Review of Lovely War by Julie Berry

This may not be your normal review. I’m just gonna tell it like it is. I’ve been waiting for this book with an unhealthy amount of anticipation. Since the moment I pre-ordered it on Amazon, I’ve been stalking its delivery like a total weirdo. My UPS man already thinks I’m crazy, so whatever.

When I first heard the premise of Lovely War—Greeks Gods and World Wars I and II—I impulsively clapped my hands because I knew Julie Berry would do something incredible with this. And people, it is incredible! Lovely War is that reading experience we readers crave like a drug. It only takes a few pages—a few lines, really—and you’re standing next to the characters. You see their eyes blink, their hands twitch, a drop of sweat run down their neck. And then it happens—we step into their skin and feel their pain and their joy. We get to feel everything. Lovely War is 468 pages of this.

And then there’s Aphrodite. She’s the one telling the story. We get to be in her head. What Julie Berry did with the voice that is Aphrodite is pure magic. I nJulie Berryever thought I could love a character who was at the same time so iconically perfect and heart-breakingly flawed as Aphrodite, but I do. I want to be her friend in real life. I want to follow her around and hear all her thoughts and witty asides, especially when she thinks no one is listening. You need Aphrodite in your life. You need Lovely War. Go buy it and read it. You’ll see what I mean. In the meantime, I’ll be out buying a pink coat (reference “weirdo” comment above).

Review of Storm Tide (Storm Series Book 3) by Melanie Mason


Eridale Storm has a lot on her plate, all of which involve overwhelming conflicts. What she does to save her sister’s life throws the empire into chaos. Eridale’s memory returns but with it comes a whole slew of frightening choices—who does she trust, what does she believe and how does she save the divided empire? Above all, though, she must decide who she is—rebel or princess. And if this were not enough on her plate, she must understand her own heart and who she loves. But don’t you worry, Eridale Storm is up to all of this.

In Melanie Mason’s third installment of her Storm Series, Storm Tide, we pick up where we left Eridale—something I especially like in a series—right in the middle of the action. As with the previous books, Melanie does a great job weaving suspense with character development and the story. It moves and slows at a wonderful pace. You’re well into the book before you know it and then you can’t put it down. The last hundred pages I read in the middle of the night, clenching the book with a death grip. I even tore a page trying to turn it too quickly.

Melanie has given us another installment with a heroine that the reader—especially young women—can believe and admire. Eridale must make hard choices, give and receive forgiveness, trust, and love in almost impossible circumstances. Buy this series and put it in the hands of a young woman you love. But read it first. . . and try not to tear a page.

And look for Freedom Storm, the fourth and final book in the Storm Series SOON…. I HOPE…Right, Melanie? 🙂

Book Review and Giveaway! The Husband Hunt by Anna Jones Buttimore ~ published by Walnut Springs Press

Be sure to visit my Facebook page for a chance to win a new copy of The Husband Hunt by Anna Jones Buttimore. I’ll pick a winner on Wednesday, October 3rd!

In The Husband Hunt by Anna Jones Buttimore, a high school reunion brings four friends—Maralee, Jen, Amelia, and Dolphin—back together. Their lives are dramatically different, yet they have one thing in common: they’re all single. They decide to make a contest to solve their love-life woes—the first one to marry within the next year will have her fantasy wedding courtesy of the other three. This contest launches a humorous yet introspective journey for these four women, one we are fortunate to join.

Anna does a fantastic job with this realistic look at maneuvering the minefield that can be single life. We connect with these believable women, feeling their insecurities and cheering their triumphs as they come to understand themselves and what they really want in a companion.

Whether you are single or married, take this journey with Maralee, Jen, Amelia, and Dolphin in The Husband Hunt. Through laughter and a few tears, you will come to love these women . . . and may learn something new about your own heart.

Thank you, Anna, for a wonderful read!

You can find The Husband Hunt at Amazon.com. And be sure to stop by my Facebook page and enter the giveaway – you may win a new copy of this wonderful story on October 3rd!

Teddi Richardson and Allison Kartchner you won! You will each receive new, signed copies of Storm Child and Imperial Storm by Melanie Mason.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did 🙂

Review and Book Giveaway ~ Storm Child and Imperial Storm by Melanie Mason

Be sure and visit my Facebook page for a chance to win a new copy of Storm Child and Imperial Storm by Melanie Mason! Deadline is Friday, August 17th.

Storm Child:Eridale Storm is a brave young girl. She must leave the village she grew up in to save her sister and herself from the dangerous Imperial soldiers. The only safety she knows is hundreds of miles away with a mother she never knew. Can she survive the brutal wilds of a dramatically changed future America? Can she discover and rely on the inner strength she was born with? And will her mother be the person she believes her to be?

Melanie Mason’s Storm Child, the first in her YA dystopian Storm Series, is a riveting tale that captures you from the first exciting page. She takes us into a post-apocalyptic America but never loses us in this new world. The settings are rich with detail and at the same time allows your imagination to do what it does best—make it all real. Her characters are round and relatable, particularly the main character, Eridale Storm, who is strong, compassionate and yet capable of making mistakes.

Melanie Mason is a talented writer, weaving an adventure we feel a part of. The inner struggles her characters are working through are struggles we have. Moral courage is championed and virtue esteemed. I gave Storm Child, as well as the second book in this series, Imperial Storm, to my granddaughters. They loved them, devouring them in just a few days . . . just like their grandma. What a delight to hand these books filled with such excellent role models to these young girls! Thank you, Melanie, for bringing to life these wonderful books.
Imperial Storm:Eridale can’t remember a thing about the past seventeen years of her life. She must rely on what others tell her, but what’s true and what’s not? And who can she trust? She is living the life of a princess and all those around her tell her this comfortable exitance has always been hers. Yet flashes of her past show her otherwise. More than ever she must rely on her inner voice to know what is real. Her life may depend on it.

In Melanie Mason’s second installment of her YA dystopian Storm Series, Imperial Storm, the story of Eridale Storm continues. If you thought the first book, Storm Child, was exciting, you had better prepare yourself for this heart-thumping page turner! Melanie does an amazing job with this continuation and before you know it, you’re on the last page . . . and you pick your phone up and message her, wanting to know when the next book will be out because you’ve just got to know what’s going to happen next . . . but you don’t want to sound annoying . . . but you want to know NOW!

Don’t worry. You’re not alone. I get you. Melanie?

You can find Storm Child and Imperial Storm at Amazon.com. Check out Melanie’s website and blog, too. And be sure and visit my Facebook page to enter the book giveaway  – winner chosen on Friday, the 17th!

Review and Book Giveaway of Baker’s Dozen by Amey Zeigler

Be sure and visit my Facebook page for a chance to win a new copy of Baker’s Dozen by Amey Zeigler. A winner will be chosen on March 19th!

If you’re craving a romantic suspense novel, Amey Zeigler’s Baker’s Dozen will satisfy perfectly. The story is full of action and romantic angst with an Alias-meets-James-Bond vibe—right down to those Bond-like abs on the cover!

Andy Miller is an investigative journalist who’s not afraid to put on a wig and headbutt a crook to uncover the truth, especially if it involves exposing shady business deals. But when she discovers what Michael Tyrone and Imperial Energy are up to, and who they’ve hurt, she realizes she needs help to take them down. Enter Hugh and his amazing abs . . . along with his numerous cover identities and an arsenal of bad-guy-catching skills. But can Hugh be trusted? When is he really telling the truth? Can he and Andy trust each other and join efforts to stop Tyrone’s evil forces?

Baker’s Dozen is a cleverly crafted and wonderfully entertaining story. There is a nice proportion of suspenseful twists and mildly spicy chemistry that will keep the reader moving from chapter to chapter wanting to know how it will all turn out. I am confident I am not the only one seriously hoping Zeigler continues Andy Miller’s adventures with Hugh—or whatever name he’s going by. Ab-man works for me. Thank you, Amey Zeigler, for a great read!

You can find Baker’s Dozen at Amazon.com. And be sure to visit my Facebook page to enter the book giveaway – I’ll choose a winner on March 19th.