Review: The New World, by Patrick Ness

Title: The New World
Author: Patrick Ness
Rating: 4/5 Stars

“In this dramatic prequel to the award-winning Chaos Walking Trilogy, author Patrick Ness gives us a short story of Viola’s journey to the New World.” (description from Goodreads)

This was a good short story that has made me want to check out the rest of the trilogy that goes along with it. While I know it was a short story, I feel like I was left wanting just a little more at the end. At the same time, I understand that it’s more to lead you into the series and not to be a fully independent stand alone. Overall that didn’t alter my enjoyment of the story.

I really liked the concept that this was a group of people who grew up never knowing what living on a planet was like. In a way it’s the opposite of our view on most science fiction dealing with primarily with space travel. We’re a people who don’t know what it’s like to be in space or on a spaceship. The characters in this story never knew was it’s like to be on a planet, with real gravity, weather, a sun, etc. I think that’s one of the things that grew me into the story.

I hope the series explores this a little more, as well as gets as exciting as I feel it can get with the new experiences of planet-life can bring.

You can grab a copy of this story for FREE (at the time of posting) from:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo

The audio book is also free, from Amazon

About the Author:

Patrick Ness, an award-winning novelist, has written for England’s Radio 4 and Sunday Telegraph and is a literary critic for The Guardian. He has written many books, including the Chaos Walking Trilogy,The Crash of Hennington, Topics About Which I Know Nothing, and A Monster Calls.

He has won numerous awards, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Booktrust Teenage Prize, and the Costa Children’s Book Award. Born in Virginia, he currently lives in London.

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#Review: Subject to Change, by Alessandra Thomas (ARC Review)

Title: Subject to Change (Picturing Perfect #2)
Author: Alessandra Thomas
Rating: 4/5 Stars

“Joey made her dad a deathbed promise that she would become a doctor, and dedicate herself to fighting the very cancer that took his life. There’s just one problem -three years into her pre-med classes, she’s struggling to stay on top of the curve, let alone prove she’s dazzling enough to earn a spot in an Ivy League medical school. In a Hail Mary move, she throws a basic Business 101 class into her semester schedule, banking on a perfect score to boost her GPA.

That is, until she’s paired for a final project with Hawk, the bartending, motorbike-riding, gorgeously bedheaded loser who falls asleep in class and communicates in one-word sentences.

Hawk does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, which sets Joey on edge – in every possible way…” (read the full description on Goodreads)

*This is an ARC review

I first met Joey’s character in Alessandra Thomas’ debut, Picture Perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed that book, and getting the chance to read another book relating to those characters…well, I just had to read it. While Subject to Change is in the Picturing Perfect series, as is Picture Perfect, I liked that readers don’t necessarily have to read book one before reading this one. Though, I do suggest reading both just because they were great.

In Subject to Change we get to see another side of Joey and see what she’s going through in college and life. She’s a determined pre-med student striving to fulfill  a promise made to her deceased father. I respected this goal because while struggling through her workload and lack of understanding of some course work, she selflessly pushed on for her father. This is one of the driving forces in her character.

Like all great romances, in walks a guy to stir things up. I liked Hawk’s character as well. He was a great catalyst to Joey really finding herself. While is a bit of an asshole, he seemed to have enough good reasons for his attitude. It somehow worked for me.

While I enjoyed the story overall, I liked the characters, the plot, we get a little view of the city again (I liked that about Picture Perfect), I feel that a few spots were lacking and changed some of the feel of the story. I could have used a little more focus on Joey doing rounds, or a few more details into the project that Joey and Hawk were working on for class, though I do understand why it was a little vague to a point. I think aspects like this could have strengthened a few elements in the plot, as well as the decisions characters made.

I can’t leave the review off on a (very slight) negative note, can I? No, I won’t. It was a great book either way. Alessandra has made her way into my favorite author’s list through her second success (in my eyes at least). I’m looking forward to reading many more books from her,  for as long as she keeps writing them.

Subject to Change is set to release on June 25th. In the meantime,  here are links to grab a copy of Picture Perfect. That should hold you over for a bit.

Amazon | B&N

About the Author:

Alessandra Thomas is a New Adult writer who swears she was in her twenties yesterday. Since that’s sadly untrue, she spends her time looking back on her college years fondly, and writing sexy stories about guys and girls falling in love and really living life for the first time.

When she’s not writing, you can find her with a spoonful of ice cream in one hand and the newest New Adult release in the other.

Picture Perfect is Aless’s first New Adult novel. She had so much fun writing it that it definitely won’t be her last.

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Review: The Ghost of Nan Clarks Lane, by Shalini Boland

Title: The Ghost of Nan Clarks Lane
Author: Shalini Boland
Rating: 4/5 Stars

“It’s 1940 and twins Jimmy and Patrick are off to catch frogs in the North London countryside. But as the day unfolds, Jimmy realises that the ghost of Nan Clarks Lane may be more than just a story.

(Also contains Chapter One from the full length novel A Shirtful of Frogs.)

Suitable for both adults and children aged 10+” (description from Goodreads)

The Ghost of Nan Clarks Lane is nice and short.

Boland does a nice job of creating the setting, the main characters, and the storyline in only a few thousand words. While there was more backstory that could have been told, there was just enough extra given without there being any fluff to fill in any gaps.

The twins, Jimmy and Patrick take this innocent trip to catch frogs, but then it turns into a much different outcome to the day. I enjoyed the build-up to the climax of the story and it was a little different than I expected from it. That’s always a sign of a good story.

While I note that the author used the word count effectively, I can also see how a few aspects of the story could have fleshed out just a little more. Being that this is a story related to Boland’s novel A Shirtful of Frogs, I’m sure some of what I would have enjoyed reading more of, would be in the novel.

This is a story young children will likely like to read, as well as adults looking for some light but enjoyable reading.

You can grab a copy of The Ghost of Nan Clarks Lane from:

Smashwords (FREE)

Amazon ($0.99)
The author’s trying to get this free on Amazon. Please help her and readers out by reporting the free link(s) to Amazon

About the Author:

Books and music are my passion and I’ve always been a writer in some shape or form. Before children, I was signed to Universal Music as a singer/songwriter. I collaborated with some amazing musicians and was lucky enough to sing with Basement Jaxx on their album Rooty and live on stage. But that all seems like several lifetimes ago.

Now I combine motherhood with writing fiction. I write the kinds of books I love to read – gripping adventures with a spattering of supernatural and a sprinkling of romance.

I also get stupidly over-excited when people leave comments on my blog, so please feel free to say what’s on your mind.

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Review: Bound for Pleasure, by Suzy Ayers

Title: Bound for Pleasure
Author: Suzy Ayers
Rating: 4/5 Stars

“While she sleeps she’s unaware he’s watching; planning a completely erotic and very steamy event. When she awakes, her inner slut and wanton desires unleash in this erotic short and it will leave you wanting to be tied and satisfied…

This erotic short story is intended for Adults 18+” (description from Goodreads)

Suzy Ayers brings her readers a very sexy story with Bound for Pleasure. What it lacks in length, it makes up for in its sensual and descriptive nature.

There’s a mixture of a feeling of love between the characters and a lust for sexual gratification that really pushes this story along. I especially enjoyed the change in the narrator’s demeanor during this encounter.

For those looking for a steamy, fast read, one that can be read over and over, Bound for Pleasure might just be right for you.

You can grab a copy of Bound for Pleasure from:

Amazon

About the Author:

I grew up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts and a lot of my romance novels are based in the New England area. I’m a wife and currently a stay at home mom.

I write romance across many genres including: Fantasy, Paranormal and Erotic. I have some erotic short stories that twist into happily ever after’s. My writing is focused around love, although not always in the conventional way.

I love to read and devour books at a rapid pace. I’m also passionate about music; you’ll find me singing everywhere. I’m that mom in the SUV singing next to you. When I remember, I practice yoga. I love to laugh and be surrounded by people who make me laugh. My other creative outlet is cooking.

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Review: Your Favorite Girl, by Steph Sweeney

Title: Your Favorite Girl
Author: Steph Sweeney
Rating: 4/5 Stars

“When Melissa Reed, a twenty-two-year-old housewife, discovers her millionaire husband Ted has been cheating on her with a recent high school graduate from down the street, she begins to investigate his private life. In his little black book, she finds a single address and phone number: that of Your Favorite Girl, Inc.

Assuming it’s an escort service, Melissa dials the number, only to find she’s stumbled upon a secret corporation dedicated to engineering the most erotic sexual creatures in the history of man.

And Melissa can’t resist making a purchase.

Your Favorite Girl is best described as an erotic romance thriller, the first in a three-part series.” (description from Goodreads)

Your Favorite Girl ended up being a very refreshing novel to read. It’s very different from other books I’ve seen recently, and I’m very glad I read this one.

What I really liked about this book is that I didn’t know where it was going to go next. The story just keeps unfolding and unfolding with more and more plot points that kept me flipping the pages needing more. Just when you start getting a handle on the situation, there’s another slight twist. This book is part mystery in the sense that a main goal Melissa has is uncovering just what Your Favorite Girl, Inc is. It’s part romance, but it’s a difficult romance to place, and that made things fun. It’s also part erotica. When you have Your Favorite Girls in the mix, there’s no way things can get sexy…and this novel is sexy.

I think Sweeney did a great job in setting up the characters in this book. They’re very well-developed and each play a role in the story’s progression, no matter how small of a point. There are even some minor characters that I grew fond of, even in the short time that they were part of the story. I hope that others, who seem to have a larger, but still unknown  role, come back in book 2 to play their part.

While I enjoyed this book from beginning to end, I felt that there were only a few things that fell flat. In no way was this a bad book, but there was some room for a little extra umph during some key plot points.

Despite the rare dull moment, there was a plethora of great material in Your Favorite Girl. Book 2 can’t come out soon enough. I was left NEEDING the next installment, and that’s always a good feeling (even if it’s torturous at times).

You can grab a copy of Your Favorite Girl from:

Amazon | Smashwords | Kobo | B&N

*Note: This book is free from all retailers linked above, at the time this review was posted.*

About the Author:

Hi!  I’m Steph, a new erotica author.  My debut novel, Your Favorite Girl, an erotic romance thriller, hit the Amazon Erotica Bestseller list in its first week, and now I’m at work on the next installment in the three book series, His Favorite Girl.

I write with an emphasis on realism and aesthetics.  I want it to feel real.  Sometimes this calls for explicit descriptions and language.  I urge you to pass my work by if you are offended by open sexuality.

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