Catspell by Danyelle Leafty

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Mindy's Reviews
Oct 192011
 

Catspell

Author: Danyelle Leafty

Self Published as a Serial Novel

Published: in full November 2011. The first third is available now under the name The Fairy Godmother Dilemma

ISBN: 2940012988300

FTC FYI: I received a PDF from the author which did not affect my review

Reviewed by Mindy

Goodreads summary:  “Sixteen-year-old Breena never thought anything could be worse than being forced to leave the faerie realm. Then she got stuck with a fairy godmother. But if she has to choose between the two, she’d leave the Faerie Realm over getting bossed about by a faerie with a pointed stick any day. Unfortunately, her attempt to evade her fairy godmother gives her growing pains in the form of fur, whiskers, and a tail.

Turning into a cat is the least of her worries, though. The potion wasn’t meant to bring out her inner feline, it was meant to put her to sleep. Forever. If Breena wants to make it to her Happily Ever After, she’ll have to accept that sometimes a fairy godmother really does come in handy, after all.”

Nerissa is a fairy godmother.  She has just returned from helping a DID (Damsel in Distress), and gave her her HEA (Happily Ever After), but she is frustrated.

Because every girl–odd duck or not–wanted a Happily Ever After, complete with the deserving suitor, the crown, and the sunset.  And for the life of her, Nerissa couldn’t begin to fathom why. page 6

But such was the life of a fairy godmother.  She could help the girls spread their wings, fan their tail feathers, and maybe nudge them off the branch, but is was up to them to fly.  She couldn’t do it for them. page 8

To top it off, she isn’t feeling well.  So, when she receives the “request” from the Fairy Queen’s pesky fire salamander Frax, to help another DID, Nerissa is less then thrilled.  This girl, Breena, is unique.  She is a mortal that has been living with the fairies.  Long ago, Breena’s mother promised Feylinda her first born child in return for as much fruit as she could carry.  Breena’s mother didn’t mention that she had an enchanted basket that could hold as much as she put in.  Now, years later, the blossoms are finally starting to return.  Feylinda has had the girl for 16 years, and wants to be rid of her by pawning her off to Nerissa.  Reluntantly, Nerissa has a new DID, but Breena’s HEA is different.  What she wants varies from other DIDs.

This book is darling.  There were couple mistakes in a chapter with names, and a few phrases that were repeated a bit, but all and all, I enjoyed it.  There are many great characters: Myles the mage in training, Baldemar the Prince on a task from his father the King, and Natter the goblin on a task for her mistress, and lots of pesky cats.  Each chapter is told from a character’s point of view.  My favorite character was Nerissa.  She was written with a clever wit and fun humor.  I loved reading what was in her head.  I thought having many characters was a great way to help time pass, and the author did that nicely. There are many clever lines, and each character is written well.  I loved the end when a character (won’t spoil who) was given a chance for their greatest wish, but chose to help against evil.

4 out of 5 stars.  The first third is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble for .99 cents under the name The Fairy Godmother Dilemma.  Find more about Danyelle Leafty on goodreads and her website.


The Key of Kilenya by Andrea Pearson — Blog Tour

 Posted by  Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Mindy's Reviews
Oct 122011
 

The Key of Kilenya

Author: Andrea Pearson

Self Published

Released: June 2011

ISBN: 9781463671839

Softcover: 296 pages

FTC FYI: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed by Mindy

Smashwords Summary:  “When two vicious wolves chase fourteen-year-old Jacob Clark down a path from our world into another, his life is forever changed. He has no idea they have been sent by the Lorkon—evil, immortal beings who are jealous of powers he doesn’t know he possesses—powers they desire to control.

The inhabitants of the new world desperately need Jacob’s help in recovering a magical key that was stolen by the Lorkon and is somehow linked to him. If he helps them, his life will be at risk. But if he chooses not to help them, both our world and theirs will be in danger. The Lorkon will stop at nothing to unleash the power of the key—and Jacob’s special abilities.”

Jacob Clark is very good at basketball.  He is excited and anxious for try-outs the next day.  Jacob knows he will make the team, and hopes it jump starts an NBA career.  His sister Amberly is playing in the sandbox, and his older brother Matt and him just finished a quick shoot out.  Jacob thinks he saw something in the bushes, but pays it no mind, until Amberly starts screaming.  The boys rush over and see a huge black wolf towering over their little sister.  Jacob takes off after them, while yelling at Matt to get Amberly in the house.  He runs and runs and winds up in a place he doesn’t recognize.  Being chased by weird looking creatures, and meeting strange people is just the start of his journey.  Jacob is asked to find the stolen Key of Kilenya from the evil Lorkon.  He isn’t sure he wants to.  What about his family?  What about his future?  All that won’t matter if the Lorkon use the key for evil purposes.

The Key of Kilenya struck my interest and got me excited about the story from page one.  I appreciate a great fantasy book that I can pass onto my kids without hesitation.  I love this unique world that the author creates.  I also love the inventive character names.  They are clever and imaginative.  My personal favorites were Early and September, little fairy like creatures called Minyas.  Another cool thing about the story is the magic that the Makalos have.  It’s called Rezend, and it can many cool things.  Even Jacob has special powers of his own.  He just needs to figure out what it is, and hopefully before it’s too late.

Along his journey Jacob meets Aloren.  A girl in need of help herself.  Jacob isn’t sure about her when they first meet, and has a very funny discussion with himself about her.

He glanced at Aloren again–she was still smiling.  What could be so interesting and funny it was making her smile still?  Or, maybe her face never relaxed–maybe it was frozen in a smile.  He almost stopped walking as this thought occurred to him.  Maybe she had a muscular disorder that made her face look like that.  Jacob made a mental note to check to see what her face looked like while she was sleeping.  He almost laughed out loud when this thought formed in his mind, realizing how awkward it would be if she woke up with him in her sleeping area.  He could only imagine what he’d say. “Uh, I’m checking to see if you have a muscle problem in your face that makes you smile all the time.”…

4 out of 5 stars.  This book very enjoyable and is an action packed adventure story for all readers.  The Key of Kilenya is available on Smashwords for FREE! Find it here.  The sequel The Ember Gods was released in September of this year.  Find that here.

Read more about Andrea Pearson with this link.


The Next Door Boys by Jolene B. Perry

 Posted by  Mindy's Reviews
Oct 052011
 

The Next Door Boys

Author: Jolene B. Perry

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Published: October 2011

ISBN13: 9781599559100

Softcover: 272 pages

FTC FYI: I received a PDF  from the publisher which did not affect my review

Reviewed by Mindy

Goodreads summary: With her body still recovering from last year’s cancer treatments, Leigh Tressman is determined to be independent. Despite the interference from her overprotective brother, the ever-expanding line of young men ready to fall in love with her–not to mention the physical frustrations and spiritual dilemmas Leigh discovers what it actually means to stand on her own and learns that love can be found in unexpected but comfortable places.

We meet Leigh and Jaron Tressman on their way to BYU for the start of school.  Leigh is very anxious to get there, mostly to start living her life away from her mother’s worried eyes.  Leigh’s cancer is in remission, and everyone is still worried for her.  At home Leigh is known as: “Jaron’s little sister” or “the girl who sews” and “the girl who sings” so she is excited to start fresh.  The only way she could go to school this semester was with the stipulation that her brother Jaron would be next door to keep an eye on her.  Brian lives with Jaron even though he is a few years older.  We also meet Stuart and his wife Julie.  Stuart served with Brian in Iraq, and they are all very close.  Luckily Leigh’s roomates Megan and Kim are easy to get along with too.  Soon they all become fast friends.  Although, Leigh is leery of Brian with his tattoos and late hours, she starts to develop a friendship with him.  A friendship that she starts to need.

I instantly loved Brian.  As soon as he ran up to Leigh and Jaron’s car to welcome them, he did so into my heart.  As Leigh’s story is told, I loved it when Brain would stop by.  Truly a great character with heart, brains, and good looks.  I loved the relationship between Leigh and Jaron.  They have many traditions: always stopping in Cedar City for pizza, walking arm in arm, and going to the temple together.  Their family has had some struggles, but they’ve always had each other.

The Next Door Boys is very enjoyable!  Leigh is a great character, but she has many things to work out for herself.  She has an incredible support system with her family, roommates and especially Jaron.  I was happy when she finally realized it.

4 out of 5 stars.  Thank you Jolene for asking me to review your great book, and to Laura at Cedar Fort for the PDF.

For purchase information and to learn more about the author, click here.

 

 

Indelible by Lani Woodland

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Mindy's Reviews
Sep 282011
 

Indelible

Author: Lani Woodland

Publisher: Pendrell Publishing

Published: To Be Published October 2011, eBook available now!

Hardcover: 416 pages

ISBN13: 9780982729724

FTC FYI: I received an ARC from the publisher, which did not effect my review

Reviewed by Mindy

Yara is beginning to understand just how much her life will change now that her Waker abilities have emerged. She has come to terms with the fact that seeing ghosts is part of her life, but she isn’t ready to let being a Waker dictate her choices. All she wants is a ghost-free senior year with her boyfriend, Brent, and her best friend, Cherie. But Yara soon discovers that there are more dark secrets in her school’s history than just the curse she broke. While an angry ghost makes Yara question everything she thought she knew about spirits, she and Brent learn that there are long reaching consequences to last year’s adventures. As new enemies emerge and old ghosts resurface, Yara finds herself in the center of another deadly mystery, and this time she has to contend with the living as well as the dead. (summary from Smashwords)

Yara Silva just got back from summer break in Brazil training with her grandmother, Vovo.  Yara is a Waker (see my review of Intrinsical), she can see and communicate with ghosts.  Yara was training with Vovo to learn how to help the ghosts that she sees.  Right off the plane, she notices them, but figures there are too many of them to help.  She’s picked up by her friends Cherie, Steve, and of course her boyfriend Brett.  The couples are headed to their school, Pendrell Academy, mixer.  During their senior year, students are required to have an internship, and this was the night to impress the alumni.  Brent and Yara are talking with some friends of his parents, and she lets it slip that she is a Waker.  Feeling embarrassed she rushes away where she meets DJ, who says he believes her and needs her help with something.  DJ tells them about Christopher Pendrell and his wife Sophia, who died mysteriously.  He takes them to where their portraits are and Yara sees Sophia.  Right away Yara can tell that she is troubled.  Sophia leads them, unknowingly, to a hidden compartment that she is protecting.  Yara notices that DJ takes something.  Right away Sophia starts attacking, all the while blaming Yara for what happened.  Brent uses his powers to help her, but they can’t figure out how Sophia was able to touch her.  This attack prompts Yara, Brent, and Cherie to investigate more into the Pendrell family.  What they find is a dangerous hidden society with secrets of their own.

I enjoyed Indelible as much as Intrinsical.  What I love about Lani’s writing is her character depth.  Each character is important to the story, and are very well written.  This book has so much of action and suspense.  And don’t forget about some great smooching.  What I liked most was the growing that Yara goes through.  She may see ghosts, but still needs to learn how to care about them.

4 out of 5 stars.  Looking forward to the third and final book, Inevitable, to be released next year.  Indelible will be available in hardcover soon, but is available in eBook form on Smashwords.

Content:

  • No language
  • A bit of violence, nothing I was offended by
  • Kissing, but never sexual


Seers by Heather Frost — Blog Tour

 Posted by  Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Mindy's Reviews
Sep 212011
 

Seers

Heather Frost

Publisher: Cedar Fort

To Be Published: October 2011

Hardcover: 330 pages

ISBN13: 9781599557922

FTC FYI: I received a free copy from publisher/Netgallery

Reviewed by Mindy

Goodreads summary: “For Kate Bennet, surviving the car wreck that killed her parents means big changes and even bigger problems. As she begins to see auras and invisible people, Kate must learn to trust Patrick O’Donnell, a handsome Guardian, or risk her life being overrun with Demons. She soon realizes that both she and her heart are in big-time trouble.”

I was really excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Seers.  For those of you that read my reviews, I really enjoy a great YA fantasy, this book definitely fits that category.

Kate is just getting back to school after a devastating car wreck.  She is having a hard time getting back to normal.  Her boyfriend, Aaron, tries to do all he can.  But she just doesn’t feel normal.  The only person she can really talk to is her best friend Lee.  Kate has told her that since the accident she has become psychic, and can see people’s auras.  Every day Kate picks up Lee to go to school, after they drop off Kate’s twin sisters.  Every day is the same until Kate suddenly slams on the brakes, and almost hits a young hispanic kid.  There is something off about him, he has a slight silver aura, and most importantly, Lee doesn’t see him.  Great, now she is seeing ghosts.   At school, a new student arrives.  Patrick O’Donnell, but he has a silver aura too.  What does this mean for Kate and her new ability?  She can’t help wondering if she is in danger…

I thought this book was great, and well written.  This is the author’s first book, and I was very impressed.  Find out more about Heather here.  The characters were well written, and enjoyable.  My favorites were Toni and Kate’s Grandpa Henry.  Toni had some really funny things to say, and at times I even laughed out loud.  Grandpa even has some surprises of his own.  Kate too is a great character.  As she gets to know Patrick, she is torn between her feelings for him and Aaron.  It was hard for me as well, because Aaron is a great guy too.  Sometimes in books, the current boyfriend is a jerk.  This time he wasn’t, resulting in a tough choice for Kate.  I was happy with the end result though.

4 stars out of 5.  I am excited for book 2!

I would like to thank the author of Seers, Heather Frost, for doing a quick interview with me:

How long did it take to write ‘Seers’?

The first draft was completed in the space of two weeks: seven days spent researching, another seven to crank out 300 pages. It was an awesome writing experience.

I really enjoyed your book, how many are in the series?

There will be three in the Seers series. I’m planning for the second book, “Demons”, to come out sometime next year.

What was your inspiration with seers and guardian angels?

I love creating puzzles to solve in my writing, and before I’d even thought about writing Seers I wondered about immortal people, and how I could write a unique take on YA immortality. (i.e. no vampires, werewolves, etc.) I mulled the dilemma over, and eventually got the inspiration for Guardians and Demons. But then, I needed a way to introduce them in the story, and I developed the idea of Seers. That way I could pull in the reader while I was pulling my protagonist (Kate) into the fray as well. And it’s really as anticlimactic as that.

I loved Toni, will he be around a lot in the next book?

Toni is one of my favorites as well. :) I’m always trying to stick him in more places, just because I never quite know what outrageous thing he’ll say or do next! I’m happy to report that he’ll get a bit more attention in the next book, and he’s going to have some killer lines for us.

Do u have any Irish relatives?

Not that I’m aware of. My family is more English and Dutch. But I love Ireland all the same, and Irish accents . . . Don’t even get me started!

Did you ever think because of your age, it would of been harder to be published?

Certainly. The publishing world is very competitive, and intimidating enough without adding the fact that I’m younger than most authors. I was worried that my youth would be a red flag that screamed: inexperienced! Luckily, I’ve been extremely blessed, and my hard work has paid off.

Click on these links for more blog tour information.

Seers Book Cedar Fort Books Follow Cedar Fort on Facebook


Pumpkin Roll by Josi S. Kilpack and iPad 2 Contest

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Contests, Mindy's Reviews
Sep 142011
 

Pumpkin Roll

Author: Josi Kilpack

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Published: September 7, 2011

Softcover: 374 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1-60908-745-6

FTC FYI: Purchased my own copy

Reviewed by Mindy

Sadie and Pete are in Jamaica Plain, a quant little suburb of Boston.  Pete’s son Jared and wife Heather are out of state looking for new housing, while Sadie and Pete babysit their three boys.  While in the kitchen discussing the difference between a sociopath and a psychopath, the boys are noticeably quiet.  As they hustle to the living room, they see the boys looking out the window at the woman across the street.  The oldest Kalan, tells Sadie that he has heard his mother call Mrs. Wapple a witch.  She even has the wild hair and pointed hat.  Sadie and Pete quickly dismiss the idea that she is witch, but agree to keep their eyes on her.  Sadie and her curiosity lead to some ginger cookie deliveries around the neighborhood, of course one of the stops is to Mrs. Wapple’s.  Knocking on the front door gets her no where, so Sadie goes to side of house, pokes around, and is startled by a pair of tennis shoes.  The owner of the shoes is younger looking then the woman she saw last night, but she introduces herself as Delores Wapple.  Sadie notices many differences between the women, but takes her at her word.  Sadie also asks if she lives alone and she quietly answers that she does.  After some more light conversation, Sadie takes her cue and leaves.  More curious then ever.

When it comes to Sadie’s investigating, Pete has given some advice.

  1. Advice One  is about misleading him
  2. Advice Two is about breaking the law
  3. Advice Three is about sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, isn’t needed, or will create more problems then relief

Sadie really takes the advice to heart.  Sadie’s son Shawn has been helping her keep up on her investigative work so she is able to come to Boston.  He mentions that Jane Seeley could help with some of the load.  Sadie dismisses the idea, she is still leery of Jane because of the article she wrote. (see BlackBerry Crumble)  Jane calls Sadie a few times, which she ignores, but the calls keep coming, so she picks up.  Jane is in New Haven working on a story and offers to help Sadie any way she can.

Sadie’s mind is still on Mrs. Wapple, and some strange occurrences start happening around the house at night.  Maybe Delores really is a witch…

I loved this book.  Every book in this series gets better and better.  Pumpkin Roll is different, while the others have their tense moments, this had me downright nervous and spooked.  Lots of creepy stuff happens to Sadie, and I could not stop reading.

5 stars out of 5.  During the climax, I kept shaking my head saying, “No way this is happening.”  I took the book to pick up my girls at school, and stayed in the car when we got home so I could finish.

Josi is a very talented writer.  Along with the Sadie Hoffmiller series, she has written other books.  Read more about Josi here.  Purchase her books here and here.

Here is what you’ve been scrolling down to find.  Leave a comment and enter to win an iPad 2!

In conjunction with the release of Pumpkin Roll the author, Josi S. Kilpack, and the publisher, Shadow Mountain, are sponsoring a contest for a new iPad. To enter, leave a comment in the comment section of this blog before November 1, 2011. Winners will be announced and notified November 3rd 2011.

For additional ways to enter, go to www.josiskilpack.com


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