Review of Precinct 13 by Tate Hallaway

Publisher: Berkley Trade
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Buying Links:   Amazon     The Book Depository     Barnes & Noble

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

Recent college grad Alex Conner is thrilled to have landed a job as the Hughes County coroner/medical examiner in Pierre, South Dakota. But when her first day on the job ends with a missing corpse, Alex starts to wonder if she would have been better off collecting unemployment...

 When the cops made some cryptic comments about being careful with the body they brought in, Alex just thought the boys in blue were messing with her. That is, until something freaky happens that no amount of med school could have prepared her for. By the time Alex gets herself together, the body has disappeared and the other residents of the morgue start talking her ear off.

 After working up the courage to report the missing body, Alex is transferred to the mysterious Precinct 13 where she discovers that her new co-workers—including a cute technomage named Jack—are paranormals just like her. Now, Alex is being encouraged to use her ability to speak to the dead to solve crimes. And despite being in the middle of nowhere, Hughes County sure does have a lot of paranormal activity…

Teaser:

The bag dropped suddenly to the ground when the breeze shifted. There was something eerie about it, that was certain. But was it magic? Jack had told me that I'd been seeing magic my whole life, but had been told not to talk about it. In effect, I'd been trained not to see, not to believe.

The bag skittered along the ground. Like some kind of strange, urban animal, it scooted behind the corner of the building, out of sight. 

I decided there was definitely something creepy and weird about all this. I would keep an open mind.

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

I've read Hallaway before and didn't really enjoy it; her humor didn't appeal to me. But I liked the sound of this book, a sort of CSI/X-Files but with overt paranormal elements. I'm glad I decided to read it, I enjoyed it. The pacing was clunky at times and there were times that I wished Hallaway wouldn't dribble out info like it was going extinct but overall, it was enjoyable.

Alex has recently moved to South Dakota and on a dare, ran for the position of coroner, and to her surprise, won. In the past she's had mental problems and now she's trying to start over. But it turns out those "mental" problems were really Alex seeing magical beings. When Alex first encounters magic in Pierre, she's afraid she's losing it again. Even meeting other magic practitioners doesn't convince her at first but she comes to believe and begins to explore her own magical ability. There's a caste system for magic users and to her dismay, Alex is distinctly in the lowest, allegedly inferior, caste.

It's an intriguing world, with characters who are likable and an interesting magic system. The mysteries are meh, and the Precinct police seemed incompetent at times but Hallaway made that latter part of the story and accounts for it. There are some twists and turns, a few predictable events, but Hallaway writes an engaging story. On her website she mentions that this may be the start of a new series. I hope so, I'd enjoy reading more about these characters and seeing how she pulls off a magical community in such a small town.


I received both an ARC and a finished copy from the publisher for review. The review is based on the finished copy.

Give Away & Spotlight on "Immigration & Adaptation" by Haskell Edwards

Today it's my pleasure to share some information about a very timely new book on immigration and adapting to a new culture. The author, Haskell G. Edwards, Director of Ministry, has vast professional experience for more than forty years as pastor, administrator, family therapist, and director of a family therapy center. His extensive experience gained from working with immigrant families in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic setting, as well as his own personal journey and genuinely encouraging approach, positions him not only to help immigrant families adapt to new surroundings, but grow stronger together in their journey.

He has successfully held immigrant seminars, workshops, and lectures throughout North America. Now a retired pastor, he continues to help immigrant families of a wide cultural heritage transition into their new homeland.

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Book Blurb (from author):

Adaptation is a must. But how does one go about doing this? It takes great planning, finances, and courage to leave one's homeland; but then finding support and comfort or anything of familiarity in a new land presents a whole new set of challenges. The stress is overwhelming. How do you gain the happiness and success you dreamed of attaining in the new land?

Immigration and Adaptation is here to help you navigate through these challenges. With the information herein, immigrants coming to North America will be prepared to identify and resolve social, family, and personal challenges with confidence. Mr. Edwards' vast professional experience with diverse immigrant families, as well as his own personal journey and genuinely encouraging approach, not only help immigrant families adapt to new surroundings, but grow stronger together in their journey.

This book includes:
- A family wellness test
- Step-by-step guidelines
- Real-life examples
- Inspirational stories
- Family, parenting, and spousal exercises
- Illustrations
- Single-parenting advice

Immigration and Adaptation also includes tips on: building self-confidence, resolving conflicts, tuning communication skills, networking and building social supports, budgeting, parenting, enhancing spousal relationships, helping teenagers adjust, communicating effectively, and more.

IMMIGRATION AND ADAPTATION
By:  Haskell G. Edwards, D. Min.
Publisher: Langdon Street Press
ISBN: 9781936782239 
Genre: NONFICTION, SELF HELP, CURRENT EVENTS
Format: EBOOK, PAPERBACK
Length: 272 pages
Release Date: September 15, 2011
Author Website
Immigration and Adaptation blog tour site
Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook
Buying Links:   Amazon      Books-A-Million      Ebook PDF

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Thanks to the blog tour company, Tribute Books, I have one paperback copy to give away to one US resident. Enter below by leaving a comment about why you want to read this book. The giveaway will run through 11:59PM EST on the 27th of August.

Please read my Giveaway Policy.

Blog Hop Discussion: What Do You Look For You In A Review?

Nat at Reading Romances is hosting another discussion blog hop, this time around the topic of reviews. All of the participants will discuss what they look for in a review: Whether you're writing or reading one, there are certain things you always look for. What are those? What do you think are the most important elements you think the reviewer should include? What would you like see more? Less? What is the role of a review? How important is it? 

So, what do I as a reader look for? There are 4 basic types of information that I want:

1. Is the story well written? For instance, are there plot holes, inconsistencies, grammatical issues, are the characters believable? Is the plot banal but the writer has a gift for language or story telling? Does it hold your interest or does it start off slowly then grab you? Is there an excess of details? A dearth of details? Is it original? A well done take on a old theme?
2. A brief recap or synopsis of the story. However, the recap should not be the bulk of the review. I have no use for reviews that are 90% recap and 10% review. Use examples from the story to illustrate points or show off the author's writing, sure, that's excellent. But if your "review" is mostly story recap, I won't be back.
3. What worked and didn't work for the reviewer and why? What did they love? What did they hate? It may be that what worked for the reviewer pushes one of my buttons and vice versa.
4. And, because it's one on my pet peeves, how well done is the copy editing and proof reading? If it's done well, with no problems or only minor ones, then I don't expect to see it mentioned in the review. But it constantly amazes me when I read a book with huge editing and proof reading issues yet when I look at reviews, there's no mention. I've read books where I have had to untangle and rewrite sentences, or whole paragraphs, to make sense of them and yet, there is NO MENTION in the review. I am not your beta reader nor should I have to untangle your mangled spelling and grammar to understand a sentence. As you can see, I get very cranky. There's a reason I work as a copy editor. :D

Those are the main things I look for. I also enjoy some humor in a review, even some mild snark, but no meanness and no attacks on the author. I also like to know why a reviewer chose a book but it's not essential. One of my personal criteria for a good book, at least the genre ones, is whether or not I'd read it again. However, not everyone enjoys re-reading so while I like to see a reviewer mention if they'd re-read it, I don't need it. Also, I don't want spoilers; unless, it's a book I probably won't read, then I don't care. In general though, I avoid blogs if their reviews typically contain spoilers. I don't do spoilers usually in my own reviews; when I do, it's to illustrate a point, or it may be a book in a series and discussing it would spoil an earlier book. In those cases, I'll post a spoiler warning so readers can decide to continue reading or skip that review.

Now the role of a review. Well, at it's most basic it's a critique of the book; the writing, the story, etc. But reviews are no longer limited to print sources such as newspapers and magazines. These days, we have blogs, goodreads, twitter, facebook, tumblr, etc. They are more casual and have immediate impact. To an extent, these have both replaced and complemented the traditional personal recommendations that we used to get from friends and family. Now, we have extended our circle of friends to include all these online resources. So, some reviews are "I really liked this. The story is fun and character X is hawt." while others are more critical and some read like traditional print "serious" reviews. So, a review is an opinion as well as a critique. If four bloggers/reviewers whose opinions I trust tell me to stay away from a book, don't waste my time; I'm going to listen and pass on that book. I may share that info with others who ask me about that book. Because these opinions and critiques are online, they have the potential to reach thousands of readers and they remain available for as long as that blog or site is online. That affects the buzz around a book, and even the sales. So, a review can share information about a book, praise a book, trash a book, sell a book or steer away a potential buyer. It's a recommendation, a critique, a sharing of information, a sales tool. It's a way for a reader to learn about a book, to gather information and decide if they want to invest their time, money or both in reading it.

How about you? What do you look for? What are your must-haves and what are the things you'd like to see but don't require? What do you think is the role of reviews?

The Sunday Post Mailbox & Recap #15

Welcome back! The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. 

~this meme was inspired in part by - In My Mailbox~

It's a chance to share News. 

A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. 

I returned to work full-time this week and I am tired. Happily, I have this week off from work as we're closed. I plan to sleep, watch TV, read, and write reviews. I may even get caught up, O_o

I saw the specialist again this week and she was very pleased. Both the chest x-ray and the lung function test showed significant improvement, and after only one treatment! That almost makes up for the complications, the ER visit, and the unplanned absence from work. The next procedure is scheduled for the 28th of this month. I'm already planning my hospital reading for that day, lol. I even created a folder on my kindle so I don't have to go hunting for what I want.

Despite being back at work, it was moderately busy here on the blog. I've joined up with Giselle at Xpresso Reads to host her Dusty Reads meme and posted the link up. 
 I'll post the link up weekly, on Tuesdays, if you want to join in.

I posted book trailers and excerpts for two new releases, The Last Victim by Karen Robards and The Inn At Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber. I also had an excerpt from "A Human Element" by Donna Galanti.

I featured a new novel, "The Harbormaster's Daughter" by Heidi Jon Schmidt, inspired by a true story.

I had only one review, "When You Wish Upon A Duke" by Isabella Bradford. If you like romances, then you need to read this one. It was very good.

There was also an info post about micro-libraries, an exciting new development in community libraries.

I didn't do well with my goals for the August Review Copy Clean Up. I finished one review book, "Sweet Talk", by Julie Garwood and started another one, "The Last Victim", by Karen Robards.

Kindle Freebies

I managed to control myself better this week; it helped that I was back at work and had less time on my hands. :D

That's it! All the books I acquired this week. :)

ETA: I forgot one! o_O *SMACKS SELF ON HEAD* Bad Bea! I bought D.B. Reynold's new Vampires In America novella, "Betrayed". I'm waiting to read it; it'll be a hospital read. 

How was your link? Leave a link in your post and I'll come by during the week for a visit.

Review of When You Wish Upon A Duke by Isabella Bradford

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Series: Wylder Sisters #1
Release Date: July 31, 2012
Format Read: digital galley
Buying Links:  Amazon     Barnes & Noble     The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

In a sparkling new series filled with irresistible charm and sizzling romance, award-winning author Isabella Bradford introduces us to the eldest of three Wylder sisters—unruly country girls whose passion for life leaves their London suitors breathless.

Raised in the Dorset countryside, Lady Charlotte Wylder doesn’t care one bit about well-bred decorum. The dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty would rather ride a horse than attend a stuffy ball. So when Charlotte learns that she is to leave immediately for London to wed the Duke of Marchbourne, a perfect model of aristocratic propriety, she is less than enchanted with her arranged marriage.

But to her delight, their first encounters are brazenly flirtatious, and their wedding night burns with passion. March’s broad shoulders and dark countenance make Charlotte want to rip every button off his waistcoast. She may even be falling in love with her new husband. Yet whenever their desire boils over, March reluctantly pushes Charlotte away. Will past secrets and present misunderstandings mire their marriage in scandal, or serve to strengthen a bond that is destined to last a lifetime?

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

I'm not a big historical romance fan; I glommed them in middle school and high school, but not so much since then. Every now and then though I do read one. The blurb for this one immediately caught my eye and the cover is lovely, despite the missing head (what IS with all the headless covers these days?) I'm glad I took a chance; I loved this book and I expect I'll be re-reading it. I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series.

Charlotte and March were engaged as young children but have never met. Charlotte's father died when she was young and they moved to the country. Charlotte has never even been to London nor has her mother ever mentioned an engagement so it comes as a shock to discover that she's engaged. But she determines to make the best of it and do her duty.


March has a tortured past, one that has affected his view on marriage and what is appropriate (well, this is a romance, one of them has to :D) but he too is willing to give the marriage a chance, especially after he engineers an early meeting with Charlotte. He's charmed, she's charmed and the adventure begins. Charlotte is young, a bit immature, but willing to learn and change:

She thought again of her mother, and how, whenever Charlotte and her sisters had quarreled, Mama had always insisted that they pretend they were one another, and see the quarrel through the other's eyes.

Perhaps that was her difficulty with March. Perhaps she had become so wrapped in her own unhappiness that she hadn't bothered to see his.

It takes March a bit longer to see things from Charlotte's perspective but he does seek advice. Both Charlotte and March are likable; they care about each other and about other people, they have a sense of humor, and are eager to try new things. Charlotte's main problem is that she's naive and ignorant of society; March's main problem is that he's too concerned with what society thinks.

No, there was more than that. They both must change. If only they could forget the others crowding round their marriage, offering advice and suggestions and criticisms. If only they could simply be March and Charlotte as lovers, and not the imposing duke and duchess.

"Oh, March," she pleaded softly. "Why can we not always be like this, without a thought for what others think or say? What does our rank or station matter if we love each other?"

He was listening closely, watching her with such intensity that it gave her courage to continue.

"My own husband," she said, reaching up to run her fingertips over his lips. "I only wish to please you, you know. I don't give a tinker's dam for what anyone else might think or say. You're all that matters to me, March. All."

"All?" he repeated, the single word full of wonder. 

"When You Wish Upon A Duke" is a love story. I know, that seems obvious since it's a romance, but so many romances these days have other themes or subplots: a mystery, espionage, subplots with other characters, etc. But in WYWUAD, it's all about Charlotte and March; their learning about each other, their courtship of each other, their ups and downs, their growth. There is a underlying thread about another man, the Marquess of Andover, and his interest in Charlotte which comes to a boil at the end of the story. Although it does help move the story along and sets up the the ending of the story, I didn't feel it was completely necessary.

If you want an emotional, rich, character driven love story, then you need to read "When You Wish Upon A Duke". As I said earlier, I will definitely pick up the next book in the series, "When The Duchess Said Yes".


I received an e-Galley from the publisher for review.

Excerpt & Trailer for The Inn At Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber

You may recall that last month Random House and I did an ARC giveaway for "The Inn At Rose Harbor" by Debbie Macomber. The book is out now (and I have a copy waiting to be read). Never read Macomber? Read her but not sure if you want to invest time or money in this one? Check out the book trailer and excerpt below; they may help you decide. If you have read her before, this book is the start of a new series that is an offshoot of her Cedar Cove series. I believe that you can read this, without having read any of the others.



The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber (Preview)

Excerpt & Trailer for The Last Victim by Karen Robards

I'm a Robards fan, have been for about 15 years. I first discovered her at my library when I had pneumonia and needed reading material. I've been reading her ever since. She has a new book out now that's a twist on her previous books. Her previous books have been romances, some of them romantic suspense. Her new book, "The Last Victim" is a romantic suspense with a paranormal twist to it. It came out on August 7th and I'll be reviewing it later this month. In the meantime, check out this book trailer and excerpt, see if it's of interest to you.

Enjoy!



The Last Victim by Karen Robards (Preview)

Blog Tour Excerpt From "A Human Element" by Donna Galanti

Donna is doing a blog tour to celebrate the release of her paranormal mystery, "A Human Element". Each participating blog has an excerpt exclusive to them. Follow the tour, you'll get a range of excerpts, and each comment you leave on a blog, enters you into a tour-wide drawing. Donna will be awarding a $50 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Donna Galanti is the author of the paranormal suspense novel A HUMAN ELEMENT (Echelon Press). Donna has a B.A. in English and a background in marketing. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Horror Writers Association, The Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group, and Pennwriters. She lives with her family in an old farmhouse in PA with lots of nooks, fireplaces, and stinkbugs but sadly, no ghosts.

Find her online:

website

Twitter
Facebook
Blog: http://blog.donnagalanti.com/wp/

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Excerpt

"What the hell was that?" Renee looked at Laura.

More cracks rang out and then screaming.

"Oh my God, someone is shooting!" Laura pulled Renee down with her under the desk.
Laura shrunk under her desk in the corner of the cubicle and tried to pull Renee closer to her. Laura had always hated cubicles and now found relief hiding in one.

"Can you get under here more?" Laura whispered and pulled the chair toward them as far as it would go.

"No, I don't think so." Renee let out a tiny sob and bit her lip.

The screams tapered off and silence remained. Laura heard crying from down the hall. Then another gun shot. Then silence again. The phone on her desk rang. Its blaring ring startled them both.

Laura gripped Renee's hand and put her fingers to her lips with her other hand.

"It's not me," a man's voice shouted out. "Someone is making me do it." The man began to sob. He moved noisily into their area. Laura forced herself to breathe slow and silent. Renee shook; tears ran down her chubby cheeks and dripped onto her silk scarf. Laura just felt numb. She had to focus on surviving.

Renee's leg twitched. "I can't stay like this much longer," she whispered. "Charley horse."

"You've got to," Laura mouthed back. Renee's twitch got bigger. Her leg shot out and hit the chair with a bang.

The man's sobbing stopped. They heard him crashing alongside cubicle walls toward them. Renee gripped Laura's hand harder. They clung to each other.

"I'm sorry. It's not me!"

He pulled out the chair.

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Book Blurb (from author):

One by one, Laura Armstrong’s friends and adoptive family members are being murdered, and despite her unique healing powers, she can do nothing to stop it. The savage killer haunts her dreams, tormenting her with the promise that she is next. Determined to find the killer, she follows her visions to the site of a crashed meteorite–her hometown. There, she meets Ben Fieldstone, who seeks answers about his parents’ death the night the meteorite struck. In a race to stop a mad man, they unravel a frightening secret that binds them together. But the killer’s desire to destroy Laura face-to-face leads to a showdown that puts Laura and Ben’s emotional relationship and Laura’s pure spirit to the test. With the killer closing in, Laura discovers her destiny is linked to his and she has two choices–redeem him or kill him.

A HUMAN ELEMENT
By: Donna Galanti
Publisher: Echelon Books
ISBN: 9781590808764
Genre: FICTION, PARANORMAL, MYSTERY
Format: EBOOK, PAPERBACK
Length: 310 pages, 1690 KB
Release Date: March 10, 2012
Buying Links: Amazon      Barnes & Noble      The Book Depository
Follow her blog tour: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/06/virtual-exerpt-tour-human-element-by.html