Book Review - The Dawn: The Bombs Fall, By Michelle Muckley

And here we go with review number two!  I did some reading when I couldn't sleep this week.  My job out in the world keeps me up sometimes and there are days when it keeps my mind so busy that I can't sleep.  Those are the days when I get a lot of reading done.

So I got this book by e-mail and let me tell you, I want to read the rest of them because of this book.  I want to know how it all works out.

And on with the show......

BLURB:

Zachary Christian is Delta Tower resident 8652. He has been stuck inside his tower since the bombs destroyed the world he knew. The reason for the war is still a mystery, but ever since that day the world stands still, trapped by the nuclear winter and the Guardians who patrol the exits. Zachary should feel lucky to be alive, but he is haunted by past mistakes which he never got a chance to put right.

The only way out is the New Omega Lottery. The prize is a place in Omega, a giant glass tower in the center of their barren world where the new government, The Conservators, rule. Nobody from Delta has ever won. But when Zachary meets Emily he knows she is not from Delta. Convinced there must be another way out, he vows that he will find it. But he doesn't realize that The Conservators have already found him.
______________________________

Book Title: The Dawn: The Bombs Fall

Author: Michelle Muckley

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

So let me be honest, I went into this book not expecting much.  That is not a complaint.  I just never know what to expect with this type of book and I have learned never to expect anything.  You just never know where you will end up with these books.

There were some issues for me and this book.  The characters just weren't developed for me.  The back stories were just not enough for me. I really had a hard time relating to any of them.  When I read a book I want to be able to relate to at least one character.  They were ok, but I just couldn't find myself connecting with any of them.

Now that I have gotten that out of the way, let me say that the idea behind the book is a great one.  The way we get an idea of what life is like for these people in Delta Tower was great.  We get a real vision of how life for those who were not in control after the world is destroyed. I just wish we got more about how they ended up there.

Now all of these issues might be cleared up in the later books.  I am willing to wait and see how things work out for the characters.  I am hopeful with the next book we will get more of a back story and really I want more from the other towers.  I want to see if we get a chance for Zach to see Emily again.  I want to see what the rest of the world looks like now, not just what they see from the windows in Delta Tower.

Pros: Great story idea

Cons: Characters were not easy to relate to and the story was hard to get into at the beginning.

Overall rating: I am torn about recommending it.

Book Review - Witch's Moonstone Locket, By Marsha A. Moore

You have to love when the weekend arrives.  I am counting the days until I am on vacation.  Just three more days after today.  Then I can do all the reading I want and get all the reviews caught up that I have sitting in my e-mail.  I feel so blessed to have so many people wanting me to read their books and I can't wait to finish them all.

And for your reading pleasure today....

BLURB:

Twenty-three-year-old Jancie Sadler was out of the room when her mother died, and her heart still longs for their lost goodbye. Aching to ease her sorrow, Aunt Starla gives Jancie a diary that changes her entire life. In entries from the 1930s, her great grandmother revealed how she coped with her own painful loss by seeking out a witch from nearby Coon Hollow Coven. The witch wore the griever’s moonstone locket, which allowed whoever could unlock its enchantment to talk with the dead.

Determined to find that locket, Jancie goes to the coven’s annual carnival held in her small southern Indiana town of Bentbone. This opposes her father’s strict rule: stay away from witches. But she’s an adult now and can make her own decisions. She meets Rowe McCoy, the kind and handsome witch who wears the moonstone. He agrees to let her try to open the locket, but they’re opposed by High Priestess Adara and her jealous desire to possess him. Desperate for closure with her mother, Jancie persists and cannot turn away from a perilous path filled with magic, romance, and danger.

______________________________

Book Title: Witch's Moonstone Locket

Author: Marsha A. Moore

I received this book in exchange for an honest review (LoP or Lovers of Paranormal)

This was definitely something I would normally pick up to read.  I love paranormal series books.  This was a great start for a series.  The characters were strong and the story itself flowed well.  I really enjoyed the book as a whole.

The author gave us a great background to work from at the start. We get to see a great tragedy with the way Jancie had to deal with the death of her mother.  We see what she had to give up and what she did to get where she was at the time of the novel.

That being said there were some issues I found with the storyline. Once we got half way through things, the pace changed.  I love the ideas we have been given in this story, but we start moving from point A to point B in ways that seem out of place for me.  I would have definitely loved more on the pendant that this story revolves around.

Without giving away the ending, I think that the climax was rushed and the whole ending went to fast.  Jancie's character went from normal to something else way to fast for me.  I think that perhaps the ending could have been moved to the second book in the series.  It just felt like the author wanted tie everything up with a nice little bow.

I think we should have more build up to the ending, with more work toward it.  It is the ending that is giving me a hard time.  It is because of how things ended, because it felt way too rushed, that I gave this book three stars and not four.

Pros: Developed characters, great start

Cons: Ending was too rushed.

Overall rating: Recommended

Book Review - Gunning for Marie, By Tracey Steinbach - Book Tour

Hello hello everyone!

So today is book tour review day.  I have been trying to get involved in book tours and when the book is as great at this one, I will keep doing it!  I am glad I got to read this book and hope to see more like it!

So on with the show...

BLURB: 
Several years after the third World War, resources are scarce. The poor are poorer and the middle class doesn't exist anymore. A man with resources travels from city to town buying teenagers from desperate parents and orphanages. The teens are educated, fed and clothed as appropriate for their end purpose, Soldier or Breeder.

A strong, young woman, Marie Rice, falls for Gunnar Lincoln. Their attraction is forbidden, Marie meant for someone else. Disturbing events on the island lead to Gunnar and Marie looking for a way to escape and save everyone else. While they bide their time, attraction turns to something stronger. Will they escape? Will they save the others?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25051459.Gunning_For_Marie

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Gunning-Marie-Tracey-Steinbach- ebook/dp/B00LCE6P2K/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1434570457

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gunning-for-marie-tracey- steinbach/1119879696?ean=2940149726974

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-gunningformarie-1554269-153.html

Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/gunning-for-marie
_______________________________________

Book Title: Gunning for Marie

Author: Tracey Steinbach

I got this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a great read.  It was not one of those books that dragged on for ever, which is a good thing.  I love books that give you the idea they are trying to share right away and don't drag out some things. It gets hard in some books when you are dealing with the future.

From the get go I loved the characters.  Marie is a very strong woman and you get a great understanding of her as you are reading. I love that you can tell how she feels about things as they happen.  You don't have to try and guess what bugs her.  I also love the relationship she has with the soldiers in her group and with Gunnar.  You can tell she takes care of her own.  That is a great quality.

The love story in this book was developed well and not too rushed.  You don't go from point A to point B in like 24 hours which is a good thing.  I hate when you are reading a love story and you fall in love in 24 hours.  I just can't how that works.  In this book we get a great idea of how they started to fall for each other but they let it work out on it's own.

Without giving the ending away, this book is definitely one that will leave you wanting to finish it quickly.  It was not rushed and I loved how the people involved got what they deserved.  This was not one of those pretty, hand holding books and that makes it better for me.  They have to fight for what they want.

Pros: Great storyline, great characters

Cons: Too Short, need more!

Overall rating: Highly recommended!!

_______________________________________


a Rafflecopter giveaway



AUTHOR BIO:

Tracey has been married for over twenty years to a man who’s broadened her horizons. He introduced her to NHRA Drag Racing in 1997. She’s been a fan ever since. Her three children call her Mom or Mama.

Tracey has an eclectic taste in music, enjoying everything from country to hard rock. Def Leppard is her favorite rock band.

Tracey enjoys watching Disney cartoon movies, action/adventure, and romantic comedies. Castle is her favorite TV show.

She loves watching NFL Football. Go 9ers and Saints!

Tracey has been an avid reader since her teen years. She started writing, seriously, after her first short story was accepted for an anthology in 2011. Reading books for a living had always been a dream of Tracey’s. She often jokes that she writes to fund her reading habit.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website: http://steinbachtracey.wix.com/traceysteinbach

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tracey.steinbach

Blog: http://traceysteinbachtraceymichael.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @MamaS449

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5200708.Tracey_Steinbach

Book Review - Witches Protection Program, By Michael Phillip Cash

And here is the second post of the day.  I am trying to get caught up on my reviews so that I am not behind when I go on vacation.  Mind you, I fully intend to read on my vacation, but I just would have to feel like I have to spend the whole time reviewing books and not just reading them. And this one has the rare honor of being a five star one.

And here we go....

Book Title: Witches Protection Program

Author: Michael Phillip Cash

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say that I loved loved loved this book.  I was so taken with it that I missed sleeping to finish reading it.  It drew me in very quickly.  And it was very much like reading the Dresden Files books for me.  ((That is a high compliment))

I have to say I have a crush on Wes.  He is a human shoved into the world of witches, fairies and whatever else is out there in the paranormal world.  He was flawed as well, so it just made him feel more human.  He was not made perfect, like so man other characters that take on the hero role.  He was very human and I loved that about him.

The idea of the story was great and I didn't see any flaws in the way it was executed.  Sometimes we get rushed parts and with most paranormal books, we sometimes get from point A to point B with no back story.  Thankfully we got the back story here.  I would have hated from them not to show me how Wes had gotten himself into trouble to begin with.  Without him getting into trouble, we would not have ended up where we were in the book.

I can't wait for the next book.  ((I am assuming this is the start to a new series))

Pros: Characters were great, story flowed

Cons: I couldn't find a con for this one.

Overall rating: Highly, Highly recommended!!