Book Review: Broken and Burned (The Sacred Hearts MC Book 2) by AJ Downey

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Broken and Burned (The Sacred Hearts MC Book  2) by AJ Downey

A Romance Novel published by Second Circle Press (09/08/14)

Summary:

 Everett is having the worst day. She was late for work and got a warning, burnt her finger while making coffee at work, thinks she’s going to fail her statistics class at school, is barely making ends meet paying bills, and now her car breaks down. Evy barely makes it into the mechanics and has to leave the car overnight and her boyfriend isn’t picking up the phone. After the hunky mechanic Draven “Dray” gives her a lift to her apartment, her world falls further apart. She walks in on her boyfriend in the act of cheating. Her world crumbling, Dray steps in to help her, but this damsel in distress is not as weak as she might appear to be. Dray was not always a valiant gentleman who feels compelled to help any less fortunate damsel he meets. He has his own sordid past. This is a relationship built on the healing powers of romance.

Keywords:

Romance, abuse, power, struggle, survival, motorcyle, club, friendship, loyalty, family, different, gruff, POV change, Irish, best friends, bad days, sexual content

My Review:

Broken and Burned, The second book in the Sacred Hearts MC Series was quite different from the first book (Shattered and Scarred). Though AJ Downey used another character from the MC, the story was wildly different. I thought it was quite clever for Downey to utilize characters from the first book that she had already given such personalities in Shattered and Scarred. I love the fact that this second story has such a great connection to book one, while being its own great story and potentially a standalone read. It’s as if, by telling the stories of Ethan “Trigger” in book one and the gal he finds on the side of the road and Draven “Dray” in book two and the gal he finds broken down at his mechanic shop, that Downey is creating the world of the MC. Eventually we will get everyone’s stories and pull more characters into the MC’s world.

Downey’s characters are so full of life and alive. Each character has a very specific backstory and such detailed characteristics and details that the characters must be alive, they seem so real. Both Dray and Evy are intensely and intimately real to me and I love them. They are unique and have their own interesting personality quirks. I feel like I would know how each would think and act in situations. I also know, without a doubt, what each one looks like.

I would like to mention how fantastic Downey’s character names are. Everett: named for the place she was born and the confusion in her father’s mind. Draven: carries his mother’s last name as his first name. How neat are those names and the stories that go along with them? Again, like book one, Downey utilizes POV switching between Dray and Evy seamlessly to tell their combined story and their personal stories.

This novel was published by Second Circle Press on September 8th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

Links for more information:

A.J. Downey’s Blog

Goodreads

Facebook

Book Review: Green-Eyed Pursuit by Victoria Bastedo

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Green-Eyed Pursuit by Victoria Bastedo

A YA Mystery novel published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform (05/04/2015)

Summary:

“Sometimes a thing has more value if it doesn’t come easily. And if you know your father before you know his history, you’ll have to judge him by his face and actions rather than by the trouble associated with his name.” (Kindle Locations 141-143).

Lucien, after discovering a letter written by his late mother detailing the existence of a father he never knew about, journeys to Seahaven with his best friend Rutherford and their schoolteacher Miss Pansy. After a 6 hour coach ride, they search all over town trying to find Amani Peale, Lucien’s father. They plan on matching eyes from father to son to prove parentage as both have startling green eyes. Eventually, the three are able to find Amani, but that is not all they discover in Seahaven. Lucien’s mother left the port town for good reason, to protect her son from the dark cloud of evil that surrounded Amani. There were those in the family and town who wanted to take over Amani’s inheritance and before Lucien was born, thugs roughed up Amani and framed him for murder. For 17 years Amani lay in wait, expecting the rogue to make a misstep so that Amani’s name could be cleared for good. Lucien gets caught up in Amani’s past as they work to create a new future together as father and son.

 

Keywords:

1905, Sea town, schoolteacher, absent father, inheritance, green-eyes, chase, family, love, loyalty, setup, suspense, stubbornness

 

My Review:

I adore Bastedo’s characters. She gives us a diverse assortment of them. You have Amani Peale, the estranged father who didn’t know he had a son and is valiantly trying to clear his name whilst building up his own fortunes outside of the family inheritance. Bremen is his loyal and trusty right hand man. Lucien is the boy who discovers he has a father as a near-adult and sets out to find him. Rutherford is his best friend. Miss Pansy is the schoolteacher who mothers them all. Beamish is the misunderstood upward-crawling family member whose opinions of Amani are less than nice. Finally, there is Clinger: the presumptuous bully from the docks. Bastedo’s characters are all very different in their personalities and their actions, although she has set some similarities between Amani and his son Lucien and between Bremen and Rutherford, the two buddies.

 

Though Bastedo sets her story in 1905, the writing style is lively if a bit dry. Her characters are stoic and don’t always admit to how they’re feeling. For Lucien, it’s his stubbornness that holds him back and keeps him from letting his feelings free. He lost his mother after all and doesn’t care to be mothered, subconsciously pushing away Miss Pansy’s attempts to care for him because she is in a way replacing the role of his late mother. Lucien is a fun character. Every time he is given new information that involves him and his future, he shows his aptitude for business and summarizing family legalities. His lengths at remaining stoic are hilarious, though he does display emotions when they are called for.

 

Though the writing and setting were somewhat dry to begin with and the action was slow to get the ball rolling, the story naturally found its stride and the secrets kept pouring out until the very end. I believe the slow to action start is quite appropriate for the setting of the story as 1905 was such a different time. Halfway through though, you won’t be able to put the book down as the drama accelerates and the action gets too exciting to let go.

 

This novel was published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform 05/04/2015 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating: 4.50

 

Links for more information:

On the web

SnoValley blog

Victoria Bastedo blog

Contest – Chance to Win $5 and/or $50 – Just Read and Review!

by in author platform, Miscellaneous Mondays, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Hello Blog Readers!

This is Rachel Barnard here. I’m hosting several contests on my blog here I wanted to let you know about. I wanted to give back to the readers and support great Indie authors, so I’ve come up with a contest to do both!

My first type of contest runs new monthly; with one in June, July, August, September, October, and November. All you have to do is purchase a book! Not just any book, though, one from my reviews list that I’ve rated 4.5 stars or higher.

I’ll be adding new books to choose from every week. You have until the end of the month to provide proof of purchase and you’ll be entered to win a $5 Amazon gift card. Sweet yeah?

I’m also hosting a $50 Amazon gift card contest! All you have to do is write a review of three stars or higher for one of the books you purchased from my list.

 

Here’s the $50 contest:

 $50 Amazon Gift Card Drawing: Entries Open June Now Until December 31, 2015

Leave a review of 3 stars or higher of any of those 4.5 rated or higher books now until the end of the year to get entered into a drawing to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Help support Indie authors!

If you don’t know what book to choose, I’ll even match you! Just fill in the following form:

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

email address provided will only be used to send possible book matches and I will not use it for any other purpose.

 

Be sure to check out my Contest Page on my blog for more details and throughout the year to enter the new contest every month!

Maple Valley Days!

by in Free Valley Publishing, Local Events, Maple Valley, Rachel Barnard, Seattle Specific Saturdays

What are you up to this weekend?

I hope you’re coming down to Maple Valley to support FreeValley Publishing at Maple Valley Days and get some great books!

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Maple Valley Days
06/12/15 – 06/14/15
Cost: Free
More Info

FreeValley Publishing will host a booth at the 2015 Maple Valley Days from June 12-14, 2015. Come visit the FVP booth and check out other Maple Valley local favorite vendors.

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Foodie Fridays: Food Challenge aftermath

by in Foodie Fridays

Here is what I normally eat:

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Here is the Goliath Challenge from last week:

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Here are some stats on calories for you: Goliath Burger features:
• 1 1/3 lbs beef with diced fresh habaneros (1288)
• 1/2 lb barbecue pulled pork (~600)
• Bacon (~86)
• cheddar and pepper jack cheeses (~200)
• home-made habanero relish (??)
• 4 onion rings (~275)
• 1.5 lb fries (~1700 calories)

~4139 calories in the challenge, I was saving calories all day (only ate ~250 in preparation which consisted of a peach, matcha urban remedy tea, a bite of crème caramel urban remedy, and a few bits of granola as well as lots of water)

Keep in mind that a person my size, weight, and height only needs to eat 1700 calories per day.

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I dressed up and made the challenge a meet up and invited anyone to come join or watch and two of my friends came, one even joined in the challenge.

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Here’s how I did:

I couldn’t weigh the food beforehand because the scale only goes up to x weight but I weighed the plate with the remainders and subtracted the wight of an empty plate

 

Plate weighed: 2 lbs 14 5/8 oz.

Food weighed: 3.5 lbs.

My plate remainders weighed: 1.09375 lbs.

the other challenger left: 1.3125 lbs.

Book Review: Girls Can’t Be Knights by Lee French

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Girls Can’t Be Knights by Lee French

A Fantasy Novel published by Myrddin Publishing (06/12/15)

 

Summary:

“There’s no law that says a girl can’t be a Knight.” (Page 250).

Claire doesn’t let bullies get her down, she fights back. On school grounds fighting is cause for suspension, but that didn’t stop her from beating up the bully. She will probably be known for beating up a guy, but she won’t know because she’s not allowed to go back to school until her suspension is over. In the meantime, Claire is suddenly a target of all the neighborhood animals and at her wits end when a cat tries to claw off her face Justin arrives. He is a Knight. Literally. A knight. But he’s happily married with children, still, he must protect Claire from forces she never knew existed.

Keywords:

 Spirit Knight, Fantasy, POV Change, Fighting, Responsibility, Unsafe, Group Home, Fire, Orphan, Adoption, Strange Things, Horse, Trust, Hope, Death, Memories, Problems

My Review:

The juxtaposition of Justin’s viewpoint and thoughts and Claire’s perspective and thoughts gives the book a rich variety in flavor as the two characters are very different. Justin is a young father of two girls. He only learned to be a father through a mentor and sometimes doesn’t always understand Claire. He wants to protect Claire and doesn’t mind killing Ur-phasms, hitting innocent people over the head, or stealing hats. Claire, on the other hand, doesn’t think too hard before taking action, is out to protect herself even when she isn’t always able, and follows the law until it would lead to her harm. She also doesn’t always understand Justin.

Claire fights at school and sticks up for herself, even when it gets her in trouble, yet when she’s faced with real problems and life or death fights, she wishes her knight would save her. After the first few times when he doesn’t immediately come to save her, she realizes she still must rely on herself to get out of the sticky situation, but still, her plans don’t always work out. Finally the knight saves her, but through her struggles to figure out what really happened to her father and what the heck a Spirit Knight is, she will learn that she actually can save herself.

Kids bully Claire at school. Adults tell her what to do and what not to do. The system dictates where she lives and who she lives with. And everyone who knows about the Knights tells her that Girls Can’t Be Knights. Every time. Sometimes they say it incredulously, because it’s never happened before while sometimes they say it disdainfully because they can’t comprehend a change in the familiar, a girl knight. Claire is convinced that she can be a knight and is glad to have been chosen. It gives her life a purpose.

Overall the story was interesting and fun to read while speeding along at a rapid pace. The concepts French introduced were intriguing and I loved her play on gender. If there is a second book I would love to see more on how the only girl who is a knight fits into a world of male knights.

This novel was published by Myrddin Publishing on June 12th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.00

 

Links for more information:

Lee French on Facebook

Lee French on Twitter

Goodreads

Book Review: Unforgiven (The Unseen Trilogy Book 2) by Stephanie Erickson and Book Tour Pre-Stop Info

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Unforgiven (The Unseen Trilogy Book 2) by Stephanie Erickson

A Young Adult Fantasy Novel published by Pickles Press (06/03/15)

 

Summary:

“The important thing is to never assume something isn’t possible. It can leave you open to attack. Tracy is right. In the world of the mind, anything is possible.” (Page 118).

Mackenzie is back, sort of. She’s a shell of her former vibrant self. Maddie’s death in the first book hit her so hard, she can’t seem to recover. Her main functions now is sleeping and moping, until Owen is able to part her from her bed. She must continue training. She must help the Unseen. She must, because she’s the only one who can. Her first real mission is reconnaissance on a scientist she had researched and she finds out something that breaks her from her grief. Now she has purpose. Now she knows what she must do. Now she knows what she’s fighting against. Now she’s out for revenge.

 

Keywords:

Mind Readers, Secret Organization, Friends, Terrorists, Leadership, Taking Responsibility, Helplessness, Depression, Sadness, Anger, Regret, Guilt, Revenge

 

My Review:

Erickson has a way of setting the mood, making you feel Mackenzie’s depression and grief. The whole mood of the book is rather dark and will pull you down with it into the depths of Mackenzie’s despair and then up and up into the madness of her angered revenge. This is not the book to lift your mood, this is a book of raging grief and emotions that will put its mark on your own mood.

The story itself didn’t feel connected to the main plot as much as the first book did. This second book in the trilogy followed the same main plot, but it was more about Mackenzie working through her grief and the aftermath of what happened in book one more than anything new. Mac already found her romantic partner in Owen in book one. Mac already knew who her enemy was from book one: the Potestas. Mac already figured out why she was special and started working for the Unseen in book one. So where can book two go? It doesn’t have as much purpose as the Unseen, though it does advance the plot and show the ultimate destruction the Potestas are capable of and ramp up tension for book three.

The book flowed easily and the pace was quite even throughout. Erickson explores the mind and her concept of mind reading in this book more. It is interesting the ways in which mind readers can control and delve into the mind. The ‘training’ Mac went through in trying to get past the mind’s defenses was fascinating and quite imaginative.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This novel was published by Pickles Press June 3rd, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.00

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Stephanie Erickson’s Website

 

Links to Purchase:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Iv2OLc
iTunes: coming soon
Nook: http://bit.ly/1MHZ3U7
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1QLr9hD
Google: http://bit.ly/1HqxqyK

Mackenzie Day is reeling from the death of her best friend, Maddie. She’s lost her rock, her partner in crime, and her only family in one fell swoop. With that loss, Mac has lost track of herself, and the things she cares about, including her mind-reading abilities.

When the opportunity for vengeance arises, she becomes so blinded by her hatred that she no longer recognizes the person she’s become. As her empathy towards others slips away, even she can’t believe how far she is willing to go to claim justice for Maddie.

Without her moral compass and her sense of self, how can she possibly stop a group of mind-reading terrorists from killing tens of thousands of people? Can she see past her anger to care about anything besides retribution? How can she save her newfound family, when she can’t even tell the difference between herself and those who are truly unforgiven?

Put Unforgiven on your TBR list here.

 

Enter the Goodreads Giveaway for Unforgiven .

 

Join Stephanie’s Newsletter to get Book 1 – Unseen for free!

 

 

About the author:

Stephanie Erickson has always had a passion for the written word. She pursued her love of literature at Flagler College, in St. Augustine, FL, where she graduated with a BA in English. She has received several honors in her writing career, including recognition in the 72nd Annual Writer’s Digest Competition.

After graduation, she married and followed her husband in pursuit of his dream. The Cure and The Blackout were written to reignite Stephanie’s passion, when she found the time. Now that he is settled in his career, it’s her turn to devote more time and energy into writing.

Stephanie currently has 4 projects planned for 2015. Unforgiven is book 2 in the Unseen trilogy. The trilogy will be complete in September with the release of Undivided.

Stephanie, of course, loves to read and write. She also enjoys living on the beach on the Florida’s Treasure Coast. Most of all, she and her husband are in love with their baby girl.

Follow Stephanie on
Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter/Website | Literary Addicts

Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card 18+, giveaway ends June 24th 11:59 pm EST.
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Foodie Fridays: It’s a Big ‘Un – The GOLIATH CHALLENGE

by in Foodie Fridays and tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Goliath-Burger-856x1024map to GC

I’ve wanted to check out this local bar for a while, ever since finding out that they sponsor a food challenge… June 5th is National Donut Day. What does this have to do with Lucky 7 and a Burger Food Challenge? I’m writing a book with food challenges and donuts as themes and I’ve decided that Donut Day is the day I will publish the book (next year), but I wanted to do some research into a real food challenge. Come join me as I try out the challenge. Anyone’s welcome to join me in trying to conquer the Goliath. If you can beat the Goliath Challenge, I’ll even double your winnings. Lucky 7 also features a full menu, with pool, and darts.

The Goliath Burger Challenge
http://www.lucky7barandgrill.com/goliath/
non within 25 minutes by yourself and it’s on the house! (
Eat this 3.5 lb phenomenormally $25.00):

For centuries, man has conquered everything in its path to achieve greatness. From the engineering of the pyramids to landing on the moon, mankind has faced grueling obstacles and triumphed in every realm we have sought to subdue… that is until now. A new opponent challenges our reign in the ultimate showdown of hunger and perseverance. A fearsome warrior once defeated, Goliath has been resurrected in meat form to take his vengeance on all those who deny his omnipotence. He has no fear and knows no pain. Do you?

Goliath Burger features:

1 1/3 lbs beef with diced fresh habaneros
1/2 lb barbecue pulled pork
bacon
cheddar and pepper jack cheeses
home-made habanero relish
4 onion rings
1.5 lb fries

 

For event info: Facebook event description; Meetup event description; Blog event description

Come down after 6PM and join me or watch me suffer in burger and habanero!

Introducing For the Love of Donuts Series:

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Book Review: The Cure by Stephanie Erickson

by in Book Review and tagged , , , ,

The Cure by Stephanie Erickson

A YA Sci-fi/Dystopian Novel published on amazon.com (11/27/2013)

 

Summary:

“I gladly sacrifice my life for the good of others. One life will make the difference, and that life could be mine. For this reason, I’m devoted to finding the cure.” (Kindle Locations 59-60).

In a world that is on quarantine from a disease that kills 75% of the population, the push for the cure also lowers life expectancies. It is only through human trials that the government thinks a cure can be found. “Sixteen was a big birthday, though. The year everyone got their date— the day when you would live or die, the day when you would endure the experiments to find a cure. Everyone was given a date that would not precede their twentieth birthday. The date was then effective for the rest of your life. Every ten years, you would endure the testing on that date, until your sixtieth birthday— if you lived that long.” (Kindle Locations 457-459).

Macey questions the system of dates. Is there really even a disease or is the Cure a way to keep the people in line and the population in control? Macey is an artist about to enter her final year of schooling when she finds out her date will arrive two years earlier than anybody else’s has. She feels gypped, that her whole world and all that she knows is in chaos. She ponders quitting school and starting an artist apprenticeship. She ponders politically incorrect drawings. She ponders life as those around her come up on their own dates and may never return.

 

Keywords:

Post-apocalyptic, Dystopian, Controlling Government, Disease, Cure, Testing, Art, Questioning Everything, Romance, Family, Love, Saving Lives, Sacrifice, Routine, Tradition

My Review:

Stephanie Erickson is able to build her world from the very first sentence. She evokes the time and the setting with those first words. I was shown right away a totalitarian society in a post-apocalyptic dying world and I knew I was going to love this book. Erickson lays out all the important information in the beginning of the story, but layers it throughout the interactions the main character Macey has with her world and environment.

I enjoyed the fact that Macey had one skill and one activity she liked above others. She was an artist and her world revolved around her art and the way she creatively viewed herself and her world. I have never been much of an artist or understood having that kind of skill, so seeing it through Macey’s eyes was exhilarating and eye-opening. On top of a good story with emotional draw, Erickson gave me something else to take away from The Cure.

After the initial setup for the plot and showing the condition the main characters lived in and how their world was set up, the plot began to meander and you’re just waiting for the other boot to drop. It is Macey’s date. Her date is significant. Will the book just end? What will happen? The reader isn’t given much information, just like Macey isn’t until she gets there.

I like how Erickson crafted the ultimate difficult situation for her main character and showed how Macey thought through her decision and the supposed consequences of each decision and how they would affect her life. It’s always fascinating to watch someone struggle with an important decision and to feel their anxiety and watch as they choose their paths in life. Erickson captured Macey’s emotional struggle in this novel.

This novel was published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform 11/27/2013 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Stephanie Erickson’s Website