Book Review | But I Smile Anyway...

#BookReview – Oath Breaker by Shelley Wilson @ShelleyWilson72

05 Jan 2018 37 Comments

by Ritu in Reviews, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Book Review, Oath Breaker, Shelley Wilson, YA Fiction

I am indebted to Shelley Wilson.

SONY DSC

Last year I was encouraged to read her Guardians trilogy, Young Adult Fantasy fiction. This is a genre I have never been pulled towards in the past. But, as a fan of Shelley’s blogs, I thought I’d give them a go.

I wasn’t disappointed at all!

Thrilled to meet Shelley at the Annual Blogger’s Bash in 2016 and 2017 (captured above)! She’s the tall one!!!

In fact, since then, I have read a few others from the YA Genre, including Sacha Black’s Keepers, and I haven’t been disappointed.

I was thrilled to hear that Shelley had written a new story, which would develop into another series of books, Oath Breaker.

Now YA fantasy fiction is one thing. Werewolves are another. I have to confess (sorry Shelley) but Twilight and the suchlike have never been on my radar, and I wasn’t sure how I would enjoy this…

Shelley, why did I even doubt you?

The blurb…

Will she follow the pack…
Or will she destroy them?
A dead mother.
A violent father.
A missing brother.
When Mia’s father is murdered, it’s her estranged uncle that comes to the rescue, but what he offers her in return for his help could be worse than the life she is leaving behind.
Taken to Hood Academy, a unique school deep in the forest, she discovers friendships, love, and the courage to stand on her own.
As she trains hard, Mia takes the oath that seals her future as a werewolf hunter, but not everyone wants Mia to succeed.
Screams in the night. Secret rooms. Hidden letters. Mia becomes an important piece in a game she doesn’t want to play.
Will the truth set her free, or will it destroy her?

**Medallist Winner in the 2017 New Apple Summer E-Book Awards**

Oath Breaker by [Wilson, Shelley]

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Imagine living a life of fear, and then watching the object of your fear, gruesomely murdered in front of your eyes?
Then being whisked away to an unfamiliar world, filled with mythical creatures, secrets and betrayals?
That was Mia’s life.
I have to say I loved this book and was pulled into the story of Mia’s life from the off.
There’s love, hate, friendship, hardship, and mystery… All great ingredients for a novel of this genre.
I was rooting for Mia from the off, and my support for her never waned. Not wanting to give any spoilers away, I was thrilled with the ending, and it’s left me thirsty for more.

Goodreads Review – Here

Amazon Review – Here

Check out Shelley’s Amazon page here.

And her bookshop here. Shelley is not only a fantastic YA author but a wonderful motivational writer too.

Come on Shelley Wilson! We need the sequel!

If you want to know more about Shelley Wilson, click here for her full bio and media kit!

#BookReview – Sue Vincent – Laughter Lines: Life From The Tail End #Poetry

03 Jan 2018 18 Comments

by Ritu in Reviews, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Book Review, Laughter Lines, Sue Vincent

Another book I have had on my Kindle, waiting patiently to be read, is Laughter Lines: Life From The Tail End by Sue Vincent. And I was finally able to get to it over this festive break!

Laughter Lines by Sue Vincent

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A wonderful set of poems, showcasing the talent of Sue Vincent, and her four-legged pooch Ani!
Sue Vincent has a way with words, she can tell a tale in rhyme that hooks you and leaves you wanting more.
Thoroughly enjoyed!

Goodreads review: here

Amazon review: here

Sue is a hugely talented author and poet, and co-director of The Silent Eye – A Modern Mystery School… intrigued? Click here to read more!

I have followed Sue for a good while now, and not only is she a fantastic writer, but a most supportive blogger, sharing the words of many fellow bloggers too. If you ever fancy a writing prompt, her #WritePhoto challenge every Thursday is brilliant! The variety of responses to her given photo shows just how inspired we all become! Several of us have even started serial-like weekly stories based on her prompts! Mine have been focussing on the love life of Barbie and Ken the last few weeks!

#BookReview Judith Barrow – Mary’s Shadows Series- 4 Books

02 Jan 2018 32 Comments

by Ritu in Reviews, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Book Review, Judith Barrow, Mary Howarth, War Saga

I haven’t been totally vegetized over the holiday… Plenty of reading went on and I made a teeny dent in my TBR pile!

One set of books I read were by the extremely talented Judith Barrow. Visit her blog here!

I have always loved stories that were based during the war years. It comes from the fact that my mother loves these kinds of family sagas too, and so when I ventured into more grown-up fiction, these kinds of stories were on my mother’s bookshelves, rather than the chick lit, which I am also a bit partial to!

Well, Judith’s books are exactly the kind of stories my mum would love!!!!

Judith Barrow

Pattern Of Shadows

My rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Judith Barrow has spun a fantastic tale about a northern family in the grips of the war, with some extremely sensitive, yet relevant to today issues.
My heart went out to the protagonist, Mary, and all she had to endure, from an awful boyfriend to loving one of the ‘enemy’, rape and coping with the pregnancy of her unwed sister. All this and dealing with her troubled parents, and a brother who was not only an objector to the war, but struggling to come to terms with homosexuality.
A meaty read and I was very glad to see there was a sequel!

Goodreads review – here

Amazon review – here

Changing Patterns

Changing Patterns by [Barrow, Judith]

My rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was happy to be able to read the continuation of the Howarth family’s situations.
Mary and Peter appeared to be happily settled, but with the death of her brother Tom, a whole host of secrets are brought to the surface. Certain truths are uncovered which create situations where they all feel that things will never be the same again.
I really enjoyed how Judith Barrow took the different threads from the original story, and continued to weave another gripping chapter in the story of Mary and her family.

Goodreads review – here

Amazon review – here

Living In The Shadows

Living in the Shadows by [Barrow, Judith]

My rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Taking a step further into the later years of Mary, and the Howarth family, we meet the various children, and nephews and nieces.
The events of the past have a knock-on effect on the children of the family, and old secrets are unearthed again.
I really enjoyed the whole series of books, and look forward to more from Judith Barrow!

Goodreads review – here

Amazon review – here

Secrets

My rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A short spin-off book with some stories about the minor characters from the Howarth family saga – It was a wonderful way to add some context to the characters we learned a little about in the three book series.

Goodreads review – here

Amazon review – here

And I am excited to read the prequel, A Hundred Tiny Threads, which charts the story of Mary Howarth’s parents.

It has also been chosen as The Welsh Books Council’s BOOK OF THE MONTH in January 2018!

100 Tiny Threads by [Barrow, Judith]

Visit Judith’s Amazon page here to get all her books!

I’m sorry if my reviews are rather simplistic, but I read for enjoyment, not to find technical issues with books, and if a story reaches my heart, and makes me want to keep on reading, it is a good book!

The Magician’s Curse (Book 1) – Linda G Hill #BookReview

01 Dec 2017 11 Comments

by Ritu in Reviews, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Book Review, Linda G Hill, The Magician's Curse

Another book read, another series I am waiting for the sequel too now!

Linda G. Hill

I have supported and followed Linda for a long while now, taking part in her challenges on her blog and I read her novella All Good Stories with pleasure, so to see her full length book finally out there, I was excited to read it!

The Magician's Curse: A Paranormal Romance The Great Dagmaru Book 1 by [Hill, Linda G.]

Here’s my review:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I started out reading this book, not knowing what to expect really, and after a few chapters I was hooked!
Herman (the unfortunately named female main lead!) is leaving home to attempt to make a better life for her brother and her and somehow is led a different path by the meeting of a stranger on a train. Stephen Dagmaru is drawn to this stranger on the train, and invites her to become his assistant. He draws her into his life and family worries with an ulterior motive, but also for love.
Though I wondered whether it was believable that someone would just go off with someone they had just met, I continued and was not disappointed.
We meet certain characters and get a good idea of what they are like, and others are hinted at, so you know they will be of importance at a later date.
Helping a magician break a family curse, falling in love, the prospect of a happily ever after… but with the open ending, as you know something is going to happen…

On Amazon

On Goodreads

The Blurb:

When Herman Anderson leaves home to make a better life for herself, she doesn’t expect to meet a tall, dark stranger with whom she’ll fall hopelessly in love.
Charming and mysterious, Stephen Dagmar is a stage magician seeking an assistant. The moment he sets eyes on Herman, he knows she’s the one. He brings her home to his Victorian mansion where they embark upon an extravagant romance. Yet a shadow hangs over their love. Will the curse on his family end Stephen and Herman’s happily ever after, before it really begins?
Amidst lace and leather, innocence and debauchery, The Magician’s Curse begins the Gothic tale of The Great Dagmaru. Magic and romance await.

Purchase it here.

#BookReview – Keepers by Sacha De Black @sacha_black

22 Nov 2017 25 Comments

by Ritu in Reviews, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Book Review, Eden East, Keepers, Sacha Black, Sacha De Black, Trutinor

Over two years ago, I was introduced to a rather madcap young lady. She had spent her time organising a Bloggers get together in London, complete with awards, and I was gutted that I hadn’t been able to go. To be honest, I wasn’t sure my family would have understood my interest in meeting these strangers who were fast becoming virtual friends to me.

Still, I followed the progress of the bash and the organiser closely and am pleased to say I was able to finally go, and now, a twice-attending veteran, I feel I can call Sacha a friend, as well as a whip-wielding Bash-organising fiend!

The gorgeous Sacha (De) Black!

Oh, but don’t let me forget the other label – author.

Yup.

Over these last few years, I have followed her progress in writing the first of her YA trilogy. I have marvelled at her ability to be a wife and mother, organise amazing events, operate a weekly writing challenge, and even churn out writers help book (and workbook!) and rewrite her entire fiction work THREE times, before the perfectionist in her was finally happy with the result!

And what a result!

Now, let me tell you I am not the world’s greatest YA fiction reader. Nor do I get excited over fantasy realms or individuals with great powers, but I felt compelled to read Sacha’s book because I felt I wanted to support a fellow Indie author, and to be honest, the snippets I had caught from her regular posts had piqued my interest.

So, the book in question…

Keepers (The Eden East Novels Book 1) by [Black, Sacha]

Available to buy here.

My review…

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What a fantastic book!

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to get hooked, but oh my did I!

From the moment I stepped into the realm of Trutinor and the life of Eden East, with her powers and all the angst of being a teenager with so much pressure upon you, I was sunk.

I ended up reading the whole book in a day!

The characters are written well, with a depth to them which leaves you caring a lot about the protagonist and wishing evil thoughts upon the villains!

There is a love story, a family saga, and fantasy all in one, with the reality we know, Camden Town, woven into the cloth of the story that is set in a world that is unknown.

I loved the short glossary of terms at the beginning that shows just how well thought out this whole new realm is. And each chapter starts with a snippet from ancient scriptures from Trutinor, which again show the immense planning that has been done in conjuring up this story.

I can honestly say this was ‘unputdownable’ and I was left hanging, in a good way, desperate for the sequel to be published!

Well done Sacha! I am so proud of you! You did it! Gave birth to your longed for baby book!

My review on Goodreads – Here

My review on Amazon – Here