Monday, November 28, 2011

Review - Out of Control


Out of Control
BY: Mary Connealy
PUBLISHED BY: Bethany House
PUBLISHED IN: 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0911-6
Pages: 329


Book one in the Kincaid Brides series is set during the Colorado Territory in 1866, where Rafe Kincaid stumbles upon an injured Julia Gilliland in a cave. Someone had cut her rope ladder and left her stranded until Rafe rescued her, breaking his personal vow never to go back into the cave again. Julia is glad to be rescued, but is even more happy to have found a fossil in the cave, in which she plans on going back. She is fascinated in geology and wants to explore the mysterious cave, while Rafe must face his past. This is a love story, so naturally the two characters fall for each other.

I have read several novels by Mary Connealy and I would have to say Out of Control is one of her best, filled with an interesting plot and characters that you’ll actually care about. The cavern is big part of the mystery and part of Rafe’s deadly past. The story is fast paced, as I read the novel quickly. I highly recommend Out of Control to all romance readers.
*I would like to thank Bethany House for sending me a copy to review. 

 
About the Author:

Mary Connealy is a Carol Award winner and a Rita Award Finalist. An author, journalists, and teacher, she lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her husband, Ivan, and has four grown daughters - Jose, married to Matt; Wendy; Shelly, married to Aaron; and Katy - and two spectacular grandchildren, Elle and Isaac.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Review - His Steadfast Love


His Steadfast Love
BY: Golden Keyes Parsons
PUBLISHED BY: Thomas Nelson
PUBLISHED IN: 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59554-629-6
Pages: 331



Set on the Gulf Coast of Texas in 1861, Amanda plans of keeping the promise she kept to her dying mother - to never get married, to never get hurt. Her plans change when she meets the handsome Captain Kent Littlefield, and he is instantly attracted to her as well. Situations become rocky when Texas leaves the Union and Amanda’s brother, Daniel, joins the Confederate States. Her love, Kent, is a union solider, and now Amanda is torn between the two men that she loves greatly.

With the dazzling cover setting the mood for this Civil War novel, I was intrigue to be beginning reading His Steadfast Love, which is a well-written and wonderfully plotted romantic novel, reminding of the North and South trilogy. I recommend the book to fans of romance and historical novels. It’s a great read. 

*I would like to thank Thomas Nelson for sending me a copy to review. 


About the Author:


Golden Keyes Parsons is the author of the highly acclaimed Darkness to Light series. She's been nominated for several awards, including the ACFW Book of the Year. She and her family live in Texas.



Tuesday, November 1, 2011

What Do Readers Want? by Nancy Brophy



What Do Readers Want? 

by Nancy Brophy

Comma’s are the bane of my existence. No matter whether I’m putting them in or leaving them out, I’m wrong. I’ve come to accept this when my friends ask, “Have you considered buying a book on punctuation?”

Comments abound on writer’s loops about the horror of Indie-pubbed authors not putting out perfect books. Even if you, like I, have someone edit for errors they still turn up. Frankly, formatting was invented by the devil. But the question isn’t about the formatting of the book. No one writing a critique praises perfect punctuation.

The real question is what do readers want?

They don’t want to trip over grammatical and punctuation errors. We all know that. No one is striving to write poorly. But readers for the most part aren’t reading to critique, they are reading because they want a good story.

More than anything else a reader wants to feel emotion. The stories we carry with us are the ones where the character resonated with us. Maybe it wasn’t the greatest story ever written, but we read it at exactly the right moment in our life. I read Little Women probably around the time I was nine or ten. For a long time, the story was my favorite going so far as to motivate me to become a writer. But I reread Little Women as an adult. What a preachy, self-serving novel. How could I have liked so much as a child? Because I loved Jo.

Our goal as writers is to evoke emotion in the reader. When we think of Scarlett O’Hara, Frodo Baggins, or Harry Potter we think of people we’ve helped overcome obstacles. Through identification with the characters, their fight is also our fight.

We, as writers, have to make their quest the best possible challenge. Your character has to face insurmountable odds and be willing to give everything. If the character holds back, the reader’s participation will skid to a halt.

In Titanic, the heroine leapt from the lifeboat onto the sinking ship to save the hero. This resonated with young girls. The heroine gave her all. Older women in the audience, many of whom could author a book, called, “What I Did for Love” may have thought the heroine was a fool, but we weren’t the ones who saw the movie fifteen times.

The reader must connect with the characters on page one. And this is craft - the heart of a good story. Because evoking emotion is not through angst, but though technique. Give your characters a quest they can’t refuse with a ticking time bomb in the background. Show me the story, don’t tell it to me. Make your setting work. Who can’t picture Tara, or Mordor or Hogswart? Utilize the five senses to draw me in.



I am reader as well as a writer. I, too, want a good story. In Hell On The Heart, Czigany Romney is perfectly happy. Yes, she’d have liked to have graduated high school, perhaps even attended college and become a CSI rather than working for her father and Uncle as an asthmatic sidekick. But leaving Armadillo Creek would be impossible. A gypsy without family would be like a ship without a rudder - directionless, unable to function.

Agent John Stillwater's scarred face reflects the life of man dedicated to protecting his country. Currently his team is dealing with a nationwide white slavery ring, but lack evidence to prove it. An unusual set of circumstances in a nowhere town in Texas leads John to investigate. Can a petite gypsy woman bring down a man the FBI can't find?

I would love to hear your comments.

Monday, October 31, 2011

13 Days of Halloween: CDF: Sons of Destiny Review



Cirque Du Freak: Sons of Destiny
BY: Darren Shan
PUBLISHED BY: Little, Brown and Company
PUBLISHED IN: 2006
ISBN: 0-316-15629-9
Pages: 240
Ages: Teen & Up

In this 12th and final installment of the Cirque Du Freak series, the time has finally come for Darren to fight his ex-best friend, Steve Leopard. Darren reunites his nephew with his sister, Annie. He learns that Mr. Tall was Mr. Tiny’s son. In addition, even shocking news is that Darren and Steve are half-brothers. Their really father is actually Mr. Tiny. In addition, Mr. Tiny is the father of Evans.

One last fight occurs and Steve stabs Darren and kills him.  Darren finds himself in the lake of souls.  He has been turned into a little person just like Harkat.  Darren is given a chance to go back in time to the night he first saw the Cirque Du Freak perform. Will he change his destiny?

It is hard to describe the final book. There are many twists and turns thrown in that at times make it confusing.  I thought it was a little silly to have Mr. Tiny have several children. Despite its flaws, the ending is bittersweet.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

13 Days of Halloween: CDF: Lord of the Shadows Review



Cirque Du Freak: Lord of the Shadows
BY: Darren Shan
PUBLISHED BY: Little, Brown and Company
PUBLISHED IN: 2005
ISBN: 0-316-15628-0
Pages: 220
Ages: Teen & Up

Darren Shan returns to his home time.  He learns that his parents have moved away.  His sister is now grown and has a child of her own.  He runs into and old friend, Tommy, who is later murdered.  He soon learns that the Lord Vampanese, Steve, in is in town after more murders occur.  Steve now has a child named Darious.

Debbie and Alice Burgess is town too.  They are helping the vampires build their army.  Darren, Harkat, and the women go to the Cirque Du Freak.  Vancha March later joins them.  Mr. Tall, the owner of the Cirque Du Freak, told them no matter who won the war, an evil dictator known as the Lord of the Shadows would rise, rule and destroy the world.

Two of Steve’s men, R.V. and Morgan James, attack the Cirque and kills several of Darren’s friends.

This is one of the better sequels.  I am glad to see that the author brought back Darren’s sister.  I must warn you that a few characters die in this installment, leading up to the shocking cliffhanger.


Saturday, October 29, 2011

13 Days of Halloween: CDF: The Lake of Souls Review


Cirque Du Freak: The Lake of Souls
BY: Darren Shan
PUBLISHED BY: Little, Brown and Company
PUBLISHED IN: 2005
ISBN: 0-316-15627-2
Pages: 265
Ages: Teen & Up

This is the tenth and longest book in the series.  After the murder of, Mr. Crepsley, Darren and Harket return to the Cirque Du Freak.  Darren sends Debbie and Alice Burgess to Vampire Mountain where they can be safe from Steve and his army of Vampanese.

Mr. Tiny tells Darren it is time for him to help Harket find out who he is. They journey to a barren waste world to discover Harket’s previous identity.

 This book could be written in less than fifty pages but instead is dragged out to two hundred and 265.  I found it hard to get through. There are a few twists and turns to keep you interested, but I do not recommend this book.  It is the worse in the series.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Friday Hops


http://crazy-for-books.com/2011/10/book-blogger-hop-1028-1031.html

Question of the week: What is your favorite Halloween costume? Even if you don’t celebrate, what kinds of costumes do you like?

My answer: I haven't dressed up from Halloween since I was in fifth grade, but I would have to say my favorite costume was just a hockey mask.






Question of the week: 
If you could have dinner with your favorite book character, who would you eat with and what would you serve?

My Answer. I would like to have dinner with the vampire Pam from the Sookie Stackhouse novels. I would eat grilled chicken while Pam is sipping on a bottle of TrueBlood. 

13 Days of Halloween: CDF: Killers of the Dawn Review




Cirque Du Freak: Killers of the Dawn
BY: Darren Shan
PUBLISHED BY: Little, Brown and Company
PUBLISHED IN: 2003
ISBN: 0-316-15626-4
Pages: 208
Ages: Teen & Up
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Picking up where the previous book left off, Darren, Mr. Crepsley, Vancha and Harket on the hunt of the vampaneze through the cities tunnels. The police and an angry mob are also hunting them.

The police chief inspector, Alice Burgess briefly integrates Darren. Then she is kidnapped by the vampanese.  Darren and friends must battle the vampanese and their lord, Steve.

The first half of this book is boring. The action picks up in the second half leading to another cliffhanger. I did not care for the ending.




Wednesday, October 26, 2011

13 Days of Halloween - Halloween Night Review

It’s late at night and I’m attempting to get this new Halloween post written as I have almost completely forgotten about it. Today’s post will be a short review on the 1993 Point Horror Classic by R.L. Stine, one of the most best-selling writers of children books. I first read the book back in middle school, but somehow, somewhere, I have misplaced the book. Over the years, thanks to thrift stores, I have obtained not only one copy, but two. The cover features a creepy jack-o-lantern, which is completely different than the cover I found online to use with this post, with a butcher knife sticking out of it, reminding me of the beginning credits of the horror movie, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Meyers. 

With Halloween several days away, teenager Brenda Morgan is planning a Halloween party with her friends, Traci and Dina, but they are also planning on something much deadlier - murdering Brenda’s cousin, Halley! Her cousin moved in with Brenda's family because her parents are going through a nasty divorce, but she keeps interfering in Brenda’s life, stealing away Brenda's boyfriend, Ted, and she keeps borrowing the car without asking first. Of course, the girls aren’t really planning a murdering Halley. Their just using her name for a character in a murder mystery short story for class, at least that is what they originally planned.

Strange things begin to happen to Brenda as Halloween nears, blood is smeared on her bedroom wall, a headless bird is left in a pumpkin, and chunks of rotten meat are left in her bed. Is Halley responsible for all this?

Halloween Night is a sweet, quick read. The plot is well written and the bitterness Brenda has for Halley is believable, reminding me of how I felt about a few relatives at the age. There are several twist and turns throughout the book, including a stabbing at the party. It’s a great read to get you into the Halloween mood.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

13 Days of Halloween: Excerpt from Day of Revenge


Excerpt from Day of Revenge 

by Deanna Proach


In the center of the city square, between the tall buildings and the Seine River stands the guillotine. Its wooden scaffold is tall—more than three feet higher than Henri’s head. A set of stairs lead up to the scaffold. Perpendicular to the base of the tall frame lays a six foot long plank where the condemned are forced to lay. Two sets of leather belts, attached to either side of the low plank, are used to tie them down to prevent them from escaping. A large basket stands on the opposite side of the platform to catch the heads when they fall. The basket and the scaffold surrounding the frame is painted red with the victims’ blood, and the large bloodstain on the triangular blade is a gruesome symbol of revolutionary justice.
The guillotine’s frame and heavy blade is visible to all. Any person looking out of his or her fourth-story apartment within the surrounding area can easily see the blade rise and fall each day.
Henri seethes when he sees a group of women set up wooden chairs around the guillotine’s scaffold. Well, Citoyen Robespierre is preparing for another mass murder and those old bitches can’t wait to see that cursed instrument be put to use.

I wonder what it would be like to be inside a revolutionary tribunal in France at that time...

The large chamber is filled with people to the point where no empty seat is to be found. Most of the people are Jacobin members; but a small number of peasants, tradesmen, merchants, and even priests, who had renounced their Catholic faith, are present. The wives of Jacobin members are the only women permitted to sit in the hearing of the trials. All of these women express their denunciations of the accused by spitting on them and shouting “Off with their heads.” One woman even carries a miniature guillotine and shows it to her group of friends. She rises and drops the tiny blade while laughing and mocking the imminent fate of the accused. “May the traitors burn in hell forever,” she shouts over and over again. Wooden guillotine earrings dangle from a number of the women’s ears.

All of the Jacobin members are clad in the revolutionary uniform—the men in blue and red carmagnole coats, plain white cotton or flannel shirts, and red and white striped slacks. All are wearing the familiar red night cap. The non-Jacobin members are clad in plain off-white flannel shirts, brown or beige trousers and frayed cotton stockings. These people, including the women, all wear a fist-sized blue, white and red cockade attached to their shirt or dress bodice. A large tri-colored ribbon extends across the entire tribunal, hung from the marble pillars on either side of the room which separates the audience from the judges and the condemned. The same ribbons also adorn the pulpit of the chief revolutionary judge Antoine-Quentin Fouquier-Tinville. Beside him on the left hand side sits Robespierre, while Robespierre’s most powerful colleagues, Citoyens Camille Desmoulins, Pierre-Gaspard Chaumette, Georges Danton, Georges Couthon and Louis de Saint-Just are seated beside the pulpit.

The large room is quite dark as it has narrow, medium sized windows situated close to the ceiling. The thick dust on the windows acts as a barrier to the daylight and since they are always closed, no fresh air enters the room to clear it of its musty smell. It is no wonder why many victims stutter or faint when they are seated before the cold and malicious Fouquier-Tinville. The loud jeers of the spectators also make the atmosphere of the tribunal room very hostile and terrifying even to the most confident and head-strong victims.

Visit Deanna Proach's at http://desstories.blogspot.com/ and http://www.deannaproach.com/.