Review: Zoo Academy Special Edition (Vol. 1-3): History, Science & Art Lessons by EW Taylor

Zoo Academy Special Edition (Vol. 1-3): History, Science & Art Lessons by EW Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Favourite character(s) … All the zoo animals. They bring so much life to the story. Makes children want to read.

Favourite location / setting ... The zoo of course.

Favourite scene …. I prefer the children talking to Mr. Khan.

Favourite quote … Lydia the lioness talking about Mr. Khan

“That man thinks that because he has a long nose and big ears that he knows so much more than anyone else in this place.”

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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Review: Spare Change by Bette Lee Crosby

Spare Change by Bette Lee Crosby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What kind of book is this? This is a fiction book but it reads like someone’s past.

Compare two of the characters in this book. Jack Mahoney – by the book police officer

Sam Cobb – only concerned with making an arrest. The laws are not a big concern for him.

Do any characters grow or change during the course of the novel? Olivia grows so much when Ethan comes to live with her. Her change started with Charlie but ends with Ethan.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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Interview & Review: Our Little Secrets (Montana Romance) by Merry Farmer

Our Little Secrets by Merry Farmer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What is stronger in the book: plot or character development? Character development was stronger. The plot seemed very weak to me. Honestly, do not know if this was intentional.

Was the story credible? So much deception happened while this country was growing. Everything about this book seemed credible. So many people in the east moved west to get away from something, to strike it rich with gold, or just expand their holdings.

What did you think of the main character? Really liked Michael and Charlie. They made the book interesting. The secrets they were too scared to reveal really did not seem important.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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Genre – Western Historical Romance
Rating – R
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Website http://merryfarmer.net/


Do you intend to make writing a career?  Absolutely, yes!
Have you developed a specific writing style?  I think I’m getting closer to it.  I really enjoy writing with humor, which you don’t see a lot of in Historical Romance for some reason.  I also like writing with a very modern feel, even when it is Historical Romance.  Think the movie “A Knight’s Tale”.  And yes, there have been people who don’t get it and think I’m just ignorant of history (which I’m not – I have not one but two bachelor’s degrees in History).  But there have been others who totally get the vibe I’m going for and appreciate it.  But if you don’t go out on a limb with your personal writing style, you will never be able to stand out.
What is your greatest strength as a writer?  I think my strength is writing interesting, dimensional characters.  I come up with the characters, their back story, and the situation they find themselves in as the novel starts way before I figure out the plot.  Sometimes I don’t figure out the plot of my novels until I’m halfway through!
Have you ever had writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?  Well, yes and no.  I can get stuck in whatever story I’m writing and have no idea what’s going on.  In those cases I break out a good old fashioned ballpoint pen and pad of paper and write notes about what I’m working on as if I’m talking to myself.  My subconscious can generally figure out what’s going on and get be back on the right path.  In deeper cases of writer’s block, I set aside what I’m working on and write something else, usually fan fiction (that I will never EVER publish in any form, thank you E.L. James!)
Can you share a little of your current work with us? Our Little Secrets is my twist on the old mail order bride story, only the heroine, Charlotte, is merely mistaken for a mail order bride in her bid to escape her past, and the hero, Michael, isn’t really looking to get married, until he sees “Charlie”.  They end up engaged 45 minutes after they meet, are married the next day, and then have to sort the rest of their complicated lives out as they begin to realize that maybe jumping into marriage wasn’t the best idea.  Or maybe it was.
How did you come up with the title?  Once the story was written, the title was obvious.  Both Michael and Charlie are bubbling with secrets that leak out one after the other until they get to the point where they have to be dealt with.

Review: Killer Work from Home Jobs: 200 Fortune 500 & Legitimate Work at Home Jobs by Lee Evans

Killer Work from Home Jobs: 200 Fortune 500 & Legitimate Work at Home Jobs by Lee Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What did you like most about the book? Details, details and more details. At first it felt like it was any other seminar, but as the author started listing out the companies and how you could identify legit companies, I really liked these bits.

What did you like least? I think I would have liked more personal experiences and more credibility from the author. When book club members and I tried reading up about him / her, we found very little information and this made the book contents seem a wee bit doubtful.

Did you like the way the book ended? I understand that the author has written other books which also focus on work at home jobs. I like that he / she has divided these books into smaller sections that can help readers understand what they need to do to earn a regular income.


Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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Review: Evergreen (A Serial Killer Thriller) by David Jester

Evergreen by David Jester
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Purpose for writing book? A chilling thriller to creep us out. Summer, Halloween, bedtime … there's more than one time or place where you will enjoy the book.

What did you like about it? I enjoyed this book from the beginning to the end. One popular question at the book club was, the author's inspiration. Was he part of a community like this? The details of their lifestyle seemed very realistic.

One word to describe main character? Coward - He didn't tell the police. He helped bury the dead. He let the mob continue to kill; who they thought was the killer. He did nothing to help anyone. He believed everything Aiden told him. He had no will power.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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Review: The Kings of Charleston (The Kings of Charleston #1) by Kat H. Clayton

The Kings of Charleston by Kat H. Clayton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Favourite quote. "It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it." - This a quote that I will keep close for a long time.

How would the book have been different if it had taken place in a different time or place? It made sense for the story to start in Kentucky. Another location may work but perhaps not as well.

In your own words how did the setting of the story make it more interesting. Charleston is full of old money and secrets.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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Author Interview – Vadim Babenko

What was the hardest part about writing this book? I think the most difficult part of writing any novel is maintaining the required level of energy and concentration for several years it takes to complete it. SEMMANT wasn’t different in this regard.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? Of course, and there isn’t just one. To simplify greatly and make it very short, I’ll say it as it appears on my website: “Never tamper with love!”

Have you included a lot of your life experiences, even friends, in the plot? I did include some, but not much.

What are your goals as a writer? To express in proper words everything I have to say, and to put all my energy into that.

Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)? I do travel a lot regardless of my books. And I write only about those places which I know really well.

What books have most influenced your life? “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy; the poetry of Alexander Pushkin and Joseph Brodsky; “The Castle” and short stories by Franz Kafka.

Have you ever considered anyone as a mentor? No, never.

Can we expect any more books from you in the future? Absolutely. The ideas for my next two novels are already well-developed.

Have you started another book yet? Yes, I have. Despite my SEMMANT marketing efforts, I’m now devoting my best morning hours to writing my next book.

What are your current writing projects now? A simple man, an underachiever, lives a lonely and boring life in the Maryland suburbs. All of a sudden, a sexy female FBI agent shows up at his front door and tells him he has a mission to save the world. He becomes the main part of a cruel experiment performed by a very powerful group. To achieve their goals, they need a machine able to model chaotic dynamical systems – such as, for instance, the entire population of a small country. Traditional computers cannot perform such a task; the idea is to use all the physical resources of a live human brain, turning it into a special kind of analogue computer. The question is: what happens then to the human being himself? And who benefits and wins at the end?

This novel explores subjects in which I have a lot of interest: freedom of thought, the power of human mind, practical applications of nonlinear sciences – and how all this relates to the real lives of real people. The book has just been started. It’ll take at least 2.5-3 years to finish and translate it into English.

Buy Now @ Amazon & Amazon UK

Genre – Literary Fiction

Rating – NC17

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Vadim Babenko on GoodReads

Website http://www.vadimbabenko.com/

Semmant by Vadim Babenko
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What did you think of the ending? Well, I suppose it fit. Bogdan certainly needed professional help.

If you were to talk with the author, what would you want to know? If he ever found true happiness or love?

If you could rewrite the ending, would you? No, I wouldn't re-write it. The ending suited the flow of the story and I liked.


Disclosure - I received a free copy of the book which did not affect my honest opinion.

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Review: The Book of Paul by Richard Long

The Book of Paul by Richard Long
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Consider the ending. Did you expect it or were you surprised? Both, but I felt justice was carried out which was more important to me.

What are the most revealing scenes? When the brothers learned Paul was their father.

Was location important to the story? I feel the story could have taken place anywhere and was not important to the story.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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Review: Amidst Traffic by Michel Sauret

Amidst Traffic by Michel Sauret
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What did the title have to do with the book? We are all traffic in life. Moving along whether fast or slow to the next part. Our family, job, everything buts of in a type of traffic.

In your own words, how did the setting of the story make it more interesting. Several different setting in the stories. A café, a diner, Iraq, New York, a plane, each setting provided something important for the story. The story could be changed to fit different settings but I wonder if it would have the same impact.

Are any of the events in the book relevant to your own life? I have lived through several wars. But I do not have firsthand experience in war or any type of criminal activity. The author represented each. According to the author’s bio he is an army journalist. I can only imagine the horror he has seen.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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Review: Be Good by Dakota Madison

Be Good by Dakota Madison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tell five ways the main character is like you. Anna and I are not alike. Was never a party guy.

Using information from the book about one of the main characters, rewrote the ending of the book. Anna and Brett standing in a church saying their vows.

What are the most important relationships in the book? Anna and Brett learning to find love in what started as a one-night stand.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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Review: The Morph (Gate-Shifters, #1) by J.C. Andrijeski

The Morph by J.C. Andrijeski
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Is the story plot or character driven? From my understanding, it was plot driven. It was the events in the new land that created more experiences for Dakota and moved the story forward.

Is the plot well-developed? The plot and characters are all well-developed. Overall, the story was well-written and although the fantasy items are not all real, the author projected these in a way, you could see it happening in front of you.

Who in this book would you most like to meet? Dakota. I would love to hear about Nikhil and where their relationship is going.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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Review: Sleeper's Run by Henry Mosquera

Sleeper's Run by Henry Mosquera
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How would the book have been different if it had taken place in a different time or place? Several book club member and I talked about this we do not believe it would make a difference.

Did anyone in the book do something you did not like? Why? I certainly didn't like the terrorists or their actions. It added flow to the story but their actions were very disturbing.

Describe what is happening in the first illustration in the book. He collapses and is taken to the hospital.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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Review: Primal by D.A. Serra

Primal by DA Serra by D. A. Serra
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What did you think is the climax of the book and why. When Ben puts the gun down and gives up. Alison kills him any way. Because he would have escaped again and hunted her down; and killed her and her family

Who do you think the author intended to read this book and why? It's a book for everyone, unless they are against the violence in it.

If you could only save one character from the book which one would it be and why? Detective Thomas, because he did the right thing and let Alison go.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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Review: Eyes of Ember by Rebecca Ethington

Eyes of Ember by Rebecca L. Ethington
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you could continue the story, what events would you include? Ryland would have broken free from his father and regained his memories.

What have you read that is similar to this book? Salem Witches

What are some of the major themes of this book? Love, betrayal, quest for power, murder.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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Review: Dissolution Of Peace by Richard Flores IV

Dissolution of Peace by Richard Flores IV
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you could only save one character from the book, which one would it be and why? Mike - He is a wonderful man with great courage. The navy needs him.

Have you ever experienced anything similar to the action of this novel? Nothing has happened to me like this and I think it's too much adventure for me to handle.

Would you recommend this book? I would recommend this book to someone who loved war stories. However, the alien angle might turn them off. But there is action in it so that was a big plus point for me.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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Orangeberry Book Tours – The Eden Plague: Book 1 (Plague Wars) by David VanDyke

A thriller/military science fiction apocalyptic technothriller.  BOOK 1 OF THE SERIES.

Rule #1: Try not to shoot your future wife. When special operations veteran Daniel Markis finds armed invaders in his home and it all goes sideways, he soon finds himself on the run from the shadowy Company and in possession of a biological breakthrough that might throw human society into chaos. Out of options, Daniel turns to his brothers in arms to fight back and get the answers he needs. Soon he takes possession of a secret that threatens the stability of the world, as he leads a conspiracy to change everything.

This thriller leads readers into the exciting and engrossing Plague Wars military science fiction series.

The Eden Plague is a science-fiction military techno-thriller in the tradition of Michael Crichton, Dean Koontz, with shades of David Drake, Jerry Pournelle, S. M. Stirling, Vaughn Heppner and B.V. Larson. Second Edition.

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Genre – SciFi /Adventure

Rating – PG13

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Blog https://davidvandyke.wordpress.com/

Review: The Symbolon by Delia Colvin

The Symbolon by Delia J. Colvin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What is the time period in which the book happens? It's summer. It jumps from 500 years to 3000 prior.

What was the problem in the book, and how was it solved? The problem was Alex and Valeria want to be married. But Alex is already married. They escape the ancient council of immortals.

What kind of book is this? List three evidences of this This book is fiction. Vampires, Ancient council of Immortals, Reincarnation.

What was the author's purpose or purposes in writing this book? To write a really passionate love story with a little vamp's thrown in for good measure.
Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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Review: Bad Traffick by D.V. Berkom

Bad Traffick by D.V. Berkom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Do you feel as if your views on a subject have changed by reading this text? My views remain the same although I do hope that others reading this will be more aware of this issue.

Have you had a life changing revelation? To try and protect my children more and hope I can make other parents aware what is happening so this does not happen to their child.

What major emotion did the story evoke in you as a reader? This topic makes me very angry and I really did appreciate the author taking the time to write a book on it.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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Review: The Hunter's Son (JC Mather, #1) by B.E. Jewell

The Hunter's Son by B.E. Jewell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

List the characters and describe them. JC - 15 yrs old. Sophomore in high school. Lonely and depressed.

James - JC's dad. He was a slayer. He had to avenge the deaths of his wife and father.

Paris - Head of society. Evil, murderer and knew about all the experiments that had been conducted.

Abby - JC's girlfriend. She was 15 yrs old. She was a boo hag.

Chuck - Ran the store where JC worked. He was in the secret society and knew JC's grandparents.

What the mystery was and how it was solved? The mystery was what James did for a living & how JC's mom died. Paris, Chuck & James finally told JC.

What problems does one of the characters have, and how does he or she solve it? JC finds out Abby has been kidnapped. He takes a lot of guns and a couple of friends to go find her.

Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: Refuge by NS Osborne

Refuge by N.G. Osborne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What is stronger in the book: plot or character development? The plot. Because the content is so strong, so graphic. I do believe it was intentional.

What have you read that is similar to this book? Helen Of Troy.

Using information from the book about one of the main characters, rewrote the ending of the book. I would have had Charlie escape. He would have found Noor and taken her away from that horrible life.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

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