Friday, February 3, 2012

Dragons Away!

by: K.D. Berry

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
It seemed like such a good idea at the time ... a wager with the devious, dangerous and probably quite deranged King Davkosh of the Southern Realms. Half the kingdom staked in a race between mystery contenders. Ten leagues, point to point as the –er– crow flies.

Drewdop the Illusionist is quick to point out the flaws in this plan and is tasked with a secret spy mission - to find out just what kind of invincible champion Davkosh has training at home.

Travelling in magical disguise causes unforeseen complications for Drewdop, while his half-ogre bodyguard, in the guise of a beautiful woman, certainly turns a few heads.

But Drewdop soon discovers that the great race is the least of their worries. Davkosh's glamorous, fiery and ruthless queen, Gunora, is massing an army ready for attack whatever the outcome.

Meanwhile, deep in the dark forest, one of Davkosh's elite royal messengers is facing his own perilous destiny - how to become the world's first and only surviving dragon rider...


Look at that cover! Who can pass by such a magnificent looking dragon without being just a little curious? I've read some bad fantasy recently though so I was leery. Boy was I surprised, this book is awesome!

Both the writing and the story progression are smooth. The story is fairly fast paced. I can't tell how many pages it is...I haven't figured out how to do that on the Kindle yet. It's not a short novel, but reads easily in a few days. It is occasionally silly, and sometimes deadly serious.

I loved the name Drewdop...I still call him Dew Drop in my head. He's a magician, set up to look like a cliche wizard but the only magic he can do are illusions. It comes in handy, but there are more than a few occasions where he is frustrated by his lack of magic. He is, however, smart...at least more intelligent than the king. King Credos, while being a bit naive, is a nice person and treats his subjects well. His kingdom is doing well and is full of happy people.

King Davkosh and his wife Gunara are really not any more intelligent than King Credos, but meaner than a crabby rattlesnake. They regularly feed people to their alligators - especially if they need an influx of cash. Queen Gunara also thinks she is invulnerable.

Urkhart, the half-ogre was my favorite character. He was really a sweetheart, but people shunned him because he looked mostly like the ogre half. His ogre half did come to the front when he was in the heat of battle, though!

This is honestly the best piece of fantasy fiction I've picked up in a long time. And K.D. Berry is a penname for a husband and wife team from New Zealand. Oh and the best bit of news, looks like there could be another one for these characters. At least the ending gave a strong hint. Yeah!


Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Three Girls and a Leading Man

by: Rachel Schurig

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
Annie Duncan has never put much stock in true love. Sure, she loves dating, but she gets more than her share of drama working as a struggling actress—she can live without the romantic kind, thank you very much.

Instead, Annie focuses her energy on her two best friends, Jen and Ginny. And now that she finally appears to be getting her big break, Annie couldn’t be happier with the way things are going. When she meets Nate during a weekend away in Vegas, she figures she'll just have an exhilarating fling—even if he is totally adorable and clearly into her. But when Annie finds herself falling for Nate, she's faced with a choice she never wanted to make.

In Three Girls and a Leading Man, Annie Duncan attempts to chase her dreams and keep her heart under control. Her heart, however, may have different ideas!


*fist pump* Yes! Yes! Yes! I was so happy to get this one. I received a really early version in order to beta read...but busy holidays and a rush by Rachel Schurig meant I missed it. But yesterday I figured I'll read it anyway and review it. Luckily my Nook allows me to read word documents...only I can't make any notes or changes and it doesn't remember where I'm at if I close it at anytime.

Regardless of my issues with Microsoft and Nook, I was hooked. Even though I was as sick as a dog I couldn't put it down. I literally read it all yesterday afternoon. I followed the boys as they played in their room and played in my room, I was buried in my Nook. (**update - I wrote this weeks ago! lol**)

The flow is perfect. You can really feel what is going on with Annie. And really she's a mess, and even though she refuses to get that, you pick it up from how she treats people around her and their reactions to her. I knew from the first 2 books (Three Girls and a Baby and Three Girls and a Wedding) that Annie has issues getting close to men. What struck her in this book was watching her friends deepening their relationships with their boyfriend and husband. Jen moves in with Matt, Gina talks about how she loves being married and it's a partnership. Annie just assumed Gina would resent having to take Josh into consideration when making decisions. No, it's good to be with another person and it means you have to give and take.

Well a free trip to Vegas and Annie meats Mr. Maybe. She clicks with him, he gets through her tough girl exterior. He's also unlike anyone she has ever dated before. He scared the crap out of her, that's how you know he was good for her. He took her so far out of her comfort zone. But will she drop the act and let him all the way in or will she run away?

You'll have to read, and really for $2.99 can you go wrong? I'd call this a romantic comedy, and she recently changed the covers - love them! I wonder what she's going to write now!


Monday, January 30, 2012

Hippie Boy: A Girl's Story

by: Ingrid Ricks

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
What would you do if your Mormon stepfather pinned you down and tried to cast Satan out of you? For thirteen-year-old Ingrid, the answer is simple: RUN.

For years Ingrid has begged her free-wheeling dad to let her join him on the road as a tool-selling vagabond to escape the suffocating poverty and religion at home. When her devout Mormon mother married Earl―a homeless Vietnam vet who exploits the religion’s male-dominated culture to oppress and abuse her family―she finally gets her wish. Ingrid spends the next few summers living on the margins while hustling tools with her dad and his slimy, revolving sales crew. He becomes her lifeline and escape from Earl. But when her dad is arrested, she learns the lesson that will change her life: she can’t look to others to save her; she has to save herself.


Catchy cover - when I saw it on my Kindle...I had forgotten downloading it. But the cover grabbed me one afternoon when I was bored to tears waiting for my son's bus. And then I couldn't put it down. I wasn't expecting such a great story...and so mild.

For some reason I was expecting a really twisted, out there tale. But it was fairly vanilla. Which is good, I think teens on up can enjoy this book. Even with nothing really terrible happening, it holds your interest. Ingrid is a great story teller. I think that this being a memoir helps. To be fair I thought this was fiction when I read it. I didn't realize it was true until I read the Author Notes at the end.

It's a story about a girl and her Mormon family. Her mom is just about insane about church, while her father (who was raised Mormon) is excommunicated. When her mom remarries, the man is about as appealing as anthrax. He eats nothing but meat, which along with his lack of bathing (I'm assuming) leads to a very, very bad smell. Plus he's a leach, a jerk and just generally creepy.

My heart breaks for her because, really, neither parent treats her like she is worth much. Her dad is her hero, and she loves spending her summers traveling around with him. During the school year she lives with her mom and her stinky step-dad, plus 2 sisters (1 older and 1 younger) and 2 younger brothers. The timeline goes from when she is 9 yrs old until 17, and it really is a coming of age tale.

It's not free anymore, but it's only $1.99 for the Kindle - not bad, right? Ingrid Ricks does a great job weaving this tale of her childhood/teenage years.


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