Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Review - Middle School: Master of Disaster

Available on AMAZON and WALMART!

When dd FedEx start delivering packages on Sunday?

I was surprised when I received the book Middle School: Master of Disaster by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts a day before its release. And, no, it's not an ARC! I had pre-ordered the book on Walmart.com last month while I was ordering a few other things.

Middle School: Master of Disaster is the 12th book in James Patterson's popular children's book series Middle School. However, this isn't your typical Middle School story starring Rafe Khatchadorian. Instead, we (and I'm referring to the readers) are getting short stories featuring characters from almost every James Patterson's children's book series, such as Max Einstein, Jamie Grimm, Jacky Ha-Ha , PottyMouth and Stoopid, The Kidds, and Rafe Khatchadorian.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Review - Bitchcraft

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Buy Bitchcraft on AMAZON!
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Bitchcraft is a supernatural & paranormal anthology with stories by J.A. Cummings, S.B. Rhodes, Lindy S. Hudis, Katie Jaarsveld, J.M. Goodrich.

A young girl accused of witchcraft in the late 1500s, a grandmother’s dying request, three girls who get more than they bargained for while seeking revenge, college students who play with forces they do not understand, and a woman’s search for her ancestor’s legacy. Take a look inside to learn more about the witches of Bitchcraft.

I think it's pretty obvious why what attracted me to Bitchcraft - it was the title! As well as the neat the cover art.

Bitchcraft is a supernatural anthology featuring the stories Phoenix Rising by S.B. Rhodes, Tabitha by J.A. Cummings, The Summoning by Lindy S. Hudis, Hidden Consequences by Katie Jaarsveld, and Dead Girls Don't Cry by J.M. Goodrich. As you can probably guess by the title, the stories all involve witches or some sort of witchcraft.

Out of the five tales, my favorite is The Summoning, which is a retelling of Bloody Mary, a legend that centers around a person looking at a mirror in the dark and repeating Bloody Mary three times. In this tale, a witch will come out of the mirror. I'm not going to give any spoilers but the author, Lindy S. Hudis, crafted a few twists that I quite enjoyed.

Dead Girls Don't Cry reminded be a bit too much of the horror movie The Craft. It's was an alright read but the "revenge" plot has been done to death.

Phoenix Rising centers around a young girl who dabbles into the world of witchcraft. While it seems harmless to her, the local villagers have a completely different opinion. The story starts off a little slow but it ended up being a good read.

Tabitha and Hidden Consequences were my least favorites. They're well-written but I just didn't care for the plots.

Overall, the Bitchcraft anthology should appeal to most supernatural and paranormal readers. Like most anthologies, some stories are better than others.



$20 Amazon

Samhain Secrets eBook

(1 winner each)

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!


J. A. Cummings was born in Flint, Michigan and was raised in a nearby town called Clio. Appropriately enough for someone growing up in a place named for the Muse of history, she developed a passion for reading and the past that continues to this day. Her love of poetry and storytelling quickly followed.


S.B. Rhodes — I am a writer and editor. I have known that I wanted to be a writer since I was eight years old, and I am thrilled to be able to make that dream a reality. I am working on a novel, which I hope to publish sometime in the near future. I also write articles and do some freelancing. I mostly do ghostwriting, and I have recently begun to branch out and do more of my own work as well.


Lindy S. Hudis is a graduate of New York University, where she studied drama at Tisch School of the Arts. She also performed in a number of Off-Off Broadway theater productions while living in New York City.

She is the author of several titles, including her romance suspense novel, Weekends, her "Hollywood" story City of Toys, and her crime novel, Crashers. Her latest release, "L.A. Foxx: Hollywood Underworld" is the first installment of a crime, mystery series.

She is also the author of several erotic short stories, including "The S&M Club," "The Backstage Pass," "Guitar God," "The Guitarist," and "The Mile High Club." Her short film "The Lesson," which she wrote, produced and directed, was screened at the Seattle Underground Film Festival and Cine-Nights in 2000.

She is also a former actress, having appeared in the television daytime drama "Sunset Beach," also "Married with Children," "Beverly Hills 90210" and the feature film "Indecent Proposal" . She and her husband, Hollywood stuntman Stephen Hudis, have formed their own production company called Impact Motion Pictures, and have several projects and screenplays in development. She lives in California with her husband and two children.


 
Katie Jaarsveld was born in America. She had an imagination and though she was continually writing something, she was not published until later in life.

Having the support of family members as well as her husband, she finished stories she had written years earlier and brought them to life.

Being encouraged by fellow authors gave her the courage to chase her dreams and become one of the published.


Jeanine Goodrich (Mason) is a newly self-published author, originally from Sault Ste Marie, MI. Her debut novel, Celestial Souls, was published last November and is available on Amazon in paperback, e-book, and is free in Kindle Unlimited, under her pen name J.M. Goodrich. Jeanine currently resides in Gwinn, MI with her husband, two sons, and their cat. In her spare time she enjoys reading, spending time with her family, and continues to write fantasy novels.



Sunday Post - Pokergeist, Dragonheart, and Star Wars

Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer!

Good Morning, Everyone!



What Am I Currently Reading?


I didn't stick to my reading plan last week. Instead of reading The Chill by Scott Carson, I read a few Hellraiser graphic novels and read a couple of chapters of Casino Royale (the first James Bond novel) by Ian Fleming.

FYI: I have a goal of reading all Fleming's James Bond books before the new movie, No Time to Die, is released in early April.

For this week, I'll be reading Pokergeist by Michael Phillip Cash and my review will be posted on Wednesday for a book tour. Then I'll be reading the zombie novel Weeks for another book tour. My review for it will be posted on the 24th.

Then I'll probably be reading The Chill, if I don't attempt to squeeze it in between Pokergeist and Weeks.

Friday, February 14, 2020

Book Blogger Hop: February 14th - 20th


Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop! 


If you want to schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

The Book Blogger Hop now has its own Facebook Group! Please join the group to get all the newest Book Blogger Hop updates. Also, you can communicate with your fellow book bloggers in the group.

What To Do


1. Post on your blog answering this question:


What genre do you like the most?

This week's prompt is submitted by Shahnila @ Untiereaders.


2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below. Please enter your Name/Nickname @ Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Here's an example: Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer

3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading a few posts and possible become a new follower. The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Review - The Waking of Ghosts by Lilliana Rose

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Purchase on Kindle!

Add to Goodreads!

There is an evil awakening. At the Lost Souls academy, students aren’t your typical everyday alumni.
Rejects from clans, packs, and covens walk these halls, but there’s something more sinister haunting the academy. A resident ghost has new student, Zarya, on the fight to banish it. Will her actions cause more enemies at her new school than friends?

‘I’m coming for you.’

A message from beyond has Zarya fearful. Her skills are underdeveloped, but as a ghost hunter, she must stand and fight this new evil.

Can Zarya grow to be the ghost hunter she’s destined to be or will forces overpower her and bring chaos and destruction to the Lost Souls Academy?

Once upon a time, I used to read quite a bit of paranormal and supernatural stories until I got bored with the genre. I'm not exactly sure what made me want to read The Walking of Ghosts  —  the title or the stunning the cover art.

The book centers around the Lost Souls Academy, which is a school for rejects ― witches, werewolves, ghosts, and vampires who don't fit in with other supernaturals. The main character is Zarya, who happens to be a witch and a ghost hunter.

Overall, I enjoyed reading The Waking of Ghosts. I never know what to expect with a new author so my expectations were an open book, and I was pleasantly surprised with the story. Supernatural and paranormal school plots have been done to death over the years but author Lilliana Rose cleverly found new ways to make the genre fun again. The characters are well-written and the dialogue is lively. It ends in a cliffhanger so I'm wondering what happens next.


$10 Amazon Gift Card


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Lilliana is an Amazon Bestselling author, who writes romance in the subgenres of contemporary, paranormal, steampunk, and rural. She enjoys helping characters overcome problems, or issues, and the misunderstandings that often plague relationships, to help them fall in love. Whether it city heels being replaced with country work boots, or some magic beyond this world, or cogs and gears and corsets, each story shows how love can prevail.

Review - Out of the Attic by V.C. Andrews

*This is a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% mine.
Available on Paperback and Kindle!

The newest V.C. Andrews' book, Out of the Attic, was released last week from Gallery Books, which is the 10th book in the Dollanganger Saga/Family series that originally began in 1979 with Flowers in the Attic. That story involved four children being forced to live in an attic by a greedy mother and their crazy grandmother. Toss in a bit of incest into the mix, the novel turned became a bestseller despite being challenged by schools and libraries due to its dark themes. Three sequels were published before V.C. Andrews' death in 1986. A ghostwriter, Andrew Neiderman, was hired to finish writing the prequel novel, Garden of Shadows, and to continue the Casteel series, as well as penning all future V.C. Andrews' titles.

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Blu-ray Review - Swamp Thing: The Complete Series (2019)

Available on Blu-ray and DVD!

Swamp Thing: The Complete Series will arriving on Blu-ray (+ Digital Code) and DVD today from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. There are no special features or bonus extras.

Based on the DC Comics series by Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, Swamp Thing was created by Gary Dauberman and Mark Verheiden for the DC Universe streaming service. Originally, the first season was given an order of 13 episodes but it was later cut down to 10 episodes. Just after the season premiere aired on May 31, 2019, the series was canceled. While there hasn't been an official reason announced for the cancellation, it most likely had to do with the fact that the promised $40 million tax incentive from North Carolina turned out to be only $14 million.

Set in Marais, Louisiana, the series centers around CDC doctor Abby Arcane (played by Crystal Reed) returning to her hometown to investigate a deadly virus, dubbed the "Green Flu," that has infected several locals, including a young girl, Susie Coyle (played by Elle Graham). Shortly after her arrival, she meets Alec Holland (played by Andy Bean), a disgraced biologist who was hired by her adopted father, Avery Sunderland (played by Will Patton), to study the marsh. After being attacked by Sutherland's hired hands, Alec is shot and left to die in the swamp. The swamp mutates Alec into a plant-like creature — Swamp Thing (played by Derek Mears)

The rest of the cast includes Virginia Madsen, Jennifer Beals, Kevin Durand, and Ian Ziering.


Final Thoughts

After binge-watching all 10 episodes of Swamp Thing over the weekend, I wish the series had continued with a second season. Sure, there are many problems with the story, which I'll get to in a minute, but overall I enjoyed watching it.

Derek Mears gives a great performance as Swamp Thing, who should have been the center character but instead was forced into the background while secondary characters took the spotlight. Crystal Reed does an alright job playing Dr. Abby Acrane but the writers spent too much time focusing on her story arc.

The big baddie, Dr. Anton Arcane, from the '80s Swamp Thing movies and the '90s television series doesn't appear in this adaptation. In his replacement is Avery Sunderland (played by Will Patton) and Dr. Jason Woodrue (played by Kevin Durand), which their characters were left in limbo thanks to the series cancellation.

The Blue Devil subplot was poorly written and felt pointless, especially when you add in Ian Ziering's bad acting.

The picture and sound qualities for all the episodes on the 2-disc set were topnotch. It would have been nice if there were a few special features.

Overall, despite some storytelling problems, Swamp Thing had the potential to improve if the series was allowed to continue. Here's hoping Swamp Thing: The Complete Series does well enough on Blu-ray and DVD so it won't be the last time we see the Swamp Thing on-screen.