October 2015 Wrap Up

This month started out much better than last month. I finished a book by 10/02! Then I'd managed to read three more before the middle of the month. I might actually read a good number of books this month. I did actually manage to finish a book on 10/31.

For the month of October, I read 7 books.

Book #1: Over the Ivy Wall by Rosa Sophia

I got this in return for a review.

Clara Pendleton is a prisoner in her home. Always searching for new places to hide from her uncle, whose drunken attention terrifies and confuses her, she finds a tiny clearing in the back of the property near a disintegrating section of the ivy-covered wall that surrounds the estate. Gaven Bridge has been sent to Clearwater to live with his Uncle Daniel. Never fitting in, he doesn’t believe he’ll ever meet anyone who understands him. But when he goes out for a walk in the woods, he happens upon a young lady sleeping soundly on a patch of moss. A deep bond is fostered between them, helping Clara find the courage to change her life. When she finally decides to climb over the ivy wall and out into the world, there is no going back. Will Clara escape her horrible past, or will it destroy the love she and Gaven share?

Book #2: A Tale of Three Cities by Alexander McCabe

I also received this book in return for a review.

There's nothing up for it yet on Goodreads, so I don't actually have a description for you, but I can put what I remember. Melissa Chisholm gets herself involved in something that is much bigger than she realized. Setting out to help someone turns into an international scheme she wants no part of. Michael Bradley is looking for his wife, believing she has been kidnapped from their home in New York. Has she? This novel is definitely fast paced and has a lot of twists and turns one would not see coming.


Book #3: Bridge Over Bethlehem by Rosa Sophia

Sorry there is no image, this was a manuscript I was given to read for content and flow. It was very good, but there's not much to say about it at the time. I really enjoyed it and I can't wait to see what happens with it during editing and then if it's published, what it looks like published. I might even add the cover image here!

Book #4: The Pagan Book of Halloween by Gerina Dunwich

I got this book months ago from a friend of mine. I had completely forgot I even owned it until I was looking for something else that shares a cabinet with some of my other related books, and it flopped out on to the floor!

For Pagans and witches, Halloween, or Samhain, is the most important and sacred holiday--a day to honor the dead and to celebrate the birth of a new year. The number of Wicca practitioners is rapidly growing--especially among young women--and popular media has embraced Paganism on television, in movies, and on the internet. This book guides Wiccans, Pagans, and curious non-Wiccans alike in incorporating some of the original meanings and rituals into their Halloween festivities. It explains the rich Pagan/Irish roots of the holiday and includes ancient legends, divinations for telling the future, spells for finding a mate, and potions for gaining knowledge--not to mention detailed instructions for performing the traditional Halloween ritual and delicious Halloween recipes! Written by a woman who has devoted her life to educating the public about the Old Religion, this handbook reveals the uplifting spiritual energy that people can experience by celebrating a traditional Pagan Halloween.

Book #5: A Siren for the Dead by Rosa Sophia

I received a copy of this book in return for a review, then I lost that copy and bought myself another ebook version to read. I think this book is pretty good and I do have a full review up on it if you'd like to know more.

Aldon never got anywhere on his good looks, at least not according to his late wife. At forty-two, his only companion is a cat named Tilly, and he’s turned to drinking in his off-hours to quiet the discontent in his head. As a city cop, he carries a heavy weight on his shoulders. Though he’s troubled by his own problems, he never lets them get in the way of helping people. Now he’s needed more than ever. When the daughter of a nobleman goes missing, Aldon is sent to an alien planet to retrieve her. But there’s one catch. The woman he seeks is unique. She is a siren, and she can raise the dead.

Book #6: My Dear Watson by Margaret Park Bridges

When I saw the cover of this book, and read the synopsis...how could I not read it? It's brilliantly written and I just cannot believe all of the twists that I did not see coming. I gave this one a 5/5 stars because holy crap.

This and a few others (another My Dear Watson, The Danish Girl, and the Miss Peregrine's series) were ordered online because why the hell not?

The greatest mystery surrounding Sherlock Holmes comes to light - he was actually a woman! The master - or rather, mistress - of disguise finally puts pen to paper to reveal this decades-long deception and, in so doing, discovers another fact she kept secret even from herself.

Book #7: Order of the Dimensions by Irene Helenowski

I received this book in return for an honest review. In all reality I have a hard time giving it more than a 2-2.5 star rating. You'll see more when you read the review I posted about it. There were a lot of mistakes and continuity errors that made me wonder if the author had any editors or proofreaders at all.

When Jane Kremowski first began her graduate studies in physics at Madison State University in Wisconsin, little did she know where her work would take her. Now, she is embroiled in a multitude of dimensions all leading to different outcomes. She and her colleagues therefore must act wisely in order to take and keep away the Order of Dimension from falling into the wrong hands for the sake of her loved ones.

Review: A Siren for the Dead by Rosa Sophia

I received this book in return for a review, then kept losing my place in the PDF, and ended up just buying a copy for myself. Dedication right here. It was originally published April 8th, 2015 by Pagan Writers Press.

I started this book a few different times, making it a little farther each time then losing my place. That can be the price you pay when you read a PDF version of a book. I wound up actually just buying a copy for myself on my Kindle to make my life easier. When I did, it took me all of four days to actually finish it.

Aldon Trekker is one of the best in his field, if not the best. He does his job and does it well. He lives on a planet called Loamarl in 1972. He is sent on a mission to Earth to bring back a missing politician's daughter. What he doesn't know until they are leaving is that she is a siren. Along the way he learns about a cover up bigger than anything he could have possibly imagined.

Sirens are special women, who can raise the dead through their song. They are generally looked down upon by their families (and society I believe) because the dead they raise will eventually come looking for the siren who raised them. Mayanna is a siren and she is lost on Earth.

I liked the way this book tackled zombies. They did not have a will of their own, not that zombies really have one to begin with, but they are autonomous. These zombies have to do the will of the siren that has raised them from their grave. It doesn't even have to be humans either. It can be any dead creature. It was very entertaining reading about people just losing body parts on their way from one place to another.

It was strange when they jumped from one case to another. You would think that if Aldon were on a case about one thing, he would pass off management of an (at the time) unrelated case to someone one else so he could focus all of his power on the case he was assigned. Most police don't try to take on two cases where they would need to be in two different places at the same time. It's just...unusual.

The other thing I had an issue with, was why did they have the technology for cell phones....but they didn't have electric cars, air planes or any other mode of travel that would have fit in with the kind of society they lived it? Why was it that they relied on horses? That made very little sense. Especially Aldon's reaction to a car when he saw it. Obviously they knew cars could be made, so he didn't need to react so violently to one.

Overall I gave this book a 4/5 because I love the way she wrote it and the fact that there were multiple worlds and it didn't seem to be overly developed in one. It was well done.

Review: A Tale of Three Cities by Alexander McCabe

I was given this ARC from the author in return for an honest review. It is set to come out on November 2, 2015 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this story, a re-telling of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities was certainly in the forefront in my mind. I don't think I've ever been happier to be wrong. It was much better than I would have expected. I think this book is a companion book to Greater Expectations by the same author because it features some of the same characters.

Melissa Chisholm sees an ad in a magazine and decides to make a trek to New York to see if she can get two people back together. She is doing it also for the reward money. Which is something that I can understand. She wanted to do what she thought was right for Michael. If only she understood what she was getting herself into.

Kristy Bradley has gone missing, along with $34 million. Her husband only knows that he received a ransom, and then never heard of them ever again. He believes that the local mafia had a hand in it and has their leader put into jail. Michael has no idea if he will ever see Kristy again. Meanwhile in Scotland, Penelope Munro is leading the life of luxury. She moved recently from the states and plans to never go back.

I wasn't overly fond of the random shifting of viewpoints. It threw me off not knowing if the next chapter was going to be from Melissa's point of view, Michael's, or whomever else were even part of the story. Jumping from character to character wouldn't have been nearly so bad if he would have put the character after the location at the top of the chapter. I would have also liked it better if they had picked a version and stuck with it instead of jumping back and forth between first and third person.

The premise of this novel is fantastic! It kept me guessing. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen in the next chapter or page, there was a twist that just made it such a joy to read this. I never would have guessed most of it. Though it does take a fair while to reveal the name of one of the characters, it is entirely worth the wait (and had me singing old songs I thought I'd long since forgotten). It was very good.

Over all, I gave this book a 5/5 stars because it was well written despite the jumps in P.O.V. The way Alexander tells the story just kept me hooked in. I read it in 2 days. I have never read anything that fast. I would definitely suggest everybody pick this up! 

Review & Beta Reading Policy

Considering I review a lot for sites like Blogspot, Goodreads and NetGalley and beta read/review for authors such as Rosa Sophia, Sara Daniell and others, I feel it is time to share my polices for both reviewing and beta reading.

~ * Reviewing Policy * ~

I am currently accepting print and e-copies, in the form of mobis, of regular books and ARCs. I will accept them from publishers and indie authors respectively. If I decide to read the book, I will post the review within 1-2 weeks of receiving it. Exceptions to this are if the book is large or there are extenuating circumstances that prevent it. In these cases I will contact the client directly and explain what is going on. 

I will be honest with my review. If I do not like a book, do not finish it, or decide not to read it, I will contact the client personally with my reasoning as to why. When I am finished with print books/ARCs, they will be donated to a local library. E-copies will be removed from my Kindle or deleted. 

I use a 1-5 star rating system which is as follows: 

1/5 - I did not like the book, will not read it again, and will not be recommending it to anyone.

2/5 - It wasn't terrible. I personally didn't like it and would only recommend it only to those whom I think would enjoy it.

3/5 - It was okay. I wouldn't read it again, but it wasn't bad. I'd recommend this to some friends who would like it.

4/5 - It was good. While I may not read it again, it was worth reading the first time. I would recommend it to people.

5/5 - It was GREAT! Not only would I read it over and over again, I would buy copies of it to give to friends and family so they can read it.

~ * Beta Reading Policy * ~

Many of the same things from my Reviewing policy apply to my Beta Reading policy. I will accept ARCs and manuscripts from publishers and indie authors in the form of print or PDF copies, whichever is more convenient for the client. My rate for beta reading is $1.50 per page with a $10 minimum.

~ * Queries * ~

You can contact me directly via my email me here to submit queries for review or beta reading. Thank you for your time and I hope you have a wonderful day.

Review: Over the Ivy Wall by Rosa Sophia

I was given an e-copy of this book by the author in return for an honest review. It was published on February 3, 2015 by Smashwords.

When I first heard about this book, it was from the author, who is a friend of mine. She asked about why a book with a five-star review wasn't getting any sales. I checked the review out for myself and realized that the person who posted the review...probably didn't actually read the book. What was being posted as a review, was nothing more than a synopsis of the book. There was not a single point, save for the very last sentence, where I could actually see any sort of opinion on the work in question. I hope to do the book justice with my review.

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book. It looks like the ones that I just give an automatic pass to. The sappy romance novels that make for great Hallmark or Lifetime movies. I was at least partially mistaken. While it would probably work as a Hallmark movie, I'd actually watch it.

Clara is afraid of her uncle, he does some pretty bad things. It took me a fair bit to figure out what bad things he does. The way it is described, I first thought it was molestation, then I thought he simply beat the girls when he was drunk, then I thought it was a little of both. I think I was right on the last bit. It was believable in that way as well. What he did to the girls, and his reasoning behind it. Of course that doesn't make it any better, but it lends credence to the character and why Clara is so afraid of him. The only reason Clara stays in the first place is for her cousin, who can't leave.

The first part that I had a little bit of trouble with, was when Gaven is first introduced. I have a lot of personal experience with people on mood stabilizers. Unless they are heavily medicated, nearly to the point where they can't function at all, they would not be void of all emotion. The point of a stabilizer is to balance out the emotions, not remove them all completely. You can still feel and most of the people I know on them have very little issue getting angry. It's hard, but you can do it.

The second thing that kind of felt off to me was when Clara just decided to leave with Gaven. After all the protesting that she can't....she just up and changes her mind and goes with him. I would think it would have actually taken two or three visits before Clara would work up the courage to go with. One of her biggest fears was that her uncle would discover she had been hiding, why would she not have extreme reservations about leaving the property all together and refuse? Especially when the person asking her appears to be devoid of any emotions at all.

Another thing I had some issue with, when she turned 18, why did he just give up like that? Most manipulators I watch on like Homicide Hunter and things would not have let her go. They would have found out ways to keep her there, probably using a family member or what they taught them about the world. It seemed unusual that he would threaten the sheriff, but then just let her go as if nothing had happened.

Over all I rated this book 4/5 stars because I enjoyed the writing. It was great to have at least a look at what it's like for someone who has never really had a chance to put themselves out there actually trying to join normal society. Clara's plight is an all too common one that I wish I never had to read about happening in real life. I also really enjoyed the way Rosa portrayed Gaven (sans the medication part). It was a good read, well worth reading a second time.