Category: Kindle



The Selkie Spell
The Selkie Spell by Sophie Moss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a gripping story. It started out with the fable about the selkie who lost her skin. We’ve all heard the tales. The author tells it well and blends in her story seamlessly. I enjoyed traveling to this island and feeling, in some way, like I was there, enjoying the sea breeze, smelling the salt, and roses. Sure, I had to suspend disbelief at times, but when reality was introduced, I found myself drowning in the starkness of it all.

There may be triggers for those that have been abused in their lifetimes, just a warning. But I think this was a good way to help with awareness of spousal abuse. It breaks the fallacy that it only happens in lower-class families. The book addresses the deterioration of self-esteem and building of self-doubt. But it doesn’t leave you feeling helpless. The story builds empowerment as the main character learns to trust again, in herself and others. And all this takes place with the beauty of Ireland all around.

I would suggest that this be for mature audiences as there is the above subject matter and a very hot sex scene or two. It is part of the story. If you feel that is something you don’t like to read, skip it and enjoy the story otherwise. It does leave you feeling good with all the threads tied up at the end. I want to read the next book. Luckily I already had it, but I didn’t feel I was left on a cliffhanger. I just want to know what happens next.

View all my reviews


Paint Stop Boom
Paint Stop Boom by Anna Sarelas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Are you looking for something different? THIS is it! I don’t even know where to start with this book. I have had this on my to-read shelf for a couple years. To be honest the picture of a bomb on the cover kept me from reading it. Then, somehow, I had it mixed up with another book with a similar title that I had read a few pages and decided it wasn’t for me at the time. So… I have been trying to go through my lists and finding the oldest books recommended by authors. I know. My bad! But I would like to catch up with newer read-for-review books.

Can you tell I am putting off talking about this book? I still have no idea what to say about it. I finished it last night with enough time to start my next read. I couldn’t stay with the thoughts of this review no matter how hard I tried.

Impression: My shoulderblades and arms hurt from reading this book. If you read it it might affect you that way.

You have to put realism on the shelf with this one. There ya go, let it go. That done, I liked the characters, a lot. I grew to love them all, faults and all. Anna Sarelas had a way of writing that kept me reading, kept me caring. I loved her poetic flair. All my senses were involved engaging emotions most books don’t go near.

YET… I still couldn’t love it. Not sure who would. As a writer, I feel richer from reading this book, again, for the good and the bad. There were editing issues here and there, not enough to interrupt the read. Prose that made me sit up and notice. Prose that made me wish I could write like that. I probably won’t forget this book. Yet, I can only say I liked it. I didn’t love it. I challenge you all to read it to see what you think.

View all my reviews

Review: Released


Released
Released by Megan Duncan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Enough with the demons! That I feel this way is not the fault of the author, Megan Duncan. In fact, had I read this way back in April 2011, I might not have had demon overdose. But way back then, I don’t think I could have handled the blood and guts and smells this book evoked.

The overdose that I’ve acquired isn’t just in ugly demons. I am done with Young Adult books with girls that start strong but then fall in love and start getting hurt or fainting or crying. Oh, and the moody-angst! Had it up to here! Again, not the author’s fault. Her’s was probably one of the first of these genres.

When the teens leave their home at the beginning, I wondered why. Sure there were ugly demons that had killed everyone they knew, but if they are tough enough to move on, aren’t they tough enough, smart enough to kill the demons where they were?

Then, when the kids visit this elderly man, I wondered how he was doing so well and why not stay and pick his brain about how he was doing this alone. But they choose to leave. Well, that is typical teen behavior, it’s all about the indestructible teen on an adventure.

Okay, what did I like? I obviously cared or I wouldn’t have given the book three stars. In spite of myself, I loved the characters, especially the siblings, Abby and Carter. They made a good team and had a lot of smarts on their own. I loved the immediacy of the author’s writing. She kept me engaged in the story even when I wanted to stop due to the gruesomeness of the demon hounds. Oh, and I love the cover! That’s the Abby I want to know and love!

View all my reviews


Power of Vitamin D
Power of Vitamin D by Sarfraz Zaidi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is, I think, the third book on the importance of Vitamin D in our lives that I’ve read recently. And I have to say this was the best written of them all. Though not as personable as the others, the design with the references at the end of each chapter, made it so much easier to get through. I could use the text-to-speech to save my eyes the strain and merely turn that feature off to page down to the next chapter without hearing long streams of numbers, dates, and names.

This was probably the most conservative of the books. Doctor Sarfraz Zaidi tended to recommend far less Vitamin D than the other authors had. He did admit, though, that there were very few studies of actual Vitamin D toxicity from overdose, which reflected what I read in the other ebooks about the subject. This would be a great book to start with in researching this important vitamin. It really isn’t a vitamin, but a hormone that we are globally deficient in.

On a personal note, one doctor told me I was deficient. The next doctor told me I was too high in Vitamin D. So I feel I have first-hand experience with the lack of knowledge that the medical world has. So I have taken the advice of all three books in upping my supplementation of D. I believe that my experience with ‘fibromyalgia’ is merely my deficiency of Vitamin D. As soon as I can I will have a better view of whether or not this is true. I am being cautious and not taking nearly what was recommended in the other two books. The only variable that concerns me is Summer. I always feel better in the Summer. Hopefully, by next Winter, I will have caught up on the vitamin. Maybe next year I won’t be stuck in bed all the time.

View all my reviews


Ethereal Fury
Ethereal Fury by Jessica O’Gorek
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I was given this Kindle ebook by the author for an honest review.

This book took me longer than it should have to read. It started out with strong pro-Earth promise. I was willing to see what was going to happen to this soul that hurt the planet so deeply. I love the fact that Earth spoke and had her own entity.

Ms. O’Gorek’s writing and characters were awesome! Even the demons seem to have depth. That would have rated five stars. BUT I am not Catholic, nor do I hold to their priests being holy. I think that on a whole religion and particularly the Catholic church has caused more damage than a million demons could. And to watch these main characters put up with the restraint imposed upon them by the church was more than painful. And what does all this have to to with the oil in the other side of the planet? The book never addressed that again. In my mind that lowered the rating to three stars. So I averaged it out in my system to a 3.5 and rounded up.

Oh, and my worst possible complaint: cliffhanger! If it left me with more of a feeling about where the series is going. If it left me with a few tied up loose ends. Either of those would have helped me want to read the next book. A suggestion that might help is the first chapter of the next book or s blurb that entices the reader to look further into this story.

A note: Since I read using my tablet or fire on occasion, I found the font brightness changing from dim to bright and back again. It wasn’t my settings. I was forced to use my 2nd generation Kindle and used text-to-speech to get through. I don’t know if this font this is an issue that can be addressed easily, but for some of us with weaker eyes, that is nearly a deal breaker. Luckily I do use tts a lot so I could still flow with the story.

View all my reviews

Review: Vitality


Vitality
Vitality by M.A. George
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Want a light read that is fun and full of adventures? This series offers all that. As I said in my review of the previous book, this is a combination of sci-fi/fantasy/YA/Romance.

I love the characters and their talents. What I still have a problem with is that the main character only uses hers to get herself in trouble. She is immature for 118, she’s immature for 18. And the constant fainting is just annoying. At least the author has the character and her friends acknowledge this trait. What is even more annoying is that this is supposed to be a person that is a doctor and scientist. She has gone through all that schooling and has dealt with people going back to Churchill. She is long past teen tantrums. As for her taking chances, that might be less too with maturity. Not that she has any of the horrid aches and pains or fragileness of old age, but just an ability to foresee who she is putting at risk by her actions should be called to mind.

Even so, when you let all that go, this is a fun read. I loved all three books in the series, Proximity, Relativity and this one Vitality. I think even late grade school students would enjoy this. I would have read and enjoyed it had it been around for me in fifth or sixth grades. There is very little science, it is merely alluded to with space travel and other innovations. The talents these aliens possess are more what feels fantasy. Oh, and there is one human from Earth. How I wish he would have been more involved.

Oh, the romance! Not my thing. Have at it girls! In fact, that is why I don’t think guys will like this so much. Still, it was a nice book to escape into.

View all my reviews

Review: Relativity


Relativity
Relativity by M.A. George
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What if there was a marriage of fantasy/sci-fi/romance/YA? What would it look like? Look no more. It’s here. Written from the aliens’ point of view, the ones in love, future King and Queen of a planet, not Earth. Earth is where the main characters lived in secret hiding from the bad guys from their own planet. But that was the last book, book 1. In this one, we get the space travel and battles. And love…

For me that was the part I didn’t like. The gooey-eyed lovy-doviness of it all. Though the main character is 118 years old she acts as a pouty, immature 16 year old. Luckily the man (alien) of her dreams is more mature. I’m so glad there is a lot more story around this young adult(?) fiction. Oh, and I hate when the main character is knocked unconscious and is weak and puny. Ugh! When I was a teen I would have read this and passed it to my romance-crazy friend. Heinlein this wasn’t. Still I assume that young girls who have stars in their eyes would like it.

Space travel and the fantasy parts of finding talents the characters didn’t know they had, that’s what I love!. In spite of what I didn’t like, I found that Ms. George writes a well and tells a unique tale. And I almost forgot to write this as I had already started reading book 3. It has hooked me in spite of myself!

View all my reviews

Kindle Fire HDX Giveaway!


Enter to win 1 of 2 great prizes. Winner’s choice of a Kindle Fire HDX or $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 Paypal Cash!

The first prize is available via the rafflecopter below. The 2nd is available only to bloggers who post about this giveaway. You can find info on how to enter the 2nd giveaway in the rafflecopter.

Kindle Fire April

Win a Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash ($229 value)


The winner will have the option of receiving a 7″ Kindle Fire HDX (US Only – $229 Value)

 

Or $229 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)

 

Or $229 in Paypal Cash (International)

 

 

Giveaway Sponsors:
I Am A Reader
Feed Your Reader
Inspired Kathy
Author Rachael Anderson
Author Carolyn Cooper
Author Kimber Leigh Wheaton
Laurie Here – Contemporary Fiction and MORE
Fabio Bueno, YA Author
A Book Lover’s Retreat
Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews
Becoming Books
Fae Books
Author Christie Anderson
Author David Pandolfe
Jetpack Dragons
Clutter Your Kindle
Crossangels
Author Mary Ting/M. Clarke
Alexandrea Weis Author
Addicted Readers
Author Alecia Stone
Tressa’s Wishful Endings
Author Rae Z. Ryans
Bella Street’s Weird Romance
Bonnie Blythe’s Pure Romance
Author Inger Iversen
Author M.A. George
Theresa DaLayne
Buried Under Romance
Author Myrna Mackenzie
Owl Always Be Reading
Jacqueline Diamond
Author Joan Leacott
Free Bookster
Emma Michaels
Jennifer Laurens – author
My Nook, Books & More
LOVE. WITHOUT YOU
The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something year Old Girl
Bound 4 Escape
Reviews from a Bookworm
The YA Buzz
Claudia Burgoa
Lynda Raymond Books for Young Children
A. Wrighton, Author
Author Niki Danforth
Lori’s Reading Corner
Hearts On Sleeves Book Blog
The Forever Girl Series
Author Crystal Donahue
A Leisure Moment : A Casual Conversation about our love for Literature
Author Elizabeth Parkinson Bellows
Me, My Shelf and I
Author FA Michaels
The Reporter and The Girl
Author Ashley Stambaugh
Extaordinaryreads
Laurie Treacy, Author
Faithful Acres Books

 

Sign up to sponsor the next Kindle Giveaway here:

http://www.iamareader.com/category/kindle-giveaway-sign-ups

 

Giveaway Details

1 winner will receive their choice of an all new Kindle Fire 7″ HDX (US Only – $229 value), $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash (International).

There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire HDX 7″, $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash.

Ends 4/30/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


The Witch Sea
The Witch Sea by Sarah Diemer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Talk about overdoing it. I picked up the free version on Smashwords.com. Then forgot I had it and picked up the free one on Amazon! By the way, it is still free on both sites.

This was a short but sweet book. I loved the characters Nor, the sea person, and Meriel, the witch. Though there is a brief romantic tryst between the characters, it didn’t overpower the story. I liked that for the quick read.

I loved how both characters came together to understand they could help each other as they were both prisoners of their respective dwellings. I loved the descriptions of sea and surf.

Short stories are not my thing. They always make me want to know more about the characters, and learn what happens next. I love knowing people in my real life in a deeper way. I want to know what they think, what makes them tick. I am very bad at social small talk. So I think that is why short stories don’t appeal to me. Sorry.

Anyway, if you are so inclined, check out this sweet story.

View all my reviews


Vitamin D Revolution
Vitamin D Revolution by Soram Khalsa
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Though I loved the information I picked up from this book, I found it boring and repetitive. The information I really wanted was tucked into the last few pages, yet by then I think I had figured it out. Like many non-fiction books, this one followed the method of telling us there’s a problem, why we have the problem, and what research has been done. The problem was repeated over and over.

On the other hand, my personal experience with my doctors has made me more than curious about this vitamin. One doctor told me that I was vitamin D deficient. The next doctor told me I was too high in this vitamin, that it was toxic. This book proves that it is nearly impossible to have toxic amounts of D. That our bodies use this vitamin completely. And it seems that I have all the symptoms of adult rickets. Those are the symptoms of fibromyalgia, at least my experience of it. And I am now taking the amount of vitamin D that the first doctor advised me to take. I will follow through and get tested soon. And I will continue to research this and other methods to find my health again.

I would love to hear from others who have read this book or followed the higher vitamin D intake and find out how well it works for them. I do think people who are having health issues and those who would want to keep themselves healthy would find this book informational, at least.

View all my reviews

Godinterest

Godinterest for Churches, Ministries, Businesses, Creators, and Believers Worldwide

moon.child โ™ก

๐˜š๐˜ค๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฑ๐˜ด ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜บ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด

venture

"Collect moments, not just destinations. Travel well."

Sebastian Stead - My Photography Blog

Hi! my name is Sebastian (You can call me Seb!) ...welcome to my Blog. I'm a photographer from Worcester, Worcestershire, England. Thanks for dropping by! I hope you enjoy my work.

My Awesome Blog

โ€œLog your journey to success.โ€ โ€œWhere goals turn into progress.โ€

Life of Chaz

Books, games, music, and life โ€” filtered through the mind of a writer, drummer, and philosopher who thinks too deeply about all of it. If it moves something in your chest, I'm interested.

Pieces Of My Heart

"Words & Wonders - Where thoughts meet art

๐Ÿ’ซThe Afterlove Voice๐Ÿ’ซ

Poetry, Justice,Spiritual,Astrology,Tarot,Healing

Amin Academy

Education, Information, Motivation

Luso Loonie โ€” Devin Meireles

Exploring Portuguese Culture, Azorean Heritage, and Luso-Canadian Identity Through Writing

UNDER THE WILL... OVER THE DRAMA...

Inheritance. Narcissism. Turf. Welcome to the family.