The Jane Austen Diaries: Pride and Popularity

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews
Sep 162011
 

Title: Pride and Popularity (The Jane Austen Diaries)

Author: Jenni James

Publisher: Inkberry Press

Published: July 13, 2011

Softcover: 238

ISBN# 978-0-9838293-0-0

Reviewer: Sheila

FTC FYI: Review Copy from the publisher

Chloe Elizabeth Hart despises the conceited antics of the popular crowd, or more importantly, one very annoying self-possessed guy, Taylor Anderson, who seems determined to make her the president of his fan club! As if! Every girl in the whole city of Farmington, New Mexico, is in love with him, but he seems to be only interested in Chloe.

This modern high school adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” is a battle of wits as Chloe desperately tries to remain the only girl who can avoid the inevitable—falling for Taylor.

I love most re-tellings of Pride and Prejudice. Jenni James has created a modern, teen version of Pride and Prejudice that will delight any Jane Austen fan. Chloe Elizabeth Hart is the main female character of this fun tale. She is a normal teenage girl dealing with the ups and downs of high school life. For many years there has been one boy who has become the bane of her existence. Taylor Darcy Anderson is the most popular boy in school and he wants to recruit Chloe into his fan club. Chloe doesn’t like the antics of the popular crowd and resists being assimilated into his group of admirers.  This scenario is the basis for so many humorous things that happen in the novel.

Jenni James has written a very engaging character in Chloe. This teenage girl is more mature than some adults. At the same time, she is very much written with a teenage voice. The characters are all very real and the situations are things that happen in every high school across America. It is a lot of fun to see the cat and mouse chase happening between Taylor and Chloe. The only thing I couldn’t relate to was how strict Chloe’s Mom was.  I may have to get with it and start practicing being more strict before my daughter starts dating in three years. As in the original Pride and Prejudice, I liked the main character’s father better than the mother.

I recommend that Pride and Popularity be read together with mothers and daughters. This is what I plan to do. I loved this book and truly look forward to reading the rest of  The Jane Austen Diaries. The next book in the series, Northhanger Alibi, will be released in November 2011. I am giving this book 4 stars for being a fantastic read!!

To learn more about Jenni and her book please go here

To purchase Pride and Popularity go here to:

Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble

Bitter Blessings by Christine Mehring

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews
Aug 262011
 

Title: Bitter Blessings

Author: Christine Mehring

Published Date: July 2011

Publisher: Bonneville Books, an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc.

Softcover: 192 pages

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

ISBN# 978-1-59955-523-2

Reviewed by: Sheila

FTC FYI: Free review copy

Megan has the perfect life, but when her mother dies in an accident, everything spins out of control. With the rest of her family falling apart, Megan must confront her past to uncover the truths that will keep everyone together. Thought-provoking and heartfelt, this book shows that even in times of trial, you can often find blessings.

Bitter Blessings starts with a very normal setting of a family getting ready to sit down for dinner. You turn the page, and the world of this family collapses down around them with their doorbell ringing. On the other side of the door is a policeman, who informs them that the Mother of the girls has died in a car accident. The reality of this piece of fiction is, anyone’s world can change in a moment.

The novel’s main character, Megan, is thrown into the role of taking care of her younger sisters and her grandmother. The reader is taken into her mind where we experience the grief, guilt and stress of Megan as she is coping with her mother’s death. Along with dealing with her sick grandmother, a spoiled middle sister and a baby sister looking for stability and love, an old family secret comes to light.

Bitter blessings is such a great read because:
-Megan is likable and relatable. You want her to find out the family secret and you want to see some relief and happiness given back to the family.
-Good supporting characters are written throughout the story. Her best friend Adam and his father, Megan’s lawyer, add the support and relief that the readers need amongst the sadness in this story.
-There is also a surprise twist where her friends’ Mormon religion is identified, and it hits close to home for Megan.
-You will experience a satisfying ending at the end of the story.

Bitter Blessings is a great story written by a first time author. It is a quick read at 183 pages. I love what it says on the back of the book, “Thought-provoking and heartfelt, this debut novel shows that the power of love brings the best blessings even during the bitterest trials.”

I recommend this book to young adult and adult readers. I gave this book 4 stars on goodreads.com.

To learn more about the author Christine Mehring, go to www.bitterblessings.com
or www.cedarfort.com



Witch Song by Amber Argyle

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
Aug 152011
 

Witch Song

Author: Amber Argyle

Published Date: September 2011

Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing

Softcover and Kindle; 325 pages

ISBN# 978-1-936850-16-7

Genre: YA Fantasy

FTC FYI: I received an ARC in PDF form that did not affect my review.

Goodreads Summary:

The world is changing. Once, Witch Song controlled everything from the winds to the shifting of the seasons-but not anymore. All the Witches are gone, taken captive by a traitor. All but Brusenna. As the echo of their songs fade, the traitor grows stronger. Now she is coming for Brusenna. Her guardian has sworn to protect her, but even he can’t stop the Dark Witch. Somehow, Brusenna has to succeed where every other Witch has failed. Find the traitor. Fight her. Defeat her. Because if Brusenna doesn’t, there won’t be anything left to save.

Overall Review

I have been looking forward to reading and reviewing Witch Song since I read a sneak peak of the first chapter months ago.

I liked Brusenna (aka Senna) and enjoyed getting to know her better. She is young (14 years old at the start), and knows next to nothing about the witchcraft the villagers accuse her of practicing. She and her mother, Sacra, live hidden in the nearby forest, maintaining a simple and secret life away from those who would harm them.

Hoping to protect her daughter, Sacra keeps Brusenna ignorant of the larger world of witches, telling her only the very basics of what she needs to know. When another witch, Coyel, arrives to beg for her mother’s help in defeating the Dark Witch, Espen, everything Brusenna has ever known begins to change and she finds herself on her own for the first time in her life.

With the help of friends like Bruke, her large canine companion, and Joshen, the young man who wants to be assigned as her official Guardian, Brusenna sets out to learn what she needs to do to defeat the Dark Witch and release her mother.

There is so much more to this story that there isn’t space in this review to cover even part of it. Those who like stories of fantasy, a bit  of clean romance and unexpected heroes overcoming evil will really enjoy Witch Song.

The Specifics

Witch Song has some great villians, including Wardof, an attractive witch hunter who has the power of the Dark Witch behind him. Every time he is caught, Espen helps him escape. He is obsessed with capturing Brusenna. There are several serious moments involving Wardof, and a few humorous ones as well.

One thing I found myself wishing for was a better portrayal of Brusenna’s time on the island, Haven, where she studied by herself for a year to become the witch she would need to be. I would have liked to have felt the passage of time a little more consistently. Also, I really wanted to see more of Brusenna’s successes and failures in her efforts to learn the spells and potions she needed to know. I wanted to have some confidence in Brusenna’s ability to hold her own against Espen even if Brusenna didn’t feel it herself, and I never really felt that.

I really liked Joshen and that Amber kept the romance clean. There are a few heart-wrenching scenes involving Joshen and Brusenna that held a lot of emotion.

Heads Up

There is violence (not gory) and death. Obviously there is use of spells and potions. No bad language that I can recall. There is mention of Brusenna’s shyness at being naked after a bath in front of another woman (modesty is promoted). After Joshen and Brusenna’s relationship has moved to kissing, a chapter begins by saying that Brusenna wanted more but Joshen stopped them (there are no details).

My Rating

I give Witch Song 3.75 stars out of 5. Witch Song is Amber’s debut novel and I’m looking forward to reading more from her. I would recommend Witch Song to readers 14+.

Below is the book trailer for Witch Song:

Unlovable by Sherry Gammon

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Mindy's Reviews
Aug 102011
 

Unlovable

Author: Sherry Gammon

Publisher: Wordpainting Unlimited

Published: January 2011

ASIN: B004K1F9BA

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

Goodreads summary: Seventeen year-old Maggie Brown is truly the poster child for Heroin Chic, complete with her jutting bones and her dark-ringed eyes. She’s struggling with her growing feelings for the new guy at school, Seth Prescott, and fears he is just another person who will let her down, like everyone in her life has done thus far.
Seth Prescott is an undercover cop assigned to Port Fare High, and despite his job, he’s developed strong feelings for Maggie. Seth’s working tirelessly to flush out the sadistic heroin peddlers that have invaded the small town of Port Fare, New York, while Maggie fights to stay alive as the search turns deadly.  Seth and Maggie’s romantic journey is one of humor, heartbreak and self-discovery as their world is about to change forever.

Maggie has had a hard life.  Her mother is a drunk, and pays her no attention.  When Maggie does get noticed, her mother’s words are cruel and hurtful.  Maggie tries her hardest to get good grades, all while she is practically starving to death.  Seth’s notices Maggie and is drawn to her.  Hoping she is not involved in drugs.  Seth tries to get Maggie to warm up to him, to even talk to him.  But, she hesitates.  Maggie already likes Seth, but can’t understand what he wants with her.  The story starts when Christmas break ends, so it’s the start of a new semester.  Seth is in so many of her classes, and they keep getting paired up.  But, why?  As the story progresses their relationship gets stronger, and Maggie starts to realize, she not only likes Seth, but she may love him.  How will Seth reveal his big secret without hurting her?

Seth has two best friends, Cole and Booker.  I enjoyed their relationship.  Each of the friends has their own story of heart break, especially Booker.  Also involved in the story are drug dealers.  These are not good guys.  At times I wanted Maggie to not be so naive about what was going on around her and listen more to Seth.  I also liked how the author brought in Maggie’s co-dependant relationships.  Sad things happen with her mother, and I liked how those issues were addressed.

This was a clean book, and I appreciated that.  Unlovable is the author’s first novel.  Learn more about Sherry Gammon here.

3 out of 5 stars

Content:

Some violence, drugs, and kissing (no sex, clean)

Watched by Cindy Hogan – Blog Tour

 Posted by  Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews, Special Features
Jul 202011
 
Today is the last day to comment on
The 2011 Book Blogger’s Cookbook post to enter to win a Kindle!

***

Watched

Author: Cindy M. Hogan

Published: CreateSpace

Published Date: April 2011

Softcover & Kindle: 348 pages

Genre: YA Suspense

ISBN# 978-1453899151

FTC FYI: Free ARC from the author that did not affect my review

From the back cover:

It takes more than a school trip to Washingotn, D.C. to change fifteen-year-old Christy’s life. It takes murder.

A witness to the brutal slaying of a Senator’s aide, Christy finds herself watched not only by the killers and the FBI, but also by two hot boys.

She discovers that if she can’t help the FBI, who want to protect her, it will cost her and her new friends their lives.

I started reading Watched a few hours before bedtime. I made it through the first few chapters before deciding to continue in the morning because I wanted to be able to sleep without nightmares. Cindy opens Watched with a group of teens in front of a creepy hotel. It’s late night in Washington, D.C., and they are wandering unsupervised around the city after sneaking out of their hotel.

“I plastered a smile on my face, trying in vain to stop the shiver that traveled with slow determination up my spine.” (Watched, page 1, first line.)

Watched is told from the point-of-view of Christy, an inexperienced and insecure 15-year-old whose parents sent her off with a “see you in two weeks” and not much else. Not very popular in her high school, Christy is determined to be accepted by her tour’s mini-group of older and richer teens. She finds it more difficult than she expected to leave behind her “brainy” and “goody-goody” tendencies that she is convinced caused her to be so unpopular back home.

After witnessing a brutal murder, the group is forced to decide what they should do about it. They know they are dealing with professional and scary people who wouldn’t hesitate to hurt them or their families. The experience binds them together despite their decision not to talk about it after discovering a clever way to contact the FBI. The group continues on as normally as possible despite Christy’s suspicion that they are being watched.

The suspense carried well throughout the story, with only a few teen-angst-y parts distracting from it. I read the book quickly and only felt pulled from the story a few times. The writing style and voice felt consistent for an older YA audience (15+) though there were a few rough spots that could have been polished for the final version (I was reading an uncorrected proof).

Watched, as a suspense-novel, is more plot-based, and Cindy did a good job on the storyline. I do find myself wishing for a little more depth in the secondary characters close to Christy, but that could be because I am a character-driven reader and often find myself wishing for mystery-suspense characters with a little more depth.

I was relieved to see that Watched is part of a series because I was left feeling like I wanted just a little bit more after finishing the book. I look forward to reading the next book in the series. I think Cindy Hogan has great potential and is definitely an author to watch.

Watched is available for Kindle and Nook (only $2.99) as well as in paperback at Amazon and Brigham Distributing.

Cindy is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card for commenting on her blog and telling her which blog sent you there. Don’t forget to follow Cindy’s blog while you’re there.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Age: 15+

Content:

  • Language: none that I can remember
  • Sexual: one boy pressures Christy to come to his room but she resists; kissing w/little description
  • Drugs & Alcohol: others drink around Christy at a club and she “pretends” at one point but does not drink
  • Violence: three specific incidences of violence including a beheading and people being shot

Follow the Watched blog tour:

July 18th

July 19th

July 20th

July 21st

July 22nd

Less than 72 hours and Lisa Mangum’s The Golden Spiral

 Posted by  Book News, Countdown to Summer, News, Special Features
Jun 222011
 

Summer is finally here!

I’m not just talking about the official “First Day of Summer” that we’ve been counting down to on the LDSWBR blog. I’m talking about the sun! I think I saw the number 90 on the forecast for this week, too.

Speaking (reading?) of the Countdown to Summer 2011– there are less than three days left to enter to win one of 14 great summer reads as well as the $50 Amazon Gift Card up for grabs.

The fastest and easiest way to get the most entries is to comment on each Countdown to Summer 2011 author post. We have really great authors presenting really great books so go check it out, leave a comment and who knows- maybe you’ll be one of our lucky winners!

And speaking (ok, reading) of great books, The Golden Spiral by Lisa Mangum is now available in paperback!

That’s right. Book 2 in Lisa’s highly-enjoyable The Hourglass Door series has been released in paperback and is available for purchase from Deseret Book, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

In May of this year, The Golden Spiral was awarded the Silver Medal for the Benjamin Franklin Award and is currently a finalist for the ForeWord Review’s 2010 YA Book of the Year Award.

Congratulations, Lisa!

Lisa also donated a hardcover copy of Book 3 in The Hourglass Door trilogy, The Forgotten Locket, as a prize in our Countdown to Summer 2011 contest. Thanks, Lisa!

So go comment right now. The LDSWBR Countdown to Summer 2011 contest ends Friday, June 24, 2011 at Midnight MDT!

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