyday I see more people who have just grasped the basics of photo-shop launching themselves as cover artists but I believe that some of the best covers are those that authors turned cover artists create and non more so than this lady, I maybe bias because she did the Voices cover for me but I am in the process of buying a design from her for The Dragon’s Mark so when I recommend her you know I am putting my money where my mouth is https://msfowle.wordpress.com/2016/06/11/new-covers-at-melchelle-designs/
  5. The final one is a little different, I love the idea of interior design, of course the reality with pets and kids will never be those rooms looking back from magazine pages but this blog is actually a really great way to take a peek at how those rooms get designed, about the influences in colour choice and design, this post is about the influence colour in nature has in the design world https://valentinaexpressions.com/2016/06/10/bring-nature-in-flirtatious-mix-valentina-cirasola-interior-designer/

So before I go let me tell you this infusion smells great, however it tastes strange warm to me and I can’t help think it might taste better ice cold, I might leave a little and try it that way later just to see, but I think this might be ne I could get used to drinking in time. So now a quick vlog and then I shall see you next week…