Tag Archives: book reviews

May 21, 2013 · 12:30 pm

eMag Review #2

Hi Everyone,

You might see the title of this and think, wait… Where was eMag number 1 posted? Well… I am sad to say I cannot share eMag review #1 just yet, because… it will be published in the magazine. I will be able to share a portion of that review later next month.

In the meantime, here is review #2.

Enjoy,
~Ariesgrl

The Warrior Prince
By: Nancy J. Cohen.

The Warrior Prince, the first in a series, comes across as a combination of stories. It starts out in the science-fiction realm, with a group of men from another planet trying to rid Earth of the bad guys from a very different planet. About halfway through, the story takes a leap into the ancient tales from Norse Mythology as the characters repeat ancient quests and reacquaint themselves with the Norse Gods.

This combination has potential to work well in a story. However, readers will have a hard time following along, especially when the main ‘alien’ characters’ dialects keep switching back and forth between their home country and the current Earth setting. Nira Larson and Zohar Thorald each have redeeming qualities of inner strength and humility that readers will be able to relate to and appreciate.

I was provided a copy of the book by BTS eMag for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review – all conclusions are my own responsibility.

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May 18, 2013 · 7:25 pm

Heart Robber

Lifestyle by Design #2. By: Miranda P. Charles. Read: May 2013.

Jessa Allen has low self-esteem and is completely thrown for a loop when the hunk of the party, Rob Granger asks her to dinner. Jessa agrees, because she knows she will never get another chance, but Rob is not looking for any long-term commitments. After one night of fun, an arrangement is made to keep things casual. Will they both keep their hearts protected or will they give in and accept their feelings?

Heart Robber is the story of how Jessa and Rob overcome their insecurities and learn to love themselves and each other. This is the second book in the Lifestyle by Design series and picks up right where the first book left off, but it can be read as a stand-alone novel. Fans of Will and Clarise will still get snippets of their inner thoughts and follow their happily-ever-after, while falling in love with Jessa and Rob. The writing is improved from the first book, while the spiciness of the romance is amped up too. This book is a must read for fans of spicy romances with sweet, relatable characters.

I found the female lead a bit more relatable in this story due to her lack of self-confidence. However, it does seem to repeat the basic storyline from the first book. I do enjoy the fact that it picks up right where the first one left off, at Megan’s party and I appreciate a book in the middle of the series that focuses on the couple in the book, like this one does. Unfortunately there some “middle” books can focus too much on the past and too much on setting up the future. Have you noticed any “middle” books that remain focused on its characters’ story, like this one?

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

Note:
The author provided a copy of this book for me to review. To learn more about this author and her books, please visit her website.

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May 12, 2013 · 7:45 am

Wendy Review #1

SHADE
By: Jeri Smith-Ready

Review by: Wendy

Synopsis:

Love ties them together. Death can’t tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan’s band playing a critical gig and Aura’s plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend’s life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan’s sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He’s gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan’s violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn’t help that Aura’s new friend Zachary is so understanding–and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura’s relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura’s heart…and clues to the secret of the Shift.

Review:

Aura is a sixteen year old “post-shifter”. Post-shifters are all kids born after December twenty-first at three fifty a.m., which happens to be the exact time of Aura’s birth. Everyone born after this time, has the ability to see, hear, and speak to ghosts. Aura is after the answers to why the “Shift” happened and how she can undo it. She is tired of being harassed by ghosts everywhere she goes, in her job, at school, and at the mall. She just wants to find peace for her and all the other kids around her.

Logan is Aura’s Irish punk rock boyfriend, who is on the brink of stardom. Aura fears that she is going to lose Logan to his desire to be a star, and to the inevitable flock of groupies to follow. Logan loves Aura and will do anything for her and doesn’t think fame will change him.

After the successful concert and After Party/Logan’s Birthday party, Aura decides this is going to be the night she gives herself to Logan. Logan, however blows it by getting wasted at the party, and after being unable to “Rise” to the occasion, makes a fateful decision to try to salvage the night. After Logan’s poor choice, he accidentally kills himself, and now Aura can see his ghost. The thing she wanted to get rid of is now the one thing she doesn’t want to give up, because having him partly there is better than not having him at all.

Zachary is the Scottish exchange student that comes into Aura’s life as it is falling apart. Zachary is a “Pre-shifter”. He was born exactly one minute before the shift, and is unable to see the ghosts around him. Zackary becomes an outside support system that was not part of her life with Logan and she can escape with.

This is an emotionally charged book that is hauntingly beautiful. Do you let go or hang on with everything you have. How do you move on with your life when your soul mate is no longer with the living. This was a read that I stumbled upon and I am so glad I did. It gets a solid 4 stars from me and it doesn’t matter how many times I read it, I still cry.

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May 11, 2013 · 6:00 am

BIG Announcement!!!

Good Morning Everyone,

It is time. It is here. Today is Saturday, May 11, 2013 and it is 6:00am EDT and this can only mean one thing… It is time for the BIG Announcement. You all are amazing you know this, right?! I want to thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy this BIG Announcement!

So without further delay…

I can’t believe that a year has gone by since I started this amazing journey. My little dream of finding a way into to the world of literature has grown into something that I could never have hoped for. Thank you all for your support. I am so honored to have each of you following along in this journey. I love being able to read books, write reviews and then talk with all of you about the wonderful books and authors. So on May 25th, 2013, I hope that you all will join me as I begin a three month long celebration party.

Why three months? Well… on May 25th, my blog will turn 1, on June 20th, my first posted book review will turn 1 and on July 27th, my first Indie Author book review will turn 1. Three BIG birthdays/anniversaries!!! And with all that is going on in the world around us, why not celebrate to the fullest. (Besides, who doesn’t love to celebrate good times!)

What kind of Celebration?

Starting on May 25th through July 27th, each Saturday, I will take a look back at some of the books that I have had the honor to review. “A Year in Review” weekly special. On the majority of those weeks, you the followers will get a chance to win some pretty cool prizes, such as bookmarks or ebooks, thanks to the author(s) of the book(s) being Re-Reviewed. Yes, that’s right, there will be 10 weeks with 8 giveaways! But this is only half of the BIG Announcement…

The second half?

This part is extra-special. You see, through May 25-July 31st, there will be a separate giveaway going on. Yes, that’s right another chance to win! This giveaway will be active the ENTIRE time between May 25th-July 31st. For this giveaway, some very generous authors have donated Autographed books, both ebooks and Paperbacks, plus bookmarks. AND… my very favorite and very talented artist friend, Dana Zalesky , has donated an original piece of artwork. So as you can see this giveaway will be BIG!!!

How do you win?

The individual weekly contests will be held like the regular giveaways. (And there will still be those scheduled during this time, too.) All you have to do is leave a comment under that week’s blog post to be entered to win. With the help of Random.org, winners will be chosen and announced the following week. Each contest/feature, will run for a week (Saturday-Friday.)

The BIG giveaway will be a Rafflecopter giveaway, but not just a plain Rafflecopter giveaway. It will be a game… A mixture of Guess the Book from the Quote and a Scavenger Hunt. Bonus points (bonus entries) will be plenty and some will be offered daily!!! You will be able to find the Rafflecopter here, as it will have a page to itself and on Ariesgrl Book Reviews Facebook Page.

(And yes, it is a possibility to win more than one giveaway.)

My goal is to make the next several weeks fun for everyone! I want this to be a true celebration as my way to say thank you to each of you! I hope I have answered any questions you may have, but if not just post a comment below. (However no specifics on authors/books/prizes will be given, just yet.)

So this was my BIG Announcement! I hope you all enjoyed it and that it was worth the wait!!!

Have a wonderful day!
Enjoy!!!
~Ariesgrl

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May 10, 2013 · 11:45 am

My Sister’s Books Review #13

And Then I Found You
By: Patti Callahan Henry

This fictional story is based off the real-life events that occurred within the author’s family. Jack Adams and Katie Vaughan grew up together and were childhood sweethearts. Katie even vowed on the first day of Spring, that magical day when all promises come true, to never love another as much as she loved Jack. However life happened, Katie is now Kate who is trying to be in love with her boyfriend, Rowan. Too much has occurred in the last 13 years and Kate knows she can’t fix things until she first talks to Jack. However the true healing process starts when her thirteen year old daughter, whom she gave up for adoption, finds her on Facebook. This is the story of how Katie, Jack and Emily find one another and find themselves along the way.

Patti Callahan Henry uses her real-life experiences and emotions as inspiration for this story. With each chapter rotating between the present and the past, readers will feel like they are walking down memory lane with Kate. Then, when the story switches to Emily’s point-of-view, it brings about a new round of emotions for readers. The author’s writing will rip your heart open causing it to bleed with the characters’ pain, and then stitch it whole again with the sweetest thread made from undying love and conquering the fear of the unknown. This book is packed full of emotions and lessons to be learned that I highly recommend it to fans of Women’s Literature.

Note:

This review was written for My Sister’s Books.

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May 6, 2013 · 10:37 pm

Will to Love

Lifestyle by Design #1. By: Miranda P. Charles. Format: eBook. Read: May 2013.

Clarise Carson was desperate not to be set-up by her meddling family, so she takes drastic measures to avoid the awkward introduction at her sister’s party. Too bad she didn’t know who the guy was ahead of time, because the only single male at the party was making her wounded heart flutter back to life. Will Matthews hated it when his friends tried to set him up. Yet he agrees to go to the party because he intends to be introduced to a woman who could help his successful business grow larger. Will intends to keep his life strictly business, in order to care for his parents, yet Clarise opens his heart to things he never thought possible. Will these two be able to put their pain aside and help each other heal or will they both avoid love out of fear?

This is a sweet, contemporary romance book to start a promising series. Miranda P. Charles does a great job with writing relatable characters whose past hurts will affect reader’s emotions. She also establishes the secondary characters, that will take on leading roles in future books, without distracting readers from Clarise and Will. Though the excessive use of endearing terms, such as Darling and Baby, will be a bit much for some readers to handle, the overall meanings of overcoming fear and going after what your heart desires are sure to soften even the hardest of hearts. This is an easy-to-read book, with a few grammatical errors. Adult readers who enjoy reading sentimental love stories, will thoroughly enjoy this book.

This book is a great way to start a series. I am looking forward to reading how the other characters find love and hopefully getting to see how Clarise and Will continue their relationship. This book will definitely have you grinning while you read.

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

Note:
The author provided a copy of this book for me to review. To learn more about this author and her books, please visit her website.

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· 4:56 pm

Jessica Bowers Review #4

Not What She Seems
By Victorine E. Lieske

This exciting story of a woman on the run from her terrible abusive past will have you on the edge of your seat. Emily Grant and her four year old son, Connor, are trying their best to keep the past behind them. She is currently on the run until she meets a wonderful, handsome, caring, man named Ethan, actually the billionaire Steven Ashton, and she begins to fall in love. When she realizes who he really is she devises a plan to get money from him so she can disappear for good. But things don’t turn out the way they are planned. Steven refuses to let her get away once he starts to piece things together, he is determined to do whatever it takes to help Emily and Connor so they can live a normal life.
The story has many twists and turns, giving you the opportunity to guess where it’s going to go next and surprising you with every page turn. The chapters are short, making it an easy read. I really enjoyed reading this book and trying to come to my own conclusion using the clues given before the author reveals the truth. The story is very well written and the descriptions are amazing keeping you in the story and helping you connect with each character. If you love plot twists and excitement this is a great book for you.

Jessica Bowers

This ebook was free for Kindle on Amazon.com

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April 30, 2013 · 9:43 pm

Thank You Everyone!

Good Evening Everyone,

Tonight’s post will be short and sweet, since there will be several important posts coming in the next few days. I just wanted to thank everyone for their support. Tonight the official Facebook page for Ariesgrl Book Reviews reached 100 likes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! As a sign of my appreciation for everyone following on Facebook, I posted a hint about the BIG announcement coming next week.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow and Thursday. There are two author blog tour/giveaways that will be taking place.

Thank you all again. Your support means the world to me. Thank you.

Have a wonderful night!
Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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· 12:15 am

The Goddess’s Choice

By: Jamie Marchant. Kronicles of Korthlundia #1. Format: eBook. Read: April 2013.

Robbie is the family outcast, he is treated worse than the hired hands and the whole town shuns him. Even though everyone feels he is a demon sent to curse them all, he is the first one they call upon to heal their animals. Robbie has a special magical talent for understanding animals and plants, but unfortunately he has been raised to be ashamed of his abilities. Princess Samantha is heir to the thrown and yet she fears she has gone mad. She sees varying shades of color around everyone and she knows this is not normal. Too afraid to discuss it with her father, since the King who is busy trying to find a worthy suitor, Princess Samantha is forced to research her illness. When she discovers the truth behind her abilities, it could equal the demise of her family and a civil war for her nation. Will these two opposites find a way to unite and save the nation or will their unique talents cost them each their lives?

This story is captivating and thrilling. Readers will be hooked from the very first page. Jamie Marchant does an excellent job of portraying human qualities that will overwhelm readers’ emotions. Robbie is a wonderful, humble, young man that has been treated like dirt by his father and yet he finds the strength within to stand up for himself. While Princess Samantha is a strong, powerful, young woman who has to make some difficult morale decisions that will affect everyone’s life. Readers will find themselves connected to each character and rooting for them to survive. With evil characters lurking around and family truths constantly being revealed, this is perfect read for adults wanting a more modern, grown-up fairy tale. In the end, readers will only be disappointed by the fact that book two is not yet available.

I loved this book! I was also very frustrated when I couldn’t read it for a few days when my Nook was unavailable, but I found myself dreaming of the scenes and how I hoped it would end. I found myself wrapped up in this story and caught myself telling the characters what not to do. (They didn’t listen.) I highly recommend this book for fans of the fantasy genre.

So tell me, if you could have one power which would you choose… the ability to heal others or the ability to see people’s auras?

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

Note:
The author provided a copy of this book for me to review. To learn more about this author and her work, please visit her website.

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April 29, 2013 · 9:23 pm

Bad Nook and This Week…

Hi Everyone,

Last week my Nook’s power cord broke. The new cord finally arrived on Friday and then this afternoon, while I was reading a book, the Nook made a buzzing sound and turned off. When I went to turn it on, it stated “Erasing data this may take a few minutes.” What on earth? After that it stated “Reinstalling manufacturer settings.” Again, what on earth? Sure, enough my Nook decided to turn itself off, delete everything and return back to day 1! Bad Nook, very bad Nook… I will be spending the next few hours reinstalling and reconfiguring my settings. Not the way I imagined tonight, but it has to be done. I so far have reinstalled my apps, but I painstakingly trying to re-add all of my contacts. So frustrating…

On a positive note, this week is going to be exciting. Right now I am in the process of editing two of my reviews, one of which is for the eMag. I will post the other one later tonight. (eMag reviews will be posted in a few weeks, once approved.) Coming up later in the week (May 1st and 2nd) there will be two author blog tour spots with giveaways!

Hope all of you had a wonderful Monday!

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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