Category Archives: books
New Series by Alex Owens – Crow (New Adult Fantasy)
Guess what? We’ve got news!
Fans of Alex’s should be super-stoked to find out that while she’s waiting on the latest round or revisions to come back for book two in the Blood Chord series, Alex decided to start a whole new series! Drumroll, please…
Introducing The Crow series!
Crow: Episode One is live on Amazon now and Alex has committed to getting out a new episode monthly. Plus, she’s asking for reader interaction! Alex wants to know what you, the reader thinks, where you see things going for the main characters, and anything else you want to say about Crow. Who knows, you could end up influencing the story in a big way!
Amazon Link to Crow: Episode One
Here’s the blurb for Crow: Episode One:
Cassiopeia “Pia” Alexander is just your typical college student. She can’t pick a major, her love life is virtually non-existent and the only thing good in her life seems to be her job as an Animal ER Nurse. Even that doesn’t feel like enough, though.
Beylin Callaghan is one of the Brotherhood tasked to give souls a winged-ride from one life to the next, and to remove the memories from each soul so that they can start with a fresh slate in their new incarnations.
But he’s keeping a secret– a secret that when exposed, will bind Pia’s fate to his own. For better or worse.
Crow: Episode One is novella length (approx. 9,000 words) and is the first installment in this new adult fantasy series. Subsequent episodes will be released on a monthly basis and fans are encouraged to visit Alex’s website to influence the outcome of the overall story.
You can read more about the Crow series, and get the updated release links and schedule by visiting Alex’s site.
Quickie Book review – Tranquility by Anya Bast
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Quick, well-written shifter short story / novella. I read this on my lunch break (about 20 minutes). The story has action, drama, and a heap-helping of steamy goodness. I just wish it was longer… the characters were great, but I didn’t get to know them as much as I would have liked.
It probably doesn’t help that I haven’t read #1 yet… as I’m sure if this is more of a serial story spread over multiple shorter-length installments, then I’d probably feel more vested in the players.
Off to find book one!
Book Review- All The Wild Children by Josh Stallings
All The Wild Children: A noir memoir by Josh Stallings
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve been putting off writing a review of this book, because I just don’t think any collection of words that I can come up with will do it justice. It’s good, so very good that I’d like to take it home with me at closing time.
It may be a memoir, but All the Wild Children reads more like a cross-genre novel (hints of literary, suspense, coming of age, etc.) Like Stallings’ other books, the writing in this book is gut-punch powerful. The bit about the boys being home alone when (can’t say…spoiler!) gave me rolling waves of goose-bumps that lasted damn near five minutes.
Despite having a sh*tty lot-of-it as a child, Stallings isn’t blaming anyone, so much as just telling it like it was. And brilliantly, I might add. I don’t even know if that makes sense, but hopefully once you read this memoir you’ll understand.
One thing I loved is the way Stallings spins a phrase. There were several examples in this book, but the one I loved the most is the one that went something like “This will read better then it lived.” Hell, I probably butchered that one too.
So I’m yelling at you now– go read All The Wild Children. Then check out the novels by Stallings. Your gray matter will thank you.
Related articles
- Quickie Book Review – Out There Bad by Josh Stallings (quirkygurl.com)
Quickie Book Review – The Eclective: The Apocalypse Collection
The Eclective: The Apocalypse Collection by Emma Jameson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a fabulous sampler of some of the most creative, talented indie authors on the market right now. Each story was inventive and wholly captivating. And I loved the way multiple genres were represented in the collection– having a little bit of something for everybody.
On a side note, the way each author approached the theme with such different techniques really jump-started my own creativity, so I’d highly recommend reading short stories in this format in order to get your own creative juices flowing 
Get your copy of The Eclective: The Apocalypse Collection today
Quickie Book Review – Witchy Business by Eve Paludan
Witchy Business by Eve Paludan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A quick paranormal read… great characters, interesting setting and details. I was a little irritated by the way the main character Elle, went along with being man-handled by her so called friend… It felt a little too out of character and flimsy. But overall, I was ecstatic to see one of the main tenants of paranormal mythology so morphed into something quite new and original.
Nice way to spend a relaxing spring day outside reading!
Quickie Book Review – Venice Vampyr by Tina Folsom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a steamy little novella that wasted no time getting to the goods, so to speak. Underlying all that was a decent plot and great characters that were fleshed out as much as they could be in the shorter novella format. Several inventive scenes skirted the lines of taboo, making the novella more memorable in my opinion.
Interesting enough that I’ll certainly go on to look for the next novella in the series.
Cover Reveal – The Taste of Lavender by Emma Shane
Happy Friday! I just wanted to hop on here and show everyone the new cover for Emma’s soon-to-be released novella, The Taste of Lavender. The blurb is still a work in progress, for now you only get this ethereal image.
So, what do you think?
Threesome Quickie Book Review – Or What I’ve Been Reading Lately
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Great book… in some ways reminds me of Beautiful Disaster. Def. a gut-wrencher with a killer love story and emotional turmoil! Highly Recommend!
***
Under A Harvest Moon by Joleen James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Nice little love story set amid a scenic winery, with a decent dose of family secrets, horrible Ex’s and the like.
***
Exposed: A Novel by Ashley Weis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A little heavy on the religious aspects (mainly concerning the MC and her marriage) for my tastes, but over all a decent book showing how things work out the way they are supposed to, and not how you think you want things to go…
Quickie Book Review – Spirit Horses by Alan S. Evans
Spirit Horses by Alan S. Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What was Great: The plot, characters, emotions, scenery and plight of the horses.
What I had a problem with: the chunks of “story teller” passages.
I understand the need to condense larger amounts of information for the sake of book length, but I didn’t care for the longer voice-over type of narratives toward the beginning of the novel. I felt like a really good editor would have pruned and condensed these areas for better readability. Had it not been for the things that were great about this novel, I wouldn’t have been able to overlook the parts that irked me.
Now, with all that said, this is a book that I could see some Hollywood big-shot making into a fabulous movie. It has it all– heartache, tragedy, a man on a mission, second-chance love, beautiful scenery, historical references, and an ending that you won’t see coming.
Quickie Book Review – The Burning of Isobel Key by Jen McConnel
The Burning of Isobel Key by Jen McConnel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Very nicely done. The juxaposition of past and present were well-done, never jarring or hard to follow. And both time lines were brought nicely together near the end.
My heart ached for Isobel and all that befell her. I was drawn to most of the characters in a similar way. The interaction between the characters felt “true” and complex, like it should. Particularly, the interaction regarding pagan/ Christian beliefs was very well thought out by the author and added another layer of “realness” to the novel.
I’d recommend this novel to anyone who likes women’s fiction, light-historical, or paranormal romances.
Quickie Book Review – Outcome by Edward W. Robertson
Outcome by Edward W. Robertson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve read (and loved) the first book in the Breakers series, finding it extremely well-written and creative to the Nth degree. So it’s no surprise that I was sucked into this novella with such force that my neck feels a little stiff
While the series starts out during the tail-end of the viral outbreak, this novella goes back to the beginning and shows the reader exactly how mankind fell so quickly. I adored the characters and the plot. Robertson paints a vivid picture of just how wrong things can go, and how basic liberties can been taken away in the blink of an eye, and without one’s knowledge even. And it’s all in the name of the Greater Good.
Worth reading. But don’t stop there– go on to read the series as well!
Quickie Book Review – Cool Shade by Theresa Weir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Interesting book… part mystery, part off-beat romance, with a dash of steamy goodness. I particularly like the way certain quirks of the main characters were handled by the author. I’m a fan of Weir’s, and this book fit in with what I’m used to reading with her. Recommend whole-heartedly!
Quickie Book Review – Awakened by Brenda K. Davies
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reminiscent of Beautiful Disaster (but with Vampires) this book captivated me almost from the get-go. I even recommended it to a friend the very next day, as we have similar tastes in paranormal books. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, is that at times I felt the book could have stood some pruning of the “-ly” variety — to remove some of the extraneous “softly” and “slowly” type words.
Overall though, the flourishes didn’t detract from the top-notch plot, complex characters or swoon-worthy romance so definitely give this series a try!
