Book Review: Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan
Reviewer: Kate I received a copy of Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Can anyone be…
CLP Blog Tours Book Review and Giveaway: Long Shadows by …
Cecelia Dominic is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Long Shadows
Summary:
Being unique isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.
The Lycanthropy Files, Book 2
By day, Lonna Marconi’s busy career keeps her mind off the fact she was turned werewolf against her will. By night, a dose of wolfsbane lets her inner wolf out to play while her physical body stays safe at home.
When an overheard phone call at work warns her a trap is about to be sprung, she turns from hunter to hunted in the blink of an eye.
She finds refuge with the Ozarks pack she never claimed as her own. Upon discovering a family secret that explains why she’s unique among her own kind, Lonna finds heat in the arms of Max, who’s the one thing she cannot trust—a wizard.
Another kidnapping attempt sends her navigating the treacherous metaphysical borders of a centuries-old war, pursued by rogue sorcerers, a band of ghostly wolves, and repressed memories that prevent her from reclaiming her heritage. All the while, trusting her back to a wizard who demands the price of her heart…and who may not have the luxury of giving his in return.
Warning: Some sexy scenes, adult language, and alcohol consumption. Also descriptions of Italian food that might offend carbophobes.
Review:
I have also read the first book in this series, The Mountain’s Shadow, and really enjoyed it. I was looking forward to following up on the series and reading about Lonna and her mysterious life. Like I said in my first review, you have to really pay attention to all aspects of the story, or else it’s easy to get lost and confused. I felt the same thing with this one, and highly recommend you read the first to understand what happened with the werewolves. Besides that, these books are quite creative and a lot of fun to read. I liked Lonna’s story because there is a mystery that ties in with her family and past, and it was interesting to read about and try to figure out what the resolution would be. Of course there is also a love interest – a wizard, which isn’t a good thing – but I won’t give too much away on that. I hope you can read this series!
4 stars
**Everyone who leaves a comment on the tour page will be entered to win 1 eBook copy of Long Shadows and 1Long Shadows T-shirt (pictured left). Sizes are L or XL and will be available to US residents only!**
Author Bio:
Cecilia Dominic wrote her first story when she was two years old and has always had a much more interesting life inside her head than outside of it. She became a clinical psychologist because she’s fascinated by people and their stories, but she couldn’t stop writing fiction. The first draft of her dissertation, while not fiction, was still criticized by her major professor for being written in too entertaining a style. She made it through graduate school and got her PhD, started her own practice, and by day, she helps people cure their insomnia without using medication. By night, she blogs about wine and writes fiction she hopes will keep her readers turning the pages all night. Yes, she recognizes the conflict of interest between her two careers, so she writes and blogs under a pen name. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with one husband and two cats, which, she’s been told, is a good number of each.
You can find her at:
Web page: www.ceciliadominic.com
Wine blog: www.randomoenophile.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CeciliaDominicAuthor
Twitter: @RandomOenophile
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ceciliadominic/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/cecilia_dominic
Buy links:
From Samhain Publishing (all ebook formats available): http://store.samhainpublishing.com/long-shadows-p-73287.html
From Amazon: http://amzn.to/1ht14Tf
From Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/long-shadows-cecilia-dominic/1117685729?ean=9781619220140
Also available anywhere else ebooks are sold.
To read the first chapter, visit: http://www.ceciliadominic.blogspot.com/2014/02/long-shadows-excerpt.html
Book Review: The One & Only by Emily Giffin
Reviewer: Samantha I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Summary: Emily Giffin, the beloved author of such New York Times bestselling…
Book Review: The Shadow Year by Hannah Richell
Reviewer: Samantha I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Summary: Still grieving the death of her prematurely delivered infant,…
Book Review: If I Say Yes by Brandy Jellum
Reviewer: Michelle I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Summary: Elizabeth Lewis was the child of Hollywood’s darling couple,…
Book Review: The Perfect Location by Kate Forster
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Three glamorous actresses gliding through a life lived on the silver screen. One Hollywood Blockbuster. One perfect location.
Rose Nightingale is an English actress recovering from a bad marriage, who wonders if her dream being a mother will ever come true.
Sapphira De Mont is the world’s most beautiful movie star,
but hides a secret addiction and the deepest of grief imaginable.
Calypso Gable is a young star on the rise trying to escape
her mum-manager’s clutches and find her independence.
As they come together on set in the Italian hills, they are faced with their biggest battles yet, but they soon learn that friendship is the greatest weapon a woman can have.
Review:
The Perfect Location is a cute story that brings together a range of different characters. Sapphira’s story was the most interesting for me to read about, because she had such a secret life hidden from everyone, even those closest to her. I connected the most with Calypso, probably due to her age, but each woman brought an element to the story. The book was pretty long and dragged for me at parts, but the parts I found intriguing I really enjoyed reading. I just wish a lot of the unneeded plot points were cut out so my interest was held longer. Still cute, but not for you if you are looking for a quick read.
3 stars
CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Unwell by Marie Chow
Marie Chow is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Unwell
Summary:
How do you tell your child that you won’t be there when they grow up? UNWELL is the raw, honest story of a mother who writes to her unborn child, sharing her decision of choosing not to be a mother. She doesn’t choose abortion. Nor does she consider adoption. Instead, she decides to give her child a fighting chance in life, without the angst and drama that’s shaped her own bittersweet life.
With a poignant lack of emotion, the young mother shares her life story. As the child of Asian parents who moved to America early in her life, the mother shares how her life disintegrated after her parents’ divorce. From upper middle class suburban to sharing her mean aunt’s house to a one bedroom apartment in a shabby neighborhood, this mother endures the indignity that comes with the change of status. From her father’s absence to her mother becoming a married man’s mistress, her story reads like a tragic Victorian novel set in the 21st century, but that’s where the similarity ends—she is definitely not a shy country miss and she certainly did not take the easy way out.
This amazing story chronicles the life of a woman who fought for everything she got, faced her demons and made the hard choices. Her fortitude and candor are disarming, her avant-garde views strangely endearing. You’ve never read a book like this and probably never will again. Get your copy today and take the literary journey of a lifetime. Through this glimpse into the life of a woman of integrity, sacrifice and love, you’ll feel her pain, live her failures and cheer for the meager joys that come her way. But the one thing you’ll never do… is forget her. Or her story.
Review:
When I first started reading Unwell, I was trying to figure out just where the book would take us. Was this a suicide note? Was it being written to a baby who wouldn’t make it after birth? Did the mom plan on putting it up for adoption or just walking away from the family? That air of mystery drove this story from beginning to end, where it all comes together in a beautiful resolution to the book, and made me close with my Kindle with feeling after I read the last word. It’s a very touching, realistic and raw story, and quite captivating throughout.
4 stars
Book Review: Monarch Beach by Anita Hughes
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Anita Hughes’ Monarch Beach is an absorbing debut novel about one woman’s journey back to happiness after an affair splinters her perfect marriage and life—what it means to be loved, betrayed and to love again.
When Amanda Blick, a young mother and kindhearted San Francisco heiress, finds her gorgeous French chef husband wrapped around his sous-chef, she knows she must flee her life in order to rebuild it. The opportunity falls into her lap when her (very lovable) mother suggests Amanda and her young son, Max, spend the summer with her at the St. Regis Resort in Laguna Beach. With the waves right outside her windows and nothing more to worry about than finding the next relaxing thing to do, Amanda should be having the time of her life—and escaping the drama. But instead, she finds herself faced with a kind, older divorcee who showers her with attention… and she discovers that the road to healing is never simple. This is the sometimes funny, sometimes bitter, but always moving story about the mistakes and discoveries a woman makes when her perfect world is turned upside down.
Review:
What a terrific book! I’m a big fan of Anita Hughes, and this book had me hooked from the beginning. I felt so terrible for Amanda after she realizes who the man she married really is, and it was great to follow her journey back to happiness. One of the characters that I found the most appealing was her mother. Her scenes were some of my highlights in the book. The writing is incredibly vivid and pulls you right into the story. I loved being transported to such a different life than my own and feeling so included in the characters’ lives. One I highly recommend!
4.5 stars
Book Review: The Blonde by Anna Godbersen
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
It’s early spring 1959, and the word desire is synonymous with America’s most famous blonde: Marilyn Monroe. She’s at the height of her fame, the object of a whole world’s worth of want and projection. Being desired is her drug, her kryptonite, the very definition of who she is. It’s so much a part of her identity that her own wants and needs have become fleeting at best, as if she’s seen herself through others’ eyes so often that she’s forgotten what she looks like through her own. But the deepest needs always surface, and there is one thing Marilyn wishes for beyond all else—to meet her real father.
That’s the part you already know, the legend—but here’s the part that’s never been told.
Ten years earlier a man named Alexei Lazarey met Marilyn before she was Marilyn, starving and alone at Schwab’s in Los Angeles. Before the day was out, he got her signed to the William Morris Agency and eventually transformed her from a poor, failed actress to America’s most famous sex symbol.
Now that Marilyn has reached her pinnacle, Alexei comes back for his repayment. When she hesitates, he plays his trump card: pulling out a photo of her estranged father with a promise to reunite them. The next day, Marilyn’s on a plane to Chicago with Alexei’s instructions ringing in her ear: John F. Kennedy is the favorite for next year’s Democratic presidential nomination. Find out something about him that no one else knows.
At first, Marilyn is almost bored by the thought of yet again using a man’s attraction to get what she needs. But once she meets the magnetic Jack Kennedy for the first time, she has a feeling that this isn’t going to be a simple game—for her or Alexei. As she gets herself in deeper and deeper Marilyn discovers that there’s something much more sinister at play. What started as the simple desire to meet her father now has grave consequences for her, for the bright young Kennedy, and for the entire nation.
Part biography, part spy thriller, and part love story, THE BLONDE is a whip-smart reimagining of history that reads like a chillingly true account. With a voice that explodes off the page, this novel is a massive ice cream sundae of American celebrity, sex, love, violence, power, and paranoia.
Review:
I was really interested in reading The Blonde, as I love Marilyn Monroe and all the theories out there about her. I thought it was an intriguing and unique concept, and was eager to see how this book would play out. Unfortunately, it didn’t really work for me. The beginning was too slow and by the time anything interesting was happening, I was pretty bored and felt like the book would never come to an end. The plot became tedious and quite far-fetched at times, and the last few chapters were really the only parts I was interested in. Interesting idea, but a flat delivery for me.
2 stars
