Review of THE UGLY STEPSISTER STRIKES BACK

THE UGLY STEPSISTER STRIKES BACK may be purchase here.

THE UGLY STEPSISTER STRIKES BACK
Sariah Wilson

Mattie Lowe has a beautiful, "perfect", stepsister named Ella.  Ella is not only pretty, a cheerleader, a charity worker, and good-hearted, but she has as a boyfriend, Jake Livingston, who Mattie has been in love with,since she was nine years old.  Jake and Ella are part of the "in" crowd, while Mattie is an outsider with attitude. 

THE UGLY STEPSISTER STRIKES BACK is a delightful young adult romance with interesting, complex characters.  Mattie has issues to work through dealing with her mother's desertion.  Told in first person, from Mattie's point of view, the reader sees the world through Mattie-colored glasses and learns, by the end of the story, Mattie isn't the only one with insecurities and problems.  Jake is the golden boy, who feels pressured by his father to excel at everything.  When Mattie and Jake are thrown together the sparks fly.

All in all, THE UGLY STEPSISTER STRIKES BACK is a really great read, which I highly recommend.  In fact, I plan to gift a copy to my niece.  Also, I really wish, that this book would be made into a movie.

NOTE:  I received this book in return for a unbiased review

Review of Once Again a Bride

ONCE AGAIN A BRIDE may be purchased here.

ONCE AGAIN A BRIDE
Jane Ashford

Charlotte Rutherford Wylde finds herself a very young widow, after her husband is murdered.  Charlotte, who brought lots of money into the marriage, finds herself almost impoverished, because her eccentric, older husband spent most of the money on his Roman collection.  As per her husband's will, Charlotte may continue to live in their house, but she must not sell or disturb his collection.  Sir Alexander Wylde, Charlotte's husband's nephew, is the executor of the will, and when someone breaks into Charlotte's house, Alexander takes her to his home with his two sisters and aunt as chaperones. 

ONCE AGAIN A BRIDE is a delightful regency romance, with charming characters and many amusing moments.  Charlotte has been so down-trodden by her husband, that she has lost much of her luster.  Thankfully, Charlotte becomes determined to change her life for the better, and she makes herself useful to Alexander by helping with his sisters.  Alexander isn't the normal romance hero.  Alexander is the solid, responsible type, who tries to do the right thing, but sometimes can't say no to his precocious youngest sister.   Alexander is one of my favorite heroes.  It is wonderful to see a strong, solid, responsible man, who is caring toward his family.  The secondary characters are just as delightful as the main characters, even the cat, Callie, wormed her way into this reader's heart.  I greatly enjoyed ONCE AGAIN A BRIDE and highly recommend it.

NOTE:  I received this book in return for an unbiased review.

Review of X MARKS THE SCOT

 

 

X MARKS THE SCOT may be purchased here.

 

 

X MARKS THE SCOT

Victoria Roberts

 

 

Declan MacGregor is a handsome, carefree ladies' man, used to women falling all over themselves for him, but he feels responsible for the half-sister of his clan's greatest enemy, Liadain Campbell.  After her brother was killed by Declan's brother, Liadain was brought to the English court and made a ward of King James.  Declan keeps a close eye on Liadain, because he knows of the intrigues and back-stabbings that occur at court.

 

X MARKS THE SCOT is an enjoyable historical romance with interesting characters and great historic details.  Declan is a slick ladies' man, who fights the thought of marriage.  At first, I didn't care too much for Declan, because he could be something of a jerk, but he grew on me as the story progressed.  Liadain makes a great heroine, because she is strong and caring-- a healer with many admirable qualities.  There are several humorous parts in this story.  I, especially, enjoyed the way the MacGregor women silenced their men's questions.

 

Overall, X MARKS THE SCOT is a nice read, which contains a lovely romance intertwined with historical details.  I learned a few things about King James' rule, that I never knew.

THE UGLY STEPSISTER STRIKES BACK Blog Tour

The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson 

Everyone knows how all those fairy tales go. The princess gets beautiful, nabs her prince, falls instantly in love, lives happily ever after and leaves her evil stepsisters in the dust.

But what happens when you’re the ugly stepsister and your obnoxiously perfect—read pretty, smart, and, worst of all, sickeningly nice—stepsister is dating the charming, tall, devastatingly handsome guy you’ve had a thing for since you were nine years old?

Quirky, artistic and snarky Mattie Lowe does not lead a charmed life. Her mother is constantly belittling her on Skype. Mercedes, the school mean girl, has made it her personal mission to torment Mattie. But worst of all? Her stepsister Ella is the most beautiful, popular girl in school and is dating Mattie’s secret longtime crush, Jake Kingston.

Tired of being left out and done with waiting for her own stupid fairy godmother to show up, Mattie decides to change her life. She’ll start by running for senior class president against wildly popular Jake.

Ella can keep her Prince Annoying. Mattie’s going to rule the school.

 

Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 3/10/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour Schedule

February 18th
Book Blast

February 19th
I Am A Reader, Not A Writer - Interview
Gamila's Book Review - Review
Pink Fluffy Hearts - Spotlight
Wordpainting Unlimited - Review
Another Step to Follow - Review & Interview
Doing Dewey - Review

February 20th
Getting Your Read On - Review
Book Readers - Interview
Margay Leah Justice - Review
Book Flame - Spotlight
Read This Instead - Review

February 21st
Hott Books - Review
Mom With A Kindle - Interview
Frankie's Blooding's Bookshelf - Tens List
Indie Author How-to - Spotlight
Peace from Pieces - Interview

February 22nd
The Book Mark Blog - Review
GeoLibrarian - Review
Dates Books - Tens List
Why Not? Because I Said So! - Review
My Book A Day - Review
Sarah Balance - Tens List

February 23rd
Cuzinlogic - Interview
Karey White - Review
Sher A Hart: Writing Art - Spotlight
Kaisy Daisy's Corner - Review
Magical Manuscripts - Review

February 24th
Read It All Book Reviews - Review
Pieces of Whimsy - Spotlight
WTF Are You Reading? - Review
Blood, Sweat and Books - Review & Interview

February 25th
Oh, The Books You'll Read - Review
Emi Gayle - Interview
Sab the Book Reader - Review
Jessie's Book Place - Spotlight
The Bunny's Review - Tens List

February 26th
Book Haven Extraordinaire - Review & Guest Post
MK McClintock - Tens List
Deal Sharing Aunt - Review
Fire & Ice - Review
Literary Winner - Review

February 27th
Monica's Musing - Review
FanGirl Hostess - Tens List
Book Lover and Procrastinator - Review
Classy Me - Spotlight
Deborah's Books - Review & Tens List

February 28th
My Devotional Thoughts - Review & Tens List
Bookworm Lisa - Review
Literary Time Out - Interview
DoodleBugs Reviews - Review
Books, Books, The Magical Fruit - Spotlight

March 1st
The Eclectic Review - Review
Prosperine Craving Books - Spotlight
Living, Learning and Loving Life - Review
Fall Into Books - Spotlight
Simple Wyrdings - Review

March 2nd
Witchmags Boekenplank - Review
Books Are Magic - Review & Tens List
Brooke Blogs - Review
Going Crazy!! Wanna Go??!! - Review

March 3rd
Author T.L. Clarke - Spotlight
Storeybook Reviews - Review
Laurie's Thoughts & Reviews - Review & Character Interview
Froze8's Blog - Tens List
A Backward's Story - Review 

Review of LADY EVE'S INDISCRETION

LADY EVE'S INDISCRETION may be purchased here.
  
LADY EVE'S INDISCRETION
Grace Burrowes

Lady Eve Windham doesn't wish to marry and is dreading another season.  Lucas Deening, the Marquis of Deene, knows that he must marry sometime soon,although he would rather not.  This becomes harder, when Lucas discovers, that someone is spreading rumors about him.  After Lucas and Eve are caught in a compromising position, they are forced to marry.  Unfortunately, they are keeping secrets from each other.

LADY EVE'S INDISCRETION is an entertaining historical romance with likeable characters but a rather obvious villain.  Eve is haunted by events from her past, and because of this, she fears riding, something that she has always loved.  Lucas helps Eve overcome her fears and gives her the strength  to face them.  Lucas makes a great hero, even if he keeps a secret from Eve a little too long.  Unfortunately, the comeuppance of the villain is a little anti-climatic and left me wanting more.  Even so, the romance between Lucas and Eve is heartwarming.

Even though LADY EVE'S INDISCRETION isn't my favorite in the Windham series, it makes for a good read.  I recommend it, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

NOTE:  I received this in return for an unbiased review.
 

Review of WILDCAT

WILDCAT may be purchased here.

WILDCAT 

Cheryl Brooks

Jerden Morokovitz, a Zetithian, has settled on Terra Minor and became something of a recluse, because he is grieving the loss of a former lover at the hands of an insane former client.  Zetithians are known for their skills as lovers, and Jerden worked at the Zetithian Palace and was paid exorbitant amounts of money for sex.  When Audrey was killed, Jerden goes a little crazy from guilt and grief and settles in the middle of nowhere.  Sara Shield has settled on Terra Minor to breed and train horses, and her new stallion has gone missing.  The new stallion has been spotted with Jerden, and Sara goes to retrieve her stallion.  Sara has sworn off men, but Zetithians are said to be irresistible.

WILDCAT is an enjoyable paranormal romance with complex characters and great world-building.  Let me just say, that I wouldn't mind a Zetithian of my very own.  However, Jerden, at first, is so tormented by grief and guilt, that he pushes everyone away.  When Sara comes into his life, Jerden, begins to heal and come out of his shell.  Sara is, also a tortured soul, devestated by a past incident, she steers clear of men.  It is wonderful to watch these two broken people work through their problems and become stronger together.  I have only one small quibble with the book, and that is the villain of the piece is pretty obvious from the start.  Other than this, WILDCAT is a good read, which  I highly recommend.

NOTE:  I received this book in return for an unbiased review.

Tornado hit my town!

 

 

This passed right in front of my house.  The building in front of me took a lot of damage, but my house was spared.  I'm very blessed!  It was scary there for awhile.

Blog tour and review of Tim Rowland's Creature Features

TIM ROWLAND'S CREATURE FEATURES may be purchased here.

From the book blurb:

When Tim Rowland's earlier book of his animal essays, All Pets are Off, was published, readers immediately clamored for more. Their preference for animal stories over the political columns Tim's also known for is understandable: animals are way more fun to read about than politicians. Especially now. So here's a new volume of over 75 warm and funny essays, from the introduction to the farm of bovines Cleopatra and Heifertiti, the Belted Galloway beauties, to the further antics of Hannah the English Bulldog and Juliet the tiny Siamese, along with assorted donkeys, pigs, goats, horses, chickens, geese-and of course, more of the joyful bouvier des Flandres named Opie-that's sure to provide loads of smiles and even outright guffaws.

My review:

This collection of essays, mainly about animals, brings a smile to this animal lover's face.  Mr. Rowland captures, what every animal lover knows, each animal has his own unique personality.  From a rambunctious bouvier des Flandres named Opie to a dirty, but affectionate pig called Magellan, Mr. Rowland captures the character of all the animals in his menagerie.  TIM ROWLAND'S CREATURE FEATURES is a heart-warming collection of animal-centered essays, that most animal lovers will find entertaining.

NOTE:  I was given this book in return for an unbiased review.

 

Tim Rowland is an award-winning columnist at Herald-Mail Media in Hagerstown, Maryland. He has written for numerous history and outdoor magazines and news syndicates nationwide. He has also authored several books, most recently Strange and Obscure Stories of the Civil War and including All Pets are Off: A Collection of Hairy Columns, Petrified Fact: Stories of Bizarre Behavior that Really Happened, Mostly, Earth to Hagerstown, High Peaks: A History of Hiking the Adirondacks from Noah to Neoprene and Maryland's Appalachian Highlands: Massacres, Moonshine & Mountaineering

Tim is also keeper and lackey for a wide assortment of mostly non-useful, freeloading critters, aided as always by his trusty (well, mostly trusty) companion Opie.

How to find Tim Rowland online:  website, twitter, facebook

Please check out the other stops on the tour.

Rowland's Creature Features Web Friendly Tour Schedule

 

Alexia's Books and Such... Feb 1                Review                                

Thoughts in Progress Feb 4 Review                                                         

Thoughts in Progress Feb 5 Interview

So Many Precious Books  Feb 6 Spotlight & Giveaway

Reviewing Novels on Line   Feb 6 Review                                                            

Dogs Rule Cats Drool Feb 7 Review                                         

Dogs Rule Cats Drool Feb 8 Guest Post & Giveaway

Book Lover Feb 8 Review                                         

 Raging Bibliomania Feb 11 Review                                                          

Buried Under Books Feb 13 Review                                       

City to Country Life Feb 14 Review                                                         

City to Country Life Feb 15 Guest Post & Giveaway

Booksie's Blog   Feb 15 Review                                                

Suko's Notebook Feb 18 Review                                                             

Ann's Reading Corner Feb 21 Review                                                    

Wall to Wall Books Feb 22 Review & Giveaway                                                

My Devotional Thoughts Feb 26 Review                                              

My Devotional Thoughts Feb 25 Guest Post

Eclectic Books & Movies                Feb 26   Review                                               

Bassgiraffe's Thoughts   Feb 27 Review                & Giveaway

Allison's Book Bag Feb 28 Review                                                             

Allison's Book Bag Mar 1 Guest Post

Library of Clean Reads Mar 1            Review & Giveaway

A Book Lover's Library Mar 4 Review                                                      

A Book Lover's Library Mar 5  Interview

Sweeps 4 Bloggers Mar 6 Review & Giveaway

Mochas, Mysteries and More Mar 7 Review                                                      

Mochas, Mysteries and More Mar 8 Guest Post & Giveaway

Luxury Reading Mar 8 Review & Giveaway

She Treads Softly Mar 11 Review & Giveaway

Joy Story Mar 12 Review                                                            

Over A Cuppa Coffee Mar 13 Review & Giveaway

Peaceful Wishing Mar 14 Review                                                             

Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf   Mar.15 Interview & Giveaway

Tabula Rasa Mar 18 Review                                                        

Tabula Rasa Mar 19 Guest Post

Broken Teepee Mar 19 Review & Giveaway

Follower Love Giveaway Hop

 

 

 

I'm participating in the follower love giveaway hop and offering one of my lovely followers a $10 amazon e-card.  This is a US only giveaway.  Thanks to I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and The Reader's Antidote for hosting this lovely giveaway.  To enter you must follow my blog in some way and leave all the pertinent information, so I can verify your following.  Make sure to leave an e-mail so that I can contact the winner.  The giveaway ends on midnight February 11th, and I will notify the winner, who will have 48 hrs. to get back with me.  Below are the other blogs in the hop.  Enjoy hopping!

 



Review of Georgette Heyer

 

GEORGETTE HEYER may be purchased here.

GEORGETTE HEYER
Jennifer Kloester

GEORGETTE HEYER is a biography of the famous and prolific author, who just happens to be one of my all-time favorites.  Ms. Kloester was given access to Heyer's personal documents and conducted interviews with her son, Richard George Rougier.  This book covers the entirety of Heyer's life and gives an insight into her character.  From this I got the impression, that Heyer was very "stiff upper lip" British and vented and showed her emotions to only a few people.

I truly enjoyed learning more about the author, who made the Regency so popular, and whose novels provide so much enjoyment.  There are, also, some great photographs of the author, her family, and friends, which help to put a face to all the people in the book.  This book is highly recommended to all of Georgette Heyer's fans.

NOTE:  I was given this book in return for an unbiased review.