January 16, 2017
Tangle of Strings Book Review
Tangle of Strings is Book Four in the Sweeney Sisters Series.
About Tangle of Strings
Some families never resolve conflicts. Not so with the Sweeneys. Their sense of family, their love for one another, and their willingness to forgive have always triumphed and brought them back together. Until now. The latest crisis threatens to tear the family apart and crumble the foundation that has always proved itself rock solid.
At the heart of the matter are sixteen-year-old Annie Bethune and her boyfriend, Cooper. At stake are their dreams for the future. As to these dreams, no one in the family holds back when asserting an opinion.
Annie soon begins to feel like a puppet on strings with all those she loves telling her what to do. When those strings become tangled and a family feud develops, Annie, unable to bear the pressure, runs away. Straight into the arms of danger.
My Thoughts
Book Four in the Sweeney Sisters Series does not disappoint! This novel faces on Annie, the young girl who we were introduced to in the previous novels. She has had such a hard life and the Sweeney family took her in with loving arms. They got her back on her feet, tried their best to support and guide her and showered her with love.
One unsure decision in the heat of the moment tears apart Annie’s life and causes a huge rift in the family. Annie is left alone to try to make a decision that is best for her, while still respecting the wishes of those around her. She feels torn, hurt and alone. My heart went out to her as I was in a similar position as she was but not at sixteen. My heart went out to her and all the emotions that the story brought back. This novel is full of emotion, love, pain and struggle. Tangle of Strings is the story of a real family struggling – and Ashley doesn’t hold back with the emotions.
Tangle of Strings has become my favourite in the Sweeney Sister Series. It was raw, real and full of emotion. The story touched me personally and I fell in love with Annie all over again. This novel is a definite must read – you will not be disappointed.
You can purchase a copy of Tangle of Strings on Amazon.
Rating: 5/5
About the Author
Ashley Farley is the author of the bestselling series, the Sweeney Sisters Series. Ashley writes books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues. Her goal is to keep you turning the pages until the wee hours of the morning. If her story stays with you long after you’ve read the last word, then she’s done her job.
After her brother died in 1999 of an accidental overdose, she turned to writing as a way of releasing her pent-up emotions. She wrote SAVING BEN in honor of Neal, the boy she worshipped, the man she could not save.
Ashley is a wife and mother of two college-aged children. She grew up in the salty marshes of South Carolina, but now lives in Richmond, Virginia, a city she loves for its history and traditions.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
January 16, 2017
Ready Set Rogue Book Review
Ready Set Rogue is the first in Manda Collins’ new series set in Regency England.
About Ready Set Rogue
When scholarly Miss Ivy Wareham receives word that she s one of four young ladies who have inherited Lady Celeste Beauchamp’s estate with a magnificent private library, she packs her trunks straightaway. Unfortunately, Lady Celeste’s nephew, the rakish Quill Beauchamp, Marquess of Kerr, is determined to interrupt her studies one way or another.
Bequeathing Beauchamp House to four blue stockings no matter how lovely they are to look at is a travesty, and Quill simply wont have it. But Lady Celeste’s death is not quite as straightforward as it first seemed and if Quill hopes to solve the mystery behind her demise, he will need Ivy’s help. Along the way, he is surprised to learn that bookish Ivy stirs a passion and longing that he has never known. This rogue believes he s finally met his match but can Quill convince clever, skeptical Ivy that his love is no fiction?
My Thoughts
A fantastic, romantic and full of suspense novel based on four young ladies who were given an estate by an elderly scholarly Lady, against the wishes of her family – especially the wishes of Quill. When Quill goes to reclaim his ancestral home from the young women, he is surprised not only by their wit but their strength and determination. From the moment he arrives, he learns that Lady Celeste’s death was not quite what it seemed and not only did his Aunt not trust him with the truth, she only trusted Ivy, one of the young ladies she had given her home to.
Quill needs to learn to accept and work with Ivy, which at first is difficult for him but he slowly learns to trust and respect her thoughts and ideas. Even more so they begin to slowly fall for each other, a romance that neither would have expected but can not ignore! What I loved the most about this novel was that while there was the romance between Quill and Ivy, this did not take over the novel. Instead we have the mysterious death of Lady Celeste and the journey these two go on in order to solve the mystery. The ending was incredible and far from what I expected (which I love in a novel!).
Ready, Set, Rogue is a well written suspenseful, historical romance that you will fall in love with. Ivy is a character that you can directly relate to and end up holding a tender spot for. You want her to uncover the mysterious plot and to realize she deserves love and romance. This novel was a great overall read that you will enjoy over and over again.
You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble and Kobo.
Rating: 4/5
About the Author
Manda Collins spent her teen years wishing she’d been born a couple of centuries earlier, preferably in the English countryside. Time travel being what it is, she resigned herself to life with electricity and indoor plumbing, and read lots of books. An affinity for books led to a graduate degree in English, followed by another in Librarianship. By day, she works as an academic librarian at a small liberal arts college, where she teaches college students how to navigate the tangled world of academic research. A native of coastal Alabama, Manda lives in the house her mother grew up in with two cats, sometimes a dog, sometimes her sister, and more books than strictly necessary.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
January 15, 2017
iRead Book Tours Three Year Anniversary Spotlight
One of my favourite companies to work with, iRead Book Tours is turning three years old this year! Laura, the owner at iRead, works incredibly hard to help bring amazing books to our readers each month.
About iRead Book Tours
At iRead, we give special attention to every book that tours with us. We are passionate about books and we customize all our tours because no two authors are alike.
We don’t just market books. We help our authors get the best exposure with traditional tours consisting mainly of reviews. We work closely with our authors and pride ourselves on our highly individualized customer service.
All our staff are book bloggers and authors, so we understand the process and the hard work involved. We’ve built a solid relationship with our database of reliable book bloggers who are eager to read your books.
About Laura Fabiani
In 2008, Laura began blogging about books shortly after she published her first book. She started Library of Clean Reads, a book review blog, and discovered the joy of reviewing a variety of genres. Her children have joined her in this venture and they spend many happy hours reading books together. A Special Care Counselor by profession, Laura has co-led and developed programs for seniors with dementia, including Alzheimer’s Disease. She has a passion for the topic of neuroscience and wellness.
Throughout the years she has met and worked with wonderful publishers, both traditional and indie, as well as publicists and authors. Best of all, she discovered the world of book bloggers–a community of special people who spend their precious time sharing their love of books and all things related to books.
Taking part in book tours has always made Laura feel more connected to authors and the publishing field. She organized her own virtual tour when her book was published and she learned several things. As an author, it exposed her to actual reader views and social media. As a book blogger and book tour organizer, it taught her the amount of work it entailed. And she loves it!
You can find Laura blogging at Library of Clean Reads and Essentially Italian. She is the owner of iRead Book Tours, Italy Book Tours, and Je Lis Blog Tours.
Why I LOVE iRead!
Laura is one of the most amazing individuals I have ever worked with. She is always there to answer my questions within the hour, she is super organized and her content is always flawless. She knows not only what authors and bloggers need but also what readers want and need to know about the novel. She presents this information in an easy to follow format not only for readers but for bloggers as well. She hosts a wide variety of books and I have never been disappointed with hosting a tour spot with her – from communicating about available tours, to receiving books and to receiving information about the book spot.
It has been a pleasure to work with Laura and I can not wait to continue working with her in the future! Happy Three Year Anniversary iRead Book Tours!
The Giveaway
Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.
December 16, 2016
Microsoft and Intel #FindYourJoy Top Picks
Tech products are always at the top of the many Christmas wish lists around this time of year. Even our five-year old has tech products on his! Crazy how they start so young right? But what is even more amazing is the technology that companies like Microsoft and Intel are coming up with! Our son, featured below, was playing Fruit Ninja on the TV with just hands and body movements, awesome right?
The only problem with buying tech products is that sometimes it’s so hard to know what exactly the person wants and needs. Especially when the person you are buying for is the type that writes only laptop, tablet and video game – leaving the decision-making up to you. Microsoft and Intel understands how hard purchasing technology can be and have put together a top picks list this year and I wanted to highlight a few of my favourites!
Number one on our list? The Xbox One S. The Xbox One S is the smallest and most compact unit made and it also plays Blu-ray movies and streams videos in 4K Ultra HD. I also loved that the unit can also play a growing number of Xbox 360 games at no additional cost. Which as a parent, I can’t help but love. There is nothing harder than purchasing a new unit to have to purchase all new games at high cost.
The Xbox Design lab was introduced to us in the fall at the Xbox event in Toronto. Your little gamer can build their own personalized and unique controller. The design lab features over eight million, one of a kind options that are made to order and shipped to your door. Our eldest had so much fun designing his own personal controller and if you have a gamer in the home you know how much these controllers mean to them.
The Surface Book is another favourite pick. The Surface Book features a 6th generation INtel Core i5 or i7 and the versatility of a tablet. It has 13.5 inch detachable high-resolution touchscreen. You can sketch out ideas with the Surface Pen and most importantly it has a twelve-hour battery life.
Rounding out the Microsoft and Intel Top Picks list are:
- Surface Pro 4
- Dell XPS 13
- Dell Inspiron 7000
- Forza Horizon 3, ReCore, Minecraft
- Arc Touch Mouse – Surface Edition
- Microsoft Surface mouse and keyboard
So what does the tech lover in your home want for Christmas? Are any of the items above on their wish list?
Disclosure: I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.
December 15, 2016
Theodoric Saga Book Review
In the Theodoric Saga, what will triumph? Love of country or love of mate?
The Crown of Anavrea
The Theodoric Saga Book 1
by Rachel Rossano
Genre: Historical Romance
My Thoughts
I found myself torn with this story – I loved the plot but I was left wishing for just a little bit more to their story. The plot was excellent – full of adventure, suspense and just enough romance. We have a man who was rescued and cared for by a slave. Little did this slave woman know that he was a Prince on the run, with a bounty on his head by his Father. She cared and tended to him and in return he freed her from her slavery. It wasn’t until his wounds became more fatal that he was forced to seek help from trusted friends and have to tell her the truth. Eve took this with grace – she trusted Labren fully and would do anything for him.
I loved the plot line and the characters but I just would have loved to see a bit more depth in the character development or even a little bit more detail in the plot line. It seemed almost rushed at times. I still loved the story and can’t wait to read book two and three in this saga!
Rating: 4/5
The King of Anavrea
The Theodoric Saga Book 2
A reluctant king, a blind queen, and a marriage that sparked a rebellion…
Ireic Theodoric, King of Anavrea, constantly battles with his council over who will
run the country. When the council insists on a treaty with Sardmara, he agrees. However, the
treaty quickly becomes an arranged marriage. Ireic offers up himself for the sake of Anavrea. But
after he signs, no princess appears.
Lirth Parnan, only daughter of the king of Sardmara, survives alone in a cold, damp
tower room. Baron Tor kidnapped her in an attempt to control her father. No one came to claim
her. She suspects her father considers her flawed beyond use in his political games. After five
years of waiting, her hope of rescue wanes with her health.
After Ireic fights his way into Lirth’s tower, he realizes the depths of her father’s
deception. Instead of being an answer to his problems, Lirth creates new ones. The council will
not accept her as queen, but Ireic has sworn an oath that he will marry her. His choice could cost
him his throne, perhaps his life.
The Reward of Anavrea
The Theodoric Saga Book 3
She couldn’t hide forever.
A hard life taught Jayne to avoid men, powerful men most of all. When a new nobleman arrives to
take over the vargar, she takes her family and hides. But the new baron seeks her out and makes
her an offer she can’t refuse: protection. However, once they were sheltered behind the dark
stone walls of the vargar, who would protect her from the new master?
His reward isn’t what it seems.
King Ireic of Anavrea charges Liam, a former bodyguard, with the task of retaking
and taming a corner of the northern wilds. Upon arrival at Ashwyn Vargar, Liam finds challenges
beyond his military experience. The keys to the vargar are missing and so are the field hands who
should be harvesting the fields. Once he finds the keeper of the keys, she raises more questions
than answers.
Rachel Rossano
specializes in clean romantic fiction set in historical-feeling fantasy worlds. She also dabbles in
straightforward historical romance and not-so-strict speculative fiction.
A happily married mother of three small children, she divides her time between mothering, teaching, and writing. She
endeavors to enchant, thrill, entertain, and amuse through her work. A constant student, she
seeks to improve her skills and loves to hear from readers.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.