Amaleigha and the Big Idea by Janice Pratt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
My son who is 6 absolutely loved this book. He got to learn so much about the forest around us and we went outside and pointed out things he learned. Amaleigh and the Big Idea was cute and adorable and had many things to teach kids about the world around them! I will be getting the other books by this author!
If I had a Magic Wand by Melissa Lavi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’m so glad I found this book, I have a few friends who recently became pregnant, and I can’t wait to be able to give this as a gift. This was a beautifully written story, I hope everyone loves it as much as I do. I can’t wait to see the reactions from those I get to gift it too. This stayed with me after I read it, I can’t wait to read it again. Please check this out today!
The Fifth Daughter of Thorn Ranch by Julia Brewer Daily
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This author is one of my favorites, after I read her first book I was instantly a fan. As soon as I saw this one I knew I had to have it immediately. I’m so glad I did! I was not disappointed. This author has such a way with words, she just pulls you straight into the story and never lets you go. Even after reading I still keep it with me. It’s amazing. I highly recommend this! Pick it up today, pick up all her books right now!
Beast by Leslie Georgeson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
While this is book 5 in the Popov Bratva series it is the second book by Leslie Georgeson I have read, the first being Thief book 4 in the series. First learning of Adrik in book 4 I found him interesting and wanting to know his story, so I was very happy when I learned this book was about him. While book 4 Adrik had been with the Popov Bratva for several years this book starts with his time before, and how he began working for the Popov’s.
Growing up Adrik knew nothing about his father’s work until the day he was fired. That day changed everything, Kirill Volkov was Adrik’s father and was the cash collector for the Bratva, taking the money to the bookkeeper Alexei. Until the numbers started being off, having a family of his own he was fired and let off easy. At the age of seventeen Adrik had witnessed a year of his father abusing his mother, enough was enough and he stood up to his father for her only to be beaten badly by his father and warned next time he would kill him. With no other choice Adrik packed a bag and left, knowing he physically was not able to deal with his father, he vowed to his little brother Damien, who was 11 at the time that he would return for him as soon as he had somewhere for them to live and could care for him. Four years later Adrik had succeeded in impressing the grandsons of the Bratva and was given a place in their brotherhood so long as his story checked out. With time jumps both backwards and forwards this book gives an overall life story of how far Adrik has come. From being a homeless 21-year-old in the beginning to jumping forward 8 years. After a devastating lose only Annika seems to be filling the emptiness inside of him and she doesn’t even know what he looks like. Annika is different from her family, an outcast of sorts in her own rights amongst the other Popov females. She is a concert pianist having suffered a great trauma that makes Adrik long to protect her. Annika has always seen him around but never given the chance to see his face or introduce herself to him.
Can they heal each other’s trauma? Will Adrik, the Beast, ever get to feel the love he is craved? Will Annika show revulsion if or when she sees his face? Adrik hides in the shadows and behind his shaggy hair in fear that the day she sees him she will turn away in revulsion like all the others, but with her he knows it would break him if she did. The authors world she has created is so in depth both in story and twists that it keeps the reader guessing what will happen next. I look forward to PUNK (Efrem’s story) – coming March 28, 2023, to learn of the youngest Popov male’s story.
Kamana Wanalaya for the Holidays by Susan Renee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
First things first, this is the first time I’ve read anything by Susan Renee, but it will not be the last. And this isn’t even my go-to genre. FUN- There is so much fun in this book, starting with the title. Don’t believe me? Just sound it out for yourself. There’s a fun bet between The Grinch and The Love Guru, and so much more spicy fun. FUNNY – Read the first line of the book, and then tell me that it isn’t funny. I mean, we’ve heard the line many times before, but it actually made me laugh out loud this time. There are all kinds of funny quips and bits. MORE FUN – As I said before, this was my first time to read anything by Susan Renee, but apparently, she has lots of books, and in those books, she has lots of lovable characters. She has interlaced the different characters of the different books into this spicy, holiday, rom com! How cool is that?!? Now, pardon me while I go get to know the other characters in their own stories.
The Sneaky Kitten: Invisible Magic Wand Book Four by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It started with Caspian and grandpa walking. Then a frisbee passed. So Caspian went home got his gear and was back. There was a kitten so he tried to rescue it. Turns out kitten circles back and rides frisbee.
Return to Gallanvaig: Beyond A Quirk of Destiny by Catherine Greenall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Welllll i definitely will be going back to read book one because i feel like it would make me understand some things deeper that occurred in this book especially character progressions. Book ended in a doozy if a cliffhanger that made me really want to read book one in the trilogy as well as the one that follows! Book was well written, captured my attention and had me at the edge of my seat!! Good read!
Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lily and Jake. I really enjoyed this book and the chemistry between the two. In the beginning, it was very hard to follow along with because it was written in the third person. Almost like Jake’s thoughts coming from another person. Lily for me is relatable in this book as well in the sense of a father that was never around it’s hard for a girl to trust a man and what his intentions are. Jake is snarky in the beginning and I love how his mind wanders. I would definitely recommend this book.
Where Do Pirates Go on Vacation? : Fun pirate story that encourages imaginative and creative thinking. Ages 3 to 8, preschool to 2nd grade. by Kim Ann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a really cute book! My daughter who is 2 absolutely loved this one! She picked out the treasure, boats and shells, and just had so much fun with this one. The pictures were very cute and well illustrated as well. I highly enjoyed this and enjoyed reading it to my daughter as well! I would love to read more stories from this author to my daughter in the future!
Amaleigha Loves a Good Story by Janice Pratt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Amaleigha is a small girl with HUGE ambitions to change the world! When she realizes that her local library faced a big problem she worked with the community to make changes happen! I love that Amaleigha has high ambitions to make the world a better place. It goes to show that hard work and determination can make things happen! Amaleigha is an inspiration to today’s youth! Her adventures strike up conversations with my son about how we can help our community. The vibrant illustrations bring the story to life and keep it engaging. I can not wait to read more of Amaleigha’s adventures!
Kamana Wanalaya for the Holidays by Susan Renee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book is a quirky, fun read. It will be great to take along on vacation. It is equally as good to help as you recover from the flu this winter! It is romantic versus cynic in a wowzer of a showdown. Readers are treated to an amazing setting with romance juxtaposed amongst a comedy of errors.
Amaleigha Loves a Good Story by Janice Pratt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a really good story! For a children’s book it was very inspiring too. I really like the lesson inside this book that says if you have enough determination you can make anything a reality. My daughter is too young to enjoy this book, she wouldn’t understand the message inside or anything really, but I really want to read this to her when she gets older and can understand that she can make a difference in the world if she just imagines and tries.
If I had a Magic Wand by Melissa Lavi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I found If I Had a Magic Wand to be a very cute story. My 6 year old didn’t love it. He sat through it but said they should do cooler stuff with a magic wand. Even after I explained the book, he still didn’t seem too interested. The rhyming was good and made the story flow. I love love the illustrations. I love the parents passing the wand, to what I interpreted as other parents as well as their kids. I love that different nationalities and genders and ages were represented throughout the story.
Reviewed by @way2gosmartguy
Kamana Wanalaya for the Holidays by Susan Renee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was an amazing read. Although the timeline is centered around Christmas time it’s not an overly Christmasy book. A seven-day vacation at a beautiful family-owned resort in Hawaii. Who wouldn’t want to go on that trip? The same thought goes through the mind of Tenley when the offer presents itself.
Tenley runs her own podcast talking about relationships. The way she views them is very different from the man that invites her on this trip. This trip is not just for fun it has a little challenge thrown into the mix as well. Teagan is a happy go with flow type of man. His mouth does get him in trouble quite often in this book. Having two determined people with differences in opinions will make for a smooth trip, right?
What happens when you have two people stuck at a resort together for seven days? Can seven days be enough time to change someone and their beliefs? Will this vacation in complete and utter disaster? Read this amazing book to find out the answers.
Return to Gallanvaig: Beyond A Quirk of Destiny by Catherine Greenall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is the reason why post-apocalyptic is quickly becoming my favorite genre of fiction! This story takes place in the aftermath of a world-wide devastating illness. Sounds familiar, right? In a deviation from our all-too-real global pandemic, the author treats readers to various credible and incredible story strands. Hold onto your hats, the winds of change that blow around just might blow you away!
Raine Down by C.B. Samet
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This story was delightful! I was intrigued when I read “Ragnarok happened.” and I picked the story up to give it a whirl. I have been drawn to Norse Mythology lately, but finally decided to pick up a novel inspired by it and I’m so glad I took the chance. There is fantasy, adventure, MAGIC/PROPHECIES, and everything I enjoy with books. The author does a great job of integrating the Norse Gods and mythology into the book! They definitely made each realm/creature its own unique features!! I love meeting a character like Raine Thoren, who kicks some ass and doesn’t take crap from anyone! Reading strong female leads is something I love doing, especially when the character is written well. Throughout the majority of the book, we journey with Raine and experience what it is like to be one of the secret Guardians. How they protect Midgard from the aftereffects of Ragnarok, and what that truly entails. We get a lens of an outsider with the FBI agent Will Decker who is committed to getting the job right within the terms of the law. He is thrust into this world when the two of them cross paths and the connection between them is instant. I think there was more focus on how these two interacted than the whole Ragnarok, but it was still a riveting novel. I would’ve liked more with Ragnarok explained, but maybe that comes with the following novels.
One of my favorite quotes belongs in Chapter 23, there is a moment where things are explained to Raine about this Shadow War, and the words exchanged are definitely going to be used to inspire my students; and were great for me as well! This author should be on your list to read! I’m looking forward to her upcoming novels and can’t wait to see where prophecies take me!
Road to the Mansfield by C.B. Laurence
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Road to the Mansfield is a 3 part story.
Francie is the first story we read. If you have ever heard Fancy by Reba McIntire, that’s basically the plot to the story. She is basically sent to a whorehouse when her mom is dying where she is expected to work for her room and board. She has a beautiful voice and negotiates her freedom, by being the entertainment instead. She has a hard life but remains strong and breaks free. She then negotiates a deal for herself to be a singer in a nightclub.
We then hop to the next story, of Rose. Rose is young, just 18 and is blinded by what she believes to be love. She is desperate to leave her Podunk town, that she runs away with a man she’s known less than 3 weeks. He turns out as we expect and treats her badly. Both Rose and her husband end up working at the Mansfield. As we see Rose’s marriage deteriorate, we see her friendship grow with Ruby.
The last part of the story is quite different. It focuses on Beau, a lawyer. His story is a bit shorter, but eventually he too winds up at the Mansfield, but not yet meeting Ruby and Rose.
The book was amazing and I loved it. I am not happy with the ending. Total cliff hanger…. but Book 2 comes out in 1 week so I don’t have long to wait for the continued story. While researching, I saw the author was inspired by Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson music video for Because of You… and it all makes sense. I can see it and she did wonderful expanding a 3 minute music video into what I anticipate to be a wonderful series.
Reviewed by @way2gosmartguy
Amaleigha and the Big Idea by Janice Pratt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an adorable tale about a five year old that loves to spend time thinking and seems to view the world in a different way. The writer did an amazing job of describing this little girl’s attitude and ability to study and learn from the world around her. The pictures came out great on a Kindle and illustrated her and the world she sees. I love how even though she is only five, she comes up with such a wonderful idea and is able to explain it in a way that she gets everyone on board. It’s a great story that teaches children, just because you are young, it doesn’t mean you can’t have wonderful ideas. I have never heard of barefoot parks and I loved the idea of this. I fully recommend this story for anyone who wants to teach their children that they can make an impact on the world around them.
Kamana Wanalaya for the Holidays by Susan Renee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was just so much fun. Tenley and Teagan are just perfect. I love how they banter back and forth, both not entirely wrong in their thinking. Yet they both need to be open to the other. All the characters were just so engaging. The title totally gave me a laugh. I will definitely be adding this author to my list to read.
Kamana Wanalaya for the Holidays by Susan Renee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was a fun read. I could not put it down. I found myself laughing throughout this book. I fell in love with the two main characters. The author created an amazing storyline that will hook you from beginning to end. I highly recommend this book as a holiday read.
What Actually Happened to Isaac Moore by Samantha J. Rose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wow, what a crazy ride. I am left speechless at the imagination and creativity it took to write this book. There were a couple of times where I got lost but found my way back into the story. Elise, at first I couldn’t stand her, she seemed like a terrible person and very manipulative and sneaky but, she really was just trying to find her way home. It was fun for me to find out how Elise knew Isaac for as long as she did, the many different instances in his life she was there for. There are many different characters along this ride, and at one point I thought Isaac was going to ditch them and go back to his normal life but, he doesn’t and I think I would honestly rather be on a crazy adventure too. Isaac and Sister Maria’s relationship just seems volatile and I wouldn’t mind hearing more about their time together. Again very imaginative book and definite recommendation.
If I had a Magic Wand by Melissa Lavi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
If I Had a Magic Wand by Melissa Lavi is a 5 star children’s book. My mother bought my children a book a couple years ago titled something like, If I Could Keep You Little and this book, while different, had a similar comforting feel to it. My mother recently passed so I cherish this book’s similarities a lot. If I Had a Magic wand really illustrates what any parent, or adult in general, wants for a child in their life… love, happiness, kindness, the list goes on. The illustrations in this book are as beautiful as the well wishes too. A great addition to any bedtime story shelf!
Snow in Love by Libby Kay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A perfect short story for Christmas time. I love Conner and Sienna together! And I love that this book is centered around the Paralympics. This book has the perfect amount of drama, romance and sweet and funny moments. Sienna’s mom is super annoying and really got to me, I was glad to see Sienna stand up for what she wanted. Both Sienna and Conner didn’t let their missing limbs stop them from going after what they wanted and living their lives to the fullest. Conner had to work at accepting his new life as an amputee, Sienna was born that way, and I think the way she embraced it helped Conner to not be as self conscious about his.
The Sneaky Kitten: Invisible Magic Wand Book Four by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The art in this book is beautiful, and I really enjoy seeing Caspian interacting with his grandfather. He always has some sort of magical object and I think its really creative the way they are to be used and how they help Caspian. This story was nice, it did seem unfinished, I wish I knew where the cat was going, where he was from. The name Caspian chooses for the cat throws me of as well, it doesn’t really flow. Overall I think the story would be fun for kids and the art would draw them in and spark creativity.
The Sneaky Kitten: Invisible Magic Wand Book Four by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Sneaky Kitten is a fun storybook that one and all will enjoy. Another Unbirthday present from Grandpa and another adventure for Caspian. Hot chocolate and socks, kittens and aliens. What do they have in common? Well you will have to read this book to find out.
Unfortunately I foresee trouble in the future as I had to remind my grandboys several times that they would not be using hot chocolate on their socks when they were so eager to try it.
They laughed and loved the story and the pictures and I could see their imaginations running wild. I only hope I survive the wrath of their mother to be able to read them another Unbirthday story.
Reviewed by @jennadb
Road to the Mansfield by C.B. Laurence
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is book one in The Express Investigations series. Very well written. Perfectly paced, historical crime novel with plenty of suspense and drama. Great characters, it kept me interested the entire read and definitely wanting more. I loved that it was three stories, yet all brought together. An absolute must read.
Where Do Pirates Go on Vacation? : Fun pirate story that encourages imaginative and creative thinking. Ages 3 to 8, preschool to 2nd grade. by Kim Ann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a great title to get your imagination flowing and making it a must read to find out. Just where do Pirates go on vacation? Is there even such a thing?
Where Do Pirates Go on Vacation? Is a fun picture book and is one of the books in Kim Ann’s Go On Vacation books. There are 7 books in this series of books. The books are aimed for children aged between 3 – 8 years old.
The story is filled with bright and colourful illustrations that easily catch a child’s eye. What more could you ask for to keep a child engaged with swashbuckling pirates, guessing games and rhyming adventures.
Grab a copy and join in this enticing adventure.
Reviewed by @jennadb
Amaleigha Loves a Good Story by Janice Pratt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Amaleigha is back in another adventure. This young girl is a thinker and a problem solver. She is always thinking of others and how she can help. As a lover of books and stories she wants to share that love with her community. She is lucky that she has people in her life that are more than happy to support her and her quests.
With inspirational messages and colourful illustrations Amaleigha’s story will have your child’s creative minds thinking of their own ways of helping others.
This is an imaginative, fun and engaging story that children of many ages will enjoy.
Reviewed by @jennadb
Practically Pagan – An Alternative Guide to Magical Living by Maria DeBlassie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a wonderful and interesting book, not only for those who practice Paganism and/or witchcraft, but everyone. It shows that magic is everywhere and how to use certain objects, plants, things in healing and comfort. I absolutely love how she states that magic isn’t the crazy evil thing that people make it out to be, but instead that it is more so getting to know yourself and the earth more intimately. The book reads like a self-help book more than anything else. Would be great for anyone who practices paganism, witchcraft, beginners or more skillful, and even those who just are looking to make changes within their lives and connect to their feminine divine.
The Sneaky Kitten: Invisible Magic Wand Book Four by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
4 Stars!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is a cute story of Caspian and his grandfather and the discovery of a flying frisbee. This frisbee ended up in a tree and Caspian tries to save the day and get the frisbee…and also discovering a cute kitten also in the tree. This kitten is truly “sneaky” when all Caspian wants to do is rescue this cute feline but there is more to this kitten than meets the eye :).
Very cute story and recommended and the illustrations are great.
