Category Archives: My Reviews

Love Me if You Must by Nicole Young (A Patricia Amble Mystery #1)

Posted on November 20, 2011 | 2 comments

Click Cover for FREE eBook at Kindle

This book showed me once again that the saying you get what you pay for isn’t always accurate. I would not have been at all disappointed if I had paid for this book. I love that I can find books on Kindle for free to discover new authors and I am definitely adding Young to my list.

While the book is not your typical mystery, it offers up a pretty good cast of characters who make great suspects. The story in itself is not typical, but I found it fresh and I loved the new career choice. Quite tired of reading about coffee, tea, cats, and quilting. Home renovation and house flipping being so popular, I hope others will find the treasure here.

Tish is trying to start over, again, and this time she has chosen a Victorian house to renovate and flip. Trouble is, from the moment she arrives, the town seems too eager to sweep her into their drama and mayhem. From a serious case of mistaken identity to a romantic triangle to challenge the ages, Tish is up to her tool belt in trouble. Then there is the whole body in her basement thing…or is it too? It all depends on who’s counting.

I did find a few parts of the book questionable in the logic, but come on people, it’s fiction! And some of the things that bothered other readers had the opposite effect on me because I could really relate. Life isn’t always perfect, and sometimes people do crazy things…it keeps things interesting. The heroine had some seriously wishy-washy moments, but who the hell hasn’t?

The plot is solid, the characters are clever, and overall the mystery is a good one. And for the record, I was not disappointed in anything the jacket copy offered. Nicole Young is now on my pay to read list. You should give it a try: your opinion might be closer to mine than to the naysayers.

Several Amazon reviewers complained about the horrible mistakes in the writing, but honestly, I am sitting here trying to recall them, but I guess I was so entertained by the story that I missed them, and I’m an editor.

2 Comments

Posted in Blatherings, Book Reviews, Just for Fun

Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina (Steampunk Novel)

Posted on November 18, 2011 | 3 comments

Click Cover to buy at Kindle

I could not put this book down. Lady Claire is a treasure of a character. With spunk, brains, and a heart of gold, this gal is well worht the time invested in getting to know her and her merry band of rag-tag ladies and gentlemen.

I’ve read some Steampunk novels that try to hard to impress you with all the technical descriptions that they forget that stories shoudl be about people as well. Shelly Adina has given us the best of both. She made me want to know more about all the gadgets and such, but kept me rooting for each and every character as they made their next discovery or change.

With a lot of heart and interesting things to keep you reading, I hope that this series finds the succes I think it deserves. Well-written and intriguing, I only wish there had been a bit more of a resolution at the end of this story. i am on my way to buy the next one, but felt a litle let down when I realized I had reached the end.

Overall, a great read.

3 Comments

Posted in Blatherings, Book Reviews

Just My Opinion

Posted on November 2, 2011 | 5 comments

Okay, a funny thing happened to me the other day. I submitted a review to Amazon.com and it was rejected. You heard me, REJECTED! I was flabbergasted, flummoxed, furious…you get the point. I can’t even tell you how this has affected me. The worst thing is, I have no clear reason as to why it was rejected. I got a standard form letter that gave a couple of reasons, none of which my reviews falls into.

This came at a time when one of the groups I am in has been discussing this very thing, so I posted my review to the group, hoping for some insight. I got some. But I also heard a couple of people say that since I mentioned in the review that I was the publisher, they probably considered the review as advertising and that if they saw a review written by the publisher they would move on because it would be utterly meaningless to them as a reader (please note: I respect this person and their opinions very much and I am not in any way knocking them, just using their words as an example of what I have gotten from others.)

My question to you is, why is a publisher’s review any less valuable than anyone else’s? Shouldn’t it hold some weight since the publisher picked the book from possibly hundreds of others because it was better, stood out more, or more interesting than the others they could have published? Shouldn’t it matter that the publisher was willing and eager to put their time and money into that book, thereby giving it more value in their opinion? And isn’t a publisher simply a reader who cares enough to make other books available to others to read?

I want to know why reader would not care what a publisher thought of a book.

Now I am promoting, dang it. Click here to BUY NOW at Kindle. Only $.99

Below is the review I tried to post and the note I got from Amazon.com.

This review is from: Totally Buzzed (Miller Sisters Mystery) (Paperback)

If you haven’t been to White Bass Lake, WI and met the Miller sisters, you are really missing out.

There are times as a publisher that you wonder what you have gotten yourself into, this is one of those times, but for a different reason. “Totally Buzzed” by Gale Borger is totally kick-butt whimsical. The story is solid with a good plot and a nice little mystery, but it’s the characters that shine in this humorous romp. I am so glad I took a chance and published it.

You really have to wonder if murder should be so dang funny, but Gale knows her stuff and if you don’t laugh out loud as you are reading, you should have someone check your pulse.

The Miller family is so much like a normal family, you may just think you are related to them.

The first book in a series, this one is a real gem and I encourage everyone to read it, especially if your day hasn’t been so good. It’s a real pick-me-up.

Amazon’s Rejection:

Written reviews must be at least 20 words long. The ideal length is 75 to 500 words.
Your review should focus on specific features of the product and your experience with it. Feedback on the seller or your shipment experience should be provided at www.amazon.com/feedback.
We do not allow profane or obscene content. This applies to adult products too.
Advertisements, promotional material or repeated posts that make the same point excessively are considered spam.
Please do not include URLs external to Amazon or personally identifiable content in your review.

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