Alas the end of summer is upon us and fondly I remember those sunny and warm days on the lake.
Author Archives: rachelauthorbarnard
Book Review: Undivided (The Unseen Trilogy Book 3) by Stephanie Erickson
Undivided (The Unseen Trilogy Book 3) by Stephanie Erickson
A Young Adult Fantasy Novel published by Pickles Press (09/03/15)
Summary:
“I wouldn’t bury myself in that haze of depression ever again. I would take control of this situation, affect a change, and be Unseen.” (Kindle Locations 210-211).
In this exciting third book and conclusion to the Unseen Trilogy Mac is back, but so are the Potestas and their quest for power. Mac is developing new ways to use her abilities, but will she be ready in time before the Potestas make their big move with Zero, the chemical agent that kills without a care? Then a new player drops in on the action, claiming to save the world from Zero, but he may not be everything he claims to be.
Keywords:
Mind Readers, Secret Organization, Friends, Terrorists, Leadership, Taking Responsibility, Helplessness,, Sadness, Anger, Undercover, Save the World, Chemical Warfare
My Review:
This is the book where Mackenzie really embraces the Unseen and what it means to be Unseen. I liked this third and final book much better than book two because Undivided had a tone that was easier to embrace. Whereas book two was kind of depressing and had a negative mood, book three was where Mac came into her own and had the fighting spirit, giving this third book more hope and optimism than the other two books.
I liked Mac a lot more in book three than in books one and two. I like how she’s innovative and constantly challenging everything to find solutions to future problems. She puts herself out there and is willing to work hard and out of her comfort zone to save people’s lives.
Mac’s thought process for working through how things work related to mind reading and defenses is super fascinating. Like sci-fi of the mind. Whew, Erickson writes some fascinating mind reading/mind defending stuff.
I thought that those in power talked too simplistically and that there being an open job position right under the big boss seemed highly convenient.
I absolutely love the recurring theme of Gaspard de la Nuit.
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This novel was published by Pickles Press September 8th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25
Links for more information:
WIP Call for Betas: Donuts in an Empty Field (For the Love of Donuts Book 1)
Beta readers wanted! Signup on my blog to be a beta reader for my WIP Donuts in an Empty Field (For the Love of Donuts Book 1). Donuts will be available for first round of beta reading next week. You can also sign up for round two of beta reading later this year.
Donuts in an Empty Field (For the Love of Donuts Book 1) Description:
Letting go of anger is life’s greatest challenge.
Vanessa Smith hasn’t been the same since her father’s death. A hero until the end, he died saving a restaurant owner’s wife and son from a burning building. Nessa has always blamed the boy, Ben, for her loss, and her thoughts are consumed with ways to make him as miserable as she is.
Nichole Adams knows Nessa can never heal until she learns to let go of her hatred, but bringing back her best friend is proving more difficult than she could’ve imagined. In a last ditch effort to break Nessa’s obsession, Nichole hopes signing up for the local food challenge is just the thing to bust her out of her shell.
A single choice defines the road ahead for Nessa. Doing the right thing isn’t easy, but living with the consequences of doing nothing might be worse.
To be a Beta:
Here’s what I’ll need from you:
- You need to be honest and bold and willing to give any criticisms
- Be familiar with fiction and YA
- Be a reader and/or a writer
- Be able to give real critique and forthright assessment of the manuscript
- Be able to evaluate with depth and/or breadth
- Be able to find weak spots
- I’m not looking for line editing, but critique on plot, character development, storyline, etc.
**You won’t hurt my feelings. You can tell me anything and everything. Better now than after it’s published, right?**
Here’s what you’ll get from me:
- A formatted version of the novel (pdf/doc/ePub)
- I’m also a reader so if you have a book out I will see if it’s something I’d like and may put it in my review pile
- I will give serious consideration to every comment, suggestion, and question you pose
- I will thank you profusely!
- I have 2 other novels I’d love to give you a copy of if you’d like
To signup: fill out the contact form below and I will add you as a beta reader and send you a copy in the format requested when it’s available, depending on the book(s) you chose.
Seattle Specific Saturdays: The Tomato Battle
Should you go to a tomato battle? The short answer: no. The long answer: if you don’t mind getting pelted in the face (ears, nose, cheeks, eyes, hair) and having dried fermenting/rotting tomato pieces all over your skin and hair, then maybe you might like the tomato battle.
Breakdown by:
price – The tomato battle started out around $29 for pre-registering. The price went up from there to end around $52 (day of). Then Groupon swooped in with a reduced price ($35). Even $29 is too much for this event. $29 is better spent at the ipic in Redmond or a live show at Laughs or The Village Theatre in Issaquah.
Time/Day/Date – This Battle fell on a boring Saturday (not much else going on) except for the fact that the weather kicked it up a gear and a full on windstorm was raging in the Seattle area. There were only around 500 people at the event (the website said 5,000 participants). The timing during the day was great, after lunch and before dinner. In the middle of any other thing you would have going on. Event started at 1PM. My buddies pictured above and below and I headed down to Seattle after 1PM and had an excellent meal at Pyramid Ale House (surprisingly no wait time) and meandered around back around 3:30PM in time to grab another beer/wine, check out the costume contest, chill and chat and spectate, and dance to a few songs.
Other entertainment – The music was not loud enough. The costume contest was rather lame (anything voted on by the audience who are somewhat drunk and non-serious is always, always super lame). The “beer” pong was impossible with the wind. I would not suggest showing up more than an hour before the battle as you will be impossibly anxious sitting (no seats so you’re standing) around waiting for the start time of the main event. I was glad that there was wine as well as beer for sale in the battle area.
Location – Pyrmaid Alehouse was a great central location in Seattle. There was plenty of cheap parking nearby (We paid $5). The alehouse was accommodating for our lunch date before the battle.
Would I do it again? No.
Would I do it had I known all this before? Probably. It’s a one time gotta do it type thing. Like skydiving… Who does that more than once?
Book Review: The Miracle Girl by T.B. Markinson
The Miracle Girl by T.B. Markinson
A Romantic Fiction Novel published by T. B. Markinson (07/06/15)
Summary:
“My life was built on lies. When would it all come crashing down?” (Kindle Locations 725-726).
JJ Cavendish, after 25 years traveling and adventuring has come back to her hometown of Colorado. When she left all those years ago it was to the tune of an emotional and heartbreaking breakup with her sweetheart Claire. JJ, the Miracle Girl, is back and bumps into Claire at the new office. JJ never stopped loving Claire, but Claire now has a son and secrets she has to keep from her coworkers. Will JJ be able to pick back up where she left off with Claire?
Keywords:
Lesbians, Love, Romance, Adventure, Newspaper, Trending, Twitter, Blogging, Past Struggles, AA, Secrets, Heartbreak, Sex, Relationships
My Review:
Miracle Girl had a lot of the characteristics I enjoyed in T. B. Markinson’s other books. Markinson’s main character was female, most of the characters were female, the females had real jobs and power, the relationships were first and foremost in the plot, there was fun and clever banter between characters, and there was plenty of drama.
I didn’t feel as connected to the main character as I usually do with Markinson’s characters, as she was in a very different career than my own, in a very much different income level than my own, and of course in a very different type of relationship than my own. Normally, I love seeing how new things play out, but this story left me wanting for a little more to latch onto for similarities to my own situation, lifestyle, and personality. Markinson has created a character with deep flaws, a former addict, who has left her past behind her, but it catches up to her.
If you like an easy, fast read with some woman on woman action and a whole lot of little story bits and well-thought out characters, then Miracle Girl may be just the read for you.
This novel was published by T. B. Markinson July 6th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.
TLDR Star Rating: 4.0
Links for more information:
Wildlife Wednesdays: How Does Your Garden Grow?
So much greenery! Don’t mind the thumb…
A peach from my dad’s garden. It looked like a peach, felt like a peach, but tasted like a sour apricot.
Our biggest producer: the zuchini
A pear from a neighbor’s tree.
How does your garden grow?
Book Review: Damsel In Distress by Lee French
Damsel In Distress by Lee French
A Fantasy Novel published by Tangled Sky Press (3/1/14)
Summary:
“There was a way out of this, she just had to find it and take it and not wait like a mewling kitten for someone to come along and pick her up. Keric couldn’t save her, Darius couldn’t save her, Connor, Rae, and Evi couldn’t save her, no Disciple could save her. This was her problem, and she was going to fix it. All she needed was a plan.” (Kindle Locations 3481-3483).
Sabetia was trained to be a damsel in distress from the very beginning. Her mother taught her the obedience that would become her downfall in the silence of her suffering at the hands of a new husband. Abuse is tricky when it is wrapped up in caring and love, but in the end it is never love if it comes with hurt, domination, and pain.
Keywords:
Damsel, Distress, Abuse, Violence, Magic, Mage, Elf, Myth, Old Legend, Female Main Character, Strength, Finding Inner Power, Struggle, Domestic Violence, Wife Beating, Gossip, Friendship, Loyalty, Protection, Healing, Forgiveness, Saving Yourself
My Review:
The message was told in an agonizing story. You have worth. You have value. You are not just a toy or a passing obsession. You matter. You can take control. You have power even in weakness. Damsel in Distress passes through each of these messages in the story of abuse and power Jason has over Sabetia. She is the product of her upbringing, taught to acquiesce, do what she’s told, and take what any man gives her. When Jason gives her pain and torture mixed with a sliver of what she thinks is love and caring, she bears it. She thinks her value is in bearing the pain and doing what Jason tells her.
I agonized with Sabetia. I yearned for her freedom and safety with her. She was a compelling character. Her story was the story, wrapped up in a larger story that was also her story. She was the center of everything and was a strong enough character with a strong enough story to carry the book. In other words, I enjoyed every word of it.
Parts of the plot seemed a bit hurried, but most of these parts occurred at crucial moments where there was a lot going on, so they might have seemed faster than they really were.
This was a powerful novel that told of a girl becoming a woman who must learn to value herself and her talents above all the lies her abuser has told her every time he hurt her.
This novel was published by Tangled Sky Press on March 1st, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 5.00
Links for more information:
My Favorite Indie Authors 9 – Lee French
Lee French
I met Lee French at the AFK I Heart Books event at the beginning of the year. Read about all the books I discovered here. In a world where most print books are $15 – $30, the first book in her “The Greatest Sin” Series was only $8. My favorite color used to be purple and is now blue. Most of her books feature blue in their covers and her Greatest Sin Series features quite a bit of purple. I was intrigued by the colors and the price tag and bought the book. I wasn’t sure if I’d like this book as it was a world-building type fantasy and I typically go for the low-fantasy could almost happen in our world type fantasy. But I fell in love with Chavali, the main character, and have since read every single book Lee French has currently published and am eagerly awaiting more books.
I like the way French weaves fantasy into her story and makes the reader wonder, what is the greatest sin? French has a way with words and phrases that is mesmerizing. Her writing style is elegant and captivating. You can tell she is a professional and knows what she’s doing. She gives Chavali a bite to her words. I love the quick wit Chavali exhibits and the way she talks back without trying to usurp anyone or prove she’s better.
Lee French continues to deliver good writing and great story with the second and third books in The Greatest Sin series. Just like The Fallen, Harbinger was full of great quotes, quippy dialogue, fun and larger than life characters, and a female kick-butt main character who took no nonsense from anyone.
Soon to be published by Lee French is “Al-Khabar”, of which I was honored to receive as a beta read book and will give it another read before posting a five-star review.
If you purchase any of Lee French’s books, be sure to enter to win a $5 Amazon gift card from my blog’s contest, see Contest page for more details. If you post your review of 3 stars or higher you can enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card from my blog’s contest, see Contest page for more details.
links for more information:
Book Review: The Weight of a Wing (The Stolen Wings Book 1) by Ioana Visan
The Weight of a Wing (The Stolen Wings Book 1) by Ioana Visan
A YA Fantasy Novel published through Amazon Digital Services (04/13/15)
Summary:
“One day, a pair of wings will change the world,” (Kindle Locations 3093-3094).
After suffering her wings being chopped off by the evil Gorem, Alise flees to the human realm. Gorem, however, is not done with her and hunts her down. Alise is not alone, though, she has the sympathies of the human Cassie and the suprising help of two Guardians: Rafe and Vale. The Guardians’ goal is different from Alise’s but ultimately, they need her alive to get what they want. The four of them are now hunting down Gorem, but a lot of fantastical elements will get in their way.
Keywords:
Fairy, wings, Guardians, magic, wizard, mermaid, witch, prophesy, humans, caught in the middle, fighting, strength, healing, complications, battle, kidnapped, protecting the innocent
My Review:
I don’t usually go for the fantasy novels full of witches and wizards and fairies, but I liked the concepts presented in the book summary. Alise is in trouble and she has to get herself out of it. The book is a lot less pro-Alise and a lot more political trouble that is above her, but involves her.
Alise is in dire straits for the majority of the book, even before the book begins, but there is not much about her that endears her situation to the reader. Visan has not made me care about Alise. Visan has not made me sympathize with the character and her many near death experiences. Her near-misses with death aren’t agonizing and the tension in the scenes is just not felt. Alise isn’t even very worried about her own future or her mortality, so why should I be?
Cassie’s attitude is unrealistic. As a reader you must suspend disbelief that a human would get caught up in otherworldly affairs without a second thought or disbelief. Her attitude never struck me as real and I couldn’t think of her as a real person.
The book starts off after what I would consider a very important plot point has taken place, as if this is book two and not book one. The initial incident with Gorem and how he cut off her wings and how she pleaded with the Counsel to allow her to come to the human side of the world was all part of the backstory and not part of the main action. I would have wanted to read about this and it would have probably gotten me more attached to Alise and her struggles.
If fantasy with lots of varied magical creatures is your thing and you like a story where one single purpose is continuously thwarted until the end and the main purpose of the trilogy is alluded to in the end, then perhaps Weight of a Wing might be for you.
This novel was published through Amazon Digital Services April 13th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 3.25
Links for more information:
Book Review: The Reluctant Sacrifice by Kerr-Ann Dempster
The Reluctant Sacrifice by Kerr-Ann Dempster
A Fantasy/Paranormal Novel published by Kerr-Ann Dempster (08/07/2014)
Summary:
“Just because something doesn’t last forever doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.” (Kindle Locations 2038-2039).
Aubrey Shaw will fulfill the prophecy. She will be sacrificed on the 12th day of the 12th month and all the Aramithian souls will be forgiven. There is just one problem. Aubrey doesn’t want to die. They thought she would be an easy target as a Dud with no special skills, but as it turns out she’s been gifted as a Jumper and by switching bodies she’s managed to evade capture for a while. However, her predictability is guessed by her previous crush and best friend Joshua, who is now tasked with finding and turning her in to her heartless sister Morgan and the other hunters.
Keywords:
Paranormal, Myth, Sacrifice, Souls, Switching Bodies, Living, Friendship, Trust, Loyalty, Love, Lust, Scars, Revenge, Death, Violence, Murder, Fire, Invisibility, Fog Manipulation
My Review:
This book was fast paced with quite a bit of action. It will keep you engaged and interested and hold your attention throughout.
Let’s talk paranormal. I am not one to seek out a book marketed as “paranormal” as I’m tired of the paranormal tropes and I prefer more realistic fiction. The Reluctant Sacrifice, though paranormal, was not a run of the mill story. It was a paranormal world full of different abilities, not your usual vampires or werewolves or witches. Dempster gives us something not completely unusual, but not wholly stereotypical of the genre. She gives us enough uniqueness to keep the reader guessing and enough commonality to give the reader something to relate to. Aubrey is an almost normal girl in an almost normal world.
My favorite part about Dempster’s writing is her dialogue and the witty banter she writes, as well as the relationships between the main characters. The back and forth dialogue between Tessa and Aubrey was so much fun to read.
This novel was published by Kerr-Ann Dempster 08/07/2015 and is available on Amazon here.
TLDR Star Rating: 4.25
Links for more information:
Rachel Author Barnard 