Book Review: "Breaking Ties"by Jo Grafford

The tale of Rose Payne leaving behind everything she knows for the unknown in America was phenomenal! From the first chapter I was hooked and couldn't bear to put the book down. Intrigue, betrayal, and mystery plague the colonists aboard the three ships traveling to their new home. Just when you think you've figured out who is behind the problems another twist in the tale leaves you guessing yet again.

The attraction between Rose and the mysterious Manteo is very captivating! Each interaction between them leaves you wanting to know what will happen next. More than once Manteo comes to help Rose out of the bind she's in and shows her through his action what's in his heart. Though Rose isn't looking for love, it finds her.

I absolutely cannot wait to see what Jo Grafford writes next! I'll be looking for the second book in this series actively! As soon as it's available I'm buying it! This is a fantastic clean romance that was well thought out and written expertly! Jo definitely did her research for this novel.

Visit Jo Grafford's website.

Purchase Breaking Ties from Amazon.

Purchase Breaking Ties from Barnes and Noble.

Book Review: "The Dead Game" by Susanne Leist

Today I finished reading "The Dead Game" by Susanne Leist. This book isn't what I typically read but did like her style!

“The Dead Game” is very well written. The author has a gift at being descriptive and a talent with spinning a tale. This book will keep you guessing. Even when you think you’ve gotten everything figured out something new changes things for the reader and the characters.

The only two issues I have with this novel are that it just didn’t draw me in and there is an overabundance of characters in the book. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this book. It just wasn’t typically the type of novel that I read. Trying to keep all of the characters straight became difficult at times. For those who are into spine tingling tales and vampires they will love it.

Purchase "The Dead Game" on Amazon!

Book Review: "The One" by Steve Justice

Tonight I finished reading "The One" by Steve Justice. This was definitely not my usual book that I'd choose. However, different is good! Below is my review of his novel that I've posted to Amazon and Goodreads.

This novel is very different from my usual choice of books. However different is a good thing. The story of the professor and Hana Kim is reminiscent of Lolita with a more modern twist.

The story is a little bit slow in the beginning but the words Steve Justice uses weave a tapestry of a tale bringing the imagery and emotions to life on the pages before you. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. I was captivated by this novel and truly look forward to reading more of the works of Steve Justice.

Purchase "The One" on Amazon!

Book Review: Etched in History by Amanda Marie

I like to read on my lunch break at work. Having the Kindle app on my tablet makes that very easy. Earlier this week I purchased "Etched in History" by Amanda Marie and began reading it. To say this novel is phenomenal would be an understatement!

I really enjoy reading historical romances and novels. I'm a huge fan of "North and South" and "Gone With the Wind." Though set in the same time frame, this novel is quite different from either of those. Below is the review I left this wonderful book on Amazon and Goodreads.

"This book captivated me from the first chapter! The story is completely different from what you're used to seeing out of a romance from a post-Civil War setting. This is a story about love and overcoming differences in a time when differences are shunned.

Unlike many stories, this one was told from the perspectives of all of the characters involved. I really enjoyed this because it allowed me to see into the thoughts of each character as the events were taking place. Amanda Marie makes it very easy for readers to know who is speaking and thinking though so there's no way you can get confused.

This was a very sweet historical romance! It's about love, not physicality. I could easily see this being made into a movie. It was a truly excellent read! I take my Kindle with me to work and read on my lunch break. I can't tell you how many times over the past few days reading this book I wanted my lunch break to be longer so I could keep reading! I look forward to reading more of Amanda Marie's novels!"

If you're looking for a clean, captivating romance novel, this one's for you. Snag a copy of "Etched in History" today. I promise you that you'll enjoy it.

Etched in History - Amazon

Etched in History- Smashwords

First review: 5 stars!

The first review is in and it's a 5 star review! Oh this made my night! Thank you to reader Samaire Provost for your review and kind words!

I immediately read through my Kindle copy of the my own book and found a few errors that I didn't catch during editing. I've sent that info back to the publisher and they are working on correcting the errors prior to releasing the print version of "The Search for Mrs. Claus." If you're ready for a print copy of this book, stay tuned. It's definitely in progress. You can purchase the Kindle copy here on Amazon right now for only $3.99!

I'd also like to invite all of you to attend my virtual release party that I am hosting on Facebook next weekend. it will be July 12 from 3:00PM to 6:00PM EST. This will be a fun gathering to celebrate the release of my book, talk about Christmas things, play games, and even win a prize or two! Please come by, invite your friends, and come have a jolly good time with me that afternoon!

Christmas in July - "The Search for Mrs. Claus" Virtual Release Party

Competition and Reviews

There are definitely reasons why Monday is referred to as "Moan-day" from time to time. Today was really rough. I'm hoping that things will be better tomorrow.

On a positive note, today was Field Day for my daughter's school. I remember Field Day! It was always so much fun! Our school split into two teams and the teams were pitted against one another. One team would win first place and the other would win second. We'd all go home with ribbons for whichever place our team won and we all had fun! I still remember the egg toss, the water bucket filling race, the tire race, and kickball. My absolute favorite was tug of war! There was a huge rope that in my elementary school eyes had to be a hundred feet long! Each team would grab either side of the gigantic rope and on the sound of the PE teacher's whistle we'd begin tugging for dear life. Somehow I always ended up on the second place team until my fourth grade year. That was the triumphant year when we finally took first place! I still have my huge blue ribbon showing that I was on the first place team. It was such a proud moment for me in my elementary school years.

My daughter didn't bring home any ribbons. I am guessing that everyone participates for fun now and not for the chance of winning first place. That is a bit of contention with me. In today's world children are given trophies for participation, not for winning. Don't get me wrong: I think it's great to congratulate everyone for taking part in an activity. There's something to be said for winning an award though. It's about showing that a little bit of extra effort can pay off. It's about going above and beyond to achieve a goal. And it's about the competition. Seeing who's going to win is a big deal!

See, this is a problem in the world today. Everyone's so afraid to step on the toes of another individual so they make everyone equal. Wait, wasn't that the goal of communism? Everyone was supposed to be equal? Well, we can see how well communism worked out, can't we? Yes, you're supposed to see the sarcasm dripping from that sentence. Competition isn't a negative thing. It can be made negative but the act of competing in itself isn't negative. Competition gives people something to achieve. It gives people a goal to reach. Look at the pro athletes. Michael Phelps and Kristi Yamaguchi didn't start out at the top. They had to work for it. They practiced. They honed their skills. They competed in tournaments and meets. What happened? They improved. They got better at what they do. Eventually they reached the top and earned those coveted gold medals. Competition makes people better.

Writing is also a competition. Think about it from this angle: every day a customer logs into Amazon to buy a book. They have the option to choose from thousands of books! Romance, mystery, children's books, and more...all available to them! Which books do they choose? Some come with a book in mind. Others are looking for something that comes highly recommended. Not every author has the status of a Nora Roberts or a Dean Koontz and have people googling their names on Amazon to see what they have written. Every author is in competition with every other author out there. For example, if a customer looks at three books by authors they've never heard of before how do they pick which book to buy? The answer lies in reviews! As a reader it's extremely important to leave reviews for the books you've read.

Reviews are gold for authors. It lets them know that someone's read their work. Good reviews are more like platinum. That means someone's read and enjoyed their work! Do you have a book in mind that you love dearly? Go to Goodreads, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble and leave a review. I guarantee you that the author will be ever so grateful that you did! Then another customer will come along, read your review, and might just buy that book because of how much you liked it and that you cared about it enough to review it. Trust me when I tell you that your review doesn't have to be a wordy work of art. My simplest review yet actually made it into a fellow author's blog! That surprised me but yet it pleased me. Even a few sentences about how much you enjoyed the book will make all the difference for that author.

Save an author. Leave a review!