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.

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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.


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WINNERS of a Signed Copy of THE GHOSTS OF MELROSE by Buzz Malone!

CONGRATULATIONS to TEA and JENN for winning a SIGNED copy of Buzz Malone's novel THE GHOSTS OF MELROSE! 


To ALL of my other blog followers who entered this giveaway; THANK YOU so much & I appreciate you all! I will be hosting another giveaway on my blog in the near future. 


If you would like to receive an email letting you know of future book giveaways on my blog, than simply send me an email letting me know that you would like to be on my giveaway mailing list! (kimbers10[at]yahoo[dot]com)

ON DARK SHORES: The Lady by JA Clement: Review

Blurb:

It is ten years after the Shantar-Mardonese war. In the harbour town of Scarlock, dominated by the moneylender Copeland, the outside world seems far away; but events are in motion that will bring the world to Scarlock.

To protect her sister, the thief Nereia must take desperate measures which will catapult her into a place of nightmare and legend.

Before long, she will find herself On Dark Shores; and the choices she makes there will shape the future of the world she knows as well as the world she has yet to discover. 

My Review:

I loved this book! It had all the appeal of a novel of historical fiction, but a bit of fantasy is also thrown into the mix. It’s the first in a series of three I do believe. I will most definitely be getting the next two novels to read and review. I loved the characters and their stories. The evil Copeland is a great antagonist, and the grip he has on the fictional town of Scarlock is intense. His “muscle man” Blakey grows as a character in the novel, and at the end it’s hinted that there is much more to his story than meets the eye.

I adored the main character Nereia. She is a woman who is full of strength and determination, and I cannot wait to find out more of her story. Her fight to protect her sister is admirable, and it’s obvious that their story is going to be a mainstay throughout the series. Vansel is another great character that the reader is able to learn more about as the first book goes on. He comes across as a roguish character with a good heart. However, he does seek vengeance for the murder of his father.

I believe this is going to be a great series of books, and I am definitely looking forward to the other books. I am looking forward to see where the story line with “The Mother” of the Shantari people, the book begins with her going on a dangerous journey, but then she is rarely mentioned again throughout the book.

I honestly wish the book had been a lot longer! It was a pretty quick read, and I would have loved to keep reading and learning about the characters and the different cities and lands that the story takes place in. Obviously I would recommend this book to anyone.

I definitely give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

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GIVEAWAY!! TWO Signed copies of THE GHOSTS OF MELROSE!

Author, Buzz Malone, has been gracious enough to provide TWO signed copies of his novel THE GHOSTS OF MELROSE to two of my blog followers!


If you would like to read my review of his book just click HERE!

All you need to do to enter is:

***Leave a comment with your email address!***

Extra Entries:

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Giveaway will end June 21st!

THE GHOSTS OF MELROSE by Buzz Malone: Review

Blurb:

Based upon true stories and set in the hills of the Southern Iowa Irish Catholic community of Melrose, this novel follws the life of Aidan Keane. Born into a family that has been cast out of the church and shunned by the community Aidan comes of age in depression era Melrose. His is a life marred my tragedy and he comes to believe that he, like his family before him, is victim of a family curse. 

Through the loss of everything dear to him in this world Aidan finds that his thoughts cannot escape the memory of his one true love. His life, for all of its hopelessness and despair, seems without meaning. 

In the spirit of Bridges of Madison County and the Notebook, The Ghosts of Melrose proves that time cannot heal every wound. Nothing can accomplish that sort of miracle in a life like Aidan's, nothing except for love.

My Review:

I was immediately drawn into the story of the Keane’s of Melrose. As a reader you feel such sorrow for this family that is excommunicated by a corrupt priest and turned out of their home and even their town. It’s shocking that people who had left their own country to come to America to escape religious persecution, ended up persecuting anyone who had different beliefs than they did in this country! It just goes to show that intolerance is learned, and that it takes more than one person to break the cycle of hatred and intolerance.

I wanted to cry for Aiden on his first day of school. I know kids can be cruel, but it’s shocking to think of young children being that horrible to others. I also was shocked by how the nuns treated Aiden just because of the fact that his grandfather had been excommunicated. Aiden was hated and persecuted for something that happened long before he had even been born.

The story lightens up when Aiden meets MacGregor. He’s a funny old Scot, who becomes a father figure to Aiden and his brother Doran. He adds some comedy to the book, and he has a colorful personality. He also helps to bring some happiness to Aiden’s life. Maizey also brings hope and happiness to Aiden’s life, and though she was his childhood sweetheart, his love of her gets him through many things in life.

I truly did like the story of Aiden’s life, but I had problems with the narrator of the story. I think that if it had been told through Aiden’s point of view or even through someone else who was closer in relation to the story, that it would have been a lot better. In this book you really have no idea who the narrator is. Obviously it’s told in 3^rd person, and it’s omniscient, but the narrator talks about Aiden as though he is an old friend who knows everything about Aiden’s entire life. Often throughout the book the narrator reminded me of the kindergarten teacher who said, “Ok kids, lets sit down in a circle and I’ll tell you a story.” I felt that at times the way the story was told was very bland, almost monotone.  Rather than having the story unfold and develop, the narrator seemed to almost hold your hand in order to tell the reader every little thing that was going to happen. There was not much surprise in the novel, because the narrator pretty much told you what was going to happen before it happened.

It’s impossible for me to dislike this story, even though it seems like I did from the previous comments, because I really did enjoy the overall story. It’s a story about inner strength and survival. It’s very depressing through many parts, and Aiden suffers more loss than any human should have to suffer, but through his inner strength and hope he survives. I think that had it been written from a first person perspective, or maybe through the perspective of a close friend or relative, then it would have been much better.

My mother loved the story, but she agreed with me on some of the same points that I mentioned above. Neither one of us could put the book down, because we wanted to know how it ended, but at the same time we both thought that it could have been improved in several ways.

Although there were a couple things that bothered me, I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars, because the story that is told is unforgettable.

Buy the book HERE!

The Fresh Air Fund: Great opportunity for those who love to help others!

I don't normally post anything that is not directly related to my blog, but I thought this was pretty cool. I wanted to make sure to post it to give people the opportunity to take a look, and see if it is something that they would want to do. I grew up in the country, and was lucky enough to go on vacations camping with my family yearly. I couldn't imagine growing up without fresh air and lots of yard to play in! Anyways, if you're interested or you know someone who might be, visit the website and check it out!


http://freshairfundhost.org/


THE FRESH AIR FUND, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Nearly 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fund programs annually. In 2010, close to 5,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada. 3,000 children also attended five Fresh Air camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York. The Fund’s year-round camping program serves an additional 2,000 young people each year.