Posts

Stop that Lion (Kingdom of Mir Series) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Stop That Lion: A Tale of Friendship Love and Peace (Kingdom of Mir)Stop That Lion: A Tale of Friendship Love and Peace by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. The King of Mir asks his people to help find a way to keep the lion in the Kingdom of Sher away from their sheep. We journey along watching 2 failed attempts at keeping the Lion out until, a little girl is the one with the plan that works. The King doubts her and her plan and he is pleasantly surprised with the outcome. I love that the little girl, Wynnie is sympathetic to the lion and doesn’t want anything bad to happen to him but, they have to save the sheep in their kingdom.

View all my reviews

Queen of the Fairies by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Queen of the FairiesQueen of the Fairies by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really loved the art work in this book, the fairies are beautifully done, and the colors are wonderful. This book was fun, wondering what should be written about the Queen of the Fairies, all of the nice things the good fairies do and the not so nice things the bad fairies do. The ending was cute with the writer’s surprise.

View all my reviews

Fay’s Kindness Parade (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Fay's Kindness Parade (The Adventures of Cray)Fay’s Kindness Parade by G Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another great read in the Adventures of Cray. Cray and Turtle Fay, on their way to warmer waters find many sea creatures in need of help and they wanted nothing more than to spread kindness and help those in need. Meeting many friends along the way and showing unity among all, Queen Mer May shares her instruments and they all have a nice celebration of kindness. Beautiful artwork.

View all my reviews

Detective Dylan and the Hunt for Home Plate (A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book) by MJ Murray – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Detective Dylan and the Hunt for Home Plate (A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book Series, #2)Detective Dylan and the Hunt for Home Plate by M.J. Murray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another fun and cute story of brother and sister detective duo, Dylan and Emily. This time the siblings are trying to find out whole took the bases from the baseball field, they walk around to many different people and families doing many different activities in search of clues to where the bases could have gone. They run into kids being pirates in a fort, a girl crying about her birthday party theme, a family reunion, a yoga class, all in their pursuit of getting to the sandbox to question the Benny brothers about the bases. I feel like most of the time they are chasing around Theodore, he’s my favorite character. I like that Emily solved this one and was so excited that she forgets how nervous she is about practicing baseball. Her and Dylan work well together in solving these mysteries.

View all my reviews

Mermaid Tails by Suzanna Lynn – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Mermaid TailsMermaid Tails by Suzanna Lynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is beautiful, the art work is seriously lovely. I will be honest, the best part was the fun fact on each page. It was fun to learn things about some of our sea creatures I didn’t know before. Having the mermaid on the following page look similar to the sea creature in question was such a fun idea, why do mermaids need tails like we know today? Why couldn’t they have tentacles like an octopus? That is so imaginative! The mermaid babies were the cutest, this is a wonderful book for children to imagine what if? and to learn about the fish and creatures that live in our oceans.

View all my reviews

Charming Chapter (Boomer Babes Book Club Romances) by Lori Haas – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Charming Chapter : A Later-in-Life Just Kisses Romance (Boomer Babes Book Club Romances 1)Charming Chapter : A Later-in-Life Just Kisses Romance by Lori Haas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this going in, but quickly became engrossed. First off, this book really got me thinking about my relationship with my own mother, to just spend time with her, and enjoy her. I love that Laura at 60, and after losing her husband was motivated by her book group friends to make the leap and travel on her own to London. I was super annoyed with her daughter Caroline for most of the book. It irked me so much that she just assumed her mom would be there to take care of the things she needed help with, and I applaud Laura for standing up to her daughter and doing something for herself finally, for living for herself. I had a feeling something was off about Hugh the whole time, but didn’t see that coming. The fact that it took him so long to come clean to Laura after she found out bothered me, but I feel like they did have a connection and a strong love. It was sweet that Laura got to explore London and look into her ancestry with her Mother and Daughter, as well as learning life lessons from her own Mother, Celeste, and bestowing some truths on Caroline. I would really love to see what comes of Laura and Hugh.

View all my reviews

Planting Seeds: Growing Mindful Children Though Yoga by Janice Pratt and Lenora Degen – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Planting Seeds: Growing Mindful Children Through YogaPlanting Seeds: Growing Mindful Children Through Yoga by Janice Pratt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a great book and tool for teachers. There are many great things in this book to teach our children, eating healthy, gratitude, lessons about how things grow after planting and so much more. I really liked how with each lesson there are activity pages to match that lesson for the kids to do, and throughout each lesson there are so many references and resources to use to aid in the lesson. This honestly reminds me of when I was in after school care when I was in elementary school and it brought back very fond memories. There are things in this book as and adult now that I have learned, such as,

“A good amount of oxygen we inhale is used by our brains. When we are upset or scared, our breathing becomes short and shallow. Our thinking brain can shut down.”

I never really thought about how our thinking is off when we are scared or upset, which makes sense because everyone always says to “take deep breaths” and the minute you start taking deep breaths you start thinking more clearly. I wish I would have realized or learned that earlier on. Definite recommendation for teachers.

View all my reviews

Porter and Midge: Paws and Responsibilities: A Kid’s Guide to Welcoming a New Dog (Porter and Midge Children’s Book Series) by Jennie Chen and Giselle Nevada – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Porter and Midge: Paws and Responsibilities: A Kid's Guide to Welcoming a New Dog (Porter and Midge Children’s Book Series)Porter and Midge: Paws and Responsibilities: A Kid’s Guide to Welcoming a New Dog by Giselle Nevada
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent book to teach children all the responsibilities that come with owning a dog. I forgot myself, how much really goes into owning a dog, so there are some good points to think about and learn about taught in this book. I really like that the author has the children researching everything on their own, giving them a feel of the responsibility they will have to take on when it comes to owning a dog. The note to the parents at the end helps with offering tips and extra knowledge for adults to share with children.

View all my reviews

The Glow in Loretta’s Garden (Loretta’s Insects) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

The Glow in Loretta's Garden (Loretta's Insects)The Glow in Loretta’s Garden by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An introduction to fireflies. Everyone loves catching fireflies when they are young, I like how Loretta is interested in the life of the fireflies and tries to watch them in her ant farm, until she has to set them free so they can fly and glow. Reading the information on fireflies at the end, I can see how Loretta was to be experiencing all the stages of a fireflies life but the wording didn’t translate well, and I was left kind of confused. My favorite part of the book is the information about the life of a firefly at the end, I was interested to know they are considered beetles, and that they glow in all stages of their life.

View all my reviews

The Hidden Present (Invisible Magic Wand) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

The Hidden Present (Invisible Magic Wand)The Hidden Present by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As always, I love the artwork in the Caspian books. The relationship Caspian has with his grandpa is sweet, and I like that they have such a bond. This wasn’t my favorite unbirthday present, but still fun to watch Caspian discover all the same. This book also could start a conversation with children about what a commas can do, and how it can help in different situations.

View all my reviews

Outcast (Her Royal Harem: Ember) by Catherine Banks – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Outcast (Her Royal Harem: Ember Book 1)Outcast by Catherine Banks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent start! I finished so quick and now I am in deep anticipation for the next book. Ember is a real sweet heart, she is so pure of heart, wanting to take care all of the injured hybrids that stumble upon her door step and the fact that she can talk to animals is always a win. While saving different shifters she meets and saves Branson, Triston and Riddick, and while helping Prince Caleb in fighting off the creatures. It seems that we have four men interested in bonding with sweet Ember and I like that Caleb is a take no nonsense type and gets her safe and to his home. His parents and family are so warm and welcoming to her and they come to realize her hybrid mix is more like three different types, but not sure what shifter type she is since she was adopted by some real evil people. The men are treating her all so well and I can tell they are in love with her already but don’t want to scare her away. At the ball there seems to be like there could potentially be some other woman drama white I both love and hate!

View all my reviews

The Missing Red Envelopes by Yobe Qiu – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

The Missing Red EnvelopesThe Missing Red Envelopes by Yobe Qiu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful book. I love reading about other cultures and traditions. The pictures along with the book are beautiful and make the story that much more interesting. It is so nice to hear that the children are able to get out of school to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The tradition of family members handing out red envelopes with money to the children in their family is such a cool part of many Asian cultures. It is especially sweet that the sisters are wanting to save to spend their money on someone other than themselves. The sisters work together to find their lucky envelopes that were left behind, and Lorie as the oldest sister feels it is on her to protect Weina and solve the mystery. I love the patience she shows her sister even in the face of losing all the red envelopes, she didn’t yell at her sister she calmly talks it out. I wish I could have seen them buy the jade bracelet in the end!

View all my reviews

Basil (Silver Springs Pets Series) by K. Rose – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Basil (Silver Springs Pets, #7)Basil by K. Rose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fun story. Part of dialogue and mannerisms made me cringe, like when JJ says “bruh” and gets high or makes pot references. I just felt like his character would have been better without all of that. I can’t understand why it takes JJ and Jo so long to meet Theo, and it seemed like Theo was around more than the other two. I liked Basil a lot! First of all, the name Basil for a woman, love it, she is also strong and independent making a fresh start on her own and building something beautiful and also meeting her mates. I think Theo was my favorite, at first I was iffy about him because of how Lainie reacts to him but I am assuming that is due to who she thinks he is. All together a nice read, weird take on supernaturals with a snowman and a relative of the Jolly Green Giant but, fun.

View all my reviews

Nessie and the Celtic Maze (Nessie’s Grotto) by Lois Wickstrom and Jean Lorrah – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Nessie and the Celtic Maze (Nessie, #3)Nessie and the Celtic Maze by Lois June Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fun third book to the Nessie series. I think Craig and Linda’s parents by the end of this book are about tired of hearing the words “Nessie” and “monsters” and they may not take a vacation near water ever again. I really liked the magic of Craig and Linda going through the maze to help Princess Sheona, starting in Canada and ending up in Scotland, where they first met Nessie. It seems there is a new hero to help Nessie out in place of Craig and Linda, Angus. It was entertaining to read from the Canadian side of the maze with Craig and Linda and then switch to the Scottish side with Angus and his mother. I like how Angus’ mom encouraged him the whole time and helped him accept the task of being a courageous knight to save Princess Sheona.

View all my reviews

Hay Goes Home (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Hay Goes Home (The Adventures of Cray)Hay Goes Home by G Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent story. I loved the artwork, and the lesson learned here about being courageous enough to ask for help when it is needed. You will always have friends willing to lend a hand in your troubling situations. It was also sweet to see Cray and Hay making new friends along the way to meet with Hay’s mom for her birthday.

View all my reviews

Magic Wanda (Grandma’s Closet) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Magic WandaMagic Wanda by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fun story. I really enjoy Carrie’s adventures with her grandmother’s things. This time she discovers magic Wandas, her mom sees a doll, but Carrie sees a living and talking being. It is really cool that Lily makes her wishes reality while waiting for her family’s party. I absolutely love the art, Carrie in her pink party dress is the cutest.

View all my reviews

Treasure Hunt (Grandma’s Closet) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Treasure HuntTreasure Hunt by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely loved this book. The next object Carrie finds in her Grandmother’s things are sticks that help her find treasure. Her dad is wanting to find a well of water but Carrie is looking for real treasure. The ending made me smile when, Carrie finds her treasure, her grandmother. Such a sweet moment between them.

View all my reviews

Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Beach Ball Blunder by G Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once again another G Pa Rhymes book with absolutely beautiful artwork and a wonderful lesson. This book is great to show kids, lying can hurt others and yourself, and friends will always understand and help you in any situation. I love following along with this group of friends and learning different life lessons along with them.

View all my reviews

Nessie and the Viking Gold (Nessie’s Grotto) by Lois Wickstrom and Jean Lorrah – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Nessie and the Viking Gold (Nessie's Grotto)Nessie and the Viking Gold by Lois June Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am really enjoying the adventures with Craig and Linda and their mission to save Nessie’s Grotto. I didn’t think they would ever see Nessie again from the last time they were there, their parents seemed really upset with them talking about Nessie constantly, but I am glad they were able to come back. The lesson on earthquakes and seismographs is a great addition to the book, it gives children something to actually learn while reading a fun story. I look forward to their next adventure with Nessie.

View all my reviews

A Miracle In Muffin: A True Story by Darlene Duemo – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

A Miracle In Muffin: A True StoryA Miracle In Muffin: A True Story by Darlene Duemo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A nice personal testimony of this author being saved and her belief in the Lord. I was worried about the cat, Muffin, the whole book more than anything, I love animals and because Muffin escaped during the cold, my heart was breaking. The way that Muffin was found, brought out the testimony of the owner to her co-workers, which then in turn had them looking into the miracle that is God. The artwork in the book is beautiful and I really liked the background of each page being snowflakes, it gave my eyes more to look at.

View all my reviews

Sasha Smart by Shermaine Perry-Knights – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Sasha Smart: Short Stories for GirlsSasha Smart: Short Stories for Girls by Shermaine Perry-Knights
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The artwork in this book is beautiful. I love that this is a collection of short stories about the different things Sasha faces in school. She labels herself as a “geek” but comes to realize others like the same things she does. I really liked the lesson she learns in bouncing back from a failure and, the many beautiful differences between different cultures. Every scenario is something any young girl could face while in school, the pressures to fit in, not to stand out because they are smart, bullying those who are different and, the pressure to study and study without taking time to be a kid. The vocabulary wall project at the end of the book is an excellent idea for kids to learn and retain new words they are learning. Great read!

View all my reviews

Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Cray Saves the Day by G. Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beautiful artwork and beautiful story and lesson to be learned. I love seeing all the friends coming together to clean up the beach and the waters. It was heart breaking to see the turtle, Fay with the pop can plastic around. This is a wonderful book for parents to teach their children about not leaving their trash everywhere, when there are plenty of trash cans accessible, and keeping the world we live in clean not just for ourselves.

View all my reviews

Shifter Shorts by TK Lawyer – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Shifter ShortsShifter Shorts by T.K. Lawyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fun book full of short stories of different shifter types, they love they find and the hurdles they have to overcome. My favorite of the short stories was House of Harlots, I loved the heartbreak Ivy goes through and the way her and Jax come together. Along with all the drama with his pack in between. Cat and Mouse was another favorite, Rowan loves Elorah, but Elorah just isn’t getting it. Their story is sweet and I am glad he never gives up on going after her. After I finished Release the Hellhound, I was left wondering what was coming next, it seemed to end abruptly but we get an ending for Ezekiel and Lorna at the beginning of A Mate for Draco. I like how the these two stories flowed one right after the other. Gargoyle Mine was a fun and interesting read, I have never read a shifter romance with a gargoyle and it was interesting how Bryant or Ekkom came to be with Terra.

View all my reviews

A New Day for Cray (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

A New Day For Cray (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)A New Day For Cray by G. Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The art work is beautiful, I love the characters and the story is an excellent lesson for children. Cray may have been having fun pinching and teasing his friends, but they did not like it. I love that the friends all come together in the end to show Cray their support. At the end for “Cray’s takeaways”, these are important lessons to teach children in regards to their friendships and how to treat people in general.

View all my reviews

The Scent of Snow (The Winemakers Series) by Giovanna Siniscalchi – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

The Scent of SnowThe Scent of Snow by Giovanna Siniscalchi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I did not read The Taste of Light that this novella has come stemmed from but, I was able to understand the character dynamic and the story easily enough. This story really had me drawn to Anne and Pedro and I will definitely be looking into the Winemakers series. The story of the family being cursed with the bridge is so interesting and I love how it all played into all the goings on at the estate. Pedro definitely has some demons and Anne seems like the brightest light to ever have conquered his darkness, but he is not very good at sharing his turmoil with is bride, he wants to keep her pure, innocent and away from all things bad. I love how he loves her and pushes aside some of his doubts regarding their future and speaks to Anne. Also very spicy!

View all my reviews

Porter and Midge: Paws and Playtime: A Kid’s Guide to a Happy Dog (Porter and Midge Children’s Book Series) by Jennie Chen and Giselle Nevada – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Porter and Midge: Paws and Playtime: A Kid's Guide to a Happy Dog (Porter and Midge Children’s Book Series)Porter and Midge: Paws and Playtime: A Kid’s Guide to a Happy Dog by Giselle Nevada
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My favorite part of this book is the artwork of all the dogs and the water. I like that this points out that each dog, like each human is different and all have their different ideas of fun. There are many dog sports to learn about in this book and the at the end of the day spending quality time with your dog is always best. The end has a note to parents on how to teach children dog care, learning something new, empathy etc. I love that the author wants the parents to engage with the child and the dog as well.

View all my reviews

The Human Mating Site, Box Set 1 (The Human Mating Site Series) by B.L. Wilde – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

The Human Mating Site Box Set 1 : A Steamy, Dating Humour Novella's 1-4The Human Mating Site Box Set 1 : A Steamy, Dating Humour Novella’s 1-4 by B.L. Wilde
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had previous read Mr. Wimp, but was more than happy to re read it all over again in order in the box set for the first 4 books. I can’t which I liked best so far, it might be Mr. Heartless at the end. I can’t figure out what Bella and Liam are thinking, the chemistry between them is so off the charts, they would be so good together. But, I like that Bella is out there finding herself again after her marriage to Joel. Of course you have to kiss a few toads first, and Bella is put through it with some of these men. The ending of this set has me dying for the next book! I can’t wait to see where Bella’s journey leads her or rather who her journey leads her to. I think I’m still going to hold out for her and Liam working out permanently but, then again, who is this Nathan character that seems familiar?

View all my reviews

Nessie and the Living Stone (Nessie’s Grotto) by Lois Wickstrom and Jean Lorrah – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Nessie and the Living Stone (Nessie's Grotto)Nessie and the Living Stone by Lois June Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This may be one of my favorites from Lois Wickstrom. I really loved the magic and imagination that went into this story. Craig and Linda are on the search for Nessie, and Craig has a lot of learning to do, I was afraid his greed was going to win out in regards to Nessie, her home, the treasure and all the living beings in the loch. It is a great lesson for kids to learn, as Filian McDuff says, “It’s what we give, not what we take, the makes us heroes or monsters”. The pictures were beautiful and painted wonderful images of the whole story in my mind.

View all my reviews

Recipe For Revenge (An April May Cozy Mystery Book 2) by Hazel Smith – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

Recipe For Revenge: An Unputdownable Small Town Cozy Murder Mystery (An April May Cozy Mystery Book Book 2)Recipe For Revenge: An Unputdownable Small Town Cozy Murder Mystery by Hazel Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I did not read the first book and I wish I did because it would have given me some insight to the characters and the town of Laurel Lake. Although I didn’t read the first book, I didn’t feel lost, I still was able to make connections and understand the dynamic between characters. I love to see a city woman fall in love with small towns, especially when it involves a man and a sweet dog. The story and how it all unfolded was wonderful, I literally felt like I was watching an episode from a some sort of detective show. At some times I felt like I knew who was creeping around and watching April then was pulled in 2 other directions. I did figure out who stole from Tim’s store but I did not see it coming, the outcome of April investigating her father’s death and how it really happened. Wesley is a wonderful man and I loved watching him with April and hope to see more of them in future books.

View all my reviews

The Alien & the Crime Boss by Naomi Valkyrie – Review by Carrie Reed

/0 Comments/in /by

The Alien & the Crime BossThe Alien & the Crime Boss by Naomi Valkyrie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am so in love with mm romance and this story really interested me. The concept of Leilphun being a “warrior” and he kind of grows into this being to help defend and protect Kasper. I love the attachment Kasper forms for Leilphun and the drama that unfolds while Kasper tries to merge the two empires.

View all my reviews