2016 Book Reviews

Love Literary Style by Karin Gillespie & Giveaway (US/Canada)

November 7, 2016 by Darlene

Love Literary Style by Karin Gillespie is a delightful romantic comedy that I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s a love story that at times had me laughing and at others had me wanting to strangle the main characters. I loved the characters though – all of them even the ones who were just side characters. Gillespie writes with such humor and warmth and it spills over into her characters and story. So very wonderful!

So what happens when a stuffy literary writer meets a writer of romance novels? Lots of sparks and more than a little conflict. Aaron is a literary writer and Laurie a romance novelist. They are both accepted to a writer’s colony and it is there they meet. The problem – because of an error Aaron is led to believe that Laurie is actually a literary genius and boy is he impressed and more than a little intimidated. Laurie on the other hand is basking in the fact that she was accepted to the colony. It gives validation to her writing career that is in sore need of some help. Of course the sparks fly between the two. When Aaron finally learns who Laurie really is its too late for him – he is already in love with her.

Aaron is struggling with getting his novel published. He’s an old school writer and the new world of publishing is a mystery to him. Facebook, Twitter, websites! He has absolutely no interest in any of it. He only wants to write. Laurie on the other hand is beautiful and bubbly and people are naturally drawn to her. When she’s at a conference for romance writers interest is shown in making a movie from one of her books. This sets Laurie’s career on the fast track and suddenly she’s the hugely successful author with her books everywhere. The one problem is that poor Aaron has no issue with being honest with people. He feels it’s his duty to tell Laurie that the publisher is just exploiting her. That her writing really doesn’t merit the attention her book is getting. Wow- not a good thing to do. Suddenly Aaron finds his butt out the door and Laurie moving on. Or is she? And left on his own will Aaron’s opinions of the romance world change?

This was just a great story. It left me feeling good and I like that although I do find myself missing Aaron and Laurie. They were quite amusing together and with Aaron’s ex Emma thrown in it was really hilarious. The novel good naturedly pokes fun at the publishing world and writers and I think it will appeal to anyone who wants to escape into the pages of a good book for a while. I can’t wait to indulge in more of Karin’s work. Highly recommended!

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GIVEAWAY – OPEN TO US & CANADIAN RESIDENTS
1 copy up for giveaway
*CLICK HERE* and fill out the form to enter
Draw Date November 23/16

Source: Digital review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review. No compensation was received.

Dear Almost by Matthew Thorburn

November 2, 2016 by Darlene

Dear Almost by Matthew Thorburn is a book-length poem that Matthew wrote that is addressed to his unborn child that was lost in a miscarriage. The book journeys through the four seasons with Matthew trying to show his unborn daughter what life is like – trying to show her all she has missed because she isn’t there with them. His words are very emotional and powerful to read and they touched my heart deeply.

He asks many questions but one in particular sticks with me. How do you love someone you never met? And how do you grieve or for how long? Personally I think everyone is different and you should never be ashamed of how you feel. When the tour for this book came up I wanted to read it because a very close friend of mine experienced a still birth and I was there with her and her husband. I can understand grieving for someone who never was. They are always a part of your life even when the memory of them dims with time.

There are many pieces within this book I’d love to share but instead chose a few excerpts…

“Keep growing,” I prayed–those were my words, forgetting how long ago I gave up on prayers, still willing and pleading with whomever might hear me to listen, thinking if we don’t have faith–or if not faith, not even that, then hope, simple hope–then our hands are empty. We walk in the dark. Pale shadow on the sonogram, pearl button we’ve fastened our deepest wish to–we are knocking on your wall. Please, little heart, knock back.

So give me a sign if you’re out there, if you’re the light swaying, swinging between trees, that light growing faint, drifting deeper into the shadowy woods, if you’re that pale glow between the elms and alders.

We’ve had our time together. I wanted you to see the snow. I wanted to show you these days, what life is like. It scares me I can no longer picture your face, which was only ever my memory of my imagining of how your face might look someday–not enough to hold onto.

This is a beautifully written book full of sadness and grief but I didn’t find it depressing. I just found it beautiful and well worth reading for poetry lovers. Please join me on the blog tomorrow as Matthew shares a guest post and a giveaway of a copy of his book to a lucky winner!

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Source: Digital review copy provided by the author for an honest review. No compensation was received.

You’re the Most Beautiful Thing That Happened by Arisa White & Giveaway (US/Can)

October 28, 2016 by Darlene

You’re the Most Beautiful Thing That Happened by Arisa White is a fierce collection of poetry that lingers in your thoughts long after you’ve experienced her powerful words. It is best described by the publisher “Angular, smart, and fearless, Arisa White’s newest collection takes its titles from words used internationally as hate speech against gays and lesbians, reworking, re-envisioning, and re-embodying language as a conduit for art, love, and understanding.”

Arisa White’s poetry is raw and takes on women in love with women, race, and a realistic look at the world and bodies we live in. Her words are harsh but then evolve into a beauty that is empowering to any woman. This is a collection that one has to linger on, taking in the words slowly, and then rereading them. I did that. Read the poems several times taking in the reality of her words. Love isn’t always pretty and it matters not who we love but through the struggles we most often find that peace that allows us to believe again in ourselves and those around us. You’re the Most Beautiful Thing That Happened is a collection I will revisit again.

To end I thought I’d share a piece of Arisa’s poetry with all of you and please be sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy for yourself.

Torn

Can hold a whole block inside of me—
intersections, streetlights. e Lakeshore
Bar with boomers Chicago stepping. e lake
between, the hill that demands a lion’s share
of breath, and I’m climbing it.

ere is a woman ripping sheets of paper
into small tablets. Holds them until her
hands ll and precipitate. Sections read:
can’t be with— and need to—. She sobs
one paper-cut width at a time.

I hear my letters opening, why this is
not working. Never on the other side
of the envelope, sealed with a kiss she will
tear through. Part sigh and panic, mail is
better at saying these things.

My heart is not brave in confrontation,
it can easily return to a relationship that needs
trees and bushes to keep it from slipping—
I’m not ready to plant. I avoid certain streets
to avoid women who stay with me like sand.

Other tour stops with Poetic Book Tours
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GIVEAWAY – Open to US & Canadian Residents
1 print copy up for giveaway
*CLICK HERE* and fill out the form to enter
Draw Date November 12/16

Source: Digital copy received from the publisher for an honest review. No compensation was received.

Find Her by Lisa Jackson (Audiobook) & Giveaway (print copy) US Only

October 18, 2016 by Darlene

Find Me by Lisa Jackson had me in its grip from the first page to the last. What a book – it’s creepy, suspenseful, and disturbing which are all qualities I enjoy in a book. It had me on the edge of my seat for much of it. I finished this book last week and still haven’t been able to get it out of my head. I always find psychological thrillers freak me out some because things happen in them that could actually occur in life. It’s like watching Criminal Minds or some such show.

Detective D.D. Warren arrives on the scene of a homicide different from most. The apparent victim turned the tables on her abductor before he could hurt her. This victim is Flora Dane and she is a survivor – a woman who can take care of herself. As a college student Flora had been held prisoner for 472 days and she learned just how much a person can take or how far they can be pushed. When she was rescued she vowed that nobody would ever hold that kind of power over her again and she learned everything there was to know about self defence and how to survive a situation such as she had been in. There is only one thing – Flora Dane has decided to rid the world of as many of these psychopaths as she can even at great risk to herself.

The story itself goes in between the past and present. Reading about Flora’s abduction and the life she had to endure was definitely hard to read and not so much because the novel itself is explicit but my mind has no problem imagining anything it needs to. I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by Kirsten Potter who I really enjoy listening to. She did an awesome job of making this story even more alive and thrilling!

Highly recommended for those who love suspenseful psychological thrillers!

GIVEAWAY – OPEN TO US RESIDENTS ONLY
1 copy up for giveaway
*CLICK HERE* and fill out the form to enter
Draw Date November 5/16

Source: Audiobook personal copy. Givaway sponsored by the publisher. No compensation was received.

The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson (Audiobook)

October 17, 2016 by Darlene

A reader always has those authors that they love because their books draw you in and don’t let go. You love their characters and their stories. Even more you love the way their books make you feel. Joshilyn Jackson is one of those authors for me. The Opposite of Everyone has all of these qualities and more. I devoured this book in a day and now find myself missing the characters and their lives. The Opposite of Everyone is a moving story of life, love, and family. Utterly fantastic!

Paula Vauss, our main character, is now a tough and successful divorce attorney but as a young girl she was named Kali Jai by her hippy mom and she led anything but a stable life. Her mother had a tendency to move around when the situation warranted it whether Paula wanted to or not. This made Paula angry and more than a little rebellious. Feeling overwhelmed with what seems to be yet another move Paula does something that changes all of their lives forever.

Years and years go by without Paula and her mother having any contact other than the check Paula sends her every month. Paula feels that she ruined her mother’s life and that’s why there is no contact yet the checks are cashed every month until one isn’t and Paula learns that her mother is dying. Paula is full of mixed emotions that only become even more complicated as several events occur that make her reevaluate everything she ever knew about her mother and herself.

In present Paula is a fiercely independent woman who plans on staying that way. Yet she still feels so much for Birdwine who is her private investigator and past lover. He agrees to help her and as they work together old feelings come to light once again. As the story goes from Paula’s past to present we learn how Paula came to be who she is and how her free spirited young life made her the woman she became.

I listened to the audiobook of The Opposite of Everyone which is narrated by Joshilyn Jackson herself. She is a fantastic as a narrator. I love her voice in which you can just feel her personality pouring out. She really makes a story seem like you, as the reader, are living within it and I love that.

For lovers of women’s fiction The Opposite of Everyone comes highly recommended. I loved it!

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Source: Review copy provided by HarperCollins for an honest review. No compensation was received. Audiobook personal copy.

Yesternight by Cat Winters (Audiobook)

October 7, 2016 by Darlene

Having read The Uninvited by Cat Winters and loving it I was really excited to read Yesternight. What a fantastic story! Cat Winters has become one of my favorite authors and I eagerly wait for each new book she writes. I began Yesternight in the morning and finished it by the end of the day. I could not listen fast enough as the story unfolded and became more and more intriguing with each passing moment. This particular novel is historical fiction with a mystical element that is sure to please any reader.

The setting is Gordon Bay, Oregon and it’s 1925 and our main character Alice Lind is arriving there to administer IQ tests to the schoolchildren. Alice is an independent woman; a trained psychologist in a time when women didn’t generally hold positions like that. Of course as a psychologist Alice believes that any abnormalities of a person’s mind can be explained but in meeting one particular child in Gordon Bay she finds her views changing.

Alice meets seven-year-old Janie O’Daire and finds her an extraordinary child. Not only is she a mathematical genius but she also claims to have lived another life where her name was Violet, she was nineteen, and she drowned. Janie’s parents are terrified she’ll be found crazy and taken from them but Alice doesn’t believe the child is crazy and with more evidence Alice begins to believe in the unbelievable to a psychologist – that Janie is the reincarnation of Violet. As the mysteries of Janie unfold Alice begins to discover things about herself and her own past that change her life and her future.

Yesternight is one of those books I love. The ones I can’t put down and think about days later. As I said earlier I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by Xe Sands. I love listening to any book she narrates. She has a wonderful voice to listen to and always does a great job of bringing a story alive in my mind. I would recommend this novel to those who like historical fiction, mysteries, and really to anyone. It was that good. Highly recommended!

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