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The Strategist (WaterFyre Rising Book 5) by Nadia Han – Review by Candida Hopper

The Strategist (WaterFyre Rising, #5)The Strategist by Nadia Han
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book had me engrossed from the start. This story has romance, friendship, danger, trauma, mystery, bad guys, family, healing, drama, and great characters. This is the 5th book in this series but it can be read as a standalone, but my advice is to read them all. This book is Arrow and Vivian’s story. Arrow is an ex navy seal, entrepreneur with a traumatic past. Vivian is a dentist who also has a traumatic past. Vivian is looking for a missing girl and it’s bringing her past into her present. The chemistry between these two is undeniable but Vivian isn’t ready to date at this point in her life. Arrow isn’t giving up on her that easy. This is a must read to find out what happens between these two. The author had me reading late into the night turning pages needing to know what happens next. This story kept me captivated the entire time. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it.

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Kris & The Missing Prince (The Adventures of Kris) by Art Blegen – Review by Carrie Reed

Kris & The Missing Prince: The Adventures Of KrisKris & The Missing Prince: The Adventures Of Kris by Art Blegen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another adventure with Kris, and another story I got completely sucked into. Once again, through this author, Kris creates a fantasy world, and I get so lost in the story that I don’t realize that it is just her imagination until the end. Kris stands firm that she is not a princess just because she is a girl, girls can be knights. I love that she wants to be a knight and fight for good. I really like that Kris is so adventurous and curious. It was heartbreaking to read of her and her dad’s financial situation in the beginning, but how grateful Kris was to even be able to eat at all. They are a strong and resilient family and I enjoy the father and daughter interactions as much as I enjoy Kris’ imaginative adventures. The owl, Mr. Flattail, might have been my favorite character, I loved how the author made his speech, it gave his character so much more.

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Punk (Popov Boys Book 6) by Leslie Georgeson – Review by Heidi Sturgess

Punk (Popov Boys #6)Punk by Leslie Georgeson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned ….

A series is usually like an aging red wine , it just gets better with time 😉 and while I’ve not read all the books in the series I didn’t feel like I was missing out but there are references to previous books / characters so you’ll get a fuller experience and trust me every bit counts 😉🔥

I really enjoyed Miranda and Efrem 🔥these Papov boys are hard to resist 😉

Miranda is in the middle of a rather nasty divorce and honestly I must say good riddance to bad rubbish girl !

Efrem is hiding a secret , while he’s supposed to be the hunted he is in fact the hunter , on more levels than one 😉🔥

There more to this story than revenge , steam , action and thrills there’s redemption and forgiveness that softens this cruel and unkind world …. Be patient with them , let them share their story ❣️

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Stay For Me (The Balefire Series Book 5) by Tam DeRudder Jackson – Review by Heidi Sturgess

Stay For Me (The Balefire Series Book 5)Stay For Me by Tam DeRudder Jackson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hello ! How hot is this cover !? By now everyone knows I’m weak when it comes to coverart , what can I say I’m easy to please 😉❣️📚

I got the tail end of this series so I did feel like I missed out but that is no fault of the author it’s all on me 😉 so I’d recommend that you start at the beginning 🫶🏼

So from what I could gather Garrett wasn’t always the nicest guy but everyone deserves a second chance am I right or am I right !? He knows he messed up with Olivia and when she walks back into his life he wants to grab his second chance with both hands 🥰

Olivia tasted Garett’s rejection and she wasn’t going there any time soon but she’s got to put her pride in her pocket and work with to save herself and her company ….

Look make no mistake Olivia is no fading wallflower and she’s got sass and spunk but let’s be honest when it comes to love or love lost we all have kink in our armour and I think Garrett saw Olivia’s kink and went for it 🥰😉

This was more than just a love being rekindled it was about redemption , understanding , compassion and friendship , I loved being part of it all and I’ll be re reading this after I started at the beginning ❣️📚

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Hero Complex (Bluestone Series Book 3) by Isobel Reed – Review by Heidi Sturgess

Hero Complex (Bluestone Series, #3)Hero Complex by Isobel Reed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness I’m about to say take me cowboy 🤠 loving the cover ! I know I’m so easy to please 🤣❣️📚but I’m weak when it comes to cover art 😍😉

It’s soooooo good to be back in Bluestone ❣️

Ace , an injured marine needs to find peace and quiet , a place where he can heal his body , mind and soul , he rents a cabin on Ivy’s land and soon enough he’s hands on in more ways than one 😉

Ivy’s grandparents passed on and left her their ranch and while she’s no wallflower she needs more than money to run the ranch , she works hard and not a scared hair on that head of hers but we all need a little help even our darling Ivy ….

Ivy and Ace are each others healing balms and watching them together was a gift and yes I cried , hard I’m not even going to try and lie but it’s a beautiful story and worth every tear❣️📚

See you soon Bluestone , you’ve been good to my soul 😍

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Love Tools (Bluestone Series Book 1) by Isobel Reed – Review by Heidi Sturgess

Love Tools (Bluestone Series, #1)Love Tools by Isobel Reed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my gosh I’m just loving this cover !!!! The dedication made me chuckle and think of my peeps when I’m reading because I’m forever sharing ❣️📚😉

Lilly inherits a hardware store from her estranged father , there’s an apartment above so her home is also sorted but is this English rose going to survive Montana !? 😉

“ Malbro man “ aka Jake and Lilly ( sweetheart ) get off to a rocky start but entertaining I must add but having said that I see the attraction small town living will have as opposed to city living and I’d like to quote a little bit of perfection “She wasn’t completely sure why , but she knew in her heart that Bluestone was where she needed to be “

Lilly makes friends with Sam and I just adore her I wouldn’t mind having her as my friend ❣️

Sam is Jakes’s sister so when Lilly gets invited to the weekly barbecue their paths cross again and let’s just say there are more sparks than in the fire 😉🫶🏼

I loved the people of Bluestone and Lilly and Jake kept me on my toes , we laughed and we cried and we had the most beautiful time together ❣️thank you guys for letting me part of you , see you soon 🥰

Lilly’s mom grated my nerves a bit

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Earl of Griffith (Once Upon a Widow Book 6) by Aubrey Wynne – Review by Angela Plate, May 2023

Earl of Griffith (Once Upon a Widow Book 6)Earl of Griffith by Aubrey Wynne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a sweet read. This book was short enough to be a quick read while still building up a good storyline. The characters were well written.

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Editor Kill Fee (The Taylor Browning Cozy Mysteries Book 3) by GG Collins – Review by Bobbi Wagner

Editor Kill Fee (Taylor Browning Cozy Mysteries #3)Editor Kill Fee by G.G. Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my first book by this author which I enjoyed reading. This is a great older child’s book about Taylor and her friend Jim and the trouble they find themselves in. They are not sure who to trust on top of that it is a race against time for them to be saved. This is an engaging story that any older child /young adult would enjoy reading. It takes you on an adventure that you don’t want to miss as well as reading it to find out how it ends. An engaging story with characters that are connectable and made the story easy to read. I enjoyed watching the growth of these characters throughout. This is an entertaining story that I highly recommend this book.

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Review by @bjwagner

Raising Elle (Sweet Valley Series Book 1) by S.E Reichert – Review by Heidi Sturgess

Raising ElleRaising Elle by S.E. Reichert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Domestic violence is so common and I think it’s been for years which is heartbreaking but these days woman speak out which they didn’t in the days past and I commend every brave woman who said NO MORE , left , battled and survived!

Elle arrived in Sweet Valley with next to no money and basically the clothes on her back and some really nasty bruises 🥲what better place to heal than home with your family and loved ones .,,,

Elle suffered at the hands of Aaron both physically and emotionally and those wounds take time to heal and I’m so grateful Elle had her family …

Blake and Elle share a history and he had the potential to be a brilliant vet but life happened and Blake hasn’t had it easy but one has to hit rock bottom before you can rise from the ashes …

I cried … ALOT … this story and it’s characters just played my heart strings like a harp I felt compassion , empathy , fear , anger , frustration , love and so many other things all I can say is have a huge box of tissues on hand and the biggest bar of chocolate for comfort when you read this !

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The Innovator (WaterFyre Rising Book 3) by Nadia Han – Review by Heidi Sturgess

The Innovator (WaterFyre Rising, #3)The Innovator by Nadia Han
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’m glad to see the suit is back 😉🔥

Grayson is no stranger to deceit and betrayal and it’s almost made him jaded but once bitten , twice shy , right ?! He’s a brilliant architect at that and all men have an Achilles heel ….

Natalie is a real family girl and she’s willing to “ degrade” herself to save her family and her legacy and that speaks volumes of her humble character already …

Grayson is connected with both Remington and Royce and their childhood experience , it’s his turn to do over secrets and connections

At times I really felt sorry for Natalie because Grayson was not be taken on without gloves , he’s a grumpy force to be reckoned with .,,

Together Natalie and Grayson kept me on the edge of my seat with hidden secrets and agendas and the intensity these 2 share 🫶🏼🔥

Holding my breath for the next instalment 😉

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The Daredevil (WaterFyre Rising Book 2) by Nadia Han – Review by Heidi Sturgess

The Daredevil (WaterFyre Rising, #2)The Daredevil by Nadia Han
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So it’s off with the suit and on with leather jacket and I’m still weak at the knees 🤣🙈

Royce is a volcanist and very much like the volcanoes he studies he’s unpredictable and volatile but there’s a healing balm out there and she’ll see the man that is hiding behind the facade ….

Michelle is a traveller and blogger and emotionally detached due to the demons that haunt her ,that gnaw away at her self confidence and self worth , she needs a man stronger than her demons ….

We met Michelle and Royce briefly in “ The Mastermind “ and I was eager to see how their story unfolded and date I say it but this book was more enjoyable than the first and that says alot !

It was fun travelling through Michelle’s eyes and it makes you itch to travel . I just want to thank NadiaHan for broaching the subject of ED , so many folks think it’s a “ teen thing” , Michelle is fortunate to have Royce on her side and his support and the way he build her just makes me love him even more ….

Strange and unexplainable things happen in Royce’s business and it impact on both him and Michelle and he’s determined to protect Michelle at any cost , this man really is a keeper

There was murder , revenge , dark twists and turns and of course there was spice and all things nice to add a well rounded effect , love you guys 🥰

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Cecily in the City (The Cecily Taylor Series Book 3) by Krysten Lindsay Hager – Review by Jennie M Bechtel

Cecily in the CityCecily in the City by Krysten Lindsay Hager
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book without reading the first two in the series. I feel like this book can be read alone, but readers would probably benefit from reading the first two books. I felt the writing was good, especially the dialogue and communication between characters.
Cecily Taylor Damone wants to be with her boyfriend, Andrew, and also have a successful acting career. Throughout their relationship, jealously threatens to keep Cecily and Andrew apart. I dislike how jealous the two characters are, but this is a young adult romance and I feel the characters are portrayed well for being young adults. I enjoyed this read even though I am much older than young adults. I look forward to seeing what is in store for Cecily in the next book.

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The Wandering Isles: A Crown of Stones Novella (Soulbound Journeys Book 1) by C.L. Schneider Reviewed by Jasmin Slagle

Truly Unfortunate (Welcome To Knollville #1)Truly Unfortunate by C.A. King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Truly can’t remember her past, her life sucks currently. Is her past any worse or is it the cause of her current situation? GREAT BOOK!

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The Wandering Isles: A Crown of Stones Novella (Soulbound Journeys Book 1) by C.L. Schneider Review by Jasmin Slagle

The Wandering Isles (The Crown of Stones)The Wandering Isles by C.L. Schneider
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have absolutely loved every book in this series, novellas included. Ian is in my top 5 favorite characters of all time. He’s freaking fantastic.

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Obedience: A Student Teacher Romantic Suspense (Ties That Bind Book 1) by Liza Snow Reviewed by Jasmin Slagle

ObedienceObedience by Liza Snow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cassandra and Chandler are great together, I love their chemistry. I am obsessed with this book and can’t wait for book 2.

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Cecily in the City (The Cecily Taylor Series Book 3) by Krysten Lindsay Hager – Review by Moriah Venable

Cecily in the CityCecily in the City by Krysten Lindsay Hager
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cecily is starting her senior year of high school. With a pop star boyfriend, she has an opportunity to fly to New York to meet with a fashion designer. She started off wanting to be an actor but her career seems to be going in the direction of modeling.

I really enjoyed reading this. I haven’t read the other novels in the series but I wasn’t confused at all. I actually felt more invested because I knew Cecily had come a long way.

Cecily even wonders if Andrew’s world is something she can handle. She is excited to finally be in the same city as him as well as move her career along with the right connections, but she is aware how easy it is to be swept up in the Big City.

In a lot of novels the main characters keep secrets from each other but I like how Cecily and Andrew for the most part did communicate and eventually was able to repair damage that was done. The media and fans can start rumors and it illustrates how her relationship with Andrew suffered because of it. To me, I was able to feel her anxiety and uncertainty. Just all her emotions in general. She was a well written character and the plot just pulls you in.

Cecily also states in the beginning how she no longer feels the need to make herself anxious just to support a friend. When she gets invited to go rock climbing with her friends Allie and Lila, she declines a few times despite her friends trying to change her mind.

‘She stuck out her tongue out and said she’d text me if she survived. Normally, I’d go just to support a friend but I was at a place in my life where I realized I didn’t need to make myself anxious about climbing a big wall just to keep someone else happy. I’d spent so much time doing things other people wanted and now I realized I could save myself both anxiety and energy by listening to what felt right for me. I was slowly learning about boundaries’.

That passage really stayed with me. At 30, I am slowly learning about boundaries and not doing things to make other people happy.

The end of the novel kind of had a cliffhanger which makes me excited to see what happens next.

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Ways to Improve Bailey by Cori Cooper – Review by Moriah Venable

Ways to Improve BaileyWays to Improve Bailey by Cori Cooper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bailey finds herself on a date with Tanner thanks to her brother’s stupid list based on how she can improve herself.

When the date goes well and the two start spending more time together, Bailey wonders if maybe the list has some merit and thinks maybe it is time to start looking at her flaws that she has been avoiding looking too closely at.

The cover and synopsis caught my attention. I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did but it was a very enjoyable and fun read. I should have known how much I would enjoy it from how it started.

“I really need to tell a lie right now. When I made that stupid promise to my stupid brother, Dayton, last week, I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be to tell the truth all the time.”

This alone hooked me. I’m excited to read more by this author.

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Fireflies (The Physical Collection) by A.R. Hadley – Review by Brittany Porter

Fireflies (The Physical Collection)Fireflies by A.R. Hadley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Being my first “poly” book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Although a new writer, this author shows great promise with exceptional writing. Mike and Dane were fun characters that were full of personality and spice. Not sure what I expected from this type of story, but it was refreshing to see that jealously wasn’t really a factor in their relationship, and the happiness of their partner and their relationship trumped any of those potential feelings. Vanessa grew on me throughout the book, but I still find myself struggling to like Vy. I get being a little shocked and needing some time after learning about Dane and Mike’s unusual relationship but YEARS? She’s just a bit much in my opinion. I think if the book were a bit longer I could have learned to accept her character as well, but that’s my only real complaint. I look forward to reading more in this series.

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Cecily in the City (The Cecily Taylor Series Book 3) by Krysten Lindsay Hager – Review by Christine Baranek

Cecily in the CityCecily in the City by Krysten Lindsay Hager
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cecily in the City
By: Krysten Lindsey Hager

Cecily is a high schooler who is looking to get her big break. She just got a taste of what it will be like after she acts in a music video. With her favorite artist who just happens to become her boyfriend. She is pushing super hard to move to the city and continue her modeling / acting career. Plus she will be in the same city as her boyfriend. And get out of her small town. She isn’t all that sure she wants all that fame comes with. But she also knows she doesn’t want the opportunities to pass her by.
This book was so good. It perfectly encapsulated the insecurity and the friendship issues that occur in high school. I also really enjoyed Cecily’s family and how they seemed very realistic about their daughter becoming an actress.
This was such an emotional book. I definitely felt all of Cecily’s emotions throughout the book. I also really enjoyed in the beginning where she starts being confused about if she wants the negative parts of having a big break, such as the social media comments. I definitely think this is such a good summer read.

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Breathless Love (The Bennetts of Langston Falls Book 3) by KG Fletcher – Review by Wendy Wary

Breathless Love (The Bennetts of Langston Falls, #3)Breathless Love by K.G. Fletcher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m conflicted on this book because the romance parts are way too cheesy for my tastes (think Hallmark channel sweetness), but the story parts that aren’t focused on romance were really well written and definitely had me feeling emotional. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and it felt like she decided to take a great story line and force this fairy tale like romance that didn’t come off very realistically. I don’t know if that’s just her style, but it wasn’t really my cup of tea; my mom, who lives for Hallmark movies, probably would love this, though. I enjoyed the characters, but struggled with how fast paced Hank and Ella Mae declared their love for each other and some of the more steamy parts between them were a bit over the top for me.

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Cecily in the City (The Cecily Taylor Series Book 3) by Krysten Lindsay Hager – Review by Wendy Wary

Cecily in the CityCecily in the City by Krysten Lindsay Hager
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked this one up not having read other books in the series and now I’m going back to read those, too. The characters are fantastic and even though the story itself is not anything relatable to the average person (hello, pop stars, models, and fashion designers!), the struggles, life choices, and relationships are very much so. And for characters that are younger, they act very mature, which I could see making a positive influence on the young adult readers. Cecily and her friends are fun and supportive as they navigate plans for their future out of high school, and Cecily herself learns some life lessons about the entertainment business and that you can’t trust everyone, even when you’re a nobody just getting your feet wet.

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Aliens on Earth Anthology (Limited Edition Romance Collections) by Various Authors – Review by Lauren West

Aliens on EarthAliens on Earth by Mandy Melanson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am not big on anthologies, but this was a fun one. Aliens and faded mates and a whole assortment of out of this world stories. All of the authors that teamed up did an amazing job, and it had a great flow. This was a book that gets you excited to read the full story when it’s released.

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Twisted Bond by Danielle Jacks – Review by April McCoy

Twisted BondTwisted Bond by Danielle Jacks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Enemies to lovers AND supernaturals…. need I say more? Such an awesome read! I couldn’t put it down and I need more books like this in my life. The characters played their respective parts to a tee and made it just so good! Read it!

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Sleeping Love by Natalina Reis – Review by April McCoy

Sleeping LoveSleeping Love by Natalina Reis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s a good book but it took me a bit to get into it. It was a little slow moving but the characters were easy to fall for. I enjoyed the story I just had to commit so it is definitely worth it to ride the whole way to the end!

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Ten Thousand Shells and Counting: A Memoir (Teenage War Survival Book 1) by Nadija Mujagic – Review by Heidi Sturgess

Ten Thousand Shells and Counting: A Memoir (Book 1) (Teenage War Survival series)Ten Thousand Shells and Counting: A Memoir (Book 1) by Nadija Mujagic
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Life as a teenager is tough enough . There’s nothing kind about war . Having to deal with both at the same time can’t be easy ……

Where most teens are thinking about fashion , hanging out at the local hotspots Nadija is having to concern herself with loosing the roof over gears , stray bullets , friends that became enemies
survival , having to steal to survive but despite her dire circumstance she still manages to make you laugh at times and being humour to a tragic and traumatic time 🥲 it shows me the power of hope because without hope we have nothing …

I value and appreciate vulnerability and transparency, you know where you stand and Nadija put herself , her experiences and emotions on the line and shared her story and fir that I want to say thank you ! It’s so sad when innocents suffer at the hands of politicians and or leaders and every war has always been for that reason 🥲

I’ve just taken a deep shaky breath and said thank you again for the freedom I so often take for granted 🙏

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Sleeping Love by Natalina Reis – Review by Manda Kelly

Sleeping LoveSleeping Love by Natalina Reis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This author truly understands what it means to build a world you can get lost in, as well as characters you can fall in love with, or hate, if that’s what you’re into. The story is very well written. It flows wonderfully, You truly get pulled into this world and find yourself feeling a bit sad when it’s time to leave. If you’re looking for a fantasy book and MM/LGBTQ is okay for you, I absolutely recommend this book!

Review By @MandaKelly82

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Consigliere’s Revenge (Sicilian Gods Book 3) by Via Mari – Review by Heidi Sturgess

Consigliere's Revenge (Sicilian Gods Book 3)Consigliere’s Revenge by Via Mari
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lorenzo and Izzy have a tale to tell that’s for sure 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Izzy , a journalist has been writing about the mafia for years and she’s no stranger to the family and it’s rules , her dad was part of the family and even went to jail for the family and would for nothing in the world betray them ….

When Izzy finds herself in trouble it’s Lorenzo that comes to her rescue , things get a little grey and she runs from him but hello has her years taught her nothing !? Once you’re theirs wild horses can’t keep them away 🫶🏼

Once again Lorenzo comes to her rescue but all is not as it seems and Izzy finds herself in a very dangerous situation …..

My nerves were shattered but I enjoyed every moment ! What’s better that a mafia leading man and some tense moments 🔥😉

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What Do the Plants Say? (Alex, the Inventor) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Heather Goodman

What Do the Plants Say? (Alex, the Inventor)What Do the Plants Say? by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My kid thoroughly enjoyed this book. She was asking so many questions about the different things. It’s a great educational but also entertaining book. It kept her enthralled in it from the first sentence to the last. Her only disappointment was that it wasn’t longer. This author has done it again.

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Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow! (Science Folktales) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Heather Goodman

Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the Beans (Science Folktales)Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the Beans by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a cute spinoff of Jack and the beanstalk. My little girl loved it. She was drawn in from the first page and was captivated the whole time. Everything this author does hasn’t disappointed me.

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Obedience (Ties That Bind Book 1) by Liza Snow – Review by Heather Goodman

ObedienceObedience by Liza Snow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn’t know what to expect with this book but it was delightfully captivating. It draws you in and then takes you through a blooming romance and twist and turns all along the way. You can feel the connection between the two main characters. You gradually fall more in love with the characters as the book goes on. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that loves romances.

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