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authordanielleforrest's Reviews (110)
This story starts me out with a laugh and a little sexual innuendo (and ends the same way). What better way to start a piece labeled a Sci-Fi Erotic Short?
A playful, at times silly, erotica that just might have you craving cheesecake.
A playful, at times silly, erotica that just might have you craving cheesecake.
I have no idea where I found this book or why I chose to download it. It's not my usual genre, but a period piece and a prelude to a historical romance at that (my least favorite genre).
That being said, this novella was amazing. Parnell created Silvia's world with an unencumbered flare for detail. I easily immersed myself in her world - a world I could practically see, it was so clear. The characters were engaging and likable. The scenes were real, smooth, and pulled the reader into the moment, feeling tension and anxiety for Silvia.
I finished this novella and immediately wanted to go out a get the next installment, Dark Splendor. Totally brilliant and I entirely encourage you to pick it up. I just wish I could pick up the next book and read it now!
That being said, this novella was amazing. Parnell created Silvia's world with an unencumbered flare for detail. I easily immersed myself in her world - a world I could practically see, it was so clear. The characters were engaging and likable. The scenes were real, smooth, and pulled the reader into the moment, feeling tension and anxiety for Silvia.
I finished this novella and immediately wanted to go out a get the next installment, Dark Splendor. Totally brilliant and I entirely encourage you to pick it up. I just wish I could pick up the next book and read it now!
I absolutely loved this story. I finished in less than one discharge of my iPad (I was up 'till 4:30 in the morning, but I finished it). I simply couldn't put it down.
The Goddess's Choice is based on a Norwegian legend I've never heard of, but you can clearly see the classic elements of old world legends in the telling. It is bloody and gruesome at times (think Grimm's Fairy Tales gruesome), there is magic and mystery, and the three magical horses just scream myths and legends to me.
Samantha is a strong heroine in the story, unusual for the old world. Even in the story, it is clear that many are not happy with having a woman in such a position of power). I like her a lot and it pains me to see what she has to go through in the story to come out on top, the people she has to lose.
Robrek, the hero of the story, frustrated me for most of the story, even while I was rooting for him to escape the nightmare his reality is and get the girl. He fights his destiny for much of the story (thus my frustration) and has difficulty letting go of the past so he can have a future. I hated the people that abused him just as much as he did and it pained me to watch as those that should have nurtured and protected him, should have been his friends, turned on him.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and if you like romances or books with magic and knights, you'll probably like this story.
The Goddess's Choice is based on a Norwegian legend I've never heard of, but you can clearly see the classic elements of old world legends in the telling. It is bloody and gruesome at times (think Grimm's Fairy Tales gruesome), there is magic and mystery, and the three magical horses just scream myths and legends to me.
Samantha is a strong heroine in the story, unusual for the old world. Even in the story, it is clear that many are not happy with having a woman in such a position of power). I like her a lot and it pains me to see what she has to go through in the story to come out on top, the people she has to lose.
Robrek, the hero of the story, frustrated me for most of the story, even while I was rooting for him to escape the nightmare his reality is and get the girl. He fights his destiny for much of the story (thus my frustration) and has difficulty letting go of the past so he can have a future. I hated the people that abused him just as much as he did and it pained me to watch as those that should have nurtured and protected him, should have been his friends, turned on him.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and if you like romances or books with magic and knights, you'll probably like this story.
Riley J. Ford yet again delivers a crazy ride that will have you laughing to the very end. The story is all about the main character Emily Keane's journey of self-discovery, which is not altogether straight.
Emily considers herself to be practical, but in reality, she has lived her life scared, in a little bubble that, much to my chagrin, frequently includes bigotry. At first, I too saw Emily as a practical, intelligent, yet emotionally isolated woman. Towards the middle of the book, however, I began to realize that all of my assumptions were wrong about her. She is not practical, but scared. She is not intelligent, but a fool. She doesn't learn from her mistakes (as evidenced by her admitting that she'd wrongly judged someone, then proceeding to judge the person yet again in the next scene). She judges people and believes her own judgement is infallible, even though her own life is falling apart and the people she is judging are actually doing just fine. This drove me nuts, and, probably because of a lot of the parallels I saw with my own personality, I was irritated that the author couldn't seem to get the personality quite right. For example, Emily appears to have or be bordering on obsessive-compulsive disorder. And yet, she frequently doesn't do the proper research that anyone with OCD would have done. They would be incapable of acting without it. Like knowing exactly how many people die a year in the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona or knowing the tensile strength of cord used for Parasailing or knowing that no one would freeze to death in tropical waters after a plane crash.
That being said, the book recovered itself and I thoroughly enjoyed the ending.
On a side note, though he didn't have to terribly big a role in the story, I couldn't help but love Emily's dog, AW a.k.a. Ass-Wipe. I think he might have cracked me up more than any other character in the book. I wish he'd had a larger role. But then, I love dogs. And AW is a real charmer.
It has been brought to my attention that some have taken this review, and my use of the word "bigot," the wrong way. Much of the story arc is about Emily overcoming her own assumptions and prejudices of the people around her. Bigot, by definition, does not mean racist. That was not my intention and I apologize to the author for the misunderstanding. Bigot, according to Merriam-Webster, means: a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group with hatred and intolerance.
Emily considers herself to be practical, but in reality, she has lived her life scared, in a little bubble that, much to my chagrin, frequently includes bigotry. At first, I too saw Emily as a practical, intelligent, yet emotionally isolated woman. Towards the middle of the book, however, I began to realize that all of my assumptions were wrong about her. She is not practical, but scared. She is not intelligent, but a fool. She doesn't learn from her mistakes (as evidenced by her admitting that she'd wrongly judged someone, then proceeding to judge the person yet again in the next scene). She judges people and believes her own judgement is infallible, even though her own life is falling apart and the people she is judging are actually doing just fine. This drove me nuts, and, probably because of a lot of the parallels I saw with my own personality, I was irritated that the author couldn't seem to get the personality quite right. For example, Emily appears to have or be bordering on obsessive-compulsive disorder. And yet, she frequently doesn't do the proper research that anyone with OCD would have done. They would be incapable of acting without it. Like knowing exactly how many people die a year in the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona or knowing the tensile strength of cord used for Parasailing or knowing that no one would freeze to death in tropical waters after a plane crash.
That being said, the book recovered itself and I thoroughly enjoyed the ending.
On a side note, though he didn't have to terribly big a role in the story, I couldn't help but love Emily's dog, AW a.k.a. Ass-Wipe. I think he might have cracked me up more than any other character in the book. I wish he'd had a larger role. But then, I love dogs. And AW is a real charmer.
It has been brought to my attention that some have taken this review, and my use of the word "bigot," the wrong way. Much of the story arc is about Emily overcoming her own assumptions and prejudices of the people around her. Bigot, by definition, does not mean racist. That was not my intention and I apologize to the author for the misunderstanding. Bigot, according to Merriam-Webster, means: a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group with hatred and intolerance.
By pure chance, I started this book about the same time I decided to get caught up on Doctor Who. I had finished the Series 7 episodes that were out and was exceedingly dismayed that the next episode wouldn't be until the end of March. Ordinarily, I'm stuck when I'm in a Doctor Who mood because, really, what even comes close? But I must say, I've finally found something that fits when I'm in a mood for The Doctor...
Walker knows how to write a riveting story, starting with a scene that immediately pulls you in and compels you to continue reading until you know what will become of poor Kate.
Rysa Walker takes what could be a difficult and confusing progression of crossing timelines and creates scenes that are simultaneously charming, sometimes romantic, and with just the right amount of humor, keeping the reader wanting to sort out the web until it all makes sense.
And I loved how, at one point, Kate just sort of gives up on trying to figure out what verb tense to use when talking of something that is part of a person's past but is technically in the future (or vice versa). The English language really isn't designed for that sort of complications. It made me wonder if the language of the Time Lords has past future tenses or future past tenses. Certainly would make it a bit easier...
And I really liked Kiernan. Don't know why but he was a truly endearing character. The author does a good job with the characterization, which is something I've come to find as a marker of a well written book, along with proper editing and professional formatting, which Time's Twisted Arrow has as well.
All in all, Time's Twisted Arrow is well worth the read and I look forward to seeing what else Rysa Walker can do.
Walker knows how to write a riveting story, starting with a scene that immediately pulls you in and compels you to continue reading until you know what will become of poor Kate.
Rysa Walker takes what could be a difficult and confusing progression of crossing timelines and creates scenes that are simultaneously charming, sometimes romantic, and with just the right amount of humor, keeping the reader wanting to sort out the web until it all makes sense.
And I loved how, at one point, Kate just sort of gives up on trying to figure out what verb tense to use when talking of something that is part of a person's past but is technically in the future (or vice versa). The English language really isn't designed for that sort of complications. It made me wonder if the language of the Time Lords has past future tenses or future past tenses. Certainly would make it a bit easier...
And I really liked Kiernan. Don't know why but he was a truly endearing character. The author does a good job with the characterization, which is something I've come to find as a marker of a well written book, along with proper editing and professional formatting, which Time's Twisted Arrow has as well.
All in all, Time's Twisted Arrow is well worth the read and I look forward to seeing what else Rysa Walker can do.
One word. Wow.
I truly enjoyed the first book. I was really looking forward to reading the second. Don't think of this as a continuation or a sequel. This book stands on its own merit. I can't count the amount of times I laughed or smiled, gritted my teeth or ground my knuckles, put off eating or using the bathroom because I needed to get to the next scene, needed to find out what would happen next, needed to know if everything was going to be alright. I found myself stressed over Kara's conflicts with the first vagabond, hating him, even wanting to punch him at times. I found myself missing the lightheartedness of the beginning of the book at times while simultaneously wanting to know that everything would work out, wanting to know what was going to happen, wanting Kara and Braeden to make it... together. I read this book in about sixteen hours straight. Not a record, but pretty impressive considering the length.
I loved Flick. I want one. He (or is it a she?) was so cute and, honestly, I could care less about the teleporting. I want a pet that giggles at me! Some characters, I came to really enjoy, like Twin, who blossoms in the book; while others drove me absolutely batty like the Bloods and the first vagabond, who simply seemed incapable of learning or changing.
Treason is a great book for many reasons. It is dark, different, but makes you smile and laugh at regular intervals, breaking up the tension when it's most needed. It is filled with twists and turns that I almost guarantee you will not see coming. The characters are deep and come to life before your eyes and, no matter what your interest, I think you can probably find something to enjoy in this book.
Source: Book & Blog Services
eReader: Kindle for iPad
File type: MOBI
I truly enjoyed the first book. I was really looking forward to reading the second. Don't think of this as a continuation or a sequel. This book stands on its own merit. I can't count the amount of times I laughed or smiled, gritted my teeth or ground my knuckles, put off eating or using the bathroom because I needed to get to the next scene, needed to find out what would happen next, needed to know if everything was going to be alright. I found myself stressed over Kara's conflicts with the first vagabond, hating him, even wanting to punch him at times. I found myself missing the lightheartedness of the beginning of the book at times while simultaneously wanting to know that everything would work out, wanting to know what was going to happen, wanting Kara and Braeden to make it... together. I read this book in about sixteen hours straight. Not a record, but pretty impressive considering the length.
I loved Flick. I want one. He (or is it a she?) was so cute and, honestly, I could care less about the teleporting. I want a pet that giggles at me! Some characters, I came to really enjoy, like Twin, who blossoms in the book; while others drove me absolutely batty like the Bloods and the first vagabond, who simply seemed incapable of learning or changing.
Treason is a great book for many reasons. It is dark, different, but makes you smile and laugh at regular intervals, breaking up the tension when it's most needed. It is filled with twists and turns that I almost guarantee you will not see coming. The characters are deep and come to life before your eyes and, no matter what your interest, I think you can probably find something to enjoy in this book.
Source: Book & Blog Services
eReader: Kindle for iPad
File type: MOBI
I truly enjoyed this book. Alesha Escobar is a wonderful storyteller and weaves an alternate world where magic is commonplace and those than wield it hold the world in the balance.
The story takes place during an alternate World War II and starts with people trying to kill our heroine, who goes by many, many names. The story will take you from battle to battle, with few breathers in between. Filled with mysteries and betrayal, the main character must make her way through France, complete her mission, and not get killed in the process. Did I mention that she seems to grown enemies as quickly as she loses allies?
To add to that, I loved the way the book ended. It had a twist ending I would have never seen coming, and yet made total sense in hind sight.
The only thing I did not like about this novel was the editing. Though the book was edited well enough for me to read and review it, it did take longer than usual for me to read and the errors were plentiful, though they rarely detracted from the reading (unless you're an editor, in which case you can't help but notice). The errors I found were almost always systematic, meaning she made the same mistakes throughout the entire novel. With a proper editor, this book would have been well worth five stars.
Source: Gifted by Author
eReader: Stanza for iPad
File type: ePub
The story takes place during an alternate World War II and starts with people trying to kill our heroine, who goes by many, many names. The story will take you from battle to battle, with few breathers in between. Filled with mysteries and betrayal, the main character must make her way through France, complete her mission, and not get killed in the process. Did I mention that she seems to grown enemies as quickly as she loses allies?
To add to that, I loved the way the book ended. It had a twist ending I would have never seen coming, and yet made total sense in hind sight.
The only thing I did not like about this novel was the editing. Though the book was edited well enough for me to read and review it, it did take longer than usual for me to read and the errors were plentiful, though they rarely detracted from the reading (unless you're an editor, in which case you can't help but notice). The errors I found were almost always systematic, meaning she made the same mistakes throughout the entire novel. With a proper editor, this book would have been well worth five stars.
Source: Gifted by Author
eReader: Stanza for iPad
File type: ePub
This story was a breath of fresh air, a refreshing twist on a well known tale. The book started out drawing the reader in. The otherworldly scenes with Jaden were really cool. I liked how the world just sort of shifted without warning. The author really made the most of the limitless creative space available.
Though I probably shouldn't have, I liked Jaden too. There was just something about his devil may care attitude and allusiveness that intrigued me and made me smile.
And I couldn't help but be drawn into Harry (or should I say Erich) and Bess's ups and downs. To me, this story is an ultimate example of star-crossed lovers. Harry loves her and, to a certain extent, she feels the pull as well but won't admit it to him or even herself. The reader is pulled through highs where he does good and she lets him into her life just a little, and lows where she shuts down and shuts him out, breaking his heart.
I spent most of the book, equally hoping that she would see him for who he truly is, but at the same time, I think what I was really hoping for was that she would see him as her true soul mate, which, as Harry or Erich, he most certainly would always be.
Great story, new idea. All in all. Worth a read.
Though I probably shouldn't have, I liked Jaden too. There was just something about his devil may care attitude and allusiveness that intrigued me and made me smile.
And I couldn't help but be drawn into Harry (or should I say Erich) and Bess's ups and downs. To me, this story is an ultimate example of star-crossed lovers. Harry loves her and, to a certain extent, she feels the pull as well but won't admit it to him or even herself. The reader is pulled through highs where he does good and she lets him into her life just a little, and lows where she shuts down and shuts him out, breaking his heart.
I spent most of the book, equally hoping that she would see him for who he truly is, but at the same time, I think what I was really hoping for was that she would see him as her true soul mate, which, as Harry or Erich, he most certainly would always be.
Great story, new idea. All in all. Worth a read.
The book starts out with intrigue and a dab of mystery. People are going missing in their little town. Nobody knows why or what connects them. Nobody knows who could be next. Nobody knows when it will stop.
The book takes you along, mixing the everyday with the extraordinary. It gives a different spin on a very old story, that of the hero. I'm not sure if it's the book, or if I've just become accustomed to reading these types of stories. All stories are formulaic to a certain extent. I guess I've come to feel these types of stories are even more formulaic than most. There is the big bad (the Dark Prince), the leader (Charlie Sullivan), the teacher (Loch), the fellowship (the other four kids), the dark realm (Otherworld). There is discovery, then training, then conquering evil. I want to see some element I don't expect, something new, something different. I was especially drawn at the beginning of the book, but my interest waned near the middle, drudging through the training without much to keep me engaged.
The authors could have done a better job of capitalizing on the emotions in a scene, especially when dealing with teenagers that frequently feel things more urgently than adults. I never felt the urgency, the fear, that a big bad should instill. The Ancients are mentioned, but it isn't until they've already decided to risk their lives and are in the Otherworld, that they really understand how dangerous the Ancients are, or the Dark Prince for that matter. That sense of danger and urgency is never stressed early on. It kind of had an "Oh, the Dark Prince is bad and we must stop him." Telling rather than showing. I felt like the authors were pulling the cart ahead of the horses.
That beings said, the best analogy I can make for reading this book would be like walking up a mild incline (beginning of the book), then suddenly coming across a hundred foot cliff you must climb (middle). Then, when at the top, the rest of the journey is like a water slide (end). The authors made me work for it, but it got better once I got to the top of that cliff. I enjoyed the battle scenes. They did a good job with the tension in the battles, maintaining the momentum. And I liked the ending, even if it wasn't altogether happy.
Was it a bad book? No. I think it could have been a great book, but it missed that, largely because it took me days to get through the middle. On the upside, I got more editing done than usual.
Source: Gifted by Author
eReader: Stanza for iPad
File type: ePub
The book takes you along, mixing the everyday with the extraordinary. It gives a different spin on a very old story, that of the hero. I'm not sure if it's the book, or if I've just become accustomed to reading these types of stories. All stories are formulaic to a certain extent. I guess I've come to feel these types of stories are even more formulaic than most. There is the big bad (the Dark Prince), the leader (Charlie Sullivan), the teacher (Loch), the fellowship (the other four kids), the dark realm (Otherworld). There is discovery, then training, then conquering evil. I want to see some element I don't expect, something new, something different. I was especially drawn at the beginning of the book, but my interest waned near the middle, drudging through the training without much to keep me engaged.
The authors could have done a better job of capitalizing on the emotions in a scene, especially when dealing with teenagers that frequently feel things more urgently than adults. I never felt the urgency, the fear, that a big bad should instill. The Ancients are mentioned, but it isn't until they've already decided to risk their lives and are in the Otherworld, that they really understand how dangerous the Ancients are, or the Dark Prince for that matter. That sense of danger and urgency is never stressed early on. It kind of had an "Oh, the Dark Prince is bad and we must stop him." Telling rather than showing. I felt like the authors were pulling the cart ahead of the horses.
That beings said, the best analogy I can make for reading this book would be like walking up a mild incline (beginning of the book), then suddenly coming across a hundred foot cliff you must climb (middle). Then, when at the top, the rest of the journey is like a water slide (end). The authors made me work for it, but it got better once I got to the top of that cliff. I enjoyed the battle scenes. They did a good job with the tension in the battles, maintaining the momentum. And I liked the ending, even if it wasn't altogether happy.
Was it a bad book? No. I think it could have been a great book, but it missed that, largely because it took me days to get through the middle. On the upside, I got more editing done than usual.
Source: Gifted by Author
eReader: Stanza for iPad
File type: ePub
