Review: Werewolf Weekend by B.A. Frade & Stacia Deutsch

Goodreads Blurb

The full moon is rising…with a bite!

Twelve-year-old Emma is excited to spend a weekend away at best friend Samantha’s house for an epic sleepover with Sam and her out-of-town cousins. But things take a turn for the spooky when Emma’s peculiar new book, Tales from the Scaremaster, shows it has a mind of its own-and weaves a story starring Emma and some cousins hiding a very creepy secret!

When the story from the book starts coming to life, and with only hours before the full moon rises, it’s up to Emma to figure out the secrets of the Scaremaster. Can she solve this wolfish mystery, find a way to outwit the Scaremaster, and stop a werewolf in its tracks…or will she end up as wolf bait?

Frightfully funny tales come to life in this thrilling new series, perfect for fans of Goosebumps.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

This was a fun book for young children to read. It’s a story about a journal that creates its own horror story. Emma knew what the intentions of the journal were, and she tried her best to change the story in order to save her friends. It was a fast-paced book that will keep all readers interested in knowing what happens next.

Review: Clever Creatures of The Night by Samantha Mabry

Goodreads Blurb

WHERE IS DREA?

When Case shows up at the isolated West Texas house where her best friend, Drea, lives with friends from school, Drea is nowhere to be found. Why would she ask Case to visit and then disappear? With twenty-four hours until her ride home, Case intends to find out.

But Drea’s roommates can’t—or won’t—answer any questions. They leave Case to search alone, to find bits and pieces of Drea’s life hidden in and around the house, while they continue playing out a rural utopian fantasy. Their bizarre behavior puts Case on edge, and she’s not the only one. The animals nearby are lashing out, strangely aggressive.

Something bad happened in this house. Something that must be connected to Drea’s disappearance—and if she gets too close to the truth, Case might just be next.

My Review: Rated 2 out of 5 stars

When I received this book from the publisher, the cover captivated me. The mysterious house on the cover felt eerie. Unfortunately, the story did not captivate me one bit. I was hoping to be at the edge of my seat, but all I felt was the temptation to continue reading a story that I wasn’t interested in. I hoped that Chase would find her best friend but that she would have a spooky adventure doing so. The title was fantastic, but I couldn’t connect it with the story. The story started exciting, but the ending and mystery weren’t captivating enough.

Author Biography

samantha was born four days before the death of john lennon. she grew up in dallas, playing bass guitar along to vinyl records in her bedroom after school, writing fan letters to rock stars, doodling song lyrics into notebooks, and reading big, big books.

she spends as much time as possible in the west texas desert.

A FIERCE AND SUBTLE POISON (Algonquin Young Readers, spring 2016) is her first novel.

Review: Mother Nature by Jamie Lee Curtis

Goodreads Blurb

Discover the incredible debut graphic novel from Hollywood horror legend Jamie Lee Curtis, Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress in the acclaimed movie Everything, Everywhere, All At Once .

Adapted from her script for the Comet Pictures/Blumhouse film Mother Nature by award-winning artist Karl Stevens, witness the terrifying supernatural revenge of Nova Terrel, whose father was mysteriously killed on site of a corrupt oil giant.

After witnessing her engineer father die in mysterious circumstances on one of the Cobalt Corporation’s experimental oil extraction projects, Nova Terrell has grown up to hate the seemingly benevolent company that the town of Catch Creek, New Mexico, relies on for its livelihood and, thanks to the “Mother Nature” project, its clean water.

Haunted by her father’s death, the rebellious Nova wages a campaign of sabotage and vandalism on the oil giant’s facilities and equipment, until one night she accidentally makes a terrifying discovery about the true nature of the “Mother Nature” project and the malevolent, long-dormant horror it has awakened, and that threatens to destroy them all.

My Review: Rated 3 out of 5 stars

The book discussed essential topics, such as climate change and companies’ projects that benefit them rather than the community or the environment. Some of the graphics were unforgettably graphic. The deaths are so graphic that the reader will feel like they are in the story, watching the gruesome death take place. This story had Native American spirits and Nova Terrel looking to destroy the oil company. Nova witnessed the death of her father at the oil company when she was younger. Between the spirits and Nova, they sabotaged everything and took lives trying to fight back. Mother nature will eventually fight back for what is rightfully theirs.

Author Biography

Jamie Lee Curtis is a two-time Golden Globe-winning, BAFTA-winning, and Emmy-nominated American film actress and an author of children’s books. Although she was initially known as a “scream queen” because of her starring roles in many horror films early in her career such as Halloween (1978 film), The Fog, Prom Night (1980 film) and Terror Train, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that covers many genres. She has received an Emmy Award nomination and two Golden Globe Awards. Her 1998 book, Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That Make My Day, made the best-seller list in The New York Times. She is married to actor Christopher Guest (Lord Haden-Guest) and, as the wife of a Lord, is titled Lady Haden-Guest, but she chooses not to use the title when in the United States.

Cover Reveal: Take All the Time You Need by Cate Summers

BOOK DETAILS:

Take All the Time You Need
by Cate Summers
Publication date: September 24, 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Riley Chase is taking her sweet time to move on.

Working as a painter in the West Village in New York City, Riley is still reeling from the loss of her fiancé, Grant, three years later, until an unexpected rent hike forces her to move out of the apartment she shared with him. She takes it as a chance to start anew, at the encouragement of her therapist. After answering a request for proposal to paint a mural in The Red Kettle, a new restaurant owned by none other than Jae Cho, the wickedly handsome chef who just moved into her old apartment.

As Riley and Jae work together to get the restaurant ready for opening night, Jae learns of Riley’s well-meaning but ultimately futile attempts to make a dating app profile. Jae can’t stand to watch his new employee flounder in love—or get kidnapped by a serial killer before she finishes painting his mural— and promises to help get her profile in order including a practice date in exchange for her painting the mural for free. Riley questions what it means to “move on” from her late fiancé, and from the place she called home for so long—all while trying to not fall for her new neighbor who can’t seem to help but feed her dumplings and take her on long walks through NYC.

Maybe it isn’t too late for love after all.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209805753-take-all-the-time-you-need

Pre-order: https://amzn.to/3TW3NiX

Review: How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

Goodreads Blurb

A charming, deeply moving novel about second chances, unlikely friendships, and the life-changing power of sharing stories.

Our Reasons meet us in the morning and whisper to us at night. Mine is an innocent, unsuspecting, eternally sixty-one-year-old woman named Lorraine Daigle…

Violet Powell, a twenty-two-year-old from rural Abbott Falls, Maine, is being released from prison after serving twenty-two months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher. Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest. Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, hasn’t yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed.

When the three encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland—Violet to buy the novel she was reading in the prison book club before her release, Harriet to choose the next title for the women who remain, and Frank to dispatch his duties as the store handyman—their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways.

How to Read a Book is an unsparingly honest and profoundly hopeful story about letting go of guilt, seizing second chances, and the power of books to change our lives. With the heart, wit, grace, and depth of understanding that has characterized her work, Monica Wood illuminates the decisions that define a life and the kindnesses that make life worth living.

My Review: Rated 5 out if 5 stars

This story was a rollercoaster of emotions that made my heart slightly bigger. It evoked so many emotions and showcased the power of forgiveness and second chances. The characters in this book will tug at your heartstrings. Their will to survive and help others is heartwarming. When you think your life is at its end, freedom or romance emerges. I connected with the story and the characters on so many levels.

Violet is a young woman who went to jail after causing the death of a teacher because she chose the wrong guy and made a terrible decision. She did her time in prison with no one to blame for her actions but herself. She is a strong-willed young lady who treats everyone with the utmost respect. The book club in jail brought her and the other inmates closer together and gave them joy in dissecting each story and understanding what the author told them through each poem and story. Seeing Violet free at last was joyous and heartbreaking. Anyone out of jail goes through many rejections for work and living arrangements. They are perceived as social outcasts capable of causing trouble at any moment. I connected with Violet with her love of animals and books. I was happy with how her life turned out in the end.

Harriet is the mother we all seek—a woman with so much love and care. To me, she was the character that brought this whole story together. She became a teacher at an older age and was the book club lady for the ladies in jail. It takes a lot of courage for someone to feel comfortable and want to help people learn while they are locked away. She enjoyed her time with the ladies getting lost in a book. She has many flaws and a hidden secret but has the biggest heart. She helped Violet connect back to society. She was the mother hen in this story.

Frank was the dad everyone wished they had; he reminded me of my dad. I was so happy that Frank was a die-maker, just like my dad. It’s a job you rarely hear anyone talk about, but an especially important one. Frank is also great at doing repairs, just like my dad. I felt so bad for Frank with how his marriage was going and the tragic death of his wife. He felt guilty about what transpired after his wife’s death and with his first encounter with Violet. It touched my heart that he went out of his way to create something the best way he knew how: metal. His apology was heartwarming. Few people have it in their hearts to apologize to someone who caused a family member to lose their life. I felt a sense of empathy for Frank, especially about the heartbreak he had endured.

I feel a personal connection to this story because of the parrots mentioned in it. The only pets I could own were birds or hamsters. My beautiful Quaker parrot, Beba, died last July after 15 years with us. I love how amazing birds are and the funny personalities they each have. The birds were a perfect addition to the story.

I highly recommend this book. You will fall in love with the characters—the birds and the cats—and a piece of them will remain after you finish the last page.

Author Biography

Monica Wood is the author of four works of fiction, most recently The One-in-a-Million-Boy, which won a 2017 Nautilus Award (Gold) and the 2017 fiction prize from the New England Society in the City of New York. She also is the author of Any Bitter Thing which spent 21 weeks on the American Booksellers Association extended bestseller list and was named a Book Sense Top Ten pick. Her other fiction includes Ernie’s Ark and My Only Story, a finalist for the Kate Chopin Award.

Monica is also the author of When We Were the Kennedys, a memoir of her growing up in Mexico, Maine. The book won the Maine Literary Award for Memoir in 2013, and the Sarton Women’s Literary Awards for Memoir in 2012.

Cover Reveal: The Spoiler by Le Todd

BOOK DETAILS:

The Spoiler
by Le Todd
Publication date: June 18, 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

College student Rose Maraczek loves movies. Not just any movies, but sweeping period dramas that take her far away from who she is. Her obsession started in high school when a box of movies appeared on her doorstep and she discovered the relief they could give her from her debilitating OCD. What Rose hates are spoilers—especially those that ruin the escape she seeks.

Tristan Moore, Rose’s former crush and her brother’s best friend, is the bane of her existence. Always at their house, everything he does gets under Rose’s skin, the worst of which is his consistent dropping of movie spoilers. Fed up, Rose sets out to find a new apartment, but it’s while trying to distance herself from Tristan that he reveals one final spoiler—one that makes Rose realize it was Tristan who left all those movies for her years ago.

Now it’s Rose’s turn for revenge as she forms a movie-spoiler plan of her own: Destroy Tristan Moore.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64666083-the-spoiler

AUTHOR BIO:

After years in marketing as a content writer, LE Todd returned to her first love: writing fiction. She had previously shelved the idea of being published, but decided to press on, continuing work on her fantasy series, Harrow Eternus. In 2021, she completed writing the second book in her series, then went on to write a contemporary romance, The Spoiler, which is slated for publication in June 2024.
In 2023, LE Todd wrote a vampire romantasy, Claret, and is now working on a new fantasy trilogy, Warlock of the West.

Author links:

https://www.instagram.com/l.e.todd/

Tweets by Voxious

https://www.facebook.com/authorletodd/?locale=hi_IN

https://letodd.com/

Review: The Unexpected by Lexie LaMonica

Goodreads Blurb

Hannah grew up in a world of extravagant parties and gated communities, without ever knowing what the world around her was like. Sheltered and home schooled by her mother, her only sense of reality came from what she read in books. But, the books did not portray the real world she would soon face. At the ripe age of 18, she enters her first semester of college where she meets Jordan. A boy who she believes to be anything but Prince Charming. Yet, Jordan doesn’t give up on Hannah. Even though he grew up with nothing, he wants the girl who naively grew up with everything.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

This book had my emotions rolling through like a roller coaster. I was so excited that Hannah finally was able to live life out of her sheltered home and was wishing her the best of luck. I was not expecting the roller coaster of emotions that, in a matter of weeks, she had to overcome. I was happy that Jordan was always there to save her from the evil that seemed to capture Hannah every time she was alone. It was like everyone knew that they could overpower her because of her innocence. I was devastated that life for Hannah away from her home wasn’t what she expected. She wanted to be freed from her sheltered self with a prince who would love her just like the stories she read, but in reality, the real world wasn’t like a fairy tale. You don’t want to miss out and read what The Unexpected revealed to the readers that also made them fear the world.

Review: The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

Goodreads Blurb

A summer house party turns into a whodunit when Mr. Wickham, one of literature’s most notorious villains, meets a sudden and suspicious end in this mystery featuring Jane Austen’s leading literary characters.

The happily married Mr. Knightley and Emma are throwing a house party, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintances—characters beloved by Jane Austen fans. Definitely not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him an even broader array of enemies. As tempers flare and secrets are revealed, it’s clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet they’re all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered—except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst.

Nearly everyone at the house party is a suspect, so it falls to the party’s two youngest guests to solve the mystery: Juliet Tilney, the smart and resourceful daughter of Catherine and Henry, eager for adventure beyond Northanger Abbey; and Jonathan Darcy, the Darcys’ eldest son, whose adherence to propriety makes his father seem almost relaxed. The unlikely pair must put aside their own poor first impressions and uncover the guilty party—before an innocent person is sentenced to hang.

My Review: Rated 3 out of 5 stars

I was excited to read this novel because it was based on Jane Austen’s characters. Unfortunately, the story was slow, and it took me long to stay with it. The one part I did enjoy was that the murder mystery was being solved by two teenagers: Jonathan Darcy, the son of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, and Juliet Tilney, the daughter of Catherine and Henry. The story made me think about who might be the killer of the evil Mr. Wickham. He deserved what he got for being such a terrible human. I think the storyline with the number of characters was a little confusing to keep up with the number of characters involved.

Author Biography

Claudia Gray is not my real name. I didn’t choose a pseudonym because my real name is unpleasant (it isn’t), because I’d always dreamed of calling myself this (I haven’t) or even because I’m hiding from the remnants of that international diamond-smuggling cartel I smashed in 2003 (Interpol has taken care of them). In short, I took a pseudonym for no real reason whatsoever. Sometimes this is actually the best reason to do things.

I live in New Orleans. So far, in life, I’ve been a disc jockey, a lawyer, a journalist and an extremely bad waitress, just to name a few. I especially like to spend time traveling, hiking, reading and listening to music. More than anything else, I enjoy writing.

Review: Taming Blaze by Sabrina Paige

Goodreads Blurb

A chance encounter would ignite a spark. Fate would fan the flame.

Dani doesn’t believe in love. She knows that love only leads to heartache, like the murder of her mother when she was just fourteen. Besides, dating is tough when your dad is one of the most powerful crime bosses on the West Coast.

So instead of relationships, Dani believes in one night stands. But when a casual fling goes frighteningly wrong, she runs home to the only person she knows will protect her – her father.

She doesn’t make it. Dani’s stranded on the side of the road with no one to help her. Except Blaze.

Blaze has been through hell and back. Raised by his junkie mom, the Inferno MC is the only real family he’s ever known. As their jaded Vice President, he’d do anything to protect the club.

When fate throws them together, sparks fly.Their attraction is undeniable, but can this jaded and broken pair find happiness? Or will Dani’s family secrets tear everything down, including the MC?

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Won this book from GoodReads. This book was sexy hot. Didn’t expect the characters to speak so freely. Didn’t know what to expect when I started to listen to this audio book. I was frustrated at the beginning with Dani and her college boyfriend, who harmed her even though she asked him to stop. I was furious that he went ahead with his action. Blaze is a sexy hot biker who has lived a tough life. He encountered Dani because she almost drove him off the road. He was furious and was going to show her a lesson until he found her crying and vomitting at the side of the road, and her car ran out of gas. At first sight, both thought to themselves that the other was sexy hot and sparks exploded, and tension surged. They were meant to be with each other. Dani was able to tame the tough biker. Unfortunately, Dani’s father wasn’t who she thought he was. He would have done anything at any cost to get money. She finds out that he killed her mother, which I couldn’t believe the evil in this man. Was happy that she found out the truth and was able to vengeance her mothers death and save what was left of her family. I’m glad that they both got married on their own terms and not let others decide what type of wedding they should have.

Review: Playing Doctor by Kate Allure

Goodreads Blurb

The doctor will see you now…

Three sizzling-hot erotic romance stories to stoke your mood…

In The Intern, the temperature of Dr. Lauren Marks’ office quickly rises when her new medical intern, Courtney, turns out to be a passionate and sexy young man.

Valerie realizes all of her fantasies when her sexy surgeon and her loving husband team up to offer her some extra-special treatment in My Doctor, My Husband, and Me.

Nikki gets more than she bargained for in Seize the Doctor when the hot guy she recently met at a bar walks into her exam room wearing a white coat. Good thing she wore her sexiest lingerie.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A well-deserved five for such a spicy read. All three stories had women being the leading sexual object. Love it when women take charge. The intern was just perfect. Dr. Lauren gets the hots for an intern that comes to her office for the summer. She is self-conscious since she is around her 30s, and the intern is in his early 20s. The love connection for that summer was a summer, not to be forgotten. My Doctor, My Husband, and Me was very unexpected. Would have never thought that her husband would allow her to have some sexual fun with another man. But hey, it worked out for all three at the end. Seize the doctor was my favorite. I would have freaked out if he were the doctor I encountered in the gynecologist. After that crazy drama in the club, it was a totally awkward moment. Was so happy that Nikki felt like she needed a change and that she was going to grab the bull by the horns. Totally risky anniversary night. I would have been so nervous to have someone walk in. These three sexy reads can keep any reader in attention, if you get what I mean.

Author Biography

Kate Allure writes erotic romances that celebrate sensuality, sexual exploration and, of course, true love. Writing for Entangled Publishing and Sourcebooks, her books feature real women meeting handsome professional, working men as they go about their everyday lives—and the fun they have behind closed doors! Her work is “Escapism of the richest, most decadent variety, 4 stars” (RT Book Reviews), and “sizzling and sensual. Intense chemistry, great characterization, and a kinky page-singeing ending will have readers clamoring for more,” (Publishers Weekly). Kate’s non-fiction writing includes the Romance Readers Guide to Historic London under the name Sonja Rouillard. Beyond writing, Kate’s passions include traveling and exploring all things sensual with her loving husband.