My Review of A Scrying Shame by Donna White Glaser

This was a fun read! I really enjoyed this book!
Arie (whose real name we never learn because she actually goes by her initials R.E.--hence the "Arie") is our main character, and she was recently murdered. But don't worry! When we meet her, she has recently been resuscitated. No, she's not a ghost or anything like that. She's just one of those people who saw a light at the end of the tunnel and then got shoved right back down here into reality.
The problem is, she really liked being dead. But now that she's alive again, she can't stop thinking about how much she liked the other side. She's majorly depressed. She's lost her job, about to lose her home, and possibly her sanity. To her, death doesn't sound like a bad idea at all.

A bloody good read!

To try and make ends meet, Arie takes a job with a crew that cleans up crime scenes.  She moves in with her "Grumpa" (who is a riot) and tries to get her life back together. However, pretty quickly into the job, she discovers she has a skill she didn't have before she died--she can scry.
Now, I wasn't particularly familiar with that term, even though I know a lot about mediums and psychics, etc. Scrying is being able to see visions in someone else's blood. When Arie comes into contact with the blood of a famous author who is murdered in her condo, she starts to have visions that lead her to the killer. Even though it doesn't seem like a good idea to become involved, Arie becomes more and more entangled until she finds herself in a very dangerous position.
Along the way, we meet her hilarious best friend and a handsome police detective whom I couldn't get enough of. Arie is funny and quirky, which made her instantly likable. I love the way Glaser tells a story. Despite what could have been a heavy subject, this was actually a fun read, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.
If you like stories with a little bit of everything--some supernatural, some mystery, some romance, some fun gal pal interactions--then you should check this one out. You can find it here and the price is currently $1.99 which is a great price for a good book with lots of five star reviews. Check it out and then let me know what you think in the comments!
Phew! I'm all caught up on my posts now! I actually have about 25 books in my TBR pile now (not to mention the 4000 other books on my Kindle that are TBRWIGAC (to be read when I get a chance). I hope to have another post by the end of next week!
Any recommendations for what I should read next?

My Review of Raven's Peak by Lincoln Cole

I highly recommend you read Raven's Peak (World's on Fire Book 1) by Lincoln Cole, but I wouldn't recommend you do what I did--read it late at night and then try to go to sleep. It's no wonder I've been so tired this week....
The story opens with the Reverend (a.k.a. Arthur) being released from prison to try and find his adopted daughter who is believed to be dead. Cole quickly draws us into his world, and we find out that Arthur is actually a demon hunter, as is his daughter. The prologue ends with Arthur finding his daughter and trading his soul to a demon so that she can be released.

Raven's Peak--don't read it at night!

Fast forward a few weeks and we are introduced to our actual main characters--Haatim, a young man who is trying to balance his religious believes with the loss of his sister, and Abigail, who happens to be Arthur's daughter, the one he traded his soul for. And she is also a demon hunter.
Fate brings these two together, and they end up in the small town of Raven's Peak, Colorado, where a demon has come to play. Abigail and Haatim have to act fast if they are to save the innocent citizens of Raven's Peak from the demon. They will risk their lives and their souls for people they don't know to try to stop total destruction from either the demon or the Council, the organization Abigail works for who are insistent that the demon not escape, no matter the cost.
I really liked this book a lot. While I'm usually more of a vampire hunter kinda girl (paranormal romance is my jam, or whatever the kids are saying these days) I do like a good action scene. Abigail is ferocious and courageous. Haatim is like just about every mere mortal I know--terrified and ready to run away. I can identify with Abigail because I'd like to be her. I can identify with Haatim because I'm probably more like him. In the end, his actions would make any mother proud.
This is a well-told story that will keep you turning pages late into the night (which is a problem if you want to sleep after you put it down!) and Cole finely crafts the plot to keep it moving and interesting. The main story arch is resolved, but we are led into the next book in the series, so keep that in mind if you don't like cliff-hangers at all. I don't mind a new story to keep me hooked so long as the main story has a resolution.
This book was published by Kindle Press, so I was a little surprised that there were some editing mistakes. It was nothing major, but I know they provide editing so I'm surprised they missed more than one or two things. It didn't take me out of the story though.
If you like paranormal, horror, demonology, or anything scary, check out Raven's Peak here.  Also, Lincoln Cole does a lot of giveaways on his website. You can check out his freebies here.  (And no I don't know him and he didn't pay me to write this or add that in--I just happened to find some really great books on Instafreebie on his freebie site by other authors.)
I am currently reading my first shifter book since Twilight, and I am about equally impressed--you can take that however you'd like! I hope to have my review of Something Shifter This Way Comes by Josie Walker soon. One more review and I'll be all caught up!

My Review of Dead Close to Reality by Jennifer Bull

My reading is getting ahead of my blogging these days! That is kind of a good thing for me--but not so much for people who read this blog to look for recommendations. I will try to get caught up as quickly as possible because I've read some great books recently, and I want to share them with you.
A few weeks ago, I finished Dead Close to Reality by Jennifer Bull. This is another book I found through the Kindle Scout program. If you haven't checked it out yet, I suggest you do. If the books you nominate are selected for publication, you get them for free, but a lot of the authors will offer their books for free or at 99 cents as a thank you for nominating them, so I've gotten a lot of great reading material from checking out this program. And here's the thing about these particular indie authors: they're good writers! I mean, if you're going to go through all of the trouble to put your book in Kindle Scout and promote it, etc., you'd better have a pretty good piece of writing. I have not been disappointed in any of the books I've found through Kindle Scout despite the fact that most of them were not selected for publication through Kindle Press. Dead Close to Reality is another book I highly recommend. You can check out the Kindle Scout program here.
Cora is a student at the secretive Sandman Academy, and she has a lucrative internship beta playing a virtual reality game. However, when her classmates start turning up dead, Cora quickly realizes the deaths are linked to the company she works for.  Unable to trust anyone, including her uncle who happens to be a detective in the police department, she does her best to secure evidence showing the company is behind the deaths, until she finds the game is no longer her virtual reality--it's her actual reality. She must find a way to escape the clutches of the company--and the game--before she dies for real. (Then it's really GAME OVER!--Sorry, couldn't resist!)

Reality gaming just got real!

First of all, I thought this book was extremely creative. I am not a gamer, but I do own a VR headset. The way that Bull describes the game makes me want to jump right in and play alongside Cora.  I really hope this is our future because it would be awesome (minus the real death part!)
There were a lot of surprises in this story--one extremely happy one I won't give away. There were plot twists I didn't really see coming. I could tell a huge amount of planning went into crafting a story that would be entertaining and keep the pages turning.
The only thing that was a bit off-putting was that Cora ended up getting herself into a lot more trouble than she should have all because she refused to listen to anyone else. There were several times she could have been safe at home if she just would have listened to her friends and colleagues. While this was a little annoying, she's a college student, and it's understandable that she may have felt invincible as a lot of teens do.
This isn't my usual genre, but I still really enjoyed it. If you like gaming, mysteries, romance, or really anything creative and unusual, then you should check this one out.  I snagged it at a deal price of 99 cents and you can, too, if you hurry! Find it here. Let me know what you think!

My Review of Impulse Spy by Carrie Ann Knox

Something I love about the Kindle Scout program is that I am introduced to a lot of books in genres I wouldn't typically read. This is one of them. I don't usually read mysteries, but when I saw the cover, I was intrigued. I read the excerpt and really liked the first part of the story so much so that when I saw Impulse Spy by Carrie Ann Knox released at an intro price of only 99 cents, I had to pick it up to finish the story.
Quinn is a young woman who reads a lot of spy books in her spare time. Though she is very busy as a fourth year student working an internship, she spends a lot of her free time reading in coffee shops. That's when she stumbles into Sloan. At first, she thinks Sloan may be a Russian spy, but as she follows her, she realizes the truth is even more compelling.

Love this cover! 

Sloan is a private investigator, and before she knows it, Quinn is working right alongside her, trying to unravel the secrets of a big businessman with a gambling problem. When someone ends up dead, Quinn becomes even more entangled. You'll keep reading not only to find out whodunnnit but also to discover if Quinn decides to join Sloan's PI firm full-time.
I thought this book was very cleverly written. There were a lot of plot twists I didn't see coming. I also really appreciated the fact that Quinn is able to use her "disability" of a hearing impairment to make herself an even better spy. So frequently, we think of people's differences as weaknesses, but here Knox uses Quinn's differences as an asset, which is awesome.
This was a weekend read for me, so not a lot of time invested, but the story keeps you reading, and I stayed up late one night to finish the final chapters because I needed to know what happened. Again, I'm not a big mystery reader so I don't have a lot to compare it to, but I found the characters so likable, I would've wanted to read their stories regardless of what they were doing.
Whether you're new to mysteries and want to give the genre a shot or you've read lots of books about murder, espionage, or embezzlement, I think this is a great story you're sure to enjoy.  You  can check it out for yourself here. The current price is $2.99.

My Review of The Freak Show Below by Jada Ryker

With a title like that and an exciting cover, who wouldn't want to check out The Freak Show Below?  The author, Jada Ryker, is extremely talented and has been published by Kindle Press. I thought it was amazing that she gave people who had nominated this book on Kindle Scout the opportunity to get the book for free upon release, so I downloaded it as soon as it became available. I'm so glad I did.

Absolutely love this cover for The Freak Show Below

This mystery had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. The main characters are sisters, Kirbie and Laken Stone. Kirbie is tight-laced and very professional while Laken is a party girl who is recovering from an addiction to alcohol. I immediately saw myself in Kirbie--wanting to be the best big sister, setting a perfect example, etc. (I will say there is no Laken in my family!) Even though Kirbie is very by-the-book, she is incredibly likable, and the more we find out about the girls' past the more I felt for both sisters.
Laken has been tricked into signing a contract to work in The Freak Show Below at the local casino. Ryker does a great job of keeping us tantalized about what that means without giving it away until over halfway through the book. In the meantime, we meet lots of wonderful, freaky characters who have entered agreements with the scummy casino owner for one reason or another.  Some of these characters will instantly tug at your heart (like Henry!) and some of them will make you want to punch them in the face through your Kindle (like Stella!) As Laken got more and more involved in the Freak Show, I became more and more invested in hoping she got out before anything awful happened to her! I was praying Kirbie would find her quickly!
Of course, Kirbie wasn't looking for Laken all alone. Hunky HR manager, Evan, is there to help. I loved the chemistry between these two. It was cute and sexy without being overbearing.
Another aspect of the book that really drew me in is the story of Kirbie and Laken's sister, Spooky, and the tragic events that happened to her when they were all children. It was both heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time.
I'm not going to tell you whether or not Laken has to perform in the Freak Show, but I will tell you the daring rescue mission is definitely worth the read, as is Laken's heroic attempt to escape. I certainly did not see the ending coming and was surprised by more than one turn of events in this one.
I felt Ryker did an amazing job of setting us up right in the action. Unlike a lot of books, there wasn't a long, drawn out backstory. A lot has happened with these characters before we are dropped into their lives, but she gives it to us a piece at a time. I really feel like a prequel could be in order as interesting as the backstory is. Despite knowing I didn't have all of the information just yet, I didn't feel like I had accidentally picked up book two in a series, though.
If you like quick-paced, clever, creative mysteries that will keep you entertained while you try to figure out lots of different puzzles, then this is a great read for you.  I actually think this is the first true mystery I've reviewed, at least recently, but I am now a huge fan of Jada Ryker's and will be checking out her other books as well.
If you'd like to read The Freak Show Below (A Kirbie Stone Mystery Book 1) you can check it out here. The current price is $2.99.

My Review of Eternal Flame: A Rose of Anzio Story by Alexa Kang

If you like time traveling historical fiction with some sweet young adult romance, then this is the right book for you! Eternal Flame: A Rose of Anzio Story by Alexa Kang has something for everyone. I couldn't put it down! (Luckily, I didn't have to go to work today so it doesn't matter that I stayed up until 1:00 AM finishing it last night!) It truly is one of those books you'll be thinking about while you're not reading it and will stick with you long after you've finished it.
The story is set in Chicago in 1989, and if you're a child of the '80s like I am, the references to pop culture will take you back. I love how Kang was able to wind so many different songs and television shows into each scene. Each one took me back to my younger days.
Our main character is a young lady named Julia who has recently moved into a large, old house. She's having boy troubles, and just when it seems like her world is falling apart around her, she finds the photo of a World War II soldier in a clock in her room, left their by the previous owners.  She winds the clock, and when she does so, she unknowingly opens a portal to 1944.
While Julia can't go back in time through the portal, the soldier in the photo, Ed, can come through. At first, he is shocked to find out he's been transported forty-five years into the future, but it is his home and his furniture in Julia's room. After the initial awkwardness is over, Ed and Julia become great friends. He can go back and forth through the time portal, but there are certain rules that dictate the time and date he can use it.
As Ed continues his visits, Julia begins to realize she has feelings for him beyond their friendship. When she realizes he feels the same way, they begin to focus on finding a way they can be together despite the fact that he is from the past.  Julia would love for him to choose to stay in the future with her, but Ed has a duty to perform, and like any good soldier, he is determined not to turn his back on his brothers in arms. To find out if they are able to make their love last for all time, you're going to have to read the book for yourself.
Since my grandfather served in World War II, I could really relate to this story. When Kang discusses life in the 1940s, she's spot on, as she is with her references to the 1980s. I loved being immersed in both of these two time periods as they are both very relevant to my life. Her characters are likable, and you can't help but want Julia and Ed to find a way to be together.  I also love how she incorporates time travel without it becoming overwhelming or too science-fiction-y.  I didn't feel compelled to find out "why" the portal worked, I just knew that it worked, and that was enough.
This is a really great read that hits a lot of genres in one way or another.  If you like historical fiction, romance, young adult, or time travel you will find something to love in this book. You can find it on Amazon here.  The current price is $0.99 but I think that is a limited time, promotional price that may change. This is definitely one of the best books I've read in a while, so if you're looking for some summer reading, I highly recommend Eternal Flame: A Rose of Anzio Story by Alexa Kang.

My Review of The Unknown Sun by Cheryl S. Mackey

The Unknown Sun is a Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Romance novel, not my typical genre, but it sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try, and I'm glad that I did.
Moira is a young woman with a chilling past. Not once, but twice, she has been the sole survivor when terrible accidents have claimed the lives of her family members. Both of her parents and two of her sisters have died tragically in a car wreck and then a plane crash, leaving Moira basically all alone in a world she doesn't understand where everyone, including herself, wants to know why she didn't die.
When she is attacked at her home by a strange boy she vaguely recognizes from school, she cries out for help, but the twins that show up to save her are not ordinary themselves, and soon she finds herself in another world surrounded by strangers.
Despite knowing no one and nothing of this strange land, she soon discovers there are links between her past and this world. The twins, Airi and Bel, were able to save her through the use of a magic portal. It is up to Moira to work with the twins to save their world and activate similar portals throughout the land while avoiding the evil forces that seek to destroy them and claim the throne from their father.
As Moira works with the twins, she begins to discover she has much to offer. She transforms from the weak child she had been on Earth and finds her own power. She also quickly makes a love connection with Bel and learns to love his sister, Airi, as a best friend. She soon realizes that this new land will be her home and she must do what she can to protect it, no matter the cost.
There were a lot of things that I really liked about The Unknown Sun. First of all, Mackey has a gift when it comes to word choice and prose. Parts of the piece are actually written so beautifully it is as if one is reading a poem.  I really enjoyed savoring the word choice and letting the perfectly chosen words roll off of my tongue.
I also thought Mackey did an excellent job of building the world as we went along.  This is a distinct place, which is difficult to construct, and sometimes authors get so bogged down in building the land they forget to advance the story. That did not happen here. The pace continued as it should while the world was built around it.
I also felt like the story itself was very engaging. There were some creative ideas here that I hadn't considered before, starting with the idea that Moira had been the victim of these two accidents that had shattered her family.  There needed to be a reason, of course, and I feel like we find out enough information about those events later for it to make sense.
There were a few things that I would have like to have had better clarification on. For one thing, the new world involves a new language--although I'm not clear on how they actually also know English so well--and a lot of the words were confusing to me. I don't feel like I learned them well enough to know what they meant when I heard them later in the story. Some of them were very similar to each other.
I can say the same about some of the characters. There ended up being a lot of characters with strange sounding names, particularly towards the end, and some of them started with the same letter, so I couldn't always remember who was who, especially with characters that were mentioned but did not actually appear in the book. Towards the end, I finally decided I had given up on trying to remember who a couple of the characters were and I decided to go ahead and finish the book and if I needed to go back and figure it out later, I would. I didn't have to do that. It might be more important in a sequel, possibly.
On the subject of the sequel, this book was first published in 2014, and while the back matter promises a sequel, to my knowledge, one is not out yet. That seems like a really long time to wait for a sequel to me.
Finally, this story gives new meaning to the phrase "love at first sight." Bel loves Moira immediately and it only takes her half a second to realize she loves him, too. She is young, though, so maybe that is plausible.  I am a bit confused about their relationship, however, especially since we find out later that they may actually be related, and that doesn't seem to make a difference to them at all.
Overall, this was a good read. I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy novels, particularly those set on other planets. It will also help if you like romance.  I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review, but you can purchase it here, and the current price is $2.99.

My Review of Dying Valentine by Calvin Demmer

This was an interesting, short read in the horror genre, as the title may suggest.  I found it both interesting and creative, if not a little confusing. But I believe the confusion was intentional--as in a sort-of red herring here and there--and while it did leave me a little befuddled, it certainly wasn't a bad read or a waste of the thirty minutes or so it took to read.

My dying Valentine, sweet bloody Valentine....

The story opens with our main character, Daniel, on his way to meet his girlfriend's parents. Unfortunately, he is involved in an accident on the way, striking a pedestrian, and through some bizarre twists and turns, he ends up back at his house with the victim (she seems to be fine) who does what all strange women who have just been hit by a car do--takes off her clothes and demands money
Of course, Daniel loves his girlfriend and isn't tempted by this apparently psychotic speed bump, but things go from bad to worse when his girlfriend actually shows up at his house.
Daniel does what every cool dude might do and introduces his girlfriend to the weird woman from the road--and then leaves. I don't want to give away the ending, but let's just say it involves a blood bath. No really.
I will say that I absolutely did not see the ending coming--or even the few steps leading to the ending, for that matter. I was really thrown off by a few things that happened, and they didn't make sense at all, which, as I said, I believe was intentional. At least that's the theory I'm going with! There was a lot of intentional misdirection.
This is a very short read--only 25 pages according to Amazon--and it's only 99 cents. It will likely leave you shaking your head, which isn't a bad thing. It's definitely not like anything I've read before!
You can find Dying Valentine here, but you don't have to wait until February to read it!

My Review of The Defiled and the Second Son by BJ Leonard

Y'all, I did it! I finally found a book I really liked! It's been sooo long since I read a good one, a book that mad me think about it while I wasn't reading it, one that made me wonder what would happen next, where the characters stick with you and have you longing for the next installment. I'm so glad I found this book! I was beginning to lose faith in my ability to pick a good one!

The Defiled and the Second Son by BJ Leonard is enthralling!

The Defiled and the Second Son is science fiction,  a genre I don't typically select, but this one seemed interesting to me from the description, and it honestly seemed a bit more like a paranormal romance storyline--with aliens instead of vampires or werewolves.
Elan is a high school teacher who lives a pretty boring life until her new gardner, an extremely attractive stranger recommended to her by a neighbor, begins to hit on her. She is shocked and suspicious. And just when she begins to consider exploring her options with River, two other attractive men show up in her life and let her know of their interest in her as well.
It isn't long before Elan discovers she's actually been identified by an alien race as a precious commodity, a woman pure of heart who can be used to help repopulate their devastated planet. The only problem is that these aliens are on two different sides of a very real war. The Defiled, the dark side of the race, are willing to break all of the rules to claim Elan as their own, while the Legitimates must follow all of the rules and find a way to enlighten Elan so that she can recognize her own strength. Soon, Elan finds herself in a dangerous position as the two sides battle over her, and she isn't sure who to trust.
This was a great read for several reasons. The characters are real and engaging. The dialogue is great, the descriptions are poignant, and the plot moves quickly and keeps the reader driving forward. I found this book to be both creative and relatable. While it is similar to some of the paranormal romance novels I have read, the fact that we are talking about aliens makes it unique. Likewise, the thought that went into each of the characters, particularly the 11 Legitimate brothers, is impressive. I am very hopeful that Leonard continues this series and we can find out what happens to the third son when he comes to Earth to look for his soulmate.
The book references Twilight a few times, and I think if you enjoyed that series, you will like this one as well, though, in my opinion, this book is better written as far as the prose and word choice are concerned. You can read my slightly different five star review on Amazon here, and please check out The Defiled and the Second Son by BJ Leonard here. The current price is $2.99.

My Review of Amaranthine and Other Stories by Erik Hofstatter

I was drawn to this collection because of the name--Amaranthine. It means undying or unchanging, and it happens to be the title song of an Enya album. So the title caught my attention, but since I've been hunting for something haunting for a while, I decided a collection of short horror stories might be the way to go. It promised to be a quick read, and I hoped it would also be scary.
Sadly, I was disappointed in the latter, but at least it was over quickly.
The first story should've been my clue that this was not going to be horrific at all, but it was going to be nauseating in more ways than one. When the first story in a horror collection is titled, "The Birthing Tub," you prepare yourself for terror. What I got was a whole lot of queasiness. I won't ruin it for you in case you happen to like those things, but what was born was not a baby, and what was floating in the tub was not afterbirth.  Despite this disgusting opening story, I journeyed on, hopeful that things would get better.

The fluid in The Birthing Tub wasn't blood. Blood would've been better.

I will not recount every single story in the collection here, as there are nine, but I will hit some highlights. I really did like the story "The Deep End." I found it intriguing and liked the reference to the Morgens, a siren like character I had never heard of before. I also liked that the ending was left up to the imagination of the reader.  The title story was also interesting. "Amaranthine" is a very short story where the main character is a book binder who specializes in materials other than leather or paper.  In a way, it reminded me of The Others, one of my favorite movies, as a look back at one of the more morose, yet intriguing, mementoes of the past. However, unlike the haunting movie staring Nichole Kidman, this story doesn't quite linger the same way and you certainly can't relate to the characters in the same way.
There are some grammatical mistakes/typos, and some of them were quite distracting. There were not a lot of them, but the fact that they made it difficult to process what was happening brought me out of the book and left me confused. Those are the worst kinds of mistakes, in my opinion, and I'm not sure how they were missed as this book appears to have a publisher other than the author, though no editor is listed.
As I mentioned, this book is really short at 63 pages. I certainly wouldn't pay the asking $2.99 for it at that length, particularly now that I know that it isn't scary.  I happened to pick it up during a free promotion.  If you'd like to find out for yourself, you can find it here. You can also find my slightly different three  star Amazon review here, and if you found either of these reviews helpful, please vote "Yes" on Amazon.
My next review will be back to contemporary romance. I think this one may have turned me off of "horror" for a while....

My Review of Sallowed Blood by Stuart G. Yates

I have four thousand books waiting for me on my Kindle. For reals.  So--choosing my next book is always difficult. I decided to read Sallowed Blood by Stuart G. Yates  because I found the description intriguing, but even more interesting to me was an exchange between another Amazon reviewer and the author. Basically, the reviewer said, "Hey author, you need to have this edited again. There are some errors and you changed one of the character's names midway, and then changed it back." And then the author said, "Nuh uh." (I paraphrase both parts, of course.) Well, any author who is willing to argue with a reviewer has my attention! So I decided to read the book for myself to see who was right!
Any bets on who that might have been??
This story is about a boy named Daniel who is about fifteen years old. His mom has recently passed away, and his dad has taken to drinking. A lot. When his grandmother dies, that is the last straw for Daniel, until he finds out she was filthy stinking rich, and now he has a trust fund. And also a castle. Yeah, Granny left him and his dad a castle in Bavaria.

Daniel's grandma left him a castle. All mine left me was a copy of Little Women and a painting of a dog.

From the first night in the castle, Daniel is uneasy. He's hearing weird sounds. The staff is creepy, and there's some weird dude who keeps showing up telling his dad he wants to buy the castle and they shouldn't move there. But Daniel is a trooper and he is determined not only to stick it out but not to point out any of the weird sounds or creepiness to his dad, not even when one of the maids turns into a monster in front of his face and another one of he workers tries to kill him. Nope, why would you mention that to your dad?
Eventually, a tutor comes along and enlightens Daniel that there are a bunch of legends associated with the former owners of the castle dating back to medieval times.  They go exploring in caves nearby and villagers tell them to move.  Again, why tell your only living parent any of this?
People start showing up dead, and then Daniel's dad goes away for a while, leaving his son alone in the creepy castle where at least two people have supposedly died in the last two weeks. As any good parent does.
Daniel's Aunt Flo shows up--no it isn't that time of the month, that's really her name--and the story begins its climax with Daniel stumbling upon the secret to all of the evil noises coming from the pits of the house! Will Daniel survive? Will things with Aunt Flo get messy? Does Dad ever realize that his son has been accosted by the waitstaff? Well, to find out, you will just have to read this one for yourself.
Here are some things that I really liked! First of all, the backstory to the castle is great. I'm not sure if Yates made up the history he weaves into the story or if he's just an excellent historian, but either way, I found it intriguing.  I really liked reading about the medieval characters and the history of the castle. Also, I found parts of the plot to be very creative. I'd certainly never read anything like this before, and when it comes to the paranormal element, I think that's saying something. There isn't a lot that hasn't been done to death.
Here's where I had some issues. Remember that reviewer? She was sooo right. There were a lot of sentences missing words, grammatical errors, punctuation in the wrong place or doubled up, things a good proofreader could have caught. The story was also in need of some actual editing as parts were hard to follow. I'm talking about overly wordy sentences and things like Daniel handing a cup to a maid only to be gripping the cup a few minutes later--things that take you out of  the story and make you say, "what just happened?" There is a character named Mr. Spencer in the beginning of the book. About a quarter of the way through, he is referred to as Mr. Simpson, and then later he becomes Mr. Spencer again. This is confusing, particularly in a book where characters have similar names--like Martha and Maria. And then there's Daniel and Dad. Yes, the character may as well be named Dad as that is pretty much all he is ever called. The book is written in third person limited, not first person, so the character should really be referred to by his name, particularly in scenes where Daniel isn't present, but even then he is called Dad most of the time, which gets annoying after a while. (As any parent knows, having one's own identity is crucial to existence. My name is not Mommy!)
Another thing that bothered me is that Daniel cries. A lot. He is a 15 year old boy who has a crush on a 18 or 17 year old girl (the book gives her both ages, in that order) who cries at least a half a dozen times. I don't think most teenage boys cry that much--but if they are the kind of boy who does cry, then they are probably also the kind of boy who tells their dad they saw a monster in the kitchen!
I wanted to like Daniel, but I couldn't.  He was too pathetic for me. I did really like the character of Rex. I don't know if I liked Dad or not because he was a stereotype and not a real person, which is indicated by his name (which must be Dad.)
Overall, I would say, if you like a quick read, paranormal with historical background, and you don't mind the problems I've listed above, then check this one out. You can find it on Amazon here and at the time of this posting, it is still free, regularly $2.99.
One more thing, I know as an author it is difficult to read critical reviews. (I literally know that!) But I don't know that it is ever a good idea to respond back to a reviewer with negativity. In this case, maybe it was a good move on Yates's part because it caused me to read his book, but it also caused me to leave a three star review on his book, which may or may not be a good thing.  Sometimes, it's best to leave those types of things unsaid, or publish them elsewhere. Like on your blog.... If you'd like to read my three star review on Amazon, which is slightly different than this one, you can find it here. If you find my review helpful, please click "yes." It is alway nice to get positive feedback on my reviews!
I wonder if Mr. Yates will find it helpful.
Now, what am I going to read next....Perhaps something the negative reviewer wrote! She really did have a way with words.

My Review of Taming Beauty by Lynne Barron

With the upcoming release of the new live-action Disney film, Beauty and the Beast, there are sure to be a lot of retellings appearing on the bookshelves. This one, however, has been around for a little while. And if you're looking for a re-imagination of the well-known story, then I highly recommend you check this one out.
In this particular retelling, the beast isn't an actual animal but more of a brutish baron. Jasper, Baron Maleville, finds himself betrothed to the daughter of one of his archenemies in an attempt to underhandedly undo the scoundrel. However, as the wedding party arrives at his manor, it isn't the young and fetching sister he is promised to that catches his attention, rather it is her slightly older, slightly bawdier, sister Lileth. And while Lileth pretends to have absolutely no interest in the baron, it soon becomes very difficult for her to keep her growing attraction a secret.
I really enjoyed several aspects of this story. First of all, Barron writes with prose that transports the reader back in time. With her skillful turning of phrase that sounds remarkably suited to the time period of her writing, it is quiet easy to find oneself immersed in the story. While some authors are not capable of taking such a sophisticated approach to historical fiction, Barron does so in a way that is not only non-distracting from the storyline, it actually enhances the experience.
The character of Lileth, though she is very unlady like in many ways, is immediately likable, and I found myself cheering from her from the very beginning. She is no damsel in distress! Rather, she is witty, charming, and highly intelligent.  She doesn't really seem to care what other people think of her and has little time for the rules of high society of the period. There are points in the story when she does show vulnerability, which leaves her a very well-rounded character.
I was not as impressed with Jasper, though, partially because I felt the picture painted of him was a little difficult to follow. My mind kept wanting to make him a hideous beast, but he is described as attractive with some physical scars. Perhaps it was the influence of other "beast" characters that wouldn't let me fully see this character the way Barron intended, but I felt he could have used some more depth and transparency. I did find his backstory very interesting.
There are several other characters that were intriguing and fit in well with the story, including the younger sister who is betrothed to Jasper and the nieces and nephews who live in his home. Barron does a wonderful job of including these other characters and describing the setting where the story unfolds. Even the father who has so many flaws becomes intriguing and charismatic the more we learn about him.
There were some proofreading mistakes, which occasionally distracted from the reading--missing words, phrases that weren't quite complete, etc. But this did not ruin the story for me, and I was able to get back into the action fairly quickly after re-reading a sentence here or there.
Overall, I feel this was a very well-written piece of historical fiction with quite a bit of romance. If you're looking for something to tide you over while you wait for Beauty and the Beast on the big screen, I highly recommend this one. You can find it here on Amazon, and the current price is $2.99. I received my copy for free in exchange for a fair review. If you've read it, let us know in the comments what you thought of Taming Beauty by Lynne Barron.