WINNERS OF FAIR MAIDEN GIVEAWAY by Cheri Schmidt

Sorry I didn't announce the winners yesterday, but I just reached Phoenix today! I'm soooo happy to be done driving! Yay! Tomorrow I'll be moving into my apartment, and when I have some more alone time I will post some pictures of the cross country trip!

Anyways, the WINNERS of the giveaway for the novel FAIR MAIDEN by Cheri Schmidt are:
Nikki---> Winner of the signed paperback copy.
Sophie Gonzales---> Winner of one of the ebooks.
Marcie---> Winner of the second ebook!

Congrats to the winners and THANK YOU ALL for entering the giveaway! I appreciate it so much!

HER DEAR AND LOVING HUSBAND by Meredith Allard: Review

Blurb:

James Wentworth has a secret. He lives quietly in Salem, Massachusetts, making few ties anywhere. One night his private world is turned upside down when he meets Sarah Alexander, a dead ringer for his wife, Elizabeth. Though it has been years since Elizabeth's death, James cannot move on.

Sarah also has a secret. She is haunted by nightmares about the Salem Witch Trials, and every night she is awakened by visions of hangings, being arrested, and dying in jail. Despite the obstacles of their secrets, James and Sarah fall in love. As James comes to terms with his feelings for Sarah, he must dodge accusations from a reporter desperate to prove that James is not who, or what, he seems to be. Soon James and Sarah piece their stories together and discover a mystery that may bind them in ways they never imagined. Will James make the ultimate sacrifice to protect Sarah and prevent a new hunt from bringing hysteria to Salem again?

Her Dear and Loving Husband is Book One of the Loving Husband Trilogy. Look for Book Two, Her Loving Husband's Curse, from Copperfield Press Spring 2012.


My Review:

I liked this book for several reasons. The author was able to pull ideas from several different books about the supernatural (i.e. Twilight, TrueBlood, etc.) without coming across as unoriginal. Yes, I recognized ideas that had been used in other books; like vampires crying blood, not having a problem with silver, and witches not being able to use their spells for evil. Seriously though, it would be impossible to write a book dealing with vampires, witches, or werewolves without including some details that have been used before!

My favorite aspect of Allard’s novel is the fact that a lot of the history of Salem was brought up. It’s not just a story about a human and a vampire falling in love and making crazy love; it’s also about the injustice that happened to innocent people hundreds of years ago. Also, it touches upon the idea that modern day witch hunts are entirely possible. I’m not talking about vampires and witches, but more so about the idea that fear often breeds hysteria and this could be applied to the fear American’s have of Muslim terrorists.

Anyways, I loved how she incorporated the history of the Salem Witch Trials, because I love history and anytime I have the opportunity to read and learn more about an interesting time period I am happy. Especially when it’s in the form of Historical Fiction, because then it brings the time period to life for the reader. Allard is an excellent writer and the fact that she was able to write about witches, vampires, and werewolves without coming across as tacky or cliché is pretty dang good. I admit, I like a good vampire book once in awhile, but only if it’s creative and tells a good story. As with this book, my favorite part of books dealing with vampires or witches is their background story. I love reading about their life before they were turned, and Allard is able to give the reader a good understanding of the past and the events that lead up to the characters current situation without boring the reader with unnecessary details or boring narrative.

If you are a lover of the supernatural then I would definitely suggest this book. I tried to read the first book in Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels, and became bored and was unable to finish the books about a quarter of the way in, but Allard’s book kept me intrigued throughout.

I give Her Dear & Loving Husband 4.5 out of 5 Stars.

PURCHASE BOOK HERE!!

DOORWAY OF THE TRIQUETRA by Lenore Wolfe: Review

Blurb:

When an ancient medallion is passed down to her, Mira is not happy to learn she is the next Jaguar Witch, bound by the blood of the Jaguar, to cross the doorway and learn the Way of the Stone. She must find the Doorway of the Triquetra, but each move she makes only leads her to a deeper mystery, where all of her past lives are bound--to four immortal men.






My Review:

I admit that this book had me pretty lost. I liked the mystery of Mira Levine’s life, but it was almost TOO mysterious, as in by the end of Book One in the series, I still had NO idea what was happening. I understood that Book One is setting the reader up for Book Two in the series, but I don’t feel like I learned anything about the characters or the mystery surrounding them by the end of this four chapter book.  It seemed too short for me, and when I finish a book, whether it be a series book, a novella, or a full fledged novel; I want to know what the heck is going on! Another problem that I had was with the grammar. Way, way too many commas were used. I’m an English teacher, so maybe not everyone would pick up on the excessive comma usage, but it actually began to distract me from what I was reading!

I liked the supernatural events that were beginning to evolve in the story, but I just feel like the book could have been so much better if it had been longer, and had gone into more detail about Mira’s story. It just needed a little more excitement and depth. I won’t say I hated it, because I don’t believe I could ever hate a book, but it just was not one of my favorites. I hope the books following in the series have some serious excitement to make up for the lack in the first book!

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.


BUY THIS BOOK!