BOOK REVIEW # 18 – HOME SWEET HOME

[This book is part of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series]

I received this book as a prize from one of the FM radio stations my OH and I listen during one of their appearances at a local business.

“Home Sweet Home” is a heart-warming, like the homemade chicken soup my mother used to make, collection of 101 short stories from contributors coming from all walks of life. Each story is a true account of these individual’s personal life, the good times and the bad. These stories tell of the long-lasting decisions families had to make; they tell of the making of a mere house into their homes.

We can all share our own experience with those of these in the stories they’ve written; from the physical, do-it-yourself disasters affecting our homes to the arrival of unwanted guests [family].

“Home Sweet Home” is definitely not the type of book you can read in a single reading; you need to take each story one at a time before moving on to the next one. You need allow yourself an opportunity to experience it and reflect how each one pertains to your own life, you could find out you’re not alone.

I feel it heart-warming that I’m able to give 5 STARS.

Robin Leigh Morgan is the author of “I Kissed a Ghost,” a MG/YA Paranormal romance novel.

US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1611599350

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1611599350

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BOOK REVIEW # 17 – FEUD

Imagine being, orphaned at a young age and being raised in foster homes your entire life. You have no knowledge of your family, nor do you have any knowledge of heritage you might have.  Such is how Chasca Leon’s began her life.

After Chasca leaves home, she finds a job and lives a relatively mundane life until one fateful when on her way home she gets kidnapped. But as “FATE” would have it, her two rescuers are the ones who are going to help Chasca to discover her heritage and the “hidden” powers she possesses. She discovers who she can trust, who she can fall in love with, and the prophecy in which she plays an intricate part.

“FATE” is a wondrous mix of romance, action, adventure with a touch of the paranormal. Once I started reading it, the book became a page turner which I couldn’t put down. You must read this book in one sitting, or else you’ll probably lose the emotions which have built up inside your mind and the desire of what’s going to happen next.

If I can find the time, I’m going to download / read / review the other two books in this series.

US:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EEIFNXI  

US:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00EEIFNXI  

 

MY SELECTION PROCESS FOR REVIEWING BOOKS

As you know by now I had officially declared myself a BOOK REVIEWER at the end of August of this year.

And as a book reviewer I didn’t want to be inundated with requests to do reviews so I set up my own set of guidelines as to what books I’m going to review.

To begin with, we all love to enter the RaffleCopter giveaways we constantly see on FaceBook, and I love to enter them as well. However, I only enter those contests for which there are books [e-books usually] I’d like to read. 

I also love to enter the GiveAways on GoodReads where only REAL BOOKS are offered. On GoodReads in the guidelines they tell you that if you should win a book, you should write a review in consideration for having won the book. In the review you’re advised to indicate the fact you’ve won the book as a giveaway.  So far I’ve won about 6 books which I’ve received; two of them have been ARCs [Advanced Readers Copy] which are in reality Galley Proofs and are marked as such, two of  them have been, some of the final version of the books I’ve received I got several days before the books where on the shelves of B & N.

Naturally I also read/review those books I’m interested in reading.

All of my reviews get posted on Amazon.com
GoodReads.com
LibraryThing.com
Shelfari.com

as well as on my blog sites.

BOOK REVIEW # 16 = LOVE THOSE HULA HIPS

Right from the beginning of “Love Those Hula Hips”, the author, Jackie Marilla, makes you feel as if you’re right next to James Westerman, as you both experience the sights and smells of Hawaii for the first time.

But James is not there to take in the sun and relax; he’s there on a mission, a mission which could finally earn the respect from his father he desperately desires. He’s there to oversee the day to day operation of the Kona Breezeway Inn, the inn his father has invested a great deal of money in.

The moment James Westerman arrives at the inn with his lawyer, Sam Sagal, he feels as if he’s a time warp, where everything at the check-in desk is still becoming handle using pens and paper, and not a computer in sight. He realizes he has a monumental task in front of him to bring the inn and its employees into the 21st Century, so it can finally turn a profit. The only thing James hadn’t expect is the owner, Hokulani Kawela’s [Hoku], resistance to make any of the much needed changes; nor did he expect the changes the island’s lifestyle would have on him.

Then there’s Hoku herself, from the moment she positioned herself six feet from James at the hula show, he got “mesmerized by Hokulani’s onyx hair and matching dark eyes, he tracked her flowing mane to her undulating hips and gaped when she stood in front of him. Her smile was magnetic and her hands delicate, but the way she moved her hips captivated him the most. He needed to know more about her.” James couldn’t anticipate the huge changes she’ll have on him as well.”

Jackie Marilla used just the right blend of business, the Hawaiian culture and romance to make her novel an extremely enjoyable read. Once I got hooked into the events in the storyline, I didn’t want to put the book down, and was able to complete a slow read so as not miss anything, in a single afternoon reading.

This book is a must read for anyone who wants to enjoy
an afternoon in an island paradise that most of us can only dream about going to. “Love Those Hula Hips” is an entertaining novella suit for adults who’re interested in a sweet romance without an abundance of sex or sex references; it is also quite suitable for NA [new adult] readers as well. Which is why I love giving this novella 5 STARS.

US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPXL6UK  

 

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KPXL6UK

 

BOOK REVIEW #14 = WHO AM I ?

One of the main reasons I bought the KINDLE Edition of Megan’s memoir is that we both belong to the same internet support group. “Rave Reviews By Nonnie Jules”  http://ravereviewsbynonniejules.wordpress.com/

I found Megan Cyrulewski’s memoir, “Who Am I?” to be an extremely poignant, gut-wrenching account of one woman’s journey into hell at the hands of her drug-addicted, abusive husband, who also from a Narcissistic Personality Disorder. In telling her story, the author clearly pulled no punches in detailing the horrific accounts of what she’d been forced to endure. One has to wonder why she allowed it continue for as long as she did.

Ms. Cyrulewski gave up so much to get nothing in return. She gave up her dream  of being an attorney because her husband wiped out the savings she had saved to pay for it to pay off his enormous debts. A major part of his problem had been he couldn’t hold on to any job he got,

Even with this horrific relationship she agreed to have a child. When her daughter,  Madelyne Rose, was born; her daughter became the means by which she survived having anxiety disorder, panic attacks, post-partum depression, visits to the psych ward, domestic violence which lead to her finally getting a divorce.

“Who Am I?” serves as a sign to any woman who has suffered or is suffering   the same kind of abuse, that there’s hope for recovery and a new life.

It is for this reason I’m not hesitating giving it the 5 STARS I’ve given it, 5 STARS which is richly deserves.

US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MBKZD9K

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MBKZD9K

Anthology To Raise Money For Guide Dogs – An Update And A Request

CALLING ALL DOG LOVERS – Check out this opportunity to help this group out and gain some additional exposure if you’re an author.

K Morris - Poet

This post is by way of an update on the anthology to raise money for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (GDBA), the UK based charity which trains dogs for the blind without receiving any financial support from the government. Thus far I have received contributions from the following people:

Sue Vincent – http://scvincent.com/

Kev Cooper – http://kevs-domain.net/

Anju – http://cupitonians.wordpress.com/ and

Sally Cronin – http://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/

Many thanks to Sally, Kev, Anju and Sue for their contributions. Thanks also go to Dave Higgins who is editing the anthology free of charge and to everyone who has offered to provide a story, poem or other contribution. The anthology is still in need of contributions. If you can provide a poem, story or other animal (preferably dog related but it doesn’t have to be) content then please do get in touch. You can contact me by e-mail at newauthoronline (at) gmail…

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BOOK REVIEW #13 – THE FIRST MADAM PRESIDENT

The topic of a woman becoming the President of the United States is not as new as one might think. On August 21, 1964 Warner Brothers released a comedy entitled “Kisses For My President,” which starred Polly Bergen as the Independent Party Candidate, Leslie McCloud, who won the election to become the first woman President of the United States. Fred MacMurray played her husband Thad McCloud.

While Kenneth J. Kerr didn’t mention it, I believe he’d been highly influenced by the ABC drama series “Commander in Chief” in the 2005-2006 television season in writing this book. In the series Geena Davis plays the Vice-President, Mackenzie Allen who ascends to the Presidency when the President, Teddy Bridges, played by Will Layman, underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor and died.  The Attorney General had told Vice President Allen that if the President should die, the party wants her to step down from the Presidency and allow the next one in line to assume the role. Naturally she refuses.

However, in “The First Madam President (and the dirty bombs), the author has her winning the election directly.  Many of the episodes in the drama series dealt with the same issues which are contained in the book; scandal, terrorism, etc.

I found the pacing of the storyline to be somewhat uneven at times. The dialogue felt stiff as well as being somewhat unrealistic as to what someone would have said if this had been a real life event. It is for these reasons I’ve given this book 3 STARS.

US:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JYKNS3S

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JYKNS3S

WEEKLY STATUS REPORT #28 – I’M BACK ! ! !

Disaster struck soon after I did my last post which had been for my 12^th book review here for Michael Storrings New York in Four Seasons, on October 14^th, my computer died. I called the concierge service I have on my computer from DELL. They walked me through a series of things to do, none of which proved to be successful. Unfortunately with the weekend approaching they couldn’t arrange for one of their certified technicians to come to my home.

When Monday came I finally received a call from the technician to arrange for an appointment to come to me, which luckily would be the next day. But unfortunately the cards were against me and he didn’t receive the part he ordered [the computer’s “motherboard”] this meant he’d come to my home the next day [Wednesday].

I should have realized the dreary overcast day with periods of rain would be the sign that nothing I’d hope will come to pass. It turned out this would be the case, because try he might, the technician could bring my computer back to life. He then immediately ordered the power supply thing-of-ma-gig which distributes the power throughout the computer. Luckily he’d come to my home before noon which meant the new part would be able to be shipped later that day. This made it seven days, an entire week; I’d be without the use of my computer.

In the morning I saw another dreary day when I looked out of one of my windows, I prayed I wouldn’t have a repeat of the day before. When the technician arrived on Thursday, I felt my heart palpitating as he installed the new part and then hit the start button on the front of the computer’s tower. When he did I heard the whirling sound of my computer coming back to life, the operation had been 100% successful. He then made sure all the settings for the computer had been correct before closing the housing for the computer.

I thanked him profusely for bringing my baby, my computer, back to life. However I still couldn’t actually use when he left due to an appointment I needed to keep. When I finally turned the computer on for the first time in almost eight days I had an unbelievable amount of emails to sort through [almost 2,500] on all of my addresses, as well as other items to handle.

The only good thing about all this had been it afforded the time to complete editing for my anthology manuscript. It took me the rest of Thursday and the entire day Friday to catch up with ALL of my emails. Yesterday, Saturday, October 25^th, I rested and entered about 10 pages of edits/rewrites for my anthology manuscript.

I’m now sending out emails, tweets, etc to/for people I couldn’t do for the pass 10 days. 

This week I’d love to finish entering my edits on my computer so I can replace the items I deleted, this time I’m going to make sure I don’t need any editing my writing extra slow. Hopefully I’ll be able to catch up on reading the e-books I haven’t been able to read and then writing my reviews for each one.

BOOK REVIEW #12 – NEW YORK IN FOUR SEASONS

Being a quintessential New Yorker I can safely say who wouldn’t enjoy a reading a book which captures the essence of the Big Apple month by month, through each season of the year?

“New York in Four Season” by Michael Storrings does precisely that. Starting with fall and the month September we’re taken through the year stopping at each of the main holiday or event for each season. Mr. Storrings’ wonderful full color illustrations definitely adds to the flavor of each of his descriptions which encapsulates the items he’s chosen to write about; albeit I’d hoped they would have been slightly longer.

This book is definitely something all New Yorkers who love their city should read at least once; this includes all those who’ve moved away and miss the wondrous sights, smells and sounds of the New York City through the year. It is also a book which would be enjoyed by all those of really love New York, but unfortunately don’t live here.

This review has been for an ARC [Advanced Reader’s Copy] for the actual finished book which I’ve received through a GiveAway on GoodReads; and is my honest opinion for the book for which I’m happy to give it my 5 STARS.

US  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250051010

UK  http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1250051010

This book is scheduled to be released on October 21, 2014

BOOK REVIEW #11 – LIGHTNING OVER BENNETT RANCH

“Lighting Over Bennett Ranch” by Amber Daulton is the first cowboy romance I’ve read, and I found it quite an enjoyable read. The lightning in this story takes on several meanings in my opinion, with the first being, the name of Melody’s horse.

Lightning, in the form of love, is also what had first come into Melody’s life at the of seventeen when she fell in love with Max[imilian] Fortaine, a drifter ranch her father had hired one summer. They had decided to run off together, however her father her naked with him under some hay in one of the paddocks on his ranch. Max disappeared without a word to Melody.

Now, eleven years later, Melody is alone. With Max’s memory still in her mind, she’s set her standards high before she’ll allow another man to enter her life. The only man who succeeded had been Harvey Clausen, but with her catching him with another woman caused Melody to eliminate him as a possibility due to his being unfaithful.

Unbeknownst to Melody, Max has returned. Will the lightning strike again? Will Melody be able to rekindle the relationship she once had with him? Will Max still love her as he did before? And what will her father say this time, should she and Max get together again? The answers to these questions are in the book.

The shortest of this story, consisting of 51 pages, doesn’t diminish amount of the emotions being generated. Gone are all the fluff and other nonessential items contained in almost every other story dealing with similar situations; which is why I’m giving it 5 STARS. 

US http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KWEFP9K

US http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00KWEFP9K

If after reading this review you might consider buying it, please indicated this on Amazon. – THANKS