Ain’t No Bum By Dennis McCrieght Review

Ain’t No Bum

By Dennis McCrieght

Milt has lived his entire life with the stigma his father has placed on him, that he is a no good bum just because he would not cow to his father’s ways and fervently stuck to his morals not wanting to be a mean drunk like his old man. One day as he is working with the CCC he walks into walgreens and asks the cute shop girl if they have Prince Albert in a can, from that day on Milt and Vi would be inseparable through thick and thin as Milt continues to live with the utmost integrity.

This was such a beautiful story, not only does the author bring to life truly wonderful characters but he also brings to life the country in which they live from the depression to the polio outbreak he spans decades as the couple begin a family and travel through some of the worst times in history. You will feel a connection with Milt even if you have never been in an abusive family situation the author will pull every heart string until you feel as if you have. From the beginning this novel enraptured me and the author did a wonderful job in rapping up the ending so that you feel complete closure, leaving you with the warm and fuzzies.

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Warrior Reborn by Melissa Mayhue Review

Warrior Reborn

Warrior Book Two

By Melissa Mayhue

Christiana has been gifted with visions her entire life but because of this she is held captive by her half-brother. Though life is not without hope she has foreseen a man from the future who will come to her aid in medieval Scotland, Chase Noble. Chase is a former special ops agent who has been waiting his entire life for the gift of a Fae that his father once promised him. The gift is finally finding his soul-mate.

I always enjoy a good time-travel novel when you blend the old with the new, or even vice versa. I personally think it takes a lot of talent to pull something like this off, because you must weave two completely different stories and settings into one seamless novel. Melissa Mayhue has done a remarkable job, not only did she manage to entrance the reader with the settings and characters of a time-travel novel but she also added in her own twist with an aspect of Fae being responsible and a highly influential facet. But this is only the beginning of the beauty of this novel, first and foremost it is a romance and Melissa Mayhue wrote so convincingly that the romance is palpable. If you are a fan of romance this is one worth taking the time to read, it is entertaining and beautiful. Though this is book two in the series it is a “stand-alone” novel so you can pick it up and read without feeling lost, but it will make you want more.

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First Frost by Liz DeJesus Review

First Frost

By Liz DeJesus

Seventeen year old Bianca Frost spends her summers and weekends continuing on a family tradition working in their Fairy Tale Museum. She has grown up around all these items and has become cynical towards them knowing that they are all just pretend. One day though she is proven wrong when she returns home from a friend’s house to find her mother fighting with Lenore, but they are not physically fighting they are throwing magic at each other, and Bianca is thrown head first into a world full of wonder. When Bianca’s mother is kidnapped she must make her way to EverAfter and will do anything she can to save her mother from the clutches of an evil witch and a feud that goes back for centuries.

True Love, Evil Witches, and Happily Ever After what more could you want from a fairy tale novel? Liz DeJesus incorporates everything we love about the fairy tale genre and then some with thoroughly lovable characters and such evil nemesis that you cannot help but hate them yourselves. Bianca is a character that you can relate to who has already been through a lot in her short life after her father disappears when she was seven, but she and her mother overcome and this adds a new depth to the story that is already emotional and beautiful. I started this novel late at night thinking I would just read a couple of chapters before I go to bed. I ended up staying up until four in the morning I couldn’t put this one down, this novel is amazing! Not only is this a great young adult novel it is also fun for anyone who loves a triumphant novel, I truly hope the author makes a return visit to EverAfter.

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Jane Slayre by Sherri Browning Erwin and Charlotte Bronte

Jane Slayre:

The Literary Classic with a Blood-Sucking Twist

By Sherri Browning Erwin and Charlotte Bronte

Jane Slayre was orphaned by vampires shortly after she was born, when her uncle came to retrieve her he was attacked and turned into a vampire on the way home, though he was able to protect the infant from the blood thirsty fiends. This is how Jane Slayre found herself living in a home full of vampires, after her cousin attacks her leaving her bitten and almost completely drained of blood she soon becomes determined to rid the world of these abominable creatures.

This was a great re-telling of Jane Eyre, full of vampires, werewolves, even zombies.  So far this is one of my favorite “quirk classics.” The author did a wonderful job bringing to life a new world and blending in the characters from a classic setting producing an interesting and captivating novel. In the original novel you truly hate some of the characters, that is not as substantial in this novel but you have a more solid reason to dislike these people, such as students being transformed into zombies. I would definitely recommend giving this novel to someone who shows a lack of interest in an original classic it is sure to make you want to compare it to the first and in the process draw the reader into a classic world that knows no bounds.

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Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins Review

Catching Fire

The Hunger Games Book Two

By Suzanne Collins

Katniss has inadvertently started a revolution with the way she won the Hunger Games, bringing her to the forefront of President Snow’s attention. This year when the Hunger Games are announced it is on a “special occasion” and this year’s contestants will be chosen out of the winners of the previous Games. So once again Katniss is thrown into the arena to fight for her life and hopefully protect Peeta whom she has come to care for more than she realized.

This book was interesting but not as good as the beginning, the relationships that Katniss forms in this book are not as provoking as they were in the previous one though the author does introduce a myriad of characters who become unlikely allies who compromise an interesting outlook from the previous novel. The progression of the story was exciting and necessary, but hopefully Suzanna Collins can bring the lost romance back into the third book even though the progression between Peeta and Katniss is fun it was often times too subtle. I can’t wait to read Mockingjay the third and final book of the Hunger Games Trilogy to see what will happen next.

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Exceeding Expectations By Lisa April Smith Review

Exceeding Expectations

By Lisa April Smith

There are only two things that mean anything to Jack Morgan, his daughters, and in order to protect them he must fake his own suicide. His youngest daughter Charlotte is twenty three and after years of having her every whim tended to  by her father when he dies and leaves her penniless she has no idea what she is going to do. With her older sister in a “clinic” due to having a mental breakdown after the news of her father’s suicide Charlotte knows she must do something to make money, after a suggestion from a friendly lawyer she tries her hand at modeling soon she finds the independence she craves all the while she investigates why her father had to take his own life uncovering disturbing things along the way.

Lisa April Smith does a wonderful job not only with capturing the nineteen sixties vividly yet subtly but also in enveloping not one but two beautiful romances with glimpses back to pre- World War Two encompassing the love Charlotte’s mother and father found in each other.   Even though there is a splendid romance between Charlotte and Raul this story was more about Charlotte and the pain she must overcome after losing her father and then finding a way to support herself and become independent all while searching for answers it is so well written, you find yourself easily lost in the story. I don’t usually compare authors to one another but I must say, Look out Danielle Steel it seems you have some competition for writing intriguing dramatic novels.

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The Talisman of EL by Alecia Stone Review

Talisman of El

By Alecia Stone

Charlie has had a rough life his mother died when he was born and when he was ten years old a tornado claimed the life of his father. Now four years later he has been placed with a thief and murderer. Even though things may seem at their worst it is only the beginning of a set of events that will make all the hardships worth it. Charlie meets a set of people who will accompany him on a journey that will lead him to the center of the earth where he will find a magical world full of angels, demons, phoenixes, werewolves and even a ride on a Pegasus. Along the way his friends become his family and he learns the true meaning of destiny.

This was an absolutely riveting novel not only was it full of action and adventure but it was a heartwarming story of self-discovery and sometimes how we get to choose our families. Alecia Stone did an amazing job setting the scene and drawing us into the story, the world she created was thoroughly planned and executed so vividly you will have no problems imagining the perils her characters face. This is a one of a kind novel blending religion with mythology and introducing an idea that is surely original “The Garden of Eden is at the center of the Earth.” I can’t wait until we can follow Charlie on another adventure as he searches for the missing pieces of the Talisman of EL, and we can see what other powers it harnesses.

Be sure to stop by http://bookwormrflects8.blogspot.com/ april 29^th for a guest post from Alecia Stone!

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The Deliverer by Jason D. Morrow Review

The Deliverer

By Jason D. Morrow

What if death was only the beginning of your story? That is where we find Silas Ainsley, he is being hunted down by creatures and the only way to save him his protector stabs him through the heart. Silas is then transported to Marenon where anyone who has died prematurely is taken to keep living, “life after life.” Once Silas is there it turns out to just be the beginning of his story that he had actually been born there and it was prophesied that he would be the deliverer, of what we do not know.

For years people have debated on what happens after we die and Jason D. Morrow has come up with a very interesting answer, we keep living in a separate world full of magic and strange creatures. Though this book was interesting and Jason D. Morrow jumps right into the story submerging you completely, it does need some more editing. All in all it was entertaining, leaving you wanting more and ready to read the next book to see if Silas can fulfill his destiny.

As always if you have any requests or recommendations email me at:

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